Attitudes and prisoners
By Brandon Astor Jones
Convinced that the vast majority of men, women and children in America's prisons are without humanity, most Americans consider prisoners to be little more than animals. They cannot see the human worth of prisoners beyond the various veneers of drug dealers, robbers, pimps, murderers and other labels.
Societal desensitivity, born of political manipulation, excludes prisoners' lives from any human characteristics worthy of society's recognition — especially in US southern regions such as Texas, Georgia and Florida. Example: the case of Wayne Bennett, who is in dire need of a heart transplant. Eighty per cent of his heart is dead. No longer in prison, he now resides at his home in Switzerland, Florida.
Mary Stark, spokesperson for the Willis-Knighton Medical Centre, states that, "Because these allegations [referring to Bennett's 28 arrests and the time he spent in prison] have come up, we will look at them and talk to Mr Bennett about them and look at his suitability for the transplant waiting list". In hospital-speak, that means that those persons on the transplant list who have no criminal record will be considered before Bennett, despite his obvious urgent need.
The medical centre's attitude towards Bennett is not unique. That attitude is entertained by most Americans; because of it, comprehensive rehabilitative programs are few in US prisons. If you shroud prisoners in mindless subhuman darkness devoid of rehabilitation while they are in prison, why are they expected to shine in some non-existent light of rehabilitation when they are grudgingly let out? Only the foolish would plant and cultivate damaged seeds and expect a perfect harvest. Yet that is what the dehumanisation of prisoners, in or out of prison, amounts to.
The most impressive testament to the inherent goodness and uncultivated humanity so easily
found in most prisoners, is that an extremely high number of them live totally "crime free" and productive lives upon release from prison, notwithstanding.
Thirty-five years ago, Tom Bradley, then a city of Los Angeles police officer, arrested Benny Newton on charges of drug dealing and pimping; and he was sent off to prison. Less than a year ago, Mayor Tom Bradley personally presented the city of Los Angeles' Commendation for Courage award to Newton.
On April 29, 1992, during the Los Angeles riot, an angry group of rioters was beating Fidel Lopez, a Guatemalan immigrant. Lopez was very near death when the good Reverend Benny Newton came upon the scene and immediately, amid the fists and kicks, positioned his body over Lopez's battered mass. Reverend Newton shouted, "Kill him and you have to kill me too". The angry rioters backed off.
As irony would have it, the Reverend Benny Newton died of leukemia on April 24, 1993. Lopez was a pallbearer at his funeral.
Lopez was heard saying, "We are supposed to live together in peace". I agree. He also said of the USA, "this is a good country". I found myself wondering if he knew that most Americans, if they had their way, would never have let the Reverend Newton out of prison, nor have they even thought of Reverend Newton as a human being for over 35 years.
[The writer is a prisoner on death row in the United States. He is happy to receive letters commenting on his columns. He can be written to at: Brandon Astor Jones, EF-122216, G2-51, GD&CC, PO Box 3877, Jackson, GA 30233, USA.]