To give dignity to a man is above all things
_ G O D _
It's Not My Problem
http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/jailhouserock.html
"Number 47 said to number three
You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
I sure would be delighted with your company.
Come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me."
-- Made popular by Elvis Presley
The book "Sleepers", about what happened inside a "home for boys", read institutional
lockup, is a very telling story. It's interesting that the situation has received so
little press. For the situation it presents is not that uncommon.
It is estimated that a man is raped every three and one-half seconds of every day in
America (compared to once every 18 seconds for women). Is the fact that most of these
rapes take place behind prison walls a reason to ignore it? The rape of women in
prison sure isn't.
Unwelcome sex for incarcerated males is a horror that is nothing like the cheerful
title song Elvis sang. Although some of the long-term same-sex couplings that exist
inside the country's correctional facilities may be as viable as any outside, violent
rape is the much more standard reality. The victims are more likely to be young,
small, nonviolent, first offenders, middle-class, not 'streetwise', not gang
affiliated, not part of the dominant ethnic group in that jail, without major
fighting experience, and held in big-city jails. The more of these factors apply, the
more likely the victimization. And, in many of these cases, correctional officers use
prison rape - or the mere threat - as a management tool. Many guards, like many other
law-and-order hard-liners, consider rape a prisoner's just desserts even though
sexual assault is nothing less than torture. Rape, which no judge has ever declared a
fit penalty for a crime, is inflicted daily on prisoners whose sole offense may have
been an inability to make bail.
The rape of prisoners is a widespread phenomenon, which tends to be a repetitive
problem for its victims, a deadly risk in the age of AIDS, a devastating experience
whose psychological and physical consequences are known and described as Rape Trauma
Syndrome. The problem of prison rape needs to be seen in the contexts both of
violence and of sexuality. It is a practice which is ingrained in the culture of
confinement, both among prisoners and prison officials. The injuries occasioned by
prisoner rape are predictable and preventable using appropriate strategies.
Little has changed since Rev. Louis Dwight first investigated sexual abuse in
American prisons in 1824, visiting "most of the prisons ... between Massachusetts and
Georgia" and finding "melancholy testimony to establish one general fact. Boys are
prostituted to the lust of old convicts." He pleaded "Nature and humanity cry aloud
for redemption from this dreadful degradation." One hundred seventy years later, they
still cry. The rape of males has long been a taboo subject, barricaded with popular
misconceptions, and the phenomenon of prisoner rape (the term "homosexual rape" as
the prison context is extremely misleading and should be avoided) is little discussed
outside penological circles, nor is it understood despite its great importance in
prison life.
Few aspects of incarceration are more horrifying than the prospect of sexual
exploitation and forcible rape within jail and prison walls. It is a subject to which
society reacts with a combination of fear, disgust, and denial. We don't want to
believe that our criminal justice system tolerates such a cruel and unusual form of
punishment. However, this is a brutal reality faced daily by inmates in crowded
prisons and jails throughout the country. The issue of coerced sex will not simply go
away. It is a fact of life for those behind bars.
No detailed survey of sexual assault in juvenile facilities has been published, but
there is a general consensus that victimization rates (and the level of violence
generally) are higher there than in adult institutions, and are usually against
fourteen or fifteen year olds.
Once an inmate is raped, he is marked as a victim for repeated sexual assaults for
the remainder of his imprisonment. Generally, those who are turned out (raped) and
made into slaves remain slaves and never can get out of that. It's a "no-win"
situation and the primary reason that prevents inmate victims from reporting the
offense. Unless the victim is immediately removed from general population and remains
in isolation or segregated for the remainder of his confinement, he will promptly
become "marked" by the other prisoners as a "punk" and then subjected to repeated
sexual aggression, virtually on a daily (or nightly) basis. (Close your eyes for a
moment and imagine what that might be like for you if you were to ever spend a night
in jail ... having a little too much to drink after a party, etc. (One in four men
will spend the night in jail during his lifetime.) Segregation or "protective
custody" is unpleasant and is not necessarily safe. Assaults against prisoners in
"protective custody" are well documented.
If a rape victim does not commit suicide, he finds little alternative to continual
gang-rape but to "hook up" (form a relationship) with a strong or feared prisoner
(his "Man'), who uses him sexually in exchange for protecting him from other
prisoners. Bonding between two homosexuals is not allowed within the prison culture.
A homosexual or "kid" is expected to hook up with a "man" This is the unwritten law,
and it is enforced.
