How do representations reflect society’s values and beliefs at the time?

There are many different representations revolving around prisoners, reflecting the beliefs and values in society. The main belief that has been apparent throughout time is that the bad guys will always end up where they belong; in prison. However in many media products it isn’t always the bad guys who end up in prison. For example in my historical texts; the films The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, John Coffey (The Green Mile, 1999) and Andy Dufrense ( The Shawshank Redemption, 1994) are both in prison after being wrongly convicted of crimes they didn’t commit, giving a positive representation of prisoners, however reinforcing a belief that the only ‘good’ people in prison are the people wrongly accused.

More recently prisoners have become a subject of television dramas. T-Bag from Prison Break is the dominant negative stereotype when we think of prisoners. He is represented to us as typical ‘white trash’, being inbred and a suggested paedophile. However throughout the series we see many different sides to T-Bag, we are shown his sensitive side- for example he is being made to keep a little girl and her Mother hostage, however when they are put in danger he gives them  money and allows them to escape. I believe this helps to reflect society’s more modern belief that prisoners do have some good in them and that it is not always their fault they have ended up that way, as were are told T-Bag was also sexually abused as a child, most likely leading to him turning out the way that he did, therefore creating sympathy and showing everyone has a multi-faceted personality.

In Prison Break and Bad Girls we also see the correctional officers abusing the inmates, representing the prisoners as victims. We see the male CO’s in Bad Girls sexually abusing the prisoners. And in Prison Break we see the CO Bellick favouring prisoners who have people on the outside paying him and killing an inmate’s cat when he refuses to talk about a murder he witnessed in a riot. This could reflect society’s belief that in recent times it has become apparent that CO’s have acted wrongly towards prisoners, and society’s beliefs and values that even though they are in prison they should still be treated rightly. 

Fernando Sucre-Prison Break
Sucre had held up the store was to get enough money to pay for an engagement ring for Maricruz. His cousin Hector then tips him off to the cops, as he was also infatuated with Maricruz.
Sucre offers comic relief to the serious drama.

Michael Scofield-Prison Break
Michael is a positive representation of a prisoner as he purposely put himself in prison to save his brother from death row. Michael suffers from 'rescuer syndrome' which means that he has a need to help people, which his does so throughout the series, whether they deserve his help or not, showing a positive light on the stereotype of prisoners being violent and selfish.

John Coffey-The Green Mile
John Coffey is a positive representation of a prisoner, as he is being sentenced to death over a crime he did not commit, he was trying to help the girl he found dying with his healing powers.

'Riot in cell block 11' is a USA film released in 1954; In Cell Block 11, the prisoners have had enough. It’s a cell block reserved mainly for the tough end of the system; hard men, madmen, but also a few for whom another bed can’t be found anywhere else in the overcrowded 4,000-bed prison.One night, several prison inmates take guards prisoner to protest brutal conditions in their prison.

The Green Mile is a 1999 American drama film. Adaptred from the 1996 Stephen King novel. The film is told in a flashback format and stars Tom Hanks as Paul Edgecomb and Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey with supporting roles by David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, and James Cromwell. The film tells the story of Paul's life as a death row corrections officer during the Great Depression in the United States, and the supernatural events he witnessed.