Trapped: Mental Illness in America’s Prisons

Here is my latest project - Trapped: Mental Illness in America’s Prisons.

What started out as an assignment for school has produced a piece that has changed my life and hopefully will do the same for the people that view it. That was my hope when producing it at least. Ten weeks ago, we (my grad class at OU) were given the assignment to create a magazine including the brand, the mission statement and of course the content.

For this project, I decided to focus on the mental health crisis, specifically in prisons. This brought me to the CPTU inside the Kentucky State Reformatory.

My intention was to make a multimedia piece that made the viewer feel what I felt when I was there. There were days that I was extremely scared and others that I left thinking how much someone on the outside missed them. Some days, I had to remind myself that many of these men had done heinous things.

I saw them cry. I saw them hit themselves so hard in the head that they bled. I saw them throw things at the officers.

I left the prison feeling the same way the warden and the doctors do - wanting to help these men that have nowhere else to go but feeling helpless. All I could do was make a piece that brings others in and hopefully makes them feel for these men, the doctors, the warden and the issue at large. There needs to be a shift in the way our society sees mental illness. We don’t need to just house these people and maybe prison isn’t the place for them.

I hope you all feel something from this piece. Please let me know what you think. Visit my project at www.indepth.jennackerman.com

The Happiest Place on Earth

I recently saw a segment on the happiest place on earth. I assumed it would be a warm, tropical island in the pacific or a small village on the Amalfi coast. I was wrong. Its Denmark. I couldn’t believe it. Especially because when I lived there I thought I was depressed for most of the year. I always heard that sunlight equals happiness and well they don’t see the sun for a good five months out of the year.

Well I got to thinking about Denmark and the people and why on earth they might be considered the happiest people on earth and I came up with a few reasons.

I photographed a man in his 70s because after walking past him a couple of days I noticed his constant smile. While I was grimacing in the cold, he seemed to love it. When taking his portrait, I asked him why he always smiled despite the cold and he responded by saying it just makes the summer even better. And its true once the ice melts and late spring comes around, this place is amazing. While in the winter people stay inside, in the summer everyone is out and stays out until the sun goes down around midnight or later. The sun then peeks its head up around 3 or 4 in the morning. So if you decide to go to a pub when its light you might find yourself walking home with the sun. So while I admit I hated the winter there, the summer made up for it.

The Danes also have this odd thing called the Jante law. It was imperative at the time for me to understand this law as a journalist because it influences the way you propose stories and interact with the locals. It is an unwritten law that imposes modesty on its people. It says Don’t think you’re anyone special or that you’re better than us.

I have to admit that I thought it was an odd law to live by but it started making sense to me once I moved back to the states. The middle class - something we don’t understand here in the US. Homogeneity - something we fear.

Anyway, after hearing this, I wanted to reflect on my time in Denmark - one that at the time I would have defined by depression but later defined by happiness.

Stories In the First Person

In class yesterday we were talking about journalism in the first person. I thought this was a great time to highlight some photography and multimedia done in the first person.

This discussion began after watching the intro of Dan Habib’s (photo editor at Concord Monitor) documentary, Including Samuel, on his son Samuel and inclusion for children with disabilities. Check out the Concord Monitor’s film review on their website.

A couple of weeks ago, I also came across a piece Chris Tyree from The Virginian-Pilot did on the death of his father-in-law. While this is not in the first person it is about someone very close to him in his life. In an email I received back from him a couple of weeks ago, he said this about the project:

It was definitely the most emotional project I’ve ever done but one that I have grown from.

Sometimes these are the hardest stories to tell. I know this as last year my sister was in a horrible car accident and while I wanted to document her recovery and the eventual restoration of her eyesight, it was extremely hard for me to take photos. After a couple of days of documenting this, I decided to put down my camera.

About a year has gone by and I think because of my growth as a photographer in that year, I am seeing that desire to tell the stories in my own life grow. I wish now that I would have continued to shoot her progression, despite how hard it was to see her pain behind the lens. I applaud Chris for his courage to tell this story despite how hard it must have been.

