P is for "your Pumpkin-colored President is Probably going to Prison"

P Is For "your Pumpkin-Colored President is Probably going to  Prison"

[00:00:00] A wealthy elitist white politician is accused of how many felonies? 71, 72. And suddenly the conditions of prisons in the United States is a hot topic. I've got some explaining to do. Let's get into it. Hey, everybody. Welcome to the show. Hey, Allianz. Welcome back for another episode of Ayanna Explains It All.

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I talk about a lot of things. I have an opinion on everything. That's why it's called Ayanna Explains It All. And today, tonight, this week, this episode, ladies and gentlemen, I implore you, we must finally do something about the condition of prisons in the United States so that when Donald Trump is sent to one of four of them,

he'll have a nice tidy stay. So, Donald Trump, former president of the United States. Was recently booked into the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, Georgia, along with 18 other defendants on the Rico case that [00:04:00] he's facing for conspiracy in connection with the 2020 presidential election.

Yeah. He sent his goons to try to find votes and told people to find votes and not count votes and intimidate electors and just made a whole mess for himself. And he used lawyers to do it. Lawyers. Come on now. Lawyers. I know some of us are, you know, Not the sharpest crayons in the box, but my goodness, you're going to throw your entire legal career away for what?

For this guy, for this guy, it looks like a fucking piece of candy corn. But Fulton County Jail is where they were, um, booked into and they released their mug shots and everyone has their own little personality showing in their mug shots and we've all seen them and the We've seen all the jokes and let me tell you guys the memes, they are giving, they are giving the memes are giving and I'm laughing and I am having a fantastic time because [00:05:00] you know why people who commit crimes and constantly get away with them because they are privileged and they've been allowed to escape when they finally get caught.

Oh, it feels so good. I know, I know we have to hold on because there hasn't even been a trial. There hasn't even been a guilty, not guilty, nothing. I know, I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but, Ooh, I could just taste it. But Fulton County jail is, uh, currently at at least three times its capacity. It is full.

It is over full. So while there's no room for Donald Trump and his other co defendants, they'll find room, but of course, Donnie and his, um, most of the defendants were allowed to bond out except for one guy. Harrison Floyd remains in Fulton [00:06:00] County Jail. He said that he cannot afford a lawyer.

You don't need a lawyer, by the way, to bond out of jail. You don't need a lawyer for that. You need money for that.

You need money. Uh, Donald Trump used a bail bondsman, strange, curious, perhaps Mr. Floyd could also use one with the help of his former boss, Donald Trump. And of course, Floyd is one of two African American defendants. The other one is some crazy looking lady who looks like that goofy meme where he says, I'll fucking do it again. Someone who used to be the publicist for Kanye West, excuse me. Yay. If you could make the connection there. It's just wild. It's a whole motley. It's not a motley crew. It's really the suicide squad is what it is. So Mr. Floyd is still in jail. He can't afford. I don't know if he's even been given a [00:07:00] bond.

I don't think he's even been given a bond because he was facing charges in another case where he had Threatened someone and let me see.

But as of yesterday, Tuesday, he was allowed to post bond. He was in there for a minute, but again, you don't need a lawyer to post bond. You just need money. Apparently he found the money.

He said that he can't afford a lawyer, however, and, uh, I wonder if, I wonder if any of his co defendants can give him a recommendation for a good attorney because they ain't shit. But also you can act as your own attorney. You don't need a lawyer for this. I'm sure, you know, you'll figure it out.

So the 19 defendants, including Donald Trump, were booked into the Fulton County jail. They released the mug shots. What many people do not know about Fulton County is that like It's Many [00:08:00] jails of counties where there are large cities, including the county that I live in, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

The county jail is full, very full, past capacity. Fulton County Jail is at three times its capacity. It is 87% black defendants, people awaiting trial, people awaiting transport, people awaiting whatever it is there are, they are awaiting. It's 87% black and most of them are being held until completion of the court process because they were either denied a bond.

