Women in Prison Strike Back with Legal Action

The plight of women in the American prison system is one that we covered extensively in Maggots in My Sweet Potatoes: Women Doing Time. Is is a blot on our honor as a country that we allow their circumstances to remain so dire.

Some women are fighting back this week. In the divergent states of Virginia and New Hampshire, lawsuits have been filed by female inmates about the conditions and programs of their incarceration.

In Virginia plaintiffs Cynthia B. Scott, Bobinette D. Fearce, Patricia Knight, Marguerite Richardson and Rebecca Scott  have filed a suit alleging that the medical care at their women’s prison is so deficient that it violates the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

The suit was filed against several prison officials and Armor Correctional Health Services Inc. Armor is a Miami-based company whose contract with the Virginia Department of Corrections is to provide medical care at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women’s Care the plaintiffs describe as dangerously substandard.

Since Armor is a for-profit company, it is hardly surprising that the allegations assert that the situation in Virginia is directly caused by cutting corners in order to maximize profit.

Larry O’Dell of the Associated Press took note of this in his recent coverage of the lawsuit:

The complaint says medical staff members have failed to devote sufficient time, provide necessary referrals to outside providers, prescribe effective medication, or carry out specialists’ orders — all to save money. Prisoners suffering incontinence have been denied more lenient restroom privileges based on unexplained security concerns, the lawsuit says.

According to the plaintiffs, deficient health care contributed to the deaths of at least two inmates: Darlene White, a diabetic who died in the infirmary in December 2011 after complaining of severe headache and nausea, and Jeanna Wright, whose complaints of severe stomach pain and bleeding were dismissed by prison doctors until she was finally diagnosed by an outside physician as having abdominal cancer.

The for-profit approach to incarceration is a plague upon our country. When profit comes first, justice is often absent. Consider the explosive growth in the number of incarcerated citizens we have seen since the 1980s. One major source of that spike in imprisonments is the fact that most contracts privatizing prisons include a clause demanding a certain level of population in those facilities. Quotas like this have nothing to do with justice.

Meanwhile, up the coast from the legal action in Virginia, another lawsuit is being levied by female prisoners in New Hampshire.

Danielle Woods, Janice Hutt and Martha Thibodeau, who are at the Goffstown  prison, and Michelle Vanagel, who is at the Shea Farm Community Correctional Facility in Concord, brought suit last Monday in Merrimack County Superior Court alleging the state Department of Corrections hasn’t abided by a 1987 federal court order demanding that it provide female inmates with services comparable to those offered to men. The services in question include vocational education, work, mental health and substance abuse treatment, education and housing programs. All of these are programs that are proven to reduce recidivism.

The suit should come as no surprise; after all it was only a year ago that New Hampshire was excoriated by a federal civil rights committee for it’s treatment of female prisoners.

Joseph C. Cote of the Nashua Telegraph takes note:

Last year, the advisory committee to the New Hampshire Commission of Civil Rights, a federal civil rights committee, said women in the Goffstown prison were victims of “inexcusable neglect” in their treatment compared to male inmates.

The lack of adequate job training, mental health and substance abuse treatment or private space for family visits all raise well-founded questions about whether the women are denied equal protection under the U.S. Constitution, concluded the group that studied the issue.

The inferior treatment speaks to why New Hampshire is one of the only states where women, upon their release, return to prison at higher rates than men, the report continued.

The commission found job training for women inmates in Goffstown consists of “three sewing machines in the corner” while men at the State Prison in Concord have elaborate work space for woodworking, upholstery, plate making and bulk mail preparation programs.

New Hampshire’s Goffstown facility was opened in 1987 as a temporary facility. Since them both Democratic and Republican Legislatures had turned down approximately $37 million in funding requests for the construction of of both transitional and permanent facilities for women.

The one hopeful sign was in 2009 when $2.3 million was approved to explore sites for a new women’s prison. One year later that funding was eliminated by budget cuts.

Two states, two seemingly separate battles that are tied together by the common thread of our nation’s failings when it comes to the rights of women behind bars. Hopefully these lawsuits will help mark a path toward positive reform.

Discussion Series on Juvenile Detention And Incarceration in Chicago

Coming to Chicago in September and October Roosevelt University, in conjunction with the Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation, will be kicking off a fascinating and educational series of discussions centered around the topic of youth detention and incarceration.

It all starts on the 26th of September with a volley of personal narratives. Those of you who follow our work already know the importance we attach to these personal stories. They are the most effective way to re-humanize those on the borders of society. It is a lot harder to ignore a statistic once you’ve met the person represented by the numbers.

While none of our team will be able to make it to the Windy City, we do encourage any of you within range to do so. It looks like quite an array of programming!

So, without further ado, here is their writeup on what you can expect. If any of you, our readers, make it to the series, we would love to hear about the experience!

Youth stories on their experiences in confinement

Learn from youth about what life in confinement is like and how this experience, and other levels of connection with the juvenile justice system, has impacted their lives.
Wednesday, September 26, 5:30 p.m.

