Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit one of Taiwan's main prisons. Although I've done a fair bit of consular work, I haven't had a lot of opportunity to work in American Citizen Services (ACS), so this was an exciting day for me. ACS officers often have to visit Americans that have been arrested, or are currently serving time in foreign prisons. It was a fascinating, occasionally surreal day.
The prison houses both violent and non-violent offenders, and we toured the grounds, saw the cells, and visited the prison's work areas, where inmates (interestingly referred to as "classmates" in Mandarin) learn skills such as baking, woodworking, ceramics and lacquer work. Some of the art and ceramic work was actually stunning, and I've got to admit, the freshly baked mini pineapple cakes (a specialty here in Taiwan) we sampled were as good as any I've ever had. In one of the more interesting exchanges, we had an inmate show us a gorgeous lacquered piece with carp swimming against a red background on which he was working. The work featured this incredibly delicate scale work done with eggshells. The guy was obviously a former gang foot soldier, covered in tradition tattoos all over his arms, legs and chest, but he obviously cared deeply about the art he was creating. No license plates being made here, and when I quipped as much, my Taiwanese colleague seemed genuinely surprised that that's a common line of work in US prisons. In another slightly surreal moment, we were given an impromptu performance by the prison band, which did a pretty sharp rendition of "Eye of the Tiger."
This isn't to make light of, or paint a rosy picture of incarceration. The reality is still that this a prison, and some of these men and women will be here for a very, very long time for their offenses, and deservedly so, in most cases. Nonetheless, it was a really interesting experience, and gave me an opportunity to see another aspect of prison life, beyond the visitor rooms we're typically relegated to using on such visits.
The prison houses both violent and non-violent offenders, and we toured the grounds, saw the cells, and visited the prison's work areas, where inmates (interestingly referred to as "classmates" in Mandarin) learn skills such as baking, woodworking, ceramics and lacquer work. Some of the art and ceramic work was actually stunning, and I've got to admit, the freshly baked mini pineapple cakes (a specialty here in Taiwan) we sampled were as good as any I've ever had. In one of the more interesting exchanges, we had an inmate show us a gorgeous lacquered piece with carp swimming against a red background on which he was working. The work featured this incredibly delicate scale work done with eggshells. The guy was obviously a former gang foot soldier, covered in tradition tattoos all over his arms, legs and chest, but he obviously cared deeply about the art he was creating. No license plates being made here, and when I quipped as much, my Taiwanese colleague seemed genuinely surprised that that's a common line of work in US prisons. In another slightly surreal moment, we were given an impromptu performance by the prison band, which did a pretty sharp rendition of "Eye of the Tiger."
This isn't to make light of, or paint a rosy picture of incarceration. The reality is still that this a prison, and some of these men and women will be here for a very, very long time for their offenses, and deservedly so, in most cases. Nonetheless, it was a really interesting experience, and gave me an opportunity to see another aspect of prison life, beyond the visitor rooms we're typically relegated to using on such visits.
