Today marks the end of a seven-day strike where tens of thousands of inmates in Georgia refused to work or leave their cells until their demands had been met. The odd thing is, that until today, no one had ever heard about this strike.
Inmates in ten Georgia prisons, Baldwin, Hancock, Hays, Macon, Smith and Telfair State Prisons, to name a few, went on strike last Thursday to protest their treatment and demand their human rights.
According to an article by Facing South, Department of Corrections have been nervous about deteriorating conditions in Georgia’s prisons since early 2010. Wardens started triple bunking prisoners in response to budget cuts—squeezing three prisoners into cells intended for one. Prison officials have kept a watchful eye out for prisoners meaning to riot, for prisoners’ rights lawyers to litigate, or both.
Poor conditions and substandard medical care are also on the inmates’ list of demands. However, the jailed’s main gripe seems to center on landing recognition as workers entitled to fair pay.
As it goes, prisoners in Georgia are forced to work without pay for their labor—seemingly a violation of the 13th Amendment, which prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude.
For months the prisoners had apparently used cell phones to get in touch with inmates from other prisons, organizing a non-violent strike. The outcome began the morning of Dec. 9—by Dec. 13 the GDC issued a statement that four prisons were completely on strike.
An interview with one of the strike leaders revealed that every group of inmates in the prison had been working together. “They want to break up the unity we have here,” said an anonymous strike leader in an interview with the Black Agenda Report. “We have the Crips and the Bloods, we have the Muslims, we have the head Mexicans, and we have the Aryans all with a peaceful understanding, all on common ground.”
The largest prison strike in American history seems like a topic ripe for the press, however save for the NYT, there was very little mention of it anywhere in mainstream media. Smaller outlets like Black Agenda Report and Facing South (Institute for Southern Studies) have been covering the strike since day one.
Perhaps there was a larger hand at play—one that did not want the deplorable conditions of the Georgia prison system to surface. If Wikileaks has taught us anything, it is that the revolution will be televised.
The prisoners demands:
- A LIVING WAGE FOR WORK: In violation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude, the DOC demands prisoners work for free.
- EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: For the great majority of prisoners, the DOC denies all opportunities for education beyond the GED, despite the benefit to both prisoners and society.
- DECENT HEALTH CARE: In violation of the 8th Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments, the DOC denies adequate medical care to prisoners, charges excessive fees for the most minimal care and is responsible for extraordinary pain and suffering.
- AN END TO CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS: In further violation of the 8th Amendment, the DOC is responsible for cruel prisoner punishments for minor infractions of rules.
- DECENT LIVING CONDITIONS: Georgia prisoners are confined in over-crowded, substandard conditions, with little heat in winter and oppressive heat in summer.
- NUTRITIONAL MEALS: Vegetables and fruit are in short supply in DOC facilities while starches and fatty foods are plentiful.
- VOCATIONAL AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The DOC has stripped its facilities of all opportunities for skills training, self-improvement and proper exercise.
- ACCESS TO FAMILIES: The DOC has disconnected thousands of prisoners from their families by imposing excessive telephone charges and innumerable barriers to visitation.
- JUST PAROLE DECISIONS: The Parole Board capriciously and regularly denies parole to the majority of prisoners despite evidence of eligibility.
December 17, 2010 at 1:53 am, Sugamom said:
If prisoners who wage wars agents each other for the color of their skin, can UNITE for better living conditions. WHY CANT WE?
December 17, 2010 at 3:51 am, Hosqueek said:
“agents”? Everyone is entitled to an opinion but as least TRY to sound literate. I believe the word you were looking for would be “against”.
December 17, 2010 at 4:39 am, diallin said:
Communication is about getting a point or and idea across. With or without the spelling mistake of Sugmom, the point is a good one and should not be lost on pettiness.
December 17, 2010 at 4:20 pm, young kof said:
nah, I don't think Hosqueek is asking too much…that was some awful writing there
December 17, 2010 at 7:09 pm, 0nehundredyears said:
notice they only united once they were on a level playing field?… once all of the groups are suffering from the same conditions with the same chances of changing it… once they realized that battling amongst themselves was useless were they able to drop their gang affiliations and organize for something larger…
keeping this in mind, someone earlier was talking about what function prisons are supposed to play… they broke it down to either keeping society safe, or punishing those who broke the social contract…
they forgot how usefully divisive the prison and the judicial systems are!
if prisoners aren't members of gangs before they are incarcerated, chances are they will be by the time they get out. thus prison perpetuates social fragmentation and violence in the population with the highest chances of incarceration.
however, it also perpetuates that divisiveness between society and those who have been incarcerated. those who have been to prison are “ex-cons”, who “deserve to be punished” and “don't have any rights”, who “lost their rights when they took their victims” and so on and so forth. many on the outside carry on with the whole “us against THEM” tirade, even though a larger percent of people that are incarcerated did not commit violent crimes.
with the division of the lower classes (the ones with the highest rate of incarceration) into “ex-cons” and “respectable members of society”, society is essentially guaranteeing that there is no open dialogue between the groups that may enable them to see past their “differences” and unite for more widespread social and/or economic justice. instead of recognizing the prisoner as a product of their (social) environment, and recognizing the (social) environment as what ultimately needs to be changed, these divisions actually perpetuate the problem by driving the public into the arms of a larger police force, larger government, larger prison system, which are all needed to keep the populace “safe” (from itself, ironically).
and we all know that the larger the system, the more money that flows through it. there is a vested interest in promoting the dominant paradigm for those in positions to pull the strings.
December 17, 2010 at 4:00 am, wendysfriend said:
if u people had bothered to check out the constitution you would have seen that the prohibition on slavery clearly doesn't apply to criminals
December 17, 2010 at 4:06 am, configurem said:
idiots. your working to payoff the 3 squares and roof over your head. shut the hell up. you have no rights. your in prison. dumbass.
December 17, 2010 at 4:50 am, Sgt. Frank said:
Actually they do have rights…
http://public.findlaw.com/civi…
Also, don't be so quick to judge. I'm sure amongst the scum, there are people that truly want to change their lives for the better but don't have the opportunity to do so.
December 17, 2010 at 5:47 am, Anony said:
you are filth
December 17, 2010 at 6:15 am, HRJ said:
I don't agree with your language, but your point is fair.
It could be argued that the prisoners are working to payoff their stay in the prison.
December 17, 2010 at 2:30 pm, Meeohmi said:
In that case, the grueling work they do should “buy” them decent living conditions, adequate medical care and a means to communicate with their families. As it stands now, they're worked like slaves and never reap the benefits of their labor.
December 17, 2010 at 7:31 pm, grammer nazi said:
did you mean “you're” in prison, dumbass.
Dumbass. lol.
December 17, 2010 at 9:49 pm, Ghyndme said:
Idiots? Many of these people are quite intelligent. The manage to build equipment out of very little. Since they are in a negative environment focused on survival; their inventions may not be the most positive things. They are not paying for “three spuare meals and a roof over their heads”; tax payers pay for this.
