We Need to Remember that Prisoners are People

    

30 Percent of California’s Forest Firefighters Are Prisoners

A version of U.S.A. that lives up to its founding ideals of freedom, equality, and democratic rule is one that works to re-examine and expand those concepts, while offering their protections, to all its citizens. Offering a voice to incarcerated individuals would foster  in-depth insight into causes and realities of incarceration. Similar to the Civil Rights, women’s liberation, and gay rights movements, declaring their disqualification  from negotiated participation in crucial aspects of society to be unjust. We can see that changing the status quo may lead to better understanding of the impacts prior subjugation and its removal.  Prisoners with more just compensation would be able to save money towards post-release expenses, reducing the likelihood of re-offending within a year.  Restoring the right to vote, while making it mandatory for post-release acclimation, may increase their civic pride and desire to work for societal good. Properly appropriated funds and programs allocated to those areas most affected by cycles of incarceration would be of better use towards reintegration of displaced prisoners.

    Contrasting ideals of freedom, justice, and equality, the U.S. reality of slavery, exploitation and silencing have been present since its birth. Founded by a collection of slave-owning philosophers and soldiers demanding freedom from the tyranny of “taxation without representation”; and birthed with  a system of representational democracy based on a concept of equality not inclusive to all subjects of that democracy. This contradictory flaw of U.S. democracy is old, and yet not immutable. In the face of the current pandemic, millions of citizens are not deterred from expressing their displeasure with the current state of the country. Now is the time to remember the population of citizens that have their ability to do the same restricted by policies incompatible with U. S. values. The coming elections, and every election moving forward, offer the opportunity to put in place individuals in power that will work to better recognize and protect the shared humanity of our incarcerated fellows. We can revise and update  the 13th and 14th amendments, as well ensuring census data more accurately reflects community makeup.