Prison Life March-April 1996
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SUSAN 5ARANDON ON DEAD MAN WALKING 1-,. l, I- I 1\ l. t, r .. I • _cv • "One of the finest achievements of prison literature, and, indeed, of that much larger body of literature about criminals." - H. Bruce Franklin Prison Literature in America "In No Beast So Fierce, readers will be able to discover urgent truths a bout crime and punishment -and therefore about our ultimate concern with freedom -set down by a vigorous and important writer." - William Styron, from the introduction to No Beast So Fierce Stltdld lrttlltr lllrtl ••, •••• ltiiiiiStlllrct Ulltlllltr CllllrJ Cllll - ... IIJI'tHtllltl ltlltn Sl111r II•Wtzllcnn II•Wtzllcnn Fn• lllllld 1111 WID Frazier ••••n••• S•lclltddlll llelllrd Sll'lttll Marijuana The Law and You Af;::o;.;: " lllll&llllllllr Print lhtnllre l . lnctfnllll •lrUIIIITIIIln& YH MARCH·APRIL 1996 About the Cover Ex-con movie star Danny Trejo Photo by Chris Cozzone FEATURES 22 Dead Man Walking Susan Sarandon gets real with Prison Life. In Dead Man Walking, the actress/activist looked for a role and found a cause. 28 FICTION Animal Factory, Part II In the second installment of Edward Bunker's classic prison novel, one of San Quentin 's predator-rapists tries to turn out a young con. 32 The Heart of Healing Forgive us our trespasses. Forgiveness begins at home, in the heart, with the self. How to do the inner work and get on with your life. Pri"'m l.i(~ 1~'\ WJ()6,j..07()4J ~1.trch·.\ pril l!t!.tH. ~uml>t'r I. Pri~m Life nu,~.t.tlllll' j, puhh'h'-"d bunumhh 1)\ J oint \ 't'nturc Mrdia of T u .:b. Inc.• 1436 \\'est Gray, Suh r 531. How-to n, TX 7i019. Pri'-fm l.ift·nMg.uim· •~ p1inted in tht·l'~\ .uu l .tll n ght\ oll l ' rl"'t'l\t'fl. c l ft!l:. h) j oint \'t•ntun· ~kdl.l ofTr'\:.l~. l nc. S o p.tn nf thl \ huoL 111.1\ bt• l t'JUHfiHn'tl ()I u-;m~IIIIIWcl m .l m lu u n o r 1)\ ,un mc~n' willtuut '' ritu·n IX'rnthsiun uf the pnbJi,hrf".. l 'n""•lic-ih•clm.mn-.criJn" .mel phut<~r.•ph' .ut• tht• re"'p•umibthl\ of 11w ~nth-o.. .\Jilt•lit'"" "('1\1 tu J•nwn Lift· m..tg;vim· \\ill be IH'.IIt'lf.t, unt•mduim~.tlh .._,,j~m·tllur tht· puhlic:.u um ur IJu.JI(Iu n-c . •md .trt.·~>ul tit·c 1 It) Pri\(•n Ufc nM~.uuu:'(i unrt·,trin-:d ri~ln tu t•tlu .mrl cnmmt•m. in~h- t upic·.. m tlw U.S. $~\.9.). Suh"C'riptiun r:ttc·( nne )C,Ir in U.!-1. :!~. j() lm li i"HI'' : in ( :.mad.t, S!V1: .Ill .~tlcluiun.ll S I:! t'l'<:\\ lu·~t·; .til p.t~.thk 111 L'.S fund~ t) nl\ . l'lc~t\.1' m.til.tll ll uh'('dp tion u u lt.•rs .mel c h.mge(i lc) l'ri"'" l .ik M.tJ.::.IIIIIl' SniN"tiptiu n 0l'll.lrllllt'lll, II!Ui \\'t•\t Gr.t\ . S uilt• 5 3 I . ll o thton. I'X iifl l9. P OSTMASTER: l'l~.t._'-4.' fmw~u rl .!tithe·" t. h.ut~t.·' tu l't l"-4tn Lirl· \l.tgo~~inc, I l!,ti \\'c•,t Gr.!)'. Suut· 5!J I, llulhtO II, TX 7iUI H. ..-\ p pnwal h t 111.1il.tt ~~~~~ c:t,1..._, pt l\1 .1~.\l' l .th' 1' pt.·ndiur.:, .11 I h•lt,tun , I X an d . Hill ._ tiun,1lmailin ~o: u llicc. 4 PRISON LIFE 38 SCORING IN HOLLYWOOD From doing time to prime time, crime pays in Hollywood. Ex-cons Danny Trejo, Tim Allen , Charles Dutton and Miguel Pinero get healthy in the entertainment biz. 40 Danny Trejo From San Quentin to the silver screen , Trejo has become Hollywood's toughest bad-ass. 44 Tim Allen With his nationally syndicated TV show, bestselling book and blockbuster movies, Tim Allen might just be America's most successful ex-con. 48 Charles Dutton From jail to Yale to stardom, " Roc" Dutton proves an ex-con is limited only by his will. 53 Miguel Pinero Rebel, bandit, dope fiend , poet-the tortured and talented life of Miguel Pinero. DEPARTMENTS Voice of the Convict 6 Contributors Column 9 Mail Call 10 15 18 57 64 75 78 80 82 83 84 Block Beat Callouts In-House Counsel Iron Pile Prison Papers Mail-Order-Mall Classifieds Pen Pals In-Cell Cooking Resources CONVICTS ON TV by Richard Stratton It was a media coup, We made it in a little over four hours a first in th e in forma tion business: of some of the most harrowing driving convicts with their mvn national maga- I h ave ever done. Man hattan und e r zine; an d n ow, convic ts o n cable TV. two feet of snow was a who le n ew After 18 months work, the premie r of adventure . People were cross-coun try our first HBO I Prison Life special was skiing down Broadway. T h ere was a about to happen . On January 8, 1996 twen ty foot sn ow bank on Fifth a t ten p.m. , mi llio ns of Americans Ave nue. And the sn ow kept coming would get an intima te look be hind the until la te Monday afte rn oon, the d ay walls and into the sordid lives of pris- of the party. It was to be a combina tio n oner s of war in th e ir own land. For celebration for the airing of tl1 e HBO m e, th e doc um e nta ry and o ur com- sh ow a nd my fiftietl1 birthday. Yes, the pan io n J anuary/ February issue, devot- big Five-0. But the weather con spired ed to casualties of the drug war, were against u s. It was the worst storm in as the culmination of a journalistic mis- many years as I have b ee n ali ve . New sio n I h ad b ee n on sin ce my own J e rsey was sn owbo und. Long Island in te rnme nt as a marijuana POW dur- and the o u ter bo ro ugh s were closed to all but foo t traffic a nd e mergency ing the 1980s. Th e re was a pre mier party planned veh icles. All day we heard from people at th e h o m e of th e prod ucers, Blow- who said th ey co uldn't make it. What back Productions, in Manhattan. The was supposed to be a u·iumphan t affair forecas t was fo r sn ow- lots of snow; was turning into a muted gathering of weathe rpeople we re predic ting up to stalwart Manhattanites, most of whom two feet in New York City. We live h ad been involved in th e produc tio n . no rth of th e city in the Hudso n River We co nsoled our selves with the Va lley n ear Wood stock. When snow though t that a lo t of people would be began falli ng o n Sund ay, th e d ay staying in a nd watching television. By ten p.m. whe n we turn ed on the before th e pre m ier, we bundled the fa mily into ou r four-wheel drive Jeep TV to watch th e specia l, a surprising and set out fo r New York. No way we numbe r of friends, co-worke rs, people who worked on th e documenta•1'· and were going to miss this party. We were headed into the cen te r of supporters of the cause had gathe red th e storm. Snow was accum ula ting so to sh a re the experie n ce. Norm an fast that high way c rews co uld n 't keep Maile r made it in from Broo klyn; up. Strong winds drifted the snow and there was a cer tain karm ic balance-! ca used white-out. I had t he defrost had been to his fiftieth birthday party cra nked , still the windows fogged a nd twe n ty-five years earlier. Marc Levin, th e wipe rs caked with ice and snow. I wh o directed th e fi lm , a nd his parthun ch ed over the wheel, gazed into ner, Daphne Pinkerson, we r e th e r e what would be known as the Blizzard of with most of the Blowback crew. Ali'96 through a patch of me lted ice a nd son Ell wood, wh o d id th e dazzlin g sno1v; it was li ke watc hing white no ise edi ting, was there. People who h adn 't o n a 14--inch TV so-ee n. On t h e seen the show sat glued to th e tube. Mai ler, who saw a n ea rlie r cut a nd thruway, traffic was down to one lane, more like a toboggan run than a hig h- pronoun ced the film "the most powerway. Cars spun out and skidded off the fu l prison docume nta11'" h e had ever road o n both sides. We passed at least a see n , said h e wish ed it h ad been dozen mu lti-car wrecks. I fo llowed d im lo n ger, h e wou ld h ave liked to h ave fli ckering taillights into wha t looked seen more of the women, h eard more like a swirling mass of froze n whitewash . of the ir stories, and he re marked how 6 PRISON LIFE su·uck he had been by the di ffe rence between t h e me n 's pri sons and th e wome n 's. His so n Michae l turned from the screen duri n g Sn owball's "toss my salad" routine a n d sa id, "I feel like tossing my cookies." Wh en it was ove r , peo p le clap p ed a n d cheered. I was already an ticipating the ratings. We we re up agai n st so me tough comp etitio n: Mu-rder One, Chicago Hope. In TV, u n like publishi ng or featu re films, you know the next clay if you have a future. It was a great evening after all. Afte r the show, the b irthday party went in to full swing. I was presented with a cake c rowd ed with fifty trick candles and decorated witl1 pot leaves. I was so elated I couldn't blow out the candles. People laughed a n d called for a speech. I was stym ied, e mbarrassed, but I managed to talk about how good it was to be o ut o f prison. And I said, "But let's not forget a ll those POWs still insid e . We've got to p ut an e nd to th is f1.1ckedup war against our own people." "End th e wa r o n drugs!" Marc c h imed in to more c h ee rs a n d applause. Bu t the bl izzard of '96 was m ild compared to the shi t storm of controve rsy aroused by this film. I view that as a co mp lim en t. The best art provokes the most divergen t response. Th e free world was blown away. We got top ratings, beat out Mu-rder One, wh ic h means we ge t to do m o re shows, which means Prison Life mig ht ma ke it afte r all. Both th e docume nta ry a n d the companion issu e of th e magazine we re pra ised by med ia wa tchers as a bo ld and exciting fo ray agai nst a political sacred cow. We were fo llowed by ABC's Diane Sawyer, who spent two nights in a women's prison in Louisiana, an d by New Yo-rk an d National Review magazin es, who did cove r sto ri es o n th e failed drug war. Prisoners of the WaT on Drugs was a h it. (continued on page 8) the next best thing to a conjugal • • VISit. $14.95 $15.95 0 Regular 0 Pocket Style 0 L O XL Size O White Color 0 Black 0 Check or Money Order 0 MasterCard ('~n·d N um ber - - - - -- -- Signature _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ O XXL OAmX OVisa - _ - - _ __ _ __ - -- - - _ Call1-800-207-2659 or send check or money order plus $3 P&:H to: Prison Life Shirts, 1436 W. Gray, Suite 531, Houston, TX 77019-4946. TX residents add 8.25% sales tax. NAME -- - -- - - - -- - - - - - -- 10 # _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ ADDRESS CI"IY _ _ __ __ __ STATE _ _ zrr• _ _ __ Some pri so ne rs-panicu larly the women at FCI Dan bury, wh ich was the only federal prison we were a llowed to film in-hated the documentary. They were d eeply offe n ded- n ot by the women's scgmen t, wh ic h most eveq•o ne found moving, but, curiously, th ey were o ffended by the men. Many of th em fe lt we d egraded a ll priso n ers by showing th e c h a rac ters we found in men's pri sons: ha rd-core dope dea le rs, predatory homosex uals who wou ld just as soon suck your di ck as stick yo u wi th a shank, unre pe nta nt mcth monste rs and strung-o ut j unkies look in g for h e lp. o r course, n o t a ll m ale drug priso n e rs are a nim a ls o r degenerates. Nor a re th ere man y white, middle-class Boy Scouts who j u t happe n ed to ge t set up with two ki los o f coke. As we used to say in the join t, "I didn't get here by obeying the r ules." Anyone who has spe nt time in m axim um ecu r ity m en's pe ni tentiaries knows Den ny the Grand Master of Meth and Snowball wi th his recipe fo r a n a l-li ngus. l used to think of them (and myself) as the scarred, th e m a imed a n d th e deranged. A lot of dope d ea le rs a re wild m e n , though never as bad as they prete nd, whic h is wha t makes for compe lling TV. And, no mauer how offe nsive to the women of Danbury, th ese m a niacs a re rea l p roducts of the war on drugs. Y.l e welcome th e controve rsy. As long as I am edito r of Prison Life, we will n ever succu mb to th e PPC-the Pri oner Poli tically Correct. I am not trying to offend a nyone; 1 am tq•ing to offend everyone. Prison Life is offensive. At least, in the priso ns 1 was in , prison life is vile, degrading, viole nt, weird a nd cut-throat. T he d rug economy runs li fe in thejointjust as it does life in the streets. T ha t is th e point. The drug wa r is a total offense to a ll America n people-n ot o n ly th e foo t soldie rs who broke the law an d are re- s PRISON LIFE sponsible for th e beh avior that brought them to priso n , but straight, law-abiding, tax-paying Americans who watch TV and do not view drug dealers as victims. I was a dope m uggier for man y yea rs; 1 spent e ig h t yea rs in federal prison . I know what it is like to be an o utlaw, a co nvict, now an exconvict, a nd the truth is th e re a re no t many o f us out h e re who sympathize with the cause. We arc not propagandizing for liberal abolutionists no r preaching to the con ve rted . We a re showing free America th at priso ns are not the answer to o ur social proble ms. Indeed, they ma ke the m worse. vVhcn I believe the system is wro ng, th a t it ca uses more harm than good, as an a rti st, as a write r, magazine edito r or filmm a ker- as a n American of conscie n ce- I feel l h ave a n obligation to try to c ha nge it. The times we live in now re mind me of 30 years ago during the early days o f the a nti-Vietnam war move m e n t. The n, to protest aga in st th e war was to be h a ted a nd misund e rstood, called a coward a nd a traitor, especially by th e soldie rs wh o pu t their li ves on the lin e . It was n ' t un til th e h orro rs o ur t roops were inflicti ng on the Vie tn amese p eo ple sh owed up on TV screens in o ur living room s th at significa nt numbers of Americans began to que tion the war. Live coverage did more to force politicians to end th e war than a ll th e protest ma rches put together. TV is th e most p owerfu l m e dium in the wo rl d. To sh ow mainstream America r eal im ages o f drug war atroc iti es as t h ey play o ut in o ur nation 's bursting priso n s seems to m e a su re way to ge t the question out th e re . ot many parents want to see th e ir kid on sc ree n whe n th ey h ear Snowba ll say, "That motherfucker's tn ine." Prison Life d idn't ma ke its name by see king shelter from the storm. This is not a gen tle ride. With the documentary a nd th e magazi n e we tri ed to show tl1e impact the drug war has had o n o ur prisons. If what you saw made you un easy, like d riving by th e seat of your pants in bad weath er; if it made yo u nin ch a nd fee l anger o r disgust because you saw som eth ing u gly and degrad ing, the n you got a true picture o f tl1e drug war . 1111 PinsoNLin: March-April 1996 EDITOR & PUBUSHER Richard Stratton EXECUTIVE EDITOR & ART DIRECTOR Chris Cozzone EDITOR-AT-LARGE Kim Wozencroft MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Wynn CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Edward Bunker, Michael Chavoux, Mansfield B. Frazier, Alex Friedmann, Donnie Martin, Susan Rosenberg EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Pam Widener DESIGN & LAYOUT Cook lorenzo CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: BEHIND BARS Craig Adame, Virgil Barfield, Henry Herz, B.D. Hill, Robert Lomrne, Tim Martin CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: FREEWORLD Steve Conway, Jaime Madero CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jack Brown, Arlene Gottfried, Robert lit, James Thomas, Demmie Todd CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: BEHIND BARS Aaron Collins, Brent Ellis, Michael Montalvo, Sebastian Ventimiglia CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: FREEWORLD Robin Cosarjian, Oriana Conti, John Mock, John Mauro PRISON UFE EDITORIAL OFFICE 200 Yorick Street, Ste. 90 1 New York, NY 10014 Tel: (212)229-1169 Fox: (212)229- 1334 CANADIAN SALES OFFICE Robert Rowbotham, Canadian Managing Director Ken Bean, Assistant 253 College St., Suite 444 Toronto, ONT M5T1R5 Tel: (905) 773· 17 46 Fax: (905) n3-8088 JOINT VENTURE MEDIA of TEXAS, Inc. CIRCULATION MANAGER Janette Sherlock ADVERTISING DIRECTOR A. Richard de Antoni SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION &INQUIRIES 1436 West Gray, Suite 531 Houston, TX n 019·4946 CALL: 1-800-207-2659 PRINTED IN U.S.A. CONTRIBUTORS COLUMN Oriana Conti, Prison Life's Ca nadian correspo ndent, has writte n for a number of national magazines an d newspapers. Conti is a seasoned reporter on t.h e Canadian pri son scene a n d is curre n tly working on a major story for Prison Life on the p iigh t of fe male prisoners at Canada's largest women 's prison . Pam Widener brings to Prison Life a background in film research and production. The J an uary/Februa r-y issue marked her editorial d e but in the magazine with h e r "Cell mate of the Month" featu re o n Yusuf Abdush-Shaheed. To im merse he rself furth er in prison issues and bring h er love of fil m to th e imprisoned, Widene r is current.Iy teachi ng a film course at Rike rs Isla nd. After a year a t Prison Life's business office, Janette Sherlock has been promoted to Circulation Manager. She rlock ha ndles all subscription req uests, ma nages Lhe database and appears weekly o n Houston 's Prison Program o n KPFT with Ray H ill, champio ni ng the rig hts of Ll1ose beh ind bars. As an ex-offender and info rm ed activist, She rlock makes inval ua ble contribution to PLM. NYC-based freelance writ.er Jack Brown has written for such publications as Esquim and High Times magazine. In this issue he writes from th e heart about his deceased fri end , Miguel Pinero, autho r of th e classic prison drama Sho,rt Eyes. Robin Casrujian, aut.I1or of "Self Forgiveness: The Heart of Healing," is executive director of th e Lio nheart Foundation. H e r rece nt book, Houses of Healing: A Prisoner's Guide to i nner Power and Freedom, was distributed free to prison libra ri es across the cou nny. In additi on to teaching in prison s, Casarjian educates the public about th e need "to make prisons places for people to heal. " She has appeared on national talk shows incl uding 20/20and Oprah Winfrey. Michael Montalvo is one of the nation 's fo re most j ailhouse lawyers. With his victOI)' in U.S. v. 405,089.23, Montalvo threatened to slaugh ter the governement's sacred cash cow: asset forfeiture. And he did it a ll from Ll1e law libraq at USP Lompoc. Now in this third year of law school, Montalvo inte nds to become a licensed me mber of the Bar after release from prison so th at he can continue to resist the drug war by c hallenging the unconsti tutional mea ns th e governm e nt employs against U.S. a nd fo re ign citizens. Ricardo G. Federico Barrister-at-Law Carlton-on-the-Park 120 Carlton St., Suite 412 Toronto, Ontario M5A4K2 Practice Restricted to Criminal Law. 416-928-1458 Money Back Satisfaction Guaranteed! Optical, Inc. P.O. Box 680030, Dept PL34 North Miami, FL 33168 Prism Optical has been selling prescription eyeglasses to inmates across the nation for over 34 years. You may select from a full line o f eyeglass frames for men and women, including designer styles, metal frames, and sports glasses, d iscounted 30-50%. You can have your prescription lenses g round by Prism Optical, and choose fro m a number of lens options, including photochromic lenses, ultra-thin lenses, fashion tinting, and UV-filtering and scratch-resistant coa ting. Sin gle vision, bifocals, trifocals and invisible bifocals are ava ilable. Prism guarantees that the glasses will fit correctly, and the catalog provides guides to gauging the correct size of the temple and bridge. POST-CONVICTION RELIEF ATTORNEY MICHAEL J. O'KANE (305)569-3099 • FORFEITURES • D ESIGNATIONS • FEDERAL CRIM INAL APPEALS •ALL PRISON TRANSFERS 140 I PONCE DE LEON Bl.VD. SurrE 200 CORAL GABLES, FL 33 134 PRISON LIFE 9 MAIL CALL BRAVO! Ju st h a ppe n e d to ca tc h th e HBO sp ecia l a nd th o ug h t yo u did a g re at j o b. Bravo! You sho uld send a copy to Preside nt a nd Mrs. C li nton a nd a sk th e n ice peo ple in Con g ress a nd th e Unite d Nati o n s to wa tch it and gi ve feedbac k to th e peo p le. It was g rea t synchro nicity to ca tch the sh ow, having just received the companio n issue of Prison Life. Keep up the good wo rk. L inda Ayres Los A ngeles YOU SHOULD BE LOCKED UP Prison Life Presents: Prisoners of the War on Drugs generated a deluge of responses. We continue to seek your comments, questions and feedback. In the MayI June issue, directorI producer Marc Levin will respond. Despite the controversy, Prison Life prides itself on being at the forefront of this critical issue and for providing, through both the magazine and the documentary, what we believe has been the most comprehensive and accurate coverage to date of the failed war on drugs. o PRISON LIFE 1 Dea r Rich a rd Stratto n a nd Ma rc Levin, I a m writin g to you to ex press my o pinio n on the HBO s pecial th a t was produced by Blowback Productions. To say th a t I a nd m a ny othe rs we re a ppa lle d would indeed b e an unde rstatemenL The scouting crew must have searched the bottom of mankind to find the men shown in that degrading piece of trash that you view as a show. I r ealize th a t se n sa ti o nalism se lls spots. I believe that is the reaso n that you de p icted the state prisone rs as you d id. If yo u wa nte d , yo u co u ld h ave fo und human be ings lO portray. I perso na lly d o n ' t kn ow a ny huma n be in g in th e world wh o be h aves in su ch a d egra din g fa shi o n. The m e n yo u de pic ted obvio u sly ca re n o thin g fo r the mselves o r the ir fa milies. They are o ne percent of the e ntire priso n populatio n . Wh y d id you choose to igno re th e re m aining 99 pe rcent o f us? Is it because we d o n ' t sell air time? You co uld h ave sh own th e public that we a re n ot a nimals. \Ne are human be in gs who have made mistakes. Yo u failed in tha t respon sibility. It h as been made clear to all prisone rs throughout this coun try that you are no t the voice we need. You have degraded us. All fo r the sake of a do llar. I'm sure you live a very sad existe nce. My opinion o f both yo u gen tle men (I u se tha t te rm in be in g g rac iou s, actu a lly it's n ot be fitting to e ithe r of you ) is in th e sam e ligh t in whi ch I view the me n de picted in the special. I know tha t the women who were in tha t s p ecia l to ld th e ir c hil d re n to watc h P risoners of the Wa.r on Drugs. Can yo u imagine wha t those fami lies/c hildren fe lt, thi n king th at th eir moth ers were e nd urin g such ho rror within th e confines o f the priso n walls? H ow can you LIBERTAD TEMPRANA PARA PRESOS HISPANOS infli ct th at ni ghtm a re upon peop le? Oh-it was a ll for the sake o r a dolla r. Why did you not tell how it u-uly is? 1 work in a law library at a federa l prison. I see women o n a dai ly basis spe ndi ng countless hours researching the ir cases. I see th e h ope written on the ir fa ces when th ey find a looph o le in th e ir cases. 1 hear stories a bout the ir fam ilies. I hear th e sound o f their hearts bre aking wh en th ey cannot comfo rt t h e ir c hildre n. Have yo u e ver , Mr. Le vin , heard the so und of a moth e r 's h e art break? I'll te ll you what it sound s li ke. Take a piece of ice from your freeze r. Drop it a n d liste n to t h e ice sh atte r. That's the sound we h ear througho ut this compound on a daily basis. I h ave m ade it p e rfec tly cle a r th at my opinion of you , a nd what you re prese nte d to the public, is le ss th a n acce ptable for a gre at number of people. At this point, I don ' t fee l yo u could do a nything to recti fy the damage yo u c h o se to inflic t up on th e wome n / m e n you d e picte d in yo ur progra m. I hope you d on ' t insult ou r inte llige n ce by sayin g you h ave h ad favorable responses to the program. A fri end of mine (Mon a ) said 1 shou ldn ' t be so ha rd on you. Sh e says you are kind , d ece nt gen tl e m e n. That is h e r opinion. I be lieve I h ave sta te d mine in this missive . In closing, I shall add that if you continue to completely disrespect your fellow human beings, then I sin ce re ly hope yo u a re no t a llowed to p rac ti ce freedom of the press. I hope that someone shu ts d own yo ur business. I ho pe th ey lock the doors and throw away the key. Al l fo r the sake t h at you a re n o longe r able to earn a do lla r from o thers' sad ness. You have taken some thing that is real to all prison e rs and turn ed it into a side show. I hope I have give n yo u a g limpse of th e damage you have inflicted upon all prisoners. Tin-ia Holder FCJ DanbU1y ENCORE Prisoners of the Wm· on D·rugs was a power ful HBO do c um e ntary produced by Marc Levin a bout the price we pay for the counte rproductive perve rsity of th e d rug laws, th e way the y cripple th e crimin a ljustice syste m 's capacity to dea l with vio le nt fe lo n s and turn priso n e rs fo r first-time possession into hardened crimi nals. A lot of peo ple missed it because it was first Los