US penal system - taking a closer look at the preacher of morals

US American penal system--taking a closer look at the preacher of morals

31.08.2018

The United States of America call themselves earth’s largest liberal democracy. In terms of morality and respect for human rights, they have an extraordinary missionary zeal towards other countries. Hardly a week goes by without US-controlled media denouncing the penal system and human rights violations in China, Russia, Iran and other countries. Like a self-proclaimed referee, they are constantly pulling the human rights card in order not only to reprimand countries, but even to interfere in their internal affairs. Depending on arbitrariness and self-interest, this also happens militarily, for example, to bring about a change of government, as in Libya, Iraq, Syria and other countries. The US journalist Abby Martin strongly questions the authority of the US administration in terms of moral role models – and for good reason, as she points out. Because she has now examined carefully the penal system in the US – the biggest human rights guard. In a documentary by the critical newsmagazine "The Empire File", shown by multi-state TV satellite broadcaster TeleSur of Latin America, Abby Martin presents the amazing finds of her research, which are worth a closer look: Although the United States of America make up only five percent of the world's population, but on the other hand it provides 25 percent of all the prisoners worldwide. 2.2 million people are currently vegetating in US prisons, according to Abby Martin. This would mean that one in a hundred Americans lives in prison. Another 7 million Americans would be subject to suspension of sentence or probation. But the journalist brings to light another serious issue: the American prison system and its prisoners form a huge pool of cheapest labor. These would be kept in a confined space and with mostly inadequate care – like animals in cages. The medical care of the detainees is completely inadequate, which often leads to death. Beneficiaries of this rentable cheap forced labor are multinational corporations. The detainees had hardly any rights. They are very often victims of arbitrary, barbaric brutality and almost fair game for sexual abuse. This was attested in a US prison even by 90% of the inmates. This drastic punishment is not primarily for serious criminals, for whom one could still understand a certain severity in the treatment. According to Martin, the penal system does not apply for all sections of the population in the same way. They are, according to their documentation, primarily people from lower classes, especially colored, who would often be behind bars for several years for minimal offenses. On the other hand, super-rich people often get away without being detained even in the most serious offenses. Also, political or environmental activists often indefinitely disappear behind bars without a court hearing to silence them. In an interview with author Eugene Puryear, Abby Martin shows that the American judiciary and penal system in its origins was used to control the country. It was used to discipline the slaves from Africa and other countries during times of slavery, and to educate them for working life. After the end of slavery, the model was created to rent prisoners as cheap labor, for example, to use them in agriculture, so they continue to be kept almost as slaves. According to Eugene Puryear, today's relocation of production abroad to boost profits has sharply reduced the economy in their own country. To prevent major social unrest resulting from this, the US administration, as in the era of slavery, urgently needs effective control of the population. The arrests, which have risen sharply in recent years, represent precisely this controlling instrument: control by locking up people. – That’s the reprehensible practices of self-proclaimed US moral apostles. But in the midst of this bleak US prison environment, prisoners sometimes develop amazing social skills. In joint actions and also prison revolts, they managed to raise a strong public awareness. Supported by the public, detainees were able to force improvements of their conditions of detention. According to Abby Martin, these are very encouraging developments. Because they show that changes by mobilizing the public are feasible even with limited opportunities. You will now see excerpts from the revealing, about 20-minute documentary by Abby Martin:

from hm.

Sources/Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39K_fXZJhNM