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i'm done watching this
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Prison Proletariat: Exploiting Inmate Labor
March 28, 2007
By Lawrence Albright
American history as taught in the US frequently emphasizes that one of the by products of the Civil War between the states during the mid-19th century was the elimination of slavery. And students learn about the 13th amendment to the Constitution of the United States that made slavery illegal.
A closer look at the amendment, however, shows the prohibition against slavery to be far from absolute. The 13th amendment actually states: "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 place subject to their jurisdiction," and effectively gives constitutional cover to the exploitation of prison labor.
The use of inmates as a labor force certainly isn't a new one. It has been a feature of prison life for hundreds of years. Who hasn't heard of the "chain gang," for instance, that has well represented in popular songs and movies. In the film Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Warren Beatty as Clyde Barrow tells the true story of Barrow's having cut off two of his toes to escape a work detail in order to impress Bonnie Parker, portrayed by Faye Dunaway. It also served to enhance the "anti-authority" message of the film. Some historians and journalists have subsequently commented that self-mutilation of inmates in the Texas prison system of the early 20th century was not uncommon, such were the brutal conditions associated with prison work details in the fields. Another widely circulated story had a US military serviceman writing home during World War II to boast that Al Capone, then incarcerated at Alcatraz, was doing his laundry.
What is a relatively recent development is the extent to which both private companies, and the US military, have exploited prison labor. Until the 1970's, it was illegal for private companies to engage inmates in labor, although both federal and state governments were able to use inmates for such things as making furniture for government offices and, of course, license plates, among other things.
But many private companies were quick to involve themselves with inmate labor for many reasons, the most obvious of which was profit. Inmate labor provided a potentially large work force, exempted from federal regulations governing wages and occupational health and safety.
According to the US Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), as of December 31, 2005, there were 2,193,798 people in federal, state or local prisons or jails, an increase of 2.7 percent over 2003. Out of every 100,000 male inmates, BJS reported, 3,145 were African-Americans; 1,244 were Hispanic; and 471 were white. The number of women incarcerated at the end of 2005 increased by 2.6 percent when compared to year end figures for 2004.
Editor's note: Although American Indians represent 1 percent of the U.S. population, they are disproportionately involved with the criminal justice system, with over 4 percent (compared to 2 percent of whites) being under correctional supervision (in prison or jail, or on parole or probation).
Very clearly, these numbers represent a sizeable, captive labor force, and major corporations have not been as shy about availing themselves of that source as they are about being exposed for doing so.
"Slavery is being practiced under the color of law," said prison activist and jailhouse lawyer Ruchell Magee in comments quoted by the Berkeley-based Prison Activist Resource Center. "Slavery 400 years ago, slavery today, it's the same thing, with a new name. They're making millions and millions of dollars enslaving blacks, poor whites, and others -- people who don't even know they're being railroaded," Magee commented. (Magee was initially a co-defendant along with noted Communist professor and activist Angela Davis against charges arising from a courtroom shootout in 1971. Their trials were separated; Davis was acquitted of all charges).
Federal inmates are usually employed by UNICOR Federal Prison Industries, Inc. Their website (www.unicor.gov) boasts seven groups: "Clothing and Textiles," "Electronics," "Fleet Management," "Industrial Products," "Office Furniture," Recycling" and "Services." These divisions provide labor connected to more than thirty different products; from law enforcement, military and industrial uniforms to the refurbishing of vehicles; from making draperies to providing fulfillment services.
UNICOR states its mission is to "contribute to the safety and security of our Nation's correctional facilities by keeping inmates constructively occupied; produce market-price quality goods for sale to the Federal Government; operate in a self-sustaining manner; and minimize FPI's impact on private business and labor." It must be noted that a reduction in recidivism -- the likelihood of a repeat offense -- isn't mentioned in the mission statement. This is an interesting omission, insofar as proponents of the move permitting private corporations to use inmate labor have customarily cited decreased recidivism in their arguments.
Private corporations and firms who have looked to the prison labor force also give little more than lip service to notions of rehabilitation, preferring instead to rely on the argument that prisoners can perform work that no one else will do. This argument was well and truly scuttled by Seth Sandronsky, a Sacramento based peace activist and progressive journalist. In his article "US Prison Nation" that appeared in the December 2-3, 2006 issue of Counterpunch, Sandronsky wrote:
"Without a doubt, harsh laws that sentence non-violent drug offenders to prison are propelling the rise of the U.S. prison population. At the same time, national minorities of both genders are less likely than their white counterparts to be employed. In short, U.S. prisons are caging surplus workers whose labor the American economy increasingly does not need.
"This employment and imprisonment link is not the irrational working of a rational economy. To the contrary, we see an irrational economy that more and more requires prison cells for those who have no chance of finding their way onto employers' payrolls. Why would people of any developing nation wish to emulate the job and prison conditions of the U.S.?"
Sandronsky's question is a fair one, indeed.
The Prison Resource Activist Resource Center (PARC) is focusing much of its efforts on exposing the realities of prison labor. They refer to the "Prison Industrial Complex," a term they adapted from a presentation by Angela Davis, as having the following features:
• The exponential expansion of prisons and jails, with rising numbers of men and women prisoners from communities of color;
• The increasingly symbiotic relationship between private corporations and the prison industry -- a relationship in which private corporations feed the punishment industry and the punishment industry yields enormous profits for private corporations;
• The reliance of many communities on prisons and jails for short-term economic vitality, particularly in the aftermath of corporate migration to impoverished countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and South East Asia;
• The increasing political influence of prison guards, prison officials and conservative penologists;
• The collaboration of politicians and the corporate controlled dominant media in the wholesale criminalization of communities of color (and particularly youth of color) and in the representation of prisons as a catch-all solution to problems (problems created by capitalism in the first place).
The expansion of the Prison Industrial Complex, like the Military Industrial Complex that came before it, has as its genesis the highly touted "public-private partnership" often emphasized by the ultra-right. In this case, not insignificant numbers of the public have been imprisoned to enrich even further private firms, of which Wackenhut and the Corrections Corporation of America which, between them, are benefiting from the labor of more than 100,000 prisoners according to the PARC.
This prisoner labor-for profit equation is aided and abetted by the fact that prisoners are customarily paid less than minimum wage. Although prisoners in California are paid the minimum wage, according to the PARC, this is customarily reduced so that the inmate receives $1.15 per hour -- and that's on the high end.
This point is further supported by an article by Carey Seal, appearing in the Baltimore Chronicle in 2003. "Prisoners do not retain all their earnings; fiscal arrangements differ from state to state. After federal and state taxes are withheld, somewhere between 41% and 80% of a prisoner’s wages is applied toward costs of incarceration; the balance may go toward support for prisoners’ families, victim compensation, prisoner “allowance,” and/or a savings account for the prisoner to access when leaving prison. The “allowance” is becoming more important as some state prison systems, strapped for cash, are requiring prisoners to make co-payments for medical care and prescriptions; in the state of Washington, prisoners are even charged a $10 UPS delivery fee to ship their belongings when they are transferred from one facility to another," Seal wrote.
Their working conditions are no better than their wages. "The conditions for working prisoners are among the worst in the industrialized world," according to the PARC. "There are no benefits, no vacation, no decent health care, no safety standards, and prisoners are not allowed to form a union. Severe repression and longer sentences result from a refusal to work. Prisoners are beaten, put in solitary confinement, or both. There is no oversight of prison labor conditions, and no accountability, so prison officials have no incentive to provide safe working conditions or treat prisoners humanely."
These realities are exemplified by one prisoner from Arkansas, who wrote to the PARC about his work on what was known in the prison as the HOE-SQUAD.
"I was forced to work while it was raining and lightening," this inmate wrote. "I was forced to work in water and mud. I was forced to use a hoe to chop grass all the way to the dirt not missing a single blade of grass or get wrote up. I was forced to chop at the ground 200 times in the same spot before moving a step, using the same arm. The officer was cursing the entire squad and laughing at us and yelling. He also threatened us if we did not follow his orders. I was physically threatened by the High Rider who watches over all the squads and he did this in front of inmates, officiers and the field major (BOSSMAN) who said nothing to stop these illegal acts."
Critics of prison labor policy point to incidents like the one above not only to demonstrate the need for humane conditions and oversight, but also to point out that many prison jobs are of no value in preparing a prisoner for work outside the walls.
"All this is not to say that prisoners should not work. Prisoners should have the same right to work as people on the outside," PARC states. "They however need to have safe, meaningful work, decent pay, and the right to organize or unionize."
It would be a mistake to think that only private employers are eager to exploit prison labor. The United States Army is, as well. On January 14, 2005 the Army issued a revised "Army Regulation 210-35: Civilian Inmate Labor Program." Section 1-5a of that regulation states as follows:
"Civilian inmate labor programs benefit both the Army and correction systems by:
(1) Providing a source of labor at no direct labor cost to Army installations to accomplish tasks that would not be possible otherwise due to the manning and funding constraints under which the Army operates (emphasis added);
(2) Providing meaningful work for inmates and, in some cases, additional space to alleviate overcrowding in nearby correction facilities."
The regulation also provides that correctional officers, not the military, will have the responsibility for inmate control and conduct.
Despite the platitudes the regulation contains about "meaningful work for inmates," the core of this regulation is about using imprisoned labor for military purposes; something that harkens back to the policies of Nazi Germany and Italian and Japanese fascism.
There is something more than slightly hypocritical about all of this when it is considered that US policy from the Cold War period onward have made reference to individuals imprisoned in the People's Republic of China, Cuba and the former Soviet Union. The late Communist Party leader Victor Perlo was on target when he wrote in 1999:
"We have a half-million more prisoners than China, which has nearly five times our population. We have twice the rate of South Africa or Cuba; five times the rate of China, Canada or Mexico; six times the rate of Germany or France. Our Black population of 35 million approximates the Black population of South Africa. But there are 900,000 Blacks in U.S. prisons compared with 140,000 in South Africa.
"U.S. imperialism uses cries of prison labor to attack China and other socialist countries. Unfortunately, the UAW leadership, in its magazine Solidarity, puts China on probation for various sins, notably human rights violations like prison labor. These statements help General Motors instead of union members. Those concerned with human rights should look homeward." ("Prison Labor in the US," August 17, 1999)."
Cuba has been on the receiving end of criticism from various US administrations since its successful 1959 revolution and subsequent efforts to build socialism. But the Cubans are not fooled by the reason for the increase in prison labor on these shores.