prisioneros Hispanos, especialmente en el sistema federal, pueden ser transferidos hacia Mexico, Espana, Bolivia, Peru y Panama pa ra recibir libertad temprana, y vivir cerca d e sus seres queridos atraves de los servicios del Bufete de Benninghoff & Ramirez. Atraves de nuestras oficinas hemos proveido la transferencia a muchisimos prisioneros Hispanos. Los prisioneros transferidos podran recibir libertad immediata bajo filanza, libertad temprana para trabajar, y tiempo libre por buena cond ucta. Tambien, hemos tenido mu cho exito con prisioneros a los cuales se les ha negado la transferencia anteriormente. Favor de escribir a la siguiente direccion para que reciba un folleto descriptivo preparado especialmente para prisioneros Hispanos. --·-- iPINCHES ABOGADOS VAGOS Y HUEVONES! Siente que le m etieron una larga sentencia, m as larga que la que usted acord6. Siente que su abogado tambien le prometi6 la luna pero se lo transi6. Pues, p6ngase trucha. No deje que se lo hagan pensar. Cada dfa cientos d e Mexicanos sedan culpables por el rolla que les cuenta su abogado. Luego, d espues que reciben su feria, estos abogados huevones los llevan frente al juez como vacas al rastro a darse culpables. Pucs, jYa Basta! Si su abogado se aprovech6 de u sted y le meti6 miedo para darse culpable, Benninghoff & Ramirez le pueden reabrir su caso para reducir su sentencia o ejercer su derecho a un juicio. Benninghoff & Ramirez ha reabierto casas y reducido sentencias a Mexicanos que han sido engai'lados por abogados para darse culpables. Diga, jNO! a los abogad os huevones y Harne a Benninghoff & Ramirez, los abogados con huevos. --·-- APELACIONES Y 2255 LPiensa que fue hallado culpable en muy poca evidencia solo porque es Mexicano? LPiensa que su sentencia es muy larga? LPiensa que los narcos lo esculcaron a usted, su casa, o su carro sin motivo? LPiensa que su abogado no le ech6 ganas a su caso? Benninghoff & Ramirez puede ayudarle con su experiencia en apelaciones y 2255. Por mas de 20 afios hemos representando a Mexicanos por insuficiencia de evidencia, abogado inefectivo, esculcadas ilegales, y sentencias ilegalmente largas. --•-Escriba a: BENNINGHOFF & RAMIREZ Benninghoff Law Building 31411 Camino Capistrano San Juan Capistrano, California 92675 PRISON LIFE 11 aired on th e nigh t o f a b lizzard when ma ny lost ca ble se rvice; H BO sh ould give it a nothe r prime-time airing. Ron Rosenbaum The New York Obse rve r RACIALLY SKEWED I am c urre ntly inca rce rated a t FCI Danbury, a m 24 yea rs o ld, form e rly a college stude nt and a mothe r. Acco rding to my paperwork , l wo n 't be r e leased un til 20 16, when m y so n is 22. I am a fi rst-time nonviolent ofTende r se n tenced to 224 mo nth s. I was ve ry fru strated after watch ing your program. \Vhy did you foc us on Ca ucasia n cases? T h e few blacks who were interviewed did not come across well at al l. I' m sure you 've clon e you r resea rc h , but h ave yo u learned an yth ing? Or are yo u li ke everyone e lse who wants to cover up the tru th ? Wh y d o yo u thin k th e Millio n Man Marc h was so poten t to us black prisoners? Whe n it comes to drug cases, minorities are getting bu tchered. The program was biased. I have bee n in the syste m for over a year and have met so m e ve ry in te lli gen t priso n e rs who are seri ous about the ir lives. Your program violated prisone rs' rig hts and made us look igno rant. After mill ions lf you ' re ready to fight for yo ur freedom now , yo u ' re faci ng the b igges t c hall e nge of yo ur li fe. Most people fil e a few briefs a nd send a few leiters and are surpri sed when nothing happens. The ir freedom sea rc h turns from months to yea rs . It ca n be diffe re nt if yo u have connections. We' re experts at he lpin g p eop le get res ults fa s t. Ga in ac cess to the ri g ht co urt. Identify better appeal or constituti onal options. Don ' t make the mistake of doing all the wrong th ings and don' t take too long before calling us. We' re here to sit down w ith yo u , assess yo ur s i tu a ti o n , and determine what we can do to he lp you meet your goals. Have a friend cal l fo r a free confidenti al appointment. Collect 5 16-624-29 15. Direct 5 16-922-2946. 12 PRISON LIFE of people .saw th at program, they n o doubt thought, "Keep the m locked up a nd throw away the key!" Maybe Tewt Gingrich wi ll thank you for th a t H BO sp ecial. lVly fe llow prisoners a nd I wan t to know wh a t your real ca use was. Maybe money? Kemba Smith FC! Danbtoy NOD FROM THE NY TIMES cells has h ad littl e effect on the d rug trade b ut has had so m e be ne fits, for ins tanc e g ivin g j o bs to p eo ple like himself who run the prisons. Warde ns have recently take n to banning face-to-face intervie ws with priso n ers in the hope of discouraging sh ows that m a ke ce leb riti es o ut o f murd e re rs. But like a random victim o f a drive-by sh ooting , th is kind o f g ritty do c um e n tary wo uld also be a casualty. And that would be a loss. In one res pec t ex istence in priso n these cla ys is p retty muc h like exisWalter Goodman tence on the streets: a contest between The New Ymk Times dmg selle rs a nd users on o ne side a nd the law on the othe r. Such is the mesWHAT TRASH! sage o f Prison Life Presents: Prisone1:1· of Ohm)' Cod ! Please don't te ll me /he War on Drugs. that you, Richard, of all peop le, were a The fi rst a nd most pu ngent segment pa rt of th a t trash that I-IBO aired o n of this verite-style "America Undercov- j a nuary 8. My who le wor ld came er" documentary visits East j ersey State cras hing down o n me mome nts afte r Priso n in Ra hway, 1.J., where pro- the special began. It was a h o rribl e fessed dealers te ll, no exple tive d elet- nightmare co me true. 1 suspect that I ed, how drugs are smuggled in , hidden will h ave to re live it until every fam ily in bod y cavities and sold for three me mbe r a nd frie nd I asked to tune in times the su·eet price fo r sexual favo rs. h as rid th e mse lves of th e vie w they Th e on ly ch ee ring n ote in a n h our now undoubtedly have. of fast-a n d-fuzzy o r slow-a nd-fuzzy When I was inte rviewed for this spee ffe cts an d a preva ili ng b ea t of rap cial, I believed wholeheartedly th at the a nd rock comes from J ack Cowley, a n final prese ntation would prove to be a unu sua ll y candid Oklah oma officia l. positive reflection on thousands upo n He no tes th at pac king p eo ple in to thousands of priso ne rs. In fact, I was so complete ly sure I told my son, whom I love more than life, to watch this program so h e could get an idea of the decent victims our Government chooses to railroad into long, unnecessary priso n terms. Well, th e HBO special put a lid on that one for me. H ell, I' m too d amn ed e mbarrassed and humiliated to call him to find out just h ow bad that special shook him up. No kid wants to believe that his moth e r is imprisoned in the manne r de picted in the special. T he last time I even came close to fee ling thi s hum ilia ted was when I first arrived at this facility and had to strip , sq uat a nd cough. This time I feel as ifl 've rea lly bee n fu cked in the ass. Richard , I don ' t understand for the life of me h ow you wou ld eve n think that suc h vu lgarity a nd p essimism co uld strike freeworld citizen s in a positive way. If it were me on th e outside looking in , I' d be totally agai nst convicts like th e ones presented eve r havin g the ir freedom or even a chan ce at parole. These guys were n o t o nl y foulmouthed and negative, but seemed to be dead set against rehabi li tating themselves. Couldn ' t you have c hose n a few more po lite me n wit h future goals to re prese nt us prisoners of the war o n drugs? I do realize, R.ichard , that this film was not yo ur doing. I do believe that you played a role in putting it toge th er, h oweve r. It's just so painful for m e to be lieve what has happened beca use in a sense, yo u are a h e t·o to me. Your articl es a re tha t of an intell igent m an who wan ts to se t the record straight for us convicts. In this special, however, I fe lt like I was watc hing a film the Feels p roduced to d issuade Ame rica from voting for paro le or mandatory minimum se nte n ces. Ramona DiFazio FCJ DanbttTJ A MUST·SEE FOR TEENS At 10 to nig ht, parents across the counu1' should shephe rd their c hild re n , sit th e m d ow n in front of cable-equipped TYs, and force the m to watch Prisoners of the War on Dmgs. And , for diffe re n t r easo n s, they should stay and watch as well. For this hou r-lo ng documentat")', prod uced by Maplewood [ UJ filmmake r, Alan Levin, 69, a nd h is .Manhattanite so n Marc, 42, is a serio us shocke r. It's a picture guara nteed to scare the pants o ff a n y tee nager who mi g ht be te mpted to d abb le in drugs. And it will outrage m ost of the ir pare nts. Warde ns a t all th ree prisons explicate at le ng th h ow th e war o n drugs failed "complete!)"' to stop drug use but created an econo mic boom in the prison building indusu-y. Parents should know th a t the film is graphic in the extre me: o t only are prisone rs strip sea rched on camera, but inmates describe the torrid sexual scen e in priso ns, wh ere th ose who ca n ' t affo rd to pay fo r their drug h a bit kee p d eb to rs at bay by b eco m ing t h eir "virtual slaves" or offe ring homosex ual favors. Others d escribe the vio le nce of prison riots. It's n o t pleasant. But it might be enough to ma ke tee ns run away scream ing should th ey eve r e ncounter drugs or drug pushers. Jennifer Braun The Star-Ledger YOU BLEW IT As I sat in the lo ng-termers uni t in FCI Da n bur}' a n d yo ur docum e ntary bega n , my h ea rt san k. There we r e about 30 of us watch in g, incl uding a number of peop le who were shown in th e film or had been prese nt whe n your production team came he re to get foo tage. Our TV roo m was packed, as I know TV ro o ms were around th e country. Peo ple waiting with anticipation for someth ing good about us, finall y to be shown on nationa l TV. Ri c hard , how cou ld yo u ? How could you allow this total u·ash to be passed off as a serio us docume n tat"}' on the t·eal and terrible realities that we face both as prisoners and as a society in the war on drugs? I cann ot be lieve that you pro mo ted this a nd had a hand in makin g it. I ca n n o t be lieve th a t you cou ld imagine tha t th is wo ul d do anythin g to h e lp in the fig ht against mandatory minimums, aga inst th e te rrible spiral of inc reasing priso n costs, again st the very ha rsh conditio ns tha t prisone rs ac ross th is la n d face. I ca nn o t be lieve tha t th e re wasn ' t o n e shred of analysis about this most profound crisis, and that the ex te nt of analysis was a warden fro m Oklahoma who said o n ca me ra one of th e m ore c hillin g thin gs that I have he ard since th e Attica re be llion: "Wh e n they riot, I 'II kill them , they must learn to obey the syste m." This d ocumentary did damage to our ca use. It se t back th e struggle to humanize prisoners a nd Lo challenge society's view that prisons m·e a solution for all th e ills we have in Ame rica. It fed evet)' te rrible stereo type ou t the re . It was racist to th e core . How could th e edi torial ch o ice be m ad e I NTERNATIONAL PRISONERS Go H oME! If you are a foreigner doing time in the United Sta tes, it may be possible for you to be transferred to your h ome country to d o your time; close to your loved ones and in your own culture with yow· own language. The Law Offices of Benninghoff & Ramirez ha ve specialized in transferring International Prisoners for many years and we have the necessary expertise. Transfers can be arranged to dozens of cow1tries around the world so if yo u ha ve a desire togo back h ome, write us a letter exp laining your situation and we will respond immediately. Write to (Escriba a): & RAMIR EZ P.O. Box 1355 }UAN CAPISTRANO, CA 92675 B ENNINGHOFF SAN PRISON BOOK SHELF ® Hardbound Books at Discount Prices OVER 500 11TLES Earn Big Credits Toward Free Books Write for compl ete list and info on becoming a commissioned salesman. PRISON BooK SHELF ® 346 First Avenue New York, NY 10009 PRISON LIFE 13 not to include a postuvc blac k spokespe rson d oing time a nd who has no doubt spc m years fighting th e drug war in prison ? I kn ow hun dreds of o ldtime rs who have an