Running head: PRISON NARRATIVE REVIEW 1

Prison Narrative Review

Bonnie Stright

University of Pennsylvania
PRISON NARRATIVE REVIEW 2

Prison Narrative Review

Dale Griffith

Upon graduating college, Dale Griffith accepted a job as a teacher Niantic Correctional

Institution. At first arrival, Dale was filled with fear and preconceptions about what the students

would be like. Nevertheless, she persevered, to feel a sense of belonging at the institution,

growing connections with students, learning their stories and hardships, and empowering them

through personal writing. She watched how the prison environment changed over the years to

become less and less humanizing towards those incarcerated, stripping them of their dignity.

Carolyn Ann Adams

Carolyn Ann Adams is a relentlessly strong woman, having experienced a great deal of

intense trauma throughout her childhood and diagnosed with several mental illnesses as a result.

As an adult Carolyn worked in evaluation of state-funded agencies providing psychosocial

services, until eventually her addiction to money and gambling led to her commit larceny by

embezzlement, receiving a five year prison sentence she has since been released from.

Bonnie Foreshaw

Bonnie is Jamaican-American and a devout Rastafarian woman incarcerated at Niantic

for first degree murder. The murder was accidental, resulting from a man sexually harassing

Bonnie outside of a bar, Bonnie attempting to defend herself but an innocent bystander was shot

and killed. Bonnie has experienced a great deal of abuse throughout her life, including verbal,

physical, and sexual, by parent figures, family, and husbands, that led to her intense fear the

night of the altercation. In prison, Bonnie has peacefully protested the uniform on the basis of her

religious freedom, while acting as a compassionate mentor for young women and girls at York.

Themes
PRISON NARRATIVE REVIEW 3

As shown by these authors and others, history of abuse is extremely common amongst

incarcerated people, especially for women (Talvi, 2007). Both Carolyn and Bonnie described

sexual, physical, verbal, and emotional abuse throughout their childhood and adulthood. Dale

noted how many of her students use writing to cope with their histories of abuse, gaining power

by owning and airing their stories. Their abuse often came from family, typically fathers and/or

father figures, none of which appeared to be held accountable for their crimes against the

children and women. Carolyn and Bonnie’s childhood traumas, as well as most abuse suffered by

incarcerated women is a direct result of the misogynistic systems within this country. Despite

their trauma having a clear impact on the crimes committed, no one in the justice process

bothered to listen to their stories or show any understanding of the circumstances.

Throughout Carolyn’s childhood she is blamed and chastised for her pregnancy, despite it

being the result of rape by her father. She is constantly caught somewhere between being viewed

as an inept child to a careless teenager, rarely receiving empathy or kindness from the adults in

her life, and constantly blamed for family turmoil. Despite being forced into hiding the

pregnancy and rape, and then forced to put her baby up for adoption, Carolyn never received any

counseling for these traumas. Bonnie lived a similar childhood, but at the intersection of sexism,

racism, and colorism. As she moved from one abusive father to another, she experienced a great

deal of abandonment and apathy towards her well-being from all parent figures. Her lighter

skinned sister was well loved and appreciated while her stepfather beat her and called her racial

slurs. Her mother finally kicked Bonnie out of the house after she revealed her stepfather’s

sexual assault on her. After this and several abusive husbands, it is no wonder she would carry

protection and be fearful of harassment by men. The sexual harassment and abuse both women

endured is an epidemic in this country, stemming from a culture of misogyny and patriarchal
PRISON NARRATIVE REVIEW 4

systems that fosters the creation of violent male perpetrators, complicit bystanders, and a cycle of

blaming the victim without any accountability to the abusers.

Black women like Bonnie are often harmed the greatest by these patriarchal and white

supremacist systems. To add to this, classism is also fully enmeshed within the legal system and

clearly shown through these narratives. Both Carolyn and Bonnie’s childhoods were riddled with

poverty and even homelessness at times. Legal experts looking at Bonnie’s case maintain the

public defender she was assigned failed to meet the minimum standard of competency provided

by the Constitution and she evidently should have been charged with manslaughter instead

(Lamb, 2003). If Bonnie could afford to hire a better lawyer, she would likely have a different

conviction and shorter sentence. However as mentioned, already being a Black woman in

