Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black, joins MSNBC’s Ari Melber to talk about how coronavirus is spreading in prisons: “The only way to combat those outbreaks is to reduce those populations in prisons and jails.” Aired on 04/09/2020.
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Facing New Danger From Covid-19 In Prison, “Orange Is The New Black” Author Calls For Reform | MSNBC
Society is judged by how it treats its most desperate, most vulnerable, and most forgotten among its citizens. You may say, “well these criminals deserve being in jail.” No one disputes that. But they were not given death sentences either.
@Renea Exactly. There are some people that are unjustly convicted – AND there are others who could have been given sentences that were far too long for the crime (like non-violent drug offenses and others).
@misterjag The more prisoners they have, the more money they get. Look up Private prisons & kids for cash. It’s all about the $. Citizens United needs to go, #VOTE
That would be the children and the elderly.
@Renea And it would take years to sort that
Renea who gets to decide that?
Thank you for bringing this to people’s attention…I have been thinking about this since this outbreak started…concern for people who are in there for a minor charge and being unable to be released
jennifer williams – We need to stop locking up so many people to begin with. Only those who are a danger to society should be behind bars.
The system from start to finish is broken, especially in Ohio.
@Bovine One and when they’re a danger they shouldn’t be released
@Cat Shultz too late when the majority have the virus.
Don’t go releasing them if they have only the street to go to… do your homework. Help the people.
@Daryl Guiley Be careful it could be you
She said that.
Do your homework?
What are you referring to?
What study or event?
If you instead meant something like “think first” you should take the same advice.
What about choice?
Hey sir, we have this virus situation, your homeless but we’re sick here… wanna go take your chances on the streets?
To be fair, a very large portion of those incarcerated, *do* have a place to go, to live. A home, a family. While we of course need to what we can to avoid sending people out on the street with nothing – that doesn’t conclude to “oh we might have to do something with and for some of them, to not make bad worse, so lets just not do anything about anyone”. The safety of these people are literally, legally and morally our (the county/state/fed, and _we are_ the county/state/fed) responsibility as long as they’re locked up in there. Because we’ve physically taken away and denied them the ability to fend for themselves. Society has imposed a safety and/or punishing mitigation on them, which for the vast, vaaast majority of them is explicitly temporary and distinctly time-limited. That mitigation / punishment is (temporary) loss of freedom. Not life.
@pr0xZen Oh, the voice of reason, thank you! I wish more would see the issue that way.
Only in America the land of stupidity
Nah just stupid ppl live around smart ppl it’s a everywhere thing don’t fool yourself……
Watch the movie Idiocracy. We are not far from this. Awesome movie tho.
Yup. We keep voting for the same establishment corporate-bought puppet who runs things against the fuel of our economy… low and middle class.
Even in freakin’ china, their prison population isnt even as big as america. America is so eager to lock you up for any little thing SMH.
@whoo else That’s because they put their prisoners first up the wall
Governor Newsom is working with the prison systems in California to start moving prisoners out of prisons that are close to release and are close to parole and looking at cases of non-violent low risk offenders.
We need to do more. The prisons need to be shut down. If anything the inmates need to be given medals for doing what society wouldn’t do.
*Private -Prison plantations is a booming business for the states/private investors they rather keep non-violent inmates lock up them let them go, it’s one of the fastest-growing industries in America*
Also the Investor’s that run the confined Mexicans in cages.
@Pamela I m Also, u have a Murican’ brain. Not all people in cages are Mexican. They are Latin American and black ppl every day living in cages. Why don’t u say it the way it really is and stop pretending.
@tai’ infio Nesa lol I know right? Jesus Christ
@Cat Shultz “Jesus Christ” isn’t real. Shultz, you of all ppl should know that. please stop propagating religious garbage.
Turning prisons into private investment businesses is a criminal act in and of itself. Like chain gangs!
send the inmates to one of Trumps Dumps . They all are failing so somebody might as well get some use of them .
They’d beg to go back to prison.😓
Let’s start with you
You’re on a cruise ship, you’re on a battleship, you’re in prison, you’re a child in a cage, the reality is you can’t escape this administration, in the words of the first lady,
I don’t really care do you?
icare
@doug buchanan believe it or not so do I, I could just as well be in their situation.
Robert Taylor Very good point! 👋🏼 And I care and have loved ones locked up.
@bizygirl1 I care also they are not my kids but they belong to someone.
This Piper Kerman seems like a truly caring, decent person.
I was thinking the same thing. The real Piper is more authentic, magnanimous, and interesting than the narcissistic and self centered TV Piper.
https://www.celltophone.com/product/m2-intelligence-bluetooth-health-wrist-smart-band-with-activity-tracker/
Being in prison changes you. It does! Those who said it doesn’t, don’t know what they are talking about. For good or bad you life is going to change drastically, and in America we put too many people behind bars for the worse reasons.