analysis of this who would have adde d a radical view about th e ro le o f drugs, a nd th e fig ht on the front lines of prisons. The next line of radicals to include should have been the ro le of Islam in the prisons, a nd th e Muslims who wage war against tJ1e drug culture eveJ) •day. I would also add tJ1at there we re no black women in the magazine or th e special. ot one was visually present, and it is a big mistake because the reality of th e drug war is tha t a prima•y goal of it is to neutralize if not commit o utright genocide against people of color. The point that it happens to white people was th e o n ly po in t made , with regards to women. The exception of tJ1e o ne-minu te look at the Colo mbia n woman did not make the point. H e re was a c h ance to ta lk abou t legalizing d rugs, about drug treatme n t on de mand, a bout the total fai lure and pure hypocrisy of the DEA/ FBI in the crimin a l justice system . Opportuniti es a ll lost in this program. Instead you went fo r ex plo ita ti on a n d ca u sed us inside sh ame, grief, em barrass ment a nd a deep feeling of betrayal fro m a ll the people who up unti l now have been supp o rters of Priso n Life . In p ickin g the individ ua ls yo u d id , yo u made it seem that all people associated with dru gs are c razy, d e prave d a nd deserve to be locked up. T h e re is no way yo u can d e fin e yo u rse lf as th e "voice of the convict," u se your position as an ex-prisoner to ga in legiti macy and access a nd th e n turn a ro und and c rea te so me thing a negative as th e 1-1 BO special. Susan R osenberg FC! DanbUI)' FILM SHOWS FAILED DRUG WAR I t's a safe be t De nnis Morrow hasn 't bee n missed a t Me nsa m eetin gs during h is stay at th e Okla hom a State Re formatory in Granite, Okla. Mo r row, wh o is kn ow n across th e Midwest as tJ1 e Gra nd Maste r of Me th, may d ese•·ve his re putatio n as one of the counuy's best me thamphe ta min e chemi ·ts, but that doesn'L mean h e ' a particul arly brigh t man. Indeed , Morrow is th e very image o f the Okic good o l' boy: see mingly good-natured , amusing ly boas tfu l an d , a t least in appearance, dumb as a lam p post. Still , De nni s Mo rro w kn ows so m ething that see ms to have escaped virtua lly eve ry brig ht-boy p o li t ic ia n in Washi ngton: h e un dersta nds tha t th e 14 PRISON LIFE Wa r on D ru gs is d oo med to fa ilu re. And he knows why. Morrow mig h t not be long to the geni us cl ub, but he's smart e no ugh to know that a coun try tha t impriso ns a greate r percemage of its citizen ry than any other indu stria li zed nation is a coun U)' in deep u·ouble. lie a lso knows that it's largely poor and working peop le who have paid tJ1c price fo r the 23ycar, $300 billio n Wa r on Drugs. But th e truth, of co urse, is that a ll b ut th e d ull es t o r most de lusio nal p oliticia ns in Ame r ica know the same thi ng. Un like Mo rrow, who is se rvi ng a J 05-year priso n se nt e n ce for manufac wrin g cra nk an d h as li ttle le ft to lose, h oweve r , th e poli ticians c an't afford to ad mit it to a public they and th e ir pred ecessors h ave bo mba rd e d with an ti-d rug, pro-d rug-wa r propaganda for too long. Marc Levin i n ' t a n in mate, but n either is h e a p o litician . He's a film make r, wh ich gives him license to te ll th e truth. And in his n ew effo rt fo r I-lBO , Prison Life Prr•smts: Prisoners of the War on Drugs, Levin e xtends that lice n se to Mor row a nd hi s fe ll ow inmates a t G ra ni te, prison e rs a t two o tJ1 e r facilities a nd a ha ndrul of courageo us prison officia ls, a llowing th e m a ll to ta lk about the drug war's fu tility as de mo nstrated by th e governm e nt's co mpl ete inability to control the drug trade eve n \Vithin th e walls o f its own pri so ns. What Levin e xposes in hi s startling documenta•y is th at there's a h ealthy drug trade be hind ba rs, o n e th a t isn' t me rely a live, it's booming. "Po li ticians a re doing eveq1thing to increase the need for drugs, th e drive for drugs and the incemive to get in to the drug trade, a nd they prete nd they do n 't understa nd why all th ese tough laws h ave n ' t sto pped drugs," Levin said. "All we ca n do is h ope that with progra ms li ke [Prison ers of the War on Dmgs] we ca n get the facts o ut th e re for people a nd t ha t m o re a n d m o re peo p le will stan LO realize th e futility and the insanity of th is drug war. " O n e can hardly watch the docume ntary and fa il to get that point, at least not if one hasn ' t been to ta ll y bli nded by drug wa r propaganda. Blind or not, however, a viewer can 'L help but come to one basic concl usion from Le,~ n 's fi lm. As tJ1e director pm it, "If we can put people in pe ni ten ti aries with wa lls arou nd them and put them in cages a nd they still get this stuff, how can we really hope to eliminate it on tJ1e streets?" Smn Glennon T he Va lley Advocate DO A PART II The HBO sh ow was excelle nt a nd yo u d id ge t your p o int ac ross to the publi c very we ll. I loved th e show as we ll as ha te d parts o f the program. T he show was tru ly a se nsational piece o fjourn a lism a nd a grea t success. I li ke th at you were a b le to sh ow a udiences the ho rrors tha t we li nd in eve ry d ay prison life, the feelin gs we fee l b)' being locked up a nd away from o ur families. You clearly de mo nstrated that th e government ca nn o t stop th e influx o r use or d rugs or the drug culture tha t exists in thi s co u n try, eve n beh ind the fo rtifi ed wa lls a nd unde r the h eavily poli ced federa l a n d sta te peni tentiaries. T he pan I ha ted was th at the majority of people yo u showed were sc umbags. o citizen o n th e o utside cares if they fuck eac h othe r in the ass, have themselves a "tossed salad " or di e in p r iso n . I kn ow you h a d to use these kinds of peo p le to shock viewe•·s a nd show that drugs a re still ge tting in , but I assure you th a t I, eve n th o ugh I a m inside these walls fo r a drug conspiracy and having to rub elbows with some of these people, do n ' t care if they ever get out, fo r t h ey a r c th e sco u rge of society a nd I do no t wa nt th e m ncar me o r my i~1 mil y. I believe a part two need s to be presen ted. Take th e programming a ste p further in to th e g uts of this drug war a n d sho w th e o th er e nd of t he scale (tJ1e ca usalities be hin d bars) by using th e more e du ca ted people li ke yo ur lawyers, doctors, engineer , pilots, etc. who are a lso in carce ra te d , d o in g li fe e nte nces, being first-Lim e nonvio le nt offe nde rs, a nd wh o kn ow h ow they were targeted b)' the fed e ra l governm e nt o r by snitch es tha t we re o ut to pro fit a nd be n e fit fo r themse lves, by e ithe r working a deal with the governm e nt to cut th e ir own tim e fo r drug c harges or by ac tua lly profiting by settin g peo ple up to take a fa ll , a nd / or how this "war" has a ffected the lives, caree rs and econo mic stability o f priso ne rs, taxpayers and fami lies. Yo u n eed to co n tinue you r li n e o f tho ug ht a n d p roduce a pa rt two to show the p u blic th at not eveq'o n c in priso n is a "Me th amph e ta min e Monster," a freak fu ll of tauoos o r a queer wanting to get his a s licked. There are n umerous good, clea n , well-educate d professiona ls a nd Godfea.-ing people behin d th ese walls who h ave fallen pre)' to thi s unh o ly war. I kn ow thi s to be tru e for I a m o n e of w ose people. David Coma "All the News You Can't Confine" BLOCK BEAT America's National Prison Newspaper --------- March-April1996 CLINTON VETOES "NO FRILLS" PRISON BILL WASHINGTONHaving passed in both the House and Senate, Rep. Dick Zimmer's (R-NJ) "No Frills" prison bill was rece ntly vetoed by President Clinton. The Preside nt vetoed the e ntire Commerce, Justice, State and judiciary Appropriations Act, whi ch included the Zimme r amendment. However, a legisla tive representative from Zimmer's office reported that the bill is not dead yet. "What we're attempting to do now is a targe ted appropriations bill," Zimmer's aide told Block Beat, meaning the bill will be resubmitted as part of a smaller package considered more likely to pass. Zimmer's amendment states that no appropriated funds shall be used by the federal prison system to provide specific amenities, including Photo by James Thomas. OK Stmc Refomm1ory in-cell cable television; R, X and NC-17-I-ated movies; The prison-as-country-club concept pornographic materials, instruction conu·adicts what many Prison Life or train ing in martial arts; weightlift- readers report: That few, if any, of the ing equipment; in-cell coffee po ts or amenities targeted by the Zimmer bill other heating elements; electronic are now available to federal prisoners. Zimmer's provision, if passed, would musical instruments and personallyowned computers or modems. require the federal p rison system to "When yo u break the laws of this "provide p1isoners the least amount of land, you should pay the price for amenities and personal comforts conyour crime,'' declared Zimmer, "not sistent with co nstitutional requirebe rewarded with a vacation watch- me nts and good order and discipline ing premium cable on your personal in the federal p1ison system. " TV. There is no reaso n why we It would also abolish earned good shou ld be using taxpayer funds to time credits, require prisoners to work finance inma te amenities." no less than 40 hours a week and have - all phone calls monitored, except when between the prisone r and the prison er's immediate family or legal counsel. "Some c rimin als have come to view jail as a n almost acceptable lifestyle because amenities are better for them on the inside than on th.e outside," said Zimmer. The Zimmer amendment also wou ld instruct the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to submit an annual report to Congress providing a brea kdown of money spe nt at each federal correctional institution on amenities a nd non essential programs. "This amendment will give us the basis for subsequent remedial legislatio n," said Zimmer. At the request of Rep. Bi ll McCollum (R-FL), th e crime bill 's floor manager, Zimmer limited the scope of his amendment to federal prisons. However, h e said h e will work to extend "no frills" requ irements to state prisons receiving federal funds. Apparently, the Federal Bureau of Prisons is not pleased with the potential passing of the Zimmer bill. A confidentia l memo from BOP Director Kath leen M. Hawk to wardens of federal prisons stated: "I fully appreciate that the timing of this iss u e could not b e worse; nonetheless, all indications are that this legislation is inevitable." PRISON LIFE 15 3. Strikes and California Will Be Out--of Dough ·LOS ~~E~S-California's "~ree strikes" law to imprison repeat criniinah ~ea~ns cash-s~pped Los Angeles. County s JUStice system, accordmg to a recent report presented to county o:ffictals. · Three strikes cases are tying up an "excessively disproportionate" share ofjustice system resources for-prosecution, defense, trial courts and jails, according to the County-wide Criminal Justice Coordi.n,ation Committee tt;:pott. The county criminal justice system will dole out an estimated $309 million this fiscaJ:ye~ to cover the caost 9f t:Iu;ee strikes cases, a 306% increase over the last fiscal year, the report said. Tom~~do,jailspac;efor:nonvioi~ntf.elo~~:has been decreased along with the resources to handle misdem.eanor and otl_ler (elon,y.cas~s th~t dp ~o~'ijlllundet'tll:~ three strikes law. ·· · · ·. · · "There. is strong subjective evidence, based upon a consensus of LQs ~g~les Countyd:Ps.i~e :e,xper~, that we are •qui~k. ly reaching the point of 'breaking' the system and that future accommodatiOJJ.S and self-adjl;astments will be made ~t the· expense of even higher levels of misdemeanor and felony crim_es," t:he r~port:P()IlClucfed. ·~ . The state's 1994law known as "three strikes. andyQu're out" mandates:pqsqn s~nt¢i}~es,qf'2P~Year~ to life for ctiJ:,n.iilals convicted of a third serious felony. Since its inception, the high.:.securityjail'p:opu]atiq~m;tb~·county-h~increased:to · 62% from 36%. · Reuters Drug Czar Brown Takes Parting Swipe at A.dfdas, 'He:mp~ ~Sne~e.t'$ Says Shoe Capitalizes tm Reference to Marijtmng · · ·· ·· ': WASHINGTON-On the eve of his departure as th'e nation's dRig .ezar/IJee ·Bro:Wn·:fi~·,zet~ed in on a new way to combat drugs: from the ground up. . .. . .. . . . , . ·. . . .