And then there is the multimedia piece Matt and Melissa Eich helped Media Storm produce, Love in the First Person.

Also on Media Storm, filmmaker Julie Winokur and her husband, photojournalist Ed Kashi tell of their experience taking care of Julie’s father with dementia in The Sandwich Generation.

This discussion comes at a great time as today on NPR’s Morning Edition, Diana Walker talked about her experiences as a White House photographer.

It is amazing the stories that we can tell from our own lives. Every time I see a project done in the first person, I am encouraged to tell the stories that are placed in my life rather than always searching others’ lives.

What is the goal of newspapers?

While catching up on my RSS feeds this morning, I came across this post that struck a chord in me and I can image the rest of the photographers, editors and perhaps newspaper subscribers. An editor and the writer of On the Other Side asks what is the goal of newspapers?

I’m left wondering, what is the goal of the newspaper? Sounds naïve of me, but I became a photojournalist because I wanted to make a difference….

We shouldn’t be consumed with offending one or two readers when a story resonates with hundreds more. I really think newspapers are becoming panicked and instead of continually focusing on putting out a good product—they are too worried about offending and losing one reader…

Countless times I have heard phrases like “that’s not good for the A1 mix” or “that won’t sell papers.”

We as photographers and journalists have spent countless hours discussing and predicting the future of newspapers. One thing I do know is that I believe that no matter the medium, whether it is online or in print, newspapers should set out to reach the community and perhaps even challenge the readers. You might lose one or two people a week by content they disagree with or are offended by but newspapers are going to lose all of their readers if there is not a reason to pick up the paper every morning.

People throughout the country have predicted the death of the newspaper but I would say that the death of the newspaper will come when the newspaper decides on its own that there is no need for it in the community. Unfortunately some have forgotten the goal and need of the newspaper in the community and have shut or are going to shut their doors.

The post was written in response to the possibility of not running a story on A1 on the funeral of an 1-year-old girl they had been following for months before her death. Here is her story from The Seattle Times. As the editor writes in the blog, it is a story that has touched the community and in turn they have acted. Gloria’s story is touching and reminds me of the power of community news. Here is the series — A Prayer for Gloria, if you want to read it. It is definitely worth your time.

Editing Treasures

I have been editing for CPOY and my portfolio for a couple of weeks and I came across some gems I overlooked last year. It is truly amazing what you’ll find when you step back without an assignment at hand and edit your work for nice singles.

It was in the midst of editing I found these portraits of kids dressed up for Halloween last year. I am going to keep posting some of these treasures in the next couple of days.

Rise in HIV - False Belief in Cure

One of the significant reasons I began my research and documentary work on HIV & AIDS was the fact that many falsely believe that 1) the symptoms of HIV are not as bad as they used to be, 2) it is not a risk in America anymore and 3) there is a cure… all of which are false, unfortunately.

An article on BBC News from this past week addresses the relationship between this rise in HIV and false belief:

A false belief among young HIV patients that the virus can be cured is fueling a rise in infection levels, a specialist has claimed.

The Terrence Higgins Trust says the number of HIV infections has more than doubled in the last six years.

According to the Terrence Higgins Trust, a charity for HIV sufferers, the number of people with the virus has risen from 30,000 in 2001 to 70,000 this year.

The poll of 1,000 people found more than 20% of people aged 18 to 24 mistakenly thought there was a cure for HIV.

My Last Week as an Intern

(Again, a post never posted, written on Aug. 24, 2007)

My last week as an intern at the Deseret Morning News was filled with excitement and emotion.

The last day at the paper, I photographed the homecoming of the National Guard. Here are three images from that shoot. The first is my interpretation and the second and third, I thought, a normal image that would come out of that assignment. The paper ended up running the first large on A1 and the other two inside. I was happy with that decision thanks to the photo editor.

Days before leaving Utah, I was sent down to Huntington, Utah, to photograph the Crandall Canyon mine disaster. My last day in Huntington, I photographed the funeral of Dale Black, one of the rescue miners killed in the second accident at the mine searching for the six miners that were trapped. This was my first experience as a pool photographer and I have to admit, I was scared and nervous going into it.

