The Women in Prison Project of the Correctional Association of N.Y. has put together an incredibly moving and infuriating slide show highlighting how families are separated by the prison system. Please take a few minutes to watch this important work.

The slide show is part of a larger campaign to get more people to support the Adoption and Safe Families Act which is pending before Congress. For more information about the detrimental effects on all parties when children are barred from their incarcerated parents, read the following commentary by Rachel Roth.

The fact that this country continues to execute people is really inhumane. In light of the news from a couple of days ago that 70% of Californians support the death penalty, it seemed to be a good time to understand just how many people the U.S. has executed over the past 50 years.

The following chart shows that the U.S. has been practicing capital punishment for a long time. Except for a brief lull in the late 60s to the late 70s, the state has basically been consistently killing people for decades.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics

Click here for the raw numbers.

I am often asked by friends and family to explain the term “prison industrial complex” when I use it in conversation with them. Prisons are ubiquitous in American society and most people have some opinion about whether they are effective in addressing crime. However for the general public, the term “prison industrial complex” is akin to hearing a language spoken that one is unfamiliar with. When I am asked to define it, I struggle to find a succinct way to do so. I usually say something like “it is an interconnected set of institutions and systems that purport to address the issue of crime and to “protect” society.” I then scramble to add that the PIC depends on the existence of an easily manipulated public, a set of opportunistic policy-makers and media elites shaping public opinion, and a coterie of business interests and corporations intent to make a dime off the most marginalized people in society. By the time, I finish talking most people’s eyes have either glazed over or are as big as saucers. I definitely need to find a better way to illustrate the concept of the PIC.

I came across an interesting article in the Evansville Courier Press last week that I think does a good job of underscoring some key aspects of the PIC.

The article was titled Contraband Prompts Jailer to Alter Policy. Under the guise of eliminating “contraband” from the jail, Jailer Ron Herrington devised a new policy:

The jail provides inmates with needs such as jumpsuits, but creature comforts are regulated and can be provided by friends or families. Inmates are allowed five white T-shirts, five pairs of underwear, five pairs of white socks, sneakers, a wrist watch and a CD player.

Within the next 60 to 90 days, Herrington said, the jail will probably begin a new policy requiring all those items to be purchased at the jail commissary. But he said that policy will be implemented only if those items can be sold at a price comparable to the prices at local retailers such as Wal-Mart.

Yes you read this correctly, the jail would like to make sure that items that prisoners need “can be sold at a price comparable to the prices at local retailers such as Wal-Mart.” Jailer Herrington is quoted in the article saying that he is trying to ensure the “safety” of his staff and the prisoners by interdicting contraband. He suggests that he is very concerned that the prisoners’ families not be burdened with extra costs by having to purchase needed supplies from the commissary instead of sending it to the prisoner directly. So he comes off seeming very concerned and responsible throughout the article.

Well just this past Saturday, I read a letter to the editor that was submitted regarding this article. It reveals the “true” story about the burdens that are put on prisoners and their families in having to spend money on needed supplies.

Frank Boyett’s article about the jail commissary was interesting, but incomplete. Preventing contraband from entering the jail by requiring inmates to purchase socks, underwear, sneakers or flip-flops and hygiene items from the commissary comes at a high price to the inmate, or more than likely his or her family.

At present, when inmates enter the detention center, they are issued the orange scrubs, a towel and bedding and also given a hygiene packet which contains a toothbrush and enough soap and toothpaste for three days. During the first seven days after incarceration, families are able to bring underwear, flip flops and hygiene items. After that time, the inmates must purchase all hygiene items from the commissary as well as non-essential treats. Families can make deposits into the inmate’s commissary account with which he or she can purchase these items.

The jail charges each inmate a daily fee for the service of being incarcerated. If the inmate is indigent, and most inmates are indigent, the jail seizes one half of every deposit made on behalf of the inmate to be used to pay the daily fee. If a friend or family member deposits $25 into the inmate’s account, the inmate has $12.50 to spend at the commissary.

If the inmates have to purchase underwear and shoes as well, they will need $50 on account to purchase $25 worth of clothing. The result is that even if the commissary prices are comparable to those of outside merchants and real cost to the inmate or family is double.

