My Return to Prison: Views on the Failed Drug War from Inside Sing Sing

On Saturday, May 2nd 2009, I returned to prison. Again.

Tom Morello, Jerry Cantrell, Billy Bragg, Perry Farrell & Etty Lau Farrell, Gilby Clarke, Boots Riley, Carl Restivo, Dave Gibbs, Don Was, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Eric Gardner and the Road Recovery staff went with me. The prison was the infamous Sing Sing maximum-security facility in Ossining, New York. I talked with the prisoners and we played music for them.

And we went in with the blessing of the New York State Department of Corrections to inaugurate a new program focusing on inmate rehabilitation. To tell you the truth, I didn't think it would happen. I could not have been more wrong. We had all played a concert the night before in Manhattan for Road Recovery, a non-profit organization that works with at-risk kids. The show was sold out with the help of my comrade Iggy Pop and it was a resounding success.

Credit: MARGARET SAADI KRAMER
Me in front of one of the guard towers

The Sing Sing show was a bonus. To say it was memorable would be a massive understatement. As would be understating the importance of reaching out to the people on the receiving end of the greatest failure of social policy in America's domestic history.

Credit: TRACY KETCHER
A performance photo in the chow hall

You would have to be living on the moon to not know what a disaster the "War On Drugs" has been. Twenty billion dollars a year for the last 30 years, two million Americans in prison -- 60% of them non-violent drug offenders -- and you can go out on any American street corner and buy cheaper, higher quality heroin and cocaine than you could anywhere in America 30 years ago. The political expediency of "get tough on crime" along with the sure-fire vote getting "lock them up and throw away the key" mentality has successfully created the highly profitable Prison Industrial Complex.

On Saturday, I asked a corrections officer at Sing Sing what the prisoner population in New York State is right now. "Just over 50,000," she replied. Then, it occurred to me: When I was imprisoned for drug offenses in the 1970s, the entire Federal Prison population totaled just over 50,000 inmates. Then the C.O. added that, when she started her career in corrections 20 years ago, there were 23 prisons in New York State. As I write this today, there are over 60!

Crime stats have stayed consistent over the last 30 years, but incarceration rates have more than quadrupled. It's the human cost that has been the most damaging. I'm talking about non-violent drug offenders. Countless families broken up, the marriages destroyed, three generations of kids with fathers (and mothers) in and out of the system. These are mostly brown and black people. People from America's cities who, as screenwriter David Simon describes them, "Leftover people. People who were necessary in an industrial America but who are of no use to the economy today." Non-violent drug offenders who are locked up are people who are pawns in urban political gamesmanship. Nobody talks about them. There's no political will to look at it. There's no political capital in it. It's a no-winner. But, there's certainly money in prison building and guard hiring.

Out here in California, the prison guards union is one of the most powerful political lobbies in the state. I don't have any naive ideas about this changing anytime soon. Make no mistake, though, this situation is a crime against humanity. Government should be helping, but it's not. Instead, it has created a self-fulfilling monster that eats humans whose judgment has been, at one time in their lives, critically flawed and then the monster shits out profit and political gain.

What I can do as an artist is the same thing you can do as a friend and neighbor -- stand up. Speak out. Get involved.

At Sing Sing, I talked to men who had been locked up for eight, 10, 17, 30 years but had somehow managed to hold on to hope. Men who sang along with Billy Bragg on Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" still had hopes and dreams. Their spirit was strong. I doubt any of them ever heard of the MC5 or Jane's Addiction or Audioslave, but it didn't matter one bit. They all connected with the music. What mattered was they knew, by our simple presence, that not everyone has thrown them away. I certainly haven't. Neither have all the musicians who went with me to this historic visit. Not everyone in this country believes in the Draconian approach to drug enforcement that has been the status quo for the last 30 years.

Credit: TRACY KETCHER
A shot of Wayne speaking to the inmates

Kudos to Gov. Paterson and the NY Dept. of Corrections for inviting us in. Maybe other governors will start to wake up to the economic and human disaster that is their failed policy. Maybe Barack Obama can step up and bring justice and reason to one of our nation's greatest failures.

Handsome Dick wrote to me the following day, "Seeing those prisoners slowly shuffle back through that door, and go back to jail, got to me. Can't stop thinking about it. And me being free... and... how much I appreciate everything I have." Tru dat, Richard.

Yesterday's HuffPost ran the headline "White House Czar Calls For End to War On Drugs." Sounds good. Now let's see who steps up.

