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The
Parallels of Prisoner Abuse: A Glimpse Into the Psychological Abuse
of Ohio's Inmates In the past few years prisoner abuse has been a hot topic throughout the world. One of the most significant cases of prisoner abuse involved the United States Military during its detainment of POWs captured during the post-military invasion of Iraq. Prisoners detained by U.S. forces were beaten, starved and some even killed! To say the least, they were deprived of many-if not all-of their rights as Prisoners of War. Upon the revelations that the U.S. Military engaged in the abuse and mistreatment of detained prisoners, a political firestorm of debate amongst politicians and citizens ignited throughout the world. Under pressure from its own citizens, as well as throughout the international community, the U.S. quickly took measures to downplay and minimize the national embarrassment caused by its prisoner abuse scandal. Various politicians spoke out publicly and declared that the prisoner abuse scandal was "just a small isolated incident," and that "the incident was not symbolic of the practices and beliefs of the citizens and government of the United States." Hearing these apologetic, explanatory statements, I couldn't help but wonder what the politicians would have to say about the prisoner abuse and injustices within their own borders. Isolated incidents? Hmmm? I don't think so. One of the biggest and ongoing incidents of prisoner abuse inside of the United States is currently taking place in the mid-western state of Ohio, in plain view for all to see (i.e. legislators, ACLU, FBI, judges, NAACP, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, U.S. Congress etc.) but yet, no influential cries for justice are being shouted, with the exception of Federal Civil Rights, Attorney-at-Law, Norman L. Sirak of Cleveland, Ohio. One reason for this, I suspect, is because the nature of abuse involving Ohio prisoners doesn't involve actual physical abuse (although physical abuse does occur). It involves psychological abuse. In
1996 Ohio State Legislature introduced a new set of criminal sentencing
guidelines in a bill known as "Senate Bill 2," which went
into effect on July 1, 1996. Persons convicted of a criminal offense
on or after July 1, 1996 fall up under the umbrella of these new
sentencing guidelines, which consist of determinate criminal sentences,
commonly known as "flat time." How can anyone justify punishing an offender twenty-two years longer than another offender when they both committed the exact, same criminal offense, in the exact same fashion? If this isn't an act of injustice and prisoner abuse, I don't know what is. Due to the unjust sentencing disparity created by the geniuses of Ohio's government, thousands of inmates' in the state of Ohio under the old law (Pre-Senate Bill 2) sentencing guidelines are being subject to cruel, and yes, very unusual punishment. While the new-law offenders aren't required to go before the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, the old-law offenders after serving their minimum, on the front side of their indeterminate sentences, go before the OAPA, and often receive continuances of years at a time. Second and third appearances before them are often more of the same. "Due to (-Fill in the blank-) your parole is denied." An old-law offender has to inevitably endure constant mental anguish, due to the cloud of uncertainty that the OAPA has cast over their heads. The longer that the state of Ohio gets to keep keeping old-law offenders incarcerated disproportionately to the amount of time being served by new-law offenders, the longer that it is going to continue its inhumane, dehabilitating process of psychologically abusing old-law inmates. Not only does this process harm the offender, but it also harms the citizens of Ohio, as well as society as a whole. Every dollar being spent (millions!) to keep the thousands of inmates under the old-law incarcerated-many whom are well beyond their OAPA mandated sentencing guidelines of recommended time served--, is one less dollar that could be allocated towards a child's education, a senior citizen's health care, a crime prevention program, unemployment, etc. Although it is politically and socially acceptable to incarcerate certain offenders who have been found guilty of committing a criminal offense against society, it should not be politically and socially acceptable to excessively and illegally incarcerate human beings. Whether it is physical or psychological-abuse is abuse! If the prisoner abuse in Iraq was worthy of the attention of the United States, then surely prisoner abuse taking place on U.S. soil should be worthy of the same. ---- |
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