Malcolm X in prison

In chapter ten of his autobiography, Malcolm X discusses his time spent in prison and the psychological effects of the institution's physical and political construction. He writes, "Any person who claims to have deep feeling for other human beings should think a long, long time before he votes to have other men kept behind bars- caged. I am not saying there shouldn't be prisons, but there shouldn't be bars. Behind bars, a man never reforms. He will never forget. He never will get completely over the memory of the bars" (152). I found this section to be particularly moving. Oftentimes I dare to have opinions and evaluations of actions or institutions which I know about only conceptually, while these very places and happenings are matters of life and death for others. Whether based on racist presuppositions or merely an idealistic view of how the world must operate, such opinions are largely unfounded and at times, tragically naiive. Another point which caused me to question Malcolm's intentions with this statement was the fact that later on in the narrative, he himself morally transforms to a large degree. His time in prison is actually the key turning point in his life. His former hustling ways are jettisoned for intensive reading on the religion of Islam, his life is dedicated to Allah and furthering the message of Elijah Muhammad. His time in bars actually proves to be quite crucial to the overall development of his life. Why then, does he state that a man behind bars will not truly reform? Does the Norfolk colony not have bars, and thus because the majority of his imprisoned time was spent there, he was able to reform? This antithetical foreshadowing is intriguing.