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THE ECONOMICS OF IMPRISONMENT
by Richard Stratton
e used to sa y that if yo u
stood o n the beach in South
Flo rida back in the cady '80s
and th e wind was just right, blowing
in off th e G ul f, yo u cou ld hear
Colom b ian sailors c ry out from the
d ec ks of pot-lade n fre ighters as they
steam e d north : A job in UN/COR; a
pair of Reebolis; and a boll om bunk.
Whe n I was at the federal prison
at Petersburg, Virgi nia in the mid-'80s,
we sa t in the chow hall one morn ing
a nd watched a slig h Lly dera nged priso ne r cli mb the huge water tower in
th e m idd le of t h e co mpou n d. li e
roosted there fo r the be tter pan o f a
clay, issui ng but a sin gle demand: He
wanted a job in U '!CO R.
UNICOR, myste rio us acronym fo r
th e Fe deral Prison Industries, I nc., is
a "wholly owned, self-supporti ng govern me nt corporation" that maintains
a nd operates fac to r ies a t all of the
fe d e r a l co r rec ti o na l i n stitu t io n s
around the cou ntry. T he re we re two
UN ! CO R p la n ts a t P e te rsb urg : a
p rintin g p la nt wh e re th ey ma n ufactured governmen t publica tions and a
cable factoq' wh e re priso ne rs ma d e
complica ted power cables for suc h
gove rn me nt operatio ns as ASA. At
o th e r fe d eral
p ri so n s where I
se rved time, UNICO R wo rk e rs
mad e furniture ,
clothes, signs and
a variety of other
products- a l l
su pposed ly sold
b y co ntrac ts to
various gove r nment agencies.
T h e re we re
lo ng wa i t l ist s
fo r j obs in U NICOR. l rememb er o n e Colo mbia n wh o we p t
wh en h e lea rn e d he was to be
rel e ase d from

W

prison and se n t back to his hom ela n d. H i U lJ CO R wages, arou n d
200 p er month , we r e th e m os t
mo ney he'd eve r made. After buying
so m e essen tials like sham p oo a n d
Ben and .J erry's icc c ream at the
prison co mmi ssaq•, he had e no ug h
left ove r each momh to send money
ho me to support h is wife a nd six kids.
He to ld me he was conside ring co mmilling a new cri me wh ile in custody
so he cou ld sta}' in p rison a nd kee p
h is cove ted UN ICORjob.
Illegal alie ns comprise 28% of the
fede ra l prison population; many of
them ne,·c r se t foot in America be fore
b e in g arrested. A large numb er of
rh ese "crimin al aliens," as the fe els call
th e m, work in UN ICO R facto ries.
Base wage a t U ICO R when I was
in prison was 22 cents an hour. With
increases for tenure an d performance-Supe rgrad e, as it was calledpay could reach mo re than a d o llar
an hou r. l knew me n who worked SOp lus hours a week and mad e th ree or
fou r hu ndre d a m o nth. They d id
th eir shopping at th e compa ny sto rethe prison-run com missarv. T h ev
spent the li mit ( 100 per mo'mh )
junk food and oda, snea kers, fr uit

0;1

and n uts, deod orant a nd coffee; t.hey
bought ciga rcu es and rolls of coins to
use as c urrency o n th e p riso n blac k
m a rke t. The gove rnment extrac ted
paymen t from prison wages for whatever fines or cou rt costs th e co nvict
owed. Conscien ti ous convicts sent the
rest home to their wives and famil ies
o r d eposited it in bank acco u n ts.
Othe rs spe nL it o n d rugs, or Ll1e}' gambled it away or used it to b uy blac k
market goods and services, including
sex. Most of th e money made by prisone rs worki n g in U 'lCOR and in
othe r prison jobs stayed in the system.
What ma n}' tax-paying Ame rica ns
don ' t reali ze is th a t a ll able-bodied
prisoners arc req ui red to work-on e
co uld say lorccd to work since, if you
r·efuse, yo u are se n t to th e h ole and
locked down 23 hours a day.
Prisoner also must pay for j ust about
e\·eq·th ing beyond the basic n ecessities. They feed you slop in the chow
hall a nd give you a bu nk, bu t if yo u
wan t a g rapcl'ruit o r cigareucs, shampoo o r Be n an d J e rry's, yo u've got to
buy th em from th e comm issa ry, ofte n
at prices above wha t you would pay on
th e stree t. T he sa me is t rue in the
state
ys t e m. Pr isone rs work.
Increasi n g ly, th e
prod u cts m a d e in
sta te p rison l~tc to ri es
are sold LO private
compa ni es. Pri soners earn mo ney.
They sp end most of
tha t mo n ey with in
the system .
W ith a mi llion
and a hal f peop le
lo c ke d up i n t h is
country, we're ta lkin g about a lot of
" mo n ey c h ang in g
~-·. . ~ hands beh ind pri on
walls.
·C:
I mpri so nm e n t

8

0>. in Amer ica is bi g
.D
0

0

.<:

Q,

(continued on page 6)
PRISON LIFE 3

PRISONLIFE

January 1995

Features
2 2 The Clown-Prince
of Crime
Jackie DiNorscio laughed
the Feds out of court 1n the
longest mob tria l ever.
Now he's pu rsui ng a
victory closer to home.
33 The Lieutenant
Called Bubba
You know if Prison Life is
doing a story on a cop,
he's got to be straig_ht- up.
Meet Lt. August of East
Jersey State Prison.
38 Putting a Human
Face on M andatory
M inimums
Julie Stewart, founder of
Families Against Mandatory
Minimums, shows the
human tragedy behind
thoughtless laws.
42 Fighting Back
The Prison Education of
Karen White. While serving an 18-year bid, she
championed women's
rights. Now she's out a nd
her fig ht continues.
50 Busted!Corruption at Unicor
Federal Prison l ndustrie~
Inc., the engine of the BuP,
gets caught with their
!lands in the cookie jarby federal prisoners.
60 Prison Fiction
"Old Max," a haunting_
ta l_e of re-..:~nge, by PEN.
pnson-wntmg award wmner J.C. Amoerchele.
64 Underground
A con on the lam goes
underground and returns
with a firsthand account.

COVER STORY
"There's no way
you can deny 18
years of hell."
Ka re n vVh ite: Prison Life's
first cover woma n.

Story by Kim Wozencraft.
Photo by Wa)me Maser.

Departments
3

Voice of the Convict
5 Word
8 Mail Call
10 Guest Editorials
15 · Call-Outs

68

16
18
30
49
68
70
75
76
78

Block Beat
Insider Outlook
Crimejacker
Cellmate of the Month
In-House Counsel
Iron Pile
Humor
Survival
Smart Time

80
82
83
84

Family Matters
Poetry from Prison
Tattoo of the Month
Ask Bubba
In-Cell Cooking
African-American
Perspective
Prison Papers
Pen Pals
Classifieds

85
86

22

88
90
92

l'ri,on Life magazine i• publbhcd bimonthly by PRJ LIFE. Inc.. 505 8th A\'cnuc. 14th Floor. New York. 1\'Y 100 18. Prison Life ma1,"V.inc i, printed in the USA
and all riglu., arc rcscn·cd. © 199<1 b) Joint Venture ~ l edia, Inc. No part of this book may be reproduced or trausmitted in any form or by any meam without writ·
ten pcrmi"ion of the publisher. Uu,olicitcd manuscripts and phowgraphs arc the rcspousibility of scudcrs. All letters sent to Prison Life ma!,'Olziuc will be treated
ao;; 111lCOIIditionally assigned for publication or brochure, and arc li!tll~j ccl In Prison Life magalinci!\ unrl·striclcd rig ht to edit and commc nl. Sing le copies in 1hc
us s:~.\15. Subscriptiou rates OIIC year iu us. $24.75 for 6 issue;; ill C ln:trla, an <~dditioual $8; :til :tclclitional 12 elsewhere; all payable in us funrls only. Please
mail all ; uhscription orders and change< to Priso u Life magat.inc. Suh;cription Departrncnt50f> 8th Avenue. 11th Floo•·· l'\ew York. 1 Y I0018.
4

PRISON LIFE

Word

JUICE
''This magazine is considered a secuTity
rislt . .. "
"This copy of Prison Life magazi ne contains vety grajJhic accounts . . . it would
incite more u.nTest."
''This jm.blicn.tion incites, aids 0 1· abets
ctiminal activity and violence against oth-

ers."
-from va rious DOC "Decision on
With hold ing" forms we received .
very d ay we get calls or le tters
from wh i te and b lu ebe lli es
t e llin ' us h ow we suc k. "Th is
magazine is gar bage! Yo u guys oughta be burned at the stake!" Wh ateva.
We liste n to a nd read these responses
with patience, sometimes aski ng the
a ngryh ead wh a t was so offensive.
Sometimes it's the language, oth e r
times it's that we' r·e makin g "he roes"
ouua "crimina ls." Most of the time,
it 's th at we' re providing a voice fo r
th e cons o f Ame rica.
By doing so, we increase the juice
o f t h ose b e h ind bars. An d b y
pumpi n ' juice, maybe they fear we'll
get too powerful.
We ll, we ' re not a bo UL anarchy or
inci ting ri ots, so you can call off th e
goo n squ ad . We' re about increasing
the word, te ll in ' America wassup with
life behind bars. We ' re about change
in a peaceful ma nne r. We' re a bout
reality.
If we show prison life as he ll, it's
o n ly because that's what it is. If we
say "fuck, sh it, da mn , motherfucka "
in our articles, it's only because that's
part of the p rison lingo. If we ru n stories o n riots, o n admin istrative co r-ruption , on rape or killi ngs or ratting, it's o nly because the prison system is flooded with the shi t. If prison
officia ls don ' t wanna face reality, they
o ughta be working somewhe re e lse.
At least they have a ch oice.
Pr iso n e rs don ' t. An d if t he syste m is be n din' th e m ove r , or if
th ey' re being swep t und e r th e rug ,
there o ught to be a place for the m to
have th e ir say, a place for them to
sha re ideas and eve n swap tho ughts
o n self-empowe rme nt.
T hat's where we come in .
T he C.O.'s and officials o ut there
who are closed-mi nd ed can make our

E

by

Chris Cozzone
Editorial Executioner
lives h e ll by throwing yo ur asses in
t h e H o le a n d by black li st i ng o ur
mag. (Ever stop to thi n k how bad it is
for business to run th e stori es we
do?) But we a in 't gonna stop a nd neith er sh ould you.
It's Li me to come togeth er. It isn ' t
gonn a be easy, but it'll be wonh it.
This month's issue of Prison Life
proves my point.
Wh at h a ppe n s when co n s wo r k
togethe r to expose th e bullshi t? Flip
to p age 50: "Busted! Co rruptio n at
U n ico r ." Fe deral prisoners joe
Mohwish, Duan e O lson a nd Donald
Sargeam were sick of getting bucked
by the system. Read how they, together with PLM, are exposing some heavy
shit the feels are getting away with.
Our cover stotl' p rovides a n othe r
exa mp le of a con ful la jui ce.
"Fig htin g Back: Th e Pri so n Ed ucatio n of Kare n Wh i tc," writte n by
Kim Woze nc ra ft, shows t h e life of
one to ugh woman who served 18 calendars in th e joint. At Bedford Hi lls
Co rrectional Fac ili ty in Ne w Yo rk,
she was the juice behi nd nearly every
program that exists th e re today.
Kare n White ' s not th e o nl y
woman with might in this issue. We

also fea ture julie Stewart o f FAM.M,
who 's fig hting the fucked-up ma ndatory min imum laws in vVashington .
And then t h e r e ' s J ack ie
D iNorsc io-Th e C low n-Pri nc e of
Crime. Jackie's a stand-u p guy and a
stand-up co mi c who h e lp ed d efeat
th e gove rnme n t's most vic ious mo b
attack in histOtl'.
Speaking of stand-up, we are not
above recogn izing those on th e other
side of the bars who rack up to such
sta n dard s. Meet Lt. Alan August of
East J e rsey State Prison. If the system
had more cops like h im, th ere might
be a cha nce a t rehabilita tio n (huh?
wha's that mean?).
Our celly o f the mon t h is King
Buck fro m Jefferso n City Correctional
Cen te r. Altho ugh he was thrown in
the Hole fo r it, th is guy had the balls
to write us about what's goi ng down
in Missouri.
Speaking of 'nads, skip ahead to
"Old Max," by J.C. Ambe rch e le, th is
m onth's fi ctio n selection. "U n de rg round ," by J.B. Springs III , is a true
account o f a co n o n the la m livin '
be nea th th e streets. Crimejacker, our
naive ex-governme nt wh ipping boy,
retu rn s fo r a n other dose o f priso n
reality. Of course, you 'II find Bubba,
who's still sorta pissed off that he's
n ot on o u r c over ye t. If yo u ca n ' t
s tom ac h Bubba, t h e n forget t h e
Humor de p artme nt. I h aven ' t been
able to eat since.
W e ' r e introd u ci ng "In-House
Coun sel," by jailho use lawye r Larry
Fassle r. In every issue, he 'll be writing
on importan t legal topics. He invites
you to send him questions.
And for those of yo u with beefs
with us, we now go t a fall guy: Steve
Rogove, circulation manage r . He 'll
straigh te n o ut a ny mess you might
have ge tting your mag.
As always, Prison Life e ncourages
you to sen d your fi tness questions to
Iron Pile; news ite ms to Block Beat;
letters to Mail Call; recipes to In-Ce ll
Cooking, e tc. Also, we ' re always looking for good guest editorials, regularsized articles and pieces fo r every
other d e partme nt. If you got an idea,
run it by us. Re me mbe r, th is is you-r
mag, yow· voice.
PRISON LIFE 5

Voice of the Convict
(continued from jJage 3)
business. The la tes t crim e bill calls
for almost nin e billio n in taxpayers'
mon ey for n ew prison construction.
T axp aye rs will also spe nd a n additional $20,000 to $30,000 a year p er
prison er (be tween 20 and 30 billio n
bucks) to support men a nd wo me n
who actually support th e mselves and
spend billions yearly, most of which
g o es b ac k to th e gove rnm e nt.
Looking solely a t th e botto m li ne,
this is a curious state o f affairs.
The r e's a n o ld ax io m among
investiga to rs: Follow th e mo n ey. If
you want to understand how a company wo rks, how a conspiracy opera tes, even how people live their lives,
fo llow th e mon ey. Wh e re do es a ll
the mo ney that is ea rn ed a nd spent
by prisoners within th e syste m go?
Who pro fits? Whe re do the tax dollars go that are supposed to be used
to suppo rt priso n e rs who, in fact,
earn their own keep? And why a re
taxp aye rs being mad e to bea r this
econo mic burde n whe n private compa nies are ge tting into th e prison
busin ess to ca pitalize o n Ame ri ca 's
booming prison industry? How is it
that prisone r-made consume r products are being sold direct.ly to private
sector compani es whe n our gove rnme nt bans impo rta ti o n o f fo r eig n
prisone r-made goods?
Some thing is very wro ng here.
Ame ricans are b eing lied to by their
governme nt. Surprise, surprise. And,
as usual, the taxpaye r is th e sucke r
ge tting mugged in this transaction.
In case you didn ' t know, the re's
a lo t o f prisone r-bashing going on in
this electi o n seaso n . Politicia ns rail
about "counu-y club" prisons whe re
pri so n e rs lo un ge a ro und a ll d ay
wa tching color TV and plo tting new
crimes. You would have to be media
unconscious and fi t for jUt)' duty on
the OJ. Simpson case not to have
h eard th e frantic campaign slogans
pro mising tough ne w laws, a nd the
se nsational stories o f ex-con murde re rs a nd sex crimin als who ge t o u t
o nl y to co mmit mor e c rim e .
Po liticia ns, always o n th e loo k-out
for fall guys for their own failed policies, sh out for longer se nte nces and
harshe r prison conditio ns.
Wash ingto n h as resci nded Pell
grants fm- prisone rs. Prison administra tors, bowing to political pressure,
have moved to take away ot.l1er re habilita tive a nd recr eati o n al o utl e ts
despite the fact Ll1at t.l1ese progra ms
a r e th e onl y prove n a ntid o tes to
6

PRISON LIFE

r ec idi vis m.
In
a
ki n d
of
Cong ressional legislat ing fre n zy,
politi cia ns runnin g fo r re-elec ti o n
we re tripping over each o the r in the
rus h to pass ill-conce ived , sh o rtsig hted measures mo tivated mo re by
a quest fo r th e fear vo te than by real
co ncern over crime in Ame rica.
And let's not fo rget t.l1e econo mics. In a falte ring economy stifled by
governm e nt waste a nd ove rregu lation , th e prison business is o n e of
Ameri ca's fe w remainin g g ro wth
ind usu·ies. Someone is making large
profits, or you can be sure corporatio ns like Wacke nhut, a spooky security finn th at went public earlier Ll1is
yea r , wo uld not be a nxious to ge t
into the prison business.
Wha t you won 't hear, unless you
pay a ttention to the few voices questi oning the Ame rican gu lag bo na nza, is the tr uth about the imprisonme n t e xp lo sion in Am e r ica. The
U .S. already imprisons th e la rgest
p e r cen tag e o f its popu lation a nd
gives o ut the most time o f any industri a lized, supp osedl y d e moc ra ti c
natio n in th e world. Viole nt offe nde rs make up a small portio n of our
prison popu lation. Bet\vee n I 980
and I992, only 16 pe rce nt o f n ew
court co mmitments to state p r ison
we re for viole nt offenses; 84 pe rcen t
we re fo r d rug c rimes a nd prope rty
o ffe nses. In the federal system th e
numbe r of violent criminals is even
smalle r . For every ex-con who gets
o ut and comm its som e h e in o us
crim e, thousands are re leased a n d
get j o bs, pay taxes, live decent lives.
The truth is that crime a nd punis hm e nt in Am e ri ca is a ll a b o ut
mo n ey. Ame ricans n eed to sto p liste ning to the crap spe wing fro m Ll1e
mo uths of lying politicians an d dutifully re p on ed by a co-opted , corpora te mass media. Taxpaye rs n eed to
start paying atte n tio n to what th e
gove rnm e nt is doing with a ll th e
mon ey it bleed s from wo rke rs' paychecks. T he real threat fro m crime
in America does not come from th e
stree ts; it comes from t h e gove rnm e nt. If Ame rican s wa nt to take a
bite out of c rime , th ey s h o u ld
de mand a n end to th e massive fraud
b e ing p e rp e trated upo n th e m b y
their elected officials.

"Hedragz,®
secured in the back with a cordlock,
is style, comfort, and attitude!"

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PRISON1m:
January 1995

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Richard Stratton
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Chris Cozzone
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: BEHIND BARS
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PRISON LIFE

1

Mail Call
drum routine lO look forward to year
afte r year.
I r ese n ted the sla nte d portraya l
"60 Minutes" did. I fee l lik e DEA
agen t Mi c hae l Levin e, who ex pose_d
the truth o n Reagan , Bush and O lhe
To nh whe n n o o ne wa nted to liste n .
Prisons a rc big mo n ey to a lot o r "big"
p eople in Califo rnia .
Cu)' E. Williams
1"fharhajli, CA

LAUD & LOATHING
FOR LEVINE
r ead your OCLobcr iss ue . No t
bad ! T he Mike Levine stoq' was the
m os t inte res tin g. As a Vie tnam Vet,
d own 15 yea rs o n a tripl e life, drugre lated , it was a real eye-o pe ne r. Too
bad Make Wallace didn ' t air th is stoq'
o n "60 Minu tes" instead o r the slan te el story h e d id o n th e "so ft life" in
Californ ia prison s. We were portrayed
like C lub M e d-fr ce roo m a n d
board, m ed ical and d e nta l, and all we
do is lift we ig hts, watch color T V, lay
around ge uing s un tans, living carefree lives. It e nrages the pu blic, th inkin g they a re paying for ou r so-called
"good life.··
T h ey fa il e d to m e nti o n we' r e
locked in o ur cages, with roommates
n ot o f o u r c h o ice, h a rd be d s and
pu ke for mea ls. We' r e required to
work fu ll-tim e j o bs th a t pa y li ttl e .
Prices o n cam cc n a nd collect p h o ne
ca lls are inOa te d 15% , whi ch pays fo r
a ll ou r weig ht s a nd rec r eatio n , p lus
th e p erks th e co ps ge t. Our denLa l
a nd med ical ca re is a lso no t free. We
pay 5.00 fo r a sick call visit. Our d octors arc mostly quacks who can ' t find
emp loym ent a n yw h ere c l. e . ' Vhe n
we' re see ming ly taking it easy o n the
yard. it' on o ur own time, off from
o ur full-tim e jobs. We drink po llmed
water th at's fu ll o f silk screen ch e mica ls a nd raw cwage (o u r own water
s upply), whil e th e cops are to ld to
brin g th e ir own drinki n g wa te r to
work. \•Vc a re under g un coverage a ll
t h e time , a nd m e n a r c sho t for fis t
fig hts. For life rs in Max, it 's this hum8 PRISON LIFE

I cen a inl )' agree th at th e "drug
war" is a co rr u pt a nd mi sg uid e d
effo rt; howe ver , Mike Levine is an
in ap pro pr ia te s pokes perso n. H e is
m e re ly a fanatical zea lo t who is now
p rosecutin g th e DEA with the sam e
conn ivin g, d ece ptive, m ea n-spirited
aggre ss io n th a t h e em pl oyed _to
wrongfu lly imp ri so n co u ntl ess V I Ctims. i'vli ke Levine is the kind of pe rso n who will co mpl e te ly cha nge his
viewp o int and just as fanatica lly pursue ideas comple te ly o pposed to what
he o rig ina lly e mbraced.
\1\'c need lO coo l the passio ns and
d e m agogu e ry and a ddress th e drug
po li cy in o ur na ti o n with reaso n. If
thin king, reaso nable m e n studie d o u r
national drug po li cy, they wo uld be
fo r ced to co n c lud e th a t p ena l laws
are fa r m ore d e tructivc th a n drugs.
Our na t iona l drug po licy n eeds to
focus o n root cau es a nd edu ca tion.
Th e m e di ca l p r ofessio n s h ou ld
address d r ug abuse is ucs. Th e co ps,
lawyers and judges have sure m ad e a
m es of thi ngs.
.fmy D. Patrhen
A/lom e)' at l.aw

WHY WASTE SPACE
ON RATS?
reall y e njoy PL magazin e, but l
ca n ' t sec g ivin ' up seve n page s lOa
b roken down , lying rat ru ck like "th e
C reek" (Do n a ld Fra nkos). Me n like
J oe Su ll y a nd H e rby _pc rl in g ~re
inspirations to the convJcL. Me n hke
th e m a re true lege nds. They deserve
se,·cn page . 1 ot n o punk, fre e h o le
like th e C reek.
Yo u still got a fe w good m e n le ft
be hind th ese wa lls. These arc th e
m e n wh o h o uld be vo ic in g th e ir
o pini o ns. T hese yo ung g un s comin '
in m ig ht ge t a liul e ins ig ht about
bei n g a man from th e m. All we have
in he re is o u r wo rd a nd o u r d ignity,
and th e m two things will ca rry yo u far

in li fe. Your mag is enjoyab le but
kee p it r e al. I n tim e yo ur mag wil l
have an impact o n the penal syste m,
but what ki nd o f impact it will have
wi ll depend o n you a nd yo u r sta ff and
what you 're gonn a print o r not.
Mih P)' "llu• boxpr" Liguo1i
Southport Conutio11al Facilil)'

TSK,TSK
Pl ease r e m ove m y n a m e from
your maili ng list.
Wh en I fi rs t r ece ived th e magaz in e, l t h oug h t it mig ht be good ,
b ecause I wor k with inma t es on
Sundays a nd Tuesd ays eac h week. I
was really surprised and disappoi nte d
at the language in the m agazine. Yes,
I kn ow wor e th an that goes on, b ut
why add to it?
Pastor Marcos
Thru Rivers, TX

LUCASVILLE: PROS & CONS
J ust wan ted 1.0 wr ite a nd t ha n k
you a nd a ll the b ros a nd s isters at PL
for publis hing my narrative, "11 Days
Under Siege" in you r O cto ber issue.
As I write this, I' m siLting in the
Ho le- n ot a by-product of the n arrat ive. It see m s one o f t h e g u a rd s
thought I sa id "Fu ck You " wh e n he
d ema n ded we a ll roll in . Swears h e
h ea rd m e say it, so ... 1o big deal. I
need e d the time to catch up o n som e
letters. Enough o n th at.
I was thinking maybe your team
cou ld put together a piece about th e
se ri ous c h anges tha t n ee d to take
place in s id e t he j o int to p r eve nt
sieges. O ne of the pri mary causes of
the Luke riot was forced inte rracial
ce ili ng. I' m ta lking about "fo rced. " If
two people o f d ive rse cul tu res want to
cell with each o th er, th en cool. If they
d on' t, the n why wo uld the prisoncrats
try to fo r ce th e m to? Pe rhaps it 's
because they need a nd wan t the di fferent cul tures to b e a t o dd s. Th e
auth or i ties wo uld rat h e r h ave u s
lighti ng amo ng o urse lves than combining ou r thoughts a nd su·cng ths.
Let' be rea listi c! Th e pri on system is already integra ted and the priso ncrat knows full well that different
religious a nd cu ltura l be liefs do n o t
ge t a lo n g very well in id e the wire.
Shi t , t h ey d o n ' t ou ts id e th e wir e
eithe r ! It ta kes a com p lete id io t to
think that rac ia l h a rmon y ca n exist
withi n the p ri son system , a nd that a ll

it needs is a forcefu l discipli narian to
bring it all home.
Un fortunately, Lu ke was a prison
with one of those complete idio ts at
the h elm. H e created m any policies
designed to keep te nsion high a mo ng
th e diffe re nt e thni c g ro up s, but h e
keyed o n the white a nd blac k brothe rs. Of course, h e and his administration will be added to th e evergrowing
list o f disciplinarians who tried to tear
a new ass in a "beast" whose will they
th ough t they h ad crush ed , only to d iscove r t h e b e ast had re ta ined its
stre n gth , its will a nd all of its tee th,
whi ch it promptly used to chew each
of them a brand new ass.
During the Luke siege, wh ites
and blacks united and became a vel)'
powerful voice th at was heard na tionwide. T hey had been p ush ed , beaten ,
locked down , lied to and den ied this
o r that unti l they looked at eac h
othe r and said, 'This is be ing d one to
eac h of us by an e ntity that hates us.
V·l e n eed to lay our haLred to the side
and focus fou r eyes o n t he true
e ne my instead of two. "
Of cou rse, Luke prisoners caused
viole n ce a nd bloodsh ed , but o nly
afte r suffer ing mu c h o f the sa m e
th emselves.
Wh at I advocate is exposing the
real d eal, bros. Look d eep ly for the
tru e m otive, expose it, and wo rk
toge ther to remove it.
Paul Mubyan
Mansfield Conectional Facilit)'

exposed to the public in ways society
wil l u n d e rstan d ou r dil e mmas a nd
ou r reaso ns for ac tio n. Docs society
wish to read we ll-writte n elra ma from
fakes, or does it want th e truth ?
l\lfichael Lee Wood
Lucasville, Ohio

HOLD YOUR HEAD UP
I picked up the Oc tober issue of
Prison Life, the first time I ever seen it.
I think it's excelle nt. I read it co mple te ly, a nd there a re a lot of th ings I
wou ld like to get off my ch est.
I wou ld like to comme nt on your
Ma il Call. It was good to see the narrow-mind ed views of so m e o f th e
50,000 m e mb e rs of th e Am e ri ca n
Correc tional Association, altho ug h I
d o n ' t see myse lf as a crimina l paras ite, a nd I ce rta inl y d o n ' t see any
prosec utors o r judges as kni g hts in
shinin g a rmor. I d o see th e grea t
inj u s t ice so me p e op l e h ave to
endure, a nd after being ha nd cuffed
and beate n down , and thrown in to a
dark hole an d fed ba lls of food that
you have to feel a round to eat, a nd all
th e other little gam es some of th e

would do upon release.
Well, to some people it wou ld n ' t
be too exciting. I just want to spend a
d ay with my kids, maybe go to the
park a nd have a picnic lunch or see a
movie, feel the hugs and hear "I love
you " from someone who really cares. I
just can' t sta nd all th e h atre d that
pours ou t of t h e a rticl es t h at these
hig h -h o n c h o p r oba t ion office rs ,
priso n offi cials a nd ward ens wa n t to
demonsu·ate.
I have never had a gun o r drug
charge, and I would have beat th is one
if the prosecutor played fair. I j ust want
to say to all the other people doing
time: "Hold your head up a nd never
give up, that's right, I said people!"
Robert Lambert
Oxford, WI

bitte r, you m ight ask me
wh at the firs t
thin g
I

I am profoundly disappointed
in yo ur post-ri ot art ic le o n
Lucasville . I guess I \·vas assumi ng
yo ur fo llow-up wo uld contribute
some positi ve ideas and eve n more
knowl e d ge of what goes on h ere
ra the r than the well-writte n "stOI)'"
fictio n a lized by a p riso n e r . I
gave th e mag to seve ra l
priso n e rs. who we re
" . t!ilb~..,...- ,o
there du nng th e
f}lfiY6~
~n
ri o t, and I can
~'"' ~
11c~.p< ~
ass ur e yo ~ even
,~.. ~;.,. 'l~: \P- #
th ey a re d 1sgu ste d
11• o-~#'
with th e articl e.
~o''
For o n e, this g uy
[Muh)'an] was only writing wh at h e h eard
because he was more a victim than anyth ing else, and
two, since he was over the re,
he sho uld be convict enough
to kee p his m ou th shut! Even
th e small deta ils h e gave o ut
mig h t lead the police in so m eo ne's direction.
We as convicts aren't looki ng
fo r good "sto ri es" but fac ts

PRISON LIFE

9

Guest Editorials
HIGHER EDUCATION IN PRISON
Education and
Gun Towers
by A. J alil Bottom
Shawangunk C.F

0

o n e cla y b e paro le d and r e turn to
th e ir communities. (As of this writing,
th e r e arc m o re th an three mi llio n
peop le on parole and/ or probation.)
It is d ifficu lt to be lieve tha t th e public
a dvoca tes re leasing me n a nd women
from priso n witho ut havin g had the
o pportunity for re habili tation.
Refe rring to th e wi thdrawa l o f
Pe ll Gra nts for th e incarce t·ated , former Chic f.Juslice of th e U.S. Supreme
Court, vVarren Burger, Stated:
"We must acce pt the reali ty that
to co nfin e offe nde rs be hind wa lls
withou t lll'ing to cha nge th e m is a n
expe nsive approach with short-term
benefi ts-a win ning of banles whil e
losing th e war. "
Ind eed , the an nu a l average cost
of in carce ration is abo ut $25,000 per
priso n e r, a nd th e cost of b uild ing a
n ew cell is abo ut $90,000. Co mpare
th ese fig ures to the costs of e d ucating

n Jun e 4, 1994, with a frown
o n my face, I slowly m oved
through th e processio n lin e
to be confe rre d two d egrees, a bachelor o f scie n ce in psyc h o logy and a
bac h e lor of arts in ocio logy from
SU 1 Y- ew Pa ltz. Wh en th e De pt.
Superinte nden t o f Programs h e re at
Shawan g unk Co rrectio n a l Fac ili ty
sh ook my h and to co ng ra lllla te me,
he said, "Sm ile, you fin a lly made it. "
Hi s st ate m ent mad e me laug h .
"Whateve r I made," I thought, "may
take yea rs before I can acwally apply,
and for many oth e r prisone rs, th e re
may n eve r be a c ha n ce to sta n d in
this li ne ."
These tho ug h ts ra n thro ug h my
mind as I conte mpla ted tht: statistics
showing that more yo un g black men
go to prison than e nroll in college. In
1990, 2,280,000 blac k men were jailed
or impriso ne d at so me po in t, wh ile
only 23,000 earned a college degree.
T hat's a ratio of 99 to J . For wh ite
me n , the ratio o f p risoners to g radua tes was 6 to 1, wi th 2,4 12,000 loc ked
up a t t he sa me tim e in 199 0 and
41 3,000 earning a bache lor 's d egree.
Until rece ntl y, prison and ed ucation were no t mutually exclusive. But a prison e r: O n e Pe l! Gra nt of less
now th a t th e newly passed crime bill than SI ,300 pa id for boo ks, tuition
has take n away th e Pc ll Gra nts t hat and re lated fees.
Most priso ne rs e nte r priso n with
e nabl ed p ri son e rs to earn a college
few
ma rketable ski lls o r work experied ucatio n , th e co nce pt th at priso n
can be a p lace fo r me n and wom e n to e nce; 75% lac k a hig h school d iplog row into bc u er human be ings di ed ma. Th e m~o ri ty of me n and women
ca ugh t in th e sn ares o f th e crimina l
as well.
The maj or ity of th ose who justi ce sys te m a rc m e mbe rs o f th e
espouse the "lock 'em up and throw und c rclass, th e poo r and the dise naway the key" concept be lieve on ly in fra nc hi eel. Many of the m are locked
retribution with no re formatio n. This o ut of ma in tream society from birth ,
is unfo rtun ate. T oday, Ameri ca incar- born a th ey a rc into poverty with litcerates nearly J .5 millio n citizens, and tle c h ance to ri se ou t of it. Eith e r
the growing trend to imprison rathe r priso n or ea rly d eath beco mes the ir
than to sec k a lte rnatives to priso n lot in life.
Mea nwh ile, co unt less s tudi es
renect a co llec ti ve, societal assumpshow
that edu cation and j ob u·aining
tion that no o ne be hind bars is worth
saving or is capable of changing . For reduce recidivism and lead ma ny exthe most part, th e publi c d oes not rec- offe nd e r s Lo ga in fu l e mpl o ym e nt.
ognize that 90% o f a ll priso ne rs will H e n ce, t h e Pe lf G r an ts we r e an
Io

PRISON LIFE

i n va luab le service t o th e pub li c
because they e nsured that those p risoners who wan ted to change had a n
o pp o nunity to d o so. P e l! G ran ts
se rved to brea k th e cycle o f c rim e
because t h ey p rovid e d ex-co n s th e
best chance to live in society without
having to victim ize oth er citize ns for
the ir own survival.
I n fact, th e U.S. Labo r a nd
Commerce De partm en t s r ece ntl y
issued a joint re po rt on the nation 's
work force that fou nd that th ere is a
"large, gro\\~ng populatio n for who m
illegal activity is more attractive tha n
legitimate work" clue to th e a bysma l
job ma rket. Co mm en tin g o n t h e
report, Labor Secretary Robe rt Reich
warned th at "a socie ty divided between
have 's an d the have-not's or the welled u cated and th e poo r ly-educa te d
cannot be stable ove r lime."
I n a dditi o n , the Al te r nat ive
Sch ools Ne twork, a priva te organization tha t supports schools and learning centers in Ch icago, co mpi le d a
co mprehensive repo rt in 1990 ill ustrating the di sastr ous co rr e lat io n
be twee n high schoo l dro po u ts "wh o
ar e poor and have limited job opporlllni ties" and the vio lent crim e that
h as a substa n tia l segment o f society
te rrifi ed. Since 1973, th e income o f
dropou ts h as d eclined 37%, "leaving
th e m very few legitimate ways to earn
a living and very li ttle hope of e ve r
growing up with a dece nt paying j ob
and th e ab ility to marry and ra ise a
family." T he report also aptly states:
"Over the last 25 years the U.S. has
sp e n t m ore th a n $8 00 b illi on for
po lice, co urts a nd p ri so n s to stop
c r im e. Yet we fee l less safe in o ur
homes a nd on th e j ob than ever. "
The problem is, the n, not too few
p risons or laws that are too soft, bu t
the willingness to create and fund th e
necessary programs th at ca n t rain
and e ducate at-risk vouth for meaningful work.
'
For six years I was pro hibite d
fro m aue ndi n g co llege. Pr ison
ad min ist rato r s c la im e d tha t m y
atten d ing sch ool would be a security
ri sk. On e su perinte n de nt to ld my
lawye r I was a lready too intell ige n t

and did n ' t need to go to college. It
took a la ws uit a nd a tra n s fe r to
a noth e r prison be fo re I was able to
e mb a rk o n th e jo urn ey of hi g h e r
educati o n . I was tra nsfe rred to th ree
diffe re nt prisons be fo re grad uating.
Whe n thinking a bo ut the d)'l1amics o f ed u ca tio n a nd prison , specifically th e obstacles in the path of the
prisone r seeking kno wled ge, I appreciate th a t much more the e ffo rts of
those prison ers who had th e te nac ity
to earn a college d egree be hind ba rs.
It certa inly wasn ' t easy. Now, it's virtually impossible.
fl . j alil Bottom is a political fJrisoner
and former member of the Blacli Pan/her
Pm·ty/ Blacli L iberation finny . H e has
been in jJrison fo r n ea1"ly 23 years, and
has earned bachelor degrees in sociology
and psychology. He is fJresenlly held captive at Shawangunlt Coneclional Facility
in Wall/dll, N. Y. # 12589.

The Crime of
Education
byJon Marc Taylor
Jefferson City C.F.
n Apri l 19, 1994 I "celebra te d " my a nn ive rsary. On th a t
clay I had been locked up fo r
14 years. I h ad su rvived a nd eve n
g rown stro nger in th e c ruc ible of the
keep (as good as a ny reaso n to celebra te) , but afte r wa t ch in g BC'
"Da te line " th a t eve ning , I fear e d I
h ad o utlived the best cha nce a ny excon has o f ma king it o nce he hi ts the
bricks again.
Th e "D a t e lin e " seg m e nt was
re poning on legisla tio n to bar prisone rs fro m receiving Pe ll Grants. With
growing dism ay, I wa tched the piece
unfo ld , o n ly to realize th e produce rs
had appa re ntly based the ir story o n
the hi g hly bi ase d ne ws pa pe r se ri es
fro m las t O cto be r 's Po ttstown , PA,
M ercu1y. Pe rh aps I sh o uld not h ave
b ee n surprised a t s u c h di sto rti o n.
Afte r all, this was a SlOIJ' abo u t crime
a nd punishme nt, and it was co,·e red
by the same media that h ad increased
its reporting of viole nt crime by 300%
in the previous year, while per ca pita
viole nt c rime had actually reac he d its
lowest level since I 973.
From th e beginnin g, th e sto r y
cited inflamma tory numbe rs witho ut
any context, provide d no humanistic
comparison be twee n imprisoned stu-

O

d e nts and tradi tio n al o nes, and o nl y
vagu e ly hi n te d a t th e pos itive o utco me th a t priso n co llege progra ms
provide society, a ll the while suggestin g th a t a c rim e o f e du ca ti o n was
occurring at th e exp en e of J oe and
J a ne College . Su ch slo ppy re po ning
h as a ll too sad ly b eco m e n o t t h e
excep tio n but rath e r th e rule amo ng
n ews cove rage o n c ri m in a l ju stice
issues.
In th e first fe w min u tes of th e
segm e nt, for example , we learn that
27,000 p ri so n e r-stud e nts r ece i,·e d
so m e 35 milli on wo rth of P e l!
Gra n ts. vVh a t we we re no t told was
tha t 4.3 millio n gra nts totaling $6.3
billion we re awa rd ed the sam e year,
o r abou t o ne-ha lf of o ne pe rcent of
all Pe ll Grants we nt to priso ne rs. Nor
were th e nu mbe rs placed in the contex t th a t ove r o n e-q ua rte r of th e
na tio n 's 14 millio n co llege slllde nts
rece ive d th ese ( impli e d ) scarc e
g ra nts, thu s m a kin g th e Pe ll Gra nt
progra m numerically a nd fin an cia lly
by fa r th e sin gle la rgest g ra nt pro-

g ra m in the na tio n.
The a udie nce was a lso told tha t
h a lf o f th ose wh o app l)' for th ese
g r a nts a r e d en ie d a ss is ta nc e, and
because of priso ne rs' lack o f income
th e n e e d-b ase d fo rmul a unfairly
a wa rd s th e m fundin g ove r m o r e
d ese rv in g s LUcl e nts. W h a t was n o t
e xpla ine d was that those lllrnecl away
g ene r a ll y ca m e from fa mili es with
in co m es a bove the Co ng r essiona ll y
se t $42,000 limit, whil e 70% of a ll
g ra nts we re g ive n to stude nts fro m
fam il ies with in co m e s b e lo w th e
$ 15,000 threshold. Add itio n a lly, the
compa ra tive fi g u res o f th e ave rage
priso ne r wage o f 56 ce nts a n ho ur,
a n d tha t 71% o f th e co untry's co nvic ts ea rn e d le ·s th a n I 5,000 th e
year prior to th e ir incarce ra tio n, was
n o t provided fo r pe rspective. U nder
such circumsta nces, priso ne rs canno t
"work their way" thro ug h school, a nd
surviving o n th e stree t nea r o r eve n
b e low th e pove rty lin e , th ey wo uld
have qua lifi e d fo r th e sa me e du ca(continued on nextjHtge)
PRISON LIFE

11

Guest Editorials
(continued from previous page)
t.i onal as ista nce anyway.
In wha t I fe lt was th e most glaring
o mi ssio n of th e segm ent, n othing
abo ut reduced recidivism rates as a
result of ed ucation was me n tio ned.
Since the '70s, numerous LUdies have
shown tha t recidivism is fa r less likely
among educated priso ners. In 1993,
the Federal Bureau of Pri on re poned a 40% rec id i,~sm rate for all federal parolees while among college graduates the rate was only 5%.
Pri so ne rs th e mselves kn ow we ll
th e va lue of an e ducati o n , eve n if
they haven't avai led th e mse lves o r
bee n able to ava il the mselves of the
opponunity. A pri ·o ne r-sLUdent study
revealed that 96% believed a pet·son 's
behavio r ca n change for the better
thro ugh prope r education, a nd most
said th ey would prefe r a beLLcr education program over a better rec reationa l faci lity. Nine o ut of te n di sagreed that prison is the same wi th or
without ed u ca ti o n , a n d a n overwhelmi ng majority believed tha t witho ut educa tion , incarceration o nl y
increases their ange r, frustration and
aggressio n . Finall)', ove r 80% of the
co ns wish ed th ey h ad had th e sa me
opportun ity before incarce ra tion,
and education in the joint h ad provided them with what was missing in
their lives.

r

/1

Prison Life Mission
Statement on Edu catio n

Only th e mo t determ ined pt·isoners, those who b ecome obsessed
with getting some on of train ing or
education while they are incarcerated , have a ny hope for transcending
th eir e n viro nment an d cha ngin g
th eir lives. The numbe r one cause
of crime in Ame rica is ill iteracy. If
yo u ca n 't r ead o r write, yo ur
chances of finding a job are slim. If
you 're poor and from the in ner city,
th en crime and c riminal activityparticularly the illegal drug tradeoffer almost tJ1e o nly job o pportunit.ies a round.

12

PRISON LIFE

Considering th e cost of $25,000 a
yea r to inca rce ra te a n offe nde r, th e
bi lli ons spe nt o n cell const ruction
a nd a nat.ional recidivism rate of 50 to
70%, the re wrn o n investme nt that
society receives fo r educating prisone rs strikes me as economi cally so und.
The ave rage prison college graduate
earns a skill-related a sociate's degree
a t a cost of $3,000. This is a little over
10% of the cost of j ust o n e yea r of
imprisonment. The savings related to
increased peace of mind a nd quality
of life, as we ll as the costs that society
incurs wh en j ust on e offe nder breaks
the cycle o r criminalizat.ion, victimizati on a nd reincarceration, the rewrn
on investment of th e relatively inexpensive Pell Gran ts was phe nome nal!
The day after tJ1e "Da teline" segment, the H ouse overw h e lming ly
voted to expel prisone rs fro m th e Pell
Grant program. The Senate had done
t h e sa me th e previo us Nove mb e r.
Both spo nsors of the legislation said
they were not agai nst prisoners ea rning college ed ucations, but tha t Pell
Gra n ts were a n inappropriate way to
finance tJ1 em. Yet nowhere in th e 30
billio n crime bill is tJ1 ere a penny to
replace prisone r Pell Gran t fin ancing.
With o ut Pe ll Grant access o r so me
substitute funding, th e c hance fo r a
prisoner to ea rn a d egree will essentially no lo nger exist in Ame ri ca.
Thus, ironically and perh aps hyp-

It 's th a t sim p le. Me n an d
wome n with no educa tion an d no
money a re much more a pt to commit crimes than those with even a
high school diploma and a weekly
pay ch eck. They are likely to spend
th e money tJ1ey do make by commitling crimes on drugs and alcohol to
ease the pain of their wretched lives.
O nce those people go to prison and
ad d the stig ma of ex-con to their
resume, th eir ch a nces fo r becoming
em ployed , law-abiding, tax-payi ng
citizens arc drastically reduced.
If Americans really wa nt to do
some thing about crime in thi country, th e n we must transform our
priso n a n d j a il s into ce nte rs for

ocritically in crime bills that are su pposed to fight crime, the most effecti ve a n ti-recidivism (i.e. a n ti-crime)
measu re has bee n discounted. States
already spe nd less than 5 % of their
co rrectio nal budgets o n all forms of
offender treatment, including educatio n. With the "truth in entencing"
provisions in the crime bill, which will
result in explosive priso n growth, the
possibility that states will be able to
finance education beyo nd their curr ent pal try contributions has been
ex ti nguished. And mo re poorly educa ted, untra ine d o ffe n d e rs wi ll be
released back into society.
We had the c h ance to p ay for
rehabilitation; now it looks like we' ll
have to pay much more later.
This essay is a n expanded version
of an Op-Ed p iece published in The
New Yorh Times by J on Marc Taylor in
Augus t, 1994. It was su bseq ue ntl y
read by Senato r Paul Simon into the
Congressional Record-Senate during the
debate over Pell Grants for prisoners.

j on M.arc Taylor, a prisone1· in
Missowi, won a Rober/ F. Kennedy joU1~
nalism award last )'em·. He has receivf'd
numerous other writing awmrls and has
been jJublished in 11f'1JJSjJajJers, magazines,
joumals and boo/is.

lea rni ng a nd resto ration, colleges
and vocationa l train ing sc h ools
instead of hum a n ware houses and
breeding grounds for Cl;me and viole nce.
The editors of Prison Life magazine are commi ued to helping priso ners make constructive c ha nges in
their lives t hrough ed uca tion a nd
crea t.ive expressio n. The purpose of
th is magazine is to educate p risoners an d t h e publi c, to s timulate
thought an d positive action and to
give America's incarcerated a forum
where tJ1 ey can voice their concerns,
their ideas and tJ1eir hopes.

SUPPORT
THE VOICE
OF THE
CONVICT.

Name

DENCLOSED IS $19.95

Number - - - - - - - - -- -Institution _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Address

------------

Ci ty
State

Zip Code

Mail To:
Prison Life Magazine
505 8th Avenue, 14th Floor
New York, NY 1001 8

Mail Call
(continued from page 9)

PAPA PRAISE

the wifeys really have a misco nception
about priso n li fe. My wife do esn ' t
h ave th e slig htest idea wha t goes on
in h e re, but by reading your magazine, it puts he r a t ease, a nd she h as a
more positive attitude abou t p rison.
Sh e's not so worried anymore.
Si n ce I 've di scovered PL, I've
passed it on. T wo of my cellies want
to s ubscribe. Two thumbs u p fo r
Prison Life magazin e.

