The Horrors of a Honduras Prison- Rob Reid

http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/19/deadly-violence-grips-honduras/

This picture is evidence of the struggle that families are going through in the prisons of Honduras, in the tight quarters of a jail cell, the poor nature of the family, and it attempts to tug at the emotional appeal of a women and children struggling through each day. The photograph implies that these children are living in a small, enclosed area with their mother in this prison. This jail cell is far too small to house 4 people, let alone 3 children who probably want to have room to draw, play games, or just be a kid. The kids seem innocent, as magnified by their pure white garments, but they are still suffering because of the mistakes of their mother or father. Not only does the photo depict a struggle, it also depicts the realities of the poor family.

The boy without his shirt on implies that the family is very poor, maybe so poor that they cannot afford clothes for all of the children. The ring on the mother’s finger indicates that she is married, but there is no father in the picture. This leads viewers to believe that these children are growing up in a prison without a father figure in their lives. The black and white image provides some contrast from a color photograph and it further accents the emotional appeal of hopelessness. The fan in the picture indicates that the family does not have air conditioning in the prison and the boy with his shirt off, coupled with the girl with her shirt off, illustrates they are uncomfortably hot in their environment.  The iron bars of the bunk bed they share stress the fact that the family is in jail and they are living in a terrible environment. The scattered sheets and clothes on the bed indicate the room is not very clean, and implies the jail in general is not very clean.  Not only does the picture imply the family is poor, it also leaves little hope for the future.

None of the children look happy and the girl who is sleeping on top of the bed indicates that the family will be there for a long time, possibly even until death. The little girl sleeping implies that the family feels like they may grow up in the prison, live their adult lives in prison, and die in the prison. The facial expression on the little girl’s face on the bottom bunk seems to bring an emotional appeal that this family is hopeless, and their future seems bleak. The forced smile on the mother’s face indicates that she has little hope for her future and the future of her children. It’s clear she wants to get out of the jail cell.

In all, this picture provides a small window into the life of a poor family living in a Honduras prison. The family is struggling through each day in a horrible environment. The family is living in small and dirty conditions. The family feels like they are in a hopeless environment and they see little hope for the future. The picture emphasizes the horrors of the prison system in Honduras.