c/o Kevin E. Grote #173824
3855 Cooper Street
Jackson, MI 49201-7517
Volume 1, Issue 2 / Cyber Space Edition
May/June, 1998
"Shedding a Little Light from Within"
The Perspective's Profile;
Corrections & the Company Store
by K.E. Grote
Living among us, in our aged and elderly citizenry, there are many who may remember, or who may have lived in, the times of "The Company Store," an era when the companies and other employers paid their employees through a chit and voucher program that forced the working class, and their families, to purchase all of life's good and necessities from a company owned store.
Through trickery and deceit the working class was lured into a false sense of security and prosperity, but in fact, lived in total and complete dependency upon the company they worked for.
This era and time in our history can best be described as a Twentieth Century version of slavery and involuntary servitude which was brought about by the humanistic greed of the Company's owners through oppression and suppression of a class of people. Even though some form of compensation was given, this was a time, similar in a great many ways, to the era of slavery which caused our Country's Civil War.
To end the oppression and suppression of "Company Store" politics and the chit and voucher programs which supported them, and to offer a real chance of economic freedom and independence, the working class stood together in unity and brought forth the unionization movement and that movement brought forth changes in our society that remain in effect today.
It was a time where, sadly and similarly to the era of slavery, many good people died for the betterment of mankind as a whole.
As the pages of our history turn forward and we reach into the twenty-first Century, it seems as though we, as a modern and evolving society, are once again faced with a situation of oppression and suppression, and where suppression to a class of people is prevalent. Where economic depravity, born of humanistic greed, is rearing its loathsome head.
Did you know that, in Michigan, as well as in most prisons, prisoners are not allowed or permitted to use the practices of competitive shopping to save money; most of which they receive from friends or family as gifts of support, or it comes from their low paying prison employment.
They, as a class of people are forced to shop from a "Company Store," or from a Company approved vendor who has inflated pricing for prisoners and sometimes gives "kickbacks" to the Government, its entities, or to some State Government Official for helping them to secure the exclusiveness of a vendor contract.
As an example: The "Company Store" sells the prisoner population a 12" black & white television for $96.00 and an external vendor, even company provided, sells a comparable item for $71.25 or less, but the prisoner is only permitted, because of exclusive manufacturer contract, to purchase the television offered through the "Company Store."
Another example: The "Company Store sells the prisoner population a cassette tape player for $15.55 and an external vendor, even company approved, sells several comparable items with a price range from $8.50 through $15.00. Again, the prisoner population is only permitted to purchase the cassette player offered through the "Company Store."
Looking at the facts, one must wonder is the prisoner being punished for his, or her, past crimes, or is the prisoner's family and friends being punished for caring enough to want to provide the insignificant creature comforts to their friend of loved one who happens to be incarcerated?
Some politicians feel that we, as a society should revert to times of old, when dungeons and racks were used to discourage criminal behavior, and others feel that prisoners should be breaking rocks 26 hours a day 8 days a week as a form of retribution and punishment for their past crimes. Curiously, I wonder, would they feel the same way were it their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters or friends who happened to be serving a sentence, Would you?
However, the oppression and suppression of our friends and families through economic control or trickery and deceit because of familial or friendly connection or association out of love or compassion is wrong and must be stopped.
Our history and the evolution of mankind has proven, time and time again, that the oppression and suppression of a class or group of people will ultimately lead to civil unrest, turmoil, tragedy, destruction of property and worst of all, possibly, the loss of life.
The French Revolution, The Colonial Succession, The United States Civil War and the Unionization Movements all began because of human oppression and suppression to a class or group of people. Did we, as people, learn nothing from these experiences of our past, or are we doomed, as a species, to a continuous repetition of them. Isn't it time we broke the cycle rather than allowing ourselves to become ensnared in it once again?
As prisoners, convicted of crimes against society, we grudgingly understand the concept of our incarceration for the wrongs we have done, and we realize the need for our individual rehabilitation prior to our return to society. Punish the prisoner if you must, but don't abuse the prisoner's family through misuse and wrongful abuse as the prisoner's family has done nothing wrong, real or imagined.
We, as human beings, must stand together in unity to protect ourselves, and each other from oppression and suppression from our abusive Government and its entities, as only in unity can we make our Government as it was intended; "by the people, for the people and of the people."
The Prisoner's Perspective
does not condone or encourage acts of violence or insurrection as a means to an end, but rather seeks to find positive solutions to the problems we face on both sides of the fences of human incarceration, and we ask; Where do you Stand?Editor's Comment: The above article first appeared in Volume 1, Issue 5 of The Prisoner's Perspective and received many comments. Do you have any? We would love to hear them.
Letters From . K.E. Grote
A typical day in the life of a prisoner has and holds so little to look forward to, a daily existence of walking the prison's yard, maybe finding a game of cards, or chess, to pass the countless and meaningless hours between the meals of horrible food. The constant and never ending harassment of the officers, most of which, want to make the prisoner's life as miserable as their own. Then comes the night, those seemingly endless hours of forced solitude and of being locked into a cell like some kind of animal in a cage.
One of the few highlights and bright spots in a prisoner's day is the time of day when the mail is passed out, the receipt of those few thoughts, inspired by a mother's, father's or sibling's love, or the passionate paragraphs from a betrothed love and lover, or the compassionate thoughts of a cherished friend. These do so much to ease the pain of being alone, of being incarcerated, they give hope in times of darkness and the strength and encouragement to endure one more day of life's misery.
The one day, out of the blue and without warning, the letters cease to arrive and a prisoner wonders why? The explanation later learned is that due to financial hardship a friend or family member can no longer afford to write or send the few dollars that you, as a prisoner, have come to count on for life's necessities. It is as though the price of loving a prisoner, of caring for them, is just too high a price to be paid by those living in society.
Does the adage "out of sight, out of mind" apply, or maybe "mind over matter." To those of us living alone in an 8x10 cell it does matter and we do mind as we need as much as want those words of encouragement and compassion, and yes, even the passion, as it is these thoughts which give us the strength to endure and to hope of our tomorrows.
As prisoners, as men and women, as people we ask that you not give up on us so that we will have the reasons not to give up on ourselves. If you care, don't abandon us.
Reach out a helping hand of friendship and encouragement, inspire our hope and let them know that you care and that they do matter in life, write to them and give them the hope that can be found within your encouragement. If you don't know any, write to the Editor and he'll send you a list of prisoners who would love to hear from you. It is said that a mind is a terrible thing to waste, should the same be said for human beings, even those who have made a mistake which caused their incarceration?
The Prisoner's Perspective Introduction
As a man who has been incarcerated for more than 15 years I have had many of my friends and family ask about what it is like to be a prisoner, and how a prisoner feels, or what they think about the things that are common to daily life. From their queries I have come to believe that there are many in society who, like them, are genuinely curious and interested in the prisoner plight.
The Prisoner's Perspective
is a fresh and innovative look at the issues that are of common concern and interest to prisoner, and shares, form their point of view and their feelings, what it is like to be a prisoner.Issuing its first Edition in January of 1997, The Prisoner's Perspective has grown from 21 readers to nearly 200 throughout the United States and Canada, and we would love to add you to our mailing list so that you, too, can begin receiving and reading The Prisoner's Perspective.
The Prisoner's Perspective
C/O Laura Stout 20993 County Road 64 Robertsdale, Alabama 36567