Friends of Justice

fongbeerredhot/Shutterstock.com

“But before human rights groups here and in Europe focus their attention far in the past and far afield, they would do well to seek apologies, restitution, and justice for the victims of witch hunts much closer in time and space: victims of the sex abuse in day care hysteria that in the 1980s and early ’90s swept the U.S. (and manifested itself to a much lesser extent in Canada, New Zealand, and Europe). One victim, Frank Fuster, remains in prison. He has now served 36 years of a sentence of six life terms and 165 years. (In 2014 the Florida Parole Commission sent him a letter telling him his initial parole interview was scheduled in 120 years.) All this for crimes that existed only in the fevered imagination of his accusers.”

Read the article by Rael Jean Isaac in The American Spectator.

“When I first came to Marion Correctional Institution, there were so many programs and things for inmates to do that I stayed busy throughout the day. I would get up at 5:30, get dressed, have a cup of coffee, brush my teeth and hair, and be out the door by 6:30. I would stay gone until count time around 10:30, and would leave again by about 11:30 for chow. I would stay gone until the next count time at around 3:30 and leave again at 4:30 for chow, and not come back to my lock until around 8:00. I would get a shower, grab a bite to eat, and get some sleep to start all over the next day.”

Read the rest of Shane’s post.

Subscribe to his blog.

Send a message of support.

Donate to his cause.

Read about his case.

“I have noticed that when you are charged with the crimes I have been, people treat you like you are less than human. Who wants to spend time getting to know a person who has committed crimes against a child? I explain I am innocent and attempt to show the evidence. They just do not want to waste their time. Especially when the grand prize is a friendship or intimate relationship with someone like that. I cannot win.

“It does not help that the whole of society acts this way. I am not found of people who harm children. Yet, my experience tells me, I cannot say who those people might be. I have been convicted of just such a crime, and there has never been any kind of evidence to suggest a crime occurred. Let alone the idea I am guilty. I have no doubt, that when you meet me, you would never guess I have been convicted of such a crime, much less being capable of committing it.”

Read the rest of Shane’s post.

Subscribe to his blog.

Send a message of support.

Donate to his cause.

Read about his case.

“My last couple of post were failed attempts to convey just how difficult it is for me to accept harsh treatment, and how O.D.R.C. staff apply their rules unequally. Try to imagine being punished for something you not only did not do, but something that obviously never occurred. Imagine being punished with individuals who have done things.”

Read the rest of Shane’s post.

Subscribe to his blog.

Send a message of support.

Donate to his cause.

Read about his case.

“When inmates discuss the conditions of their confinement, it always appears they are simply complaining. Some people would tell them “not to come to prison, and they would not have anything to complain about”. Truth is, they have more to complain about than they should. The quality and content of the food, health care, recreation and library being closed far too often, the way big business exploits inmates and their families, and the way most staff treat us as throw away humans. I am sure there are many other issues I could list here, but that is not the purpose of this post. In fact, I do not want to sound like I am complaining about anything. Rather, I want to talk about some of the positive things that happen in prison. More to the point, I want to express my gratitude toward the individuals who have helped me over the years.”

Read the rest of Shane’s post.

Subscribe to his blog.

Send a message of support.

Donate to his cause.

Read about his case.

When I began my incarceration back in 1996, the staff were professional, non-biased, and knew the O.A.C.s and O.D.R.C. Policies that governed their jobs. In essence, they knew the rules they had to follow. Gradually, this changed, and in no way for the better. Today, staff members like sergeant (correctional counselor) Stephanie Craft are of the false belief they can do what ever they want to inmates. I wish I could tell you she is among the few who act this way. Truth is, the old guard is slowly disappearing.

These staff mistreat inmates in every possible way they can, and then act incredulous when the inmate calls them on it, or asks their superior to intervene. It is rather amazing just how bewildered they are that “an inmate” could ever question anything they say or do. How dare they! If you actually have the heart to stand up for yourself, staff like Craft begin threatening you, having their peers harass you, will try to get you fired from your institutional jobs, moving you to the locks where all the chaos is, and a host of other things.

Read the rest of Shane’s post.

Everyone always talks about rehabilitation, but no one seems to want inmates to have anything of value. There can be no greater contradiction. The vast majority of inmates will, at some point, be released. The question everyone should be asking themselves is, “do we want inmates to have everything they need to be successful, or do we routinely poke at and antagonize them so they are like wild animals when they come home?” Keep in mind, many of these inmates will become your neighbor or a neighbor to someone you know and love. Personally, I would hope our self described civil society demand we treat every person with dignity and respect. Yet, I keep reflecting on something Thomas Paine once wrote,”A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.”

Read the rest of Shane’s post.

Subscribe to his blog.

Visit his website.

Send him a message.

Donate to the cause.

-Bob