Incarcerated Minds
The Walls That Divide Us Enslave Us
Orange is NOT the New Black
*Nearly 8 in 10 female mentally ill inmates reported physical or sexual abuse. Mental Health and Treatment of Inmates and Probationers, Published July, 1999. Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Justice.
*57.2 percent of females report abuse before admission to state prison versus 16.1 percent of males. 39.0 percent of female state prison inmates report that they were sexually abused before admission to state prison versus 5.8 percent of males. Prior Abuse Reported by Inmates and Probationers, Published in April, 1999. Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Justice.
*Nearly 6 in 10 women in state prisons had experienced physical or sexual abuse in the past. 69 percent reported that the assault occurred before age 18. Women Offenders, Published December 1999, Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Justice.
*Approximately 7 in 10 women under correctional sanction have minor children, more than 1,300.000 children. Women Offenders, Published December 1999, Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Justice.
Let's Get REAL.
who nobody wants
and everybody used.
They say you're crazy
cause you not crazy enough
to kneel when told to kneel.
Hey, big woman -
with scars on the head
and scars on the heart
that never seem to heal -
I saw your light
and it was shining.
You gave them love.
They gave you shit.
You gave them you.
they gave you hollywood.
They purr at you
cause you know how to roar
and back it up with realness.
Rhinocerous woman,
big momma in a little world.
You closed your eyes
and neon spun inside your head
cause it was dark outside.
You read your bible
but god never came.
Your daddy woulda loved you
but what would the neighbors say.
They hate you momma
cause you expose their madness.
And their cruelty.
They can see in your eyes
a thousand nightmares
that they have made come true.
Black woman. Baad woman.
Wear your bigness on your chest like a badge
cause you done earned it.
Strong woman. Amazon.
Wear your scars like jewelry
cause they were bought with blood.
They call you mad.
And almost had you
believing that shit.
They called you ugly.
And you hid yourself
behind yourself
and wallowed in their shame.
Rhinocerous woman -
this world is blind
and slight of mind
and cannot see
how beautiful you are.
I saw your light.
And it was shining
-Assata Shakur
The Roots of Imprisonment
*68% of State prison inmates did not receive a high school diploma (compared to about 18-19% of the general public)
* The groups of State prison inmates who had not completed high school or the GED included--
** 40% of males & 42 % of females
** 27% of whites, 44% of blacks, & 53% of hispanics
** 52% of inmates 24 or younger & 35% of inmates 45 or older
** 61% of non-citizens & 38 % of US citizens
** 59% with a speech disability
** 66% with a learning disability & 37% without a reported disability
Education Programs in Prison
*66 percent of state correctional facilities offered literacy or 1st–4th grade education programs
*64 percent offered 5th–8th grade education programs
*76 percent offered secondary or GED
*50 percent offered vocational training
*33 percent offered special education
*33 percent offered college courses
Participation in these programs tends to be low, though. For example:
*only 27 percent of state prison inmates reported having participated in vocational training programs
*19 percent reported having participated in secondary education programs (i.e., high school/GED)
*2 percent in adult basic education & 7 percent in adult postsecondary education programs
**Reasons for the low participation rates may include lack of programs or lack of aware- ness of program opportunities, reduced funding for correctional education programs because of state budget constraints, or competing demands.**
Recidivism Rates
and federal prison inmates.
* Federal Incarcerated Youth Offender (IYO) block grants were the most commonly cited source of funding for postsecondary correctional education programs in state
prison systems. State appropriations and prisoner self funding were also important sources of funds.
BARRIERS TO PRISON EDUCATION
Poor academic preparation means that many incarcerated students need remediation, especially in English and math, before taking college-level courses.
* Security protocols at correctional facilities can make it diffi cult to conduct college classes. Other logistical problems include the remote location of many prisons and
difficulties in hiring and retaining instructors to work on-site.
* Prison overcrowding often results in involuntary transfer from one correctional facility to another which interrupts coursework sequences and prevents inmates from completing their degree or certificate programs.
* Above all, a lack of support for postsecondary correctional education programs among policymakers and the public makes each of these barriers more challenging
to overcome.
* In fact, a longitudinal study determined that, within three years, 68 percent of prisoners released in 1994 were arrested for a new offense, 47 percent were reconvicted, and 52 percent returned to prison, either
for a new sentence or for a parole violation (Langan & Levin 2002).
*Data collected by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice show that Texas prisoners who earn an associate’s
degree while incarcerated return to prison at a rate of 27 percent, compared to a 43 percent recidivism rate for
the state prison system as a whole (Windham School District 2004). This reduction means that, of the 415 Texas prisoners who earned associate’s degrees in 2004, 66 fewer would return to prison within three years than would have been expected otherwise.
How do we learn to be free?
Solidarity
Solidarity
For me to be free
I must know
That my hopes,
My dreams,
My fears
Are
Both completely
Unique
And
Mundanely intertwined with yours.
Please tell me
You understand.
That my voice does not grate like
Nine inch nails down a chalkboard,
While I rot upon a dead tree,
A martyr for a broken system, whose hallmark is cruelty, inhumanity.
Or that it is imperceptible to most
Human ears—
Like a dog whistle in a sea of blissfully
Unaware owners,
some of whom are casually eating melting ice cream on a warm summer’s day.
I need your ears, your eyes, your heart.
I need you to know I’m here,
And even if your here is not mine,
I need you to know that my here is not your there,
My us is not your them.
I need to know you’ll be my captive audience,
If only for a moment,
So you can understand what I can’t do for myself,
but what we must do
Together.
Even if it makes you uncomfortable to see your pain
Reflected in my eyes.
-Brittany Rigdon
Works Cited
1. <http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/eroticization-and-objectification-female-inmates>
2. <http://www.csosa.gov/newsmedia/factsheets/statistics-on-women-offenders-2014.pdf>
3. <https://libcom.org/files/assataauto.pdf>
4. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4qASIBFWhE>
5. <http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/nerdscholar/2013/prison-education-programs-2/ >
6. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8a2XW3xsec>
7. <http://mischi92.deviantart.com/art/The-Power-of-Solidarity-309132002>
8. < http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ecp.pdf>
9.<http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR200/RR266/RAND_RR266.pdf>
10.<http://www.ihep.org/sites/default/files/uploads/docs/pubs/learningreducerecidivism.pdf>
11. <http://helpwiththetoughquestions.com/b-human-nature-freedom/>
Email: brittany.rigdon@palmbeachschools.org
Phone: ---