"Thanks to prison labor, the United States is once again an attractive location for investment in work that was designed for Third World labor markets.," writes Vicky Pelaez in an article for El Diario-La Prensa in New York and subsequently adapted for Granma, the newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba. "A company that operated a maquiladora (assembly plant in Mexico near the border) closed down its operations there and relocated to San Quentin State Prison in California. In Texas, a factory fired its 150 workers and contracted the services of prisoner-workers from the private Lockhart Texas prison, where circuit boards are assembled for companies like IBM and Compaq. "
Let's return to the question Seth Sandronsky asked in his Counterpunch article:"Why would people of any developing nation wish to emulate the job and prison conditions of the U.S.?"
The answer, of course, is that no nation wants to emulate the job and prison conditions of the US. Not in China or Cuba; not in Venezuela or Bolivia; not in Iraq or Iran. Internationally, and increasing here at home, people are rejecting the ultra-right's profit uber alles agenda and coming to the understanding that when George W. Bush and his cronies refer to "American values" and the proverbial "good old days," they do not have the Ron Howard-Henry Winkler television show, "Happy Days," in mind. Indeed, if the prison labor situation is any indication, they're thinking of the Bastille and of sweatshops like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York, where 146 immigrant workers were killed in a fire on March 25, 1911.
The late comedian Richard Pryor, commenting about prisons in the United States, said there was "no justice….just us." One doesn't need to be a Marxist to understand the "irrationality" of capitalism, as Seth Sandronsky's article noted. While all people of good will would find the exploitation of prison labor abhorrent, it must be understood that such exploitation is the name of the game called capitalism. And as long as words like "supply," "demand," and "profit" are deemed more important than "reason," "fairness," "humanity," "democracy" and "sanity," the struggle will and must continue.
http://politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/5049/1/32/
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Friday, April 6, 2007
How time flies - Prison Slave Voting Rights
Back in the early 1980's the Committee to Abolish Prison Slavery was the only organization that even dared to register prisoners and ex prisoners in Washington, D.C. and California to vote. It's a long story, but suffice it to say that now, twenty five years later, well funded organizations have made gains toward enfranchising ex-prison slaves.
LW
April 06, 2007
Disenfranchisement News
Florida: Governor, Board of Clemency Restores Voting Rights for Thousands
Colorado: Parolees Closer to Restoration Status
Maryland: State So Close to Restoring Vote; Opponents Say Too Close
Rhode Island: Progressive Advocacy Spreads Across Nation
Issue Area(s): Felony Disenfranchisement
State(s): Florida, Colorado , Maryland, Rhode Island
Florida: Governor, Board of Clemency Restores Voting Rights for Thousands
Republican Governor Charlie Crist and the Board of Executive Clemency this week restored voting rights for most formerly incarcerated persons in a 3-1 vote. Attorney General Bill McCollum was the sole vote against the issue. Earlier this week, Gov. Crist and McCollum each wrote opinion editorials on the legislation as the issue received much national media coverage, including NBC's Today Show in anticipation of Thursday's decision.
The Florida ACLU released a statement prior to the vote explaining the importance of not adding stipulations that would further disenfranchise voters, including the requirement that individuals pay restitution before rights restoration.
Will Sharp is one of scores of people who can now vote and acquire an occupational license as a result of the recent decision. “I'm ecstatic I can vote now. It's a cornerstone of democracy to be able to vote and not being able to do so is ridiculous," Sharp, who spent 14 years in federal prison, told the Bradenton Herald. The article also noted that the change, which takes effect immediately, will assign the Parole Commission to review the list for initial eligibility which includes sentence and probation completion, paid victim restitution and no pending cases. Prior to the decision, individuals had to request restoration of civil rights from the clemency board, which meets only four times a year and had a large backlog of people waiting to be heard.
The policy adopted by the board includes a prohibition on automatic restoration for people convicted of certain violent and other crimes. For an overview of the new standards, see the Palm Beach Post, as well as additional coverage in the New York Times and the Miami Herald.
Colorado: Parolees Closer to Restoration Status
SB 83 – the parolee voting amendment– passed the Colorado Senate on a third reading 21-13 with a bi-partisan vote. A proposed amendment to the budget bill barring the Secretary of State from doing anything to promote parolee voting also was defeated. The issue now goes to the House.
Maryland: State So Close to Restoring Vote; Opponents Say Too Close
Republican leaders have asked Gov. Martin O'Malley to veto several bills, one of which grants voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals, according to the Baltimore Sun. Western Maryland politicians are also on record opposing SB 488. Gov. O'Malley, however, is on the record in support of vote restoration.
In response to the Maryland developments, the New York Times published an editorial calling voting bans damaging. “These changes have been slow in coming to the Deep South, where felon voting bans were enacted long ago as part of broad plan aimed at diluting black political power,” the editorial asserted.
Rallying behind the legislation, actor/director Charles S. Dutton wrote an op-ed to state the necessities of voting for people with felony convictions: “I am a longtime Maryland citizen, who was once convicted of a crime,” he wrote in the Baltimore Examiner. “I can tell you firsthand that rehabilitating yourself after a criminal conviction is a difficult road to walk. Often, our laws do not help us avoid the ever-present pitfalls of recidivism.” Several additional letters were published in support of the legislation including one from Maryland Democratic Party Chair, Terry Lierman.
SB 488 still awaits the Governor's signature. Contact the governor regarding the support of this legislation via Web site, phone (410.974.3591/1.800.811.8336) or send via U.S. Mail to the Office of the Governor, 100 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland 21401-1925.
Rhode Island: Progressive Advocacy Spreads Across Nation
Rhode Island's recent approval of vote restoration is an example of a “progressive victory,” according to an article by Nancy Scola on Alternet.org. The efforts of the Family Life Center in Rhode Island in rallying support for disenfranchisement reform was full of challenges, roadblocks and politics. But the Right to Vote Campaign made strides that are already impacting other states' reform efforts including Florida and Colorado. “It's also a case study in ‘impossible' social action. Understanding how Rhode Island activists managed to make social justice a reality is instructive for anyone working for progressive change,” Scola stated.
LW
April 06, 2007
Disenfranchisement News
Florida: Governor, Board of Clemency Restores Voting Rights for Thousands
Colorado: Parolees Closer to Restoration Status
Maryland: State So Close to Restoring Vote; Opponents Say Too Close
Rhode Island: Progressive Advocacy Spreads Across Nation
Issue Area(s): Felony Disenfranchisement
State(s): Florida, Colorado , Maryland, Rhode Island
Florida: Governor, Board of Clemency Restores Voting Rights for Thousands
Republican Governor Charlie Crist and the Board of Executive Clemency this week restored voting rights for most formerly incarcerated persons in a 3-1 vote. Attorney General Bill McCollum was the sole vote against the issue. Earlier this week, Gov. Crist and McCollum each wrote opinion editorials on the legislation as the issue received much national media coverage, including NBC's Today Show in anticipation of Thursday's decision.
The Florida ACLU released a statement prior to the vote explaining the importance of not adding stipulations that would further disenfranchise voters, including the requirement that individuals pay restitution before rights restoration.
Will Sharp is one of scores of people who can now vote and acquire an occupational license as a result of the recent decision. “I'm ecstatic I can vote now. It's a cornerstone of democracy to be able to vote and not being able to do so is ridiculous," Sharp, who spent 14 years in federal prison, told the Bradenton Herald. The article also noted that the change, which takes effect immediately, will assign the Parole Commission to review the list for initial eligibility which includes sentence and probation completion, paid victim restitution and no pending cases. Prior to the decision, individuals had to request restoration of civil rights from the clemency board, which meets only four times a year and had a large backlog of people waiting to be heard.
The policy adopted by the board includes a prohibition on automatic restoration for people convicted of certain violent and other crimes. For an overview of the new standards, see the Palm Beach Post, as well as additional coverage in the New York Times and the Miami Herald.
Colorado: Parolees Closer to Restoration Status
SB 83 – the parolee voting amendment– passed the Colorado Senate on a third reading 21-13 with a bi-partisan vote. A proposed amendment to the budget bill barring the Secretary of State from doing anything to promote parolee voting also was defeated. The issue now goes to the House.
Maryland: State So Close to Restoring Vote; Opponents Say Too Close
Republican leaders have asked Gov. Martin O'Malley to veto several bills, one of which grants voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals, according to the Baltimore Sun. Western Maryland politicians are also on record opposing SB 488. Gov. O'Malley, however, is on the record in support of vote restoration.
In response to the Maryland developments, the New York Times published an editorial calling voting bans damaging. “These changes have been slow in coming to the Deep South, where felon voting bans were enacted long ago as part of broad plan aimed at diluting black political power,” the editorial asserted.
Rallying behind the legislation, actor/director Charles S. Dutton wrote an op-ed to state the necessities of voting for people with felony convictions: “I am a longtime Maryland citizen, who was once convicted of a crime,” he wrote in the Baltimore Examiner. “I can tell you firsthand that rehabilitating yourself after a criminal conviction is a difficult road to walk. Often, our laws do not help us avoid the ever-present pitfalls of recidivism.” Several additional letters were published in support of the legislation including one from Maryland Democratic Party Chair, Terry Lierman.
SB 488 still awaits the Governor's signature. Contact the governor regarding the support of this legislation via Web site, phone (410.974.3591/1.800.811.8336) or send via U.S. Mail to the Office of the Governor, 100 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland 21401-1925.
Rhode Island: Progressive Advocacy Spreads Across Nation
Rhode Island's recent approval of vote restoration is an example of a “progressive victory,” according to an article by Nancy Scola on Alternet.org. The efforts of the Family Life Center in Rhode Island in rallying support for disenfranchisement reform was full of challenges, roadblocks and politics. But the Right to Vote Campaign made strides that are already impacting other states' reform efforts including Florida and Colorado. “It's also a case study in ‘impossible' social action. Understanding how Rhode Island activists managed to make social justice a reality is instructive for anyone working for progressive change,” Scola stated.
Prison Slavery in Iraq
This 2004 letter from U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) clearly exposes the past expansion of prison slave territory "any place subject to their (US) jurisdiction."
This slavery is actually in violation of the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution, whereas:
"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 place subject to their jurisdiction."
We recognize that this immoral and corrupt War has, by force of arms, placed Iraq under US "jurisdiction", however, imprisoned Iraqi detainees have not been "duly convicted", and yet they are being mistreated with "slavery...as a punishment for crime". Unfortunately, Iraqi prisoners have and continue to be tortured as American prisoners are tortured, raped and murdered like US prisoners.
Three years after this letter, with the present Bush military "surge", dragnets have pulled in multiple thousands more Iraqi citizens to justify corrupt contracts for new prison construction.
