Overview

When asked to describe a “convict,” most people generate a stereotypical, Hollywood image of a criminal kingpin. In reality, the people that find themselves incarcerated are typically excluded and disenfranchised through poverty, racism, and homelessness. They are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, and have committed a variety of non-violent crimes. These are the men, women and adolescents that represent the bulk of the prison population today. More than 80% of those behind bars are incarcerated for crimes related to selling, buying, using, or possessing illegal substances. There are far more people incarcerated for crimes related to using drugs than for crimes of a stereotypical kingpin.

Throughout time, this forgotten population has been relegated to the back stairs of society, never having been offered tools for rehabilitation or habilitation. Few people remember that the first jail in the United States was built as a reform in response to punishments of public humiliation, stocks, tar-and-feathering, and more. Few people are aware that the Eastern State Penitentiary was the largest public building of its time, and the first to have flushing toilets…even before the White House.

Incarceration creates an environment in which people are dehumanized and excluded, isolated even from their own experience. This curriculum is written for those who have been arrested, tried, convicted, transported, documented, fingerprinted, urine tested, hair tested, evaluated, chained, photographed, searched, detained, process, and assigned a number. For these women and men, their number has replaced their name as they exist in a structure of exclusion and are warehoused on the outskirts of society.

The material in this curriculum addresses current societal attitudes towards incarceration, rehabilitation and habilitation, and the powerful impact made by those with a vision for change. It is the culmination of the work that has been done in the therapeutic community.

The goal of this curriculum is to create formats for individuals to study the history of punitive incarceration and, more importantly, their personal histories of incarceration. Through the exercises and encounter groups, students develop and articulate the effects of incarceration in their lives (microcosm) and in society (macrocosm). Students identify anti-social behaviors that preceded their incarceration, and develop strategies to practice antidote behaviors.

*****Please Note that DVDs are not included

Number to Name Documentary Movies (DVD’s)

The DVD documentaries utilized in this curriculum depict the history of prisons and policies of incarceration, beginning with the first prisons in the United States up to the passage of the Third Strike legislation. Philip Zimbardo’s famous Stanford Prison Experiment shows how young men were socialized into negative roles using an environment of incarceration.

Alcatraz - It was called the “Rock” and for 20 years it was home to America’s most dangerous criminals. It was said that no one could escape Alcatraz, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t try. In this movie, former inmates, guards, and prison experts relive the stories of some of the most daring prison breaks ever attempted. See how the most clever and desperate inmates hatched and carried out elaborate escape attempts, only to be thwarted by betrayal, bad planning, bad luck, or the icy waters of San Francisco bay. This movie provides a glimpse into the desperation of men condemned to live out their lives behind prison walls and their compulsion to seek freedom at all costs. (A & E History Channel Documentary)

Eastern State Penitentiary -Part of a larger volume of work, this documentary journeys into one of the most notorious prisons in America, Eastern State Penitentiary. Interviews with former inmates, guards, wardens and other insiders offer a candid view of prison life. (A & E History Channel Documentary)

Juvies - Many women and men begin their journey from name to number as juveniles. For many, social skills were developed inside the walls of Juvenile Hall. This film helps students evaluate their adolescent incarceration experiences and the emotional responses they developed as a result. It was shot from the point-of-view of a video production class taught to 12 juvenile offenders who were tried as adults. Juvies is a powerful and candid examination of the juvenile correctional system, and its increasing tendency to process these minors through the adult prison system, rather than provide a structure for rehabilitation. (2004, Leslie Neale)

Leavenworth -Part of a larger volume of work, this documentary journeys into one of the most notorious prisons in America, Leavenworth. Interviews with former inmates, guards, wardens and other insiders offer a candid view of prison life. (A & E History Channel Documentary)

Lifers - Reaching for Life Beyond the Walls This 90 minute DVD released in 2004 represents a collaboration between a Japanese producer, Kaori Sakagami, the California Department of Corrections, Amity Foundation, and men convicted in the California Department of Corrections. The documentary follows three men, African American, Mexican–American and Anglo, and their journey from number to name, and degradation to dignity through their participation in an in-prison therapeutic community (TC). This documentary raises many issues: Can the convict code be changed within a prison setting? Is the TC a model for restorative justice within a system of retributive justice? What is the effect of incarceration on the families of the convicted, and on the families of the victims?

Number to Name - Six Weeks in the Door This DVD is a 12-minute interview with a man who served 22 years in prison. In the interview, he articulates his experience of his first six weeks of participation in a therapeutic community. He describes his initial discomfort with the process of habilitation, and the growing realization of his potential to live a productive life. He articulates his first impressions of the TC and of the role models whose demonstration encouraged his process of growth. This presentation is particularly accessible to those considering the possibility of stepping over the threshold of change.

Solitary Confinement - Today’s penal system is in flux, as new theories of confinement, new technologies, and a rising tide of convicts combine to change the way America handles prisoners. Perhaps nowhere is this more obvious than with the state-of-the-art Supermax prisons, which offer exceptional security at an extraordinary cost--at least $50,000 per year per cell. Inside the walls of these fortresses, inmates spend 23 hours a day, seven days a week locked inside cells that measure a mere 80 square feet. For the first time, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS examines the use of solitary confinement in Supermax prisons. (A & E History Channel Documentary)

Quiet Rage - The Stanford Prison Experiment: This documentary, hosted by Dr. Philip Zimbardo details the results of his famous prison experiment done in the 1970’s. This documentary includes interviews with experiment participants several months and years after the experiment Dr. Zimbardo discusses the results of the experiment, specifically the powerful influence of “situation” on human behavior. Applications are made to modern prison practices and to everday relationships based on power and control.

The Farm - Inside Angola Prison: This powerful documentary depicts the lives led by men who are serving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole in one of the most dangerous, maximum-security prisons in America - Angola. It depicts the lives of six men and their life journey in prison. The prison becomes their home, and some choose to be buried there. They have lost all outside connections and relationships. It is presented from the point of view of incarcerated men, and reveals how they cope with their situation and retain motivation.

The Legacy - Murder & Media, Politics & Prisons Shocking murders, massive manhunts and win-at-all-costs political campaigns propel this extraordinary story behind the enactment of California’s “Three Strikes and You’re Out” initiative, which in 1994 became the nations toughest mandatory sentencing law. Filmmaker Michael J. Moore follows the turbulent relationship of two grief-stricken fathers whose daughters’ senseless murders sparked a political firestorm and media frenzy that would change the face of criminal justice in America. A chilling commentary on life in an age of sound-bite democracy, the film reveals the controversy behind laws of this kind and examines how the two men most responsible for “Three Strikes” went from being fervent allies to bitter rivals.