prisons

PROP ’72: the history of a UK prisoners' union

Submitted by R Totale on Sep 29 2019 18:53

A history of Preservation of the Rights of Prisoners, a group that organised a prison strike in the UK in 1972. This article is by London Incarcerated Workers Organising Committee, and was first published by Dog Section Press in their journal DOPE.

After Year of Mobilization on Both Sides of the Bars, California Prisons End ‘Gladiator Fights’ Program

Submitted by R Totale on Sep 28 2019 10:02
Loved ones of people impacted by integrated releases have been holding protests

Statement from Oakland Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC) and family members of California prisoners on recent news announcing the end of the bloody “Gladiator Fight” program, known as “Incremental Release.”

Call to Support Dwayne & Jarreau of the Vaughn 17 at their sentencing, September 2019

An article from the Bay View appealing for solidarity as two defendants Staats await sentencing for the 2017 Vaughn prison uprising.

Retaliation 101: Requesting Access to Respite Areas at the Allred Unit in Texas is a Big No No

Submitted by R Totale on Aug 24 2019 15:48

In an article the mailroom tried to censor, Texas inmate Jason Walker describes the repression and retaliation directed against prisoners trying to get relief from the extreme summer heat.

Former child detention center staff speaks out: “This is Legalized Kidnapping”

Submitted by R Totale on Aug 20 2019 18:34

Recently, It’s Going Down was approached about publishing a testimony by a former Child Detention Center staff employee, Ramona Benitez. Their report details what they saw during several years inside one of the facilities operated by a non-profit currently running a child prison in Chicago: the Heartland Alliance. What follows is their story.

"17-17-17" - Reflections at the End of the Vaughn 17 Trial

Report from Dwayne "BIM" Staats of the Vaughn 17 who reflects on the end of the trial, lessons learned, and some of the biggest hurdles that needed to be overcome.

North Carolina hunger strikers thank supporters after winning concessions

Submitted by R Totale on Aug 13 2019 18:16

Last week, the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC) put out a call to participate in a phone zap campaign in support of a hunger strike to win better conditions at the Scotland Correctional Institution in North Carolina. What follows is a message from one of the hunger strikers thanking people for taking part in the action.

A Look Inside Solitary Confinement in Texas: The Legal Practice of Mental and Psychological Torture from the War on Terror to the War on Prisoners

Revolutionary prisoner Jason Renard Walker writes on the practice of solitary confinement. Content warning for discussion of self-harm and related subjects. All of Jason's writings can be found at his new site, Jason's Prison Journal.

Still in Solidarity from Solitary: Message From Inside Suwannee Correctional Institution

Incarcerated Fellow Worker Ezzial Williams speaks out from solitary confinement. Ezzial is serving 18 months Close Management for 'inciting a riot' in the weeks leading up to the August 21st 2018 nationwide prison strike. This article previously appeared in the Industrial Worker.

Thanatocracy

Midnight Notes on capital punishment and its liberal supporters.