Andrew Cuomo unveils New York’s hand sanitiser, made by prisoners, to meet shortages
Governor Andrew Cuomo unveils New York’s own brand of hand sanitiser, made by prisoners, to meet shortages from outbreak
At the briefing, Cuomo also revealed that New York – under a state of emergency because of the outbreak – was launching its own brand of hand sanitiser, made by jail inmates.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said 100,000 gallons (379,000 litres) of “NYS Clean” would be produced a week by prisoners, who already manufacture soap, to meet shortages.
“This is a superior product,” the governor said, as the gel was unveiled from behind a curtain at a press conference.
“It has a very nice floral bouquet,” he added, after rubbing some on his hands.
The product, which has an alcohol content of 75 per cent, will be provided for free to government agencies, schools, the public transport system and prisons, Cuomo said.
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3074361/coronavirus-new-york-port-authority-chief-rick
"Land of the Free" - not!
At the briefing, Cuomo also revealed that New York – under a state of emergency because of the outbreak – was launching its own brand of hand sanitiser, made by jail inmates.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said 100,000 gallons (379,000 litres) of “NYS Clean” would be produced a week by prisoners, who already manufacture soap, to meet shortages.
“This is a superior product,” the governor said, as the gel was unveiled from behind a curtain at a press conference.
“It has a very nice floral bouquet,” he added, after rubbing some on his hands.
The product, which has an alcohol content of 75 per cent, will be provided for free to government agencies, schools, the public transport system and prisons, Cuomo said.
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3074361/coronavirus-new-york-port-authority-chief-rick
"Land of the Free" - not!
Scroll to see replies
It's not authoritarian to punish prisoners for their crimes, nor is it unconstitutional:
Oh, and have you been to a Xinjang concentration camp where inmates are forced to work, without being convicted of a crime? Thought so.
13th Amendment to the US constitution
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Oh, and have you been to a Xinjang concentration camp where inmates are forced to work, without being convicted of a crime? Thought so.
They'll be taking prisoners' organs next!
Original post by LiberOfLondon
It's not authoritarian to punish prisoners for their crimes, nor is it unconstitutional:
Oh, and have you been to a Xinjang concentration camp where inmates are forced to work, without being convicted of a crime? Thought so.
Oh, and have you been to a Xinjang concentration camp where inmates are forced to work, without being convicted of a crime? Thought so.
Being legal doesn't stop it from being slavery or authoritarian.
Last time I checked the United States Is far from a dictatorship.
Original post by SHallowvale
Being legal doesn't stop it from being slavery or authoritarian.
Here's a tip - don't commit crimes, then you won't be punished for them.
Original post by Andrew97
Last time I checked the United States Is far from a dictatorship.
But orange man bad. Orange man very bad and Sanders good.
Original post by LiberOfLondon
Here's a tip - don't commit crimes, then you won't be punished for them.
That's irrelevant. Forcing people to work without pay is authoritarian, regardless of whether they've done something wrong or not. It's borderline slavery, if not just slavery itself.
Was it not authoritarian for the Soviet Union to send people to the Gulag, simply because it was legal for the government to do that?
Original post by Occitanie
Orange man bad!
Original post by SHallowvale
That's irrelevant. Forcing people to work without pay is authoritarian, regardless of whether they've done something wrong or not. It's borderline slavery, if not just slavery itself.
Was it not authoritarian for the Soviet Union to send people to the Gulag, simply because it was legal for the government to do that?
Was it not authoritarian for the Soviet Union to send people to the Gulag, simply because it was legal for the government to do that?
The point of prison ought to be punishment and (in my humble opinion) forced labour is an effective way of doing that.
Original post by LiberOfLondon
The point of prison ought to be punishment and (in my humble opinion) forced labour is an effective way of doing that.
...and that's authoritarian, and effectively slavery. Again, you could have said the same thing about the Soviet Union, 'It isn't authoritarian to punish people', 'forced labour is an effective way of doing that'.
What makes you think that forced labour is an effective way of punishing people? Effective by what measure?
Original post by SHallowvale
What makes you think that forced labour is an effective way of punishing people? Effective by what measure?
Forced labour is an effective method of punishment in the same way that sitting in a prison cell is an effective method of punishment. It's unpleasant and not something you want to end up doing. At least if prisoners are working they're less of a burden to the taxpayer.
Original post by Knortfoxx
Forced labour is an effective method of punishment in the same way that sitting in a prison cell is an effective method of punishment. It's unpleasant and not something you want to end up doing. At least if prisoners are working they're less of a burden to the taxpayer.
Effective in what way? What's the goal of punishing the prisons meant to be? If forced labour were a tried and tested way of reducing re-offending rates then I'd love to see evidence of that. The US's highest crime rate in the world suggests that that may not be the case.
