The horrifying reality of prisoner abuse in the United States is ignored by the free world. I am a prisoner incarcerated in the Federal Penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas. I have existed for over 14 years within this microcosm of madness, and as I write I look at the tall walls and the gun towers positioned for clear shots to take me and other prisoners out of this existence.
If the world can hear my voice, please forgive me for the iniquities that led me to this living nightmare. It is not a blatant exaggeration when I say that this is hell; it feels like and has a constant smell of death. I have personally known men who were murdered, left to suffer and die from treatable illnesses that prison authorities refused to treat because to them, prisoners are not even human. What prisoners are in their minds I do not know, for even animals are afforded the necessary care to sustain their lives.
I have committed iniquities against society, and I was sentenced to prison for committing crimes. But never have I committed any of the criminal wrongs that I see correctional officials do each and every day.
The media depicts all prisoners as animalistic predators who are continually scheming, lying, and committing savage acts of violence. As violence does occur in prison, it is perpetuated by prison officials who condone the savagery of prison culture where rape and perversity are commonplace.
American and world citizens need to be aware that America's prison system monitors itself, and recognize that we have a crisis because there is no accountability for abuse. There is a need for reform of the punitive prison policies which breed lawlessness.
Prisoners in Federal and State systems are being murdered, beaten, and maimed. They are left to suffer from medical neglect. They are dying from lack of attention and consideration because they are prisoners. The Iraqi prison scandal cannot compare to the scale of dehumanization that goes on here in the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons tries in every demeaning way to strip people of their hopes, their self worth, and their ability to change their lives in order to become productive members of society upon re-entry into their communities. The Bureau of Prisons tries to strip away every vestige of compassion and decency in men.
With the lack of needed rehabilitation programs, education, and other services, prisoners are left to survive by the only means available to them to keep from falling into the state of dementia, which affects all prisoners.
The U.S. prison system has made a taunting ridicule of justice in its maltreatment and brutal subjugation of prisoners. This is made possible because a desensitized world has become immune to the immoral practices of its State and Federal governments. Prisoner abuse remains deeply entrenched in the United States because it is ignored. When we remain silent in the face of injustice, we speak loudly against the principles of justice. If we do not help end prisoner abuse while knowing that it occurs, we become a part of the abuse.
We know as human beings that abuse of prisoners does not solve the problems of society or resolve anything; it compounds an evil. Prisoner abuse is a negation of human rights and human dignity. This system of abuse is a platform for unsatisfied vigilantes fueled by media stereotypes. Despite the duplicitous truths of the inhumane practice of prisoner abuse, individuals are blinded by hatred, racism, and revenge that influence and support the brutality of prisoners with its barbaric eye-for-an-eye mentality.
Every day that I survive I struggle, and every day that I struggle I survive life in this shadow of existence. Know that as a human being, I love. In all my years of incarceration, Love has sustained me. Love transcends the bounds of race, creed, and geography and brings the whole free world within its sphere. It is time that we as a people take a strong stand, and bring about new policies and reforms by laying down a foundation of Love on this foundation reforms will be enacted to help prisoners and their families meet the challenges that await them upon their release from prison.
Donnell Joseph
#01534-112
FCI Schuylkill
PO Box 759
Minersville PA 17954
If the world can hear my voice, please forgive me for the iniquities that led me to this living nightmare. It is not a blatant exaggeration when I say that this is hell; it feels like and has a constant smell of death. I have personally known men who were murdered, left to suffer and die from treatable illnesses that prison authorities refused to treat because to them, prisoners are not even human. What prisoners are in their minds I do not know, for even animals are afforded the necessary care to sustain their lives.
I have committed iniquities against society, and I was sentenced to prison for committing crimes. But never have I committed any of the criminal wrongs that I see correctional officials do each and every day.
The media depicts all prisoners as animalistic predators who are continually scheming, lying, and committing savage acts of violence. As violence does occur in prison, it is perpetuated by prison officials who condone the savagery of prison culture where rape and perversity are commonplace.
American and world citizens need to be aware that America's prison system monitors itself, and recognize that we have a crisis because there is no accountability for abuse. There is a need for reform of the punitive prison policies which breed lawlessness.
Prisoners in Federal and State systems are being murdered, beaten, and maimed. They are left to suffer from medical neglect. They are dying from lack of attention and consideration because they are prisoners. The Iraqi prison scandal cannot compare to the scale of dehumanization that goes on here in the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons tries in every demeaning way to strip people of their hopes, their self worth, and their ability to change their lives in order to become productive members of society upon re-entry into their communities. The Bureau of Prisons tries to strip away every vestige of compassion and decency in men.
With the lack of needed rehabilitation programs, education, and other services, prisoners are left to survive by the only means available to them to keep from falling into the state of dementia, which affects all prisoners.
The U.S. prison system has made a taunting ridicule of justice in its maltreatment and brutal subjugation of prisoners. This is made possible because a desensitized world has become immune to the immoral practices of its State and Federal governments. Prisoner abuse remains deeply entrenched in the United States because it is ignored. When we remain silent in the face of injustice, we speak loudly against the principles of justice. If we do not help end prisoner abuse while knowing that it occurs, we become a part of the abuse.
We know as human beings that abuse of prisoners does not solve the problems of society or resolve anything; it compounds an evil. Prisoner abuse is a negation of human rights and human dignity. This system of abuse is a platform for unsatisfied vigilantes fueled by media stereotypes. Despite the duplicitous truths of the inhumane practice of prisoner abuse, individuals are blinded by hatred, racism, and revenge that influence and support the brutality of prisoners with its barbaric eye-for-an-eye mentality.
Every day that I survive I struggle, and every day that I struggle I survive life in this shadow of existence. Know that as a human being, I love. In all my years of incarceration, Love has sustained me. Love transcends the bounds of race, creed, and geography and brings the whole free world within its sphere. It is time that we as a people take a strong stand, and bring about new policies and reforms by laying down a foundation of Love on this foundation reforms will be enacted to help prisoners and their families meet the challenges that await them upon their release from prison.
Donnell Joseph
#01534-112
FCI Schuylkill
PO Box 759
Minersville PA 17954
No comments:
Post a Comment