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They're Trying To Build A Prison

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posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:09 PM
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This song is still relevant even fifteen years later. Prison Song is easily my favorite SOAD track from any of their albums. I remember hearing it for the first time as an angsty 14 year old living in rural America and being so... I don't know that inspired is the right word but it's the closest I have. I had always felt that something was wrong with our justice system. I had, since early adolescence (and many of you may find this strange), known or rather felt that there was something intrinsically incorrect about the War on Drugs. Astonishingly, though perhaps not, I was correct. The War on Drugs has caused, intentionally I believe, the incarceration of far too many non-violent small time drug offenders, such as someone doing decent time for a small amount of cannabis. But that's not really the whole problem is it? The problem is, in my opinion, the PIC or Prison Industrial Complex.


From Wikipedia:
The term "prison–industrial complex" (PIC) is used to attribute the rapid expansion of the US inmate populationto the political influence of private prison companies and businesses that supply goods and services to government prison agencies.[2] The term is derived from the "military–industrial complex" of the 1950s.[3] Such groups include corporations that contract prison labor, construction companies, surveillance technology vendors, companies that operate prison food services and medical facilities,[4]private probation companies,[4] lawyers, and lobby groups that represent them. Activist groups such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) have argued that the prison-industrial complex is perpetuating a flawed belief that imprisonment is an effective solution to social problems such as homelessness,unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy.



System says it better.




"They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,

Following the rights movements
You clamped down with your iron fists,
Drugs became conveniently
Available for all the kids,
Following the rights movements
You clamped down with your iron fists,
Drugs became conveniently
Available for all the kids,

I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch,
Right here in Hollywood,

Nearly 2 million Americans are incarcerated
In the prison system, prison system
Prison system of the U.S.

They're trying to build a prison

They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison, (for you and me)
Another prison system,
Another prison system,
Another prison system.

Minor drug offenders fill your prisons
You don't even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars
Against the new non-rich,
Minor drug offenders fill your prisons
You don't even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars
Against the new non-rich,

I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch,
Right here in Hollywood,

The percentage of Americans in the prison system, prison system
Prison system, has doubled since 1985

They're trying to build a prison

They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
Another prison system,
Another prison system,
Another prison system.
For you and me, for you and me , for you and me.

They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
For you and me,
Oh baby, you and me.

All research and successful drug policy shows
That treatment should be increased,
And law enforcement decreased,
While abolishing mandatory minimum sentences,
All research and successful drug policy shows
That treatment should be increased,
And law enforcement decreased,
While abolishing mandatory minimum sentences.

Utilizing drugs to pay for secret wars around the world,
Drugs are now your global policy,
Now you police the globe,

I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch,
Right here in Hollywood,

Drug money is used to rig elections,
And train brutal corporate sponsored
Dictators around the world!!!


They're trying to build a prison

They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison, (for you and me to live in)
Another prison system,
Another prison system,
Another prison system. (for you and me)
For you and I, for you and I , for you and I.
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
For you and me,
Oh baby, you and me.



THE NUMBERS:

With only 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. has more than 20% of the world’s prison population – that makes us the world’s largest jailer.

From 1978 to 2014, our prison population has risen 408%.

One in 110 adults are incarcerated in a prison or local jail in the U.S. This marks the highest rate of imprisonment in American history.

One in 35 adults are under some form of correctional control, counting prison, jail, parole and probation populations. www.aclu.org...


The numbers don't lie. They are trying to build a prison. They have already built so many where does it end? How long until we are all on probation or in jail? How long before the walls go up around us and we are living in police state USA? Only time will tell when or even if such a nightmare scenario would occur. Thankfully many are having another look at the War on Drugs and ideas like the PIC and many are demanding justice, policy reform and tolerance for non-violent drug users both those that use occasionally and habitually because, after all, what does it hurt anyone if individuals use drugs in the privacy of their own homes? Freedom means just that and is not a particularly ambiguous notion. Why are we locking so many people up for nothing? End the PIC end the outrageous prison population.

