‘Lives lived behind bars are too often invisible’: Pete Brook’s ‘Prison Photography’ on display
Matt Stroud

The latest issue of In These Times is a special, extra-length issue devoted entirely to the subject of socialism in America today. This special issue is available now. Order your copy today.
Pete Brook is a British, Portland, Ore.-based writer and curator of the excellent blog Prison Photography. In his words, that blog is built, first, on the premise that “the United States needs to pursue large-scale prison and sentencing reform,” and second, on the idea that cameras in prisons provide an excellent viewpoint from which to consider how such sentencing reform might happen. Again, his words:
“Cameras and their operators function in recording, and to some degree, interpreting the stories of (and within) prison systems. How varied is the imagery? If a camera is within prison walls we should always be asking: How did it get there? What are/were the motives? What are the responses? What social and political powers are at play in a photograph’s manufacture? And, how is knowledge, related to those powers, constructed? Prison Photography also concerns itself with civil liberties, ethics and social justice as they relate to photography and photojournalism.”
In the spirit of answering those questions, acknowleging those concerns, and putting prison photography on display in a gallery for all to see, Brook has curated Prison Obscura, an exhibit running at Haverford College’s Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery through March 7.
Even if you can’t get to Haverford College (it’s about a half-hour drive west of Center City Philadelphia), the gallery itself and the essay accompanying it are required viewing for anyone who cares about how prisons operate and how the system that surrounds them might reform.
View the gallery here.
Read the essay here.

Celebrate 47 years of In These Times in style! Get your raffle tickets today for your chance to win a vacation for two to Cascais, Portugal!
One lucky raffle winner will receive a $3,000 gift card to cover the costs of two flights, as well as a stay in a 5-star boutique hotel, housed in a 17th century fortress with medieval architecture and décor. You can schedule the trip on your timeline!
All raffle ticket sales support ongoing In These Times reporting, just like the article you just finished reading. Get your raffle tickets now.
The winner will be selected on the night of September 30, at the In These Times 47th Anniversary Celebration. You do not need to be present at the drawing to win.