I have quite a few out of print books from the 60s and 70s that feature poetry and writing from prisoners. I wanted to share a piece written by a prisoner named Joe Martinez. It was published in a book called “Black Voices From Prison” published in 1970 and edited by Etheridge Knight. I like this short piece because it raises important issues and asks us to think critically about the role of prisons in our society.

Rehabilitation and Treatment
By Joe Martinez

The convict strolled into the prison administration building to get assistance and counseling for his personal problems. Just inside the main door were several other doors, proclaiming: Parole, Counselor, Chaplain, Doctor, Teacher, Correction, and Therapist.

The convict chose the door marked Correction, inside of which were two other doors: Custody and Treatment. He chose Treatment, and was confronted with two more doors, Juvenile and Adult. He chose the proper door and again was faced with two doors: Previous Offender and First Offender. Once more he walked through the proper door, and, again, two doors: Democrat and Republican. He was a Democrat; and so he hurried through the appropriate door and ran smack into two more doors; Black and White. He was black; and so he walked through that door — and fell nine stories to the street.

In this short paragraph, one gets a sense of the many obstacles that exist for prisoners as they seek to address various issues. This is one of the best pieces of social commentary on the criminal legal system that I have read. I have shared it with students in the past and we have engaged in some terrific conversations about the various ideas that are reflected in the text. If the convict had gone through the door marked ‘White’, would he have fallen off the cliff? You decide.