Or cannot afford a bond whatever the case may be. The fact that Trump and his cronies were allowed to walk in and walk out in a prearranged for a bond set a time for them to show up to jail to surrender [00:09:00] is remarkable.

They are, they are being allowed given great amount of grace here, which you will not see anywhere else. People like you, if you are listening to this and you're a person like me, who's just an average Joe, they're going to send someone to come and get you. They're not going to set an appointment time for you to show up and walk in and walk out.

No. They're going to hold you probably for a few days. And maybe arrange for a bond. Maybe not. Many people don't get a bond. Many people do not get a bond and then there are a lot of people who cannot afford it. If your bond is 100, 000, if it's 200, 000, 300, 000, you have to post 10% of that.

And in some cases, in some jurisdictions, like the federal court jurisdiction, you have to show the source. of the money. It can't be from an illegal source. It can't be from someone who's [00:10:00] engaging in illegal activity. It, it might have to be in all cash. They don't take checks, but it's not as easy as going, okay, here's my 10, 000.

No. You have to show where it came from, show how it's being paid. I mean, you have to jump through all of these hoops if you even want to post bond. That's if you get a bond. But Fulton County Jail, as I said, is 87% black. And most are being held without bond for the completion of their court process. And people lament that it is, that Fulton County Jail is one of the worst in the nation.

And maybe it is. But what does that even mean? Worst in the nation. What does that mean? Because a lot of them, a lot of jails and prisons fucking terrible, terrible. That's why there is an entire division at the department of justice, a civil rights [00:11:00] division. That investigates prison conditions just for people who are being held in confinement prisoners, people in nursing homes, for instance, people in, if you're in a group home, whatever kind of confinement you're in, they have an entire division to investigate civil rights.

Why? Because prisons in the United States are in such dire conditions. Human rights violations all over. I mean, just if you're someone who is on maintenance medication, for instance, if you have diabetes and you need insulin, Or if you have sickle cell and you need your sickle cell medication, you have to show a medical necessity for it.

And it has to be cleared with the medical staff. Say it's, you know, you get arrested on a Friday. Nobody's until Monday. You're waiting until Monday [00:12:00] unless something happens and you're in distress in the prison and they have to take you to the hospital, but you're waiting. Until you can get clearance in some states, you have to pay for your medical care.

Yeah. You have to pay for your medication. You have to pay to be seen by a doctor. I mean, forget about dental care. If you have a problem with the tooth, they just take the tooth out or one of your bunkies will do it for you. But from, you know, the lack of, of appropriate medical care to the lack of mental health treatment to the slavery conditions, I've talked about this in the past where people can be made to work as servants essentially, and the money goes to the state because that kind of work, working.

And in conjunction with the punishment is not outlawed. Slavery is outlawed, but being made to work while you [00:13:00] are a prisoner is not illegal. So you can be forced to work. And many states force people to work while they are in prison. So In Cuyahoga County, for instance, Cuyahoga County officials have been for several years formulating a plan to build a new jail because the one, the current one is, listen, I have not ever been in there.

I've looked on the outside looking in and I've read reports and I've seen photographs. It is so disgusting and this is a prison that was investigated by the department of justice. It is so disgusting. I don't know how, I don't want to say, I don't know how people end up there. Why? I don't know why people would want to go, but you don't want to go there.

You don't. You absolutely do not [00:14:00] want to go there and in some cities like there are a lot of small cities in Cuyahoga County. There is no jail. You have to go to the county or you have to go to another city's jail. They work together to house inmates. And

there's disease, there's filth, there's, they're short staffed. Like I said, if you need medicine, you're going to have to wait. I talked about this, um, last year, um, the case of Sean LaVert when he was, when he was arrested, uh, for, I think it was failure to pay child support or something, a warrant. And, and he was on anti anxiety magic medication.

