Recently in Prisons Category

I do not often speak about myself, or my past to many people. The anonymity of the internet is a good thing sometimes, I suppose. But with a lot being said about Michael Vick and his re-entry into society, I feel compelled to speak up some actions and words that have been going around lately. So here goes...

I am an offender.

When I was 18, I was involved in something that was absolutely wrong in every way. I assaulted someone who I was having an argument with. I was experiencing a state of mania and agitation when I did it. That is no excuse for it. I was initially charged with aggravated assault and had a decent public defender who got the charge pled down to simple assault. Because evidence about my mental illness was introduced, the court allowed be to serve 60 days in a secure facility that had a specialized mental health wing and resources. Honestly, it was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me, in some ways (yes, other parts of it sucked). I met people who taught me how to manage my moods and treat them better. I connected with people like me, who were struggling. But that's not what this post is about...

Like Michael Vick, I am a criminal in society. I have a violent crime record (though a misdemeanor, unlike Vick, who is a felon). Please don't take this post as a defense of Vick's actions, or think that I am implying that he did not deserve the time he served. He fully did. And so did i. But like him, I am out, back living among the world. And unlike Vick, I still have the ability to keep my record a secret from people. It will not impact my life so drastically anymore (except for the hearing I must attend before I can sit for the bar exam).

By Ariel Samach, Program Associate at the Reproductive Rights Project, New York Civil Liberties Union

On Tuesday morning, a group of women held a demonstration in front of Gov. Paterson’s office dressed as very pregnant women who were handcuffed. Wearing fake pregnant bellies may seem silly, but the bill we were gathered to support is serious. Staff from the New York Civil Liberties Union joined the Correctional Association of New York and Women on the Rise Telling HerStory (WORTH) to draw attention to the shackling pregnant women who are incarcerated during labor and delivery—and to pressure Gov. Paterson to sign a bill that would put an end to this barbaric practice.

The case against shackling pregnant women is clear:

It’s not needed. It’s hard to imagine a woman who is nine months pregnant trying to escape prison while being guarded by corrections officers. In the states that have outlawed shackling of pregnant inmates, there have been no documented instances of a woman in labor or delivery escaping or causing harm to themselves, security guards or medical staff. It’s dangerous to women and their babies. Restricting the movement of a pregnant woman — especially during labor and delivery — means that she can’t position herself to facilitate labor, and leaves her without the means to protect herself if she trips or falls. That’s why experts, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Public Health Association, vehemently oppose the practice. It’s unconstitutional. Immobilizing a woman during labor is cruel and unusual punishment. It violates international human rights norms. Shackling pregnant women who are incarcerated is a practice specifically forbidden by the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, and the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

While a fierce struggle for power in the New York State Senate at the end of the legislative session shelved a whole host of social justice bills, lawmakers agreed this was a matter that needed attention. Sponsored and championed fiercely by state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery and Assemblyman Nick Perry, a bill banning the shackling of incarcerated pregnant women passed overwhelmingly in the Assembly and unanimously in the Senate. To become law and make New York the sixth state to ban this inhumane practice, we only need Gov. Paterson’s signature.

After the protesters chanted for a half-hour in front of the high-rise that houses his New York City office, Gov. Patterson actually came outside to speak with the demonstrators. He shook hands and reiterated his support for the health and safety of women. And best of all, he vowed to sign the bill. This has been eight years in the making and without the tireless work of Sen. Montgomery, Assemblyman Perry, and organizations like the Correctional Association and WORTH, we would not be where we are today. But it’s not often that direct action protest gets such quick and concrete results! As our action on Tuesday shows — sometimes women have to make a scene to get the job done.

To see pictures from the demonstration go here.

From Choice Words

“Do crime, do time,” I remember him saying. He was a Cobb County police officer who came to our school to talk to our 1st grade class on career day. Before breaking down a day in the life of a law enforcer, we received that spiel given to youngsters all over the nation: obey the law, stay out of trouble, and no harm will come to you. We were given the run-down of what happens in jail, complete with images of anonymous inmates sitting lethargically in their cells. I remember the talk being specifically targeted towards the boys, and all the images showed not only male law enforcement, but male inmates as well. I honestly wasn’t aware that women even go to prison until a couple of years later when I caught a story on the local news about a female correctional facility where women reported being raped.

Even at that young age, I remember wondering what happened to a woman who became pregnant while incarcerated (the notion that a woman would arrive to her sentence pregnant did not dawn on me for some time). What would happen to the woman? The baby? What sort of healthcare do incarcerated women even get?

I need some help figuring out the rape fantasy deal.

It seems so often that when it's discussed I always end up feeling that a lot of valid things have been said and a lot of utter nonsensical mostly sexist bullshit has been said too. Dominance makes total sense to me. Kinks make total sense to me. And truthfully although it rubs me the wrong way I suppose you could have safe 'rape fantasy' role play. But no matter how I justify it just always seems like 'rape' is absolutely the wrong word. Dominance and submission, even 'nonconsensual' sex (which ends up being consensual in reality) are just normal fantasies and desires. Calling these things 'rape' seems like calling red, blue.