The spread of HIV into prison populations has turned rape from a source of
psychological and emotional devastation into a life-and-death issue with resulting
illnesses that create havoc for the prisoner and new difficulties for systems all
over the country. And, since prisoner rape is usually perpetrated by multiple
rapists, and anal rape commonly involves tearing of the rectal lining and bleeding,
thus affording easy transmission of the virus, it follows that prisoner rape is now a
deadly threat to all victims. This has important consequences for rape victims which
may not immediately be apparent to those on the outside. Anal rape carries a very
high risk of infection while oral sex carries little or none. Thus the target of
sexual assault, faced with a hopeless situation, may save his life by compromising
and "cooperating" with his assailant. This may well appear "consensual" to
institutional authorities, resulting in disciplinary charges against the victim, but
in actuality there is no free choice in the face of such a threat.
The Stop Prisoner Rape people are convinced that most sexual assaults in confinement
are preventable and that administrative actions and policies can and do make a
significant difference for very little financial consideration:
1. Realistic orientation programs to warn new prisoners (the tapes and manual offered
below).
2. Institution-wide staff training on rape issues.
3. Mandatory reporting to top prison officials of sexual assaults which become known
to guards and other staff and prosecutorial-referral policies in cases where victims
will testify.
4. Classification of all prisoners by rape risk factors and known histories and
appropriate placement, both within an institution and among a jurisdiction's
facilities.
5. Sympathetic treatment of rape victims, including trained counseling and serious
consideration of housing change requests.
6. Establishment of protocols for rape intervention and investigation and for medical
and psychiatric follow-up such as the one in force at the San Francisco county jail.
7. Reduction of prisoner idleness.
There are other projects like real protective custody, staff discrimination against
homosexuals and stigmatization of rape victims, and ignoring the problem (which is as
big a problem inside the prison as with the readers of this article). Consider taking
some action now before you "just happen to have to spend the night in jail".
We're Sent to Prison to Find Out How to be Better Fathers
A Fox Television Special aired on Father's Day, June 16, 1998 called "Bad Dads". It
was a powerful documentary featuring an extraordinary parenting program which is
having remarkable success in turning "bad dads" into responsible, caring fathers.
And, while I applaud such a film, it's sad that good fathers have to once again watch
the press look at the negative fathers on their day. When was the last time you saw a
"Bad Mom" special on Mother's Day. And, NOW's South Carolina Chapter making Sue Smith
Woman of the Year, is not quite what I was thinking.
Modern Science vs. Politics
The headline of the above magazine ad reads "Thanks to Modern Science - 17 innocent
people have been removed from death row. Thanks to Modern Politics - 23 innocent
people have been removed from the living." Put you self in their place or their
families place to find out that you were innocent, after they were put you death. The
ad copy continues:
"On April 15, 1999, Ronald Keith Williamson walked away from Oklahoma State Prison a
free man. An innocent man. He had spent the last eleven years behind bars. 'I did not
rape or kill Debra Sue Carter,' he would shout day and night from his death row cell.
His voice was so torn and raspy from his pleas for justice that he could barely
speak. DNA evidence would eventually end his nightmare and prove his innocence. He
came within five days of being put to death for a crime he did not commit.
"Anthony Porter also came within days of being executed. The state of Illinois halted
his execution as it questioned whether or not Porter was mentally competent. Porter
has an I.Q. of fifty-one. As the state questioned his competence, a journalism class
at Northwestern University questioned his guilt. With a small amount of
investigating, they managed to produce the real killer. After sixteen years on death
row, Anthony Porter would find his freedom. He was lucky. He esaped with his life. A
fate not shared by twenty-three other innocent men.
"The Chicago Tribune, in its five-part series "Death Row justice derailed,"
pronounced, 'Capital punishment in Illinois is a system so riddled with faulty
evidence, unscrupuilous trial tactics, and legal incompetence that justice has been
forsaken.' The governor of Illinois recently declared a moratorium on the death
penalty after the state had acquired the dubious honor of releasing more men from
death row than it had executed.
"The unfairness that plagues every other state as well: incompetent lawyers, racial
bias, and lack of access to DNA testing all inevitably lead to gross miscarriages of
justice. As Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., stated, 'Perhaps the
bleakest fact of all is that the death penalty is imposed not only in a freakish and
discriminatory manner, but also in some cases upon defendants who are actually
innocent.'
