Talkback
Filmmaker Susanne Mason says: "Ultimately, the prisoner’s problem is our problem. The more we in our communities, as engaged citizens, can dedicate ourselves to supporting healthy public institutions, especially schools and parks and cultural organizations that foster the arts and sciences and provide a good education for all Americans, the better we can prevent social decline and crime."
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I have just seen this film on PBS. I am a SF Civil Rights atty and an old friend of Bill Turner, and remember when he was working on this case in the l970s and 80s, with many trips to Texas,
I found this a very moving story that needs to be seen by a wide audience. Prison reform is still a raging issue worthy of the widest public attention in every state, not just Texas, and especially here in California.
Fred Arispe Cruz and Francis Freeman Jalet-Cruz were not simply folks i knew, but real people in the realities of the 40+plus years spent in prisons in Texas and the 4 years of truly "hard time" on the "chain gangs" and solitary confinements of North Carolina (check my record, last TDC # 427447; first Texas Prison # 132144 {1955}).
If you think this documentary depicts ALL of the suffering, misery and inhumanities of man-to-man involved during the times and at the places reflected in the film - THINK AGAIN, guess again. Susanne Mason performed a minor "miracle" capturing the true story in the 50-odd minutes to which she parred-down her work, in order to be accepted for tme on the major networks. The parts that she HAD TO leave OUT and cut are yet another story, which all of us who existed (not "lived," you exist in prison, you DO NOT live) while imprisoned in Texas during those times hope, pray and long for her to create. Please, PLEASE do, Susanne - i'm begging, and i've never begged before in my life or prison existence.
While after viewing this story, many in Texas may have thought, and will think, feel and even believe that Ms. Mason injected a measure of imagination and a tad of fantasia to make her work more "interesting," however, those of us who are still alive still bear the physical, psychological and emotional scars of those times.
Yes, i too, was/am/ever-will-be one of those infamous "Jailhouse Lawyers," only i compromised my principles (unlike Fred, who never yielded), by "selling-out" in order to secure law libraries for every Texas Prison Unit (1972) and myriad other concessions benefiting the general prison population, which (after exchanging several communications with Fred and Francis, through "legal mail" to Francis)dovetailed, on still another "front," with their endeavors; efforts of the stalwarts in "8 Hoe" on Wynne Unit and a handful of others (many of whom are listed as Plaintiff "RUIZ Witnesses" in the official records of Ruiz v. Estelle), and dozens of others, including those courageous "unsung" supportive players who took chances on getting brutal "ass-whippings" and serving 30-days on a bread and water diet in solitary for "passing papers in the hallway," or "passing unauthorized messages".
Fred's Buddist suit, Cruz v. Beto, effectively established the right of religious freedom for EVERY Texas prisoner, and he created the original pleadings while sitting on the concrete floor (behind the "green line") late at night during "writ room" time outside the "Major's Office" on Ellis Unit. In 1979, in Cruz v. Hauck, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit determined that prisoners were entitled to reasonable access to law libraries. Thre is more, much, much more - including what i have GOOD reason to believe are outright (and, outrageous) lies about an "affair" involving Francis and Fred), by EX-warden Cousins, whom I KNOW TO BE A LIAR, AND SO DOES JIM ESTELLE.
At all events - Susanne, go for it, Michael Moore did!
pax,
dan
I like to thank PBS for airiing this film and thank Ms. Susanne Mason and her crew for the story. I understand that he was a prisoner and a crime(s) was committed, but he stood up for righteousness, and injustice for himself and other prisoners as well as teaching them to standup and fight for what is right, even if that meant his life. Thank you Fred A. Cruz for the empowerment you have given to us that feel we have no power.
