The Social Virus!
What?
There are many points in “Is Prison Necessary” that I found very relevant to our class themes and what I have learned so far. I’ll start off with an idea that was presented by the Latin children, who attended a conference that Gilmore was going to speak at. They questioned her motivation as a prison abolitionist to close down prisons, by posing the question, “What about the people who do something seriously wrong? And what about people who hurt other people” (p.1)? Gilmore understood where they were coming from, and she responded with a followup question that was, “Instead of asking whether anyone should be locked up or go free, why don’t we think about why we solve problems by repeating the kind of behavior that brought us the problem in the first place” (p.1)? In other words, she was asking the children to consider why, as a collective society, we choose to model cruelty and vengeance, as a means to “restore justice?” She further argued that the term “prison abolition” does not solely advocate for the closure of prisons, but it’s a “theory of change that calls for the government to invest more in jobs, education, housing, and health care- all the elements that are required for a productive and violence-free life” (p.3). By addressing the systemic issues directly, and providing communities with vital support and resources, maybe we wouldn’t have to worry about people “messing up” as much, as Gilmore put it.
Another very important point that Gilmore made was that “If prison, in its philosophical origin, was meant as a humane alternative to beatings or torture or death, it has transformed into a fixed feature of modern life, one that is not known, even by its supporters and administrators, for its humanity” (p.4). I think she’s trying to say that prisons still violate human rights, they have failed to rehabilitate people, and it’s not even certain if less crime and increased public safety are direct results of opening up more prisons. Despite the fact that the effectiveness of prisons has not been deemed beneficial to society, “Between 1982 and 2000, California has built 23 new prisons, which increased the state’s prison population by 500 percent” (p.9). According to Gilmore, there is a “widely held misconception that prison is majority black” (p.14). She believes that this a “false and harmful stereotype” that over associates black people with prison, and fails to acknowledge shifting racial demographics. Although black people are the population most affected by mass incarceration, we cannot ignore the fact that “roughly 33 percent of those in prison are black, while only 12 percent of the United States population is, and that Latinos still make up 23 percent of the prison population and white people 30 percent” (p.14). The reason that she brought up these facts and statistics was to highlight the idea that “Once you believe prisons are predominately black, it’s also easier to believe that prisons are a conspiracy to re-enslave black people — a narrative, that offers two crucial truths: that the struggles and suffering of black people are central to the story of mass incarceration, and that prison, like slavery, is a human rights catastrophe” (p.14). Her perspective and comparison of prison to slavery as a violation of human rights was very powerful and interesting to me.
The last points that I want to highlight have to do with narratives that Gilmore brought up towards the end of the article. The importance of narratives, and breaking down ones that do not reveal truth has been a central topic of discussion in our class, and she made a very valid point that I wanted to make note of. Gilmore said that she has come to understand that “there are certain narratives people cling to that are not only false but that allow for policy positions aimed at minor or misdirected — rather than fundamental and meaningful — reforms” (p.13). She took apart these false narratives, and in doing so, she cultivated critical consciousness by revealing different truths- that went against the status quo. The last point I would like to highlight ties in with last week’s reflection that had to do with the lack of resources provided to prisoners. As was mentioned in the article, “When a person either steals something or assaults someone then goes to prison, he is offered no job training, no redress of his own traumas and issues, no rehabilitation” (p.14). This made me think of Rodney Spivey Jones’ comments at the beginning of the College Behind Bars film, when he talked about the torture that prison inflicted, and how prison itself provided no rehabilitation, whatsoever. The prisoners were warehoused in the jails, with very little to do, and most of them did not have access to any programs or resources to help them succeed once they got out of prison.
So What?
The organization that I selected is called “Critical Resistance,” and some of its initiatives were mentioned in “Is Prison Necessary.” In 1998, Davis and Gilmore, along with a group of people in the Bay Area, founded this organization which is “a national anti-prison organization that made abolition its central tenet” (p.6). Unfortunately, this goal was dismissed by many people because it was too “utopian and naive,” but I believe and support the efforts of this organization, so I took this as an opportunity to expand my knowledge and gain more insight into their strategic plan to achieve goals and improve our society.