Original post by SHallowvale
Effective in what way? What's the goal of punishing the prisons meant to be? If forced labour were a tried and tested way of reducing re-offending rates then I'd love to see evidence of that. The US's highest crime rate in the world suggests that that may not be the case.
Oh, for sure. The US doesn't do a great job of prison. But forced labour is no worse than forced sitting around.
What I object to about the drivel they post is its all hate based on a national basis rather than being a story or article.
Anyone remember at Christmas about the Tesco Christmas cards with please from Chinese prisoners?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/28/tesco-christmas-card-china-jail-inmates-claim-psychological-torture
Inside the Chinese jail behind the Christmas card scandal
Former inmates at the prison where a plea was smuggled out in festive cards for Tesco say they faced forced labour and torture
Lily Kuo
Sat 28 Dec 2019 19.00 GMT
Qingpu prison in Shanghai. Former inmates have told the Observer of conditions inside the jail.
For over three years, Leo spent his days at the Qingpu prison in Shanghai silently packaging sticky notes, face masks, gift bags and labels while guards kept close watch. If he refused, he would be punished – barred from reducing his prison sentence, making phone calls home, or worse.
This Christmas, a cry for help from Leo and other foreign inmates of Qingpu was smuggled out, hidden in a Tesco greetings card. China has called the card and allegations of forced labour by foreign prisoners a “farce”.
Now the Observer has gathered testimony from six former inmates of Qingpu prison who describe in unprecedented detail the conditions they claim they were forced to endure during their incarceration in China. These include being forced to work for a pittance and in some cases tortured for disobeying prison authorities.
“If you don’t work you would be an enemy. If you don’t work, you would become a target,” said Leo, who says he was one of two inmates who wrote a total of 10 cards calling for attention to the plight of Qingpu’s prisoners. “They will deprive you of so many things,” he said.
Leo, who provided his prison ID, court verdict and notice of his sentence, completed earlier this year, has asked to not reveal his real name for fear of retribution in his home country, where he believes Chinese influence is strong. The name of the other inmate who he refers to, who is still in Qingpu, is being withheld to protect his safety.
Florence Widdicombe, 6, who found the inmates’ plea for help in a Tesco Christmas card at her home in Tooting, south London.
China has one of the largest penal labour systems in the world, one that human rights advocates say has flouted international standards against forced labour for decades. Beijing maintains that prison labour, legal in China, is done in accordance with the law. The ministry of foreign affairs did not respond to a request for a comment on this story.
The six former inmates, all released from Qingpu in the last two years, said they witnessed authorities forcing prisoners to work. Four of the six, including Leo, described having to work between five and six hours a day, sometimes seven days a week, for as little as 30 yuan (£3.20) a month.
Two of the group said they refused to work and were punished in a range of ways, including not being allowed to buy clothes, soap, slippers or food to supplement the meagre meals provided, all items that had to be purchased from the prison.
Two inmates, one of whom refused to work, described being tortured through sleep deprivation, being strapped to a wooden plank, and in one case, waterboarding. The prison did not respond to requests for comment.
“Their prison system is meant to destroy rather than to reform,” said Peter Mbanasor, 42, a trader from Nigeria who spent more than two years in Qingpu after being convicted for concealing criminal income. “People were forced to work because they don’t want to fall in [the guards’] hands.”
Qingpu, established in 1994 on about 8 square miles of land on the outskirts of Shanghai, holds 200 foreign inmates and describes itself as a “first-class prison” that cultivates “pride in work”. In the last week, state media have released reports highlighting its “productive labour” on things such as jade and bamboo carvings done by inmates, to an orchestra and a Christmas musical production.
Former inmates paint a markedly different picture. Wednesdays, reserved for “training”, usually consist of watching propaganda videos. The work is menial and educational opportunities are few, they claim.
Peter Mbanasor. He says he was tied to a wooden plank in the prison.
“Nobody wants to do this kind of work. Some people want to learn new things, like fish farming, carpentry, making clothes or shoes. They are not teaching us,” said Leo.
Inmates said punishment – usually psychological, such as sending prisoners to solitary confinement – could be extremely cruel.
Mbanasor said he was sent to solitary for 21 days after he insisted on hosting church gatherings and Bible studies against guards’ orders. In July 2017, he said he was tear-gassed and dragged from his cell to the “confinement” hall of small windowless rooms.
In 40C heat, he was given hot water and barred from removing his clothing. When he began praying aloud, a group of guards tied him to a wooden plank and left him for 24 hours. Unable to move or get up to use the bathroom, he wet himself.
“All these things together are to destroy you. When it was happening, it was unspeakable,” he said.