Let me to also add my congratulations to you. Your photo portrayal of what the system was like and in many ways still is gave me nightmares. It is amazing the archival material YOU did show of the TDC (then, TDCJ now) due to the light it cast the prison officials in. What your film neglects to show is actually how many years that it actually took to do away with the system that was in place for so many years that you mention and the conditions as they were. What, maybe 15-20 years before Ruiz, et al and appeals before anything was really done, and then came the expected bloodbath in the system which even Judge Justice knew was inevitable. The state has the advantage of being able to use the criminal histories to this advantage and they did and DO have a program in place to deal with anyone who dares to try to use civil rights violations as a way to seek prisoner redress and relief. Notice that the only officials you really interviewed are no longer here with us and the others always used to say that they would be in their graves before ANYTHING would ever be done. And also notice how the rise of gangs ( and murder of guards) in the federal system affected everything. I'm afraid that the rise of fascism and the decline of liberalism with the federal govt insured that not much else will be done in this area. People can say that all these people are criminals and so maybe they deserve whatever happens to them, but before you come to this conclusion, let me ask you to be objective enough to imagine yourself WRONGLY convicted and subject to this type of treatment described, and believe me there are a lot of people incarcerated under false pretenses, or illegally convicted. There used to be a saying in TDC that the only rights I have seen come with 'lefts'. 8^) Good on you for your wonderful film.
"If the streets are the school of crime, the penetentiary is the University. I just saw the repeat showing on PBS channel 8 (KUHT) in Houston and immediately went online to find out more. As an inmate in TDC from June 1973 through November 1975, the archival film footage and photos bring back vivid memories of my experience.
Keep four key thoughts in mind...
1) One out of every twenty adult men in Texas is a convicted felon.
2) On average, 80 percent of all convicted felons were under the influence of alcohol when arrested...and most also have some history of recreational drug problems.
3) A substantial percentage of young men convicted of first time prison sentence felonies are just average working class guys who intended to do something worthwhile with their lives, but made a series of really bad decisions.
4) At the point these young men hit our justice system, they can not see they have no direction...once they leave the system, they often hold grudges that last their entire lives and influence how they treat their families, their friendships, their women, their children, their coworkers, and you and me.
If we ex-cons could vote, we would be the third largest political party in the state, but most of us function on a radically different fringe of this American Experience. For many old ex-cons like myself, now in the over-50 age group, decades have passed and we've integrated so comfortably into society that you'd never know we fit that old profile.
Most of us men who lived through the days depicted in this film still live here in Texas, and now must try to explain to our grown children the conditions inside Texas prisons back in the 1970's. With the exception of three personal photos taken during special visitation days, my lack of photo or film to aid visualizing life inside looking out was never possible...until this film. Thank you!
Since I tested above average IQ, I was in an front office Trustee position during most of my time in TDC, which gave me easy access to alot of limited access areas. I remember how difficult it was to get access to law books, even though our unit had a law library. I remember a couple of dedicated writ writers and I passed quite alot paper back and forth between them and the Row Tenders, or we managed to get the mail out some way or another.
Long before I got into that coveted Trustee job, I actually had a cell partner shipped off because the building Captain found a lawsuit under his mattress during a shakedown. The threat of retaliation was very real, but due to the tough conditions we lived under, inmates attempted getting word out alot more than the film leads one to think...most often with ugly consequences when they got shipped off to a more dangerous unit. Frankly, at the time, there were only 13 Units in Texas...and Wynne was considered pretty easy compared to places like Eastham or Ellis...or you could get shipped off to live in a every-man-for-himself open barracks camp, like the guys building one of the new super-units like Coffield.
But aside from all the memories the film invites, I wanted to say Thank You because I appreciate the film for the archive value that the average PBS viewer may simply take for granted and overlook...but for inmates was an integral part of the institutional life...
