Analysis of "When Prisoners Protest"

When Prisoners Protest is an article written by Wilbert Rideau in response to the

protests being held by inmates in California prisons during 2013. The inmates were
staging non-violent protests, encompassing the majority of the state's facilities, because
they felt that the way solitary confinement was being used was unjust. In his article, Mr.
Rideau speaks to the need for change in the system and more appropriate use of solitary
confinement and much of this argument is based on personal experience as a former
inmate of Louisiana prisons. Mr. Rideau is something of an expert on the matter as he
states that he spent nearly 12 years in solitary confinement during the 44 years that he
served for manslaughter.
The article argues that there aren't many protests in prison and that when it does
happen, it is almost always linked to a lack of communication between those being
housed and those in power. Mr. Rideau points out that the typical inmate simply wants to
do his time and mind his business, not cause waves. Whether it's because he'll lose what
little possession he does have or will be subjected to further punishment because he will
almost definitely be on the losing side. Beyond that, the difficulty of staging a protest is
shown by a lack of logistics and trust amongst the people housed in the prisons. Arguing
these points with logos and pathos, he illustrates a picture of having so little to start with,
a few low end food items and not being in solitary confinement. He puts the reader in a
position of asking "What if that was me?", "Would anyone want to cause problems if they
had so little and it could be taken away in an instant because someone was upset with
them?", and "What would cause someone to risk it?".
The article then addresses the concern of solitary confinement's use and abuse, as
well as illuminating the conditions that a person is subjected to in solitary confinement. It
shows that things were so bad, that 30,000 people organized, even with the risks and
difficulties and staged a non-violent protest. This would definitely beg the question "How
bad is it if this many people are involved?". Using logos and pathos, the article tells the
reader just how bad it can be. Mr. Rideau draws upon his personal experience with the
subject and relays the mental anguish that a person goes through when placed in solitary
confinement. Little to no human contact, sleeplessness, depression, paranoia. The
accounting really pulls the reader into a place of sympathy and relating to a base human
need for contact with others. He then accounts for men that have been in solitary
confinement for up to 40 years, which leaves the reader feeling sympathetic towards
these men. Even though they likely did something to get in prison, what could justify the
mental degradation that they are having forced upon them?
The article then moves to the root cause of many protests in prison, the lack of
communication. Utilizing plenty of logos, the reader is shown that the average inmate has
little to no means of having his voice heard or grievance listened to, let alone being taken
seriously. Stating that many of these problems could be easily resolved if there was a
simple means of open and unpunished form of discussion between inmates and guards.
This simple solution is backed with proof of success in Louisiana, where this approach
changed the entire dynamics of the facility, changing it from one of the most violent to

one of the safest. The down side is the lack of willingness to accept change and listen to
inmates on the staffs part. Here, the idea is presented in such a logical way and backed
with proof of success that it's hard to dismiss. It reaches anyone that has ever felt that
their voice hasn't been heard and has felt unfairly oppressed, and most people have felt
that way to one extent or another.
It closes stating that ultimately, we are all responsible for our society and what
society are we building, if we allow people to be treated this way and dump them back
into the streets with us? It utilizes pathos to get the reader to realize that if even
indirectly, we are creating monsters among us. All in all, Mr. Rideau presents a very
compelling argument about the need for change in our penal systems, specifically when it
comes to the use of solitary confinement.