Ep 40 – Land of the Free

Episode 40 - "Land of the Free" Never have as many people been locked up than right now, here in the United States. The US has more prisoners per capita than anywhere else on the planet and that number continues to climb at a terrifying rate. Once within the prison system, inmates are abused and exploited out of sight and out of mind of the rest of the population. With these crimes against humanity growing ever greater and the impossible to ignore racial disparity continuing to get worse, it's time we take a critical look at our prison system and the monster we've all created. This episode is dedicated to the prisoners currently on strike across the United States who just want to be treated with the humanity that all of us deserve. Chapters 3:49 Nothing New 11:42 Prisons in America Today 15:57 Prison Labor Today 27:42 What sparked the strike? 28:53 Forced riots 32:54 All demands matter 38:28 What can we do on the outside? 42:38 Language 45:18 Risks higher for some 46:36 How large is this prison strike? 57:52 Benefits of labor? 1:03:33 Disenfranchisement: Has the debt been paid or not? 1:05:40 Collapse? 1:12:20 What can we do? A full transcript is available as well as detailed links and sources (plus credits and more) on our website ashesashes.org. Find more information along with relevant news and links on your favorite social network @ashesashescast. CC BY-SA 4.0