Folsom State Prison (Essay Sample)

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Folsom State Prison
Located in Represa, about 20 miles to the northeast of Sacramento, the state capital of California, Folsom State prison is not only one of the country’s inaugural maximum-security prison it is also the second-oldest penitentiary in the state of California. Built in the wake of the California Gold Rush, erection commenced sometime in 1878, along the American River, at the spot where the Stony Bar mining camp was previously located. The prison formally opened in 1880. More to this point, it was also the earliest prison in the world to enjoy the use of electric power, with credits to the Californian hydroelectric power station. The prison features five housing units, inclusive of the original two-tier structure. In recent times, Folsom has followed the tragic trend of overpopulation by a majority of Californian prisons. Currently, the prison houses close to 3,000 inmates, a figure well over the recommended capacity of 2,500 inmates. In particular, a recent survey posts unit 1 as the most overcrowded cellblock in the United States. It has a population of approximately 1,200 convicts.
Over the past 130 years, the prison has been a centerfold of many a historical events. When the prison first opened in 1880, inmates spent a majority of their time in darkness, behind solid boilerplate doors in stone cells of dimensions 4 feet by 8 feet, with eye slots measuring 6 inches. In the 1940s, air holes were bored into these doors, which are still occupied to date. In recent times, however, each cell has a toilet, bunk, sink, as well as a storage space. Moreover, the prison boasts a large exercise yard, along with two smaller ones. It also has a visiting room with patio, two dining halls, and space for non-contact calls. Primarily, Folsom houses Medium Security General Population Level II prisoners. In addition, within the maximum-security facility located separate from the focal security boundary, Folsom hosts Minimum Security Level I convicts. Under the management of FSP, a sister facility, the Folsom Women’s Facility was activated on January last year. It is a 403-bed detached facility offering housing, substance and abuse treatment, rehabilitative and reentry programs, as well as job preparation to the female population ranging from medium to minimum-security. Essentially, FWP is the northern-most feminine facility in California, bestowing on the female offenders an opportunity to maintain closer family ties with kinfolk in the area. Another related facility is the California State Prison, a male-only facility located in Sacramento County, in Folsom City. Initially, the facility was officially known as New Folsom Prison prior to October 1992 when it was renamed to set it apart from its northern predecessor.
For most visitors to the facility, the real claim to fame is attributed to Johnny Cash, following his 1956 trademark jam, Folsom Prison Blues. Cash performed the song live at the prison in 1968, playing host to a select inmate audience. During his visit, also, Cash recorded his famous album, Live at Folsom Prison. As Szatmary (153) observes, it perhaps provided the setting for Cash’s most definitive song, Folsom Prison Blues, as well as the setting for one of his most definitive albums, At Folsom Prison. In this regard, the prison has hosted a share of celebrity residents. These include Ralph “Sonny” Barger, the renowned head of Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, and Charles Manson. More notable residents of the prison include actor Danny Trejo, Suge Knight, Rick James, Glen Stewart Goldwin, Edward Bunker, in addition to Erik Mendez. In retrospect, Cash was not the only famous visitor to the facility. The facility has been the set for many television shows and movies. Some of the Hollywood movies shot at the facility include The Outlaws, True Believers, and Jericho Mile. The most notable feature of the prison is the prison gate, which is easily discernible from its reiterated use in many television crime shows.
Lately, inmate populations in states have been on such a steady incline that resources and staff are not sufficient to successfully manage and control them. According to Noonan and Christopher (13), this recent upsurge in prisoner populations is hugely attributable to the “get-tough” legislation by many State governments, inferential of which more people are not only sent to prison, they are also given longer terms to keep them there for a while. On juxtaposition to Federal prisons, State prisons come across as more dangerous because they house the more dangerous criminals. Primarily, federal prisons. Most notably, for some States, the likes of New York, it is requisite that an inmate spend a majority of their sentence in maximum-level facilities. Federal prisons, on the other hand, employ lower-security for lengthy prison sentences. These statistics are apparent in that; Federal prisons house criminals convicted for violating Federal laws, such as large-scale drug trafficking, robbing chartered federal banks, or even violation of immigration laws. A stark contrast to this, state prisons house a plethora of criminal offenders, ranging from rapists, murderers, or even those convicted of violent gun infractions. In 2005, while the number of State facilities numbered 1,719, those within the Federal system numbered 102. In 2008, state prisons in the United States were operating between 97-108% of their safe capacities while federal systems were at their maximum, seldom veering past the 100% mark.
Folsom offers rehabilitative programs, inclusive of career technical education and academic courses, delivered through Folsom’s Greystone Adult School. In so doing, FSP strives to provide inmates with skills that they will need after release, a platform on which to lean, and steer clear of their pasts. These academic and vocational programs, therefore, enable ex-convicts to start a better life. Some of the academic programs offered at FSP include General Education Development, Adult Basic Education, as well as Adult High School. In addition, there are additional amenities and fac...