Published by Daylight Books, NY
2024
In the early 2000’s, I had the unique opportunity to befriend and photograph several youth, ages 15 to 21, in the California prison system. They were all being tried as adults and facing harsh sentences in adult prison—some up to life in prison. I spent time with Peter who is a piano prodigy and attended private schools, Liz who wrote poetry, Efrain who always thought about his family, Sandra who prayed. They were just like other youth I have encounter. Except that they were in prison.
I photographed them and their carceral environment and living spaces at Los Angeles Eastlake Juvenile Hall and several state prisons across California where they were sent as they turned 18. I photographed their families, victims, in and out of courthouses and as well as after release.
To create an authentic and collaborative narrative about these youth, the project includes their handwritten letters, poems, drawings, artwork and words. The youth are collaborators in the telling of their stories.
A Poor Imitation of Death is a project and book that goes beyond traditional visual representation of incarceration.
It tells stories full of despair, regret, raw emotion, and severe carceral injustice but also of incredible inner strength, joy, reflection and finally hope.
Despite reforms that decreased prison populations over the past decades, including the decrease in youth being tried as adults, incarceration rates in California are still astronomically high. In this time, carceral spaces have seen little improvements in their conditions: most prisons are overcrowded, offer little rehabilitation, often dangerous, provide sub-standard medical and mental health care.
A Poor Imitation of Death celebrates the voices, strength, resilience and survivance of incarcerated youth. It is also an indictment of the inhumane and broken US carceral system that has seen little fundamental change in over two decades.
The title, A Poor Imitation of Death, is from a poem by Liz—a 21-year old incarcerated youth.
The photos in A Poor Imitation of Death were produced in collaboration with filmmaker Leslie Neale of Chance Films. The introduction to the book is by well-known activist and champion of “boundless compassion” Father Gregory Boyle of Homeboy Industries.
The book is published by respected art and photography publishers Daylight books in NY.