One of
the proposed demands of the September 9th. NJ Actions in Solidarity
with the Multi-State Work Stoppage by Enslaved Incarcerated Men and Women is
for improved conditions for NJ’s incarcerated.
See: http://decarceratenj.blogspot.com/2016/05/sept-9-solidarity-w-incarcerated.html
That
demand is admittedly vague and Decarcerate the Garden State wants to work with
you and with the incarcerated men, women and youth, as well as their families
to make it more specific.
We need
the help of families and loved ones of those incarcerated in NJ in identifying
the most important issues of concern to those on the inside.
Firstly,
if you know of a concerns based upon current and past communications with
incarcerated, please send us the issues you believe are important to Decarc@DecarcerateNJ.org .
We also
are interested in links to articles about prison conditions and especially in
custody deaths and violence in NJ facilities (be they local, county, state or
federal). If you have any links, please
provide them.
We need
to first document the conditions – like medical neglect, safety issues,
violence, brutality, food issues, lack of access to education, training and
other services to prepare for release, etc.
We need to find out which of the concerns are the largest priority. Then we need to articulate the concerns of
the incarcerated – to better define our demand of Improved conditions for NJ’s
incarcerated.
Some Links with Specifics
Some Links with Specifics
Medical
Neglect, Hudson County Jails
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2016/05/hudson_county_freeholders_postpone_vote_on_new_med.html
Plainfield Man Death in Middlesex County Custody
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2016/05/hudson_county_freeholders_postpone_vote_on_new_med.html
Plainfield Man Death in Middlesex County Custody
http://decarceratenj.blogspot.com/2015/03/another-man-done-gone-plainfield-man.html
Deplorable Solitary at Middlesex County Jail
http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2015/11/solitary_confinement_in_middlesex_county_cruel_and.html
Deplorable Solitary at Middlesex County Jail
http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2015/11/solitary_confinement_in_middlesex_county_cruel_and.html
http://www.trentonian.com/general-news/20160524/trenton-attorney-activists-call-on-new-jersey-ag-to-investigate-mercer-county-inmates-death
Rash of deaths in Cumberland County Jail
http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2016/06/bridgeton_man_commits_suicide_in_county_jail_warde.html
Anyone
with more links about conditions of NJ’s facilities, please send to Decarc@DecarcerateNJ.org .
Essex County Sexual Abuse
https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/newark-corrections-officer-gets-25-years-sexual-abuse-detainee
Essex County Sexual Abuse
https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/newark-corrections-officer-gets-25-years-sexual-abuse-detainee
Anyone who has people on the inside in NJ - if it can be worked
into the conversation next time you write to them, talk on the phone or visit -
please tell them about Decarcerate the Garden State . . . and about the plans
to have September 9 activities in NJ demanding decarcerating measures - like 50 % reduction
in NJ's prisoners - and improved conditions inside NJ prisons. If some of the incarcerated help spread word
inside the facilities about September 9 and about our need for information
about what are the conditions in NJ that need improvement and urge prisoners to
send us information that will help us to develop a specific set of concerns that
we can voice on September 9 (before and after that date as well).
We are also reviewing the rules for sending newspapers into the
facilites - if you would like to request a subscription to The NJ Decarcerator
for one or more incarcerated man, women or youth - please send the name, ID#
and facility to Decarc@DecarcerateNJ.org .
We need to be creative – and there is a
significant effort to get it right about what “improved conditions for the
incarcerated” in NJ’s facilities means.
A general vague demand is less powerful than specific demands so this is
an important task for our September 9 work.
Ideally we would have a committee to to work around this issue with a
task plan for:
·
gathering
information from available media sources, possibly scholarly writings, legal
briefs and even college research papers that might have been done recently.
·
Reaching out to the families of incarcerated
and the incarcerated to pin down the major concerns and the relative importance
of each concern.
·
Maybe we can interest some reporters into doing
some further investigative work and obtain information from their resulting
reports.
Academics / Religious Leaders / Advocates / Lawyers
If you have any information on NJ to contribute to this information gathering effort - please share. Those in academia - you might know about research either by professors, grad students or under grads that might have explored this information.
Those in advocacy you might know families, etc that would have information to share - that would help as well.
Ministers, you might have people in your congregations that might be willing to help by providing some of this information.
We know that there are general trends in the abusive conditions but if we can make it more specific and with help in prioritizing which are the most important concerns - that is all the better
Attorneys, maybe you know of cases and can provide referencing that can point us in the right direction.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Attorneys, maybe you know of cases and can provide referencing that can point us in the right direction.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Addendum:
This report from Alabama is the kind of information we need to put together for NJ:
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2016/may/5/alabama-forced-confront-criminal-justice-reform/
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