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The Secret World of Deaf Prisoners By James Ridgeway

By Real Cost of Prisons Project (The Sentencing Project)

The Secret World of Deaf Prisoners By James Ridgeway Monday, September 28th, 2009 9:47 pm SPECIAL REPORT In the 1970s, an antiwar demonstrator found himself at New York City?s Rikers Island jail facility for a couple of months on a disorderly conduct charge. The demonstrator, who happened to be a friend of mine, met a handful of young men from the Bronx in his unit who were deaf. They were having trouble communicating with anyone but themselves. My friend knew a little sign language and, after a few conversations, discovered they were illiterate. With the idea of helping them improve their communication skills, he asked prison authorities for permission to order books on sign language from the publisher. The wardens refused, saying that they did not want anyone in that prison using a ?language? they could not understand...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog on September 30, 2009 (boomark / email).