Guarding Sing Sing

Ted Conover's "Guarding Sing Sing" was a little dry for me. While I did find it fascinating to read about such a different walk of life, I felt that I was reading more factual and background information rather than the daily routines of being a correctional officer. If Conover had brought more of that into the story I may have liked it a quite bit more. I feel that it was the facility's goal to constantly make a point to the inmates that they held all the power by frequently doing cell checks. I think this was the core of Conover's piece: the dynamic between guard and inmate. I really enjoyed the way he ends his piece. As he is leaving he stops to reflect on what he has experienced that day at the Correctional Facility. Conover kind of self-reflects and discovers that he understands a little better why inmates and guards act the way that they do.