America’s prison system is brutal, stupid and inhumane. It makes us all less safe and has a terrible impact on other parts of our society such as health care, education, and even how we treat one another. “Reform” or band-aids will not make it better – it must be uprooted, abolished and replaced. Michael Moore recently proposed a “Department of Public Safety & Compassion” to replace the existing way we do policing. In this episode, he proposes a “Department of Restorative Justice & Redemption” to replace our existing Prison Industrial Complex. He is joined by Dan Berger, a scholar who has studied prison abolition for several years. They talk about the never-discussed constituency in America called “the criminalized majority,” how cruel behavior in society is often taught by cruel institutions (like prisons) themselves, and what they would do if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered. WHOA!
Listen to the RUMBLE episode on Mike’s Department of Public Safety & Compassion here
The Organizations Dan mentioned:
Common Justice
Critical Resistance
Survived & Punished
Detention Watch Network
Prison Policy Initiative
Read Dan’s Books:
Captive Nation: Black Prison Organizing in the Civil Rights Era
The Struggle Within: Prisons, Political Prisoners, and Mass Movements in the United States
Music in the episode:
Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
Watch the Martin Scorsese/Fran Leibowitz Doc Series Michael Mentioned “Pretend It’s A City“