We know this is a stressful time, we hope that our resources are able to bring some comfort in this unstable time. We are experiencing this together!
A violent crime is a crime in which someone uses force or injury (/possible death) to commit a crime. These are the type of crimes we would probably want to see as a "red flag" or a thing to make sure you look out for. Some people have different lives after prison and are better people, but violent crimes are important to both be wary of and make sure we never.
Non-violent crimes include anything that does not include the injury of another person, or forcefulness of illegal action. This means drug possesion charges, alcohol crimes, underage drinking crimes, burglary, theft from stores, etc. A lot of these types of crimes are done out of desparity, or need for essential resources.
Laws that apply in the state in question, each state has different statues and regulations that they abide by. There are even local laws that are different, so always make sure you are looking at what the laws are in your area before doing something that is ambigiously illegal.
These are laws and rights that are enshrined in the Constitution and Amendments, our federal law outlines how many state laws are formed. This means that when in airports or on flights, you may be under different regulation than in your familiar area.
Because there are state laws and federal laws, we also have state prisons and federal prisons. Typically the prison you live in correlates with the crime you commited. State prisons are typically for shorter sentences. State Prisons often have less protection or security than federal prisons.
Federal Prisons are going to be mostly for federal crimes, or higher level/ violent crimes. The prison system in the United States, has very few regulations on labor and living areas of the people residing in the prison.
Necessities are provided for you: people typically pay for things like snacks, menstrual hygiene products, shampoo/conditioner, certain over the counter medication (medical supplies overall are pretty limited), and other products that most people use daily.
You only get 1 phone call: people who go to prison for a long time, or for a few hours, are typically allowed more than 1 phone call to get their safety net/family squared away. All prisons have different regulations, but some long-term facilities will charge for minutes on the telephone.
Prisons rehabilitate, and prevent further crime involvement: Many Prisons operate in the public eye as a rehabiliation to people who were in places where they were desperate enought to commit such crimes. Recieving mental health care, understanding past trauma, and learning how to rebuild are goals of prisons, but as we know it is not always this positive. Many don't recieve fair treatment in prisons and it causes them to fall even harder into criminal behavior.
First we must understand what kind of systems we are looking at?
Patriarchy has been founded on the preconceived notion to sex differences at birth and assumed placement in breeding or procreation for future generations, and the assumed placement of a labor source or provider. While this notion has been getting very old by this time, we have let it up hold several households and leave many spending years in emotional aguish over their true wants and the systems' need to stay alive. If men are home bodies who take care of the young, as their female partner have a larger corporate jobs that provide for the family you are actively breaking this norm. However, don't misguide your sense of praise for breaking away from the norm. The praise goes to those who also teach their children not to rely on a specific sex or gender to provide for emotional needs etc. There is a lot in this world that caters to the male ideology, but in many ways it dis-serves the male population the most by inappropriate expectations and emotional strangulation. This does not negate that the tole the Patriarchy has put on AFAB people and/or women is unattainable by most, and has caused death, abuse, and manipulation in the name of gender superiority. Sexual domination has always been apart of this historical fantasy, but the patriarchy uses this assumed domination to abuse and silence women all the time. Rape and abuse culture is an egregious act and it's important that we take the energy to deal with our biggest predators in the community.
However our systems journey does not lead us just to Patriarchal Systems, but also Racist Systems that further upheld the white male agenda for power and profits. We saw this throughout the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Fugitive Slave Laws, Emancipation Proclamation, and Jim Crow Laws that have only evolved in their ability to access black communities and gerrymander their counties. Racism has many different ways of manifesting itself in the psychology of white individuals. Racism is something every white person faces, because our environment inherently works for us. It makes sure that we are safe; instead of fearing us and therefore endangering us. Racism and Slavery gave white men with power the ability to control and manipulate the ways in which voting and many other forms of freedom were withheld. Black Communities have faced the most extreme of attacks in our nation's history. It's our job as people today to combat our learned racism and other social systems, so that people can be in this place of freedom with the feeling of actually feeling safe, protected, and free to do so as they please (with reason).
If you would like to help us write about commonly silenced areas or personal experiences you may have with these topics, contact us at thisisactivism2023@gmail.com or fill out our Comments page. We want our website to be a continuous growth of knowledge to share with each other in a positive way. There are so many things we don't talk about and we should!