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| First haircut |
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In 1989, I did a story on a prison boot camp called Monterey
Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility. It was in rural New York State, way
at the end of a dirt road. There were no bars, no walls or guard towers, and no
visible guns. The program was for young non-violent offenders and, if
completed, reduced their sentence from three to nine years to just six months.
It was run like a military facility and the guards were
called drill instructors. I spent a total of five days there over a two month
period and was able to photograph the entire program with groups of different
inmates, from arriving in shackles to graduation day with inmates in jacket and
ties. The New York Department of Corrections gave me total access. I was there
from 5:00AM to 10:00PM and I could shoot anything I wanted and talk to anyone,
anytime. That freedom led me to the best picture I never took.
One morning after calisthenics and breakfast I was passing
through the dorm area and went near a bathroom. I looked in and there was a
line of toilets, most occupied. No walls between them, no stalls, no privacy
whatsoever. Other people, guards and inmates were walking through, so I did
too. There was beautiful soft morning light coming in windows opposite and the
line of white porcelain, shiny pipes up the wall, gray cinderblock, and a range
of skin tones made for an extraordinary image.
I actually brought one of my Nikons with a wide angle lens
up to my eye and looked for a moment before lowering it. It was a great
picture, no doubt about it. But it seemed unfair to take it. Is there any time
when we feel more vulnerable and defenseless than when we’re sitting on the
toilet? I don’t think so. I couldn’t bring myself to take advantage of those
young men’s vulnerability, no matter how good a picture it was.
I don’t regret not taking that photograph. But I often think
about “the one that got away.”
The following are a few of the pictures from that story.
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| Waiting in line |
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| Dawn reveille |
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| Running to dawn physical training | | | | |
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| 48 men shower in 3 minutes |
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| Superintendent Ron Mosicki |
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| Morning PT |
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| Parole hearing |
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| Graduation day |
