can lose visits indefinitely for substance-abuse violations

April 11, 2019 2:49 PM

When Prisons Cut Off Visits—Indefinitely [The Marshall Project] "It's been nearly 25 years since Michigan adopted a controversial visitation policy. Families have been fighting it ever since."
posted by readinghippo (11 comments total)

In other prison visitation trends - no longer phyically seeing the other person. The trend is you have to go TO the prison to sit in front of a camera and the prisoner sits in front of a screen with a camera and that's the visit. To simplify things there is a trend to "give" the prisoner a tablet that has a jack and the visit happens via the tablet.

What is interesting to note with this 'issued tablet' trend is you can "buy" a song but the licence stays inside the walls with the tablet/account number.

No idea if the account number changes in case you become a frequent flyer.
posted by rough ashlar at 4:36 PM on April 11, 2019

Between this and the state's resistance to legislation ending life sentences for juveniles, Michigan isn't looking great.
posted by mmmbacon at 5:24 PM on April 11, 2019 [5 favorites]

My, but the US is a race to bottom. Trying to get our draconian prison policies to line up with our historical mass-incarceration. Of course, this is a state's rights issue.
posted by es_de_bah at 6:24 PM on April 11, 2019 [3 favorites]

This is a rule, not a law or even a regulation. Governor Whitmer could literally change it tomorrow by executive order. If you live in Michigan, it would be a good thing to contact the governor’s office and encourage her to recognize the humanity of all Michiganders by ending this and other draconian prison policies.
posted by rockindata at 6:34 PM on April 11, 2019 [9 favorites]

Yes! Michigan!
posted by neon909 at 6:46 PM on April 11, 2019 [1 favorite]

When has punishing people with addictions ever worked?
posted by Brocktoon at 7:25 PM on April 11, 2019 [4 favorites]

When has punishing people with addictions ever worked?

Depends on how you define success. If, for instance, your goal is a little cheap sadistic thrill, kicking down always works.
posted by rodlymight at 8:12 PM on April 11, 2019 [4 favorites]

rockindata, prisons work on rules, and suggestions, and the whims of directors. Non-binding resolutions. Law is actually pretty hard to scratch at from inside, or from the view going in. Folks inside fight months to years to get a day in court. When they show up, they're still behind the 8-ball. Once you're in the system, you're more than half fucked.
posted by es_de_bah at 8:50 PM on April 11, 2019 [1 favorite]

Yes, that’s what I mean. Changing a law requires legislative action(and changing this kind of thing would be DOA in Michigan’s gerrymandered republican legislature.). Changing regulations takes time (hearings, waiting periods, etc.). Prison rules are set by the executive branch, and ultimately the buck stops at the governor. Therefore, something that the newly elected governor, who became governor thanks to the votes of people of color who are most affected by this policy, could do is change this and other inhumane prison rules.
posted by rockindata at 4:23 AM on April 12, 2019 [1 favorite]

And she could make that change happen right away.
posted by rockindata at 4:25 AM on April 12, 2019

I just keep marveling at how surprised I can continue to be at how much we Americans think that cruelty is a way of making society better. Our insane need to find new ways of punishing our citizens and taking away their dignity for the most minor of infractions is one of the things that's going to ruin us.
posted by xingcat at 5:38 AM on April 12, 2019 [5 favorites]