"Even those who support capital punishment are finding it increasingly more difficult
to endorce it in its current form. Capital punishment is a system that is deeply
flawed - a system that preys on the poor and executes the innocent. It is a system
that is fundamentally unjust and unfair. Please support efforts to have a moratorium
on further executions declared now. Support the ACLU." www.aclu.org
Newsbytes
Parents in Prison
There are currently about 10 million children under 18 in the US who have had parents
imprisoned at some time. And while there has been some press concerning incarcerated
mothers and their children, little has been said about the impact on children when
their father's are incarcerated.
Xiara's Song, a Cinemax documentary, is about a girl who has had tough lessons
because her dad is behind bars. It details the difficult but loving relationship
between the smart, pretty 7-year-old and her father, who is serving 10 years in
prison for weapons possession. She lives with her mother in Maryland. Althought
Xiara's story might seem downbeat, director Liz Garbus sees hope. It is about her
love for her father and the strength of that love despite enormous barriers.
The film tries to show the troubling effects of incarceration on children. They are
the innocent victims in this and their voices are seldom heard.
The filmmakers know the value of family spoort. The direction, Liz Garbus, daugther
of well-known attorney Martin Garbus, says her father's work on social issues has
influenced her film work. "I grew up with both parents in my home (and) enormous love
and support."
Rory Kennedy, producer of the film, also comes from a strong family, which taught her
to think about those on the margins of society. But she had to grow up without her
father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, six months before
she was born.
Children of deceased parents have no chance of contact; those of jailed parents do.
"That we're not (allowed parental/child contact) in cases where the kids want it is
not very humane," Kennedy says.
Source: USA Today, June 17, 2995
Missouri Prisoners Get to Practice on Hitman Video
Missouri's largest maximum security prison is filled with murderers, armed robbers,
and other violent felons. So perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to stock the rec room
with video games like “Hitman: Contracts” and “Grand Theft Auto." You really don't
want these cons practicing their pistolero skills on a PlayStation prior to rejoining
society. Details at www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1216041game1.html
Prison Populations on the Rise
The nation's prison population grew by almost 3% in the year ended June 30, 2003, the
Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics reported. It was the largest
percentage increase in four years. The report attributes much of the increase to
policies enacted during the 1980s and 1990s, such as mandatory drug sentences,
"three-strikes-and-you're-out" laws for repeat offenders, and "truth-in-sentencing"
that restrict early releases. As of June 30, the nation's prisons and jails held
2,078,570 men and women, the BJS reported. About a third of the inmates were serving
short sentences or awaiting trials in local jails. The greatest percentage increase
came at the federal level, where the prison population grew 5.4%. The state prison
population grew 2.6%..
Source: USA Today
You Think What We Do to Iraqi Prisoners is Bad?
Most Americans were shocked by the sadistic treatment of Iraqi detainees at the Abu
Ghraib prison. But we shouldn't have been. Not only are inmates at prisons in the
U.S. frequently subjected to similarly grotesque treatment, but Congress passed a law
in 1996 to ensure that in most cases they were barred from receiving any financial
compensation for the abuse.
We routinely treat prisoners in the United States like animals. We brutalize and
degrade them, both men and women. And we have a lousy record when it comes to
protecting well-behaved, weak and mentally ill prisoners from the predators
surrounding them. For the entire article, go to
www.nytimes.com/2004/05/31/opinion/31HERB.html?ex=1086580800&en=b754afcb3cb074fb&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
Prison Rape Elimination Act Becomes Federal Law
The Prison Rape Elimination Act has been signed into law marking the first time the
U.S. government has ever passed a law to deal with sexual assault behind bars.
Source: www.spr.org/en/pressreleases/2003/0904.html
Reform Plan Targets Prison Rape
Rapes in the American prison system, for decades considered a sordid fact of life,
will be analyzed and targeted for prevention under a new government program that
marks a sea change in the awareness of sexual assaults by and against incarcerated
men and women.
The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, which drew bipartisan support and was passed
unanimously by Congress yesterday, establishes a system of grants and reforms that
will cost $60 million a year. The centerpiece is an annual survey by the U.S.
Department of Justice that will be the most sweeping study ever made of sexual
assault in prisons, congressional sponsors and criminal justice experts said.
"It's been a long, strange battle, but I think everyone has come to understand that a
prison sentence in the United States should not include rape as added punishment,"
said Rep. Frank R. Wolf, (R-Va.), a House co-sponsor of the bill, along with Rep.
Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Va.).
The annual study, based on surveys from 10 percent of the nation's 8,700 correctional
institutions, including at least one in every state, will be analyzed by a
commission. That panel, whose members have not been named, will establish national
standards designed to prevent and prosecute prison rapes.
States and correctional institutions that continue to have high assault rates will
have their directors summoned to Washington. Some states and institutions could lose
federal funding or accreditation if problems persist, said Michael Horowitz, director
of the conservative Hudson Institute, which coordinated the three dozen groups that
supported the bill.
Congressional sponsors ranged from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) to Sen. Jeff
Sessions (R-Ala.), and supporting agencies ranged from the Christian Coalition to the
NAACP. "Everyone has basic human rights, even if they are being dealt with and
sanctioned for inappropriate social behavior, and prison should not take those away,"
said Shannon Royce, legislative counsel for the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious
Liberty Commission, the policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, explaining how
she came to be working alongside such groups as Amnesty International USA and the
National Council of La Raza. "I'm just ecstatic," said Keith DeBlasio, 35, who was
sentenced for credit card and securities fraud in Maryland and Virginia, then raped
in federal prison in 1995. The assaults left him HIV-positive. "This law is a first
step, and the first step is that we have to acknowledge what's going on."
Through decades of prison lore and experience in the United States, inmate-on-inmate
rapes, sometimes with guards' consent or indifference, have become a brutal pop
culture image of jailhouse life. With large numbers of often violent men locked up
with no access to women, the idea that smaller, weaker or disadvantaged inmates would
be raped, or "punked out," has often been regarded as inevitable. Rape is also a
problem in women's prisons. One Texas inmate won a $4 million civil suit this year in
a federal suit against a male guard she accused of raping her.
"Tradition isn't the right word, but rape in prison is something like common
knowledge," said Tyrone Parker, a former inmate who is executive director of the
Alliance of Concerned Men, a D.C.-based agency that works with inmates and
ex-offenders. "If you've been in prison, you've seen it and know about it."
No one knows, though, exactly how common prison rapes are, or even how to properly
define the act. In addition to the shame and stigma, inmates who report rape face
violent retribution from their assailants, former inmates said in interviews. This
leads to few reports being filed.
The most comprehensive report was in 2001, when Human Rights Watch surveyed inmates
in 34 states and sent surveys to all 50 directors of state-run prisons. Their report,
"No Escape," which incorporated earlier studies of prison assaults, said rapes were
clearly a serious and widespread problem. It noted, however, that prison officials
often discounted the issue.
The disparity between inmate reports and prison officials estimates was highlighted
in Nebraska.
An academic study team found in a 1996 study that 22 percent of Nebraska inmates
reported being pressured or forced to have sex against their will, with about half
reporting being raped. Extrapolated nationally, that study would indicate that more
than 140,000 prisoners are assaulted each year.
But the year after that study, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services told
Human Rights Watch that the number of rapes was "minimal." Four states and the
federal Bureau of Prisons said they had more than 50 reported assaults each year.
The idea that rape is common is "a flat-out lie," said Reginald Wilkinson, director
of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the nation's sixth-largest
prison system, and president of the Association of State Correctional Administrators.
With 45,000 inmates in Ohio's prisons on any given day, Wilkinson said, there are no
more than "one or two attacks a month."
Wilkinson noted that it is often difficult in a prison setting, where sex is sold,
bartered or engaged in willingly, for officers to be able to prove and prosecute an
assault.
Jerome Lee, who served 10 years for armed robbery in the District before being
released six years ago, said men who went into prison with connections, who had a
tough street reputation or who quickly bonded with large Christian or Muslim groups,
were not likely to be attacked.
But men who were not attached to preexisting groups or who were short-timers lodged
with older inmates doing long sentences were almost certain to be assaulted.
"It's almost like tribes in there, in that if you're not quickly aligned with a
group, you're going to be in a lot of trouble," said Lee, who obtained a college
degree after his release and works at a nonprofit agency. "If you're a lone wolf --
you're as dead as Fred. They'll come at you with a knife. You tell the guards, and
they'll kill you for it."
Source: Neely Tucker, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48647-2003Jul25.html
The Rape of Men to be Banned?
