note to moderator, this is not a new topic but a reply to something i posted other day, thought i had posted it, but think i replied too late. i am only on computers a year and getting used to them. if it is too late to post this, is there any way you can please forward it to running bear? sorry if that is causing too much trouble, on another forum and list, there is normally a personal e-,mail but i cant find his answer on here - sorry if this is too cheeky - am not usure how much work it takes for you to do.
------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hiya Speaking Bear, everyone have to agree with all you say there, SpeakingBear; the so called criminal justice system usually results in crimilising the working class(often more harshly if 'they' also try to 'see offenders' along ethnic, gender, etc lines) and justice for those who can afford it: which is no justice at all. It is the same here as U.S. and probably most of the world - "white collar" crimes are taken much less seriously, and their perpetrators dealt with much more leniently. i've heard the amount of wealth stolen this way, is greater than the amount made in traditional ways by the average joe type of criminal. Yet a lot more money and time is spend on monitoring, investigating, prosecuting and imprisoning the working class 'average joe', than is spent on finding and punishing 'white collar crime'. And like you say, they always get less scentences and in easier nicks than we do. We have a slightly different system than you, but with same sort of different nicks, from 'cushy' open prisons to high security Cat A ones, and by your post i guess u don't need me to tell you who goes where :-) We have a legal aid system, tho it is getting worse, but i hear the stateside one is much worse. And your right, theres untold wrong convictions and "miscarraiges of justice" - over here esp Birmingham 6, Guildford 4 wrongfully convicted for irish republican bombings, and anarchist activist Mark Barnsley, who was "beaten up, fitted up and locked up" - you can read his story in his self-wrote pamplet of the same name, i imagine still available from Leeds ABC and probably other ones as well. In the U.S. its even worse - what with you having the death penalty - state sanctioned murder - in many states. Know Texas is said to be the worst, and was well pleased and a bit surprised, cos of judge's previous decisions that Kenneth Foster escaped state murder, though still may be in jail for rest of his natural; that is some mad law they got there - he admitted he drove the car and they admit he could not have foreseen the murder that took place - yet he's still charged with it.WTF!! There is a prisoner in a scottish jail, who was a lifer, but has served over his recommended maximun(25) and whose already forming class-consciousness turned into radical class struggle anarchism and militant prison resistance activism and solidarity with other cons, not just in his own jails, but world-wide. He was in an open prison having weekend visits home and even before he was in the open prison had been working with mentally vunerable people - doing a great job btw - on day release from about 2 years ago. He has not just turned into a politicised prisoner, but is now, imo and many others, a POLITICAL HOSTAGE. After writing many articles for Brighton ABC and receiving a vist from 2 members - who have not any criminal record between them, the american right-wing social worker - Matt Stillman - who is now under investigation - tried to insinuate that John and the ABC's were terrorists - and the local paper reported this story with a headline which included something like prisoner receives visit from terrorists!! (btw, no other papers seemed to take this story up, probably cos not wanting to get done for slander, or whatever its called when you print lies. As a result of this, John Bowden, was put into solitary and the next morning saw him back in a higher category locked prison, despite the fact he did not break one rule, or 'mis-behave' in any way. He is still there now, though there is an on-going campaign for him - see details below. please contact Leeds ABC at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Friends of John Bowden - e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Homepage: http://www.myspace.com/friendsofjohnbowden PLEASE NOTE - I wrote this post of my own back, and am not a member of Leeds ABC, for reasons including living in london - i am just a supporter of them, as i am prisoner support groups in general. I also support John Bowden, not in any 'official,lol' capacity, but just as an individual interested in seeing justice done and as a bit of a friend, having wrote and exchanged phone calls with him prior to this happening - from what i know, i am happy to say there is no danger of him committing offences again, and he is a good person, politically aware and shown untold solidarity and help to many, many other prisoners,etc. Having been a thorn in the side of the british penal system for this amount of time, and the extremes of brutality and 'punishment' he is prepared to endure due to his beliefs and actions, I think another reason they are treating him like this, is for personal, petty vindictive reasons. Even some of the S.P.S, own employeeshave now started to speak out against his treatment and the unprofessional and neo-con politically motivated (imo) conduct of Matt Stillman - currently under investigation. p,s, will post an article on the spanish f.i.e.s. as you could not read pamplet - though for those with the time and money, it is well worth buying. --- In [email protected], "Speakingbear" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Although i could not read the article, I will say this> In the US, Federal prisons are very > different than State prisons or county jails. Those who committ "white collar" crimes have > it much better as far as incarceration goes, then the average joe in state and county jails. > The whole system is in need of reform. We spend more money on the penal system then > we do on education. Also the demographics speak for themselves. It is much easier for a > person with $$$ to spend on defense to stay out of jail, then it is for a poor person to get > decent representation. If it hadn't been for DNA many wrongly accused of crimes would > still be doing time. > > --- In [email protected], "Michelle" <kj10680@> wrote: > > > > New Pamphlet From Leeds ABC > > >> > > >> PRISON WAS CREATED FOR THE POOR > > >> Mothers & Sons: From FIES to Aachen > > >> Pastora & Xose Tarrio Gonzalez > > >> Julia & Gabriel Pombo da Silva > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> Prison Was Created For The Poor focuses on two > > >> tireless militants of the Spanish prison struggle, > > >> Xose Tarrio Gonzalez and Gabriel Pombo Da Silva, who > > >> fought against the brutal F.I.E.S. isolation units. > > >> Xose was killed by a life behind bars, and Gabriel > > >> now rots in a German prison. The main part of this > > >> book though, is written by neither Xose nor Gabriel, > > >> instead it is the text of an interview with their > > >> mothers, Pastora and Julia. Through this medium, > > >> they tell a powerful and emotional story, which not > > >> only takes us inside the world of Spanish high > > >> security prisons, but reflects on jails throughout > > >> the world. Prison Was Created For The Poor is a > > >> compelling read. > > >> > > >> 32 pages. £2 plus 50p UK postage. Please contact us > > >> for trade and international rates. > > >> > > >> Leeds ABC, PO Box 53, Leeds, LS8 4WP. England. > > >> leedsabc@ > > >> > > >> > > >> > > -