· ... As the country's national drug control policy director~ Mt~ B;rown has called upon.Ac;liclaS. to stop ·p~oducing and sell':' ing its hemp athletic shoe. .·. , . . •. .. . . . · In a Jan. 5letter to Adidas America's president, Steven WyJm~·Mr. Brown points o~tthatthe "cyniqll'¢larke~g".of the Hemp shoe is an attempt to "capitalize on the qrug cQltur;e/' ·.· . · _ ·. _ . ,: An Adidas spokesman said the company has n9 plans to disc.ontinue production. In a lett~t responding;. to ·Mr. Brown's plea, Mr. Wynne dismissed the drug qzar' concern~ said that the Hernp sgoe:was designed with :envil"<>n"' mental concerns in mind. "It's comforting to lqlow. thatthejWC!X on drugs is going so well that you can ~or<l.:to'4evote your time to writing letters ~o me," he chided~ ·- · · He also suggested that the drug czar's cc:mc:;ems were ,misplacep. "You should noJe that hemp is not m¢ju~a. 'ntis fiber hemp has only trace concentrations ofTHC~ the p$fchoactive element in marijuana. I don't believe you will encounter anyone smoking our shoes anytime SO()J1." · · s and The WaU StreetJoomal Guard Pays For Eating Con's S:nail PARIS-Peeved prisoner Bernie Warreau has won :a. 'Whoppil)g $232,000 in damage.s {rQm ~ he~utless guard who killed his pet snail Cyrille, and ate him for lunch~. ·. . . -, , '· . . . ·._ - . . . .·. ·Bernie won the judgment against guard Claug~ -de GPiUot:~d!Fre~cltprison offici~ wQ.e11 a judge rUled that bliDlJr ing off the burglar's little buddy viol~ted• his ciVil .tifgh~·. · . ."Everyone is entitled to companionship, and' th~f.~itlclude~:¢oii~cte<i fel.plls,"'S~d: ~OJilbetJudge Se(ge Gerardi. "The killing of Mr. Warrea1,1' s friend ·dep~ve·cf,the; ·pl~tiffqf;~9nltad¢'slrlp-.ii~edlessly and:·Without due process of law, in violation of his rights under the French <:;op:stitution;" . . .·. _ .· -. .- .· . . .· , judge Gerardi ruled that the snail-crilzy con...:.-setvh;1g~sev~n: years for a1:>o9kstore break-in~ collect the entire $232,000 judgment the day he's rele~ed on p~qle, so:tl!eti~~ ·iA}~:m~e-· '.9.~~: 'Tll;e ·mo11ey'll be nice, but itwon 't bring Cyrille back," lamented a bitter Bernie~ 38. "I st:rre do miss tb:e· li.ttle IDlY·" · Weekly World News . _ Ruling Curbs Law that Adds TitJJ.e tc>llru,g. :P~al~rs~ 'l'ellm$ ·f()J: ·~QDS , WASHINGTON-No longer can the Feds slam drug dealers with an e;xtta fiveyearsfo~ "Qsip.g or ®ryinga gilll," according to a December '95 Supreme Co'urtruling. · · · · · · Until recently, prosecutors and most federal courts had imposed an additional five yews ifa weapon was fo":lnd i~ .th.e drug dealer's car, in a locked trunk or even a home closet. If the weapon was accessible to a drug trafficker, proseC,Utor'$ reasoned, it was used in the commission of the-dealer's crimes··b~cause it,providedproteation. · . But in a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court threw out that definition as too broad From·n,ow on, a qr:iminal musthold,; brandish or fire the weapon to get the extra punishment, the jlistices·said. The "mere possession'' ofa gun is pot enough. The decision, Bailey vs. U.S., overturned the five-year prison sentences imposed on two ~g deal~rs.in·W~hingt;Qil• In the first case, police found cocaine in the glove compartment of Roland Bailey's car andlater founrlaloaded. pistol in his car's trunk. He was sentenced to four years for the cocaine violatio:ns and. fiv~ more y~ for the;.g1),Jl> offense. In the second case, an undercover officer bought crack cocaine in Canclisha Robinson's apartmentand.-retQrned to_ find an unloaded pistol in a locked trunk in her closet. She was given eight years for dealing crack an9. five mt;>re yea,rS" for having a gun. . . . The federal gun law was originally passed in the summer of 1968. It added-a five-year pen~ty for allyon~, who used a : gun to commit a violent crime. Congress broadened the law in 1984 and 1988 to apply the extra penalty "in relation toady drug trafficking crime."' The &J,n,.ras City star 16 PBISD• LIFB ~ Big Apple Lawyers Snub Guards in Landmark Brutality Case NEW YORK CITY-The city is refusing to defend at least 23 Rike rs Isla nd correction officers, includ ing two captains and a deputy ward e n, who have been accused of prisone r· brutality in a landmark lawsuit. The cases of additio nal officers, including at least one warden , are still under review by th e city's corpora tio n counsel. The services of th e city's lawyers are withheld from municipal e mployees, such as police and correction officers, if the corpo ration counsel dete rmin es that their actions violated de pa rtment rules and regula ti ons. The city's refusal to re present so many correction officers, including high-ranking supervisors, seems to signal th e city's willingn ess to settle the lawsuit \vithout goi11g to court. T he class-action lawsuit filed in 1993 by the Prisoners Rights Proj ect cha rges tha t un provoked beatings in the Centra l Pu nitive Segregation Un it, also kn own as the Bing, have caused brokenjav.rs and perforated eardrums as well as otl1e r pe rmane nt injuries to priso ners. The sui t, which seeks $2. 1 millio n in dam ages, char ges that tl1e beatings were ofte n ignored or even supervised by captains. Th e lawsuit also spawned a U.S. Justice Departme nt investigation of conditio ns in th e Bing; as a result of tl1e investigatio n, tl1 e Bing was closed in early J anua ry. Rikers officers are an gry that the city has a bandoned them in t11e face of accusations made by p risoners. "If the city d id its homework, they wou ld see throug h this smokescreen," said Norm an Seabrook, presid e n t of the Correctio n Office rs Ben evole nt Association. Seabrook said the officers won't be left witho ut a legal defe nse, a nd added tha t the unio n is consideri ng suing the city fo r refusing to re present its officers. NY Daily News Canadian Government Outraged Over Wounded Knee Nightmare of Leonard Peltier After twenty years of suffe ring, native activist Leonard Peltie r may be beading home. He is the victim of a n F.B.I. vende tta of blackmail, threats, deceit, viole nce a nd arroga nt racism. T he Bureau 's behavior h as ouo·aged the Canad ian governmen t. The Canadian Minister of justice h as called fo r an examin atio n of ne w evide nce of gross misconduct by the F.B.I. and feels it may lead to a demand for Preside nt Clin ton to decree clemen cy, or at least a re-trial. O n Jun e 26, 1975, F.B.I. agents Ron Williams and jack Coler were sh ot to death on Pine Ridge Ind ian Reserve, in South Da ko ta. This was a Lime of much unrest and violence betv,reen num erous rival native g roups, primarily over bow to best utilize extremely valuable uranium d eposits on Indian land. Originally four n atives were charged wid1 the murde rs, but ch arges against all but Peltie r, who was in Canada, were dropped. Wh a t resulted was on e o f the hig hest profile, large-scale manhun ts in Nord1 Am erican histOI)'Over fifty Canadian me mbers of Parliam e nt have signed a doc ume nt in support of Peltie r. Canad ian poli ti cia ns a nd citize ns are disg usted by " azi-like ., manipulations, fabrication a nd te rro r tactics used by th e F.B.I.. while d ealing with key witn ess Myrtle Poor Bear. H e r testimony was insu·ume ntal in th e exu·adition docum en ts filed with th e Can ad ia n government. If th.e trud1 h ad bee n known about this fabricated testimony, Leonard Peltier wou ld never have been exu·adi ted from Canada to face his mw·de r oial. Poor Bear was coached in her testimo ny and fo rced to lie because o f threats agai nst h er a nd h er fam ily by the F.B.I. She has a history of mental proble ms and drug a buse. She also has admitted to falsifying testimony in tl1e murder u·ial of Canad ian a tive activist Alma Mae Aquash. Sh e has fu lly r·ecan ted h e r testimony against Leonard Peltier. Othe r key prosecution witn esses, Michael Ande rson a nd Wilford Drape r, have now also admitted to F.B.I. threats forcing th em to falsify their testimonies at Peltie r's earlier oial. An a ppeal in 1986 was lost due to some techn ical oversights and/ o r complications which "kept the shackles o n. " In a post-o·ial phone conve rsation with a reputable journalist, AppealJudge Heaney states, "I think Peltie r should get cle me ncy and have so writte n the Preside nt, through SenatOr Da n In o uye (H awai ia n De m ocrat). I t's tim e for a h ealing." Th is is th e Appeal Judge who h eard Peltier's appeal. Who could have mo re credibility? How can th e system be so cold as to fail Peltie r over a legal technicality? With th e support of th ousands of individuals across North America, the Canadian Government, as well as judge Hean ey, is it no t Lime for justice? Is it not time for Americans to d emand honor and truth in the eyes of n ot only their counU1' but the world? Leonard Peltie r m ust be freed! - Tom Mann PRISON LIFE 17 CALL OUTS PRISON LEGAL NEWS is a well-established, professionally-written newsle tte r produced by Paul Wright and Dan Pens, both '"'ashington state prisoners. PLN covers the latest case law on prison-re lated litigation nationwide; it also includes articles about America's prison indusU)', the role of the co urts, legal research and other related subjects. Subscription rates are $12/ year for prisoners (12 issues) and $50/ year for insti tutional subscriptions. Get your facility's law librat)' to subscribe- this is a great legal resource for prisoners, by prisoners. Contact Prison Legal News, P.O. Box 1684, Lake Worth, FL 33460. Highly recommended! -Alex Friedmann, Resouues Editor, PLM. CARING ABOUT THE PRISON SYSTEM (CAPS) is a foundati o n fo r fam ily members concerned with th e inhumane a nd bruta l treatm e nt of priso n e rs within th e Texas D e partm e nt of Criminal JusticeInstitutional Divisio n. Their purpose is to share information with other fam ilies who feel they may not be alone. For informati o n , write or call: CAPS, P.O. Box 121124, Ft. Worth , TX 76 121-1124, c / o Vina Payne 806/ 273-5422. OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEWLY RELEASED OFFENDERS. written by Josh Hoe kstra, is a n outsta nding reference boo k for those in prison or jail, on paro le or probation and seeking employment opportunities. It offers suggestio ns for o btaining employment, aid and be n efits (primarily n ation al resources), busin ess loans and free or inex pe nsive correspondence courses. At last, h ere is a reference work tha t can make a real differe n ce to n ewly released offenders. For co pies, send $27.50 to: OfJportunilies for Newly Released Offenders, c / o The Graduate Group, P.O. Box 370351, West Hartford, CT 06137-0351. PRISON LIFE SUBSCRIBERS. We need yo ur fu ll and exact mailing address so that the mailroom h as no excuse to return yo ur copy of Prison Life. Full name (no aliases or street names); prisoner number or docket number; unit, ce llblock, bunk; name of joint; street or P.O. Box number; city or town and state; five or nine digit zip code. PLM CHANGE OF ADDRESS. If you shipped out, be sure to notify us with your new address as soon as possible. Send all subscription correspondence to: PLM, 1436 West Gray, Suite 531, Houston, TX 77019-4946. SCAM ALERT! The Brotherhood of Prisone rs of Ame rica is a fraud! These rip-off artists advertised in our March 1995 issue. Do NOT send these crooks money. If you did, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, P.O. Box 2616,Jersey City, NJ 07303-2616. P.S. Don ' t fee l bad-they ripped us off, too. PEN PAL UPDATE. If you 've sent us a pen-pal ad and haven 't seen it yet, be patie nt. We can only print so ma ny of them pe r issue, due to th e heavy-duty vo lume. Remember: Prison Life subscribers are allowed on ly one free ad per subscription (and yeah, we' re checking now!) except those on Death Row. After your free one, pen pal ads are $9.95 per issue (and they' re guaranteed to run in the following issue). We are also going to expand our Pen Pal section to include photos. For $19.95 , you can get you r pho to in, as well as your ad. Send to Prison Life Pen Pals, 200 Varick Street, Suite 901 , New York, NY 10014. IF YOU OR YOUR ORGANIZATION has a callout for us, send your informatio n to our editorial office or fax it to us a t 212/ 229-1334. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN? Recently escaped from a maximum-security prison in Californiaaccording to the FBIBubba is armed and dangerous. Think twice before ratting him out. If you do run into him, tell him Prison Life magazine is waiting for his next column. Tell him he is behind deadline. Then get out of his way. IS PRISON LIFE ESCAI•E ... Into Your Favorite Book At last , detainees and their friends and family can get the books they wane without a major hassle! Books Beyond Bars offers aunique service that allows you to order thousands of tides in hard cover, paper back, and magazine formats. From educational and legal texts to eroti ca and adult entertainment ... if it's in prim, Books Beyond Bars can get it for you! For information on ordering or specific titles, write or send your requests by author and/or ti tle to: Books Beyo11d Bars, Publishe rs P.O. Box 4865 • H iale ah, FL 33014 or calL· (305) 444-0120 (No collect calls please.) Do11't waste you r lime! Write today. tlooi.t; 1/e)rmd lkm rs n mbsidim1· of CllfJ/11~' .llarJ.vliug. Juc • II£> do 11ot mall bmt• or mc(<tlitemrun.· Ubros En Espano l H.R. COX Retired, BOP Corrections consultant STEINBORN 817·596·8457 ASSOCIATES Law Offices & ( U.S. v. McCaslin: U.S. v. 5405.098.23) . a\ p..ssistance in·. profession . f or . nations Initial oesl9 • u nders pre-lria\ o, I e • .,. ansfers Ir tainers ues & oe I p\acernent • INS ISS r:edera • state orr 1 \-\earin9S • parae . Rernedies • p..drninistratNe PO BOX1551 • Crimi nal Defense • Forfeiture Double Jeopardy • Recovery of Seized Assets Representing the Accused since 1968 Ste inborn & Associates 30th Floor, Smith Tower 506 Second A ve. Seattle, Washington 98 104 206-622-5 11 7 fax: 622-3848 In ternet: SURLAW@ AOL.com Available for representation, or consultation with your attorney. weatherford, TX 76086 PRISON LIFE 19 VOICE OF THE CONVICT FOR 1 YEAR6 HARDCORE ISSUES Call: 1-800-207-2659! 0 Check or Money Order 0 MasterCard OVisa O AmX Card# _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Exp. _ __ Signature _ _ 0 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ ENCLOSED IS $19.95 (Canada $28.75} Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ ____ Numbe r_ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Institution_ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ Add ress._ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ City_ _ _ _ _ _ _State _ _ _Zip Code_ _ _ _ __ _ L . __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _J Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Make check or money order payable to Prison Life Magazine (U.S.$ only). Send to: Prison Life, 1436 Gray, Suite 531, Houston, TX 77019. In Canada, send to 253 College St. , Suite 444, Toronto, ONT M5T1R5 (Canadian $.) INSIDER OUTLOOK Snitch or Victim? I'm in th e Ho le , awa iting a cou rt d a te for a new c h arge t h a t ca rri es three years minimum a nd n ine years maximum. I was char ged with possessing a 10-inc h kn ife th at wasn' t mine . On April 19, 1995, my o ld cellma te made a knife and brought it back to o ur cell. H e showed it to me. I told him to get th e knife out of the room beca use not only \vould he get in u·ouble, but he would get me in u·ouble, too. Everyo ne kn ows wh a t h a ppe ns lO a snitch in prison. So I gave th e ma n a cho ice righ t th e n a nd the re lO ge t rid o f the knife. The n I left. Whe n I re tu rn ed, my cellma te said it was gone. "Good ," I said, "because I'm n o t a snitch a nd I'd hate to h ave to turn you in." The next morning I was cleaning the room and I fo und the damn th ing. To make a long story sho rt, I turn ed th e knife in a nd my cellma te took h is own weight. Now, four months later, he's saying tha t the shank was not his, but mine. So now I have this new case. I have two-and-a-half years left on my 12-yea r bid a nd a m facing a n o th e r nin e years straight time. 1o t o nly that, but at the time this happe ned , th e warde n he re to ld m e, ''Yo u ' re do ing th e righ t thing" l \>\There's the j ustice in this? selves thro ugh education is gone, they will no t h ave a cha nce. Would freeworlders rathe r h ave an ed ucated exco n with a wo rki ng trade living next door or an ex-con they're worried might be casing their ho mes? If the sc hools are re m oved, th e re wi ll be high e r recidivism. As a re peat o ffe nder, I can pro mise you that. \Iinam/ Perez Ar·izona Stale Prisou TIAS Treaty a Cruel joke At a tim e wh e n taxpaye rs a nd legisla tors bemoan th e ever-increasing cost of retaining Am e rica's ti tle as priso n capital of th e world, little use is b eing m ade of th e 1983 Mu ltila te ra l T reaty- TIAS 10824. T h e treaty p e rm its the rep a tri a ti on o f a lien p riso ners, t here by freein g up sca rce cell space an d saving taxpaye rs unto ld millio ns o f dollars. OILY Repatri ation is b y no means th e equ iva len t of a "get out of jai l free card." Repatriates must serve the re mainder of their sentence, b u t can serve it in their native country. In the case o f my code renda nt and I , c it izens o f Ge rman y and Turkey, respec tively, it wi ll cost 1ew York State approximate ly $ 1.2 mi llion to keep u s im prisoned fo r the bala n ce of o u r sen tences. Desp ite th is huge expendilll rc, th e state refuses to pe rm it our re p a t riatio n. Most othe r juri sdictio n s h ave ta ke n a simi lar position toward usc of the trea ty. To my know ledge, no t o n e of t h e approxi mately 5,000 alie n pr·isoners in ew York alo ne have been offered the option of being repatriated pu rsuant to th e trea ty. Yet the state is so strapped fo r cash that in desperatio n the gove r no r a n d legislalll re have e li minated prison college p rograms, curtailed h igh school CEO instruction ONE WORD ••• Shannon Lane IL Vienna Con. Center Don't Do It In th e past four yea rs I've bee n in prison , I've take n advan tage of a ll the edu ca ti o n a l progr a ms I possibly co uld. Now rum o rs a re circ ul a tin g h e re in Arizo n a tha t the gove rn o r is going to e liminate bo th college education a nd vocational u·aining. lfl had neve r received the vocational edu ca ti o n I h ave n ow, I wo uld, o n e day, be released wi th th e same juvenile mind I had wh e n I was a rrested . Since the n , I have re placed a ll my get-r ic hquick sche mes with pla ns to p ursue a career in fi re fig hting a nd o ne d ay, to o pe n my own business. I wo uld neve r have gone to college on the streets. My family just did n' t h ave th e mo n ey to send me there. Ma ny of the you n g me n co m in g in to day are gang ba ngers and small-time d rug deale rs wh o've dropped o ut of high school. Now they have the time to think about what they wanL out of life. If th e oppo rtunity to re h abilitate the mPRISON LIFE 21 and g uue d vocatio n al trai ning p rogra ms a nd li brary services. Also, th ey are n ow c h a rg ing each priso n e r man y of wh o m earn a paltry $3 p er week-$ 1 per wee k roo m and board. Fo r the first time, t.hey are imple me nting the dange rous practice of housing two m e n p e r si n g le-ma n ce ll in th e sta te's maximum-security prisons. Ful ly u tili zing th e provisio ns of th e TlAS u·ea ty will h ardly solve the prison overcrowding problem in Ame rica, but the milli o n s o f do lla rs t h a t co u ld be saved by doing so also would allow the co ntinuatio n of ma n y vita lly n eeded educatio nal and the rapeutic programs. T he TlAS treaty makes sense. De nying alie n prisoners the o ptio n of using it is o n e more example of fiscal misma n age m e nt a nd th e U.S. gove rnme nt's fa iled prison policy. Herbert Ehinger Eastern C.F. , NY Kansas Department of Corruption As o f J a n u a ry I , 1996, Ka nsas prisoners ca n no lo nge r wri te to inma tes in o ther pri so n s, unl ess it is app roved b y t h e wa rd e n s o f bo th fac il ities. As of ove mb er 3, 1995, th e Kan sas DOC quit giving Tyle nol, llluSiration by Tim Manin 22 PRISON LIFE aspmn a n d o th e r m edicines like Maa lox a n d started se lli n g it to u s. You can buy I 0 2-pill p ac ks for 14 ce n ts, o r if you don 't h ave a n y money, you ca n see the nurse for $2 (payable whe neve r mo n ey comes in for yo u ) a n d ask for T yle n o l. Whether you ge t two aspirins or n o t, you' ll still pay the $2. The pho n e sys te m h e re h ad to be thought up by a real id io t. Yo u have to dial 00 plus you r inmate numbe r p lus 0 p lus area cod e p lus th e pho ne numbe r . That's 18 d ig its! And it d oesn 't stop there. You can only call n in e people total. Your atto rney's numbe r and your ch osen nine a re on the computer alread y, so if you try to call anyone else, the phone shuts o fT. To ge t someon e o n your pho ne list, you have to give the ir street ad dress, nam e, re lationship a nd phone n u mbe r . All o f it h as to b e ve rifi ed. All ph one calls, th e n , a re ta pe-recorded and listened to during the actual conve rsa tio n . If th e p e rso n in th e co mp ute r/ r eco rdin g roo m "d ee ms it appropriate," th e pho n e call ca n be shut off a t a ny tim e . You are a llowed to ta lk fo r 15 mi nu tes, then th e phone automatically sh u ts o ff. T h e bottom li ne is: T h ese Ka n sas DOC officials d on' t kn ow how to run a prison! They run a d ay ca re cente r fo r idiots. They act tough, but we have chi ld moleste rs and snitc h es all ove r the place. I ' m 29 years o ld a n d I 've don e 10 years in this priso n . There are punks h e re who thi nk they have it ha rd but are too busy snitc hing to stand up like we did ten years ago . We fough t th e Kansas DOC for the phones and many o th e r thi ngs. Now this n ew breed of inma te lets th e administratio n ta ke what we fought for and the n complain a bout it. When I te ll th e m to file gri eva n ces a nd court ac ti o ns instead of whi ning, th ey run to th e Ma n and snitc h that I ' m inciti ng tro ubl e . Kansas prisone rs are too weak to riot. What we reall y n eed is a good mass killing spree to c ut d ow n a ll th ese snitches. Bntce Dyche /-1 utchinson C. F., Kansas These People Play God! Abou t eight mon ths ago, I met a penpal through a bike r magazin e called "Rag." He wrote m e eve ryd ay a nd we end ed up e ngaged . Our wedding was planned for May 26, 1996, shortly after my release on May l . Befo re h e co ul d be p laced o n my p e rm a n e nt visita ti o n li st, h e h ad to have a NCIC-UCIC check (nationwide backgro und c h ec k by the feds a nd state). But un til that investigation was completed, classificatio n allowed my fi ance to visit me o n August 12-1 3, on what they called a "sp ecial visit." Shortly afte r th e special '~sit, his background check arrived a nd he cleared it with fl ying colors. H e h ad no prior arrests or convictions, and he posed no security risk to t11e institmion. But my classifica tion o ffice r saw fit to d e ny me regul ar visiting privi leges b eca use "n o prior re lationship was establish ed." I took it a ste p furt h e r , u sing th e o l ' fa ithfu l ch ain o f co mma nd, but all grievances we re de nied . My fiance called m e institution a nd h ad a p o lite 30-minute con versatio n wi th the h ead o f class ifica ti o n , ex plaining his bac kground cleara nce, t11e fac t that we 'd me t as pen-pals, and r e minding th e m th a t we we r e also e ngaged. We 'd even had our wedding invitatio ns mad e. It was all to no avail. Th e sad thin g a bo u t th is e ntire e pisode is tha t my fiance was recen tly ki lled on his scoote r. I received word fro m th e ch a pla in afte r sh e ve rifi ed his dea th when his fami ly called to re port th e incide n t. T here was n ever a ny proof shown to me, upo n my req uest, th a t there is a rul e, a chapter, or a revised o r added rul e or chapter, law or me mo, stating that prisoners must h ave established a prior r e la ti o nsh ip before visitation rights can be obtained. These people pl ay God! They robbed me of time with my fia nce and rationalized the reaso ning with a phantom rule. They use their p ower to tell us who's good for us. Would it have bee n beue r if someone from my past vis ited me? Someo n e wh o played a big part in t h e reason I' m he re, someone to visit and e ncourage me to "h urry up a nd get out b ecau se we got a nothe r big score awaiting you?" They say a pe rson from the past is bette r than someone