2025 Brings NeoAuthoritarianism To America's Prisons

2025 brings with it the story of a beating death of a 43 incarcerated prisoner, Robert Brooks.

Brooks was beaten and strangled in the medium security Marcy Correction Facility in New York State. 14 prison officials were fired. At least one guard involved resigned.

New York State prisons are many and varied. Medium security institutions, like Marcy, look like college campuses. During my time in New York State prison, about forty years ago, Marcy was a destination for inmates on their best behavior. A model institution. Not so much today.

In fact, a lot has changed in modern American prisons. And, these changes reflect the evolution of the demographics of the country. But, in addition to shifting demographics are evolving attitudes towards others.

NeoAuthoritarianism has been shaped by several life altering events in the national psyche. America changed after September 11, 2001: the World Trade Center bombings. With the bombings of the World Trade Center and war on terror, the United States accepted authoritarianism. Accepted intrusion into fundamental civil rights - but more important, America accepted there are groups determined to destroy American culture.

But, before the events of 9/11, in the 1980's, America accepted the first major wave of mass incarceration that swept millions into quickly built jails and prisons across the country.

As early as the 1970's American's could read the writing on the wall: the nation was changing. Drugs decimated neighborhoods; low level crime destroyed communities; the flight of the middle class from inner cities carved out culture and taxes from New York City to Los Angeles and cities from coast-to-coast.

America changed. Attitudes shifted. Authoritarianism was acceptable. Law enforcement grew into a police state. And, people became catalogued: fingerprints, photographed and finally DNA. Law enforcement became a pathway to middle class - then police and crime and punishment became big business.

But, the blame for NeoAuthoritarianism can be blamed on American victory. The winning of World War II. The United States won the war and peace. But, lost its heart and soul. America could not accept status quo. The quiet acceptance of the Eisenhower years, 1950 to 1960 would give way to America as the policeman of the world. An America demanding acceptance of everyone. Lyndon Johnson's ''Great Society'' broke the nation. Destroyed America. America went to war against itself during the 1960's and 1970's.

Archie Bunker said: ''You liberals have a million ways the world will end''. Identity politics, gender politics, race relations and ideological divisions fuel authoritarianism we live with today. America tried to be all things to all people - but today it's not to be.

Jails and prisons were quickly built. And, all of America's problems ended up inside these vast anonymous institutions.

The prison industrial complex is big business. But, it's also social engineering. A place to park surplus labor. And, a hell for all those who can't - or won't - fit into modern society.

NeoAuthoritarianism is America moving past generations of expectations that human beings can be redeemed, rehabilitated, returned to society as productive citizens.

Events in Marcy Correction Facility - a medium security prison - an attack by 14 Correction staff - all White employees killing a Black prisoner speaks to the evolution of culture in prison and across the country. Politicians and public may be outraged, but generations of demonizing incarcerated people and treating inmates as enemy combatants has become a baked in part of modern authoritarianism.

American's accept status. We love seeing the guarded compounds and gated communities of the rich and famous. We accept unconditionally that a trespasser visiting a famous football or movie star home will be immediately move on - or locked up. But, we all demand equality and equity.

We tell children in school America is a ''free country'' the spend our entire lives unlearning this lesson. We come into jails and prisons expecting equality - only to discover it does not exist behind bars, or in society at large. Americans believe the lie that all men are created equal. We watched 43 year old Robert Brooks beaten to death. Was he equal to the 14 prison guards who killed him?

In my prison, Souza-Baranowski Correction Center in Massachusetts, if an inmate acts the fool they will be quickly bundled and handcuffed and potentially end up with broken bones or dead. Where is the equity and equality?

NeoAuthoritarianism exists because America allows it to exist. Years of liberal indoctrination has produced a backlash. A society that has come to accept we are not a ''free country'', that we have less freedom. That life is not fair or equitable. And, institutions, like prisons, are operated by people who no longer understand or care about fellow human beings. Prison officials and law enforcement are doing a job. To protect and serve the state. The state that pays their salaries.

Remember, each of the 14 prison officials at Marcy Correction Facility were just doing their job. It's the same job that thousands of prison and jail employees do every day. We simply don't witness the mistreatment because the public is shielded from the grotesque horror of these experiences.

The public is never provided body camera video as in the death of inmate Robert Brooks. Never. This video was leaked out. And once exposed politicians, like Governor Kathy Hochul had no choice but to get in front of the crisis.

The attack on inmate Brooks is not an aberration. Civil rights of prisoners is trampled every day. Maybe not a killing, but damn close. And, each violation and mistreatment contributes to NeoAuthoritarianism. In Massachusetts prisons, prisoners are being ignored, isolated and collective punishment keeps most prisoners locked in cells or on some kind of isolating sanction.

We can no longer say a generation of ''Americans'', or speak collectively of America. In fact, Spanish is spoken more than English in most prisons throughout the United States. In Souza-Baranowski, in central Massachusetts, Spanish is loud and shouted from most cells throughout the 1500 man institution. We can't say ''American's'' anymore. Jails and prison demographics have shifted dramatically and this further contributes to neoauthoritarianism.

Over decades prison officials, law enforcement and American criminal justice has ''othered'' and demonized prisoners. Add to this demonization illegal immigrants flooding correction facilities and there is a war on incarcerated individuals. A war that the public is remarkably indifferent to.