The Sovereign Voice Issue 5 | Page 112

and juvenile facilities” are joining the movement to “demand the end to prison slavery.” With these strikes, the IWOC explained, these prisoners are not only demanding changes to be implemented. They also claim they are “[ending prison slavery] ourselves by ceasing to be slaves.” In an interview with Mother Jones, Prison Legal News editor Paul Wright explained that “[t]ypically prisoners are required to work, and if they refuse to work, they can be punished by having their sentences lengthened and being placed in solitary confinement.” When the strike launched, FAM drafted a list of demands that partially addresses this issue. The list calls for the reduction of the state prison population, the release of inmates who are mentally ill and who require appropriate care, the establishment of an “Education, Rehabilitation and Re-Entry Preparedness” program, the enforcement of minimum wage laws so prisoners who choose to work are compensated, and the restoration of voting rights. The DOJ investigation into Alabama prisons is being conducted under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act but officials have not confirmed whether the strike prompted the probe. Nevertheless, FAM’s Pastor Kenneth Glasgow told Buzzfeed the strikes have played an important role: “I do believe the prison strike that was initiated led and organized by those on the inside of Holman prison is the reason for the DOJ launching the investigation. And I think when they saw that even the officers admitted that the administration was allowing a hostile environment to be created, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” According to the DOJ, many of the department’s past investigations into similar state prison issues resulted in “important reforms.” Only time will tell which reforms, if any, will help to address one of the biggest issues with the U.S. prison system: the drug war. TheSovereignVoice.Org end of article