Our summer adventure begins in prison
Posted by Tim Gruber | Filed under documentary, me, prison
A lot has changed in the past month for Jenn and I. Mainly the fact that we both decided to forgo our summer internships at great newspapers in Roanoke and Minneapolis to work on a project together as a team.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make and one that I went back and forth on for over a week before finally making my choice.
It was especially hard for me as interning in Minneapolis at the Star-Tribune was one of of the goals I set for myself when I first picked up a camera four years ago. It also meant not being able to spend one last summer in Minnesota around family and friends.
So just what are Jenn and I working on?
We’re in KY working on a few projects at a local reformatory. The Warden has entrusted with Jenn and I access that I’m still amazed with. (ie:unrestricted access, a staff ID, and no escort) It’s access that comes with a great deal of trust and an obligation Jenn and I feel to do justice to the stories that we are working on.
One project Jenn and I have started working on is what we unofficially call Aging in Prison. KSR is home to one of the few prisons that has a full fledged nursing/medical care unit. Inmates there also run a hospice program. In the short time we’ve been there we’ve seen one man pass away and thanks to the hospice workers he wasn’t alone when he died. One of the biggest fears many of these men have is dying alone in prison and being buried in the prison cemetery called Chicken Hill.
I’ve been spending time on and off at the prison since Mid-May and feel like I’m finally to the point where I feel the pulse of this place. I’m another piece of the fabric that makes up their lives, which as a photographer is a great place to be.
Jenn is also continuing to build on her Mental Illness project that was highlighted in the June issue of PDN. Check it out if you have a chance. She’s also been blogging about her experiences this summer in the prison on her own blog. Jenn’s hoping by summer’s end that she’ll have enough quality material for a film. Judging by the video she’s logging right now I don’t see that as being a problem.
I’ll try to keep the blog updated as often as I can about my experiences working behind bars. It’s been educational in many ways thus far.
Jenn shooting some video of an elderly man that was going home
earlier this week thanks to being granted medical parole.
