Shake Down

Conversations with the Dead

Photography by Danny Lyon

'When Brooklyn-born photographer Danny Lyon moved to East Texas to spend a year documenting life inside of the penitentiary system, he had every intent on destroying the system.'

In 1968, photo journalist Danny Lyon spent 14 months photographing inside the Texas penitentiary system, these images are a small sample of what he found. Lyon's process has always been to immerse himself totally into a project, and his his time working on Conversations with the Dead, Lyons got to know many men living within the Texas penal system. It was Lyon's conversations, as well as drawings and letters, from one particular inmate, Billy McCune, that dominates the story along with Lyon's incredible photos.

Prison stories have always fascinating me, maybe more directly, the personal stories and journey's of the prisoners making their way through the system.  Although the mainstream media has done an incredible job reporting stories, visually, Hollywood's depiction of prison life has often dominated what many think prison life is all about.

Even gritty, realistic dramas like OZ only tell one side of the story.  The stories in OZ are no doubt grabbed from factual accounts, but they don't really offer much insight into the day to day struggles of coping with a life behind bars.

Although published in 1971, Lyon's 1969 visual chronicle of the Texas prison system reveals not just what it like for the men in his images, it also gives a great view of the male form during this period of history.  Right off the bat, segregation is evident, with few photos of images or moments of diversity.

Although some States still require able bodied prisoners to work, not every prison, in every State, requires prisoners to do hard labor.  Texas however, which is responsible for the largest prisoner population in the country, is known as one of the most profitable prison systems in the country due to their penal labor programs.  Although I'm sure prisoners have a few more rights today than they did in the sixties, Texas remains only one of four States that doesn't have a system to pay prisoners for their work.

Looking at the men in Lyon's images, it was also fascinating how few tattoo's were visible.  If the images were taken today, we know the amount of tattoo's would be considerably higher.  Although the men worked hard, and also had access to work out equipment, the men are not overly built up.  Part of this may be due to diet, or the amount of food they were given, but most of the men are lean, fit, but not overly muscled.  Any of the men who appear a bit heavier, are guards.

Despite the circumstances, there is also an undeniably erotic element within the images.  Although prisoners are routinely strip searched today, the group nudity during shake downs would not be as acceptable today.  The power dynamic between the nude prisoners and the fully clothed prison guards certainly has a voyeuristic feel, it's not necessarily sexual, although there is a  definite lecherous  and degrading feel to the images.  If you want to see more, Lyon's book is still available to purchase on Amazon and other site.