Another aspect was the irony in a lot of the reporter’s statements. She frequently mentioned things like prisoners refusing to talk to protect their gang or gangs punishing those who try to drop out of the gangs. But the state does the very same things! Try to be a whistleblower under the Obama administration or try to leave the US army and see how well they treat you! And her shock about prisoners taking orders in a large hierarchy from people “they never even see” sounded the weirdest of all. I’m pretty sure most soldiers and police don’t get to see the heads of their organizations on a day-to-day basis, or the ordinary people in any large business, media, or academic organization for that matter.
The presentation was very establishment in tone, yet I almost felt like a voyeur watching it. She announced herself that the US has 2 million people in the prison system, the largest in the entire world, yet all the news shows talk about is Paul Ryan’s budget plan! One guy was there for years just for drugs! I can’t help but wonder that the people I and others will work with and see everyday know little to nothing about this. I can’t help but wonder how they would react if they or a loved one was put into a California Max prison. I can’t help but wonder how I would deal with it and what effect being isolated, caged, and housed with violent thugs would have on me or a loved one.
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