The New Debt Peonage in the Era of Mass Incarceration

In 1867, Congress passed legislation that forbid the practices of debt peonage. However, the law was circumvented after the period of Reconstruction in the south and debt peonage became central to the expansion of southern agriculture through sharecropping and industrialization through convict leasing, practices that forced debtors into new forms of coerced labor. Debt peonage was presumable ended in the 1940s by the Justice Department. But was it? The era of mass incarceration has institutionalized a new form of debt peonage through which racialized poverty is governed, mechanisms of social control are reconstituted, and freedom is circumscribed. In this paper, we examine the mechanism of the “new debt peonage” and its consequences in the lives of 30 men, mostly African American, released from an alternative incarceration facility in Cleveland, Ohio. Debt for these men included court fines and fees, restitution costs, motor vehicle fines and reinstatement fees, parole and probation supervision fees, child support debt, as well as education and medical debt. Median debt at the time of community reentry for these 30 men was $9,700. These debts affected men’s strategies for community reentry and impeded community reintegration, and it imposed a new form of labor subordination and social control

Medication Assisted Treatment: Experiences from the Field

The use of heroin and other opiates has increased considerably in recent years with many users becoming involved with the criminal justice system. Because of this growth, the use of medication assisted treatment is becoming increasingly popular in courts that specialize in opiate addictions. This paper analyzes the experiences of treatment teams in courts that specialize in providing medication assisted treatment. Overall, perceptions of medication assisted treatment were positive although service providers identified some limitations. Recognizing the benefits and limitations of medication assisted treatment is useful for social work practice that focuses on opiate addictions because heroin use continues to rise

An Interview with Professor Doctor Gesine Schwan

Professor Doctor Gesine Schwan is a political science professor. The former President of the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt, Germany, Professor Dr. Schwan is President and co-founder of the Humboldt Viadrina Governance Platform in Berlin, Germany. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the party has twice nominated Professor Dr. Schwan as a candidate for the federal presidential elections

An Interview with Professor Doctor Gesine Schwan

Professor Doctor Gesine Schwan is a political science professor. The former President of the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt, Germany, Professor Dr. Schwan is President and co-founder of the Humboldt Viadrina Governance Platform in Berlin, Germany. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the party has twice nominated Professor Dr. Schwan as a candidate for the federal presidential elections

Interview with Rachel Dissell - The Cleveland Rape Kit Case

Rachel Dissell, reporter for The Cleveland Plain Dealer for the past 13 years and human rights advocate, joined SWB on October 26, 2015 to discuss her work in the discovery of 4,000 untested rape kits in Cleveland, Ohio. Dissell discusses the complicated processes of collecting a rape kit, bringing a case to trial, and prosecuting rapists. She offers insights into institutional barriers that prevented the initial investigation of the rape kits and discusses the human rights of the victims, as their cases are brought to trial, sometimes twenty years after the crime was committed. Dissell provides SWB with a provocative discussion of human rights and sexual assault. Dissell’s work continues to shape practices of police departments and implementation of human rights of victims across the world

Interview with Rachel Dissell - The Cleveland Rape Kit Case

Rachel Dissell, reporter for The Cleveland Plain Dealer for the past 13 years and human rights advocate, joined SWB on October 26, 2015 to discuss her work in the discovery of 4,000 untested rape kits in Cleveland, Ohio. Dissell discusses the complicated processes of collecting a rape kit, bringing a case to trial, and prosecuting rapists. She offers insights into institutional barriers that prevented the initial investigation of the rape kits and discusses the human rights of the victims, as their cases are brought to trial, sometimes twenty years after the crime was committed. Dissell provides SWB with a provocative discussion of human rights and sexual assault. Dissell’s work continues to shape practices of police departments and implementation of human rights of victims across the world