🔵 By David Breaux. Photo by lauragrafie.
Before I get into the long range detrimental effects caused by the Mandatory Sentencing Act in Illinois Prisons and the politics involved, a person must be able to see, comprehend and understand the circumstances from which it evolved. If you have never heard of Telly Savalas, or saw the T.V. show Kojak – its premiere series began based on a true crime story that involved the murder of two New York City police officers by two teenagers. Those murders were the catalyst that started the move across the United States to start trying juvenile offenders as adults. Those murders; the rise of groups like the Black Panthers, Mau Mau’s, and The Black Muslims that were beginning to attract a more radical and determined black youths: compounded by the growing gang activity on the rise in cities such as New York, Chicago, Baltimore and L.A especially, trying juveniles as adults seemed to be an appropriate deterrent. The political outcry quickly spread and by 1968-69 entire cell blocks in the local county jails were being set up to handle a newer younger population. This neither deterred or diminished the gang activity but fed its growth. In Illinois gangs, political corruption genuine apathy and of course prejudice and racism stoked the fires of discontentment.
By the 1970’s, thanks to those corrupt politicians, the Federal and State Penitentiaries became a business opportunity, with billions of dollars to be made. Of course you would need slave labor which 3 time loser statutes, habitual criminal acts and mandatory sentencing would provide nation wide.
In the Federal Penitentiary System it took the shape or form what was to be called “UniCorp”, private industries behind the walls of the Federal Institutions. In Illinois Inmate Industries, which would become another billion dollar industry on the state level. In order to make and create these billion dollar opportunities, both Federal and States had to pass laws enabling them to build a labor force. The Feds used the Cuban Boat lift in the 70’s to make slaves out of the Cubans that arrived from that so called Mariel Boat Lift. Though immigration violations (willful ones only cortical a maximum sentence of 5 years); the Cubans I met have spent the better part of 25 years most of them working in the factories in Leavenworth in 1997. some are still there, some have died there long since forgotten. On the West Coast the government utilized new crack cocaine laws and 3 time loser statutes to gather more slave labor. The worst case in California was a man being given a third strike for stealing a slice of pizza. Something right out of Les Miserables! In Illinois it was Mandatory Sentencing between 1977-78 when it was first passed the minimum sentence was estimated to be 25 year, and at 50% you did 12.5 years, but the sentences also were given out at 50 years and then 100 years or more, and initially you had to serve 50%. but since the initial passing the percentage has went up to 80% to 100%, and of course the habitual Criminal Act.
In UniCorp factories they make mailbags license plates and other things. In Illinois they make furniture, brown at all types and chemicals for cleaning, soap as well. Which the state makes and sells to itself. Billion dollar business.
To reiterate and conclude Mandatory Sentencing, the changes in the drug laws, the 3 time loser statues, and the habitual criminal acts; all these were tools used by Federal and Local governments to get and build a labor force behind the walls A billion dollar a year enterprise and of course the majority of the inmates were black of course.