State Prisons Becoming Deadlier

In this week’s edition, prisons are becoming more deadly with each passing year, compassionate release is being denied to incarcerated people in need, and the state of Alabama takes stimulus money from prisoners.
How State Prisons Are Becoming Deadlier
Prisons are not keeping anyone safe – they’re just making problems worse.
State prison populations were just 1% higher in 2018 than they were in 2001, but 44% more state prison deaths occured in 2018 than in 2001! This is just part of the extremely disturbing information revealed by new data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Huge increases in suicide, homicide, and drug and alcohol-related deaths show a disturbing picture of a deadly institution that is getting worse and worse by the year. The suicide rate alone has increased by a enormous 85% since 2001, the highest ever recorded. These are people with families, friends, and loved ones like anyone else. If we want safe communities free from violence, we have to begin to work towards a world without prison facilities that create more death and more violence. via Prison Policy Initiative
Only A Few Dozen People Got This Much Needed Relief
Prisons are not interested in rehabilitation and health for those in need.
Nearly 31,000 people requested compassionate release from federal prison during the pandemic but so far, only 36 requests were granted. There were 1,735 requests in 2019 – the dramatic increase in applications reflects the fears that troubled the everyday lives of people incarcerated during COVID-19’s unrelenting spread. Prisons became incubators for the virus, and the Bureau of Prisons granted even fewer requests than they did in 2019 when a pandemic wasn’t killing people behind bars! COVID-19 has been a death sentence for people who haven’t even been convicted of a crime in many jails and prisons. Not only does the death penalty itself need to be abolished, but these facilities that kill through neglect have to go too. via BuzzFeed News
State Of Alabama Withholds Prison Stimulus Checks
With no protections, the stimulus funds of those in prison can be taken.
Alabama state officials have been holding incarcerated people’s stimulus checks and deducting court-ordered debts from them. According to news from multiple interviews and documents reviewed by Alabama’s WBHM, a 60-day hold was placed on the funds and people were also notified they would not necessarily receive all of their money. Unfortunately, there is no protection from garnishment for many people inside prisons, and it’s not just people in Alabama who are still waiting to see all their money. The disturbing reality is that many never will. via WBHM

New Ground

The New Ground segment features hopeful stories of changes within the realm of the criminal legal system. There is a better future on the horizon through the efforts to dismantle the oppressive system targeting Black America. It happens when all of our thumbs are on the pulse.

Austin Schools to Limit Discipline to Address Disparities
A school district takes steps to change racist disparities we see nationwide.
A school district in Austin, Texas is scaling back discipline after racial disparities were found in the application of punishment. According to a report the district compiled, Black students were five times more likely to be disciplined than white students. This development isn’t new, and it’s true in countless districts across the country. The school-to-prison pipeline disproportionately affects Black children and creates disparities we see reflected throughout the criminal legal system. This district's decision will reconsider the length of suspensions and change the processes of disciplinary removals. This is the least school districts can do, but the involvement of the criminal legal system in our schools and the lives of young people has to be completely overturned in time. via Yahoo News

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