Press Release
FEBRUARY 12, 2004
SCHAKOWSKY EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT LONG TERM DETENTION
OF IRAQI JUVENILES ABSENCE
OF FORMAL CHARGES
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today expressed her concern about the long term detention of 13,000 Iraqis, including juveniles, without being formally charged, adding that this policy “further aggravates distrust of our troops” thus putting them in greater danger.
In a letter to Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Schakowsky wrote: “In accordance with the standards of basic human rights, detained civilians must be released in the shortest possible period of time, unless they are charged with a recognized criminal offense and brought to trial…The continued imprisonment of Iraqi detainees without explanation is sure to further aggravate distrust of our troops—further endangering their lives. …We cannot expect to successfully help Iraq set up an effective democracy if we do not live up to democratic principles ourselves.”
Below is Schakowsky’s letter to Ambassador Bremer:
February 11, 2004
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer
Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority
1000 Defense Pentagon
Room 2E791
Washington, D.C. 20310
Dear Ambassador Bremer:
I am concerned about the status of Iraqi citizens, and particularly children, currently imprisoned by U.S. Forces in Iraq. I understand that there are approximately 13,000 Iraqi prisoners detained by U.S. forces—most of whom have not been formally charged.
According to family members many Iraqi detainees were handcuffed, blinded, and taken away without any explanation. In accordance with the standards of basic human rights, detained civilians must be released in the shortest possible period of time, unless they are charged with a recognized criminal offense and brought to trial. In all circumstances, they must be allowed the right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. The United States can and should live up to that standard. The continued imprisonment of Iraqi detainees without explanation is sure to further aggravate distrust of our troops—further endangering their lives. Moreover, we cannot expect to successfully help Iraq set up an effective democracy if we do not live up to democratic principles ourselves.
While I am glad to see that U.S. forces have recently undertaken a plan to release 506 prisoners who have been identified as non-violent, I am disturbed to hear that this group includes 28 juveniles. Jailing young people without due process runs the risk of instilling a distrust, fear, and hatred of our country that could last for generations. I am even more disturbed by reports on the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC) that show children in Iraq as young as ages 13 and 10 held in crowded prisons with adults.
The recognition that children are entitled to special care and assistance has been formally recognized by our nation and the international community in the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. We must not abandon that principle in our detainment of Iraqis. In our own nation, we recognize the fact that young offenders must be held and treated differently from adults. We should also respect that difference in Iraq.
I would like to know what steps you are taking to ensure that U.S. forces are respecting the human rights of Iraqi prisoners. Specifically, I would like a timeline of when you expect to either formally charge or release all Iraqi detainees. Additionally, I would like to know the number of juveniles in detention and what provisions are being made for them.
Again, thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your response to my questions.
Sincerely,
Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress
In the News | 2003 Releases | 2002 Releases | 2001 Releases | 2000 Releases
1999 Releases | 2000 Press Photos | 1999 Press Photos | Speeches
Press Release
FEBRUARY 12, 2004
SCHAKOWSKY EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT LONG TERM DETENTION
OF IRAQI JUVENILES ABSENCE
OF FORMAL CHARGES
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today expressed her concern about the long term detention of 13,000 Iraqis, including juveniles, without being formally charged, adding that this policy “further aggravates distrust of our troops” thus putting them in greater danger.
In a letter to Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Schakowsky wrote: “In accordance with the standards of basic human rights, detained civilians must be released in the shortest possible period of time, unless they are charged with a recognized criminal offense and brought to trial…The continued imprisonment of Iraqi detainees without explanation is sure to further aggravate distrust of our troops—further endangering their lives. …We cannot expect to successfully help Iraq set up an effective democracy if we do not live up to democratic principles ourselves.”
Below is Schakowsky’s letter to Ambassador Bremer:
February 11, 2004
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer
Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority
1000 Defense Pentagon
Room 2E791
Washington, D.C. 20310
Dear Ambassador Bremer:
I am concerned about the status of Iraqi citizens, and particularly children, currently imprisoned by U.S. Forces in Iraq. I understand that there are approximately 13,000 Iraqi prisoners detained by U.S. forces—most of whom have not been formally charged.
According to family members many Iraqi detainees were handcuffed, blinded, and taken away without any explanation. In accordance with the standards of basic human rights, detained civilians must be released in the shortest possible period of time, unless they are charged with a recognized criminal offense and brought to trial. In all circumstances, they must be allowed the right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. The United States can and should live up to that standard. The continued imprisonment of Iraqi detainees without explanation is sure to further aggravate distrust of our troops—further endangering their lives. Moreover, we cannot expect to successfully help Iraq set up an effective democracy if we do not live up to democratic principles ourselves.
While I am glad to see that U.S. forces have recently undertaken a plan to release 506 prisoners who have been identified as non-violent, I am disturbed to hear that this group includes 28 juveniles. Jailing young people without due process runs the risk of instilling a distrust, fear, and hatred of our country that could last for generations. I am even more disturbed by reports on the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC) that show children in Iraq as young as ages 13 and 10 held in crowded prisons with adults.
The recognition that children are entitled to special care and assistance has been formally recognized by our nation and the international community in the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. We must not abandon that principle in our detainment of Iraqis. In our own nation, we recognize the fact that young offenders must be held and treated differently from adults. We should also respect that difference in Iraq.
I would like to know what steps you are taking to ensure that U.S. forces are respecting the human rights of Iraqi prisoners. Specifically, I would like a timeline of when you expect to either formally charge or release all Iraqi detainees. Additionally, I would like to know the number of juveniles in detention and what provisions are being made for them.
Again, thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your response to my questions.
Sincerely,
Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress
This slavery is actually in violation of the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution, whereas:
"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 place subject to their jurisdiction."
We recognize that this immoral and corrupt War has, by force of arms, placed Iraq under US "jurisdiction", however, imprisoned Iraqi detainees have not been "duly convicted", and yet they are being mistreated with "slavery...as a punishment for crime". Unfortunately, Iraqi prisoners have and continue to be tortured as American prisoners are tortured, raped and murdered like US prisoners.
Three years after this letter, with the present Bush military "surge", dragnets have pulled in multiple thousands more Iraqi citizens to justify corrupt contracts for new prison construction.
Press Release
FEBRUARY 12, 2004
SCHAKOWSKY EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT LONG TERM DETENTION
OF IRAQI JUVENILES ABSENCE
OF FORMAL CHARGES
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today expressed her concern about the long term detention of 13,000 Iraqis, including juveniles, without being formally charged, adding that this policy “further aggravates distrust of our troops” thus putting them in greater danger.
In a letter to Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Schakowsky wrote: “In accordance with the standards of basic human rights, detained civilians must be released in the shortest possible period of time, unless they are charged with a recognized criminal offense and brought to trial…The continued imprisonment of Iraqi detainees without explanation is sure to further aggravate distrust of our troops—further endangering their lives. …We cannot expect to successfully help Iraq set up an effective democracy if we do not live up to democratic principles ourselves.”
Below is Schakowsky’s letter to Ambassador Bremer:
February 11, 2004
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer
Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority
1000 Defense Pentagon
Room 2E791
Washington, D.C. 20310
Dear Ambassador Bremer:
I am concerned about the status of Iraqi citizens, and particularly children, currently imprisoned by U.S. Forces in Iraq. I understand that there are approximately 13,000 Iraqi prisoners detained by U.S. forces—most of whom have not been formally charged.
According to family members many Iraqi detainees were handcuffed, blinded, and taken away without any explanation. In accordance with the standards of basic human rights, detained civilians must be released in the shortest possible period of time, unless they are charged with a recognized criminal offense and brought to trial. In all circumstances, they must be allowed the right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. The United States can and should live up to that standard. The continued imprisonment of Iraqi detainees without explanation is sure to further aggravate distrust of our troops—further endangering their lives. Moreover, we cannot expect to successfully help Iraq set up an effective democracy if we do not live up to democratic principles ourselves.
While I am glad to see that U.S. forces have recently undertaken a plan to release 506 prisoners who have been identified as non-violent, I am disturbed to hear that this group includes 28 juveniles. Jailing young people without due process runs the risk of instilling a distrust, fear, and hatred of our country that could last for generations. I am even more disturbed by reports on the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC) that show children in Iraq as young as ages 13 and 10 held in crowded prisons with adults.
The recognition that children are entitled to special care and assistance has been formally recognized by our nation and the international community in the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. We must not abandon that principle in our detainment of Iraqis. In our own nation, we recognize the fact that young offenders must be held and treated differently from adults. We should also respect that difference in Iraq.
I would like to know what steps you are taking to ensure that U.S. forces are respecting the human rights of Iraqi prisoners. Specifically, I would like a timeline of when you expect to either formally charge or release all Iraqi detainees. Additionally, I would like to know the number of juveniles in detention and what provisions are being made for them.
Again, thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your response to my questions.
Sincerely,
Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress
In the News | 2003 Releases | 2002 Releases | 2001 Releases | 2000 Releases
1999 Releases | 2000 Press Photos | 1999 Press Photos | Speeches
Press Release
FEBRUARY 12, 2004
SCHAKOWSKY EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT LONG TERM DETENTION
OF IRAQI JUVENILES ABSENCE
OF FORMAL CHARGES
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today expressed her concern about the long term detention of 13,000 Iraqis, including juveniles, without being formally charged, adding that this policy “further aggravates distrust of our troops” thus putting them in greater danger.
In a letter to Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Schakowsky wrote: “In accordance with the standards of basic human rights, detained civilians must be released in the shortest possible period of time, unless they are charged with a recognized criminal offense and brought to trial…The continued imprisonment of Iraqi detainees without explanation is sure to further aggravate distrust of our troops—further endangering their lives. …We cannot expect to successfully help Iraq set up an effective democracy if we do not live up to democratic principles ourselves.”
Below is Schakowsky’s letter to Ambassador Bremer:
February 11, 2004
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer
Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority
1000 Defense Pentagon
Room 2E791
Washington, D.C. 20310
Dear Ambassador Bremer:
I am concerned about the status of Iraqi citizens, and particularly children, currently imprisoned by U.S. Forces in Iraq. I understand that there are approximately 13,000 Iraqi prisoners detained by U.S. forces—most of whom have not been formally charged.
