Kite Line

For this week’s episode we share the first part of a conversation between Micol Seigel and Jackie Wang. Wang is the author of the recent book, Carceral Capitalism. Today, she shares what led her to carceral studies, and the themes in her new book. She speaks about how having an incarcerated sibling shaped the trajectory of her life, and shows how capitalism is imbricated in the prison system, producing what she calls “carceral capitalism.”

This week, we start by finishing the discussion between Micol Seigel and Jackie Wang. You can hear more of their conversation on carceral capitalism in last week’s episode.

After that segment, we share a series of letters and updates from Operation PUSH, which is still ongoing in some parts of the Florida prison system, and many prisoners across the state are sharing their experiences of retaliation by prison officials for participating in the strike.

We begin this week with a letter from a prisoner at Pendleton Correctional Facility. He writes about the educational programs available in the prison. He works through some of the problems prisoners encounter when trying to get a meaningful vocational training or degree on the inside.

And then, we hear more from Abu Faheem Shabaz, who was the center of last week’s episode. He continues to share reflections from over 18 years spent inside. Last week, he described his tongue injury caused by an allergic reaction to Haldol – a strong psychiatric drug – that he was forced to take while still a new prisoner. We encourage you to listen to last week’s episode to hear more about the beginning of his time in prison. In this episode, he speaks about the importance of having pen pals and communicating with people on the outside, both for logistical needs and for maintaining morale. Faheem also speaks about issues with the medical care within prisons, the changes in education within the prison system, and what it all boils down to- money.

Both men speak to us with direct, personal knowledge of the prison system, and give clear directives on things they both feel that we can do to improve the situation of those on the inside.

This week we share the first of two episodes on Jay Smith’s story, also known as Abu Faheem Shabaz, who was recently released from the Indiana Department of Corrections after spending years inside. As he states, Shabaz was part of the carceral system since childhood, and he describes coming of age within the walls of detention facilities. He shares with us some of the medical issues he faced while inside, and describes the system of punitive write-ups commonly used by prison authorities. Faheem also emphasizes how the influence of families and supporters outside the prison walls is crucial in getting prisoners’ needs met and grievances addressed.