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5 episodes with Victoria Law
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2 episodes with Victoria Law
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2 episodes with Victoria Law
2 episodes with Victoria Law
With just three weeks until the federal election, both leaders are making major policy shifts while an unprecedented number of voters remain undecided. Plus, in an Australian first, we examine a landmark ruling that's changing how our legal system approaches domestic violence cases. If you or someone you know needs support, contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732. And in today's headlines the audience has given Anthony Albanese the win in the first leaders debate of the federal election 44% to 35%'; Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky claims Chinese citizens have been captured fighting for Russia in eastern Ukraine; Prince Harry is back in the UK fighting the decision to remove his security; Madonna and Elton have ended their decades long feud and may collaborate on a new song. See more about RizeUp Australia here Tell us what's important to you this election: Take the Mamamia Votes survey here THE END BITS Support independent women's media Check out The Quicky Instagram here GET IN TOUCH Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice note or email us at thequicky@mamamia.com.au CREDITS Hosts: Taylah Strano & Claire Murphy Guests: Tim Lester, 7News Politics & National Security Correspondent Executive Producer: Taylah Strano Audio Producer: Lu Hill Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Beatrice speaks with Victoria Law about how prisons and jails have acted as vectors of covid transmission throughout the pandemic, the experiences of people on the inside from early in the pandemic through fights happening now over long covid in incarcerated people, and why it's still not too late to bring back a common demand from 2020: to free them all for public health. This episode was originally released for patrons on September 9th, 2024, as Artie explains in a brief note at the top of the show. To support the show and help make episodes like this one possible, become a patron at www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod Find Victoria's book, Corridors of Contagion: How the Pandemic Exposed the Cruelties of Incarceration, here: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2447-corridors-of-contagion Find our book Health Communism here: www.versobooks.com/books/4081-health-communism Find Jules' latest book, A Short History of Trans Misogyny, here: https://www.versobooks.com/products/3054-a-short-history-of-trans-misogyny Death Panel merch here (patrons get a discount code): www.deathpanel.net/merch As always, support Death Panel at www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod
This week, we're featuring two interviews concerning prison conditions in North Carolina. First up, you'll hear from Elizabeth Simpson of Emancipate NC, one of the signatories to a public letter to this state's department of corrections calling for the release of hundreds of prisoners in North Carolina. This comes in response to over-crowding and understaffing of prisons following the emergency transfer of 2,000 prisoners from prisons in the western part of the state effected by Hurricane Helene. [00:01:15 - 00:18:50] Then, Mona Evans of Benevolence Farm, a post-release residence and re-entry program in North Carolina for people coming out of the women's prisons talks about their programs, re-entry and some of the realities faced inside womens prisons in this state. [00:20:04 - 01:04:40] In this conversation I mentioned Victoria Law's latest book, Corridors of Contagion: How the Pandemic Exposed the Cruelties of Incarceration (Haymarket Books). You can find our 2013 interview with her about her 2nd edition of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women at this link. Other projects Mona mentioned include: Arise Collective re-entry program DownhomeNC engages in a number of progressive causes in this state, including the bail fund that Benevolence Farms is currently running. You can find our 2020 interview with them here. . ... . .. Featured Track: Women on the Inside by Sistas In The Pit from The We That Sets Us Free: Building A World Without Prisons
Beatrice speaks with Mon Mohapatra, Tracy Rosenthal and Victoria Law about how the rhetorics of “care,” support, and empathy are often deployed to expand and reinforce carcerality—to make carcerality appear innocuous, or even an expansion of social welfare and public health. Transcript forthcoming. This episode was recorded live at the 2024 Socialism Conference in Chicago in early September, under the session title "Carewashing: Carcerality Disguised as Social Welfare." We collaborated with conference organizers to host five discussions there over labor day weekend. Recordings and transcripts of those sessions will be released over the coming weeks. Note: As speakers were not introduced individually before their opening statements, those statements are in the order listed in the title (Mon, Tracy, then Victoria). Thanks to Han Olliver for our Death Panel x Socialism Conference 2024 poster image, which is being used as the cover image for this episode on platforms that support it. Find and support Han's work at hanolliver.com Find our book Health Communism here: www.versobooks.com/books/4081-health-communism Find Jules' new book, A Short History of Trans Misogyny, here: https://www.versobooks.com/products/3054-a-short-history-of-trans-misogyny Death Panel merch here (patrons get a discount code): www.deathpanel.net/merch
Subscribe on Patreon and hear this week's full patron-exclusive episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/111673467 Beatrice speaks with Victoria Law about how prisons and jails have acted as vectors of covid transmission throughout the pandemic, the experiences of people on the inside from early in the pandemic through fights happening now over long covid in incarcerated people, and why it's still not too late to bring back a common demand from 2020: to free them all for public health. Find Victoria's book, Corridors of Contagion: How the Pandemic Exposed the Cruelties of Incarceration, here: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2447-corridors-of-contagion Get Health Communism here: www.versobooks.com/books/4081-health-communism Find Jules' new book here: https://www.versobooks.com/products/3054-a-short-history-of-trans-misogyny Runtime 2:00:02, 9 September 2024
After looking closely at how the family policing system operates, we zoom out to discuss how family policing is an extension of other carceral systems and how abolition is the solution. We just need to stretch our imagination. About Our Guest: Maya Schenwar is the director of the Truthout Center for Grassroots Journalism, and the board president of Truthout. She is the co-author (with Victoria Law) of "Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms," and the author of "Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn't Work and How We Can Do Better." Her next book, a co-edited anthology entitled "Parenting Toward Abolition" (a collaboration with Kim Wilson), will be released in 2024. Episode Notes: Episode Transcript: upendmovement.org/episode1-7 Support the work of upEND: upendmovement.org/donate Continue learning with additional resources in our syllabus: upendmovement.org/syllabus Critical Resistance is building an international movement to abolish the prison-industrial complex and creates robust organizing resources. Just Practice builds communities' capacity to effectively and empathically respond to intimate partner violence and sexual assault without relying primarily on police or other state-based systems. Interrupting Criminalization offers political education materials, organizing tools, support skill-building and practice spaces for organizers and movements challenging criminalization and the violence of policing and punishment to build safer communities. Ujimaa Medics is a Black health collective. We spread emergency first response, community care, and survival skills to access health justice and long term wellness for all Black lives. Fumbling Toward Repair is a workbook by Mariame Kaba and Shira Hassan intended to support people who have taken on the coordination and facilitation of formal community accountability processes to address interpersonal harm & violence. Connect with Maya's work at mayaschenwar.com, Truthout.org, and loveprotect.org.
This week on Kite Line we air a discussion from 2021, in which we speak with prison abolitionist journalists Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law. We share the first part of our discussion on their recent book, Prison by Any Other Name: Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms. The book is an in-depth look at the various …
A new report highlights the experiences those sentenced to death by incarceration in Pennsylvania's women's prisons. Joining to discuss her article about it as well as a previous recent report on the ways in which prisons use menstruation as a form of punishment, is Victoria Law, is a freelance journalist and the author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women (2012) and “Prisons Make Us Safer”: And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration (2021). She also co-authored the book Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms (2020). Read Victoria Law's latest piece: These Women Face Death by Incarceration, But They're Organizing for Their Lives: https://truthout.org/articles/these-women-face-death-by-incarceration-but-theyre-organizing-for-their-lives/ Read Victoria Law's previous piece: Prisons Use Menstruation as a Form of Punishment: https://time.com/6265653/prison-menstruation-punishment/ —- Subscribe to this podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1637968343?to=page Get in touch: lawanddisorder@kpfa.org Follow us on socials @LawAndDis: https://twitter.com/LawAndDis; https://www.instagram.com/lawanddis/ The post Women Sentenced to Death by Incarceration in PA w/ Victoria Law appeared first on KPFA.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/the-pendleton-2-saved-a-mans-life-a-judge-sentenced-them-to-200-years-for-itOn Feb. 1, 1985, prison guards at the Indiana State Reformatory (now Pendleton Correctional Facility) affiliated with a KKK-splinter group known as the Sons of Light chained prisoner Lincoln Love in their office and began to mercilessly beat him. John "Balagoon" Cole and Christopher "Naeem" Trotter led a group of prisoners to the office and demanded entrance. When the Sons of Light responded with more violence, the prisoners took hostages and occupied a cell block for 15 hours, releasing a list of demands to improve inhumane prison conditions. John "Balagoon" Cole and Christopher "Naeem" Trotter were ultimately sentenced to 84 and 142 years for their successful attempt to save Lincoln Love's life. Cole and Trotter remain incarcerated to this day, and now face major medical complications from old age and decades of institutional neglect. On this episode of Rattling the Bars, Mansa Musa speaks about the "Pendleton 2" with poet Too Black and journalist Victoria Law. Click here to learn more about the campaign to free the Pendleton 2 and how you can get involved.Studio/Post-Production: Cameron GranadinoHelp us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-rtbSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-rtbGet Rattling the Bars updates: https://therealnews.com/up-pod-rtbLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/the-pendleton-2-saved-a-mans-life-a-judge-sentenced-them-to-200-years-for-itOn Feb. 1, 1985, prison guards at the Indiana State Reformatory (now Pendleton Correctional Facility) affiliated with a KKK-splinter group known as the Sons of Light chained prisoner Lincoln Love in their office and began to mercilessly beat him. John "Balagoon" Cole and Christopher "Naeem" Trotter led a group of prisoners to the office and demanded entrance. When the Sons of Light responded with more violence, the prisoners took hostages and occupied a cell block for 15 hours, releasing a list of demands to improve inhumane prison conditions. John "Balagoon" Cole and Christopher "Naeem" Trotter were ultimately sentenced to 84 and 142 years for their successful attempt to save Lincoln Love's life. Cole and Trotter remain incarcerated to this day, and now face major medical complications from old age and decades of institutional neglect. On this episode of Rattling the Bars, Mansa Musa speaks about the "Pendleton 2" with poet Too Black and journalist Victoria Law. Click here to learn more about the campaign to free the Pendleton 2 and how you can get involved.Studio/Post-Production: Cameron GranadinoHelp us continue producing Rattling the Bars by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer: Donate: https://therealnews.com/donate-pod-rtbSign up for our newsletter: https://therealnews.com/nl-pod-rtbGet Rattling the Bars updates: https://therealnews.com/up-pod-rtbLike us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnewsFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews
This week, Caits Meissner and Nicole Shawan Junior discuss their contributions to The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting A Writer's Life in Prison. They are joined by Alicia Brown. The following conversation originally took place May 15, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about The Sentences That Create Us: The Sentences That Create Us provides a road map for incarcerated people and their allies to have a thriving writing life behind bars—and shared beyond the walls—that draws on the unique insights of more than fifty contributors, most themselves justice-involved, to offer advice, inspiration and resources. The Sentences That Create Us draws from the unique insights of over fifty justice-involved contributors and their allies to offer inspiration and resources for creating a literary life in prison. Centering in the philosophy that writers in prison can be as vibrant and capable as writers on the outside, and have much to offer readers everywhere, The Sentences That Create Us aims to propel writers in prison to launch their work into the world beyond the walls, while also embracing and supporting the creative community within the walls. The Sentences That Create Us is a comprehensive resource writers can grow with, beginning with the foundations of creative writing. A roster of impressive contributors including Reginald Dwayne Betts (Felon: Poems), Mitchell S. Jackson (Survival Math), Wilbert Rideau (In the Place of Justice) and Piper Kerman (Orange is the New Black), among many others, address working within and around the severe institutional, emotional, psychological and physical limitations of writing prison through compelling first-person narratives. The book's authors offer pragmatic advice on editing techniques, pathways to publication, writing routines, launching incarcerated-run prison publications and writing groups, lesson plans from prison educators and next-step resources. Threaded throughout the book is the running theme of addressing lived trauma in writing, and writing's capacity to support an authentic healing journey centered in accountability and restoration. While written towards people in the justice system, this book can serve anyone seeking hard won lessons and inspiration for their own creative—and human—journey. The Sentences That Create Us includes contributions from Alexa Alemanni; Raquel Almazan; Ellen Bass; Reginald Dwayne Betts; Keri Blakinger; Jennifer Bowen; Zeke Caligiuri; Sterling Cunio; Chris Daley; Curtis Dawkins; Emile DeWeaver; Casey Donahue; Ryan Gattis; Eli Hager; Ashley Hamilton, PhD; Kenneth Hartman; Elizabeth Hawes; Randall Horton; Spoon Jackson; Mitchell S. Jackson; Nicole Shawan Junior; Yukari Iwatani Kane, Shaheen Pasha, and Kate McQueen of The Prison Journalism Project; Piper Kerman; Lauren Kessler; Johnny Kovatch; Doran Larson; Victoria Law; Jaeah Lee; John J. Lennon; Arthur Longworth; T Kira Mahealani Madden; J. D. Mathes; Justin Rovillos Monson; Lateef Mtima, JD; Vivian D. Nixon; Patrick O'Neil; Liza Jessie Peterson; Wilbert Rideau; Alejo Rodriguez; Luis J. Rodriguez; Susan Rosenberg; Geraldine Sealey; Sarah Shourd; Sarah Shourd; Anderson Smith, PhD; Derek R. Trumbo Sr.; Louise K. WaaKaa'igan; Andy Warner; Thomas Bartlett Whitaker; John R. Whitman, PhD; Saint James Harris Wood; Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor of Ear Hustle; and Jeffery L. Young.