And if you, if you like me take, uh, an SSRI or SNRI or any kind of stimulant for treatment of mental health, the withdrawal from that, from just [00:15:00] suddenly stopping taking the medication without stepping down can be deadly. It can kill you. And that is exactly what happened to him. He was not given his medication.

And he died as a result of it and the family sued the jail and got a buttload of money. But the point is he should not have died. And there are people dying in these jails several times a year and it should be zero. There are people committing suicide, people being killed by other inmates, there's so much violence, there's gang activity, there's staff, um, abusing inmates.

It's ridiculous. And so in Cuyahoga County, they thought, we'll build a new jail. We'll build a new one and that'll make everything better. that'll make everything better. And they've been going back and forth with the county. County officials have been going back and forth with each other, back and forth with the people taking public comments and having hearings and, you [00:16:00] know, talking to the mayor of the city of Cleveland and whatnot.

And they cannot get the public on their side for this prison because for this jail rather because it's going to cost. Several millions and millions of dollars. And that money comes from taxpayers. There's already an extra, I think it's 0. 25% sales tax in Cuyahoga County to pay for what was going to be the medical Mart.

downtown Cleveland, which is now the civic center. For some reason we're still fucking paying for renovations for this thing. I don't know why, but cause there is no medical mark. They touted that for you. Oh my God. So long. And of course the people have to pay for it and it never happened, but they want to use that money to pay for a new jail.

because like, like Fulton County, Cuyahoga County jail is [00:17:00] over capacity. It's raggedy. It's cramped. It's poorly managed. It's fraught with gang activity. Cuyahoga County was also investigated by the department of justice in the last few years. And now Fulton County faces its own investigation and from the department of justice.

And while people focus on the celebrity bookings, like we see these all the time, it's not, Donald Trump isn't the first one. There's the rapper Young Thug and his, uh, gang of merry men. And then there's reality show, uh, people and other musicians and whoever goes to Atlanta and gets into trouble, they're going to Fulton County.

But people are focusing on these celebrity bookings when the real story is the prison itself

so Cuyahoga County was investigated by the Department of Justice because of the deaths that were happening in the jail and now Fulton County is facing the same investigation because of the recent death of LaShawn Thompson. [00:18:00] He died, he was 35 years old, 35 year old black man who died last September.

In Fulton County jail, three months after he was booked into the facility, he could not afford the bond. He couldn't get out. And so he was left in the prison. And not only was he left in the prison, he was ignored. He was ignored in the prison. His death gained public attention in April after one of the family's lawyers, Ben Crump is, is a lawyer for the family.

They released photos of his face and body covered in insects. Yeah. He had been, I don't know if he was eaten by these insects or if he died and was ignored for so long that insects ate away at his corpse. Either [00:19:00] scenario is just so despicable and terrible. I can't even, I can't even imagine, but for people to see that and understand.

That this is what is happening in prisons across the United States and jails and prisons across the United States is the point that we need to get across. This is not an anomaly. His death is not strange or different or new prisoners are killed in prison. They die in prison. You think going to jail or prison, you're, I don't want to say safe because you're not safe, but that you're at least going to be watched to some extent, or someone's going to guarantee your civil rights and your human rights.

 And that's just not the case. In Cuyahoga County, prisoner deaths are more common than we know. The news reports on it every time it happens, but it's not supposed to [00:20:00] happen. In Mr. Thompson's case, in LaShawn Thompson's case, he was left in his cell, neglected by prison authorities, his family recently settled a lawsuit with Fulton County, but that money does not solve the crisis plaguing the jail. And the same thing happens in Cuyahoga County. Somebody dies, the family sues, there's a payout and this happens over and over and over but the conditions of the jail do not change.

Even after the Department of Justice investigation, prisoners continued to die in the prison. The conditions continue to remain the same. Short staffed, medical needs not being addressed, mental health needs not being addressed, overcrowding, overcrowding because in Ohio, at least in Cuyahoga County, Oh, you're going to [00:21:00] jail, you're going, forget it for you could, wherever you get picked up at, if they can put you in jail, they're going to, you know, why do I want to say this?

