Attica State Prison Uprising September 13, 1971
George Jackson the most famous political prisoner in the 70's and leader of the Black Panther Party was incarcerated at San Quentin Prison in California. He was killed by the State on August 21, 1971. Because of this Attica inmates organized a hunger strike and wore black arm bands.
George Jackson's revolutionary writings in his book he had written "Soledad Brother'; was passed from inmate to inmate inside Attica State Prison, which had an enormous impact on the prisoners awareness of their feelings. Mr. Jackson's death lead to the direct uprising of New York's Attica State Correctional facility which was approximately two weeks after George Jackson's death. The uprising of New York's Attica State Correctional Facility is known as the most notorious prison riot in American History.
During this time New York's Governor Nelson Rockefeller ran the Attica State prison as forced labor camps as well as other state prisons. Attica State Prison during this time also had an all white correctional staff and eighty-five percent of Attica's prisoners were Black and Latino.
Working conditions in Attica State Prison were unbearable, prisoners were political, poor and maltreated. Hygienic conditions were very bad and medical care was practically non-existent. Prisoners average pay was 40 cents a day for manufacturing mattresses, shoes and license plates, prisoners never saw a lawyer, were prevented from defending themselves, wer...
In the United States, a citizen has rights granted to them under documents such as the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, which gives citizens certain freedoms as long as they obey the law. When someone commits a crime, they are then entitled to aspects such as a speedy trial, a fair jury, an attorney if they wish, and other things, under the sixth amendment. Even if the person is found guilty, as a U.S. citizen they have rights under the eighth amendment which include protection against excessive bail or fines, and cruel and unusual punishment. Since the framers enacted the amendment, the exact definition of cruel and unusual punishment has been difficult to pin down, changing with the times and everyone’s interpretations. Pete Earley’s novel, The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison, depicts the conditions in the United States’ toughest prison, where some prisoner recounts, as well as Earley’s
Unable to get official permission to interview and write about correctional officers, Ted Conover, author of the book Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing, “got in" by applying for a correctional officer position. After training, he and his fellow rookies, known as "newjacks," were randomly assigned to Sing Sing, one of the country's most famous -- and infamous -- prisons. Sing Sing, a maximum-security male prison, was built in 1828 by prisoners themselves, kept at their task by frequent use of the whip. Today, the chaos, the backbiting, the rundown building and equipment, the disrespect and the relentless stress that Conover experienced in his year at Sing Sing show, quite well, how the increase of prisons in the U.S. brutalizes more than just the prisoners. Some of the individuals in Conover's entering "class" of corrections trainees had always wanted to work in law enforcement. Others were ex-military, looking for a civilian job that they thought would reward structure and discipline. But most came looking for a steady job with good benefits. To get it, they were desperate enough to commute hours each way, or even to live apart from their families during the work week. Their job consists of long days locking and unlocking cells, moving prisoners to and from various locations while the prisoners beg, hassle and abuse them. Sometimes, the prisoners' requests are simple, but against the rules: an extra shower, some contraband cigarettes. Other times, they are appropriate, but unbelievably complicated: it can take months to get information about property lost in the transfer from one prison to another. Meanwhile, the orders officers give are ignored. Discipline -- even among the officers themselves -- is non-existent. And with the money and benefits of this "good" job come nightmares and family stress, daily uncertainty about one's job and duties, and pent-up frustration that, every so often, explodes in violence -- instigated by staff as well as by prisoners.
First, I will discuss the time period between 1973-1974. Because the unemployment and inflation rates are higher than normal, we can assume that the aggregate-demand curve is downward-sloping. When the aggregate-demand curve is downward-sloping, we know that the economy’s demand has slowed down. When the economy’s demand has slowed down, businesses have to choice but to raise prices and lay off workers in order to preserve profits. When employers throughout the country respond to their decrease in demand the same way, unemployment increases.
