"All Convicts are Liars," and Other Myths about Prisoners

During a recent visit to our prison medical services, I had an interesting interaction with several staff members. After the corrections officer made a big deal about me wearing state issued shoes instead of tennis shoes to medical appointments (this hasn't been a problem in nearly 10 years), the nurse asked me why it mattered so much to me. I explained that changing my shoes was not the problem. Overzealous officers enforcing personal preferences was. I also said that I don't like being lied to by corrections officers (in this case, about what prison policy allegedly says or means). 

The nurse's response not only revealed her personal bias, but it also reflected a common sentiment among many people outside of prison. She said, "Well, that's ironic since convicts are known to be liars."

After explaining to her that her statement was a gross overgeneralization, I reflected back that in my own experience, I've been lied to by prison administrators as much as I've been lied to by other prisoners. Her response? "Touche." Apparently, she's also been lied to by prison administrators.

The reality is, neither all prisoners are liars, nor are all administrators. But some prisoners do routinely lie, and some administrators, including medical staff, routinely lie to prisoners. It's simply unfair to generalize those realities to the rest of the population, whichever population we mean. I know some wonderful prison administrators, and I know some who could probably never get a job outside of corrections. The same goes for prisoners. 

Sadly, many people outside of prison think of us prisoners as liars, thieves, violent, and rapists. And those labels certainly describe some prisoners, but they don't describe all prisoners. These overgeneralized labels have taken on a mythical quality. Furthermore, what someone may have done to put themselves in prison does not define them for the rest of their lives. 

While the belief that "past behavior is a good indicator of future behavior" does hold some validity, it fails to account for people's capacity to change. I personally know many prisoners who were once very violent who are now peaceful people and who condemn violence, including their own past violence. The same goes for those who were once liars, thieves, or rapists. 

I'm sure the nurse I interacted with has had her perspective on prisoners reinforced by negative interactions while doing her job. Some prisoners do lie about medical conditions to get medications for various nefarious purposes. But many more prisoners are terribly frustrated by the lack of proper medical care in prison, for legitimate medical needs. 

As a prisoner, I take offense to being categorized as a liar simply because I am a prisoner. Wearing a prison uniform (with tennis shoes or state issued shoes) may make me look like other prisoners, but it does not mean I fit the preconceived notions of prison employees or of the general public. 

I recognize that prisoners have an uphill battle to disprove these preconceived notions, and I work every day to dispel these myths about me personally. But I'm also working with other prisoners to help them not only present themselves in ways that counteract these myths, but also to live up to their claims that they are different. It's an often frustrating endeavor to fight against prejudices held by so many, but it's a battle worth fighting. I refuse to live up to the negative expectations people have of me.