Jeff Smith fell from grace, then recovered gracefully. The former state senator spent a year in prison after lying to the feds about an election law violation, but he’s gone on to become a college professor, political commentator, and author. His new book, Mr. Smith Goes to Prison, offers his take on “America’s prison crisis.”
On the prison intake process: “I was ordered to strip down for a search… I passed only after revealing my empty ‘prison wallet.’”
On the loss of freedom: “As my cellie Red explained to me in my first week, ‘Prison ain’t Burger King. You can’t have it your way.’”
On bathing behind bars: “I was focused on how to shower as quickly as possible while being prepared with steel-toed boots in case anyone got any ideas.”
On his prison job: “My pay for a 40-hour week started at $5.25 a month, which came out to approximately three cents an hour.”
On the prison economy: “Were he alive to see the hustle and bustle of activity, capitalist philosopher Adam Smith would have been proud… Whether it was the elaborate procurement and cooking methods that produced surprisingly tasty meals or the less benign efforts of prison drug dealers, prison hustlers succeeded despite significant constraints.”
On watching TV: “Rife with territorial disputes, racial and ethnic tension, an utterly undemocratic ethos, and years of accumulated bitterness, the television room is the Middle East of prison… One quick and sure way to light the powder keg was to change the channel.”
On fights: “Many prisoners viewed violence as a necessary, even desirable, tactic for addressing even the smallest conflict, for getting revenge, and for showing that one was not to be f—ked with.”
On toughness: “Both inmates and COs [corrections officers] prey on weakness, fear, or pain; both groups are mostly bored and unhappy, so once they see a festering wound, many will arrive gleefully with salt.”
On reform efforts: “Several COs bid goodbye to departing prisoners with encomia like ‘See you next year, dipshit.’”
On what he learned: “True redemption requires you to hit the pause button, to sublimate ambition and reflect on what truly matters. And it requires you to re-evaluate your mistakes.”