I received the October issue and
spe nt th e wee ke nd reading all of it.
From "Common Ground" to "Prison
Uprisin gs" to "The Metamorphosis of
Mi c h ae l Levin e" to "Are You an
Inmate or a Co nvict?" (I've qui zzed
IF JESUS WERE HERE . ..
seve ral fellow co ns alread y) a re al l
well-writte n, informative pieces with
I am reading my second issue of
Prison Life a nd would like to respond
stories tha t need to be told. Touche!
My favorite article was "Po rtrait of to the J a m es A. Summ e rlin le tter
a n Artist Be hind Bars." Besides the h eaded "Eye for an Eye ." Mr.
co nte nt a nd th e co mp e llin g sto ry Summerlin was very critical of your
to ld, you mad e a fine effort in catch- magazine a nd stated tha t h e found
ing the mo re e phemeral in tangibles the mate rial "offensive." In the midof th e su·uggle individuals in the keep dle of his castigation o f your product,
experie n ce. Throughout the piece, I h e states that he is a p ro ba tion / pake pt nodding my head as l identified r o le officer a nd a C hristi a n. That
with experie n ces, emo tions and even caught my attention.
bureaucratically maddening actions
I am a director of a rural probalike th e withhe ld ribbon (my MA tion d epartment in Texas. I am also a
diplo ma was with he ld a nd then lost C hristia n because I h ave acce pted
by the I -DOC). Good work in pe r- J esus Christ as my Lord a nd Savior.
so n alizin g o n e man 's struggle that The ma te rial in your magazine does
exe mplifi es a ll of ou r e fforts to h ave a n initial shock value that ma ny
ex press a nd find ou r humanity so wou ld find offe nsive. H oweve r, if a
twisted by life a nd repressed by th e p e rson ta kes th e tim e to read th e
system that e ntombs us.
ma te rial obj ectively, he/she wi ll find
j on Marc Taylor great depth of feeling a nd sincerity.
Jefferson City, MO
I was pa rti cularly moved when I
read "Common Ground " by Richard
GOOD FOR THE WIFEYS
Stratto n. His revelation that value can
I've been in M.C.C. ew York for b e fou n d in a ll m e n an d wome n
abo ut four months now. It's my first regardless of race or backgro und is
bid. I was n eve r really in to reading th e very essence of what J esus Christ
du e to compre h ension p ro ble ms. I came to Earth to teach us. I wish that
cou ld read a whole p age an d not more officers with in this syste m could
re me mbe r a thing, u n til my celly gave learn to look a t offende rs as un ique
me a copy o f your magazine. Once I creations of God and guide th em to a
picked it up I couldn't put it down. I vision of what t h ey ca n beco m e,
n eve r r eall y e nj oyed r eading a n y- ra t.he r tha n sentencing th e m to a life
thing, but I e njoyed r ead ing Prison marked by wh at they have been.
If J esus C hrist were he re in perLife.
son,
I know he would want to visit you
I told the wifey abo ut it a nd she
loved th e idea. I tho ught it would be and th ose wh o are incarcera ted. His
great for both of us to read b ecause "self-rig hteous" conte mporaries criticized him harshly and ofte n for asso-

cia t.ing with ocial outca ts.
Mter reading the October i sue, I
am convinced that the prima ry goal
of you r magaz in e is to encourage
readers to develop a posit.ive visio n of
th e mselves a n d thei r fu tu re. If the
words of wisdo m in Proverbs a rc true,
the n you are working toward th e goal
th e whole system sho uld ad opt. Your
intent is further established by reviewing the advertisers. More than 70% o f
the adve rtise ments in the October
issue were for educatio n, h ealth o r
legal ass istance. I see this as a ve ry
posi tive e ndo rsement.
I a m going to con tinue to read
yo ur magazine an d e n courage my
staff to read it because I find it to be
o f in terest and val ue.
I salute your eiTort to exp ress how
prison life rea lly is and how priso ne rs
fee l abou t is uc in crim inal j ustice.
Maybe what offe nds Mr. Summe rlin,
and othe r detractors, mo re th an the
vu lga ri ty is th e brutal honesty your
co n tr ibutors e xpound. Fro m m y
point of view, your contributo rs a re
e ithe r maner or more honest than
the leade rs in the fie ld of crimin al
ju stice. I say thi s because many of
yo ur articles te nd to expose wh at I
feel is t.he key issue in criminal j ustice
today: Crime is big b usiness fo r the
governm ent a nd o ur present system
d oes mo r e to p r o mo te c r i min a l
behavior than to correct it.
I have e nclosed this dcparunent's
check for a o ne-year subscri ption. I wi ll
read it and make it availa ble to my probation officers. I hope that it will help
th e m be tter un d e rsta nd th e people
they are working with and fo r. Also, I
a m g lad you ' re providing priso n e rs
with th e opportunity to express t.heir
creativeness. After over 20 years in tJ1 is
b u siness, I am still amazed at the
u·emendous raw potential we lock up.
Bill A. Coleman, Director
286thjudicial District
Community SujJemision &
CorrPrtions Dept.
Lrot'lland, TX

FAN MAIL
Fascists!
T his is wh a t T thi n k of what
you a rc! Just Ral Pigs! And all connected with you.
R.joe Kidd
FoLwm P1ison, 18 yenrs in

Uh, tlwnhs MT. Kicill. T hat's
quite a uice jJirturP you drew for us.
Did you draw it all yourselfl
-tlw so-railed Fasrist-Rat-Pigs

14

PRISON LIFE

Callouts
HEART TO HEART
It's the o nly singles magazine for prisoneJ-s: for 15, you can n m an ad with a
ph~to__ For "camera shy guys~" it's only $5. For customers outside pri on walls, a subSCI ~ p u01~ to ffpa ~1 to //('(ttl will run you $15/ year. T he Troy, Ml-based quarterly fea~<.ues pnsone rs lr<:>m a rou~d t.he counUJ' looking for pen pals, friendship or a signi fIcant oth ers. For mformauon, con tact: f-lell rt to H eart, Box 1858, Troy, MI 48099.

SERVICES FOR
PRISONERS

'

,';\
\

.

r

' .\II

~~

BUILDING CARS
BEHIND BARS
After a fo ur-da y riot in '68,
Oregon Stale Prison d ecided to
act o n pri o n e rs' req u es ts for
so me thin g o th e r th a n run-ofthe-mill programs. Officials challenged pri o n ers to co me up
with worthwhil e projec ts to
prove that th ey could acce pt
res po nsibility. Sin ce the n, the
Highwaller , th e only professional pri so n ra cing team in the
U.S., has built a nd maintained
two racing cars, one for a dirt
track a nd o n e for asp h a lt.
Although th e drivers and the pit
crew are always freeworlders, the
cons do all th e bodywork a nd repairs
on th e cars, sometimes wo rking 14
hours ada)' dming racing season.
No public mon ey goes into the
team. lndivictnals donate $20 a year
to have their names painted on the
car's side, and occas ional prize
mon ey ma kes up the res t of th e
te~m 's lean budget. Auto motive supph e rs, ~rom Good)•ea r Tire to top
na m es 111 the au to business contribute so me pans. Thei r m~tto is:
"We strive to survive." And, as o ne
con noted , "T here's nothing be tte r
th a n sendin g o u r cars ou t to run
against high-doll ar tea ms a nd kicking their butts!"

marketable skills, subsidized o n-th ej ob training and work ex pe rie nce fo r
th ose n ot ye t ready fo r co mpe titive
California
em
ployme n t. Counse lo rs a re ava ilPrison Low Office Con tact: Donald
Specter, Genera l De l ivery, Sa n a b le to guide ex-offe nders through
Que n tin, CA 94964. (214) 457-9 144. the rein tegnuion period. All se rvices
Pmvides d irect lega l ass istance for a re free or charge.
proble ms encoun tered by CA pris- Texas
oners, excluding attacks o n c rimi- OPEN, !NC.-OJ!mder Preparation and
nal co nvictions. Focus is o n condi- Edumtion Network, Inc. Contact led
Rollo, Executive Di rector, P.O. Box
tions of confinement.
566025
, Dallas, TX 75356-6025.
New York
South Forty CotjJoralion, 500 8 th (214) 271-197 1. Develops educationAve. Suite 1203, ew Yor k, Y al mater-ials for o iTende rs, their fami1001 8. (212) 563-2288. NY's on ly lies a n d c rimin a l justi ce age n cies.
Goal is to help offenders make a suc~ge n cy devoted exclusive ly to helpcessful
re turn to socie ty. Materials
mg ex-offe nd e rs find j obs. Car ee r
fo r purc h ase cover issu es
ava
ilable
Deve lop me nt Prog r am provid es
direct j ob place me nt for th ose with f~om e mployme nt to release pre parauon. Wlite fo r price list.

FOSTER CARE
HANDBOOK
Pare nts: Protect yo ur legal righ ts
a n d carry out yo u r respo nsibilities
with the Foste r Care Ha ndbook fo r
In ca rce ra ted Pare nts. Writte n by
Y's Bedfo rd Hills
m o th e r s a t
Correctional Facility, with help from
fami ly law experts, it discusses laws,
r~g ul a ti o n s an d po licies; vis itin g
n g hts; vo luntaq' a nd court-o rdered
placement of c hi ldre n in foster care·
pare n ts' legal rights and alternative~
to foste r care. Also includes samp le
letters to caseworkers, attorneys and
Fami ly Co urt. Suggested d o n a tion:
SI 0. Contact Chi ldre n 's Center, P.O.
Box 803, Bedford Hills, !Y 10507.

Rud y Padilla of the
H o urg lass Ga l le r y in
Albuquerque, M recently
submiu ed 14 pa1ios to the
1 at io n a l
Museum
of
Ameri can History of th e
Smithsonian Institute. The
pa1io collection will be pan
of a traveling ex hibit of
Pano An e to begin in 1995.
Pa 1io, or handkerchief,
a r1 is prin cipally clo n e by
~o ~thwest Ch!ca no prisoners using
li mited matenals, such as ball poin t
pens and home mad e dyes.
For more info, con tact Rudy
Padilla a t the Ho m glass Galle!]', I 021
Isleta Blvd SW,
Albuquerque,
•M 87 105.

PRISON LIFE

t5

Block Beat
NEWSTATS

GANGS BUSTED BY RICO

The number o f people in America's prisons to ppe d
one million for th e first time, a ccording lOa recem repo n
from the justi ce De pa rtm ent. On J une 30, 1994, th e re
were 1,0 12,85 1 me n and women in state and federal prisons. Th e co untry's pri son po pulation gre w by n earl y
40,000 prisone rs in th e first six momhs of this year, equ ivalem lO I ,500 new prisoners a week. Th is figure does not
include priso ne rs in local jai ls. The last time th ey we re
co umed, 445,000 pe ople were in local j ails.
T he number of p ri so ne rs has soared in comparison
with the nation's population over two decades, th e survey
sa id . In Jun e, there we re 37 3
p e o pl e i n prison for ever y
1 00 , 000 U .S. r e s id e nts- a
r eco rd. I n 198 0 , 139 p e o pl e
were in ca r c e rated fo r e ve r y
100,000 rcside nL'i .
Th e in c re a se in prison e rs
has made the . . second in the
wo rld , b e hind Ru ssia, wh e n it
co m es to in c arce rat io n ra te .
Cou nti ng people bo th in prisons
a nd those awaiting tria l or servin g sh on se nte n c e s for m isdem eanors in local jails, th e U.S.
h as a n incarce ra tio n rate more
than 4 t i mes t h at o r Ca n ada ,
mor e tha n 5 t im e s that o f
E n g lan d and Wal es, a nd 14
times th a t ofJ apan.
I n carce ratio n rate s in th e
U.S. arc high e r than in man y
co un trie s because of the higher
nlles o f vi o le nt c r im e h e r e ,
expe rL'i said.
ThP Nnu Yorh Times

Th e Go ve rnme nt is wrning to fed eral racke teering
laws to attack stree t gangs in cities natio nwid e. In 1994,
th e Gove rnme nt indi cte d me mbe rs o f abo ut two doze n
gan gs around th e co untry us in g RI C O , th e Fe d e ra l
Ra cke te er ln nuence d a nd Co r rupt Orga n izati o ns Ac t,
enacted in 1970 to fig ht the mob.
RI CO has proven to be a mo re pote nt weapo n against
entrenche d gangs than the state laws u·aditio nally used to
fig ht street c rime. U nl ike state laws, which are desig ne d
mostly for addressing ind ividual crimes, the R1 CO law pe rmi ts p rose cutio n o r gang members for be in g part o f an
ente rprise tha t commi ts a series of
crimes. A racketeering conviction
involving murder carries a life sente nce withou t parole . Under the
new federal a nti-crime legislatio n,
som e o f th ose co n victio ns wi ll
can)' a possible death sentence.
Also un like state courts, fede ra l co urts pe rmit wid e u sc o f
un co rro bo rated testim o ny fro m
a ccompl ices, whi c h is o ft e n
esse n tia l in prov ing a c riminal
conspiracy. And prosecu to rs say
it' s e a sie r to have a defe ndant
he ld in p r iso n wit h o ut bail
before a trial in the fed e ra l system th an in the sta te syste m.
The New Yorll Tinu's

POP PREFERS PRISON

A 94-ycar-o ld man has gotte n his wish: H e's h eadin g back
to p r iso n . vVes lcy " Po p "
H o n eywood was se nte n ced to
seve n years. He plead ed guilty to
armed assault a nd possessio n of
LESS THAN LETHAL
a firearm by a fe lo n fo r pointing
WEAPONS
a n unl oade d g un a t a ma n who
warned him not to cat th e g rapes
A jo int De partm e nt of
growi ng in the man ' yard.
Justice and Pe n tagon committee
A Cellbloclt at/he Santa Ft' PPII in New J\ilpxico.
Afte r H o ncywood d ocs three
is con side ring manufac turing
Pholo by Manu al Mt1thum.
th e judge sa id , he sho uld be
years,
th e foll o win g "less th an le thal "
re leased to serve fo ur yea rs und e r
weapons:
*Sticky Foam , used in g un s fue led by pressu ri zed ni tro- ho use a rre st. To Honeywood , t.hat bea t the a ltc rnat.ive-a
ge n . The foam fro m the g un s wou ld "g lue " disruptive nursing home.
"If I go to j ail, I may b e o u t in a co upl e o f ye a rs,"
prison ers to fl oor o r wa ll witho u t injlll)'.
ll
o
neywoocl
e xplained . "lf I go to a nursi ng ho me, I may
* Hi gh-po we r e lec tro magne ti c ge n e ra tors th at inte rfere
be the re the rest of my life ."
with brain waves and a lte r be havior.
AssoriatNI PrP.ss
*Low-e ne rgy lasers that can cause te mpo raJ)' bli ndn ess.
*Flicke ri ng o r alte rnating ligh ts that can confuse o r sickMONTANA
e n perpe trators.
A Mo mana priso n official caused a n up roa r by taking
*Gia lll ne ts, fired fro m a g un , wh ich immo bilize people
three wome n prisone t·s o ut to dinn e r a t a seafood restauor ve hicl es with ad hesive o r elecu·ic shock.
David Boyd , head o f the Na ti ona l Institu te ofjusticc , ra nt in Billings, Mo ntana, as a reward fo r good be havio r.
a t·esea rch divisio n o f th e justi ce De partme nt, says th a t On e of th e wo me n was serving a life sente nce fo r mu rde rth e push to develo p such weapo ns as tJ1 ese ste m fro m th e ing he r husband. Hu ndred s of people call ed sta te o ffi ces,
d e mandin g th e o uste r of the o ffic ia l, Mic key Ga mbl e,
Rodn ey King e pisode.
wh o said he used h is o wn money to pay fo r the dinn e r.
Christian SciPncP l\1/onitor
Gamble , ultimate ly, bowed to pressure a nd resig ned.
From: Aaron Collins, Cr\ StolP Prison
Rn iiPn
16

PRISON LIFE

FORGIVE &FORGET
The Rev. Walter Everett has forgiven the man who killed his son seven
years ago. He also helped him get out
of prison early. And in November '94,
he officiated at the man's wedding.
"I had known people whose loved
ones had been murdered, and years
afterward, they still seemed consumed
by the anger and hatred. I didn't want
that to happen to me," said Everett.
Everett's own 34-year marriage of
ended after he forgave Michael
Carlucci for shooting his son to death
in Bridgeport, Cf in 1987.
Carlucci feels redeemed by
Everett's compassion. But like others,
he doesn't fully understand how the
pastor could forgive him. "I have a 13year-old daughter and if anybody hurt
her, I'd probably feel like I have to
hurt him," Carlucci said.
Less than a month into his sentence for manslaughter, Carlucci got
his first letter from Everett.
"He told me that he had forgiven
me for the love of God," Carlucci said.
''Tears were coming down my face. It
made me feel like I wanted to live
again."
After months of exchanging letters, Everett visited Carlucci. Before he
left, the men embraced, and cried.
After Carlucci served his time,
Everett testified for him at his parole
hearing. At a party sponsored by a
recovery program for drug addicts, he
met his future wife. Before proposing
to her last Christmas, Carlucci asked
his friend to officiate at the wedding.
"I wouldn't have it any other
way," Carlucci said. "He's my best
friend."
Associated Press

PLEASE KNOCK!

BIKERS ISLAND: BANGING
BY THE STRINGS
To close the city budget gap, NYC
Mayor _Rudolph Giuliani plans to
make life even worse for Rikers prisoners. Rikers is the world's largest
penal colony-home to 20,000 cons
and 8,000 C.O. 's. The mayor wants to
cut 900 officers and civilian workers.
In the jail for sentenced felons (C76), he plans to eliminate all social
services, including drug treatment, all
counseling and the entire programs
department. Worse yet, he'll reduce
the Grievance Board staff from 27 to
2, rendering it virtually useless.
Prisoners' pay will be cut; it's dead
smack winter and they're talking
about closing the gym. N.Y. DOC also
plans to wipe out The Board of
Corrections, the DOC watchdog.
Ninety-two percent of Rikers prisoners are black and Latino. Seven out
of ten have done time before. Eight
out of 10 are substance abusers. One
in five are HIV positive. Here you
have the most diseased and hard-core
cons in the city, yet the mayor plans
to axe all rehabilitative programs,
social services and the Grievance
Board, things that 43 Attica rioters
died for. If the mayor's plan goes
through in 1995, by February the
headlines will read "Attica All Over."
When the riot breaks out, it'll be
the same old song: minorities killing
minorities. So to the predominantly
black and Latino C.O. 's here, we say
"Watch out-nobody gives two shits
about you either."
The criminals today are worse
than the cowboys of Tombstone who
preyed on Western settlers. These are
some crazy motha-fuckas! If the
mayor sets if off, Attica will look like a
scrimmage compared to the war
about to take place here.
-Mickeni Caldwell & Steven Taylor
Rikers Island

A convict's cell is his castle, a
German court has ruled. The court
says prison guards must knock and
wait to be invited into a convict's cell
ANOTHER CASE OF JUST-OS
at the Giessen prison, north of
Last year, numerous prisoners
Frankfurt. Guards can only enter a
filed
small claims actions for personal
cell without knocking in an emergency, such as if they suspect the pris- property that was damaged or
oner is trying to escape through the destroyed during the April 1993 riot
at S.O.C.F. Lucasville, Ohio. The priswindow, according to the ruling.
The order came after a prisoner oners said officials' actions precipitatcomplained that guards had barged ed the riot: They knew or should have
into his cell unannounced. The court known a riot was imminent, and they
says prisoners have a right to privacy failed to take measures to maintain
and that life behind bars must resem- security.
After an influx of such claims,
ble general living conditions. What a
Court
of Claims Judge Russel Leach
concept.
announced that all prisoner claims
Sun Magazine
From: Lakeland Pen ·arising from the rebellion were without merit, and prison officials would
Coldwater, MI
not be held responsible. All such suits

were then dismissed.
Shortly after, several prison
guards and their families filed suits in
the Court of Claims alleging that
prison officials were at fault for the
riot, that they knew or should have
known that a riot was imminent and
took no steps to prevent it. Guards
and their spouses are seeking an
unspecified amount of damages.
Judge Leach has been silent.
Prison Legal News

FROM ONE CAN TO ANOTHER
A 47-year-old Michigan man was
sentenced to 90 days in jail and three
months' probation for secretly videotaping people who used his bathroom.
Gary G. Newman pleaded no
contest to five of six charges of eavesdropping with an electronic device.
Huron County Prosecutor Leslie A.
Hagan said the videotaping occurred
at Newman's antique shop for about
10 years.
Officials confiscated about 30
videotapes, which they said will be
destroyed, after the sheriff's department received a complaint.
Saginaw News
From: Bob Weess
Charles E. Egeler Correctional Facility

ARIZONA CONS WIN
MEDICAL CASE
A district court judge ruled in
favor of Arizona state prisoners, who
filed a DOC-wide class action suit
alleging inadequate medical and dental treatment. Extensive injunctive
relief was ordered.
In this decision, the court set
forth the legal standard to be used in
reviewing prisoners' 8th amendment
claims regarding the adequacy of
medical care. The court notes that
the denial, delay or intentional interference with medical care shows
deliberate indifference by prison officials. While courts may consider
expert opinions in order to determine constitutional requirements for
medical care, such opinions do not
establish constitutional minimums.
Prison officials can be held liable for
failing to implement a proper mental
health care program or failing to adequately train or supervise their subordinates in medical care positions. See:
Case v. Lewis, 834 F. Sup 1477 (D AZ
1993).
Prison Legal News

PRISON LIFE 17

Insider Outlook

JEFFERSON CITY:
ON THE VERGE OF A RACE RIOT
Conditio n h ere at th e .Jeffe rson
C ity Correctional Center in Missouri
have worse ned. It cems tha t
Superinte ndem Michael Groose is
U)'ing cve11' ploy imaginable to ki ck
o fT a racial r iot benvccn whi te a nd
black p rison ers. Th is place could sudd e nly e rupt in blood and war.
Th e re arc a zillio n di!Tere nL
thi ngs Groosc has done to crea te th is
a tmosphere of turmo il and confusion. He must be sto pped befo re he
has a c hance to put th e final pieces in
play.
J ust last month, Groosc had nine
white pri ·on crs locked in Ad Seg
because they refused to sit in a specific
a rea in the dining room that was pred omina ntJy black. The prisoners had a
legi t reason for not wanting to sit at
those panicular tables: they know how
possessive some prisoners arc about
seating a rran ge m e nL~. and they mere ly
wished to avoid a confron tation. As a
result o f their refusal to comply, tJ1ey
were cited for Ll)'ing to ove rthrow the
admin istration an d inciti ng a riot.
Ano the r trick e mployed by Groose
to break d own the mo ral fabric
between races is what's been dee med
musical chairs. Groose has begun
transferring a ll tJ1e infl ue ntial black
prisoner out ofJ CCC to Potosi a nd
other institutions. Meanwhile, h e's had
a great number of influential white
prison ers sh ipped to .JCCC from those
same places, which have a wh iter populatio n. This concentration of influe ntial wh ite prisoners thrown ra ndom ly
into th e population atJCCC has set the
stage fo r a racial explosion.
The u·ick is th is: Wh ile the m<uor18

PRISON LIFE

ity of prisoners at.JCCC are young and
black, the re is now a larger numbe r of
older white prisone rs Ula n the re a re
older bladt prisoners. This was not
don e by chance or accid ent but was a
carefully orchestrated move o n
Groose's pa rt to create an a unosphere
of racial dom inan ce and complexit.ies.
Furthermore, the g rea ter majority of upscale priso n j obs are a ll occup ied by the white inmate popu lation.
Most black prisoners a rc con fin ed to
in-cell stallls, with limited moveme nt
and recreatio n .
Groose has created a n intolerable
atm osphe re fo r black and wh ite prisone rs. A lot of these prisoners are
fina lly starting to take notice of his
actions an d a re a nxious to see tJ1 ese
problems corrected.
Riots are real. T hey ta ke lives on
both sides of the fe nce. Some lives a re
tota lly destroyed, if no t lost, by
tJ1e m-a ll because citize ns fail to hear
th e wa ke-up call prisoners sho ut d u ring the pre liminary stages.
Ronald Davis Bey, a.k.a. Ki ng Buc k
.Jejferso/1 City Comctional Cmlm~ MO

VATOS CON RESPETO
Because I grew up in prison, I
know a lo t about th is world. ow if I
could learn about a way to turn tim e
back a nd sta rt my life over, I would
never make the same mistakes that
got me into this j o ke o f a place. I say
j oke' ' cause that's all that it's abou t.
El Philo talks about usjJPio and to me
tha t is no t seen.
About th e time I was convicted
(1978) it was our o . I rule that n o
rats could be in gen e ra l pop ulation.
Now th e vato sitting next to you is a
rat, a coward, a stool pigeon-it's all
the sa me. Now th ey' re using th is mla
as confide ntial informants a nd the
good ''flmtf valos" arc getti ng loc ked
clown. All this is ha ppe ning in th e
New Mexico Priso n Syste m. It's a nowin game he re.
Yo u can ' t wi n because day in, day
o ut they ma ke their own ru les. Aga in,
I sec no rPsjJelo. Yo u want to talk about
ga ngs? Again, we go back to resjJelo. At
th e tim e I came into the syste m, there
was respecl. You cou ld do something
tha t needed to ge t clo ne a nd get away
with it. ow, with all the new socalled fimw vatos coming into the syste m, you ca n ' t ge t away with n oth ing.

Anoth e r thing is tha t it's n o t just o ne
on one: now it's two, three o r four o r
five on one. And tJ1ey say it's respeto?
I believe a good finne valo should
not let o thers make decisio ns for
h im; he should stand fo r own beliefs.
JQue no? ~Simon que si ?That's 1·esjJeto
to me!
I' m not in a gang b ut I ge t resjJelo
from a lot of valos. Why? Because l
stand for what I bel ieve in a nd eve•1'one wh o don 't respect tha t isn' t finne
to me. And be lieve me, I let it be
known. J'm not the baclclest valo
arou nd 'cause l got my ass kicked a
few Limes, but I can say
this: Stand for your
beliefs and you 'll be
respected for it.
Ano th e r thing:
don ' tlose your
familia and your
resjJel.o for le tting
o th ers make your
decisions. Stan d
jim1e. Bumo valos you
stay su·ong, both
heart and m ind.
Siempre con respelo
jJor vida,
Joe Surule
#28306
Sanla Fe Pen
FROM SUGAR TO SHIT
I've spe nt 20 years in and o ut of
prisons. He ll, I gave th e Southern
Ohio Correctional Facility almost all
my '80s. But whe n I came ou t to
Californ ia fo r a break, I caught a case
a nd wound up in th e California
Medical Facili ty in Vacaville. Three
"doctors" to ld me I had a me n tal
proble m.
I've never been in a mental hospital o r psych ward in my entire life,
and I sure can ' tunclerstand this join t.
There are u·anssexuals pra n cing
around with tits bigger th a n some
women o n tJ1 e street. The med ical
d epartmelll gives these cre tins shots
a nd pills to enhance their female
parts. All over the syste m, statewide,
inma tes resort to a nything to ge t
he re, even fake hanging th emselves
o r slashing th eir wrists.
H e re, snitch es have been given a
new Litle: co nfidential source. O ut of
3,200 inmates, the re are abou t 100
convi cts-we ' re a dying breed. And I

fron ted by cold reality.
VANILLA GORILLA:
I'm like a dog chained to the backONE FIRED-UP CON
yard fe nce, left out in the cold waiting
I don't know why the American
for his master to bring him food. Once
people are crying about crime. Shit,
I had a dog I treated in this fashion. I
tl1is motherfucking country was
never realized I had been so neglectful
founded on criminal activity.
of my friend . Now, in the belly of this
That's right-every vicious crime
beast, the only frie nd I have is a sharp
you can imagine was inflicted upon
piece of steel.
Indians in the government's quest to
At times, I feel vexed because I've
steal their land. This same governbeen ducking bullets all my damn life.
me nt abducted Africans and put
Growing up as a ghetto bastard was
them in chains; those who rebelled in rough. Even when I was running
the name of dignity were killed. To
around tl1e 'hood seeking knowledge,
make matte rs worse, the government
I was still a prisoner- a prisoner of
tries to teach kids tl1at Christophe r
my own mind. I d idn't know how to
Columbus discovered America. Shit,
escape. My environ men t dictated viotl1e o nly thing Columbus discovered
lence and because of that, I was viowe re innocent people he could inflict
lent, thinking it was ilie only way to
terror upon.
obtain respect. My mentor was ex periVacaville, CA
And who the fuck is Santa Claus?
Is he the e pitome of the government's
THE " WHY ME?" PEN
child mo lester? Do you realize that if
On C-76 at Rikers Island, you'll
you rearrange the letters in San ta,
find a 12xl5, iron-mesh cage painted
you get Satan? Motherfucking right
bubble-gum pink. Open 24-7, the
you will.
"Why Me?" Pen keeps prisoners for
The American government h as
minor d isciplinary infractions up to 12
only gotten more sophisticated. They
keep talking about locking motherhours.
They call it modified medium,
fuckers up, yet tl1ey legalize 180
segregative isolation. And in various
proof whisky to be sold to 18 to 21behavior modification studies, it's
year-old kids. They legalize gambling,
supposed to work as a mean s of elimi- nicotine and in some states, prostitunating unwanted or undesirable
tion. They themselves are the biggest
~'1'1behavior, sort of like shock treatment drug deale rs.
e nce-the streets a nd th ese penitenwithout the electricity. The pink
They do all this, yet still have the
tiaries taught me to be strong fo r only
paint is supposed to have a calming
audacity to incarcerate a motherfucker
me strong survived. I will continue to
e!Tect. To the DOC, the "Why Me?"
for growing marijuana, Mother
survive until I'm cu t in half by an Uzi
pen is a safe, lawful form of punishNature's plant, a plant that has been
or locked up fo r life ...
ment.
on th e face of the earth since the
Damn, I'm hurting deep down
A C.O. who was asked his opinbeginning of time.
inside. Seeing what's happening and
The government is ruth less
ion of the "Why Me?" pen had th is
not being able to act hurts. I guess
typical prison crat response: "Why
because while it makes sure drugs
my cries will go unanswered . An open
me? Why not?"
flood o ur streets, it incarcerates smallmouth that just won' t get fed.
K.D. Hawkins time dmg users who commit petty
Brotl1ers li ke myself are constantly
Rikers Island crimes so it can make even more
ridiculed or labeled as hate teachers
money off them in corrections. These
or u·oublemakers. Of all people,
petty users are whores who don't bring
brotl1ers who are for growth a nd
in enough dope/ tax money to their
development should be supported
government pimps. They're worth
and pro tected .
more in prisons.
The isolated mind is a great wanIf the government can fuck over
derer.
society, then so can I. I'm not in
William Battle X
prison for a crime. I'm in prison
Altona ComctionalFacility, New York
because I le t a mothe1·fu cker put
handcuffs on me. But soon I will be
paroling to a T ech Nine ... because
I DID SAY " EXCUSE ME"
I'm tired of standing in a we lfare line.
The Vanilla Gorilla, George Toth
I received a written conduct violation for insulting behavior here in
Western Missouri Correctional
Center. It read:
ISOLATED MIND
On the above dale, at approximately
Sitting in the small confines of
6:30a.m.,
this rejJorting officer Sheny A.
my cube, my mind runs wild. Some
Callum requested a frisk search on inmate
thoughts are positive but most, I
Can·ollJourdan # 173 008. As this 1·ejJortadmit, are not. Every time a positive
thought e nters my mind, I am con(continued on fJage 21)

h ave been trapped in this romper
room, this nasty, faggot-infested gutter. But I shall be leaving soon. I beat
a cretin with a lock in a sock and they
told me I was much too violent to stay
here. So much the better!
I hope to be sent to a place
where I can finish my time and
maybe finally learn something. But
not in Vacaville. I don 't know why
this hole was dug, but someone
should throw the dirt back in.
Picture an adult being constantly
treated like a 6-year-old by an asshole
who went to school for 20 years and
couldn 't get a decent job on the
su·eet but he has the answers to all
your problems. From sugar to sh it.
Leroy Arrington

PRISON LIFE

19

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Insider Outlook
(continuedfrom j)([ge 1 9) _ _ _ _

Excuse ,4/e tJ/'/'/cer ''
ing officer was frisking his leg, the inmate
Can·oll j ou rda n farlf!(l in this reporting
officer's fare. (This plares inmate in violation of role #2 1, fnsullive Behavior.)
My interviewer stated in th e
re port: In male interviewed in the presence of Reporting OffiCI'r. Inmate states:
"She was Ji nished shaliing '1/le down when
thP in riden/ occwTf'd. I did say 'excuse
me' to the officer. "
·
I received five clays' cell restriction and the infracti on was placed in
my "inmate fil e."
Carroll J o urda n
Wf'slf'm Missouri Correctional Center

BEWARE THE YOUNG BUCKS
My na me is Ri card o, age 31, and
I'm doing a 3 to 7-year sen tence at
Gra te rford State Prison in
Pe nnsylvan ia. vVe have a problem
he re with you nger inmates. We call
th em "young bucks" o r "young gun s."
They are j uve nil es who have bee n
cenified as adu lts, or younger
inma tes 18 to 22 years of age. They
cause the who le jail to be locked
down for days or weeks at a time,
while every cell is sha ke n down.
Phone calls, visits and court dates a re
missed because of th e ir s1abbings
and fighL5. They disrupt o ur who le
bit and we a ll get punished for the
acts of a few young bucks.
Ricardo B.
Graterford Stale Prison, PA
VIOLATING PAROLE
I don' t know wha t th e he ll is
go ing o n but I have a pre tty good
idea. T he paro le board in Georg ia is
repudia ting a ll inm ates it feels can' t
meet socie ty's require me nts. In othe r

words, they a re telling us that th ey
don ' t give a damn if we're good in
prison; they will be the ones to de termine whet.her or not we can get. out.
We, the prisoners of Georgia, are
in prison for breaking laws but who
will take disciplinary action against the
parole board when it d oes wrong
against. us? They plan to eradicate,
eliminate and te rminate the Georgia
inmates, white and black, fro m society.
For example, a man might have
20 years for a crime. Aft.er he has
comple ted seve n yea rs, wit.h no writeups, the pa ro le board will se nd him a
le tter saying that for NO reaso n a t a ll
a re we going off t.he guide lines and
we want. yo u to do seven more years.
When docs th is sto p? It doesn 't.
Because once you have completed
th e seven years, they'll send a nothe r
letter rej ecting you, a nd t.he n another, until you have completed th e
e ntire sentence. ow if you think
that's erratic, what about the poor
inma tes wit.h life sente nces?
Pressure will bust a pipe but
whe n evil pressure is applied to th e
lives of helpless people who do n ' t
deserve such an injustice, th ey will
rise u p, even unto death, and take
ac tion against th e oppressor until
th ey receive justice, freedom a nd
equali ty.
Wa-Lailmm-Sa/aam
Bro th er J a mi e Ke n mont Ke rreem
Gt\ Stale Prison

th ey are. People need to find o ut
what prisons a re all about, and to see
that this type of punishme nt h as
failed. Today's a pproach to "corrections" has shown o nly n egative
resu lts. The actions of th ose behind
bars may be temporari ly stopped by
punishment, but th e lhinlting is n ot
corrected . In fact, the thinking in
prison worsens.
Le tters and visits from the outside a re the most effective way to help
a prisoner c ha nge. In other 1vords,
love, having a frie nd o r someone who
cares. It took the experie nce o f
prison to really ope n my eyes to see
what life is all about. ow I know tha t
you can never fa il if you have God on
your side. We' re all in prison unti l we
can find freedom within o urselves. If
we are a ble to ma ke this a better
world, then is it no t all o f o ur responsibili ty to pi tch in?
Cheye n ne Valentino Yakima
j ohnson Correctional Jnstilttlion,
Georgia

w

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL
When pare ms lose control over
thei r children, mo re a nd mo re prisons must be buil t. Therefore, pa rems: teach your childre n well, and
discipli ne t.h cm with love and compassio n. If you don ' t, your own head
will be lowe red in sha me.
Fo r ma ny years I have been a
prisone r, and I 'vc wan ted to he lp
others. But beyond th ese wa lls,
th e re 's only one type o f rehabilitation: self-re habilitatio n . And so I've
educated myse lf. Ch ange comes on ly
when individuals truly desire to
ch ange.
Wh en th e prison gates sla m shut
behind you, do n ' t think you 'll lose
your hu ma nity, or tha t your mind
will beco me closed to ideas. If anything, the needs for identity and selfrespect become even more compelli ng in this deh umanizing e nvironme nt.
There will always be those who' ll
look down on the priso ne r as something evil. It's this fear and failure to
accept o r recognize a prisoner's
huma ni ty tha t make prisons wha t
PRISON LIFE 21

BY JENNIFER WYNN
e r o. 1\1l obster. Maniac. The
clown-prince of crime ... J ackie
"Fat Jac k" DiNo rscio h as bee n
called everything bu t rat. The ma n 's
reputation , as lo ng as his sentence,
ste ms from hi s ro le in the largest
mob u·ial ever.
Of a ll the wi ld Stories tO e merge
from th e war on o rgani zed c rim e,
none is quite so extraordin ary a the
U.S. gove rnm em's 1986 prosec ution
of the notorio us Lucchese c rime famil y, th e mob reputed to "own " ew
J e rsey. T h e Feels ca lled it the m ost
a mbitious legal attack ever mounted
agai nst u nde rworld fi gures: its 65page indictment, capping a ten-year
in vestigation, wou ld have wiped out
an e ntire o rga nization, from capo to
s tree t so ldi e r. Lastin g n ea rl y two
yea rs, The United States of America v.
Anthony Accetturo et al., was th e
longest Ma £ia u·ial in American h isLOry. Ye t it took th e jury less than two
days to render its verdict: not gu ilty,
on all coun ts.
The crushing blow to the governme nt was dealt by a man with a 6thgrade education, a man who, d espite
his igno rance of th e law, became his

H

22 PRISON LIFE

own a ttorn ey, a ma n with a terrific
se nse of humor wh o h ad the guts,
a nd the savvy, to use it in the courtroom. In so doi n g, he transformed
the courtroom into a theate r o f the
absurd, a n arena in wh ich the judge
would shout, "Order in the co urt! I
didn' t hear th e p unch line!"
T oday, nearly a d ecad e afte r his
shining days in the 1ewark, J. courthouse, J ackie DiNorscio is poised to
dea l another b low to t h e gove rn me nt. Th is time, if successful, it will
bring h im home.
Ja ckie is bei n g held a t F.C. I.
Fai rton, U· H e's serving 8 1/ 2 years
of a 30-year bid for cocaine trafficking. Had J ackie not to ld government
p rosecuto rs to go ru c k th e mselves
whe n they asked for info rmatio n on
Lu cc h ese crime boss A n th ony
Accetturo in 1986, he wou ldn 't be in
the can today. T he Fe els p romised to
drop the d rug u-afficking charge and
protect j ackie for th e rest of h is life if
h e'd sn itch. But h e d idn ' t, so th e
drug c harge stayed, and two days
la ter, .Jackie was brought up o n racketee ring cha rges and called as a dcfen-

dam in the U.S. v. Anthony Arcettu1'0
case.
Today, .Jackie is looki ng to have
the 1986 d rug conviction ove rturn ed.
He recently fil ed a motion for a re u·ial that took him fi ve yea rs to write,
but the 140-page docume nt, containing in credi b ly damaging evidence
against the government, was returned
to him for revisio n and sh ortening.
"1 told 'em from th e beginning I
was ignorant in th e law," DiNo rscio
says. "I mea n , they got th eir lawyers,
paralegals and sec re ta ri es to h e lp
'em. All I got is one jun kie, two burglars a nd bank robber."
J ackie's motio n for a retria l is
based on a number of government
screw-u ps, the most b latant of wh ic h
is a violation o f the Brady law. Brady
req u ires p r osec u tors t o give the
defense any information abo ut gove rnm ent witn esses th at can be used
to impeach th em. What Jackie is ttying to show is that his 30-year se ntence is based on testimony from witnesses the gove rnm en t knew were
liars, drug addicts and people who
wa n ted revenge on DiNorscio- like
h is cousin, .Joey Alonzo.

For seve ra l years in th e early '80s,
Jackie a nd j oey had been partne rs in
a gem-se ll ing co mpany in Flo ri da.
Wh en j ackie d ecided to sell th e busin ess- d ue to new laws he believed
would sink it-Aionzo fe lt betrayed
a nd thought J ack ie was trying to cut
h im o ut. Al o n zo's h e r o in a nd
coca in e addi c ti o n s o nl y made him
mo re paranoid. In February 1985, he
paid jackie a visit.
"Th e re I was, sleepi ng ," reca lls
Di o rscio, "wh en I fe lt something in
my j aw. I th oug ht I cracke d it. Then I
fe lt some thing on my back, but I'm
still half asleep, a nd I thi nk it's b ed
bug. But it was .Joey shootin ' me with
his silencer. So I jump up o u t o f bed,
1 was like a n a nima l, a nd I see .Joe,
a nd I says, '.J oe, whaddaya shoo tin '
me for? Yo u 're my cousin . I love you,
j oey.' I put my hand up as he's tryin '
to shoot me in th e face and he gets
m e in t h e wri s t. I says to m yse lf,
'What a ra t bastard.'
"So what does he do? He runs to
th e Feels and starts te lli n ' o n everybody. ow, yo u see, th e Feels h a d
been tryi n ' for 14 yea rs to bust up
this mob a nd th ey a in ' t ge ttin ' n o
place, a in ' t ge uin ' no stool pigeo ns.

And sure e n o u g h th is rat b as ta rd
cousin o f min e wants to become one.
But h e didn 't kn ow n o thin' . How
could he? H e was a fuckin ' junkie."
S ix months later, Di Torsc io ,
.Je rry "th e J ew" Cohen , Manue l
Monteiro a nd Gera ld De Lu ca we re
arreste d. 'Th ey built the case o n the
testimo ny of.Joey Alonzo, who spe nt
the money the government gave him

t o buy d rugs, a guy who te sti fi ed
befo re th e g ra nd j ury whe n h e was
high," says .Jackie.
DiNorscio paid his $200,000 bail
a nd was re lease d . T h e n , just n in e
months later, th e Fe els slappe d him
with another c ha rge- con tinuin g
c rimi nal e nte rpri se (CCE). "Th ey
said J went out a nd sold drugs to fur-

the r t he orga nizatio n, whi ch wasn ' t
u·ue. So they pulled my ba il and tried
me in 89 days. I was co nvicted and
senten ced to 30 years."
Th e judge in thi s tr ia l was
Maryanne T rump-Ba rry ( Do n a ld
Trump 's sis t e r ). Acco rdin g to
Di No rsc io, Trump-Bar ry fai le d to
n o ti ce that DiNorscio was ph ysically
unfit to stand trial. Sufferin g from
sleep apnea, a rare respiratory disord er, Di 1o rscio was u n ab le to stay
awa ke d uri ng hi s tri a l. "I woke up
and I had thirty years," he recalls.
At the Accettu ro tria l, presiding
U.S . Di stri c t Jud ge H a r o ld A.
Ackerman immediately understood
th a t so m e thin g was wro n g with
J ackie , wh o wa · slee ping thro ugh
e ntire days. "This ma n is fighti ng for
his life, yet he can 't stay awake," said
Ackerman , an d promptly orde red an
examination. Indeed, it was the gover nm e nt's o wn m e di cal exa miner
who d iag n o sed .J ac ki e ' s di sorde r ,
declared him unfit to stand u·ia l a nd
gave him a d evice to a ll evia te the
proble m .
And when they did , th ey "woke a
slee ping giant," as Di orscio is fo nd
of saying.
PRISON LIFE

23

dant in the Acce lluro case
and J ackie's long-time pal.
Caravaggio no tes that th is
was the mid '80s, and th e
anti-dru g feve r was a t a n
a ll-Lime high. T he governme n t knew the case wo uld
be mu c h s t r o n ge r if it
incl ud ed drug cha rges.
The government never
ex p ecte d J acki e to go to
tri al. Vl hy wou ld h e wh e n
he riske d spending the rest
or his life in prison?
"\t\lc to ld th e m to d o
wh a t was best fo r t h e m ,"
says C aravagg io . "But
.Jac ki e fel t respo nsible, and
he knew that if h e got out
o f t h e case a t th a t time,
eve ryo n e e lse wo u ld ge t
hurl. So they told the gove rnme nt ' no deal.' T hat 's
the type of m e n th ey a rc.
he fi rst th ing J ackie d ecided to
d o was re present himself. In a
fi t o f rage, he fi red his lawye r,
who ned fro m th e j udge's ch a mbe r
a nd in the process broke h is li ngers
in the d oor. In a shou ting match with
J ac kie ove r paym e n t , he Sll id .Jac kie
had "inco nve n ie nced " h is fi rm , eve n
tho ug h J acki e h ad p a id h im ove r a
quan e r o f a mi ll io n do llars in lega l
fees. "I gave th e m all my jewelry, my
car , everyth ing. An d n ow he says th is
to me. I we n t crazy. ' Yo u won 'L have
tO worry abo ut being inconven ie n ced
a nymo re,' l told hi m . · Beca use I' m
gon na kill you, mo th c rfucke r.'
"The j udge asked me wha t I said
to h im . So I saici ,' T LO ld h im to go
fu c k him se lf, j u d ge. I' m th e n ew
a u o rn cy. I wa nn a go jJro se.' Th e
j udge sta rte d ho lle ring, sayi ng I ca n ' t
de fend myself. So I said, 'J udge, d id
yo u m a ke t h e Sixt h Am end m e nt?
The la w sa ys I h ave t h e ri g h t t o
de fe nd myself a nd I c hoose lO go fHo
se today.'''
'" Did n't a n yo n e te l l yo u , Mr .
Di 1o rscio, t h a t a ma n wh o r ep re sen ts himself has a fool for a die m ?'"
"' t o, .Juclge, l never heard that., .,
'" We ll do n't you rea lize you have
to have so me legal tra in ing' Do yo u
have a ny?'''
"Ye a h , J u dge," J acki e sa id , "I've
bee n in j a il al l my life."
And tha t was tha t.

T

In the U.S. v. Antho11y Arrellu ro el
al. trial, "ct a l. " referred to 2 1 defend a llls, includi ng .J ackie. T h e d efe ndan ts we re a ll m e n J lle kic g re w up
24 PRISON LIFE

wit h , m en wh o we re
o n trial simply because
t h ey were l i nk e d t o
h im.
"I fe lt responsible
for those boys," J acki e
says . " ! f it was n ' t fo r
my '86 dru g co n victi o n , t h e re wou ldn 't
have bee n a tria l."
For the r\cccnu ro
tria l, th e governme n t
was re lying o n RI CO ,
t h e Ra c ke t ee r Influe n ced a nd Co rr up t
Orga n izatio n s Ac t.
T h e RICO law, e nac teel in 1970, gave swee ping new powe r lO gm·e rn men t prosecuto rs,
enabling the m to ho ld
to p leade r s of o rgan ized crim e responsib le fo r th e ac ti o n s o f
th e ir underlings.
T h e Fe els we r e
ho ping .J acki e wo u ld cop a p lea, and
that his 30-yea r se nte n ce h a d softened hi m u p for such a deal. If he
agr eed to p lea b a rga i n , t h ey to ld
h im . they'd run the time fo r th e new
charge co nc urre n t with the se nte nce
he was a lready doi ng, th e re by kee ping h is total time a t 30 years. But if he
d ecided to go to trial and lost, he'd
be looking at a no th e r 40 years in the
can , meanin g he'd d ie in prison.
"Th ey wa n te d .Jac kie a nd J e rry
[Coh en 1 to plead guilty to th e d rug
c ha rges so the j ury wou ld be le ft with
a n imp ress io n o f g uil t," says Ro be rt
"Buc ky" Ca ravaggio, a no the r d e fe n-

If it were a nyone else in this busin ess
tod ay, th ey wo uld 've take n th e govern ment's offe r. Not J acki e."
"I co ul dn 't d o it," says J ac kie.
'T hey we re askin g me to lie again st
these b O)'S, a nd they o ffe red lO drop
111)' charges if I nipped. But I wo uldn ' t d o it. 'ever."

ackie be lieved tha t if he could get
th e jury to wa rm up to him , o nly
t h e n wo u ld h e a nd t h e o th e r
d e fe nda nts have a cha nce. The ro le
o f coun jeste r came na tu ra lly.
'J ac kie added a touch of h um an-

J

ity to a grou p of in d ividua ls wh o
a pp eared, to th e jury, si le nt and
immutable," says powerhouse lawye r
Michael Critc hl ey, the lead d efen se
attorney in th e tri a l. "When J ac ki e
spoke, h e not on ly spoke for himself
but for th e o th e r defe ndants. He
came across as li keable, which conu·adicted Lhe image the govern ment was
Lrying to portray o f him ."
While J ackie was a ble to huma nize himself a nd the o the r de fendants
to the j ury, he a lso managed to reveal
t h e gove rn m e n t's d ece ption. Th e
prosecutors bega n to look mo re like
the crooks. "They came across as cold ,
coe rcive and nasty," n otes Caravaggio.
After ma kin g his ope ning statement, a nn oun cing tha t he was pro sP
a nd thankin g t h e j u r y for its
patie nce, Di r orscio put on a b lack
fed ora. Then h e turned to the jury.
'Th e reason I' m wearing this hat is to
make me look like a gangster,"' he said,
then pointed
to th e prosec ution tab le,
wh e r e U.S .
Justice Department Attorney
C rady O ' Malley sa t beside
the rest of the
prosecut ion
tea m:
Assistant U.S. Atto rn ey J osep h
Braunreuther,
U .S. J ustice
D e p a rtment
p rosecutor
Barbara l\lliller

head a nd whi pped off th e h at. "It's
no t even my hat," he said. "And I' m
not a gangster. I'm a gag ·te r.
'·Acllla ll y, afte r hearing a ll t h e
attorneys and the lawyers lor the past
co u ple of days, I' m what you ca ll a
relief.·· li e paused until the jury finished la ughing. " ow I want to thank
Mr. Critchley fo r tel ling me what the
sign unde r the judge's desk m ea ns.
(Th e sign was Latin for ':Justice for
All ".) I thought it meant ' o Smoking
in the Courtroom ."'
At tha t po int, th e jury, speCLators, a tt o rn eys and de fen dan ts were
laugh ing o ut lo ud. Without missing a
beat, DiNo rscio continued .
"T o get ser ious fo r a momen t,"
he said , and the n began recounti ng
the sums of money th a t h·lW)'er · tabulated had bee n pa id to o n e of th e
informants. "Eighty-four th ousand
do llars fo r '86. It's now '87. That's
well over o ne hundre d and fifty thousand you paid your info rma n ts."
He turned to prosecu to r J ose ph
Br au nre uther a nd asked: "M r .
Bra un reuth er-yo u n eed a n oth e r
guy?"
When th e la u g hte r su bsided ,
Jac kie continue d . "Ladie an d ge n tleme n , I th a nk yo u for yo ur presen ce
he re today and thro ug ho ut the trial
a nd I ask yo u fo r your pa tien ce. As
yo u ca n sec, I'm n o lawye r . I only
have a sixth-grad e education. I' m no t
ophisti ca ted in the laws, but I have
learned as a layma n . I read th e RICO
law. And I can tell you that it wou ld
be m ore a ppropria t e for the m e n
involved in the Ira n scandal deal fo r
se lling arms to the Contras. T h ey

sh ould be indi cted, not me."
And so began what a tto r ney
Mike Critchlc)' descri bes as th e "most
b iza rre tr ia l " h e h as ever experienced. Every time J ac kie add ressed
tl1e ju ry, Critc hley recalls, h e had to
b ite his tongue to sto p fro m la ughing. "I tri ed LO maintain a d emeano r
or d iscipli ne and pro fessio nalism, but
whe n J ackie got u p, it was im possible,
not only lor me but for the prosecutors a nd the judge."
"Wha t T h ad to d o was m a ke a
comedy o ut o r it," .Jackie ex plains. "It
wa s t h e o nl y way we co uld b eat
Ule m ."
Be fo re he finished his ope ning
re marks, J ackie told one more j o ke.
It began as a response to the governme m 's depictio n of hi m as an extravagant, swash buckling drug deale r.
"ExLravagant?".Jackie began, "Let
me tell you about my wi fe. Once sh e
aske d me for twe n ty do ll a rs fo r a
rump roasL I took her in front of our
full-le ng th mirror and pulle d out a
twen ty dollar bilL 'T he twenty dollars
in the mirro r is yours,' I to ld h e r.
'This one is mi ne.'
"Th e n ext cla y, there was mea t
fr o m o n e e nd or the tab le to th e
o th e r. I asked my wife where she go t
it. She lead me to the mirror a nd lifte d h e r dress. 'Th a t 's yo urs, in th e
mirro r,' she said, and poi nted to he r
c rotc h. ' Thi s o n e belongs to th e
butcher."'
As Lh e jury co nvulsed , DiNo rscio
said, "I hope I did n ' t e mba rrass anybody. I' m just uying to show you I'm
not a gangste r. I' m a gagste r. "
Prosecu to r O'Malley was d isgust-

and FB I a ge nt De nnis
Marcha Ion is.
"That's wh at th ey
wa nt yo u to think I a m.
Th at's wh a t th ey wa nt
me to be."
There was a mu rmur in th e cou rtroom.
o one see m e d quite
ce n a in wh a t was h a ppen in g. Some of th e
jurors bega n to rea li ze
th<ll Di Norscio was ma king a j o ke. They laugheel. .Jackie pa used , a nd
t h e n po inte d to hi s
PRISON LIFE

25

H BO featured J ackie DiNorscio in its 1993 d oc um e ntary, M ob Stories, p rod uced an d d irec ted by Marc Levin.
Mixe d in with stories titl ed "Revenge" a nd "Be traya l",
Di lorscio's seg m e nt, "Loya lty," was th e o nl y o n e th a t
evoked admiration rather than horro r .
.Jac ki e's performance in t h e Acceuuro trial has a lso
caught the eye of.Joe Isgro, executive produce r o f the movie
Hoffa. Isgro rece ntly a pproac h ed .Jac kie a b out ma king a
movie based o n his ro le in t he tri al. "From wha t I kn ow
about it, I' m fascinated by the case," says Isgro, "Especially
.Jacki e's represeming himself-hi s self defense was brilliant."
Whethe r o r no t .Jacki e wins his appea l and walks o ut of
Fairton nex t year, Isgro is pursuing th e movie, he said , and
.Jackie is o ffe ring hi m exclusive righ ts.
"My imerest is to sh ow p eo ple tha t they can do it fo r
themselves, tha t th ey goua do it for themselves," .Jackie says.
"Any perso n ca n go im o the law library and learn . If people
did th e ir work, there wou ld n't so many rats."

