A new website Out on Bond was launched by the Georgia Working Families Party with information about Atlanta City Council member Michael Julian Bond. This was based partly on research done by Research|Action in cooperation with community groups in Atlanta. They are concerned that Bond has been an obstacle to criminal justice reform and that he opposes closing and repurposing the Atlanta City Detention Center. Also check out the video.
In a major victory for criminal justice reform, the city of Atlanta has taken the next step toward closing the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) and repurposing the facility for other uses that would benefit the community. The city will set up a community task force to study alternative uses for the jail, which will present its findings within a year.
The campaign to close the jail has been ongoing for many years, led by Women on the Rise and the Racial Justice Action Center (RJAC), as part of their efforts to reduce mass incarceration in Atlanta. Research|Action has long supported RJAC’s work through the analysis of arrest and jail data and conducting research into the ACDC’s history and finances. Our report on the jail, The History of the Atlanta City Detention Center, can be found here.
Research|Action has been researching the Atlanta City Detention Center to provide historical information in support of the “Close the Jail ATL: Communities Over Cages” campaign, led by Women on the Rise and the Racial Justice Action Center.
The report features information on the construction, finances and history of the jail as well as past debates about selling the jail to Fulton County. The campaign to close the jail seeks progressive alternatives to mass incarceration and alternative uses for the facility.
A previous post about this campaign is here and the report can be found here.
There is a community campaign fighting to close the Atlanta City Detention Center and use the facility for alternative purposes. The jail costs $33 million/year to operate but because of recent progressive changes in sentencing policy and policing strategy, it is largely empty on most days. It can house over 1,300 incarcerated people.
Working with the Racial Justice Action Center (RJAC) and Women on the Rise, Research|Action provided background and budget data on the jail to better understand its history and the economics of the facility. This included researching news articles and city budget documents going back to when it was built in the 1990s.
We found that the city largely paid for the construction of the $55 million facility during fiscal years 1994-1996. It had also raised nearly $68 million for this project from a 1992 bond fund which was used to pay for the initial construction as well as ongoing capital improvements over time. The city then paid back the bond in subsequent years until 2017 when it was fully paid off.
In 2011 there were discussions about selling the facility to Fulton County, but a deal never materialized.
Research|Action also spoke at a recent Atlanta City Council hearing to provide this background data to inform the discussion.
A recent article about the campaign is here.
We’re proud that our new prison report, Cruel & Usual, has been added to the Prison Policy Initiative research library. It can be found here.
Article about our report Cruel and Usual.
We rarely see what goes on inside of U.S. prisons, besides the occasional reports of riots, suicides or corruption scandals that trickle out of an otherwise opaque institution. But a new study looking into prison conditions nationwide shines light on the bleak reality of everyday life behind bars.
The study, conducted by the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC)—an affiliate of the Industrial Workers of the World and Research Action Cooperative—surveyed 123 incarcerated individuals across 21 states. The majority of the participants were from state facilities, but also included prisoners from federal institutions and immigrant detention centers, mostly from Missouri, Texas and California.
Read the article.
Widespread problems with food and health care quality are standard in U.S. prisons, according to a new report by the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC) and Research Action Cooperative. 65% of prisoners reported that food made them sick in the last year and 63% reported being denied needed health care.
Based on a survey of 123 prisoners in 83 facilities in 21 states, the report, Cruel and Usual: A National Prisoner Survey of Prison Food and Health Care Quality, concludes:
Overall, the prisoners describe a prison system that routinely provides inadequate food and health care that endangers their health. Unsanitary conditions, small servings of poor quality food, and lack of attention to special diets are common. Disrespect by health care staff, delayed care, and denial of treatment and medications are also common.
Read the report.
Among the report’s findings about food:
In detailed comments, prisoners described food that was served in unsanitary conditions and was expired, spoiled or moldy, or contained bugs or rocks. Some containers were labeled not fit for human consumption. Several described getting food poisoning or diarrhea. Many prisoners commented that their food servings were too small or that they were not given enough time to get food. Written comments from prisoners include:
Among the report’s findings about health care:
In detailed comments, many prisoners described rude and disrespectful behavior, routine neglect, denial of care, and poorly trained health care staff. Several prisoners reported being charged excessive fees for care and several described getting inadequate treatment remotely via video conference. Written comments from prisoners include:
IWOC member Brianna Peril states, “As a labor union with prisoners and free people, IWOC fights for better prison conditions and this report gives prisoners an opportunity to make their voices heard on the crucial issues of food and health care. It’s clear that the U.S. prison system is failing them through this routinely poor treatment that endangers their lives.”
The report concludes that people who are being punished through imprisonment should not also be punished again with inadequate food and health care, and that this callous treatment is often the result of cost-cutting, racism, and an inhumane, punitive approach to imprisonment. IWOC believes that a true investment in positive rehabilitation would provide quality food and health care that values prisoners’ lives.
Read the report.