Living in a Carceral State

Dec 12, 2024

4 min read

In September of this year, I began volunteering with the Harriet Tubman Project (HTP). This organization began in 2021at Massachusetts Correctional Institute in Norfolk. HTP was founded in 2021 by Rickey "Fuquan", who has been wrongly incarcerated for over 27 years. HTP’s mission is to dismantle structural racism beginning with addressing the carceral system.

*Carceral: refers to broad systems of control, surveillance, and punishment that extend beyond physical prisons. It includes policies, institutions, and practices that perpetuate confinement, restriction of movement, and societal control.

The program educates incarcerated individuals about their legal rights and moral responsibilities, empowering them to actively advocate for their freedom. Twice a week, 40 to 80 incarcerated men from diverse backgrounds participate in legal literacy classes focused on the injustices within the criminal justice system and the structural racism that sustains it. HTP serves wrongfully convicted individuals and those who are actually and factually innocent. Currently HTP only is equipped to help male prisons, but their ultimate goal is to make these services available across all correctional facilities, including those for women and juveniles, to help individuals overturn wrongful convictions and break free from cycles of systemic oppression.

My experience with HTP has offered many insights into the inequities of the U.S. carceral system and allowed me to contribute to the growth and development of an organization dedicated to fighting wrongful convictions and mass incarceration. My primary focus has been on building the organization’s foundational structure to increase its impact and reach. This includes developing its website, enhancing HTP’s social media presence, and creating merchandise. We wanted to streamline all the social platforms to create a homogenous and accessible space for all to learn about HTP and how they can help support the organization and their movements.

Throughout this journey, I have gained a deeper understanding of the carceral state in the United States and the lives of those affected by a system of racial bias. Today, there are more black men under correctional control today than there were under slavery in 1850. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in history, and Black Americans make up a disproportionate share of the prison population.

I learned the importance of changing the language used to describe incarcerated individuals, recognizing how terms like “felon,” “convict,” or “prisoner” carry negative connotations that perpetuate stigma, especially when many individuals are wrongfully incarcerated and deserving of dignity and justice.

I was also able to gain perspective on the hardships of women in our carceral state. Although women are a minority when it comes to incarceration, they bear the burden of criminalization and imprisonment. Women are often the major supporters of those incarcerated. They are also organizers, anchors of family, and kinship networks. Most especially women of color are those that are most affected by the carceral state.

The most senior founding member is an innocent man who has spent over 27 years incarcerated. His name is Rickey “Fu-Quan” McGee. Fu Quan was arrested in July 1997 at the age of 19 and was wrongfully convicted of the murder of Getasetegn Yalew. Despite a lack of physical evidence, no witnesses, and dubious testimony coerced under questionable circumstances, Fu-Quan was sentenced to life without parole. The case against Fu-Quan rested on the unreliable testimony of a family friend and a coerced statement from a 15-year-old childhood friend, who was intoxicated at the time of questioning. Critical evidence such as alternative suspects and discrepancies in forensic testimony was withheld at trial. Fu-Quan’s legal team has uncovered new evidence revealing that police misconduct and suppression of exculpatory evidence contributed to his wrongful conviction. This includes evidence pointing to another suspect who fit the description of the killer and admitted to possessing the likely murder weapon, as well as inconsistencies in the ballistic analysis provided by a discredited detective.

Despite his incarceration, Fu-Quan has become leader within his community. He serves as a mentor, educator, and advocate, helping others navigate legal systems and fostering programs that address structural racism and promote personal development. In March 2024, Fu-Quan filed a motion for a new trial based on the overwhelming evidence of police misconduct and newly uncovered facts. His case is now bolstered by a recent Massachusetts law prohibiting life sentences without parole for individuals under 18 at the time of their offense. On December 9th, Fu-Quan had a hearing to seek his release. Unfortunately, the prosecution needs more time to gather evidence, so the proceedings have been postponed until the 20th. Even though the outcome is not exactly what Fu-Quan and his supporters had hoped for, he has been granted a new trial to release him from his wrongful conviction. HTP and its community hope his release will serve as a catalyst for change—not only for those who diligently study the legal system and their own cases during weekly meetings but also for the broader population of wrongfully incarcerated individuals.

To learn more about Fu-Quan’s story and his efforts, please explore his page. https://www.freefuquan.com/

Check out the Harriet Tubman Project: https://www.theharriettubmanproject.org/

To learn more about the inequities of the prison/justice system, please read/watch (just a few of the many educational resources!):

Books:

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Abolition. Feminism. Now by Angela Davis, Erica Meiners, Gina Dent, and Beth Richie
Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

TV Series/Films (All on Netflix):