Martha Q. Polk
Henderson

Well, well, so it appears that the good jailer Herrington left out a BIG part of the story when he neglected to mention that prisoners at the Henderson Detention Center are expected to pay a daily fee to cover the costs of their own incarceration. This is in addition to the money that they or more likely their families have to spend for their needed supplies. If prisoners can’t afford to pay their daily fee, their commissary accounts are raided to seize these funds.

This is the PIC at work. I don’t know if this example would provide a needed definition of the term PIC to my friends and family but I believe that it would certainly open their eyes to the profit motive that permeates the mass incarceration industry.

Real journalism breaks out at local Arizona television station KPHO. This investigative piece should be REQUIRED viewing for future journalists and should be viewed by all anti-prison activists.

This exposes Arizona politicians as demagogues with respect to “crime” and violence. It also exposes the nexus between politicians and the private prison industry. An excellent piece of reporting.

Prison Culture will be back on Monday. I am taking the weekend off from blogging to visit with family in from out of town.

I have been thinking a lot about this question lately after reading about the way that Lil’ Wayne described his typical day at Rikers Island where he is incarcerated. He left the impression of living a relatively “comfortable” existence even while being locked up in a cell. So I was curious to ascertain whether there was such a thing as a 5-star prison cell.

In my research, I came across this 2007 New York Times Article titled For $82 a Day, Booking a Cell in a 5-Star Jail. The article included the photograph below.

This jail cell does not look particularly “luxurious” to me. I particularly hate the color pink so for me it would add to the torture of being cooped up by myself in this cell.

The article offers the following insights:

For offenders whose crimes are usually relatively minor (carjackers should not bother) and whose bank accounts remain lofty, a dozen or so city jails across the state offer pay-to-stay upgrades. Theirs are a clean, quiet, if not exactly recherché alternative to the standard county jails, where the walls are bars, the fellow inmates are hardened and privileges are few.

Many of the self-pay jails operate like secret velvet-roped nightclubs of the corrections world. You have to be in the know to even apply for entry, and even if the court approves your sentence there, jail administrators can operate like bouncers, rejecting anyone they wish.

“I am aware that this is considered to be a five-star Hilton,” said Nicole Brockett, 22, who was recently booked into one of the jails, here in Orange County about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles, and paid $82 a day to complete a 21-day sentence for a drunken driving conviction.

First, it is my firm belief that people who who commit “relatively minor crimes” should NOT be in jail or prison in the first place. Second, it seems hard to believe that there exist such things as “self-pay” prison cells but unfortunately it turns out that this is not someone’s idea of a bad joke. Of course, the vast majority of people who are incarcerated could not afford to pay rent for their cells.

Nevertheless some prisons with far less “attractive” surroundings have taken to charging prisoners for cell space in the last few years. We already know that prisoners are gouged for basic supplies like underwear, soap, toothpaste, shampoo, and the like. This is obscene and wrong. Jails and prisons are filled with poor people who cannot afford much on the outside so to charge them an arm and a leg for basic supplies on the inside is simply exploitation.

The Times provides a chart outlining some of the amenities that self-pay cells offer

Curious to find other examples of so-called “luxurious” prison cells, I came upon the following blog post at the Wacky Owl. Basically the blog post identifies what the author calls the five most luxurious prison cells.

The blogger begins the post as follows:

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear of a prison? Dark and dull walls surrounded by lots of fencing, a large gate and armed watch towers, dusty playgrounds and all this at one of the isolated corners of the city. Inside, around a 6 by 8 feet room guarded by the solid or barred doors with some furniture and fixings on walls and floor. That’s a usual sight you would notice at prisons round the world that house the most inhumane masses who have been sentenced for imprisonment for their disrespectful and unlawful conduct in the society. However, surprisingly a few lucky criminals also get to taste the prison life with a flavor of luxury and believe or not, that even could be equivalent to living in a five star hotel.

The writer discusses prisoners as “inhumane masses.” That’s a tip off that the author is not going to be a prison abolitionist or even a reformer. The kicker is this sentence in the blog:

So let us take a look at the top five luxurious prisons and their lavish cells where prisoners wouldn’t mind their sentence extended for a longer time.

What’s your answer to my opening question: “Is there such a thing as a 5-star prison cell?”