26 PRISON LIFE

e el; he feared the effect J ackie's sense
o f h umor wo uld have on the j ury, and
he was in furia ted th at Ackerman was
le tting hi m ge t away wi th his a ntics.
H e turn ed to his partne r. "What a n
ass h o le," h e sa id, re fe rrin g to th e
judge. Th e j udge h ea rd him a nd ,
according to J ackie, had th is to say:
"Mr. O ' Malley, I heard wh at you
said . Whe n .Jacki e DiNo rscio said he
wa n ted to re prese n t himself, I told
him tha t a man who re p resents himse lf h as a foo l fo r a clie nt. If yo u
thi nk he's ma king a fool o f hi mse lf,
th at's yo ur business. I'm te ll ing yo u
now, figh t hard, but fig ht fair."
J ac ki e jum p e d i n . "judge
Acke rma n, I tha nk the court fo r ta king my side in this ma tte r. And if it's
a ny co n ce rn to Mr. O'Malle y, I'm
since divo rced a nd I' m n ow a vegetaria n ." Fro m tha t day o n, J ackie knew
he had th e j ury.
Even a t the outse t of the u·ial, it
was cle a r th e gove rnm e nt h a d
sc raped th e b o ttom o f th e b a n e (
whe n it cam e to finding info rma nts.
Most were con fessed murde re rs, d rug
addi cts a nd d ealers. J ackie knew this,
a nd he used h is "ig no ra n ce in th e
law" to showcase th e unsavory de tails
of th e informan ts' lives.
'J ac kie was tre me nd ous fo r us,"
says codefe nd ant Ca ravaggio . "H e
didn ' t kno w t h e la w; h e wasn ' t a
lawye r. So he co uld get more in. If h e
vio la ted pro pe r courtroo m co nduc t,
what was th e j udge gonn a do? Fi n d
hi m in co nte m p t of co urt ? H e
already had 30 years."
'Whe n th e governme nt's star witness-Jac kie's cousin, J oey Al onzotook the stan d, J ackie waved his ha nd
a t Ju d ge Ac ker m a n. ''judge?" h e
asked. "Is it possible I could arrest Mr.
Alonzo on a civil ma tte r? Make a citize n 's arrest? See, he vio la ted my civil
righ ts. He u·ied to ki ll me."
J ac kie ca used th e jury to qu estion no t only the val id ity of gove rnme nt's case, bu t the judgme n t of th e
prosecuto rs. He di sp e lled the j uqr's
myth th a t the gove rnme nt represe n ted th e hon est, fair e nfo rce rs o f law
a nd j ustice. 'The" governme m m ight
not be "tJ1eir" governme nt a t all.
"I was in sh ock at som e o f the
things th e governm e nt tri ed to d o,"
says Caravaggio . "Al l they had was a
g lo rifi ed gambl ing case. In the end,
the j ury kn ew th ere was mo re wrong
clone o n the pa n of the governme nt
tha n o n ours."
.Jackie d e m o nstra ted this in his
c r oss-exa min a ti o n o f i n fo rm a n t
Ra y m o nd Pinto, .Jr. , a co nvicted
drug deale r.

" ow h ere's a ma n who was
caught with a key of coke, and there's
a warra nt out for his a rrest," Jackie
says. "Before I began , I said, 'Is the
cou rt aware that th is man h as a warrant o ut for his arrest?' T h e judge
sai d, ' H aven't I to ld yo u , Mr.
Di No rscio, you can't arrest a nybody
in this couru·oom?'
"judge,' I told him, 'it's not my
du ty to a rrest him. It's the court's.' So
Acke rm a n goes, 'Mr. DiNorscio, I 'll
te ll yo u agai n . We're not arrestin g
h im. Now ask questio ns!'
'"Okay. Then I ask for a mistrial!'
"'And I d eny your motion fo r a
mistrial!
"So I says, ' H mmm. Then how
'bout a cu p of coffee and a ham sandwich?"'

idway th roug h th e u·ial,
Jud ge Ackerman d iscovered that the proseClllion h ad committed a Brady
informant
violation wi th
Robert Fisher. T h e material
Ac kerman stumb led u p o n
revealed that Fisher had testified before a magistrate with a
h ead full of cocaine, qualudes
and alco ho l. He also adm itted
that muc h of what he said were
li es. Des pite the d efe nse's
repeated requests to the prosecutio n to turn over this material, O'Malley stalled.
Ju dge Acker ma n stopped th e
tr ial for thr ee days to determine
whe th er a motion for a mistrial was in
o rd e r . But b eca use th e case had
a lready gone o n for a yea r-six
months longer than the j u rors were
told it would last-the judge settled
for impeaching Fisher.
It's t h at d ecision th a t J ackie
DiNorscio is hoping will be his ticket
h ome. DiNorscio has compiled nearly
a hundred pages of transcript th a t
sh ow Judge Ackerman's recogn ition
of th e Brady violation. Clearly, if the
defe nse had bee n aware of the
impeaching evidence agai nst Robert
Fish er in th e first tria l, the one in
whic h J ackie was sentenced to thirty
years, DiNorscio wo uldn ' t be in the
ca n toda y, a nd the govern m e nt
wouldn ' t have had the fou nda tio n for
th e second trial.
"It's a very substantial argumen t
he's maki ng," says Critchley. "And he
did it all o n his own. J ackie's got a
stro n g ch a n ce of winnin g this not
only because of his argument's me rit,
but because he doesn't give up."
"I a m what I a m and I did what I

did," says J ackie, "But at least I played
fair. The prosecu tors n ever did ."
acki e's summation, like h is performance through out th e tria l,
took jurors on an emo ti onal
roller coaster ride.
"I'm a li ttle nervous," he said ,
picking up the microphone a nd tapping it. "One, two, three, four. T hat's
no t th e counts I'm involved in . I'm
just warming u p.
"God b less yo u," h e to ld th e
jurors. "What e ndurance! Reme mbe r
they told you the trial wou ld take six
months? It was six months ago that I
became a court j ester. See, I knew it
was gonn a be 18 months before they
were through, and I didn't want you
to be mad at me at th e end of the
trial...

J

M

"See these men?" he said, his voice
cracking witl1 emotion. "I know every
one o f their famili es a nd their kids.
They got something to go h ome to. I
know I mad e a lot of jokes about my
wife in this courtroom, but I'd give it all
up righ t now for her to be at my side."
At tha t point, seve ral fema le
jurors began to cry.
"Don't fee l bad, ladies," Jackie
said. "I done it to myself."
J ack ie took a d ee p brea th and
gained his composure. "l f you fee l
li ke th e governme nt go t to you and
everyone is g uilty, would you let these
men go home and fin d me gui lty
instead? Because if it wasn't for me,
there would be no trial."
He addressed the jury for the
fi nal time.
"I don ' t have nothing further to
say, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you
very much. "
n tl1e e nd, it was t11e government p rosecutors who looked
like foo ls. It h ad taken two
years for O'Malley and the prosec u tion team to p resent t h eir
case, but less than two days for
th e jury to render its verdict: Not
gu ilty, on all coun ts. Un li ke the
other defendants, who were hugg ing the ir wives and c hildren
and leaving the courthouse for a
massive celebratio n, J ackie, the
man who was la rgely responsible for
th e stu n n ing victory, stood alo n e.
Un like the others who we re go ing
home,Jackie was going back to jail.
As he walked into th e M.C.C. in
New York, DiN orsc io was greeted
with banners and applause from the
pri so n ers. As far away as Fort
Leave nworth, Ka nsas- througho u t
th e federal p rison system-spo ntan eous ap plause e rup te d when the
news was announced. M.C.C. cons
went wild. 'They gave me a stan d ing
ova t ion fo r 25 minu tes," Ja c kie
recalls. "It felt so good. Not so much
th e app la use, b u t the fact th at all
th ose b oys got off, and that's a ll I
cared about, seeing th em get home.
"Me? I'm used to th is,'' he says,
po in ting to the concr ete wa lls a t
F.C.I. Fairton. "I miss th e street j ust
li ke a nybody, but if I do n e \vrong,
I've dan ced a nd I've paid the fiddle r.
I don e my time. ow it's time to go
home."

I

"Most people don't really li ke fat
people. But ladies and gentleme n, a t
least you can see my feet. I can ' t."
T h e n J ackie go t se ri ous. "I a m
accused of being a drug dealer and
ta kin g over an o r gan ized crime
g ro up . I don' t know how I co u ld
have. I've been in jail since '72. I got
ou t in '79, just in time to go back
from '81 to '83. I done my time lad ies
and gen tlemen."
H e bro ught up his fathe r ,
Dominick DiNorscio, wh om the prosecutors were fond of snidely referring
to as a boss of tl1e Philadelphia Bruno
fa mil y. "T h ey always m e nt io n my
fath er in the courtroom," J ackie said,
"But that man gave m e t h e best
advice in my life: 'H e who takes what
isn 't his sooner or later winds u p in
prison."'
DiNorscio picked up his h a ndwritten speech from the podium and
waved it in front of the j ury. In a dramatic gesture he ripped the pages in
half and threw the m into a wastebaskel. "Believe me," h e said, pointing to
t h e to rn speech, "this is a waste of
time."
He looked around the courtroom.

PRISON LIFE

27

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30

PRISON LIFE

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PRISON LIFE

31

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FOUND

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Fam ilies Against Mandatory Minimums is the only grassroots organization working to eliminate
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Story

&:

Photos by Chris Cozzone

stiff sente n ce, and like other m e mbe rs o f th e Li fe r ' s
ife r Arman i Shakur spent seven years in solita t)', a t
Gro up , he has d edicated his ti me be hind bars to he lping
T re_n Lon State. a nd at East J e rsey StaLe P!·ison , not
canng a bout Jack shtl. The n he me t Lte ute nant juve nil es learn from his mi stakes.
The re's no shortage of pra ise fo r 46-yea r-old Ala n
Ala n August, who lllrne d o ut to be the o n ly pe rson who
August at East J e rsey State Prison in Rahway, NJ. In fact,
would liste n to h im. Aug ust would visit the young lifer in
th ere's so muc h of it that if he isn ' t careful , befo re h e
soli tary. The n o ne clay h e wen t to the adminisu·at.i o n and
re tires next M.a rc h , the prisoners and C.O.'s a re go nn a
ta lke d to th e m abo ut g iving A rn1ani a noth e r c h a n ce.
dip his ass in bro nze an d stick h im up o n the dome this
Su rprisingly, they did.
Today, Armani, pa n or th e Life r's G ro up, is a differslate pe n is known for. T he man's as much an insti tution
as the institutio n itself.
e nt man .
Alan August, kn own to
Calvin Bass has a simila r
all as "Augie," a nd to many
s to r y. At 14, h e was se npriso n e rs as "Lt. Bub ba,"
ten ced to 35 yea rs to life for
has pu t in 25 cale nda rs a t
mu rder. Calvin will n ot be
Rahway. For h is first eight
eligible for paro le unti l he is
years, he worked as a C.O.
nea rl y 50. At the time or se nThen he go t invo lved with
tencing , th e judge told
the Life r 's Grou p and th e ir
Calvin he was "unreha bil itaJ uve nil e Awa reness Protive ." For th e first five years
g ra m. In 1976, ac tin g as
o f his incarce ratio n , Calvin ,
liaison for the prisone rs,
deprived of any hope, was a
he s u pe r vise d th e Scared
troublemake r. T he n he got
Straig h t p rogram.
involved in th e Li fe r 's
Scared Straight was th e
Grou p a nd he, too , met Lt.
first in-yo "-face program to
Au gust, who gave th e kid
e me rge from a p riso n. It
hop e . T o d ay, at 25, Calvin
As sem from inside, thP bmss dome of l:'tisi.Jnse:y Stale Pri.1011.
beca m e so su ccessfu l th a t
has learn e d to d eal with hi s

L

PRISON LIFE

33

offic ia ls i n Wa shingt o n , D. C. ,
T e nn essee, Ida ho, cw Yo rk , West
Virginia, De laware and even o rway
asked Lt. August for he lp in starting
sim ila r programs. Augie has a lso
b ecome one of th e leadi ng lecturers
o n juvenile crime.
Fo r the Scared u-<1igh t program,
Augie would brin g wackecl-ou t juveni l es into Ra hway t o meet co n s,
wh o'd verbally assault th e m with th e
h ardco re truth of pri son life. Th e
inten ti o n was to sca re some se n se
in to th e kids a nd hope th ey d idn't
re peat the prisoners' m ista kes.
"The re's no bu llshit with Scared
Straight," says Augie. "We te ll
'em what t h ey need to kn ow.
Like about d rugs. We tell 'em,
yeah, th ere arc drugs in prison.
Drugs a re in all prisons. T hey
get in by visitors, by workers, by
dirty cops ... a nd the price?
Triple in here. Now, if you had
a prog ra m wh ere just staff
talked to kids, you 'd hear, ' o,
no , th ey're no drugs h ere. '
Bullshit."
Whateve r it to ok to shove
some sense clown a punk-kid's
throa t, th e co n s o f Scared
Straig ht a nd Lt. August did it.
"You co m e in h ere, kid," one
con might say, "and you r ass is
mine, 'ca use you gonna be my
bitch. Yo u h ear me?" Or, "I'm
gonn a di e in here. You wanna
do th e sa m e?" o subj ec t is
tab oo: rape , s h an ks, dru gs,
d issin ' a nd dyin '.
Afte r 17 yea r s of Sca red
Straigh t a nd working with prisoners with the common goal of
he lpi ng kid s, August said h e
started to change o n a personal level.
"Wh en I first came he re, I
had an ego proble m," says the
forme r Golde n Gloves cha mp ion. "I was a toug h guy. I was li ke a lo t
of 2 1-ycar-olds who co me he re eve n
now, wanting powe r a nd con trol over
other peo ple. " August had wan ted to
be a State Trooper but he was too
short; back th e n , the re was a height
require melll and 5'7" d idn 't cut it.
"Then one clay, I saw an ad in t h e
paper for a corrections officer. I didn ' t even know what it was. Back the n,
they used to hire you off th e street. "
Augie became the youngest oflice r at Rahway. "I was the odd o n e
o ut. Everybody e lse was in their 30s
a nd up , just a bunch o r old people.
And the priso n? Forget it. Priso ne rs
had to h ave military ha irc uts a nd
wa lk be tween th e ye llow lin es. Mail
34

PRISON LIFE

was ce nsored, solita ry confin ement
with bread and wa te r was in, a nd th ey
used to have band mu ic p lay ing
when priso ners went to work."
Augie played a long fo r ·eve ral
years, until h e became Sergea nt.
Then , with the stan of Scared Straigh t,
he began to see a purpose to his professio n . "vVhe n you work in a prison
setting," he says, "the inmates have an
image to keep. The officers do, too."
That line sta rted to blu r for August. "I
started spe nd ing so much time with
the inma tes tha t after awhi le, I le t the
image go. And so did th ey. We started
to know each other real good."

East JersP)· Stale Prison's Lifer :~ Group:
(above) the 01iginal group, which formNI
in 1975, and (b1•/ow) the most ruent.

"We were a li ttle skeptical about
him a t first," adm its Willi e All e n ,
who's been in carcerated for as long
as Aug ic's worked in Correc ti ons .
"But that was ju l because he was one
of 'them' e n tering our ra nks. As time
we nt on , he showed he was just o ne
of the fe ll as. He ta ug ht us that if
you're stra ight-up with a guy, if you
treat a man like a man , you 're gonn a
b e trea ted like a m a n back. That's
why h e was so successful. "
"H e's a lways g iven a fu c k,"
ex plai ns Chris De Luise, ch airma n of
th e Lifer's Group. "He's p eoplethat's why we've given him th e ni ckna me, ' Lt. Bubba."'
Anot h e r r easo n wh y Aug ie

believes he has succeeded in connecting with th e co ns is because of
his street background. He grew up in
th e rough pa rt o f Elizabeth, ~· "I
was always a tough g u y, " h e says.
"Remember ' H appy Days'? The
Fonz? That was me-tJ1e leather jacket, Va eline in tl1e hair, y'know. I did
a lot of bad things. I just never got
caught and I got out in time. T hese
guys d idn 't. Man y of the inmates I
work with and most of the kids tha t
come to Scared Straigh t a re th e ones
who won't get ou t in time."
O ve r the yea rs, Augic has developed some very unusual rela tionships
with priso n e rs. These bonds
have ge n e rated h u ndreds of
stories and incidents.
Li ke the time o n e o f t he
prisoners (who was in for murd e r ) pu ll ed Aug ie o u t of a
cellblock fire; it was the same
con wh o'd tried to stab him
several years earlie r.
Or the time h e was
attacked by a n inmate with a
wooden club, knocked out cold
a nd h ospitalized. Where did
the majo rity of get-we ll ca rds
come from? Yep: prisoners.
Or even t h e t im e Augi e
step p e d into th e rin g with
T ony Aya lla, a p risone r at
Ra hway wh o a t o ne time was
ra nked
o. l j un io r midd leweigh t boxer in the world.
"Au gie got his ass k ic ked, "
laughs one of th e Lifers. The
bout was a fu n d ra ise r for a
promo g ig in o rd er to h e lp
save a li ttle girl in need of a n
operation.
'There's a lot of stories,"
says Augie. "But that's what
happ e n s when yo u ge t
a ttached."
o t all stories come from
Augie, though. The cons got a
few of th eir own.
"I tal ked Augie's n ephew into
j o ining t h e se rvice," laugh s "Crazy
Chris" De Luise, who has grown close
n ot o nly to August b ut to t h e Lt.'s
fam ily. "Th e kid e n ded up ge ttin g
stuck in th e Gu lf War. And Augieh e says to me, ' If my nephew dies, you
d ie.' It was pretty fu nny.
"And whenever Augie bt-ings kids
in to tl1e program," continues the 59year-old co n, "h e tel ls them th at
they' re gon na meet a 70-year-old hitman-me, of co urse. I kee p telling
him that if he says tha t, I' m go nna
tell a ll th e kids tha t he's gay or something. Yeah, we got co medy between
u s."

Lt. August jokes around with 1-lemy Condit and "Crazy Cl11is" DeLuise of the Lifer's CroujJ.

"One time thi s kid was go nna
jump o n him," re lates \>\Tillie Alle n.
"So o l' Lt. Bubba ca m e to see me.
' Willie, whatsa matte r wit' this kid?'
'Wh atsa ma tte r, Augie? Scared of this
kid?' I asked him. Augie was hollerin '
a n d sc rea min ' a t thi s kid. H e h ad
everybo dy up th ere cracki n ' up. H e
don ' t know this," Alle n laughs, "but
we used to sic kids on him. 'See tha t
g uy ove r there with that sui t on?'
we'd say. 'H e thinks h e can kick your
butt, m a n. Go ove r th e re a nd sta n
some shit with him, refuse to do wha t
h e te lls you to d o.' And Augie a nd
this kid wou ld get into it and we 'd
just sit back a nd la ugh our asses off. "
Altho ugh th e special re lation ship
Augie has with th e Life rs h as bee n
positive fo r those invo lved , some outside rs have criticized Augie's ways.
"A lot of C.O.'s would call him a
fu c kin ' lib eral ,·· says Anth o n y
Lorraine, ano th er Lifer who's known
Augie for ove r a d ecade. "Some have
ca ll ed him soft. But if being soft
m eans carin g abo ut us, th e n yeah ,
he's bee n soft. l think they just p erceive him as soft becau e h e's worked
so closely with u s."
Pa tri c k Arvo ni o , th e S up e rinte nde nt of Eas t J e rsey Sta te Priso n,

agrees. " obody says he 's too soft out
lo ud , but you pick up info rmatio n
a ro und her e. S ure, so m e peopl e
think he 's acted on be hal f of inmates
when they thought he shou ld n ' t, but
that isn ' t the case. If some g uy gets
busted who should 've gotten busted ,
Aug ie d eals with him . In this business, the re a re gon na be times when
you go to bat fo r a n inmate because
yo u think h e's r ig ht. And Aug ie's
d one that. Some of that oth er stuff
with staff is just jealo usy."

"If being ~oft
means car1ng,
then yeah,
he's soft."
"Th e guys who 've loo ked down
o n Aug ie a re dinosau rs," says Lt. AI
Ha rri s, who says Aug ie broke him
into the bus in ess 18 yea rs ago .
"These turnkeys a nd headbuste rs a re
leftove rs from th e '50s a nd '60s. You
d eal with eve ryone he re as individuals, a nd with res p ec t. That's wh a t

Aug ie's taught me.''
"I' m n o t a b leeding-b ea n li be ral," says Augie. "But I think prisons
should be reserved for the real jerks
a nd idiots. Some things work here,
som e things don ' t. I act accordingly.
But too soft? I m ay be li beral one
way, but I'm hard in o the r ways. Eve r
hea r those inmate sob sto ri es? Some
of 'em blame eve rybody but themselves. I ca n ' t stand th at shit. T he re
are certain types o f inm a tes wh o
deserve to be locked up.
"On the o th e r ha nd, if you treat
prisone rs like sh it, and take away programs and recreation ... Tha t's not
righ t. It just means trouble. If a pri ·o n e r has done so m e thing that warra nts punishmen t, you put him in the
prison 's prison: Ad Seg. But you don ' t
stan taking thi ngs away like weights
and progra ms for th e he ll of it."
Th e co n s of the Lifer's G rou p
can also attest to Augie's hard side .
"He ain't all peaches and cream,"
says He nry Condit, preside nt o f th e
Lifer's Group. "We get in a rgum ents.
I cuss him out, h e cusses us o ut. He
gets pissed o ff, slams the doo r. But if
he 's wrong, and vice versa, the re are
always a pologies. It's a human thing
with us and Aug ie. "
PRISON LIFE

35

Lt. Ill I-lanis mps biz with llugie.

For Lt. Au g ust, th is " hum a n
thing" r eally hit h o me abo ut two
yea rs ago. Lt. August sta rted losi ng
his bala nce; some tim es h is legs would
g ive o u t. Me mb e rs of th e Life r ' s
Grou p wou ld h e lp him to his fee t,
teasi ng Augie th a t maybe h e'd had
too much to drink the nig ht before.
When h e was dia g n ose d with
Mu ltip le Sc le ros is, th e pri so n ers
stopped ma kin g fun of h im. "Eve n if
I asked the inmates to imi tate me,"

says Augie, "because it m ade me
laug h , they wou ldn ' t do it. It was
then that I realized o ur unusual relationship was no t a fro nt, but real. "
Multiple Sclerosis has made it hard
for Augie to maintain the hectic schedul e he's kept up for 18 years, so last
year, he announced his re tirement.
T h e Lifer's Gro up gave him a n
a pprecia ti o n dinn e r. "We kn ew h e
likes o ld Motown tunes," says Condit,
who sings in a gr ou p with several othe r

Life rs. "So we sa ng a medley of his
favorite hits at the dinne r. The re we
were singing and I look down at him
a nd Aug ie's sitting in the fro nt row
crying. I'm like, 'damn'-he almost
messed me up when I seen him."
Although M.S. h inde rs Augie, he
d oesn 't pla n to sit on his butt after
his reti rement. The man has plans: a
book, movie projects and , of course,
a continuation o f the work he's done
with Juve nile Awaren ess. Augie will
keep working to help kids stay out of
priso n; h e's even talked to so me of
the Life rs about incorpo rating the m
in to his project, once they' re out.
Some of th e priso n e rs are co nvinced tha t Lt. Bubba will get bored
and r e turn to Corr ec tions. Some
would like to see him as a n adm inistrator, o r, better yet, a supe rinte nd e nt. But that's all up to Lt. Bubba,
who's sti ll unsure what's next for him.
"One thin g is fo r sur e," says
Wi llie Allen. "When he's gone, he's
d efinitely gonna be missed ."

11fZ. MA/Z.I.F'I T/113PI='
fig WA!T/330 5£VP;11 .
1'1CW!ll'5 TO 114£/.eA
TOO'Tll FIU-ee> ANI)
/.(~5 !3/?'/3N£JI£Wtt:O

FOP

TO~ Y.~!(

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PRISON LIFE

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CROSSTRAININGSHOES

Breaking the chains of ignorance
with the True Knowledge of
Mrocentricity.
Help us turn prisons into universities, and prison cells into classrooms for Mrocentric studies!
NABSIO is a national, non-profit
organization which provides incarcerated Mro-Americans with reorientation programs needed to meet
their needs for readjustment back
into society.
Contact NABSIO for admission
into its Mrocentric program.

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PRISON LIFE

37

PUTTING AHUMAN FACE ON MANDATORY MINIMUMS

by Richard Stratton

e should all have sisters like Julie Stewart.
When her brother, Jeff, got busted for
growing pot and sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of five years, Julie, in her words,
" went crazy." She launched a one-woman campaign to change laws she calls "stupid" and " unAmerican."
That was five years ago. Today Julie is the
president of Families Against Mandatory
Minimums (FAMM), a Washington, D.C.-based
organization some 27,000 strong. FAMM is directly
responsible for one of the few sane provisions
included in the horrendous, politically fraught
Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994. The "Limitation on
Applicability of Mandatory Minimum Penalties,"
otherwise known as the "safety-valve," represents a
hard-won if partial victory for those Americans
who still believe that the punishment should fit the
crime.
Julie is a smart, articulate, attractive woman
who looks like Jer ry Brown's old flame, Linda
Ronsta dt. She credits the success of FAMM's
efforts to appearances, " putting a human face on
the law," and to looking and acting professional
and businesslike instead of coming on like some
radical freak. Her strategy includes " attacking at
both the grassroots level, getting to the public, as
well as at the legislative leve l h ere in Washington
or in state capitals." It's a combination that works.
"I'm frrmly convinced now that for any cause,
you need a victim," Julie tells me when I visit her
at FAMM's professional and businesslike offices
a cross from the FBI Building on Pennsylvania
Avenue. "You need to visually display the victim
and that's what we' ve done and I think we've done
it really successfully."
You also need to appeal to a wide range of the
political spectrum. One of FAMM's most important contributions to the fight for rational sentencing practices has been to alert conservative politicians to the dangers inherent in mandatory sentencing, which strips away all judicial discretion
from the sentencing phase of a criminal proceeding and places unconstitutionally broad powers in
the hands of prosecutors.
"I think you have to play the game by the rules
of the establishment," Julie an swers whe n I ask
how her organization has been able to m ake the
kind of political inro ads it h as in Washington.
"And those rules are: look conservative, act conservative, find conservative support, which is what
we have done."

W

The yo un ges t of fo u r k id s,
J u li e was a to mboy who loved to
romp around with her best buddy,
her o lde r b rother J e ff, and r id e
ho r ses an d m oto r cycl es on t h e
fa mily wh eat farm in Wash ington
state. By 1990, wh e n J e ff go t
a rrested , julie had moved to D.C.
wh ere sh e wo rked in pu b li c relations for the CATO In stitute, a li be rta ria n thi n k tank.
'Jeff was g r ow ing ma rijuan a
with two friends in a house that he
owned bu t didn't live in. T h e guys
who lived in the house showed the
ne ig hbo rs what th ey were do in g,
like fools, and th e n e ighbo r s
turned them in to the police a nd
got a thousand do llar reward. The
two guys who were living in th e
ho use turned J eff in as the ki ng pin.
T hey both had prior felo ny convictio n s, b u t th ey go t p robation
beca use t h ey turn ed J e ff in . J eff
took the fall for everybody. H e got
five years for 375 marij uana plants.
I was a p palled. I tho ug h t this was
stupid. T his was n ot justi ce. I think
tha t as much as I was sorry th at J eff
\vas going to priso n, the thing that
pi ssed m e off was th a t th e jud ge
h ad no d isc re tion. T h e g uy h ad
bee n on the be nc h for 25 years and
at Jeff's se n te n c in g h e sa id ,
'The re's nothing I can do. I have to
give you th is sente n ce."'
j u l ie bega n ask in g p eo p le
a ro und t h e Ca pi to l exac tly wh at
ma n d a tory m inim u m sen tencing
was all a bo u t. She quickly learned
an important po litical lesson: Most
Congressmen do n 't unde rstand th e
laws th ey pass a n d the y h ave n o
id ea how th ose laws tra nslate into
p ractical, hu ma n terms o nce th ey
a re e n ac ted. MnndatOI)' minimums,
three strikes you're out, get tough on
criminals-th ese arc po li tical slogans that beco me laws with n o consid era ti on for rea l socia l co n sequ e n ces beyo n d winni n g votes
fr o m an e qu a lly unen lig hte n ed
electorate.
So J ul ie decided it was time to
educa te th e public and the legislators in order to show the m exactly
wh o th e ir ill-co n ce ived laws we re
affecting. In Ju ly of 1991, sh e left
CAT O and fo und ed FAMM.
"Go meet with you r legisla tor,"
she urges FAMM me mbe rs, most of
PRISON LIFE 39

wh o m a rc, like J ul ie, rudely awake ned re latives of drug war prisoners.
'Take a p ictu re of your loved o n e
with you . Ex pla in in five minutes o r
less wh}' he or sh e is in priso n and
why it's wro ng."
T h e FAMM s tra tegy is c learly
effec tive. In a li ttle over three years,
FAMM has accomplished more th an
all th e othe r se ntencing reform
groups co mbi ned. Th oug h Ju lie recognizes tha t th e bure aucratic be h emoth that is our fe de ra l governme nt
takes a lo ng tim e to respond , sh e
credi ts he r me mbe rs wi th a vital yet
billersweet victory fo r those opposed
to mandatory minimum sente nces.
"Th e ' a fcty-va lve' that 's in th e
crime bill is d irectly the resul t o f our
e fforts. I kn ow that because I h ear it
from peo ple o n th e Hill. Peop le who
have been th e re for L5 years arc saying that t h e l e tt e rs co ming into
Co n g r ess m e n' s o ffi ces, th e tel ep ho ne calls and the faxes a rc registe ring. Nobody wa talking about th e
issue of mandatory minimums prior
to FAr--,t M comi ng u p. No o ne knew
abo ut it. The m e mbers o f Congres
didn't even know it existed, or if they
d id it was like, ' Eh , th ey ' r e j u st
inm a tes, nobodies.' Bu t now we've
been able to attach a human face to
the i sue, whe ther it' th e moth er or
th e wife o r sister or who mever, it's a
real constitue nt, a real p e rso n that
t h ey h a,·e to an wer t o. So eve n
thoug h we h ave n ' t su ccee d e d in
e liminating mandatory se nte ncing,
we've made it a n issue th e me mbers
of Congress can ' t ignore an ymore."
Th e safety-va lve provision allows
a se ntenci ng co urt to depart fro m
mandatory minimums for ce rtai n
first-time, n o n-violent drug offende r . Th e judge can u se th e U.S.
Senten cing Guide lines a nd lower a
se nte nce to re n ecl the dcfcndam 's
min or ro le a nd a cce p ta n ce of
responsibility o r othe r mitiga ting factors. The biller Laste le ft by FA.l'vlM's
victory comes from th e fac t th a t th e
provision was not made re troactive.
FA.\IIM membe rs fought h ard LO have
re troacti,·ity included with the safe tyva l\'e, but it was re move d from the
bill after a !ie rce lobbying e ffort by a
n ew o rga nization called th e lationa l
Assoc iation of Ass istant. U.S. Allorney"s (1 AAUSA). In th e excelle nt,
in for mative "FAMM-gra m ·· n ewsletter julie publi ·h cs she no tes: 'They
did th is lo bbyin g o n taxpayer tim e
from th e ir fed e ra l offices." Ju lie's
broth e r J eff and th e loved-on es o f

40

PRISON LIFE

FAMM membe rs wh o a re now
se rving mandatory minimums
won 't bcne!it from the new law
as it is wrillen. Still , j ulie sees
this "seem ingly innocuo us" provision as t h e begin nin g of the
e nd for m a n d ato ry m inim u m
sen tences.
"Most of tl1e tim e I fee l very
positive abou t what I'm doing,"
.Julie re plies when I ask how she
feels about the results FAMM is
ge lling in Wash ing ton . "I feel
th at we a rc makin g s low but
steady progress fo rward. T here
are times wh e n I don ' t feel like
t h at b eca u se th is is such an
uphill battl e and you ge t tired
c lim b in g a mountain a nd yo u
want to rest. Like when we lost
retroactivity of th e safe ty-va lve
in th e c rim e bill , 1 was really
de mora lized for a wh ile. It really took the wi nd out of m e."
Her dark eye sparkle a n d she
smil es. "But th e thing that has
a lways con ti nued t o m otiva t e
me is anger. Anger th at the system is so sc rewed up that it
al lows people to ro t in priso n
for fi ve o r te n or twenty yea rs
for a non-violent crime. "
W h a t up sets Ju lie most
about manda totl ' minimums is
that they remove a ll discre tion
fro m sentencing judges. '"Tha t's
(Left) .JnliP Stewm·t
(13rloru) Jeff Stewart, .Julie's brotlte1;
with his nt'jJitews Ross ami Ravn
Whiting/on.
(Next page) II FAJ'yfJ\11 protest in
Indianapolis against mandaiOI)'
sentmcing.

Prison Fiction

by J. C. Amberchele
h e re are h ill s al l a round ,
jagged hills, a nd th e wall, a nd
above the wa ll a nd th e hills,
th e clean white dome of sky, so clean
you can a lmost feel it, smooth beyond
measure, sil ky h o t. Where the dome
e nds at the horizon , it is all snaggletooth e d hi lls, so th at eve ryth in g
above resembles th e inside o f a n egg,
broken in ha lf, a nd if you ro ll yo ur
head back and gaze toward th e sun ,
straight, straight up, squinting, sweat
burning you r eyes, you can feel yourself float, rise on a wave of hea t a nd
the n soa r above th e wall and the hills,
high e r a nd high e r.
Ale x Pitts, lea ning o n hi s sh ovel
and with his face to th e sky, fee ls his
n ec k pop, and a t th a t vc.r y in stant
h ears Crummage, tha t pig, sho u ting
from the far side of th e field. "Pitts!
Hey, Pitts! We ain ' t got time fo r bird
watch in g'! Piu s, you dumm y!"- o n
and o n while Alex pulls his h andkerchie f from his pocket a nd wipes his
face, wipes the sweat a nd-if he clidn ' t kn ow b e tte r , if thi s h ad b ee n
anoth e r life-wipes what could have
been tears from h is checks. l-I e ope ns
h is eyes and sees what he a lways sees.
Years ago, they h ad convicts build
the wa ll, cut the sto n e fro m the hill
beh ind th e prison, bri c k by brick;
what used to be a roc ky bluff covered
with sage and pine is now a vertical
scar thr ee hundred fee t hig h , the
e n tire side o f it clown to th e fences
nearby. The res t is in the wall-30
feet ta ll and ha lf a mile lo ng, thic k
e nough to walk on.
"Yo u gening' a tan , Pitts? Yo u o n
th e beach ?"
Crummage has crossed the ditc h
and co me up behind Alex, laughing
even tho ugh nothin g is funny. "Ge t
you r ass in gear, boy."
T he d itch ·is pan of a new irrigati on project for th e town. T h e o ld
slui ce has run west to east through
th e prison compoun d for years-now
th ey wa nt a spillway to the south , past

T

60

PRISON LIFE

the clinic a nd death row, under the
wall and through the park o ut fro nt.
Th e re a re six inmates to d ig it with
picks a nd shovels, te n ho urs a day,
seve n days a week, anoth e r hu ndred
yards before they bring in the cement
u·ucks. Alex kn ows he is o n the crew
for a reason-he is big a n d stron g
an d th ey figure he is dumb e n ough
to do what he's told.
"If yo u ' re sic k, Pi tts, ge t a pass
from th e clinic. "
Cr ummage , smilin g broadly,
throws o ut a h and in the direction o f
the buildings a foo tba ll field away.
Alex has th e cho ice. He can drop
his shovel and head for the clinicm e n h ave kee le d over in this h ea t,
and the re are always lawsuits pe nding
aga inst th e State. Bu t a trip to th e
clini c mea ns two clays' lay-in, no gym
o r yard privileges, too many questions
fro m a suspicious nurse who couldn't
give a damn if you lived or died. Alex
has thi s c h o ice, an d one o th er-h e
can swing the shovel, turn h is back to
Crummage and do his job, d ig fo r his
lo usy mea ls a n d what li u le freedo m
h eca n e keout ofa da~

"Pitts, you got a problem?"'
Alex looks up at him. Crummage
is the day-shift la bor foreman, pushing
six ty a nd close to retirement. He is as
thi ck a nd wrinkled as a tree ·tump,
and wh e1·e his eyes should be th e re
are tiny holes covered by ch eap, wirerimm ed sunglasses he neve r re moves.
His mouth is loose, mocking.
"Because if you do, Pius, we can
take care of it. Just you a nd me, son."
H e steps in from o f Al ex, hands
still o n h is hips, now with h is ch in up,
close. Al ex can smell his breath. The
old man 's brow is dq•, not a drop of
sweat, a nd Alex hates him for tJ1is; he
could ki ll thi s ma n with on e punc h ,
bust hi s over rip e h ead be fo re th e
g u a rd in th e t ower co uld s h oot.
Crummage is unarmed . He is fa t a nd
sloppy a nd Alex has seen a thousand
li ke h im , h avin g grown up in state
homes and dete n tion ce nte rs, hating
the g ua rds with a fire in his chest h e
could barely control, h ati ng the m the

way he ha ted his fath er 1vho beat h im
with fists whe n he was a chi ld, punished him fo r crying, and late r, when
the tears d ried forever, punished him
for ta lking, fo r saying "I'm sorry," for
saying a nything at all, unti l Al ex quit
tha t also-and a ll tJ1e whi le he wanted
to kill the man , silently, never sa)~ n g a
word-just kill him and walk away.
Crummage must sen se it because
h e drops his ha nds a nd sh akes his
h ead. Alex kn ows wh a t Crummage
th inks-that a man who canno t talk i
stupid ; th a t a ma n wh o is sile nt is
blind a n d deaf as we ll. But
Crummage knows that Alex ca n feel.
H e know beca use h e ta unts Alex,
beca use h e push es him to the e dge
and th e n a liLLi e b eyo nd , a lm ost
e noug h , b e fore he bac ks o ff a nd
sha kes his h ead .
Alex stabs a t the side of the ditch ,
gets a foot on the shovel a nd buri es it
to the hand le. The din is sa nely in
pl aces. wet a nd h eavy in o th e rs .
Th e re are rocks, chunks of shale by
the t h o usa nd s, and th e d igging is
un even, fi tful. T he sun scorc hes the
back or his neck, boils the sweat o n
his shin. Yeste rday h e fe lt his kn ees
give out, and today it is his feet-an
ache h e can ' t qu ite place, a ll over in
his th ick, state-issue brogans. But his
back a nd sh o ulders are stro ng, a nd
he ca n co unt on his arms, his arms
will be th e last to go.
A hundre d years ago, they bought
this land and built a prison on it, put
up a schoolhouse a nd scratched out a
yard and the n built the wall, to re down
some buildings and put up new ones,
renovated everytJ1ing and changed the
name when tJ1 e Feels sue d, but basically it's the same. Except the old convicts
are gone. The re are new faci lities now,
windowless pods scattered out on the
plai ns: modern, low-slung all"airs with
high-Lech fe nces; prefabs and mo duIars resemblin g hun kers by clay and
spacecraft at night. They are fi lied witJ1
yo un gsters, gangs of kids with crazy
hairdo 's and city faces, mouths full of
cha uer th at Alex cannot listen to . And
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plant at F. C. I.
OxfMd, WI, to
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NewYmX.
(middle left) An
order acknowledgement to Jaco.
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registered. Mohwish and Olson
requested a court order to redesignate Sargeant to F.C.I. Jesup via the
U.S. Marshal's Service. They further
requested that once the transfer was
completed, the U.S. Marshall's Office
would keep the three of them in safe
custody until the resolution of their
case. Instead, they sent Mohwish to
Sargeant at F.C.I. Tallahassee. Olson
was kept at F.C.I.Jesup.
"They knew I was financing it,"
says Mohwish. "And by now, they
knew they couldn't scare or intimidate us. So they did the next best
thing: stall us. For four months, they
were successful in obstructing justice."
But by August, Mohwish and Co.
were ready to roll. The casework on
CV 294-011 was resumed.
At about the time Sargeant
joined the team, the UNICOR plant
at F.C.I. Jesup was apparently continuing its venture to sell products illegally to the private sector. Additional
documents captured by Mohwish,
Olson and Sargeant reveal an
attempt to solicit T-shirts sales to
Mason & Hanger-Silas Mason Co.,
Inc., a private company in
Middleton, Iowa. The memo,
addressed to Silas Mason's plant
manager, Donald Duke, documented
the products UNICOR could provide. A price list and set of samples
was also sent to Duke.
Mohwish also received six prisoner-liberated documents from the

ltANAIOER

UNICOR plant at F.C.I. Oxford,
Wisconsin. The papers, all estimates,
cost sheets and purchase orders,
were addressed to six different companie~all in the private sector. The
breakdown:
t/ 4000 tail lights for Cummins
Military Systems of Augusta, GA$41,960.
t/22 cable assemblies for Jaco
Electronics, Inc. of Happauge, NY$17,163.30.
t/3333 wiring harnesses for Tamsco
Manufacturing Division of Polson,
MT-$2,391,794.13.
t/ 40 cable assemblies for Lasmer
Industries, Inc. of Kerryville, TX$4,113.60.
t/ I l l cable assemblies for
Electronics & Space Corporation of
St. Louis, M0---$3,192.36.
t/184 cable assemblies for Minowitz
Manufacturing Co. of Roseville, MI$7,452.00.
The transactions total nearly
$2.5 million.
Even before Mohwish, Olson and
Sargeant could incorporate the new,
bullet-proof evidence into their case,
they received a shock. Based on the
documents already provided to the
court- i.e. papers proving UNICOR
had done business with Sports
Europa-the UNICOR Three were
granted a motion to take their evidence before a Grand Jury.
"I was ecstatic," says Mohwish.
"The court has only been provided

the Sports Europa evidence. The
government has no idea the rest of
our arsenal of evidence exists. We've
been holding back ·but now we get to
blast them all before a Grand Jury.
With incontrovertible, staggering
documented evidence like this,
there's absolutely no way UNICOR
can cover their tracks."
.,;
And CV 294-011 isn't the only
legal action against UNICOR. In
November, 1994, Postconviction
Consultants, Inc. of Georgia, under
Truman Buckles, filed a complaint
against Federal Prison Industries,
Inc. Representing a coalition of businesses UNICOR has crushed, the
suit, similar to Mohwish, Olson and
Sargeant's, charges UNICOR with
deprivation of civil rights and conspiratorial acts committed in violation ofR.I.C.O.
For years, federal prisoners have
bitched and moaned about the illegal
activities of UNICOR, all to no avail.
Who is going to believe a bunch of
convicts? Certainly not the government. According to Joe Krovisky, a
spokesman for the Department of
Justice, th~ U.S. Attorney General's
Office would not say whether an
investigation has ever been launched
into the allegations against UNICOR,
but only that "nothing has ever been
publicly disclosed."
"They've taken advantage of us
for years," Joe Mohwish says, "only
because they've been able to. If it was
a RICO action against John Gotti or
·Herby Sperling, the feds would
immediately investigate, even grant
immunity to admitted serial murderers like Sammy "the Bull" Gravano to
testify before a Grand Jury. But what
happens when the feds are caught
red-handed breaking the law? They
try to cover it up. The obvious question to Attorney General Reno
should be, Why won't or can't you
enforce the law? After all, Olson,
Sargeant and myself are just
American citizens trying to expose a
massive scam and report a crime!
This case is a serious can of worms.
"And when we go before the
Grand Jury," Mohwish exclaims,
''we'll be making history."

PRISON LIFE

59

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THE CIVIL CASE:
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Cable Systems Inc. et al,
Plaintiff,

v.
Federal Prison Industries, Inc.
(UNICOB),
et. al.
Defendants

)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)

COUNT ONE: Deliberate deprivation of civil rights by
parties acting under the color or contour of federal laws.
COUNT TWO: For redress of constitutional rights
secured by the U.S. Constitution.
COUNT THBEE: For redress for conspiratorial acts committed in violation of Civil Racketeering and Corrupt
Organizations Act.
Representing a coalition of businesses UNICOR has crushed,
Postconviction Consultants, Inc., under Truman Buckles, filed this
civil complaint on November 8, 1994 against UNICOR.
Postconviction Consultants, Inc. was formed in October of 1992
by Truman Buckles, an experienced prison litigation specialist.
Postconviction Consultants, Inc. offers legal services to state and federal prisoners. For the past five years, the rJ.rJO has concentrated on
prison litigation, emphasizing federal sentencing guidelines.

