Texas Death Row Inmate: ‘Slavery’ Endures in Jails Around America
In what he says may be his "final statement on Earth," Texas death row inmate Ray Jasper offers a plainly devastating take on the American judicial system and on Texas' bizarre law of parties, which allows the state to execute him even though he didn't commit murder.
Shutterstock
In what he says may be his “final statement on Earth,” Texas death row inmate Ray Jasper offers a plainly devastating take on the American judicial system and on Texas’ bizarre law of parties, which allows the state to execute him even though he didn’t commit murder — and even though someone else pleaded guilty to the crime.
Jasper sent his letter to Gawker as a follow-up to a prior contribution he’d made to the site. It can be read in full here.
Under the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution all prisoners in America are considered slaves. We look at slavery like its a thing of the past, but you can go to any penitentiary in this nation and you will see slavery. That was the reason for the protests by prisoners in Georgia in 2010. They said they were tired of being treated like slaves. People need to know that when they sit on trial juries and sentence people to prison time that they are sentencing them to slavery.
If a prisoner refuses to work and be a slave, they will do their time in isolation as a punishment. You have thousands of people with a lot of prison time that have no choice but to make money for the government or live in isolation. The affects of prison isolation literally drive people crazy. Who can be isolated from human contact and not lose their mind? That was the reason California had an uproar last year behind Pelican Bay. 33,000 inmates across California protested refusing to work or refusing to eat on hunger-strikes because of those being tortured in isolation in Pelican Bay.
–Posted by Kasia Anderson
WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Efforts by the inmate's legal team and journalists lead California's governor to order a re-examination of the case. Cooper tells his story here.
The ruling does not resolve questions about the crown prince's culpability in the grisly slaying of the Washington Post columnist.
Ending the death penalty, which is disproportionately imposed on African Americans, would be a good first step toward righting some of this nation’s wrongs.
The White House and Colorado's GOP leave the local sheriff with a $24,000 tab for security, and other news and notes from the 2020 race.
A horrific new ruling would let states execute people in more painful ways, even when alternatives are available.
Civil rights advocates warn that a new 5-4 decision "legalizes torture and effectively reverses 60 years of progressive precedent."
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.