Chain reaction: Alternatives to policing

Listen to youth tell stories of their encounters with the police, and then join the dialogues about alternatives to policing as a way to reduce violence and crime.
Thursday, October 4, 5:30 p.m.

Alternatives to juvenile detention and incarceration: Can we succeed? What will it take?

What community-based alternatives exist now? How are youth referred to these programs? Are they designed to educate, rehabilitate and address the needs of youth who have drug dependencies, disabilities, mental health or trauma issues? Are there enough housing facilities and programs available to youths with criminal records?
Tuesday, October 23, 5:30 p.m.

Youth with disabilities need education, not incarceration

Youth with disabilities comprise 30 to 80 percent of youth caught up in the juvenile justice system. How can we ensure youth are getting the services they need to succeed in school and beyond?
Thursday, November 8, 5:30 p.m.

Reentry and life after juvenile confinement: Existing services, or lack thereof, to ensure a successful transition and no recidivism

What services are available to youth when they are released? Is there adequate support for them to complete their education, receive expungement guidance, housing, counseling and other necessary services to ensure they are successful and don’t recidivate? Tuesday, December 4, 5:30 p.m.

RSVP: Nancy Michaels, nmichaels@roosevelt.edu
Cosponsored with Project NIA

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Infographic: The Cold Hard Facts about Incarceration

The Cold Hard Facts about Incarceration

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Mississippi – A shocking disregard for the rights of African-American and disabled kids

Mississippi State FlagLast Friday the U.S. Department of Justice issues a statement about extensive children’s rights violations in Meridian, Mississippi. The statement said that  Lauderdale County officials have have operated “a school-to-prison pipeline” violating the rights of juveniles in the area. Officials have had a policy of incarcerating students for alleged disciplinary problems, including minor infractions like defiance and flatulence.

Jason Ryan of ABC News gives us some more details on this latest shocking news from Mississippi:

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has released investigative findings determining that children in predominantly black Meridian, Miss. have had their constitutional rights violated by the Lauderdale County Youth Court, the Meridian Police Department, and the Mississippi Division of Youth Services in what civil rights investigators allege is a school to prison pipeline with even dress code violations resulting in incarceration.

The Justice Department has been investigating the agencies since December 2011 and found that the police department arrests children without probable cause, violating the children’s Fourth Amendment protections of unlawful search and seizure.

Some of you might remember our interview with Tania Galloni of the Southern Poverty Law Center in which we discussed the lawsuit they levied against the Meridian government over this exact same issue. Unfortunately, as goings-on in Polk County amply illustrate, Mississippi’s current issues with race and justice are entrenched and intolerable.

Lest you believe it is only the Fourth Amendment being abridged, the Department of Justice was only getting warmed up:

Also in the findings letter the Civil Rights Division alleges that ‘Lauderdale County and the Youth Court Judges violate the Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments by failing to provide children procedural due process in the youth court. Lauderdale County, the Youth Court judges, and the Mississippi Division of Youth Services violate the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments by failing to provide children procedural due process rights in the probationary process.’

The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments protect against abuse of government authority in legal proceedings and fairness of due process rights,  respectively.

This is what happens when you make incarceration part of school discipline, an approach that is worthy of the Spanish Inquisition not a modern American city.

‘The system established by the City of Meridian, Lauderdale County, and DYS to incarcerate children for school suspensions ‘shocks the conscience,’ resulting in the incarceration of children for alleged ‘offenses’ such as dress code violations, flatulence, profanity, and disrespect, The Justice Department findings letter noted.

Describing the ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ the Justice Department findings letter noted of the alleged abuses by the police, “By policy and practice, [the Meridian Police Department] MPD automatically arrests all students referred to MPD by the District. The children arrested by MPD are then sent to the County juvenile justice system, where existing due process protections are illusory and inadequate. The Youth Court places children on probation, and the terms of the probation set by the Youth Court and DYS require children on probation to serve any suspensions from school incarcerated in the juvenile detention center.’

It truly boggles the mind. If I were not from the Gulf Coast, I would be incredulous. Unfortunately I’ve spent time in Meridian and find it all too believable. Remember, in this instance it is the majority suffering discrimination. Meridian is 65% African-American,  after all. This is a disturbing reminder that the specter of Tennessee Williams’ “decadent South” still looms this far beneath the Mason_Dixon line.

I think the following sums things up neatly, and it is my hope that the treat of litigation is not a hollow one.

‘The systematic disregard for children’s basic constitutional rights by agencies with a duty to protect and serve these children betrays the public trust,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.  “We hope to resolve the concerns outlined in our findings in a collaborative fashion, but we will not hesitate to take appropriate legal action if necessary.’

As a southerner (New Orleans native) I am used to being ashamed of a lot of what goes on down here, especially when it comes to issues like juvenile justice, race relations, and corruption. Not all of us are like that. As a matter of fact I am only one of many who fight to bring our states into the 21st Century.

Right now that fight is centered on Meridian, Mississippi.