All human beings have and deserve basic human rights. Many of these inmates have been in the system since their youth, are illiterate, are drug addicts, are emotionally and mentally disturbed, victims of abuse themselves and lack crictical thinking skills that would have come from a proper education.
This is a societal problem, not just the inmates' problem. Suppose someone passed a law making it illegal not to show compassion for your fellow man and the punishment was 10 years in prison? How would you like to be treated?
We need healing in our society. We need healing in our communities. We need healing in our families. We need healing in our souls. This starts with education, this starts with understanding and compassion, this starts with you!
December 17, 2010 at 4:13 am, Oac said:
Sure. Pay them a fair wage. … and then charge them rent and utilities which should include the cost of paying the guards, the administrators, the warden, and everyone else employed because of their criminal activities.
Sounds like a fair plan to me.
December 17, 2010 at 6:06 am, NiceTry said:
IMHO: People convicted of crimes that our society decides warrants a prison term… Those are the same people that have decided that someone else didn't deserve basic human rights. So.. forgive my insensitivity should they be uncomfortable. Serve your time, remember what it's like to be treated far more fairly than someone else was treated (or you wouldn't be there) and be a better person for the experience when you HAVE the freedoms and rights that we all deserve.
December 17, 2010 at 9:24 am, Crimson said:
You do realize that a significant percentage of inmates are there for drug-related offenses, right ?
December 17, 2010 at 9:25 am, Anonymous said:
Do remember that society shaped these people. (People's behaviour is affected by their environment).
You don't want crime? You must provide people with what they need, because it is clear to see: For all the time we have simply been locking people up, crime has never stopped, has it?
December 20, 2010 at 9:42 pm, Christian said:
What a BS argument. Typical euro-trash comment. Please do tell, how do you suggest you rehabilitate a killer, rapist or a thief?
There is this thing called responsibility for your own actions and that is what counts in the long run. If you don't care about doing what is right and live within the law, then don't ask for pity or mercy because you deserve none.
January 03, 2011 at 4:15 am, Marxist said:
What if the law is wrong or impedes your human rights? You were a criminal if you were Jewish in Nazi Germany so why does the simply fact of it being a law make it right or wrong? A lot of people are in prision for simply drug offenses, they didn't harm anyone so why should they be punished like they did? Even if they did we should not have an eye for an eye policy because it does not help.
December 17, 2010 at 1:33 pm, e30kid said:
What happens when there's victimless crime, like drug offenses?
December 17, 2010 at 3:03 pm, Letthechurchrise said:
In reality no crime is “victimless”. There is always someone who suffers at the hands of the culprit, especially in regard to drug offenses. You have the addict who purchases the drugs, you have the children born drug addicted due to the addiction of the parent and the list goes on and on. The bottomline is the section of the Constitution the prisoners site explicitly states it does not apply to those convicted of crimes and are imprisoned.
December 17, 2010 at 4:10 pm, Aaron said:
The only victim of a simple possession offense is the person convicted of that charge. At $40,000 per inmate per year of incarceration on average in the United States, our society would be far better served spending that money at another institution this country holds dear, which just so happens to cost about the same; higher education.
December 17, 2010 at 4:24 pm, Stamm said:
I think the most important thing to consider here is: what is our goal? A person commits a crime that may infringe on the rights of another person. That is wrong. So, we lock them up for months or years and then we let them go and expect them to “know better”. But what has been accomplished in those years and months? The person has been degraded and robbed of basic human rights. They are often angry, poor, house-less… perhaps they have lost family or friends. They have probably lost their job and will have a difficult time finding another one.
Do we expect that this person will be LESS LIKELY to commit a crime now????
What is the point of our prison system?
Is it to punish those who have done wrong, despite the risk to those people and the rest of society?
If so, then I cannot support it.
Is it to keep society safe from crime?
If so, then it obviously fails, so we need to dismantle and rebuild a “criminal justice system” that offers opportunity and education to those who commit crimes. One that fosters personal growth for those who commit crimes so that they can build their lives up into something better without hurting others.
We spend billions and billions of dollars every year keeping people locked up, killing people with the death penalty, processing people through our “[in]justice system”…. only to create the opportunity for further anger and violence. Why not do something more constructive with that money?
December 17, 2010 at 4:58 pm, jana janelle said:
The only person on here who said something worth reading.
December 17, 2010 at 6:37 pm, Sadman12 said:
I could not agree more. Sadly most people live their lives never actually thinking about things taken for granted in society. It seems like they know “If you break the law you go to jail, that's how society works” and never think about the reasons laws exist and the actual logistics of the prison system.
December 17, 2010 at 7:16 pm, michael said:
I agree here. I think they should be given the opportunity to apply for grants, loans and scholarships just like any other individual. They don't deserve special treatment either way. I don't think because they broke a law and got caught they deserve to be treat subhuman. The screwed, got busted, it's ridiculous to say they are now subject to slavery and inhumane living conditions.
I can say with a fair amount of certainty that if those guys came out of prison with a college degree and a real opportunity to get a good paying job and become a productive member of society they would jump on it. Most of these guys are probably in prison due to some absurd drug law, or they broke the law out of desperation and lack of options. Why don't we really try to give them more options instead of making them the enemy of the state.
The answer of course is money. Private prisons want repeat offenders. They get paid based on the population within their walls, so it serves them well to keep angry, uninformed, likely repeat offenders coming back over and over.
I am actually really impressed with the nonviolent approach they are taking. I hope that they at least are listened to and have an opportunity to present their case.
December 18, 2010 at 12:52 pm, Apostle/Pastor Renee Smith said:
We also must inform even though you may have a college degree; this will not guarantee you a job. In the effort to make you more marketable this is the penal systems goal; to advocate a smoother transition back in the community out side of the communities in the prison system. Praying that more businesses and corporation would hire more 'American' citizens with a record for employment. It is a lame excuse that so often employers used to discriminate against ex-cons is that they have and had a record or incarcerated.
December 18, 2010 at 12:44 pm, Apostle/Pastor Renee Smith said:
True we need to implement and exercise a plan that will help to mainstream inmates back into society. Yes, some not all inmates are guilty and the ones that are should not be subject to 'cruel and unusual punishment;' as referenced to plantation mentalities via slave masters tactics.
December 19, 2010 at 8:23 pm, Timm97 said:
I agree.
December 18, 2010 at 12:36 pm, Apostle/Pastor Renee Smith said:
We all read the US of America Constitutional “alleged” Rights, and it has loop- holes a avid third grader could build a grand defense against and win.
December 20, 2010 at 7:06 pm, Dailbirthawn said:
You are wrong. There is not always a victim. Sometimes people are not addicts, don't have children, don't plan to have children, only use on the weekends, don't drive while stoned, the list goes on and on. Some people just shouldn't be in prison plain and simple.
December 17, 2010 at 5:36 pm, Blondie333 said:
Drug offenses affect everyone. I think their families are the biggest victims.
December 17, 2010 at 5:39 pm, e30kid said:
It doesn't matter. Put people into rehabilitation, not prison. Our system doesn't make any sense at all.