Do I want to insinuate that it's about money? Because it fucking is. That's how they make their money. Fines and fees, that's how they make their money. And then they are, of course, giving business to local lawyers to represent defendants. They also get money. It's money. It's all about money. Eh, I guess it's about getting, getting the baddies off the street, getting the criminals off the street, sure.

But people are being locked up for traffic offenses. Not having the proper registration. Driving without insurance. Or, um, they have a bunch of tickets they didn't pay or they had a noise complaint on their car [00:22:00] or people are being locked up because their dogs got loose and their dogs were wandering the street and they got a ticket for it and they didn't pay the ticket and now they didn't show up for court for the ticket and so they go to jail.

It's money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money. Yeah. At least from my perspective, they get a lot of money out of these people, out of defendants. They get a lot of money out of defendants and they're able to throw a lot of business to the bail bondsman and to local lawyers and everybody's just filling each other's pockets.

Why else would they do? Why else would they have a jail, for instance, that is three times capacity? If it wasn't about the money,

if it wasn't about the money, they're throwing every, they're putting everyone in jail. [00:23:00] California had the same problem, prisons overcrowding. You know why? They're also putting a lot of drug addicts in, in jail. They're also putting a lot of drug addicts in jail and shoplifters. So what do they do? Yeah, we're not gonna, we're not gonna put you in, in jail for a minor like drug possession or shoplifting.

We're not going to, we're not going to go after shoplifters because there are too many people in jails. There aren't enough jails. And there are too many people in the ones that are already. built. There are too many. So they came up with a way to not put so many people in jail. Of course, their communities are suffering, but you can't put everyone in prison.

You can't do it. We see what is happening across the country with jails full of people who are addicted to substances. They're withdrawing in these prisons and they're getting [00:24:00] sick. People who commit nonviolent crimes, people who probably need to be in rehab or a diversion program, people who do not necessarily need to be in jail are in jail.

And I know I'm going to get a lot of pushback about this because there are people who believe very strongly in put them all in jail, lock them all up. I'm not one of those people. I am not. I for one do not think that drug addicts should be in jail. Because you know what? You can still get drugs in jail.

People still find drugs in jail. There's a way to sneak in contraband. Hell, the people working there bring it in.

People who, you know, trespassing. Should people who trespass go to jail? Should people who, you know, if you're homeless and you were sleeping in the [00:25:00] park and it's illegal to sleep in the park and now they've picked you up and put you in, should you go to jail for that? I mean, please, no. Should you go to jail because you, you were protesting somewhere and somebody said you're not supposed to protest there and so we're going to pick you up and throw you in jail.

No, they're still going to put you in jail anyway and they're still going to, uh, set a court date for you. Make you, make sure you show up for court or we're going to issue a warrant. We're going to come by and pick you up again. It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. It's, it's, it's insane to me, but that's just me.

I think that there are other ways, other ways to create order in society and still enforce laws. Now I'm going to talk about that later, but the United States prison system has long been a topic of discussion and debate, drawing attention to [00:26:00] issues of overpopulation, harsh sentencing, racial disparities, and the lack of effective rehabilitation.

The concept of prison reform. Form is grounded in the idea of transforming correctional facilities from punitive environments into rehabilitative institutions where individuals can be prepared to reintegrate into society as responsible and productive citizens. There is a pressing need, as we see, for prison reform in the United States, but there are challenges, but for every challenge, there is a solution, and I'm going to discuss the broader benefits of of implementing such reforms.

The current challenges I've already covered, I've already covered one of the most critical [00:27:00] challenges that necessitates reform, and that is overpopulation, which leads to overcrowded and unsafe conditions. The overcrowding often results in limited access to basic necessities, inadequate health care, and a heightened risk of violence.

Additionally, the system is plagued by racial disparities. Like I said, 87% of Fulton County Jail is black. Minority communities are disproportionately represented in the prison population due to biases in policing sentencing and systemic inequalities.

