Featured Writers – Page 31 – The Pen Hustle With Brandy Cavalli

Why Prison Rape Goes On by Chandra Bozelko

The following post was written by a former inmate and talks about her experiences witnessing prison rape while incarcerated in a Connecticut women’s prison.

Prison rape and various other forms of corruption have become a widespread issue within the United States prison system.

Learn more about President Obama’s program to stop prison rape.

Visit: The Novo Foundation

Feminist Philosophers

Chandra Bozelko, a former inmate, has an op-ed in the New York Times titled, ‘Why We Let Prison Rape Go On,’ in which she explores why, even 12 year since the Prison Rape Elimination Act was passed, sexual assault in American prisons remains so widespread.

Ultimately, prisons protect rape culture to protect themselves. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about half of prison sexual assault complaints in 2011 were filed against staff. (These reports weren’t all claims of forcible rape; it is considered statutory sexual assault for a guard to have sexual contact with an inmate.)
I was an inmate for six years in Connecticut after being convicted of identity fraud, among other charges. From what I saw, the same small group of guards preyed on inmates again and again, yet never faced discipline. They were protected by prison guard unions, one of the strongest forces in…

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Boys Don’t Cry – Is It Time We Start Talking About Our Murdered And Missing Indigenous Men?

RED POWER MEDIA

Grace Lafond-Barr’s son, brother, and half brother were all murdered in a 12-year span. Her son, Jaron Tyler Jahnke, was shot in the stomach in Saskatoon in a case of mistaken identity. Indigenous people are seven times more likely than non-aboriginal people to be a victim of homicide.

By Jeremy Warren | The StarPhoenix

Indigenous men are more likely to be murdered than anyone else in Canada – possibly more than 2,000 in a 30-year period.

Grace Lafond-Barr believes healing starts in the home, so she moved her family to Muskeg Lake Cree Nation from Saskatoon two years ago to escape the city where murder took away her two brothers and a son.

She hopes the distance between the city and her grandkids will mean a quieter life without the spectre of violence and vice following them as they grow into young men. Lafond-Barr has seen enough of that: in…

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Dope Readz: ‘Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend’ by Christian Cipollini

My current free time read comes courtesy of True Crime Author (and my writing mentor) Christian Cipollini

Every now and then I am able to break free of writing my own material, grab a nice glass of wine and JUST READ. I was more than pumped when my favorite writer sent me a copy of his newest book, Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend.

The novel is a pretty dope read and I’m not just saying that because the author, “Cip” is my “crime partner”.

The story itself is so intriguing.

Out of all of the legendary gangsters, I would have to say that Lucky Luciano was probably one of my all time favorites. I love his “business mind” and how he did things, which was very unconventional for his time.

Reading up on “The Boss of All Bosses” made me realize what a forward thinker he actually was and how he in many ways “revolutionized” the mob and its dealings.

Luciano joined forces with anyone of his time that could help him earn money, power and respect and he didn’t care what race or nationality that “help” came from. My kind of guy.

Below is the very clever chapter listing of the book.

Randomly check back with The Pen Hustle for all things “Cipollini” — including my exclusive one on one chat time with the “Italian Scallion” himself.

Purchase the book on AMAZON