December 17, 2010 at 11:58 pm, Ms. Espresso said:
RIGHT so where's the jail for the suits & ties who not only use drugs but endorse cartels & the War on Drugs propoganda behind? Talk about a hypocritical full of sh*t justice system. In every facet of the prison “business” it has to do with MONEY not moral correction. In fact, it's the departments of INCORRECTIONS, especially while you have a junkie judge judging your vices.
I'm proud of them and we should support this every step of the way for those who have not committed a heinous crime. People make me laugh on these threads with their self righteous NONSENSE.
December 18, 2010 at 12:59 pm, Apostle/Pastor Renee Smith said:
Note I say in some instances; again in some instances 'billion dollar bank accounts talks and people bought.'
December 17, 2010 at 10:35 pm, anon said:
Do you HONESTLY believe that drug offenses are VICTIMLESS crimes?!? I'm happy for you, the only person I've ever heard of, that has never been affected by drug use/abuse. It's true that using drugs is a choice (in the beginning), but to say the mother of a heroin addict isn't suffering is just ignorant.
December 17, 2010 at 10:43 pm, e30kid said:
That's still not a victim. Just because someone suffers because of another's addiction or cares about someone doesn't mean that possession should be criminalized. If we were really worried about the suffering of others, we would rehabilitate drug “criminals” and wane them off of their addiction(s). Drug addicts shouldn't be treated as criminals unless they actually are criminals.
Emotional bullshit like this should not be brought into the law books and are not justifications as to why drugs should be criminalized.
Let's ban consumption of alcohol while we're at it. Alcoholics make their families suffer too. Maybe prescription pills too.
December 17, 2010 at 3:58 pm, JustOnePerspective said:
So then it's Eye for an Eye, then? Very mature.
December 18, 2010 at 4:55 pm, Mcyippee823 said:
And eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth makes everyone blind and toothless.
December 18, 2010 at 12:31 pm, Apostle/Pastor Renee Smith said:
Point taken, but unjust; all prisoners are not guilty. The reason for incarceration is because; of the crime commited, and disregard to another person human rights. All inmates are not cold-blooded.
December 17, 2010 at 7:16 am, Jonathan Soeder said:
The prison industry is a growth business, with many companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In order for growth to happen year after year, more and more people must be incarcerated and the cost of incarceration has to stay the same or drop. That is basic math and you never know if you might end up on the wrong side of it. I'd like to see how people's stance on prisoner's rights changes god forbid that ever happens.
December 17, 2010 at 7:06 pm, Fredrick Douglas said:
No prison system until Slavery is abolished…..umm what do you do with a problem you would rather ignore than deal with…..and the free labor-am just saying once men are stripped of all rights…..they have not a foot to stand on….and one talks about the criminal offenses committed..most are for non-violent crimes…that would not occur if the proper investment in education and jobs was a reality…..and lastly…why not marginalize a segment of society so that they cannot fully participate in order to maintain status quo….
December 17, 2010 at 11:34 pm, Moschops said:
You write appallingly badly. Ellipsis (those little sets of dots you sprinkle) are no substitute for coherency. I read your words and can't decide what your argument is.
December 18, 2010 at 5:14 pm, Oruval said:
He's saying that small infractions for drug implications lead to major prison time while derelicts and rapists and pedophiles roam free.
Prohibition of drugs is profitable when in regards to human labor.
Learn to read the meaning and not focus so much on having a Nazi opinion of grammatical acceptance that if not matching, leads you to be able to disregard information.
Good thing you aren't a Rosetta stone Moschops… we'd all be screwed
December 19, 2010 at 3:27 pm, Jjlemonn said:
I'm not a grammar nazi either, but I also have trouble understanding what Fred is saying. Is that last sentence a question? A statement? The part about minor infractions is a small part of that post…
June 26, 2011 at 6:37 pm, Aaron Grace 25 said:
you have to step outside the box…that’s what the commentor was giving you an opportunity to do with “the little dots”…see?…think.
December 28, 2010 at 4:47 pm, Mstiffany said:
I totally agree with your comment.
December 17, 2010 at 7:50 am, erikj54 said:
While I agree that the prisoners have committed a wrong and should not be granted the full liberties of those outside prison. We must remember that people make mistakes. I think that there is some room for a good compromise that would benefit everyone even the prisoners.
December 17, 2010 at 1:02 pm, Mateus Caruccio said:
Haha, they never heard about brazillian prisions.
December 17, 2010 at 2:34 pm, Meeohmi said:
Brazil doesn't claim to be the bastion of freedom and equality against all of those “other” evildoers that mistreat their citizens.
December 17, 2010 at 1:43 pm, Hootey said:
Did not someone named Jesus once say that you will be judged by how you treat the least fortunate. Gonna be so many surprised people come judgment day.
December 17, 2010 at 2:35 pm, Sangamon said:
13th Amendment: Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
This is explicitly legal, and other than their poor living conditions I don't think they have a very good case.
December 17, 2010 at 4:10 pm, hlc97a said:
The punishment of their crime is incarceration, not slavery unless specified by the appropriate sentencing authority. The slavery is the product of the corporation that handles the incarceration and is therefore unconstitutional.
December 17, 2010 at 5:21 pm, TedBundy said:
You know there is a reason they are in prison right? I'm willing to bet my life that it wasn't because they were upstanding citizens. Do you want a guy that has murdered your whole family to get a masters degree in prison, while you (as a taxpayer) are paying for ALL of his expenses? Do you want him to get a 3 course meal on your expense? Get outta here, you guys make me sick with your “human rights” and freedoms for everyone. Next thing you know you will tell me it will be OK to build a mosque near Ground Zero!!! This country needs to change it's policies because the whole World is using us
December 17, 2010 at 5:41 pm, AlBundy said:
You know that the majority of prisoners aren't incarcerated for murder or even violent crime right? But let's treat them like they are, I'm sure that will rehabilitate them.
December 17, 2010 at 10:55 pm, Trollkitty said:
nice trollin bro
December 25, 2010 at 8:23 pm, patriot120 said:
“human rights” and “freedoms for everyone” makes you sick huh?, good move to Afghanistan or Burma where you belong, you know what makes me sick? Puke fat ass, worthless, uneducated, idiotic redneck Americans like you
March 31, 2011 at 6:18 am, Kat said:
Not only are you hideously scary, you are information on the incarceration system and the people with that system, is convenient for your rational but far from accurate.
December 18, 2010 at 12:27 pm, Apostle/Pastor Renee Smith said:
The 13th Amendment: Section 1 as you state deals with being imprisoned and has very little to do with rape, unjustifiable beatings, murders and the lack of humans rights there of; dehumanization is not accepted by no means. Within any nation, culture or race dehumanization is unacceptable. Nutrition is essential and to me it is less expensive to implore 'veggies' into to a meal than fatty greasy food; which may lead to disease.
December 17, 2010 at 2:48 pm, Euromix75 said:
I'm impressed by the growing population of inmates in us. it feels like science fiction. 2.5 million people. more than the red army, and growing at crazy rate.
