It's common currency for the West, with America leading the charge, to shout about injustice, corruption and breach of human rights in other countries, but never batting an eyelid about the stinking cruel, corrupt and unjust prison system right in their own patch. The Greek prison system recently reached exploding point, however, America, "Land of the Free", leads the world in the percentage of its population that it locks up in its cruel privatised prison system.
Prisons are for intimidation, control, repression, and now for profit,
absolutely nothing to do with protecting society, justice or reform. This recently published letter from a prisoner in America highlights the vicious brutality and injustice of the system, with prisoners being held for long terms just waiting for their case to be heard.
Dear IOA,
Hope this letter finds you in best of health and spirits, as for myself I’m making it. I’ve been trying to get my writ of habeas corpus or motion to dismiss…accepted, but all have been denied without actually telling a fact. Each one of my writs or motions have been held under my constitutional right, each effort has been denied, which violates my constitutional rights and also shows due prejudice of the justice system in Durham county. Why, because I’m black.
Each day I hear a person getting locked up for 2 grams of crack or heroin with habitual felon status and 28 grams or 14 grams with a gun and they got caught with the drugs or both and their bond is 50 for 14 grams of heroin no gun or 28 grams with a gun…I was never arrested around near any cocaine. By an informant. No arrest, still only accused. No lab work ever came back yet and now the charge is a year old. My bond was a million now for the last 5 months $500,000 bond. 7th Amendment is no excessive bond, cruel and unusual punishment. That’s why I asked your help and the Southern Coalition. My roommate and I watched your protest on the 13th of June, as we watched so did the same officers that accuse the lie on me and him. They watched all of you in the green Chevrolet, the Black F-150s, the white Ford work van, the black run down Crown Victoria with the windows down as you guys have now got their attention. I pray you watch your back for the next 4 to 8 months for just as my charge of a lie got me sitting here, I hope you better luck, if not your bond will be 1 million. Best of luck to all of you and I hope you keep your eyes open for all they do is create lies of past charges, and set up, and if you have a record of any kind they’re going to create a charge. So I ask again watch your backs you won’t know anything till they run up on you with a search warrant or indictment for some charge you done 15 years ago, but you will see them again. Three of them are S.J. Newton, D.T. Rose, and T. Thomas. There’s 18 in all, but you will learn they are a bunch of set-up artists and crooks. For I still don’t have no receipt for the last $150 they took from me when I was arrested on this charge by S.J. Newton. He still hasn’t turned it in or he paid his light bill with my money. There was no drug taken from me when they arrested me so my money since I am Black is theirs. Their word is all that counts and I’m going to sit in their jail because they can do it as long as they want for I have no help to get anyone else to come see me. My lawyer is —-, number is —-, call him tell him I said come see me. Just so you will know you call I will tell him about who I saw on June 13th…He works with District Attorney Nicholas Yates on my charge. I called both of them on the issue and haven’t seen the courtroom since they have been judge shopping ever since. This is why I asked to get the Southern Coalition to come see me. I sent the notarized affidavit of my action to you for record as well as the same copy I’m going to send the Southern Coalition. I ask again please help.
Y. B.
