My experience report: A visit to the prison barbershop
It was a day I won’t forget in a hurry. My visit to the prison barber was one of the most humiliating experiences I have ever had. It wasn’t just the fact that my hair was shorn, but the way it was done and the reasons behind it.
When I walked into the small room where the haircuts took place, I immediately felt uncomfortable. The room was sparsely furnished, with just an old chair and a large mirror that had seen better days. The hairdresser, a burly man with a grim expression on his face, didn’t even greet me. It was clear that this was just routine for him, something he had done a thousand times before.
I sat down on the chair and waited while he prepared his tools. The other inmates, who had already been shorn, stood in a corner waiting to be taken back to their cells. I felt their eyes on me and knew I was next.
As the barber started the machine, I felt the coldness of the blades on my scalp. With each cut, I felt a part of my identity disappear. My hair, which I had nurtured and cherished for so long, fell to the ground, leaving nothing but a smooth, bald surface.
It wasn’t just the physical change that hit me, but also the psychological one. The feeling of powerlessness, the complete loss of control I had over my appearance and the humiliation that came with it was hard to bear. I knew it was necessary, part of the rules and regulations, but it still felt unfair.
After a few minutes, it was all over. I stood up and looked at my reflection in the mirror. The bald head was a symbol of my situation, a sign of submission and conformity. I left the room with my head bowed, feeling humiliated, but somehow also relieved. It was a necessary step, another part of adapting to life behind bars.
This visit to the prison barber made me realize how little control I have over my own life. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but also a lesson in humility and adaptation. It is an experience I will never forget and reminds me how precious freedom and self-determination really are.