December 17, 2010 at 3:52 pm, A Lion said:
Ironic, I watched Greenfingers yesterday and the British open prison (yes, open), where the prisoners are treated as Men (the prison represented is an all-male facility), fed properly, provided decent healthcare (including such things as chemotherapy), and given jobs (with the expectation that such training will help them become gainfully employed), is beneficial to everyone, prisoners, prison employees, and society. And before you dismiss Greenfingers as liberal, hippy propaganda, remember it's based in truth!
netflix link – http://www.netflix.com/Movie/G…
based on real life successes – http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07…
and how American prisons used to be run – http://www.gardenrant.com/my_w…
Doing Time in the Garden by James Jiler – http://www.newvillagepress.net…
December 17, 2010 at 3:55 pm, Enochhasrisen said:
IN AS MUCH HAS I UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE CONCERNS AND EFFORTS FROM VARIOUS BLACK ORGANIZATIONS, GROUPS, ACTIVIST AND THE PRISONERS I AM APPALLED AND ALARMED THAT NO ONE REMEMBERS NOR MENTIONS THE VICTIMS.
A LOT OF THESE BROTHERS ARE NO…T LOCKED DOWN FOR BEING CHIOR BOYS AND UPSTANDING CITIZENS.
DOES ANYONE REMEMBER OR CARE ABOUT THE BLACK GIRLS KIDNAPPED, TORTURED, RAPED, MURDERED AND LEFT BEGGING FOR HER LIVES ONLY TO DIE ALONE IN RAT INFESTED ABANDONED HOUSES, DARK BASEMENTS AND COLD DITCHES?
DOES ANY ONE REMEMBER THE YOUNG BLACK MALES THAT HAD THEIR LIFE SNUFFED OUT BECAUSE OF PETTY JEALOUSY AND ENVY?
DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE MOTHERS BEATEN, GAGGED, TIED-UP, SHOT, STABBED, DROWNED OR BURNED ALIVE?
DOES ANYONE REMEMBER OR MENTION THE FATHERS ROBBED AND SHOT FOR SIMPLY TRYING TO WORK AND PROVIDE FOR HIS FAMILY?
THESE VARIOUS BLACK ORGANIZATIONS, GROUPS, ACTIVIST AND PRISONERS SHOULD BE AIDING AND ABETTING THE BLACK MEN OUT HERE TRYING AND STRUGGLING WITH EVERYTHING THE HAVE TO AVOID BECOMING PRISONERS.
DEAR BLACK AMERICA 201-2011
PLEASE REMEMBER THE VICTIMS.
SINCERELY, ENOCH MUBARAK
PRESIDENT/CEO MUBARAK INTER-PRIZES
http://www.mubarakinter-prizes.com
December 17, 2010 at 5:44 pm, Guest said:
Lots of crazy out today, huh?
December 17, 2010 at 4:06 pm, Day said:
If indentured servitude is acceptable in the Georgia penal system then I would like to see those applied at all penal systems… the idea of convicted politicians, wall street brokers & similar convicts performing slave labor in inhospitable conditions is an idea I find very appealing…ie camp cupcake.
December 17, 2010 at 4:28 pm, MJ said:
I had to skip the article and go straight to the list of demands. That's how poorly written it is.
December 17, 2010 at 5:27 pm, Day said:
There is one other thing that I find puzzling… why is it that the largest prison strike in american history goes unreported by any national televised media, but Palin's daughter's blogs garner a media frenzy, it seems to me we are being overwhelmed by nationalized nonsense & having to hunt out sources for real news. It's a shame that we are being spoon fed non-news & apparently real news is ignored or twisted to manipulate public opinion.
January 16, 2011 at 2:24 am, LS said:
Terriffic question? Far too many important issues are ignored. Our news is a conglomeration of sound-bytes and “gotcha’s”.
January 16, 2011 at 2:24 am, LS said:
Terriffic question? Far too many important issues are ignored. Our news is a conglomeration of sound-bytes and “gotcha’s”.
December 17, 2010 at 5:42 pm, Ullbethedeathofme said:
I wish the general media would realize the implications of this….The fact that prisoners from so many facilities were able to put together a cohesive, NON VIOLENT protest speaks volumes about the misconceptions people have of what REALLY goes on in our penal system – and ironically those misconceptions are most widely perpetuated by networks like MSNBC and other various “news' outlets. It's much easier to write them off as just being “felons” though, right? How easily we forget that in this day and age it's easy for ANYONE to be felon – technically speaking you've probably comitted several felonies yourself that you aren't even aware of. Do I think some people belong in prison? Absolutely. Do I think it's atrocious that America, the supposed land of free, currently incarcerates more of it's population per capita than most other first world nations? Supposedly living in the land of “free” means we are ALL entitled to certain inalienable rights – and ironically our court systems are the largest violators of the ideal.
December 17, 2010 at 9:49 pm, rita nalette said:
everyday i read of the prison conditions around the world. these guys need to learn that sympathy is in the dictionary between shit and syphilis. Our soldiers have worse living conditions and face guns and bombs everyday.
these criminals need to pull up their big boy pants. How much sympathy did these convicts extend to their victims? hmm?
December 17, 2010 at 11:36 pm, Moschops said:
“Our soldiers have worse living conditions”
You cut your soldiers off from their families and refuse to let them see them? You force your soldiers to go without pay? You refuse them medical care? No, you don't do any of that. You're talking utter nonsense and you know it.
December 18, 2010 at 3:28 am, Kitten4148 said:
Please take the time to realize that not everyone in the penal system has a victim other than themselves. We still live in america and something as basic as healthcare should be provided.
December 18, 2010 at 6:57 am, Marlene said:
Why? I live in America and I am an employed, law-abiding citizen and nobody is providing me with “something as basic as healthcare.”
December 18, 2010 at 12:17 pm, Apostle/Pastor Renee Smith said:
Understanding your statement clearly; basic as it may be pharmaceutical business/companies is out for the buck. All issues need be addressed when speaking on the lines of 'health issues;' from nutrition, sex, mentally, environmental and diabetes, asthma, sinuses, heart problems and other such like conditions.
December 26, 2010 at 6:30 pm, Imatek Aff said:
Yes that poor victim…. The drug that they smoked or injected. I say we should execute all addicts. Oh wait That argument already belongs to the religious right. Never mind. I guess I will have to go along with the Arpaio's of the incarceration world. Oh and make sure they can never vote to disagree by taking away their civil rights so that noone can disagree with these policies legally.
February 12, 2011 at 7:15 am, anonomous said:
As bad as this sounds why shoulds we provide them with healthcare. They didn’t care about themselves when they were doing crack or meth. Nor did they caare about the people they victimized. Why all of a sudden do they care about how healthy they are or if they can see their families. Once you break the law you have to have consequences. Taking away their rights is part of this punishment as is not being able to have free communications with their families. maybe people should think about what they decide to do before they do it.
December 18, 2010 at 11:48 am, Pastor Smith said:
Could be you and maybe some of your family. They may be incarcerated but, they are humans.-*living proof*-
December 18, 2010 at 12:04 pm, Apostle/Pastor Renee Smith said:
Is it right to take a life
Based upon unmerited strife's
Is it right to abuse whosoever
A prison official freely chooses
Is it right to drop a dime and
Then be harassed most of the time
Because of in-house prison employees crime.