America, the systems are designed to persecute her to the fullest extent, with African Americans

eight times more likely to be incarcerated (Mukamal, 2007) and rising numbers of young Black

girls being relentlessly pushed out of schools into the prison system (Morris, 2018). The zero-

tolerance school policies disproportionately marginalizing Black children operate in congruence

to the policies within the United States justice system, as they give little to no context

consideration during sentencing nor opportunity for people to share their full stories. Still, even

when school administrators or court judges do hear someone’s story, too often they simply

disregard it. The warden and officials heard Bonnie’s plea for a religious exemption from

wearing the uniform pants, yet they described wanting to appear tough with strict “no exception”

rules. Although much more severe, this is reminiscent of school rule violations, removing

students from class and losing learning time over something as simple as a dress code violation,

just as Bonnie was removed and thrown in solitary for refusing to wear pants. Too often officials

in schools or prisons would rather “send a message” to others than show basic humanity and
PRISON NARRATIVE REVIEW 5

understanding for someone’s situation.

Another commonality amongst the women’s narratives is how the prison has changed

over the years, with greater restrictions on rights and increased dehumanization. They tell stories

about how in the past they were able to wear their own clothes, see family, host parties, etc..

Bonnie notes, “these weren’t ‘country club’ conditions, the way some people have criticized.

This was recognition that the women of Niantic are human beings first, prisoners second”

(Lamb, 2003). Over time the culture in prison maintenance shifted from rehabilitation to

punishment, with less access to education, harsher penalties for rule-breaking, more military like

staff, and the halting of morale-building efforts. Despite incarcerated populations being counted

in censuses to increase political representation of rural white areas, and the immediate impact

new leadership has on prison culture and operations – those incarcerated are still restricted from

voting, running for office, protesting, and many other fundamental rights to civically participate

in their communities (Smith, 1997). Not only were these women abused as children and adults,

but they continue to be abused every day by the government designed to serve them.

All three narratives additionally highlight how writing is transformative in helping people

survive in prison. Many enter with little to no literacy skills, and teachers like Dale still

encourage and empower them to persevere to ultimately create powerful essays about their

experiences. The ability to read and write allowed the inmate, Mary, to finally communicate via

letters to her family by herself and the inmate, Loretta, to read books reflecting her own

experiences. Literacy creates a sense of community, emotional and physical benefits, laughter,

healing amongst the incarcerated women of Niantic. Bonnie uses literacy to tirelessly advocate

for her religious freedom, Carolyn uses it to cope with past traumas, and Dale uses it to empower

her students in a myriad of ways. All of this furthers the argument to how literacy should be
PRISON NARRATIVE REVIEW 6

treated as a fundamental human right, as it is simply too important to be so widely neglected,

especially within marginalized populations (Winn, 2011). One cannot educate themselves about

the world and their oppression, fully civically engage with their government, or guarantee all of

their other rights – without the right to literacy. The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights means

nothing to someone who is not afforded the opportunity to read and engage with it.

Analysis

Throughout my social work and education classes, I have heard the simple concept of

asking a child an empathetic “what happened to you?”, instead of an accusatory “what’s wrong

with you?” in response to misbehavior. Unfortunately, it is clear that the U.S. prison system

operates by asking no questions at all, simply taking their mistakes at face value and assigning

punishments based on identity – the more persecuted by society one is, the harsher their

punishment. Zero-tolerance policies and discrimination not only plagues schools, but the entire

justice system for African-Americans, people in poverty, and those with disabilities and mental

illnesses. As shown from Dale, Carolyn, and Bonnie’s accounts, the prison system has only

further lost the little empathy it ever had. Zero-tolerance especially exists in convictions and

sentencing, giving absolutely no consideration to circumstances surrounding any wrongdoings,

such as Carolyn’s mental illnesses or the fact Bonnie meant no harm to anyone during her

altercation. Every child should have the time taken to understand them and their experiences

before jumping to any conclusions or punishments regarding rule breaking. Every single person

is different and the complex systems that influence their life and decisions need to be considered

when understanding them, implementing practices of restorative justice and healing as opposed

to punishment and rejection.