According to family members many Iraqi detainees were handcuffed, blinded, and taken away without any explanation. In accordance with the standards of basic human rights, detained civilians must be released in the shortest possible period of time, unless they are charged with a recognized criminal offense and brought to trial. In all circumstances, they must be allowed the right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. The United States can and should live up to that standard. The continued imprisonment of Iraqi detainees without explanation is sure to further aggravate distrust of our troops—further endangering their lives. Moreover, we cannot expect to successfully help Iraq set up an effective democracy if we do not live up to democratic principles ourselves.
While I am glad to see that U.S. forces have recently undertaken a plan to release 506 prisoners who have been identified as non-violent, I am disturbed to hear that this group includes 28 juveniles. Jailing young people without due process runs the risk of instilling a distrust, fear, and hatred of our country that could last for generations. I am even more disturbed by reports on the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC) that show children in Iraq as young as ages 13 and 10 held in crowded prisons with adults.
The recognition that children are entitled to special care and assistance has been formally recognized by our nation and the international community in the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. We must not abandon that principle in our detainment of Iraqis. In our own nation, we recognize the fact that young offenders must be held and treated differently from adults. We should also respect that difference in Iraq.
I would like to know what steps you are taking to ensure that U.S. forces are respecting the human rights of Iraqi prisoners. Specifically, I would like a timeline of when you expect to either formally charge or release all Iraqi detainees. Additionally, I would like to know the number of juveniles in detention and what provisions are being made for them.
Again, thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your response to my questions.
Sincerely,
Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress
The Prison Slavery of Children - Republican Style
This seems to be an old, continuing epidemic story of prison slave torture in this land of the "slave and the brave". It doesn't merely apply to middle class Congressional pages and Foley. Some one, somewhere will expose the link past Gonzales and directly to Bush/Cheney. We know it happens in Iraqi prisons as it has always been a common punishment and torture of prison slaves throughout this guilty nation, and "any place subject to their jurisdiction".
Associated Press (AP)
March 6, 2007
Raped by the State
Sexual-abuse Scandal rocks Texas juvenile system
By Alicia A. Caldwell
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stori...
VIDEO
Pyote, Texas -- For at least two years, investigators say, boys at a
juvenile prison in the West Texas desert were summoned from their
dorms late at night and taken to darkened conference rooms, offices
and ball fields for sex with two of the institution's top
administrators.
The boys told their parents, their teachers, any staff member who
would listen. A few diligent staff members took their complaints to
their supervisors. But the allegations were largely covered up until
last month, when they exploded in the biggest scandal ever to engulf
the Texas juvenile prison system (http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/programs/
westtexas/index.html).
The No. 1 and No. 2 officials at the Texas Youth Commission have lost
their jobs over their handling of the allegations. Prosecutors are
looking into criminal charges. And lawmakers are infuriated.
"What scares me the most is what I don't know", said state Senator
John Whitmire, chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee.
The allegations became public when the Dallas Morning News cited a
never-released 2005 Texas Rangers report that said 13 boys were
molested at the West Texas State school, a red-brick institution
ringed by razor wire in a desolate part of the state. Since then,
others have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse at other
juvenile prisons across Texas.
Lawmakers were outraged to learn that the two men accused of molesting
boys at the West Texas State School (WTSS) - Ray Brookins, an
assistant superintendent who temporarily ran the place, and Principal
John Paul Hernandez - were quietly allowed to resign in 2005 with no
criminal charges. (Hernandez took a job as the director of a nearby
charter school, which accepted his resignation last week).
Attempts to reach Hernandez and Brookins by telephone and at their
homes were unsuccessful. Hernandez previously denied wrongdoing.
The Texas Youth Commission oversees 7500 youths - including some of
the most dangerous offenders, ages 10 to 21 - and operates 15 prisons,
nine halfway houses and numerous treatment and counseling centers.
Among the parents to come forward with horror stories since the
scandal broke is Genger Galloway, who told lawmakers this week that
her 19-year-old son finally told her Saturday about abuse he suffered
when he was held a juvenile prison in central Texas at age 15.
"They've tried to figure out why he's so angry and why he's so hurt
and why he won't talk", Galloway said. "And it's because he doesn't
feel safe in there".
Galloway said that her son, who has been jailed for molesting his
siblings, was sexually assaulted by a female staff member and beaten
and sodomized by a male inmate in 2003.
Mary Jane Martinez of San Antonio told lawmakers last week that her
son also was sexually assaulted at a juvenile jail. "My son is home,
but he is not the same since he was raped in the TYC," she said. She
said her 17-year-old son "is so ashamed of himself he built a wall".
Randal Chance, a retired inspector general with the Texas Youth
Commission and author of the book "Raped by the State", said the
routine mistreatment of children by the TYC has long been ignored.
"This one here, it finally snuck out", he said.
Investigators said that at Pyote, Brookins and other administrators
used intimidation to suppress complaints about sexual abuse.
On Tuesday, Jay Kimbrough, an outsider appointed by Governor Rick
Perry to look into the widening scandal, said investigators are being
sent to 22 Texas Youth Commission institutions and the agency
headquarters to investigate claims of abuse of inmates.
In a warning to any agency employees who may have molested inmates, he
said: "If you are part of this gig, you need to move on or we're going
to find you and prosecute you".
Since the scandal broke in February, Executive Director Dwight Harris
has resigned, TYC board chairman Pete C. Alfaro has been fired, and
Lemuel "Chip" Harrison, who led the West Texas State School when the
abuses allegedly occurred before he was promoted to one of four
directors of juvenile corrections, has been suspended.
TYC spokesman Tim Savoy acknowledged mistakes at the Pyote prison.
"When you take a number of years and condense it down to a concise
report, you can easily see how it all fits together", Savoy said.
He said Brookins never should have been promoted and probably should
have been fired in 2001, when he was disciplined for looking at adult
pornography on a state computer.
At the Pyote prison, acting Superintendent Curtis Simmons said at a
staff meeting last week that what happened two years ago "was a shame,
but it is no reflection on what we do" now.
"This is a kid facility", Simmons said. "We treat kids with
compassion".
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Texas_Juvenile_Scandal....
Associated Press (AP)
March 6, 2007
Raped by the State
Sexual-abuse Scandal rocks Texas juvenile system
By Alicia A. Caldwell
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stori...
VIDEO
Pyote, Texas -- For at least two years, investigators say, boys at a
juvenile prison in the West Texas desert were summoned from their
dorms late at night and taken to darkened conference rooms, offices
and ball fields for sex with two of the institution's top
administrators.
The boys told their parents, their teachers, any staff member who
would listen. A few diligent staff members took their complaints to
their supervisors. But the allegations were largely covered up until
last month, when they exploded in the biggest scandal ever to engulf
the Texas juvenile prison system (http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/programs/
westtexas/index.html).
The No. 1 and No. 2 officials at the Texas Youth Commission have lost
their jobs over their handling of the allegations. Prosecutors are
looking into criminal charges. And lawmakers are infuriated.
"What scares me the most is what I don't know", said state Senator
John Whitmire, chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee.
The allegations became public when the Dallas Morning News cited a
never-released 2005 Texas Rangers report that said 13 boys were
molested at the West Texas State school, a red-brick institution
ringed by razor wire in a desolate part of the state. Since then,
others have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse at other
juvenile prisons across Texas.
Lawmakers were outraged to learn that the two men accused of molesting
boys at the West Texas State School (WTSS) - Ray Brookins, an
assistant superintendent who temporarily ran the place, and Principal
John Paul Hernandez - were quietly allowed to resign in 2005 with no
criminal charges. (Hernandez took a job as the director of a nearby
charter school, which accepted his resignation last week).
Attempts to reach Hernandez and Brookins by telephone and at their
homes were unsuccessful. Hernandez previously denied wrongdoing.
The Texas Youth Commission oversees 7500 youths - including some of
the most dangerous offenders, ages 10 to 21 - and operates 15 prisons,
nine halfway houses and numerous treatment and counseling centers.
Among the parents to come forward with horror stories since the
scandal broke is Genger Galloway, who told lawmakers this week that
her 19-year-old son finally told her Saturday about abuse he suffered
when he was held a juvenile prison in central Texas at age 15.
"They've tried to figure out why he's so angry and why he's so hurt
and why he won't talk", Galloway said. "And it's because he doesn't
feel safe in there".
Galloway said that her son, who has been jailed for molesting his
siblings, was sexually assaulted by a female staff member and beaten
and sodomized by a male inmate in 2003.
Mary Jane Martinez of San Antonio told lawmakers last week that her
son also was sexually assaulted at a juvenile jail. "My son is home,
but he is not the same since he was raped in the TYC," she said. She
said her 17-year-old son "is so ashamed of himself he built a wall".
Randal Chance, a retired inspector general with the Texas Youth
Commission and author of the book "Raped by the State", said the
routine mistreatment of children by the TYC has long been ignored.
"This one here, it finally snuck out", he said.
Investigators said that at Pyote, Brookins and other administrators
used intimidation to suppress complaints about sexual abuse.
On Tuesday, Jay Kimbrough, an outsider appointed by Governor Rick
Perry to look into the widening scandal, said investigators are being
sent to 22 Texas Youth Commission institutions and the agency
headquarters to investigate claims of abuse of inmates.
In a warning to any agency employees who may have molested inmates, he
said: "If you are part of this gig, you need to move on or we're going
to find you and prosecute you".
Since the scandal broke in February, Executive Director Dwight Harris
has resigned, TYC board chairman Pete C. Alfaro has been fired, and
Lemuel "Chip" Harrison, who led the West Texas State School when the
abuses allegedly occurred before he was promoted to one of four
directors of juvenile corrections, has been suspended.
TYC spokesman Tim Savoy acknowledged mistakes at the Pyote prison.
"When you take a number of years and condense it down to a concise
report, you can easily see how it all fits together", Savoy said.
He said Brookins never should have been promoted and probably should
have been fired in 2001, when he was disciplined for looking at adult
pornography on a state computer.
At the Pyote prison, acting Superintendent Curtis Simmons said at a
staff meeting last week that what happened two years ago "was a shame,
but it is no reflection on what we do" now.
"This is a kid facility", Simmons said. "We treat kids with
compassion".
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Texas_Juvenile_Scandal....
Republican Prison Slavery Child Molesting Torture
Raped by the State
Sexual-abuse Scandal rocks Texas juvenile system
By Alicia A. Caldwell
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stori...
VIDEO
Pyote, Texas -- For at least two years, investigators say, boys at a
juvenile prison in the West Texas desert were summoned from their
dorms late at night and taken to darkened conference rooms, offices
and ball fields for sex with two of the institution's top
administrators.
