Absolute Power Corrupts, The Virginia Department of Corrections [VADOC] and The Press

On February 16, 2022; True to the adage that absolute power corrupts; the Virginia Department of Corrections [VADOC] issued a press release, proclaiming that Virginia's press and corporate media coverage of its activities was "inaccurate" and "skewed."

We have patiently waited, watching, listening for a response from Virginia's press and corporate media that would calmly remind VADOC that not only does: 

United States Constitution Amendment 1

Speaks against....."Abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.....

But The Constitution  of Virginia

At Section 12. Freedom of speech and of the press declares....."That the freedoms of speech and of the press are among the great bulwarks of liberty and can never be restrained except by despotic governments, that any citizen may freely speak, write and publish his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right, that the general assembly shall not pass any law abridging the freedom of speech of the press"  

So in light of the above excerpts representing the fair and just bulwarks of our social compact. Why then would a function of Virginia's executive, the Virginia Department of Corrections not only seek biased and favorable press coverage but would seek to intimidate Virginia's press into self-censorship and what is appalling and sad is this continuing kowtow of Virginia's press to the corrupted demand of the Virginia Department of Corrections.

The Virginia Department of Corrections is a fact of the commonwealth organized violence and violence in all of its forms and expression exist for itself. Requiring a distilled level of transparency if there is to be accountable justification of the rule of law.

We state that the VADOC element or the prison official is no greater or lesser than the imprisoned and prisoner in their charge         Because both exist as creations of the rule of law and if the rule of law isn't to succumb to and become a selective narrative which VADOC clearly anticipates that by its February 16, 2022 press release reminder it does then Virginia's press and corporate media has to actually do what our constitutional privileges demand. We call Virginia's press to account

By vapac

Is The Virginia Department of Corrections [VADOC] Counting Dead and The Terminally Ill Released Prisoners In Its Claims of Low Recidivism? By William Thorpe

Virginia Republicans abolished parole as part of the Commonwealth's imprisonment scheme in 1995. Parole only exist now for the imprisoned prior to 1995 and the geriatric prisoner. [see VA. code 53.1] so any measure of recidivism is dealing with 2 types of prisoner groups:.

• Those imprisoned before 1995 who are either completing their sentence, geriatric parole or the lucky few who get parole.
• And those imprisoned after 1995 with sentences lesser than the 27 years since the abolish of parole.

So now to examine VADOC's claim of low recidivism. Let's begin with the recidivism of the second group. Virginia historically is an inordinate amount of sentence state. So the pool of prisoners, since 1995 who have been released to then return to prison is a small and minuscule percentage to actually and accurately factor for claim of low recidivism by VADOC officials, considering that the post abolish of parole prisoner is serving a lengthy sentence, staying in Virginia's prisons longer      which the director of Virginia prison system, Harold Clarke has relatively acknowledged. So the only pool of prisoners whose release is significant enough to reflect and support recidivist speculations are those imprisoned prior to 1995. Most of the pre parole abolish prisoners have been imprisoned anywhere from 50 years to 1 year which subsequently is a relative small pool in comparison with the post parole abolish 1995 imprisoned to the present. Now despite the practicality of recidivism claims for the pre parole 1995 prisoner, the reality is those prisoners, because of specific factors as age, being dead and infirm are not enough to make any recidivist based claims on. What we ask VADOC to clarify and explain is, in the best of times Virginia's grant of parole is stingy and the majority of prisoners being released pre 1995 are elderly and most with terminal illness, who are dying within 2 years of release.

So the fact of the matter is VADOC has to be including dead prisoners, disabled and infirm prisoners, the terminally ill released prisoner who can never return and will not return to prison in its claims of low recidivism and not only is it disingenuous but it is outright deceptive and insidious to claim something which the circumstances surrounding the claim are patently distorted.

I'm William Thorpe held at the Wainwright Unit of the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice in solitary confinement because Virginia exiled me to Texas

VAPAC Applauds Pastor Harvey Yoder, Ms. Kathleen Temple and Ms. Molly Gill of FAMM

Law and Order is essentially the state of control. Prison and the condition of imprisonment are its mechanism. The work and its advocacy of qualifying the focus of law and order and the reform of the imprisonment condition is simply that of to what extent are we practical about our social contract, meaning how honest are we in understanding the social contract and accepting its realities.

Towards reforming the imprisonment condition we have to engage each other with understanding the social contract and accepting its realities. As such we must discuss our experiences, observations without idealistic suppositions.

VAPAC as mechanism demanding accountability and transparency of the imprisonment condition is established and structured to do exactly that. Consequently when we encounter the labors of our fellow social members also demanding accountability of the social contract. We at VAPAC will recognize, applaud and appreciate their efforts.

Recently, Pastor Harvey Yoder, Ms. Kathleen Temple, and Ms. Molly Gill of FAMM each engaged us with op-eds encouraging us to resist the existing colloquial suppositions and its narrative of Virginia's imprisonment condition. In other words, they asked that we think on the practicality of keeping imprisoned persons whom it made no sense to keep interned. They explained to us that the imprisonment condition isn't a cost-benefit analysis and as such, it requires a scrutiny which is the embodying operative of our social contract. Their work expects we reject the malfeasant notion that the prison official is beyond reproach and it instructs that as citizens of the commonwealth we have to hold law and order accountable.

In conclusion, we need more of the efforts of Pastor Yoder, Ms. Temple, and Ms. Gill not less

By VAPAC

Advocacy Groups Need To Stop Sending Form Letters

Here is an example of a form letter that is a slap in the face and dash of cold water in the face of a prisoner. What we ask advocacy groups do is humanize and personalize the responses. The injustices of the American system is mechanical bureaucracy we don't need advocacy groups mimicking and imitating the bureaucracy.

vapac

The American Prisoner Is A Slave By William Thorpe

 

United States Constitution Amendment 13

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

The  American Prisoner Is A Slave

The 13th Amendment of The United States Constitution is a wink and nod to the continuation of that most evil of human relations, slavery. The American prisoner is a slave and this backdrop of slavery presents us with a paradox. Books and purported services intended to assist the American prisoner priced beyond the means of the enslaved prisoner.

No one begrudges compensation for authors and writers of books intended to assist prisoners. But we have to point out that the American prisoner as slave cannot be, nor expected to pay prices and cost for services, supposedly by allies in the fight against the injustices of the American justice system and the reform of it's prison experiment, as if the enslaved American prisoner is a normal wage earner.

Priced Beyond Reach Of The Enslaved American Prisoner

1. Prison Education Guide by C. Zoukis @ $49.95
2. The Habeas Cite Book: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel by B. Sample @ $49.95
3. The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System By Bergman and S.J. Berman-Barrett @$39.99
4. Represent Yourself In Court: How To Prepare and Try A Winning Case by P. Bergman and S.J. Berman-Barrett @ $39.99
5. Legal Research: How To Find Understand The Law by S. Elias and S. Levinkind @ $49.99
6. Deposition Handbook by P. Bergman and A. Moore @ $34.99
7. Criminal Law: A Desk Reference by P. Bergman @ $44.99
8. Prisoners Self Help Litigation Manual by J. Boston and D. Manville @ $59.99
9. How To Win Your Personal Injury Claim by J. Matthew @ $34.99
10. Sue The Doctor and Win! Victims Guide To Secrets of Malpractice Lawsuits by L.Laska @ $34.95
11. Disciplinary Self-Help Litigation Manual by D. Manville @ $49.95
12. The PLRA Handbook: Law and Practice Under The Prison Litigation Reform Act by J. Boston @ $84.95 and $224.95 [non-prisoner]
13. Federal Prison Handbook by C. Zoukis @ $74.95
14. The Habeas Citebook: Prosecutorial Misconduct by A. Hull @ $59.95
15. Encyclopedia of Everday Law by S. Irving @ $34.99

Is Also An Injustice

The above-listed 15 books are not the sum of the cottage industry work of profiting off the enslaved American prisoner but is an example of its tone-deafness. The outcome that I expect and anticipate as a result of this work is the realization and its subsequent reflection that pricing a book out of the means of its beneficiary is also an injustice.

I'm William Thorpe and I'm Detained in Solitary Confinement at the Wainwright Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice