Currently, there are more than 9.8 million people worldwide being held in penal institutions, with almost half of them being housed in prisons (city, state and federal) in the United States alone.
This country's obsession and thirst for tougher state and federal crime laws and sentencing - even for the most victim-less of offenses (such as drug abuse) - has exposed a tear in America's self-declared status as the beacon of democracy and freedom. Moreover, our extraordinary rate of incarceration has become very big business for the prison system as well as corporations, looking to tap into a cheap and easily silenced labor force. It's a point, which has been and continues to be very well documented by Bob Sloan at The Daily Kos.
Because we live in a nation that believes that anyone convicted of a crime deserves whatever punishment they receive, we allow - if not condone - egregious violations of various human and labor rights to happen right under our noses. And it's not just what happens behind the bars but also the grave injustices, which occur to a person upon his or her release from the penitentiary system. Poorly executed transitional measures such as the parole and probation system as well as the various felon-exclusionary laws have had a counterproductive effect on ex-offenders. And in some ways, have contributed largely to recidivism.
But not everyone is willing to turn a blind eye. In fact, Sheneese Starr, one of the founders of the In Your Face Movement, a Harlem, NY-based grassroots group, is leading the charge to enlighten Americans to the effects that the Industrial Prison Complex has had on not only the prisoners inside, but also their families and the community as a whole. Next month, Starr along with other members of the the In Your Face Movement will be walking from Harlem, NYC to Washington D.C. - yes, I did say WALKING - in hopes of inspiring others to take action.
Listen to her full interview with PP&T below:
This country's obsession and thirst for tougher state and federal crime laws and sentencing - even for the most victim-less of offenses (such as drug abuse) - has exposed a tear in America's self-declared status as the beacon of democracy and freedom. Moreover, our extraordinary rate of incarceration has become very big business for the prison system as well as corporations, looking to tap into a cheap and easily silenced labor force. It's a point, which has been and continues to be very well documented by Bob Sloan at The Daily Kos.
Because we live in a nation that believes that anyone convicted of a crime deserves whatever punishment they receive, we allow - if not condone - egregious violations of various human and labor rights to happen right under our noses. And it's not just what happens behind the bars but also the grave injustices, which occur to a person upon his or her release from the penitentiary system. Poorly executed transitional measures such as the parole and probation system as well as the various felon-exclusionary laws have had a counterproductive effect on ex-offenders. And in some ways, have contributed largely to recidivism.
But not everyone is willing to turn a blind eye. In fact, Sheneese Starr, one of the founders of the In Your Face Movement, a Harlem, NY-based grassroots group, is leading the charge to enlighten Americans to the effects that the Industrial Prison Complex has had on not only the prisoners inside, but also their families and the community as a whole. Next month, Starr along with other members of the the In Your Face Movement will be walking from Harlem, NYC to Washington D.C. - yes, I did say WALKING - in hopes of inspiring others to take action.
Listen to her full interview with PP&T below:
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