Is it right that some agree and will argue
That prisons have no right to protest;
Is it right to say legally they should not fight;
This should never been brought to the light.
Dictatorship is not right inside or outside of
Prison, is it right that some are denied 'rights'
As 'Americans' is just is not 'right.'written by Renee Smith
December 25, 2010 at 6:36 pm, Rrobert boydebinc09 said:
those same soldiers were tricked into serving by a little treacherous texan who lied about all the reasons for going to war ,then has the audacity to refuse the care they deserve when they get home.
January 27, 2011 at 5:33 am, Jon Brooks said:
tricked? How to know when G.W.B. is lying; his lips are moving. Being programmed to trust anyone on the pulpit began for many of us in Church, do we see the effectiveness that indoctrinating kids in faith-based mythology has?
January 24, 2011 at 6:03 pm, ZeitgeistPhoenix said:
Soldiers are criminals that need educating too. Being used to kill for corporate profit machines is a very uneducated decision. It is our society that has created all of these problems and most (if not all) stem from the monetary system and the way it makes us treat each other. We will always have these problems until we learn to address the real problem. And that is that we need to take care of everybody equally. We are all one and the sooner we realize that the sooner we can make some valid changes to society. Try watching this http://www.zeitgeistaddendum.com and joining the millions of ordinary people that have woken up.
January 28, 2011 at 2:47 am, Alekesam said:
You sir, nailed it in a very concise manner. Well done. Adding to that, if this had been a riot, it would’ve been all over the news and every station. Me, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that unpaid parking tickets can turn into jail time.
December 17, 2010 at 6:51 pm, David Gray said:
“The largest prison strike in American history seems like a topic ripe for the press, however there was no mention of it anywhere in mainstream media.”
December 17, 2010 at 6:54 pm, Cocoo said:
prison is the dumbest solution for helping society anyway… so why bother with solving that problem, when problem is in whole concept of regulations and laws, that will probably never be solved..
of course i'm talking about middle and low class only… however for high class and highest “invisible” class that is not a problem, it's a way the thing should be… it always worked that way and will always work..
December 17, 2010 at 7:01 pm, Suck said:
I think this outlines our need to fundamentally rebuilt the whole incarceration system.
First, prisons should never be profit entities. Just like it's sick to enjoy spanking your children, it's sick to earn money from recidivism.
Second, the idea of imprisonment needs to be rethought. My opinion is that people guilty of violent or abusive crimes need to be segregated from free society for the protection of others and they should also be treated badly, because frankly the threat of prison should be a deterrent for those people who otherwise don't seem to think living honorably is its own reward.
Persons guilty of non-abusive crimes – such as drug use/possession, or tax evasion, or other crimes that are more related to the public economy and less related to individual safety concerns – shouldn't be imprisoned. They should be monitored, fined, and expected to take care of themselves and pay taxes just like the rest of us. They don't need to be segregated because nothing is gained by doing so.
February 12, 2011 at 7:26 am, Cobra31738 said:
I agree with the first sections of your post but you can’t really expect drug addicts to clean themselves up. obviously you have never been around people with these types of problems or are a drug user yourself. These people are a disease to society. Unless controlled they will spread and infect others.
December 17, 2010 at 7:06 pm, Fredrick Douglas said:
No prison system until Slavery is abolished…..umm what do you do with a problem you would rather ignore than deal with…..and the free labor-am just saying once men are stripped of all rights…..they have not a foot to stand on….and one talks about the criminal offenses committed..most are for non-violent crimes…that would not occur if the proper investment in education and jobs was a reality…..and lastly…why not marginalize a segment of society so that they cannot fully participate in order to maintain status quo….
December 17, 2010 at 7:09 pm, 0nehundredyears said:
notice they only united once they were on a level playing field?… once all of the groups are suffering from the same conditions with the same chances of changing it… once they realized that battling amongst themselves was useless were they able to drop their gang affiliations and organize for something larger…
keeping this in mind, someone earlier was talking about what function prisons are supposed to play… they broke it down to either keeping society safe, or punishing those who broke the social contract…
they forgot how usefully divisive the prison and the judicial systems are!
if prisoners aren't members of gangs before they are incarcerated, chances are they will be by the time they get out. thus prison perpetuates social fragmentation and violence in the population with the highest chances of incarceration.
however, it also perpetuates that divisiveness between society and those who have been incarcerated. those who have been to prison are “ex-cons”, who “deserve to be punished” and “don't have any rights”, who “lost their rights when they took their victims” and so on and so forth. many on the outside carry on with the whole “us against THEM” tirade, even though a larger percent of people that are incarcerated did not commit violent crimes.
with the division of the lower classes (the ones with the highest rate of incarceration) into “ex-cons” and “respectable members of society”, society is essentially guaranteeing that there is no open dialogue between the groups that may enable them to see past their “differences” and unite for more widespread social and/or economic justice. instead of recognizing the prisoner as a product of their (social) environment, and recognizing the (social) environment as what ultimately needs to be changed, these divisions actually perpetuate the problem by driving the public into the arms of a larger police force, larger government, larger prison system, which are all needed to keep the populace “safe” (from itself, ironically).
and we all know that the larger the system, the more money that flows through it. there is a vested interest in promoting the dominant paradigm for those in positions to pull the strings.
December 17, 2010 at 7:09 pm, 0nehundredyears said:
notice they only united once they were on a level playing field?… once all of the groups are suffering from the same conditions with the same chances of changing it… once they realized that battling amongst themselves was useless were they able to drop their gang affiliations and organize for something larger…
keeping this in mind, someone earlier was talking about what function prisons are supposed to play… they broke it down to either keeping society safe, or punishing those who broke the social contract…
they forgot how usefully divisive the prison and the judicial systems are!
if prisoners aren't members of gangs before they are incarcerated, chances are they will be by the time they get out. thus prison perpetuates social fragmentation and violence in the population with the highest chances of incarceration.
however, it also perpetuates that divisiveness between society and those who have been incarcerated. those who have been to prison are “ex-cons”, who “deserve to be punished” and “don't have any rights”, who “lost their rights when they took their victims” and so on and so forth. many on the outside carry on with the whole “us against THEM” tirade, even though a larger percent of people that are incarcerated did not commit violent crimes.
with the division of the lower classes (the ones with the highest rate of incarceration) into “ex-cons” and “respectable members of society”, society is essentially guaranteeing that there is no open dialogue between the groups that may enable them to see past their “differences” and unite for more widespread social and/or economic justice. instead of recognizing the prisoner as a product of their (social) environment, and recognizing the (social) environment as what ultimately needs to be changed, these divisions actually perpetuate the problem by driving the public into the arms of a larger police force, larger government, larger prison system, which are all needed to keep the populace “safe” (from itself, ironically).
and we all know that the larger the system, the more money that flows through it. there is a vested interest in promoting the dominant paradigm for those in positions to pull the strings.
