Tag Archives: Prison

New Report Shows Current Slave Labor in GA County Keeps 170 People Out of Work

When Gwinnett County, Georgia ran the numbers on shutting down their prison facility (incarcerating 450 people), they factored in the 356,322 hours of slave labor provided by the prisoners in 2008.  Offsetting this, the county could be putting 170 people … Continue reading

Posted in prison economics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Report on Torture and Racism in Pennsylvania Prison

The Human Rights Coalition of Pennsylvania is poised to release a scathing report regarding the use of torture in a state penitentiary.  They are calling upon activists and citizens to speak out against likely retaliation directed upon the prisoners who … Continue reading

Posted in Actions, Prison Conditions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A National Campaign to End Price Gouging on Prison Phone Rates

Nationwide Research Finds Excessive Prison Phone Rates Exploit Prisoners’ Families Brattleboro, VT – Prison Legal News (PLN), a monthly publication that covers criminal justice-related issues, released a report this past weekend at the National Conference for Media Reform in Boston … Continue reading

Posted in Actions, prison economics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

NAACP Returns to Relevance: Prisons Represent “Misplaced Priorities”

On April 7th, the NAACP released a new report, Misplaced Priorities, that examines America’s escalating levels of prison spending and its impact on state budgets and our nation’s children.  NAACP President Ben Jealous speaks eloquently on the topic of a misguided … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Former Prisoner Wins George Polk Award for Journalism

Wilbert Rideau was imprisoned for 44 years at the Angola Louisiana State Penitentiary before he won his release in 2005. While he was in prison he was editor of The Angolite, a newspaper produced by inmates, and became an award-winning … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Politicians Unify Prisoners’ Power! (for themselves)

For those of you in my home state, Prison-Based Gerrymandering might be well known, along with my comrades in New York, Delaware, or Maryland.  For the rest, please take this small state example and reach out for us to help … Continue reading

Posted in prison economics, Voting Rights | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Georgia D.O.C. Wages Retaliation Campaign In Wake of 2010 Strike

  Correspondence between Atlanta Attorney Mario Williams of Williams Oinonen LLC, (representing several brutalized inmates) and the Georgia Department of Corrections, along with documents from Open Records Requests, reveal disturbing patterns and unanswered questions as to the DOC’s actions and … Continue reading

Posted in Prison Conditions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted People’s Movement Arises!

Alabama represents the answer to a clarion call.  This is a call that speaks to us in our own voice; clear, loud and urgent.  A voice that speaks to our identity and emanates from the soul, ringing true both in … Continue reading

Posted in Actions, Commentary, Courts, Drug Policy, Innocence, Political Prisoners, Prison Conditions, prison economics, Rehabilitation, Voting Rights | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Latest “Ban the Box” Battleground: RI on Tuesday.

At the Rhode Island Statehouse this Tuesday, civil rights and social justice advocates will be making a stand for an anti-discrimination trend that is sweeping the nation:  “Ban the Box.”  This box on job applications, asking if one has been … Continue reading

Posted in Actions, Rehabilitation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Probation Violations- The Shadow Justice System and Need For Reform

With three times as many Americans on probation or parole, rather than in prison, it should be understood that this is the the most important place to focus one’s efforts when looking at sentencing guidelines and the costs of prisons. … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments