U.N. human rights experts have urged the United States to implement significant reforms in its criminal justice system in order to address systemic racism. The experts made this call after conducting visits to U.S. prisons in April and May, during which they observed practices that they deemed as disrespectful to human dignity. The U.S. diplomatic mission in Geneva chose not to provide a comment on the matter, while the Federal Bureau of Prisons asserted its commitment to ensuring the well-being of incarcerated individuals and the safety of its staff and the public.
According to the report published by the experts, one disturbing practice they encountered is the restraint and shackling of women prisoners during childbirth. The report mentioned instances where pregnant women were shackled during labor, which ultimately led to the distressing loss of their babies. When asked for specific details about these cases, a spokesperson for U.N. rights referred to “several” incidents involving exclusively Black women.
The experts also obtained firsthand testimonies about the conditions at a Louisiana prison, known as ‘Angola’. They discovered that the majority of the prisoners were Black men who were compelled to work as laborers in the fields, including picking cotton. White ‘freemen’ on horseback monitored them, reminiscent of conditions from 150 years ago. The report described these stories as “shocking” and equated them to “contemporary forms of slavery”. Additionally, the experts expressed concern regarding the widespread utilization of solitary confinement, which they believed disproportionately affected African descent inmates.
One individual, a Black man, informed the experts that he had been subjected to uninterrupted isolation for 11 years. Consequently, the report emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive reform, as stated by Juan Mendez, one of the experts. The issue of U.S. prison conditions has been a subject of concern for several decades, with advocacy groups consistently demanding the improvement or closure of facilities with particularly egregious track records.
The investigation behind this report was initiated by the U.N. Human Rights Council, of which the United States is a voting member. The decision to conduct the investigation stemmed from the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who lost his life after a police officer pinned him to the ground by the neck. Testimonies from 133 individuals across five U.S. cities and five detention centers formed the basis of the report. It also outlined 30 recommendations for U.S. authorities, including the establishment of a reparations commission for people of African descent
Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Timothy Gardner
Credit: The Star : News Feed