December 17, 2010 at 7:31 pm, No said:
Prisoner rights? We don't have prisoner rights. We have individual rights that are held by law-abiding US citizens. When a person breaks the law (and especially when they are convicted and sentenced for having broken the law), they have forfeited their rights. The problem with our justice system is that so many legal activists have forgotten this notion. When a criminal is on the run, a bail bondsman can enter any suspected residence without a warrant, physically assault and subdue the subject, and, depending on the crime, even kill them (bring them in dead or alive). But once these people are apprehended and convicted, SOMEHOW, everyone thinks that suddenly they get all their rights back.
And we wonder why our prison system is such a mess.
I don't agree that prisoners should be used as free labor, but it isn't because of prisoner rights, it's because of unfair commercial competition.
If someone is convicted, they should be locked up. Period.
December 17, 2010 at 9:11 pm, tetzel1517 said:
So apparently this story from A WEEK AGO in the nation's largest newspaper doesn't count? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12…
December 18, 2010 at 9:36 pm, guest said:
Interesting that the NYTimes story focused on the contraband telephones rather than the incredible unity of the usually warring sections. And that it is being done with nonviolence – wow!
December 18, 2010 at 1:05 am, akboss said:
The only thing they really have a leg to stand on is the over crowding.
The rest is BS and is tossed into their demands to make it sound better.
What surprises me is how there isnt one lawyer willing to take on the DOC and make it a federal class suit.
It was done in Alaska, Cali, and other states.
Instead of whining hire a suit to fight against the over crowding and this will force the parole boards hand.
In Alaska they are not forced to work, but if they dont work or school they dont get anything beyond the basics unless they have money on their books.
Make it real easy on the Correctional Officers all they have to do is feed them 3 meals a day.
During lockdown PB&J and hot soup gets to be real old after a bit.
December 18, 2010 at 5:02 pm, guest said:
They are only being fed two meals a day and the portions have been cut.
December 18, 2010 at 1:37 am, Shannon Greer said:
If non-violent protests garner no publicity, is the press leaving as the only alternative violence to further human rights? It's not the message I would want to be sending at home or to the world.
December 18, 2010 at 3:42 am, this country is screwed said:
let them join the seiu union…
December 18, 2010 at 7:20 am, Marlene said:
This should be getting more media coverage because it's so ridiculous. I agree that they should not be in overcrowded cells or be subject to “cruel and unusual punishments,” but much of the rest of what they're asking for goes beyond what people have rights to outside of prison. Who has a right to an education beyond high school, to vegetables and fruit, to “decent” health care, vocational training, or free phone calls? If they are entitled to a living wage, then they should be obliged to pay their living expenses.
I do believe that prisoners should have opportunities for rehabilitation and education, but those things cost money. When over 60,000 low income people in my state are about to lose their health insurance and tuition rates for students at state schools will go up by nearly 25% next year, those people are of far greater concern to me than prisoners. Prisoners are not entitled to services that the rest of us are not entitled to.
December 18, 2010 at 8:00 pm, Kee-Jay Swift Amaru said:
The 13th Amendment does NOT prohibit slavery. Read the whole amendment!
December 18, 2010 at 8:00 pm, Kee-Jay Swift Amaru said:
The 13th Amendment does NOT prohibit slavery. I wish people would READ the whole amendment. It in fact allows for slavery as a punishment for crime.
December 19, 2010 at 5:56 pm, guest said:
It is important to note that Georgia incarcerates it's population at a higher rate than any state in the US, and therefore higher than any country in the world, (this according to the PEW Foundation report), and they have done so consistently for many years. In the recent budget cuts, the prisons have pushed the prisoners into smaller and smaller accommodations. I wondered how long it would take before something blew. The one article that was published by a major newspaper (NYTIMES) stressed and focused on the presence of contraband cell phones, and seemed to completely ignore that men of different races, religions, national origins, gang membership had come together in unity in a nonviolent way. This is NOT what you expect from the general population, much less from prisoners, whom we as a society assume are violent and violent all the time. That this occurred and occurred with the entire population of the prisoners in ten prisons across the state is major. This is evidence that the following vision is possible – Imagine a world where the word “prison” is not a common term. And the dictionary definition is, “an archaic system that was disbanded because it didn't work.” MLK would be proud. As would Gandhi. So am I.
December 19, 2010 at 8:12 pm, Lida6 said:
It is sad that it had to get this far. It is something that has gone unnoticed for too long. perhaps the inmates have tried before and no one listens. It is the silent voices that no one hears. God hears them all.
December 19, 2010 at 11:43 pm, Victoriahudgins said:
It is not surprising that the mainstream “media” (If you can call it that) failed to report this. Look for small, independent sources for your news and while you're at it, try several at once. These days it takes a village to get the word out.
December 20, 2010 at 2:55 am, A guy said:
“As it goes, prisoners in Georgia are forced to work without pay for their labor—seemingly a violation of the 13th Amendment, which prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude.”
Not really. The 13th Amendment prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted”.
December 20, 2010 at 3:30 am, Vincent Nathan said:
The repetitive references to the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution are misleading. The Amendment prohibits “slavery (or) involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” I believe that prisoners should be paid for their labor — not because payment is a constitutional requirement, but because gainful employment in prison is sound corrections policy.
December 20, 2010 at 10:01 am, Igaf said:
Can't pick and choose words. The 13th Amendment, as stated below, allows forced labor as punishment. Their labor means less labor needing to be hired, and that money saved goes back into the prisons. Basically they're earning their room and board.
Also what the hell do people expect? Money to magically appear? Where is more money supposed to come from to make more prisons? The taxpayers can only afford so much.
So these prisoners want more space at taxpayer expense, and then salaries that will also come from taxpayers. And they're bitching about starches? Right here in this country there are millions who'd be glad for those meals.
December 20, 2010 at 3:56 pm, Guest2010 said:
Great story, man.
December 20, 2010 at 7:18 pm, An Honest Man said:
You have no rights. Only might is right and you'll get no rights afforded you that you could not otherwise take by force. In the States that are called United, there is no Justice. Any lawyer who is honest will tell you that you'll get only the Justice you can buy. Prisons are only the front shops for a criminal syndicate that runs the USA, and each state. I see a lot of comments by people who are enamoured with the Party's propaganda. But I see little comment by anyone who has actually been there. Let me bring your mind back to that commandment against “bearing false witness.” You see, if you are going to quote the Bible with “eye for an eye” shit, you should quoate Deut.19 also. “Eye for an eye” is stated only 5 times and each one was in warning to make sure you do no retaliation, which is more than retribution. Retribution is proscribed in all crimes except those 5 instances. It is the “40 stripes” commandment… where if you give one more, it is a stripe on God and nothing less. All you Christian or Jewish posers, be sure to remember What God requires of you in Micah 6:8… do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before your God. …Of course, many are doing so, as there god is a man carrying a gun around their neighborhood, or sitting at the bench in long robes.
December 20, 2010 at 11:50 pm, GoGreen said:
I agree. The whining conservative lackeys cry that everyone in prison is did the crime, so they should be punished in the same manner. They should be raped and tortured and denied any medical relief. It is these same people who choose to believe that anyone arrested by police is guilty. The police can make no errors: God status. The courts can make no errors: God status. The prison employees can make no mistakes: God status. Votes do not count because voters do not think. Propagandisers on the TV do their thinking for them. Fox TV? Haha.
