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Solitary 

by 

Albert Woodfox 

https://groveatlantic.com/book/solitary/ 

 

… Solitary Confinement is rampant and common in American prisons, jails and immigration centers. Albert Woodfox had mild claustrophobia, as he said. There are many moments when the incarcerated person can slip into insanity, voluntarily or involuntarily.  

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/04/books/review-solitary-albert-woodfox.html 

“For a crime he did not commit, Woodfox would spend more than four decades 

 in solitary confinement: 23 hours a day in a 6-by-9-foot cell.” 

 

How cruel is America’s mass incarceration system?  

How much I-N-J-U-S-T-I-C-E are we willing to tolerate in our country? 

 

“The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.” –Dostoyevsky 

 

In the process of aging, I have gradually turned into a person of quiet inner joy, from a childhood of sadness. There was much to “digest” about the horrific, not so distant, past of my birth country. By nature though enthusiastic, curious, and easily delighted, I always felt I could “afford” to look into, hold, understand, shine light, as well as oppose the dark places of misused state power. And also do this here, in the country that became my home. Is this not what is asked of us as world citizens? It might take more or less civil courage at different times – but is it not our responsibility as humans to look out for the wellbeing of others? It makes me happy and hopeful that the younger generations, globally, understand this instinctively, actively, and courageously.  

 

...dappled sunlight on the “Angola 3” panel that I finally finished yesterday – 114 years...

As you might know by now :) I am very passionate about all prison issues: I am an abolitionist. 30 years ago, I taught creative expression as a volunteer in a federal women’s prison for four years, and worked in drug rehabs for adults (in East Palo Alto), teenagers, and women with children. I researched prison issues for years, directed & produced the documentary Voices from Inside (1996), and toured the country with it (1996 - 98). Back then audiences were stunned and changed by seeing my film: the women in it were speaking in their own words, portrayed in their beauty, they seemed freer than we on the outside. But painfully, I also learned that many people when I was purely talking about those issues and injustices, shrugged the facts off with: “They must have done something wrong...” As if none of us have ever done anything wrong. There are thousands of people sitting in prison who have never done any wrong by the law, while much white-collar crime goes unpunished. Massive inequality and poverty have sprung from the devastating drug war laws. How can America’s incarceration system continue to be so against International Human Rights, and so unnecessarily cruel? And all that with our taxpayer money. Inconceivable, yet still the case.  

 

Abolishment of Solitary Confinement and the Death Penalty are utterly necessary first steps for a civilized and just democracy. There is definitely increased attention on the failing criminal justice and incarceration systems, as well as on judges and local district attorneys, with many more studies & popular books out, media programs and educational efforts. Big change from 30 years ago.... can this change in public awareness and opinion swing the pendulum? Read some of the links in this post.


... a little bit later a golden sunset on the west facing garage doors...

Persistent Racial Disparities Among Wrongful Convictions: 

https://innocenceproject.org/nre-national-registry-exonerations-report-2022-racism-criminal-system/ 

 

And on Wednesday morning, September 28, Rose Aguilar made her Your Call radio program (KALW) about Solitary Confinement and the California Mandela Act. 

Let’s put pressure on Governor Newsom to sign the bill.  

https://sfbayview.com/2022/08/the-mandela-act-defines-and-limits-solitary-confinement-in-ca/ 

 

Here are two previous blog posts (with links) about Albert Woodfox: 

https://karinalandriver.blogspot.com/search?q=Albert+Woodfox 

Comments

  1. nicole gervacioOctober 11, 2022 at 10:08 AM

    grateful for the learning that's come from the long conversations and reflections intertwined with supporting the work you've been doing on this mural, and of course still so much to learn. thank you for these resources - hope the neighborhood passerbys who say hello are clicking through these links to learn more & take action!

    ReplyDelete

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