Prison - Break the taboo

Following article doesn’t explicitely deal with political prisoners, but with criminality and prisons in general. However I think that it is a good overview over the (dys)function of the prison system.

Prisons exist since the outcome of patriarchal society, even if the forms haven’t always been constant (i.e. dungeon in the Middle Age, solitary confinement in the 20th century). It is positive that physical torture, at least what citizens think it to be, has mainly disappeared (in our regions). The aim of jails has been maintained during the centuries: cure of socially ill people, that means people who have broken the social and moral norms of society. Many people in high-positioned bureaucratic arm chairs seem to take care about changes of the desolate situations in our prisons. Normally just empty promises turn out, otherwise the annual report of Amnesty International would look completely different and there weren’t named western "democratic" states. Very few people occupy themselves with the institution prison, with its being, its sense and its consequences. If they did they would already have noticed that jail is no solution but makes everything even worse.

If the one or the other is now complaining about the fact that I am criticising this "necessary" institution, this again shows how manipulated or better said socialised by this authoritarian system and its lies we all are. The "evil" must be punished, otherwise it will gain ground, may cry out some of you now. Well, I agree to some extend to this, i.e. that we must struggle against it, but not with the help of repression and punishment. What we need is some form of "therapy". Prevention not intervention! We must not, as is commonly done assimilate the individual to the society, but also the society to the individuals! Here we have social unadapted people so it is important to search for the roots of their behaviour. Only discovering motives is far not enough, but unfortunately this is where the police inquiries normally stop. It is important to uncover the psychological and social roots in order to prevent further criminality. Would this happen so would inevitably be shown that the whole system carries the charge and not the single person itself!

If the reasons are rooted in the public, the individual can in my opinion not be called to account. The humyn being is to a great extend product of socialisation. Social life, our environment inevitably influences our behaviour or as Marx formulated: "the being determinates the conscience": Many crimes like robbery or murder linked to robbery are clearly due to the essence of possession. Property breeds jealousy! It’s logical that some ask themselves (not only logical but even justified) why some have to struggle hard to keep somehow over water. While others can accumulate their money through landed property or in the casino, without working hard. Where is the fairness? Wo/man disgusts injustice and can’t understand it and therefore tries to put up a fierce resistance against it. One way certainly consists in criminality. I want to presume implicitly that criminality can have many other origins. This here is just an illustration and it would be inadequate to see causes of criminal acts simply and solely in the being of property. However a great part of delinquent behaviour and acts has its roots in jealousy, possession and injustice. From the evolution-biological point of view one of the reasons for aggression lies in the defence of ones own property. If we face the problem of possession and if we could solve it we would eliminate by that way a good part of criminality.

It’s not the question to shove off the malicious among us, because by doing this the problems are not solved. We have to face and attack the roots, even if this might be severe. The solving of problems is a difficult process! Closing humyns into cells doesn’t really "cure" them. It’s just an inhibition or shifting of a social problem. How many do have the same ideas and beliefs even after 15 years of imprisonment? The institution prison can’t "cure" humyns (it doesn’t even try), it just destroys them even more. Dehumynites them, takes all dignity and degrades them to beasts in cell. All this just in order that our hypocritical democratic system may survive. Who really cares about prisoners or criminals? Our only worry is that they won’t rob or even kill us. The reasons why people kill and steal is of no interest for the most of us, we suppress it and in this way imprisonment is very effectful. The so-called evil passes away, out of our clean daily world. Those who don’t fit in the picture of the peaceful, liberal wealth system are being pushed away and locked behind high and thick walls with solid walls. The system doesn’t want and even can’t tolerate enemies, because latter have only become what the are through the system. Social outsiders are a reflection of society and its problems! Criticism of the system is not tolerated because it may show that the problem is based in the structure and the being of the system and not the people. So the executive power dies everything to suppress criticism.

Torture and brainwashing are no more necessary to eliminate or make opponents docile. Such simple understandable methods and proceedings are no more part of the system (to some extend at least, i.e. if the prisoners are not political ones). The system tries to oppress hidden and subtle under the coat of democracy freedom. Solitary confinement has meanwhile become old fashioned (in our regions and for non-political prisoners). In the meantime the methods turned completely round. Today as many people as possible are packed up together in a very small room. By doing this results a lack of necessary life space. This has similarly consequences as solitary confinement: humyn behaviour becomes brutal and cruel, as there is no space to live and withdraw. This has another advantage for the system: the social weaks and signed oppose one another and by doing this they can’t unite their energy in a common struggle against the system.

Yet there are many other ways to fight enemies of the system. The stigmatisation as criminals through society is completely enough to take ones majority. Prison grants its inmates a new personality trait: that of the malicious. Social intercourse with former prisoners is taboo and is being strictly sanctioned, be it through contempt or libel. So the former prisoners become socially isolated and often have no other choice than actin criminal and illegal in order to survive.

The institution prison makes up a considerable part of our whole system and society. It must be critiqued and fought because it kicks humyn rights with feet. It oppresses the weak and lets the rich sit on their thrones. Solidarity with the arrested is necessary and not only with political prisoners )of course there are exceptions, as rapists or fascists). Prisoners represent a very opposed social class that we as anarchists should under not circumstances discriminate or neglect. They must find acceptance and recognition (not because of their acts but as humyns) among us because they are mainly product and victim of this hypocritical society that we try to change by eliminating! They must be reintegrated into our social life and not excluded from it, because this again creates social differences and criminality.

Are you part of the cornerstones...or the demolition team?

Anarchist Black Cross Innsbruck

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