who comes clean on paper, who is "rock so lid " a nd wou ld be willing to give me a ne w life, like th is system claims to be doing. Are they so stuck o n ke e ping this human ware h o use in operation ? Where's the rehabil itation? Linda Clayton Jefferson Con ·. lnsl., FL Let Inmates Mate In Contrary to popular belief, conjugal visits are not just a way fo r prison e rs "to ge t so m e." Conj ugal visits are a viable, th erape uti c a nd re hab ilitative tool, whi ch , if used in te lligen tly, can address at least three major a reas of concern lo r prison officials. First, conjugal visits can he lp reduce prison er violence and infractio ns. Getting prison e rs to do what you wan t is easier whe n you have someth ing to offe r th e m in return. Any pe rson, prisoner or othe r, is less likely to obey rules when h e has little hope or reason to do so. Using cot"Dugal visits as rewards fo r priso n ers with good track reco rds wou ld provide incentive to ma in tain good be havior. Furthe rm ore, co njuga l visits ca n he lp co n tro l the spread of AIDS. Co n sens ual h omosexual ity a nd h om osexu al rape h ave long been the secret shame of priso n life. But n ow, with AIDS reac hing e pide mi c pro portio ns in almost every prison, offi cials can no longer turn a b lind eye to this cos tl y ~md deadly situa tion. T h e sad truth is th a t ma n y p riso n e rs turn to h o mosex uality because it is th e o nly o utle t, not just for sexual frustration, but for wa rmth an d compassio n . Occasional co njugal visits might provid e eno ugh of an ou t le t to kee p so m e prison e rs fro m beco min g invo lved in dange ro us liaisons. Fina lly, t h e m ost sig n ifica nt proble m facing the American judicial syste m tod ay is the high recidivism rate. Recid ivism is at the h eart of p ri son overcrowdi ng a nd a t the core of public outcry that says the judicial system isn ' t doing its job. Nume ro us studies have sh own that parolees with strong fami ly ti es a nd stable h omes a re significantly less likely to re-o ffend than parolees with o u t those advantages. Before filing fo r divorce, my wife told m e, "I love you. I always will and I always want you to be a pan o f my life. But I n eed a man wh o can h o ld m e, comfort me and make me fee l like a woman again." Because I ca n ' t do that for he r, if only a few times a yea r, I won't have a sta ble home and family to go to when I'm released. My situation is n o t uniqu e . That same "Dear J ohn" conversation is bei ng h ea rd regu la rly in prisons across the country. Conjugal visits, coupled witl1 marri age and famil y counselin g, wou ld save man y marriages and lower the recidivism rate. To co ntro l p risone r b e h avio r , to cut down on homosex ua li ty a nd th e rampant sp read of AIDS, a nd t o redu ce th e number o f crimes perpetrated by ex-cons, Virgi nia should follow th e lead of other states and offer conjugal visits. Mw1in Lewin Staunton Co1Tectional Center, VA PRISON LIFE 23 24 PRISON LIFE Susan Sarandon on APrison Life Interview by Oriana Conti .•r o u 'd a lmost think Susan was Sara nd o n a priso n groupie. The re sh e was, sitting in a posh suite in ew York City's Regency H otel, surro unded by gowns for th e Go ld e n Glo be awards cere mony (sh e received a nomination for best actress fo r Dead Man Walhing, along with Sean Pe nn , fo r best actor, and Tim Robbins, for best screenplay), idly watching he r p ublicist, hairdresse r a nd ma ke-up a rtist buzz a rou nd th e room. All of sudde n she p erke d up wh e n sh e h ea rs m e say, "He llo , I'm 1vith Prison Life magazine." Sarandon h ad given a preview of h er inte re st in priso n iss u es ea rli e r that day during a press co nfe ren ce with e nte rtainme nt reporte rs. Questio n , a nswe r, ques ti on, a n swe r, th e n o n e man me n tions h e did a sixm onth stint as a p riso n g u ard and Sarandon do es a split-second a bout face a nd begins interviewing him. Clearly no t you r typical Enterlaimnenl Tonight script. But th e n , ve ry little a b o u t Su san Sar andon , h e r live-in p artner Tim Ro bbins and th e movie he directed, Dead Man Walhing, fo llows typi ca l g litzy H o llywood. Eve n th o ugh Robbin s r e fu se d to se nsa tio n a lize th e story, th e sta rk a nd subtl e Dead Man Walhing h as been a t op box o ffi ce earn e r since it ope ned in Dece mbe r. Dead Man Wallting, is base d on a cou rageous me moir of the same titl e [Vimage, 1993] by Siste r H e le n Prej ean , a Rom a n Cath ol ic nun wh ose e xpe rie n ces as a spiritua l advisor to men on death row led to a passio nate campaig n aga inst t he d eath pe na lty. Called the "Angel of Death Row," Siste r He len (played by Susan Sarand on) is d rawn in to th e last days o f the life o f Matth ew Poncele t (Sean Pe n n), a ma n convicte d of killi ng two Louisiana teen age lovers. Wh a t begins as a simple exc ha nge o f lette rs with a death row prisoner e nds with th e n un accompanying Poncele t as he's led to th e execu tio n c ha mb e r . Alo ng th e way, she not on ly he lps Po n cele t address his own fea rs, sh e is also compe lled to unde rstand the anger o f the victims' fami lies, the cold indifference of the priso n administration and the lynch mob m entality of th e 1 ew Orleans co mmunity and its politician s. Early on, she establishes her elf as a rogue n un , confron ting both religious and prison authorities on everyt h ing fro m b iblical inte rpretation to wh e th er Po n celet's moth e r ca n h ug him before he 's execu ted. Sarandon met Sister He len when sh e was work ing on th e movie, The Client. Sh e had read Dead Man W(t//iing a nd passed it Ro bb ins' way fo r movi e co n sid e ra t ion . Sarand on ex p lains h ow she "took Sister H elen under [he r ] wing to pro tect her" from having a musical made out of th e book. " 1 introd u ced h e r to my age nt who had read the book, a nd we explained to her how we would ma ke the movie. There were a lo t o f people ya ppi ng a t h e r· door, but sh e was p atien t. Tim started writi n g the screenplay, h e really got involved , a nd then we foun d someone to give us the m o ney to produce it th e way it was wri uen ." PRISON LIFE 25 • In presenting the story and charac- Sarandon ca m e away fro m t h e fi lm ters, Robbins did not rely on cheap ma- "fee ling much more viscerally connipulation. Typically, prison movies n ected to all the issues." Sarandon d id h er research: She give viewers a n easy out, an excuse to feel sympathy for the wrongly convicted m et with vic tims' groups, visited the (Shaws/um/1 Redemption), or ange r at a state prison in An gola an d stud ied the syste m that revels in retdbuLion (J\Ilurder d eba te on ca pital punishment umil in the First), o r a sense of cama raderie by she had nightma res. "As a mom," she raising criminals to cult icon status (Nat- says, "I know I would feel all kinds of ural Bam Killers). Ro bbins does non e of horrible things, su·ong things, but the the above. The ra pe sce ne in the movi e is a su·aight, nonpoliti cal rape. T he crime is as se nseless as it is heinous. And Poncelet is exactly what he is--a kill er, an adm iued white supre macist, so audacious he co mes on to the nun at their first meeLing. "I didn't wa nt anyone to fo rget he was a violent criminal," explains Robbin s. "If you' re go in g to feel co mpass ion, you' re feelin g co mpassio n for a violent c riminal. I don 't be lieve in going halfway. If you ' re going to oppose the death penalty, yo u can 't oppose it just in ce rtain circ umstances. You can't say, 'I'm aga inst it exce pt when it's a really brutal crime.' In othe r Dead Man IVa/king director Tim Robbin ~ also starred in Shawshwrk Ret/emption words, if yo u ca n see this film a nd sti ll be opposed to t h e q u es tion is how does that h el p you death penalty, then you are really o p- sUt-vive yo ur loss? Rage is so easy, it's posed to it. If yo u we nt into the film addictive." In th e movie, the nun anti-death penalty a nd came o ut say- experie n ce painful flashbacks of the ing, 'Oh , now I und e rstand why time sh e and a g roup of kid s beat a there's a d ea th penalty,' }'OU were a l- poss um to death for th e fun of it. ways pro-dea th penalty- you just d id- Sarandon says the flashbacks show n 't kn ow it. " "that eve ryo n e has th e potential for Yet th e c hara c te r of Ponce let is vio le n ce," a nd they re move th e image more th an cri m ina l. He is th e spring- of the nun as holie r than thou. board fro m which politicians fly off U ltimate ly, Dead Man Walking is a the h an dl e with pro-death penalty quest to find a way ou t of th e ha tred. rheto ric, ranting a nd raving, waving "It's about more tl1an th e death penalthe flag. As hi lawye r remarks whi le ty,'' Robbins e laborates. "It's abo ut su·uggling to obtai n a last minute par- redemption and taking responsibili ty d on: "It's easy to kill a monster; it's fo r yo ur aCLions. It's about a spiritual ha rde r to kill a human being." journey, resolving you r ac tions a nd The events of the movie connect gaining peace of mind. I like the way believably, as does the character of Sis- Tom \t\1aits put it: ' If the death penalty ter He le n played by Sarandon. Both was gonna stop violence, it wou ld have women started from the sa me placestopped it a long time ago.' In o th er never .h avin g b ee n to prison, never words, it'sju t a circle, a constant cirhaving d ealt wi th prisone rs, n ever cle of viole nce, the state does it, then really h aving voca li zed th e ir opin ions tl1e people do it, then the sta te does it, on capital punishme nt. Like the nun , then the people d o it .... " Robbin s a nd Sa randon n eve r whose experie nces tra nsfo rmed h er, in tended to deliver a pointedly antideath penalty message. As Ho llywood veterans, they kn ew it would h ave defeated their effort to ope n up "the rea l qu estion-n ot wh o deserves to die, but who deserves to kill, and why are we electing people who a re telli ng othe rs to kill," as Robbins puts it. Sarandon e laborates: "There's no way to get into that movie for people whose minds are made up. I mean, why would you pay $7 to be instructed? And this is tl1e brilliant thing a bout Sister He len . She's finding her way, too, maki ng mistakes along the way so you can enter the situation with her." Dead Man Walking is no Saturday afternoon mall movie . It rides the rail righ t down the midd le of the de bate b etwee n life a nd death; it raises th e question o f h ow much m ore statesanctioned ki lling is necessary before we wake up to th e in h erent contradiction of punishing violence with violence. Sarandon knows th e movie doesn't answer that question. "All we we re trying to do was give a face to what has exi ted as a mere soundbyte. As Sister H e len said to me {sliding into a flawless Louisiana drawl), ' You know, we' re j ust a plow, Susan, we're just breaking the earth . Some of the so il 's go nn a go one p lace, some of th e so il's gon na go anothe r. That's Okay. Th e impo rtant thi ng is that th e ea rth 's been broken."' [[fl PRISON LIFE 27 .. > fllustrations by B.D. Hill 28 PRISON LIFE ' BY EDWARD BUNKER On a crystalline afternoon, while Mr. Harrell had individual members of the class reading aloud, Ron sat in reverie at his desk next to an open window overlooking the plaza. He'd finished marking papers from a spelling test, and while the stumbling voice droned on in the background, he looked out at the flowers, fountain and convicts feeding the fish. Soon he'd be going back to court, and he had no doubt that he would go free. Although he was overjoyed, that joy was not unalloyed. He felt that he could still learn things here, that in the ten months of San Quentin he'd aged ten years, had become stronger. He smiled to himself, privately anticipating what he would do for his friend if the judge acted right. Just the forged leHer from the psychiatrist was a huge·debt- and it was one of so many. In this ugly place Earl had become his fatherand T.J., Paul and the still segregated Bad Eye his cousins and friends. PRISON LIFE 29 Mr. Harrell finished the reading lesson and it was time for two hours of educational films. Ron brought the wheeled projector from the hallway closet and set up the film. He pulled the curtains and Harrell turned off the lights. Then Ron started up