Former Military Police Officer Jailed for 17 Yrs Describes Routine Mistreatment and Brutality in U.S. Prisons
The LA Times reported Friday, that prison video cameras have captured images of a prison officer allowing his police dog to attack a prisoner who was not resisting. Those who have seen the still-secret tape say it shows a canine officer letting his German shepherd bite a 20-year-old prisoner on the leg, even though the inmate was following orders and lying on the floor.
No this is not yet another picture of Iraqi prisoners being tortured by American military in Abu Ghraib. This prison abuse took place in California. Physical and sexual abuse of prisoners - similar to what has been uncovered in Iraq - regularly takes place in American prisons with little public knowledge or concern.
Paul Wright, editor and founder of Prison Legal News. He started the publication 15 years ago while incarcerated. He was released this past December from the Washington State Reformatory in Monroe after serving 17 years in jail for murder conviction. He is the editor of two collections, "The Ceiling of America: An Inside Look at the US Prison Industry" and "Prison Nation: The Warehousing of America's Poor." He joins us on the phone from his home in Vermont.
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