At the beginning of the 21st century, rural communities compete fiercely for state and federal penitentiaries. Former miners, farmers, and factory workers now stand guard over the prisoners, a majority of whom are young black men in shackles. A new symbiosis between city and countryside.

Rend Lake Community College lies across I-57 from this prison. The two facilities share instructors and, sometimes, classrooms. The college campus and the prison grounds abut Rend Lake, a tourist destination.


Link to more on prisons

More on prison industry
Prison, Rend Lake, Jefferson County © D. Gorton 2001
D. Gorton's Home Page
Jane Adams' Home Page
Memory and Judgment: Mississippi
The White South
Contact Us
This page was last modified on:
Go back to previous page