Pedro Godoi, 45, a Brazilian businessman who served five years in Qingpu after being convicted of visa fraud, went on hunger strike over what he saw as mistreatment of prisoners. He was also denied privileges when he refused to work.
He said he was strapped to a wooden plank for 12 days in solitary last year. A loudspeaker broadcast Chinese propaganda next to his head. Inmates keeping watch woke him up every 20 minutes. One former inmate said he saw Godoi being force-fed by doctors while tied to the wooden bed. Godoi said he was waterboarded three times by Chinese inmates under orders from the prison authorities.
“Qingpu is a meat-grinder. It’s to destroy a person,” said Godoi, who was released in May. “The idea of Qingpu is to show the people outside you can’t mess with the government. It’s a big labour camp. Arresting people in China is an industry. It’s a business.”
Three days before Christmas, Leo was watching the evening news when he saw the familiar Tesco card, featuring a kitten in a Santa hat.
Half a year earlier, as other inmates blocked the view of surveillance cameras in the workshop, Leo had hid five or six Tesco cards in his clothes. Back in his cell, he nervously wrote o them and later slipped them back into the pile of cards destined for the UK.
Now, he was shocked to see one those notes being broadcast around the world. “I was crying. I was really crying. I can’t believe it,” he said.. “I was crying. I was really crying. I can’t believe it,” he said.
“My hope is that those people who are in prison can be treated as human beings. Just because someone committed a crime does not mean that should be the end of their life.”
Topics
Anyone remember at Christmas about the Tesco Christmas cards with please from Chinese prisoners?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/28/tesco-christmas-card-china-jail-inmates-claim-psychological-torture
Inside the Chinese jail behind the Christmas card scandal
Former inmates at the prison where a plea was smuggled out in festive cards for Tesco say they faced forced labour and torture
Lily Kuo
Sat 28 Dec 2019 19.00 GMT
Qingpu prison in Shanghai. Former inmates have told the Observer of conditions inside the jail.
For over three years, Leo spent his days at the Qingpu prison in Shanghai silently packaging sticky notes, face masks, gift bags and labels while guards kept close watch. If he refused, he would be punished – barred from reducing his prison sentence, making phone calls home, or worse.
This Christmas, a cry for help from Leo and other foreign inmates of Qingpu was smuggled out, hidden in a Tesco greetings card. China has called the card and allegations of forced labour by foreign prisoners a “farce”.
Now the Observer has gathered testimony from six former inmates of Qingpu prison who describe in unprecedented detail the conditions they claim they were forced to endure during their incarceration in China. These include being forced to work for a pittance and in some cases tortured for disobeying prison authorities.
“If you don’t work you would be an enemy. If you don’t work, you would become a target,” said Leo, who says he was one of two inmates who wrote a total of 10 cards calling for attention to the plight of Qingpu’s prisoners. “They will deprive you of so many things,” he said.
Leo, who provided his prison ID, court verdict and notice of his sentence, completed earlier this year, has asked to not reveal his real name for fear of retribution in his home country, where he believes Chinese influence is strong. The name of the other inmate who he refers to, who is still in Qingpu, is being withheld to protect his safety.
Florence Widdicombe, 6, who found the inmates’ plea for help in a Tesco Christmas card at her home in Tooting, south London.
China has one of the largest penal labour systems in the world, one that human rights advocates say has flouted international standards against forced labour for decades. Beijing maintains that prison labour, legal in China, is done in accordance with the law. The ministry of foreign affairs did not respond to a request for a comment on this story.
The six former inmates, all released from Qingpu in the last two years, said they witnessed authorities forcing prisoners to work. Four of the six, including Leo, described having to work between five and six hours a day, sometimes seven days a week, for as little as 30 yuan (£3.20) a month.
Two of the group said they refused to work and were punished in a range of ways, including not being allowed to buy clothes, soap, slippers or food to supplement the meagre meals provided, all items that had to be purchased from the prison.
Two inmates, one of whom refused to work, described being tortured through sleep deprivation, being strapped to a wooden plank, and in one case, waterboarding. The prison did not respond to requests for comment.
“Their prison system is meant to destroy rather than to reform,” said Peter Mbanasor, 42, a trader from Nigeria who spent more than two years in Qingpu after being convicted for concealing criminal income. “People were forced to work because they don’t want to fall in [the guards’] hands.”
Qingpu, established in 1994 on about 8 square miles of land on the outskirts of Shanghai, holds 200 foreign inmates and describes itself as a “first-class prison” that cultivates “pride in work”. In the last week, state media have released reports highlighting its “productive labour” on things such as jade and bamboo carvings done by inmates, to an orchestra and a Christmas musical production.
Former inmates paint a markedly different picture. Wednesdays, reserved for “training”, usually consist of watching propaganda videos. The work is menial and educational opportunities are few, they claim.