58

PRISON LIFE

would be th rown on a bus and be put on
Diesel Therapy for six mon ths and if I persisted o n doing my legal work, he would
have my 'ass locked up in the Hole.' He
also stated that he would have my room
ransacked and my stuff confiscated.
"I was very uneasy, to say the least,"
Mohwish admits. "I began to fear that this
was j ust th e beginni ng of retaliatory ac ts
taken against me and my personal property, and that my legal materials would be
destroyed."
Moh wish was also orde red by F.C.l. 's
Health and Safety Officer, Lt. Commander
J oh nn ie Williams, never to have ano ther
piece of registered mail sent to him. 'This is
a direct order," Williams yelled at Mohwish.
In April, Olson was presented with a letter, clearly marked as legal mail, fro m his
uni t officer . The letter, t h e officer
explained to Olson, had been mistakenly
opened b y th e warde n 's secretary.
Meanwhile, Mohwish and O lson began filing for time extensio n s o n the ir case
because they were cu t off from Sargeant.
On May 23, still un able to communicate
with their co-plaintiff, Mohwish asked his
Unit Case Manager, Mr. Milton , to be permitted a non-monitor ed, legal telephone
call to Sergeant at F.C.l. Tallahassee. Milton
said he'd consider it. An hour later, he told
Moh,vish he had been ordered by the institu tion's pa ra legal, Mr. Dedman, not to
allow Mohwish any phone calls to Sargeant.
Outgo ing ma il from Mohwish and
Olson to Sargeant, albeit certified, started
d isappearing. Legal mail sen t to Sargeant
never reached its destination, despite being

A month late r , Assistant United all prisoners deaf, dumb a nd blind to
States Attorney Me lissa Mundell of the illegal actions taking place.
"New prisoners would be thrown
Georgia, re prese nting UNICOR a nd
its d e fend a nts, fil ed a Mo tion to into th e h o le," explains Sargeant.
Dismiss. The grounds stated: "lack of "That way, they'd be at a disadva ntage
subjec t matter of jurisdiction; lack of when th e officials wou ld offer the m
standing; insufficie ncy of service of jobs at UNICOR as a way to get out."
Pri so ners start at 23 cents an
process; failure to exhaust adm inistra tive remedi es; failure to sta te a hour when first beginning work at
constitutional vio lation; and failu re UNICOR. After they are there for a
to state a claim upon whi c h re lief while, the pay grade will increase to
over $1. "But very seldom did a ny
may be granted."
''Their dismissal," says Mohwish, prisoner climb th e pay grade,"
"consisted of 81 pages of frivolous, ex plains Sargeant, now a jailhouse
inapplicable, misleading and unnec- lawyer. "When the time for a raise
essary pleadings that did not address came, the prisoner was either transthe issues. For instance, Mundell stat- ferre d to non-UNICOR j o b in th e
ed 'failure to exhaust admin istrative prison or u·ansferred to another instiremedies.' Why would we need to tution. Prisoners coming from other
file a n adminis tra tive remedy in federal facilities with UNICOR expeorder to r e port fe lony violations of ri ence wo uld b e denied work at
criminal law commi tted by corrupt Miami's UN ICOR because the y
official s of the U .S. gove rnm ent? wou ldn ' t b e ab le to start at th e
pathetically low wages."
That would be their job. "
By now, the prisoner/ whistleblowers reali zed they wou ld get li ttle, if
any, help from free world authorities.
They turned to other sources of assistance-this tim e, from their side of
the bars. By establishing a network of
federal priso n e r s from institutions
arou nd the co untry, Mohwish and
Olson wou ld, in time, uncove r even
more damaging evidence against UNICOR a nd the De partme nt of Justice.
Sargeant gathered other a ffiBut first, they recruited fellow prisoner Donald Sargeant. It was time for davits fr o m prisoners a t M.C.C.
Miami complaining of UNICOR's
the fed eral prisoners to play hardball.
wrongdoing and hiring practices. For
Donald Sargeant, 39, doing 183 insta nce, a prisoner is supposed to
months since 1990 fo r narcotics dis- have an 8th grade education in order
tribution a nd possession o f unregis- to \vork for UNICOR. "But t11ere are
tered firearms, was studying the law Latino inmates in tl1ere now," reads
to fight his own case when h e was an affidavit from Mark Lavalle e , a
approached by Mohwish and Olson. prisoner at M.C.C. Miami, ''who can't
Sargeant, who already had a major read or write English or Spanish. "
beef with the Fed s, was eager to help.
"No one," says Donald Sargeant,
Sargeant's complaints aga inst
UNICOR dated back to 1989 when "is above or beyond the laws of the
they allegedly forced him to work for United States. All laws must apply to
the factory at M.C.C. Miami. "I to ld all or apply to none. This is the very
them no," he says, "because it was ille- heart of our action against UNICOR:
gal to force me to work b efore I h ad CV 294-11." Sargeant says this Action
my trial. Besides, I n eeded time to is a n ew theory and has never been
prepare for my upcoming case. They tested before the Court before. "But
threatened me \vith tl1e Hole and no this avenue," Sargeant adds, "isn't so
visits with my family. I h ad no choice." much a new one as it is a revivificaSargeant started learning a bout tion of the right, power and authority
UNICOR's Miami operation. During all U.S. citizens possess. The mistake
his stay at M.C .C. Mia mi , Sargeant everyone h as made in addressing this
observed and heard B. O.P. staff lawsuit has been to treat it as a typical
me mbers threaten to harm prisoners prisoner lawsuit, a civil lawsuit, when
wh o attempted to exerc ise the ir in reality it is not a law suit at all but a
rights not to work at UNICOR's fac- criminal action. It is on the law and
tory. He also claims to have observed on common sense."
The three muckrakers joined
an ongo in g pattern us e d b y the
Bureau of Prisons in Miami to keep forc es to fight UN ICOR in Apri l,

1994. Just a few days after Sargeant
filed a motion to join CV 294-011 ,
a nd whi le h e was in possession of
most of th e case materials, he was
ordered by B.O .P. officials at J esup to
pack up for an unexpected transfer to
F.C.I. Tallahassee, Florida. As all federal pri so n ers know, sudde n a nd
unnecessary transfe rs from one institution to another, kn own as "diesel
therapy," are often used to separate a
writ-writing prisoner from his personal property and legal papers for weeks
or even months. Such inaccessibility
to files in the UNICOR case, as \veil as
to Sargeant's personal case, was a devastating blow. Sa rgeant spo ke to seve ral staff members at Jesup, asking for
a d elay so he could complete legal
papenvork and keep disruption to a
minimum, but he was denied.
Once Sargeant arrived at F.C.I.
Tallahassee, h e was placed not into
the general population but into the
Dete ntion Center. There , h e was
informed that he could not obtain any
of his prope rty, including his legal
materials, as long as he re mained in
the Detention Center, which would be
3 to 6 weeks. The Detention Center is
the lockdown unit at F.C.I. Tall ahassee. Prison ers are confined to a single unit Sargeant was precluded from
doing any legal work, as well as from
seeing his family.
The sudden transfer was not the
beginning of what the UNICOR
Three call "retaliatory acts" from the
Feds. Early in February of '94, Duane
Olson came back from lunch to d iscover that several of his legal files h ad
been taken. Olson went to find the
C.O. in charge of his block, Officer
Ward, to inform him. Ward explained
he hadn't been ripped off, and not to
be alarmed. "I know you would like
me to tell you what went down," Ward
said, "but I can' t do that for you. You
need to see Lt. Wilson about it."
Olson went to see Wilson, who
returned the materials. "It was a mistake," he replied.
Later that month, Mohwish, after
prese nting a cop-out (an "Inmate
Request to Staff Member" form) to
the Food Se rvice manager, was
ordered to the Lieutenant's office.
When he arrived, he was confronted
by several B.O.P. officers, as well as Lt.
Matthew Arnold.
"Arnold accused me of being a
'writ write r,"' says Mohwish. "Then
he told me that he would not put up
with my filing paper work and if I
continued, I would be in a lot of trouble. The more h e talked, the louder
and a ngrier he became. He said I
PRISON LIFE

57

I've been fighting th e Man's syste m for fi ve years n ow a nd I've always
tried to help others o n the inside do
th e sam e. I've p aid th e price for
going against th e flow of the syste m
by b e ing thrown o n th e ol' B.O .P.
bus and shipped around, away from
my fa mi ly. Tha t's just o n e o f th e
aggravatio ns I've had to put up with.
Yo u already know that it's almost
impossible to fight the Fed s and their
bullshit. But it ma kes me so d a mn
angry seeing the m get away with ail
the c rimes th ey're committing and
then calling us criminals, telling the
world that we deserve the 5, 10, 20,
50 or 100 years in p r iso n beca use
we're drug dealers.
Wha t's th e r eal r eason fo r this
ni g h tm a r e calle d th e Drug Wa r ?
Th e r ea l n ee d fo r o ur impri so nme nt? UNICOR, money and greed .
"No shi t," you 're probab ly saying.
Well, wh y aren 't you doing anything
to sto p it? Mayb e it's b eca use yo u
don 't know how. Well, now WE can
fight the syste m and we can WIN.
I've d iscove red th a t the best way
to fight back is not by suing. I've seen
thousands of suits filed by prisone rs
against the Man and the Syste m, a nd
these suits have lost. Ninety-nin e pe rcent of these cases lose because the
Co urts rul e th a t t h e Ma n o r th e
System have immunity, or they acted

within the scope of their autho rity.
Bu t look a t the other side. T hey
make hundreds of laws and rul es tha t
t hey use aga inst us a nd th ey win .
Their laws, their victories.
Now th ey've forgotten to cove r
their own asses. And now we can use
their laws to p ut th eir asses in prison.
I h ave drafted a nd filed my first
Action to the U.S. District Court in
Brunswick, Georgia. The case nu mber
is CV294-011 , started by J oe Mohwish
a nd Du a n e O lso n , a nd it's fil ed
against the D.O J., B.O. P., a nd UN ICOR.
Sure, we've had to put up with
th ei r p etty acts of r e ta liation, but
what they d idn 't expect was that we
wouldn ' t stop. And we had o thers on
the outside who help us, a nd now, we
are back again .
What th e Action does is a ll ow
you to utilize your rights, powers and
authori ty as a U.S. Citizen. Everyone
who gives a dam n abou t themselves
o r their fa milies must get in vo lved
an d h elp o ut in th is lawsu it. T h e
Actio n -CV 294-0 11 -is soli d i n the
Court. The beau ty of it is this: They
ca nn o t d efeat it un less th ey defeat,
or ch ange, th eir own laws.
For all you no nvio lent ofien ders:
Lo ok into UN ICOR. Tha t's where
you 'll find the real reaso n you ' re in
prison. It's a govern men t owned a n d
o p e ra te d slave factory th at n eeds
n o n vio le nt offe n de r s to ru n th e
d a mn thi ng. You can't ge t vio le nt
psych o pa ths to sew T -shi n s, m a ke
mattresses, sh eets and all that in one

of these U If COR factories. The Feds
don 't want d angerous people threatening their opcralion.
Think a bout it. Look aro u nd
you: How many prisoners a rc killers
or charged with crimes of violence?
U t I COR h as broken th e law,
and now it's tryi ng to cove r its tracks.
Why ha it lobbi ed Co ngress for a
brand new bill asking to exempt prisoners from min imum wage laws and
asking Congress to allow UN ICOR to
sell p rison-made goods to the public?
l f it hasn ' t bee n breaking the law in
the past, why does it n eed Congress
to pass a bill allowing it to do what it
has al ready been doing?
If you have a ny informa tion that
will help the cause concerning criminal acts commiued by these peop le
or institutions, send us the information. l fyo u want to kn ow more about
this, Wlite to me and ask.
D. Sargeant
C/ 0 Box 920474
Norcross, GA 30092

Nothing else \ \laS heard about the
inquiry fo r months. Still, Mohwish
a nd company did n ' t stop. T hey sent
registered letters to Slattery's superior,
U. S. At torn ey P e te Strong of
Columbia; to th e Assista nt Atto rney
Gene ral in Washington; and to three
members o f th e U. S. Ho u se o f
Re presenta tives-only one of who m,
Newt Gingrich, respo nded . Gingrich
info rm e d Mo hwi sh th a t Attorn ey
General J anet Reno had been notified
of the allegatio ns. Finally, Mo h wish
put Reno on notice that previous le tters to the DOJ had gon e unanswered,
and o n ovember 2, 1993, Mo hwish
and Olson requested that Re no begin
a formal investigation.
"We had n o idea it would be this
difficult to re port a crime," on e le tte r
fro m Moh wish stated .
On December 27, 1993, Bureau
of Prisons Assistant Director/ Gen e ral
Cou nsel Wallace Ch en ey se nt a le tte r
to Mohwish saying t h a t th e allega-

lio ns against UNICOR were refe rred
to t h e Office of th e In s p ec to r
Gene ral for investigatio n. O n J anuary
5, 1994, U .S. Co n g r ess m a n J ac k
Ki ngston se nt Mo hwish a lette r confirming tha t a B.O.P. inte rnal affairs
investiga tion had bee n initiated .
A wee k la te r , J o hn Mox ley, Sr.,
Sp ec ia l Age nt fo r th e In sp ec to r
Gen eral's O ffi ce, Brunswick Divisio n,
appeared un a nn o un ced a t J esu p to
sp eak with Mo h wish . After a fi veminute exchange, Moxley left with a
comple te set of evidentiary mate rials.
The n- no thing . Mo hwish wro te to
Moxley bu t received no response a nd
a ll l e tte r s se nt to Mo x l e y a t t h e
Bru n swi c k office were re tu r n ed
"uncl a imed ." By th e e nd of Marc h,
Mo hwish a nd com pany were notified
th at Mox le y h ad r e t ire d a n d t h e
Brunswick o ffice h ad closed pe rman ently. "If you want to se nd more evid e n ce ," th e Je u e r read , "se n d it to
this po st office box. "

Aro und
th e
sa m e
time,
Represe nta tive G i n g r ic h n otifie d
Mohwish tha t th e allegations of criminal m iscon d uct h ad bee n u pgraded
fro m a B.O. P. Inte rnal AJTairs matter
into a preli minary investiga tio n conducted by th e .Justice De partme n t and
the Office of th e Inspecto r Gene ral.
Bu t Mo h wis h a nd Ol so n we r e
ti red or waiting for resulLs. T hey decided it was time to ta ke action against
N ICOR themse lves. They lil ed a
c r imi na l ac ti on suit, CY 294-0 II ,
aga i ns t U ! COR , t h e Bu rea u o f
Prisons, the United Sta tes Departmem
ofJustice a nd 17 defenda nts including
forme r B.O .P d irector Quinlan, U ICOR a ttorney Ki rschba um, th e c urre nt B.O.P. directo r, l«tthl een Hawk
a nd Sports Euro pa. Their fi lings, categorized as a writ of Ma ndamus, called
for the defendants to take actio n and
pu t a sto p to th e illegal activities o f
U !COR.
Response cam e q uicker th is tim e.

A CALL TO ACTION
by Donald Sargeant

56

PRISON LIFE

Army-style T-shirts over the next four
weeks for $1. 10 per item . (Ed
Narajno, the president of Sports
Europa, did not return our calls.)
Mohwish says UNICOR used government documents and disguised
the T-shirt deal as a sale of their manufactured products to the Defense
Department. ''We have U.S. Government documents proving this sham: a
D.O.D. manufacture/ sales transaction
was financed for UNICOR and the
private sector business Sports Europa
by a loan from the Small Business
Administration in Marietta, Georgia."
Despite the documentary proof
and relentless letters to officials,
Mohwish and Olson's complaints went
Under Federal law, UNICOR is unheeded. In April, 1993, Mohwish
prohibited from selling anything to and Olson enlisted the law firm
the private sector. Dur ing their in- Kneece, Kneece and Brown of
house investigation, Mohwish and Columbia, South Carolina to help purOlson managed to obtain documen- sue their case against UNICOR. All evitary evidence that the UNICOR facto- dence was turned over to William
ry at F.C.I. Jesup was manufacturing Kneece for evaluation and validation.
and selling T-shirts to a company After deeming the materials both "subcalled Sports Europa, a Miami, stantial and overwhelming," Kneece
Florida mail order and telemarketing concluded the criminal activity ofUNIsales catalog company. An inter- COR should be reported and the evioffice memo written by John Wolgen, dence should be turned over to the
acting factory manager of the UNI- U.S. Department ofJustice for further
COR plant in Jesup reads: "We will investigation and prosecution.
soon begin manufacturing PFU TThe next month, everything was
shirts as a subcontractor for Sports handed over to Assistant U.S.
Europa beginning the first week in Attorney David Slattery of the U.S.
March . .. The supplies for the Sports Justice Department in Columbia.
Europa T-sh irts must be segregated Later that month, A.U.S.A. Slattery
from the rest of the manufacturing was granted permission to present
material ... Due to the importance th is criminal evidence to the
of this project, please ask any ques- Department ofJustice in Washington,
tions as they arise."
D.C. "It was understood by all," says
Mohwish and Olson also secured Duane Olson, "that Mr. Slattery
factory work orders, purchase orders, would hand carry the books of eviT-shir t labels and a Sports Europa dence to Washington on Tuesday,
catalog featuring the T-shirts. May 31, 1993." In early June, Kneece
"Genuine U.S. Army 'Physical Fitness confirmed that the documents had
Uniform' T-Shirts ... for just $5," ran been delivered to Washington.
the ad in the catalog for the UNI"Slattery believes," said Kneece to
COR-manufactured shirts.
his clients at the time, "there are very
Mohwish and Olson wan ted to drastic violations of federal law going
know whether the UNICOR factory on and he is now working with the
in Jesup was acting on its own, or D.C. people."
whether the Department of Justice
Over the next few months, both
was actually behind the crimi nal Mohwish and Olson as well as Kneece
scheme. When further documenta- sent a series of letters to Slattery to
tion was obtained, the two had their determine the status of their inquiry.
answer: Both the Department of Finally, at the end of August, during
Defense and the Department of a phone conversation with Slattery, it
Justice were in on it. The proof came was confirmed to Duane Olson that
in the form of a notice issued by the "It (UNICOR) is being looked into."
D.O.D. confirming the order and Slattery also promised to send a letter
shipment ofT-shirts (to be shipped updating them on the situation.
and billed directly to the D.O.D.),
"The plaintiffs were led to believe
and D. 0 .].-issued factory work that the U.S. Department of Justice
orders to manufacture the T-shirts. had, at the very least, confirmed
Sports Europa, furn ishing UNICOR wrongdoing and that an investigation
with fabric, would purchase 132,000 would be forthcoming," says Kneece.
Mohwish and Olson more suspicious.
"We engaged outside resources and
began an intensive field investigation
into UNICOR activities," Mohwish
continues. "And after our inquiry was
completed, the results produced new
evidence of UNICOR's involvement
in the commission of I nterstate
Felony Criminal Violations of Federal
Anti-Racketeering laws-RICO.
"From our internal and external
investigators," Mohwish explains, "we
acquired overwhelming and indisputable evidence that UNICOR and
its management is involved in a criminal conspiracy to commit felony violations of RICO."

WHEN
GOVERNMENT
IS CRIMINAL
How do upstanding American citizens, let alone lowly convicts, take the government to
court when they are convinced
federal officials are conducting
an illegal enterprise under the
guise of official business?
Ordinarily, one would do exactly
what the UNICOR Three did:
report the alleged crimes to the
proper authorities (cops or government lawyers) and expectjustice to be carried out. But, as
we've seen time and time again,
when the government is guilty of
criminal wrongdoing, they are
reluctant to investigate and prosecute themselves.
What Mohwish, Olson and
Sargeant have done is unique.
After presenting their evidence
to an Assistant United States
Attorney and to the Attorney
Genera l, and rece iving no
resu lts, they took their case
directly to federal court by filing
a Writ of Mandamus to compel
the authorities to do their jobs
and present the evidence before
a grand jury. Further, basing
their case on Title 18, subsection
3332: Powers and duties (of the
grand jury), which stipulate that
the evidence of wrongdoing may
be brought to the attention of
the grand jury "by the court" or
by an attorney representing the
United States, they appealed
d irectly to the judge to order
that a grand jury be presented
with evidence of criminal wrongdoing on the part of UNICOR
officials, thereby bypassing the
U.S. Attorney's office. With the
Court's dramatic ruling that a
grand jury consider their evidence, the UNICOR Three have
instituted an unprecedented
criminal action by prisoners
against officials of the U. S.
Government. We can hear the
chant resounding from UNICOR
slave labor factories around the
nation: THREE CHEERS FOR
THE UNICOR THREE!
-Richard Stratton

PRISON LIFE 55

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t o r Sport £::ro ~• beotnntnv the ttr.s~ ve:d: tn Karch.
It w1ll be
cf"ltlc&l t!'.a: • l l dep.art•tnta v orlit t oo ether· to ensure that
a ceoun tab 1 11 :.y
o ! aaterl&l
:~. t ctll& ry
d ocu.c nt&tl o n for
recct vtnv an~ a hlpptno U rutnutnrd rroper ly . Sport Eu rope will
aupply ua vtth every th ln Q n clud tno t h:-ud and labo r .
11&ter1ah
r cc etvtd fr ont Sport Europa mu a t be aeore-oau d In t ht wa r e h ou a t and
OD the pr oduc ttotto floor to aat ntetn prope r &CCOUtlta bll t ty .
• ccct v t no :-eporta, nquta ttlon•. e.nd eutttno roo• d~WRtntatlon
auat bt aetntetned a ccurate ly. loddy Spr t fiQtr , P lant ~rollc:-.
Dctd& t O Obta1!1 a u paratt (&br1c: flU.~:" 1b SnUX Co r t h recttpt
or tMa a ettrl&l per Atlanta bu a 1nus o(Clce. The •ner ta ahould
bt rt ce1Yt ~ &a: & -c; ov ernru:~ t F'"llr-ntahed K•t•r t a l- and -.uat be
leQrtQ&tcd tro::a other 1ft hO"IliC T• ah1:-t a ater tala. 1 wtll cotl fy
y o u ot any f urt her dcve-loprl'ltlnta .
Due t o the S•poru:~.ce ot tMa
project ple&at a alr: any queatl ona a a t hey a r l&e

it 10 , wh11 It JOUr tntrr d t lt:
-rr.o;-plcue dt t crlk •• • .:

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(tojJ left) A purchase order to Sports Europa
for 132,000 T-sltirts.
(tojJ 1-igltt) a unit cost estimate to SjJorts
Europa-$3.22 per T-sltirt as compared to
the commercial fnice of $4.49
(bottom left) A memo from the actingfactOiy
manager at UNICOR/F.C. I.Jesup to all
staff on the SjJorls EurojJa projPct.
(bottom 1-ight) The (Jl\1/COR job ajJJJlication
freel)• uses the word "emjJloyee, " "emplo)'er, "
and "employment. "
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Is
IJCO R exempt fro m Fede ra l legislaLion pe rtaining to the pa)'mcnl of
minimum ho urly wages?
Attorney Ki rschbaum re plied 30
days
later. With regard w Cllll)loyinCY
.
•
0
Il legal aliens, he wrote, '"Title 18 USC
412 2 ( b) ( 1) do cs not pred ic a te
inma te work on the basis of inmate citizensh ip. It prO\·idcs in part th at the
' board of direc tors s hall provide
c mplor mcnt for the g reatest n um ber
of those inmates in the U.S. penal and
co rrectional insti tutions who arc e ligible lor work as is reasonably possi ble ....
Ki ger was not sa ti sfi ed with
Ki rschbau m 's res ponse, saying that
th e iss ue s were not p r ope rl y
ad d res ·eel . H e be li eved the y were
"witho ut standing, me rit or a de quate
case law. ··
" Kirsc h baum's attempt to
address the va lidity o f UN ICO R's
e mplo ym e nt o f ill ega l a lie ns," says
Mo h wish , "is bo th fm il c a nd weak.
His refere n ce lO Titl e 18 to justify
UN ICO R's position docs not apply to
U1 ICOR at a ll but rath er add resses
the mandatory employment of a ll
inmates incarcenued bv the Federal
Bureau of Prisons and ' concerns the
dail y operations of th e priso n itself,
no t th e h a ll~b illi o n d olla r manufact uri n g pri so n ca ll ed UN ICO R.
Furthe rmo re , Kirschba u m comp le tely disregarded the c ivi l rig hts vio lati o n wi th r espect to .S. c iti ze ns
be ing de n ied employme n t in li eu o f
illegal aliens."
In re spo nse to th e q u e sti on of
wh e th e r UN ICOR is exemp t from
mi n imum wage laws, Kirsc h ba um
stated that Title 18 au th o ri zes th e
Atto rn ey Ge nera l to es ta b lish r ul es
and reg ula tio n s gove rn ing th e paymen t o f co mpe nsa tio n to ind u strywo rking inmates.
''The tem1 pay, Kirschbaum wrote,
'·actually means a gra LUity ra the r than
wage, in relatio n to the non-taxabilitv
of UN ICOR inmate pay. Accord ing t~
th e IRS, th e [re la tio n shi p be tween]
inmates and Fed era l Prison In dustri es,
In c. a ri ses from th e incarceration of
th e inm ates o n one ha nd and fro m
the legal dULy o f th e Corporatio n to
provide re habi li tati ve labor on t he
other. It is not the legal relationship of
e mpl oyer a nd e mp lo yee ... Acco rdingly,
the prison in mates pe rlorm in(Y
.
0
SCJYJCes fo r Federal Prison lndusu·ics.
Inc.... arc no t its em ployees fo r purposes of the Collection of Income Tax
a t So urce o n \1\lages ( IR ruling 75~2 5 ). In add ition , severa l cases h;wc
h e ld that. inma tes are n o t pri so n
e mplo yees and ca nno t benefit fro m
the provi ions of the FLSA."

Kir c hb aum goc o n t o quot e
11. U.."i. , 1987. in whic h the
Supre me Co urt held tha t '· inmates
arc tec hni call y a n d realist ically not
employees. Inma tes arc not fre e to
se t their wages throug h negotiation
o r ba rgain ing; th ey ma y not form
uni o ns o r strike; and t hey m ay n ot
q uit work. Their service in vocational
programs and the ir rig ht to compe nsa tion is so le ly by legislat ive grace,
p rimarily for the ir own be ne fi t and
re habil itation ...
T h e r e fo r e, Kirsc hbaum c o n cludes, Fe deral Priso n Industri es is
n ot in violation of an y r ulin gs.
Kirsc hbau m fai led LO me ntio n flair• v.
Arizona, a 1992 landmar k case conce rnin g the Fa ir La bo r Standard s
Acl. In //ale, the Court of Appeals
determined that the FLSA docs applv
to prisoners who arc work ing in ~
p riso n in dustry. \Nh e thcr an employm e n t relat ions h ip exis ts und e r the
FLSA d epends o n th e "econ omic
realit( of the e mployme nt siwation.
To d ecide wh e th er s uch a silllation
ex i ts, the economic realitv test looks
to lo ur facto rs: Whether ~he a llegecl
e mployer ( l ) had th e powe r to hire
and fire e mp loyees, (2) supervised
a nd co ntrolled work sc hedul es or
conditio ns of c m ploymem, (~) d e te rmined m e th od of payment and (4)
main tained e mployment cards. Ut ICO R mceL5 a ll fou r criteria.
"Kirsc hbaum 's auempt to escape
th e wage iss ue was wr ong,·· sars
:Vlo hwish. "Sudden ly re ferri ng to wages
as gra tuity is not in keeping with the
hundreds of pages or evide nce whi ch
refers to the UN ICOR/ Inmatc relationsh ip as e mployer/ employee, as well as
the dozen s of re ferences th roug hout
the ir li t era ture to s uc h ter m s a s
'bonus' , ·fired ·, ·wage,' etc. witho ut a
sing le appcar;mce of th e word 'gratuity.' In the first 87 pages of
!CO R's
"Report to Congress on Study Findings
a n d Recom m enda t io n s" o f Au gus t
199 1, we sec th e words 'e mployee',
'em ployer', 'e m pl oy· a n d 'em p loyment' 11 5 times."
On J anu a ry I . I 99~. :Vl o h wish
an d Olson draft ed "Leuc rs of Intent"
a nd posted registered copies to th e
II officers and d irectors of
ICOR
in Wash ington, D. C. Alth o u g h the
le ucrs fai led lO pro duce (Ill}' so rt o r
respon . c fro m \'\'a shi ngton , the
prison o flicials at F.C. I. .Jesup began
ha rassing the whistl eblowcrs.
"O ne simply cannot d ra ft such a
letter and mai l it from where we arc
wi th o ut cliscip lin a r}' actio n b,· the
Bu reau of Priso ns,,. says i\ lohwisl1.
Th e hara ss m e nt o nl}' ma d e
Amos

ADMISSION TO WRONGDOING?
Was it a case of coincide nce o r
is UN JCO R trying to cove r its tracks?
Severa l mo nth s a fter tvl o hwish
and Olson had th e i•- a ttornC}' se nd
l!COR ' in- ho use coun se l, I ra
Kirschbaum , question pe r taining to
whatther aw as U nCO R's crimina l
enterprise, two bills were submiuecl
to Congress by Representatives Wolf
and Reid.
H.R. 703, submitted J a nuary 27,
1993 , and c it ed as th e "P ri so n
Inmate T ra ining a nd Re habilita tio n
Act o f 1 99~" proposes "T o provide
fo r pi lo t prog rams co n d u c te d by
Federal Prison In clusu-ies to test the
feasibility of meeting th e n eed for
in c reased employme nt of Federal
priso n e rs by prod ucing ite m s, fo r
tJ1e priva te marke t, in co njun cti o n
with p riva te Un ited Sta tes firm s,
tJ1at would o th e rwise be produced
by fore ign la bor."
The bi ll states exe mption from
Title 18, USC: " Decisions to produce new produc ts n o t s ubject to
in d ustry involvement procedu res,"
a nd "Contracts may be award ed by
Federal Priso n In dustries unde r this
sec tio n without using compe ti tive
proced ures o th e n ,·ise required by
la w." In ot her words, UN ICO R
wou ld have the go-a head to open ly
do business with the p rivate sector,
the co nsequences of wh ic h could be
ca tas tro phic to sma ll govern me nt
contracting businesses.
Senate billll 15, submiu ccljune
J 6 , l 993 , would amend the Fa i r
La bo r Stand ards Act o f 1938 "To
ensure that mini m um wage requirements d o no t apply to inma te with
respect to work clone for tJ1e incarcera ting e ntity, and for oth e r pu rposes." It wo uld a me nd th e te rm
"employee" to mean "any inmate o f
a pe nal o r correctio na l institutio n of
the Federal Covernm e m , District of
Colum bia, or a State o r poli ti cal subdivision of a Sta te.~
If Senate bill 111 5 pa sed , the
amendme nLs would be re troac tive:
"ame ndments made by this sec tio n
sha ll apply as il' enacte d o n the date
or e n ac tm e nt of th e Fair Labo r
Sta nda rds Act of 1938."
'Th ese two bills," says Mohwish ,
"clea rl y demon stra te th e le ng ths
the U.S. De partment of Justice and
the Federal Bu reau of Prisons will
go to to e nsu re the ir racketeering
operatio ns will continue ."

PRISON LIFE

5~

tio ns, wi ll see 30 new prison factories
by 1998 and 4,800 new priso ne r jobs
by th e year 2000.

need . O lson was searching for a way
to suppo rt his qu a drip legic son;
Mo h wish's fa mil y n eeded financ ia l
h e lp. But both prisoners were told
U nd e r th e Immi gratio n a nd there were no o peni ngs and de ni ed
Na ti o na lity Ac t (INA), an "alie n " is e mployment.
a ny pe rso n who is no t a citizen or natMohwish and Olso n wanted to
ura l of th e U nited States. Section kn ow why they, na nu-al-born citizens
274A of the Act says it is illegal for an and federal prisoners in need , wou ld
individual o r organi zation to hire an be turned down whe n tJ1ey knew for a
a li e n o r to co ntinu e th e knowing fac t th at the UNICOR plant a t F.C.I.
e mpl oym e nt o f such. Fede ral Prison Jesup e mployed illegal aliens.
In dustries, Inc. is th e la rges t known
"U TJ CO R j esup e mployed some
e mployer of illegal aliens in th e coun- 200 to 3 00 il lega l a li ens," sa ys
try. Though tl1e exact nu mbe r of ille- Mohwish. ''Thus began our investigagals working in prison factori es is no t tion into UNICOR hirin g practices,
kn own , roug hly 28%, or 4,500 of the a n d eve ntu a ll y a ll o th e r phases of
fede ral priso ne rs e mployed by U Tf- ope r a tion s p rac t iced by Federa l
COR a re ill egal a liens. When Prison P rison industries, Inc."
Life asked the Bureau o f Priso ns fo r
Mohwish, 47, is curre ntly se rving
a n exact count of t h e ill egal ali e n s a 20-year sentence for drug conspi raworking for UNICOR, we we re to ld cy, money la und e rin g a n d tax evat h e BOP "d oes n ' t keep track" of sion . Before his arrest and conviction,
th ese statistics.
J oe owned a window ma nu fac tu ring
Why n o t? Th e informatio n ca n compa ny in Le xi n gto n , Kentucky.
be o btained easily e nough. For every Mo hwish says tl1at because he didn ' t
prisone r, th e B.O.P. is required to p lead gui lty, vo lu ntarily fo rfeit h is
have a B.P. 15 Custody Classificatio n assets and coo pe rate wiili the Feels by
Form , wh ich clearly ide nti fies th e ratting on oth e rs, he was put on th e
pri son e r as e ithe r a natural-born o r Fed eral "sh it list." Sixty-e ig h t-year-old
an alien. For each UNICOR worke r, a D u ane Olson was se n tence d to 27
B.P. 15 fo rm showing his statu s exists. yea rs in 199 1 for p ossession with
T he B.O.P. has the information; it's intent to d istribu te cocai ne . H e also
appa re ntly choosing to ignore it.
fe lt he was p ut o n the Fed's shitlist
At prese nt, no federal laws or reg- for refusing to cooperate a n d
ulati o ns exe mpt UNI COR fro m th e become a stool pigeon.
Immig ration a nd Na ti o n a lity Act.
"Whether we're crimi nals or not
Th e p ena lty for e mploying illega l is beside t h e p oint," says Mo hwish.
alie n s is $3,000 pe r e mployee a nd up "Wh at we have discovered boggles
to six monilis imprisonme n t, accord- tl1 e mind. The civil and cri minal vioing to t h e I TA. Lying abo u t su c h la tions of local, state an d federal laws
employme n t can mean imprisonment by U lJ CO R nationwide are eg refo r up to five years, a fine, or both . gious, bla tan tly a rrogant and in conLe t's see, for th e Justi ce De pa rtme nt, tempt of Congressio nal in tent."
Besid es t he hiri ng of il lega l
t h at wou ld b e 4,500 x $3,000 =
1,350,000 bucks, no t to me n tion the a liens, Mo h wish and Olson q u estioned wheth er UN ICOR was in violatime behind bars.
"This is noth ing n ew," says J oe tion of tlle Fair Labor Standards Act
Mohwish. "We've known for years tlla t (FLSA). Accordi ng to FLSA, a com paU ICOR has e mployed illegal alie ns. n y mus t pay its emp loyees a min iTo get what it wa nts, the De partmen t mu m wage of at least $4.25 pe r h ou r.
of j ustice has d ee med it necessary to Although setting th e minimum stancon side r itself above the law it pre- dard is o ne purpose of FLSA, anoth er
te nds to uph old. But illegal aliens are equally important p urpose is to elimin o thin g co mpared to t h e c rimi na l nate un fair competition .
e nte rprise UN ICOR is running."
Mohwish and O lson arranged a
mee ting with attorn ey Wi llia m Kiger
In July, 1992, Joe Mo hwish a nd of West Virginia to eval uate the eviDuane O lson submitted requests for d e n ce against UN ICO R. Ki ge r cone mpl oyment at th e UN ICOR pl a nt firmed its autJ1e ntici ty and sent regislocated
with i n
th e
Fe d e ral tered letters to Ira Kirsch ba um , inCorrectio n a l I n stituti o n in J es up , h o use counse l for UN I COR, and J.
Georgia. Bo th men me t a nd exceed- Michael Quinlan, then di rector of the
eel a ll re quire m e nts fo r UN I COR Bureau of Prisons. T he letter asked
em ploy m e nt: le n g th o f se nte n ce, two questions: Is UN ICOR exe mp t
court-imposed fin es th a t wou ld b e fro m fede ral legislation pro h ibiting
re p a id fro m wages, a nd fin a n c ia l tJ1e e mployme n t of illegal alie ns? and,
52

PRISON LIFE

I

from differe nt UNICOR fac tori es
proving illegal sales transactions to
privately-owned businesses.
On October 13, 1994, the United
States Distri ct Court for the Southern
Dis tri ct of Georgia, Brunswick
Division , g r a nt ed ap prova l for
Mo hwish, O lson a nd Sargeant to present the evide n ce in their case, CV
294-011 , before a Grand j ury.
UN ICOR e xists und e r th e
De partment of Justice as an incorpor a ted e ntity of th e Distric t o f
Columbia. The $500 million-per-year
company opera tes on a nonappropriated fund b as is. Fe der a l Prison
Industries, Inc. operates 86 factories
in 48 fe d eral priso n s a r ound the
country. Priso ners in these factories
be hind walls ma ke everything from
clothing and furniture, sta.inless steel
counters a nd signs to e lectr o nic
wiring and cables, all supposedly for
differe nt agencies of the government.
Bu siness h as b ee n so good th a t
UN! COR's sales now approach h alf a
billio n do llars a year, putting UNICOR ah ead of Ch rysler Corpora tion
as one of the country's top 50 suppliers to the federal governme nt.
But the n, there's no reason why
UNICOR shouldn't be a hugely successful company. Co n side r th ese
business advantages. The 16,200 fede ral priso n ers UN I CO R e mpl oys
receive standard inmate pay: a whopping 23 cents to $1.15 per h o ur. And,
si n ce UN I CO R is gove rnm e ntown ed , it p ays no fe deral or state
taxes, no workman's compe nsation
or Social Security tax. There are n o
license fees o r permit fees. UNICOR
has direct access to surplus industrial

pla n t equipme n t a nd raw ma te rials
from other federal age n cies, a nd it
can b or row dir ectly fro m th e
Treas ury a t be low prime rate.
UNICOR's overh ead co mpared to
that of privately-run companies and
corporations is practically nil.
To make ma tters easie r for UNICOR, th e government h as give n it
priority supplie r status. Tha t means
t h at any federal age n cy n eeding a
product or service provided by UNICOR must go to UNICOR first. If
UNICOR can't satisfy the o rde r, the
agency in n eed o f product cann ot
solicit bids from the private sector
until it receives a waiver from UNICOR. While n o t illegal, this special
status h as earned UNICOR a bad
rap with competing private companies. For businesses d ealing extensive ly if n ot exclusively with the governmen t, UNICOR's governmen ta l
"super preference," its lack of overh ead and its burgeoning growth have
proven devastating.
Fo r exa mple , b y consiste ntl y
coming in with lower bids, the UNICOR fac tory in Me mphi s, TN ,
brought about the d em ise o f
Hiltronics Corporatio n, a 21-year-old
fam il y-owned company t h at made
a udio cable for the Navy and Marine
Corps. Thomas W. Rafte ry In c., a
dra p ery ma nufacturer in H a rtford,
CT, saw its government sales topple
from $1.5 million to $750,000 after
UNICOR began bidd ing on governm e nt drapery. New J e r sey's
Ce ntercore, a manufacture r o f office
furni ture fo r the government, had to
cut a third of its wo rk force due to
co m petition from UN ICOR. And
Cable Systems, Inc. of Boston , MA,
shrunk its work force fro m 180 to 45.
The list of private com pan ies ruined

by UNICOR goes on and on.
"Small business is lobbying for a
change," says Leslie Aubin, legisla tive
represe n tative for the Washingtonb ased Na ti o n al Federation of
Independe nt Business. "It's a noble
ca use. We 're just asking for a level
pl aying fie ld . Smalle r businesses
can ' t compete with UNICOR. Wha t
co mpany ca n afford to unde rbid
UNICOR, which pays its inmates 35
cents an hour?"
Outraged federal contractors
have p e ti tioned Co n gress to kee p
the Fed e r al Prison Industries from
taking more th an thei r fair share.
Th e Coalitio n fo r Governme nt
Proc ure m e nt claims UN ICOR h as
forced numerous private companies
out of business and eliminated more
th a n 2 ,000 private sector jobs .
UNICOR's impairment of private
sector businesses h as also resulted in
the formation of th e Priso n
Industries
Refo rm
Allia n ce.
Curren tl y, 1,000 comp an ies and
la bor unions subsc ribe to the fouryear-old organization.
"We're very concerned about the
impact UNICOR is ma king on private business," says its director, Sue
Pe rry. "And so our organization is
looking at working with UNICOR to
change their direction."
So far, Perry says, UNICOR h asn 't bee n very coo p e rative. "Th ey
see m to h ave their ow n agenda,
regardless of our attempts."
According to UNICOR propagand a, making mo n ey and ex p a nding
government-owned industry is me rely
a by-product of UNICOR's true mission: re h abilitation. Nat Gordon , a
spo kesm a n for UN ICOR, says th at
UNICOR was originally formed, and
still exists, "primarily as a work progra m to keep inmates busy. "
That "work program," according
to current Bureau of Prisons' proj ecPRISON LIFE

51

FEDERAL MANDATORY DRUG SENTENCES
Type of Drug

5-year sentence, no parole

10-year sentence, no parole

LSD

1 gram
100 plants or 100 kilos

10 grams
1000 plants or 1000 kilos

5 grams
500 grams

50 grams

MARIJUANA
CRACK COCAINE

POWDER COCAINE
HEROIN
METHAMPHETAMINE
PCP

why FAMM opposes manda tory minimums for a ll crimes, not just non-viole nt c rim es but an y crime , beca use
the basic principle o f th e justice syste m we h ave honore d fo r over 200
years in this cou ntry is that judges are
impartial mediators in this adve rsarial
procedur e a nd th ey are th e r e to
ma ke the distin ction s be twee n wh at is
re a lly i mportant a nd what ' s n o t
importa nt, how invo lved is th e d e fenda m a nd what was his o r he r role a nd
a ll th at stuff so tha t t h e judge ca n
determine wha t an appropriate sente n ce is . T h at ' s b ee n co mpl e te ly
stripped from the sente ncing process
under man dato ry minimums."
It wo uld seem th e n that judges

100 grams
10 grams

5 kilos
1 kilo
100 grams

10 grams

100 grams

wou ld be th e first to ra lly be hi nd
FAMM's e ffo rts to re peal manda tory
min im um s. "Yeste rday a judge testifi ed at a hearing be fore th e District
o f C o l umb ia g ove rnmen t , Jud ge
H a ro ld G ree n , wh o is a Su p e ri o r
Court j udge he re, a nd he was great.
He was really e loque nt. I think that
th e re a re som e judges who unde rsta nd wha t the prob le m is and wh o
suppo rt us but they're wimps in th e
long run and do n 't wan t to say a nythi ng to upse t the status quo, which
is co nfu sing to me becau se a t th e
fe de ral level they've go t th eirjobs fo r
li fe so what do they have to lose?"
julie's brother J e ff is due to be
re le ased from priso n in late I 99 4.

She pla ns to urprise her friends and
fe llow FAMM me mbe rs by inu·oclucing J e ff when she cha irs a pa n e l on
ma ndato ry minimums a t th e Eighth
Inte rna tio na l Co n fe re nc e o n Drug
Policy Re form . .Julie 's effo rts may not
h ave s u ccee d e d in re du c in g th e
amount of time he r brothe r had to
spe nd in prison, but she is not do ne.
Ma ny o the r huma n faces wi ll light u p
b eca u se of FAMi\IJ ' s wo rk. "[ will
a rgue ' til th e clay I die tha t the me mb e rs o f Co n g ress, wh o n e ve r h ave
la id eyes o n my bro th e r or any othe r
p eo ple wh o we h ea r fro m , sh ould
n o t be th e o n e s to m a ke th e d ecis io n s a bout wh a t se nte n ces a r e
a ppro pria te fo r th ese d e fendants.
They don ' t kn ow the m , th ey d o n ' t
kn ow th e ir cases, th ey don't know
the ir involve me nt or the ir role in th e
o ffe nse. They should not be maki ng
the decisio n as to what sente nce they
get. T o me, that is a bastardization of
the Am e rican justice system."

For mort> inf ormation on FAJ\tfM,
con /act /h e FAMM Fou nda tion, 100 1
Penns)'lvania Avenue, N. W. , Suite 200
South, Washington, D.C. 20004.
W

PRISON LIFE

41

The Prison Education of Karen M. White
by

Kim

Wozencraft
"She was tired of duddng into the
woods when cars passed, ti1·ed of lying
in ditches alongside the roads, alone
and afraid the police would find her
and return her to the institution."
- Wann Hem·ts, Hot Flashes,
Cold Concrete,
a novel in progress by Karen M.
'White
sk Ka ren White wh at it fee ls
like af~er e ig htee n years. In
May, 1976, ~te r an eig ht-week
tri a l, sh e was convic ted o f murd e r
a nd sen t to priso n. Sh e's b ee n out
since lastj a nuary.
We're sitti ng at a lunchtime table
a t L 'Acajou, a res taura nt in
Manh attan 's Flatiron district, chosen
because it's on ly a few d oo rs down
fro m Th e Fo rtun e Soc ie ty offices,
where Karen works as the Edito r-inChief of the F01tune News. Fortune is a
n ot-for-profit organization th a t helps
ex-priso n ers g e t jobs a nd works to
cha nge the criminal justice system.
Kare n d oesn ' t even b link whe n
she walks in and finds me nursing my
three-mo nth-old son in a small booth
at th e back of th e resta urant. "H e's
adorable," she smiles, her brown eyes
a lig ht with th e warm lh that so many
women feel toward the world's babies.
\ll'e order lun c h , a nd l ask her,
"What does it fee l li ke ... Freedom
afte r eighteen yea rs in prison?"
"It goes bac k and forth ," she says.
Sh e h esita tes, a nd th e n speaks candidly. "I live with a lot of fear because
l feel like l have o ne foot in and o ne
out. Not because I' m doing anything
wrong, but because of h ow th e syste m
is. You can be walking down the su·eet
and yo u see a poli ce ca r go by a nd
you think to yo urself, "My God, they

A

42

PRISON LIFE

could just stop, a nd fo r any given reason say, ' You ' re going bac k in ,' and
i t' s suc h a scary fe e ling .. . You ' r e
doin g everything ri g h t, yo u ' re not
vio la ti ng a n y la ws, bu t t.h ey've
in s tilled thi s fea r. Having li ve d
throug h th e expe ri e n ces I 've h ad,
having see n how the syste m is run , I

know how d estruc tive and degr ading
it is. How inhuma n e. It's defin ite ly
not a positive thing, what they U"}' to
instill in you."
I ca nn ot. imag in e i t. Ei g htee n
years. I did bu t a pittance compared
to this woman. Yet I re me mbe r t h e
same feeling, just after I was released,

an intense awareness of the power of knew nobody. By that time I was him was right," she continues. "He
the State. The worry that someone strung out on heroin.
was into anal sex and violence. We
would knock on the door and say,
"Then I found out I was preg- got into a major physical brawl. Larry
"We made a mistake. You have to nant. I called my mother and said, heard my screams and came in. The
come back." It took three or four 'Look Mom, it was a bad idea to run two of them got into a struggle and
years before it went away. My jail away, but I want to come home now.' Larry was saying, 'Help me, give me
dreams are now random and occa- She hung up on me.
something, I can't deal with this guy,
sional. Karen's, I think, must be
"That was when Larry stepped
he's too big.' I was afraid
imme~liate and sometimes over- into my life,
•
t
of Larry and I was afraid
whelmmg. I ask her how she
d 1t' S OU.
of John and I was afraid
wound up in priso~.
of the situation, and so I
"I was a prostitute. I "~.a.
t7
DO a
did. I went in the
got into that because I was
kitchen and got a pot
a runaway. My mother had
t
b. ¥f
and handed it to Larry,
placed me in St. Anne's
0
and he hitJohn with it,
Institute, a girl's school,
and then I pulled out a
after her second husband
bed slat that was stickraped me. My mother
b ingoutfromunderthe
couldn't accept what had
:t
t 8 bed and Larry began
happened. On one level she
.._,~._ 1r
S
hitting John with that.
believed me, but she could- 1 t~
I retrieved John's waln't afford to let herself
VI
let and gave it to him
believe what had happened. P
and begged him to leave. But he
She needed this guy's salary.
and took over called Larry a nigger and it got worse.
I've seen it happen many
Rick's role. He kept me involved in John was a big guy, two hundred and
times. Women go with a guy because prostitution. He also beat me. I lost the something pounds, and he really outthey need his money to put food on baby because he beat me.
powered Larry. I was so frightened of
the table and they put up with the way
"During this time I was dancing Larry, I did what he said, kind of like
he is so they can take care of their chil- in a club, a place called the Body an automaton."
So Karen handed Larry housedren. I suffered terribly behind that. Shop, a real sleazy joint. There was
But I un~erstand why it went on."
this guy, call him John, who kept hold items that Larry used to beat up
telling me that he wanted me to go the drunken, enraged customer, and
"I didn't do anything wrong. Why out with him. And I didn't want to. when the guy died, Karen was
He was very young, and he drove a charged with murder in the second
are you blaming me, mom?"
- Wann Hearts, Hot Flashes, motorcycle, and he was talked about degree and robbery.
Why robbery?
Cold Concrete by the other women. The word was,
'Don't go with him, he's no good,
"They just needed a motive, actual"I ran away from the institute. I he's into creepy stuff, and stay away.' ly," she says. "There was no proof of
met a guy, call him Rick. I was with So one night, I was dancing at the that. But I guess by my saying that he
him for awhile. He was more or less club, and he came over and ordered handed me his wallet, within the
paying my way through life, and one me a drink. When somebody ordered framework of the prostitute/client
day he said to me, 'Hey, you know, you a drink, you were more or less relationship, that was enough for them
you're going to have to bring some obliged to sit with them. He asked me to claim robbery. I gave him the
money into this family.' I couldn't for a date and I told him no, that I money back but the authorities
really get a legitimate job. I was a run- already had another date. After my claimed that he didn't have his wallet."
"When I hear it said today that
away. I was thirteen years old. Rick dance routine I left work and took a
cab
home.
When
I
got
there,
he
was
there
should be leniency for people
said if I tried to get a legitimate job
they would track me down and send sitting on the front steps, with his who are involved in crimes of passion,
me back to the convent. I was a kid, motorcycle parked on my landlord's and that if they're on alcohol and
you know, I believed he had my best lawn. I got very upset and asked him drugs there should be leniency in
interests at heart. He was about 12 or to please leave. He said he wanted to sentencing because it's like a sick15 years older than I was. He said, be with me. I was exhausted; I said ness, an illness, I agree. I think that's
'Look, I'm going to set this up for no. He insisted, and finally I said very true. I wasn't able to think logiyou, and tell you how to do it.' So I okay, just get the motorcycle off the cally. I was too young and drugged-up
lawn and go around the back way.
to understand the consequences of
got into prostitution.
"I let him in the back door and my actions or the lack of them. It did"Unbeknownst to me, he was on
parole. He was involved in things I everything was going fine. Then he n't occur to me to run or to get help.
"Battered Woman Syndrome washad no idea about. Robbing people, handed me his wallet and said, 'Here.
that kind of thing. I traveled with I trust you with this.' It took me n't even a known thing then, you're
him, and I should have picked up on aback. Usually they just handed you talking 1976. It took me a long time
to understand my role, to realize my
what he was doing, but I was so into the money and that was that."
Karen would learn at trial that guilt in the thing. I was essentially an
my own problems, I just wasn't seeing
things. He kept moving us around, all John's blood alcohol was well over accomplice under force. But I was
over the state, and I didn't pick up on the intoxication level-and that he'd there, and I let John into my apartit. Then he got arrested and put in been out drinking since about five ment.
"The jury considered me more
jail for a robbery. I was left in a that afternoon.
"It turned out that the word on than an accessory because I was a
strange town with no family there. I

of
e
ftlb,e""'re SO scar ' t ,•noWi1lg•
u.t of
ignorance' O
t wb.at tb.e JD,aSS
people accep
people
lVlOS
tb.e11l aboUt
in
11ledia teUS
d what goes on
nvicted an
false.
are CO
d it'S all SO
prison, an
tO educate
it'S iJD.pOrta,D:
on "
bat reaUY goe
.
u.bUC aboUt

PRISON LIFE

48

prostitute. "Yo u know," s h e says,
"because we' re women, we are supposed to stay in our place. We're not
supposed to be out t h ere on the
streets, we're supposed to be good
g irls, stay within boundaries."