December 21, 2010 at 3:05 am, carl56 said:
We need to stop cooperating with the “authorities.” Protest usury by refusing to make credit card payments. Don't buy new things — participate in used markets that are off the books. Buy local produce. Join time banks and trade your skills for the skills of others — totally off the books, non-taxable, not a dime will go to warehousing slave labor (as in this story) or killing brown women and children. We need small acts of random sabotage.
December 21, 2010 at 4:26 am, Steve Clarke said:
Comrades! Support the strike by Georgia State DOC inmates, at numerous prison facilities, protesting Georgia DOC violation of inmate 13th and 8th Amendment rights. This strike has united members of the Crips and Bloods gangs, Mexican gangs, Aryan Nation gang members and Muslim inmates. We demand to know why none of the major network news outlets or print media have publicized this strike action!
December 21, 2010 at 6:49 am, Pastor Ward said:
The G.D.C. are the ones that deserve the death penalty for these terrible human right's issues the prisoners have brought up. I am a Conservative Christian Republican. And I hate the wrongs these prisoners have committed to get there selves in prison to begin with. It costs two darn much to house them, yet these are the standards prisoners are experiencing. FOR SHAME. I will now always tell everyone I know to never visit Georga for vacation, and to drive around it completely, or this can happen to you. FOR SHAME G.D.C. Yes the G.D.C. will pay for it's sins and it looks like it's just the beginning of what the G.D.C. shall pay for in it's sins. And it is to bad if the G.D.C. does not believe in a higher power. For I'm positive heads/Jobs will roll in payment. Or end up in there own constructed concrete and barbed Hell themselves. FOR SHAME G.D.C.
December 23, 2010 at 5:54 am, Hereitis said:
So many people. What got me the worst was that some black folks work in the same cotton fields as their own family did as slaves. That one stings. Hurts my heart.
December 23, 2010 at 6:04 am, Jane Irvin Hoobler said:
I applaud their determination and courage and I think change is in the winds….just a breeze so far, but hopefully it will turn into a hurricane!
December 23, 2010 at 8:31 pm, Richard Rosenthal said:
Fascinating & wonderful,but kindly trell us what deal if any was made to end the strike.
December 24, 2010 at 3:21 am, John Reed said:
Reading some of these comments I am appalled by the incredible ignorance of their authors. As a long time criminal defense attorney, I am well aware of the character possessed by the majority of the inmates of our correctional facilities, and the first and foremost trait is poverty. These inmates could not afford my services, but were forced to use those of an overworked, underpaid, and under-trained public defender of some sort. That means they were forced into accepting a plea bargain whether they were guilty or not. You can't imagine the number of cases I have watched public defenders plea that I knew I could win at trial as I sat in court waiting for my case to be called for trial, cases where the defendant clearly acted in self-defense, or defense of another, or in defense of his property, pleading to go to prison for as long as 25 years, when I could have received a Not Guilty verdict from a jury. Secondly, most of these inmates are imprisoned for crimes without a victim, usually drug crimes, where all parties involved gave their consent to the transaction. Considering that U.S. intelligence agencies have been proved again and again to be the ultimate importer of illegal drugs into the U.S., it hardly seems American to lock up those whom choose to partake of those imports to lessen the alienation of their poverty.
December 25, 2010 at 12:48 pm, Carol said:
Type your comment here.
We the United States have brought shame on ourselves. What makes us any different than Hitler in Germany. I was born an raised in America.. but have no faith in our leaders for they only chase after their own personal gains. I will gladly stand against our government to get changes done that we can take pride in America, again.
December 26, 2010 at 8:08 am, Hillphoenix said:
its prison.
January 16, 2011 at 1:56 am, LS said:
What is the outcome of the strike? There is no free lunch in prison, with a few exceptions. Families are supporting the incarcerated for necessities. In Georgia the convicts earn nothing. Many other states pay .11 per hour. In some rare instances, the pay is decent, but rare. The fact that the strike was non-violent and that the news media ignored the issue speaks volumns. Something is amiss, but what? Why do the talking heads on the major networks debate in powder puff issues with passion, but have nothing to say about a peaceful prison strike? Does anyone know the outcome of the strike?
January 24, 2011 at 4:38 pm, Eric Sheptock said:
The revolution is here…..
January 24, 2011 at 6:05 pm, ZeitgeistPhoenix said:
It is our society that has created all of these problems and most (if not all) stem from the monetary system and the way it makes us treat each other. We will always have these problems until we learn to address the real problem. And that is that we need to take care of everybody equally. We are all one and the sooner we realize that the sooner we can make some valid changes to society. Try watching this http://www.zeitgeistaddendum.com and joining the millions of ordinary people that have woken up.
January 24, 2011 at 6:38 pm, ZeitgeistPhoenix said:
It is our society that has created all of these problems and most (if not all) stem from the monetary system and the way it makes us treat each other. We will always have these problems until we learn to address the real problem. And that is that we need to take care of everybody equally. We are all one and the sooner we realize that the sooner we can make some valid changes to society. Try watching this http://www.zeitgeistaddendum.com and joining the millions of ordinary people that have woken up.
January 27, 2011 at 5:21 am, Jon Brooks said:
Since something like %95 of crimes are monetary-market motivated (for money or property) or drugs (remedied with treatment not punishment) the extrajudicial system of coercion, applied through government security agencies, is clearly a punishment for being born with needs like food, water, shelter and community.
Systemic corruption fails to provide for the masses by functioning to serve the interest of the elites. People will take the things they need to survive when they cannot work for them. As noted below, prisons are often for profit, private corporations and trade shares of stock based on the number of inmates they punish.
“Revolutionary” aims today are the familiar Justice, Equality and, increasingly crucial, sustainability. Whether the elites could or would change is irrelevant. Throughout every just society there has been a code of death to the murderer. Corporations devour human lives and nature, killing indigenous resistance leaders with death squads trained in the US. This is your patriotic inheritance, really, read A People’s History of the U.S. by H. Zinn or The Final Empire by Wm. H. Kotke or End Game by D. Jensen. Watch Zeitgeist Moving Forward and let’s organize for a Resource-Economy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w
Will there be systematic reform which brings equanimity, justice and sustainability?
Or, will the infinite growth of a consumer market destroy our ecological habitat?
Will we punish prisoners of this outmoded, insane social paradigm?
Or, will we treat mental illness with compassion and confront the root causes?
February 24, 2011 at 3:42 am, Greg said:
Wall street ripped off the middle and lower classes in the biggest criminal fraud case in history-causing untold suffering, and not one person went to prison for it-yet a good chunk of the huge prison population is there for petty crimes-there is no justice in the US, and with the teabaggers in power it gets worse by the day. If there was ever a time for a large scale revolt, it’s now.
March 30, 2011 at 6:27 am, Tim Singleton said:
This is idiocy. First of all, you broke the law and you are in prison. Working pays for your incarceration. You don’t deserve a wage. A prisoner, a convict, is a prisoner, a convict; you are not a slave. You are in jail as a consequence of your actions, not because someone wanted free labor.
