Convict nation
In These Times
by Silja J. A. Talvi
06/01/06
In May, I traveled to McNeil Island Corrections Center, a medium-custody men's prison in Washington state. I made the journey out there because I had been invited to experience the Native American prisoners' annual Pow Wow, which brings together spiritual elders, prisoners and their families, for a powerfully intense four-hour ceremony. The biggest challenge, as I quickly discovered, wasn't taking in all of the emotion surrounding the event, but having even the briefest moment of privacy for thinking, taking notes, or taking to prisoners. Increasingly, American prison life doesn't allow for privacy -- not even for outsiders like myself. ... I could barely endure it for the half a day I was there. Millions of Americans don't have that choice. Of course, many prisoners are indeed guilty of precisely the crimes they've been charged with -- or some version of the crime for which they've been sentenced. And some are absolutely innocent, doing time on trumped up charges, or because a snitch got out of prison time by 'rolling' on some of his friends...
http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2680/
Informant: Thomas L. Knapp
by Silja J. A. Talvi
06/01/06
In May, I traveled to McNeil Island Corrections Center, a medium-custody men's prison in Washington state. I made the journey out there because I had been invited to experience the Native American prisoners' annual Pow Wow, which brings together spiritual elders, prisoners and their families, for a powerfully intense four-hour ceremony. The biggest challenge, as I quickly discovered, wasn't taking in all of the emotion surrounding the event, but having even the briefest moment of privacy for thinking, taking notes, or taking to prisoners. Increasingly, American prison life doesn't allow for privacy -- not even for outsiders like myself. ... I could barely endure it for the half a day I was there. Millions of Americans don't have that choice. Of course, many prisoners are indeed guilty of precisely the crimes they've been charged with -- or some version of the crime for which they've been sentenced. And some are absolutely innocent, doing time on trumped up charges, or because a snitch got out of prison time by 'rolling' on some of his friends...
http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2680/
Informant: Thomas L. Knapp
rudkla - 2. Jun, 16:19
