I shared a cell with a Black man who had waived his right to a speedy trial under law enforcement pressure and had subsequently been in pretrial confinement, in county jail, for eight and a half years. On a minor gun charge. Nobody cares. That’s what it is, not that Americans are bad. It’s the natural outcome of jail being where bad people go and tough on crime policy. Even the lawyers who try to reverse this stuff pro bono are shunned by their peers and looked at as uncouth “activist” attorneys.
The man had converted to Islam and was as upbeat as could be expected about it but told me, quite frankly, that he fully expected to die inside with no disposition in his case. He accepted that. I think about him often and how the system failed him.
Go to jail. The one I was in had a fire extinguisher full of pepper spray that they occasionally used on the entire room when two people were fighting in a corner (it was an excuse). I was also tased in the shower and split my head open, requiring stitches, after falling naked onto the tile floor because I didn’t hear orders to line up over the water and other voices. I lost consciousness to the sounds of laughter from the staff.
Those are two of my tamest stories. There are more. Public whipping, no, but far worse happens in the American correctional system. If you’re inclined to disregard such reports or ignore what they’re saying because they’re not exactly to your liking, I’m not inclined to regard your opinion — it’s also how I know you haven’t done time.
The man had converted to Islam and was as upbeat as could be expected about it but told me, quite frankly, that he fully expected to die inside with no disposition in his case. He accepted that. I think about him often and how the system failed him.