No nation keeps such a high percentage of its people in prison as the USA. Europe's rate is a fraction of ours. On May 31 the Valley Post emailed a state senator from Northampton and one from Brattleboro to ask their reactions to the following quote:
“Today, almost half of the people in federal prison are incarcerated for a drug offense—and two-thirds of those are people of color.... Black people are far more likely to be arrested for selling or possessing drugs than white people, even though white people use drugs at the same rates and are more likely to sell drugs. Locking people up for drugs does not reduce drug use or overdose deaths.... Drug addiction is not a criminal justice issue. It’s a health problem that should be managed by medical professionals.”
That quote is from:
https://eji.org/issues/excessive-punishment
On June 2, Massachusetts senator Joanne Comerford of Northampton told the Valley Post, “There is an immediate need to address the root causes of incarceration — lack of access to excellent public education, affordable housing, mental health and substance use treatment, job training, employment opportunities, transportation, and so much more. There is an equal need for post-incarceration support. We know that services like substance abuse treatment and education are effective in preventing recidivism. A recent study showed that 20 percent of people who did not receive these services re-offended, while only 7.8 percent of those who received such services re-offended.”
Vermont senator Wendy Harrison of Brattleboro did not reply to the May 31 email. The Valley Post spoke with Harrison's secretary on June 2 and left a message for Harrison with her secretary, but did not receive a response.
State senators in Massachusetts are paid much more than Vermont state senators. Vermont sends people to a private prison in Mississippi. Massachusetts does not use private prisons. That's according to:
www.sentencingproject.org/reports/private-prisons-in-the-united-states
In Brattleboro in 2017, there was a freedom march to call on Vermont politicians to reduce the number of people the state keeps in prison. At a rally before the march, Shela Linton spoke. Today, she is the director of the Root Social Justice Center in Brattleboro.
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In Springfield, Massachusetts, workers are on strike. They have a web page at:
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