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Voices from Solitary: Concrete Solitaire

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posted on Aug, 14 2012 @ 10:23 PM
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This is a very real story about a man currently imprisoned, who began a pen pal relationship with planet waves, a website that began documenting and publishing the work of Enceno Macy, a pseudonym created to protect him from retaliation in prison, one the article does not mention by name.

It's very touching to say the least, and brings to light the hidden life of America's prison population hidden away in isolation and solitary confinement. This story was picked up today by a website named solitary watch, which then released the story about Macy's life behind bars in seclusion.

Life in solitary confinement is very taxing on the psyche and human condition in general. So much so that the American friends service committee has recently printed and distributed a "survival manual" (PDF version) for individuals to cope and overcome conditions in solitary confinement.

The manual is written by people who have and are undergoing solitary confinement. It is also dedicated to the all courageous individuals occupying penitentiaries across America, and to the memory of all who died in the isolation cages. It gives a brief description of how confinement units began and underlines conventions setup through the (pdf) United Nations, which forbids any punishment intentionally designed to inflict severe physical or mental pain and suffering. The use of isolation units are also in direct violation of UN CPR and CERD.

The stories coming out of prisons is horrific and needs to be told. In an article published in the Boston review in 2000, told the story of Mike James who was being held in a super max prison, and his story of how correctional officers use cell extractions to intimidate and wrangled prisoners into complete and utter submission. In the article a video is available to view that was leaked out of the Maine state prison in Warren, which demonstrates the intense and shameless acts perpetrated against defenseless inmates.

Little has been done to end these atrocious acts in prisons. However on June 19 2012, many activists and supporters descended on Capital Hill for a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, convened by subcommittee chairman Dick Durbin.

What becomes of this hearing and it's outcome and effects upon solitary confinement remains to be seen, but through the grim and darkness there is still hope for transformation and justice.


(Alternative sources)

Senate hearings explores the exorbitant cost of incarceration

Solitary confinement facts

(pdf) In a time of broken bones

edit on 14-8-2012 by Daedal because: Edit



posted on Aug, 16 2012 @ 02:15 AM
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reply to post by Daedal
 




The manual is written by people who have and are undergoing solitary confinement. It is also dedicated to the all courageous individuals occupying penitentiaries across America

So now killing and raping can make a person courageous? my hero...

Prison is not SUPPOSED to be enjoyable it is supposed to be MISERABLE. You get put in solitary because as a prisoner you have demonstrated you inability to handle the little freedom you have in prison.



posted on Aug, 16 2012 @ 02:25 AM
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reply to post by Superhans
 


Not EVERYONE in prison is GUILTY, let me introduce you to The Innocence Project



posted on Aug, 16 2012 @ 02:27 AM
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Originally posted by HomerinNC
reply to post by Superhans
 


Not EVERYONE in prison is GUILTY, let me introduce you to The Innocence Project


See that there is what we call a strawman.



www.nizkor.org...

The Straw Man fallacy is committed when a person simply ignores a person's actual position and substitutes a distorted, exaggerated or misrepresented version of that position. This sort of "reasoning" has the following pattern:


Person A has position X.
Person B presents position Y (which is a distorted version of X).
Person B attacks position Y.
Therefore X is false/incorrect/flawed.


Try again



posted on Aug, 16 2012 @ 02:38 AM
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reply to post by Superhans
 


Just hate to hear the truth huh?
I bet everything is black and white to you, if you're in prison, you're guilty, right?
edit on 8/16/2012 by HomerinNC because: (no reason given)



posted on Aug, 16 2012 @ 03:34 AM
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Originally posted by HomerinNC
reply to post by Superhans
 


Just hate to hear the truth huh?
I bet everything is black and white to you, if you're in prison, you're guilty, right?
edit on 8/16/2012 by HomerinNC because: (no reason given)


Typically when someone points out a fallacy like the one you used it is not a show of great intelligence to continue along the same line of fallacious reasoning.



posted on Aug, 16 2012 @ 04:09 PM
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reply to post by Superhans
 


People enter the prison system for crimes, most guilty, some not. Raping and killing is not heroic or acceptable. But just because someone has committed a crime does not mean their no less human or deserve to be treated inhumanely for an entire lifetime or period of time behind bars.

Also to note, 60 percent of prisoners incarcerated are mentally ill. When they decided in the 50's to close 95 percent of institutions (called deinstitutionalization) and asylums they released the sick and disturbed into the streets. The pace of deinstitutionalization accelerated significantly following the enactment of Medicaid and Medicare a decade later. Of course this is after pharmaceutical companies came up with the drug thorazine.

In a nutshell we have shunned the sick and mentally ill and put in it's place drugs, that's supposed to alleviate symptoms or reduce cognitive impairments. However some anti-psychotics and anti-depressants induce violent behavior in the mentally ill, resulting in violent acts being committed against others and themselves.



Something else entirely needs to be done to help the mentally disturbed get effective preventative mental health care. Locking them up and throwing away the key is wrong, and waiting for them to crack is a ticking time bomb.



posted on Aug, 27 2012 @ 03:49 PM
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reply to post by Daedal
 




Also to note, 60 percent of prisoners incarcerated are mentally ill.


That is 1/2 true, according to the DSM there is no such thing as a sane person.



Something else entirely needs to be done to help the mentally disturbed get effective preventative mental health care. Locking them up and throwing away the key is wrong, and waiting for them to crack is a ticking time bomb.

So far treatment seems to cause more problems that it solves. Most of the school shootings and the recent one in Colorado have all been carried out by people under psychiatric care. The entire concept of psychiatry is more religion than medicine.



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