...the backbreaking field work in the hot Texas sun - picking this crop or that, or grabbing a hoe or a sling blade and waiting to see who attacks who, the field horses trained to bite when you fall behind the rest of the squad, the reins used as whips, the threat of "falling out" and ending up on the water wagon to be abused, the intimidation of watching the state high school track star turned "dog-boy" making his daily cross country runs in the distance while listening to the sounds of hounds tracking him down as practice in case one of us turns rabbit....the daily routine of strip-down out on the back dock and herding of naked men into the buildings after work, the constant awareness for sexual predators in the showers....the survival training to mind your own business, just do your time easy, protect yourself, but still not get punked out because you choose not to join a clique for protection...the regular random fights on the cell block and in the dayrooms to prove yourself....standing "on the wall" for four hours as punishment for minor infractions, the right-ups and kangaroo court...the unbelievable mind bending experience of just two weeks in solitary - when I knew men who had spent many months in and out of those pitch black starvation cells....the payoffs to Row Tenders for favors, the payoffs to front office Trustees to get your name placed on the preferred list for good inside Trustee jobs, so you can wear heavy starched whites, get better food, and make a few bucks hustling other inmates who need favors...
After the 70's and the development of the TDCJ, it seemed like the system actually got better - more humane treatment, more intentional access to civil rights, and groups of predator inmates had a little less control over the general population. But based on what I hear from young guys coming out nowadays, the taxpayer and the public have become apathetic and avoid the burden of dealing with that fringe group of American men...and the gangs and violence and machismo training is as bad as it's ever been.
With all this said, I offer this final observation...
"Life is hard, man...but it's harder when you're stupid. Trust me on this one...I'm an expert." - Bob.
i did some time in a texas prison,(ferguson unit), in the 90's. and it was great to finally hear the untold story of mr. cruz. i did 3.5 on a 5 for dwi(s) and it was very easy time. i was at a outside the razor wire trustee camp most of my stay, that is until i got busted for tobacco and did my last six months in the real deal building. THANK YOU MR. CRUZ!
of course, texas prisons still have other issues such as hep c and private for profit prisons, that must still be addresed.
we still have a long way to go. also, i wish you would consider posting the entire film so i could watch and share it with others. regardless, thank you for a great film! jk
Yes, I agree with Susanne Mason’s sentiments, “ultimately the prison problem is our problem.” As the country finds itself enthroned in a national election—it makes my head swim at the money that goes into the presidential election and I wonder why can’t that much money, that much effort be placed in distressed neighborhood to stop the pathologies, that are in part, the reasons why this country continues to produce the likes Fred Cruz. Apparently lying dormant in the center of the young Fred Cruz’s essence was an untapped genius that never had the opportunity to be developed and in prison he finds himself—in some odd way akin to a writ of passage into selfhood. I see it today in the urban neighborhood in which I live young males and the growing number of young females that find themselves enthroned in some type of internal maze they are unable to solve or come to terms with because the American system, the America that we rave about, the America that proclaims out of many comes one, the America that proclaims a more perfect union is in fact a falsehood because this country, will never reach its goal of becoming a more perfect union as long as the existence of an unjust judicial system exist and the dirty secret that is out of the box bears witness, to America’s falsehood hypocrisy, because America is the keeper of over 2 million incarcerated individuals.
I applaud Ms. Mason and the hundreds of others that find themselves fighting to actualizing America’s goal to become a more perfect union by their well and strength to fight against America’s dirty secret, that is no longer a secret: America holds 2 million people incarcerated, that’s 2 million constitution slaves, “ Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States . . .” (13 Amendment to the U.S. Constitution).
We congratulate Ms. Mason! Writ-Writer could not have been better! We knew Fred and Frances before they were married. In fact, Charlie as a former priest was asked by them to perform the ceremony.
During their marriage, we were with them frequently. We remember once when we were staying with them in Houston and Frances took off one evening for choir practice at the Unitarian Church.
We last saw Frances in the early eighties when she stayed with us in Austin. She came down to visit David Ruiz who was in jail after being arrested for robbery.
Frances stayed in our bed and we slept on the sofa in the next room. Pauline was worried about her after the travel and visit and gently went into the bedroom to see how she was doing. Pauline found Frances praying on her knees.