"Kristina stood near the back of the
long line, hair matted, clothes
unironed, waiting to 1·eceive the highest dose she could get: one hundred milligrams of Thorazine. The thidt liquid
numbed her brain, llept wandering
thoughts subdued, and let h er sleep.
Her eyes could no longer stare at the
m zor-lined fence outside her window. "
-Warm Hearts, Hot Flashes,
Cold Concrete
Karen, age 5, and her mother.

prostitute and I let J o hn in ," Ka ren
says. "I was essentially convicted from
t h e moment I wa lked in the courtroom. He re I was, a wh ite girl with a
b lack man, addi cted to drugs. I was
alone, had no fam ily there, I was the
ou ts ider. T o th e m I was trash.
Looking ba ck, I can see h ow th at
community felt. .Jo h n was one of their
own. Bu t some thin gs weren't
brought out a t trial. No one bothered
to ask why h e was out th e re doin g
what he was d o ing."
Th e head n un from St. Anne's
Instillltc testified as a character witness for Kare n, and so did the principa l, a nd th e social worker and th e
psychologist.
The jury found h e r g uilty. The
minimum was fifteen years, the maximum, twen ty-five. T he judge gave her
twenty, t h e sam e sente n ce Larry
received. Accordin g to Kare n , the
j udge didn't want to g ive her the
ma-ximum, but feared th e community
woul d fin d th e minimum un accep table, a nd so gave her a medium term.
"It's funny," sh e says . "I didn't
know a t the tim e what that judge was
thi nking about. Years late r I 1vrote a
very personal lcucr to him, a nd I told
him everything that I had done in the
meant ime a nd h ow I fe lt a bout
t hin gs. And h e wrote a letter back
th at really surprised me, saying th a t
he never wanted to se nte nce me, th at
he fel t I was a victim , and th a t h e
believes in his heart tha t if I hadn·L
been involved with Larry thi s situation n eve r wo uld h ave h appened .
T hat just threw me fo r a loop. I never
would have guessed th at h e felt th at
way a t the trial."
S h e spe n t over a yea r in Utica
County J ail , before, during and afte r
th e tri al. There, sh e withdrew cold
44

PRISON LIFE

turkey from he roin. Afte r sentencing,
she was transferred to Bedford Hills,
the New York State wome n 's prison
in Westcheste r County.
Before the murder charge, Karen
had never bee n arrested. " lot even
for so muc h as jaywa lking," as sh e
puts it. "Al l of a udd e n I fou nd
m yself in a crim in al situatio n, in a
violen l si tuation. I h ad bee n treated
violently myse lf all those ma ny years.
Maybe p riso n to a point was ap p ropriate, if combined with trea tme nt.
But keeping me loc ked up for two
d ecades was excessive. There was a
poin t a long time ago whe n the y
co u ld have le t m e o ut and I wou ld
have been a law-abidi ng , contributing
citizen. I d on't see the poin t in keeping people in prison who don 't n eed
to be there. "
We're learn ing now that ma ny, if
not mo st, of th e women who are
locked up for so-called crimes of violen ce a re t h e re because th ey were
defe nding th em elves aga inst violent,
abusive spo uses or boyfriends. Most
women don ' t act ou t whateve r vio le nt
impulses th ey might have. T hey kill
o nl )' wh en th ey' r e de sperate th ey' re lighti ng fo r th e ir li ves. But
whe n they do ki ll, n o matter h ow
co mp e ll in g th e circu ms tan ces, it
sca res judges a nd juries se nseless.
\•Voman arc supposed to nurture, to
heal, to care and love a nd, evide ntly,
put up with a sh itload of abuse from
cowards who bea t th em. In Ame rica,
four million wome n a year arc beaten
by those who "love" them. When th ey
light back, watch out for the wrath of
the judge. Karen's case was eve n
worse than th at o f th e h o mema ker
whose life aspira tion i to ra ise a fam ily. Sh e was living outside the ge nerally ac cepted social limits. She was a

Though she had over a year in at
th e Utica County Jail , Karen found
herself petrified th e day she entered
Bedford Hills. "I was just a kid, " she
recalls, "I didn ' l know what to expect.
I tu rn ed eighteen in the jail, so I was
going on nineteen, but I was still a
child in so many ways. The re were no
kids there then, th ey were all o lder
women . It was rare for a teenager to
go inside d uring those years."
As is o ften th e case, the n ew girl
was ap proac h ed firs t by a priso n e r
who was a bit of an ou tcast. "Sh e was
a very large woman, Susan, and people kind of rejected her.
"I winged it," Ka r en says. "I
stayed very isolated, I was afraid to
trust. It too k me years to accept the
fact that I was not goi ng anywhere
a nd t h a t priso n was pretty muc h
gonna be my h ome for aw hil e,
whether I liked it or not.
"Whe n I first hi t the r e it was
stri ctly p un is hm e nt. They still h ad
t h a t farm m enta lity, from when
Bedford H ills was the 'Westch este r
Farm for Girl s' or so mething like
t h a t. You wo rked on the far m a nd
you worked every day. There was n o
t h erapy. The re we re n o programs,
perio d . It was stric tly work, wo rk,
work. Six o'clock every m orni n g,
until the wee hours of th e night s lave labor. The guards were all
women, a nd were very matronly. Back
in the '70s, there were very strict
rules: li nes for everything, no speaking when you' re not supposed to, and
all of that. It was run like a very tight
ship.
"I co uldn 't accept wh ere I was
and I didn 't believe I was worth anythin g . All of those thin gs go with
being locked up in the garbage pit of
the wor ld , as it' s r eferred to, yo u
know. I t h o ught eve rybody wanted
so mething fro m me th at I couldn 't

give. I spent my first few years totally
oblivious. I couldn't accept where I
was, what happened, that I was alone.
I couldn't believe that I was going to
be there for twenty years. But it wasn 't illicit drugs as much as it was their
prison drugs, you know thei~
Thorazine. You stand in long lines for
medication and then you don't worry
.
about where you are."

"Approaching the intersection of
numerous heavy steel gates, Kristina
stood under the flickering fluorescent
light bulbs set in wire cages on the ceiling and waited for a key to tum the
lock. Five in the morning, sleep still in
her eyes, she walked through dark lobbies past stony{aced female guards and
waited for yet another gate to be
unlocked before she entered the brightly
lit kitchen. "
- Warm Hearts, Hot Flashes,
Cold Concrete
Karen was three years into her
sentence before she began the monumental task of facing the pain. Back
when she'd first come in, Susan had
introduced her to a woman named
Maria Sohal, who ran the South Forty
program, for self-motivated individuals. "It was designed to make you
independent," Karen recalls. "Now
South Forty has expanded to outside
the prisons. They help ex-offenders
in New York find jobs."
Karen was younger than most of
the women locked in Bedford Hills.
"At that time, I was considered the
baby on campus," she says. "Today,
it's a common thing. There are more
seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds
going in now. Then, it was unusual.
"So I started learning from the
other women, listening to their stories. That's what really opened my
world for me. There were so many
women who had been through that
kind of pain and abuse. I wasn't
alone." Though it took a long time
for Karen to get into the program,
she credits her awakening to the
determination of Maria Sohal.
"She allowed me to be me," Karen
says, "and she took me under her
wing. It was in her program that I first
began to heal, accept, and it was also
there that I read my first issue of
Fortune News. When I picked up that
paper and saw that there were other
people going through similar situations, even if they were mostly men, .
and I started reading about the legal
system, I began allowing myself to see
that the world was much bigger than
just my own. I began to find that hope,

"School W'as so

change and self- Grow•""DlUch
forgiveness were
• ., .&.Q.g lear. .
a Part Of Dl
possibilities."
Dlore, it.. ~g,
to
e.
"Back in '77, COUldn't "'o as lDirained l·n· ...,.knoW'
there were no
.& re
... e I
fences at Bedford DlOre boo.~'-See a fUture liiTfth •
Hills. And as we
t&WJ' DlOre
OUt
got into the '80s,
Wo~edge. ''
the authorities seemed open to
the development of programs." Karen
"But at least half," Karen
took to heart the adage, "Don't serve says, "are changing their lives in spite
the time, let the time serve you." She of prison. It's a shame, they could be
began work on her Associates Degree doing so much more out here."
through Albany University.
In the late '70s and early '80s,
"I began living again," she says. Karen began working to make
"Regardless of where I was, I was changes within the walls. "I was
alive. I sought out therapy for myself. instrumental in some way," she
I dealt with who I was and what I had recalls, "in bringing about every probeen through. I created my days gram that exists there today. It's helpmyself. I set up my own schedules, my ing the women who are in there.
own goals, my own deadlines. And I None of that existed. I think between
met them. I became self-motivated. myself and Luz Santana, we left whatEven though I was in 'their' environ- ever programs are there now, and left
ment, I made it my own."
them in good hands so they're carried forward. Everything we did was
"I looked around for the first time self-initiated and prisoner-made.
and took in what would be my 'home' Thafs.how they referred to it, 'This is
for the next seventeen years. I saw on~ a prisoner-made program,' or a 'prisunused, untapped talent, intelligence oner-developed program.' The proand energy hidden behind the masks of grams were so valuable that the state
frozen feminine faces. I was one of assumed them as their own. Before,
them. I decided then and there that there weren't any. I get a really good
there would be no middle ground for feeling about that. And Luz is out
me. I would no longer be the victim, the now too. She received clemency after
dependent. I would no longer work serving eight years for killing her abuwith what I should have been, but sive stepfather.
"And it was because so many of us
rather with what I could yet become."
- Warm Hearts, Hot Flashes, had experienced abuse in some form
Cold Concrete or fashion, we decided to just reach
out. We wrote letters to all the legislaWhile inside, Karen discovered a tors, to Albany, we had our families
passion-and a talent-for writing. involved in it. It culminated in a hearShe kept journals, wrote poems, ing inside the prison gymnasium in
painted, tutored, edited a prison col- 1985. I was the editor of the Bedford
lege paper and prison newspapers, Chronicle, the prison paper, and I was
and wrote volumes of letters-to sitting in the audience taking notes,
friends, supporters, family and edi- thinking, 'This is so powerful because
tors of community newspapers. "It women are coming together and
took me a long time to admit to sharing their experiences and exposmyself that I had any talent, and that ing themselves, at risk, and bonding
it could save me. I had time to realize together.' It was something most peomy mistakes, to realize that I could ple didn't think women could do.
spend my life in a positive way, help- Many women testified to the legislaing others. And when that happened, tors about their experiences, and it
was just so moving, I mean, you could
It was like, okay, I'm free.''
Not everyone was motivated to almost see the tears in these legislachange. "I saw women who were so tors' eyes. It was very powerful. The
cracked-out, so burned-out, they legislators realized that something
needed instruction just to get had to change, and what developed
through the day. Each generation has out of that was the Domestic Violence
to deal with different problems. I Task Force in Albany. The governor
remember my generation, going appointed key persons to go inside
through heroin and cocaine. And the prisons and to develop legislation
now it's crack. I've never seen a drug for leniency in the laws, which of
Iike crack, what it can do. It takes course is still going on. Change
their hearts and minds. Mothers comes very slowly."
throw their babies in garbage cans.

1111"8Dtfng

I

kJJ.o ,,

PilSON LIFB 45

Karen and her sister Viclti.

"Mr. P lifts a three-seated, metalarmed couch over his head and fires it
like a projectile into a row of women
gathered to watdt the beating he's giving a one-hundred-and-two pound
woman because lz e didn 't lihe the song
she was singing.
'You fudtin ' niggers should all be
shipped back to Africa! Lynching is too
good for you! ' he ~creams, n~uscles
bulging, sweat pourmg from hts massive forehead. The door is loclled and
he's the only officer on the tier with
sixty women, he has the lley. Most of
th e women stand idly by, half covering
their eyes with their hands so as not to
see what might yet come; others shout
at him, 'Leave her alone! Leave her
alone!"'
-Warm Hearts, Hot .Flashes,
Cold Concrete
"After the hearings," Karen says,
"I was in co ntact with Lo ui se
Thomp on, one of my clemency supporters, and she was a member of the
ational Orga ni zation for Wome n
(NOW) 1 ew York City chapter. She
put a seed in my h ead , said, 'You
know, Karen, if you really wanted to
yo u co uld have a chapter in here.'
And I said, 'Oh, Louise, you' re crazy,
the re 's no way they' re gon na let us
do that, you kn ow, no way. It's rad ica l, it ' s co ns ide r ed extr e m e, and
they' ll never let us.' But s~e kept ta~k­
ing to me and encouragmg me, g tving me more names and more num46

PRISON LIFE

bers to contact, and eventually I started m ee tin g a ll these people. They
would visit, and we discussed how we
would develop it. I submitted it as a
program proposal .through ~he volunteer coordin ato r 111 the pnso n, and
we sent it up to Albany and it came
back approved because we had so
ma n y sig n a tures o n th e petiti~n.
That's just another exam ple o_f do111.g
thin gs with others .•You can t d o. It
alo ne. I think that s when my life
started to change, wh e n I rea lized
that it's through interconnectedness
with others and their experience that
change comes about. It doesn 't happen a lo ne. And no o n e 's alo n e in
their experiences."
Kar e n worked a va rie ty of jobs
whi le loc ke d up, eve ryth ing fro m
m o ppin g fl oo r s. to worki~g ~n
Grievance to tuto nn g to wo rk111g 111
th e Grap hic and Commercial Arts
department, wh ere, sh e says, "We
made in-ho use pamphlets, booklets
and signs for the institution . Most of
the signs said 'No' something. 'No walking.' 'No talking.' ' o smoking.' 'No'
whatcuer. We used to laugh abou t it. "
In 1983, sh e received her Associates degre e through th e Alba ny
Regents External Degr ee Program,
wh ich was largely cOt-respondence. In
'85 she earned her B.S. through the
Mercy College Program.
"School was so much a part of me.
Growing, learning, wa nting to know
more, it was ingrained in me. I couldn ' t foresee a future without more

books, more knowledge. I had hea~d
that there were only two programs 111
the whole United States, one in Ohio
and the other in Vermont, that offered
graduate programs for prisoners. A fellow prisoner, Luz Camacho, had contacted them also, unbeknownst to me.
She's a lso out now, sh e a lso got
clemency, she was in for drug muling
and, you know, I'm j ust so glad some
of the people got out of there. She had
a little daughter a t the time, so it
makes all the difference in the world.
She went through so much hell.
Anyway, Luz ended up telling me
about Dr. Margaret White- no relation, by the way- and I contacted her
and she came for a visit and I told her
what I wan ted to do, and she told me
how much it would cost, and I got my
fami ly invo lved. The y we re like,
'Karen, if this is what you want to do,
we'll help you in any way we can,' and I
felt great. I had to find a .mentor ~vho
had a d octorate in Enghsh o r Ltterature. Through the librarian at .the
prison , I met a woman , Dr. J er!Iyn
Fische r, who said, 'I know the n ght
person for you.' She gave me this person's number and I contacted her and
sh e came in . We becam e one big
happy family. We had m eetings every
month, I gave presentations, it was very
concentrated. It was very, very intense
tutoring. I created two j ournals, did .my
thesis, which was titled, "Confrontmg
Margin a li ty: Em powering Wo~en
through Writing and Literature 111 a
Prison College Program." It was a study
of literature and writing in the Mercy
College prison program. At that time I
was o ne of the head tutors there and
that's how I did the work with tl1e students. I learned from them and they
learned from me. We d id good work,
an d I go t my Master of Arts in
Literature and Writing Pedagogy.
"Now, th ey've e liminated Pell
grants. I know of a woman who's still
in and has been going to college and
by nex t J anuary, that '~ it. N~ more
college program. T hat s so fnght~n­
ing. They've just ended the most vt~l
program that exists inside the pnsons. It's going to show, it's going take
its toll. It's frightening."
Kar e n was locked up long
enough to see the fluctuati~ns, t~1e
changes in attitude and yu?hc o pmion, often driven by pohuctans looking for scary rhetoric, tl1at swing the
penal pendulum fro m punishmen.t to
rehabilitation a nd back to pumshment again .
"As we entered the eighties," she
says, "things sta rte d to get a little
more humane. But I have to say they
I

got ri g ht bac k to th e punishment within th e priso n so tha t sh e coul d do th a t is essential to my well-being
aspect. At Bedford, it coincided with ge t th e suppo rt that sh e did. But I righ t now.''
th e Brinks robbe ry, in '86 or '8 7. think also we we re glad to see that
What was it like to e merge into a
Kath y [Boudin] a nd Judy [Cla rk] finally one clemency was g iven to on e who le new world after 19 years inside?
"The thing that frigh te n ed m e
came to the prison. Ka thy had twenty woman after so many had bee n given
years, Judy had a seve nty-five-year-to- to me n. There's definitely an imbal- was having been away in a socie ty of
women, with o u t m e n. I rem e mbe r
life se nte n ce. Three fences we nt up ance there. "
back to back. It was a whole d ifferent
My three-month-old so n chooses stand ing o n a u·ain platform , o n my
menta li ty. No body wanted to h ea r this moment to express himself. H e way to report fo r parole, and I saw a
a nything a bout programs. They stan- begins CI)'ing, a nd I sooth e him, ask man I thought was hiding be hin d a
e d phasing th e m o u t. One by one what's wrong. Karen, expe rtly in te r- pole. Fo r awhile, I j ust though t eveJ)'
they let teach ers go. A lot of the pro- pre ting the baby's cries, says, "I can ' t man I saw was a rapist. It took awhile
grams were run by com munity volun- take my nap, it's too noisy in here." I to get used to functioning in a society
tee rs, and th ey [the a uth o riti es] put him to my breast and he begins that was both male a nd female ."
Karen's siste r Vicki had died in a
began to be fearful of the voluntee rs nursing happily, no longe r aware of
m o to rcycle acc ide nt at the age of
a nd their mo tives. They saw th e vo l- his surrou ndings.
untee rs as being bleeding-heart liberIn the cliche-ridden stories about twe nty-two, whi le Ka r e n was sti ll
als and God knows they didn ' t wam prison written by those who 've not inside. One of th e first things Karen
them to he lp anyone esca pe or a ny- been th e re, there's usually some talk wanted to do when she was released
thing like that. So things started real- a bo ut "that first breath of free air. " was visit he r siste r's grave. That was
ly getting ti g ht, a nd eve ryo n e suf- When I fi rst got o ut, I felt like I was o n the pe rsonal level. On a socie tal
fered for it.
hitti ng a wall. You know, you walk ou t level, she says, "I wanted to work. I
"Most of the women I was locked from b eing confin ed within prison wanted to be a pan of th e commun iup with were good p eople, p eo pl e walls a nd hi t another kind of wall, a ty, to earn my way, to give back.'' Ail
who made mistakes when th ey were h ard h igh wa ll of self-righteousness th e work sh e'd d one on herself in
put in certain situation s. They d idn't e rected by a vengeful socie ty. Karen prison began paying off on the o utside. When I ask if she is bi tter abou t
see a ny oth er way to m ake thin gs m et it, too.
"I was living wit.h my sister when I the th ings t hat happened to he r, if
work. They made mistakes. It d oesn ' t
mean that they' re not redeemable. I first got out," she says. "In order to go sh e has h ard feel ings toward any of
mean, society may judge me to a cer- shopping we had to take a car service. I th e p eople wh o to ok advantage o f
tain point, but that d oesn ' t mean that took a car service, and at one po int h er, sh e says she's over it. "If I h ad
there's not a human being here. The th e re were so me g uys wo rking in a continued on that tr ack," she says, "I
would never have been able
way things seem to me right now, it's fi eld beside the road , and the driver
to get whe re I a m today. I
as though once you 're convicted of a says, ' Oh, th ey' r e
would h ave been blinded ,
crime, socie ty is saying to you, 'We're
totally blind e d. I t's too
n ever going to let you for- " ...
time-consuming to be ugly
get this.' You aren't allowed
.a.
of
to put it b e hind you a nd
move on. The system right
now defies everything that
Visiting with her sister
America is supposed to be
proba bly
a bo u t: g iving p eo p le a seca chain gang. I don't believe in
o nd chance."
After a three-pan series on Kare n it. T h ey sh o uld be be hin d a
appeared in the New Yorlt Dail)• News fe nce. Loo k at ou r society .. .'
in 1980, guide lines were waived and a nd he we nt on and on.l wantsh e was allowed to appear before tl1e ed so badly to say to him, 'Do l
cle m e ncy board before serving two- look like I just got o ut ofjail?'
"That is the typ ical attithirds of her se nte nce. "They denied
me n eve rtheless. I was d en ied , n ot tud e o ut th e r e . Th ey' re so
just that once, but five times. When scared , it's out of igno ra nce,
yo u ' r e d e nied , yo u h ave t o wait ou t of not knovving. Most peoanothe r year befo re yo u can put in pl e accept wha t th e m ass
aga in , a nd th e process itse lf takes media te lls the m abo u t how
almost a year, so every two years l put p e ople are co n vic t ed a nd
in because that was an avenue that what goes on in prison, a nd
was op en to m e, until I realized that I it's a ll so fa lse . I think it's
didn 't h ave th e politi ca l cl out it impo rtant to educate the public about what really goes on."
would take to ge t clemency. "
Th at's one r easo n sh e
Karen recalls that th ere was a lot
of anger when J ean Ha rris, the well- works for the Fortune Socie ty.
heeled matron convic ted of murder- "Having been in sid e," s h e
ing the Scarsdale Die t d octo r , go t says, "I kn ow how vita l it is
clemency. "We fe lt th e r e we r e so that the re a re people on the
ma ny o thers who we re more deserv- outside willing to speak out to
ing. Also, we saw how she manipulat- try to make n eed ed changes
ed the media as we ll as th e p eople in th e syste m. Being able to

you can denY
here's no waY U,
he •
eighteen years

PRISON LIFE

47

was locked up
h woxnen 1
l who
"1'Jlost oft e d people, peoP e tin
with were goo
theY were pu
~'stakes when
di·.2-'t see anY
xnad e A•.
'rheY \U"
"'h y
ain situatlons.
. gs work. .a. e
cert
xnake th,i.n
that
other waY to
It doesn't xnean
~ade
mistakeS.
.....
edeexnab',. .e ."
they're not r
and negative a nd bitte r. You have to
lea rn to let it go. For th e most part, I
feel so rry fo r m en who arc viole nt
towar d s women. Th ey t h ink it's
expected o f them. I've felt how angry
and vio le nt th ey could be, a nd t ha t
was ve ry germa ne to my situa tion. I
don ' t m ea n to abso lve p eo p le of
res p o n sibility fo r th e ir a c tions.
Eve ryone is on th e ir own journey,
a nd we are each at a differe nt point
in our d evelopme nt, but a t a certain
leve l , it is a m a tter of in dividu a l
res p o n sibility. So, I fee l so rry for
the m, I j ust h ope th ey reach a poi nt
wh e re th ey' re a b le to loo k a t thei r
behavior and the ir lives and come out
o f it with a realization that acting that
way doe n ' t lead to a n yt hin g but
d estructi o n."
Friendsh ips for m ed in dire circ umstan ces te nd to be intense, and
they tend to last. I fo und getting out a
lot more frig h te nin g than go ing in.
Wh e n it was tim e, at long last, fo r
Karen to wa lk out the fro nt gates, she
was wa lking away from th e only re lationsh ips sh e had formed as a ma ture
ad ult. The sto ny han d of justice had
grabbed he r wh e n she was but a kid
a nd locked h e r away, a nd now th at
same hand wou ld toss her bac k out
into the wo rl d as an ad ult. Prison was
he r world u n ti l j ust a few mo n th s ago.
What of fri e ndship?
"You don ' t find it o ut he re unless
you really seek it ou t. It ca n be very

M~Sl'ER

PAM RYBER

Sf< I>A NURS

48

PRISON LIFE

lonely lor women o ut h ere if
you don't have your own ne twork of
support a nd fri e nds who you know
you can reach o ut to. But th e re are a
lo t women's groups a nd I'm part of a
lo t of th em a nd tha t's what keeps me
feelin g co nn ected. And that's how I
prefer to b e, you know, co nne cted
and bonded to o th e rs. I do n 't ever
want to be isolated again. Some times
I h esitate abou t revealing my past.
I' m trying to start my life ove r aga in,
and to do th at in a co mmunity that
I 'vc neve r lived in before. I've mad e
ne w friends and I know new peop le.
Eve n though I have a whole se parate
c rew of people who know me and my
e xpe riences and love me regardl ess, 1
do n ' t wan t an y m ore qu es t io n s .
T hat's why I was afraid to do th is article. I was waver ing b ack a n d forth
because I don ' t want people to point
nn gers anymo re a nd say, 'O h , sh e's
th e o n e,' and 'T here she goes.' But
th en the re 's that other pan o f me
that says, 'So what?' 1 did it. I paid for
it. T here's nothing you can say to crucify me any furth e r. It doesn ' t matter.
I' m o u t he re, a nd yo u can be afraid
o f me if you want, bu t th a t's yo ur
proble m, not mine. It's been a strugg le during th ese e ight mo nths that
I've been out he re to decide whethe r
I was go ing to le t peo pl e kn ow o r
whe ther I was go ing to kee p it a big
dark sec ret tha t was a ll in the past.
But there's no way you ca n deny eighteen years of h e ll. There 's n o way.
And as m uch as I walll to d o that, I
can ' t. It's too much a part of me."

I loo k clown at my so n , who has
falle n aslee p. 1o n e of us in this life
arc inn ocent beyond infancy. It see ms
to me that life, c ha nce, circumstance,
whateve r you wan t to call it, dea lt
Karen a particularly cruel hand in her
youth. I wonder how he is coming to
terms with th e rage a nd anger that a re
pan of the prison expe rie n ce, how
she's coming to terms with a vengefu l
society.
"t o p eople a rc mo r e ve nge fu l
than th ose inside the priso ns," sh e
says, "th e o n es wear in g th ose b lu e
uniforms, calling themselves g ua rd s,
o r, I' m sorry, cor-rec-tion-al o f-fi-cers,
they have th at label. o lo nger priso ns or pen ite n tiaric ·, it's correctional faci lities. Wh a t a r e th ey co rrec ting? T hey' re not. And people co ming out h ave to remember th at no
on e can co rrect yo u or co rrect yo ur
d ir ec ti on in life. On ly you ca n do
that. And if yo u ca n survive priso n ,
and yo u o b vio usl y have i f yo u ' re
walking o ut with you r sa nit)', th at's
wh at gets m e thro u g h every cla y. I
can smi le and say, ' I corrected me. I
corrected my outlook a nd my thin king and I got back o n track because I
wanted to, and I h ad to for me, not
fo r anyone else.' No one ca n make
you go to a p rogra m, and no one can
make yo u go to th era py. On ly yo u
can ge t the he lp that you need and
deal with th e a nger and the rage and
the pain and a ll th ose things th at arc
the roo t, tha t lead to wha tever reason
yo u arc in th e re . So, I look a t that
every day, a nd I' m proud of th a t. No
one ca n ta ke that away from me , like
no one ca n take my education fro m
me. T ha t's what keeps me as stro ng
as I a m a nd h elps me to go o n. So
that wou ld be my advice, to those
wh o are getting sh ort, ge ttin g out
soon. Re me mber th a t: Yo u did it. No
one else did it fo r you."

s
0

Cellm.ate of the Month
Rap Sheet
Name:

Ronald Davis Bey, a.k.a. King Buck

Age:
Birthplace:
Conviction:
Sentence:
Time Served:
Ambitions:

37

Fort Riley, Kansas
Armed Robbery-2 counts
30years
14years
To see that prisoners' rights and
treatment reflect dignified, human
standards.

"Pe rsonally," King Buck con ti n" Isla m Greetings! My name is
Ro n a ld Davis Bey, but most every- u ed , ''I' m not as co n ce rn e d abou t
body inside th ese walls knows me by myself as I a m about seeing any innoKing Buc k ... " So wen t Ki ng Buck 's cem lives lost, inj u red o r destr oyed ,
first lc u e r to Prison Life, in whi ch he eve n th o ug h I'm b e ing clogged out
desc ribed t h e wr e tc h ed cond itions p re tty bad with the loss of a ll my privand rac ia l ten sio n brew in g at ileges and co nsta nt confi ne me n l. I
J effe rson City Correctional Ce nter in beli eve it's a worthy cause. This is th e
Missou ri. Since we received simil a r rea l deal news."
wa r nings fro m ot h e r pr iso ne r s a t
And it's this "real dea l news" of
J CCC, we th o ugh t th e least we could priso n life th a t has motivated l<.ing
do to he lp was to publish th e letter in Buck to kee p a journa l during th e 14
o u r Ju n e iss u e. (See thi s iss ue 's
years he's b een inca rcerInsicle r Ou tlook for more of
- ..;
ate cl. T h e journal,
f(.ing Buck's writing).
. • \'SuckonRacisfl\
whi c h King Bu c k
o t long after the
\(,ng
. 0 nald oavi• Bey.
h o p es to get pub\
natne ,s R
. de th ese
~
iss u e was mai le d , we got I My ·everybodY in•• \r.. 1•10 a lish e cl, d epicts pris.
b
f'
I<.i
bUt tnOSt
King sue
b
anot h e r sen e ro m ·ng
l\s\UI0 wtnebY l'vebeendo'""
one r a u se, g u a rd
Buc k. "Th ey t h rew m e in ~~rcc-tin,e losera~~'""'tgo-'round bruta li ty a nd the
u•
d
on
• g up
th e ho le fo r my le tter tha t ! !lcalen arsb·blybepus1"" 1•10 "evil co rruptio n"
d I'll pro a
, cause
yo u printe d ," h e said. "Bu t . an
be(orc toO long .:._ incorri· ' be hind th e p ri so n
, t wo rry a b o ut ·It - f , m dals\eS
·
outh
.
·de<edab•g 10
·erthatis.
a cl m .i ni. s tr ation.
cl on
.
.
cons'
_ ,ihat~
/
.
gomg to co n tmue m y fi g h t gibleprisoncr ddress t
I t's tille d "Sup e r
u ntil soc iety kn ows wh at's
I wan t to a
Max : Kin er Bu c k 's
.
n
nest \SS\lC:
•
'
o
gomg on h ere .
·nug
Deal Project.'
We knew we h a d a
"Early o n durin g my incarceraCellm ate of th e Month . H e re was a tio n ," I<.ing Buck says, "I got tired of
guy wh o was thrown in to soli tary, suf- see in g a ll th e bullshit. Everything
ferecl a ll kinds of abu se; but h e was a rou nd he re has always bee n so counstill willing to stand up for what he te rp rodu ctive to th e real needs a nd
be li eved in-to he ll with the co nse- o bjectives p risoners have."
que nces.
lf Kin g Bu c k had it hi s way,
Soon afte r, we got a nothe r lette r J e ffe rson C ity wo uld be a House of
fro m o ur man :
Su pport, whe re guards an d prisoners,
"As you reca ll , l was p lace d in wh ite shirts an d society, co uld come
Admini st ratio n Segrega t ion in Ytay to work o ut the ir differe nces peaceafter yo ur mag az in e ra n my le tter full y.
abo u t the racism he re. I was released
"What wou ld I c hange h ere if I
fro m the H o le about a month la ter, co uld impleme n t my D eal Proj ec t?"
but a wee k after that, I was p laced l<.ing Buck asks. 'T he gam e-running
ba c k in Ad Seg p er o rd e r s fr o m sche mes taki ng place between g uards
Supe rinte nde nt C roose. I was never a nd inmates, the c ru e l, un c hec ked
given a ny reason bu t every othe r pris- abuse of admini strative power, gua rds
o ne r kn ew what was go ing on: pla in g iving priso ne rs kn ives to stab eac h
o ld h arassme nt. I'm ge tting pu nish ed o th e r, th e h igh rac ia l ten sio n , th e
need ror you ng , white inmates to
every clay for my political views.
u• ~

~a~~!~~~

see k protect ive cu stod y in orde r to
escape drug sm uggl ing, rip-off artists
an d ho mosexual gatl1e rings, Lhe psyc hotrop ic, mind-alte ring drugs many
inmates are given as a substitute for
therapy treatment, a n d the con fineme nt to strip-ce lls many of the me ntally disturbed are forced to e ndure."
Al th oug h m any would sco ff a t
such high a ims, es p eciall y comi n g
from a "mere priso n e r ," I<.i ng Buck
h as a lready ta ke n th e first ste p: selfe mpowerment.
"Most men a nd wome n in prison
who a re slig ht o f wi llpower go u nder
and remain clown u nder their o ppressive state of servitude a ll the clays of
the ir li fe. Co nvicts call th ese hopelessly lost people 'tl1 ose with broke n
spirits.' But my s piri t is al ive and
th riving. I refuse to le t myself get saclclenecl by the loss of my freedom even
th ough 1 am surro unded by tl1 e co nstant madn ess."
A lt h oug h t h e Missou r i DOC
wou ld beg to differ, I<.ing Buck conti nues to live his life setting positive
examples fo r o tl1 er prisoners. H e h as
prove n tha t the convicted felo n is not
li m ite d in h is ca pac ity fo r g rowth,
self-wo rth a nd achi evement.
I f Ki n g Bu ck made it bac k to
General Populati o n by p ress ti me, he
ce rtai nly won 't be Lhere whe n you 're
reading t hi s. You ca n be su re t h e
whi te sh irts wi ll r eta liate. But h e
knows th e score, a n d he's ready for it.
.Just take his last message to heart:
"I hope wh<ueve r effo rts I have
m ad e to e nl ighten th e p ub lic a nd
o th er prisoners h e re have not been
in vai n ."
- Chris Cozzone

PRISON LIFE

49

BY CHRIS COZZONE

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
BRUNSWICK DIVISION
Duane R. Olson,
Joe Mohwish,
Donald B. Sargeant,
Plaintiffs,
v.
Federal Prison Industries, Inc.
(UNICOR),
et. al.
Defendants

)
)
)
)
) ........cv 294-o 11
)
)
)
)

COUNT ONE: Knowingly employing illegal aliens, in
violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
COUNT TWO: Breaching federal labor laws by hiring
prisoners and failure to pay minimum wage, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
COUNT THREE: Selling prisoner-made products to
private sector companies, in violation of Federal
laws.

50

PRISON LIFE

1owi n g ly em ploying illegal
alien s? Violating federal labor
aws? Sounds like on e of those
crimin al e nte rprises the Feels wou ld
love to sink their teeth into-that is,
if the gove rnm e nt weren 't so busy
running the racket themselves.
The culprit is non e oth e r th a n
th e Department o f Justice's Federal
Pt·ison Industries, Inc., known as UNICOR. The me n who have uncovered
th ese alleged criminal activities a re
federal prisoners J oe Mo hwish, Duane
O lson a nd Do n Sargeant. They have
filed a unique crim ina l com pla int
aga inst the federal government that
could, if they are successful, turn the
De partment ofJustice upon itself and
make it the laughing stock of our gettough-on-crime poli tics.
Not on ly h ave Mo hwish , e t a l.
fi led charges aga inst UN ICOR fo r
employing illegal alie n s and for its
unfa ir and illegal la b o r practices,
but, most damning of a ll, th e th ree
prisoners have managed to uncover
docum e ntary evide nce proving that
UN LCOR is selli ng prisoner-manu factured met·chandise to the private secto r. Working with a network of fede ral prison e rs, th e trio has accumula ted volumes of p hysical evidence
such as purchase orders, memos, cost
summ a ri es a n d other documents

K

the aged, th e nut a nd crippl es,
me n who can't walk or can 't talk.
Som e wh o d o not be lo n g in
p rison a n d some, li ke Alex, who
do.
There arc a fe w cons le ft over
from th e days wh e n it was one
prison in o ne place, back when
Alex first ca m e h e re, co ns th ey
ke e p a r ou nd to do th e h eavy
wo rk-AJex an d Lincoln, Gomez
a nd Lafa ye u e, Sta n s ky a nd
Pe ters- th e inside labor gang.
Pe te rs is a li u lc guy, sle nde r but
tough , o ld e noug h th a t he h as
e nded up h e re. Everywh ere he's
been he's screwed up, and now
U1C)' are e ither offering him a fi na l
chance, or lhcy have pu t him here
as a way of ge uin g r id o f him .
Pe ters' gaunt, pocked face is dominated by la rge d oe-li ke eyes you
try not to look aL Pan of his nose
is missing, a crude notch gouged
out of his nostril, wh ich lends him
a d amaged, lopsided look worse
lha n if he had lazy eye. Alex tolerates him, but Pe ters fancies him-

"A lifetime in the
Hole- they'll slowly kill
him. This is how it is.
This is how it will
always be."
self a con man; he is sly and quick,
a nd Alex is waty of him.
1 ow Crumm age has crossed
back t o t h e ot h er s id e o f th e
ditc h , an d Alex watc h es as h e
app roaches Pe ters. T h e othe rs
a re the re, Oscar Lincoln , Gomez
and Lafayatte , Big Stansky, b ut
Crummage is a co median and he
picks his stra ig ht men ca re fullyAlex beca use he can ' t ta lk, and
Pe te rs beca u se he 's six in c h es
sh o rter and ha lf Cru mmage's
we ight.
"Pe te rs, wh en a ll this is don e,
wha t say you and me go fi sh in '?"
Crummage grins an d winks at no
o ne in particular.
"Right he re in this ditc h you
dug, b e t th e re' ll be ome ni ce
tro ut.., He hoo ks his th u mbs in
his belt and sta nd in front of
Pete r s, wh o is partway in t h e
ditch. Crummage is nec kless; his
jaw juts forwa rd a n d h is h ead
slo p es u pwa rd t o a point , as
(continu ed on nexljJage)
PRISON LIFE

61

Mommy!
Daddy'~

again!"

OPERATION PRISON GAP
32 Tuckahoe Road,
Yonkers, NY 10710
(914) 376-7771

There's no secret to our success!
Since our inception in 1972, OPG has transported ove r 1.5
million people to various correctional facilities throughout NY
state-about 1.3 million more than our nearest competitor.

Safe, reliable, affordable
and dignified service.
Operation Prison Gap provides service fo r most New York

th ough all that really mattered in his skull
had grown dense and settled to the bottom,
where h is mouth is.
"You like trout, Peters? I'll bet you do." He
guffaws. H is p e ndulous belly hangs over the
ditch directly above Peters, \Yho continues to dig
with his shovel. Crummage twists his head to the
right.
"H ey Gomez, what do they call trout in
Spanish? Trucha, rig ht? Yeah, lru cha." He
turns back to Peters. "Maybe you and me,
Pete rs, we could have some trucha one of
these nights. Or put it this way- you could
h ave the trucha, a nd me, I'll supply it." He
laughs loudly, the n wheezes. "Pe te rs, you a littl e o ld fo r m e, but yo u ai n't that bad.
' Specially when you be nd over like that. "
It happe ns fast, almost too fast for Alex to
see. The shovel falls away from Pe ters' hand
and immediately he is up under Crummage's
gut-just there, attached to Crummage, lips
tight and eyes like coal, arm and shoulder
and entire upper body pus hi ng into
Crummage 's abdomen. Suddenly Crummage
whee ls around and stumbles, picks h imself
up and stumbles again. His glasses hang from
o ne ear and his tiny eyes are now huge a nd
a mazed . He is running, holding his stomach
and bellowing, and Al ex sees the guard
emerge from the tower with a rifle. Peters,
holding a dull gray shank in his h and , the
end of it shiny with Crummage's blood, casually sits down o n the bank of th e d itch, drops
the knife in th e dirt and kicks it aside.
Security arr ives-more than twenty
Blueshirts round the corner of th e n ear est
cellhouse a nd spring for the field. Crummage
has collapsed fifty yards from the d itch, and
the guard in th e tower is shouting for Alex
and the othe rs to drop their picks and shovels and kee p their h ands wh e re h e can see
them; Peters sits elbows on knees, head lowe red , p e rfectly still. They' ll kill him, Alex
thi n ks. H e'll sp e nd a lifetim e in th e H o le
where they'll slowly kill h im. This is how it is.
T his is h ow it will always be.
There is a trace of blue in the afte rnoon
sky, but mostly it is white ho t, the sun baking
the air to a cera mic hardness. Alex ti lts his
head back until his face is nea rly horizontal
with the grou nd. He can relax th is way, block
it all ou t, float for a minute in his eyes. But
tl1en it occurs to him that there are no c racks
in th is dome, that no thing lives in th is sky,
that birds could never fl y here.

State Correctional Facilities. Buses depart from W~st 59th St.

& Col umbu s C ircle, d irectly in fro nt of the New York
Coliseum.
Monday-Thursday

9am to 5 pm

Friday

9am to 8 pm

Saturday

62

PRISON LIFE

lOam to 4pm

1\bott/ /he Illustrator (next page): j oseph
H emandez is doin' time at Green H aven
Co1-rectionalFacility in New York.

·~
Name

issues:

Number
I n s t i t u t i o n - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - -

Address

Mail to:

Prison Life

City
State

is
D Enclosed
$19.95

- - - -- - - - Zip Code - - - -- - -

505 8 t h Ave
NY, NY 10018

D

uring 1989 and 1990,
b e twee n 68,000 a nd 70,000
h ome less pe o p le live d in
New York City. These statistics are
r e ported in a co mbination o f
record s from th e Ce nsu s Bureau ,
sh e lte rs and homeless organizatio ns,
a nd fro m spotters who count in publ ic faci liti es: the Port Author ity,
Pennsylvan ia Statio n , Gra nd Cenu·al
T e rminal, Ce n tra l Pa rk, Tompkins
Square Park and various ferry stations. If you wen t with the high numbe r, you'd sti ll be short by 3,000 to
5,000 peo pl e . It m ay b e hard to
accep t that professio nals co uld b e
off by such a la rge number, bu t I
kn ow this to be a fact. Don't get me
wro ng, th ey did t h e ir j obs as best
th ey co u ld. The proble m was, they
co u ldn ' t possibly co ulll wh a t th ey
couldn ' t see.
In th e summ e r of 1989, afte r
mo re than five hours of running and
hiding from law e n fo rcement officers a nd vo lun teers, I fin a lly made
good o n my esca p e. Dead tired , I
staggered off the New J e rsey T ra nsit
trai n and found my way upstairs into
New York's Penn Station. Afte r e ight

64

PRISON LIFE

yea r s o f priso food , I bl ew my
re m aining $41 i an o rgy of pizza,
h ot clogs, cho
te sundaes, banana
splits, Gyros,
Is and Buffa lo
wings. Th e
ess I'd felt b efore
was n othing
pa red to the way I
fe lt afte r ea ti . I walked a ro und
Pe nn Station
til I cou ldn ' t kee p
my eyes ope n ,
d the n I fo und a
spot o n th e
g Isla nd Rai lroad
level to rest.
ice sh ou ting "Ge t
A fa r-off
t m e b ac k f r om
dreamland, a n I found myse lf sitting o n th e flop r o f Pe nn Statio n.
Ten feet away a tl d directly in front of
me we re threeilderly women. Two
of the m h ad Ia ndry carts filled with
pe rsonal be lon ings; the third he ld
a piece of thr e-quarte r inch pipe
wrapped with e ectrical tap e; it had a
wi cked-looking e lb01v a t its e nd. T he
pipe was a seri us piece of weaponry, a nd the way sh e wie ld ed it said
she knew how tp use it.
"Get out o' th e re! " the woman
with the pipe said , a nd I ass um ed
that I ' d acc i e nta lly tak e n th e ir
sleeping place. I opened my mouth
to apol og ize wh e n a vo ice fr o m

b eside me said, "Move o u t o f th e
way! " I loo ked slowly toward th e area
wh ere th e vo i ce came from and
found myse lf fac in g a man who
could have bee n 20 o r 40 be neath a
h uge growth of bea rd . He was huclclle cl beside me in the smallest ball a
140-po uncl man could curl imo, a nd
h e he ld a stainless steel razo r. I was
mad- after spend ing yea rs in prison,
I'd allowed someon e fro m th e street
to sneak up o n me. At t h e sa m e
time, 1 co n side red the damage he
could do to me before I could do to
h im. I glanced back a n d fo rth
be tween him and th e wo me n , b u t
m y eyes s t ayed o n t h e razo r . I
wa tched the women back out of the
opening o f the cul-de-sac, and th en
the ma n was up and runn ing. T he

wo man wit h th e p ipe s h oo k h er
head pathe tically as I sLOod u p.
''You're a pre tty good-sized guy,"
sh e said, "but you ai n ' t street sman .
You be u er go settle things at ho me."
Withou t a notl1 e r word , th ey turned
an d he aded in th e opposite d irection of the guy with the razor.
That was m y introduction lO
Penn Stati o n. At that m o m ent, I
promised myself I wo uld never again
lay my head whe re so m eo n e co uld
sn ea k up on me so easil y. I staye d
awake th e res t of th e n ig h t. In t he
morning, I met Amtrak Billy, wh o
woul d teach me tile wnne ls beneatll
a nd be hind Pe nn Station. A few
hours la ter, I met Sandman. My first
Mole Man.
During the 17 month s J was out-

side the New j ersey prison system , I
spe nt e ig ht months living be n eath
Pe nn Station, Gra n d Ce nt r a l
T e rmi na l, Ri vers ide Drive o n t h e
Uppe r West Side, a nd in shacktowns
and boa t basins a lo ng 12th Ave. In
th ose places, r saw a nd met people
who have n ever bee n counted a nd
will never be see n, u nless it's by acc id e nt. But, of eve rywh ere I'd li ved,
th e most m e mo rable of the times I
spe nt h o meless were th e d ays under
Gra nd Ce ntral Termin al.
"You save d my li fe . Tru st m e
now," Sandman said to me, digging
into his re tri eve d duffe l bag a nd
pu lli ng out a mac h ete. He h e ld it
out. I took it a nd he ld it in my hand
loosely, like h e'd to ld m e, wa iting
u n ti l h e'd strappe d h is own b lad e

on. I followed him down the access
stairwe ll a nd into one of th e lowe rlevel w nnels be n eath Grand Centra l.
H o ld ing a mache te loosely was supposed to mean it was just th ere, li ke
a tool, wi th no th reat intend ed. We
wa lked for maybe 20 m in utes, and
men we had to climb some ove rh ead
p ipes and crawl through a manmade h o le into a ventilation shaft.
After maybe 30 feet, Sandman put a
hand aga inst my shoulder for me to
slOp at th e so und o f a wo man 's
voice . H e respo n ded with wh a t I
would lear n late r was a daily
exchanged code. The voice bid him
to come forward. Tapping me, h e
moved to the en d of t h e s h a ft,
grabbed an ove rhe a d p ipe an d
pulled himself ou t. H e hung unti l he
PRISON LIFE 65

stopped swinging, then he dropped.
I moved to the e nd of th e o p e ning
and looked into th e fire-i llum ined
face of the woman whose voice I'd
h eard. Sh e was sitting o n a n overturned cra te pe rched on top of a 10foot step ladd e r. Sh e held a n axe,
and th ere was a mach e te, much like
the one Sandman h ad given me, in a
sheath attached to h er belt and tied
to her knee. It wou ldn 't take but one
perso n to defend the e ntra nce the
way i t was s i tuated , a nd ge nd e r
wou ld have n o thin g to do with it.
She nodded at me. Still ho lding the
machete, I pulled myself out of the
ho le a nd dropped clown o nto a pile
of ma ttresses into what I imagined
hell wou ld be like.
T here were d oze ns of shacks and
lea n-to's built of woode n scraps, tin
a nd cardboa rd o n top o f th e p latform and beneath it. The tracks were
clear. Each area had marked bounda ri es, a nd most h ad fires bu r ni ng
with in th em. A few were dark but for
the ligh t coming from nearby spots.
T h ey m ad e me un co mfortabl e
because there were people in them
an d all I could see were eyes. I have
neve r liked b eing watch ed without
being able to see the watche rs. I didn't like it then, but I was too dee p
be neath Gra nd Cen tral to fi nd my
way o u t witho ut Sand man, so I did as
h e whis pered a nd ig n o r ed th e m .
Climbing up o n e side o f a n e normous pile of rai lroad ties and down
the other, I found myself in the h ean
of t h e th ri ving co mmunity th a t
Sandma n called home.
T here we re maybe 60 to 70 peopl e standin g, s ittin g o r m oving
a ro und. Most loo ked norma l, save
their smutty a nd raggedy appearance,
but the re was a scaue ring of obvious
loon ies. T h e loo ni es stood around
smi ling at me a nd do ing the street
version of the Tho razine-sh uffie.
A huge fire burned in th e center
o f the area, as black smoke from the
o il y timb e r s r ose a n d ga th e r e d
aga inst the tunnel roof. I remember
wo nd e ring wh y th e sm o ke wasn ' t
c ho king eve rybody to d ea th.
The next thi n g I knew, a man
named Mook an d his inn e r circle
were standing around u s. T hey clidn 't ga the r , they were just there, and
it was creepy. I'd never seen Mook
befo re, b u t Sandman's d escripti o n

66

PRISON LIFE

o f a hu nc h b acked six-footer with
dread locks to his rear was perfect.
He was un armed, but th e seve n or
e igh t men a nd women sta n d in g
around him were n 't. T hey stood tapp in g t h e ir th ig h s a nd legs with
machetes, pipes and ha mmers.
Sandma n stepped in front o f me
and explained to Moo k h ow I had
kept him from being beate n to death
by so me crack deale rs a few weeks
back a nd how we' d hung out together off and on since the n. There was
n eve r a c h a nge of expression on
Mook's face, u ntil Sandman told him
I'd escaped from a p rison in j ersey.
And t h en it was so brief, I almost
missed it. Watc hin g m e, Moo k
motio ned with his head fo r o ne of
his people. Whisperi ng in his ear, he
se nt him off a nd over the pile of railroad ties. I looked at Sandman, who
shrugged his thin shoulders and lit a
smoke. Afte r ta kin g a co up le of
drags, he p assed it to me. We waited
maybe 10 minutes, but it seemed a
mu c h lo nger wi th n o b ody ta lking
and everybody watching me.
I reall y co u ldn' t believe I was
wh e re I was beca use all my life I'd
bee n a hustle r. To stoop to living
underground was n ext to t h e fi n al
su-aw.
"Wh o esca p ed from j ersey?" a
vo ice as ked fro m b e hind an d I
turn ed to see who it was. A elude
stood a t the top of the railroad ties. I
co u ldn' t ma ke o u t h is face in th e
sh adows. The gu y who ' d go n e off
after Mook spo ke to him, made his
way cl own the pi l e a nd squatted
clown. Knowing the speaker h ad to
be talking to me, I said J had escaped
fro m prison. T he n ext questions and
d irec ti o n s cam e fas t: Whe re was I
fro m? Wh ere exactly did I escape
fro m? How much time h ad I clone?
Had I eve r bee n to th e Annandale
Reformatory? Who ran the dairy at
Annandale? Afte1· I had sufficiently
answered th eir question s, I was asked
my real name. I'd given the answers
to every q ues tion , but I refused to
give up my name, and I to ld him and
Mook so. Whispering to Sandman, I
remind ed him of his promise to take
me back to the surface if I decid ed I
clidn ' t wa nt to be th ere.
"He's straight by me! " Sandman
ye lled, and it was echoed by the guy
o n th e p ile before h e disappeared

down th e o th e r side. It must h ave
been en ough because I was allowed
to stay. T o this day, I still don't know
who it was who asked me all those
questions. Al l I know is he lived right
unde r my nose.
I lived be n ea th Gran d Central
for almost two mon ths before I got
tired a nd left. It wasn't th e people;
everybody who lived in our quadrant
got along most of t h e time. There
were a few problems every now and
th e n, but Mook and his people kept
th ings running relatively smoothly. It
could n 't ha ppe n like that in prison,
because inside we all seem to want to
d o 'our ' thin g a nd the key word
beneath New York was 'us '. That's
because eac h of us was an integral
part of each other's survival. If someone from o ur communi ty h ad trouble, we all d id, a nd our area had over
200 people in it Less than half tha t
numbe r eve r went above. I did ,
because I became a 'surfacer' for the
time I was there, like Sandman. Fo r
some reason, I just couldn't see locking m yse lf u p u nde rg r o und after
going through so much to get away
fr o m priso n . Su r facers venture d
above gro und an d collected food,
clothin g, aluminum a nd co ppe r ,
which we re sold to buy d rugs a nd
alco h o l, or to e ntice wome n from
a b ove down , for th ose wh o were
committed to darkness. In r etu rn ,
the surface rs were watched over and
held in high esteem.
T h e real Mo lers stayed below,
ma pping o ut un explored te rritory
a nd basica lly keeping things runn ing. I re member two Molers find(continued on page 69)
JB. Springs lll, doin' Lime at Trenton in NJ.