Our planned interview is rescheduled for tomorrow. Today we review Rotten History and new answers to the Question from Hell. We play back an interview with Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law, recorded August 5th, 2020. https://thisishell.com/interviews/1214-victoria-law-maya-schenwar
Today anti-violence activist and author Mariame Kaba returns to discuss Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law for The Stacks Book Club. We highlight the depth of knowledge that this book provides about the history and current state of criminalization, and unpack the idea that prison is something that ties us all together. We ask why so many so-called reforms look like prison and policing, and what solutions might work in their place. Be sure to listen to the end of today's episode to find out what our December book club pick will be.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/11/30/ep-243-prison-by-any-other-nameConnect with Mariame: Twitter | WebsiteConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo support The Stacks and find out more from this week's sponsors, click here.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Journalist and academic Steven W. Thrasher joins the show to discuss his eye-opening new book The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide. Steven explains the idea of the viral underclass - those most societally vulnerable to disease transmission - and the criminalization of the sick. We also discuss his comparison of COVID-19 and HIV responses throughout the book and his positionally as a Black and queer writer discussing disease.The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law. We will discuss the book on November 30th with Mariame Kaba.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/11/23/ep-242-steven-w-thrasherConnect with Steven: Instagram | Twitter | WebsiteConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo support The Stacks and find out more from this week's sponsors, click here.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today Jonathan Abrams joins The Stacks to discuss his third book The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop. In unpacking the massive undertaking, the NYT staff writer and sports reporter addresses what goes into crafting a good oral history, and why he wanted to tell this particular story now. Plus, we get into the best diss tracks and rap beefs of all time.The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law. We will discuss the book on November 30th with Mariame Kaba.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2022/11/16/ep-241-jonathan-abramsConnect with Jonathan: Instagram | TwitterConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo support The Stacks and find out more from this week's sponsors, click here.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode, we take a look at what happens to people held in prison who are violated and harmed there – what resources they can turn to, how do those resources actually work, if at all, and what does it mean for us a society that once people are locked away, their well-being is, in many cases, ignored. We'll take a deep dive, into the way New York state has handled cases of sexual assault of prisoners by guards. A note for listeners – we do not use graphic descriptions of sexual violence in this show, but we will refer to some of those experiences in order to understand how the prison system functions to essentially cover up its violence against prisoners. Our guest is Victoria Law, a freelance journalist who focuses on the intersections of incarceration, gender and resistance. She's also the author of “Prisons Make Us Safer”: And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration (2021) and the co-author of Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms (2020). Her latest article published by the Intercept is, BLIND SPOTS – Sexual Assault Allegation Exposes Self-Policing Prison System. Follow Victoria Law on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LVikkiml Read Victoria Law's article here: https://www.nysfocus.com/2022/11/03/prison-sexual-assault-investigation-new-york/ —- Subscribe to this podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1637968343?to=page Get in touch: lawanddisorder@kpfa.org Follow us on socials @LawAndDis: https://twitter.com/LawAndDis; https://www.instagram.com/lawanddis/ The post No Accountability for NY Prison Guards After Sexual Assault Allegations w/ Victoria Law appeared first on KPFA.
Renowned sports journalist Jemele Hill joins the show to discuss her powerful new book Uphill: A Memoir. We talk about how she organized and thought about telling her story, how she cultivated he sources as a journalist. Jemele also reveals how she navigates the challenging relationship between her own identity as a Black woman and the world of sports.The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law. We will discuss the book on November 30th with Mariame Kaba.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: thestackspodcast.com/2022/11/09/ep-240-jemele-hillConnect with Jemele: Instagram | TwitterConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo support The Stacks and find out more from this week's sponsors, click here.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today we welcome Mariame Kaba - activist and author of the book We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice, and her latest, No More Police: A Case for Abolition, which she cowrote with Andrea J. Ritchie. In discussing her lifelong devotion to anti-violence, we learn why Mariame doesn't center herself in the work toward abolition, and why she does not consider herself a writer. She also explains the difference between punishment and consequences and shares some incredible book recommendations.The Stacks Book Club selection for November is Prison By Any Other Name by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law. We will discuss the book on November 30th with Mariame Kaba.You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website: https://thestackspodcast.com/2022/11/02/ep-239-mariame-kabaConnect with Mariame: Twitter | WebsiteConnect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | SubscribeSUPPORT THE STACKSJoin The Stacks Pack on PatreonTo support The Stacks and find out more from this week's sponsors, click here.Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Nation Magazine contributor Victoria Law joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast and discussed her recent article that explores the objections of correction officers' unions to new restrictions on solitary confinement in New York state prisons. North Coast Area Labor Federation President Pat Gallagher made his regular appearance on the America's Work Force Union Podcast and discussed a tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement reached between the railway unions and the railroads, which if accepted, will avert a nationwide strike. He also spoke about a tentative CBA between USW members and Cleveland-Cliffs.
On this episode, we take a hard look at the United States prison system with “Prisons Make Us Safer”: And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration, by Victoria Law.
Nominated for a Media for a Just Society award, revisit New Thinking's conversation with activists Victoria Law and Maya Schenwar. In their book, Prison By Any Other Name, Law and Schenwar contend that much of what is packaged today as “reforms” to the criminal legal system are extending, not countering, that system's harmful effects. So … Continue reading Reform and Its Discontents →
In “People over Profit: The Case for Abolishing the Prison Financial System,” Sean Kolkey discusses a form of prison economic exploitation, typified by fee-laden debit release cards and exorbitant money transfer fees. He argues that the prison financial system must be abolished and proposes a community-centered alternative to the existing system that centers economic power within the communities mass incarceration disproportionately impacts. Author: Sean Kolkey is a J.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. Host: Carter Jansen Technology Editors: NoahLani Litwinsella (Volume 110 Senior Technology Editor), Carter Jansen (Volume 110 Technology Editor), Hiep Nguyen (Volume 111 Senior Technology Editor), Taylor Graham (Volume 111 Technology Editor), Benji Martinez (Volume 111 Technology Editor) Other Editors: Ximena Velazquez-Arenas (Volume 111 Senior Diversity Editor), Jacob Binder (Volume 111 Associate Editor), Michaela Park (Volume 111 Associate Editor), Kat King (Volume 111 Publishing Editor) Soundtrack: Composed and performed by Carter Jansen Article Abstract: The term “mass incarceration” is used to describe a crisis that, to many, is both abstract and distant. But for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, low-income, and other communities whose lives are disproportionately affected by the criminal legal system, the reality of carceral exploitation is as unavoidable as it is harmful. Incarceration has always had economic ramifications, but the modern prison has become an amalgamation of public and private interests that increasingly treat incarcerated individuals and their communities as a source of profit. In a matter of decades, prison finance has become a billion-dollar industry concentrated in the hands of powerful corporate interests, and it overwhelmingly preys on historically marginalized and low-income communities. The advent of the digital economy has opened a new dimension of economic exploitation, typified by fee-laden debit release cards and exorbitant money transfer fees. In light of these increasingly exploitative practices, documenting the full extent of financial exploitation within the prison system is an immensely difficult task. Ending it is even harder. Despite persistent efforts to reform prison finance through litigation and regulation, the problem is getting worse—not better. This Note argues that the prison financial system is beyond repair and that it must be abolished. To that end, this Note proposes a community-centered alternative to the existing prison financial system that reclaims the economic power seized by the carceral state and relocates it within the communities that mass incarceration has disproportionately impacted. Though it is only one part of the broader project of prison abolition, the proposed alternative addresses an aspect of the criminal legal system that is often overlooked. Doing so represents a concrete step towards the eventual dismantling of the prison industrial complex. A Note About Language: The words that we use to describe people who have come in contact with the criminal legal system play a foundational role in our own conception and, by extension, our society's treatment of these individuals. While terms like “inmate,” “ex-convict,” and “prisoner” are widely used and recognized, they carry an inseparable connection to physical spaces that many people view with fear and contempt. Though linguistically convenient, this connotation reinforces harmful ideas and attitudes towards some of the most marginalized members of our communities. As such, this Article identifies people who have come in contact with the criminal legal system by their names when possible and in other instances refers to them as “incarcerated” or “formerly incarcerated” individuals. (For a more thorough discussion, see Victoria Law & Rachel Roth, Names Do Hurt: The Case Against Using Derogatory Language to Describe People in Prison, Rewire News Grp. (Apr. 20, 2015).
