BY MARK CURTIS
"From behind prison walls" is a regular column written by framed-up political and trade union activist Mark Curtis. To write to Curtis, send letters to him at #805338, Iowa State Penitentiary, Box 315, Fort Madison, IA 52627.
FORT MADISON, Iowa - A prisoner here at the Iowa State Penitentiary (ISP) has been accused of escape, kidnapping, and sexual abuse and Governor Branstad has seized on the incident to call for longer sentences and an end to paroles for many prisoners.
Prison officials have placed the man, Todd Heard, in cellhouse 97 (the old death row) where he is in isolation on orders from higher up.
Once again a single individual has become a scapegoat at the disposal of a politically motivated campaign. Although the accused man is a long way from even having a trial, the governor has already judged him and the prison staff has circled the wagons.
In a press conference Branstad called for an end to parole for anyone convicted of a violent crime. He also favored life sentences for second time offenders and demanded a "full investigation" into why Heard was placed at the ISP Farm. The governor said no one convicted of rape should be housed in a minimum security facility.
None of the governor's proposals will lessen the crime problem. Instead, longer sentences and fewer paroles mean more crowded prisons, which in turn will lead to even more of them being built. These will be paid for at the expense of schools, health care, and other community-funded programs. The tax bite on working people will grow.
Crime cannot be solved by making prisons worse places than they already are. Denying the men and women behind bars their due process rights and access to education and humane treatment will not aid their reentry into society as better human beings. Nor will lengthening their time spent in jail.
Todd Heard should be accorded the presumption of innocence. He should not be used by politicians and the prison administration to exploit the fear of crime for their own ends.