It’s becoming common knowledge that the U.S. imprisons more of its population than any other nation. In 2011, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that there were 1.6 million state and federal prisoners.

While state prisons have seen a small decrease in their populations over the past couple of years, prisoners in the federal system continue to increase. Last week, the Congressional Research Service (PDF) published a new report that provided data about the federal prison population. It found that there were about 219,000 inmates under federal Bureau of Prison’s (BOP) jurisdiction in 2012 — a nearly 790 percent increase in 32 years.

The key part of the report is summarized in an article by Ashley Portero:

Since 1998, individuals arrested for drug crimes have constituted the largest portion of federal prison admissions, followed closely by those arrested for immigration and weapons-related offenses. Meanwhile, the CRS reports there has been a significant drop off in the number of inmates entering prison for violent or property-related crimes, which only made up about 4 percent and 11 percent of prison admissions in 2010.

A huge portion of those drug offenders are arrested for marijuana offenses, even though the substance – now legal in 18 states for medicinal use– has become increasingly mainstream. However, statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation reveal more people were arrested for marijuana possession than all violent crimes combined in 2011.

If it continues to grow at the same rate, the Urban Institute predicts the federal prison system will eat up as much as 30 percent of the Department of Justice’s budget by 2020. The group reports the rapid population increase has mainly come from imposing longer sentences, and not a higher arrest rate. Drug offenders are often the targets of those sentences.

Update: Today 11/21/13, the AP reports that “Alabama parole board approves posthumous pardons in 1931 “Scottsboro Boys” rape case.”

I’ve often referenced the Scottsboro Boys case on this blog so I was very happy to read the following:

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — More than 80 years after their conviction in a case synonymous with Jim Crow injustice, Alabama might exonerate the Scottsboro Boys.

A group of lawmakers in the upcoming session plan to introduce a resolution that would “officially exonerate” the Scottsboro Boys and declare that they “were the victims of a gross injustice.”

Proposed legislation would also pave the way for a posthumous pardon from the state.

“Injustice was done and was never corrected,” said Sheila Washington, founder of the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center in Scottsboro.

Amidst a mob-like environment and with scant legal representation, the nine African-American youths were convicted by an all-white jury of raping two white women aboard a train. One of the women later said they had concocted the rape story to avoid charges for vagrancy.

A couple of months ago, my friend Jeanne sent me a terrific book titled “Scottsboro Alabama: A Story in Linoleum Cuts” by Lin Shi Khan & Tony Perez (edited by Andrew Lee). I had never seen this book before. This book of art was discovered in the personal papers of Joseph North, a well-known Communist journalist. The two artists, Tony Perez and Lin Shi Khan are unknown but it appears that the art was created around 1935. Below are some examples of the art featured in the book:

SHACKLING AND STOWING THEM ON SLAVE BOATS TO BE TRANSPORTED TO AMERICA

SADISTIC LYNCHINGS ARE ENCOURAGED TO FAN THE FLAME OF RACE HATRED

AND THE NINE YOUNG NEGROES LOCKED IN JAIL

The following are a couple of photographs depicting the life of prisoners on the chain gang in the 1930s in Tennessee and Georgia.

John Lindsay, an associated press photographer, hears a rumor that a chain gang was working on a levee near Memphis. He rents a car and makes his way to the levee and sees that chain gang at work. He shoots some photographs. Here is one of them…

From my collection

The photograph below was taken on March 8th 1937 by an associated press photographer who is not named. The caption on the back of the photo reads:

Naughty Boys
Macon, GA, March 8 — Having broken some of the rules of the convict camp, these members of a Bibb County Chain Gang are paying the penalty by a period in the stocks.

From my collection

I am thrilled to announce that our exhibition Black/Inside is now open at Trinity United Church of Christ. More information is here.

Below is a great new video by Candice Eloby documenting the exhibition. I blessedly don’t appear on camera (thank goodness) but you will hear my voice 🙂

Please consider making a donation to our Indiegogo campaign as we raise money to take the exhibition on the road. We appreciate any amount.

Today, I got in my car and rushed to the Southside to participate in a protest/vigil that was organized in response to the actions of the University of Chicago police last Sunday. The protest/vigil was also intended to commemorate the lives of all of whose who have died in the past few months in this city.

Photo by Sarah Jane Rhee (2/1/2013)

It was cold as heck in Chicago today. I thought long and hard about exposing myself to the elements given the fact that I am just now fully recovered from a 6-week long bout of walking pneumonia. But I thought about the courage and tenaciousness of the young people of Fearless Leading by the Youth (FLY) and decided to make the trek down South.

Let me tell you that I am glad I went. I feel so much more hopeful now than I did on Sunday night when I just felt angry & then despondent.

I saw several people at the protest who were friends and colleagues. It was wonderful to see friendly faces.

Jake Klippenstein, one of the 4 people arrested by UCPD on Sunday. Photo by Sarah Jane Rhee (2013)

We were given flowers with the names of everyone who was killed in Chicago in 2012 attached to them.

Photo by Sarah Jane Rhee (2/1/2013)

We then marched three at a time, silently, with our arms linked over to the Administration building.

Photo by Sarah Jane Rhee (2/1/2013)

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