Second, all the other problems here could be eliminated by not imprisoning folks for possession and use of drugs. This is a failure of the drug war. The more pressure you apply on society trying to control it, the greater the backlash.
America’s prison system is a bomb waiting to go off because folks who enjoy the best high tension booze and prescription drug access at $50,000 a year country clubs don’t want poor folks smoking weed and doing cocaine. It offends their sensibilities.
I don’t drink and I don’t do drugs. I have often had to fight a drunk, but hardly ever a pothead. It just seems to me that America has issues with basic right and wrong.
As for the violent offenders? I would line their @$$es up against the wall and shoot them in mass. You cannot rehabilitate a pitbull trained to fight.
April 06, 2011 at 4:03 pm, Colto01234 said:
The prisoners are not being treated unconstitutionally! The 13th Amendment clearly states that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude ‘except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” These men HAVE been duly convicted for crimes and as a part of their punishment I believe that they SHOULD have to work without pay! They already receive room and board, what other living expenses do they have? Cigarettes?
August 15, 2011 at 12:11 am, Corey said:
It is absolutly amazing to see such unity within these prisons. In a place where such racist seperation of fellow people is so prevolent. For all those thousands upon thousands of prisoners to set there differences aside and unite for a just cause is truely inspirational. It is so pathetic that in this day and age our government still refuses to provide prisoners a humane way of life. We have removed them from our society because most have proven to be uncapable of living peacfully among the population. That is there punishment, and during this time it is an obligation of out government to give them skills and rehabilitation so that they can return peacfully someday. I don’t expect flatscreen tvs for each prisoner but I do expect decent conditions and a chance for those who strive to change. For those who are in for life, its the same thing, they’re gone!, removed from our society, so why can they live out the rest of their lives in a humane way? It jus rediculas that we treat fellow man in these ways, regardless of ones past
December 13, 2011 at 9:07 pm, Nick said:
dont force them to work for free just charge them for food
December 30, 2011 at 5:38 pm, Joebloe said:
Hmm let’s see, where to start?
How’s this. I have to post this in two or three posts to give a proper response
to this in the order that you have listed them.
1. FALSE: Offenders work to learn skills in OTJ training and earn certificates.
Free. Let’s face it, most offenders will never pay back all their restitution.
Welcome to community service that you just don’t get to lay out on.
2. FALSE: Offenders may expand their education through distance learning
colleges through the mail and a not pay interest. (Stop buying them cell phone
time and have them start some classes. College isn’t free on the street. It
shouldn’t be in prison either.)
3. False: Offenders receive medical treatment for next to nothing and if they
are hospitalized for a serious illness, THEY DON’T PAY A DIME. The public needs
this plan.
4. FALSE: Minor Infractions many times bring probated disciplinary sentences,
which the offenders more than often violate again. The prison’s disciplinary
system is a progressive one that ends with segregation time and when warranted
short terms of isolation time dependent on the severity of the charges if found
guilty.
5. FALSE: Living conditions in the prisons are not bad. Sanitation is a high
standard that offenders are required to maintain. However, let a facility
inspection be over and they all want to live like bums. Some offenders damage
their living areas by writing on walls, setting fires to cook stolen food from
the kitchen and to prepare tattoo inks. I have seen government subsided housing
for the elderly that looks much worse than what offenders live in. And the
elderly have to pay for their heat and air.
6. FALSE: Vegetables are issued with every meal and fruits with a minimum of
breakfast and dinner on a daily basis. Stop selling the trays for debts owed
and you don’t get it your way. IT’S NOT BURGER KING.
7. FALSE: All facilities have programs that certificates can be earned to show
completion of food service and maintenance programs throughout the state. Most
are just to lazy to do any work to earn something like this. It’s easier to
sell drugs and rob people to get what you want. (Take note the ones complaining
are generally these two categories of offenders.)
8. FALSE: Most individuals that are eligible for visitation are approved unless
they are determined to be convicted of crimes, trafficking contraband or
failing to comply with the rules for visitation that are designed for the
safety of the public, staff members, visitors and other offenders. And phone
charges are not an excuse for offenders obtaining illegal cellphones through
illegal means which endangers the public when they are all given access to the
US MAIL system.
9. FALSE: The parole system is by public opinion an extremely easy system to
comply with. Offenders just refuse most of the time to comply with what is
required for them to be granted parole. Many state on a regular basis that they
would just rather max out than parole out so they won’t have to be under
supervision. In fact, the recidivism rate among unsupervised offenders is
greatly higher than those that are supervised.
So what do you have to say about the issue now. These contradictions are fact
not made up fiction as the allegations are. If you go out and Kill, rob,
assault, steal, deal drugs, molest children, then you deserve to go to prison.
Non-violent offenders who end up in prison commonly have been given multiple
chances through probation and other programs to keep them out of prison, but
they fail to comply with the stipulations dictated by the judges. So the path
to prison is paved by the offenders themselves. The lesson is do not do wrong
and hurtful things to others for your own benefit to be like gangster rap stars
or bad boy hockey players or baseball and football players and GET A JOB on the
street and STAY OUT OF TROUBLE. If you wanna rap, be a sports star or a money
mogul, work hard for it and don’t exploit others.
Some people never miss an opportunity to show their ignorance.
Here’s some advice for you: BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME, WITH THE
RIGHT EQUIPMENT AND THE RIGHT ATTITUDE, READY TO CONCENTRATE and there is
nothing that you cannot accomplish.
January 20, 2012 at 6:10 pm, Anonymous said:
people are mprisoned for reasons, sometimes those reasons are not obvious or even correct!
If you remove someone from their own reasonable responsibility, by loocking them in jail. then you become responsible for the basic needs of that person, IE proper food, ample health care ( at reasonable cost) and some form of pay if youe require them to Work on projects for the jail/ county/ city etc. This pay should not be maybe full on the street pat ( after all room board & some form food is furnished)
January 20, 2012 at 6:10 pm, Anonymous said:
people are mprisoned for reasons, sometimes those reasons are not obvious or even correct!
If you remove someone from their own reasonable responsibility, by loocking them in jail. then you become responsible for the basic needs of that person, IE proper food, ample health care ( at reasonable cost) and some form of pay if youe require them to Work on projects for the jail/ county/ city etc. This pay should not be maybe full on the street pat ( after all room board & some form food is furnished)
February 08, 2012 at 1:39 pm, Tyron Finey said:
I’d have to check with you here. Which is not something I usually do! I enjoy reading a post that will make people think. Also, thanks for allowing me to comment!
April 14, 2012 at 2:05 pm, R4 said:
The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I imply, I know it was my choice to learn, but I truly thought youd have something attention-grabbing to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about one thing that you could fix should you werent too busy looking for attention.
April 23, 2012 at 4:58 pm, Phoenix Moving Companies said:
There are certainly plenty of details like that to take into consideration. That may be a nice point to carry up. I provide the thoughts above as normal inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you deliver up the place the most important thing will likely be working in sincere good faith. I don?t know if finest practices have emerged round things like that, but I’m sure that your job is clearly recognized as a fair game. Both boys and girls feel the affect of only a second’s pleasure, for the rest of their lives.