In 1991, Human Rights Watch published its ground-breaking report, "No Escape: Male
Rapes in U.S. Prisons," which can be found at www.hrw.org/
reports/2001/prison/report.html
It is hard to tell how often rapes occur, because inmates who have been raped are
very reluctant to report the incident, for fear of retaliation. But Chapter 7 of the
Human Rights Watch report summarizes studies that conclude that 22% of male inmates
have been sexually abused, and 7% have been raped. These figures suggest that rape of
males occurs more often than the rape of females.
But to this point in time, male rape has been explained away with the "they deserve
it" excuse. But with so many unemployed men in jail for non-payment of child support,
we need to question our neglect of male rape.
Recently, Senators Kennedy and Sessions and Representatives Wolf and Scott have
introduced the "Prison Rape Reduction Act of 2002," S. 2619 and H.R. 4943. This law
would will establish programs to prevent and investigate male rape.
Prison Rape - It's No Joke
"The opposite of compassion is not hatred, it's indifference." These words were
written by a prisoner who was severely beaten after refusing demands for sex from
another inmate.
While often the subject of jokes on late-night TV, prison rape is no laughing matter.
It has terrible consequences, not just for the inmates who are brutalized, but for
our communities as well. The rate of HIV in prisons today is 10 times higher than in
the general population.
Every rape in prison can turn a sentence for a nonviolent crime into a death
sentence.
Prison rape leads to other types of death, also. Rodney Hulin set a dumpster on fire
in his neighborhood. Despite being only 16 years old, he was sentenced to eight years
in an adult prison, where he was repeatedly beaten and raped. Despite his pleas for
help, no one in authority intervened to help him. He was told to fend for himself.
Depressed and unwilling to face the remainder of his sentence at the mercy of sexual
predators, Rodney Hulin committed suicide. Similar suicides have occurred in jails
and prisons across the United States.
Experts estimate that at least one in 10 inmates is raped in prison. Because 95
percent of prisoners will eventually be released back into our communities, the
horrors that occur inside prison have consequences for the rest of us, too.
Some who suffer through brutal rapes become predators themselves, both in prison and
after their release, subjecting other innocent victims to the same degradation that
they experienced. Or they vent their rage in other acts of violence, often racially
motivated. One example is the tragic story of James Byrd, the black man who was
picked up by three white supremacists, beaten, chained to the back of their pickup
truck and dragged for three miles to his death. One of his assailants was John
William King, a burglar who had recently been released after serving a three-year
sentence in one of Texas' toughest prisons.
When King arrived at the prison, a group of white supremacists reportedly conspired
with the guards to place King in the "black" section of the prison. At just 140
pounds, King was unable to defend himself against a group of black prisoners who
repeatedly gang-raped him. This was exactly what the white power gang wanted. Filled
with hatred, King was easily recruited into their group for protection. Over the
remainder of his sentence, they filled King's head full of hatred for blacks. When he
was released, John King unleashed that pent-up hatred on James Byrd. The gang-rapes
he endured in prison are no excuse for his murder of James Byrd, but they certainly
help us understand what could lead him to hate so much.
As troubling as the incidence of rape is, equally disturbing is the attitude of many
government officials who are indifferent to it. When asked about prison rape,
Massachusetts Department of Correctionspokesman Anthony Carnevales said, "Well,
that's prison . . . I don't know what to tell you." In that offhand remark, he was
expressing what many feel in their hearts but are loathe to admit — "they deserve
it."
But they don't deserve it. Regardless of the crimes they have committed, no
offender's sentence includes being raped while in the custody of the government. By
its very nature, imprisonment means a loss of control over the circumstances in which
inmates live. They cannot choose their neighbors ( i.e., their cellmates), nor arm
themselves, nor take other steps to protect themselves. Because the government has
total control over where and how inmates live, it is the government's responsibility
to make sure they aren't harmed while in custody.
Sens. Kennedy and Sessions and Reps. Wolf and Scott have teamed up to sponsor the
"Prison Rape Reduction Act of 2002," S. 2619 and H.R. 4943, which would establish
standards for investigating and eliminating rape, and hold the states accountable if
they fail to do so.
Winston Churchill said that the manner in which a society treats criminals "is one of
the most unfailing tests of the civilization of any country." As Congress rushes to
complete its work before the election recess, it is important that they take the time
to deal with the scandal of prison rape, and, in doing so, meet Churchill's test of a
civilized society.
Source: Pat Nolan, Washington Times, www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20020906-70623422.htm
Rape in Prison
It happens in every movie.