The focus on punitive measures rather than rehabilitation that is making people pay rather than helping them to not be a criminal in the first place has further contributed to a revolving door cycle where individuals are released [00:28:00] without the skills or support needed to avoid recidivism.

The department of justice has its own section to investigate civil rights violations of people who are in prison or who are being held in confinement, like in a nursing home.

Um, and they receive that power. from the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act of 1980, which gives the federal government authority to investigate allegations of wrongdoing and civil rights violations at various institutions. It is intended to protect the rights of people in state or local correctional facilities.

Nursing homes, mental health facilities, group homes, and institutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Now, the Department of Justice [00:29:00] investigation into Fulton County started again because of Mr. Thompson's death, and according to the Department of Justice, they say that based on an extensive review of publicly available information and information gathered from stakeholders, the department has found significant justification to open this investigation, including credible allegations that an incarcerated person died.

covered in insects. That's Mr Thompson and filth that the Fulton County Jail is structurally unsafe. That prevalent violence has resulted in serious injuries and homicides and that officers are being prosecuted for using excessive force. So again, The problems abound. It wasn't just that Mr. Thompson died covered in it.

But now you have people dying, people who are not supposed to be dying, dying and millions of [00:30:00] dollars in lawsuits being paid out. And oh boy, we have a problem here. So the investigation into Fulton County will examine several things, including the living conditions, medical and mental health care, use of excessive force.

And protection from violence. The investigation, according to the department of justice, will also examine whether Fulton County and the Fulton County Sheriff's office discriminate against persons with psychiatric disabilities inside the jail. And you better fucking believe that they probably do. You better believe that they do.

There's no way that they don't. The way people who are mentally unwell, who have mental impairments, are treated in prison, in jail, in prison, in jail, in prisons and jail is deplorable, [00:31:00] deplorable. People languish. People with mental illness languish. In jails and prisons, if they receive the right, now the right help would be ongoing counseling, psychiatric care, medication management, proper medication.

There are only certain medications that you can receive when you're incarcerated. See on the outside you can get, you know, if you got insurance, you can choose from a whole like list of 20, 30, When you're in there, you only get certain medications and that's it. And maybe you get to see a counselor, but you probably have to do some kind of group therapy.

Maybe you get to talk to someone, maybe you don't. Maybe you get substance abuse treatment, maybe you don't. I know in federal prisons, it's, it's more prevalent to receive that kind of therapy. But in state run, in [00:32:00] county run, city run, you can forget it. Some places. You can absolutely forget it.

In some places it's not going to happen. You're not going to be treated well for your mental health. So the Department of Justice will examine whether they discriminate against people with psychiatric disabilities and the Department of Justice will also determine whether systemic violations of federal laws exist and if so, how to correct them.

Now in 2021 the Department of Justice also. Open an investigation into state prisons in Georgia and it investigated whether the state of Georgia is engaging in a pattern or practice of violating prisoners constitutional rights by failing to provide reasonable protection from harm by other [00:33:00] prisoners at all of the state's prisons housing close and medium security prisoners.

Ain't that a blip? So not only are the county prisons problem, but the state prisons are a problem. That investigation is still ongoing, by the way.

That investigation comes on the heels of an investigation launched in 2016 amid. Multiple [00:34:00] lawsuits alleging that the Georgia Department of Corrections was mistreating LGBTQ prisoners. So now you have the 2016 investigation, you have the 2021 investigation, and now you have this 2023 investigation into Fulton County.

Is anywhere safe in

the state of Georgia? Is it safe to now? Probably not. And some people will say, well, if you can't do the crime, don't do the time. Okay. Say that to your president. Say that to that president that you love so much. If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. But we all know he won't end up in one of these prisons.

Because how could, how could they do that?

