Taconic Correctional Facility

The Taconic Correctional Facility is the prison where Tara Connelly serves 18 months for a drug trafficking charge. The facility is located in New York's Westchester County. When Tara first begins her sentence, she uses a "show-no-fear strategy" to stay out of trouble (2). Over time, she not only manages "to avoid making any real enemies," but develops friendships with several of her fellow inmates (3). The setting therefore challenges Tara in unexpected ways. It forces her to develop new survival mechanisms, while granting her perspective on her life and character. Indeed, this is also the setting where Tara begins to develop her private artistic practice.

At the same time, Taconic has entrapped Tara both physically and mentally. Her time here is defined by mundanity and repetition. Her sentence thus renders her powerless. Even upon her release, Tara still feels as if she has "little control over her own...