Americans have been shocked by revelations of the abuse of Iraqi detainees at the hands of US troops. Politicians from the President on down have called the abuse -un-American- and -inconsistent with American values.- There have been hearings, reports, apologies and inquiries, but what about abuses closer to home? How widespread is mistreatment of those behind bars in America's overcrowded prisons?? Are privately run prisons part of the problem? How do America-s criminal justice policies affect prisons and prisoners, and how do those policies differ from European practices? Why aren-t Americans as outraged about what goes on in US prisons as they are about abuse in Iraq? Guest host Sara Terry speaks with journalists, officials of private and state prison, advocates of alternative sentencing, and a professor of comparative and foreign law. (This segment is an abbreviated version of one broadcast earlier today on
To the Point.)
- Making News: Governor Announces Compromise College Budget Plan
In an effort to come up with a budget with no new taxes, Governor Schwarzenegger has announced a compromise with the higher education community. The deal would scale back a 40 percent tuition hike for grad school students and give up strict restrictions on university enrollment. Peter Nicholas of the Los Angeles Times says the behind-the-scenes compromise offers financial protection for students while narrowing the $14 state's billion budget shortfall.
Guest host
Sara Terry is an award-winning writer and photographer, who has written for the Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, Fast Company, Rolling Stone and the Boston Globe. Her current photo-documentary project is "
Aftermath: Bosnia's Long Road to Peace."
Governor announces higher education budget compromise
Nicholas' article on college budget compromise
Elsner's article on frequency of abuse in US prisons
