Making Money from Mass Incarceration
From the March 2012 Issue of The Hart Monitor
Almost every state in this country is having fiscal problems.. And the largest operator of for-profit prisons has decided it wants to make a killing off of these budgetary shortfalls. Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) has extended an offer to 48 states: to buy out state run prisons. CCA claims that they will help to remedy the “challenging corrections budgets”. In return, they want the states to give them a 20 year management contract, and, a guarantee that the prisons will remain at least 90% full. Yes, this Wall Street giant wants to be assured that the current trend of mass incarceration will continue so that they can increase their profits.
It is amazing that people still really believe that the so called “War on Drugs” is really about protecting communities. How much more proof do people need before they will believe that mass incarceration of Black people for non-violent, drug related “crimes” is about MAKING MONEY? The prison system truly IS a more refined system of slavery. See, people believe that slavery was abolished in this country. Not entirely true, Slavery is STILL perfectly legal IF an individual has been convicted of a crime. In this day and age, there are a plethora of “crimes” a Black man can be convicted of that are really nothing more than a means of extending and enforcing oppression. After all, a white man who commits the same acts deemed “criminal” when done by a Black man is highly unlikely to face any sort of consequences. Which is why, although whites use and sell drugs at a higher rate than any other race, they are underrepresented in the ranks of the incarcerated.
Drugs should be considered a health issue, not a criminal offense. The only reason that this country continues to wage a war on drugs is to keep Black people behind bars. And to profit off of their labor” prisons are the new plantations. Men and women in prison are forced to work for mere pennies. There is no “minimum wage” protection for prisoners. State governments, the federal government and, nowadays, for profit corporations use prison labor as a means of increasing their bottom line. With the added bonus of enforcing white domination over Black people.
Since CCA wants to be assured that their prisons will stay full, there is an incentive to continue to wage war on Black communities all over the country. In fact, in its filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission, CCA made the following statement:
“The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by the relaxation of enforcement efforts, leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices or through the decriminalization of certain activities that are currently proscribed by our criminal laws, For instance, any changes with respect to drugs and controlled substances or illegal immigration could affect the number of persons arrested, convicted, and sentenced, thereby potentially reducing demand for correctional facilities to house them.”
In other words, this company is actively campaigning AGAINST criminal justice and drug policy reform in order to keep its pockets fat. And, we all know who is harmed most by current policies. You could bet that if white boys were being incarcerated at the rate that Black men are, there would be cries of outrage against a profit making entity like CCA being able to impact policy.
And, there is also an incentive to spend as little money as possible to provide even minimal services to people who are imprisoned under the system of mass incarceration. Health care, educational programs and rehabilitative programs will most assuredly all be drastically reduced when CCA decides it wants to increase its profit margin. And, these programs are underfunded and understaffed to begin with. If the objective of imprisoning an individual is to “rehabilitate” him, then why is it that so many prisoners are denied even basic services that would enhance their options once outside of the prison? I think the answer is quite obvious, particularly in light of the recent offer by CCA. The prison system relies on recidivism. It relies on people having no other options but to return to committing “crimes” to survive. Why educate prisoners when they might go out and use that education to pursue avenues that do not include them returning to prison, when you are relying on them to line your pockets?
Real criminal justice reform absolutely cannot happen while corporate entities are fighting against it tooth and nail in order to not only reinforce white supremacy but also to make a whole lot of money in the process.
Maturo’s “Taco” Comment is NOT a reason to call for his resignation!
By now, everyone knows about the arrest of four East Haven police officers following a federal investigation into years of profiling and brutality. And anyone with half a brain can see that this situation is not simply about a few “rogue” officers who got “out of line”. No, this is a result of a culture within the police force that says it is OK to treat residents as less than human beings. That is, of course, if those residents are people of color. The tactics of the East Haven police officers did not develop in isolation. They are a result of hundreds of years of the “white is right” mindset and its dehumanization of non-European people. And they are the result of a law enforcement community that operates not to serve the PEOPLE, but rather to serve white supremacy.