Our learning about the abolition of the prison industrial complex and the work necessary for transformative change continues. Listen as Aaron and Damien discuss Haymarket Books' Abolishing Policing, Not Just the Police panel event featuring journalists and authors Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law, and moderated by abolitionist organizer Mariame Kaba. This incredible conversation highlights the need to resist alternatives to police and policing, and provides us with more education about and justification for embracing abolition of all forms of the prison industrial complex for a more just society. Follow us on social media and visit our website! Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Website, Leave us a message, Merch store
This is the audio version of a panel discussion hosted on March 24 that explores the importance of physical mail in prison and how the prison industrial complex works to undermine imprisoned people's ability to meaningfully communicate with their loved ones. You can watch video of the panel here: https://www.beyond-prisons.com/home/video-why-physical-mail-matters Physical mail is a layered issue, and policies that eliminate physical mail are violent and cruel. They seek to destroy the loving and caring connections that people have. They “pile on” more separation than that which already exists and makes it even harder for people to remain in relationship and community with their support systems. They disproportionately affect poor people. They add another cost onto the already long list of things that prisoners and their loved ones pay for. They expand the surveillance mechanisms of the carceral state in ways that I'm not sure we have begun to grapple with. Letter writing has always been an important form of communication between prisoners and their loved ones. Eliminating physical mail reveals the inhumanity of this system and illustrates that incarceration has NOTHING to do with rehabilitation or preparing people to return to their communities, and EVERYTHING to do with using incarcerated people and their loved ones as revenue streams. Letters exchanged between prisoners and loved ones offer a counter to the dehumanization that we experience. Letters, cards, drawings, and ephemera serve as proof of life in a system that seeks our erasure and death. These documents are how we build or rebuild relationships, how we share news (good, bad, and mundane), how we learn about the conditions inside, how prisoners are able to stay connected to the children and families that are outside, and how we prevent more harm. Hosted by the Beyond Prisons Podcast, NYU Prison Education Program and Study and Struggle. Introduction by Kim Wilson. Kim Wilson is an educator, self-taught artist, and cohost and producer of the Beyond Prisons podcast. Moderated by Charlotte Rosen. Charlotte Rosen is a PhD Candidate in History at Northwestern University and a member of Study and Struggle, which organizes against criminalization and incarceration in Mississippi through mutual aid, political education, and community building. Panelists: Monica Cosby. Monica describes herself as a “gramma trying to do liberatory stuff,” subscribing to an abolition feminist mode of thinking, being and moving in the world. Her life and work have been shaped and informed by the communities to which she belongs, including the community of artists, scholars, moms with whom she was incarcerated, and whose survival was/is an act of resistance against a system that would dispose of them. As an advocate and activist, she has collaborated, organized, and worked with Westside Justice Center, Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration, Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network, Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois, Women's Justice Institute, Uptown People's Law Center, and others. Monica is a scholar, thinker, and writer, having essays published or reprinted in TruthOut and In the Long Term (published by Haymarket Books). She also wrote Solitary Confinement is Used to Break People; On Leaving Prison: A Reflection on Entering and Exiting Communities; And, Restorative Revelations by Monica Cosby and Analise Buth–published in the St. Thomas Law Journal. Lawrence Posey (He/Him). Lawrence is 44 years old and originally from Camden, New Jersey. He currently lives in the Bronx. He is a father of two children who are 18 and 15. He was previously incarcerated. Since his release, he works as a manager at a company called Reserve Inc which is a covid-19 coalition. He is also a student at New York University studying at The Gallatin School of Individualized Study, majoring in Film and Business. He recently started his own publishing and production company called Legacy Works Enterprises. In addition to publishing, Legacy Works Enterprises focuses on youth educational programs and social justice. Lawrence is part of a social justice cohort At the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO Works) where he organizes with the Participant Advocacy Council (PAC for short). The PAC cohort has lobbied with Communities Not Cages (CCA) which has fought to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing, and advocated for Second Look Act, the Earn Good Time Act, and the Clean Slate Act. Finally, PAC also is in association with Treatment Not Jail (TNJ), lobbying for mental health programs instead of prison. Mychal Pagan. Mychal Pagan (BA '24) is a student at NYU, and is curious about the relationships between perception, memory, and narration. He is fascinated by the process of merging poetry with filmmaking, and the art of social photography with data-driven storytelling. His writing and photography have been featured in NYU publications including The Gallatin Review, Confluence, Fire in the Lake, and Missives. And his short documentary series Afternotes can be viewed at the NYU's Prison Education Program website. Sergio Hyland (He/Him). Sergio recently returned to society after serving nearly 21 years straight. He is an abolitionist, and Editor-in-Chief of THE MOVEMENT Magazine, the official magazine of the Human Rights Coalition in Pennsylvania. He also works for the Abolitionist Law Center. Andre Pierce. Andre is a Black man that spent the last 25 years caged in Connecticut State prisons. He earned a Bachelor's Degree with a concentration in Philosophy. He writes, “my strenuous efforts took place alongside my fight to maintain my sanity in a soul-crushing carceral institution.” He asserts that his extraordinary growth and development cannot be understood as rehabilitation but instead as Black Liberation. Dre, uses his intimate experience of suffering in prison to fuel his passion for prison abolition. Ellis Maxwell. Ellis Maxwell is an educator and community member in Fort Worth, Texas. They believe in making organic political education available to people of all ages, and seek to work with anyone willing to look at their conditioning and try to move differently. Ellis is the editor of the Beyond Prisons podcast. Maya Schenwar (She/Her). Maya is the editor-in-chief of Truthout. She is the co-author (with Victoria Law) of Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms and author of Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn't Work and How We Can Do Better. She is also the co-editor (with Joe Macaré and Alana Yu-Lan Price) of Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? Police Violence and Resistance in the United States. Maya is a co-founder of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, and she organizes with the abolitionist collective Love & Protect. Episode Resources & Notes Watch video of the panel: https://www.beyond-prisons.com/home/video-why-physical-mail-matters Learn more about this issue and campaign: https://www.beyond-prisons.com/home/say-no-to-eliminating-physical-mail-in-delaware-prisons Credits Created and hosted by Kim Wilson and Brian Sonenstein Edited by Ellis Maxwell Website & volunteers managed by Victoria Nam Theme music by Jared Ware Support Beyond Prisons Visit our website at beyond-prisons.com Support our show and join us on Patreon. Check out our other donation options as well. Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Play Join our mailing list for updates on new episodes, events, and more Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com Kim Wilson is available for speaking engagements and to facilitate workshops. Please contact beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com for more information Twitter: @Beyond_Prison Facebook:@beyondprisonspodcast Instagram:@beyondprisons
A week of double standards: SCOTUS nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on the one hand grilled to shreds by seething Republicans, and the wife of 30-year conservative veteran Clarence Thomas outed as a Stop the Steal rally organizer. You couldn't have scripted it better. Comedian Gianmarco Soresi joins to talk about the KBJ hearings and the latest revelations about Ginni Thomas. Will Clarence have the decency to resign or be impeached? Plus if prisons actually worked, why, in the most carceral country on Earth do we still have crime in America? Huh. Author and journalist Victoria Law joins to discuss her book “Prisons Make Us Safer”: And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration and why prison reform is often expansion in disguise. Finally, PROPAGANDA FAIL out of North Korea and a Patreon-only Bonus Bish about Applebee's bosses relishing in higher gas prices. Why? Become a patron to find out: www.patreon.com/bitchuationroom.Featuring: Victoria Law, https://twitter.com/LVikkiml Gianmarco Soresi, https://twitter.com/GianmarcoSoresiThe Bitchuation Room Streams LIVE every Sunday at 5/8pmEST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/franifio and Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/franifioFollow The Bitchuation Room on Twitter @BitchuationPodGet your TBR merch: www.bitchuationroom.comThanks to Paige Oamek, Maximillien Inhoff, Alexandra OrnesMusic Credits: The Cannery by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4485-the-canneryLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseSupport The Bitchuation Room on: Venmo: @TBR-LIVE Cash-App: @TBRLIVE Follow The Bitchuation Room on Twitter @BitchuationPodGet your TBR merch: www.bitchuationroom.comThanks to Paige Oamek, Maximillien Inhoff, Alexandra OrnesMusic Credits: The Cannery by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4485-the-canneryLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseSupport The Bitchuation Room on: Venmo: @TBR-LIVE Cash-App: @TBRLIVE See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
A week of double standards: SCOTUS nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on the one hand grilled to shreds by seething Republicans, and the wife of 30-year conservative veteran Clarence Thomas outed as a Stop the Steal rally organizer. You couldn't have scripted it better. Comedian Gianmarco Soresi joins to talk about the KBJ hearings and the latest revelations about Ginni Thomas. Will Clarence have the decency to resign or be impeached? Plus if prisons actually worked, why, in the most carceral country on Earth do we still have crime in America? Huh. Author and journalist Victoria Law joins to discuss her book “Prisons Make Us Safer”: And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration and why prison reform is often expansion in disguise. Finally, PROPAGANDA FAIL out of North Korea and a Patreon-only Bonus Bish about Applebee's bosses relishing in higher gas prices. Why? Become a patron to find out: www.patreon.com/bitchuationroom.Featuring: Victoria Law, https://twitter.com/LVikkiml Gianmarco Soresi, https://twitter.com/GianmarcoSoresiThe Bitchuation Room Streams LIVE every Sunday at 5/8pmEST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/franifio and Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/franifioFollow The Bitchuation Room on Twitter @BitchuationPodGet your TBR merch: www.bitchuationroom.comThanks to Paige Oamek, Maximillien Inhoff, Alexandra OrnesMusic Credits: The Cannery by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4485-the-canneryLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseSupport The Bitchuation Room on: Venmo: @TBR-LIVE Cash-App: @TBRLIVE Follow The Bitchuation Room on Twitter @BitchuationPodGet your TBR merch: www.bitchuationroom.comThanks to Paige Oamek, Maximillien Inhoff, Alexandra OrnesMusic Credits: The Cannery by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4485-the-canneryLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseSupport The Bitchuation Room on: Venmo: @TBR-LIVE Cash-App: @TBRLIVE Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bronx Bound Books is the newest bookstore rolling through the Bronx. The mobile store runs out of a bus and makes affordable reading material accessible to Bronx neighborhoods that otherwise lack independent bookstores. Books Through Bars NYC is a nonprofit organization that sends free books to people in prisons all over the country. People who are incarcerated can write letters to the organization requesting reading material, and Books Through Bars NYC fills those requests with everything from history books to comics to dictionaries. Joining us on this edition of Cityscape is Latanya Devaughn, owner of Bronx Bound Books, and Victoria Law, a co-founder of Books Through Bars NYC.
Bronx Bound Books is the newest bookstore rolling through the Bronx. The mobile store runs out of a bus and makes affordable reading material accessible to Bronx neighborhoods that otherwise lack independent bookstores. Books Through Bars NYC is a nonprofit organization that sends free books to people in prisons all over the country. People who are incarcerated can write letters to the organization requesting reading material, and Books Through Bars NYC fills those requests with everything from history books to comics to dictionaries. Joining us on this edition of Cityscape is Latanya Devaughn, owner of Bronx Bound Books, and Victoria Law, a co-founder of Books Through Bars NYC.
Episode Notes Prisons and the justice system in America don't work. In fact, they cause a lot more harm than good. Today's guests are Maya Shenwar and Victoria Law to discuss their book about the mistreatment of people after they leave prison and how it holds them back from moving forward with their lives and rehabilitation. We discuss these issues, the prison industrial complex, addiction treatment, and more. Follow Maya on Twitter @MayaSchenwar Follow Victoria on Twitter @LVikkiml Get a copy of Prison by Any Other Name Visit TruthOut.org Visit Maya's website Visit Victoria's website Get your free books by Chris here: https://bit.ly/3vkRsb6 Follow @TheRewiredSoul on Twitter and Instagram Subscribe to The Rewired Soul Substack Support The Rewired Soul: Get books by Chris Support on Patreon Try BetterHelp Online Therapy (affiliate) Donate
This article is available here at Fifth Estate, in issue #386, or here at TheAnarchistLibrary.org. BlackandPinkpenpals.org is mentioned in the intro. Immediatism.com My other podcast, PointingTexts.org Feedback and requests to Cory@Immediatism.com, and your comment may be shared in a future episode
This week on Kite Line, we continue our conversation with prison abolitionist journalists Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law. We share the second half of our discussion on their recent book, Prison by Any Other Name: Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms. The book is an in-depth look at the various “alternatives to prison” that are held up …
This week on Kite Line, we speak with prison abolitionist journalists Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law. We share the first part of our discussion on their recent book, Prison by Any Other Name: Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms. The book is an in-depth look at the various “alternatives to prison” that are held up as …
We firstly speak to Nick Dearden. He discusses Boris Johnson's cutting of the foreign aid budget, the use of British aid to fuel privatisation and big business, the need for the UK to pay reparations to countries which have been the victims of the British Empire, how UK foreign aid has been used for soft power and inappropriate ventures, the need for global wealth redistribution, and how foreign aid needs to be reformed globally to stop funds being used only to benefit big business and promoting neoliberalism, vaccine apartheid and the disparity between the global south and global north, how big pharma is making life and death decisions on who lives and who dies in the coronavirus pandemic, the failure of COVAX and much more! Finally, we speak to Victoria Law, author of ‘Prisons make us safer and 20 other myths about mass incarceration'. She discusses the history of mass incarceration with Democrats and Republicans competing to be tough on crime since the civil rights era, Joe Biden's past as an architect of mass incarceration and his policies on crime moving forward, the media frenzy over crime despite the fact that violent crime has halved, the increased detaining of women, LGBTQ+ people, and other minority groups, the unfairness of the bail system, the myth of black people committing more crimes than white people and much more!
