NCJ Number
77013
Date Published
1977
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Intended for a general audience, this documentary film focuses on the daily lives of the women inmates living in the George B. Wolf House, one of the resident cottages at the State Correctional Institute for Women at Muncy, Pa.
Abstract
The film shows the relationships between inmates, their coping mechanisms for dealing with their problems, and the ways in which they spend their time. With only an introductory narration, the film allows the women inmates to speak for themselves. The women's correctional facility, with a total population of 175 inmates, has a campus atmosphere in which women are allowed to retain their individuality by wearing their own clothing and personalizing their rooms. George B. Wolf House has about 30 residents from whom 3 are picked as resident counselors to represent the cottage at council meetings with the administration. Cottages are supervised by matrons who work 8-hour shifts. One cottage, called Clinton Cottage, is used as a behavioral adjustment unit where residents are sent when they break rules or otherwise act uncooperatively. The film consists of eight segments, each of which shows a different aspect of life in the correctional facility. By watching the inmates go through their activities, the audience can understand what life at Muncy is really like. Inmates are shown discussing their sentences; holding a cottage meeting; preparing to get up in the morning; receiving mail during mail call; engaging in recreational activities; attending a dance; and going to school, working at assigned tasks, and receiving counseling. The existence of friendships, homosexual relationships, and personal antagonisms are indicated throughout the documentary. The language may be disturbing to some audiences: viewer discretion is advised.