Month: June 2012

Written by bitcodavid

Felix in His Own Words – Part I

This video, part I in a series, represents the culmination of the combined efforts of James Ridgeway – who owns the copyright, Pat Bliss – who assisted in the filming, our wonderful interpreter – who requested anonymity, but did an awesome job – and myself – who turned the knobs and punched the buttons. My […]

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Written by bitcodavid

Crossover Youth – Reblogged from CrimeDime.com

Originally posted on CrimeDime:
A real commitment to improving the juvenile system requires “assessment” centers like this one to truly assess young offenders for past victimization rather than routinized criminal justice processing. Image: CrimeDime Plenty of research has established the link between victimization and offending. But establishing the fact that the link exists is easier…

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Written by ptbliss

Third Letter From California Deaf Inmate

Here is the third letter from this CA Deaf inmate. You, the reader, read of hopelessness and tragedy in the beginning. But, I told him the truth of a possibly brighter future, and he responded. In each letter, he gets better emotionally – as you will see. I edited it a little to insure his safety, and […]

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Written by bitcodavid

Prisoner Correspondence from H.E.A.R.D.

This is another inmate letter we received from H.E.A.R.D. Like so many letters we publish, the grammar and usage are difficult to decipher, but the content is powerful and profound. We thank Talila Lewis and H.E.A.R.D. for helping us to bring attention to the agony that is the day to day existence of the Deaf […]

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Written by bitcodavid

A List of Useful Links Sent to Us by Marsha Graham

http://audismfreeamerica.blogspot.com/2012/01/fla-gov-scotts-office-reply-to-afa-re.html http://solitarywatch.com/2011/12/20/the-silent-terrifying-world-of-a-deaf-prisoner/ http://deaffirefly.wordpress.com/tag/felix-garcia/ http://charlieswinbourne.com/2011/12/20/uncovered-deaf-prisoners-treatment-at-the-hands-of-the-us-justice-system/ http://massprivatei.blogspot.com/2011/12/are-deaf-people-receiving-fair-trial-in.html http://disabilityrightsgalaxy.com/2012/03/01/a-nightmare-of-vulnerability/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pYO0VKYivs http://www.alldeaf.com/deaf-news/97432-hearing-brother-framed-deaf-brother-horrible-crime.html http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-the-state-of-florida-free-felix-garcia https://deafinprison.wordpress.com/tag/free-felix-garcia-facebook-page/ http://twitter.com/#!/JIMRIDGEWAY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDFve5ngVcI http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/unjust-incarceration http://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-Felix-Garcia/369853303028907?v=info http://www.gallaudet.edu/daily_digest/heard_17feb2012.html http://dartsociety.com/2012/01/unearthing-solitary-confinement-tip-time/ Some of these are already on our links page, and others have been embedded in other posts, but they all bear repeating.

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Written by joannegreenberg

No, It’s Not Ideal

Image courtesy of http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/2262984/Corrupt-prison-guards-fuel-drug-culture-in-prison.html Placing deaf inmates together has a positive effect, both for the individual in prison and for the officials and guards who are responsible for his care and treatment. There will be less, not more, of a management problem when deaf prisoners are grouped together, irrespective of the crimes for which they […]

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Written by bitcodavid

Originally posted on CrimeDime:
by BitcoDavid* of DeafInPrison.com In addition to what we have discussed in the first three parts in this series, other inmates often take advantage of the Deaf, for all the obvious reasons. They can’t complain to anyone. Generally, in prison, any weakness is quickly and mercilessly exploited. What could possibly be…

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Written by bitcodavid

A Special Event Featuring H.E.A.R.D.

[This is reposted from H.E.A.R.D.’s page on FaceBook. –ed.] On Friday, June 15th 6pm onward, Many Languages One Voice is hosting cross-teach-in with HEARD DC. HEARD DC works to ensure that the deaf are able to access the justice system, with a particular focus on deaf wrongful conviction. They’ll inform us of some laws that […]

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Written by bitcodavid

Originally posted on CrimeDime:
by BitcoDavid* of DeafInPrison.com There are two major problems with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Primarily, it is technically obsolete. The act predates the Internet, so it doesn’t provide for such essential services as videophone interpreting. Most Deaf can’t use TTY phones, because they involve typing, which brings us back to the…

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Written by bitcodavid

Four Links

Perhaps slightly off topic, but I wanted to share these stories with you. –BitcoDavid 50th Anniversary of the escape from Alcatraz. The New York Times posted two excellent pieces on this milestone in Criminal Justice History. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/us/anniversary-of-a-mystery-at-alcatraz.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha23_20120610 And the accompanying slide show. http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/06/09/us/20120610_alcatraz.html More on solitary confinement from Truthout. http://truth-out.org/news/item/9673-everything-legal-is-not-moral-why-were-taking-solitary-confinement-to-court AlterNet discusses the trend towards […]

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Written by bitcodavid

An Important E-mail from H.E.A.R.D.

[The following was taken from an e-mail I got from H.E.A.R.D.] Reassessing Solitary Confinement: The Human Rights, Fiscal, and Public Safety Consequences   Hearing Before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights Date:               Tuesday, June 19, 2012 Time:               10:00 a.m. Location:         Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226   Description:  U.S. […]

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Written by ptbliss

Inmate Letter Dated March 15th, 2012

Sadly, the original letter was barely legible. After a struggle, I managed to translate it – roughly – for you here. I tried to maintain the inmate’s voice, while working to make sense of it. –Pat.   Hello to the peoples. Thanks for your support of the deaf people who have suffered in prison for […]

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Written by bitcodavid

Originally posted on CrimeDime:
by BitcoDavid* of DeafInPrison.com This is a very interesting question, because one of my goals with DeafInPrison.com is to get some interviews with wardens and corrections officers. Going by the stories I’ve gotten in some of our inmate letters – from deaf inmates – the treatment is nothing other than abysmal.…

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Written by bitcodavid

Originally posted on CrimeDime:
by BitcoDavid* of DeafInPrison.com There is a plethora of problems faced by Deaf inmates, but perhaps the most significant is the lack of communication. Deafness is more than a condition of being unable to hear – it is a condition of being unable to communicate. Most Deaf do not speak English…

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Written by joannegreenberg

The Injustice of Lonliness as Punishment

[The tagline for DeafInPrison.com is Sentenced to Solitude in Silence. Our contributor JoanneGreenberg sent this in. –Ed.] The hardest part of being deaf and in prison may not be the rapes, the missing of messages or the misunderstanding in general. It might be the absence of other deaf people. Imagine a Russian or Basque speaker […]

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