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Expression
By V. Martinez
When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does not lose his human qualities. His mind does not become closed to ideas. His intellect does not cease to feed on free and open interchange of opinions. His yearning for self-respect does not end. Nor does his quest for self realization conclude. If anything the needs for identity and self-respect are more compelling in the dehumanizing prison environment. Whether an O-Henry writing his short stories or a frightened young inmate writing his family, a prisoner needs a medium for self-expression and correspondence with the outside world.
When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does not lose his human qualities. His mind does not become closed to ideas. His intellect does not cease to feed on free and open interchange of opinions. His yearning for self-respect does not end. Nor does his quest for self realization conclude. If anything the needs for identity and self-respect are more compelling in the dehumanizing prison environment. Whether an O-Henry writing his short stories or a frightened young inmate writing his family, a prisoner needs a medium for self-expression and correspondence with the outside world.
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