But the conditions inside of Georgia prisons they have deteriorated so much. And violent assaults and homicides in these facilities continue [00:35:00] according to one article at a near record pace in 2022 and suicides reached a new high with 34 deaths by suicide occurring in the first 11 months of 2022 but the the the prisons say that these deaths are just highly publicized and they don't represent the majority. Um, they don't represent the majority of the system. They insist that the system is not failing, that it's safe, that everything is okay. Everything is great. Hey, everything's fine. No need for investigation.

Yet here you are being investigated again. And again,

the Georgia prison system is failing. And if you can't provide at the top, if you can't provide at the top, then you can't set an example for any of the lower jails, you can't set an example for [00:36:00] them. You're the model. You're the Georgia Department of Corrections. You're the model for all of these other jails.

If you can't get it right at the top, then the ones below you aren't going to get it right either. But we all know that investigations from the Department of Justice take time. It could take a couple of years. I know in Cuyahoga County, I want to say it took a couple of years to finally get some results, but what they do is then they, they put you on kind of a probation, which it's, it's called a settlement agreement.

And there are obligations and reforms that these prison systems must fulfill under the agreement. Before the agreement can be terminated before the Department of Justice can be satisfied that they've done everything that they were ordered to do in order to quote unquote, get off probation. And that it takes time.

Everything in the government takes time. But in the [00:37:00] meantime, you know, it's not like people go, okay, well, we were being investigated. So we need to be on our best behavior. Fuck no, they don't care because they already. They think that they're doing enough already. They think that everything is fine already, so they're not going to straighten up because according to them, nothing is wrong.

It's just a few examples here and there of some bad things that happened. This isn't the norm. This isn't the majority of the time. It's just a few little, you know, a few little blips, death here and there. That's expected.

 Cases under the CRIPA are initiated by complaints from either the government or the public and that's how the DOJ gets involved. they do their investigation and then if they find wrongdoing, then they put them on this plan and they tell them you have to fix this, this, this and this. And if they do all of that, then they can get off of the plan. And for instance, um, one [00:38:00] settlement agreement was successfully terminated on August 15th, 2020.

 The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York notified Westchester County that the department was terminating its November 2015 settlement agreement with the county involving conditions in the Westchester County Jail because the county had successfully achieved and maintained substantial compliance with the requirements of the agreement.

And that agreement included provisions regarding protection of jail detainees from harm, including physical harm from use of excessive force by staff and provisions of adequate medical and mental health care. You see a pattern excessive force. Inadequate medical and mental health care. This seems to be a problem.

Problems plaguing jails and prisons, excessive force by staff, [00:39:00] inadequate medical and mental health care. And you know why there's inadequate mental and medical health care? Because they don't have the staff. They do not have staff. They don't provide the money for the staffing. Number one. You got to pay people to do that job.

And then number two, they're not monitoring the actions by their prison staff. They're turning a blind eye to violence. When people are being choked and hit and beat up by prison staff, they're turning a blind eye to it and things are being covered up and people are covering for each other and it's going unnoticed, not enough money, not enough people paying attention.

And then when enough eyes are on the problems, because why people start dying. This is what gets the department of justice to pay attention. Usually it's when somebody [00:40:00] dies, abuse, okay, but it's abuse if they see it, if they see it enough, like if people are putting out enough videos of prisoners being abused by staff and people are enough, people are outraged, then, then somebody will want to do something about it.

Then the department of justice will step in. There's some tolerable level of violence. It should all be intolerable, but there is a tolerable level of violence because they can't be everywhere. They can't investigate everybody. They can't be everywhere. They don't have the resources for it, here's something you could hold the people at the top, the people in leadership, the wardens and the executive directors or whoever the fuck, the people who run the prisons, you could hold them accountable because they make a lot of money to do these jobs.

And what kind of job are they doing if people are [00:41:00] dying in their prisons, if people are not being provided with adequate health care in their prisons, if their prison staff are abusing the prisoners? How well are they doing their jobs? Not very well. I spoke about Cuyahoga County wanting to build a new jail because a new jail means no more problems.

