Prison Reform - Live at San Quentin/Folsom Prison Blues

As an advocate and representative of prison reform, Cash performed free concerts for prisoners during the height of his fame. His most famous examples are Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison (1968) and Johnny Cash at San Quentin (1969). While he had his freedom, his empathy and identification with the prisoners allowed them to respect him, and the work he was doing against the dehumanisation of the inmates. In the song "San Quentin" he approaches his criticisms of the legal system by accusing politicians of overnighting the plight and human rights of prisoners.

While he hadn't served prison time himself, Cash's drug addictions, run-ins with the law and other sufferings from his life allowed him to sympathise with the prisoners. As a fallen man, worthy of redemption, he saw himself in the people that he believed were being mistreated. Merle Haggard, (who was serving time in San Quentin at the time) said that his work for prison reform and the live shows were the turning point in his own redemption. "It didn't even matter that he was free, because there was a connection there, an identification. This was somebody who was singing a song about your personal life." - Merle Haggard on Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin.

While the association of Cash and prisoners did affiliate him with crime and wrong-doing, thus sustaining his outlaw image, he still chose to use his power to help others. He is noted to have said that at one of his prison concerts, he had the opportunity to cause a riot, and at the height of his drug addictions would have correlated with his erratic behaviour, but he still just used the performances as a chance to protest.