Our last Danny Lyon photo is of yet another shakedown at the Ramsey Unit farm. Notice the
spurs on the guard in the foreground. Although I'm not aware that Mr. Lyon photographed
any, I can recall prison guards on horseback at the Texas prison farms well into the 1970s.
I worked as a volunteer in Pennsylvania's state prisons, tutoring and visiting men who had no visitors. From what I was told, it was not quite so bad as Texas. The men were routinely strip searched when entering or leaving the visiting room, but from what they said, it rarely occurred other than that. Also, female guards were not permitted to be present when the men were stripped, or in the showers.
ReplyDeleteI'm certain they didn't have any female guards when these photos were made.
DeleteThat, to me, would be the final humiliation. There has been a recent huge controversy in the UK about a intact trans prisoner accused of rape being held in a female prison in Scotland which effectively cost the First Minister of the devolved Scottish parliament her job. No male wardens are allowed, north or south of the border. We have, thus far, managed to have only male wardens in male prisons. I cannot begin to reason why it is allowed in the USA.
Delete"I cannot begin to reason why it is allowed in the USA."
DeleteGood question. I think it's a combination of labor shortages (those jobs are the very bottommost rung of the law enforcement employment ladder) and gender equality statutes.
As for Nicola Sturgeon, she is a conniving, dishonest politician who overplayed her hand . . . on several occasions and issues. Even my SNP member friends were glad to see her go.
Yes, apparently guards at men's prisons make more money, so it's gender discrimination to keep those jobs off-limits to women. still seems like they could have some boundaries though, even for prisoners
DeleteThanks for posting these. I've seen that last picture going 'round the web for years. Compared to the present day, those inmates *almost* look angelic. And let's not forget that some of those were in the pen for single joint or bag of grass.
ReplyDeleteDee Exx
So true, Dee. Until 1973, any amount of marijuana in Texas was a felony with a sentence of two years to life. I, too, had seen the photos (or at least some of them) for years on line. When I researched them, I discovered the lengths Danny Lyon had gone to provide as complete a picture as possible of Texas prison life. I think he did a good job.
DeleteVery interesting tan lines there..!
ReplyDeleteIt's called a ditchdigger's tan, and it was common in those days. Outdoor laborers would take their shirts off, but seldom wore shorts.
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