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Infographic: Invest in People, Not Prisons

Invest in People Not Prisons

Infographic:One Year of Prison Costs More Than One Year at Princeton

Despite the shortcomings, this chart helps illustrate a large discrepancy in this country: America has the highest incarceration rate by population, but is only 6th in the world when it comes to college degrees. Our government’s spending reflects that fact accordingly.

Infographic: The Plight of Homeless Veterans

Homeless Veterans

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Cisco and Community Solutions: Fighting homelessness in NYC

cisco-logo
Cisco Systems, one of the giants in the computer field, is joining forces with Community Solutions in order to fight homelessness in New York City. The technology giant and it’s community partner are already four months into the process, and it looks like their results are decent enough to move forward in a larger fashion.

Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer for JustMeans, gives us the rundown:

Community Solutions and Cisco created a proof of concept program that started in April and will run until September whereby Cisco engages at multiple levels, both corporate and local, with the opportunity for other Cisco offices to explore partnering with Community Solutions in their communities.

Nice words, but what do they mean from a practical standpoint?

Cisco employees initially will be engaged in four areas. They will be sharing their life experiences as mentors to disadvantaged youth from Brownsville, Brooklyn as part of the Youth Advisor Program. The area is one of New York‘s most challenged communities. They will also help Community Solutions use collaboration technologies to advance its work. Besides, they will take part of a Fundraising drive. One of the actions is the “$50K Challenge Grant,” whereby up to US$25,000 raised by employees will be matched by Corporate NY/NJ Civic Council support. Finally, through Corporate Support, the Cisco Foundation and Employee Relations are supporting the “$100K Homes Campaign” through matching and local grants. One of the initiatives to be benefitted with this program is “Housing Homeless Veterans Faster.” Veterans make up 12 percent of the homeless population.

This is a good thing. The more we can bring contemporary technology to bear on the problem the better off we will be. Collaborative technologies can allow people to mobilize more easily and efficiently as they attempt to implement solutions to these problems.

Additionally, mentoring is amazingly important. As we have often stated in our work, all it takes is “one good-enough adult,” to make all the difference to an at-risk kid. Mentors who can also teach digital skills are an extremely valuable resource, one that can provide the skills needed to be successful in our increasingly online society.

I’ve reached out to Cisco to see if I can get an interview with some of their people about the program. If things work out, we should have some more details for you soon!

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Homeless Faces: Maurice

The homeless are not all addicts and drunkards. The current economy has thrust many educated people onto the streets, including Maurice. (Via 60 Days and 60 Nights)

55 year old Maurice Johnston lives in Boston, by way of Cleveland. He has a Masters Degree in Plasma Physics from Dartmouth College, and a masters in Electrical Engineering and acoustics from Purdue University. He’s worked over 10 years at Lockheed Aerospace & Aerodyne Research Corp. Maurice has taught in Science and physics, and took care of both his parents in their time of need. Maurice is very well spoken, (he sounds like Obama) and is very kind, so why is Maurice homeless…..

Maurice is referenced in the Boston Globe here: http://bit.ly/mSFI0O

Maurice has an in depth “LinkedIn” profile here: http://linkd.in/lK0bdJ

Maurice’s E-mail address is referenced in the video

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Homeless Bloggers: Carey Fuller

keyboardCarey Fuller is a homeless mother of two who lives out of a van in the Pacific Northwest. She is also a blogger.

One of the amazing things about the modern day is that communication and information are so ubiquitous. Because of the spread of smartphones and laptops combined with the proliferation of free wi-fi, even some of the homeless can get online.

What results is an intensely personal portrait of life among society’s discarded.

To quote one of Fuller’s pieces on The Huffington Post:

My name is not hopeless and neither is yours. Regardless of how you came into homelessness, you are still a human being. Keep sharing your experiences until the truth about homelessness becomes common knowledge — because the way things are going, it might as well be. Let’s face it. Homelessness and poverty aren’t sexy subjects to present, yet they are a growing epidemic everywhere!

What’s sad is how much the public doesn’t know about homelessness. Like the fact that there aren’t enough resources to prevent homelessness for everybody, yet most people won’t do anything about it until they experience a “qualifying event” that forces them into the ranks of homelessness or close to it.

Now here’s the kicker: once you know you can no longer keep a roof over your head, you cannot wait until eviction day and assume you can just go into a shelter for “emergency housing.” There’s no such thing because there are waiting lists and a process you have to go through to determine whether or not you qualify for help. That’s right; you have to qualify for assistance. If you don’t, there’s a big hole in the safety net you thought would be there. So be prepared to hit the cement!

Her narrative of day-to-day life as a modern, involuntary nomad is striking. From horror stories about the red tape involved in getting almost any sort of assistance to recipes for eating dandelions (commonly found as weeds in the wild) her posts take you into a world inhabited by more and more modern Americans.

Check out Tales From The Driver’s Side, her blog, or her regular contributions to The Huffington Post. It will change your perspective.n

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