Mo'onMoles
"If you want to know more about mole p eople," Springs to ld Prison Life, "go to Grand
Ce ntral and find a guy named Sergeant Henry."
Sergeant H e n ry, now Lieuten an t H e n ry, is
on e o f the coolest cops you 'd ever want to meet,
esp ecially if you were living unde rgroun d. "The
mole peo ple have bee n very good to me," h e
says. "They we re responsible for my promotion .''
Several years ago, Lt. He nry ven tured under
Gra nd Centra l a nd vo luntee red to coax an
e ntire co mmunity from their cocoons. "My goal
was to very humane ly and compassionately ge t
the m to leave."
Most either didn ' t realize or didn 't care that
they were living in condition s unfit for human
habi tation. "In my o pinion, it's worse th an jail,"
says H enry.
At the height of the mole moveme nt, over
50 people lived under Gr and Central alone.
Many were livi ng knee-deep in trash, with feces
from rode n ts and huma ns scattered about. But
it was warm all year round, and water was easily
obtainable.
H e n ry be nt over to pick up a ca p fro m a
shampoo boul e. "Under this pipe was a makeshift shower. " O n his rounds, h e'd occasion ally
be treated to the sight of naked mole peo ple
bathing be neath the pipes.
H enry used gra nola bars and a team of social
workers to persuade the mole people to leave. "I
would basically talk the m to death," he says. "I'd
tell them it was dangerous, unsanitary and if they
did n ' t ge t the ir act together today, they neve r
would." H e'd h ook the m up with age ncies for
the homeless, drug re habs and, if they had skills,
with jobs. "The pro blem was that so many we re
either illite rate or socially dysfun ctional. I guess
that's what brought them down here," h e notes.
Some, like Springs, were cons on the la m.
Afte r th e mole peo ple were "displaced," as
H e nry d esc ribes it, New York C ity spent over
four millio n dollars on wire fences and concre te
walls to seal o ff th e a rea for good. But o n th e
day of our tour, th ere was talk of mo le sightings
among th e transit cops. 'Just because it's under
control now cloesn 't mean it's p ermane nt, " says
Lt. He n ry. "We need to con tinually seek these
people out and h elp the m find ho mes a nd j obs.
It just isn ' t right for humans to live this way."
(Fmm TojJ lo Bollom) 1. Lt. Hemy /Joints out the water
storage container where the underground dwellers bathed.
2. Beyond the [51ill, an "apmtment " where, according to
Hemy, "a bunch ofgay guys lived." 3 . The "Do Not
Enter" sign at 3 1st & 11 A ve. marlt.s the entran ce to
another underground habitat. 4. Graffiti deejJ below
Gmnd CA'nlral Station.

PRISON LIFE

67

In-House Counsel
by Larry Fassler,
Jailhouse Lawyer

hrougho ut 1988 and
1989, I could be found
in th e law libra ry a t
F.C. J. Ph oe n ix al m os t
eve ry d ay, a t a lmos t a ny
h our . An oth er jai lhouse
lawyer, whom I' ll call
"Ro n ," was in th e
library a lmos t as
o fte n as I was. On e day
just be fore Chrisu11as '89,
Ro n and I were the o nly
o n es in th e li brary. I
n o ti ced h e was sittin g
at a ta bl e SLa rin g
a b se ntmind e d ly
into s p ace, so I
asked him wh a t h e
was working o n .
Ro n to ld m e h e h a d filed a
ha beas corpus, a nd that it h ad been
d e nie d . ex t he had fi led a n a ppeal,
whic h h ad a lso bee n denied . He was
n ow work in g o n a Motion for
Re hearing, but h e knew how ra re it
is to win a re he aring, and th e frustratio n was tearing him (and those twoby-fours) apart.
Fi n a ll y, Ro n wen t in to a lo ng,
a ngry monologue about h O\v impossible it was to ge t justice out o f th e
inth Circ uit, a nd ab o ut how bl atantly th e judges we re ig no ring th e
facts of his case. I understood those
feeli ngs, so I just listened with o m saying muc h . After Ro n fi n is he d ta lkin g, l aske d him to le t me read his
pleadings.
H e h a nd e d t he m ove r , a n d I
spent a nothe r ho ur reading his writ
an d hi appeals, but whe n I h ad finish ed , I couldn ' t unde rstand wha t h is
iss ue was. I cou ld te ll it h ad to d o
with his parole violatio n , but beyond
this it was unclear. So I aske d him to
expla in. Afte r thirty mi nutes of additio na l question s, I finally realized that
Ro n had a n issue go ing to the fa irness of paro le vio la tio n h ea rings. Ron

T

68

PRISON LIFE

Jllustmtion ll)• Rob Sula

felt that his righ ts had been violated
because the Paro le Co mmissio n had
shipped him ofT to prison before g ivin g him a h ea r ing. When th e
Commission did h old his h earing, it
was fa r away fro m h o m e and h e
co u ldn ' t prod uce witn esses fo r his
defe nse.
On ce I g rasp e d th e co n ce pt, I
agreed with Ro n that he had a va li d
issue. I sa t clown a t a typewrite r and in
less the n twen ty minutes produced a
short argume nt th at expla ined Ron 's
issue in plain , simple words, language
even a judge could u nderstand
I handed my ve rsio n to Ron and
asked, "Is th is what you mean ?" Ron
said it was, so I suggested th at he tear
up th e 15 -pagc Mo tion fo r
Re h earin g, wh ic h h e h a d writte n ,
a n d si mp ly subm it a sh o rt moti o n
using my wording. I explained tha t if
I could no t understand what he had
writte n , he sho uld n ot expect a j udge
to. Afte r all , th ey're o nl y h u m an.
Ro n ag r e ed , a nd h e rew ro t e th e
m o ti on u sin g m y sim p le two-p age
ex plana tio n of the issue.
I was tran sfe rred fro m Phoe nix

sho rtly after this incident. More
t han a year la ter, whi le read ing
the Federal Reporter looking
for another case, I
learned what had happ e n ed wit h Ron's
motio n. H e won! T he
inth Circuit g ranted a
re h ea ri ng
a nd
re ,·ersed its original
dec isio n . It vaca te d
hi s paro l e vio lat io n , thu s gra n t ing hi m relief.
T h e poi nt
o r t his colum n
is to em phasize
th e im porta n ce
wr i t ing clearly
whe n you do )'OUr own legal work. If
th e j u dge cann o t u n derstand you,
you do n 't have a c hance. No j udge is
go ing to accept an arg u men t he
can ' t follow. Ro n spent two years and
many hu ndreds of hou rs working his
case to death , bm he had never p resented it in a simple and straigh tforward mann e r. Fina lly, when th e arg ume nt was presented in plain , simple
language, the j udges reve rsed the mselves a nd Ro n won.
I kn ow how dimcu lt it is to wri te
motions an d appea ls fo r yo u rse lf.
Keep ing o ut the a nger is some ti mes
im possible . Realizi n g that ot h e rs
d on't kn ow your ca e as well as you
do, and that th ey need to h ave thi ngs
spelled out for them, is also d imcutt.
Both a rc crucial to success.
My favori te way of deali ng with
this problem is to write my plead ings
as early as I can , and then to "lose"
the m for a whi le. I'll put th e m in a
box under my bunk, o r deep in the
back or my locker, and try to forge t
them for a week or two. Then I take
them o u t and read them afresh, and
invariably I will sec things to change
a nd correc t. T he key is to put the

UnderGround
document out of your mind long
enough to forget what you wrote.
Otherwise, you will see it with the
same mindset that you had when
you wrote.
Another useful strategy is to
show it to your friends. Pick literate friends, though not somebody
with whom you always discuss
your case. Mter reading it they
will probably tell you how good it
is, and that you should win. This
is not good enough. Ask them to
tell you what your argument is,
and why they think you should
win. If they can't, then the
chances are the judges won't be
able to either. Don't be misled
into believing you have to use
long words and Latin phrases to
impress judges. You don't. You
simply have to be understood.
And if your buddy can understand what you are trying to say,
odds are a judge will also.
Finally, don't worry too much
about using a lot of case law.
What you want to do is to find
and use a few good cases, particularly cases that are very similar to
yours, and ideally cases that rule
within your judicial district. Case
citations, just for the sake of citations, will turn a reader off. If a
judge or judge's clerk checks one
or two of your citations and finds
that those cases don't fit the facts
of your case, he is not going to
bother checking the rest. Be very
careful about the case law you
use, and use it sparingly. It is
much more important to state
your case, and the reasons you
think you deserve relief, in a simple and understandable manner.
If you convince the judge that
you were treated unfairly, the
judge himself will usually provide
case law to support your claim for
relief.
Send your questions and legal
concerns to In-House Counsel, c/o
Prison Life, 505 8th Avenue, New
York, NY 10018.

tia

pass it around. Killing isn't what I
do, but at the time I wished I'd had
an M-16.
ing a rotted leather purse with
I probably would have stayed
almost $4 in it. Because everything longer than two months, but once
we did was a community effort, they when I was wandering through some
brought it to the counting table. tunnels and crawl-ways, I got lost for
Doesn't sound like much, but I three days. When I finally found the
noticed the coins were ancient. With surface again, I was where I started
approval, I took them to a coin deal- out: Penn Station. There's a connecer and got close to a $1,000 for tion between Grand Central and
them.
Penn Station, and even though I'd
I'd always heard about Mole peo- spent weeks hunting for it, I never
ple, but I'd never really believed in found it again. I believe in fate, so I
them. Even living among them I did- began picking people and taking
n't, until I snuck a set of floodlights them down to the dry, warm subterdown and hooked them up to a car ranean world beneath Penn Station
battery. That was the night I learned to live. Being a good talker, I manhow much damage lights can cause aged to hustle a number of businessto people who've been living for es into giving me leftovers in
years in the dark. I mean, the fire- exchange for keeping the order and
light didn't bother them the least their areas clean.
bit, but white light could and did
Before I lived the life, I could
temporarily blind some of them.
never understand how anybody
Like I said, it wasn't the people could live on the street or in public
under the terminal who made me buildings. I was one of the people
leave. I just got tired of the hide-and- who would say they'd rather go to
seek games I had to play with jail than live on the street.
Sergeant Henry and his crew of
I no longer have that attitude.
Transit cops to get in and out of What I do have from living around
there. I had at least three run-ins and under New York is a better
with Transit, but nothing really seri- understanding of a very human conous, and that was probably because dition. Too much pride can be as
of my size and the way I moved. If dangerous as having none. Too
nothing else, prison teaches you how much pride is what wouldn't allow
to avoid stumbling blocks. But others me to live on the streets, preferring
weren't so lucky. I found myself start- jail instead. That same pride woulding to look at the transit cops and n't allow me to take a job paying
hate them the same way I used to minimum wage, but it failed me by
hate the bastard prison guards who allowing me .to work at state-issued
would come in after a bad night or jobs for a whole lot less than miniweekend and stick it to anybody who mum wage. I take pride in whatever I
got in their way. I knew one guy who do, but the 'too much' is dead and
was chased down and beaten by gone, and I don't even miss it.
seven Transit cops, 25 feet below the
pipes. He wore the mother of all assABOUT THE AUTHOR: John B.
whoopings that day, and when he springs Ill, a 20-year.plus veteran of the
got out of the hospital, he was a correctional system, is a multi-published
walking vegetable. His only offense author whose credits include five books
had been to run long enough for (Kansas, a bestseller; Holloway House
one of the Transit cops to take a fall Publishing Co.) and numerous pieces of
and cut his hand on something fiction and nonfiction. He is now worksharp. I remember the cop repeat- ing on a book titled "AROUND AND
ing, "Make us chase you, huh?" and UNDER NEW YORK: HOMELESS",
"Make us get dirty, huh?" as they from which some of the above has been
beat him senseless. It was insane. taken.
The Transit cop who had fallen was
not only half-drunk, but in case he
wasn't he took time out from the
beating to take a swig from the bottle
tucked inside his winter coat and
(continued from page 66)

ma

PRISON LIFB

69

TRAINING IH THE
Given that the general public is bitch1n about how prisoners should hove zero access to weights one con hod this to
soy: Hey mon, what the hell we supposed to do 1f our taint
oin't got no we1ghts? Shit o lot of good your damn Iron Pile
does us. . "
Damn stro1ght So why not highhght o couple routines tailored for the prisoner without a ccess to equ1pment or beller
yet, for the prisoner stuck 1n the Hole? W ith the threat to make
we1ghts extinct, it seemed even more important to feature
equipment-less exercise routines in Iron Pile
Two prisoners were way oheod o f me on this: Sebastian
Ventimiglia of N Y and W illie W isely out on the Coos/. Both
submilted the two articles before you.
So with tho/, quit woslin' lime ond get up off your a ssno more excuses!
Chris Cozzone. Fitness Editor

0

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"

....,.."I

· - "

I(

..

.,

Prime the mind fo r a few minutes before you begin the
romine. Mo tin tte yourself and think abo ut the m uscles
yo u plan to train.

.,

..

Warm-Up

Jl.

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=
"

Meditation

.. .," .. "" . . ..
t

Fro m Attica to Si ng Sing, fo r th e last 18 year ,
l '\'e bee n (i,·ing 1he prison n ig h tma re . Do ing time ,
howeve r. goes fro m bad to worse in th e H ole, a single-occ u pa ncy roach mo te l. e parated fro m the ge ne ral popula tio n , no t o nly are you loc ke d do wn 23plus ho u rs a day, bu t yo u also have to con te nd wi th
s mall food ra tions, shit fig h ts a nd sometimes, sadistic
g uards p rovoking yo u a nd playing m ind games. The
o~jec t of th e ir game is to d rive yo u buck-wild so they
ca n j ustify the se nseless beatin gs.
T h e s tro n g m a n age to t r iump h o ve r i t al l.
Despi te th e odds, yo u eve n w a lly ad a pt to t he circ umsta nces, re p ressing tho ug hts o f the isolatio n, th e
inh u ma ne co n di tio n s a nd the c r ue l puni shm e nts.
O nce yo u learn to d ea l with th e psych o logical a nd
e mo tio na l stra in , it's tim e to get busy. Wi th a positive
me nta l attitud e, yo u can ma ke th is time cou n t, solita ry o r no t.
Fo rge t the Jron Pile-barbe lls and d u mbbellsa nd the ma keshi ft ru nni ng track your j o int may or
may no t ha,·e. It' · time to com·en tha t Specia l Ho using
Unit into a tra ini ng g ro und lit for Bruce Lee.

IN THE HOLE EXERCISE ROUTINE

0

~,;_·
"' "' .._ ...
..

by Sebastian Ventimiglia

• Full Bo dy joint Ro tations (neck, wrists, elbows, sho ulde rs, 1\'aist, hips, knees and an klcs)- slowly rotate each
j o in!. T his will pre pa re you r bod)• fo r the highe r-tension exercise to co me.
• Dynam ic Te nsio n-slowly co ntract the muscles you
plan to train , breathing deeply.

Cardiovascular Training
Yo ur card io\'aSc ul ar training must fulfi ll three mi nirequiremenL5: lntensit)', Duratio n and Freque ncy.
• Int ensity
Exe rcises must be performed vigoro usly e no ug h to
reach a co ntin uo us yet co mfo rtable level of in tensi ty, a
range within yo ur T a rge1 I lea n Rate Zo ne (T HRZ) .
T he ra nge of safe-ye t-s uffi cient he art rate LO achi eve
durin g exe rci se is be twee n 65 and 85 % o f yo ur
l'vlaxinH un Pulse Ra1c (r-. IPR ). T his can be figured out
11111111

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10

PRISON LIFE

0

Poetry From Prison
ESCAPING CORRECTIONS

Mira
fled
Grants
with
her
tattoos
fresh
her
pale
flesh
displaying
traces
of
her
soul!

picked
her
up
in
Memphis
without

a
touch
without
a
word
her
body
said
enough.
Larry Boggan
Western New Mexico C.F.

LETTERS

It's raining in the suburbs
it's raining here
beyond the fence.
Angel's tears
drip down dirty windows
a good day
to write a letter.
Letters to poets
outlaws
and strangers.
Letters filled with
thoughtfulness
when the distance
between us
makes it too far to whisper.
James Allorto
Terminal Island, CA

82

PRISON LIFE

PRISONER

Stalking you with my eyes
Feeling what you must have
Once felt all over in your
Deepest being driven to the
Height of power consumed
In raw blood liquid urgency
Slipping bodies clutching
On the oil of love's
Consummation gone up in fire
A bed of white ash embers
Dying in midday heat
Stolen by night thieves
Brittled to the cold wind
Swirling dust swept to
My empty window barred.
I remember now and then
Someone far distant in
Time and my love
The seasons move on
Without you.

SOME SURVIVE

Met him my first summer
in a clean tenement room
that didn't spin
in a halfway house
on South Broadway
in a crumbling brick part
of t own by the river.
Mouth clamped shut
below take-no-shit eyes
he walked in, been lifting
weights, stiff and quick
5 '9" , 165-pound guy,
cuffs folded back on forearms
"He just got out ...
Possession, I think."
At first he talked,
when he talked,
like he was holding his
breath,
in short sentences
barely
moving his lips:
Nancy McGovern, ex-con
Phoenix, AZ "You working? When's wakeup? Later, man."
When he found out
I'd been caged, too,
he loosened up a bit,
then a lot.
The stiff mask relaxed into
an open, impish face .
Just another tough guy
with the soul of a child.
He was life to be around then,
bopping in and out
of the room we shared
with Big George
and what was left of Zippy
cracking jokes in rapping
prison jive,
Blond kid playing blues guitar
' - - - - - - - - - - -- ----"'-----'on the deck outside"Eve!)'One thinks this fJhot o is fJretty cool,
a kind of nineties beatnik
even fJoetic, "says R andolfJh Baggett of the
growing a pale goatee,
Union Con·ectionallnstitution in Raiford,
bewildered in the big world
FL. "But j ust do me one Javor: Don't u se it
but hopeful, too,
in 1·egan:ls to punks or some shit lilw that. "
feeling a trickle of new life
by
the river.
WHATANOLDGUYI
Somewhere
beyond cracked
DONE TIME WITH SAID
linoleum and lumpy walls
he saw a world of freedom
I wish I had a dollar
and music, a neighbor
I wish I had some wine
of the world
I wish I had my woman
I
saw of freedom and words.
But all I got is time.
But the girl he was hung up
Clayton Phillips on,
Colorado State Prison, Canon City who I took him to see one
night

away fro m us. The ir memory o f us will
beco me fu zzy, and a lthough we a re
a live a nd well, in the ir hearts we' ll be
d ead. Children wh o never know the ir
fath e rs will n eve r fully know t h emselves.
We und e rsta nd that yo ur love
be lon gs to another- tha t was yo ur
cho ice-but don ' t make that ch o ice
fo r o ur c hildren. The)' have a moral
ri ght to d ecid e if we're worthy of
th e ir love. \A/e h ave co mmitte d n o
crimes against the m , and our love fo r
the m h as not waned. Alth o ug h yo u
have ta ke n them o ut of o ur lives, you
ca n n ever e rase th e m fr o m ou r
hearts. It is because of the m that we
wi ll neve r give up. We know that o ne
day our c hildre n will need us to he lp
kee p th e m from repeating our m istak es a nd fa llin g vic tim to a wo rld
that is rapid ly declining.
We a r e t h e ir fath e rs and n o
amo u nt of tim e o r di sta n ce ca n
change that.
The pic tures we have o f tJ1em a re
old a nd faded, ye t they a rc ou r most
va lu e d p ossess ion s. Be hind th ese
wal ls they are ou r o nl y frie nds.
There is so mu c h ta lk abo u t
fa thers who a bando n th e ir ch ildre n,
but what a bo u t women who purposely
keep th ose chi ldre n away from th e ir

loving fathers? A man may be a gangster on the streets, but at ho me with
his child he is a lamb.
We have made mi stakes a nd a re
now paying the piper. Imagine h o w
you would feel if so meo ne took your
c hild fro m yo u and you n eve r saw
th at c hi ld aga in ? That is wh a t yo u
have don e to us, only we don't have
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o ur fath e rs, a nd we vowed that o ur
chi ldren would n ever be unfonunate
e noug h to say th e sa me. La dies, we
love our childre n , so if you don 't stay
in touch [or us, please do it for them.

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"Alright, your last request is grantedone Prison Life magazine coming up!!"

Inmate pen-pals
by outsiders.
Lonely hearts, students,
curiosity-seekers,
researchers, etc. desire
correspondence with a ll
levels of pr isoners.
Send brief histo ry & desired pen-

pal type to: DEN-KAY. P.O. Box
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PRISON LIFE

81

Fa:mily Matters

11 Lette~ to ott? Lai/M

A message to all the ladies who have a child by a man behind bars
by
Reg "CA$H" Alexander
Georgia State Prison

OW' Larlie.s-:
It has bee n a wh ile sin ce we've
writte n to you a nd eve n longer since
we've hea rd from you . We pray tha t
God h as kept you a nd ou r chi ldre n
safe and we ll. As fo r us, we are staying
strong, trying to be a rock an d weathe r the storm . \ll,lc we re re luctant to
write thi · le tter becau se li ke a ll th e
oth ers we've writte n to you, we fee l
th a t ou r word s won ' t c h ange yo u r
actio ns or, be tte r said , inactio ns.
At fi rs t , we we r e h ea rtbro k e n
whe n you turn ed you r back on us an d
le ft us in priso n a lo ne, u nloved a nd
n eve r th ought o f. T h e h ea rtbrea k
turned in to bitte rness a nd anger, bord e ring on ha te. But as th e years we nt
by we slowly ca me to unde rsta nd and
so PRISON LIFE

our str u gg le t o make it ou t of
"nowhe re" a nd to be a ma n in your
eyes. Dee p down in you r h eart yo u
h ave to know that we loved you. If we
wou ld have become kings, you wo uld
have shared the throne.
Bu t we d idn't become kings.
We're in p rison being p un ish ed fo r
o ur m istakes, staring at co nc re te walls
an d steel ba rs evet)'day of the wee k.
Mo n th after mont h and yea r afte r
year. We ca m e be h in d t h ese wa lls
be lievi n g t h a t yo u would be o u r
bridge ove r t r o u b led wa ters, bu t
nothi ng in o u r lives has been farthe r
fr o m th e t r u t h. V•/ c do not spea k
t h ese word s to co nd e m n you or to
put you clown . Yo u are the mother of
our chi ldren a n d-wi n , lose or
d raw-we 'll always ca re fo r you . We
have acce pted losi ng you and it's poss ible yo u could j ust ify why yo u
haven't even re mained o u r frie nd.
Maybe yo u can even explain why
you've hown us no gratitude for the
many good th ings we've done for you
over the years. But, lad ie ·, no th ing in
this world ca n excuse o r j ustify why
you haven' t sha red o ur children with
us.
We have lost o ur freedom, ho usacce p t th a t yo u d id n o t put u s in es, cars and every ot h er th in g we
prison a nd you do n ' t owe us you r life once val ue d. We have lost }'OUr love,
in wa iti n g. G r ad u a ll y, eve ry m a n but whateve r h appened to the frie ndwh o's se rving a lo ng b id begins to sh ip t h a t o u r rela t io n ship was su paccept tha t h is beloved woman will go posed to have c rea ted? As yo u can
o n with her life a nd h e wo n ' t be a see, we have accepted each an d every
pan of it. It's a slow, biller acceptance loss like m e n , beca use some how we
can justify the m. But we cannot justify
but it cases over time.
Som e o f us loved yo u so m uc h you r notlc n ing us see our children.
We ' re no t ask ing for a pen ny of
tha t we wou ld have d ied pro tecting
your h ono r. Part of the reason th at your money o r a drop or yo ur love,
we're in priso n tod ay is beca use we altho ugh we remember g ivin g you
wan ted to p rovide you and o ur c h il- both. We only ask one thing: Allow us
d ren with th e best in life. Tha t is not to know ou r children!
T he last time we saw the m , they
a va lid excuse fo r our crimes, bu t it is
how we fe lt a t th e tim e. So me tim es were too sma ll to u n de rsta n d wh y
we too k yo u fo r g r a n t e d a nd m ay Dad dy was n ' t the re a n ymo re . ow
have neglec ted o r misu·catecl you. T ry they are growing u p, a nd wi th evCI) '
to un de rsta nd th a t it was all pa rt of year th a t passes they'll grow fu rther

and l faci litate each meeting o n a voluntee r basis. A computer call-out list
is mad e a nd t h e priso ners are
re leased from t h eir ce lls when our
ar riva l is announced. At any g iven
meeting, a nywhe re from e ight to 18
m en participate. A cod e o f h o n or
amo ng those prese nt commits each
man to confidentiality a nd mutua l
r espec t. Afte r h a ndsh akes a nd h e llo's, our meetings begin with several
minutes of sile nce and slow breathing
to quiet the mind. One of us will then
invite a ll pre en t to come together o n
com mo n gro und with a se n se o f
brothe rh ood and solidarity. Then a
membe r will spea k wo rds of praye r,
as kin g for the g r ace of the Divin e
Spirit to guide our tim e together. We
sit in a circle to symbolize equality of
p owe r and th e desire to ex perience
true co mmun ity. One man ass umes
th e tas k of call ing upon othe rs to
speak. Each person is recognized and
given an op portu ni ty to share without
interruptio n. On ly whe n all have spoke n d oes cross-ta lk or co nve rsation
betwee n us begin. T he goa l is to liste n receptively a nd to sha re ho nestly.
Both su pport a nd c halle nge are welcomed. Within this a tm os phe re, a
diversity of viewpo ints is ofte n
ex pressed , a nd resentment, naturally,
can flare. We believe it is a sign o f a
mature man to h ave th e emotio nal
depth , inte ll ectua l disc iplin e an d
physical co ntro l to let such conflicts
be crea tive ly expe rie nced rather th an
desu·uctive ly or vio lently expressed.
The issues ra ised in th e Coun cil
are wide-ra ng ing and va ry fro m sessio n to sessio n . We h ave exam ined
th e mean ing of masculin ity by e xp lorin g the King , the Warrior, t h e
Magician and the Love r-basic archetyp es that exist in every man' s psyc h o logy. We have sp o ke n a bou t the
spiritual journey as a foundation for
sa n ity, the necessity o f ongoi ng ed ucatio n, th e importance and power of
fami ly, t h e inn e r work invo lved in
preparing for parole and rel ease, the
economi cs and politics of racism and
social injustice, and the importa n ce
of mentoring and comm unity se rvice.
We a lso explo re remorse a bo ut the
past. Each man brings a unique perspective. Each participant ass um es
respo nsibility for his input, lead e rship a nd outreach to othe rs. We initiate specific tasks, proj ects and goals
as de termined by collective vision and
inspiration. Our Cou ncil seeks to be
ope n to the u·em e ndous diversi ty of
age, race, re lig ious, e thni c, ideological a nd other o rientations among th e
me n in the priso n. O ur on ly prereq-

Uistte is th at each m an brings an
o pe n mind a n d a sincere desire to
effect positive change. While feelings
of grief and sorrow a re importa nt to
express, these sessions a rc not inte nded as opportunities to whine, comp lain or indulge in a sta nce of victimiza ti on. Rathe r, th ey are o ppo nun ities to e nter an oasis where perso nal
re newal is possible and where positive
actions can emerge.
For examp le, membe r or our
Coun cil have committed themselves
to mentoring younge r inmates; they
have h elped raise funds for Rwandan
re lief; th ey have worked to promo te
"Good Time" legislatio n in New York
State; th ey h ave taught African and
La tin o st udi es classes; they have
wo rked as facilitators in Alternatives
to Vio le n ce works h o p s, I n n ovative
Therape utic Process workshops, PreRe lease a nd Literacy pmgra ms. They
have h e lped othe r inmates in the Law
Libra ry, have served a mediators in
disputes, have been active ly in volved
in the Christian and Muslim comm unities an d have contacted the media
with o ffe rs to produce public service
annou n ce ments to h e lp break th e
cycle of viole nce and give someth ing
back to society.
vVh e n our sess io n s come to a
close, we stand together in a ci rcle
and j o in h a nds. Fi n a l thoughts ,
visio n s, hopes and pra ye rs a rc
expressed, a nd we become silen t one
las t t ime. \h/e imag in e t h e energy
among us going o u t to other inmates
in th e fac ili ty an d beyond th e wal ls
in to the world. As we part, we know
we will carry each othe r in ou r hearts
until we meet agai n. 'I'Ve call ourselves
th e Fellowship of the King of Hearts
to symbo lize o ur co mm itm e nt to providing service and positive leadersh ip
a nd to serving as just a n d compassiona te role mode ls for other men.
T he poet Roethke wrote: "What is
madness but nobility of soul at odd s
with circumstan ce." These me n have
survived the madness in the bel l}' o f
the beast. T hey are using p rison as a
positive rite of passage by aspi ri ng to
the noble side of human nature and
by bringing go ld out o f the ashes of
incarceratio n.
We invite yo u to j o in o ur efforts.
If you a re a n ad mini~trator or a cou nselo r in a correctional facili ty, consider starting such a program or being
ope n to men who wa n t to stan one
on th e ir own . If }'O U arc a prisoner,
app roach yo ur adm in istration with
such a proposal and La ke responsibility to he lp organ ize a Counci l alo ng
the lines suggested here. Re member

that each Counci l wi ll have its own
un ique St}'le and pe rsonality and will
take tim e and patie n ce to develop. If
vo lunteer fac ilitato rs are n eeded ,
contact local human service organizations and ask them for he lp. You ca n
also recruit vol unteers through ex isting programs within your facility that
h ave outs ide spon so r ing orga n izations. Fi na ll y, we a1·e in the process of
crea ting materials for Priso n Counci l
deve lo pment and a re ava ila ble to p rovide consultati on and assistance. Let
us work together in this quest for
heali ng, co mmuni ty and justice. Let
us work toge th e r to free the imprisoned soul !
For further information, con tact
OASIS, ThP Nat ional Prison Council
Project, P. 0. Box 31, Woodstoclt, NY
12498.

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PRISON LIFE

79

SmartTim.e

STARTING A SUPPORT GROUP
By Harris Breiman
he priso n e xperience is o ne o f
isola tion a nd e mptin ess. fea r
a nd mi st ru st, vio l e n ce a nd
c h aos-an assa ult up o n th e soul.
Wha t can yo u do while incarce ra ted
to keep your san ity, to d evelo p yo ur
creativity, to no t o n ly su rvive but to
rea li ze yo ur human p o te n t ia l and
p re pare fo r yolll· re turn to socie ty?
Ove r th e past three yea rs we have
develo ped a Men 's Priso n Coun cil a t
t h e S h awa n g unk C orr ectio n a l
Fac ili ty. a New York Sta te max imum
securi ty priso n. Our Priso n Coun cil ,
whi ch we've na med th e Fello wship of
th e Kin g of H earts,
ca n be a succes. ful
m o d e l th a t an y
priso n o p e n to
reha bi li ta ti ve progra ms ca n use.
Wh at exactly is
a Pri so n Co u nc il
a nd h o w d oes it
wo rk ? Th e Pri so n
Counc il at Shawang unk is a fo rum
tha t addresses unive rsa l iss u es a nd
co n ce rns: the d esire to heal pe rsonal
wo und s a nd ove rco m e e m o ti o n a l
traum a, th e strugg le to build co mm u ni t ies wh e re a
se n se o f' m ea nin g
Till' Jvlm
and purpose ca n
b e s h a r e d , a nd th e
n eed to c rea te a wo rld whe re peace
and justice reig n. T hese con cern s have
mo tivated people th ro ug ho uL hi story
LO form g ro ups o r coun c il s wh e re
ideas, wisdo m a nd experie nce can be
sh a re d , suppo rt ca n b e o ffe red a nd
decisions to bring creative action o ut
in the wo rld can be made. T welve-ste p
suppo n g ro ups h e lp indi vidua ls o n
th e d if'fic ult road from add ictio n to
recove ry. C ro up th e ra p y provides a
collec tive se tting in whic h membe rs
wo rk thro ug h psyc hological pain and
distress. Bo th indigen o u s t ribal c ui-

T

78

PRISON LIFE

as redee me d me n and creative contrib utors to o ur culture, there m ust be
a shift o r perspective in the way priso ns function. The Prison Coun cil can
be o n e element in transfo rmi ng incarceration in to a posi tive ri te of passage
by suppo rting psychological healing
a nd spiritua l growth. T hese men then
become p os iti ve ro le mo d els a nd
mentors to those who are both inside
an d o utside the "Wall." Membe rs of
o u r Council have encou raged o ther
p rison e rs to begin or con tinue the ir
academic stu d ies, to res ist negative
peer p ressure, lo panicipate in therapeutic and vocationa l programs
a nd to g r ow in
se lf- awa r eness
and unde rstanding . Th ey challe n ge othe rs to
become the kind
of m e n wh o
command rathe r
th a n d e m a nd
res pect ... the
kind of me n who
e mpower o the rs
t h an
r a t her
abuse them .
H ow d oes
our Council opera te? Fir st, a ll
pa ni ci pa ti on is
vol u nta r y. T he
idea t o fo rm a
counci l
was
s P1ison Council groujJa/ Shnwa ngun/1 Correrlional Facility.
sp read by wo rd-o fan d numbn ess, c ut-throa t com pe ti- mou th fro m co unse lo rs a nd d irecto rs
tio n , a nd d espera te atte mpts a t do mi- of ex istin g progra ms to the ge n e ral
natio n . lf we add to this Lhe stress o f po pula ti on. Inte rested prisoners were
g rowin g up in bro ke n famili es in invited to a prese n tati o n I developed .
urban war zo nes, and the traum a o f A co re grou p of m en for m e d , and
be ing targe ts of rac ism, pove rty an d these men invite d oth e rs to partic isocia l inj usti ce, th e re is g reat po te n- p ate . To d ay, a l l n ew recr uits are
ti al fo r chaos and crimi nal be h avio r. scree n ed by the group , an d conse nIf th e pri so n expe ri e n ce focuses sus on t h e p r ospective m e m ber's
exclusively o n punishme n t a nd incar- characte r a nd trustwo rth in ess musl
ce ratio n , this dead ly cycle is pe rpetu- be re ac hed be fo re he can join .
T h e Cou n c il m ee ts eve r y o th e r
ated and the result will continue to be
escala ting levels o f violen ce in o u r week fo r ap p roxi m ate ly two h o u rs,
and my colleague, Onaj e Benj am in,
s trec L~. l f prisone rs are eve r to return
Lures a nd mod ern re ligio us communiti es provid e ritual , myth o logy and
inspired teachings to he lp o ne apprec ia te th e sacredn ess o f life a nd to
reco nn ec t with th e Earth and th e
Di vin e S p irit. O ur Pri so n Co un c il
d raws upon each o r these pathways lO
pe rso na l healing a nd e mpowerm e nt.
We focus o n qu estio ns of masculi ne d evelo pme nt, accoun tabi lity a nd
respo nsibili ty. Inca rce ra ted me n ofte n
ex pe ri e n ce h e ig h te n e d te nd encies
comm o n tO a ll me n in o ur c u lture,
te nd e n c ies to b ecom e froze n into
m ac h o a rmor , e motio n a l isolatio n

a nd h e is told n othin g. "Wh e n the
guards return to gath er u·ays, the man
is told to cu!f up. "vVe' re taking your
mattress," th ey say. The crime: fishing
a magaz in e fro m his n e ighbo r th e
night before. H e refuses. His matu·ess
is th e o nly softness in the harsh starkness o f his cell. T h e re has b ee n no
hearing, no due process, no appeal. A
ha lf hou r la ter a se rgeant co nfro nts
him with th e same demand. Again h e
refuses. His di gnity, frail a nd threate ned , remains in tact.
Lunch tim e co mes a nd h e is not
fed . At dinn e r, anoth er sack lunch is
rude ly dro pped through his wic ke t.
Afte r trays are collected , a guard passes h i cel l. Fra ntically, the guard cries
into th e radio , "H e's sh a rp e n ing a
spoon! H e's sharp e nin g a sp oon! "
Li es . (\1\lc a re g ive n sm all , b ri ttle,
plasti c pic nic spoons with o ur trays
and they must be retu rn ed ; besides,
he has no t received a tray that day.)
Mo re g ua rds arrive. Aga in he is told
to cuff up. Again he refuse , tryi ng to
retai n a sh red of self-respect.
Two hours pass. The te nsion in
th e air is palpable . Most o f us have
bee n through this before so we kn ow
what is co ming. The talk is excited.
"Ar e yo u go nn a fi g ht 'e m? " "I f ya
do n ' t go ha rd, you ' re a weak punk!"
"Wh at arc ya gonna d o?"
"If th ey come in fo rce, I' m cuffing up," he says. "I d id n ' t come he re
to get hurt. "
''Ya weak punk!"
T he sudde n absence of th e hum
te lls you th e recirculated air has been
shut o ff; yo ur ha nd confirms the now
d ea d ve nt. A press o f th e button
shows th e wate r is also o ff. T owels are
dipped imo toi lets fo r meager pro tect ion when the gas co m es. Sweat
begins to ooze in the heating air.
POP! The loud e lecu·onic lock of
th e p o d door thund e r s in th e
strain ed qui et. A g uard is pull ing a
long accordion-like flex-pipe, stre tc hing it fro m the outsid e rec d oor to
th e doo r of th e pod. Ano the r g ua rd
p laces a high-ve loc ity fa n o n t h e
mouth of the pipe. T h e air will be
directed outdoors wh en th e tear ga
explodes in his ce ll. Everyone watches. Yo u ca n se n se t h e sil e nt o n es
a mo ng the hushed voices, those who
have never see n this befo re.
Minutes grind away like h ours.
Su dde nl y th ey com e in ; l 0, no
12, no 13. in he lm e ted , Oa kjacke ted
ri o t gea r , some wi th s hi e lds and
batons, each with a gas pouch o n his
be lt, gas- m as ked a nim osity o n his
face. At th e rear of th e g ro up is a
sergea nt, not dressed fo r battle; ne i-

ther is th e guard b esid e him who
wie ld s the camco r de r. "What 's it
gonna be, asshole?"
Th e ma n backs to his door, surre nde ring his wrists to th e wicke t. He
is cuffed and told to ste p furth er into
the cell. The door slides electronically to the side and th e front troo ps of
L11e phalanx rush in to slam the man
to the floor . T he re is no spoon . The
m an is th e n ca rr ied by four goo ns,
each holding a leg or elbow, to th e
middl e of the pod where each of us
witn ess t h e m a n s lammed to t h e
flo or, face down , a kn ee p la n ted in
the back o f his n eck. "T his isn ' t necessary," he plead s.
"You p ieces o f shi t are fu cki n g
out of line! "
"It won 't be fun when the rabbit
gets the gun!"
"I'll find you!"
The screams of angry, frighte ned
me n add to the confusion a nd vio le nt
mood. The man is picked up by the
hair a nd a ba to n e ntwined through
his e lb o w. H e is ca r ried away, to
a noth e r pod , anothe r cell.
There has been no gas. T his time.
But th e rage burns within a nd wi ll
not evaporaLe like CS tears; it will live
a nd smolde r whe n the majority of us
o ne day return home, a bit less sane.
The vio le nce we witness a nd suffe r
wi ll co me with us, thinly ve iled, but
ever present. Because of these a buses,
some of us will kill; others wi ll inflict
pain; the cycle o f violen ce will rotate.
The avo idable reality is that o ur victims will be those who a re eithe r close
to us o r near where we live. It cou ld
be you, good citizen.
Some o f us may be able to ove rco m e th e hate, divert the viole nce,
save ourselves. A few lucky ones. But it
will not be than ks to the animals tha t
you, America, assign as our keepers.
It's a toss of life's dice.
My fri e n d is losing hi s grip on
sanity, a nd he is not alo ne.

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ShejJ is lodml u p at Washington Stale
Peniltmtimy. Although he has been notified that his a·rticle was accepted, ShefJ
won't be able /o enjoy seeing his jJiece in
p1int because the officials at Washington
Stale Pen have jJrohibiled him from receiving Prison Life Magazine, lltte lo its conlent.

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PRISON LIFE

77

Survival

co~:~nt~!MADNESS
t's a warm spring day. I' m
sitting in my cell in gene ral populatio n waiting to go outside and
walk the yard when I think a bout my
friend in the co ntro l uni t, isola te d
fro m the rest of the prison . H e won ' t
be go in g to the yard , or a n y place
o u tside. H e hasn't been ab le to go
o u t for over four year s.
I got a letter from him yesterday.
\1\le've exchanged le tte rs for the last
couple of years, o n e of the few privileges a llowed by the administration.
Each message I rece ive displays a g rip
on reality ever more tenuous. I canno t
reach ou t and shake h is ha nd o r clap
him o n th e s h o uld e r in a n
e ffo rt to c hip away at
th e e ffect of
inhuma n e
treatm en t.
My letters
to him are a
poo r s ub stitute: The h uma ni ty leach es
throu g h
th e porous
e n ve lope;
the ca m arad e rie evapo ra tes into b lack typ e o n
harsh white pape r. I
can o nl y wr ite, and
h ope th at th e n ex t
tim e h e gets loc ke d
into the shower stall h e
doesn 't request a disposable razor like the on e he
tore apart with his tee th to
slice his healthy flesh.
My frie nd is no t a lo ne.
Th e to rm e nt h e suffe r s is
th e same as th a t suffered by
eve r y oth e r m a n in th e co ntro l u n it. I kn ow. I spent five
months th ere myself.
T he e lo ngated , oval control
uni t is a modern, e lectro nic cind e rblock-steel-plexiglass dun geo n o f
96 cell s divided into 12-ce ll p o d s.
T h e steel doo r has a hinged wic ket
fo r access to food , a nd it's just hig h
e nough so th at a ma n can back in to
the d oor to h ave his hands manacled.
You never leave the cell with o ut your
h an d s c u ffed behind yo ur back ,

I

76

PRISON LIFE

e PeJJitellti

ofte n a t
a.zy
the e nd of a leash.
Twenty-three ho urs of every day
a re spe nt inside the cell. One hour is
a llowed for recreatio n in a n e mp ty,
enclosed a rea. The loneliness is exacerbated by th e ru le proh ibiting p riso n e r-to-p ri soner co mmuni cation.
Talking, weaving a fishi ng line to the
n ex t cell, o r eve n using Am e ri ca n
Sign Language (for the deaf)
will get you placed o n
"isolation stat u s,"

te n
days w ith
no reading mate rials and a te n-minute sh ower
in a stall be hin d a bar red gate.
Isola tion is th e punishm e nt for
a n y perce ive d mi sco nduct, a stalUs
assign e d at the whi m o f a g uard fo r
behavio r that may be real, imagi ned or
created. T h e guards who work in th e
con trol unit are u·ained to see thei r
wards as vile and dangero us, deserving
no dignity. Whateve r pe rso nal quirks
or a nimosities they may have broug ht

to th e j ob are g ive n free reign. The
o u trages they perpetrate are supported to th e hil t by th ose above the m in
the hierarchy. The caged men, treated
like a nim a ls, are mo re li ke ly to
become just that.
Some o f your ne ighbo rs are u·ansp la nts fr o m t h e t hi r d f loor-th e
priso n hospital that
h ouses the

c rimin a ll y
in sa n e. Whateve r
conditio n led to their placeme nt is compou nded by th e inh umani ty of the conu·o l unit. Driven all
th e more mad, th ey scream and beat
upon their bunks, steel d oors or walls.
T h e d in pen etra tes cinderblock a nd
cem e nt a like . Some of them collect
gar bage fr o m m eals; o th e rs sm ea r
feces o n the ir cell walls. T he condition
re mains until the g uards must forc ibly
re move th e man to clean the cell. The
no ise a nd stench dr ive sa ni ty away
from those nearby.
O n a day like a n y ot h e r , it is
brea kfast. O n e man is g iven a sack
lun ch ra th e r th a n th e m eage r tray,

Hum.or

am writing to you in sheer d espe ration. My cellmate is a filth y slob.
My cell mate is a twisted, psychotic,
perverted , disgusting, smelly, farting,
belching, n ose-pic king, abj ect creep
and I can't take it a nymore.
Now, I can burp a nd fan as well
as the next man . 1 can dribble food
on my shirt and scratch iny balls at
the dinner table. I d o n 't give a fuck.
I' m not a prude, and I don ' t expect
a nybody else to be either.
But my celly goes b eyond being a
m e re cretin . H e co uld drive away
Mexican cockro ac h es a nd m ake a
gang-bang p o rn queen blush. H e's
beyond filthy. He's abnormal.
The first time I met him I knew I
was dealing with one sick puppy. He
didn ' t ask me n o rma l priso n qu estions such as: "How lo ng are you in
for? What did you do? Have a family
on the outside?"
Oh no, n o t my celly. His questions were de praved .
"Would you lick a girl's vagina if
she had a yeast infection?"
"Have you eve r put your tong ue
up a girl's butthole?"
"Wh at a bout yo un g stuff? Eve r
fucked a teeny-bo ppe r?"
These qu estions arc u sually followed by vivid d escriptions of his la test adventure.
''Wow! I just sho t a huge load. All
over the bathroom. It came o ut slow
at first a nd then just... POW! It spurted out all over th e wall and floor. Just
like a big glo b. Took almost half a
roll of shitpaper to wipe my dick off.
But you know the funn y pa rt? When I
was don e so m eo n e went into the
same stall and slipped o n my cum. H e
fell right on his ass in the middle of
my load. He got it all ove r him. It was
hilarious!"
Tha t's th e high point o f his day.
Wh e n th e prisoners a ren ' t slipping on his se me n , they're eating his
snot and cyst juice.
No kidding.
H e works in th e kitc h en di sh room.
H e see ms to think th at spoo n s
a re for scra tchin g th e und e rside of

l

by Thomas Falater
F. G. G. Florence, GO

lllusl.r.llion by Sieve Lashley

his balls-wh ere h e just h ap pens to
h ave a ruptured cyst -a nd forks a re
just perfect fo r plucking sno t out o f
his nose.
Does he even uy tO hide the fact
tJ1at h e does this? He ll no .
My celly stands be hind th e se rving counte r with a fork up his nose
and a spoon down his pa n ts in fro nt
of everybody. The who le row of 500
con s is waiting to be fed . The n, h e'll
just toss tJ1e fo rk and spoon back into
the pile with the rest o f th e "clean "
ones a nd mix them togethe r.
On e g u y ca me up to h im and
complained .
"Wh y do we h ave to eat with
those filth y ute nsils? lsn 't prison ha rd
enough? Why do you d o this?"
My cclly looked him righ t in the
eye and said, "What do you think tJ1is
is? Denn y's? Loo k, inmate, jus t b e
g ra tefu l for th e fe w morsels o f slo p
you ge t. "

"But thi s is terribl e," th e m a n
protested.
"T err ib le? You sh o uld h ave
thought a bou t that when yo u we re
selling pho ny o il wells to o ld ladi es.
ow, ge t yo ur low-li fe inmate bun
back in line before I pee in tJ1e soup."
You ma y b e wonderi n g h o w I
know he has a ruptured cyst on his
bal ls. Th at's easy. I see the m eve ry
morning when he climbs down from
ilie top bunk. He le ts his balls spill
out of his underwear and just seems
to linger right at the poi nt where his
balls are d a ngling over my h ead when
he climbs d own.
Such a lovely sig ht first th ing in
the morning.
We a r e a lso tr ea t e d to dail y
re ports on tJ1c progress of his testi cular growth.
"H ey eve rybod y! An o th e r cys t
popped on my balls!"
As you may imagi ne, his farts a re
ab n ormal a nd disgustin g. They a re
mo ist, lingering a nd sme ll like d ead
infec ti o u s clouds. One rig ht a fte r
anoth e r. He lifts his pimple-laden ass
in the air a nd fa rts like a wild pig.
He farts wh en it's quie t at nig ht.
H e fans wh e n we're all packed into
the T.V. room ; h e eve n fa n s whi le
we' re ea ting. H e clocsn ' t care. The
sme ll? Just uy to imagi n e a water buffalo witJ1 leprosy crawling up his butt
a nd dying. Then im agine the sm e ll
afte r travelin g out o f his pink little
unwiped anus, thro ug h hi s fi eld o f
cling leberri es, and caressin g aga inst
his ruptured testicular cysts.
Love ly, isn ' t it?
So fa r, I 've bee n sm e lling th e m
for a year.
But I on ly have te n mo re days to
go. Ten clays to freed o m.
Le t thi s be a lesso n for all th e
sca m a rtis ts a nd drug dea le rs out
the re. Don' t worry a b o ut th e cops,
j udge or DEA age n ts.
Wo ny abo ut th e fac t tJ1at the re 's
a n e mpty bunk avai lable in Floren ce.
And it could be yours.
W

PRISON LIFE 75

Press a nd Dips a re gon na h ave to
do it for you , bro. T ry alternating
the m (one set of presses, one se t of
dips, repeat, etc.) without rest. An d
if the we ight stack gets too light, try
d oi ng you r reps ultra-slow (goes for
Dips, too). As lo n g as you' r e
pumpin ' th ose reps (keep 'e m
between 8 and 20) to fai lure, you 're
hiui n' inte n si ty- th at's what is
gonna ma ke those pees grow.
'Course, that do n ' t mean you 're
gonn a see 'em all th at we ll. They
rna)' be bigger than hell, but if you
go t th e m buried be n eath fat, the n
nobody's gonn a know. Since you ask
about getting rid of love handles, I
th ink this may be the case he re.
Sto p buying all that commissary
cra p a nd maybe d o some ae robic
work. Those "love handles" can ' t be
worked 'cuz th ey're n o t actua ll y
muscles but a collection of bloated
fat cells ha ngi ng out on your waist,
m a kin g your life m ise rab le. Th e
muscle group u nderneath the fa t is
yo ur o b liques, an d you ca n work
them (twists, sidebe nds) ' til you ' re
u p for paro le but it ain ' t gon n a
tou ch o ne bit of fat.
You can't turn fat in to muscle
o r muscle in to fat. Yes, cu t you r fa t
intake. And yes, cru nch es are best
fo r your abs. Good luck I
Thanlts for the info on the abs. I'm
gonna start doing some se1ious cmnches! Howroe1~ I have a lot of fJain in my
lower bad1. I'd lilie to leam some exercises to strengthen it. Can you suggest
some?
Cap
CA. Sta te Prison, Tehach api, CA.

l f your lower b ac k is hunin ',
you might want to get that c hecked
out first. 'Course it could be that
you' re d o ing a ll kinds o f shi t th e
wm n g way at th e iron p ile. Most
peop le d o n eglec t th e ir "e recto r
spinae" muscl es ( uh , the lowe r
back) , tho ugh.
74

PRISON LIFE

The "lowe r back" is actua lly a
group of muscles that originate in
your lower back area bu t climb way
up yo ur spin e, like ropes. T h ey
se rve to stabilize your body and also
to twist your trunk and hyp e rexten d your sp in e. Hopefull y, your
iro n pil e will h ave a H yperextensio n be nc h . They are the contraptio ns th a t e nable you to, with
your body parallel to th e fl oor, face
d own , exte nd yo ur spine up a nd
clow n. Mos t Unive rsals have 'em,
but if yo u ca n ' t find o n e, h ave
someone ho ld yo u down on a table
or be nch while you slide up to th e
edge, face down. Hyp erex tensions
can eve n be d o ne o n th e floor (the
"seal" exercise) although th e ra nge
is limited.
Most guys yo u sec do in g
Hyperextensions d o them the wrong
way, so don't pay 'em any attention.
You'll notice that they start with their
bodies be n t a t a 90 degree angle,
the n raise their spine parallel to the
floor, then up to full hyperexte nsion.
Most of the movement is an unnecessary hip movement (which works the
glutes and hamsu·ings) which doesn't
primarily hit your spinal e rectors.
To work yo ur spi nal e recto rs,
start with your spine parallel to th e
g r o und. Then s lowly exte nd
upwa rd un til you can't go a ny fa rth e r. Do not bounce and j e rk to
ga in ex tra g r ou nd h ere . I f th e
range o f mo tion seems limited or
s h o rt, d on't wo rry. That's o nl y
because it is a sho rt m o tion . Yo ur
body was not meant to do more, so
d on ' t force it.
After you ' re d oing th ese for a
while, you can sta rt hold ing o nto
we ig hts fo r m ore re sista nce. Just
make sure you don't start cheating .
Trust me, you' ll feel th ese moth ers if
you do 'e m righ t. [n no time, you'll
h ave a lower bac k sh a p e d li ke a
Christmas Tree.

