Inaugural Promises, by Cadell Kivett
I've spent the last week glued to the the television.
I watched the entire series of inaugural events, listened to each Trump speech, witnessed the signing of countless executive orders, and saw the president issue commutations and pardons for 1500 January 6 defendants.
The whole time I've had a pen in my hand, writing about the philosophy and mission of Prison Reimagined, and contemplating deeply what justice means in the United States of America.
PRP3 is ultimately about a reimagining of justice.
When this project was initially conceived, the idea was to organize one exhibit, and to show at one museum. The mission has always been to empower and amplify the voices of as many incarcerated artists and writers as possible, and to make a strong impression on as many leaders and citizens as needed, to incite change in justice systems. PRP3 will now show into 2025, with more weight and purpose than I could have imagined.
As I've said many times, the idea for PRP3 was fully formed while watching President Biden's 2021 inauguration. It's also true that inspiration was drawn from the closing of Trump's initial term, as we had endured four years of his unique style of leadership. Now it's clear, we need to brace ourselves for four more years.
PRP3 is a rare initiative that captures a moment unlike any other in our nation's history. Many of the writings and drawings in this project focus on either the current outgoing or incoming president. This exchange of power, and all that has transpired in presidential politics over the last few years, makes the art and writing of Prison Reimagined more relevant and poignant than ever before.
With Biden now out of office, let's consider how — and if — he delivered during his presidency, based on the hopes of people behind bars. I have deeply considered his history with criminal justice legislation, and was sure his position on criminal punishment must have evolved in his 50-year career as a lawmaker. In his 2020 campaign platform he touted his intention to reduce the country's incarceration totals by 50%. If accomplished, this would reverse a long-developing trend and cement Biden's legacy as the president who ended mass incarceration.
There's a reason people behind bars felt Biden owed this debt. In 1994, then-senator Joe Biden coauthored and ushered through congress the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, AKA: the 1994 Crime Bill. This legislation — signed into law by President Clinton — while not the sole cause of mass incarceration, has been recognized as a tipping point which accelerated the trend. Consider this: in 1990 there were 773,905 people in U.S. prisons. By 2009 the number had more than doubled (Bureau of Justice, 2012; Bureau of Justice, 2022).
In charcoal and mixed media on black paper, PRP3 artist Kirston Angell captures this moment in Biden's career. "Anyone Can Change" depicts a laughing Senator Joe Biden, and highlights some of this legislative history.
In an artist statement about the work, Angell says of himself: "As an incarcerated individual I want people to believe me and give me the benefit of the doubt when I say that I have changed. However, I also acknowledge that my CHANGE must be demonstrated with action."
He continues, now speaking on Biden: "I chose to do this piece of our President, Joe Biden, because he reminds me of many modern prisoners. Much like how an ex-con's record haunts them as they try to move forward in society after their release from prison, I can only suspect some of the decisions and comments Mr. Biden has [made] produced some struggle for him as well." Angell continues, "I believe I can speak for literally millions of prisoners when I say, [Mr.Biden], now is the time for action. Anyone can change."
Biden's 1994 Crime Bill did several things that would ensure decades of steady increases in the number of people behind bars in our country. First, the bill set out to put 100,000 additional police on the streets of America. Next, it ushered in three-stikes laws and mandatory minimum sentencing, and lastly, the bill expanded the use of the capital punishment. These measures set a trend, influencing similar measures in states around the nation.
Consider this: In 1990 the average time served for the two most serious crimes of murder and rape was 77 months, 92 months for murder, and 62 months for rape. By 2018 the average had more than doubled to 164.5 months, 214 for murder and 115 for rape (BOJ statistics: 1992, 2000, 2021).
These numbers reflect the actual time served, not the amount of time sentenced.
I chose to use these two crimes for several reasons. Because they are the most serious, but also because these two crimes in particular have a re-arrest rate (for those convicted and released) that is 20% lower than other violent and nonviolent crimes (Prison Policy Initiative, 2024). Most people convicted of these crimes are not career criminals. They are most often people who were involved in a singular occurrence, and the labels 'murderer' and 'rapist' conjure images that often do not align with their alleged crimes.
Notice that that the measure here a 20% lower "re-arrest" rate, not "re-offend." People who commit these crimes are even less likely to commit another crime of the same type once released. Furthermore, although time served for these crimes has doubled over 35 years, data shows that lengthy prison sentences do little to deter crime.
If we, as a country, decide to get serious about ending mass incarceration, we will have to address the sentences of those convicted of the most serious crimes.
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The War On Drugs (Richard M. Nixon) by Sean J. White
Most academics in criminal justice study recognize 1970 for the onset of mass incarceration, and credit President Nixon for the policies (and rhetoric) that started the tough-on-crime trend. Facts and data back up this assessment.
Just 96 people per 100,000 were incarcerated in the United States in 1970. By 1990, the rate had increased to 292 per 100,000 (BOJ, 2012).
In 2023, the united states locked away 531 people per 100,000 (World Prison Brief, 2024), and between 2019 and 2024, at times the rate was as high as 629/100,000, according to the Institute for Criminal Policy Research at the University of London (2023), and 655 according to the World Prison Brief.
These numbers barely scratch the surface when talking about how our country incarcerates people.
I watched the entire series of inaugural events, listened to each Trump speech, witnessed the signing of countless executive orders, and saw the president issue commutations and pardons for 1500 January 6 defendants.
The whole time I've had a pen in my hand, writing about the philosophy and mission of Prison Reimagined, and contemplating deeply what justice means in the United States of America.
PRP3 is ultimately about a reimagining of justice.
