Irrespective of measure of dictatorship and totalitarianism in any system, it's reality resolves on accountability
To whom and how.
The prison system any different and within the Virginia prison context we find the same relative question of accountability, to whom and how.
To the extent reform of the Virginia prison system is pursued and desired by conscientious politician
lawmakers and reform advocate allies the only aspect of its reality that is of any significance is the accountability metric
To whom and how
Despite the obvious antagonistic fulcrum of prison, meaning human beings not wanting to be imprisoned but society demands that they are. There is a contradiction that requires a purity of accountability, from the imprisoned to society and of society to the imprisoned which is a relative factor of the tyranny of the
social-contract that places the onus squarely on society through its government function of maintaining the prison system. That does not behave asocially, compromising the very right it is exercising with imprisonment in ignoring whatever logic and reasons the imprisoned might have had for the offensive behavior that resulted the imprisonment.
Yet what we find within the prison context, of which the Virginia prison system and its
Virginia Department of Corrections isn't exempt is: Society, Virginia society to be specific its government through its prison officials and employees operate its prisons squarely and unapologetically
in a manner violative of the rule of law which permits the practice of imprisonment in the first place.
So what we encounter as the
brutality barbarity and ahumanistic conditions of prison that commands efforts of reform advocacy
are specific results of violations of the rule of law and it's mockery of that accountability
which Virginia society, as its metaphorical pound of flesh, demands of its imprisoned while simultaneously averting its attention
from the lawlessness of its prison officials and accepting the prison official narrative that those facts necessitating and commanding efforts of reform are integral corollarial harshness of prison.
The supremacy of United States Law, when compelled to legitimize itself through the federal court's system has had this dance with prison accountability with the doublespeak sophistry of not involving too much with the prison question assigning
that prison officials are the ones who know what is best for prison. Despite the acknowledgment that the reality of imprisonment, its practice is an experiment which comically negates the very supremacy of United States Law.
The issue, however, is not as clouded and distorted as the schizophrenic nature of the prison narrative, from punishment to rehabilitation would have us think. Because as soon as accountability is formulated transparency and not this stylized veneer, this speculated facade of civility and it's resulting socio-hypocrisy, we now struggle against. It reforms prisons and introduces the necessary transparency. But as we assert that accountability, the socio-contract can only collapse into the might is right speech of which the feeble minded and insidious minded among us ascribe to mythical evil, suiting their own suppositionary ends. Thereby enabling that one-dimensional simplistic pursuit of some humans beyond reproach while others are perpetually reprobated, while excusing its existence among Virginia prison officials, who under the privilege of executing societies interest of maintaining a prison system,
abuse and misuse the organized violence of the Virginia citizenry and taxpayer, within the operational logic of violating the very law that permits their very own existence.
What I have attempted to underscore is prison reform in Virginia is wholly circumscribed by the extent accountability and transparency can be demanded of the actions of prison officials who have perfected that contradiction and hypocrisy of the "pot calling the kettle black" to which the prison reform imperative in Virginia due to its nature while imploring compassion for prisoner, is always on the defensive. The state of Virginia, its society, and government, per virtue of its social-contract, defines it's social and political-economic relations, with regulations and proscriptions. The mundane misconceptions and suppositions underpinning the social-contract are in turn conveniently and easily exploited
by its prison officials who in the quest to ignore the rule of law redefine the Virginia prisoner as a sub-human and what lawless attitude ignores is: imprisonment is not a judgment on the fact of anyones humaness. But instead, imprisonment is simply the result of a conviction of a violation of a law
and only the application of the due process of law can result in a loss of life and the relative circumscription of one's liberty which prison officials have the social and political privilege of upholding.
If prison reform is Virginia isn't to become an indulgence of fighting windmills there has to be the uncompromising insight into the measure and its politics of accountability of the Virginia prison official and I have shown that.
By William Thorpe who is in Long-Term Solitary Confinement at
Red Onion State Prison