We last saw Fred in St. Paul, MN. Pauline is from there and we visited him during the winter. He was actually trying to shovel the snow when we arrived. We met his new wife and his baby daughter who was named after Frances. Fred had such deep respect for Frances.
Thus, knowing Frances and Fred, we cannot imagine them having sexual relations during an attorney-client visit. We say this for many of the above reasons. Most of all, however, they had too much respect for the law especially the Constitution to risk losing any of its power. It was their only weapon!
Charles and Pauline Sullivan, C. U. R. E.
A PEEK INTO THE SYSTEM WITHIN THE SYSTEM:
I SAW HOW WHITES AND BLACKS BUILT A FORTRESS AROUND THE LAW LIBRARY IN '04 IMAGINE HOW MUCH HARDER IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FOR THIS MAN...
...THE INK OF A SCHOLAR IS WORTH A THOUSAND TIMES MORE THAN THE BLOOD OF A MARTYR...
The film was good insight to what the Texas prison system was like in those day's and how authority was abused by many both officers and inmates alike. The facts are true that Fred was a criminal convicted of a crime but we cannot forget that he was also human and his humanity made him stand for what was right. I am so glad that the produrer of this film exposes the truth of TDC and how the inmates lived. In the future I how we can see more films that reveal truth and I beleive that the system is changing for the better of mankind.
Not only was this program beautifully filmed and put together, but it "spoke" to me in a unique way. Last July, I began volunteering at a maximum security prison very near to my home in Dutchess County, NY. I am helping the men in the academic program at this facility with their reading. It is extremely gratifying and I have come to view these men with respect and I do not judge them. They are very appreciative and respectful to me. The average person has very little information about what goes on in our prisons and a film like this is so enlightening. Fred Cruz was an unusual man with great stamina and courage. He was also passionate about what he believed. I was thrilled to be able to view "Writ Writer". Harriet Hendel
The broadcast was of the high quality I expect from PBS; but it made both the prison and the legal system of that State appear backward. Even if someone could prove that the misconduct between Mr. Cruz and Ms. Jalet did not occur, something inappropriate did occur over time, otherwise they would not have hooked up so quickly after his release. Such conduct in any other professional field dealing with clients or patients represents a conflict of interests, requiring the professional to remove herself or himself.
I just watched WRIT WRITER, and I see hereabove that my sister Vanessa Jalet already contributed a posting which made an important correction for the record. But overall, this is a superb documentary about Fred Cruz whom I had the privilege of knowing very well. I'm another of Frances Jalet's children, and I thank Channel 13's Independent Lens for broadcasting this film. I hope that Channel 13 may rebroadcast it. Finally, I read above the posting from Fred's grandson Alexander, and I just want to say to Alexander that every fine thing you've been told about Fred is true. I hope he'll be an inspiration to you, Alexander.
CONGRATULATIONS to Susanne Mason & PBS!!!
COMPELLING AND MOVING STORY ABOUT THE RESILIENCE AND GREATNESS OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT! I would love to purchase the DVD of this inspiring film. I am a civil rights activist and found the film to be a great tool for my work.
Mrs. Frances Jalet was a SAINT and the accusations made against her in past and present are obviously untrue. She represents everything that the "bigoted white males" in America FEAR.
May Frances Jalet and Fred Cruz finally rest in peace.
This documentary shows that we live not in a world where people are merely inanimate props. Ultimately, we decide what kind of world we are going to live in. The film potrays a very human figure in Fred Cruz. Fred A. Cruz was a man with an intense sense of the innate rights of all people. Seemingly with little or no formal introduction into the matter. Yet, Fred couldn't stop his own ultimate destruction. This is a story about the gift of life. It's fleeting and imperfect. Which is all the more reason we should not undervalue it and we must take responsibility for It's character. We should all work to make this world not a perfect place, but a just
place.
