“My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard”
Shane Bauer, journalist for Mother Jones, went undercover as a private prison guard at Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana. He applied with his own social security number, and he noted his employment for National Progress, the publisher of Mother Jones. Clara Jeffery, the editor of “My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard”, wrote this article about why they sent Shane Bauer undercover…
“Legal intimidation has made investigations like this rare. It’s time for journalists to reclaim our roots.”
The article goes on to explain that Shane was undercover for four months, and fourteen more months reporting and fact-checking. The story that Shane uncovered is very detailed and tells the story of how scary being a correctional officer can be. The story also uncovers how officers are trained to do their job in prisons, inmate violence, and how the prison functions day to day. I wanted to include this story because I think it shows both sides very well and is very good insight an experience behind bars.