Hotel California Short Story

When we got to the prison, I was surprised to see multiple buildings all around a center courtyard. The inmates were dressed in green or gray and were busy doing various activities. The first thing that really swept me off my feet was when we visited the inmates near the gym in the knitting room. The things they were making required so much talent, which is something I had never considered prisoners to have, mostly because I had never thought about it. I was even more shocked by the talent of the brick layers and the high success rate that is found in the inmates that

Michael Gray shows how the prison affects the small town of Elmira with examples from Elmira’s newspaper, “Elmira Daily Advertiser commented on the

This book is an honest account of life in Leavenworth Prison, Kansas based on interviews with notorious inmates and numerous other individuals. The book begins with introducing inmates such as Carl Bowles, Dallas Scott and William Post and offers insight information on the cultural aspect inside the prison itself. Once the basics are known to the reader, the author Pete Earley, develops the character of the prisoners and thus of the penitentiary as a whole.

In part 3, Morris (2002, p.171) discusses why prison conditions matter and why penal reformers, including himself, have devoted their lives and travelled thousands of miles

Hollandsworth engages inside the minds of readers by establishing a base of knowledge of the unjust criminal sentencing Edwin was given. throughout the article “The Prisoner”, Edwin is portrayed as a cold-blooded killer who deserves to be locked up with no way of receiving a second chance at life. Hollandsworth concluded that Edwin is not the only twelve-year-old to be sentenced to a state prison as a juvenile, “According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, of the 140,000 inmates now housed in its prisons, approximately 2,000 are there for crimes that they committed as juveniles, which state law defines as anyone under the age of seventeen. Nearly a hundred of those inmates committed their crimes when they were only eleven, twelve, or thirteen years old” (Para 2). Edwin is also one of the youngest inmates to be sentenced to such a long and unimaginable verdict, “Of that group, only two have served more time than Edwin. “I’m considered the bad seed, the worst of the worst, all because of one stupid, terrible thing I did when I was twelve,” (Para 2). Edwin shows remorse and regret for his actions but still cannot seem to find a way to change the minds of his peers, “Why can’t people understand I’m not that twelve-year-old boy anymore? Why can’t I be given a second chance?” (Para 2). Edwin and his

Still, Parsell’s writing leads me to believe that despite the few good moments, he never really found a consistent means of happiness while incarcerated. T.J. Parsell’s experiences in the criminal justice system unfortunately do align with many of the concepts we discussed in class, especially since we have discussed how brutal and dehumanizing prisons can be for inmates. Additionally, we learned about how common it is for prisons to become overcrowded, while remaining understaffed due to the pressures for harsher punitive measures for many types of crimes, including drug crimes, as seen with the “War on Drugs”. Parsell encountered overcrowding during his incarceration as well, and as a result, the prison did not have access to enough educational or vocational resources, and did not do much to help the inmates with rehabilitation or reintegration into society. Instead, it was simply extremely strict, with harsh punishments and a violent and angry subculture.

In this topic, Peter Malae creates a menacing mood for the audience that allows them to feel the feeling of living in jail with the fear of getting punished and tortured while also having to be conscious of his/her actions (lack of freedom) around

In America, everyone seems to have a different idea about what goes on behind the grey, dismal walls of prison. For many of us, the idea itself conjures images of coiled barbed wire fences, chains dragging across the ground, somber faces behind rusting bars and those bright orange jumpsuits. These visions come from a variety of sources-- movies we’ve seen, the stories that we’ve been told and our own imagination that is constantly at work. However, the reality of prison life in America can only come from those who have stepped foot inside. Through memoirs written by Danner Darcleight and Ted Conover, I’ve had to reconsider some of these previously held visions of prison life. While Conover writes about the abusive relationship between the correctional officers and the prisons, through Darcleight’s writing we see the rewarding powers of having social life and the hopeful possibility for anyone to attain redemption. The first chapter of Concrete Carnival, by Danner Darcleight, as well as Guarding Sing Sing by Ted Conover has led me to re-evaluate these previously held visions of prison life, including the relationship between guards and inmates, social systems, and redemption.

After reading the book I have gained a new understanding of what inmates think about in prison. Working in an institution, I have a certain cynical attitude at times with inmates and their requests.

Without any diversion from their actuality, the inmates start to feel as though their existence is pointless. Hopkins says, “It strikes me that for most of them, prison has become a life of waiting: waiting in line to eat, for a phone call, the mail, or a visit. Or just waiting for tomorrow-for parole and freedom. For the older ones, with no hope of

. . Two inmate trustees lifted and tilted the heavy cage, while three officers yanked Joe’s chair with a violent pull that finally dislodged it (216-217). The passage above depicts the crude and violent conditions that inmates like Joe face in prison. Most individuals that are incarcerated experience trauma in their early years, and will be negatively affected by it for the rest of their lives. These feelings of neglect, abuse, and violence from childhood and young adulthood are only worsened in prisons.

This book presents two individuals, named Richard and Perry, who strived to do a few things once they were out of prison that were very horrific, and unbearable which by any means is not permissible. During and after the killings of the Clutter family, Perry comes to his senses and speaks on the aftermath of what these killings have brought upon him. “The sounds of breathing, the gasps, the hysterical inhalations of a man with a severed windpipe. When Perry said, “I think there must be something wrong with us,” he was making an admission he “hated to make” (110). Criminals who admit on their behavior. The position becomes, are they human beings anymore, or are they dehumanized? The fact that Perry Smith comes to the realization that they are demented, should they be given a chance? The level of detail that speaks

Hassine begins his narrative as he is entering prison but this time as an inmate. Prior to his incarceration, Hassine was an attorney (Hassine, 2011). Even then as an attorney, the high walls of prison intimated Hassine (Hassine, 2011). As Hassine was being processed into the system, he expressed how he systematically became hopeless from the very prison structure itself as well as because of the intimidation he felt by uniforms. Prisons of the past actually had a goal to aid individuals through rehabilitation by instilling new values in order to correct the wrongs that one may have committed during their lifetime but today this is no longer true. . Hassine draws colorful depictions of how dim and unfamiliar a prison can be in which instills fear in an individual soon as he or she

“Hotel California” by The Eagles has been the recipient of much speculation since its release in 1976. Although many other interpretations exist including some which claim this song to be referencing drugs, much evidence suggests that “Hotel California” is, at least partly, making a statement about the lifestyle of drug and alcohol users particularly in the large cities of California. As with many songs, duality of meaning exists in “Hotel California.”

Breakfast ends and we head to the playground for free play. Free play is the time where the prisoners are allowed to do whatever they like and play whichever sport pleases them. As a prisoner, all I can do is enjoy it to the best I can. The fresh air is soothing yet disturbing at the same time. As usual, I just sit by myself and reminisce on old times and past events. However, when my imagination takes me back in time, my reality doesn?t change. The harsh reality of being in prison.