1. Are they addressing a structural/root cause?
I think that Critical Resistance is definitely addressing structural/root causes because this organization “seeks to build an international movement to end the Prison Industrial Complex by challenging the belief that caging and controlling people makes us safe.” Their goal is targetted at changing the narrative, and essentially going against the status quo. Furthermore, the organization members believe that “basic necessities such as food, shelter, and freedom are what really make our communities secure.” I think that this is very important to address because it’s related to cultivating critical consciousness, which can be so powerful and can lead to change.
2. Do you think this organization and its strategies are sustainable? Informed by community members that have been impacted by incarceration?
Based on the information and data that I collected from this organization’s website, I think that the organization and its strategies are sustainable. There seems to be adequate funding, support, and many projects that have been successful within the organization. Some of their projects include “Breaking Down the Prison Industrial Complex Video Project,” “Chicago For Abolition 2017,” and “Prisoner Speak Out: Analysis and Perspectives.” The third project stood out to me the most because it directly incudes the population most affected by all of this- which is the prisoners themselves. One of the focuses of the “Prisoner Speak Out: Analysis and Perspectives” Project is to “uplift and amplify the perspectives of those most targeted by the prison industrial complex.” It is the guidance, research, analysis, and testimony of the prisoners that has propelled the organization’s campaigns forward.
3. Your thoughts about this organization and their strategies based on everything you’ve learned about structural and intersectional issues related to social identity and context (education, economics, housing, immigration [+documentation status]
In my humble opinion, I think that this organization and its strategies are very important because they empower the people most affected, and provide them with resources to move forward with their lives. Critical Resistance really highlights the importance and significance of resistance and going against the status quo, which is a highly effective structural approach to solving issues. It takes into account our interconnectedness with each other and encourages the expression of identity. Lastly, I think that it’s necessary to mention that this organization works to build healthy, self-determined communities, that promote alternatives to the current prison system. Their ultimate goal is to dismantle the prison system and replace it with more effective systems that will benefit societies.
Now What?
Before I begin to answer the questions from the “Now What” section, I wanted to highlight some very important points that Nguyen made in his paper titled, “The Ideas That Won’t Survive the Coronavirus.” The first point that stood out to me was “If anything good emerges out of this period, it might be an awakening to the pre-existing conditions of our body politic” (p.2). He brought up the idea that the biological virus was also a “social virus” that has affected individuals in many ways. Some of the “symptoms” of the social virus include “inequality, callousness, selfishness and a profit motive that undervalues human life and overvalues commodities” (p.2). Nguyen's perspective really opened up my mind to the effects that coronavirus has had on individuals, not only from a biological point of view but within the context of our social interactions as well.
Then he focused on the “sensation of imprisonment” that we might all be feeling during the quarantine. He suggested that this “sensation of imprisonment” might trigger a rebirth of consciousness, where we [as well as real prisoners] might become radicalized, and compelled to “acts of self-reflection, self-assessment, and eventually, solidarity” (p.2). This was also a very intriguing idea to me because, during this time, we are being forced to stay in our homes, and this prompts us to start self-reflecting and thinking deeper about what’s going on in our country and in our world. Lastly, Nguyen talked about writing not only for pleasure purposes but also because he was afraid. He was afraid that if he didn’t tell his story, then he couldn’t truly live. I agree with him and I think that we all need to tell our stories and let our struggles and fears be known and heard.
Both Nguyen’s and Gilmore’s points resonated with me and are relatable to the work that I was doing with my community partner, NGS. Lately, I have been thinking about the people that I was serving at NGS and how vulnerable they must be feeling at this time. This crisis has caused me to reflect deeper on my positionality and the access to resources that I continue to have, despite the shelter in place orders. I feel very fortunate that I have a place to sleep at night, and access to food every day, however, I can’t help but feel guilty and sad when I think about those that cannot relate to these feelings of security. I can only imagine how all of this is affecting families of NGS students, who may or may not be working right now, and that may or may not have access to as many resources as they did before. I agree with Nguyen’s powerful call and suggestion that this crisis is an opportunity for us/our nation to critically self-reflect on the ways in which this virus has exposed our shared vulnerability and revealed the unjust structures. We are seeing now more than ever, how the most vulnerable and marginalized communities are suffering, and how structures are not in place or prepared to support them. This has really opened up my mind to the structural issues that need to be addressed, and it has actually made me feel quite angry that it has taken such a horrible event to bring light to these issues. Based on what I know now about unjust and inequitable structures, I feel compelled to act and to serve my community now more than ever.