The comments of the East Haven mayor, Joe Maturo ignited a firestorm of controversy on top of an already volatile situation. Maturo’s infamous “taco” comment rightfully sparked rage among the people of Connecticut and of the entire country. Calls for his resignation have been made based on his racist remarks. The thing is, Joe Maturo should NOT be forced to resign because of a single interview.
Joe Maturo made a blatantly racist comment, one that construes an attack on the entire Latino population. That is an egregious offense and Maturo needs to suffer the repercussions. However, Maturo committed far more dangerous and insidious acts of violence against the Latino community of East Haven. If Maturo should be removed from office, it should be because he allowed a culture of violence and brutality persist in his police force. He should be removed from office because he re-appointed police chief Leonard Gallo (a co-conspirator in the crimes of the officers who were arrested) while there was still an ongoing federal investigation.. He should be forced to step down because he has blinders on when it comes to the racist practices of his police force, and has proven to be a staunch defender of white supremacy in East Haven. The “taco” comment, while extremely offensive, only serves as confirmation of Maturo’s disdain for the Latino community in East Haven.
Maturo has proven through his actions that he is unfit as a leader. Calling for his resignation based on ONE COMMENT he made is the wrong tactic. Simply put, if the focus is on ousting Maturo because of a single comment, rather than on his abysmal record concerning the people of color in his community, then Maturo gets to play the victim. He gets to sit back and claim he was pushed out because he “misspoke”. He gets to play the victim, to be a “martyr”. If we call for Maturo to be removed from office it should be based on the entirety of his behavior as mayor, not on a single remark, as offensive as it was.
Assail the DCF Plantation!
Join a diverse coalition of groups and individuals to “Assail the DCF Plantation” and land a universal blow against racism, February 4th, at the CT Juvenile Training Center in Middletown.
In honor of Black History Month, we will strike a universal blow against racism, targeting the overseers at DCF’s (Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families) Youth Services.
*The managers of DCF’s youth services have created and maintained a racist and hostile work environment, despite sustained complaints by workers over the past 5 of years.
*A class action lawsuit filed against the DCF by Black and Latino workers ten years ago was overturned due to faulty paper work.
*A second class action lawsuit is currently filed on behalf of five Black, Latino and LGBT employees.
* African American and Latino male workers in Youth Services are disciplined at significantly higher rates than their coworkers. Additionally, they receive worse punishments than their coworkers for similar infractions.
*In 2011, rank and file workers delivered a petition to DCF administrators highlighting the racist management practices in Youth Services. In a meeting meant to address these claims, many workers testified to the racist work environment, including white workers. Management responded by punishing these previously protected workers, too.
*Workers have met with DCF president Joette Katz, to no avail. Hartford residents created a DCF zone extending from Vine, Albany and Garden streets, to no avail.
*DCF Youth Services operates like a modern day plantation: managerial overseers abuse their workers in an attempt to cower them into submission. They save their worst abuse for Black and Latino male workers and those who dare speak on their behalf.
*The DCF operates a 1 billion dollar budget supplied by tax payer monies at the federal and state levels. 82% of children under the care of DCF at the CT Juvenile Training School are Black or Latino boys, yet the managerial staff is overwhelmingly white. Meanwhile, the Black and Latino male workers who tend to their care suffer racism at the hands of their overseers.
We must stand against racism in all its forms. That DCF perpetuates a double-helping of institutionalized racism makes it all the more urgent. Assail the DCF Plantation!
Transportation will be provided, leaving from Unity Plaza, 265 Barbour Street, Hartford, CT, 10 a.m. RSVP at CtTruthForce@gmail.com
Open Letter to DCF
To the overseers of the DCF Plantation:
We are officially putting you on notice. In response to the racist working conditions you create and implement, our coalition will initiate actions against you this Black History Month, February 2012. “It’s 2011, not 1864, and we won’t tolerate this no more!” You have continually refused to ameliorate working conditions through negotiation, so we are taking direct action. This is your warning.