Credit: TRACY KETCHER
Front Row: Gilby Clarke, Dave Gibbs, Tom Morello, Boots Riley, Jerry Cantrell, Jason Lemiere 2nd Row: Daniella Clarke, Vaughn Martinian, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Matt Pinfield, Carl Restivo, Susan Silver, Don Was 3rd Row: Una Cote, Billy Bragg, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Malin, Jack Bookbinder, Eric Gardner, Margaret Saadi Kramer, Scott Schumaker, Anthony Nater 4th Row: Etty Lau Farrell, Perry Farrell, Officer O. Marchese, Peter Jenner, Wayne Kramer, Laurence Kern, Bobby Danelski, Kirsten Charlebois

Comments

[iblogleft]

Excellent column, thank you.

[Hopeington]

Thank you all for caring about these forgotten citizens. Any thing anyone can do to bring this horrendous situation to light is important and music is a universal language that's always uplifting.
I have endured deep anguish, along with many others, from the persecution that is prevalent in our justice system and, once released from incarceration, your character is then branded, Guilty until proven Innocent. It is this bitter sentiment that has become my family's view of the for-profit business they disguise as a prison.

[RevBookburn]

Thank you all musicians who participated in this! It is incredible that the extremely expensive war-on-drugs failure continues. It is time to free non-violent, victimless inmates. If the prison-ind­ustrial-co­mplex cries too loudly about the loss of some wealth, they can fill some of the space with real criminals! I'd like to recommend using the space with pedophile priests as well as the violent/ torturing/ war-criminals of the Bush regime. Rev. Bookburn - Radio Volta

[aahpat]

Czar Declares Pogrom on the poor

Drug warrior Barack Obama's drug czar does not want us to honestly call the war on drugs what it is a civil war on the people of America maybe, being a czar, he would be more comfortable with calling it a pogrom on the poor.

[aahpat]

Another thing that people across the nation can do is to support Virginia Senator Jim Webb's S-714 http://mysite.verizon.net/aahpat/aandc/s714.htm

S-714 will establish a national criminal justice commission that will look at the efficacy of every aspect of the American criminal justice system. Including legalization of marijuana. http://drugwartreason.blogspot.com/2009/04/marijuana-legalization-is-on-table.html

Here in Pennsylvania we are lucky enough to have both senators, Arlen Specter and Bob Casey co-sponsoring the bill. Specter was one of the original sponsors back when he was still a Republican.

You can find out if the senators in your state are co-sponsors by going to S-714 tally sheet of senators thus far co-sponsoring the bill. http://mysite.verizon.net/aahpat/aandc/s-714_tally.htm

If your senators are not co-sponsors please consider writing to them and pushing them to support S-714. If your senators are co-sponsors write to them and thank them.

This bill gives America its best chance of ending the authoritarian civil war on drug users in our lifetime.

[aahpat]

The Democrats are in the pockets of the rich and powerful police and prison guard unions.

The Republicans are in the pockets of the prison industry and police supply mega-corporations.

That leaves the American people, constitutional values and social justice out of the war on drugs equation.

THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE AUTHORITARIANS IN THE DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN PARTIES TO RELENT IS TO HAVE MASSIVE PUBLIC PROTEST RALLIES ON THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON, D.C. But the drug reform organization leadership are mostly all in the pocket of the Democrats who won't allow anyone to rock their authoritarian boat.

The war on drugs was created by Richard Nixon and the Dixie-crats to subvert the Voting Rights Act, the 26st Amendment and American democracy. On every level the war on drugs has succeeded at subverting American democracy.

[aahpat]

Just remember this folks as Barack Obama escalates and militarizes the war on drugs.

Obama is cynically trying to disassociate himself with the term "war on drugs" because he sees the negative connotations that are attached to that term. But at the same time he has lied to medical pot providers by continuing raids on dispensaries. He has lied to AID's healthcare advocates by reneging on his campaign promise to support needle exchange. He is escalating the Mexican border war by $400 million over the Merida Plan budget, he has reinvigorated the corrupt drug task forces with $3 billion in Burne criminal justice grants and he has promised to intensify the drug war on the streets of America.

The only change that the drug law reform community can expect from the duplicitous and hypocritical authoritarian drug warrior Barack Obama administration is escalation and militarization of the racist civil war known as the war on drugs.

[NeverRepublican]

What's even more sad...

Is the fact that the men and women in jail can get their hands on any type of drug while they are in jail...

The so called war on drugs is a joke...

[jmad]

Annual consumption of marijuana is about forty or fifty million pounds. This indicates large numbers of our population consume weed. Criminalization must stop. Let the people out of jail, save millions of dollars.

[neem]

Good thing we learned that lesson from the 1920's: prohibition of ALCOHOL doesn't work.

[SILVANUS]

Gardener said it well..

"Prisons are one of those things we allowed to be privatized. They aren't going to change anytime soon. People are making money off them."

Selfishnes­s-as-usual­. Vulture Culture wearing those little white Christian gloves.

