thread of prison and the american justice system

https://lareviewofbooks.org/review/faces-faith

And so, despite the marvelous attention Dubler pays to individual characters and conversation, the greatest wonder of Graterford’s religious pluralism is how alike it all becomes. Taken together, the theses Dubler has culled all point to one disturbing fact about prison religion. (And if we see ourselves in the conversations going on behind bars, his theses point to a disturbing fact about religious trends more generally.) He concludes: “Graterford no longer produces Malcolm Xs. It produces prisoners. Not system shatterers, today’s religious prisoners are, in their own quiet and righteous way — much like the overwhelming majority of us — system sustainers.” And this revelation, like the accusations that precede it, works to transform the religious invocation from Habakkuk — “Why do you let me see these things?” — into a practical, real-world question. We may ask God why we’re allowed to see these things. But the additional questions we ask once we’ve seen it all — the inside of Graterford Prison, part of a system we built — are ours to answer, not a silent God’s. And transformative politics will require a renewal of political courage worthy of all that silence.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/fbi-overstated-forensic-hair-matches-in-nearly-all-criminal-trials-for-decades/2015/04/18/39c8d8c6-e515-11e4-b510-962fcfabc310_story.html

this is infuriating

holy shit

Jared Ware, who is currently assisting the prisoner’s rights advocates group Jailhouse Lawyers Speak, told Splinter that prisons have been conducting massive cell phone sweeps, and shaking down entire prisons looking for contraband in response to strike action. Yet, despite these attempts to choke off communication, Ware said that there are 17 states that will be attempting to participate at some point during the strike. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they meet that goal or exceed that,” he said.

There are multiple reports of strike activity around the country, and Ware said that actions are taking place in prisons in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

This should all be very exciting for anyone who considers themselves a progressive or a proponent of criminal justice reform. Yet thus far, not a single establishment Democrat, including the party’s most high-profile members, has even offered a performative acknowledgement of what is unfolding across the country....

https://splinternews.com/the-democrats-near-total-silence-on-the-national-prison-1828636782

The New York Times reports:

One 886-bed jail will tower over shops and restaurants in Downtown Brooklyn. Another will be next to a subway yard in Queens. In the Bronx, a jail will replace a Police Department tow pound. And another jail will rise in the shadow of City Hall in Manhattan.

That is at the heart of a plan for a landmark overhaul of New York City’s corrections system, which will culminate with the closing of Rikers Island, the jail complex with nearly 10,000 beds that has become notorious for chronic abuse, neglect and mismanagement.

The City Council approved the proposal on Thursday, a decision that seemed nearly impossible just a few years ago and that supporters say immediately places New York City at the forefront of a national movement to reverse decades of mass incarceration that disproportionately affected black and Hispanic people.

In a roundabout way I've ended up tuning into a few 'after prison' channels the last couple of months. The End Of Sentence channel by a Tampa/Boston kid who spent 3 years in Florida panhandle prisons including Lake Butler...is pretty intense

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EU-lUh5OBY

Interview with Mental Health professional (she's great!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Oql047-Geo

Speaking on PTSD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZl0MEOisaw

Jake on Channel 7 news

On a less serious note, I'm still marvelling at this kids double accent!

VICTORY! The New Jersey Supreme Court rejected prosecutors' discrimination against a Black potential juror by running an unauthorized background check and having him arrested.

What the Court also rejected today: systemic racism and implicit bias in our criminal legal system. https://t.co/OfZj0g74Ra

— ACLU of New Jersey (@ACLUNJ) July 13, 2021

prosecutors are bad

https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2021/07/13/edwin-andujar-jury-selection-implicit-bias/

That last link explains it a bit better. Thanks. Fucked up!

this is the kind of court reporting we need more of (i mean this sincerely) https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2022/01/12/judge-shames-72-year-old-cancer-patient-too-weak-tend-his-lawn-tdn/9190831002/

I'd thought I'd seen the absolute pits of humanity these last couple of years, but that's really one of the most repugnant things I've ever encountered. really wish I lived somewhere in her jurisdiction

i promise there is one of her in your own jurisdiction :)

The collective id of white suburban homeowners spawned a golem.

oh look another example of judges being a problem

The NY Court of Appeals held today (4 to 3) that a 19-year-old who was interrogated in police custody never invoked his right to a lawyer. Here's his conversation with the detective after being read his Miranda rights, judge for yourself: https://t.co/c3voLKNS47 pic.twitter.com/loB6MMOyD6

— Sam Feldman 🌹 (@srfeld) April 26, 2022

https://www.fox26houston.com/isiah-factor-uncensored/215-bodies-found-jackson-mississippi-exposed

Holy hell, that's disturbing. This stood out to me, I always get extra uncomfortable when a Southern authority goes out of their way to insist something isn't racist:

Reed emphasizes that this issue extends beyond race, as both white and black individuals are buried in the same manner.

as I understand it, Reed is an activist, he's not with the authorities