U.S. Inmates Launching Nationwide Strike to End Prison Slavery

Good. I have a problem with private companies who use inmates for profit. Personally I think we should only be putting people in prison who REALLY need to be there. Everyone else needs rehabilitation and to be treat as people with problems. Most inmates have problems that can be solved and other are mentally ill. Let's not even get into the drug war and victimless crimes. We are all aware of that or should be if not. Feel free to discuss that though.

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Inmate Strike

ncarcerated Americans across the country are set to go on strike Tuesday in what could become the largest industrial action by inmates in the history of the United States.

The strike, which is supposed to last until September 9—the anniversary of the 1971 Attica Prison uprising in upstate New York—calls for an "end to prison slavery" and for a number of prison reforms.

For 19 days, inmates across at least 17 states plan to refuse to work, with some also refusing to eat, to draw attention to poor conditions and what advocates have called exploitative labor practices in the prison system.

Our just-us system is totally corrupt and deplorable. The system actually perpetuates problems like increasing gang populations and creating more crime due to recidivism***. Recidivism*** is largely due to a few factors, one the underlying issues of criminal behavior are never addressed. More often than not many criminals commit their first crime at an early age***. As people who commit crimes age*** they tend to commit less crimes less often. In my opinion this is due to hormonal factors such as the massive increase in testosterone during this time period.

Anyway...

In the U.S., hundreds of thousands of inmates have jobs both inside and outside of prisons, from kitchen labor, cleaning and farming to GED tutoring and firefighting, with the average pay for workers in state prisons working out to 20 cents an hour, according to the Marshall Project.

Earlier this month, it came to light that thousands of inmates from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had been risking their lives fighting California's wildfires for as little as $3 a day, compared with the $75,000 plus benefits that firefighters typically make each year.

Now many of you will say, "why should we pay them when we are paying to house them?" which in certain cases I agree. Daily duties for survival for sure however when you are making money for a private corporation, that's where I draw that line, that is literal slavery.

I personally know 2 people who were firefighters while serving prison terms and one thing that blows my mind is that after having fought multiple forest fires they were never allowed to find jobs as firefighters even though they were no longer committing crimes on the outside.

Anyway. Overall some of these ideas are very debatable but I believe our criminal just-us system needs a total overhaul. It's not serving it's intended purpose.

Sources::

Recidivism:
chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/www.urban.org... ployment-and-recidivism.pdf

Crime and age;
chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/www.sagepub.com...

It is a difficult problem.

I have a family member that just did a 7 year bid for drug conspiracy. He deserved time, but the case against him was bullsh*t. Feds mistakenly thought he was connected to a big time dealer (which he wasn't) and he was setup by a "buddy" who was an informant.

Nevertheless, seeing him do time has given me a new perspective on the "system". The thing that struck me was how little preparation is given to inmates coming home. Next to no training, classes, etc on preparing them to come back and be productive members of society.

I also have mixed feelings because doing time and having a felony makes it next to impossible to get a meaningful job. At the same time, my family member told me how many guys in prison are plotting their next criminal moves to go back to hustling upon release.

I do think the first step to reforming prison is legalizing drugs. What we are doing is not working. There has to be a better way.

a reply to: toysforadults

Maybe it's time to dump a lot of money into cryo suspension / cryo sleep or what ever you want to call it. For the time being long space flights to another star could take a generation or more which would require significant resources brought along. But as a benefit of the successful, repeatable results we can finally have Cryo Prisons.

But anyway, why do people think prisons are suppose to be nice places. It's where people go to pay for their crimes. We've let reformers change them into almost summer camp with games and tv. Next thing you know they will want A/C and ice cream.

a reply to: toysforadults

With everything wrong with this country, something like this gets attention? The simple solution is to stop getting arrested. Our prisons are pretty comfy compared to other countries.

a reply to: toysforadults

Absolutely.

This is, of course, a situation that's completely avoidable. It's really simple, and not at all difficult to understand.

All these potential "model members of society" had to do was follow ONE freakin' rule. JUST ONE.

But no, they couldn't follow JUST ONE VERY SIMPLE RULE.

Don't commit a felony. Is that somehow difficult to understand?

Somehow, most of the human race seems to be able to restrain themselves, but these people just can't help themselves?

Wait, it's the devil, isn't it..? That red bastard is back, right? They were all possessed by demons, right? They are all victims of the vast corrupt for-profit prison system, right? They're not responsible for their OWN actions, right?, they're innocent, right?

Look, there are about 900,000 things that need to be fixed in the modern world, and this is number 812,063 on the list.

Give me a break....

a reply to: Edumakated

Nevertheless, seeing him do time has given me a new perspective on the "system". The thing that struck me was how little preparation is given to inmates coming home. Next to no training, classes, etc on preparing them to come back and be productive members of society.

This is one of my main gripes aside from the fact that sitting in a cell with a bunch of idiots isn't actually solving any of the inherit problems that lead to a life of crime in the first place.

The court system is totally totally broken unless you can afford a billion dollar highly connected attorney, then it works.