I just saw your excellent film on fred cruz the prison lawyer. I can relate to such incidents in a texas prison. i had never had the opportunity to visit any tdcj facility until lately. the prisoners are treated like they are in a concertation camp. the guards and wardens use the word "conterbrand " very loosly to intimidate the prisoniers. i am a christian and in the bible it states that in the last days the prisioners will be let loose. this is prophecy they will turn on their keepers. god favorite people are the widows, orphans, aliens and the prisioners. i hope to see this soon. i hope to see these animalistic guards be looking down the barrell of their own gun. it takes a very special person who has authority not abuse of that authority. these cowards have to have a gun to think they are superior, but they are truly cowards. and god rath will be cast upon them, their loved ones and anyone who defends these cowards.
can you imigine the re-committed prison rate is the fault of the treatment of the prisoners. who can be released and not react to the horrible tdcj systems. the prisioners that are released have an inner rage of the unhumiane treatment. and the prison system thinks that this is rehabilitatian. if all the inmates were really re-habilitated and never come back, what would happen to the guards jobs. i do not drink, i do not smoke and i have never done drugs, but being treated like animals , i bet i will drink, do drugs and smoke. thank you for this information on your film thank you and god bless.
I work at the Texas prison. I find it hard to believe that something I believe is so corrupt is allowed to exist. I believe negligent hiring is the main cause.
I saw the documentary last night on PBS. I did not see a balance reporting as the prisoners and Fred Cruz was presented in positive, even saintly and the prison officials all came across like crooks. Even if I accepted the notion as presented by the movie maker, I could not reconcile a few things;
1. Today, in many Federal and State Prisons, gangs ruled and the brutality is continuing not so much from prison authority to prisoners but prisoners vs. prisoners. Obviously PBS did not show the "new" prison system but on MSNBC, National Geographic, A&E, Discovery, all these cable channels, you will see the "modern day" prison system is even worse but the brutality is originated from the prisoners.
2. Fred Cruz was a criminal and no matter how much legal training and education he received in the prison, he continued to be a criminal. This documentary totally ignored not only what Fred Cruz did prior to jail but also after his jail. Not knowing this part of history, as I watched the video, I was guessing to myself, this guy will either died of some criminal activities or drug overdose (at the time, the movie did not even say he had a drug problem). Indeed, I was right, Cruz died of drug overdose.
3. The lady attorney who supposedly helped the prisoners actually was found having sex with Fred Cruz in the warden's office. Having sex is no crime but as an attorney representing a client in a supposedly civil rights movement, this is unseemly.
At the end of the documentary, I was just thinking, what a farce. Calling this "human rights" or "civil rights" really diminish the sacrifice of the civil right pioneers. No different from the Los Angeles Bank of America shoot out that the parents of the robbers sued the city for violation of the criminal's civil rights as the shooters went on a rampage to kill and maine.
i am free today, and i felt so much of the "feelings" that the guyz at ellis unit felt. feeling that you have no control, that you are totally someone else's property, that they are able to end your life, painfully, work you like a DOG, I HAVE DECIDED TO NEVER DO ANYTHING that would get me locked up again, just like fred Cruz, i was addicted to horse. I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED BY THE FOOTAGE, 'BOSS ON HORSE' THANKS FOR THE PRODUCTION!
Susanne, thank you for this wonderful film. It was fascinating from beginning to end. However was this man in solitary without even a pencil going to fight a whole system? Getting the prison wardens to comment was a masterstroke. Bravo! I'm glad I know the name Fred Cruz (he's not even on Wikipedia)
I happened to be checking to see what was on PBS and came across your film. It was the the most acturate information and the best footage that I have ever seen on TDC. You captured the atmosphere and tension that was going on at that time. I have been sent to TDC 3 times, starting in the late 70's and met some of the Masters and Mr Nathan. I spent most of my time on the Ramsey I Unit. I was the youngest man on the Unit in 1980, and was warned by Building Tenders not to talk to the Masters, it was a very dangerous time. When I saw the film and later the stills, it captures the era and brings back those images in my mind. Fred Cruz was before my time, but we are indebted for the changes that he brought about. I was not aware of how far back the changes began, since David got more coverage from the media. But it was a great film, and Thank you for all of the work.