“People end up in prison for a reason, but it's not the reason that we're fed by all of these cop shows." In this episode of Movement Memos, Kelly Hayes talks with journalist Victoria Law about prisons, why they don’t work, and what even well-meaning people tend to get wrong about incarceration. You can find a transcript, audio and show notes on our website: https://truthout.org/series/movement-memos/
Anthro Magazine and KPLY present Step Left, a podcast about all things politically left. Host Michaela Seah sits down with Victoria Law, Chinese American, prison abolitionist and author to talk about why the police can't and won't #StopAsianHate. You can read more of Law's work here: https://victorialaw.net/ Read more about restorative justice here: https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2021/mar/1/victim-compensation-and-restorative-justice-alternatives-sentencing-enhancements-hate-crimes/
Sam and Emma host author and activist Victoria Law to discuss her new book, “Prisons Make Us Safer”: And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration, on how our perception of incarceration has been wrong from the start. We're live at noon ET. Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ (Merch issues and concerns can be addressed here: majorityreportstore@mirrorimage.com) The AM Quickie is now on YouTube Subscribe to the AM Quickie at https://fans.fm/amquickie Make the AMQ part of your Alexa Flash Briefing too! You can now watch the livestream on Twitch Check out today's sponsor: Stitcher Premium: Today’s episode of Majority Report is brought to you by season 2 of the podcast Blowback — exclusively available on Stitcher Premium. To listen now and get a free month of Stitcher Premium, go to stitcher.com/premium and enter the promo code MAJORITY when you select a monthly plan. Blinkist takes the key insights from over 3,000 nonfiction bestsellers in over 27 categories and condenses them down into “Blinks,” which you can read or listen to in just 15 minutes. Go to Blinkist.com/majorityreport to start your free 7-day trial and get 25% off a Blinkist Premium membership and up to 65% off audiobooks (yours to keep forever). LiquidIV: Proper hydration is crucial for your immune system and can boost your immunity. Liquid I.V. has more vitamin C than an orange and as much potassium as a banana. It’s packed with Vitamins B3, B5, B6 and B12 – vitamins known to help your body defend against infections – and made effective through Cellular Transport Technology. Now you can get 25 percent off when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code MAJORITYREP at checkout. Check out Joshua Kahn Russell's friend, activist and organizer Casey Harrell who is raising money to treat his ALS diagnosis. Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein’s podcast News from Nowhere, at https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel! Check out The Nomiki Show live at 3 pm ET on YouTube at patreon.com/thenomikishow Check out Matt’s podcast, Literary Hangover, at Patreon.com/LiteraryHangover, or on iTunes. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!) Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BF1nn
The News Beat podcast presents “This Week In Social Justice,” streaming live Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET. on Facebook, YouTube and Twitch. On this episode: Mass incarceration myths; Reactions to Chauvin conviction. Our very special guest was Victoria Law, an independent journalist and author, who is out with the new book “'Prisons Make Us Safer' and 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration” We also have a fiery clip from our News Beat episode on Prison Abolition. News Beat is an award-winning podcast that mixes hard-hitting, social justice journalism with hip-hop to uniquely examine some of the most pressing issues facing society. Each episode features interviews from well-known voices—ranging from activists to scholars to journalists—set to music, interspersed with powerful, original lyrics crafted by notable artists specifically for that episode. In between episodes, TWISJ is an interactive program where you can share your thoughts on recent news and ongoing issues as we welcome special guests, break down important issues, and sprinkle in our unique brand of Hip Hop-fueled journalism along the way. Love what you hear? Help us out by leaving a rating and review on your preferred app: https://ratethispodcast.com/newsbeat And make sure you ‘Like’ News Beat on Facebook, ‘Subscribe’ on YouTube, or ‘Follow” on Twitch so you never miss a “This Week In Social Justice” stream. Support the show: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=EYkdQRkbZ6vNTGfNSGWZjx7_15orqqDl8vkmrAg3TkxLprft1OguFwxlheC3tAkNd-KVPG&country.x=US&locale.x=US See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As we continue to see police violence throughout the country, Maria and Julio reimagine community safety with guests Victoria Law, freelance journalist and author of the new book, “Prisons Make Us Safe: and 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration,” and Joshua Briond, abolitionist and co-host of the “Millennials Are Killing Capitalism” podcast. They discuss abolition, resistance and what justice and liberation can look like. ITT Staff Picks: “Historically, police have surveilled, repressed and infiltrated individuals, organizations, and political parties that they have deemed ideological enemies because their interests represent a legitimate threat to the capitalist white supremacist status quo,” Joshua writes in this article for the Hampton Institute.In an interview for The Nation, organizer Mariame Kaba illustrates a collective vision of abolition discussing her new book, “We Do This ’Til We Free Us”.Listen to this past ITT episode about abolition with Charlene Carruthers, founding member of Black Youth Project 100, and Ejeris Dixon, director of Vision Change Win.Photo credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The post “Prisons Make us Safer” And Other Myths: Talking Abolition with Victoria Law appeared first on It's Going Down. Long-time journalist and prison abolitionist author and organizer Victoria Law joins It’s Going Down to discuss their new book, Prisons Make Us Safer: And 20 Other Myths of Mass Incarceration. We discuss the myths used to justify mass incarceration brought up in Law’s new book, prisoner resistance in an age of COVID-19, how the struggles... Read Full Article
Host Cyrus Webb welcomes back author Victoria Law to #ConversationsLIVE to discuss her new book PRISONS MAKE US SAFER.
Members of the Minneapolis police testify at Derek Chauvin's murder trial and say he violated department policy; We speak with Victoria Law, author of "'Prisons Make Us Safer': And 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration"; Unions reach an agreement with Rutgers University to preserve thousands of jobs at the school. Get Democracy Now! delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for the Daily Digest: democracynow.org/subscribe
Members of the Minneapolis police testify at Derek Chauvin's murder trial and say he violated department policy; We speak with Victoria Law, author of "'Prisons Make Us Safer': And 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration"; Unions reach an agreement with Rutgers University to preserve thousands of jobs at the school. Get Democracy Now! delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for the Daily Digest: democracynow.org/subscribe
Sam and Emma host author and activist Victoria Law to discuss the recent spate of anti-Asian hate crimes and her new book “Prisons Make Us Safer.” Then philosopher Jules Evans joins the program to discuss his theory of "Conspirituality" on the link between New Age spirituality and conspiracy in America. And in the Fun Half: the best way to call into right-wing radio, Jimmy Fallon awkwardly defends Amazon, Tucker says migrants are ruining the environment and says politicians want to divide the country along racial lines, the internalization of white supremacy hatred, green screen Biden, plus your calls and IMs! Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com Get all your MR merch at our store https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ (Merch issues and concerns can be addressed here: majorityreportstore@mirrorimage.com) The AM Quickie is now on YouTube Subscribe to the AM Quickie at https://fans.fm/amquickie Make the AMQ part of your Alexa Flash Briefing too! You can now watch the livestream on Twitch Check Out Today's Sponsor: quip: Good health starts with good habits, and quip makes it easy for you to brush and floss better. The quip electric toothbrush has timed sonic vibrations with 30-second pulses to guide a dentist-recommended two-minute routine. And if you go to getquip.com/majority, right now, you’ll get your first refill free. Support Austin DSA and their Homes Not Handcuff efforts to stop Prop B in Austin. Support the Mass Nurses Association and the nurses striking at St. Vincent's Hospital in Worcester. Check out Joshua Kahn Russell's friend, activist and organizer Casey Harrell who is raising money to treat his ALS diagnosis. Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein’s podcast News from Nowhere, at https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel! Check out The Nomiki Show live at 3 pm ET on YouTube at patreon.com/thenomikishow Check out Matt’s podcast, Literary Hangover, at Patreon.com/LiteraryHangover, or on iTunes. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!) Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech @BF1nn
We spend the hour with Victoria Law and Maya Schenwar to talk about their book Prison By Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms. Vikki Law is a freelance journalist who focuses on the intersections of incarceration, gender and resistance and Maya Schenwar is editor-in-chief of Truthout and a writer focused on prison-related topics.
We dive once more into the wreckage, and swim as hard as we can toward a distant and hazy horizon—a place of hope and possibility. To begin, Malik Alim offers another installment in his growing Freedom Chronicle, and lifts up a remarkable Chicago moment when activist organizers built Freedom Square, a brave space brought to life in the spirit of love and abundance. We are then delighted to invite Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law to join us Under the Tree. Abolitionists and freedom fighters, co-authors of a remarkable and essential text, Prison By Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms, Maya and Vickie take us on a complex and jagged journey to the far edges of the carceral state, and offer abolitionist alternatives that are within our reach right now.
The second in a series of Critical Conversations organized by Study and Struggle discussing prison abolition and immigrant justice. ———————————————— The Study and Struggle program is the first phase of an ongoing project to organize against incarceration and criminalization in Mississippi through four months of political education and community building. Our Critical Conversations webinar series, hosted by Haymarket Books, will cover the themes for the upcoming month. Haymarket Books is an independent, radical, non-profit publisher. The second webinar theme is Abolition, Intersectionality, and Care and will be a conversation about what it means for abolition to be intersectional and how abolition demands a reimagination of what it means to be in community and to care for one another. ———————————————— Speakers: Dean Spade has been working to build queer and trans liberation based in racial and economic justice for the past two decades. He's the author of Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law, the director of the documentary “Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!,” and the creator of the mutual aid toolkit at BigDoorBrigade.com. His latest book, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next), forthcoming from Verso Press this summer. Andrea J. Ritchie is a Black lesbian immigrant police misconduct attorney and organizer whose writing, litigation, and advocacy has focused on policing and criminalization of women and LGBT people of color for the past two decades. She is currently Researcher in Residence on Race, Gender, Sexuality and Criminalization at the Barnard Center for Research on Women, where she recently launched the Interrupting Criminalization: Research in Action initiative. She is the author of Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color, Say Her Name: What it Means to Center Black Women's Experiences of Police Violence in Who Do You Serve? Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States, Surviving the Streets of New York: Experiences of LGBT Youth, YMSM and YWSW Engaged in Survival Sex, and Law Enforcement Violence Against Women of Color, in The Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology and has published numerous articles, policy reports and research studies. Victoria Law is a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women, and co-author of the new book Prison By Any Other Name. She frequently writes about the intersections between mass incarceration, gender and resistance. Pauline Rogers, is formerly incarcerated, and, Co-founder of the Reaching & Educating for Community Hope (RECH) Foundation in Jackson, Mississippi. Jarvis Benson (moderator) is originally from Grenada, Mississippi and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2019. He currently lives in Washington DC and works on youth leadership development, voting accessibility, and social justice initiatives on campuses across the country. Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/T5xefwldPLk Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks
Join us for a discussion on abolishing the police and policing with Mariame Kaba, Maya Schenwar, and Victoria Law. ——————————————————— Recent Black Lives Matter protests have already gained some significant victories, reaching further toward abolition than many may have thought possible in this lifetime. As we stand on the precipice of so much potential change, there's an understandable impulse to reach for “replacements” -- institutions to fill in for police and prisons. Yet we can't simply call for social workers to replace police. As we fight to defund or abolish police and imprisonment, we need to be wary of ways that strengthen other forms of surveillance and control. Drug courts, mandatory psychiatric treatment, and sex worker “rescue” programs might seem like better alternatives to our current system but they still disproportionately target Black, Brown and marginalized people, keeping them under coercive systems. Meanwhile, social workers, teachers and medical professionals--while vital to a flourishing society--can't be called upon to simply “replace” police, thus drafting them into roles of surveillance and punishment. We must also beware of the ways in which “community”-based forms of policing, including neighborhood watch programs and the expansion of the child welfare system's mandated reporting, replicate many of the same oppressive dynamics as traditional policing. A just society will not be achieved until we stop looking for ways to make policing and prisons more humane and focus on building the society we actually want to live in. Join abolitionist organizer Mariame Kaba and journalists Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law, authors of the forthcoming book Prison By Any Other Name, for a discussion of the urgent need to use this moment for transformative change. Many thanks to Sarah Waltcher for the transcription of this video, which facilitated accurate captions. ——————————————————— To get a copy of Prison By Any Other Name: https://thenewpress.com/books/prison-by-any-other-name Watch the live event recording: https://youtu.be/qt-JDtL0OnE Buy books from Haymarket: www.haymarketbooks.org Follow us on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/haymarketbooks