But the opposition to building a new prison again centers around tax. money being used but also reduction in numbers of prisoners sitting in jail while awaiting trial should be the goal. It shouldn't be. Let's just build a bigger prison. It shouldn't be. Let's just build a bigger jail to house more people.

It should be, how can we get fewer people going to jail? There are people serving time for probation violations or misdemeanors. How can we get fewer people in jail in the first [00:42:00] place? And according to the NPR idea stream, Um, article about the new Cuyahoga County jail members of the greater Cleveland congregations, a coalition of religious organizations active in criminal justice issues say that they would rather see a reduction in jail beds and investment in services for residents instead of detainment while awaiting trial.

The Reverend Juwanza Colvin of the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland said, we know, and the research shows there's an equally effective and more just way of ensuring court appearances. While Also, maintaining public safety, the current jail puts staff and prisoners at risk, including injury from violence, death and illness.

And staff argue that they cannot sufficiently serve the public in the current jail, but they also say that they cannot provide adequate medical care to [00:43:00] prisoners in their current conditions. Again, they want a new jail. But, would having a new facility solve the myriad of administrative or institutional issues?

Mmm, I don't know. If they take the taxpayer money that they want to use to build a new jail and put that into hiring more and better staff and put that into creating diversion programs or drug treatment programs, wouldn't that better serve the community of Cuyahoga County? I think so. I'd rather see my tax money going towards reducing recidivism and reducing people going to prison in the first place, going to jail in the first place than seeing these large, lovely new building being built and having it built and then you just carting all of the [00:44:00] shit that you had from the one jail into the new one.

You're taking, you're building a new house with old bricks. It doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense. Prison reform advocates argue for a shift in focus, in fact, from punishment to rehabilitation. The goal should be to provide inmates with educational opportunities, vocational training, And mental health services that equip them with the tools necessary to lead productive lives upon release by addressing the root causes of criminal behavior, such as of course, poverty, lack of education and substance abuse.

The prison system can contribute to breaking the cycle of recidivism and reducing the strain on the criminal justice system. So here are some potential solutions. Number one, sentencing reform, implementing [00:45:00] alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenses. Revising mandatory minimum sentences, and promoting restorative justice can help address the issues of overpopulation and reduce the burden on the prison system.

Rehabilitative programs. For instance, offering educational programs, vocational training, and mental health services can empower inmates to acquire valuable skills, making reintegration into society because they have to eventually leave the system. Some of them, prison and jail. So make reintegration into society smoother and reducing the likelihood of reoffending.

Also address racial disparities. To combat racial inequalities, the criminal justice system must undergo comprehensive reform, including unbiased [00:46:00] policing practices, fair sentencing guidelines, and the promotion of diversity within law enforcement agencies. focus on mental health as well. Establish mental health courts and provide comprehensive mental health support within prisons.

This can help divert individuals with mental illnesses away from incarceration and towards appropriate treatment, but also offer community support, strengthen community based programs that support former inmates so that they can make a smooth transition back into society. These programs can include housing assistance, job placement services, and counseling, not just mental health counseling, job counseling, vocational training.

These kinds of things are offered to people who have [00:47:00] disabilities. Why not offer them to people who are transitioning from prison or jail? Now the benefits of prison reform are multiple. It can reduce recidivism. Save money by shifting the focus from punitive measures to rehabilitation, leading to long term cost savings by reducing the need for excessive incarceration and allowing funds to be redirected toward effective programs.

Improved public safety means that equipping inmates with education and vocational skills, we make them more employable upon release, reducing, hopefully, the temptation to engage in criminal activities. And we also should work on convincing them. Because they have already been convinced, some of them, that selling [00:48:00] drugs for instance or boosting or doing or robbing people is how they have to feed their families, how they have to survive.

Convincing people that they don't need to do this to survive, that they can actually earn a wage. Get a job, have a career and earn a wage and provide for their families. That way we equip people with the education and vocational skills to make them more employable and reduce their desire to want to engage in criminal activities.