I have always LOVED Lucky Dube’s music and was stunned to learn last month that he was gunned down in Johannesburg as someone attempted to steal his car. The tragedy of such a loss is immense for his family and for all of us fans. One of my favorite songs that he performed was called Prisoner. So in honor of Lucky Dube, tonight’s musical interlude is Prisoner:

Peter Yahnke - Just Seeds Artists' Cooperative

Thanks to the Sentencing Project Race and Justice Newsletter, I learned today that:

According to the reports from the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, nine schools have suspended more than half of all black boys enrolled. One school, J.T. Moore Middle School, has suspended 58% of its African-American male population but only 10% of its white males. Similarly, according to the school district records, six elementary schools have suspended only black males despite four of these schools having a mixed population of black and white students. According to national statistics, African Americans are sent home from school three times more often than white students.

More about this story can be found here. For those who cannot see how this phenomenon of pushing young people (in particular young black males) out of school leads to future incarceration, I don’t know what to say. Recently I highlighted the specific connection between dropping out and future incarceration in a crazy pic fact of the day post.

The Sentencing Project goes on to highlight a recent NPR report about the disproportionate suspensions experienced by black male students in Nashville.

According to an NPR interview with Maury Nation, Associate Professor of Human Organizational Development, David Martin, Principal at Nashville’s Jerre Middle School, and Pedro Noguera, Professor in the Steinhart School of Culture, Education and Human Development, many school officials want teachers to be equipped with more alternatives to suspension. While their discussion focused on racial bias as the underlying problem, Martin, points to cultural differences; he asserts that many teachers are unfamiliar with many behaviors students display particularly when they come from environments that are very different from the environments teachers are unfamiliar with. For example, he explains, “Students who are trying to be successful in a community that is fairly violent, filled with gang activity, crime, drugs, and prostitution, have to learn a set of skills to survive on the streets that don’t necessarily translate well into appropriate school behavior.”

Professor Nation points to the complex issues that many students may be coping with in their families such as domestic violence or homelessness. He states, “We have to remember, we are talking about fairly young kids – nine, 10, 11 years old. If suburban kids are your benchmark, some of those behaviors may look unusual and, in fact, problematic.” Professor Noguera adds, “What’s important to keep in mind is that racial disparity and who’s disciplined mirrors the achievement gap. That is that the same kids who are least likely to do well in school are also the kids who are getting a disproportionate amount of discipline in school.” Ironically, we discipline misbehavior in school by denying students school time which exacerbates the academic problem.

The NPR story can be found here.

Sometimes one needs no words to convey the complete boneheadedness (is that a real word?) of a policy decision…

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

To see the actual raw numbers for this chart, click here.

Catalyst Chicago recently published an article about one young black man’s experience at the boot camp at Cook County Jail. Who even knew that Cook County Jail had a “boot camp?”  I didn’t.  Cook County jail has actually recently been in the news as one of  the top three mental health institutions in America.

Anyway, journalist Sarah Karp writes in her article:

This reality is vividly apparent at the boot camp, a one-year program that consists of 18 weeks of intensive military training and 8 months of supervision after release. Men between the ages of 17 and 35 are eligible to be sentenced to the camp for their first or second non-violent offense. Yet the average age of inmates is 22.

On weekday mornings, the inmates start the day by walking in unison around the concrete yard. A few men appear to be in their late 20s or 30s. But for the most part, the group is made up of baby-faced black and Latino men who look barely outside of their teens.

High school is still a recent memory for many of the inmates, including Kenny. But only about a third of the young men have earned a high school diploma. Between 12 and 16 percent read below a 6th-grade level, and so are placed in a remedial literacy class. For these young men, officials admit, the prospect of earning a GED is dim.

There are so many issues to highlight from this excerpt.  First of all, it underscores the connections between the military and prison culture.  The idea of strict rules, unquestioned obedience to authority, and discipline are mirrored in the military and in the prison.  Interestingly, I would imagine that many of the young men who are in boot camp have cousins and friends who grew up in their neighborhoods and had to enlist in order to have  employment prospects.  The message seems to be that one way or the other if you are young, male, black, brown and poor, you are going to end up in the military or in prison.  Your choice? Next, once again, we see the connections between a lack of adequate education and incarceration.

Finally, many of the young people who are sentenced to boot camp would be better served in substance abuse treatment since the majority are there for non-violent drug offenses.  It is obscene to relegate young first time offenders to military style boot camps as a form of punishment.