Dr. Dawn Cecil, professor and criminology program coordinator, recently published a book that explains the many depictions of prison life in shows, films, music and other areas of entertainment, and how they differ from the problematic reality.
Changing the way people think about crime and punishment.
If Dr. Dawn Cecil didn’t become a professor, she would probably be working in a prison.
As an undergrad, a criminal justice course sparked Cecil’s interest in prison life, particularly for women, as her professor worked in a women’s prison. She decided to switch her major from international business to criminal justice.
Several years later, with three criminology degrees under her belt, Cecil is now a professor and criminology program coordinator at USF St. Petersburg with an interest in studying media images and crime.
What began as an interest in Martha Stewart’s incarceration became Cecil’s first research project on the topic of prison. After writing several articles, journals and a book chapter.
Her passion led her to publish the book “Prison Life in Popular Culture: From the Big House to Orange is the New Black,” where she poses the question of why incarceration has so much support in America when there are many problems with the system.
Through extensive research, Cecil believes the growing prison fixation stems from the portrayal of prison in popular culture.
In her book, Cecil explores recurring themes of prison in television shows, film, cartoons, alcohol, music and more. She challenges the way people typically think about prisoners, legislation and alternatives to prison and punishment in general.
“I was very concerned that people could not see the entire picture. Many people seemed incapable of seeing that most prisoners are not that different; that just one or two bad mistakes could end up with a person behind bars,” Cecil said. “I hope it will make people question incarceration as the end all be all. Maybe if people could see (prisoners) as humans, they’ll be more understanding. That’s the idealistic goal.”
The success of TV and film of the early and mid-20th century proved that Americans are quite entertained by prison. The media continually pulls people in with exaggerated images of prison: Excessive violence, over-the-top sexualization and the use of attractive or quirky characters.
In her book, Cecil explains that because people believe these stories to be true, the media plays a significant role in formulating the public’s opinions on prisoners, even if they’re distorted.
And when Cecil visited prisons in Iowa, Missouri, Florida –even Russia – none, she said, were exactly the way it’s shown on the screen. Cecil said the stories told are only about 10 percent of what actually happens.
“Early on I did a lot of research on the show “Lockup.” The original formula showed such a one-sided view of prisoners – they are violent and there is nothing we can do to help them. And people love the show,” Cecil said.
Right now, there are about 2.3 million prisoners during what Cecil called an “imprisonment binge.” In 1972, there were just 300,000.
The world of entertainment places the focus on alternative imagery, such as the show “Orange is the New Black.”
The show depicts prisoners as unique human beings with lives outside of prison, and illustrates characters in a way that makes them relatable, opposed to feared or misunderstood. According to Cecil, the show also educates viewers on the criminal justice system, often showing that incarceration is not always the best action against crime.
Cecil said she believes mental health and drug abuse treatment are sometimes the best routes to take when dealing with criminals. She explained how prison overpopulation and mistreatment is a result of a flawed system; one in which too many people are locked up for nonviolent crimes, such as low-level drug offenses, and there’s little to no rehabilitation for people who need it.
A portion of her book is dedicated to describing the media’s depiction of women. She said guards tend to victimize them and perpetuate the age-old stereotype of the emotional, uncooperative female, often sending them to solitary confinement for absurd reasons.
“People do not realize that 95 percent of the prison population will be released, and that we as society have some responsibility to create a system that, at the very least, does not set people up to fail,” she said. “Ultimately, it is up to the individual, but without the tools we cannot expect people to do well.”
Cecil understands the complicated task of illustrating the reality of prison, but feels that once people realize the truth, changes will occur.
“I was actually getting my hair done one day and someone was talking about ‘Orange is the New Black.’ She was wondering if all of that is really true, and I thought, ‘Oh good! I wrote the book for a reason.’”
