Prison Block

On Sunday I attend the Prison Block panel at the Strand theatre. The panel was very interesting, inspiring, and intriguing. I was only able to catch the last half of the panel because I was volunteering. When I entered the panel discussion the topic being spoken about was the heartless emotions of the officers in the prison, officers treat incarcerated men inhuman like, they verbally and physically abuse them constantly; officers always have the upper hand when it comes to inmates. This is the inmate’s life and there is nothing they can do about it, their inmates and no one believes what happens to them behind closed doors, which makes it easy for officers to get away with it. I learned, the reason why prisons are located so far in the North Country is for the inmate’s family to not be able to visit them. I learned that families don’t visit inmates because its too far and this is done purposely. Not only does the government want inmates to be depressed they also want to suppress them as well as their families; I learned more jails are being built every time an African American male is born. Listening to all these harsh activities that happens in jails I began to tear because I do have friends from high school that are in jail and I can only image what they are going through. The government locks inmates in their sell and basically “throw away the key” forgetting about their health, feelings, and families. I learned that jails are designed to brutally manipulate the mind of a person, make someone feel like their less than human. At the end of the panel a women expressed to the crowd that she has a petition, the petition will be sent to the government officials so they can spend less money on jails on more money for the school system. As soon as the panel discussion was over I ran to sign the petition. It makes me sick to my stomach that because of the skin of your color your hated by another human being, as if you were born with a choice. My advise to the men incarcerated is only the strong survive, mentally and physically.