Disclaimer: please, as always, no discussion of personal use of any drugs (except those that are legally mandated by Big Bro , particularly alcohol and pharmaceuticals not to mention the all legal killer nicotine).



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:14 PM
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Not to mention the Judges receiving kick-backs for incarceration of offenders and all the lies that are exposed on police reports when some pesky video unbeknownst to the the cops appears which was taken by a citizen.



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:16 PM
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What concerns me is if they make MJ legal, the system is loosing their prisoners. Who shalt they use to fill up their prisons?



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:19 PM
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727Sky

Like the "kids for cash" scandal


The "kids for cash" scandal unfolded in 2008 over judicial kickbacks at theLuzerne County Court of Common Pleasin Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Two judges, President Judge Mark Ciavarella and Senior Judge Michael Conahan, were convicted of accepting money from Robert Mericle, builder of two private, for-profit youth centers for the detention of juveniles, in return for contracting with the facilities and imposing harsh adjudications on juveniles brought before their courts to increase the number of residents in the centers.[1][2]


Too many Crooks.



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:22 PM
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seasonal

As long as it isn't anyone that doesn't deserve it, I couldn't care less. The first only people that belong behind bars are criminals... real criminals.



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:28 PM
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originally posted by: CagliostroTheGreat
727Sky

Like the "kids for cash" scandal


The "kids for cash" scandal unfolded in 2008 over judicial kickbacks at theLuzerne County Court of Common Pleasin Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Two judges, President Judge Mark Ciavarella and Senior Judge Michael Conahan, were convicted of accepting money from Robert Mericle, builder of two private, for-profit youth centers for the detention of juveniles, in return for contracting with the facilities and imposing harsh adjudications on juveniles brought before their courts to increase the number of residents in the centers.[1][2]


Too many Crooks.


I am glad you linked one of the "FOUND and EXPOSED" cases.. There are many more but alas they are but a grain of sand on top of a very big mountain of B.S. and corruption IMO.

I would like a more robust effort to weed out the corrupt and certainly stronger penalties for for those in the public trust that abuse their positions. However good luck with any of the weeding process for it is a world wide problem.. Just some countries have more weeds than others.



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:33 PM
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a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

Well the people that deserve it is a moving target isn't it? Isn't there talk about going from schedule 5 to schedule 4 for the MJ? Can you imagine the # of people incarcerated for MJ and MJ related crimes?


www.aclu.org..." target="_blank" class="postlink">www.aclu.org...


Text According to the ACLU’s original analysis, marijuana arrests now account for over half of all drug arrests in the United States. Of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88% were for simply having marijuana. Nationwide, the arrest data revealed one consistent trend: significant racial bias. Despite roughly equal usage rates, Blacks are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana.


Could we do with less Police, or safety officers as they are sometimes called here in Mich if MJ was decriminalized?



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:35 PM
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727Sky



The level of corruption we're dealing with is like Russian nesting dolls, each protecting the next on and on. It so systemically ingrained in our collective justice system that getting rid of it is, sadly, nigh to impossible. But to assume that the instance of tried corruption I provided is an isolated incident is foolish to say the least. It's rampant.


edit on Cpm4Sunday3620160730Sun, 26 Jun 2016 16:36:07 -05002016 by CagliostroTheGreat because: FNORD



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:36 PM
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. . . I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch,
Right here in Hollywood . . .


Stay classy.



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:50 PM
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seasonal


Well the people that deserve it is a moving target isn't it?


I suppose that depends on your perceptions of liberty and justice. Personally, I consider people that deserve it to be anyone that has in anyway victimized another sovereign entity, particularly with the intention of harvesting some benefit from their victim.

I don't think non-violent drug offenders fall into that category.


