Arguments made for prison abolition
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The main argument would be the fact that prison system is in
violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which
was unanimously adopted by all countries, and which is prescribing
life, liberty, equality and justice to all people without discrimination
of any sort. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has also
abolished all forms of slavery and genocide, including torture,
repression and oppression that prisons thrive upon. Lack of proper
legal representation 80% of people accused of crimes are unable
to afford a lawyer to defend them. The Supreme Court held that a
poor person facing felony charges cannot be assured a fair trial
unless counsel is provided for him. Long Term Neglect and
underfunding of indigent defense have created a crisis of extra
ordinary proportions in many states throughout the country.
War on drugs conceals racial tension
The United States leads the world in the number of people incarcerated
in federal and state correctional facilities. There are currently more than
2 million people in American prisons or jails. Approximately one-quarter
of those people held in U.S. prisons or jails have been convicted of a drug
offense. The United States incarcerates more people for drug offenses
than any other country. With an estimated 6.8 million Americans struggling
with drug abuse or dependence, the growth of the prison population
continues to be driven largely by incarceration for drug offenses.
The so-called drug war is aimed directly at the black population.
None of this has anything to do with drugs. It has to do with
controlling and criminalizing dangerous populations. Blacks
are 12.3 percent of the U.S. population, but they comprise fully
half of the roughly 2 million Americans currently behind Bars.
On any given day, 30 percent of African-American males aged
20- 29 are "under correctional supervision. Blacks constitute
13 percent of all drug users, but 35 percent of those arrested for
drug possession, 55 percent of persons convicted, and 74 percent
of people sent to prison. Incarceration is socially and economically
crippling to the convicted and the community. Each Prisoner
represents an economic asset that has been removed from that
community and placed elsewhere. As an economic being, the
person would spend money at or near his or her area of residence -
typically, an inner city. Imprisonment displaces that economic
activity: Instead of buying snacks in a local deli, the prisoner makes
those purchases in a prison commissary. The removal may represent
a loss of economic value to the home community, but it is a boon to
the prison [host] community. Each prisoner represents as much as
$25,000 in income for the community in which the prison is located,
not to mention the value of constructing the prison facility in the first
place. This can be a massive transfer of value: a young male worth
a few thousand dollars of support to children and local purchases is
transformed into a $25,000 financial asset to a rural prison community.
The economy of the rural community is artificially amplified, the local
city economy is artificially deflated. Unfortunately, there are no
definitive national statistics on the employment status of ex-felons.
But both anecdotal evidence and fragmentary data confirm what
common sense would predict: individuals who have been incarcerated
have great difficulty securing employment when they return to society.
Except for a short period in the late 1990s, when the labor market was
so tight that the Wall Street Journal reported on employer efforts to
reach out to ex-felons, those leaving prison have faced formidable
obstacles to employment. Some of these difficulties are related to
company policies or procedures and others are the result of employer
perceptions of ex-felons' job skills or trustworthiness. Ex-felons are
also barred from public employment in a number of states, including
three with a high proportion of African American residents (Alabama,
Mississippi, and South Carolina). Occupations that are licensed by
states also have restrictions on allowing ex- felons to work in them.
This article contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies
biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified
or removed. This article may contain original research. Please improve
it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements
consisting only of original research may be removed. More details
may be available on the talk page. Prisons may be less effective at
discouraging crimes and/or compensating victims than other forms
of punishment.[8]Degree and quality of access to justice depends
on the financial resources of the accused. Prisons alienate people
from their communities.In the U.S., people of color and from the lower
class are much more likely to be imprisoned than people of European
descent or people who are wealthy. People who are put in prison for
what are arguably crimes motivated by need, such as some minor
theft (food, etc.) or prostitution, find it much harder to obtain legal
employment once convicted of a crime. Arguably, this difficulty makes
it more likely they will find themselves back in the prison system, having
had few other options or resources available to support themselves
and/or their families.[citation needed] Many prison abolitionists argue
that we should "legalize survival" and provide help to those who need
it instead of making it even harder to find work and perpetuating the
non-violent crimes.Prisons are not proven to make people less violent.
In fact, there is evidence that they may instead promote violence in
individuals by surrounding them with other violent criminals, which
can lead to predictable negative/violent results. Drug-related offenders
are being ushered in and out of the prison system like a revolving
door. Rather than educate, and rehabilitate the offender to a clean path of sobriety
and increased stature, the state ignores them.Opponents of the abolition argue that
none of the above arguments addresses the protection of non-criminal population from
the effects of crime, and from particularly violent criminals.
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http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
I intend to last long enough to put out of business all COck-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.
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"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
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