I also have mixed feelings because doing time and having a felony makes it next to impossible to get a meaningful job. At the same time, my family member told me how many guys in prison are plotting their next criminal moves to go back to hustling upon release.

This is a major problem but I think this is a result of how the system works. It's kind of a double edged sword with the system we have. With no meaningful opportunity after many of these guys have really given up.

I do think the first step to reforming prison is legalizing drugs. What we are doing is not working. There has to be a better way.

I agree.

originally posted by: mzinga
a reply to: toysforadults

With everything wrong with this country, something like this gets attention? The simple solution is to stop getting arrested. Our prisons are pretty comfy compared to other countries.

compared to what country?

a reply to: MteWamp

Don't commit a felony. Is that somehow difficult to understand?

Most of these people come from totally broken homes and or have unresolved mental health issues. These problems need to be resolved and prison isn't doing it.

Guess what, some of these people are your neighbors. Do you want a neighbor with unresolved mental health issues and an education on how to commit cleaner crimes in the future or do you want a neighbor with resolved issues that's a health productive member of society?

Choose wisely.

originally posted by: toysforadults

We may disagree on some particulars, but yes star and flag 100% over haul of the prison system is way past due.

We need to get away from punishment and back to rehab for the vast vast majority of people in prison.

a reply to: Edumakated

I personally dont do drugs but i can see this whole drug war is a farce.

You have two consenting adults doing a business tranasctions. The majority of victims in regards to drugs are due to the consequences of drugs being illegal .

The mayor or police chief of Baltimore (i believe it was) said that violence significantly dropped when silk road was active. He said most violence occurs when interfacing and silk road treated drugs like a legitimate business.

Once silk road was taken down violence rose up again.

The only war on __ we should have is the war on Pedophilia and sex trade where there are real victims. To bad it appears that is not as profitable or appealing to bring focus to real victims by the leaders of society.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I agree, other countries have explored other avenues that treat people like they are human beings and not productivity markers.

It's an overall issue of American culture. We like to dehumanize people who are not like us.

I have a problem with prisons in general.

They are supposed to rehabilitate and create a stronger America. What they do is teach normal people to be worse criminals, while allowing them to network with other criminals.

Our criminal justice system is a joke meant to feed the bank accounts of our overlords and their backers. I am against prison for 99% of all crimes, instead preferring to see people stay free and productive rather than become a paycheck for the prison industrial complex. Murderers and rapists should be imprisoned. Everyone else....we should be more creative.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Could not agree more.

What's that old African proverb...

"The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth" - African proverb

In business and in life it makes more sense to bring people in and get them on your team then it does to create enemies and opposition parties to your goals.

Why doesn't this apply on a societal level as well?

Good luck fixing a psychopath who commit murder.

There are people who would rather commit crime than be a normal part of society. It's just "too hard".

People who have denied others their rights but they want lots of rights in prison.

a reply to: roadgravel

majority of inmates haven't commit violent crimes just an FYI

originally posted by: toysforadults
For 19 days, inmates across at least 17 states plan to refuse to work, with some also refusing to eat,

The second shouldn't be an option if they refuse to work, then no reason to provide them with food. That said, this would appear to be a self correcting problem where any non overweight inmates are concerned. Who knows, it may resolve some of the overcrowding issues presently plaguing our legal system.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

our legal system is clogged up with laws that shouldn't be laws in the first place turning what otherwise wouldn't be a criminal into a criminal

it's very easy to point fingers at someone and dehumanize them from our chairs on the top of the ivory tower but it's not a very granular understanding of the legal system or humans in general

non of us are perfect and we shouldn't pretend to be, some less perfect than others

a reply to: toysforadults

There was a time when I'd have agreed with you, but I'm presently living in a state which decided to stop incarcerating many "non violent" offenders and I'm more than a little sick and tired of watching pieces of human filth rob businesses, break into homes, steal vehicles, smash and grab, destroy property, etc and be back out on the street before the end of the day. Humanity has made me realize that we're far too soft on crime. Repeat and habitual problems in society need purged, I care not whether that purge happens via expansion of capital punishment or increased incarceration, but it needs to happen.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Like I said, that's because their fundamental problems have no been solved. Easy to point fingers and say, "this is a bad person lock them up". it's not about being easy or tough on crime it's about solving the problem

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
I have a problem with prisons in general.

They are supposed to rehabilitate and create a stronger America. What they do is teach normal people to be worse criminals, while allowing them to network with other criminals.

Our criminal justice system is a joke meant to feed the bank accounts of our overlords and their backers. I am against prison for 99% of all crimes, instead preferring to see people stay free and productive rather than become a paycheck for the prison industrial complex. Murderers and rapists should be imprisoned. Everyone else....we should be more creative.

I don't see much beyond adoption of Arabic penal practices that will work here, BFFT. I personally think chopping off thieve's hands and branding the faces of drug addicts should be on the table because it works, but most Americans (and the SCOTUS) would say it's cruel and unusual, leaving prison as the only real deterrent to crime short of simply executing anyone who demonstrates an inability to keep their hands to themselves.