When this project was initially conceived, the idea was to organize one exhibit, and to show at one museum. The mission has always been to empower and amplify the voices of as many incarcerated artists and writers as possible, and to make a strong impression on as many leaders and citizens as needed, to incite change in justice systems. PRP3 will now show into 2025, with more weight and purpose than I could have imagined.
PRP3 is a rare initiative that captures a moment unlike any other in our nation's history. Many of the writings and drawings in this project focus on either the current outgoing or incoming president. This exchange of power, and all that has transpired in presidential politics over the last few years, makes the art and writing of Prison Reimagined more relevant and poignant than ever before.
With Biden now out of office, let's consider how — and if — he delivered during his presidency, based on the hopes of people behind bars. I have deeply considered his history with criminal justice legislation, and was sure his position on criminal punishment must have evolved in his 50-year career as a lawmaker. In his 2020 campaign platform he touted his intention to reduce the country's incarceration totals by 50%. If accomplished, this would reverse a long-developing trend and cement Biden's legacy as the president who ended mass incarceration.
There's a reason people behind bars felt Biden owed this debt. In 1994, then-senator Joe Biden coauthored and ushered through congress the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, AKA: the 1994 Crime Bill. This legislation — signed into law by President Clinton — while not the sole cause of mass incarceration, has been recognized as a tipping point which accelerated the trend. Consider this: in 1990 there were 773,905 people in U.S. prisons. By 2009 the number had more than doubled (Bureau of Justice, 2012; Bureau of Justice, 2022).
In charcoal and mixed media on black paper, PRP3 artist Kirston Angell captures this moment in Biden's career. "Anyone Can Change" depicts a laughing Senator Joe Biden, and highlights some of this legislative history.
In an artist statement about the work, Angell says of himself: "As an incarcerated individual I want people to believe me and give me the benefit of the doubt when I say that I have changed. However, I also acknowledge that my CHANGE must be demonstrated with action."
He continues, now speaking on Biden: "I chose to do this piece of our President, Joe Biden, because he reminds me of many modern prisoners. Much like how an ex-con's record haunts them as they try to move forward in society after their release from prison, I can only suspect some of the decisions and comments Mr. Biden has [made] produced some struggle for him as well." Angell continues, "I believe I can speak for literally millions of prisoners when I say, [Mr.Biden], now is the time for action. Anyone can change."
Biden's 1994 Crime Bill did several things that would ensure decades of steady increases in the number of people behind bars in our country. First, the bill set out to put 100,000 additional police on the streets of America. Next, it ushered in three-stikes laws and mandatory minimum sentencing, and lastly, the bill expanded the use of the capital punishment. These measures set a trend, influencing similar measures in states around the nation.
Consider this: In 1990 the average time served for the two most serious crimes of murder and rape was 77 months, 92 months for murder, and 62 months for rape. By 2018 the average had more than doubled to 164.5 months, 214 for murder and 115 for rape (BOJ statistics: 1992, 2000, 2021).
These numbers reflect the actual time served, not the amount of time sentenced.
I chose to use these two crimes for several reasons. Because they are the most serious, but also because these two crimes in particular have a re-arrest rate (for those convicted and released) that is 20% lower than other violent and nonviolent crimes (Prison Policy Initiative, 2024). Most people convicted of these crimes are not career criminals. They are most often people who were involved in a singular occurrence, and the labels 'murderer' and 'rapist' conjure images that often do not align with their alleged crimes.
Notice that that the measure here a 20% lower "re-arrest" rate, not "re-offend." People who commit these crimes are even less likely to commit another crime of the same type once released. Furthermore, although time served for these crimes has doubled over 35 years, data shows that lengthy prison sentences do little to deter crime.
If we, as a country, decide to get serious about ending mass incarceration, we will have to address the sentences of those convicted of the most serious crimes.
%20Image.jpg)
Most academics in criminal justice study recognize 1970 for the onset of mass incarceration, and credit President Nixon for the policies (and rhetoric) that started the tough-on-crime trend. Facts and data back up this assessment.
Just 96 people per 100,000 were incarcerated in the United States in 1970. By 1990, the rate had increased to 292 per 100,000 (BOJ, 2012).
In 2023, the united states locked away 531 people per 100,000 (World Prison Brief, 2024), and between 2019 and 2024, at times the rate was as high as 629/100,000, according to the Institute for Criminal Policy Research at the University of London (2023), and 655 according to the World Prison Brief.
These numbers barely scratch the surface when talking about how our country incarcerates people.
Boundless data is a quick search and few clicks away for anyone who needs confirmation: locking people away with impossibly-long prison sentences and little rehabilitation is not making us safer or better as a nation.
The United States of America is the consistent world leader in incarceration.
Earlier I said we would look back to consider how Joe Biden fared on criminal justice during his term. I was sure he would rewrite his legacy, but his promise of reducing the number of Americans behind bars never came to be. By 2022 he no longer looked to make good on a 50% reduction. His policy goals had changed and he returned to his default position — his American Rescue Plan sought to put an additional 100,000 police officers on the streets of America, echoes of his work from 1994.
Earlier I said we would look back to consider how Joe Biden fared on criminal justice during his term. I was sure he would rewrite his legacy, but his promise of reducing the number of Americans behind bars never came to be. By 2022 he no longer looked to make good on a 50% reduction. His policy goals had changed and he returned to his default position — his American Rescue Plan sought to put an additional 100,000 police officers on the streets of America, echoes of his work from 1994.
As for PRP3 artist and Biden portraitist Kirston Angell — he recently received a commutation from NC's governor, and will be headed home in 2026.
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