People Against Prisons Aotearoa

Information released to No Pride in Prisons under the Official Information Act shows that up to 87% of prisoners were unemployed before entering prison. On the other hand, the unemployment rate across all of New Zealand is 4.8 percent.

This only further proves what we already know: poor people go to prison. The everyday misery of poverty puts people in extremely desperate positions to make ends meet. The stress breeds addiction, health issues, and abuse that tear apart communities.

We also know that Māori make up the majority of people who end up in prison, and are more likely to be poor. Economic racism and colonisation put Māori at even greater risk from the severe harms of imprisonment.

Capitalism is based on an elite class benefiting from the poverty, unemployment and misery of the many. By keeping wages and benefits low, the government ensures that there will always be people desperate to accept bad working conditions.

When people act out as a result of their miserable conditions, they are used as a scapegoat. They are held responsible and put in prison, while the social system that pushed them into prison is ignored.

Prison never has and never will be used to address “crime”. It is used to lock up poor people and secure the privilege of the elite. The prison props up capitalism and colonialism at the expense of Māori and the poor. http://ift.tt/2uvyDBT