News
Racial inequality a prominent issue in U.S. prisons
The U.S. has been widely condemned for its long-term and systemic racism against ethnic minority groups and immigrants in its justice system.
While people of color make up 37 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 67 percent of the country’s prison population.
The incidence of human rights violations is particularly high in immigrant detention centers along the U.S. borders.
Data suggests that during the 2021 fiscal year, the U.S. government detained as many as 1.7 million illegal immigrants, of which 80 percent were held in private detention facilities with harsh conditions, including a large number of immigrant children.
Among the 266,000 immigrant children detained by the U.S. in recent years, more than 25,000 have been held for over 100 days.
“There were nearly 5,000 children there (‘emergency intake’ shelter erected in the harsh desert of Fort Bliss), and some 1,500 children are still being held at the troubled site, where conditions in ‘jam-packed’ tents resembled ‘a stockyard,’ were ‘traumatizing’ and risky for the children’s health and safety,” reported the El Paso Times.
Between April and June 2018, the Trump administration implemented a “zero tolerance” policy toward illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Under the policy, adult illegal immigrants were prosecuted by the U.S. government and held in federal prisons or deported, and their children were in the care of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A huge number of immigrant children were forced to separate from their parents.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an American nonprofit organization committed to advocacy for civil rights and racial equality, a total of 4,368 children were separated from their parents or guardians because of this policy, and many still hadn’t found their parents by the end of 2020.
According to over 160 internal reports of the U.S. government, U.S. border officials have committed plenty of misconduct and abuse against immigrants, including verbal, physical and even sexual abuse, pointed out a report released by international non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) last October.
There are also allegations of harsh detention conditions, denial of medical care, and other phenomena at the border, according to the report.
“…human rights abuses run rampant in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers. Intentional deprivation (e.g. being kept in a cold room without a blanket or being served rotten food), physical and verbal abuse by guards, sexual assault, and rape happen far too frequently…In fact, an independent medical review of deaths in detention found that in over half of the deaths analyzed, medical negligence had played a role,” said an article by Eillen Martinez and two other American scholars, which was recently published on Medpage Today, a web-based medical news service provider.
Statistics show that in the U.S., African Americans are six times more likely than white people to be incarcerated in prisons. One of every three African-American males born in the U.S. can expect to go to prison at least once in his lifetime, compared to one of every 17 white males.
According to the National Public Radio (NPR), Black Americans are four times as likely as whites to be arrested for marijuana possession; and black men spend an average of 20 percent longer behind bars in federal prisons than their white peers for the same crimes.
An article published on the website of Forbes Magazine pointed out that prisoners of African descent are the most likely to suffer from abuse by prison staff among all inmates, which makes them more subject to psychological trauma and more discriminated against when they reenter society.
Private prisons in the U.S. have a significantly higher proportion of inmates of color and more evident racial inequality. Low-income groups, mostly people of color, are likely to be detained because they cannot afford bail and are eventually pressured into pleading guilty. They usually cannot meet the harsh requirements attached to fines or probation, and end up becoming long-term cheap labor in private prisons.
Racial inequality in American prisons, especially in private prisons, is the epitome of the country’s long-standing systemic racism.
The U.S. has a dark history of exploiting the lives of disadvantaged groups (usually people of color) for the profit of the powerful–from colonial slavery through coolie labor, black codes, and Jim Crow laws, the government has sanctioned this practice, pointed out U.S. non-profit organization Abolish Private Prisons, which believes that “Locking people up for profit is simply the latest incarnation of slavery.”
A non-profit, non-partisan think tank Interrogating Justice noted that private prisons in the U.S. are the product of a symbiotic relationship between police departments, court systems, transportation companies, food suppliers, and other departments and businesses, all of which benefit from mass incarceration. Some believe that the U.S. private prison industry is deeply rooted in slavery and has, some argue, modernized state-sponsored slave labor.
American writer Jabari Asim believes that the idea that African Americans can commit a crime simply by existing is more than just a deeply entrenched racist misconception; it is also an idea rooted in capitalism’s need for a cheap, exploitable labor force. Asim noted, private prisons are specifically designed so that states can profit from the nearly free labor provided by incarcerated people.
