In the 1995 movie Heat,
Lt. Vincent Hanna, played by Al Pacino, confronts bank robber Neil McCuley,
played by Robert De Niro. Hanna says to McCauley, “Seven years
in Folsom. In the hole for three. McNeil before that. McNeil as tough as they
say?”
I found myself feeling a twinge of pride at the mention of the place
where I learned and gained so much.
If it was as tough as they say, it wasn’t because of harsh treatment
from the correctional officers. They went about their thankless tasks with
professionalism and dignity. Between the occasional moments of alarm and
confrontations with disruptive inmates were months of peaceful interactions
between staff and prisoners.
These officers never became demoralized. Part of the reason for this
was because of the bonds of camaraderie we formed through our shared and lack-of-acclaim
jobs. Maybe it’s because many officers were retired from the military,
were more mature in years and experience, or I’m just biased, but the
correctional officer force at McNeil Island was among the best, if not the best, I saw throughout my career. I’m
proud to have been a part of not only the McNeil Island staff but also the
Bureau of Prisons staff.
The McNeil Island prison is now long gone. In 1981, the BOP turned
over operations to Washington State, and McNeil Island became a state
prison. In 2011, it closed for good,
marking the end of an era.
I mention this because, of all the justice components targeted
by reformers, the prison system is the most maligned. Prisons are portrayed in
a negative light in most, if not all, accounts available to the public. Prison
guards are always portrayed as not much better, if not altogether worse, than
the inmates.
There are many of us who know better, but our
voices are never heard.
-From THE QUIET REVOLUTION, Shattering the myths about the American Criminal Justice System-