I wish i would have caught the film about my grandfater. It is nice to see that he's not only look at like nothing or just other criminal. It's nice too see that he also remember for the good stuff he did.
Granddaughter,
Sarah
I know wheas comming fro.re Fred Cruz was comming from. I spent 5 years at the Ellis Unit. I spent almost 3years total in solitary confinement. Because I was a Yankee. was only 22, but I never went back. I have never been in jail or prison since. Like Fred I could tell you things that would make you cry.
Our family was very impressed with Writ Writer and Susanne’s fine accomplishment. She labored for many years to bring this film to life. On almost every matter, she got things right. But we the Jalet family were concerned about the accusation from Robert Cousins – the warden who took over from BearTrack McAdams (who on one occasion actually struck my mother) – of misbehaviour between my mother and Fred Cruz in Cousins' office.
My mother was always utterly professional in her conduct and beyond reproach in her behavior. And in matters of sex, one could say she was somewhat prudish. I recall a number of occasions when attending a movie with my mother, where if love scene went a little too far, my mother would gasp in horror, get up out of her seat and leave the theatre. My mother NEVER would have, no matter what direction her relationship with Fred was taking, indulge in the behavior Cousins claims she did.
And considering the fury that my mother’s prison work provoked among the TDC authorities, isn’t it unlikely that Warden Cousins would provide his own private office for my mother to meet with Fred Cruz? Most of the time, my mother was lucky to even land a visit with her clients and according to her diaries and letters to me, she complained that the prison guard often stood too close to her and her clients, and she had to insist that the guard step back and move away so she could speak privately with them. She was very aware that she was being monitored.
Furthermore, if such an unwise act was committed by Fred Cruz and my mother, Fred surely would have been punished and disciplined by the prison authorities for such infraction, and my mother would have been disbarred. Neither happened. Nor do a number of people knowledgeable about this period in my mother’s work in Texas ever recall this charge.
And finally, Cousins was eventually fired by the TDC for cause.
I suspect that Cousins came up with this story to give Dr. Beto further fuel for his fire and his efforts to drive my mother out of Texas and his “territory.”
Vanessa Jalet
I definitely agree that the prisoner's problem is our problem. Supporting the arts and schools and parks is essential for all people to grow into responsible and healthy citizens. Being born and raised in Texas, I still remember the terror that law enforcement personnel imposed on everyone.
It has always amazed me that the so called civilized industrial centers of the world have the highest percentage of incarcerated. The ability to exploit human beings has always been a bedrock characteristic of this society.
Great documentary, keep up the great work .
I first met Fred when he had just gotten out in 1972. Richard Perez of "Chicanos Can Too" Pacifica Radio Program, was showing him around Houston and introducing him to Chicano activists like Leo Tanguma and others. I was working with Papel Chicano and Leo was painting his mural on Canal St. at that time. Fred was working as Director of Community Relations for KPFT Pacifica Radio. He had a proposal to establish a radio program solely for the the prisoners at TDC called "Radio Free Aztlan" and immediately recruited us to work on the program as participants. We settled on the name "Muevete o Te Muevo" and his handle was "El Carnal" whenever we were talking about him to listeners.
Needless to say, I was very impressed with Fred and we hit it off as carnales immediately as if we had known each other for many years. He remained my friend and hero over the years as we worked en el movimiento and traveled alot. Although he suffered alot in prison, he would relate his prison experiences with no bitterness but with alot of humor. Fred was witty and fun to hang around with and I was always in awe of all his knowledge, not only of law, but of everything about life. I would tease him about his use of complicated intellectual words mouthed al estilo barrio accent.
