Shank Tank

Are convicts really given mirrors in prison? Movies always have that classic shot of all the inmates using their mirrors to see the newbie or “fresh meat’ as I was referred to during my first stint in jeuvy. I can’t help but wonder though, wouldn’t these dudes promptly sharpen that mirror into a shiv and shank the newbie to show him who runs the cellblock?

While we’re on the subject of prisoners and their crafty tendencies, why not put their walnut sized brains to use for something more worth wild then making license plates? Though traditionally think tanks were reserved for intellects and specialists invested in problem solving, I believe it’s worth harnessing the minds of the 25 to lifers. Here are two main reasons why a prison community would lend itself to a successful think tank. 1) They have nowhere to go and nothing to do. 2) Their crafty problem solving methods for creating weapons, masterminding escapes or just scoring some extra peanut butter on their PBJ sandwiches should not go untapped.

Generally the term “think tank” is just a phrase used to describe a collection of intellects, not an actual room or better yet a tank. However, in the case of the prisoners, they really are in a tank. A beautiful marrying of two very different things.