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Send)•om·
questions
to Ptison
Life Iron
Pile, 505
8th Ave,
14th jlo01~
NY, NY

Call 1-800-654-4246 or write to
SportPharma USA, 930 Detroit Ave.,
Suite E, Concord, CA 94518 today for
more information and a free copy of
the Pro Bodybuilder's Diet Guide.

10018.

SPORTPHARMA USA
PHAHMACEUTICAL QUALITY SPOirfS SUPPLE~1 ENTS
Hescarch available upon request.
© 1994, Sportl'harma USA Inc.

by Chris Cozzone, Fitness Editor
Hey bro, what 's ujJ? Have a Jew
q's. For one thing, f'm awaiting sentencing in Dupage County J ail. I 've been
down th1·ee jJrior times and I'm. into
weights. Only thing, though, is that 1
only have a Universal set t o worli
with-no ji-ee weights. Second: 1 have a
good-sized chest, but lite bolloms need to
get into shape. I !mow all about flat,
incline and decline bench presses nnd
what they work, but what exercise can 1
do I !tat will worli effectively on Til)' bottom chest ? Should 1 wt my fat intake?
Now, on to stomach. Are rrunches
the best thing for this muscle? What
about something for the good ol ' "love
handles?"
Any heljJ will be ajJjmcialed. That
is, unless they decide to cut weights here.
I 've been down a f ew times and lh t•
weights have heljJed me ronsidembly. i t
heljJs dml with the stress.

Danie l
Dupage CountyJ a il

DanielSounds like you need to drop a
few pounds, bro. If you' re uy ing to
develop j ust lower pees, you might as
we ll be uyi ng to grow anothe r row of
abdominal plates. Let me explain.
The shape of any given muscle
cann ot be c ha nged . H oweve r, you
can change a muscle's appearance
either by e nl arg ing it o r by reducing bodyfat to bring out d efinitio n.
We' re a ll stuck with the le ngth and
shape o f our muscle bellies. That
goes for your pees, too.
It ' s impossibl e t o wo rk o nl y
part of yo ur muscle. A muscle is
lik e a rubb er b ancl anc h ored
between two poin ts-th e origin a nd
insertio n. It can o nly shorten (cont r act) and le n gt h en. Without
c h a n g ing those "anch o r points, "
working a portion of yo ur muscle
be lly ain 't gonna happe n .
The pees-pectora lis major- is

a Y-sha ped muscle. It is attached at
your sternum and your clavicle and
in se rts onto the humerus b one.
The dual o rigin is wha t g ives that
"sp li t" look on guys who are ripped .
T h e botto m line is: Some guys
are gonn a have fulle r muscle bellies
than othe r guys. It's a genetic thang.
or course, that don't mean you
can't have some ass-kickin ' pees.
T he p ees can be worked best
from a Oat be n ch with elevations no
greater than 15 degrees. Forge t the
d ecline; it actua lly limi ts your pees'
ra n ge of motio n a nd a t the sa m e
time puts you r inner sho ulde r muscles at r isk. Forget hig h inclines,
too: They' ll hit your dells too hard.
Stick to fla t benches, maybe throw
in some clips, too.
Now, you ' re Un iversal-bound?
That su c ks. But a ll 's n o t lost.
Fortunate ly, muscles a -re sLU pid
brainless thin gs th at o nl y know a
coupl e things: pain and inte n sity.
S ur e, free weig hts a r e b e tter,
because th ey a llow you to move in
ways your body was meant to move
in . Machines lock your ass in a n d
force you to move in ways that may
or may not be in syn c h with your
particula r body's range o f mo tio n.
lL don ' t mean you can ' t get in so me
killer worko uts, though.
It looks like the Flat Mach ine

PRISON LIFE 73

• Ha lf-Squat (wid e but co mfortabl e
stan ce)
• Sissy Squat (hips out, on balls of feet,
lean off wall for balance)
• Fo rward/ Side Lunge (h ands on hips)
• T oe Raise (on edge of thi ck books,
go up o n balls of feet)
• Leaning T oe Raise (ang le off a wall)
• Sin g le-Leg Toe Ra ise (p rogress ive
st.age)
• Waist & Mid sec ti o n (Abs / Lower
Back/ Obl iques)
• Alternated Kn ee Rai se (stand in g,
hands on hips)
• Trunk Twisters (hands locked behind
h ead , twist torso; progress to e lb ow
touching o pposite raised knee)
• Sid e Be nds (fee t togeth er, arms at
side)
• Si n g le / Do ubl e Be nt-Knee Rai se
(lying on back, bring kn ee up to chest;
progr ess to both knees)
• Crunch es (lift torso , h a nds locked
behind head; elbows go skyward)
• Twisted Crunches (alte rnate twisting
to left and l"ight)
• V S i t-Up (simu lta n eo usly lift
torso/ legs and touch toes in air)
• Upper Torso
(Neck/ Chest/ Back/ Shoulders)
• For·ward / Rear/ Sid e Neck Flex (use
h a nds for r es is tance , co n tr ac t n eck
up/ down/sideways)
• Push-Up (begi nners rest lower body
o n kn ees for increased reps)
• ·Close Diamo n d " Push-Up (thumbs,
index fi ngers touch )
• Incline/ Decline Push-Up (feet elevated; off bed or wall)
• Fingertip Push-U p (progressive stage)

• H a nd s tand Pus h -Up ( u se wal l to
maintain balance)
• O n e-Ann Push-Up (place o th er arm
behind back)
• Bentove r Row (hand / kn ee flush o n
edge of chair/ bed, lift bucket to chest)
• Upright Row (lift bucket to chin level
with two hands)
• O n e / Two-Ar m S h o u ld e r Press
(hand (s) under bucket, lift overhead)
• Forward / Side/ Rear Sho ulde r Laterals (use heavy books or bucket)
• Arms (Biceps/ Triceps/ Forearms)
• Hand-to-Hand Bicep Curl (use LOwe!,
simulate arche r pu ll ing back bow)
• One/ Two-Ann Bicep Curl (use b ucke t, fill as needed )
e Tiicep Dip (on 45" angle, push off sink)
• H a lf-Tri ce p Di p (g rip e d ge of
chair/ bed from be hind, rest h eels on
an elevated object, e.g. toilet)
• One / Two-A rm Tri ce p Exte n s ion
(bucket behind back, push upward)
• Forearm Twirl (ex te nd a r ms, twirl
magaz in e to low e r / wind up s tr i n g
attached to a heavy book)

Stretching
• All stretching sho uld be clone by static m eth o d s, i. e. slowly and g radua ll y.
Avoid fast-moving, boun cing stre tching
(ballastic) . Never su·etch a cold muscle!
Stre tc h b e twee n and afte r exerc ises.
Su·etch to th e point where you feel mi ld
te nsion, then relax and hold the position for 10 to 20 seconds. As yo u
progr ess, move a frac tio n o f a n in ch
with each position and h old for anO(her I 0 to 20 seconds.

Full Body Stretch ing
• In n er/ Oute r/ S id e G roin S tretc h
(spread legs, rotate from ball of fo ot to
heel postures)
• Quad Stretch (elevate bent kn ee, gri p
and pul l to ch est)
•Jogger's Stre tch (stand about nvo feet
away fro m wall, keep fee t tla t o n floor
a nd lean forward, with h ands on wa ll ,
to su·etch Achill es Tendon)
• Fo rward Be nd (seated o r standing,
feet together; tO uch toes)
• One-Leg Fonvard Bend (spread legs,
touch op posite toes)
• Hurdl e r 's St retch (o n e kn ee b ent
behind o n floor, lean tOward opposite
extended leg)
• Butterfly Su·etch (seated, join bottom
o f fee t togethe r; lean forward, press
knees to floor)
• Lowe r Bac k Stretch (o n back, lift
knees to chest)
• Lowe r Bac k Arch Stretch (on stomach , arch torso upward)
• Ham strin g Str etc h (o n bac k, lift
extended legs over·head)
• Su·addle Stretch (seated, spread legs,
lean toward tloor)
• S id e Be nd Stre tch (sta ndin g, feet
toge ther, a r ms ove r head , b e nd torso
sideways; repeat with legs spread )
• Pee/ Bicep Stre tc h (grip ba rs from
behind with ar ms spread wide, lean fo rward)
• Shou lde r Stre tch (on 45" angle, rest
fo rearm s flu sh against wall , lean fo rward)
• Shou ld er Blad e Stre tch (fist on hip,
grab e lbow and pull)

D OIN' R EPS AT
GREEN H AVEN
" fra n is a way of life at

Green Haven," S0)1S
Sebastian Ventimiglia.
(Right) Ventimiglia sjJots
Nirki DeMallis 011 squats.
Siuce DeMattis has been at
Green Haven, he's been able
to pack on 40# of mass.
(Left) DPMattis cmnlls out
reps on Presses Behind Nerk
while Ventimiglia pushes
him past failum.
Although irou pumjJers at
Crern Hmwn comjJlain that
the equifnnent mrltS, they
malle do with what they
got-it 's not so much what
yon got to work with, but
what you do with it that
fOtt/1 /S.

photos by Chris Cozzonc

72

PRISON LIFE

BURPEE MADNESS
(Left) Sebastia n \lentimigfiarxrl'ffed

in the martial m1s before hr got for/it'd
up. Now he sjJI'Iuls his time at Crt'PII
1-fnven Com•ctionn f Facility rPading,
Wliling a1llf hilling thl' iron with his two
worliout partni'I"S, pictured flpfow.
(Below) Most oftlw tiuw, whl'll
\lentimiglin isn' t in till' ffof1•. You 'fl jind
him cra111iing out reps a111f st•ts at Crl'£'11
Haven 's Iron Pili•. Below. \lm timiglia 's
two pwtnn:~. Nicki D1•Mattis (lf'jl) and
Joseph Medina (bt.f!iud) fmlll him 011 for
extra rejJS on Tricl'jJ t~\·ten .1ions.

Q: What the hell is a burpee?
A: It's a squat-thrust, consisting of a
series of movements. Remember
those bullshit exercises your gym
teacher made you do? The following
is your basic, four-count burpee:
1. Squat down, palms flat on the
floor about shoulder-width , i n
front of your toes.
2. In one movement, thrust both
legs back, fully extended so
you're on you r hands and the
balls of your feet.
3. In one movement, retu rn to
the squat position.
4. Stand up.
Start out with four-counts and keep
going until you become comfortable with
the movements and are able to control
your breathing. Always warm up first.
The most important thing to
remember during a burpee routine is
pace. If you go too fast, you'll run
out of wind. Get into a rhythm and
just keep going, step by step. It
helps if you have music with a
steady beat playing.
Beginning Routine

1. Warm up
2. Do sets of 10 to 20 fou r-count
burpees for 20 minutes
Intermediate Routine

1. Warm up
2. Do 6 sets of 50, four-count
burpees
Advanced Routine

by subtracting your age fro m 220 (220 You r Age = MPR) . Multiply that number by .65 to find 1.he low point of your
THZ, and by .85 to find the high poi nt
of your TH Z. (T o measure your hean
ra1.e, place your first two fi ngers on lhe
side of your th r oat, locate your pulse,
and coun l. th e number of beaLS for six
seconds. Add a ze ro to lhis number LO
figure oul. you r pulse rate.)
• Duration
Although beginners may not be able LO
go the distance al. fi rst, your goal is t?
exercise J 5 to 50 minutes. Because It
Lakes your body almost 15 minutes to
really hi t the aerobi c ph ase, a cardiovascular workoul. of 30 minutes is recommended.
• Frequency
Do your cardiovascular at least 3 to 4
times a week.
Take your pick from Lh e following, o r
use a combina1.ion o f them:
• Running in place
• Jumping jacks
• Simulated Rope j umping
• Fonvard/ Side Scissor Skipping (hands
on hips)

Muscular Strength Development
If pro perl y co nducted , th is r o utin e
should last no more than a half-hour,
and should be done three times a week.
Stan with only one or two sets of exercises unti l you arc familiar wi th them.
Beginners should not "rep to 1.h c max··
for the fi rst few worko u L~: Proceed slowly and carefully, increase se ts and reps
over a reasonabl e period of Li me. and
exerci se l arger muscle gr oups (ba ck,
ch es t, l egs. etc.) first. Above al l ,
warmup Lhe muscl es you plan to work.
Obviously, your sets and reps arc going
w be dillcrenL than they'd normally be
at lhe Iron Pile. Because you won 't be
able to conu·ol the poundage, yo u can
increase your reps LO a high number (if
you'd normally bench pre ·s 225 for I 0 LO
15 reps and now you have to do pushups, then your reps migl11 be well m·er
50) to reach the breaking poim. or you
could slow )'OIIr speed clown ( ll) ' going
uiU<t-slow and )'011 ' 11 sec wh;11 I mean).
• Legs/ Buu ocks
• Full Squal (shoulder-wide sLancc; usc
ro l led up m anrcss o n shoulder s fo r
progressive stage)

1. Warm up
2. Do 45 minutes of burpees
without stopping.
Once you get used to burpees, the
four-counts won 't be very cha llenging. You can increase the difficulty of
your workouts, and the benefit, by
adding counts. Here are some examples:
0 Six-Count Burpees
Do o ne push-u p after step 2,
then return to squat position.
0 Eight-Count Burpees
Do two push-ups instead of one.
0 Ten-Count Burpees
Do one push-up after step 2 ,
return to squat position, thrust
legs back again, do another pushup, return to squat position, etc.
To make your burpees even more
interesting, you can throw in front
snap kicks, upward or downward
blocks, a jumping jack, or whatever
you like. Don't be surprised if a few
burpees leave you gasping for air.
Keep at 'em, and soon you' ll go from
10 to 20 four-counts to 300 sixcounts an hour in eight weeks. Keep
your lower back arched, and stiff, or
you ' II strain it.
Who needs weights when you have
burpee madness?
- ll'iflie Wisely
Califom ia State Pen, TelwclwfJi, CA
PRISON LIFE

71

in my mangled truck,
was playing games with him
or so he said and thought.
"That fucking bitch.
What's the use? "
a morose imp
an angry, bitter elf.
"Don't let it get you down,
man. Keep cool bro ...
work the program!"
We thirty in the house
turned our gargoyle faces
to him in love,
reassuring him
in hallways and the t.v. room
and on the front sidewalk.
But the guitar kept
turning to heroin
in his hands, and his fingers
wandered off on the strings
in search of needles.
"What's the word?"
was the word.
"He was out all night.
They're trying to decide
whether
to let him back in."
Then he was gone, after six
grass-grown weeks with us,
and other spooked orphans
of the drug night
came and went, and we
Didn't think too much
about him
in the balmy river August
until someone brought the
paper in
and passed it around
at breakfast.
Steven M. Thomas, ex-con
St. Louis, MO

Tattoo of the Month
D.A. MAKSIMIK'S "NO GUARANTEES"
You !mow it's awful hard some/imes begin slttclt inside this p1·ison
sentence. You go for days, weeks,
months, stucl1 in one speed. Then
something happens and you're
somehow going lmckward, 1·eliving
all the years you've wasted and
hating that past with a jJassion,
wondering what it all means.
You're over 40 and you just don 'I
!mow how many more years you
got left-or will it all end here? So
you take it day by day (tnd make
the best of it.
Thefi1'e world? ft 's just as ifyou
dead because all you are is a memmy. The system you 're in? You
rlon 'I exist unless yoU1· number
paps up on the comjJuter. And
then it's still not you that's taken
into consideration, it's the pile of
jJafJers in a folder the ~)•Stem goes
lry, making your life whattmer they L.:.....IL..-.ii~L-----------""'"'""
choose.
You fight hard but there's still no guarantees you 'll bejudged on who you Me instead of
what the paper muls. You talk and you're ignored. l'ou ash and )'OU 'rr lied to. You comfJlain aud )'OU 're shipped to a nother jnison. Truth is an endangered sjJecies, and if you
tell it, you find it can do you more harm than good. So )'011 search for that happy medium
and lie by omission whenever you have to make that choir.e.
When you thinli you're fJast it all, you realize you're in a world ofgames, and that ifym
don 'I play right, you can lose-lime, money, san it)• and even your li.fr'. In the meantime,
you play the game and lieejJ the lmth to youneif. Hopefully, one day )'OU can sow the Setids
of love... OT talte a couTse i 11 justice. You'll do what needs to br done to fi"ee you-r self and
your soul.

D.A. Maksimik
State Correctional In stitutio n, Bradfo rd, PA

PRISON LIFE 83

AskBubba
Bubba,
/'rllihe to say that you're an assholf. I
get to check ont your rag eve1y ona• in a
grfal while when someone in the dorm can
score one. You have tltf fu chin' nerve to
jJllt that stujJirl ad ("Subscribe or l'llliick
yow· ass '') in Ihe mg. Not all of us have
J\1/ommy and Daddy sending us money.
H ave a little rfsjJecl for those of us who
wou ld lil1e to have I hings but ain 't got no
funds.
I'm out of here. Before I go, let me as/1
you one thing. With the big morwy youh!
mal1in ', wh)l don't you do something about
thai fu chin ' ugly mug of yours? They have
swgeons who can even fix something as
fuelled ujJ as you.
Rt•specl?
Corey
Tehac/t(tjJi, CA

I' m so fu ckin ' depressed. Yea h ,
Bubba 's lowe r th an a hu ll 's ba lls in
ta ll grass. It 's t h ese h o lidays, ma n.
Anoth e r Christmas in the slam. I miss
bab y Bubba an d my swee t l i tt le
Bubbe tte.
She 'll be seven this spring and he r
j a ilbird of a fathe r-m e- h as spe n t
exactly two Christmases with the Iiule
c utie. The o ld lady lives in a trac khouse in so m e gawdawfu l suburb of
Ph illy. I' m way out here in I can ' t te ll
ya' where. Too m any fa ns o ut th ere.
I' m really sick of j ail in ', and that's the
trutl1 , m}' brothers and siste rs. Ye p, it's
really gettin ' to
me, especially
thi s tim e a
yea r. I' d
love t o

wake up Ch risunas mo rn ing with the
fami ly a n d watch th e kicldi es ope n
their presen ts. Instead, I' ll be here in
max playin ' witl1 my puc!. Hey, I got
no o ne to bla me but myself, right?
Okay, Corey, I ad mit it. I a m a n
asshole. But a re n't we a ll assho les? I
m ea n , th a t is one of th e tru ly g reat
things abou t li fe-we ' re a ll in thi s
together. o one is exe mpt. Look
around you. Fro m Madonn a to Newt
Gingric h, we a ll have to squ at down
and take a cra p. In prison or in th e
land of milk and honey, we' re all assh o les. There's another g uy who calls
himself Bubba who 's a n even bigge r
anus than l am. And he's sittin ' in th e
Wh ite House.
Liste n , Corey. [ may be an asshole, but I'm not a deadbeat. I work
fo r my keep. The boys in New York
g imm e a free sub a nd se nd ha lf a
ya rd to my co mmissa ry acco u n t for
writin ' this trash . Now if th at ain ' t a
sca m. I'm sayin ', all you free ho les:
Subscribe to this rag. Keep these
fools in business so l ca n h o ld o nto
my g ig . The next $50 th ey send me
I'm gonna buy my little Bubbas some
Chrisunas prese n ts.

O~ecll

Bubba,
I'm here in one of !he most maximum

secu rity solitude jJlaces you could be at
Pelican Bay stale fJrison in California. My
brothers, in !his slate we now have !he "threestrihes" law in ej]ect. 1 just got wonl that a
brolher accused of throwing a cufJ of water
on a pig is looking at 25 )'eG.Is to life here
in this state for assault. Another
brother is lool1ing at a
life sentence
just
for·

stealing a can of beer out the store and he's
loohing at all day. You all better jJray to
Allah or whoever you believe in that the
"three strikes" law don't come to your state.
Kareem X
Pelican Bay Stale Prison

Check, Kareen X. I h ear you, bro.
Al l those faggot politicians scream in '
a bout making priso ns tougher: What
do th ose fools kn ow abou t prison?
What co untry clubs? Yo u know
who goes to cou ntry club prisons-if
there are su c h p laces, I wouldn ' t
know. Out of th e 35 years I do ne in
j oin ts around this grea t na tion, [ ain' t
n eve r see n o n e o f th ose pl acesfuc kin' politicians, rats a nd snitch es,
judges, white collar crooks who steal
m illio n s fr o m little o ld lad ies-you
kn ow, the real crimin als. \1\fhat about
Ollie No rth ? T ha t !yin ' sack of shit
brought more dope into this country
th a n h a lf the gu ys o n th is tier put
togeth e r. And where 's h e at? Never
we nt to jail. Got to keep all his elope
money. He a lmost became a Sena tor. I
wish h e h ad won. H e be longs down
the re in D.C. with all the rest of th e
gangsters and thi eves.
Look, Kareem X, you a nd me are
comin ' from th e same space-behind
bars. You know why tl1ey lock our asses
up? 'Cause we refuse to play by tl1e ir
bullsh it rules. They stack th e odds
aga in st g uys like us. They m a ke up
new ru les to cover tl1e ir asses.
And wh e n one of th e m gets
caught stealing from the sucke rs who
voted the m into office, th ey usually
get o ff sco tt free. Meanwhile, n iggers
like us get fucked over time a nd time
again . T h at's righ t, ] said niggers.
One t ime I go t thrown in th e
h o le fo r lig h tin g . Afte r t h r ee clays,
th ey took all th e g uys in Lhe hole o ut
into a cage and let us breathe so me
fresh air for a n ho ur. [ was th e only
white guy in a group o f a bout 20 guys.
O ne of those dudes looked aro und,
looked at me, looked at a ll the oth e r
brothers a nd sa id , "Ma n , th ey go t
e n ough n igge rs in h e re to make a
Tarzan movie !" Now, does that make
me Tarza n ? No way. I'm a nigge r,
too. Love to a ll my broth e rs a nd siste rs be h ind bars.
Merry fuckin ' ChrisLmas.

In-Cell Cooking
Chefts Special of the Month:
Chili Mac Plus
1 box Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 tbsp. mayonnaise (or butter, if available)

1 chili season packet from Top Ramen Noodles
1 can boned chicken, roast beef or 1/ 2 cup
diced beef sausage

Boil macaroni in po t or large bowl with stingers according to package directions. While maca roni is boi ling, add
approximately 1/ 2 to 3/ 4 cup hot water to chili season,
cheese packe t, mayo a nd choice of meat, sti rring we ll to
dissolve ch eese powder. When maca ron i is done, drain
water. Add the sauce to the m aca r o ni a nd mix we ll.
Season to taste with salt, pe pper, garlic powder, etc.
J. Stewa1·t
Centml California Women's Facility

For Dessert:
Mark's French Onion Soup
20 oz. cold water
8 tbsps. dehydrated onions
4 beef-flavored bullion cubes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/ 2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Boil wate r. Add de hydrated o nions and bullio n
cubes. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes or unti l bullio n
cubes a re comple te ly disso lved. Add peppe r
and salt. .Goes well with a piece of bread or
toast (if available) and a slice of cheese to r tha t
rea l ho memade e ffect. Makes one healthy 16
oz. se1ving of soup, o r two 8 oz. servings if you
want to share with your celly!
MaTh Torrence
CalifJal1ia Stale Prison

International Coffee
1 cup instant coffee
2 cups coffee creamer
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups powdered milk

Mix well. Add 2
ing wa ter.

to

3 teaspoons per cup of boil-

Ice Cream Supreme
1 pint ice cream, slightly softened and divided in half
6 Duplex cookies (or any flavor)
1 "Little Debbie" brownie
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 banana
1 half pint milk (if you can score one)

Crumble cookies in the botto m of a good-sized bowl.
Spread o ne ha lf of th e ice cream over the cookie crumbs.
Divide the brownie in half, cutting it le ng thwise, be ing
carefu l to leave the top ha lf with th e frosting in tac t.
Place the peanut butter o n the bottom ha lf o f the brownie; place the to p of the brownie o n top of th e peanut butter and put the stuffed brownie o n top of th e ice cream
in the bowl.
Slice th e banana a nd spread it a rou nd the b rowni e .
Spread th e re main ing ice cream over th e brownie and
banana .
If you scored o n the milk, po ur o ne half of th e carton o n
the cookie crumbs at the beginning, and the o the r half
over th e brownie/ bana na layer befo re putting the rest of
the ice cream over that laye r.
Lock yourself in , a nd enjoy.
Chef AI
S. P.S.M, Jacltson, NU

Michael LaFollette

PRISON LIFE

ss

African-Am.erican Perspective

The Lie We Live
by Eric V. Reid
Attica Correctional Facility

D

i ·covering !.hal your e ntire l.ife
has been buill upon well-conslrucl.Cd lies can be devastatin g. So m e p eo ple di scove r the lies
lal.e in life and find il d ifficul l lo l.llrn
over a new leaf. T he re a re !.hose who
even w a lly would say, "If I could do il
a ll over again , I wou ld do il so diffe re ntly !.his lime." This is lrue o f ma ny
incarcc rmcd Africa n-A me ri cans who
a re co nvin ced !.ha l lh c lang uage of
vio lence and criminal activity is !.he ir
o nl y reco urse 1.0 socia l in e qu a lily.
Su c h mi sco n cc plio n s about li fe's
option have lead untold numbe rs o f
African-American s imo a n unending
cycle of vio le nce, death an d life-long
impri onm e nt.
Those most prone to living ou t a
lie arc !.hose in pa in and d ismay over
Lh e li fe th ey fee l compelle d to live.
For in slancc, th e ho usewife wilh a
bunch of childre n who has losl sight
of h e r dreams may find esca p e
lhro ug h h e r soap ope ra sl.a rs. The
disillusioned convicl who hasn '1. come
1.0 l.cnns with his fai lu re as a ca reer
c rimina l will wa lk th e priso n ya rds
sharing wil.h his pee rs fabricaLed !.ales
o f advcnw res a n d capers amass ing
fortu nes. The deta ils are colored over
1.0 avoid the mo ral issue a nd personal
juslificalion for !.heir choice o f behavior. Th e praCL icc of cxagge ra l.ing
becomes such a habil for ma ny of us
!.h a l o u r lrttlhf'u l ex p e ri e n ces ca n
ba rely be distingu ished fro m lhe o nes
we fabri cal.C. Such a pracl.i cc provides
a n a ni ficia l a nd temporary se nse o r
co nlrol.
86

PRISON LIFE

An unwi llin g n ess lo fa ce o n e's
own personal corruplion a nd shoncomings is commo n amo ng co nvicts.
Of 1.heir own acco rd !.hey scleclivcly
choose th e p a lh of leas!. resisla nce.
They sh un 1.hc !.ask o f acquiring a
d ecem cducalion thro u g h com m ilme m , dedication and hard work. As a
direcl conse qu ence , they wander
lh rough life un c du cale d , un skill e d ,
un e mpl oyed an d unemployab le.
Because they avo id legiLimme suffering and work, th ey gen eralc dishonesly an d self-dece ptio n . Ye l in some
Lwisl.Cd se nse lhcy see lhc mselves as
juslificd for the ir criminal be havio r,
which tJ1 ey freque ntly inflict o n !.hose
j ust as pove rty-stricken a nd powerless
as the mselves.
It is true that people arc largely a
produ ct o f thei r e nviro nme nt, but it
is eq ua lly true !.ha l we arc the product
of o ur individual ch o ices. The ave rage co nvict made th e choice to deviate from 1.he norms of socie ly because
he boughl imo fantasies, comme rcialized delusions a nd cullllra lly-transmilled lies. Some are plain o ld thieves.
Some convicts from our economically deprived co mmunities see themse lve s as th e m oder n -da y Robin
Hood s with the right to rob from th e
ri c h and give lo Lh e poor . They see
l.he mselvcs as viclims of society, and
as su rvivo rs who musl provide fo r a
fa mi ly. Bul whal tra nspires Lh ese days
has very little 1.0 d o wil.h providi ng for
a fami ly o r h elping the poor. Several
Lh o u sa nd in ca r cera t e d men h ave
imprcgnaled a nd abandoned numerous wo m en, l eavi n g !.h e m al Lh e
mercy o f while Ame rica's dehu man izing welfare S)'Stem. The Ro bin Hood
philosophy is simp ly a smoke screen
to hide irrationa l a nd irresponsible
b e h av ior fr o m !.h eir co nscience.
Robin Hood, !.h ey n ever were.
An yo ne who op presses, terrorizes,
robs and cxl.O n s lhc poor, or La kes
Lh c life of o lhe rs for recreational purposes, ca nno l be classified as a Robin
Hood.

T h e Afri ca n-America n convic t,
a mong many e thnic g roups, is smo the r ed in rn ylh s a n d li es h e both
d efends a nd re fuses lo evalua lc oqjectively. lt is a lie tha t the white race is
l.he sole cause o f African-Ame ri can s
every failure an d the prirnaq' cause o f
the destruction of his communities. It
is a lie th a l Lhc while race prevenls us
from getting a decem educalion and
deve lo ping a qua lity lifeslyle. ll is a lie
th a l Lh c wh i te race is exc lus ively
r espo n s ib le for eac h Afri ca nAmerican incarcera1.e d loday.
In eve•)' race there a re devils and
saints. Every ma n is respo n sible for
his or he r own cho ices in life. T he lie
is th at so m eo n e owes th e Afri ca nAmerican somclhing beyond what he
is capab le of ac quirin g him se lf.
Because many African-Ame rica ns still
be li eve t h at someo n e owes th em
somel.hing, !.hey feel justifie d in using
u n cl hi ca l a nd c riminal me a n s to
acquire ma te ri al success. The prison
sysLems are filled with those who ho ld
d ear to the m !.h is concepl of life. Yet
in our p rison ·ystc m , where AfricanAmerica n s dom in ate as a n c lhni c
group, we vio lale o ur own eslablishecl
codes, ru les an d sla nd a rds, ju sl as
crookedly a nd co rruptly as whites d o.
We exlort o lhe r Afri can-Amer ican s
who are as eq ually opp ressed a nd victimized by society as we a rc. The murdering of' Olh er African-Americans in
prison isn' l u sua ll y co mmiued b y
whiles bul b y o 1.h cr Afr ica nAme ricans. Bul we selectively foc u s
on th e while man as our worsl enemy,
when African-Americans arc our own
worsl enemy.
Living o ul lies has had a cancerous im pacl on generation of AfricanAmericans. Chi ld ren, who are m osl
suscepliblc 1.0 unl.rul.hs espoused by
t he ir caretakers, dcspcra lely ll)' to live
up lo the poisono us expectatio ns we
cu lli v<llc d in !.h e ir h ean s. Today in
our comm unili cs o f co lo r , we ' r e
ex periencing l.he backlash from o ur
own fabricated ideo logies and cou n-

terproductive culture of hatred. Our
children cater to viole nce as a conditioned response we've taught them to
be lieve is necessary for survival. We
have only ourselves to blame when
childre n turn against us with the philosophy of violence. The lies we live
have destroyed countless AfricanAmericans, and ye t they remain a
dominating infl uence in our prisons
and communities of color. Our fam ily
stru c tures h ave eroded , along with
our ideals of trust, commitment, dignity and compassion . Our love has
grown cold for one another due to
fear and our faithful adherence to
the lies we trust.
Though we live in a white-domin a ted po we r structur e that often
turn s a d eaf ea r t o t h e pl ig ht of
minorities, we are noneth e less obligated as African-Americans to d evelop
the moral fortitude to work throug h
our difficu lt circumstances. There is
no denying the corruption that exists
in wh ite America. It is their influe nce
that facilitates the drug trade. It is
their planes, trains and sh ips that funne l tons of drugs from abroad to our
commu nities. It is they who facilitate
the flow of a utoma tic weapons into
African-American communities.
Their e th ical indifferen ce and co nspiracy aga in st African-America ns is
no secre t. Pove rty, drug depende nce
an d the a la rm ingly high mortality
rate of m inori ties are orch esu·ated by
the ru lin g class, but AfricanAmericans cannot den y playin g a
m ajor ro le in seeing thi s age nd a
through. African-Ame rica ns are used
as tools to en slave themselves, to cripple and effectively d esu·oy future generatio ns of African-Americans. There
are African-Americans who act as coco nspira to rs with those respon sible
for our d egrad ation. The drug d eale r
is g lamorized in our communities.
We drive by and shoo t our child re n
a nd mothe rs in the back. We abandon our women and children to the
m e r cy of socia l se rvi ces, a nd we
neg lect to ed u ca te o u rse lves so we
can co mpe te with corporate America.
America is capitalist country, and as
long as communities of color provide
markets for th e circulation of genocidal agents, there will always be someone with a vested inte rest to oblige
them with such products.
Many people were opposed to me
writing th is a rticle due to its raw content. As an Africa n-Am erica n , my
conte ntion is that we turn our heads
far too often a nd refuse to candidly
discuss the roots of the conditions in
our communities. My repeated incar-

ceration is a prod uct of the h all~truth
that I' ve been ta u g ht, th at I've
beli eved in and h ave patterned my
li fe after. During my e du catio n a l
process at conso r tium co l lege , I
became awa re of the lies th at sh roud
my commun ity. Anyone with eyes to
see an d a hea rt to u nde rsta nd the
p lig ht of Afr ica n-Amer ica n s a nd
re main a passive o bserver in watching
our destruction is a co-conspirator in
perpeu·ating th e lies th at destroy us.

w

Are you a confined MoorishAmerican and active member of
the Moorish Science Temple of
America, Inc.?
For information regarding a potential
class action lawsuit filed in the U.S.
District Court for the District of
Columbia, captioned Dr. Haywood
Williams-Bey, et al. v. Janet Reno, et
al., Civil Action No. 2655 (EGS). fi led
on December 30, 1993, in volving the
free exercise of religion as an unalienable right under the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act of 1993, 42 U.S.C.,
Section 200bb.
Contact: Bro. Dr. Haywood-WilliamsBey, #20232-083, P.O. Box 3000. 1-B.
White Deer, PA 17887.

Sentencing and
Post-Conviction Consultant
"It j ust might make the difference
between winning and losing!"

MARY ANN MARZULLI, M.S.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE CONSULTANT
2503 CONGRESSIONAL WAY
POMPANO BEACH, FL 33073
(305) 428-1117
FAX (305) 428-6222
FEDERAL AND STATE

• Defense guideline departure
strategies
• Defense sentencing
memorandum
• Parole representation
• Parole appeals
• Mitigation and alternatives
to incarceration
• Objections to the
government PSI
• Rele vant conduct
• Additional services
to help you win!

"Beat the odds.
Get a job when
you get out.
I did."

PRISON LIFE 87

Prison Papers
Mutant Ninja Turtles Go to Prison

Green River Rising
by Tim Wil locks
Willi am Morrow & Co .
360 pp., $23
Review by Richard Stratton
He 1"ettched ouer and sliced thmugh
the croo/1 of DuBois' right elbow, seue1ing
the tendons that controlled the gun ann
and pierciug the brachial arte1y. DuBois
bellowed and writhed, bucking his shoulde7· against the ground to free his head.
Agry jJiled more weight through his knee.
With a rooting, troweling motion he
shoued the mzor into the shiny jowls
under the angle of DuBois' jaw. Blood
started to spray from DLtBois' lijJs and
nost1·ils with mclr shout and the /melting
of his body became more frantic. His
head started to skid on the blood. Af51y
dug the mzor in rleejm; almost ufJ to the
handle, smrching for the camtid bmied
in tlmt bloated necll. As DuBois' head
slijJjJPrl fr1'e and he slm1ed to roll away,
Af51)' s blarlP finally found what it was
looking for.
Af51)' stepped bacll out of the way.
Gmuerholz gasped. "Awesome."

Dud e!
ove list J ames Elroy is
ca llin g Green R iver Rising b y Tim
\1\lillocks "maybe the best prison novel
ever." But th e n , wh at does Elroy
kn ow? Or Wi llocks? Have e ither of
th em ever been in a prison? 1 o matter. Th ey've seen t h e mo vies.
Wi llocks ded icates his novel to Joseph
Roy Willocks, "who took m e to the
pictures a nd taugh t me how to show a
m a n ly b ea rin g" and if yo u d o n ' t
88 PRISON LIFE

believe h im, just look at the cove r of
t h e book, whi c h s hows aut h o r
Willocks loo kin g mig hty man ly with
lo ng , Oa ming red hair and ala baster
skin. We a re to ld he "loo ks like an
Archa ngel a nd writes like th e deviL "
J oseph Wi llocks may have taught him
to show a ma nly bearing, but his publicist must have th ought it wo uld sell
more boo ks if he looked like a homosexuaL
Showing a man ly bearing for the
characters in Willocks ' novel seems to
have a lot to d o with dick size. Just
about a ll the c ha racters in th is book
are obsessed with the relalive size of
th e ir co c ks. "H e was lo n ger than
you," says C laudine , Agry's punk,
wh e n Agry asks him if h is [Ag ry's]
dick is as big as that of th e black dude
who 's b een bugge ri ng Claud ine .
" But on ly a n in c h. " T h e a uth o r
intrudes, "Only an in c h . Fuc ki ng
he ll, man. Who wou ld n ' t have ki lled
his own m oth e r or be trayed his best
friend for an e xtra inch?"
H ey, c' mon. Everyo n e knows
convicts love their mothe rs.
Write what yo u know. Willocks,
a n Eng lishm an and a docto r, knows a
lot abou t m e di c in e, the med ical
na mes of body parts, and his de criptio ns of viole nce read li ke auto psies.
H e knows nothing abo u t prison, certainly nothing about wha t life is like
in a n Am erican pen ite nti a ry. This
n ove l is a gross carica ture of prison
life. The c ha racte rs are comic book
superheros and villain s. It's dumb,
it's cartoon ish, it's insulting to prisoners, and the wri ting is ove r-wrough t
and ri ddled with cliches. A woman is
d escribed as "looking like a mi llion
bucks," a nd, ge t thi s: "If l have to 1
wi ll kill this li ttle fuck. And if l have
to I will kill you too. And I will kill as
many more assholes as get the mselves
in my way. Beca use I will te ll yo u
so m e thin g : yo u g u ys h ave r ea ll y
rai ned o n my parade."
It wo uld be laughable except tha t
thi s is m eant to be a se rious b ook
about a serious subj ect. I think. Or
maybe I missed the point a nd it really
is a co mi c b oo k. [ m ea n , m a n ic
depressio n is refe rre d to as "Th e
Arno ld Sc h warzen e gge r o f mental
disorders. " Is th a t a castin g hi n t?
Alan J Pa kula and Warn e r Brothers

h ave p ic ked up the film rights. But
wh a t d o they kn ow? Wh e n I asked
Wil locks' editor a t William Mo rrow
how they ha ppe ned to be p ublishi ng
a novel abo ut a rio t in an America n
priso n writte n by an Eng lish doctor
wh o h ad n eve r d one a ny t im e, h e
co mp ared th e book to Stephen
Crane's Thr• Red Badge of Cou·rage. But
Crane's novel o f a young soldie r during the Civil War has a unive rsal psyc ho logical tr uth to it th a t Willoc ks
never approaches. H e 's see n too
many movi es, too ma n y bad
H o ll ywood m ovies, a nd h is b oo k
reads li ke the script for a n e pisode o f
the Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The h e ro , Ray Kli e n , is a doctor
and a karate ex pe rt do ing a skid bid
on u·um ped-up rape charges. He a nd
his form e r old lady we re in to ro ug h
sex . "If rape m ea n s u sing sex to
inOi ct pain and a n ge r o n anoth er,
t h e n I raped h er m a n )' tim es," Dr.
Ray te lls hi s n ew n a m e , Devl in, a
beau tifu l la d y p syc ho log ist who
answe rs, with penetra ting p ycho logical insight, "Sometimes love a nd hate
are vet)' close."
DL Ray ge ts through the day by
thinking of himself as a sho tokan warri o r , wh a teve r th a t is. "He too k a
d ee p brea th. H e was the shoto ka n
warrio r. He was cool. At last, he really was." Yeah, rig ht.
A race rio t breaks out in th e fictional T exas pen ite nti a ry. Or. Ray
saves the day a nd goes off lO live happily ever afte r with Devli n , the piece
o f ass psyc ho logis t who h a ppe ns lo
ge t tra ppe d in side wh e n the joi nt
goes off. Devlin fu c ks Or. Ray a n d
t h rows a mercy fu c k at Wilso n , a
b lac k fo r m er box in g c h a mp . or
course, when Dr. Ray finds out a bout
Wi lson , h e's n o t u pset, th o u g h h e
cannot rest unti l h e knows: Is his d ick
bigger than mine?
Actually, the ri ot was plann ed by
th e wa rden, wh o' suffe rin g fro m
Arno ld Sc h warze n egge r d ise ase.
There's a bad guy, Ne v Agry. The
wa rde n ta kes Agry's punk, Cla udine,
away from t ev and se nds her to live
with th e Blac ks. So Agt)' decides h e's
going to kill all th e Blacks, who, as
eve ryo n e kn ows, h ave b igge r cl ic k
than white g uys.
I' m not exaggera ting. T he novel

reall y is this puerile, this stupid. I
had a hard time getti ng through it. I
spent too much time in real prisons
where di c k size was n o t an iss u e,
where the conflict was not be t\veen
the races but between th e keepers
a nd t h e kep t, and wh e re ·bowing a
man ly bearing meant treating one's
fe llow convicts with respect. Willocks
doesn ' t get th at, nor does he unders tand the essence of pri so n l ife ,
which is the loss of freedom. It's that
sim ple and tha t p rofound. Wi llocks
th inks it is about "a virulen t nih ilism
born of prolonged and m ind less suffe ri ng." I t's not m indl ess at al l.
Prison life is th e life of th e mi nd.
W h at p isses m e off is that
American publishe rs take this crap
seriously. T hey pay money for it and
hype th e shit o ut of it when there are
some really good prison novels being
wri tten by men and wom e n in
Amer ican prisons wh o know wha t
they are writing abo ut. If yo u want to
un dersta nd American p riso n lite rature , r ead Bruce Fra nkli n 's Th e
Criminal as Victim an d ATtist: PTison
LitemtuTe in America.. Read Ch ester
Hi mes, read Ed Bunker. Bu t ski p
CTeen Rive1· Rising. Wait for t h e
movie. I can hear the convicts in the
TV room n ow. They a re laughing.

