Jailhouse Weblog
Taran Rampersad, 1 Jun 04
This is certainly original, and may add to our society - though not in a way we would intuitively expect. Bloggers are being recruited to help with posting information written by prisoners which can't be published in the Prison Paper.
While it seems strange to many of us that prisoners might have something to say of worth, who better to warn people of breaking laws than people who have broken them? Who better to explain to young people that prison is not a nice place than the people who have found their way inside; breaking into a prison from the outside by breaking laws of society?
This seems to be a good idea, and Lawrence Lessig is not one to mention something on his weblog that isn't of worth. In making the world a better place, we have to deal with our weakest link in society; the part of society that has fallen from grace.
If we are to become a better society, we certainly should understand our own weakest area. Ourselves.
Strange enty. Your trust in the judicial system is of inspiration for all of us. I, for once, am sure that many people who are in prison should be out, and many people who are out, should be in. And that's why I would absolutely welcome a blog from inside a jail.
Posted by: Pietro on 2 Jun 04
There's always the matter of innocent people being imprisoned for the wrong reasons. That would also be worth reading, too - but Hollywood has introduced many to a saying about prisons as well: That there are no 'guilty' people in any prison...
However, we won't really know what happens until it starts.
And yes, perhaps I am a strange entity.
Posted by: Taran on 2 Jun 04
Compelling entry, Taran. The civil rights of prisoners in the U.S. are remarkably, and frighteningly, limited; read for example this recent New York Times opinion piece by Bob Herbert, "America's Abu Ghraibs." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/31/opinion/31HERB.html
Add to that the overall huge growth in the prison population here (just Google "prison population growth" to get numerous cites), and you end up with a significant portion of the population that is potentially cut off from a lot of the info amenities and outlets we take for granted.
Posted by: Emily Gertz on 2 Jun 04