The boys told their parents, their teachers, any staff member who
would listen. A few diligent staff members took their complaints to
their supervisors. But the allegations were largely covered up until
last month, when they exploded in the biggest scandal ever to engulf
the Texas juvenile prison system (http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/programs/
westtexas/index.html).
The No. 1 and No. 2 officials at the Texas Youth Commission have lost
their jobs over their handling of the allegations. Prosecutors are
looking into criminal charges. And lawmakers are infuriated.
"What scares me the most is what I don't know", said state Senator
John Whitmire, chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee.
The allegations became public when the Dallas Morning News cited a
never-released 2005 Texas Rangers report that said 13 boys were
molested at the West Texas State school, a red-brick institution
ringed by razor wire in a desolate part of the state. Since then,
others have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse at other
juvenile prisons across Texas.
Lawmakers were outraged to learn that the two men accused of molesting
boys at the West Texas State School (WTSS) - Ray Brookins, an
assistant superintendent who temporarily ran the place, and Principal
John Paul Hernandez - were quietly allowed to resign in 2005 with no
criminal charges. (Hernandez took a job as the director of a nearby
charter school, which accepted his resignation last week).
Attempts to reach Hernandez and Brookins by telephone and at their
homes were unsuccessful. Hernandez previously denied wrongdoing.
The Texas Youth Commission oversees 7500 youths - including some of
the most dangerous offenders, ages 10 to 21 - and operates 15 prisons,
nine halfway houses and numerous treatment and counseling centers.
Among the parents to come forward with horror stories since the
scandal broke is Genger Galloway, who told lawmakers this week that
her 19-year-old son finally told her Saturday about abuse he suffered
when he was held a juvenile prison in central Texas at age 15.
"They've tried to figure out why he's so angry and why he's so hurt
and why he won't talk", Galloway said. "And it's because he doesn't
feel safe in there".
Galloway said that her son, who has been jailed for molesting his
siblings, was sexually assaulted by a female staff member and beaten
and sodomized by a male inmate in 2003.
Mary Jane Martinez of San Antonio told lawmakers last week that her
son also was sexually assaulted at a juvenile jail. "My son is home,
but he is not the same since he was raped in the TYC," she said. She
said her 17-year-old son "is so ashamed of himself he built a wall".
Randal Chance, a retired inspector general with the Texas Youth
Commission and author of the book "Raped by the State", said the
routine mistreatment of children by the TYC has long been ignored.
"This one here, it finally snuck out", he said.
Investigators said that at Pyote, Brookins and other administrators
used intimidation to suppress complaints about sexual abuse.
On Tuesday, Jay Kimbrough, an outsider appointed by Governor Rick
Perry to look into the widening scandal, said investigators are being
sent to 22 Texas Youth Commission institutions and the agency
headquarters to investigate claims of abuse of inmates.
In a warning to any agency employees who may have molested inmates, he
said: "If you are part of this gig, you need to move on or we're going
to find you and prosecute you".
Since the scandal broke in February, Executive Director Dwight Harris
has resigned, TYC board chairman Pete C. Alfaro has been fired, and
Lemuel "Chip" Harrison, who led the West Texas State School when the
abuses allegedly occurred before he was promoted to one of four
directors of juvenile corrections, has been suspended.
TYC spokesman Tim Savoy acknowledged mistakes at the Pyote prison.
"When you take a number of years and condense it down to a concise
report, you can easily see how it all fits together", Savoy said.
He said Brookins never should have been promoted and probably should
have been fired in 2001, when he was disciplined for looking at adult
pornography on a state computer.
At the Pyote prison, acting Superintendent Curtis Simmons said at a
staff meeting last week that what happened two years ago "was a shame,
but it is no reflection on what we do" now.
"This is a kid facility", Simmons said. "We treat kids with
compassion".
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Texas_Juvenile_Scandal....
Reply Reply to author Forward Rate this post: Rating Saved
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From: prisonslavery@yahoo.com
To:
Cc:
Followup To:
Add Cc | Add Followup-to | Edit Subject
Subject:
On Apr 1, 1:55 pm, arash7...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Associated Press (AP)
> March 6, 2007
>
> Raped by the State
>
> Sexual-abuseScandalrocksTexasjuvenile system
>
> By Alicia A. Caldwell
>
> http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stori...
> VIDEO
>
> Pyote,Texas-- For at least two years, investigators say, boys at a
> juvenile prison in the WestTexasdesert were summoned from their
> dorms late at night and taken to darkened conference rooms, offices
> and ball fields for sex with two of the institution's top
> administrators.
>
> The boys told their parents, their teachers, any staff member who
> would listen. A few diligent staff members took their complaints to
> their supervisors. But the allegations were largely covered up until
> last month, when they exploded in the biggestscandalever to engulf
> theTexasjuvenile prison system (http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/programs/
> westtexas/index.html).
>
> The No. 1 and No. 2 officials at theTexasYouthCommissionhave lost
> their jobs over their handling of the allegations. Prosecutors are
> looking into criminal charges. And lawmakers are infuriated.
>
> "What scares me the most is what I don't know", said state Senator
> John Whitmire, chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee.
>
> The allegations became public when the Dallas Morning News cited a
> never-released 2005TexasRangers report that said 13 boys were
> molested at the WestTexasState school, a red-brick institution
> ringed by razor wire in a desolate part of the state. Since then,
> others have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse at other
> juvenile prisons acrossTexas.
>
> Lawmakers were outraged to learn that the two men accused of molesting
> boys at the WestTexasState School (WTSS) - Ray Brookins, an
> assistant superintendent who temporarily ran the place, and Principal
> John Paul Hernandez - were quietly allowed to resign in 2005 with no
> criminal charges. (Hernandez took a job as the director of a nearby
> charter school, which accepted his resignation last week).
>
> Attempts to reach Hernandez and Brookins by telephone and at their
> homes were unsuccessful. Hernandez previously denied wrongdoing.
>
> TheTexasYouthCommissionoversees 7500 youths - including some of
> the most dangerous offenders, ages 10 to 21 - and operates 15 prisons,
> nine halfway houses and numerous treatment and counseling centers.
>
> Among the parents to come forward with horror stories since thescandalbroke is Genger Galloway, who told lawmakers this week that
> her 19-year-old son finally told her Saturday about abuse he suffered
> when he was held a juvenile prison in centralTexasat age 15.
>
> "They've tried to figure out why he's so angry and why he's so hurt
> and why he won't talk", Galloway said. "And it's because he doesn't
> feel safe in there".
>
> Galloway said that her son, who has been jailed for molesting his
> siblings, was sexually assaulted by a female staff member and beaten
> and sodomized by a male inmate in 2003.
>
> Mary Jane Martinez of San Antonio told lawmakers last week that her
> son also was sexually assaulted at a juvenile jail. "My son is home,
> but he is not the same since he was raped in the TYC," she said. She
> said her 17-year-old son "is so ashamed of himself he built a wall".
>
> Randal Chance, a retired inspector general with theTexasYouthCommissionand author of the book "Raped by the State", said the
> routine mistreatment of children by the TYC has long been ignored.
> "This one here, it finally snuck out", he said.
>
> Investigators said that at Pyote, Brookins and other administrators
> used intimidation to suppress complaints about sexual abuse.
>
> On Tuesday, Jay Kimbrough, an outsider appointed by Governor Rick
> Perry to look into the wideningscandal, said investigators are being
> sent to 22TexasYouthCommissioninstitutions and the agency
> headquarters to investigate claims of abuse of inmates.
>
> In a warning to any agency employees who may have molested inmates, he
> said: "If you are part of this gig, you need to move on or we're going
> to find you and prosecute you".
>
> Since thescandalbroke in February, Executive Director Dwight Harris
> has resigned, TYC board chairman Pete C. Alfaro has been fired, and
> Lemuel "Chip" Harrison, who led the WestTexasState School when the
> abuses allegedly occurred before he was promoted to one of four
> directors of juvenile corrections, has been suspended.
>
> TYC spokesman Tim Savoy acknowledged mistakes at the Pyote prison.
> "When you take a number of years and condense it down to a concise
> report, you can easily see how it all fits together", Savoy said.
>
> He said Brookins never should have been promoted and probably should
> have been fired in 2001, when he was disciplined for looking at adult
> pornography on a state computer.
>
> At the Pyote prison, acting Superintendent Curtis Simmons said at a
> staff meeting last week that what happened two years ago "was a shame,
> but it is no reflection on what we do" now.
>
> "This is a kid facility", Simmons said. "We treat kids with
> compassion".
>
> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Texas_Juvenile_Scandal....
Sexual-abuse Scandal rocks Texas juvenile system
By Alicia A. Caldwell
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stori...
VIDEO
Pyote, Texas -- For at least two years, investigators say, boys at a
juvenile prison in the West Texas desert were summoned from their
dorms late at night and taken to darkened conference rooms, offices
and ball fields for sex with two of the institution's top
administrators.
The boys told their parents, their teachers, any staff member who
would listen. A few diligent staff members took their complaints to
their supervisors. But the allegations were largely covered up until
last month, when they exploded in the biggest scandal ever to engulf
the Texas juvenile prison system (http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/programs/
westtexas/index.html).
The No. 1 and No. 2 officials at the Texas Youth Commission have lost
their jobs over their handling of the allegations. Prosecutors are
looking into criminal charges. And lawmakers are infuriated.
"What scares me the most is what I don't know", said state Senator
John Whitmire, chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee.
The allegations became public when the Dallas Morning News cited a
never-released 2005 Texas Rangers report that said 13 boys were
molested at the West Texas State school, a red-brick institution
ringed by razor wire in a desolate part of the state. Since then,
others have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse at other
juvenile prisons across Texas.
Lawmakers were outraged to learn that the two men accused of molesting
boys at the West Texas State School (WTSS) - Ray Brookins, an
assistant superintendent who temporarily ran the place, and Principal
John Paul Hernandez - were quietly allowed to resign in 2005 with no
criminal charges. (Hernandez took a job as the director of a nearby
charter school, which accepted his resignation last week).
Attempts to reach Hernandez and Brookins by telephone and at their
homes were unsuccessful. Hernandez previously denied wrongdoing.
The Texas Youth Commission oversees 7500 youths - including some of
the most dangerous offenders, ages 10 to 21 - and operates 15 prisons,
nine halfway houses and numerous treatment and counseling centers.
Among the parents to come forward with horror stories since the
scandal broke is Genger Galloway, who told lawmakers this week that
her 19-year-old son finally told her Saturday about abuse he suffered
when he was held a juvenile prison in central Texas at age 15.
"They've tried to figure out why he's so angry and why he's so hurt
and why he won't talk", Galloway said. "And it's because he doesn't
feel safe in there".