Michelle and David report on the statistics and condition of women who find themselves part of the criminal justice system. From family court to transgender interactions in the legal system, this episode sheds light on what women face in today's legal system. Hear from expert Victoria Law in her second part interview with Expiration Date. Resourceshttps://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/07/26/our-long-troubling-history-of-sterilizing-the-incarcerated https://theappeal.org/justice-in-america-episode-6-the-faces-of-mass-incarceration/ https://theappeal.org/incarcerated-transgender-womens-lives-must-matter/ https://theappeal.org/justice-in-america-episode-23-criminalizing-mothers/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_of_women_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-13 https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/incarcerated-women-and-girls/ https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/women/2018.html https://eji.org/cases/trina-garnett/
Michelle and David report on the statistics and condition of women who find themselves part of the criminal justice system. From family court to transgender interactions in the legal system, this episode sheds light on what women face in today's legal system. Hear from expert Victoria Law in her second part interview with Expiration Date. Resourceshttps://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/07/26/our-long-troubling-history-of-sterilizing-the-incarcerated https://theappeal.org/justice-in-america-episode-6-the-faces-of-mass-incarceration/ https://theappeal.org/incarcerated-transgender-womens-lives-must-matter/ https://theappeal.org/justice-in-america-episode-23-criminalizing-mothers/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_of_women_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-13 https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/incarcerated-women-and-girls/ https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/women/2018.html https://eji.org/cases/trina-garnett/
In this episode Michelle and David spend the first part defining the concept of a "school to prison pipeline" and will discuss broader things that undermine education in America. Also, they will introduce the first part of our interview with Victoria Law ( https://victorialaw.net/ ) where they discuss the prison system as a whole. Check out some of the resources for the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoKkasEyDOI http://www.justicepolicy.org/news/8775 https://theappeal.org/justice-in-america-episode-28-school-to-prison-pipeline/ https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/citations-needed-episode-01-the-charter-school-scam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_htSPGAY7I (NSFW) https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510356/no-compromise https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/07/arizona-fight-koch-brothers-school-vouchers https://manualredeye.com/90096/news/local/police-training-hitler-presentation/ (the original article, this story was later picked up by NYT, WaPO, and most other major publications) https://resilienteducator.com/news/illiteracy-in-america/ The most IMPORTANT source, can really sum up everything: https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/episode-39-from-cradle-to-courtroom-how-the-media-stacks-the-deck-against-defendants Preview YouTube video The school-to-prison pipeline, explained The school-to-prison pipeline, explained Preview YouTube video Charter Schools: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) Charter Schools: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
In this episode Michelle and David spend the first part defining the concept of a "school to prison pipeline" and will discuss broader things that undermine education in America. Also, they will introduce the first part of our interview with Victoria Law ( https://victorialaw.net/ ) where they discuss the prison system as a whole. Check out some of the resources for the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoKkasEyDOI http://www.justicepolicy.org/news/8775 https://theappeal.org/justice-in-america-episode-28-school-to-prison-pipeline/ https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/citations-needed-episode-01-the-charter-school-scam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_htSPGAY7I (NSFW) https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510356/no-compromise https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/07/arizona-fight-koch-brothers-school-vouchers https://manualredeye.com/90096/news/local/police-training-hitler-presentation/ (the original article, this story was later picked up by NYT, WaPO, and most other major publications) https://resilienteducator.com/news/illiteracy-in-america/ The most IMPORTANT source, can really sum up everything: https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/episode-39-from-cradle-to-courtroom-how-the-media-stacks-the-deck-against-defendants Preview YouTube video The school-to-prison pipeline, explained The school-to-prison pipeline, explained Preview YouTube video Charter Schools: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) Charter Schools: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Michelle and guest host, Dallas Verity, tackle Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States, A Truthout Collection. Their conversation covers defunding the police, marginalized communities, injustice, and more. From the back cover: "What is the reality of policing in the United States? Do the police keep anyone safe and secure other than the very wealthy? How do recent police killings of young black people in the United States fit into the historical and global context of anti-blackness? This collection of reports and essays (the first collaboration between Truthout and Haymarket Books) explores police violence against black, brown, indigenous and other marginalized communities, miscarriages of justice, and failures of token accountability and reform measures. It also makes a compelling and provocative argument against calling the police. Contributions cover a broad range of issues including the killing by police of black men and women, police violence against Latino and indigenous communities, law enforcement's treatment of pregnant people and those with mental illness, and the impact of racist police violence on parenting, as well as specific stories such as a Detroit police conspiracy to slap murder convictions on young black men using police informant and the failure of Chicago's much-touted Independent Police Review Authority, the body supposedly responsible for investigating police misconduct. The title Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? is no mere provocation: the book also explores alternatives for keeping communities safe. Contributors include William C. Anderson, Candice Bernd, Aaron Cantú, Thandi Chimurenga, Ejeris Dixon, Adam Hudson, Victoria Law, Mike Ludwig, Sarah Macaraeg, and Roberto Rodriguez." About Dallas: "Dallas Verity is a podcaster, former pastor, husband, and father. He loves Jesus... he just hasn’t figured out any of the other stuff yet."
The chaotic capitalistic response to the pandemic has failed us all. So what does a competent response to COVID-19, that puts people over profits, actually look like? We’re joined by Victoria Law, freelance writer and author of “Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women” to discuss the case of Lisa Montgomery and the Trump administration’s rush to carry out her execution before he leaves office. We also host a roundtable on COVID-19 relief, vaccine roll-out, and stimulus with Women Fight Back’s Rachel Hu, Hannah Dickinson, Naomi Li and Julia Thomas.
There has been this interesting take on how Kamala Harris was once referred to as a cop and there was an aversion to her, but then as she got closer to her election, she was positioned into her identity a bit more. The RAPpers decide to dissect this moment. When Former Prosecutors Rebrand Themselves As Progressives to Win Elections Written by Victoria Law. Marquise (@MarquiseDavon) Somer (@ColdSomer) (@Cold.Somer) Celine Belissa (@seabelissa) (@cbelissa) Mo (@sleazymo_) Become a Patron
The movement to reform prisons is about as old as prisons themselves. But what is the ultimate goal of reform of a system like the criminal justice system? Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law contend that many of today’s most popular reforms—such as electronic monitoring and locked-down treatment centers—are extending, rather than countering, the justice system’s … Continue reading Reform and Its Discontents →
You can find links to each of Sean's analysis pieces here. This article covers the week beginning July 19.
The Crime Story Podcast has been ranked as the no. 10 Criminal Justice Podcast by the "Content Reader" company Feedspot.
You can find links to each of Sean's analysis pieces here. This article covers the week beginning June 28.The Crime Story Podcast has been ranked as the no. 10 Criminal Justice Podcast by the "Content Reader" company Feedspot.
Beyond Prisons welcomes back Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law to discuss their new book, Prison By Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences Of Popular Reforms. The book provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking critical analysis of popular reforms to policing and incarceration, such as electronic monitoring, diversion courts, so-called sex worker rescue programs, and a lot more. Importantly, it explores not only how these reforms fail to promote safety, but how they actually increase the size and scope of policing and incarceration. Our wide-ranging conversation touches on how electronic monitoring denies people the ability to do the basic things they need to do to live, and shifts the costs of incarceration away from the government and onto the individual and their family, harming those important relationships in a multitude of ways. We talk about the release of this book at a time of heightened skepticism around reform projects and a growing popular awareness of abolition. We also discuss why community policing is anti-community, and why it’s important to remember that we don’t need a replacement response for everything for which people are policed and imprisoned; in some cases, it would be better to do nothing instead. This episode is dedicated to Maya’s sister, Keeley Schenwar, who passed away in February. Maya Schenwar is the editor-in-chief of Truthout. She is co-author of Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms, as well as the author of Locked Down, Locked Out, and the co-editor of Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? She lives in Chicago with her partner and toddler. You can find Maya’s work at Truthout.org as well, MayaSchenwar.com. Follow her on Twitter @mayaschenwar and Facebook. Victoria Law is a freelance journalist who focuses on the intersections of incarceration, gender, and resistance. She is the author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women and regularly covers prison issues for Truthout and other outlets. Her latest book, Prison By Any Other Name, co-written with Maya Schenwar, critically examines proposed “alternatives” to incarceration and explores creative and far-reaching solutions to truly end mass incarceration. You can find more of Victoria’s work on her website, VictoriaLaw.net Follow her on Twitter @LVikkiml Visit our website Beyond-Prisons.com for episode notes, resources, and more. Credits Created and hosted by Kim Wilson and Brian Sonenstein Edited by Ellis Maxwell Website & volunteers managed by Victoria Nam Theme music by Jared Ware Support Beyond Prisons Support our show and join us on Patreon. Check out our other donation options as well.
Journalists Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law on the ways prison reforms expand state surveillance and punishment, and their new book "Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms" from The New Press. https://thenewpress.com/books/prison-by-any-other-name
Host Cyrus Webb welcomes Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law to #ConversationsLIVE to discuss their new book PRISON BY ANY OTHER NAME---and what they hope readers take away from it.
John Tarleton, editor-in-chief of The Indypendent, speaks with Nick Encalada-Malinowski of Vocal-NY about the release of thousands of NYPD disciplinary records and Victoria Law about her new book on mass incarceration and how we move towards abolition.
John Tarleton speaks with Victoria Law about 'Prison by Any Other Name,' her new book on mass incarceration, and how we move towards abolition.
At a time when the country is discussing how the justice system and policing can be reformed, it's critical that we avoid adopting reforms that have damaging consequences. In Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms, authors Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law outline the way that well-meaning movements ended up funneling people into environments where they faced even more scrutiny and punitive measures. In this episode, the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles discusses with Schenwar and Law examples such as the school-to-prison pipeline; court-ordered drug treatment programs with no proof of success; location-monitoring devices that are expensive and set probationers up to fail; and the invasiveness of family social services in an era of mandated reporting.
At a time when the country is discussing how the justice system and policing can be reformed, it's critical that we avoid adopting reforms that have damaging consequences. In Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms, authors Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law outline the way that well-meaning movements ended up funneling people into environments where they faced even more scrutiny and punitive measures. In this episode, the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles discusses with Schenwar and Law examples such as the school-to-prison pipeline; court-ordered drug treatment programs with no proof of success; location-monitoring devices that are expensive and set probationers up to fail; and the invasiveness of family social services in an era of mandated reporting.
At a time when the country is discussing how the justice system and policing can be reformed, it's critical that we avoid adopting reforms that have damaging consequences. In Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms, authors Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law outline the way that well-meaning movements ended up funneling people into environments where they faced even more scrutiny and punitive measures. In this episode, the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles discusses with Schenwar and Law examples such as the school-to-prison pipeline; court-ordered drug treatment programs with no proof of success; location-monitoring devices that are expensive and set probationers up to fail; and the invasiveness of family social services in an era of mandated reporting.
In the past few years, there has been a growing bipartisan demand to reduce the extraordinarily high rate of incarceration in the United States, on both moral and fiscal grounds. But some of the key reforms, according to some prison abolitionists, are actually expanding the “carceral web”—the means by which people are subjected to control by the corrections system. “Reform operates according to a logic of replacement,” the journalist Maya Schenwar tells Sarah Stillman. Drug courts and electronic monitoring are widely popular reforms that, Schenwar argues, only funnel people back into physical prisons, and may cause addicts further harm. Stillman spoke with Schenwar and Victoria Law, the authors of “Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms.” Plus, Rodney Evans discusses his documentary film “Vision Portraits,” which has been streaming on PBS. It examines the creative processes of a writer, a dancer, and a photographer who are—like the filmmaker—visually impaired.
CW: Mentions of violent assault and sexual abuse.Full text here https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/victoria-law-not-helpless-victims A short piece about resistance in the prison system by incarcerated women and lists some ways to show them solidarity.
