Most Americans are entirely unaware that every day the U.S. Government tortures more than 100,000 people in prison — but here's how we stop this injustice
Sorry to disagree with you this once Qasim. I want this in place for the entire Felon trump admin & J6 congress members. After that, let’s get rid of it forever.
Yet another excellent report. Hats off to both writers for researching this topic so carefully and sharing your findings with us.
The sad, but undeniable fact is, the U.S. legal system is predatory and predominately preys on the poor. Sentencing people accused of “crimes” for years on end benefits no one but the deeply sick souls who organize and orchestrate the clown show that is the U.S. INJUSTICE system. No one benefits from putting people in jail for non-violent crimes, yet America’s demented seems at the ready to lock people up at the drop of a hat. No evidence? No worries, the system generally could not care less. What is all important is the APPEARANCE of “being tough on crime,” not actually taking appropriate, time-tested steps to (God forbid) prevent it from happening in the first place. That would make too much sense and eventually put the entire SICK system out of business.
No one belongs in solitary confinement and many, if not most people accused and/or convicted of so-called crimes do NOT belong behind bars.
One must truly wonder how the U.S. reached this low point. Thought: perhaps by continually electing the WRONG people to public office. One day Americans may just collectively pull their heads from the sand on this subject. I truly hope to live to see the day.
#47, ginnie Thomas, stephen Miller, etc. plan to send ppl they dislike to jails & Guantanamo! Are TraitorTrump & his MAGA demagogues National Security threats? DeportElonMusk to protect our National Security & save AmeriCa ASAP! 🇺🇸💔🤍💙🇺🇸😌IN
For over a decade - since before I came to Australia - I’ve been writing to an inmate who was incarcerated at San Quentin, but recently moved to a Medical Facility in California . He’s 68 and has spent over forty years - much of it in solitary - in the penal system . A robbery ‘gone wrong ‘ resulting in murder. As a long distance pen pal we are not allowed many details . It’s through a British organisation called ‘Human Writes’. Letters are subject to censorship / both outgoing and incoming . Plus a long list of things which are forbidden . Security etc - I get that . But although Jack seldom complains , he is completely ill equipped to ever living life on the ‘outside’ . With no family left it would seem that I represent ‘family ‘ ( rather rambling descriptions of life here in Tasmania- descriptions of the unusual animals we have here in Australia - basically a tiny glimpse of a life outside). He’s grown to be interested in my family - what we do etc etc . I get constant prayers ( he’s very religious ) for good health .
Should he ever be released - probably unlikely - he would most certainly not survive 21st century America . There are thousands like Jack . I appreciate that he did wrong - but he’s an old man now . Poorly educated and utterly institutionalised . Here Indigenous people are many times more likely to be imprisoned . Children as young as ten . Shocking . Released to dysfunctional families and then rearrested . A vicious sad cycle . Wish we knew the answer . Some of the Nordic countries seem to get it right … totally different penal system - that appears to work . Solitary confinement serves no purpose except to break a person . So much of society is dysfunctional - sad that !
Leaving someone alone for even hours on end is not healthy. If a person is in a very excited state, it might help for them to be put in a quiet place, but for less than an hour to help them calm down, but only if this helps them. It might be better to administer a tranquilizer. In school, sometimes teachers will turn off the lights in their classroom if the students get rowdy. So taking an inmate in a quiet place might help them calm down, but only if it is for a brief period, and the room is soft and comfortable.
No offense to the invaders, but it seems to come from the mindset of retribution. Much like Trump. They don’t care who it hurts, if they die, they die. The invaders being the colonizers of America who brought Manifest Destiny. In other words, individuals haven’t any value. I don’t have any credentials to back any of this up. But in extensive reading it seems to be the case.
Thank you Mr. Rashid for bringing up this topic. This was my wheelhouse 24.7 for 12 years in California’s carceral system. I would like to distinguish state systems from federal systems; there are also private prisons and ICE. So this incarceration nation has four different carceral systems.
What you are addressing is mostly the federal system, which has far fewer incarcerated than state systems. If readers want to check out data, Prison Policy Initiative is the best source I know. Over 2 million are incarcerated in the system.
The other thing I need to point out is that with all due respect, it is necessary to recognize the huge litigative and legislative work we activists did in California 2011-2015 especially. More than 30,000 incarcerated men and women statewide joined three peaceful hunger strikes, organized by leaders in the Security Housing Units (SHU) in Pelican Bay State Prison near the Oregon border. They came together across racial and gang divisions to protest the torture of indefinite isolation, lack of decent medical care, horrid food, lack of programming and education, showers, visits. It took years but in 2015 we beat the Department in Ashker v. Brown/Newsom, and 1500 human beings were released to general population. They had been held in windowless cages for 10 to 42 years. The Department of Corrections was found in violation of the 8th and 14th amendments, lack of due process and cruel and unusual punishment.
