From Vera Institute:
By Demetrius Buckley
Mass incarceration has devastated communities around the country, exacerbating poverty, inhibiting economic mobility, and causing local economies to stagnate. Vera’s new Incarceration and Inequality Project (IIP) Data Explorer is an interactive tool that gives advocates and policymakers ready access to data on the connection between incarceration and economic indicators—both nationally and within their counties. In the essay below, Demetrius Buckley shares his experience at the intersection of incarceration and poverty.
In 2010, standing before a judge to accept a second-degree murder charge, I listened to the court-ordered fees and restitutions that would be garnished out of a trust account set up for me by the state. This was how my economic livelihood would start in a Michigan prison. People in my situation, even those convicted of low-level offenses like technical violations of probation and parole, were from impoverished areas belonging to Black and brown people. It cost money to be poor, and it seemed to be a major reason for crime to run rampant in low-income neighborhoods. It was a part of why I committed my crime and claimed a drug area that I felt belonged to me. With great disdain, the judge gave me a term of numbers—years—instead of letters (“life”), because of the victim’s extensive record. Two birds, one stone, an economic decision brought on by the state.
At the beginning of a 20-year sentence, I saw no way to maintain financial stability. How was I supposed to help my family with rent and bills without a steady income? Depending on my loved ones to send funds for phone calls, commissary items, and menial necessities would be my primary choice until I
After serving more than 16 years in prison, I realized paying a debt to society has less to do with repairing the victim’s family’s true desires—especially when both victim and perpetrator are from the same demographics. My time and money went to MDOC, which makes top dollar off me and other incarcerated people. Continue reading >>>
|
|
|
|