We have the largest amount of prisoners in the world. More than totalitarian states. In the Land of The Free!!
Give me a break.
Key word: seems.
She’s not. Just capitalizing on her hustle
I’ve been watching this closely, especially with the Ohio DRC. Like Piper, I spent time in Marion, but I was an inmate. I also know men still there, some just waiting to get the final word to go home. In fact, if it were not for Judicial Release I would still be there now. The plight of the incarcerated hits me very hard. Often times, prison conditions are barely sanitary under normal circumstances, but are dire now. I do regret the loss of anyone’s life, but I am glad an officer died first only because they are seen as more valuable. After all, staff are hard to get, but new inmates come every day. As of the data available from the DRC today, 34 Marion staff have tested positive for Covid19. They are the ones that are bringing it into the prisons. They are the ones who have the opportunity to seek decent medical care. They are the ones that can choose to stay home if not feeling well. They are the ones who can eat well and take vitamins. Inmates have none of these opportunities. I believe the video you saw was from the North Dorm (reintegration) at the camp, where those are the lowest level security at Marion and generally the closest to going home. I believe that dorm holds 160 men. The next bed is only 3 feet to the side and half are double racks.
Back to the data from the DRC updated today 4/9/20, there are 8 Ohio prisons listed in “full quarantine”. Out of the nearly 13,000 combined populations a mere 108 testes have been administered with 36 positive results and another 32 pending. This meager effort shows the lack of response by the DRC, which is par for the course in prison. The real number of infected is unknown.
Piper, thank you so much for bringing the national spotlight to this crises, and specifically mentioning Marion Correctional. I have been watching the situation there and praying with urgency. You may be a godsend. Please continue to advocate for those who society has discarded.
@Brenda Heeligan this whole “threat to society” is an old and outdated system to keep people whom justly feel anger under control. abolish prisons. this is an old, white colonial construct just needs to go
They are cutting tests to the general public also. The companies probably get $1300.00 for the tests. Truthfully, in the general population, we are beyond finding out who has it. It is more important to find people who have had it, survived, and can produce antibodies to treat people. We blew it in stopping it. In fact, a German report says we are only picking up 1.6% of the people infected. I have sent a plan to the president to bring immune people into the workforce not only to give plasma but to staff positions such as health care aides, delivery drivers. You are valuable if you can give plasma and cannot get sick. Further, antibody tests are cheap. Perhaps you can use that as a get out of jail card.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 bravo to youu all! thank you for taking the time to care about others in this trying time 💖
@Renee Speece WOW! You are a special kind of STUPID!
Try a prison in Mexico or Iceland. How about trying to live without breaking the law. Couldn’t read past your first paragraph because you’re a pity story. Do you deserve toilet paper now? Yup, get there early and stand in line. Waaaaaa. Anyways, I’m dying of being mean
Thank you Piper, for caring so much for our brothers and sisters in lock-up. Bless you.
Orange is the new black death
The US should be ashamed of themselves… they were not sentenced to death!
Yes they were if you break the law and a plague happens in jail .you should not be allowed to be released. You break the law you do the time.
@Ray Pinkerton How absurd ..
@Ray Pinkerton A released criminal from florida just murdered a person. Don’t argue with stupid they were born that way
Many prisons and jails have non-violent people who could be released.
Just release them all because there’s been one death in our 200 millionwide prison system noooo. Seriously, I just saw a truck hit a Dove and the Dove died… Dig up the roads so trucks drive slower for the Doves! Your father is fine.
Millions in prison for a plant. While those who makes those plants into a pill make billions. It’s mind-boggling really
Say it again brother
“The only way to combat those outbreaks is to” TEST them. Isolate those tested +positive. Uninfected people will NOT likely to be infected and infected people WILL infect others. SIMPLE!!!
I don’t understand how they get away with having more CAPACITY than allowed? You can’t do that ANYWHERE!!! Just ask Fire Marshall’s for one!!
Why don’t they just release the people with minor non violent offenses such as drug charges or something small, not pedos
Yep.That’s what some governors are already doing .
Nope if you gonna let out the drug dealer you gotta let out the pedophiles
The more prisoners they have, the more money they get. Look up Private prisons & kids for cash. It’s all about the $
Privatizing jails was a really bad idea. Giving private companies money for every person in their jail is just a really bad idea.
So is the oil, gun, pharma, all those lobbies. What can you do when 60 million ppl vote for them?
Privatisation only ever benefits a very few. And these few are always wealthy.
Remove the Federal restrictions for Marijuana…it’s a good start.
Privatized prisons are NOT going to want to release prisoners because, to them, it’s like letting money walk out of the door.