Isn't there talk about going from schedule 5 to schedule 4 for the MJ? Can you imagine the # of people incarcerated for MJ and MJ related crimes?


It's from Schedule I to schedule II and it's actually a great step forward in my opinion. Of course, one must always consider the intention behind suddenly rescheduling Cannabis but I like to count it as a victory.

The amount of cannabis related incarcerations is too damn high. Which is part of the point I was trying to make with this thread, among others.


Could we do with less Police, or safety officers as they are sometimes called here in Mich if MJ was decriminalized?


No, I doubt that very much. However, the number of people being wrongfully arrested for the possession of a natural plant will dramatically decrease .



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:52 PM
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a reply to: 123143

When the subject matter is the incarceration of huge numbers of largely harmless individuals over what amounts to personal choice issues, staying classy is a matter of hypocrisy.

If an otherwise pleasant young person goes to jail for ten years over pot, is exposed to serial rapists, murderers, gang members, and the sort of people who like to have sex with other people using the contents of a knife drawer in place of the traditional appendage, and all of this makes money for a government which uses that money to drive up its contributions to private prison corporations, I think the idea of staying classy is somewhat moot.

There is no class left in a society which allows this.

But by all means, react strongly to a lyric, rather than to the much more serious situation that the song refers to.

I am out, before I get extraordinarily rendered for a first degree Facepalm violation.



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 04:53 PM
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123143

When there is a point to be made one must often eschew such fatuous notions as "class". Music is ART and art is conceptualization and conceptualizing things isn't always pretty, dig? In fact doing just that is often a mental bloody mess...



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 05:08 PM
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a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

Guten Tag-

In My opinion, One must also link the growth of Afghanistan's opium production since 2001. In 2001 when The Taliban ran things they supplied 7% of the World's opium. Now it is approaching 90%, so it must be easier to grow opium in a war zone? What has happened since the invasion at the start to The War? First there was an opiate pain medication epidemic. These opiates are produced using opium. Then there was a call to limit patients access to opiate based pain meds. so a cheap alternative had to be found. This led to the current Heroin epidemic. Heroin is produced by opium.

This led to an increase in the $$$ spent in the Prison Lobby. Private prisons are now a $3B/yr. industry.

When I worked in Law Enforcement in Ca. in the 90s back then, We had 'The Crack War' this is when the Establishment incarcerated the Urban male (read: black/other; non-affluent; non-voter) for making more $$$ then the Establishment. The subUrban user (white, affluent, voter) received Probation while the Urban received Prison for using the same drug, coc aine. The subUrban used coc aine in it's powdered form coc aine hydrochloride. The Urban 'rocked it up' and made a smokable form (crack- and made the same amount of powder worth 5X+ as much..)

Here is the closest thing You'll get to the Penal System without getting booked.

www.imdb.com...

www.youtube.com...

www.youtube.com...

In this movie, American Violet, the reasons are spelled out.

When I moved here to Central Florida, the County Jail was run by the County and folks would receive a citation in lieu of getting 'booked' but now that the jail is run by CCA™ (Correction Corp of America) everyone gets "booked" which means the County taxpayer gets to pay the 'booking fee'.. When one of the County Commissioners wanted to cancel the contract it was revealed that the County would then owe CCA™ $16Million USD!!!

It is indeed a racket!!!

namaste

Proud member of LEAP- Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

edit on 10/13/2014 by JimNasium because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 05:17 PM
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a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

Agreed, we are on the same page.



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 05:20 PM
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a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat
SOAD are great, just unfortunate that Serge had to do his own thing and broke their rhythm....
Not that his stuff was so bad.... just didn't quite have an edge without the rest of the band.



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 05:31 PM
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JimNasium

I've said it before when you chime in on these discussions, thank you and mad respect. I have great admiration for LEAP and its brave, unashamed members.

Most people would rather bury their head in the sand than face the admittedly terrifying truth about the seedy underbelly of the War on Drugs. It causes more problems than it comes close to fixing.



