**Ummm... ain't nobody ask me to join

Seriously, tho, we need to flood them with
too much info to comfortably ignore and if/when
they do their see-hear-speak-no evil monkey-shines,
expose them as the farce that they truly
are!! We can and must make use of any and
everythang they throw our way, please believe it!!
-------------------------------------

NATIONAL COMMISSION TO EXAMINE U.S. PRISON
CONDITIONS
Post-Abu Ghraib, panel to study U.S. prisons & their impact on
prisoners, corrections officers & society at large
==================================================

01 Mar 2005 . New York , NY - Today marks the launch of the
Commission on Safety & Abuse in America 's Prisons, a national
panel that will work for one year to explore the most serious
problems inside U.S. correctional facilities & their impact on the
incarcerated, the people who guard them & society at large.

The panel is co-chaired by former United States Attorney General
Nicholas de B. Katzenbach, who was appointed by President
Johnson, & the Honorable John J. Gibbons, former Chief Judge of
the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, who was appointed by
President Nixon. The 21-member, nonpartisan panel includes
other respected civic leaders with experience in the administration
of justice & law enforcement, seasoned corrections professionals,
**advocates for the rights of prisoners, former prisoners, & members
of the religious community.

"The United States correctional system costs more than 60 billion
dollars annually. This year, an estimated 13.5 million people will
spend time in prison or jail, and, on any given day, 750,000 men &
women work in correctional facilities," said Katzenbach. "Despite
these numbers & some compelling evidence of abuse & safety
failures inside prisons & jails, there is little public knowledge about
the nature & extent of the problems & how to solve them. Instead,
we seem to have a gap between our cherished ideals about justice
& the realities of the prison environment."

"The time is right for this Commission," said Gibbons. "There is
strong bi-partisan support for a more effective & humane approach
to corrections. Recent federal legislation aimed at eliminating rape
in prison is one important example, & there's increasing activity at
the state level. We have an unusual opportunity to change our
prisons & jails so they come closer to reflecting America 's values &
serving our best interests."

The Commission will explore the most serious problems inside
correctional facilities today: violence, sexual abuse, degradation,
severe overcrowding, inhumane treatment for the mentally-ill, &
insufficient support for the men & women who staff facilities. Over
the course of a year, the Commission will hold four public hearings,
with the first in Tampa , Florida , on April 19 & 20. Following a
thorough examination of the issues, the Commission will produce a
report including practical recommendations that local, state, &
federal policy makers can act on. The Commission also intends to
encourage, support & build on related efforts that will outlive it &
sustain both the dialogue & the reform process.

The Commission is staffed by & funded through the Vera Institute
of Justice, a nonprofit organization that has worked closely with
leaders in government & civil society for more than 40 years to
improve the administration of justice.

For more information about the Commission & its members, visit
www.prisoncommission.org.