Everywhere we traveled he would advocate justice for all prisoners. In 1973, we traveled from Mexico City to Acapulco with Los Mascarones and spoke in every branch of the university autonomous in between, and Fred constantly speaking on a panel of Chicanos and advocating for prisoners. And on and on, I could write a book about this great man that I knew for such a short span in my life... But the reason I wrote at this length is to shine some light on Fred after he was out of prison. He suffered alot in prison and was very detailed with his narratives without a trace of bitterness, and he also struggled with his addiction and how to cope on the outside, but he never gave up. Although he would say he felt "like a fish out of water" there was never any surrender on his part, and kept contributing to the Movement and progressive causes in spite of his human flaws as we all have them in one way or the other. Fred Arispe Cruz was indeed a HERO and I will continue to honor him as my carnal and always keep his legacy alive. He would not want us to remember him as a tragic figure towards the end of his life, but as someone who fought the good fight. I did not mean to ramble, but I did. Fraternally, Jose P. Bustamante
I spent two years in a Florida prison for a crime I did not commit. Perhaps it was cosmic justice at work for having gotten away with numerous crimes that went undetected. In that respect there are thousnads of people serving time just like me. What makes it somewhat unique is that I come from a straight middle-class family.I graduated collage with a BS:Criminal Justice and I am a former Florida Corrections Officer.
With a few minor exceptions in my teens I did not start going to jail untill I was fourty years of age. Those minor exceptions changed my life. Be advised that jail is a place of rape and rape will change the mind of anyone. My perspective is that of a former corrections officer, a former inmate in a Florida prison, a victim, a perpurtrator of drug crimes, a criminal defendant at trial and a father who'es daughter is now serving time. If the makers of this film would like my point of view as to who really get's sent to prison and why they get sent I'd be willing to enlighten them. Unlike those who testified against me at trial I will be willing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
I definitely agree that the prisoner's problem is our problem, and that supporting the arts and schools and parks if essential for young people to grow into responsible and healthy citizens.
BUt I also think that something else is going in this country. Prison is a BUSINESS and many people make their fortunes on the long-term warehousing of human beings. So ... the bottom line - PROFIT - takes priority over the well-being and rehabilitation of the inmate.
In my county (Palm Beach County, FL) prison guards make uo to 70K and year, and because they are eligible for overtime, can bring home well over 100K a year. A Ph.D. college professor who work at a state university, however, is paid less than $60K a year, and is not eligible for overtime pay.
And then there are these insane mandatory sentencing laws that do not allow the judge to make the distinction between someone who is truly dangerous, and a kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Felony Murder Rule puts kids in prison for life, with no chance for redemption.
I think that educating the Public on the draconian sentencing and prison practices in this country is vital. I have no idea why these legislators think that this is what the public wants, and keep these laws in place.
There are very few rich people in prison. What does this tell you? Are poor people inherently "bad", and rich people "good"? Do poor people in some way "threaten" the system that keeps the wealth in the hands of the wealthy? The whole concept of JUSTICE needs to be thoroughly examined in this country.
I know the family of Fred Cruz. Im currently engaged to his great grandson and are waiting in excitment for the big premire. cant wait for the movie in 2010. thanks for all your hard work and committment! your very well appriciated.
I was in Texas prison 1970-1975. Fred was out but famous for his work as was Francis Jalet for her support. The movement that followed their efforts would result in the Ruiz v Texas prison litigation and ultimately the idea that inmates can change their own world. This is the most important film I have seen on this subject and I am heavily promoting it to the inmates and families in my audience. If you have been in any prison or care for anyone in prison or work in the criminal justice industry, you must see this film.
well i've been told alot about my grandfather and i will always look up to him no matter what he did. but what he did inside needed to be done and im proud to have such a powerful family history.