Peter Mbanasor. He says he was tied to a wooden plank in the prison.
“Nobody wants to do this kind of work. Some people want to learn new things, like fish farming, carpentry, making clothes or shoes. They are not teaching us,” said Leo.
Inmates said punishment – usually psychological, such as sending prisoners to solitary confinement – could be extremely cruel.
Mbanasor said he was sent to solitary for 21 days after he insisted on hosting church gatherings and Bible studies against guards’ orders. In July 2017, he said he was tear-gassed and dragged from his cell to the “confinement” hall of small windowless rooms.
In 40C heat, he was given hot water and barred from removing his clothing. When he began praying aloud, a group of guards tied him to a wooden plank and left him for 24 hours. Unable to move or get up to use the bathroom, he wet himself.
“All these things together are to destroy you. When it was happening, it was unspeakable,” he said.
Pedro Godoi, 45, a Brazilian businessman who served five years in Qingpu after being convicted of visa fraud, went on hunger strike over what he saw as mistreatment of prisoners. He was also denied privileges when he refused to work.
He said he was strapped to a wooden plank for 12 days in solitary last year. A loudspeaker broadcast Chinese propaganda next to his head. Inmates keeping watch woke him up every 20 minutes. One former inmate said he saw Godoi being force-fed by doctors while tied to the wooden bed. Godoi said he was waterboarded three times by Chinese inmates under orders from the prison authorities.
“Qingpu is a meat-grinder. It’s to destroy a person,” said Godoi, who was released in May. “The idea of Qingpu is to show the people outside you can’t mess with the government. It’s a big labour camp. Arresting people in China is an industry. It’s a business.”
Three days before Christmas, Leo was watching the evening news when he saw the familiar Tesco card, featuring a kitten in a Santa hat.
Half a year earlier, as other inmates blocked the view of surveillance cameras in the workshop, Leo had hid five or six Tesco cards in his clothes. Back in his cell, he nervously wrote o them and later slipped them back into the pile of cards destined for the UK.
Now, he was shocked to see one those notes being broadcast around the world. “I was crying. I was really crying. I can’t believe it,” he said.. “I was crying. I was really crying. I can’t believe it,” he said.
“My hope is that those people who are in prison can be treated as human beings. Just because someone committed a crime does not mean that should be the end of their life.”
Topics
The 13th Amendment says "except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,", which sounds "fair". But this law was put into practice, and southern states quite literally put black people into jail for the crime of "loitering", then sent them to plantations to work for their absurd sentence. So it is quite obviously a racist law in practice, and AmeriKKKa continues to be a racist country today, what with blacks and whites doing drugs at the same rate, but blacks being charged at a much higher rate.
Of course, what China is doing to Uyghur Muslims in Dzungaria and the Tarim Basin is despicable. But two things can be bad at the same time- prison labor is bad, and concentration camps are also bad.
The Norwegian model looks good and also reduces redivicism. If you have a hard-on for being a giant racist and also not solving the root causes of crime, then I am sure you'd love the American system. But if you want to actually tackle crime, then the Norwegian system is the correct choice.
Who the **** mentioned Trump? This is an article about *New York Governor* Cuomo, who is (last i checked) a democrat. Are you not used to critiques of neoliberal parties from the left?
Of course, what China is doing to Uyghur Muslims in Dzungaria and the Tarim Basin is despicable. But two things can be bad at the same time- prison labor is bad, and concentration camps are also bad.
The Norwegian model looks good and also reduces redivicism. If you have a hard-on for being a giant racist and also not solving the root causes of crime, then I am sure you'd love the American system. But if you want to actually tackle crime, then the Norwegian system is the correct choice.
Original post by Occitanie
Orange man bad!
Who the **** mentioned Trump? This is an article about *New York Governor* Cuomo, who is (last i checked) a democrat. Are you not used to critiques of neoliberal parties from the left?
Original post by LiberOfLondon
The point of prison ought to be punishment and (in my humble opinion) forced labour is an effective way of doing that.
A self-described libertarian on the internet with an authoritarian streak?
What a surprise.
Original post by ZenoEX
Of course, what China is doing to Uyghur Muslims in Dzungaria and the Tarim Basin is despicable. But two things can be bad at the same time- prison labor is bad, and concentration camps are also bad.
Some things can be worse, however, as alluded to by @Sabertooth above.
The Norwegian model looks good and also reduces redivicism.
💪
Original post by SHallowvale
What makes you think that forced labour is an effective way of punishing people? Effective by what measure?
It means that they have to do hard work instead of sitting in their cells playing games, making prison less attractive. It would also create a workforce for low-skilled jobs (like fruit picking) that would not need to be paid.
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