Elon Musk has announced an ambitious timeline for SpaceX’s Mars mission, revealing that the company’s massive Starship rocket is set to depart for the Red Planet at the end of 2026. The mission will include Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, as part of the spacecraft’s payload.
“If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely,” Musk posted on his social media platform, X.
The Starship rocket—considered the world’s most powerful—is central to Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars. However, significant technical hurdles remain before this dream becomes reality.
NASA is also counting on a modified version of Starship to serve as the lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade. But before SpaceX can proceed with interplanetary travel, it must demonstrate that Starship is safe, reliable, and capable of complex in-orbit refueling—an essential requirement for deep space missions.
SpaceX recently encountered a setback when the latest test flight of Starship ended in an explosion. While the booster was successfully caught in its orbital test, the upper stage failed, tumbling out of control before the live feed abruptly cut. The incident mirrored a previous attempt.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated an investigation before Starship can fly again, adding another layer of scrutiny to SpaceX’s ambitious timeline.
Despite these challenges, Musk remains optimistic, continuing to push forward toward his goal of making humanity a multi-planetary species.
The 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has donated N20 million to two Colleges of Nursing Sciences in Imo and Anambra States. The beneficiaries are Holy Rosary College of Nursing, Ogbe, in Ahiara Catholic Diocese, Mbaise, and College of Nursing Sciences, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala.
Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, presented N10 million cheques to each institution during his visits on Friday. At the Holy Rosary College of Nursing, he handed over the cheque to the Bishop of Ahiara Diocese, Most Rev Simeon Nwobi, at the college’s construction site. Similarly, at Our Lady of Lourdes, Ihiala, he presented the donation to the Students’ Union Government (SUG) President, Miss Anigbo Chisom Mary, in the presence of excited students.
Highlighting the significance of his donation, Obi stressed that healthcare and education are critical to national development. He commended the Catholic Diocese of Ahiara for investing in nursing education, describing it as a vital step in securing Nigeria’s future.
“My Lords, what you are doing is a great service to our country,” Obi said. “This donation is not a favour but a recognition of your efforts in nation-building. I will always support this project because it is about securing a better future for Nigeria.”
Obi further urged the government to prioritize quality education, including the prompt payment of teachers’ salaries. He emphasized the need for free and accessible education at the primary and secondary levels, both in public and private schools.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency, stating that government affairs will no longer be conducted in secrecy.
Speaking at a Stakeholders’ Town Hall Meeting on the Application of the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) in Awka, Anambra State, Fagbemi urged Nigerians to use the Act to demand accountability from their elected and appointed officials. The event was organized by the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Represented by Garba Sunday, a lawyer in the ministry’s FoIA department, Fagbemi emphasized that the FoI Act empowers citizens to access government records and information without providing reasons for their request. He encouraged public officeholders to disclose their activities to foster trust and dispel rumors.
“The Act also provides for people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups to access government records. However, while the law guarantees access to information, there are exemptions and conditions that must be met before certain records can be released,” Fagbemi stated.
He commended the Anambra State government for actively implementing the Act, allowing citizens to stay informed about governance. He further called on Nigerians to exercise their right to information and participate in governance, adding that transparency leads to good governance.
“We appreciate the efforts of organizations like Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) and CTA for making this town hall meeting possible. The purpose of the FoI Act is to promote **transparency, accountability, and good governance—**not to be used as a tool for blackmail or political attacks,” he added.
In her remarks, CTA Executive Director, Faith Nwadishi, lamented that many Nigerians remain unaware of their rights under the FoI Act, despite its enactment over 14 years ago.
“The Act allows citizens, including women, youth, and people with disabilities (PWDs), to track budgets, monitor government programs, and expose corruption. However, those who passed the law have done little to educate the public about its importance,” she stated.
Nwadishi highlighted that the town hall meeting aimed to empower marginalized groups to use the FoI Act in holding government institutions accountable. She also noted the work of the Strengthening Accountability and Governance in Nigeria Initiative (SAGNI) in promoting transparency in the Federal Capital Territory, Anambra State, and Edo State.
As calls for transparency and accountability grow louder, stakeholders emphasized the need for public institutions to proactively disclose information and for Nigerians to actively demand their rights, ensuring that governance remains open and inclusive.
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