‘Alcatraz of the Piney Woods’ lecture topic of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College professor

TIFTON — ABAC professor Russell Pryor will speak on the contentious issues of crime and punishment in Georgia at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17 in Howard Auditorium as a part of the Jess Usher Lecture Series at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Pryor, an assistant professor in the ABAC School of Arts and Sciences, said that part of his story about Georgia’s history may shock some listeners.

“I hope that the audience will walk away from the lecture with a better understanding of Georgia’s history and the place of the prison in it,” Pryor said. “I’m from rural Georgia. My family has lived here since the early 19th century, so this is home on multiple levels.”

Pryor said his presentation will open with a view of Georgia when it was established as a penal colony in 1732. The lecture will then focus on the period after World War II at the Georgia State Prison in Reidsville, which was once dubbed, “Alcatraz of the Piney Woods.” The evening will conclude with a look at the life of inmates and interactions within the criminal justice system.

Pryor said the lecture will illustrate the power and politics in Southern prisons and explore the successful and unsuccessful attempts at prison reform in Georgia through the lens of the Reidsville institution.

Formerly known as the ABAC Lecture Series, the special collection of speakers was renamed for Jess Usher, an ABAC professor and a former lecturer in the series. Usher passed away in June 2021. All events in the series are open to the public at no charge.

Sandra Giles opened the series in October 2021 when she spoke on “Mr. Pete and the Baldwin Story.” She was followed by Rachael Price in November 2021 on “Rediscovering Georgia Author Sarah Barnwell Elliott.”

Joseph Njoroge will be the final speaker in the series when he lectures on “China, the United States, and Regional Hegemony in Africa: Implications for Africa’s Democracy and Economic Development” on March 17.

Special Photo: ABAC