HARLAN RICHARDS
January 16, 2018

The Carrot and The Stick

It's funny how old sayings which originated decades (or centuries) ago are still in use today. We know what the saying means but not always how the phrase originated. The "carrot and the stick" refers to the two methods used to get work out of a mule to pull a plow. You can dangle a carrot on a stick in front of the mule and he will keep pulling the plow trying to get the reward of the carrot. Or you can beat the mule with a whip or a stick to force the mule to pull the plow.

The phrase is now used to denote the two methods by which to compel a person to do what you want the person to do. You can provide incentives to make the person do what you want willingly, i.e. provide them with a carrot or a reward. Or you can force them to do what you want by punishing them if they do not comply, i.e. beat them with a stick.

The Wisconsin prison administrators of the past decades were very good at the judicious application of the carrot and the stick to maintain order in their prisons. They would create positive incentives—such as comfortable living conditions—as an incentive for prisoners to behave. Misconduct would result in the loss of those conditions, so most prisoners would conform their conduct to reap the benefits of doing so.

But as Truth in Sentencing went into effect, each DOC official sought to be tougher on prisoners than his predecessor (it is essentially the only way to get a promotion in the DOC these days), the carrot was left behind. Nowadays, general living conditions are terrible for everyone. Privileges that prisoners once took for granted are gone and the only method used for controlling prisoners is the stick.

Let me recount a few changes. In Fox Lake during the 1990s, we were allowed to have personal clothing—jeans, button-up shirts, insulated vests, hooded sweatshirts, in other words, normal clothes. We would wear them anywhere within the prison, including visits. We could buy pizzas, sub sandwiches, and fresh fruit twice a month. We could afford to buy this stuff because wages were more in line with the costs of purchasing goods. Prisoners haven't had a pay raise in decades—instead, we've had two pay cuts since the 1980s. There were also inmate groups such as Self Help, Conservation Club, Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Native American groups which were allowed to have annual volunteer recognition ceremonies (which were essentially a banquet our friends and families could attend) and two annual socials (where group members could pool their money and purchase food from outside vendors for consumption by group members during a scheduled special meeting).

Prisoners had the run of the prison from 8 AM to 9 PM—except for meal times and counts. We could go to rec, library, or just walk around the compound without needing to sign out when leaving the housing unit. We often had live music and special meals on holidays, including homemade ice cream produced in the prison kitchen. Our beds even had springs in them.

We weren't free in society, but we were treated well and doing time was not a daily grind where one day of misery leads into another in an endless stream of unpleasantness. Needless to say, prison in the 21st century is nothing like it was in the 20th century. Prison rules and policies are now created for the benefit of the staff. Whatever makes the jobs easier (or our lives harsher) is the new normal. Many current DOC staff were not around when prisoners were treated humanely. When I recount what it used to be like, people look at me like I'm crazy. They can't believe prisoners were ever treated so well.

I'm an old man, an anachronism from a bygone era, still living in the past. As each year passes, I become more out of touch with the current reality, more aware that I don't belong in a 21st century prison. I wonder why I'm still here. Why after all these years I'm further away from release now than I was 20 years ago. And I wonder how many other men there are like me who are trapped in this surreal environment without a clue about why they are still in prison or what they have to do to get released.