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 05:38 PM
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I recently read this amazing article about prisons for profit and they are no good in my opinion. This story solidified my conviction.
I urge anyone who has held interests in discussions on this topic to read this story. I truly hope you enjoy this story as much as I did. it was a well written story and truly worth the read. Very gripping!


I started applying for jobs in private prisons because I wanted to see the inner workings of an industry that holds 131,000 of the nation's 1.6 million prisoners. As a journalist, it's nearly impossible to get an unconstrained look inside our penal system. When prisons do let reporters in, it's usually for carefully managed tours and monitored interviews with inmates. Private prisons are especially secretive. Their records often aren't subject to public access laws; CCA has fought to defeat legislation that would make private prisons subject to the same disclosure rules as their public counterparts. And even if I could get uncensored information from private prison inmates, how would I verify their claims? I keep coming back to this question: Is there any other way to see what really happens inside a private prison?


Link to this eye opening story.


edit on 26-6-2016 by Naturallywired because: Added more content for disscussion.



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 05:59 PM
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a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

The private prison complex certainly is a huge problem (and conflict of interest, imo), but what is is equally troubling is contracting probation out to private companies.

In addition to court fines, fees, etc due to conviction, there is also a fee the companies impose by simply *having* to use them. Since it's court ordered, you have to shell out the extra money each month. This brings us back to the private prisons and jails: most of the people who are charged with (and convicted on) misdemeanors are already struggling financially, so privatizing probation services to shake these people up for even more money than they can already pay just keeps them in the system from which they cannot escape, and when they can't pay that fee as is required by their probation they are sent...to for-profit institutions.

It's a sham to keep as many people as possible *in* the system and shake them up for money because it is essentially a for-profit BUSINESS model all the way around.
edit on 26-6-2016 by Liquesence because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 06:37 PM
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a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

Well Thank You that is pleasant to read.

If You ever get a chance to watch that movie "American Violet" it shows what is happening. Those who are incarcerated on a "Plea Bargain" make up about 94% of the prison population.

The reason police departments do raids at low income housing isn't because there is more dope being used/sold there, it is because these folks are NOT going to hire a private attorney, there I typed it, 'the cat is out the bag' .
Those folks who did get caught up in 'The Crack War' are just now getting out of Prison so their cot NEEDS to be filled by another body. Body = $$$.

The cops 'throw the book' at the Crook. The Crook being new to 'the game' receives Probation. Once they are on Probation then 'many' times, not always, they're also on "Search & Seizure" which part of their Probation allows any officer w/or w/out cause, to conduct a search of the person and common areas used by same.
Then they have to pay $$ for court costs, education costs, etc. Then when You privatize it, then new laws are introduced so as to not lose any "customers"..

If We legalized ALL the drugs, it would flush out the Prisons of users/abusers and then the murderers, rapists, pedophiles will have enough cells to keep them in there for their FULL bits. You ever hear of a paroled murderer who goes on a rampage and folks ask "How could this be"? Well He had to get paroled to make room for the offender that had $30.00 in Cannabis.

Heck there would be enough room to put these frickin politicians in there where THEY belong. A person w/a substance abuse issue doesn't need jail/prison...

Convict #1) "I'm here for Life x4 because I killed 4 people. Lefty is here for Armed Robbery. What are You here for?"
Convict #2) "Yeah Biatch.. What are You in here for.. I burgled over 200 homes.."
Convict #1) "Shut up, Turd, let the new fish speak for Himself..."
Convict #3) "Oh, Me? I had 2 nickel bags of cannabis, so I get out in 10 years.... maybe"

namaste



posted on Jun, 26 2016 @ 06:59 PM
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a reply to: JimNasium
Good post


Right on the money about not being able to pay a attorney. It's a rigged game, always has been. Look at court case that fines the criminal. Does the court ever pay the victim? Nope it's (PFV) Profit for victimization: Plain and simple.




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