by Eric C. Sapp, LSPC Staff Attorney Prefatory Note: This an abridged version of a text written in spring of 2023, in the context of advocacy regarding carceral wages. §1 Workers’ rights are human rights; let it be stated unequivocally that incarcerated workers are workers. §2 The prison and industrial capitalism arose in tandem. Carceral … [Read more...] about Theses on Labor, Exploitation, & Incarceration
Eric Sapp
Immigration, Citizenship, and the Constitution (Jurisprudence for Jailhouse Lawyers, Part VI)
by Eric C. Sapp, LSPC Staff Attorney Few provisions of the U.S. Constitution are clearer than the Fourteenth Amendment’s opening clause: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” U.S. Const. Amend. 14, Sec. 1 (emphasis added). Unambiguously, the … [Read more...] about Immigration, Citizenship, and the Constitution (Jurisprudence for Jailhouse Lawyers, Part VI)
CALIFORNIA ON LOCKDOWN: Know Your Rights
On June 12, CDCR placed all Level III and Level IV facilities on an indefinite lockdown due to an alleged increase in “violence, overdoses, and the discovery of contraband.” This affects 23 facilities and 34,000 incarcerated people. The lockdown effectively restricts internal movement (including to showers and dining halls), cuts off in-person and virtual visitation, prevents … [Read more...] about CALIFORNIA ON LOCKDOWN: Know Your Rights
A Brief History of Hunger Strikes
by Eric C. Sapp, LSPC Staff Attorney If the traditional struggle concerning nutrition in carceral facilities is that of getting enough food of decent quality, and adequate hydration1, the hunger strike inverts the situation. The hunger striker refuses the state’s regimen as an act of noncooperation, to which protest the authorities react by seeking to reimpose order and … [Read more...] about A Brief History of Hunger Strikes
Involuntary Servitude is Slavery: Excerpts from the Panel
On May 13, participants at Quest for Democracy were invited to attend a legal symposium about the basis of involuntary servitude in the US and CA Constitutions and how we can get them abolished. As we celebrate Juneteenth, we honor this day and our ancestors who were forced into chattel slavery while calling attention to the continuation of slavery through mass … [Read more...] about Involuntary Servitude is Slavery: Excerpts from the Panel
