wakrie blogs

The Story that Haunts Me

I read many accounts of injustices around the world and fret over them but few haunt me like this one of three prisoners in Angola Prison in Louisiana. They have been in solitary confinement for 30 years. It seems they are innocent and the prison authorites have been conducting a vendetta against them over all these years. AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: Life in Solitary Confinement: 12,775 Days Alone How a person maintains their sanity under such a condition of torture, is a wonder to me. Just the thought of it makes be feel a sense of panic. In truth, it does drive people insane.

At first, I thought this was a "one of" situation. With a little research I discover it is shockingly common in the American Prison System. Increasingly, long term solitary confinement it being used. Solitary confinement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia NPR : Q&A: Solitary Confinement & Human Rights

If this can be the practice in a country that believes in the rule of law and where people have the right of habeus corpus how more abusive under a system where these safeguards are denied.

I have long been aware of the inadequacy of the US prison system. There is something dreadfully wrong that this liberal democratic country the claims to believe in the rule of law should lead all other countries in the number of its citizens incarcerated. The Straight Dope: Does the United States lead the world in prison population?

I guess those who believe in "lock them up and throw away the key" are happy. I am just one of the simple minded who really believes, "we are our brother's keeper".