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Love under lock and key
2.4 million children who have parents behind bars
are the real victims of America's prison boom.
by Sarah Karnasiewicz
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2005/11/15/bernstein/index_np.html
In debates about America's swelling prison system, a
shadow population often remains unmentioned: the
children of the convicted. But in a new book, "All Alone
in the World: Children of the Incarcerated," journalist
and activist Nell Bernstein lifts the cloak of invisibility
from prisoners' families -- and challenges the criminal
justice system to stop punishing kids for their parents'
crimes.
Susana, 15, who has hugged her father only once but
faithfully sends Father's Day cards inscribed with Bible
verses to his cell at San Quentin. Seven-year-old Anthony
has been set adrift in the foster care system since his
mother had her parental rights terminated after shoplifting
a Bic lighter from a grocery store. And there's Carl Metz,
whose mother is serving three life terms for dealing
cocaine, and who dreams of rapping on BET, wearing
a "Free Danielle Metz" T-shirt.
Bernstein's book draws upon a decade of research and
astounding personal interviews. Rather than abstracting
the issue, she lets her child narrators lead readers through
each stage of the criminal justice system - beginning with
the piercing shock of a parent's arrest and the arbitrary
punishment of sentencing, the humiliation of searches in
sterile prison visiting rooms, into the maze-like mess of
foster care. Kids and parents may dream of reunification,
but Bernstein shows readers how often the cruelties of
incarceration continue even after a parent is released.
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I intend to last long enough to put out of business all *****-suckers
and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.
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"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
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