By: Daniel J. Simms, Imprisoned Independent Journalist/Author
Alarmingly 3.7 million Americans, in Federal and State systems, are on some form of mass supervision. It is a shocking statistical fact. Especially when virtually every one of those Americans will be piped into imprisonment. Those of you versed in supervisory tyranny understand how that is practically inevitable. Supervision is not limited to ensuring Americans do not commit new criminal offenses. If that was the case the incarceration rate would be significantly lower. Instead Supervision primarily concerns itself with policing "rule- breaking." Yep. The vast majority of those incarcerated are there for simply not checking in, not paying a fine or court cost, or any myriads of other petty or pretextual reasonings alleged by Supervisory officers.
"Depending on the jurisdiction or how punitive a person's assigned officer is, or both, nearly anything can be used to justify revoking a person's supervision," stated Cristian Farias, former Supervision Officer, and author of "The Gun of Incarceration: Probation and Parole in the United States Don't Work. A Longtime Reformer and Advocate Has Drawn a Blueprint to End Them." Farias wrote an essay, the original can be found on, http://inquest.org/the-gun-of-incarceration/, reviewing Vincent Schiraldi's book, "Mass Supervision: Probation, Parole, and the Illusion of Safety and Freedom." The compelling part of both these authors is that they were both part of the mass supervision world before realizing the need for reform. Vincent Schiraldi was the Head Commissioner of New York City's probation system under Mayor Michael Bloomburg. Many American activists and reformers, including me, have long been advocating and protesting for a less punitive approach to criminal justice. Now it appears even those on the other side of the blue line are finally coming to realize the failures of past
policies.
The initial concept of supervision was to provide an alternative to incarceration. But the truth is mass supervision does not keep communities safe or prevent incarceration. In actuality it is a "net widener," wrote Schiraldi, when explaining the deep need for reform, and it serves as "trip wires" for vulnerable Americans. Instead of being helped, saved, and restored from prior bad criminal decision making, they are in fact over supervised until they fail. And failure means going to the same mass incarceration system they sought to avoid. So it has become an effective pipeline to prison for our people. It is sickening.
What if all those squandered billions of dollars for the failed project of Supervision went into something that could actually improve public safety and reduce recidivism? For instance placing troubled Americans in mandatory college degree or technical degree programming. Mandatory mental health or substances treatment. Or the numerous other community evidence based programming that would help truly save and restore our people. Rather than foreclose them to destinies of misery and despair. Statistics prove that eighty two percent of those that enter prison return within ten years. Sixty three percent of those are within the first three years. It is a stunning indictment on how ineffective and massively bad mass incarceration has failed in public safety. But it is even sadder knowing those recidivating could of been productive members of society if systems were in place to help, save, and restore them. Also keep in mind that current policies are destroying more than just troubled Americans lives and futures. They are also destroying their families and descendants. Their communities. And even the country. The fabric of our Nation is at stake if we continue over incarcerating our people at the pace set historically.
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Supporters encouraged us to create custom branded designed collections of items to sell online. So we did it. Please find the online stores that carry the Defund DOC brand: Etsy.com, Tiktok.com, and of course on our website DefundDOC.net. We are actively seeking new ways to promote and bring attention to this mission. You were going to buy sweatshirts, tee-shirts, mugs, and other items, so why not get them from us? Every penny of profit goes towards furthering this overdue social justice mission. Remember becoming a supporter is merely an insurance policy. Statistically speaking you, or one of your descendants, will be ensnared in these corrupt and evil mass incarceration or mass supervision systems. Therefore you are contributing towards a future where prisoner slavery is a part of the ugly past. Where all prisons are turned into treatment and career centers. And meaningful sentencing reform occurs. Supporting ensures your name will be written in glory and history! Just like those that fought to end slavery!
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