But after the family showed up, I was reminded that it wasn’t about me. I walked over to Dale’s wife and thanked her for allowing me in and told her that if at any time you want me to walk away just give me a signal. Hundreds of friends and family, and while I am bad with numbers maybe around 500, were there to celebrate and mourn. And while, I felt a little more pressure to get a good image because I was the only photographer, I tried to remain just as sensitive and somewhere in the middle, hearing the story of this man’s life, made me cry. I have learned and now I bring tissues to all my assignments.

The Families of the Miners

I just found some posts from the summer I never posted.
(Written Aug. 19, 2007)

Tonight I had the privilege of talking with Don Erickson’s family at a vigil the community held for the six trapped miners and the three mine rescuers from Crandall Canyon Mine.

I had just transmitted the photo I thought would work for the vigil and as I was eating my dinner, I saw the families walk towards the front of the stage. I started shooting as the families’ lawyer began sharing a statement the families had written. The gist of it … they still have hope that their loved ones are still alive and they want the 30″ inch hole to be drilled as they feel it is their last hope. They feel Murray has given up as he has not communicated with the family since Thursday’s accident.

After the families walked away, they all lit candles and prayed for their loved ones. I spent a couple of minutes with the Erikson family. Normally there would be a circus of photographers, but tonight there were just two, me and a photographer from the New York Times. I think because of this, the families felt comfortable to stay for a couple of minutes instead of running. This is the first time a lot of the families have been out in the community because they have been hiding from the media.

Knowing that they had become extremely weary of the media, I walked over and asked if I could take their photos. Right as I began shooting, along with their tears, came mine. I looked at them and said I am sorry. After they blew out the candles, I came up to them and told them, “I know we haven’t had access to each other these last couple of days, but I want to say I am so sorry. I can imagine that it has been so hard and I speak for the media when I say we wish the best for your families.” Then Amanda his daughter said thank you and gave me a hug.

Soon after, a woman from the community came up to me and thanked me. She said, “Thank you for covering this. We all really appreciate you being here.” Surprised, I responded, “Really? Most of the time I don’t feel that way so thank you.”

It was then I had to chose what my priority was at that moment, to be sensitive to the families or take advantage of the situation and ask them questions. It was obvious they didn’t want to answer any questions, so I let them have a couple minutes in peace without cameras in their face.

During my time covering the mine disaster, I think more than anything, I have learned a lot about the decision as photographers we make in order to retain or destroy the dignity and humanity for our subjects. Tonight it was smacked in my face. Do I make a story or do I take a couple photos and walk away. I walked away.

Mine Disaster - Community

We have been reporting on the community that has been hit with a double disaster in the last two weeks. First, the Crandall Canyon mine collapsed trapping six miners. Then, Thursday, the mine collapsed again killing three and injuring six rescue miners trying to find the trapped. We have been in the community for the last couple days reporting on the hope and the response of the community. Throughout the community, despite frustration and exhaustion, funds have been raised for the families of the nine miners. At football games, vigils, car washes and rodeos throughout the county, people showed their support for mining and their miners.

Crandall Canyon Mine - Rescue Effort Tragedy

Tonight was yet another sad night in Huntington, Utah. While trying to reach six miners trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine, another cave in occurred injuring six and killing three rescue workers.

I was just returning from the office to prepare to go back down to the mine the next day when I received a call from my mom. Actually three calls. I knew on the third call I should pick it up. “Something bad has happened,” she says. “They don’t know but there are helicopters and ambulances outside the mine in Huntington.” I quickly called my boss and said I would leave then. Two and a half hours later I was in Price outside of the hospital where some of the rescue workers were transported after the accident.

On my way in I saw a group gathering, starting to light candles. While my coworker was waiting for word about any of the rescue workers, I went back to the roadside vigil. They were mourning the death of a cousin and other community members. Azure had just lost her cousin, Dale, a mine rescue worker, and was still waiting to hear about her father’s cousin, Kerry Allred, one of the miners trapped in the mine.