Abstract:

In this bibliography, the Attica riot is the focus as I explore prison conditions, prison rights, and the legal system during the Civil Rights Movement and how the riot did or did not lead to reform within the U.S. prison system. I have explored several texts on the Attica riot and the prison system, including Fathi’s text detailing the detriments of the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The Mamo, Phelps, and Tartaro articles all detail the causes of the riot, including the uninhabitable prison conditions of Attica, the Commissioner’s lack of response, and the circulation of books to generate knowledge among inmates. Payne and Sabath asserted in their text that due to the decision in the Lewis v. Casey (1996) case, prisoners are limited in using the library, which affects their access to or understanding of the court system. The most distinctive text is Tonry’s analysis of characteristics influencing England’s mass incarceration rate compared to the U.S. Western & Wildeman’s article explores factors that led to the prison boom of the late 1900s. The last article discusses how black people having their writing published by way of black print and grassroots leaders were key to prisoners finding hope while imprisoned. While some of these texts explore factors that led up to the Attica riot, other texts show how prisoners are treated and mismanaged within the prison system. Prisoners are people too; this bibliography seeks to show the lack of respect our legal system has for those who are imprisoned by stripping them of their rights, abusing them, and leaving them to rot in vile quarters. In researching the Attica riot, it was difficult to find the names of specific prisoners who were involved; therefore, I’d suggest that future researchers investigate the prisoners more instead of the prison guards and police officers.

Fathi, David C. “The Prison Litigation Reform Act: A Threat to Civil Rights.” Federal Sentencing Reporter, vol. 24, no. 4, 2012, pp. 260–262. Fathi discusses the PLRA, which was signed by President Clinton in 1996 and supported by Congress and holds negative implications for prisoners and the lawyers who aid them in seeking acquittal. The author’s purpose is to detail the adverse effects of the PLRA, which restricts prisoners’ court access, health, safety, and humanity while imprisoned in the U.S. It outlaws prisoners’ settlements, financial reimbursements, and permits discrimination. The PLRA affects the lawyers who represent prisoners by restricting the amount of financial compensation they may be awarded. Ultimately, with this text, the author reveals the restrictions for prisoners and lawyers that the PLRA permits that is upheld in federal courts, which shows how the system hinders prisoners, trapping them in the system instead of helping them escape.

Mamo, Andrew. “The Dignity and Justice That Is Due to Us by Right of Our Birth’: Violence and Rights in the 1971 Attica Riot.” Harvard Civil Rights – Civil Liberties Law Review, vol. 49, no. 2, 2014, pp. 531–567. Mamo details key components that led to the Attica riot, including positive black movements, uninhabitable prison conditions, prisoners’ knowledge of the outside world through books and letters, and reoccurring criminals who learn the prison system. Mamo asserts that the support of the Civil Rights movement, along with the rise of Black Power, empowered prisoners of Attica to seek physical change. The Commissioner’s lack of response to prisoners having one shower a week, no mail for Spanish inmates, and inadequate food ultimately led to prisoners forming a united mob ready to riot. Mamo describes a key leader in the Attica riot who had been in and out of different state prisons, learning the routine of each prison in every state he was incarcerated in. These factors, combined with racist guards, angry prisoners who were starving, and a lack of proper leadership from the Commissioner, motivated the prisoners to pursue violence, making the Attica riot the bloodiest in history.

Payne, W., & Sabath, J.M. “Proving Inmate Access to Courts: U.S. Prison Strategies for Complying with Constitutional Rights.” Prison Journal, Vol. 92, No. 1. 2012, pp. 45-62. The authors describe a study they conducted, revealing the way the justice system limits the progression of prisoners. The text also analyzes prison characteristics such as population size, security level, and the Lewis v. Casey (1996) case effects prisoners’ use of prison libraries. The results indicated that the library inside the prisons is the only source for inmates receiving court access. Prison characteristics such as population size, number of prisoners needing legal aid, gender, and security level influence different court access methods by different prisons.

Phelps, Shirelle. “Attica Prison Riot.” World of Criminal Justice, Gale, 2002. Credo Reference Online. Phelps details events that led up to the Attica riot, the actual riot, influential people, and its impact. Phelps asserts that the leading causes of the riot were unmet conditions such as prison wages, more recreation, religious freedom, and stopping the censoring of letters. The aftermath of the Attica riot resulted in a large impact; it led to conversations on prison racism, prison rights, prison conditions, positive prison reform, and lucrative lawsuits.

Tartaro, C. “Missed Opportunities: Learning from the Mistakes at Attica.” Contemporary Justice, Vol.15, No. 3. 2012, pp. 339–358. Tartaro details several causes of the Attica Riot and describes other riots such as England’s Strangways riot and the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility riot (SOCF) that held the same racial prison issues. The text indicates that Attica’s prison environment and poor health care, combined with Commissioner Oswald’s refusal to better conditions, poorly trained guards, and a united group of disgruntled inmates, were warning signs that a riot would ensue. Tartaro asserts that the Attica riot is important because it brings awareness to the racial and cultural divide between the prisoners and the guards, violence, and fatalities from the event.

Tonry, M. “Racial Disproportion in US Prisons.” Britain Justice Criminology, Vol. 34, No.1. 1994. Tonry conducts research on race being a factor in high incarceration rates in the U.S. compared to England, Wales, Australia, and Canada. Tonry finds that in the U.S., issues of race are increasingly higher than in other countries due to African Americans having higher unemployment rates, single-parent households, illegitimacy, and other social restrictions which make them vulnerable to more acts of crime. Tonry suggests ways to improve problems of race within the criminal justice system as a whole.

Western, B., & Wildeman, C. “The Black Family and Mass Incarceration.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol, 621, No.1. 2009, pp. 221-242. The authors argue that Moynihan’s 1965 report added to the prison boom by using African Americans as a scapegoat in politics instead of reforming the racist criminal justice system, which deteriorated the homes of black families. They explore factors such as economic disadvantages for young black men in impoverished communities and the link between crime and marriage to determine the factors of the prison boom and mass incarceration among African Americans.

Winn, T.M. “We Are All Prisoners: Privileging Prison Voice in Black Print Culture.” Journal of African American History, Vol. 95, No.3-4. 2010, pp. 392-416. Winn focuses on the impact of black print culture, grassroots leaders, and two texts which act as voices for African Americans. Winn asserts that black print acted as a platform for African American prisoners to share their stories and reflections on the criminal justice system with non-incarcerated individuals. Winn also reflects on the efforts of Malcolm X and his involvement in motivating African American men who were imprisoned through self-determination and the Black Power and Black Arts movements.