Siddique Abdullah Hasan is a prisoner on Death Row at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown, Ohio. For more information about Siddique, visit: www.prisonersolidarity.org
Induced Failure Commentary by Siddique Abdullah Hasan Scroll down for a written transcipt 1) 6:16 Radio Essay MP3 Institutionalized Racism http://www.prisonradio.org/audio/Siddique/Induced%20Failure%2002-07.mp3 Commentary by Siddique Abdullah Hasan Scroll down for a written transcipt 1) 2:36 Radio Essay MP3 http://www.prisonradio.org/audio/Siddique/Inst.%20Racism%2002-07.mp3 Induced Failure ________________ Copyright 2007/ Siddique Abdullah Hasan The current penal system in America is not working. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to come to the conclusion, that it predisposes prisoners to recidivism, a relapse into a life of crime. Since man is ultimately a product of his environment, the current system products speak for themselves: failure. The system practices set it's occupants up for exclusion from the mainstream success stories of society, except for the families, friends and loved ones of prisoners and ex-prisoners. Most Americans have not really considered prisoners plight and daily struggles. Though various studies show that from one-half to two-thirds of parolees return to prison for violating the conditions of their release, or for reoffending, few people, tax-payers, prosecutors, politicians and CEO's of corporations seemed to have really pondered the critical question: Why is this colossal recidivism taking place on our soil? Have the citizens of this great industrial nation become so detached and desensitized that they could care less about prisoner's lives. Well, I hope not because prisoners desperately need your assistance in reintegrating back into society and upholding the anticipation that they will become an asset to their respective community. Richard Gustufson, a columnist and retired teacher who taught 30 years at Miami Valley Career Technical Center, said, "National statistics indicate that recidivism is cut in half with support from the community." It is my personal and unyielding belief that recidivism is also tremendously reduced when the system pursues its once desired effect, rehabilitation. However, rehabilitation is a thing of the past. It was in 1790 that the first penitentiary in this country opened its doors to house criminals. The purpose of this new creation was to place criminals in a confined area, where they might ponder over their crimes, repent and reform themselves, hence, the term penitentiary. Much has changed in the last three decades due to the influences of tough talking, opportunistic politicians, who have reduced funding for rehabilitative programs to almost nil, so much so that rehabilitation, or producing a repentive person is no longer the desired objective. Instead, the current objective is to warehouse prisoners and deliberately create the circumstances for their failure. This cruel objective is being perpetrated to perpetuate job security for parole officials, individuals in corporate America and the like, who benefit financially from the prison boom, which currently incarcerates 2.2 million people in our nation's prisons. This new trend of merely warehousing and punishing prisoners is not conducive to the security and stability of this nation. All it does is mentally crush prisoners will and doom them to inevitable failure. As a result of this new trend, prisoners are being released with no skills, no education, no support system, no job and only a few dollars in their possession to try to make it in this dog-eat-dog society. Indeed, a recipe for disaster. It's implausible for prisoners to survive under these bleak conditions. Let us not forget that unemployment, poverty, exclusion and a lack of education and guidance are the ingredients which led to their imprisonment, so how can the system or any rational human being expect ex-prisoners to succeed when they are still caught in a catch-22 cycle? Although a job is an essential means of support to help people acquire the things they need, trying to secure a job is the ex-prisoners greatest obstacle. Except when family or friends have been able to secure them employment, ex-prisoners are refused work due to their criminal history, something they can't change. With this revolving door being slammed in their faces, how do we expect them to react when they are stuck between a rock and a hard place? They then end up adopting the only culture they know, survival of the fittest. In plain old English, they resort to exploiting their old ways of living that is, victimizing others to survive. Because of this induced failure, I share the sentiments of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, also known as Malcolm X, who said, "I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people and penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight." It is my only hope that society will come to realize prisoners have the same tools, the same potentials, the same basic human desires and the same capacity for change and positive development which all other citizens possess; they just need assistance in effectively developing their latent potentials. People change. Even I have changed. In fact, life itself is a process of transformation. With this said it is my prayer that people will call on their elected officials to push for rehabilitative programs in prisons as well as re-entry programs in society that will help prisoners reintegrate in their communities and become law-abiding citizens. Institutionalized Racism __________________ Copyright 2007/ Siddique Abdullah Hasan While blacks and whites in this country are murdered at relatively the same rate – about 47% blacks and 51% whites – 80% of those executed have been executed for murdering whites while only 7% have been executed for murdering blacks. So, what does this shocking reality tell you and I? It tells us several things: * It tells us that institutionalized racism is very much alive because it is the powers that be who decide when to or when not to charge someone with a capital offense; 2) that if you murder a white person, you are ten times more likely to be executed than if you had murdered a black person; 3) that the lives of black people in this country is insignificant in relation to whites; 4) that the 14th amendment to the United States Constitution, which proclaims equal protection and treatment under the law, is only for human consumption because it is not put into practical application when it comes to its black citizens; 5) that even in this 21st century racism and bigotry against blacks is still prevalent in this society, both the South and the North; and 6) that 80% of executions occur in the Southern states. However, this should not come as no surprise when you consider the fact that almost all the states which have their death penalty machine up and running are former slave states. M y brother, instead of trying to find justification and rationalization for the government's discriminatory behavior towards our people caught up in the criminal "injustice" system, you should lift up your voice in protest. Malcolm X stated in his autobiography, "I learned early that crying out in protest could accomplish things." He also said, "If you want something, you had better make some noise." Therefore, I urge you and all concerned citizens to take a stand against the racism and bigotry which are being perpetrated against blacks in our judicuary system. *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recommended: http://www.ikhwanweb.com http://www.islamonline.net http://www.islam-guide.com http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! 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