Authoring Advocacy: Bearing Witness in an Era of Mass Incarceration What is the responsibility of writers to confront our era of mass incarceration, and how do we bear witness without assuming voyeuristic or exploitative perspectives? Featuring 2018 PEN America Writing For Justice Fellows Justin Rovillos Monson and Reginald Dwayne Betts, and Asian American Writers’ Workshop’s The Witness Program writers Roshan Abraham, Christina Olivares, & Sarah Wang. A closing conversation, moderated by Victoria Law, will explore the ethics, challenges and necessity of writing about mass incarceration from a variety of perspectives and lived experiences. The Asian American Writers’ Workshop is a national nonprofit dedicated to the belief that Asian American stories deserve to be told. Intro by Mark Gallagher Event Photos by Giselle Robledo: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmJd5bhu Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P2k2bA7E2s
Maya Schenwar returns to Beyond Prisons to discuss voting rights, the current political landscape, and her forthcoming book. Maya is the Editor-in-Chief of Truthout. She is also the author of "Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn't Work and How We Can Do Better" and the co-editor of the Truthout anthology "Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? Police Violence and Resistance in the United States." She has written about the prison-industrial complex for Truthout, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Nation, Salon, Ms. Magazine, and others. Maya lives in Chicago and organizes with the abolitionist collective Love & Protect. She is the co-author of an upcoming book with Victoria Law, tentatively titled, "Your Home Is Your Prison," which they hope to release next spring. Follow Maya on Twitter @MayaSchenwar Additional Reading: Allowing People in Prison to Vote Shouldn’t Be Controversial by Maya Schenwar The Shameful Moralizing On Prisoner Voting Rights by Brian Sonenstein Thoughts On Hand-Wringing Over Prisoner Voting Rights by Kim Wilson Florida’s Amendment 4 Pushes Back On Tradition Of Social Death For People With Convictions by Kim Wilson Voting Rights Act of 1965 Support our show and join us on Patreon. Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and on Google Play Join our mailing list for updates on new episodes, events, and more Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com Twitter: @Beyond_Prison Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondprisonspodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondprisons/ Hosts: Kim Wilson and Brian Sonenstein Music: Jared Ware
On January 2019, more than two thousand women confined at Michigan’s only women’s prison were put in quarantine. The quarantine comes in the wake of a possible scabies outbreak at the facility -- which has a long history of abuse and multiple cases of medical neglect. While many of the women held captive there displayed no symptoms, and pointed out other health hazards, such as black mold and infested showers, all of those who refused the state’s systemic administration of medical treatment were put in solitary confinement. In this episode, we speak with Sara and Tracy -- two poets that were locked up at Huron Valley during the quarantine. We also speak with Victoria Law, abolitionist writer and activist, and author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women.
On the twelfth episode of The Activist Files, Senior Legal Worker Leah Todd talks with educator, organizer, and director of Project NIA Mariame Kaba and journalist, author, and organizer Victoria Law about their work on issues of violence, incarceration, gender, criminalization, and transformative justice. Mariame and Victoria share the personal experiences that brought them to their social justice work. They discuss the cycles of violence created by carceral solutions to social problems, and talk about the growing phenomenon of mass criminalization, including how the term allows us to think beyond just the impacts of incarceration and see ways that surveillance and punishment affect people's lives even outside of prison walls. In a comment that may remind Activist Files listeners of our last episode, Victoria and Mariame discuss the ways that prisons and carceral solutions have "stripped away our imagination," providing a one-size-fits-all response to harm that often causes more harm without providing resolution, safety, or healing. This episode highlights the importance of thinking in new ways about healing and providing accountability for harm, which is explored in Mariame's project transformharm.org. Episode 12 of The Activist Files is vital listening for anyone interested in how to go beyond punishing harm, to healing from, being accountable for, and preventing it. Victoria Law - https://victorialaw.net Tenacious zine (editor) http://resistancebehindbars.org/node/19 Books Through Bars NYC (co-founder) https://booksthroughbarsnyc.org Resistance Behind Bars (author) http://resistancebehindbars.org - 2009 PASS (Prevention for a Safer Society) award Don't Leave Your Friends Behind (co-author) https://secure.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=502 Freelance journalist - major articles at https://victorialaw.net/writings/ Mariame Kaba - http://mariamekaba.com Project NIA (founder and director) http://project-nia.org Survived and Punished (co-founder) https://survivedandpunished.org Transform Harm (creator) https://transformharm.org Prison Culture blog (writer) http://www.usprisonculture.com/blog/ Lifting as They Climbed (co-author) http://liftingastheyclimbed.zibbet.com/lifting-as-they-climbed-mapping-a-history-black-women-on-chicago-s-south-side Missing Daddy (author) https://www.missingdaddy.net Chicago Freedom School (co-founder) http://chicagofreedomschool.org We Charge Genocide (co-founder) http://wechargegenocide.org Chicago Community Bail Fund (co-founding advisory board member) https://chicagobond.org Barnard Center for Research on Women (Researcher-in-Residence) http://bcrw.barnard.edu/fe
In the final days of the 115th Congress, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the First Step Act, which made changes to the operation of the federal prison system. In this episode, learn every detail of this new law, including the big money interests who advocated for its passage and their possible motivations for doing so. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD176: Target Venezuela: Regime Change in Progress CD129: The Impeachment of John Koskinen Bills/Laws S.756 - First Step Act of 2018 Govtrack Link Committee Summary Bill Text House Final Vote Results Senate Final Vote Results Sponsor: Sen. Dan Sullivan (AK) Original bill numbers for the First Step Act were S.2795 and HR 5682 First Step Act Outline TITLE I - RECIDIVISM REDUCTION Sec. 101: Risk and needs assessment system Orders the Attorney General to conduct a review current and possible recidivism reduction programs, including a review of products manufactured overseas the could be produced by prisoners and would not compete with the domestic private sector Orders the Attorney General to create an assessment system for each prisoner to be conducted during the intake process that will classify each of them as having minimum, low, medium, or high risk of recidivism, the prisoner’s likelihood of violent or serious misconduct, and assign them to programs accordingly. This process must be published on the Department of Justice website by July 19, 2019 (210 days after enactment). Prerelease custody means home confinement with 24 hour electronic monitoring, with the possibility of being allowed to leave to go to work, to participate in a recidivism reduction program, perform community service, go to the doctor, attend religious services, attend weddings or funerals, or visit a seriously ill family member. Sec. 102: Implementation of Risk and Needs Assessment System By mid-January 2020, the Attorney General must implement the new risk assessment system and complete the initial intake risk assessments of each prisoner and expand the recidivism reduction programs The Attorney General “shall” develop polices for the warden of each prison to enter into partnerships with “non-profit and other private organizations including faith-based, art, and community-based organizations”, schools, and “private entities that will deliver vocational training and certifications, provide equipment to facilitate vocational training…employ prisoners, or assist prisoners in prerelease custody or supervised related in finding employment” and “industry sponsored organization that will deliver workforce development and training, on a paid or volunteer basis.” Priority for participation will be given to medium and high risk prisoners Sec. 104: Authorization of Appropriations Authorizes, but does not appropriate, $75 million per year from 2019 to 2023. Sec. 106: Faith-Based Considerations In considering “any entity of any kind” for contracts “the fact that it may be or is faith-based may not be a basis for any discrimination against it in any manner or for any purpose.” Entities “may not engage in explicitly religious activities using direct financial assistance made available under this title” Sec. 107: Independent Review Committee The National Institute of Justice will select a “nonpartisan and nonprofit organization… to host the Independent Review Committee" The Committee will have 6 members selected by the nonprofit organization, 2 of whom must have published peer-reviewed scholarship about the risk and needs assessments in both corrections and community settings, 2 corrections officers - 1 of whom must have experience working in the Bureau of Prisons, and 1 individual with expertise in risk assessment implementation. The Committee will assist the Attorney General in reviewing the current system and making recommendations for the new system. TITLE II - BUREAU OF PRISONS SECURE FIREARMS STORAGE Sec. 202: Secure Firearms Storage Requires secure storage areas for Bureau of Prisons employees to store their firearms on the outside of the prisoner area. Allows Bureau of Prison employees to store firearms lockboxes in their cars Allows Bureau of Prison employees “to carry concealed firearms on the premises outside of the secure perimeter of the institution” TITLE III - RESTRAINTS ON PREGNANT PRISONERS PROHIBITED Sec. 301: Use of Restraints on Prisoners During the Period of Pregnancy and Postpartum Recovery Prohibited From the day a prisoner’s pregnancy is confirmed and ending 12 weeks or longer after the birth, a “prisoner in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons, or in the custody of the United States Marshals Service… shall not be placed in restraints” Will not apply to state prisons or local jails Exceptions include if the prisoner is an “immediate and credible flight risk” or if she poses an “immediate and serious threat of harm to herself or others” No matter what, a pregnant or recovering mother can’t: Have restraints placed around her ankles, legs, or waist Have her hands tied behind her back Be restrained using “4-point restraints" Be attached to another prisoner Within 48 hours of the pregnancy confirmation, the prisoner must be notified of the restraint restrictions (it doesn’t say how they must be notified) TITLE IV - SENTENCING REFORM Sec. 401: Reduces Sentencing for Prior Drug Felonies Changes the mandatory minimum for repeat offender with a previous “serious drug felony” (which is defined based on the length of the prison sentence: An offense for which they served more than 12 months) or a “serious violent felony” (added by this bill) from an automatic 20 year sentence to an automatic 15 year sentence. Changes the mandatory minimum for repeat offenders with two or more previous “serious drug felony or serious violent felony” convictions from a mandatory life sentence to a mandatory 25 years. Applies to cases that have not been sentenced as of the date of enactment and is not retroactive Sec. 402: "Broadening of Existing Safety Valve” Expands the criteria for leniency from mandatory minimums to include people with up to 4 prior non-volent convictions, not including minor misdemeanors. Applies to cases that have not been sentence as of the date of enactment and is not retroactive. Sec. 404: Appeals For Current Prisoners Convicted of Crack Related Crimes Allows people who were convicted of crack related crimes prior to August 3, 2010 (when the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 - which reduced the sentencing differences between crack and power cocaine - became law) to be eligible for reduced sentences. TITLE V - SECOND CHANCE ACT OF 2007 REAUTHORIZATION Sec. 502: Changes Existing Programs Creates an optional grant program for the Attorney General allowing him to provide grants to private entities along with governmental ones, for consulting services (to “evaluate methods”, “make recommendations”, etc). Authorizes, but doesn’t appropriate, $10 million per year from 2019 through 2023 ($50 million total) Sec. 503: Audits of Grantees Requires annual audits of entities receiving grants under the Second Chance Act of 2007 beginning in fiscal year 2019. Prohibits grantees from using grant money to lobby Department of Justice officials or government representatives, punishable by the full repayment of the grant and disqualification for grants for 5 years. TITLE VI- MISCELLANEOUS CRIMINAL JUSTICE Sec. 601: Placement of Prisoners Close to Families Requires that attempts be made to place a prisoners within 500 driving miles of the prisoner’s primary residence Adds “a designation of a place of imprisonment… is not reviewable by any court.” Sec. 603: Terminally Ill Prisoners Can Go Home Allows some terminally ill or elderly prisoners over the age of 60 to serve the rest of their sentences in home confinement Sec. 605: Expanding Prison Labor Allows Federal Prison Industries to sell products, except for office furniture, to government entities for use in prisons, government entities for use in disaster relief, the government of Washington DC, or “any organization” that is a 501(c)3 (charities and nonprofits), 501(c)4s (dark money “social welfare" organizations), or 501d (religious organizations). Requires an audit of Federal Prison Industries to begin within 90 days of enactment, but no due date. Sec. 611: Healthcare Products Requires the Bureau of Prisons to provide tampons and sanitary napkins to prisoners for free Sec. 613: Juvenile Solitary Confinement Prohibits juvenile solitary confinement to only when needed as a 3 hour temporary response to behavior that risks harming the juvenile or others, but it can not be used for “discipline, punishment, or retaliation” Federal Prison Industries: UNICOR UNICOR Index FPI is a “wholly-owned government corporation established by Congress on June 23, 1934. It’s mission is to protect society and reduce crime by preparing inmates for successful reentry through job training” UNICOR FAQs UNICOR 2018 Sales Report UNICOR Federal Prison Industries, Inc., Fiscal Year 2015, Annual Management Report, November 16, 2015 Shutdown Back-Pay Law -Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, signed January 16 2019. - Bill Text Additional Reading Article: Revolving door brings Trump-tied lobbying firm even closer to the White House by Anna Massoglia and Karl Evers-Hillstrom, OpenSecrets News, January 22, 2019. Article: Trump fails the first test