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October 2007
by Daisy Ouye
October marks 62 years since the closing of Topaz Internment Camp. The site was recognized this year as a National Historic Landmark thanks to the diligence of the Topaz Museum Board and other supporters. They believe it is important that we remember the strength of the people interned, as well as injustices of former actions of the US federal government.
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November 2006
by Marco Rosaire Rossi
For almost a decade, the crime rate in the United States has been steadily declining. The reasons for this decline are varied, but most criminologists have pointed to the continuous increase in prisons and jail populations as the primary cause. The rationale is that we have less crime because we have fewer criminals on the street. However, something important happened in the last two years that has forced many criminologists to question this theory: in almost all major cities in the country, crime rates -- especially violent crime rates -- have gone up despite the fact . . .
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July 2006
by Marco Rosaire Rossi
Since 1982, journalist and political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal has been incarcerated for the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner. Abu-Jamal has claimed his innocence, and a massive mountain of evidence has accumulated to support this claim - including the testimony of Arnold Beverly. In 2001, Beverly signed a sworn affidavit claiming that he was the true murderer of Daniel Faulkner and was hired as a hit man to get rid of Faulkner for his meddling in affairs between the mob and a particularly crooked clique of the Philadelphia Police Department. Despite this . . .
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July 2006
by Marco Rosaire Rossi
Prison rape demonstrates an intense paradox in our society. In one respect, prison rape is extremely open. For the most part, the general public is ignorant about many of the realities of life behind bars, but it is common knowledge that rape does occur and occurs regularly. The topic is featured in movies, books, televisions shows -- even jokes. In another respect, prison rape is completely invisible. Very few institutions take meaningful measures to prevent it, and some flat out deny that it happens at all. Of course, this dynamic works to perpetuate these crimes. The . . .
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March 2006
by Peter Dale Scott
A Halliburton subsidiary has just received a $385 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security to provide "temporary detention and processing capabilities."
The contract -- announced Jan. 24 by the engineering and construction firm Kellog Brown and Root (KBR) -- calls for preparing for "an emergency influx of immigrants, or to support the rapid development of new programs" in the event of other emergencies, such as "a natural disaster." The release offered no details about where Halliburton was to build these facilities, or when.
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March 2006
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Manzanar, California: Opened March 21, 1942. Closed November 21, 1945. Peak population 10,046. Origin of prisoners: Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, San Joaquin County, and Bainbridge Island, Washington. It was the first of the ten camps to open -- initially as a processing center.
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March 2006
Tuke Lake, California: Opened May 27, 1942. Closed March 20, 1946. Peak population 18,789. Origin of prisoners: American citizens of Japanese descent living in Sacramento area, Southwestern Oregon, and Western Washington. Later, segregated internees were brought from all west coast states and Hawaii. One of the most turbulent camps -- prisoners held frequent protest demonstrations and strikes.
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March 2006
Amache (Granada), Colorado: Opened August 24, 1942. Closed October 15, 1945. Peak population 7,318. Origin of prisoners: Northern California coast, West Sacramento Valley, Northern San Joaquin Valley, and Los Angeles. Thirty-one Japanese Americans from Amache volunteered and lost their lives in World War II. One hundred twenty died here between August 27, 1942 and October 14, 1945.
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September 2003
by Marco Rosaire Rossi
In the United States, people with mental illness are discriminated against and abused in all sections of the criminal justice system. For them, working through the harsh and rigid complexities of America's judicial system is a hopeless and abusive experience. Both police and prison officials, who are ill equipped with knowledge and skills, often behave with neglect or brutality towards mentally ill individuals.
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