×
You have 2 more free articles available this month. Subscribe today.
CBCC Struggle Ongoing
You printed "CBCC Prisoners Struggle" [in the Jan '96 PLN]. Well, prison authorities didn't like that too much. It was photocopied and passed around. It was hanging in every pod in close-custody, and the [guards] here were going around tearing it down, calling it unauthorized. Here's what's happened since.
On March 3rd I guess the [guards] heard rumor of a suspected work strike because of the 35% [seized from prisoners' accounts--See: June '96 PLN]. Well, when no morning kitchen workers showed up for work (5:00 a.m.), they locked down the close-custody section of the joint.
We didn't get our first shower until after four days, our first phone call after five. We were denied commissary and were served (foul, rotten) bologna sandwiches two meals a day for the entire lock-down. All the while we could see medium/minimum [prisoners] walking back and forth to chow, gym, etc. because they broke weak and chose not to participate.
So anyway, on March 9th, a squad of six goons equipped with a video camera came to the cells of about 50-60 prisoners, cuffed them, and took them to D-Unit, which they had cleared out and turned into a Special Housing Unit (SHU).
Upon arrival in SHU all 50-60 of us were strip searched, given a state tee-shirt, underwear and flip-flops. We were then put into stripped-down cells. We were refused showers or use of the phone. We were denied reading materials and were not even given any clothing (pants).
On the 12th all close-custody prisoners who weren't in SHU were released off lock-down. The 50-plus of us were kept in SHU with no write-up and no authorization. The only answer we could get from the [guards] or counselors was, "I don't know," or "They haven't told me."
Then we get this communiqué under the door from the warden, talking about how CBCC won't tolerate predatory behavior on other prisoners and about "how to do time honorably." This [warden] collects his check off another man's misery, and he wants to tell us about honor?! But still no write-ups and no explanation [about our SHU status] from the [guards].
So then on the 13th of March, they send in the goon squad to take us one by one to IMU (50 of us!) and place each and every one of us on ad-seg status as "possible instigators of the work stoppage. Now check this out: I don't work or go to school, nothing! I am a proud non-programmer. So are at least 20 of the other guys down here on ad-seg. So what kind of weight are we gonna pull in a work-stoppage when we don't even work? And as for all the other fellas in population, no one (except for the a.m. kitchen workers, who had all signed up for sick call) even had a chance to participate in a work strike because the joint was locked down at 5:00 a.m.
We have been in seg for a little over a month (3/13 - 4/17). At our hearings all but about 15 of us were recommended to continue ad-seg. Some were recommended for release but were shot down by the superintendent due to past infraction records. (What about double jeopardy?)
So basically, CBCC (Clallam Bay Concentration Camp) has about 45 "not guilty" prisoners sitting in segregation.
-- A CBCC Struggler
On March 3rd I guess the [guards] heard rumor of a suspected work strike because of the 35% [seized from prisoners' accounts--See: June '96 PLN]. Well, when no morning kitchen workers showed up for work (5:00 a.m.), they locked down the close-custody section of the joint.
We didn't get our first shower until after four days, our first phone call after five. We were denied commissary and were served (foul, rotten) bologna sandwiches two meals a day for the entire lock-down. All the while we could see medium/minimum [prisoners] walking back and forth to chow, gym, etc. because they broke weak and chose not to participate.
So anyway, on March 9th, a squad of six goons equipped with a video camera came to the cells of about 50-60 prisoners, cuffed them, and took them to D-Unit, which they had cleared out and turned into a Special Housing Unit (SHU).
Upon arrival in SHU all 50-60 of us were strip searched, given a state tee-shirt, underwear and flip-flops. We were then put into stripped-down cells. We were refused showers or use of the phone. We were denied reading materials and were not even given any clothing (pants).
On the 12th all close-custody prisoners who weren't in SHU were released off lock-down. The 50-plus of us were kept in SHU with no write-up and no authorization. The only answer we could get from the [guards] or counselors was, "I don't know," or "They haven't told me."
Then we get this communiqué under the door from the warden, talking about how CBCC won't tolerate predatory behavior on other prisoners and about "how to do time honorably." This [warden] collects his check off another man's misery, and he wants to tell us about honor?! But still no write-ups and no explanation [about our SHU status] from the [guards].
So then on the 13th of March, they send in the goon squad to take us one by one to IMU (50 of us!) and place each and every one of us on ad-seg status as "possible instigators of the work stoppage. Now check this out: I don't work or go to school, nothing! I am a proud non-programmer. So are at least 20 of the other guys down here on ad-seg. So what kind of weight are we gonna pull in a work-stoppage when we don't even work? And as for all the other fellas in population, no one (except for the a.m. kitchen workers, who had all signed up for sick call) even had a chance to participate in a work strike because the joint was locked down at 5:00 a.m.
We have been in seg for a little over a month (3/13 - 4/17). At our hearings all but about 15 of us were recommended to continue ad-seg. Some were recommended for release but were shot down by the superintendent due to past infraction records. (What about double jeopardy?)
So basically, CBCC (Clallam Bay Concentration Camp) has about 45 "not guilty" prisoners sitting in segregation.
-- A CBCC Struggler
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login