of the First Step Act by Edward Chung, The Hill, January 10, 2019. Article: The First Step Act could be a big gift to CoreCivic and the private prison industry by Liliana Segura, The Intercept, December 22, 2018. Article: For-profit prisons strongly approve of bipartisan criminal justice reform bill by Karl Evers-Hillstrom, OpenSecrets News, December 20, 2018. Statement: SPLC statement on bipartisan passage of First Step Act criminal justice reform bill by Lisa Graybill, Southern Poverty Law Center, December 20, 2018. Article: The First Step Act is not sweeping criminal justice reform - and the risk is that it becomes the only step by Natasha Lennard, The Intercept, December 19, 2018. Article: Conservatives scramble to change criminal justice bill by Jordain Carney, The Hill, December 18, 2018. Article: The FIRST STEP Act will make us safer without the Cotton-Kennedy amendments by Tricia Forbes, The Hill, December 18, 2018. Article: Who no details about criminal justice 'reform'? by Thomas R. Ascik, The Hill, December 17, 2018. Letter: The ACLU and the Leadership Conference support S.756, and urge Senators to vote yes on Cloture and no on all amendments, The Leadership Conference, CivilRights.org, December 17, 2018. Article: Koch-backed criminal justice reform bill to reach Senate, All Things Considered, NPR, December 16, 2018. Article: The problem with the "First Step Act" by Peniel Ibe, American Friends Service Committee, December 14, 2018. Article: Why is a Florida for-profit prison company backing bipartisan criminal justice reform? by Steve Dontorno, Tampa Bay Times, December 7, 2018. Article: How the FIRST STEP Act moves criminal justice reform forward by Charlotte Resing, ACLU, December 3, 2018. Article: Private prison companies served with lawsuits over using detainee labor by Amanda Holpuch, The Guardian, November 25, 2018. Statement: GEO Group statement on federal legislation on prison reform (The FIRST STEP Act), GEO Group, November 19, 2018. Article: Karl Rove's crossroads GPS is dead, long live his multi-million dollar 'dark money' operation by Anna Massoglia and Karl Evers-Hillstrom, OpenSecrets News, November 16, 2018. Article: We are former attorneys general. We salute Jeff Sessions. by William P. Barr, Edwin Meese III, and Michael B. Mukasey, The Washington Post, November 7, 2018. Article: How the Koch brothers built the most powerful rightwing group you've never heard of by Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, Caroline Tervo, and Theda Skocpol, The Guardian, September 26, 2018. Article: U.S. prisoners' strike is a reminder how common inmate labor is by Ruben J. Garcia, CBS News, September 8, 2018. Article: Kim Kardashian, activist, visits White House to call for prisoner freedom by Amelia McDonell-Parry, Rolling Stone, September 6, 2018. Article: Who is Chris Young? Kim Kardashian West to meet with Donald Trump to try to get prisoner pardoned by Janice Williams, Newsweek, September 5, 2018. Article: Kim Kardashian West visits White House to talk prison reform by Brett Samuels, The Hill, September 5, 2018. Article: Kim Kardashian West to another convicted felon's case: report by Brett Samuels, The Hill, September 5, 2018. Article: 'Prison slavery': Inmates are paid cents while manufacturing products sold to government by Daniel Moritz-Rabson, Newsweek, August 28, 2018. Article: Turf war between Kushner and Sessions drove federal prison director to quit by Glenn Thrush and Danielle Ivory, The New York Times, May 24, 2018. Report: Attorney General Sessions announces Hugh Hurwitz as the Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, May 18, 2018. Article: Beware of big philanthropy's new enthusiasm for criminal justice reform by Michelle Chen, The Nation, March 16, 2018. Article: Corporations and governments collude in prison slavery racket by Mark Maxey, People's World, February 7, 2018. Article: Super PAC priorities USA plans to spend $50 million on digital ads for 2018 by Jessica Estepa, USA Today, November 2, 2017. Article: Private prisons firm to lobby, campaign against recidivism by Jonathan Mattise, AP News, October 31, 2017. Article: Slave labor widespread at ICE detention centers, lawyers say by Mia Steinle, POGO, September 7, 2017. Article: The sordid case behind Jared Kushner's grudge against Chris Christie by Byron York, The Washington Examiner, April 16, 2017. Report: How much do incarcerated people earn in each state? by Wendy Sawyer, Prison Policy Initiative, April 10, 2017. Press Release: The GEO Group closes $360 million acquisition of community education centers, Company Release, GEO Group, Inc., April 6, 2017. Article: How a private prison company used detained immigrants for free labor by Madison Pauly, Mother Jones, April 3, 2017. Article: Bias in criminal risk scores is mathematically inevitable, researchers say by Julia Angwin and Jeff Larson, ProPublica, December 30, 2016. Article: Jailed for ending a pregnancy: How prosecutors get inventive on abortion by Molly Redden, The Guardian, November 22, 2016. Article: Federal prison-owned 'factories with fences' facing increased scrutiny by Safia Samee Ali, NBC News, September 4, 2016. Investigative Summary: Findings of fraud and other irregularities related to the manufacture and sale of combat helmets by the Federal Prison Industries and ArmorSource, LLC, to the Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, August 2016. Report: Federal prison industries: Background, debate, legislative history, and policy options, Congressional Research Service, May 11, 2016. Article: New Koch by Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, January 25, 2016. Article: Pregnant and behind bars: how the US prison system abuses mothers-to-be by Victoria Law, The Guardian, October 20, 2015. Article: American slavery, reinvented by Whitney Benns, The Atlantic, September 21, 2015. Article: Yes, prisoners used to sew lingerie for Victoria's Secret - just like in 'Orange is the New Black' season 3 by Emily Yahr, The Washington Post, June 17, 2015. Report: Treatment industrial complex: How for-profit prison corporations are undermining efforts to treat and rehabilitate prisoners for corporate gain by Caroline Isaacs, Grassroots Leadership, November 2014. Report: The prison indistries Enhancement Certification Program: A program history by Barbara Auerbach, National CIA, May 4, 2012. Article: The hidden history of ALEC and prison labor by Mike Elk and Bob Sloan, The Nation, August 1, 2011. Article: Slave labor - money trail leads to Koch brothers and conservatives who want your job! by Bob Sloan, Daily Kos, February 21, 2011. Article: The Legacy by Gabriel Sherman, New York Magazine, July 12, 2009. Hearing: Federal Prison Industries, House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, C-SPAN, July 1, 2005. Article: Democratic donor receives two-year prison sentence by Ronald Smothers, The New York Times, March 5, 2005. Sound Clip Sources Discussion: Criminal Justice Reform and Senate Vote on First Step Act, C-SPAN, December 19, 2018. Speakers: - Mike Allen, Founder and Executive Editor of Axios - Mark Holden, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Koch Industries - Senator Amy Klobuchar Sound Clips: 22:27 Mike Allen: So, I have on NPR, “Koch-Backed Criminal Justice Reform to Reach Senate.” To some people, at least at first blush, there’s an incongruity to that. Tell us how Koch Industries got involved in this issue. Mark Holden: Yeah, well, I mean, Charles Koch and David Koch have been very focused on these issues forever, literally. They were early funders of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Institute for Justice, a lot of different groups. And from Charles’s perspective, the war on drugs, it’s been a failure. It doesn’t mean that you—there aren’t—it was in a criminal element within the war on drugs, but there are a lot of people in the war on drugs who don’t need to be incarcerated for so long. And so we’ve been very much in favor of proportional sentencing. You know, punishment must fit the crime. You break the law, you should pay a price, and then once you pay that price, you should be welcomed back into society, with all your rights. All your rights come back. That’s why we supported Amendment 4 down in Florida, the voting restoration rights for people with felonies in Florida. We don’t think it makes sense for people not to be able to participate once they’ve paid their debt to society. And for us, for Charles in particular, this is all about breaking barriers to opportunity. 24:10 Mark Holden: And last night, 87 to 12, that’s a curb stomping. And I will note, as a Patriots fan, Gronk is 87 and Brady’s 12, right? I mean, yeah. Something there. 49:00 Mike Allen: Watching last night, and the conversations today, it was clear there was a real sense of history, a sense of occasion on the Senate floor last night. Take us there. Tell us what that was like. Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN): Well, we haven’t had a lot of joyous moments in the Senate this year. Big-surprise-news item I gave you. And this was one of those because I think for one thing we’re coming to the end of the year. We were able to get some really important things done: the farm bill; the sex harassment bill that I led with Senator Blunt that had been really difficult to negotiate for the last year; and then of course the budget, which we hope to get done in the next two days; and then we’ve got this. And this was something that has been explained. It was five years in the making. It took people out of their comfort zones. You had people on both sides that never thought they’d be talking about reducing drug sentences. So in that way, it was kind of this Christmas miracle that people came together. But the second piece of it was just that we knew they were these bad amendments that you’ve heard about. Some of them we felt were maybe designed to put us in a bad place, only because politically the bill protected us from a lot of the things that were in the amendments. So what was the best part of the night for me was that it wasn’t Democrats fighting against Tom Cotton and these amendments; it was Chuck Grassley, in his festive-red holiday sweater, who went up there with that Iowa accent that maybe only I can understand, being from Minnesota, and was able to really effectively fight them down. And the second thing was just the final vote—I mean, we don’t get that many votes for a volleyball resolution—and that we had that strong of support for the reform was also really exciting. Senate Session: Senate floor First Step Act Debate and Vote, C-SPAN, December 18, 2018. Podcast: Wrongful Conviction Podcast: Kim Kardashian and Jason Flom join forces to advocate for Criminal Justice Reform and Clemency, September 5, 2018. Netflix Episode: Orange is the New Black, Season 3 Episode 5, Fake it Till You Make It Some More, June 11, 2015. Netflix Episode: Orange is the New Black, Season 3 Episode 6, Ching Chong, Chang, June 11, 2015. Video Clip: Whitney Houston 'Crack is Whack' Clip from 2002 Diane Sawyer Interview on ABC News, YouTube, February 11, 2012. Hearing: Federal Prison Industries, House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, C-SPAN, July 1, 2005. Witnesses: - Phillip Glover - American Federation of Government Employees Prison Locals Council - President - Paul Miller - Independent Office Products & Furniture Dealers Association Sound Clips: 1:32 Former Representative Howard Coble: Prisoners who are physically able to work must labor in some capacity five days a week. FPI is a government corporation that operates the BOP’s correctional program and employs inmates of the federal prison population to manufacture goods for and provides services to federal agencies. About 20% of the inmates work in Federal Prison Industries’, FPI, factories. They generally work in factory operations such as metals, furniture, electronics, textiles, and graphic arts. FPI work assignments pay from $0.23 to $1.15 per hour. 6:19 Representative Bobby Scott (VA): FPI can only sell its products and services to federal agencies. The program was established in the 1930s, in the midst of the Great Depression, as a way to teach prisoners real work habits and skills so that when they are released from prison they’ll be able to find and hold jobs to support themselves and their families and be less likely to commit more crimes. It is clear that the program works to do just that. Followup studies covering as much as 16 years of data have shown that inmates who participate in Prison Industries are 14% more likely to be employed and 24% less likely to commit crimes than like prisoners who do not participate in the program. 1:39:58 Former Representative Pieter Hoekstra, current Ambassador to the Netherlands: Mandatory source was great for Federal Prison Industries during the 1990s and 2001 and 2002. But you know what? I think it was wrong that Federal Prison Industries was the fastest and probably the only growing office-furniture company in America during that time. As the industry was going through significant layoffs, Federal Prison Industries was growing by double digits each and every year. 1:46:40 Philip Glover: If you have someone serving at USP, Leavenworth, for instance, and they’re in for 45 years or 50 years, you can educate them, you can vo-tech them, but to keep them productive and occupied on a daily basis and feel like they have a little bit of worth, this program seems to do that. That’s where, at least as a correctional officer, that’s where I come from on this program is that it gives the inmate a sense of worth, and every day he goes down and does something productive. Resources About Page: Americans for Prosperity American Addiction Centers: Crack Cocaine & Cocaine: What's the Difference? Annual Report: The GEO Group, Inc. 2017 Annual Report Lobbying Report: Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Section 5) Media Statement: Statement from CoreCivic President and CEO Damon Hininger on the First Step Act OpenSecrets: Americans for Prosperity OpenSecrets: CoreCivic Inc. Lobbyists OpenSecrets: CoreCivic Inc Profile for 2018 Election Cycle OpenSecrets: GEO Group Lobbyists OpenSecrets: GEO Group Profile for 2018 Election Cycle OpenSecrets: Outside Spending of Political Nonprofits OpenSecrets: Trump 2017 Inauguration Donors Product Page: Pride Enterprises Ranker.com: 50 American Companies That Have Ties to Modern Slavery SPLC: Criminal Justice Reform Visual Resources Community Suggestions See more Community Suggestions HERE. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)
Victoria Law is a freelance journalist focusing on women's incarceration. She is the author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women which I highly recommend and co-author of Your Home Is Your Prison (coming out next year). Since 2003, she has edited Tenacious: Art and Writings by Women in Prison. She recently published an article in In These Times magazine called "Corporations Are Profiting From Immigrant Detainees' Labor. Some Say It's Slavery." Her website is victorialaw.net
This week on Margin Call, we speak with Victoria Law and Aviva Stahl, two journalists who have reported on the experiences of trans people in jails and prisons in the United States. In the course of our conversation, we explore some of the indignities, injustices, and inconsistencies that occur when trans-identified people are locked up.