Galloway said that her son, who has been jailed for molesting his
siblings, was sexually assaulted by a female staff member and beaten
and sodomized by a male inmate in 2003.
Mary Jane Martinez of San Antonio told lawmakers last week that her
son also was sexually assaulted at a juvenile jail. "My son is home,
but he is not the same since he was raped in the TYC," she said. She
said her 17-year-old son "is so ashamed of himself he built a wall".
Randal Chance, a retired inspector general with the Texas Youth
Commission and author of the book "Raped by the State", said the
routine mistreatment of children by the TYC has long been ignored.
"This one here, it finally snuck out", he said.
Investigators said that at Pyote, Brookins and other administrators
used intimidation to suppress complaints about sexual abuse.
On Tuesday, Jay Kimbrough, an outsider appointed by Governor Rick
Perry to look into the widening scandal, said investigators are being
sent to 22 Texas Youth Commission institutions and the agency
headquarters to investigate claims of abuse of inmates.
In a warning to any agency employees who may have molested inmates, he
said: "If you are part of this gig, you need to move on or we're going
to find you and prosecute you".
Since the scandal broke in February, Executive Director Dwight Harris
has resigned, TYC board chairman Pete C. Alfaro has been fired, and
Lemuel "Chip" Harrison, who led the West Texas State School when the
abuses allegedly occurred before he was promoted to one of four
directors of juvenile corrections, has been suspended.
TYC spokesman Tim Savoy acknowledged mistakes at the Pyote prison.
"When you take a number of years and condense it down to a concise
report, you can easily see how it all fits together", Savoy said.
He said Brookins never should have been promoted and probably should
have been fired in 2001, when he was disciplined for looking at adult
pornography on a state computer.
At the Pyote prison, acting Superintendent Curtis Simmons said at a
staff meeting last week that what happened two years ago "was a shame,
but it is no reflection on what we do" now.
"This is a kid facility", Simmons said. "We treat kids with
compassion".
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Texas_Juvenile_Scandal....
Reply Reply to author Forward Rate this post: Rating Saved
Cancel
Send Discard
From: prisonslavery@yahoo.com
To:
Cc:
Followup To:
Add Cc | Add Followup-to | Edit Subject
Subject:
On Apr 1, 1:55 pm, arash7...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Associated Press (AP)
> March 6, 2007
>
> Raped by the State
>
> Sexual-abuseScandalrocksTexasjuvenile system
>
> By Alicia A. Caldwell
>
> http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stori...
> VIDEO
>
> Pyote,Texas-- For at least two years, investigators say, boys at a
> juvenile prison in the WestTexasdesert were summoned from their
> dorms late at night and taken to darkened conference rooms, offices
> and ball fields for sex with two of the institution's top
> administrators.
>
> The boys told their parents, their teachers, any staff member who
> would listen. A few diligent staff members took their complaints to
> their supervisors. But the allegations were largely covered up until
> last month, when they exploded in the biggestscandalever to engulf
> theTexasjuvenile prison system (http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/programs/
> westtexas/index.html).
>
> The No. 1 and No. 2 officials at theTexasYouthCommissionhave lost
> their jobs over their handling of the allegations. Prosecutors are
> looking into criminal charges. And lawmakers are infuriated.
>
> "What scares me the most is what I don't know", said state Senator
> John Whitmire, chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee.
>
> The allegations became public when the Dallas Morning News cited a
> never-released 2005TexasRangers report that said 13 boys were
> molested at the WestTexasState school, a red-brick institution
> ringed by razor wire in a desolate part of the state. Since then,
> others have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse at other
> juvenile prisons acrossTexas.
>
> Lawmakers were outraged to learn that the two men accused of molesting
> boys at the WestTexasState School (WTSS) - Ray Brookins, an
> assistant superintendent who temporarily ran the place, and Principal
> John Paul Hernandez - were quietly allowed to resign in 2005 with no
> criminal charges. (Hernandez took a job as the director of a nearby
> charter school, which accepted his resignation last week).
>
> Attempts to reach Hernandez and Brookins by telephone and at their
> homes were unsuccessful. Hernandez previously denied wrongdoing.
>
> TheTexasYouthCommissionoversees 7500 youths - including some of
> the most dangerous offenders, ages 10 to 21 - and operates 15 prisons,
> nine halfway houses and numerous treatment and counseling centers.
>
> Among the parents to come forward with horror stories since thescandalbroke is Genger Galloway, who told lawmakers this week that
> her 19-year-old son finally told her Saturday about abuse he suffered
> when he was held a juvenile prison in centralTexasat age 15.
>
> "They've tried to figure out why he's so angry and why he's so hurt
> and why he won't talk", Galloway said. "And it's because he doesn't
> feel safe in there".
>
> Galloway said that her son, who has been jailed for molesting his
> siblings, was sexually assaulted by a female staff member and beaten
> and sodomized by a male inmate in 2003.
>
> Mary Jane Martinez of San Antonio told lawmakers last week that her
> son also was sexually assaulted at a juvenile jail. "My son is home,
> but he is not the same since he was raped in the TYC," she said. She
> said her 17-year-old son "is so ashamed of himself he built a wall".
>
> Randal Chance, a retired inspector general with theTexasYouthCommissionand author of the book "Raped by the State", said the
> routine mistreatment of children by the TYC has long been ignored.
> "This one here, it finally snuck out", he said.
>
> Investigators said that at Pyote, Brookins and other administrators
> used intimidation to suppress complaints about sexual abuse.
>
> On Tuesday, Jay Kimbrough, an outsider appointed by Governor Rick
> Perry to look into the wideningscandal, said investigators are being
> sent to 22TexasYouthCommissioninstitutions and the agency
> headquarters to investigate claims of abuse of inmates.
>
> In a warning to any agency employees who may have molested inmates, he
> said: "If you are part of this gig, you need to move on or we're going
> to find you and prosecute you".
>
> Since thescandalbroke in February, Executive Director Dwight Harris
> has resigned, TYC board chairman Pete C. Alfaro has been fired, and
> Lemuel "Chip" Harrison, who led the WestTexasState School when the
> abuses allegedly occurred before he was promoted to one of four
> directors of juvenile corrections, has been suspended.
>
> TYC spokesman Tim Savoy acknowledged mistakes at the Pyote prison.
> "When you take a number of years and condense it down to a concise
> report, you can easily see how it all fits together", Savoy said.
>
> He said Brookins never should have been promoted and probably should
> have been fired in 2001, when he was disciplined for looking at adult
> pornography on a state computer.
>
> At the Pyote prison, acting Superintendent Curtis Simmons said at a
> staff meeting last week that what happened two years ago "was a shame,
> but it is no reflection on what we do" now.
>
> "This is a kid facility", Simmons said. "We treat kids with
> compassion".
>
> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Texas_Juvenile_Scandal....
The Foley/Gonzales/Bush Republican TYC pedophile factor
Gonzales Implicated In Cover-Up Of New Pedophile Scandal More options
Subject: Gonzales Implicated In Cover-Up Of New Pedophile Scandal
Gonzales Implicated In Cover-Up Of New Pedophile Scandal
Journalist Jerome Corsi appeared on the Alex Jones Show today to discuss in
depth his astounding new investigation that implicates both Alberto Gonzales
and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton in the cover-up of a pedophilia scandal
involving the Texas Youth Commission.
Gonzales Implicated In Cover-Up Of New Pedophile Scandal
Letter from Sutton's office legitimized raping of boys in minor's
facility
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
Monday, March 26, 2007
Journalist Jerome Corsi appeared on the Alex Jones Show today to discuss in
depth his astounding new investigation that implicates both Alberto Gonzales
and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton in the cover-up of a pedophilia scandal
involving the Texas Youth Commission.
"Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, both
already under siege for other matters, are now being accused of failing to
prosecute officers of the Texas Youth Commission after a Texas Ranger
investigation documented that guards and administrators were sexually
abusing the institution's minor boy inmates," writes Corsi in a report for
World Net Daily.
"Among the charges in the Texas Ranger report were that administrators would
rouse boys from their sleep for the purpose of conducting all-night sex
parties."
A 2005 investigation led by Texas Ranger Brian Burzynski revealed that
systematic abuse of minors was commonplace at West Texas State School in
Pyote, Texas. Burzynski presented the findings of the investigation to both
Gonzales and Sutton but was rebuffed, and even received a letter from
Sutton's office that attempted to legitimize the sexual abuse of children,
claiming that "under 18 U.S.C. Section 242," it would have to be
demonstrated "that the boys subjected to sexual abuse sustained "bodily
injury," states the letter from Bill Baumann, assistant U.S. attorney in
Sutton's office.
Incredulously, Baumann's letter goes on to make the case that the minors con
sented to and even enjoyed the acts of pedophilia, therefore no further
action was necessary.
U.S. Attorney General Johnny Sutton.
In September 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division also
refused to follow up with a prosecution.
According to Corsi, officials implicated in the scandal were hired despite
their known criminal backgrounds and were also retained even after it was
discovered that they were using state computers to regularly visit
pornography websites.
"It basically sounds as if you wouldn't get hired in one of these facilities
unless you were a pedophile," Corsi told the Alex Jones Show.
"You've got a culture of pedophilia that is at the core of the Texas Youth
Commission, and what that means is you won't get hired or you won't stay as
an employee unless you're willing to participate in the boy rape that's
going on or keep quiet about it."
Corsi says he has further developments to report tomorrow that confirm the
scandal is "Now known to be widespread, all the offices of the Texas Youth
Commission throughout the state are involved and employees from the top to
the bottom are all involved."
Click here - http://prisonplanet.com/audio/260307corsi.mp3 to listen to
Corsi's interview on The Alex Jones Show.
Also see the http://www.fathers.ca/political_elite_sex_rings.htm
Subject: Gonzales Implicated In Cover-Up Of New Pedophile Scandal
Gonzales Implicated In Cover-Up Of New Pedophile Scandal
Journalist Jerome Corsi appeared on the Alex Jones Show today to discuss in
depth his astounding new investigation that implicates both Alberto Gonzales
and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton in the cover-up of a pedophilia scandal
involving the Texas Youth Commission.
Gonzales Implicated In Cover-Up Of New Pedophile Scandal
Letter from Sutton's office legitimized raping of boys in minor's
facility
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
Monday, March 26, 2007
Journalist Jerome Corsi appeared on the Alex Jones Show today to discuss in
depth his astounding new investigation that implicates both Alberto Gonzales
and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton in the cover-up of a pedophilia scandal
involving the Texas Youth Commission.
"Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, both
already under siege for other matters, are now being accused of failing to
prosecute officers of the Texas Youth Commission after a Texas Ranger
investigation documented that guards and administrators were sexually
abusing the institution's minor boy inmates," writes Corsi in a report for
World Net Daily.
"Among the charges in the Texas Ranger report were that administrators would
rouse boys from their sleep for the purpose of conducting all-night sex
parties."
A 2005 investigation led by Texas Ranger Brian Burzynski revealed that
systematic abuse of minors was commonplace at West Texas State School in
Pyote, Texas. Burzynski presented the findings of the investigation to both
Gonzales and Sutton but was rebuffed, and even received a letter from
Sutton's office that attempted to legitimize the sexual abuse of children,
claiming that "under 18 U.S.C. Section 242," it would have to be
demonstrated "that the boys subjected to sexual abuse sustained "bodily
injury," states the letter from Bill Baumann, assistant U.S. attorney in
Sutton's office.
Incredulously, Baumann's letter goes on to make the case that the minors con
sented to and even enjoyed the acts of pedophilia, therefore no further
action was necessary.
U.S. Attorney General Johnny Sutton.
In September 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division also
refused to follow up with a prosecution.
According to Corsi, officials implicated in the scandal were hired despite
their known criminal backgrounds and were also retained even after it was
discovered that they were using state computers to regularly visit
pornography websites.
"It basically sounds as if you wouldn't get hired in one of these facilities
unless you were a pedophile," Corsi told the Alex Jones Show.
"You've got a culture of pedophilia that is at the core of the Texas Youth
Commission, and what that means is you won't get hired or you won't stay as
an employee unless you're willing to participate in the boy rape that's
going on or keep quiet about it."
Corsi says he has further developments to report tomorrow that confirm the
scandal is "Now known to be widespread, all the offices of the Texas Youth
Commission throughout the state are involved and employees from the top to
the bottom are all involved."
Click here - http://prisonplanet.com/audio/260307corsi.mp3 to listen to
Corsi's interview on The Alex Jones Show.
Also see the http://www.fathers.ca/political_elite_sex_rings.htm
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
650,000 Iraqi souls
On Monday, April 2, 2007, longtime CERJer Lee Wood wrote:
Of course this should be shocking to the public conscience -- 650,000 Iraqi souls, men women, and children -- dead, slaughtered for the benefit of rich white American billionaire men and their families.
I asked one shell-shocked returning GI about US soldiers being killed and wounded, and he got very serious and sad, and I could see that he desperately needs post traumatic stress disorder counseling by the VA, and/or Vet Center(s). Then I asked about all the dead Iraqi men, women and children, and he abruptly said, "Oh, they don't count"!
He has been paralyzed with indifference, hardened to screen out emotions of terror and fear, and to turn those emotions into killing "those gooks", or be killed himself as part of an occupying force in another country's sovereign land.
I asked him, in front of my nephew's high school buddies, if he had heard the report of the soldier that refused to return to combat after being on patrol within a massive open pit depository where bodies were dumped by the thousands. This young man reportedly arrived with a squad of soldiers and was told to search among the mass of dead bodies to find spent cartridges and weapons to be used as evidence for the military to justify such slaughter as "self defense". While searching among the dead bodies, this young soldier soon looked up to see other GI's in recreation kicking around soccer balls. One of the balls was kicked his way, and he turned around to kick it back, only to find that it was a mutilated and decapitated Iraqi head. He threw up, returned to the APC, returned to base, and immediately checked into the hospital with a nervous breakdown. This screamed horror at his idealistic reasoning for joining the military, and it shattered his defense of America values and t
ruth. It was, and is, fascism.
My nephew's buddies were shocked. Then I told them about the conservative estimate of 650,000 Iraqi men women and children slaughtered, and that the actual count might be well over one million dead, and two million who have fled the country, like Moses leading the masses out of danger and to relative safety.
The young returned GI was staggered by this data, and I could see his turmoil. So, I relented with my rant. Later, I listened as he attempted to recruit his now graduated buddies into the military. He explained that he would go to the recruiter's office with them to make sure they got a fair deal. And I was so happy to hear one after another tell him, "NO"!
Next day, I told my nephew that people get financial bonuses for delivering new recruits, so beware. This clearly entered his consciousness, as if being pre-armed with survival data.
It is beyond "shame" that psychological warfare programming has worked to paralyze us into indifference (within this security base of operations) ... to this fascist, blood-sucking genocide. Consider the Twin Towers and 9/11 -- were you shocked? Hell yeah! Would we be shocked if the Empire State Building was blown up? Hell yeah! Would we be shocked if 3,000 Sunday Church services were bombed and all inside were thus slaughtered. Hell, yes! Would we be shocked if 650,000 Americans were slaughtered in war right here at home? How many millions of Americans would immediately flee to Canada and Mexico?
I am so very sorry that I have not stopped this slaughter, that we collectively have failed, and for me, I hereby sincerely apologize to the Iraqi people for our slaughter of their poor men, women, and children by our poor soldiers for rich white American men; and I do want to humbly thank the Iraqi people for not killing our small children like we have killed theirs.
=========================================
COLLEGIUM IUSTITIÆ ÆQUITATEM RESTITUENTI
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
John Woolman College of Equity-Restorative Justice
Peacemaking and Conflict Transformation [CERJ]
c/o John Wilmerding
217 High Street, Brattleboro, VT, USA 05301
Phone: (01)-802-254-2826 Email to: CERJ@igc.org
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"... where Quakers and revolutionaries join for life ..."
-- Laura Nyro, from 'New York Tendaberry', 1969
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To join (or leave) the College's email list, send
an email message to wilmerding@earthlink.net
or to CERJ@igc.org, including your first & last name,
your email address, and your state, province or
country of residence. A partial CERJ list archive is
at this site: http://lists.topica.com/lists/CERJ/read
=========================================
Of course this should be shocking to the public conscience -- 650,000 Iraqi souls, men women, and children -- dead, slaughtered for the benefit of rich white American billionaire men and their families.
I asked one shell-shocked returning GI about US soldiers being killed and wounded, and he got very serious and sad, and I could see that he desperately needs post traumatic stress disorder counseling by the VA, and/or Vet Center(s). Then I asked about all the dead Iraqi men, women and children, and he abruptly said, "Oh, they don't count"!
He has been paralyzed with indifference, hardened to screen out emotions of terror and fear, and to turn those emotions into killing "those gooks", or be killed himself as part of an occupying force in another country's sovereign land.
I asked him, in front of my nephew's high school buddies, if he had heard the report of the soldier that refused to return to combat after being on patrol within a massive open pit depository where bodies were dumped by the thousands. This young man reportedly arrived with a squad of soldiers and was told to search among the mass of dead bodies to find spent cartridges and weapons to be used as evidence for the military to justify such slaughter as "self defense". While searching among the dead bodies, this young soldier soon looked up to see other GI's in recreation kicking around soccer balls. One of the balls was kicked his way, and he turned around to kick it back, only to find that it was a mutilated and decapitated Iraqi head. He threw up, returned to the APC, returned to base, and immediately checked into the hospital with a nervous breakdown. This screamed horror at his idealistic reasoning for joining the military, and it shattered his defense of America values and t
ruth. It was, and is, fascism.
My nephew's buddies were shocked. Then I told them about the conservative estimate of 650,000 Iraqi men women and children slaughtered, and that the actual count might be well over one million dead, and two million who have fled the country, like Moses leading the masses out of danger and to relative safety.
The young returned GI was staggered by this data, and I could see his turmoil. So, I relented with my rant. Later, I listened as he attempted to recruit his now graduated buddies into the military. He explained that he would go to the recruiter's office with them to make sure they got a fair deal. And I was so happy to hear one after another tell him, "NO"!
Next day, I told my nephew that people get financial bonuses for delivering new recruits, so beware. This clearly entered his consciousness, as if being pre-armed with survival data.
It is beyond "shame" that psychological warfare programming has worked to paralyze us into indifference (within this security base of operations) ... to this fascist, blood-sucking genocide. Consider the Twin Towers and 9/11 -- were you shocked? Hell yeah! Would we be shocked if the Empire State Building was blown up? Hell yeah! Would we be shocked if 3,000 Sunday Church services were bombed and all inside were thus slaughtered. Hell, yes! Would we be shocked if 650,000 Americans were slaughtered in war right here at home? How many millions of Americans would immediately flee to Canada and Mexico?
I am so very sorry that I have not stopped this slaughter, that we collectively have failed, and for me, I hereby sincerely apologize to the Iraqi people for our slaughter of their poor men, women, and children by our poor soldiers for rich white American men; and I do want to humbly thank the Iraqi people for not killing our small children like we have killed theirs.
=========================================
COLLEGIUM IUSTITIÆ ÆQUITATEM RESTITUENTI
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
John Woolman College of Equity-Restorative Justice
Peacemaking and Conflict Transformation [CERJ]
c/o John Wilmerding
217 High Street, Brattleboro, VT, USA 05301
Phone: (01)-802-254-2826 Email to: CERJ@igc.org
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"... where Quakers and revolutionaries join for life ..."
-- Laura Nyro, from 'New York Tendaberry', 1969
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To join (or leave) the College's email list, send
an email message to wilmerding@earthlink.net
or to CERJ@igc.org, including your first & last name,
your email address, and your state, province or
country of residence. A partial CERJ list archive is
at this site: http://lists.topica.com/lists/CERJ/read
=========================================
Prisoner Labor Litigation
This article came to us via alt.prisons, and it's well worth passing to CAPS Members and good friends.
We at CAPS have shown and requested our supporters and allies to be conscious of this litigation, and to provide endorcement, and related materials to assist Attorney Serra in his present struggle against prison slave labor. Moreover, we endorse this litigation, hope it will expand to all corners on behalf of millions of prison slaves across this guilty nation.
Defense Attorney Tony Serra Sues Feds Over Slave Labor Practices
by Lynda Carson tenantsr...@yahoo.com
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/04/01/18387743.php
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.indybay.org/newsitem...
San Francisco,CA,USA
Oakland, CA
During late March, San Francisco's well known and respected activist attorney J.Tony
Serra, filed suit against the federal government over slave labor practices.
Just out of California's Lompoc prison after serving 10 months for his years long tax
boycott, the celebrated attorney filed suit in an attempt to force the federal
government to pay it's prisoners a fair wage compensation for the work being done by
prison inmates, while serving time.
