Inside the system
The experience of my colleague, jailed for a misdemeanor, shows how brutal and dehumanising US prisons can be
When my colleague Luis Barrios was sent to federal prison five weeks ago, after being convicted of trespassing - a "class B" misdemeanor typically warranting a fine, community service or short-term imprisonment in a county jail - during a protest at the infamous School of the Americas, I said to him: "At least you'll be in Manhattan, at least you'll be near family and friends." "Yes," he said, "but you never know what will happen. You can go in there for a month and come out in a year."
I smiled uneasily, fully aware of such cases but thinking: "He's a well known Episcopalian priest, a full professor and academic chair at the largest school of criminal justice in the country. He'll be held for 60 days at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in downtown Manhattan, two blocks from city hall. How risky can it be?" As it turns out, a lot can happen in five weeks.
A mixture of law, politics, autobiography and humour. Once described as "The Devilish Advocate" (Guardian), I do have the ability to provoke a response. Sometimes it comes from someone who uses a thought process, and sometimes from jerks usually associated with the knee.
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