Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrat
Individual Freedom For Everyone

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Russia Today : The Alyona Show- Aloyna Minkovski: 'Massive CA Prison Hunger Strike'

Source:The Aloyna Show- Clyde Young, former California state prison inmate.
"RT (formerly Russia Today) is a state-controlled international television network funded by the Russian federal tax budget.[5][6] It operates pay television channels directed to audiences outside of Russia, as well as providing Internet content in English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, and Russian.

RT operates as a multilingual service with conventional channels in five languages: the original English-language channel was launched in 2005, the Arabic-language channel in 2007, Spanish in 2009, German in 2014 and French in 2017. RT America (since 2010),[7] RT UK (since 2014) and other regional channels also offer some locally based content." 

From Wikipedia 

"This is the second week of a prisoner hunger strike taking place at Pelican Bay State in California that some fear may lead to deaths. The SHU in Pelican Bay Prison is one of the oldest and largest isolation units in the country, with over a thousand prisoners in isolation. Some of the prisoner demands include an end to long-term solitary confinement, and adequate and nutritious food. Clyde Young, a revolutionary communist and former prisoner discusses." 


On sort of a casual note: I'm glad to see these prison inmates showing some initiative and leadership and had they showed these skills when they were free in a constructive way, perhaps they wouldn't be in prison and had they behaved themselves when they got to prison, perhaps they wouldn't be in isolation today in prison. Prison isolation is for inmates that represent a threat to other inmates and prison staff, as well as gang leaders. Isolation is not for white-collar criminals who are in prison for credit card fraud.

If inmates in isolation behave themselves while they are in insolation, they can get out of it and return to general population and have more opportunities to make their prison sentences more constructive for them, the prisons, and society in general. With education and vocation so when they get out of prison, they can have skills to make themselves successfully legal in life. So they never have to come back to prison.

I'm a Liberal, but not an Anarchist, which is different so of course I'm concern with civil liberties and other liberties, but at the same time I'm also concern with public safety. Because without freedom and public safety we have neither. Because without public safety people don't have as much freedom to live their lives, because of the fear that their public safety and life are in danger. So when inmates who represent a threat to the prison as well as other inmates are sent to isolation. 

I don't have the attitude of throw them in jail, which is what isolation is in prison, another jail in prison essentially. And throw away the key and expect these inmates to learn their lesson the old fashion way with strict treatment. 

I believe these inmates should be treated with mental health experts to get their behavior and temper under control. As well as the ability to have recreation while in their isolation, reading and writing materials for example, more food, more time out of the cell lets say four hours a day. And let them spend that time with other isolation inmates. Perhaps even visits from family and other inmates thats monitored. So their friends and family can see how they are doing. Better beds and even music and TV, as long as they behave themselves while having all these privileges.

Isolation in prison yes should be to keep the dangerous inmates who represent a major threat to staff and other inmates away from general population. But isolation should be designed to make these inmates better and not worst and if it were designed this way. Isolation could become a form of prison rehabilitation for inmates, something as a society we've moved way too far away from.