#prison pipeline

[twiceexceptionallyme]

Prison Pipelines

I kind of referenced this at the end of my last post, but something important that needs to be talked about is functionality and conditions.

Many people like me who struggle may end up self-medicating. I have severe ADHD and severe functional issues and so does my father. I will use that for this example.

When someone flies under the radar, it's a known fact that access to illegal substances is everywhere. I have seen so many people personally with similar stories end up in prison. Let's talk about why.

Amphetamine usage is real. But for someone with ADHD, it becomes something to regulate. When people are exposed to it, it doesn't become an addiction because it makes them feel good. They finally feel normal.

Then, they start taking it every day. Even if you are not addicted, the body feels the effects of withdrawal. This leads to prison. You hear that they were smart. They had a bright future. What happened to them? They threw it all away for drugs.

That is completely wrong and needs to be addressed within society. What happened was a system failure. They did not get the support they needed, and found something that made them finally function.

I have not personally struggled with drug addiction, but I have seen it happen way too often. These people finally eat, maintain a stable job, clean their homes, do their homework, and then it's gone.

It doesn't stop there.

We have the right to function. The right to succeed. We were not given the tools for it.

Before I was treated, I was changing jobs every six months, failing school, and my house was in disarray. It looked horrible, but I wanted to do it. I did not, and do not alone have the capacity for it.

I was always told, "Just apply yourself more."

Anyone can see, some people need glasses. Everyone has the right to function and succeed in life, but some need tools.

That is not enough. That is not acceptable.

[worldwide-blackfolk]

smdh

[raptured-night]

Eye-opening video reveals the tactics prison guards use to psychologically abuse inmates

This feeling is known by inmates as the Twilight Zone or "The Zo" for short.

[crimson-embers-blog1]

   Into this theme lately... Black History Month is a time to reflect and find peace with your outside appearance and it’s color; but it’s been nothing but chaos. We as people are quick to blame others for a fault regarding race, but let’s just be human for once and live harmoniously. There is nothing we can do to change the past so the best thing to do is to move forward, being stronger than ever my brothers and sisters. To be  black is a gift, and if you can’t see that, then you’re part of the problem. So  either roll with us, or get rolled over.

[navigatethestream]

Cities across the country — like Santa Clara, Calif., Salt Lake City, and Dallas — have realized that stable housing can be a way to combat crowding in the local jail. It’s part of a spreading approach to homelessness called “housing first,” which means putting fewer requirements on people that need a place to live. They don’t need to stay sober, complete classes, or even avoid arrest to keep their apartment. In 2016, Dallas opened a community of 50 tiny houses for the city’s chronically homeless, many of whom were referred from the county department of justice diversion program. The only rule: “be a good neighbor,” said former executive director Keith Ackerman. On-site social workers and medical and mental health providers are available to help people transition into their new home after spending years on the streets. “They may deal with claustrophobia and have to sleep on the front porch; there are individuals dealing with regret and depression that their buddies are out on the street, and there’s the feeling of not being worthy,” Ackerman said. People with frequent arrests are often the most in need of stable housing but have the hardest time getting it. Some programs and public housing authorities bar people with criminal records. And the federal definition of “chronically homeless” leaves out some people who continually go in and out of jail. When individuals are jailed for 90 days or longer, the clock restarts on how long they’ve been homeless. That can make them a lower priority to receive help.

A Fresh Take on Ending the Jail-to-Street-to-Jail Cycle by Christie Thompson

[giftofgabber]

my name is honor student to prison pipeline and my gender is Emotional Support Animal Ever-Delighted

[venusinorbit]

Richmond youth use art to push for an end to incarceration - Kresge Foundation

Editor’s note: This story was first published by Next City “In the world without youth prisons I walk down the street and I hear happiness in the community—no fear, no violence, no cries, no sirens. I see communities thriving, outreach available. Children being healed instead of hurt. Families growing together instead of being torn apart. I see a community that is working to build with the people rather than against them. I see youth becoming who they are destined to be. I see money that would have been going toward putting youth in cages that is now being put into the school system, into jobs, into support for kids. We can shape our future. We can finally heal. We are free.”

The poem read aloud in front of Richmond’s mayor and the large crowd gathered at City Hall this summer may sound like a utopian vision to adult ears, but the youth voices calling for an end to incarcerating kids weren’t daydreaming; they were conjuring a future they are working to build. To make that vision a reality, the teenagers working with Performing Statistics — a Virginia-based youth prison abolition nonprofit and member of Kresge’s Culture of Justice cohort of grantees — are using art to paint a better world for policymakers. Through murals and larger than life art installations, these young people are building support for a real-life justice system that prioritizes healing over punishment.

[salonnierealexis]

A trauma-focused preschool is only a start, Mr. Moore said. Families are children’s frontline educators and they must become more involved. “That’s what we will tackle next,” he added. And although this preschool delivers a supercharged start, those gains will be lost if these children wind up in schools that are mediocre or worse.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/opinion/preschool-children-mental-health.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20210427&instance_id=29776&nl=todaysheadlines®i_id=43453557&segment_id=56569&user_id=06f6767785a14352b47f4490384ee56a

A 4-Year-Old Child Is Not a Problem. And Expulsion Is Not a Solution.April 25, 2021

By David L. Kirp

Mr. Kirp is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Learning Policy Institute.