My inmate number is ND7568. The title of this piece is, “Miranda Rights.” I am Kenjuan Congo Jr., calling from a prison camp behind enemy lines.
The United States Supreme Court ruled that police officers who do not give Miranda warnings before an interrogation can no longer be sued for violating an individual’s constitutional rights. Basically, this gives immunity to cops. The court widened the gap even more in our inability to hold government accountable. The gross misconduct of officers leads to prison time while waiting for a trial or resolution. Some of the results are job loss, a tight financial strain on a household, and at times we even see a wrongful conviction from a forced confession. While a lawsuit alone won’t solve the problem, it is still a measure of accountability and restoration for what has been lost. Still, the Supreme Court ruled to take away one of the only remedies we had for police abuse. Coercion is real. False confessions are real. The conviction of innocent people is real. Yet, the criminal justice system has failed to prevent their occurrence.
Power has the tendency to expand control by reducing or completely eliminating individual protection. This is a continuing trend, where there is oppression and abuse. The powerful do not want Miranda rights because they want their power to be absolute. They took away our right to sue.
So what can we do? We can keep fighting. For this issue, I support the Human Rights Coalition. Their website is hrcoalition.org. We deserve accountability. We deserve restoration. This is Kenjuan Congo Jr., calling from a prison camp behind enemy lines. Thank y’all. All power to the people.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.