Because of the way families and grassroots and legislators came together, we together forever changed the way solitary is practiced. And juvenile justice. Of course there is still the hole, and it is still torture.
Resources: Solitary Watch and Center for Constitutional Rights.
Thank you for letting me talk. I will be posting much more eventually on my Substack Sea of Mercy. These are stories that, I TOTALLY agree with you, need to be told. Unless you have been system impacted (I was married 7 of those 12 years to one who did 21 years in solitary), it’s hard to understand why this is still an important fight. Especially in light of the roundups and incarceration to come, and the attendant, certain graft and corruption.
Always good to have the perspective of personal insight. Hope you continue to throw blinding light on this injustice. (Too many people who should be getting mental health treatment wind up in solitary making this worse)
Thank you so much. It’s an unpopular space to advocate for. But I lead Buddhist services now inside and I have to say most of these men would make a far better president than 47. They truly go deep and show great respect and compassion. You don’t make people better humans by dehumanizing them. I write about it in my Substack. I will refocus on this soon.
Thanks so kindly Raven. The supremacist playbook was very clear to us before 2016 elections. But back then it was more convenient and popular to hate on everyone incarcerated. We have made great strides in understanding the school to prison pipeline and marginalization and dehumanization. I'm not saying these are all angels, not by a long shot. But torture doesn't improve anyone. You don't make a better person by demonizing them. Most people don't know about this litigation, so I try to bring it to the public view when I can. I will be writing much more, just have gotten distracted by all this shitshow in DC. Be well and thank you.
As a person who struggled with addiction, made my own very wrong choices, and as a result spent time in our jail system- this hits home for me. I live a very different, very beautiful, sober life today and contribute to society as best I can. That being said, I know that what this article brings up is very true. I was in jail for seven months and it took probably another year and a half to fully heal from some of the trauma of that time. Did I deserve the jail time? Yes! I drove under the influence of alcohol and it was only right that I spent that time in jail. Did I deserve the other things that are mentioned here of manipulation and abuse? No. No one does- and it certainly doesn’t reform criminals. I’m just one of the lucky ones who had a different path before and after.
Sorry to disagree with you this once Qasim. I want this in place for the entire Felon trump admin & J6 congress members. After that, let’s get rid of it forever.
Yet another excellent report. Hats off to both writers for researching this topic so carefully and sharing your findings with us.
The sad, but undeniable fact is, the U.S. legal system is predatory and predominately preys on the poor. Sentencing people accused of “crimes” for years on end benefits no one but the deeply sick souls who organize and orchestrate the clown show that is the U.S. INJUSTICE system. No one benefits from putting people in jail for non-violent crimes, yet America’s demented seems at the ready to lock people up at the drop of a hat. No evidence? No worries, the system generally could not care less. What is all important is the APPEARANCE of “being tough on crime,” not actually taking appropriate, time-tested steps to (God forbid) prevent it from happening in the first place. That would make too much sense and eventually put the entire SICK system out of business.
No one belongs in solitary confinement and many, if not most people accused and/or convicted of so-called crimes do NOT belong behind bars.
One must truly wonder how the U.S. reached this low point. Thought: perhaps by continually electing the WRONG people to public office. One day Americans may just collectively pull their heads from the sand on this subject. I truly hope to live to see the day.
Thank you for reading and sharing, and thank you for your thoughtful comment.
My own personal story of solitary in the "mental health ward" of a state prison --
https://fromtheyardtothearthouse.substack.com/p/horse-girl
(halfway through)
Thank you for sharing.
#47, ginnie Thomas, stephen Miller, etc. plan to send ppl they dislike to jails & Guantanamo! Are TraitorTrump & his MAGA demagogues National Security threats? DeportElonMusk to protect our National Security & save AmeriCa ASAP! 🇺🇸💔🤍💙🇺🇸😌IN
For over a decade - since before I came to Australia - I’ve been writing to an inmate who was incarcerated at San Quentin, but recently moved to a Medical Facility in California . He’s 68 and has spent over forty years - much of it in solitary - in the penal system . A robbery ‘gone wrong ‘ resulting in murder. As a long distance pen pal we are not allowed many details . It’s through a British organisation called ‘Human Writes’. Letters are subject to censorship / both outgoing and incoming . Plus a long list of things which are forbidden . Security etc - I get that . But although Jack seldom complains , he is completely ill equipped to ever living life on the ‘outside’ . With no family left it would seem that I represent ‘family ‘ ( rather rambling descriptions of life here in Tasmania- descriptions of the unusual animals we have here in Australia - basically a tiny glimpse of a life outside). He’s grown to be interested in my family - what we do etc etc . I get constant prayers ( he’s very religious ) for good health .
Should he ever be released - probably unlikely - he would most certainly not survive 21st century America . There are thousands like Jack . I appreciate that he did wrong - but he’s an old man now . Poorly educated and utterly institutionalised . Here Indigenous people are many times more likely to be imprisoned . Children as young as ten . Shocking . Released to dysfunctional families and then rearrested . A vicious sad cycle . Wish we knew the answer . Some of the Nordic countries seem to get it right … totally different penal system - that appears to work . Solitary confinement serves no purpose except to break a person . So much of society is dysfunctional - sad that !