In order to understand the significance of the prison conditions and some of the reasons underlying why those conditions existed, it was necessary to become familiar with the events surrounding the creation and use of the prisons. Andersonville and Rock Island were prisons belonging to the armies of two opposing nations, the Confederate States of America and the United States of America. The CSA was composed of states that had recently seceded from the USA, which sparked the beginning of what is known as the United States Civil War. The war broke out for numerous reasons, including slavery, differing economic interests, and the recent election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860. Lincoln’s election was a particularly divisive issue, as he promised to contain slavery in the South and prevent its spread (Goodwin). This division is evi...
Growing up on the North/South Carolina border, Jackson’s exact state of birth is debatable. Unlike most historians, Jacksons ascertained that he was from South Carolina. Wherever he actually grew up, it is unequivocal that it was a truculent and violent place to be raised. During his childhood, Jackson became accustomed to the social imperatives of the land; hard work, and military spirit. Specifically, in his hometown, one used “[their ]military spirit to defend yourself, and [their] hands to pull something out of the soil”. Here, Meachem believes the constant exhaustion and threat of violence was “one of the many reasons Jackson became a man who was so prone to violence. He grew up with it, he didn’t know anything else”.
To understand the desperation of wanting to obtain freedom at any cost, it is necessary to take a look into what the conditions and lives were like of slaves. It is no secret that African-American slaves received cruel and inhumane treatment. Although she wrote of the horrific afflictions experienced by slaves, Linda Brent said, “No pen can give adequate description of the all-pervading corruption produced by slavery." The life of a slave was never a satisfactory one, but it all depended on the plantation that one lived on and the mast...
The “pains of imprisonment” can be divided into five main conditions that attack the inmate’s personality and his feeling of self-worth. The deprivations are as follows: The deprivation of liberty, of goods and services, of heterosexual relationships, autonomy and of security.
The 1970s in the United States was a time of incredible change, doubt, as well as reform. The many issues happening throughout the country helped to lead to the discomfort in many prisoners that eventually lead to their e...
One of the most common and prominent themes of The Pearl is greed. One of the first examples of this is when Kino went to the doctor to beg for treatment, but the doctor responded, "‘Has he any money?’ the doctor demanded. ‘No, they never have money. I, I alone in the world am supposed to work for nothing- and I am tired of it. See if he has any money!’” (Steinbeck 11). Many would consider it unethical to refuse treatment to someone simply because of their poverty. The doctor refusing to cure the ill child shows how greed has corrupted him to the point of having an innocent baby die rather than offering up his services for free. Another early instance of greed was when the news of the pearl “came to the priest walking in his garden, and it put a thoughtful look in his eyes and a memory of certain repairs necessary to the church. He wondered what the pearl would be worth” (Steinbeck 21). Even the people of God, those believed to have the highest morals, became materialistic. He who is supposed to be satisfied with just the love of the lord suddenly hungered for more. This greed eventually came to Kino when Juana suggested throwing away the pearl, but Kino replied, “‘No,’ he said. ‘I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We
Many programs that were created during The Great Depression are beginning to haunt our governmental institution even today. Programs such as Social Security and the Welfare systems are creating a substantial amount of debt within our country. According to the article titled “Perils of Price Deflations,” “Two decades ago, worrying about deflation was like worrying about a shortage of pigeons in Trafalgar Square. But now that inflation rates are near zero, periodic deflations are much more plausible” (Carlstrom 1). Deflation has many negative effects. Within Charles Calstrom’s article he names three “dangers of deflation” (1). The first is nominal interest rates. These cannot fall below zero percent and therefore, deflations can increase real interest rates. These high rates discourage investment spending and decrease economic activity. The second is that employers are unable to reduce nominal wages so deflations increase the real wage discouraging employment growth. The last is that these effects can lead to large redistributions of wealth” (Carlstrom 1). In an ideal economy supply equals demand in both work and goods, however, especially in times of economic difficulty this ratio becomes very skewed. Thus resulting in high prices of goods. Often the most negative effect is the redistribution of wealth that follows deflation. “Shocks that