At the least, Serra believes that inmates should earn minimum wage for the work they
do in prison, and that unions should be allowed to organize and represent the inmates
for collective bargaining, to negotiate better wages and conditions for workers.
"It's a class action lawsuit," says Serra. "I'm a member (plaintiff) of the class
action suit, and it was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
California. We believe that Lompoc's pay scale is in violation of the U.S.
Constitution's Fifth and Thirteenth Amendments, which are the United Nations
covenants on political, civil and prisoner rights."
"Prisoners have no rights in America. They don't care about the prisoners in this
country, and the prisons are profitting from the slave-like conditions being forced
upon the inmates. Lompoc has a dairy and meat industry, including a cable factory
which is a supplier for the navy and armed forces industry. Lompoc generated alot of
money last year, little of which was returned to the inmates as compensation for the
work they do. The federal prison workforce generates around $65 million per year in
net profits, and I received 19 cents an hour when working at Lompoc, while the other
prisoners were only earning anywhere from 5 cents to $1.65 an hour for their labor.
These are slave wages, and often the inmates come back from work covered in filth and
are worn out at the end of the day," Serra said.
Serra and the 300 to 500 other plaintiffs involved in the class action lawsuit, are
being represented by attorney's Stephen Perelson of Mill Valley, and John Murcko and
William Simpich, of Oakland.
When I asked Serra if he believes the lawsuit will succeed; "I think that theres so
many immunities and waivers in regards to how prisons are being operated in this
nation, that the federal government will do everything possible to toss it out of the
courts. If we could manage somehow to bring this class action far enough through the
courts to bring it before a jury, I believe that we would win."
When asked about prison life; "It feels good to be out of prison, but I feel bad for
all of those that were left behind," said Serra. "I went through a week of feeling
like Rip Van Winkle when first getting out, and I had a fresh conciousness to look at
everything differently. Prison took me out of the city, where I could hear a breeze
passing by and the sounds of birds in the trees while watering lawns during my daily
5 hour work periods. I still had my license to practice law and could help others out
when possible, and I managed to write 2 books and several essays during the past 10
months. For those who complain about conditions while in prison, the guards would
often roll up on them and take them away. The worst part of prison is for snitches or
if you are a rat, and shunning is the first level of punishment, and violence is the
second punishment level that snitches go through," said Serra.
With over 7 million people caught up into the clutches of the so-called criminal
justice system and around 2.2 million people behind bars across the nation, the U.S.
has far more people locked up and exploited than any other country in the world. The
most notorious prisons are known as Supermax facilities, and corporate prisons such
as the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), which manages around 69 prisons and
owns 40 prisons, with annual revenues of $1.5 billion in 2004, have often been
vilified for mismanagement scandals, lack of prisoner health care and for abusing
it's inmates.
Theres around 200,000 federal inmates nationwide, and federal inmates work for the
Federal Prisons Industry (FPI), a corporation owned by the federal government since
1934, and now known as Unicor (trade name) since 1978, which manufactures products
for use by the federal government. During 2003, Unicor had industrial operations at
112 factories located at 71 facilities within the federal prison system (including
Lompoc), while employing over 20,000 inmates.
"Minimum wage does not help much if your sucking up lead in one of Unicor's toxic
sweatshops," says Aaron Shuman, who spent 4 months in federal prison for protesting
against the "School of Americas," in Fort Benning, Georgia. "It's been documented
that prisoners working for Unicor have been exposed to excessive levels of toxic
metals at their computer recycling facilities, and I believe that inmates and prison
guards should receive reparations for the toxic metals exposure thats been occurring
in these prison factories. Unicor needs to shut down these toxic sweatshops now."
The prison industry is a $40 billion business annually in America, and it's not just
the prisoners being exploited. In California alone from 2002-2003, the inflated rates
of collect phone calls being made by prisoners in county jails adds up to $120
million a year in phone bills for their families and friends. The cost of the collect
phone calls were so inflated that they provided income to counties that range from
$100 to $1,376 per inmate, during the same period.
Prisoner populations continue to grow across the nation, and it's to the point that
children are now being held in corporate owned prisons in America, as a result of
immigrant arrests. A recent report reveals that fugitive apprehension teams hunting
down immigrants face a backlog with more than 623,000 cases in the pipeline as of
August 26, 2006.
Tony Serra closes by saying, "I hope our class action will force the federal
government to reconsider it's ways, and at the least to force the federal government
to pay a minimum wage to it's prisoner workforce."
Serra became well known as the brilliant attorney that would take cases no one else
wanted, and he inspired the 1989 film "True Believer", in which his character was
portrayed by famed actor James Woods. Through the years, Serra's cases ranged from
defending the Hells' Angels, Black Panther leader Huey Newton in a murder trial, and
the Symbionese Liberation Army, to representing his own sons in a dispute over a
skateboard ramp they built in Bolinas, CA.
--
_____________________________________________________
I intend to last long enough to put out of business all COck-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
___________________________________________________
--
We at CAPS have shown and requested our supporters and allies to be conscious of this litigation, and to provide endorcement, and related materials to assist Attorney Serra in his present struggle against prison slave labor. Moreover, we endorse this litigation, hope it will expand to all corners on behalf of millions of prison slaves across this guilty nation.
Defense Attorney Tony Serra Sues Feds Over Slave Labor Practices
by Lynda Carson tenantsr...@yahoo.com
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/04/01/18387743.php
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.indybay.org/newsitem...
San Francisco,CA,USA
Oakland, CA
During late March, San Francisco's well known and respected activist attorney J.Tony
Serra, filed suit against the federal government over slave labor practices.
Just out of California's Lompoc prison after serving 10 months for his years long tax
boycott, the celebrated attorney filed suit in an attempt to force the federal
government to pay it's prisoners a fair wage compensation for the work being done by
prison inmates, while serving time.
At the least, Serra believes that inmates should earn minimum wage for the work they
do in prison, and that unions should be allowed to organize and represent the inmates
for collective bargaining, to negotiate better wages and conditions for workers.
"It's a class action lawsuit," says Serra. "I'm a member (plaintiff) of the class
action suit, and it was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
California. We believe that Lompoc's pay scale is in violation of the U.S.
Constitution's Fifth and Thirteenth Amendments, which are the United Nations
covenants on political, civil and prisoner rights."
"Prisoners have no rights in America. They don't care about the prisoners in this
country, and the prisons are profitting from the slave-like conditions being forced
upon the inmates. Lompoc has a dairy and meat industry, including a cable factory
which is a supplier for the navy and armed forces industry. Lompoc generated alot of
money last year, little of which was returned to the inmates as compensation for the
work they do. The federal prison workforce generates around $65 million per year in
net profits, and I received 19 cents an hour when working at Lompoc, while the other
prisoners were only earning anywhere from 5 cents to $1.65 an hour for their labor.
These are slave wages, and often the inmates come back from work covered in filth and
are worn out at the end of the day," Serra said.
Serra and the 300 to 500 other plaintiffs involved in the class action lawsuit, are
being represented by attorney's Stephen Perelson of Mill Valley, and John Murcko and
William Simpich, of Oakland.
When I asked Serra if he believes the lawsuit will succeed; "I think that theres so
many immunities and waivers in regards to how prisons are being operated in this
nation, that the federal government will do everything possible to toss it out of the
courts. If we could manage somehow to bring this class action far enough through the
courts to bring it before a jury, I believe that we would win."
When asked about prison life; "It feels good to be out of prison, but I feel bad for
all of those that were left behind," said Serra. "I went through a week of feeling
like Rip Van Winkle when first getting out, and I had a fresh conciousness to look at
everything differently. Prison took me out of the city, where I could hear a breeze
passing by and the sounds of birds in the trees while watering lawns during my daily
5 hour work periods. I still had my license to practice law and could help others out
when possible, and I managed to write 2 books and several essays during the past 10
months. For those who complain about conditions while in prison, the guards would
often roll up on them and take them away. The worst part of prison is for snitches or
if you are a rat, and shunning is the first level of punishment, and violence is the
second punishment level that snitches go through," said Serra.
With over 7 million people caught up into the clutches of the so-called criminal
justice system and around 2.2 million people behind bars across the nation, the U.S.
has far more people locked up and exploited than any other country in the world. The
most notorious prisons are known as Supermax facilities, and corporate prisons such
as the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), which manages around 69 prisons and
owns 40 prisons, with annual revenues of $1.5 billion in 2004, have often been
vilified for mismanagement scandals, lack of prisoner health care and for abusing
it's inmates.
Theres around 200,000 federal inmates nationwide, and federal inmates work for the
Federal Prisons Industry (FPI), a corporation owned by the federal government since
1934, and now known as Unicor (trade name) since 1978, which manufactures products
for use by the federal government. During 2003, Unicor had industrial operations at
112 factories located at 71 facilities within the federal prison system (including
Lompoc), while employing over 20,000 inmates.
"Minimum wage does not help much if your sucking up lead in one of Unicor's toxic
sweatshops," says Aaron Shuman, who spent 4 months in federal prison for protesting
against the "School of Americas," in Fort Benning, Georgia. "It's been documented
that prisoners working for Unicor have been exposed to excessive levels of toxic
metals at their computer recycling facilities, and I believe that inmates and prison
guards should receive reparations for the toxic metals exposure thats been occurring
in these prison factories. Unicor needs to shut down these toxic sweatshops now."
The prison industry is a $40 billion business annually in America, and it's not just
the prisoners being exploited. In California alone from 2002-2003, the inflated rates
of collect phone calls being made by prisoners in county jails adds up to $120
million a year in phone bills for their families and friends. The cost of the collect
phone calls were so inflated that they provided income to counties that range from
$100 to $1,376 per inmate, during the same period.
Prisoner populations continue to grow across the nation, and it's to the point that
children are now being held in corporate owned prisons in America, as a result of
immigrant arrests. A recent report reveals that fugitive apprehension teams hunting
down immigrants face a backlog with more than 623,000 cases in the pipeline as of
August 26, 2006.
Tony Serra closes by saying, "I hope our class action will force the federal
government to reconsider it's ways, and at the least to force the federal government
to pay a minimum wage to it's prisoner workforce."
Serra became well known as the brilliant attorney that would take cases no one else
wanted, and he inspired the 1989 film "True Believer", in which his character was
portrayed by famed actor James Woods. Through the years, Serra's cases ranged from
defending the Hells' Angels, Black Panther leader Huey Newton in a murder trial, and
the Symbionese Liberation Army, to representing his own sons in a dispute over a
skateboard ramp they built in Bolinas, CA.
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I intend to last long enough to put out of business all COck-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.
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"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
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