Thank you for being a voice of compassion, Carol. ❤️✊🏽
Leaving someone alone for even hours on end is not healthy. If a person is in a very excited state, it might help for them to be put in a quiet place, but for less than an hour to help them calm down, but only if this helps them. It might be better to administer a tranquilizer. In school, sometimes teachers will turn off the lights in their classroom if the students get rowdy. So taking an inmate in a quiet place might help them calm down, but only if it is for a brief period, and the room is soft and comfortable.
yes, well said.
No offense to the invaders, but it seems to come from the mindset of retribution. Much like Trump. They don’t care who it hurts, if they die, they die. The invaders being the colonizers of America who brought Manifest Destiny. In other words, individuals haven’t any value. I don’t have any credentials to back any of this up. But in extensive reading it seems to be the case.
Any kind of discipline, when given from a place of anger does not work.
Well said
Thank you Mr. Rashid for bringing up this topic. This was my wheelhouse 24.7 for 12 years in California’s carceral system. I would like to distinguish state systems from federal systems; there are also private prisons and ICE. So this incarceration nation has four different carceral systems.
What you are addressing is mostly the federal system, which has far fewer incarcerated than state systems. If readers want to check out data, Prison Policy Initiative is the best source I know. Over 2 million are incarcerated in the system.
The other thing I need to point out is that with all due respect, it is necessary to recognize the huge litigative and legislative work we activists did in California 2011-2015 especially. More than 30,000 incarcerated men and women statewide joined three peaceful hunger strikes, organized by leaders in the Security Housing Units (SHU) in Pelican Bay State Prison near the Oregon border. They came together across racial and gang divisions to protest the torture of indefinite isolation, lack of decent medical care, horrid food, lack of programming and education, showers, visits. It took years but in 2015 we beat the Department in Ashker v. Brown/Newsom, and 1500 human beings were released to general population. They had been held in windowless cages for 10 to 42 years. The Department of Corrections was found in violation of the 8th and 14th amendments, lack of due process and cruel and unusual punishment.
Because of the way families and grassroots and legislators came together, we together forever changed the way solitary is practiced. And juvenile justice. Of course there is still the hole, and it is still torture.
Resources: Solitary Watch and Center for Constitutional Rights.
Thank you for letting me talk. I will be posting much more eventually on my Substack Sea of Mercy. These are stories that, I TOTALLY agree with you, need to be told. Unless you have been system impacted (I was married 7 of those 12 years to one who did 21 years in solitary), it’s hard to understand why this is still an important fight. Especially in light of the roundups and incarceration to come, and the attendant, certain graft and corruption.
Thank you for the work you've done in this space, Beth, and for the resources you've cited.
Always good to have the perspective of personal insight. Hope you continue to throw blinding light on this injustice. (Too many people who should be getting mental health treatment wind up in solitary making this worse)
Thank you so much. It’s an unpopular space to advocate for. But I lead Buddhist services now inside and I have to say most of these men would make a far better president than 47. They truly go deep and show great respect and compassion. You don’t make people better humans by dehumanizing them. I write about it in my Substack. I will refocus on this soon.
Wow! Thank you for enlightening me. So much appreciated. There are many things that we aren’t aware of and I have a saying, blinded by the light.
Thanks so kindly Raven. The supremacist playbook was very clear to us before 2016 elections. But back then it was more convenient and popular to hate on everyone incarcerated. We have made great strides in understanding the school to prison pipeline and marginalization and dehumanization. I'm not saying these are all angels, not by a long shot. But torture doesn't improve anyone. You don't make a better person by demonizing them. Most people don't know about this litigation, so I try to bring it to the public view when I can. I will be writing much more, just have gotten distracted by all this shitshow in DC. Be well and thank you.
Thank you. In my perspective a true warrior. Take care.
Bless you. You take care too! 🙏🏻
KEEP UP THE FIGHT !
You keep fighting and I will keep writing, to our Congress people.
They and our courts are the only walls standing against a national Trump dystopia and the dictatorship he SO ARDENTLY SEEKS.
As a person who struggled with addiction, made my own very wrong choices, and as a result spent time in our jail system- this hits home for me. I live a very different, very beautiful, sober life today and contribute to society as best I can. That being said, I know that what this article brings up is very true. I was in jail for seven months and it took probably another year and a half to fully heal from some of the trauma of that time. Did I deserve the jail time? Yes! I drove under the influence of alcohol and it was only right that I spent that time in jail. Did I deserve the other things that are mentioned here of manipulation and abuse? No. No one does- and it certainly doesn’t reform criminals. I’m just one of the lucky ones who had a different path before and after.
I'm glad you're here, Felicity, and I'm grateful to see you continue to grow.