Assignment: Is Perception Reality? A few years ago I moved to Arizona. I was to be the office manager of a Real Estate Appraisal firm. Unbeknown to me the Company owed back taxes to Internal Revenue Service. The IRS came in and seized all of the Companies bank accounts and assets. All of a sudden I had to scramble to find a new job. I did not immediately find work as an appraiser but took a job with the Arizona Department of Corrections. What I thought to be true and what the reality was; were two different things. I believed that the individuals incarcerated were being punished and were not able or allowed to do much of anything. Additionally, I believed that they basically sat in a jail cell and read books, drew pictures or wrote letters. I also believed that they were law abiding while in prison. In other words, I believed that they were limited in not being able to break the law. Additionally, I assumed they had virtually no contact with the outside world. I completed some training in self-defense, first aid, conflict resolution, Radio Communications, etc. I was then sent to Cell Block 6 AKA Death Row. This is where my perceptions began to give way to reality. I found that almost every inmate (as called by officers and staff) had a Television and that free cable was provided with many movie channels available. Most had stereos with many CD’s. They were required however, to wear headphones while listening to their music. I was surprised to find that the law mandated many privileges to the incarcerated individuals. Three hot meals a day were served the inmates. Also, family members could send them care packages at Christmas up to about 100 lbs., containing homemade food and clothing items. In addition, there is a prison store that the Incarcerated could order items from. A list of items would be filled out by the inmate with an account # and each week the items would be delivered to them. Many ordered their favorite food items such as; Corn Chips, Twinkies, cookies, candy, etc… Family members could send them money that was deposited to their account for future purchases. If an inmate had no money he could apply for welfare and get money from the state. Family members were also allowed contact visitation on a weekly basis.
Dissociation does not work the same with everyone. Also, everyone’s dissociative mind is triggered by different situations. One can feel alienated in a social group if a certain situation triggers past traumatic emotions, leaving the individual to feel alone and unaware of how to socialize. When people are triggered, they are often caught off guard and can become frustrated because they do not know exactly what triggers them. One can be alienated just by worrying to themselves that their dissociation will be triggered. Gilbert talks about the how one can be confused by their own mind when he talks about the psychological immune system by saying, “our brains do their shopping unconsciously, we tend not to realize they will do it at all; hence, we blithely assume that the dreadful view we have when we look forward to the event is the dreadful view we’ll have when we look back on it” (Gilbert 132). It is difficult for people to maintain a healthy social competence when they are constantly worrying about the effects dissociation might have on them. People may be triggered by scenarios that do not directly relate to their past traumatic experiences, so they cannot predict when and where they will be when dissociation affects them. One could be enjoying themselves talking to friends and family, but instead, worrying about dissociation causes one to be stuck in their own world, unable to communicate. This is the point when the protective barrier of dissociation becomes a threat. In her essay, Stout explains the harms of dissociation by saying, “later in the individual’s life, in situations that are vaguely similar to the trauma - perhaps merely because they are startling, anxiety-provoking, or emotionally arousing - amygdala-mediated memory traces are accessed more readily than are the more complete, less shrill memories” (Stout 422).
While imprisoned, blacks were subjected to hazardous work environment through “convict leasing”. Convicted blacks were leased
Kino begins the story a simple man. Accustomed to a daily routine, he feels a sense of responsibility for his family and his people. Though he must work to survive, he seems content with his simple life. Kino’s life is turned on it’s head, however, when his son Coyotito is stung by a black scorpion. Because the town doctor’s fee is too high, he is filled with a sense of despair and anger. Kino’s luck seems to have reversed, however, when he manages to obtain an enormous pearl from the depths of the ocean:
Shelden, R. G. (1999). The Prison Industrial Complex. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from www.populist.com: http://www.populist.com/99.11.prison.html