Your hostile work environment harms the mental, physical and spiritual well-being of your employees, and ultimately the children they serve. Your employees have filed grievances and law suits time and time again and still you refuse to listen. By not instituting change, you have, instead, perpetuated white supremacy. All of this is done upon the backs of the Black and Latino children whose plight pays your salary, The people will rise up against you, DCF: we say “No!” to racism in all its forms.
DCF overseers, you have refused to hear the voices of those who have suffered at the hands of your oppressive managerial cadre. You have neglected the racism and mismanagement that workers have brought to your attention, instead, favoring the docile and punishing the free in mind and spirit. In 2012 it’ll be 1864 no more!
A coalition of activists, DCF employees and other righteous individuals has formed to call you out, not just through words, but through action. You have seen the grievances pile up. You have heard your employees cries. You have failed to heed their warnings for long enough. So, you are officially on notice: We will be standing up for justice. You may not know when we are coming, or what we have planned, but know this: We see you, DCF, and, in February, you will have no choice but to see us as well.
Signed,
Truth Force
Support the “DCF Plantation Five”
The DCF has a long history of racist treatment of Black and Latino employees. So much so that a group known as “the DCF Plantation Five” is currently suing the agency in a federal discrimination lawsuit. One of the employees, Minister Cornell Lewis, went on a week long hunger strike in October to bring attention to the racist tactics used by DCF management towards employees.
The “DCF Plantation Five” lawsuit is a result of a culture within the DCF that has kept Black employees from being promoted at the same rate as whites, and has made them the targets of racially biased disciplinary actions. The five employees, who work at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School, say they have also been victims of ongoing harassment. The lawsuit alleges that employees of color have had to endure “permanent loss of career opportunities, severe and extreme emotional distress, including loss of self-esteem, humiliation and embarrassment.” The lawsuit also says that “the numbers of African-American employees in middle management and especially in upper management positions is vastly disproportional to the rate of employment of African-Americans at CJTS.” The lawsuit says that this pattern of discrimination by the DCF has been in existence AT LEAST since 1991. Numerous complaints have been made to management over the years, yet the abuse has continued.
The DCF continually turns a blind eye to the concerns of its employees, particularly Black male employees. There have been protests outside of DCF offices. There was the campaign to turn a neighborhood into a “No DCF zone” in 2009, when residents of the North End were encouraged to refuse DCF caseworkers who attempt to enter their homes. This was done to bring attention to the lack of minority input into a state agency which disproportionately impacts the lives of Black and Latino families. And now, there is the lawsuit filed by the “DCF Plantation Five” in 2010. Yet the DCF still acts as if it is totally unaware of the complaints of its employees, and refuses to address the blatant racism.
The struggle against the DCF will continue until the concerns of the employees are adequately redressed. The victims of DCF’s racist policies have no intention of going away quietly. They plan to continue the struggle for justice until the DCF capitulates to their demands. Continue reading the Hart Monitor for information about how you can get involved in future actions against the DCF.
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Observe National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day
When I moved to Hartford 7 months ago, many of the first people I met were homeless individuals. I spent hours in Bushnell Park every day, and watched as the downtown crowd rushed past the benches filled with my new found friends. Some would even totally overlook all of the men who spent their nights in shelters or under the bridge, only to stop and pause when they saw me, offering a smile and a” hello”. It angered me that they would walk right past the people who had embraced me as a new member of the community, as if they were not human, only stopping to pause when they saw me, a middle aged, white woman with a book in hand. Looking back on it now, I think they believed that I was unaware of the homeless, i.e. “subhuman”, status of the people I chose to spend my time with, and thought they were “rescuing” me from the grips of “THOSE people”. They did not realize that these were my FRIENDS, the people I CHOSE to associate with.
I realized very quickly that Hartford had a problem a serious problem. Hartford is home to a large population of individuals who do not have a permanent address. And Hartford is also home to a HUGE population of people who choose to ignore, dismiss, and debase those among them who do not know where they are going to sleep from night to night. Read the rest of this entry