These narratives were extremely powerful, showcasing clear examples of the systemic
PRISON NARRATIVE REVIEW 7

issues within our current justice system, but also reconstructing many of my previous beliefs

about prisons, incarcerated people, and the school to prison pipeline. Prior to reading Carolyn’s

story, I imagined embezzlement as a crime typical of white male CEOs and business tycoons. By

reading through Carolyn’s complex history of trauma and mental illnesses, I see the direct link

between them and her crimes. Upon reading Bonnie’s story, I also expanded my preconceptions

about people convicted of murder. Although I believe in a prison-less society, my mind does still

creep to how humanity could properly rehabilitate and assimilate violent offenders safely into

society. I realized with Bonnie’s story is that for some, the toll knowing of they took a human

life, even by accident, is the worst punishment of all. Instead of incarcerating someone like

Bonnie (which does absolutely nothing to improve society or her well-being, nor bring justice to

the victim), provide mental health services to support her and Amos’s family in coping with loss.

Put resources into combatting sexual harassment and keeping women safe from domestic abuse,

so they do not feel they need to carry guns or be in fear for their lives. However optimistic it is, I

do believe that with enough prevention efforts and the dismantling of oppressive systems,

atrocities such as murder and abuse would almost cease to exist. The prison system as it exists

now is obsolete and creates more harm than anything, as these women were essentially tortured

their whole lives, and then as a result thrown in prison to only be further traumatized.

In terms of the school to prison pipeline, I felt the narratives gave little to no discussion

of their experiences in school growing up. As Carolyn, Bonnie, and many of Dale’s students

were on constant survival mode with their abusive families and tumultuous home lives, school

seemed rightfully low in their priorities. With my intense passion and advocacy for education, I

often discuss how I believe schools can operate as safe places to aid children experiencing a

variety of societal problems, providing stability, mental health resources, meals, job training,
PRISON NARRATIVE REVIEW 8

social supports, basic physical checks, and so much more. However, upon reading these prison

narratives, I think the power of education and quality schooling can only work so hard to combat

the intensities that children like Carolyn and Bonnie experience. It needs to be noted how

politicians often shift a great deal of blame onto schooling, actually working to divert attention

away from real issues of jobs, homelessness, healthcare, etc. (Hursh, 2007) which all affects

students’ performance in school. Although unintentional, I think I may sometimes fall victim to

this belief, thinking that the power of education and fixing our school systems can solve

everything, which is simply not true or practical. I do believe given the right environment, their

schools could have become a place of safety for Carolyn and Bonnie, possibly disrupting some

of the abuse. However, for both of them so much trauma had happened before they were even

old enough to attend school. Additionally, even if an educator had involved child welfare early

enough in an attempt to help, that system itself is known to inflict a great deal of trauma upon

children and families as well, often acting as an extension of the prison system, further fueling

the school to prison pipeline, and experiencing many reports of child abuse within it. Essentially

there is no easy or clear cut answer to the complexities of these harmful systems.

Overall from these accounts, as a future educator, I have to understand that some children

will attend school having deep trauma occurring at home, and no matter how much I might like

to, I cannot “fix” or “save” them. Instead of a white saviorism approach (Saad, 2020), I can work

to provide students a safe space to share their experiences, highlight their strengths, and

empower them to feel confident, respected, and loved. Similar to Dale with her incarcerated

students, we cannot undo the harms they have experienced, but we can be trauma-informed in

our practices, attempt to disrupt systems of oppression, and provide students a platform to heal

and grow.
 PRISON NARRATIVE REVIEW 9

References

Hursh, D. 2007. Exacerbating inequality: The failed promise of the no child left behind act, Race,

Ethnicity and Education 10:295-308.

Lamb, W., Adams, C. A., Foreshaw, B., & Griffith, D. (2003). Couldn't keep it to myself and the

women of York Correctional Institution. In Couldn't keep it to myself: Testimonies from

our imprisoned sisters (pp. 65–350). Harper Collins. 

Morris, M. W., Conteh, M., & Harris-Perry, M. V. (2018). Pushout: The criminalization of Black

girls in schools. The New Press. 

Mukamal, D. (2007). Introduction: Consequences of a carceral state. Social Research, 74(2), 569-

573. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40971945

Talvi, S. J. A. (2007). Chapter 2: Women in wartime & chapter 4: Dangerous medicine. In Women

behind bars: the crisis of women in the U.S. prison system (pp. 22–117). Seal Press. 

Saad, L. F., & DiAngelo, R. (2020). Me and white supremacy: combat racism, change the world,

and become a good ancestor. Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company. 

Smith, R. M. (1997) Civic ideals: Conflicting visions of citizenship in U.S. history (pp. 13-39).

New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Winn, M. T., & Behizadeh, N. (2011). The right to be literate. Review of Research in

Education, 35(1), 147–173. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732x10387395