Busted by the F eds
by Larry Fassler
Southwest Legal Services
$29.95
Review by Michael Hogan
For someon e charged with a serious drug offense, federal law and procedure can see m , in t h e wo rds of
Robert Frost, "too much like a pathless wood." Even if one has access to
a law li bra ry, it is n o easy task to
d ete rm in e exac tly h ow m u ch t im e
one is facing or what one's defe nse
strategy sh ou ld b e. Law books are
writte n fo r p rosec utors a nd defense
attorneys, not for d efendants.
Larry Fassler's Busted is a refreshing exception. Writte n in clear, concise language, it carefully ou tlines th e
option s ava il abl e for so m eo n e
charged with a federal drug offense.
Fassler, a g ifted jail house lawyer, has
clearly done h is hom ework a nd h is
detai led knowl edge of th e in 's and
out's of the fede ra l system reflects
years of experie nce with the fe de ral
courts. He offers precise information
regarding possible se nte ncing ranges
for various amounts of drugs, sh ows
h ow to u se th e federa l se n te n cing

guidelines to determi ne the a mount
of ti me one is facing; and tl1en gives
practi ca l advice o n how to hire a n
attor n ey or p la n a defense wit h an
a ppoi n ted attorney.
The pressure on public defende rs and ap po inted counsel to p lead
tl1eir clie n ts guil ty is great. Excessive
case loads inh ibit th e efforts of the
former , an d low appo in tment fees
limit the latter. Often , they exagge rate the number of years a client is facing in order to convince h im to p lead
gui lty. Give n th is situation , th e bes t
way fo r such a defendant to protec t
himse lf is to s tudy th e se ntencin g
guidelines and know precisely wh at
h e's up against. Then, even if he does
decide to p lead gu ilty, he will be able
to make an intelligent plea bargainnot be p ressured into a poor one
becau se of ignora nce o r fea r.
For those defe n d a nts who h ave
the funds to hi re the ir own attorneys,
Fassler g ives specific cri teria for hi r-

ing them, and th e ave rage cos ts of
superio r co un sel to th e me re ly comp ete nt. He ex pl ains in simp le language what you are li ke ly to ge t in
te rms of actual services for the mo ney
you pay.
Fassler has strong language fo r
those attorneys in the business who
a re me re ly inte rested in collecti ng
t h eir fees and "sh ove li n g" yo u into
priso n . Th ese "dump tr u c k" atto rn eys, as he colo rfu lly calls them, can
be spotted and weeded o ut with the
practical tips in this manual.
O ther issues such as bai l pe nding
trial, d eportation, conditional pleas,
treatme n t of women at sente n ci ng,
the probatio n re port, and recove ry of
personal property after arrest, are d isc u ssed with sp ecific exa mpl es and
ste p-by-step in struction . The book,
which is also avai lab le in Span ish,
Coma Defender Sos Cargos Fedemles, is a
survival text for any d efendant facing
federal charges.
Most defense attorneys concur. In
a recent review in th e Champion, the
pub li ca t ion o f th e Na tiona l
Assoc ia t io n of C ri m ina l Law ye r s,
attorney Ala n Elfish wrote of Fassler 's

book that "crimin al d efe nse lawyers
wi ll a lso be n efi t by readi ng it. " l-Ie
calls th e version in Spanish a "godsend" for attorneys r e p rese nting
H ispan ic d e fendants. I agr ee. As a
teac h e r in Me xico for t he past six
years, I found the Spanish translation
to be clear, precise and accessible to
average reader.
Mr. Fassler never bogs the reader
down in tedi o us circum locutions, a
fault of many law books. He p resents
questions commo nl y asked b y a
defe n dan t fac in g federal c h arges
(and many more o ne would n ot think
to ask), the n provides answers as we ll
as dow n -to-earth examp les . For
in sta n ce, at every se n tenci n g the
judge asks the de fe n dant if he has
h ad a c ha nce to read the probation
r eport. Most lawyers simpl y answe r
"yes" on their client's behalf, even if
tha t is not the case. Fassler advises the
d efenda n t to speak u p a n d say n o .
"Don 't be intimidated ," he cautions.
The law says o n e has a right to see
th is report ten days prior to sen te n cing or to object to incor rect statements. Failure to do so could result in
an enha nceme nt of sen te n ce- extra
years that the defendant will have to
spend in a fed era l ce ll b eca use h e
had ne ither the kn owledge nor the
gumpti o n to speak up at the time.
Fede ral co urts are intimidat ing .
The case loads are so heavy tha t there
is a tendency to move quickly over
m a tte rs vital to the defendant.
Fassler's sugges t io n s abou t wha t is
imp orta n t, what o n e's rig h ts a re ,
when to speak out (as we ll as whe n to
be sile nt), how to avoid rush ing into
d ecisions, or being intima ted to act
aga inst one's se lt~ i nterest, a re crucial
ones.
Finally, this boo k p rovides practical tips on how to crea te a record and
p reserve matte rs fo r appeal, eve n if
one pleads guil ty, a nd how to get a
good probation report wh il e n ot
admitting culpability, wh ich wou ld be
damaging on a re-trial in th e event of
a successful appeal.
The grea test dan ge rs facin g a
defendant c h arge d with a fede r a l
drug offense are ign oran ce a nd fear.
Both prosecutors and "clump truck"
attorneys use these to make their own
jobs easier . Busted by the Feels goes a
lo ng way in eliminating these da ngers
so that th e defe nda n t is able to confront the charges aga inst him with
assurance a nd full awa reness. It is a
clear path th ro ugh what previo usly
appeared to be a "pa thless wood."

PRISON LIFE

89

Pen Pals
NOTE: A DS IN P EN I'A LS AR E S I O/ ISSU E. SUBSCRIU ERS GET O N E AD FR EE WITH SUBSCRII' TIO N. ALSO : ALL FED ERAL AND MANY ST AT E PIUSO NS PROI-IIU IT C ORRES PO N D E NC E B ETWE E N
IN MATES. ALL S UC H MAIL WI L L N O T
GO
TIIROUGH.
SU~ I . Cod·fl•armg. cuhu r.1l. :i7. f) 1(1"', hr hair, 182#, br
C\c\, h hr cotnplcxion. college cd. Dntg·flcc. non-drinker.
non-.. mokc.:r. Enjoy' hoxinR, m.u tial arts, ''dghtlifling. an.
pt)Cin. jau. Seeks friend rrom .tmUilJ.,"il lhl." C..oc:l-fcaring.
Sll'\'CO l.corMrd Thcu'>~, # 17~70, Eh St~Uc Pri\on. POU
1!189. Ely l\'V 89301-1989.
OCI 1994 l>riJOn IJ]t Cell mate of the ~lonth. SW bro. 6'.
11!5# bOd)'bUi!der, 44 . .Just Olle Of tht• f<.•ll oW> looking for
one of th l· gal\. All letters & pho to, receive same. Kt.'tTv
Lee, #27486. I'OB 639. La< Cruce>. 1'\~ 1 88004-0639.
Bublm·t)l>c: 38. 6'4", 2!'>0#. hi e\'e>. br hair, t:tttoo>, scaro.
ll ~wt..· hccn down for :t , ..·h ilc but will be o ut prc·2000.
J lobb il·s: Kar ate, cxcrci,c. fl·.ul ing. & In d ia n cuhu rc.
Femall· ex-cons \\'Cicomc. Ro' '"Mou nrain"' \\'hitclu.:ad.
#944~33 ( B-208). O.C. I .. 3!89 l.ittl<· Sil\'cr Roa<l.
C',oc-t,ille, FL 32536-0578.
Creole/ Bik Guy, Collcc ed.. attr:tcthc, poetic;-& respectful. St·eking female frie nd, 2:...10. to ,hare photos/ fuu.
I lapp)' l.t·uers. Eric ~ l artin, P.O. tlox 7500, tl{i0373. A(~
~~~. Crc~em Cit ·, ( J-\ 95531.
with opCn mlilcl&liliilY
Tall, lean , w/ hl eyes.
i mcrc~t5. Age, gender , &.- sh apt.· nm im pon :uu as long as
)OU ha\'c a heart & d esire to wr·itc. Tom B111h·r·, :16787.079,
I'O il 9000, Scag_millc,_T~ 0 159.
t\ lonclr man beh ind the bar.!'! uf Angola \Hmld appreciate
'om eunc to corrcspoud wi th . J oh u GiCi ro lam o. DOC.
#8!1761. Cam p C Be:tr3. I A St.ne l'cu itcnti:ll). Angola. I.A
707 12.
l.il..c.s to t cad . ,;-,;,e leu en~, li.!'ltt.·n to mu~ic & .!'ltudy d iflt.·rclll rc•ligio u..,. All rcplit.·s omos\\en_'Ci. Rolx.·r t IA.·,,·j, 9'lB2916.
Att ic:t, NY H Olt.
S~l~ l . L:uino 1\ro. 56, 140. hr <")e'. black hair; looking lor
a good frienclc;hi p. In ner bc<.Hit} a rnu~1. Any race. <l).;'c.
Ann an do Rod rigue/, #22'-1 201 . llnx :\8, Ea.!'l l Lake. ~ II
·1962li.
I\~ I, 2:-\. 5' 10 ", 175#. Seeks o lder wum:m who k"'ilOw!!o wh at
, Ja· want"' in a m an ! Kckclct'io Duho~u . #2 19 7 15. PO l\
·l5(i9\l, LucaS\i lle, OH 4569!1-0001.
l.buking for a lo11gicrm ti-icndship w L-:l~tlll-" lollclincS.!'l.
I' m 37, Afr()ot\meric.:m who like~ to rc.tcl, ,,,;,c, 8: most of
a ll. li<tc n . lle un· Fields. 92-A-5!169. llox 480, Scotch
Scu lcment Rood. Coun:nl<~lll . ~y 13612.
ll h p.tnic, :{9, ~·~female to help '''rite '!Cii pt fOr rnmio.
~ l icrochi p C:tstro. 1\6 1713. IU 2K :IIi. llox 3-18 1. Corcorau
CA 9:12 12.
U ~ l. H3, ';!!,5#, \'C.'I')' sincere & o pen m imkd. Looking for
\\'O ntan " 'ho same, ph y~ica l hc:tUt )' d oesn 't m a tt er.
l'•c>to n J o nes. 92A 712 1, 0 -li-26. C MC F. ll<> x 5 1,
Conl'tc><:k, NY 12821.
• nF. :\4, 15[1#, s·•r. br eve,, pa pe r "i:tck cum p lcxi0i1.
l n t cl'e~ts: cooking, clean ing. j a il, & :or.taying in ~h apc.
K11ow> Ito"' to >poi I a m an . Jo\'ce .Jo nc>. #3f>6003. Rt 4.
Box 800 (~foun tain View) Catc\\illc, TX 76;;28.
Sll~t : ~7--;-5'10". 155#. Att r::tcti\e college g::.
rr:
::;
.,::;a-. "
lo-,·~
in"'g'&
com pobsionatc. Seeking mature S\\'"F for I.LSting relationoh ip. Age docsn 't matter. Oa.id Wade, N505226, llughes
Uni t, Rt 2, box + 100, Ca tes\ill e, TX 76597. -~---..
2~ld sctkm g fema iC"' Wr po~~il)IC rn:trriagt."-no di,CI imin;uio ns. I lobbies: poctl'}'· 'tud)'i ng in college. e xercbing, & tra\'cl in g. Re le.-cd in 2/ 2 1/ 951 S h am c ll A
A)':ttoll:th. #!)I A3 196, !lox 501. IV\'outiug CF. (S H U-AS),
Attica. NY HOI I-0501.
UM . 5'9.. , 46, 1901#. Lt Coillplcx. I lobbies: wc igh tl ifti ng.
\\1'iting. & read ing. Prefer same n ationalit\', :;\8-56. \\ith a
<en-..: of humo•· & inte lligence . Willie E. ~ l oore, #-139551.
Elli' One Un it, HuntS\ille, TX 773 13.
S\\'M. 6 1, 17511. easy-going. educated . & "ciJ:'u,l\cled. C:m
rccchc mail from other prisoncn.. 0,\\id L'pchurch. ~ ISP
R_$ #59005, Unit#32/~Uidg, P.trchman , ~ IS 3Si3S.
II~ I. -27~·. 195#.1 O\'C 1>0Cu'} ;:;ip. U kCiOr.e:lrlrom
>"CCI, kind, do,m-t<><:arth female. Tr::tf\' tll:tke, #E96-1 ~9.
c.~ t. c. E='!!.-.!!?x s1ot. ~" t.11_i> Obi'!':''· c:,~3-l~
Italia n , :iO. 1 75~i t h br hair &- cVt.'.!'l, "'/ mustac h e.
Looking fo1 a black. Latin. or or it.• ntal f't· lualt• to stan a
lasti ng r ela tionsh ip wil h . O u t in m id - 199 5. r\ nthon y
Da~l :tll:t, #87A5775, FC F, Box 12•15, llc.lcn n. NY 12508.
Oil Demi1 Ko"W\,•7o- f:iffi11Y ~('k.."i c:u ing pcrM:m~·:--\ lothcr
d ied '93 "'/ c:m ccr. Ertio> rcad iu~. ''riling l~ncrs. poems,
IIHI"'ic. All lcnen. an~wc rcd Janu·c;. E. Bigh), N997. EIJi,
One l:nit, l lunts\illc, TX i7~13.
1\"M , :13. 6':1", 220#, bl C)C' & ret! hair. l.ouking to meet
raring ''oman any age 01 r..cc. would lilt• to build mcomin!,rful & t."\erlasting rclation~h ip. ) lilc Catlow, #93A l ~l9.
GIICF. Drawer B. Storuwitlt·. NY 12:,82·0010.
S\\'~ 1 . 2R. blo1ld h air. bl-grar qe\, in pt·rmaiH'Il1 lo r kcJ m,·n. In di re need of t"OII'c,pmHk·n ct•, will an" ''tr all.
l'h otth gel ph o tos. J o hnu v C:. Smilh , ltH-1!,0·12. \ \ r)'l lll l '
Uuit. Rt I. llox I. l lu nts,; ll,·. T X 77!1•1\).

csprrcon,

4

90

PRISON LIFE

S\ V~1 .

::!:,, r ollcgt· grad nate.

St·c ~~ m:uu n..· fe male for corfriencb hip. I larry llorak, ##525H66, \ \rp m c
Unit, I h rrw~'i lle. TX 77349.
S U~ t. ;,' II ", IHIJ#,"iirldcrstanding. lo,.ing. & cari n g.
Looking for "unc in female. Race, loob. ~ite. unimpor·
talll. rimoth) Jamc<. #~03395, GCI. 500 Oraugc A\'enuc
Ci•cle. Llclle G~trdc. FL :!3-130.
Sl. 27. 5'9 ... It)[)#, dmkbrt..~t''· black hair. mcd ·l;r:nrom:
p lt:xiun. Seeks female corrc~pmulcnts. 2!J·35. e thn icity
not·' factor. No 1 looking fo r nHHH.')' or p ackages.
Cu hh·ation j.., rhc kc)'. Ah med Pink~to n , D-61708, Pelican
SII U. !lox 7500 (FD-0'-J-12 1) / Cr<"•ct·n t Ci t •, CA 9!'>531.
Att ica prhont·r. :16, wT norhing to h ide. Not a child nlofCstc r o r COI I· Illan . Cha rged \\'i th .!'le lf~l cfc n M: mu rdc •· l d idn 't
cuu1 m i1. FromJ a mai<'a \\'.1.
_ __
l.uokint-; lor ll'' cet. un dcr,tand ing. fun·IO\'i ng lady, age
18-55. 130-250#. O:Jah ntbba Dale). #8.'>-A-342~. Box 149,
Au il.t,I'YI401 1.
S\\'~1, -12, 5'H-, If):;#, br0\,1l hair and e\'e~. St.':trch ing for
a 'Pt·cial 'iiomeone to share Ill\' thouglu ' and feelings
with. Arc \Oll that someone? Race & loob arc unim portant. ~ li k<.· Remington . #33384. M.C.C.. llox 7. ~I obei)•.
t csponck nrc.

~ 1 0 65~70.

6'2-. 198#, w/ \'ariOli.., intcrc,ts. \\' ill a nS\\'CI all mai l.
Prc<ton Ceorge Dc mouch eu c, #90~3 1. C:unp C: J aguar-tKt-Ce ll 9, 1.t\St:ttc Pcn .~ola.l.A 707 12.
*Can-a wmuan of rliy cnmplcxion mm·c in )'Ot ir di rCc'il~
Lnoki 11 ~ for a li' l affection, su let '!! makl.· a connec1ion.
l.ah·r '''e'll \\01"1'}' aboul protectio n! 5'2 ... pe tite, 120#. "ill
\\Tilt.' all! ChaunCe ) Nat...u cth, Uox GO'J8, Vilgin ia Bc:tch ,
VA 23 15ti.
•suF, <·.ul> :w~. ,:,·6M. phat to dt•.uh.likc you ''ould lo\'C iL
l.t ,J...in, hr l.')e\. & ·'"' far as Ill} character ''~m ds. winy w/
iml'llecl. couch ing for charming & rc..,pcctable o lder
man \\hO doc ... n't plav games. Kik i Swin.;.ou . nox 6098.
Virgi n hi Beach . VA ~3-156.
_
• l la\'t; ,·o u lx:t.·n taking it all in \tri dc? T hen it'~ tin1e to
lake a walk o n tht..• wild side. Do n 't bt.• sh)'<Ornc on & let it
glide! Age & n1 cc unim porta nt. Dori an 1.. Smi1h , Box
!iO!JM, Vh !l!!tia Beach . VA 234_:i6.
__
• Ru"lt:'\ :1rc red. Violeu a l'e blue, I'm lOoking fo n ,'ilrd to
hc:11·ing I rom )'Oil . \1'/ F 5'·1", 132#. with exotic looks. I am
.1 c()llt-gt.• graduaic, Christ.ian . who crUors spons. Seeking
m ale cotn panion sh ip. \\'rile R:unant:c-~ l ich clc ~ (i ller.
#2139'J2. tlux 60!)8, ~~ ia Llcach . VA 23451!:_
1\~ 1. :1~. :.' 10", 179#. 8 mo. ldt in prison . Seeking fem :ile
of .m) n ;uion ;tlity who wa.nl.!t to gc.:t into in·d ept h COITe'l'"ndence. Ka' S laugh ter . 60341 9 . Rt 2. Box 4400,
G:uc"ilk.TX 7f>f>97.
Wh it<· IX>) in d i<trt'"- 5'9 ". ~-2. 170#, black hair & bi- L1'Cs.
In 11Cl.'d or a tt.'IU.lcr wuch. Bli nd, Cl ipp lcd . & Cr.ll)' is O K.
Wi ll an '"'-''' all. Charlie H u rt , #•11069, J CCC , 1\ox 900,
JciTeiSOII City. ~ 1 0 65 102.
- - SIVM . !Iii, ii' l l ", 20 0#, b r ha ir . Seekin g SF, 25-~5. for
frit.-ndsh ip or m m·e. lnt erc.sl': !!pOrts, :m im al.s, read ing,
11111sic, & quic l lillie,, Kevin Phillip ,, # 101 ·155. Oakhill
C. I.. 1\ox 2:18. 0!:$_on, 11'1 53575.
Amh. 22-:-10oklng for mcc fema le. AgC'Cioc)n 1 maucr !
Us.una Far ha, 116 1778, Fl-2-1326. ·180 Aha Kd, s,,n Diego.
C-\92 179.
Tile l'rinre ol Darkness. :il["5''7". lllO#, soo n to b e
rcle;L'I-Cd. ~ck..~ Platonic fritncl.sh ip &/ or rehu ionsh ip th at
will po'5ihly blo~!IOITI into somel h ing hcaulifnl. Cou ld it
be you ? Age. race . look.!'! uni mporta nt. Robert Doyle.
#871' 1 1 ~7. ~ larry CF. Box 3600. ~:n·cy N'>:__]3403-3600
,....:__
S\V~ 1 . :\9, pro ud Iris h/ Ch erokee h eritage. Seeks sincere
lad y fo•· fri e ndsh ip &/ o r relatio nsh ip. Parole e arly '96.
Rick Eho n. 238-72 1/ f>B I,I9T, Box 4501. Lima, O H 45802.
W~ l, 41. 5' 11", 180#, br hiilr & bl ")eS. Seeking aoJOtllei'
scch·r 10 fill tl10'c ~paces to gi\·c/ rccci\'C lo\'c & fricnd
ship. Bt:eu throug h hell to find you . Orrin Carr, S-70020.
Box 70:.. I.B 131. Soledad, C.-\ 93960.
• \VF widm,·. 40, doing 100 many )iS: j c'iiu.' i\ t11e Lo1·d o f
m)· life. \\'ill write a ll wh o '''rite me. Sar;t Otru si n a,
#2 18362. 1_7500 fhe ~ life Roa~_!!pnoutlt, ~II 48 170.
1\~1. 5' 1 0~. 1!10#. w/ I'Tai"i'o.'l box like a champ! Loo king
for cu te. 'e rio u ~. God-fe~tring fclllalc. J et 0111e \ ViHiams,
#9 1-1}{} 17!'>, So u dtp~m CF. Box 2000, r inc Q!y. NV 1487 1.
Pul.'IIO Rican , :-\i, 5 tr. Looking for a (c111alc also incarcerated . l.ui' Cn •spo, #92A0738, Oneid a CF, 6 100 School
Ro.td. llox ·1!>80 , Rome, NY 13·1-10.
\\f~ l. ~6. 6 '•1", 2~0#, on FI:-clC.uh row. Seekin g open
mindt.·d individua ls. Age. r;tce, & ~ex don't ma u cr.
Ronal<! II'. C lark. #8 129i4. l!.C.t ...\1~11 -20;,5, t:lox 22 1,
K.1ifOJd. FL 32083.
Ur ,kin hro. !lO. 6'. h an d,omc, mu~cu l ar, h u mo r oliS,
' liMIt Pl,l\' .til 'tp<.JrL\. mainlv box i n~. No kids, neve r m arlied. Sct·kiug fem ale. 2.~-45. Ant hon) J onc<. #87A8647,
(;.~ I.C :. F.. t:lux 51. Com>tock, NY 1~821.
U~·l . :,o, 'Cl.'k' til e ma te. R.tcc & re ligion un imp orwnt.
l'ltillipT. T.t)lm, #81A5708, Box 111!7. Aidcn , NY 14004.
11 ~ 1 . 2 4, {j', ~110#, grea t bod)' & pe•-,oualit)'. Looki ng lor
hon c~t. ca ri n g ft.·male. Ou t in '96! Eldt...·ridgc lla rdl er.
#82612(i, Sh:mnee DOC. lloxJlt!Q. l'i.um a, II._Q2995.
4

\\'~1 . 28, a rtht , writer, .sta mp & CO\'e l' co llc ctol'. Seeks
o th er stounp coll ectors & artists. David 0. S m ith , # 109969,
SFRC. Bo x 02-8538, ~liami , FL 33 102.
SWM.2ll, intelligen t. ln c ndly but scn o us. opcn-mm dcd
but rescn ·cd , considerate & loral. \V~mt lady frie nd who
m ight undcrsumd. wan ts to he-M m ore a nd be: heard h erself. Darryl McS>C r, # 179200, Bo x 45699, L uc:IS\ille, O H
•1569<J-000 I .
ll:i'l ian , 25, :> 9", 168N, Needs friendslup fro m matu re
female, any age. Photo a\-ailablc to all who '''rite! C hris
Troisi, Box 45699-256179 Luc:IS\ille , OH 45699.
M';:-F's, he-she's o r it.'S , locked down o r free, wri te me. I'm
d oin ' hard t ime. T r an ssex uals, henn orph r odi tc.!'l, big,
strong, handso me me n or little , lonesom e lad ies. a nr o ne
a n yti m e. All I as k is n o r e ligious n uls, ple a se ! Lew
Abbc nha us, Box 59 11-A.C.-3, SiotL~ Falls, SO 57 11 7-591 1.
B~l,21--;-5 ·s·. 159#. blk h ail·. br eyes. Cancer, slim & handsome. Seeking: o.u tJ.lcti\'c , fun·10\~ ng. h umorou.s femal e full
o f fantasies to interact in relationship. Keith L. Adams.
# 18 1958.J CCC. Box 900, clfe rson Cit . MO 65102.
\ Vou ld like to ,,,te anyone as a n end ~ ui (I fro m lhcrc.
Must be open . ho nest & understan ding. I'm in to music,
spor ts. outdoors, read ing, mmi es, working out. I'm mixed
blood,~ r.:1cc, looks, si1c & age do n't ma uc r to me! Dion
Rend o n, #89115, Box 7500-CI I , Crescen t Cit •, CA 95532.
5 , r 1a1r. >r crcs, 5 , Pre·op tra nsscx ua . c c ·
ot her trnnsscxual females & imercstcd o thers. D. Dalton ,
C.C. F.. RR I, Charleston. ME 04422.
Actl\'e, suM:-39. 5' I I ", SCil SlliVC, aJl ectio nal c, carmg &
hon est. Searching fo 1· fun lming, intellige nt, charm ing &
ho nest lady who cnjo)'S quiel C\'cnings. Age & r.1cc u nimport:m t.James Mcgee, 1170608, 2-10-114U, Aha Ro:1d. San
Di <:go. CA 92 179.
Sll~t. ~0. see king m:i'i:nagc-m indcd fem ale '~·ho wan ts to
se ttle down to .!'!hare a n honest life with likl... m inded male.
Race, uo fa ctor. Mich ae l Mord allo, 32 1805, Box 4400,
GateS\;IIe. TX 76597.
WM. 35--;-6·, 185#. ln':-te::-:r::
c"'
sts
"':'"'ll:"
><>::-:a:-:t:s--,"'n::-:,-::
o:--:
to:-:r:::
C):::.c:rlc::-:s:,--::o::
u:-:
tdT.oo
= rs
=
& rock mu!!ic. Lo o ki n g for se ri o u s relatio nsh ip. Eri c
J oh son . # 19701!6, 1807 Roxbury Ro ad , 1-l:tgc rs to wn , M D
2 1746.
WM. 30, gr eyes, b r hai r, 160n. SeekS lad )' lnends, age
u n im t><>rt:m t. Tony 1-Iall, #860779. Box 41. Mich ig:m City,
IN •16360.
Loncl)' WM, 34. 5'5". 145¥. br ha1r , b r eyes & bulle t-p roof.
Seeks la.!'l ting & m ea n ingful lone ly, since r e lady. Ji m
Ouna,my, 142945. Box 45699, Lucas,; llc, O H 45699-0001.
1~1 . 39, br eye s, 170#. SeekS lady friend , age u u im portalll. Will ;mswer all. J oe Roell. #6317, Box 4 1, Mich igan
C.!_ty_,!\1 •16~60.
_
SWM. 6'3", 2•10#, br hai r, lake bl eyes, ex<ollcge football
player & ;uno mech an ic who's getting o u t soon. Looki ng
fo r fc 1n a lc f rie n d , age un im porta nt. J o hn Be n n e u e ,
#40843, Box 1989. Ely NV 8930 I.
EX.b:ink roblicr. S WM;47:5'8", ]jr 1.1ir & eye s, 180#.
Females o nl )'·write & mo re! Ray Mi nn ick, #0522 1-067,
USI', Box 1000. L.cm·enwortiJ, KS 66048.
SWM, 50. 5'9". 170#. bl u-gl')' C)'CS. nc\'cr mam ed & lonely.
Seeking to share \\o;, rnn h wi th someone. Very open-minde d but don 't d rink or .sm oke. Religio us "'o man d esired .
T h o mas llo bkins, #030677, ZC I, Mail #456, 2739 Call
tll\·d , Zc h Th ills, FL 3354 1.
B~1 , 2,
3 , ' 0 . ·c ma m re, canng, unc crsta n mg
& co m p assion:u c S \VF. I wa n t to h ave a m e ani n gful
friendsh ip. Will answer all! K. T )TOne Spraggins, #426750,
Box 4500, Tenn. Co~ TX 75886.
WDM lookm g or lid)•, 3~
5-.;5;,.0;..:.'<'j';::m=,4"'
6-, '"5"'9"'"-. "
2"
1 5"#r,.,.b-r'"'l"'•a~
nwit h some gray. b eard & h aze l eyes. C:tl)' A La n gley,
#9007951CP-1. ll'eSl\ille Corr. C tr .. Box 473. West,; lie , IN
4639 1.().173.
B~l. 39, 6', 200lt. Speak 61anguages. Wants to corrcs1>0nd
w/ beautiful, intelligent Afre>-American q ueens unafraid to
take •igh tful pl:lCe in wor ld. James Par• di5e Cox, 597492.
Micheal Un it. Box 4500, T enn. Colon~, TX 75886.
Handsom 1\M, 35, 5'!1";170#, fun lo., ng & canng. Wo uld
like to sh are special & de lig htful correspo nde nce with
lady. Age & race un im portan L No nnan Good loe , 22410,
Wesl\i llc Con·. Ctr .. Box 473, Wcsl\i lle, IN 46391.
\\'M. br hall', bl eye.!'!, 5' 11... LOOk111g to wrnc female o ut
lhcre. \ Viii answer· a ll le tters. Ca n ' t write oth er prisoners.
Prefe r p ictu re. bu t no t nccess~uy. J amc.!'l McCallen , AP
9678. Box 245 Cr:uerford . I'A 19426.
C hiCano nmlc arust, 31, 5'9". 209#. SeekS smgle, !ugh-spirited , in telligen t wo man w/ interest in cultural histOI]' &
:ut. Will iam Garcia. C22697, Box 7500, Cresce nt City, CA
95532.
SW~(Iooki ng for fnends 10 ''ntc &: exc hange tho ugh ts
w/ . In terests: o utdoors, motorcycles. & m usic. I am 35
doing a 25 )Ca r sentence. Robert Marshall. 1229462, 703
N. ~ l ain Street. Con ilia, TX 78014.
SII'M, 27, 6', 190 M, i ntell •;:g~e-':·n"=t;-,..,""''•7tt"y',...,"& soo n to b e
released. Looking for special la d)' to stan life O\'Cr with .
Photos get pho to. Davi d J o h n Sil,·erm;m , MCTC-215529,
18800 Roxbtll)' Rd. I-Iaget~town , MD 2 1746.

SW~I. handso me, •13. 6'2", 200#, br hair. huel eyes.
Consulmut, funclrniscr, college grad Christian seeks ,incere female, 20-30. I like or:wcl, an, calligo" phy, lo ng
walks, shari ng talks. Lc~ I hat a year to d o. J ohn Gcn uau,
90T'l075, CCF, l.lo• 2002, Dannemora. NY 12929-2002.
S\VM. needs letters roli1 ladiCSin thcl'rec \\Orld. I'm 6' ,
200#, i on~:. curl)•, blond hair, bl eyes, & fnn . Je n y Spink,
904952, l.lox 30, Pendleoon, IN 4600&1.
3,222 days icli. WM. 3'Chcld priSOner againSI m>• mm "ill
by feds. Reaching <>UL for lady w/ paoic nce. Age, looks. &
religion unimport~ nl. Pc~nality a must. .Joh n Branham ,
211 36-086.3901 Klien Bin~. CA 93436.
M-:30,"'5~ , w:mts lm·ciYfemalc. 20.50,""'iiCC'Ui•importanL
Only humorous, po.sili\'C, affectionate respond. James
J:liii.,_ IH1548,.JC:CC,I.lox 9~0,Jcffcoson Qoy. MO 65102.
SWM. ~DToncfll:iir, h:ue L')'<-s. 5'9", 145/f. SCekS sincere
wo men. ~l ike llrlow, 1733 J.l , l.lox !JOO.jclferson Cioy. ~10
65102.
l'lcasc pep my spirit.l'm lonely! 1\M, !i'; -3 1. 2 15#. SeekS
sincere people. secure & lo\ing. Any race. ;~gc, etc. Pho1o
would be ni ce. D""l"'e Williams. 089862 (i\-114). CCI.
500 Qr:II]Je /\ve nue Cio-cle, Belle Cl:tde , 1'1 . 334 ~ _
•wr. I'm being released & \\'Ould like 10 corrc~ pond with
inmaoc>. I'm 27. 5'4", IIO#. J ackic Bayona, S W IS
T errace, Mi ami. FL 33129.
SliM seeking challengin g ,,·Oiucn no maucr wfiit fl;\\'of
of race. I lo\'c 1hcm all hut need ouly one. \ Vritc to me &
let's kick io. J oh n E. fcrgu-.on , 015110.43-2 1-21, Union
C.l., Box 221 , llaiford, FL 32083.
SW~ I , bodybuifCier, 30~5' 10", 19()( " >lo ndl"ii':li"l eyes.
l .ooking fo1· pctilc female to share my IO\'{' for the Lord
1\ith. l'ic for pic. 2 ycal'> 'til parole! J o hn Spark ~lncllcr,
D-41602, 1- I-2 17L, RJO, 480 Aha llcl, San Diego, C1\
!!2 179.
Secl:ing large l;;ay.T'Iu a SM,"'40. 6~-. 225( lovong &
compa..~ionate. l-loncsty b, what counls. Rarfo1 d ~ l anin,
!!44190, Clallam lly Coo-r. Ctr ., 1830 Eagle Crest Way,
CJ!l.llam ~-WI\ 983~9723. _
_
IJbcral, whi lt."'lndian m~1le. 34, 5'7 ... 165#. Need a good
woman 10 hang with me & bccornc ;1ct i\·c in the stntgglc .
D J ohnso n, B9552•1, Box 7500. D/ 10-105, l'e li can 1\ay,
C~eno Q!y. Ci\ ~531 -7~-'Nc;uly I rim med beard. ,..,,·eraloao's. SWM, li'3", 185#, dk
br hr, bl eyes, 38, Libra. Ex-biker looking for SWF o r
0\VF fo r rela tio nship. J lo\'c to party. dance, ,,,;m, camp
0111, oravcl, & ride llarlc)'S. Mark Keith Sulli" "'· 58!!5!!.
S~lCI, U / 10-A.I.lox 1419. Lcaks\illc, MS 39~5 1.
S\V~ l . 3!i5 rl50#. blond haor, b'Tcen eyes. SCcking likt·
minded person~ with sim ular interests: movies, boaling,
sporting, & rt.-ading. Age. mcc, & age unimpormnt. \\'ill
auswer all, iusid e & Olll . Greg Thole. 186-928, l.lox 56.
Lebanon, O H -15036.
S W~(3:1, br hair, h 1l eyes, 6' . i9ll1f."r:ookmg fo r
Chrhtian woman who'd like to grow in the ministry &
cxa h .J esus. Rc\•, Tro) E. ll oh, 625235, !lox 9000,
Woodville , TX 75990.
Vikillg bclllild barS:~oOTI iCTC'aScd. sce~u. open miud cd
female \\>arrior interested in pi~t oh, mocorcyclcs and
especially sex. 'cause 1\·c been h ere a long time. Good
girls need not wrilc. George To th, 215978, State Farm.
Vi\ 23 160.
j amaican-Engl ish S~l. 28. 6'. 190~. SeCk., opcn:mindcrl
female. ~l ichacl II. Day, 39382, !lox 2500, Lincoln , NE
68542.
\ VM, 42~. br hair & eyes. Seeking friendSh ip with
lonelr . honest, ~in cc rc female. Looks unimporlanl.
Caged or not. l ..;u11' ~1 artin. 4563t13, Ellis II, Hu ntsville.
TX 77340.
WM. 4f:"5'9", 1!!0#, <hll"k or ey~., & blac · 1air. no ll'ad
games-good fl"icnds arc h.trd to find. Paul Delmont 1\r,
20•1-556, llox 4569!1, K-1-9. l.ncas•;lle, 0 1-1 'lii6!!9.
Chicano male, 41. li cr, 5'6 . 185"lr.l::OOiiing for special
lady. Possible motrriagc. Looks. age. & race unimpon.ant!
Hcrbco·o Diaz. C-86543, llux 4000, Solano II , b'Y"' #106,
Vaca.-ill e, Ci\ 95696-4000.
..-~tb m;tlc, 2'l. I.oOking torlcm~llc. AflY :tgc & racC nO
mancr. Us.~ma Far ha, 1161778. F l-2-1326. 480 Aha J{d,
s~ Di•·g~ ~ 92 172:_
_
_
Any pen pal oo woioe. 1"111 :>li, br hair. l>lcycs, ()'. & l!iU U.
ll radl cy LaForce. 17857:1, C l - 11 5, llox 710, Ket·n
Mount:tin . VA !&!'1624.
At1y pen p;olto "'rioC.I'm ·II, 5'8, 170#. Will And crsoon,
180672. C l -114. l.lox 710, Keen Mounoain, Vi\ 24624.
U kt.'S ow doon.. hun ting. lh.hing. bi~ats. and qliiet
e.-cn ings. 43, 5'8", 185#, blond hair, b1 e)e>. Johnn y
laFnrce, 097352, Al-106. llox 710. Keen Mo unoain. Vi\
24624.
SWM. goo< l00k1ng. Scek~Canilg person wh0doesn ' 1
mind writi ng to a con\'ict wi h a good sense or humor.
Do nald 0'1\rien, 01 5828, C l-223 1. 1\ox 921. Im per ial,
CA 92251-002 1.
\V M , 6' 1":-175#, hr Jiai r. green eyes. Seeks lady friend ' II)
or older. \\"Ill answer all leners. Mark Souhbh·flcld , 2fi 1!!1!.
llox 1 00.~~~~ . NV 89~26.
_
_
D\V~1 . :-13, scning life w/ o parole. M:eks fCmalc Ch ristian.
Open, honest-seeking ~unc. No pri,oncrs. Paul Foborn,
129002, H-37, 100 Warrior Lane. lk\SCmcr. AI. 35023.
COC:kCd dO\\•n biker looking furrig htcOus lad)' for hones t.
stimulating correspondence. Bl e)es. br ha ir, tattooed .
6'2". 225#. o bullshio oo le raoed . Cooy Wood. 94 L\5()(i,
Elmi"' C. F.. 1\ox !>00, Ehooir.o, NY I:!U02-0500.

SW~l.

35, 5'8", 165#. i\ny correspond eoocc aoo swe red.
D;,.;cl Vinceno, 081907, Cross Cioy Corr. lnso.. l.lox 1500,
~111488, Cro&' Cill!_ Fl. 32628.
HopciC'SSly ro nl antic ltalii\il malc7Carly 30's;-Qn death
row. but still \'ery much a li\'c. Seeking someone who w;ll
take the time 10 get to kuow me as a pcr~on. Carl Puiatli,
7 16927. UC I, Ilox 221 (A- I ), Rooiford. FL. 32083.
Vo ulig~ris h nla n- looki n g fo r ij)ccial ladY-" Phillip
\\'~LtW:om. 11 49i5, J -Cator Unil, LJ\ St;ttc 1-.rison, 1\ngola.
LA 70712.
MI) bclilfiCrhar~ sec s a good woman of any age or rncc
ror rriend ship. IO\'C, & possible ma rriage. All lc u c rs
a oo •wcred. Ellis C h e n , D9588!1, H -206, ll o~ 2000,
Vaca•ille, Ci\ %696.
!Thl, •12. 5 If". l~ekSiovcly fema e, 25-50-a 11-ieoodas
well as a h"..ing relationship. \Viii be released M>Ort . L:u'T)·
Williams, 023778, Mail llox E-65, U nion C.l .. llox 22 1.
ll;oifo o·d, Fl. 32083.
Huggab le T eddy llcao·. SUM, 28. 6". 200#;-iiice/ dea n.
Enjoys long '"'lks in park. i\ouhoooy Edw:m b . U 20595,
26000 N. Binoooo A•·e., Dixon. ll. 6 102 1.
SUM. 28, II br eyes. li 4#. Re leased 4/95. Scckioog imclllgcnt, honest, o mgoing, & undcntandin~ rcmalc. Age.
ra cl", & location unimponanl. J oseph L. \\'~tlker.
00181267, llo~ 500. S_!!ly•~.Q_E 1997_2.
WM, 4~. educated & aOCction:uc. Wishes to corrc:~pon d
with fe male, 3:;.45. D;wid McCo)'· 164239, ARF <'.orr. Fac..
l.lox 1888, A<lrian. Ml 4!J22L
i'OW-Vicoim of 1 oe sysoem! W~T;"'b1 oncl h:olr& bl eyes.
Male/ Female pen pals wanoed. No bag plc;l-.c. Romdolph
U"&~'· 093!\40, B24, llox 221 ._Raiford. FL 32083.
Sll~l . 41, 160#, 5'8". br eyes. black haor, emouonally since re, aura ctivc. Down 10 )'Cars seeking lovely female 2!..
·10. ,inccre, lo\ing, c:mi ng. No Cons! James Earl \Villiam "i,
A-08018. SwoC\illc Corr. Cll".. l.lox 112. J oliet, IL 60-1340 11 2.
liM. ·13, 5'10". 180#. l'rnr lo ng ciiso.anr c runncr lonkll•g
to ope n up communication with people on the ouuidc.
Like 1alking about social prc>blc m s. Charl es Jones.
831\5095. Mid-Orange, 900 Kings l liglm«y, Wamick, NY
10990.
St:arcllii"l'g for em ales. 1'11)20, br hair: bl eyes. !'J II "", &
170H. Doiug 13 yea,.._ Jason llandley. 223990. Ocllcrry
Special Needs Facilioy. 7575 coc krill llldg, In d. Rd .,
Na>hvi lle, TN 37243-04 75.
Sll~l . 36. 5'8". 1715#. Scarcfill1g lor honcso. sincere lcmalc
tO b CCOillC beSt rricnds w/ . R.1CC unimport.."'Uil, age 2[,..50.
Soon to b e re le a sed . No ga m es·t r i ck~ ~rc rur kid s.
Rc nauldo Shaw, 144 125, 47 13 Wcso M-6 1, Soandish . ~II
<18658.
S li M, 28, >r haor/ C)eS. seeks co mpa.'iSionaoc, inoclligcm,
& e motionally mature F's. any age. who like d an cing.
(',..._~\V music, trucks, & sharing inncn110St tho ughts. David
M<dina, <1469-13. 300 1 Souoh Emily Road, Bce•illc, TX
i!ll02.
I wannabe lo\'cd , li ke Tome Crui"C tOOk alike scotrchiilg
for Sarah , plain & tall. ot a fraid 10 oakc a chance for
turc lo\'c. 3 1, 6'3-. 2 101#, non-smo ker/ d rinker. simp le
man . Samuel Colden, ()<J3265, Unx 22 1, 1-2, R.1ifnrd, 1'1,
32083-022 1.
0<-a-th !{ow inonaoc, SliM, 24, 6'2", 205#. Enjoys re;odi nS:
writing. & \\'Orking out. Age. ~:<. or M:xual orientatio n
unilnportant. \Viii amMcr all. Tony L Ha)'C!t, 5952!13, llox
22 1-i\ I , R.~i fo rd. 1'1. 32083.
Looking for 'iOmcthing new & exciting in a rehtlionshij>.
Do you wan t to experience an e n tire ly clifTcrcnt treat~
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gm

Fcdct·al
Appellate and
Post-Conviction
La'''
".1/uldn;.:

_I

D{tference J.\·

Our llu.\ illess"
• Direct Appeal from Trial
• Direct Appeal from Plea and
Sentencing - 18 USC 3742 Direct Appeal by Defendant on
Issues of Sentencing Hearings
• Post-Conviction Motions - 28
USC 2255 and 2241 - PostConviction Motion Based on an
Illegal Sentence and Habeas
Corpus Relief
• Modification of Term of
Imprisonment
18 USC
3582(c) Modification of
Imposed Term oflmprisorunent
• Motion for New Trial- Rule 33
• Motion for Reduction of
Sentence - Rule 35

Law Office.\· ~~r
illiller & Shein
71 o l. akl· \ "il'\\ . \ \l'lllll' . \:I .
·\t lanta ( il'OI").!ia \n.lnS
( -1<l- 1) S7-!--l)~ < ,n

7SD i\ F (JlJ th Strl'L'L Suitl'

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~n

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3313~

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1-fahla 1-.spanol
PRISON LIFE

91

Classifieds
LEGAL
POST CONVICTION ATTORNEY.
Direct appeal, habeas, PCR, CPL 440
& sentencing representation on federal and state levels. SALVATORE C.
ADAMO, ESQ., 299 Broadway, Suite
1308, NY, NY 10007. 212-964-7983 or
908-859-2252. Member NY, NJ & PA
bars.
IN CUSTODY PRISONER DEATHS,
California Jails and California State
Prisons, Dick Herman, Attorney, 301
Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA
92651, FAX 714-494-1460.

II FEDERAL CRIMINAL APPEALS II
DEDICATED, EXPERIENCED
ATTORNEY WITH PRIMARY
PRACTICE IN DIRECT CRIMINAL
APPEALS AVAILABLE FOR
APPELLATE REPRESENTATION IN:
ALL FEDERAL CIRCUIT
COURTS OF APPEAL
JEFF P. MANCIAGLI
FORMER STAFF ATTORNEY
11TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS

(404) 688-7603
POST

CONVICTION

ADVOCATES
Federal and New Jersey
State Appeals, Habeas
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Suite 1526
24 Commerce Street
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(201) 622-2LAW (529)
(20 1) 623-0329 FAX
Cassandra Savoy, Esq.
1 41 South Harrison Street
East Orange, New Jersey 0701 8
(201) 678-1515

92

PRISON LIFE

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CLASSIFIED RATES
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Send to: PRISON LIFE Classified Ads,
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NY 10018. Tel: 212-967-9760 Fax:
212-967-7101

PRISON LIFE 93

LmERTAD T EMPRANA
PARA
PRESOS M EXICANOS
Los prisioneros MeJticanos, especialmente
en el sistema federal , pueden ser transferidos
bacia MeJtico para recibir libertad temprana,
y vivir cerca de sus seres queridos atraves de
los servicios del Bufete de Benninghoff &
Ramirez. Atraves de oficinas en los Estados
Unidos y MeJtico, Benninghoff & Ramirez
provee a sus clientes un servicio sin igual.
Los prisioneros transferidos pod ran recibir
libertad inmediata bajo fianza , libertad
temprana para trabajar, y tiempo libre por
buena conducta. Tambien, hemos tenido
mucho eJtito con prisioneros a los cuales se
les ha negado Ia transferencia anteriormente.
Favor de escribir a Ia siguiente direccion
para que reciba un folleto descriptivo preparado especialmente para prisioneros Melticanos. Escriba a:

Charles F. Benninghoff III
Benninghoff & Ramirez
Post Office Box 1355
San Juan Capistrano, Calif . 92675

CRIMINAL DEFENSE
TRIALS, APPEALS AND POST-CONVICTION
AND HOSTETLER
OFFICE OF MARKS
LAW

W
ATfORNEYS AT LA

I7331-ligh Slrccl

I8

Denver. Colorado 807.

(303) 399-0773

"ARKS
STANLEY I I. '"
.F.R
RICHARD A~l •
- = · LAM
BRADfOROl.

1(800) 700-4544

X '303) 333·9493

fA'

·

'"ho Mrmncd ••&t~~~ ondl'<n"'''"""
. ced effective, and aggresswe
'"'"'TIM":~·Office Marks and Ho~te~le\i~:rc~~~~~~~uding trials, appeals and post'e
II nhases of cmmna
. I
firm devoted ~o a Y
•
f the Colorado Crimma
conviction relief. .
founder and past presldent o s He is a-v rated by
Stanley Marks IS the co- . d criminal law for 23 y~ar. . l law for 18 years,
nd has pracuce
h acticed cnmma
Q ntin
Defe~se BaH
r abb II Richard Hostetler as pr .ence representing San ue
Martindale- u e . . . o ppeals and has expen.
ted
most recently emphas~~~"c~mmitti~g crimes while mcar~e~de~l courts throughout
Prison inmates accused~ fendants in numerous state an
We have ~~p~~s~;;s o~serious crimin~l cas~s: I d. no securities violations
the country I
I 11hite collar cnmes. Inc UCIE"
• comp ex\
d' 0 ruco and c
• drug cases, mclu m!' I dino death penalty murders
• crimes of violence, me uincluding pornography
• First Amendment cases,
• robbery' burglary' theft
• sexual offenses . tate and international
• extradition, both lnte~ .
• federal sentencing gdmde~~~=gthen our resolv~ to p~~v\d~~b;~~lic
.ence has serve to
d faced wtth nusm o
dI
Our yea~ of ex~~e for those accused of c~me ~draconian punishments, an t le
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seekingpost~onv1c 1
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I 800-100-4)44 orca11 co
a~ estimate of fees and costs.
Richard A. Ho tetler
Stanley H. Marks
0

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PRISON LIFE

1-800-666-6865
(910) 947- 2125
1-800-8DEXTER
910 947-2525

A PRISONER'S GUIDE TO SURVIVAL
Almost 15 years have gone into th is work. A Prisoner's Guide to
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rights. This book will guide you through State and Federal Statutes,
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other publication available on today's market more comprehensive
and detailed. Available in English and Spanish. Each publication
costs $95.
Contact:
Postconviction Consultants
P. O.Box 360
Lithia Springs, GA 30057

LAW OFFICES OF
J OHN WESLEY HALL. JR.

FLOWERS WILT!

A Professional Corporallon

J OHN WESLEY HALL, JR.
CRAIG LAMBERT
MARK ALAN JESSE

523 West Third Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-2228
Telephone (501) 371 -9131
Facsimile (501) 378-0888
Toll Free 1-800-454-9500

Office ManaaeJ/Paralegal

DAVIDS. HERDUNGER
lnvestlljator

BOB COMPTON, JR.

II you or someone you know is presently incarcerated and feeling abandoned by your ttial
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PRISON LIFE 95

INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL
Winning cases in the federal courts. VIrtUally all the reported winning cases in the federal courts since
Strickland vs. Washington are gathered together and summarized in this comprehensive text. A 70-page
index leads you to exactly the right case with almost 800 separate examples of ineffective assistance of
counsel, with every reference to winning case.
Over 300 cases decided since Strickland, and 200 before are gathered together and indexed according to
the precise issue considered in the decision. Over a thousand defense attorneys across the country are
using this book to save untold hours, even days of research on their ineffective assistance briefs.
If you have ever tried to [md good case law to back up your assistance arguments, you know how difficult

that can be. Here it has already been done for you. Every case in this book is briefly summarized, with
emphasis on the specific facts which led to the [mding of ineffective assistance of counsel.
Speaking an evidentiary hearing? You'll find the case law you need to support your arguments in
Ineffective Assistance of Counsel.
In a large, loose-leaf binder, this book is supplemented at least twice annually. The $ 120 purchase price

includes all supplements issued during the following si.x months. Thereafter, supplement service is available at $42 per year.
To order, send your payment of $120 plus $8 P&H to:
Southwest Legal Services
P.O. Box 57091
Tucson, AZ 85732

To order, send $8.95 to:
Cloud Chart
c/ o FSSDeptPL
P.O. Box 191
Lexington, MA 02173
~J'!'.U."""

could be one of the most significant,
positive steps af.your life!

Joe Welder's Ultimate
Strength Training System
Volume 1: Introduction to the WeldeP System
Volume 2: Basic Bodybulldlag Tecbalqaes
Volume 3: Back &Biceps Training
Volume 4: Chest &TPiceps TPIIBIRI
Volame 5: Legs &Sbauldm TPalnlog
Volume B: Calves, A~s. Formms
Valeme 7: Mus &StPength TPalnlog
Valame 8: Nutrltloo &Diet
Volume 9: Advanced Tralalng
Volume 10: Training Sale &SmaPt

1995 Women & Weaponrv. . . . ..=~·
CALENDAR

SPECIAL PlASTIC BINDING!

COMING IN PRISON 1m:
®anfJh&~£.ers
~p.eak ®ut
You've heard what the cops
and media have said about
'em. Now hear the perspective of G's across the
nation.

PABLO ESCOBAR
The world's most powerful criminal built
his own private prison. A Prison Life
exclusive by Columbian journalist Juana
Ponce de Leon.

1ST AMENDMENT RIGHTS
Have you been denied your copy of
Penthouse or Prison Life? Learn about your
rights and how to protect them.

PLUS:
WINNERS OF OUR ART
BEHIND BARS CONTEST!

98 PRISON LIFE

SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING : Smoking
By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal
Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight.

0 Lorillllld 1995

Kmgs. 17 mg "tar·, 12 mg mcotme av per crgarene by FTC Method.