by James DeLano “I run the biggest mental hospital in the country.” That was Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca in 2005. He was referring to the fact that, in 2005, over 2,000 people in the county jail had been diagnosed with a mental illness. That has not changed. Nationwide, between 16% and 24% of … Continue reading Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons and Jails
Search Results for: prison
Southern Prisons in the U.S.
by Abigail Shumate Prisons, Historically A quick Google search of “Alabama prison news now” will lead you to hundreds of articles detailing brutal and entirely unnecessary deaths of Alabama inmates. This is not exclusive to Alabama, it’s a trend you can find amongst most other southern states, including Georgia, North Carolina, and Louisiana. The UAB … Continue reading Southern Prisons in the U.S.
Modern American Slavery: Forced Prison Labor
by James DeLano Historical Slavery in the United States Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865 with the ratification of the 13th Amendment. The amendment reads, “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 … Continue reading Modern American Slavery: Forced Prison Labor
Hopeless Efforts at Release on Parole from Alabama Prisons
by Eva Pechtl “They see me trying to do right, but my past is my problem,” said Terry Townshend, an inmate resembling countless others denied release on parole from Alabama’s prisons at astounding rates. Before we begin, I encourage you to read Kala Bhattar’s posts on the extensive history and severity of the Alabama … Continue reading Hopeless Efforts at Release on Parole from Alabama Prisons
The Ongoing Alabama Prison Crisis: From the Past to the Present
This is a continuation of the conversation about the Alabama Prison Crisis as exposed by Mary Scott Hodgin in her podcast, “Deliberate Indifference.” If you have not read the previous blog post on this topic, “The Ongoing Alabama Prison Crisis: A History”, it is recommended that you do so. Also, if you would like more … Continue reading The Ongoing Alabama Prison Crisis: From the Past to the Present
The Ongoing Alabama Prison Crisis: A History
WBHM, the publicly sponsored NPR affiliate located in Birmingham, Alabama, published a podcast this year, focusing on the atrocious realities of prisons in Alabama. Titled, “Deliberate Indifference,” the host, Mary Scott Hodgin, takes the listeners through an in-depth journey of the correctional facilities in Alabama, trying to better understand the root causes of the … Continue reading The Ongoing Alabama Prison Crisis: A History
Prison Break Becomes Reality: The Escape of Six Palestinian Prisoners
On September 6th, 2021, six Palestinian prisoners escaped from what is known as Israel’s most secure and guarded prison, Gilboa Prison. An escape conducted only with a spoon has been heralded as a heroic victory for the Palestinian people and a major security breach to the Israeli government. The conflict between Israel and Palestine is … Continue reading Prison Break Becomes Reality: The Escape of Six Palestinian Prisoners
Prisoners of Conscience
Recently, upon landing at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow, avowed critic of Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin, Alexei Navalny, was arrested for allegedly violating the terms of a suspended sentence related to a 2014 embezzlement charge. The European Court of Human Rights later ruled that that trial had been politically motivated and resulted in an unfair … Continue reading Prisoners of Conscience
PRISONERS NEED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE TOO!
With the release of the film Just Mercy, which recounts Bryan Stevenson’s experience challenging death row convictions in Alabama and creating the Equal Justice Initiative, the criminal justice system is once again in the news and the topic of the death penalty is being debated. First off, everyone should see the film. Until we do … Continue reading PRISONERS NEED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE TOO!
America’s Youngest Prisoners: Inhumanity of Family Detention
**As the US government flip-flops on its “zero-tolerance” Biblical mandated immigration policy that isn’t a policy but enforcement of the law, this repost, from this February, describes some of state-sanctioned child abuse and human rights violations experienced those seeking safety in “the land of the free and home of the brave.” You can read more … Continue reading America’s Youngest Prisoners: Inhumanity of Family Detention
