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Wikipedia Edit-a-thon: Elaine Bartlett

For the Wikipedia Edit-a-thon, I decided to create a page for not only the book, “Life on the Outside” but also for the woman, Elaine Bartlett, whose story is being told. Before beginning any research and creating the page, I first wanted to check and see if any Wikipedia pages even existed for the book and Elaine Bartlett. My searches left me with nothing so I decided right then and there that these two topics are something that the world needs to know about. What made me decide to create a page for Elaine Bartlett and the book “Life on the Outside” is that I had read this book last year in my Corrections in America class and it has stuck with me ever since and really shows just how unfair our criminal justice system can be.

Another reason why I chose to write about Bartlett and the book that tells her story of being harshly convicted of a first offense felony of selling cocaine, is that it does a good job of demonstrating gender roles in today’s society. Not only was Bartlett convicted of these charges, but so was the guy she had been seeing as well. But the story shows how harsh she was being treated by the court and the prison in comparison to what her “boyfriend” had to go through. The book also brings attention to how Bartlett is a strong, confident woman who stands up for herself and what she believes is right which I think women across the world could learn from her example.

I believe that creating this page was a necessary action to take so that Bartlett’s story and voice could be heard and to make even more awareness. When I was first introduced to the book, I had no idea what to expect. But having read it, I think that everyone should pick it up and give it a read. I think that it is a good example of how the arts and/or literature can contain such broad topics to satisfy every persons liking. Not only did I think that it was important that Bartlett’s story and “Life on the Outside” be better well-known by creating the Wiki page, but there was also a key part of the book that also deserved to be noted and that being the Rockefeller Drug Laws. I think that we all have heard of these from some time or another but I thought it would be a good idea to include them so that more people could be informed on what they are and the impact that they had on not only Bartlett and the charges she was convicted of, but also on New York as a whole.

I did come across a few bumps in the road while creating this Wiki page. Since Elaine Bartlett and “Life on the Outside” are not too well-known (at least not yet!), my searches to find any information on the two in academic databases came up negative. I tried searching in a lot of different databases but nothing seemed to be working. So most of the information I had to rely on the book’s website along with a journal article from The New York Times. But for finding information on the Rockefeller Drug Laws, that was a different story. I was able to easily find information on those within academic databases which made that portion of the Wiki page a lot easier to create.

Reading into the life of Elaine Bartlett as she relives the accounts of spending sixteen years in prison was fascinating. Her bravery, confidence, and determination to make her life better has the ability to empower anyone. Bartlett didn’t let the struggles of “Life on the Outside” after prison get to her or tear her apart. She is a great role model for all women and her story deserves to be known.

#Elaine Bartlett #Life on the Outside #Wikipedia #Edit A Thon