Despite recent Supreme Court rulings curtailing the practice, the United States remains the only country on earth that enforces life without parole sentences for crimes committed when they were minors. Our guest, Victoria Law, explains efforts by prosecutors in Louisiana to continue keeping dozens of men, most of them Black, in state prison for crimes committed when they were 16, 17 years old in the 1960s and 1970s––typifying a prosecutorial ethos of punishment for punishment's sake.
Victoria Law returns to the Beyond Prisons podcast to talk about prison publications and curating art and writing by incarcerated people. Victoria tells us about the zine she's organized for nearly 16 years, Tenacious, which is a DIY publication featuring the work of incarcerated women from around the country. She talks about her introduction to zines, her experiences curating content from incarcerated people, and how she's had to deal with obstacles to communication in putting the zine together. We discuss how zines like Tenacious help incarcerated women overcome their isolation and learn how to cope with their imprisonment by creating a platform for sharing knowledge. We talk about the topics women write about and how it can be a space for escape and liberation. We also talk about why this zine, in particular, is important because of the way most free literature projects predominantly serve men. Victoria tells us about her learning process, the work that goes into making the publication, and her efforts to fund it, as well as the reasons why these publications are meaningful opportunities for incarcerated people. Victoria Law is a freelance journalist. She is a co-founder of Books Through Bars--NYC, which sends free books to incarcerated people nationwide and the editor of Tenacious, a zine of art & writings by women in prison. She is the author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women and the co-author of the upcoming Your Home is Your Prison, which explores how proposed “alternatives” to incarceration expand the carceral system. You can follow her on twitter at @LVikkiml and see more of her work at victorialaw.net. For more history about Tenacious, see: http://www.grassrootsfeminism.net/cms/node/117 To buy current and past issues on-line, go to: http://tenaciouszine.storenvy.com/ Support our show and join us on Patreon. Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on iTunes and on Google Play Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: @Beyond_Prison @phillyprof03 @bsonenstein @jaybeware Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondprisonspodcast/ Music & Production: Jared Ware
This week, we are airing selections from a panel discussion that took place earlier this month here in Bloomington. Andrea Ritchie and Victoria Law, both of whom were featured on Kite Line earlier this month, sit alongside Andrea Sterling at a panel called “Building Community Resilience”. In it, these women discuss the myriad ways that …
This week, we speak with Victoria Law- a freelance journalist, mother of a New York City high school student, author of the book Resistance Behind Bars, the co-author of the forthcoming book Your Home Is Your Prison, as well as the editor of Tenacious, a journal of art and writing by incarcerated women. She …
The #MeToo movement is beginning to address the wrongs of carceral feminism through a more democratized process. Panelists discuss potential opportunities and pitfalls in the search for justice. Speakers: Erin Cloud, Mariame Kaba, Victoria Law, Denise Tomasini-Joshi, asha bandele. (Recorded: Mar 06, 2018)
Victoria Law, who is familiarly known as Vikki, is an anarchist activist, writer, freelance editor, photographer and mother. Law is of Chinese descent and was born and raised in Queens NY where she had her first brush with the law as an armed robber while still in high school. Her exposure to incarcerated people at Rikers Island prompted her to get involved with prison support. She has continued fighting for prison abolition, co-founding Books Through Bars NYC as a joint project between Blackout Books & Nightcrawlers Anarchist Black Cross in 1996 at the age of nineteen. Nestor is a member of the Anarchist Black Cross and founder of the Omaha Freedom Fund. He organizes around many issues, but with a focus on prison abolition and antifascism. Both guests join Brett in a two-part episode on different aspects of the prison abolitionist movment. Find, Support, and contact Victoria Law through her website here: https://victorialaw.net follow her on twitter @LVikkiml Learn more about, and support, the Anarchist Black Cross Federation here: http://www.abcf.net Follow the Omaha Freedom Fund on Twitter @Omahabail Link to support and engage in prison abolitionist work with “Black and Pink” here:http://www.blackandpink.org Transition Music by Church Fire - on my tongue Outro Music: Bob Dylan All Along the Watchtower follow us on Twitter @RevLeftRadio Follow us on FB at "Revolutionary Left Radio" Intro Music by The String-Bo String Duo. You can listen and support their music here: https://tsbsd.bandcamp.com/track/red-black This podcast is officially affiliated with The Nebraska Left Coalition, the Nebraska IWW, and the Omaha GDC. Check out Nebraska IWW's new website here: https://www.nebraskaiww.org
Did you know that the first mass clemency won in 1990 for 25 domestic violence survivors incarcerated for self-defense happened because of incarcerated women organizing themselves on the inside? Or did you know that in the 1970's, a California women's prison cancelled a Christmas visit with incarcerated women & their children with no explanation. The women then broke windows, dragged Christmas trees outside into the yard, set them on fire, and refused to go back inside in protest! Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women provides much-needed documentation of collective organizing and the daily struggles inside women's prisons. For this episode, Monica and Page sat down with the author of this book, Victoria Law, and discussed her process in compiling these important, hidden stories of resistance and survival of incarcerated women in the U.S.
Journalist Victoria Law joins the Beyond Prisons podcast to discuss her work with imprisoned women and her book, "Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles Of Incarcerated Women." Law talks about how and why she wrote the book, which centers women’s struggles against incarceration and describes women’s resistance and organizing in prison. From this perspective, she also discusses the challenges and importance of compiling testimony from women on the inside, as well as the risks women have to take to speak out. She gives examples of the different kinds of resistance women engage in, and how their struggles to obtain education and access to programming and treatment are often overlooked examples of resisting the conditions of their confinement. We also discuss how criminal justice journalism traditionally relies on narratives provided by law enforcement and how incarcerated women are often perceived as untrustworthy. Law provides insight on the history of women's imprisonment and explains how reform has evolved systems of surveillance and control for women over time. Victoria Law is a freelance journalist. She is a co-founder of Books Through Bars--NYC, which sends free books to incarcerated people nationwide and the editor of Tenacious, a zine of art & writings by women in prison. She is the author of "Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women" and the co-author of the upcoming "Your Home is Your Prison," which explores how proposed “alternatives” to incarceration expand the carceral system. Follow Victoria Law on Twitter at @LVikkiml Find her work at victorialaw.net -- Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on iTunes and on Google Play Sign up for the Beyond Prisons newsletter to receive updates on new episodes, important news and events, and more. Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: @Beyond_Prison @phillyprof03 @bsonenstein Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondprisonspodcast/ Music & Production: Jared Ware
Beyond Prisons is on a brief hiatus until the end of August, when we'll return with a great episode featuring journalist Victoria Law. But before we go, we wanted to share our conversation with members of Jailhouse Lawyers Speak ahead of the historic Millions For Prisoners Human Rights March in Washington, DC on August 19. Jailhouse Lawyers Speak is a national collective of incarcerated people who fight for human rights by providing other incarcerated people with access to legal education, resources, and assistance. They inform people of their human rights under the United Nations charter and provide guidance on prison policies and lawsuits. Their advocacy work often makes them targets for retaliation and repression from corrections officers within prisons, which is why they chose to remain anonymous for our conversation. In general, jailhouse lawyers provide support primarily to poor incarcerated people and their families who cannot afford proper legal representation. They are largely incarcerated people who have taught themselves, or been informally mentored by other jailhouse lawyers, and don't have law degrees. They describe their work and some ways that people outside prisons can support it. We also discuss Black August and the fundamental teachings of black revolutionary George Jackson, whose life and work provides a major influence for JLS. Finally, JLS members share their perspective on the 13th Amendment and the upcoming Millions For Prisoners March - which they called for in collaboration with the IAMWE prison advocacy network - and give their ideas for how people can support the demonstration from around the country. Follow Jailhouse Lawyers Speak on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaillawspeak Follow JLS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlkJailhouselawyer/ --- Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on iTunes and on Google Play Sign up for the Beyond Prisons newsletter to receive updates on new episodes, important news and events, and more. Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter: @Beyond_Prison @phillyprof03 @bsonenstein Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondprisonspodcast/ Music & Production: Jared Ware
John Bowie discusses the latest law news in his briefcase this week. Read more ($): https://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/briefcase-victoria-law-schools-qc-trifecta-sir-owen-glenn-and-eric-watsons
"Women, Incarceration and Carceral Feminism," Feinberg Series Keynote Panel with Andrea James, Mariame Kaba, Herschelle Reaves, and Elias Vitulli. Moderated by Victoria Law. Presented by the UMass Amherst History Department's 2016-2017 Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series, The U.S. in the Age of Mass Incarceration: http://www.umass.edu/history/about/feinbergseries.html. Image credit: "Freedom" by Ronnie Goodman, www.ronniegoodman.com
On this special Mother's day episode, guest host Alexis Pauline Gumbs explores revolutionary mothering with a panel of guests including China Martens, Mai'a Williams, Victoria Law, and Cynthia Dewi Oka. Self-described Queer Black troublemaker and Black feminist love evangelist Alexis Pauline Gumbs is the author of Spill: Fugitive Scenes, coming later this year from Duke University press. China Martens is the author of, among many other works, The Future Generation: The Zine-book for Subculture Parents, Kids, Friends and Others, and co-editor of Don't Leave Your Friends Behind: Concrete Ways to Support Families in Social Justice Movements and Communities. Mai'a Williams is a former journalist for teleSUR English and author of two books of poetry. Victoria Law is the author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women. Cynthia Dewi Oka works at Grassroots Global Justice Alliance and her book of poems, Nomad of Salt and Hard Water, was a 2015 Pushcart Prize Nominee.
Pregnant women in America's prisons are being shackled to their beds and cells. Others are being sterilized, some say, against their will. Correctional institutions claim the policies are for safety's sake, and that consent is always obtained. But others see a larger pattern at work. On this edition, from shackling to sterilization, thousands of incarcerated people are struggling to maintain control over their own reproductive health. Featuring: Courtney Hooks, Justice Now! campaign and communications director; Tina Reynolds, Women on the Rise Telling HerStory (WORTH) co-founder and chair; Samantha Rogers, California Coalition for Women Prisoners program assistant; Karen Shain, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children former policy director; Victoria Law, “Resistance Behind Bars” author ; Kimberly, formerly incarcerated mother; Joe Higgins, Rappahannock Regional Jail Superintendent; Carolyn Sulfrin, former prison nurse; For More Information: California Coalition for Women Prisoners Women on the Rise Telling HerStory Legal Services for Prisoners with Children Birthing Behind Bars SPARK Reproductive Justice Now Justice Now Nation Inside Critical Resistance Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice California Prison Moratorium Project All of Us or None National Advocate for Pregnant Women The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Strong Families ACLU of Northern California The Movement to Stop Prisons From Shackling Women in Labor Builds The post Making Contact – Our Bodies, Our Stories: Reproductive Health Behind Bars appeared first on KPFA.
Khurshid Khoja speaks on the injustice of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and the continued struggle against racist scapegoating and Assembleyman Warren Furutani shares his personal history in the first pilgrimage to Manzinar and the bill he introduced, and which was passed last year, getting college degrees to Japanese Americans who were denied them because of their removal to US Concentration Camps. Victoria Law, author of Resistance Behind Bars: the Struggles of Incarcerated Women, spent nine years researching this book which talks of the often ignored injustice of women's incarceration and provides us with examples of their organizing. We will also hear a brief reminder of the upcoming Asian Law Caucus fundraising dinner from Peter Swing as well as a call of support for Mumia abu Jamal from Yuri Kochiyama. The post APEX Express – April 1, 2010 appeared first on KPFA.
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