From the coauthor of Rehabilitation in Prison – Sean D. French – On behalf of The NATIONAL LIFER’S ASSOCIATION:
“If only we knew what justice was,
the problem of being just would be
simple.” – Socrates –
This dissertation will be divided into multiple sections. Part One deals with the malapropisms in the States use and context of the word “Justice”:
Webster’s definition of Justice – “The quality of being righteous; impartiality. 2. the quality of being right. 3. sound reason; (the principle of moral righteousness – accordance with law). 4. reward of penalty as deserved!
What Webster was unable to offer us in its definition of justice, is how to apply justice morally!
The MDOC has been derelict in a plethora of ways, in regards to Justice, especially where it pertains to the standards, treatment, & lack of empathy displayed towards the social struggles of black & brown men. The form of justice often displayed to those within the MDOC, is the kind of justice that allowed, for decades, an all white jury to stand as a jury of our peers. The laws implemented & executed in this State/the MDOC are biased, and were designed to strip men of color from their families, shackling them to minimum mandatory sentences or LIFE!
I would first like to note, that in the 2019 – 2022 Strategic Plan for the MDOC, Director Heidi Washington states as their Motto, “to create a safer Michigan (in contrast to a more just Michigan) by holding offenders accountable (as opposed to restoring their lives) while promoting their success” (within modernized plantations that house anywhere from 45% to 60% black and brown offenders – in facilities overseen by less than 20% black staff members) – emphasis mine:
Who among these white officials (that by nature) harbor implicit racial and biased beliefs, will genuinely seek to “promote” the success of black & brown offenders?
Food for thought, I am a published author in Self-help/Cognitive Behavioral Psychology, working diligently to restore the lives of offenders as best I can, and not once in the 21 years that I have currently served, has any of these officials sought to “promote” my success: many took umbrage at the achievements I have acquired – as I was told, “you’re still a prisoner!” Prisoner of course, was not the word they wanted to use ; this is how they promote ones success!
I suspect that if there were an Equal representation of black & brown officials promoting the success of all offenders; changing biased destructive laws & advocating for Restorative Justice; lives would be changed for offenders!
The Director cannot truly expect prison reform of any sort to take place, especially pertaining to Mass Incarceration and Long and Indeterminate sentences, while there remains a gross imbalance of black & brown representation – both in the MDOC and in key positions within the state leadership: positions that can enact change! The Governor & the Director, cannot possibly be this naïve! “Success” of ALL offenders will only be equally promoted by staff members who look like those they oversee!
Justice cannot be present in a “Strategic Plan” forged and adhered to by those who secretly harbor (because its no longer politically accepted to be explicit) biased racial indifferences! The 2019-2022 “Strategic” plan, which has the governor’s seal of approval is a farce; a misrepresentation of judicial & prison reform – insofar as it pertains to black & brown offenders.
Aside from personally being housed at facilities where there have been absolutely NO black & brown representation – Kinross/Newberry etc., one can easily conclude that both the MDOC & Michigan’s Judicial system, is comprised of predominately white people, i.e., the “status quo”: yet, the governor professes to have our best interests at heart with displays such as: denying the removal of Truth-in-Sentencing, herein referred to as T.I.S.
Governor Whitmer even went so far as to designate the theme for Black History Month – “The Black Family Unit”, which includes the Black man, whom she remains “Hell Bent” on keeping “shackled” to long indeterminate sentences: Jim Crow-esque or Justice?, you decide!
In another version of this letter, I have elaborated upon the “values” cited in the MDOC’s current Strategic Plan, which is humorous at best. Terms like Excellence, Respect, & Integrity are bandied in hopes of selling an idea to the tax payers, which the MDOC never intends on reaching. How can they, with such a gross imbalance of black & brown representation for black & brown offenders whom, by the way, make up the bulk of the MDOC’s population!
Can anyone say…”Institutional Criminalization”? A scheme derived from systemic racism; one that goes hand-in-hand with disenfranchisement & subjugation for the purpose of perpetuating a Now, “legal” form of slavery! One should take a closer look at the (exception clause) incorported within the 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution.
This clause is not unambiguous, it is clear & deliberate, an insidious act of chicanery designed for black & brown men and is therefore, the reason why black & brown men make up some 35% to 40% of the nations prison population (Michigan included) – yet, we only make up 6.5% of the entire population within the United States! Now I’m not a mathematician, but those numbers don’t add up on any Planet, Galaxy, or Universe!
In spite of those numbers, our white (privileged) governors here in Michigan, have convinced the people that laws like the Juvenile Lifer’s law was Just, warranted, and needed; that Mass Incarceration of black & brown men is just, warranted, and needed; that T.I.S., coupled with Long and Indeterminate Mandatory Sentences, is also just, warranted, & needed. These decisions were made by and through the so called “MORAL” character of the “Status Quo!”
Join the NLA Rally in Lansing at the Capitol in October! For more details, Call 1-(810)-309-5260