Ritual Purge: school to prison pipeline

[Junkenstein]

In other news, UK politicians mocked for suggesting prisoners should work call centre style jobs, for 40 hours a week.

"To make them more employable"


Prison increasingly seems an inevitability for many, rather than a punishment for few.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

"Furthermore," it continues, "children on probation are routinely arrested and incarcerated for allegedly violating their probation by committing minor school infractions, such as dress code violations, which result in suspensions. The department's investigation showed that students most affected by this system are African-American children and children with disabilities."

I am shocked.  Shocked, I tell you.

YEAH BUT RACISM AND EQUAL RIGHTS ISN'T REALLY AN ISSUE ANYMORE



LOLOLOLOLOL 

It's better than it was...Not so long ago, this would have been ignored.  Not long before that, it would have been considered right & proper.

Things have a long, long way to go, but it seems to be wheezing its way in the right direction.

It is better than it was, but I'm always astounded by the number of people who honestly think that race-based discrimination just isn't an issue anymore.

Yes, that's because Americans have difficulty with the idea that "better" is different than "FIXED".

It occurs to me that damn near everything Americans do is based on false dichotomies.

This is an excellent observation.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

In other news, UK politicians mocked for suggesting prisoners should work call centre style jobs, for 40 hours a week.

"To make them more employable"


Prison increasingly seems an inevitability for many, rather than a punishment for few.

Finally, the dystopian future I was promised!

[Freeky]

In other news, UK politicians mocked for suggesting prisoners should work call centre style jobs, for 40 hours a week.

"To make them more employable"


Prison increasingly seems an inevitability for many, rather than a punishment for few.

Finally, the dystopian future I was promised!

[Juana]

I don't think they look at the numbers. Or add two and two if they do.

This is so sad, but now that there's been one, there might start up a rash of them all over the country.

I hope so. I really, really hope so.

We need to dismantle the whole prison and school system and start over.

Amen.

Isn't the prison system based on some archaic English model anyway? Seems like I remember reading that somewhere (Vine Deloria Jr., maybe?) I'm surprised we don't put peoples' heads on spikes for public display here. 

If I remember correctly (and I may not; its been a while and prison reform is not my historical interest) a lot of our prison shit is something we pioneered when state governments started getting involved with prisons in the North (I recall reading about a German who came over to tour our prison system and was quite impressed with it, back before we figured out solitary confinement makes monkeys go crazy). Prior to that, it was mostly local or private. When penal slavery was banned, IIRC, the South adopted a lot of Northern practices.

[The Johnny]

I don't think they look at the numbers. Or add two and two if they do.

This is so sad, but now that there's been one, there might start up a rash of them all over the country.

I hope so. I really, really hope so.

We need to dismantle the whole prison and school system and start over.

Amen.

Isn't the prison system based on some archaic English model anyway? Seems like I remember reading that somewhere (Vine Deloria Jr., maybe?) I'm surprised we don't put peoples' heads on spikes for public display here. 

Rather French? Something to do with criminalizing people that didnt produce enough?

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

They used to display heads on London Bridge.

Hey, that's in AZ now!

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

I don't think they look at the numbers. Or add two and two if they do.

This is so sad, but now that there's been one, there might start up a rash of them all over the country.

I hope so. I really, really hope so.

We need to dismantle the whole prison and school system and start over.

Amen.

Isn't the prison system based on some archaic English model anyway? Seems like I remember reading that somewhere (Vine Deloria Jr., maybe?) I'm surprised we don't put peoples' heads on spikes for public display here. 

If I remember correctly (and I may not; its been a while and prison reform is not my historical interest) a lot of our prison shit is something we pioneered when state governments started getting involved with prisons in the North (I recall reading about a German who came over to tour our prison system and was quite impressed with it, back before we figured out solitary confinement makes monkeys go crazy). Prior to that, it was mostly local or private. When penal slavery was banned, IIRC, the South adopted a lot of Northern practices.

That sounds about right, thanks. Must have been the court system instead.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

They used to display heads on London Bridge.

Hey, that's in AZ now!

GIVE

US

YOUR

STUFF

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

http://jthomasniu.org/PDF/prisonhistory112.pdf

The above is a good paper on the history of the US prison system. Couple points of interest:

1. Previously the criminal system used two levels of punishment: the prison where you awaited trial, and the workhouse, where you worked off your punishment (assuming they didn't kill you for it).

2. The Quakers and other religious people started changing the penal codes in the US to decrease the capital crimes (ie what you got the death penalty for) and began integrating the prison concept into a post court punishment.

A popular belief at the time was that criminal behavior was because the person had separated from God, so leaving them in solitary for awhile would give them time to reconnect with Him. Derp. (Got that from a History channel documentary, so take it as you will). However, mental problems stemming from Solitary were documented back in the 1800's.



3.

[Freeky]

  documentary.


Your post was otherwise interesting and full of good stuff.

[Cain]

Prison is the only place these youngsters are going to learn valuable life skills about how the world really works, especially in Mississippi.  I say we applaud this forward thinking from government.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Prison is the only place these youngsters are going to learn valuable life skills about how the world really works, especially in Mississippi.  I say we applaud this forward thinking from government.

I'm waiting to see if this generation is going to get pissed, or "get with the program".

[Bruno]

Prison is the only place these youngsters are going to learn valuable life skills about how the world really works, especially in Mississippi.  I say we applaud this forward thinking from government.

I'm waiting to see if this generation is going to get pissed, or "get with the program".

Some of both, I'm sure. Though getting pissed often just means dropping out of society and getting high a lot because, you know, the man hates it when you do that.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Prison is the only place these youngsters are going to learn valuable life skills about how the world really works, especially in Mississippi.  I say we applaud this forward thinking from government.

I'm waiting to see if this generation is going to get pissed, or "get with the program".

Some of both, I'm sure. Though getting pissed often just means dropping out of society and getting high a lot because, you know, the man hates it when you do that.

Yeah. That's pretty much what happened in the 70's. Burn, baby, burn, disco inferno...