Policing Pain Policing Pain
It’s been estimated that half of the people shot and killed by police officers in the United States have some type of mental-health problem. James Boyd was killed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after a five-hour negotiation with police, who were trying to get the homeless man to leave his illegal campsite. Boyd had only two small camping knives, but he was shot in the back after the officers set off a stun grenade. When they aren’t killing people with mental-health issues, the police are arresting them, a harrowing and harmful experience in its own right. “Jails are the number one mental-health facilities across the country,” San Antonio Police Officer Joe Smarro explains in a new video series about overcriminalization, which launches at TheNation.com on October 9. Produced by Brave New Films in partnership with the ACLU, the series explores alternatives to the criminalization of social problems like mental illness, homelessness and addiction. Please support our journalism. Get a digital subscription for just $9.50! There’s a long history in America of imprisoning vulnerable populations. The criminalizing of homelessness harks back to the days after Reconstruction, when outdated vagrancy laws were suddenly applied to the newly freed black population. The “black codes” targeted formerly enslaved people, who were arrested for violations such as lacking proof of employment. They were then sent to prisons that had sprung up on former plantations, effectively re-enslaving them. This legacy carries on through stop-and-frisk policies and discriminatory immigration enforcement measures. Such policies criminalize everyday behavior, are enforced in a racist fashion, and designate police officers as the first and only solution to society’s problems. That’s why this series is not just about describing the problem, but about how you can take action. These videos focus on innovative and cost-effective solutions that actually improve people’s lives, making us less dependent on prisons and policing to address problems that are far too complex to be beaten into submission. Read Next: Steven Hsieh on the mentally ill veteran who “baked to death” at Rikers
Oct 8, 2014 / Mychal Denzel Smith
Who Profits From Plans to Lock Up More Immigrant Families? Private Prison Companies Who Profits From Plans to Lock Up More Immigrant Families? Private Prison Companies
Human rights groups are alarmed by the administration’s proposal to dramatically expand family detention for undocumented women and children.
Sep 30, 2014 / Zoë Carpenter
Why White People’s Awareness of Racism Isn’t Enough Why White People’s Awareness of Racism Isn’t Enough
A majority of Americans believe the criminal justice system is racially biased, but it takes more than an acknowledgement to dismantle the system.
Sep 24, 2014 / Mychal Denzel Smith
Inmates Aren’t the Only Victims of the Prison-Industrial Complex Inmates Aren’t the Only Victims of the Prison-Industrial Complex
Prison-reform advocates tend to focus on the plight of those behind bars. But the enforcers of this draconian system are victims as well.
Sep 16, 2014 / Alex Hannaford
Overturned Death Penalty Conviction Sparks Debate in North Carolina Overturned Death Penalty Conviction Sparks Debate in North Carolina
The release of a wrongfully imprisoned death row inmate has opened up a bipartisan conversation around punitive justice in North Carolina.
Sep 11, 2014 / StudentNation / StudentNation
A Plea for Humanity at Rikers A Plea for Humanity at Rikers
Inmates and activists unite to stop prisoner abuse at Rikers Island Prison.
Aug 14, 2014 / Sarah Leonard
How the ACA Can Revolutionize Inmate Healthcare How the ACA Can Revolutionize Inmate Healthcare
Jails have become the front line for health problems that plague underserved communities in America. The Affordable Care Act provides an opportunity to improve continuity in treatm...
Jun 27, 2014 / Maura Ewing
Despite SCOTUS Ban, 15 States Still Have Not Passed Laws Ending Mandatory Life Without Parole for Juveniles Despite SCOTUS Ban, 15 States Still Have Not Passed Laws Ending Mandatory Life Without Parole for Juveniles
Two years after the Supreme Court ruled the practice unconstitutional, many states are still able to send children to die in prison without recourse.
Jun 25, 2014 / Steven Hsieh
Can a Free Press Flourish Behind Bars? Can a Free Press Flourish Behind Bars?
For 127 years, prison newspapers have struggled to speak truth to the outside world.
Jun 25, 2014 / Wilbert Rideau and Linda LaBranche
Bowe Bergdahl and the Real Guantánamo Detainee Scandal Bowe Bergdahl and the Real Guantánamo Detainee Scandal
Seventy-eight men who have been cleared for release remain in interminable detention.
Jun 6, 2014 / Zoë Carpenter