US Prisoner Raises $100,000 For Himself, Donates $17 To Gaza-
A US prisoner donated $17 to Gaza, which he earned from 136 hours of cleaning the jail, Strangers then raised $100,000 for him
Hamza, a US prisoner who donated $17 earned from 136 hours of cleaning at 13 cents per hour to Gaza, a region facing severe humanitarian crisis since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-Israel conflict, sparking a crowdfunding effort that raised over $100,000 for his release, revealing the stark reality of prison labor wages backed by data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics showing average inmate pay ranges from $0.13 to $0.63 per hour.
Hamza’s 40-year sentence for a 1986 accidental killing as a minor aligns with a California law shift in 2019 allowing parole reviews for juveniles, supported by a 2012 Supreme Court ruling (Miller v. Alabama) that life without parole for minors is unconstitutional, underscoring how his donation reflects a personal transformation during incarceration.
The fundraiser’s success, boosted by figures like iShowSpeed donating $50,000, challenges the narrative of prisoners as solely burdens, with studies like those from the American Psychological Association (2020) showing rehabilitation and altruism in prisons can reduce recidivism by up to 20%, suggesting societal reinvestment can yield significant returns.
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