[hidenout]

Here are some links for ya....educate yourself..........

http://www.burnetcountytexas.org/docs/6-Segal-Commission-on-PrisonAbuse.pdf

http://www.prisonpolicy.org/prisonindex/privateprisons.html

http://www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles1/bja/181249.txt

[SILVANUS]

'the prison guards union' says its all...

Modern America... all about self interest and bucks at the expense of fairness and freedom.

[garlicpowder]

Wayne,
Its great to see you being successful doing great things in the community.

Also, congrats on Eastbound and Down. I cant tell you what a strange sensation it was when Miss X came on. In a completely legal and non corrupting way, it blew my mind.

I look forward to your future endeavors,
Brian

[obsessivemind]

Eastbound n Down is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. The music is the perfect balance between obscure and tongue in cheek downright funny. Congrats Wayne on it and on this historic visit. You all did a good thing.

[Msadventure]

My son has spent most of his adult life in prison for a non-violent, drug-related crime committed in a small wealthy county in a Midwestern state. He was given the most severe sentence (10 years plus 1) for breaking into an empty house during the day and stealing nothing. He is now heading back, after completing most of his parole relatively problem-free because he became depressed at his inability to get a decent job and failed to report to his parole officer for three months. He committed no crime. He has harmed no one. The state in question issued an arrest warrant for extradition nationwide, and when he became involved in a minor traffic accident, he was arrested. He faces a parole revocation hearing, which means he may have to spend yet another four years behind bars. The state will spend its money traveling to the East Coast to retrieve him and take him back. He was once a successful musician and composer. The war on drugs surely is only a war on people.

[dan-o]

Lets see- Breaking & Entering and Parole Violation. Did you raise you son to think B & E was OK? He was obviously attempting to steal something to pay for his drug habit. Did you teach him that stealing to pay for drugs is OK? I think your definition of what is and what is not a crime is wrong and perhaps you need to look in the mirror to see the cause of your sons problems.

It sounds like you are the one in denial.

[Borborigny]

You love casting those stones, huh sinless? You could be a judge!

[Bobolini]

Let's see - 14 years for a crime where little damage is done to anyone and you think Msadventure is in denial? So what do we do to people who steel billions of dollars, create false reasons for wars that kill lots of people or lie to the UN?

How about people who believe that their mix of pills and alcohol are so much more righteous than a joint that they would lock people in a horrible, unhealthy inhuman environment to prove a political point?

If you think a parent who sees this kind of injustice done to their own child is in denial you need to consider what the punishment should be for really bad crimes that destroy lives and threaten the fabric of our democracy.

If this kid should be put away for 14 years for a non-violent crime that the policy makers of the past 8 years should be slowly vivisected without anesthetic! (I deny both)

Your values are not working - Prisons are filled to the brim and the drug business is flourishing - So, who the heck is in denial?

[greyhound2]

The US currently has more people locked up in prison than did Joseph Stalin in the former Soviet Union in the 1950's and we called them the "Evil Empire". At least Stalin had a reason, they needed labor to build natural gas pipelines from Siberia and they couldn't find anybody who was willing to go there no matter how much the pay. They called them political prisoners.

About 60% of the 5.7 million people incarcerated in jail in the US are there because of the failed War on Drugs. How much of a failure? Are there more or less drugs now available than when Nixon started the DEA? There are more now than ever before and the only winners are the drug dealers and the Prison-Industrial Complex. Welcome to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

[dan-o]

Are you really comparing our prison system to the gulag system and mass murder committed by Joseph Stalin? Stalin had a reason????? Well, so did Hitler, Pol Pot and Mao but I don't think our "prison system" is anywhere equivalent to what those madmen did. They all had their reasons but definately not similiar to what we are doing.

[Bobolini]

More Denial!

No, the prison system is not as bad as the Gulag, the killing fields or the concentration camps. But, once again you are in serious denial.

The point is that it is bad and this is the United States of America. We believe ourselves to be the ones who set the standards for humanity and justice. You sound like a person who just ran over a bunch of kids in a cross walk and are justifying it by saying you didn't drop a nuke on the whole city.

Our prison system is broken. We don't need your hearsay or preachy pseudo-psy­chological analysis to find consensus. Few would deny that we have a serious problem and that in the United States of America we should not tolerate this level of inhumanity, injustice and fiscal waist.

Time to stop getting on other people about denial and to start looking in the mirror.

[Dynamohum]

Please go cause trouble on your righteous reich wing down home blog, not here. Your arguments are completely ridiculous and I would love for you to have to go to prison for awhile, oh say, for drinking a beer. Spend a little time there and you'll be singing a different song. And you'll be defending your right to drink and screaming what an injustice was committed. Think before you spout your nonsense.