Enhanced social justice is also a benefit of prison reform by addressing racial disparities and systemic biases. Prison reform can contribute to a more equitable and just criminal justice system, and lastly, one of the benefits of prison reform is. The humanitarian [00:49:00] approach reforming the prison system aligns with a more humane approach to criminal justice, emphasizing the potential for personal growth and change even for those who have committed offenses.

Finally, we see the urgent need for prison reform in the United States. I've given you examples, Cuyahoga County, Fulton County, the state of Georgia, New York.

Pick a state and you will find that there is some investigation ongoing into their prison system, into abuses in their jails. The current system's emphasis on punishment has led to overcrowding, racial disparities, and high rates of recidivism.

We don't need new prisons. We need to reform the current prison system. By shifting the focus to rehabilitation, the prison system can become a catalyst for positive change, providing inmates with the tools they need to reintegrate into society. [00:50:00] Implementing sentencing reform, expanding rehabilitative programs, addressing racial disparities, prioritizing mental health, and fostering community support are all crucial steps in this transformative journey toward a more just and effective criminal justice system.

Allow me to add this because it is my show people complaining that jail or prison for Donald Trump and his ilk is unfair. They're not crying because the US prison system is broke. It certainly is, but that is not their problem. Their problem is not that there are racial disparities or that these jails are unsafe or that people are forced to work.

For the simple fact that they are in prison. No, they're upset [00:51:00] because their fave would be held responsible for something that they think is no big deal. White collar crime, lying, intimidation, conspiracy, collusion. Donald Trump, if found guilty, would almost certainly not see a day of prison in the conventional sense. Wealthy white people like him don't tend to see the inside of a prison as well as they see short stays at minimum security facilities and home confinement.

People who believe he should not see prison time are blinded by their loyalty to a bum, a thug and a criminal who faces a total of 641 years in prison from 78 felony charges. The average Joe, you and me, you, the person listening and me.

would be incarcerated until [00:52:00] trial. If we faced multiple felonies in four different jurisdictions, we'd lose our job, our home, our income, savings, family. We'd have to wait until the entire court process is concluded to know where we go next. We would be like LaShawn Thompson waiting. Because we could not afford to post bond or because we were denied a bond, but Trump, Trump will continue to go to bed and wake up in a palatial mansion on a golf course in sunny Florida, surrounded by private toilets and housekeepers.

Not you, not me, not people like LaShawn Thompson. We wouldn't have that opportunity. Consider this.[00:53:00]

The United States received independence from the British monarchy in 1776. Blacks were given the right to vote. In the U. S. Constitution, under the 15th Amendment, but they were denied the right to vote through violence and other measures like poll taxes and grandfather laws.

Through a suffrage movement, women were finally guaranteed the right to vote under the 19th amendment in 1920. Blacks and other racial minorities had to wait. And we were guaranteed through much fight, marches, combating police and racial violence. finally guaranteed the right under the voting rights act of 1965.

We, the people of the United States, the blacks, women, Hispanics, Asians. [00:54:00] We, the people have had to fight and fight and fight and fight and fight and have amendments to our constitution and laws passed at the federal level to be guaranteed the right to vote. Just so some bloated, moronic.

Tyrant Fuckwad could send out his minions like flying monkeys working for an evil witch to cancel legitimate votes and make up or find votes that were not cast so that he would be declared the winner of a presidential race that he legitimately lost. He is in this position facing these charges because he could not take losing.

So he tried [00:55:00] ungraciously, maniacally, and mind blowingly to disenfranchise freed. People with constitutionally guaranteed voting rights, people whose ancestors had to fight with their blood and their sweat and their, and marches and their fingers and their voices to guarantee the right to vote. He tried to disenfranchise us.

He should have to answer for that now every day for the rest of his unnatural life. Answer for it in prison, out of prison after he takes his final yuck breath and then in hell.

And this has been Ayanna Explains It All brought to you by Facts, Figures, and Enlightenment. Take care.[00:56:00]