(Prison) walls don’t protect people—they protect the status quo!
I’ve spent nearly 27 years of my life in prison. Eleven of those years were spent in solitary confinement. I’ve now been living in freedom again for three years. That’s how I’ve come to realize that prisons aren’t just buildings made of concrete and steel. They are always also an expression of a society that relies on exclusion; it is above all the marginalized members of society who end up in prison.
In school, in the mainstream media, and even at the regulars’ table (today that’s social media), people say that prisons serve the purpose of security. In reality, however, they manage the failure of this society. They manage and punish poverty.
I experienced this firsthand during my years in prison: almost all the people I encountered were living in precarious circumstances, and many had immigrant backgrounds. This is the second key factor that puts people in the crosshairs of the justice system. Continue reading “Letter from ex-prisoner Thomas Meyer-Falk for the International Week of Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners (Germany)”