Due no doubt to some hilarious mix-up, a slim, clean-cut male character is thrown
into a jail cell occupied by a buff, tattooed behemoth who is starved for affection.
At first, the behemoth is coy. He watches the new buy, then bashfully looks away. He
compliments the new guy's pants. Eventually, he makes his move. What happens next
cannot be recounted in a family magazine like Stuff. Except for the part where the
little guy gets raped.
The Reality
Prison rape does happen-but less than you might think, if you think that one-in-five
male inmates will be forced into sexual contact isn't much, this according to a study
by the Prison Journal. What makes you a likely candidate for rape? Being young,
unassertive, white and on the feminine side (small stature, long hair). First-time
offenders and child molesters are also more apt to be singled out. The four out of
five inmates who don't get raped? They didn't see nothin'.
Source: Stuff, 10/01
Ballot to Stop all Executions
Illinois is the first state to impose a moratorium on executions since the death
penalty was reinstated in 1976. After the 13th innocent man was released from
Illinois' Death Row, Governor George Ryan - a longtime supporter of the death
penalty -admitted that "the system is broken." In Ryan's own words, the death
penalty system is "fraught with error and has come so close to the ultimate
nightmare...Until I can be sure with moral certainty that no innocent man or woman is
facing a lethal injection, no one will meet that fate." Congressman Jesse Jackson,
Jr. (D-IL) has introduced legislation to place a 7-year moratorium on all executions
nationwide. Illinois is a glaring example of what's wrong with the death penalty
everywhere. It kills innocent people. It's racist. And, it punishes the poor. Contact
the Campaign to End the Death Penalty for a ballot at PO Box 352, 915 Cole St, San
Francisco, CA 94117 or 415.789.8363 or www.nodeathpenalty.org If you've ever
circulated one of those phoney petitions via the internet, here's an opportunity to
make up for that and circulate an honest one that can save innocent lives.
Two-thirds of America's Death Sentences are Overturned
"It's not just one case, it's not just one state. Error was found at epidemic levels
across the country." Columbia University law professor James Liebman, commenting on
a study showing that two-thirds of America's death sentences are overturned on appeal
due to serious errors in the legal process.
Life and Death in the Big House
Gear magazine devotes 10 pages on their May issue to the writings of Michael Lee
Wood, a probably lifer who has been in prison since he was 18. He's now 40. The
subhead tells what life inside prison is like: "Stabbings. Murder. Revenge.
Survival. In 23 years he has seen and done it all. From inside the nation's toughest
prison, he tells his story" from Supermax, a federal pen in the high desert plains of
Colorado. It is said to be the toughest prison in the U.S. with prisoners held in
solitary isolation 23 hours a day. Read this and if it fits, maybe you'll think twice
before doing something that might get you a free ticket to prison - fighting,
especially with a woman or child, using a weapon, selling drugs. Even having
conscential sex with your wife. Did you know that having oral sex with your wife in
Louisiana is a felony and you could do time in state prison. In Washington, D.C. it
is a felony for anyone to have oral sex. And, if she's under 18 in many states, even
if you are younger, you could do time. In a country that supposedly values freedom of
choice, we sure have a lot of ways to lock you up if you actually practice your
freedom, even in the privacy of your own bedroom. Read the article. Think about it.
Are you ready to experience what life is like inside the Big House?
We're Sent to Prison to Find Out How to be Better Fathers
A Fox Television Special aired on Father's Day, 1998 called "Bad Dads". It was a
powerful documentary featuring an extraordinary parenting program which is having
remarkable success in turning "bad dads" into responsible, caring fathers. And, while
I applaud such a film, it's sad that good fathers have to once again watch the press
look at the negative fathers on their day. When was the last time you saw a "Bad Mom"
special on Mother's Day. And, NOW's South Carolina Chapter making Sue Smith Woman of
the Year, is not quite what I was thinking.
One in five American men have spent at least a night in jail.
Of the 142 who were executed between 1976-1990, 79 were white, 56 were black and 7
were Latino.
I was accused of robbing a gas station of $70...I agreed to confess in return for a
light county jail sentence...They tossed me into the penitentiary with one to life.
That was in 1960. I was eighteen years old. I've been here ever since." George
Jackson, 1970
He'd forgotten just how addictive crime can be. Repeat offenders are motivated more
by withdrawal symptoms than necessity. - Sue Grafton
To give dignity to a man is above all things. - Indian proverb
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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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