the aisle toward the rear where he always sat. He felt a hand stroke his ass and a voice hissed, "You're sure fine, baby." He slapped at the hand reflexively and whirled, too stunned for immediate anger. In the darkness he could see a pale face, and he knew who it was from the location. Buck Rowan, the hulking newcomer. He'd been in the class a week, and Ron had noticed him staring, but had not given it any importance until now. He'd become accustomed to stares. Ron recalled the hillbilly twang and could smell the fetid breath. "Are you crazy, you asshole?" Ron snapped. "Watch it, bitch! Ah'll whup yo' ass. You're a girl an Ah'm gonna put my dick in your ass." Ron ·was paralyzed for a moment. It was too sudden, too insane. He suddenly remembered Earl's advice about not arguing with fools until things were right. He spun and walked to the rear of the room, oblivious to the images on the screen. He trembled and his face was afire. He nearly wanted to laugh. A year earlier and he would have been quaking like a rabbit without a way to run. Now the fear was tiny, and that was reined in. Everyone is mortal; everyone bleeds. As the minutes ticked away, his stunned bewilderment became a controlled rage. 9 When the second film started, he went down a side aisle and through the door to take a piss. He was still trying to decide what to do. In the toilet he couldn't empty his bladder. He was too tight. He rinsed his hands, splashed water on his fevered face. "A man does whatever he has to," he muttered, and accepted the possibility of killing the fool. It dismayed him, but there was no indecision. He would try for a reason, but if that failed ... As he stepped from the toilet the classroom door opened and Buck came out, carrying a few seconds of movie sound track with him. His searching eyes said that he had followed Ron, who felt fear but was unashamed of it. Earl said that fear was good for survival and only fools were without it. Ron stepped forward to the edge of the stairs. It was unlikely that Buck had a shiv-and his hands were exposed so he would have to reach for it. By then, Ron could leap down the stairs and into the plaza. Buck was a couple of inches over six feet and weighed two hundred and fifty pounds. He was built like a bear and was too big to fight. "You hear what I said in there?" he asked. "I wanna play from you." "I hope it's a joke." "Ain' ajoke. We ain' gonna have no mess of trouble, are we?" "I don't ever want trouble." "Baby, you're fine. I've been watching you an' watchin' you an' my dick stays hard as Chinese arith-. metic. I don't wanna have to beat you up, but you're gonna cooperate one way or another." Ron's face was expressionless, but his mind sneered at the gross stupidity. "I'm not a punk. If you heard different, you heard some bad information." He knew as he ·spoke that the words were hurled against a gale. "Bullshitl You're too pretty. An' Ah done seen you with that dude. I ain' Ned in the first reader. Ah been to Huntsville and Raiford. You might even be·makin' tortillas with that teacher in there.'' "I'm going back to court for modification. I don't want any trouble to mess that up." The situation sickened Ron, but a cold, detached part of his mind told him that Buck was accustomed to brawls with fists, feet and teeth. San Quentin had a different ethos. Buck was a bear unaware that he was in the sights of a high-powered rifle. "You can go back to court. The only way there'll be trouble is if your old man finds out. I'll just kick his ass. You an' me, we just meet somewhere." Ron nodded, as if digesting the information, whereas he was really looking at Buck's shoes, visualizing the toes jutting upward from beneath a sheet. The classroom door rattled. Ron and Buck both turned to face Mr. Harrell. The teacher's eyes flitted from face to face and he obviously felt the tension. "Oh, here you are," he said to Ron. "Would you go down to the book storeroom and pick up a box that came in?" Harrell nervously stood his ground until Ron had gone downstairs and Buck returned to the classroom. As Ron stepped into the sunlight, he faced the yard office, thought of Earl, and vowed that he would keep his friend out of trouble. Earl had done too much already, was too near getting out himself. Ron walk_ed to the education building, but he had no thought of getting the box. He was certain that Buck would have to be stopped, and Ron wanted to do it-kill a mad dog-but was uncertain of himself. How did T J. say? Underhanded and just beneath the ribs slightly to the left. Fitz waved from the yard office, and Big Rand knocked on the glass and gave him the finger. Ron nodded, remembering that Earl had said it was almost impossible to be convicted for a prison murder unless a guard actually saw it, or unless there was a confession. For every informer willing to testify for the prosecution, a dozen would testify that the accused was in Timbuktu-and a swearing contest between convicts never satisfies the burden of proof "beyond a reasonable doubt." And there had been several killings within recent years before hundreds of witnesses without anyone telling anything even in privacy. Too many convict clerks could find out too much. "Yeah, we'll see who gets fucked," Ron said, turning into the education building. It was built on the slope that led to the lower yard, so that the office space was on the upper floor while the classrooms were downstairs. Ron went to the file section without speaking to the clerks. He ran through the drawers' newest numbers until he found "Baby, you're fine. I ' ve been watching you an' my dick stays hard as Chinese arot:hmetica I don't wanna have to beat you up, but you re gonna cooperate one way or another." so PRISON LIFE • Buc k's fo lder. The hillbilly was "close" custod y and lived o n t he bouom tie r in the East ce llho use . Tha t was th e info rmatio n Ro n wanted, but he looke d over 1.he re maining data. Buck Ro wan was thirty-four years of age, had a low-to-normal IQ, a nd cla imed a hig h school education (unverifi ed) whil e scoring fourth grade on his scholastic tests. H e'd served a n e ig ht-year term in Texas a nd three yea rs in Flo rida , the first fo r ra pe-robbery, the second for burglary. H e was o n escape fro m Florida whe n anested in Sacramento, Cali fornia, for ro bbery. The picture o f a to ugh petty c riminal, a fool asking to be killed. For a moment Ron thought of the imm in ent court a ppeara nce. H e could avo id trouble by having himself locked up. The thought we nt as quickly as it ca me. He could a lso submit, and tha t idea we nt eve n more qui ckly. If a nyon e fuckecl him, it would be Earl. The thoug h t was sardoni c, a nd he g rinne d at how h e could now handle it with humor. Ro n kn ew abo ut sou th ern priso ns, th e grinding labor in the co u o n and suga rcane fi e lds a nd o n the roads, with stool p igeons as co n bosses and convicts with rifl es g ua rding o th e r convicts. They did it an d li ved. Buc k Rowan was o bviou sly blind to how qui ckly men killed in Sa n Q ue ntin ; it had mo re murde rs in o n e yea r tha n all th e prisons in o th e cou ntry put togeth e r. ( It was nea rly 3:00 p.m. whe n Ron crosseel t he ya rd and e ntere d t he No rth cellhouse, hurryin g up the stairs toward the service alley o n the ftfth tier. H e knew whe re the cach e of long (!} 0 c th e showe r wh e n Ron e nte r e d t h e building. The shower area was in view of th e sta irs, a nd Ea rl saw his fr ie nd hurry by. H e m o m e n ta ril y wo nde r e d why Ro n was o ut o f wo rk so ea rly, but h e fe lt n o co n ce rn. Instead , h e th o ug ht that h is fr ie nd wo uld soon be gone, and though there 1voulcl be a sen se of loss, it was a happy thought. I've clone him so me good , Ea rl thought, but he's clone me good , too. J'm thinking abo ut the streets . .. and I'm gonn a ge t the re o n e mo re ti me. A mi nu te later, Buzzard, the e lderly Mexican, hu rried clown the stairs toward Earl. "Your fri en d just got a piece o ut of th e clavo," he said. Witho ut fu lly rin sing off th e soa p o r d ryin g himself, Ea rl threw on a pa ir of pants a nd sho we r tho ngs and hurried up the stairs, car rying the rest of his clothes a nd toile tri es in h is h a nd . H e was shirtl ess a nd b ead s of water d ripped from his sh o ulders. Ron 's cell was th e only one with its gate o pe n, and Earl was twe nty yards away wh e n Ron came o ut a nd started to close it. The younge r man wore a heavy black coat zipped up a nd had a kn it cap on his head, the sta ndard disguise fot· trouble . Ron looked up and his face was drawn tig ht, his eyes g lassy, a nd he see med unhappy a t Ea rl's presence. "Wh at's to it?" Earl said, stomach c hurning. Ro n shook his head. Earl reached o ut a nd patted th e coat, fee ling th e hardn ess of th e weapo n under it. "Shi t, . .. something's sure as fuck wrong." "Let me handle it. " "What th e fuck are you talkin ' a bout? Man , you're going to the streets in a hot minute. What' re you doin ' with a shiv? That's a n ew se n tence." "That's a secret?" Ron said , smiling sarcastically. Earl h e ld back his ange r. T hi s was se ri o us, for Ron wasn't like many young cons who tape d on shivs and ta lked murder so n o body would mess with th e m . Earl was afraid, not o f violence b ut of th e aftermath. A stabbing would keep the young ma n inside; a killing wou ld m ean a t least five o r six more years even without a tria l. And he himself was involved. That was un questioned, a nd if somethin g happe n e d , it would snu ff o u t h is own candl e of h ope. If it was unavoidable, the n it ha d to be-but he wan ted to make sure it couldn 't be handled some oth er way. H e pressed fo r the sto ry a nd Ro n to ld it, a t first ha ltingly, finally with o ut reservati o n. And into Ea rl 's worry came fu t-y. The gross stupidity o f Buc k Rowan , wh o m h e didn ' t kn ow, made him wan t to kill the ma n. H e was m ildly re lieved that it was a whi te man; at least it wouldn ' t ig nite a race war. And Earl knew th a t a ny whi te would be without backing against the Bro th e rhood. The m an was no t mere ly a brute; he was also a n absolute fool. "Maybe we ca n ge t aro und sn uffing him," Ea rl said . "Sh ow him wh a t h e's up against. The best he ca n get is killed. " "H e's too dumb. Jesus, I hate stup id-" "If we gotta, we gotta, but le t's make sure it's n ecessary. It isn ' t as if he was an immediate threat to your life this afte rnoon ." "H e's not trying to fuck you. Le t me handle it." "vVh a t! If you make a move, you'd better get ready to (\ \J (continued on fJage 68) PRISON LIFE 31 M y prison " ·ork sta rted in 1988 wh en I was im·ited to give a few prese ntatio ns o n the su~j ec t of fo rgiven ess. At the tim e, I was writing a book o n forgiven ess, a subject I h ad lectu red o n fo r ma ny years. On e of my first prison talks was at th e Massachuse tts Correctio nal Institution (MCI-Ga rdn er ), a medium-sec urity priso n for men . Th e psycho logi t who coordimued the program said h e wo u ld post some fl ye rs aro u nd the priso n ann o uncin g th e upco min g talk, but he d o ubted th at many me n wo uld attend. As I drove d o wn th e hig hway tha t morn ing, I wonde red if m o re th an a few men wo uld vo luntarily show up fo r a talk on forgiven ess. At th at time th e po pulati o n at MCI-Garde ne r was 700. V\rh e n I arrived at 9:00 a. m ., 120 men we re waiting. I was d ee pl y move d by th e response of th e g roup , by th e th o ug htful qu estio ns th ey asked , by the in sig htful comments th ey mad e, by the ir desire a nd "·illing ness to share their own ex pe riences with me a nd each o th e r. I was surprised by the la rge number o f people who stayed around afte r the presentati o n , eager to learn mo re . By th e e nd of my visit that day, I kn e w that I wante d to co ntinue to work with prisone rs around the d iffic ult and challe ngin g i sues of ange r, gui lt, remorse, shame, forgi,·eness of o th e rs, and th e esse nce of e motional healing : fo rgiveness of oneself. In its broadest sense, se lf~ forgi ve n ess is be ing accou n tabl e to o ur h ig h est n atu re, an d lear n in g to know, accep t an d lo,·e o urselves . regard less o f our past. Thi s is an e n o rmous cha lle nge fo r an yone. And it is a particu la rly painful a nd hardwon challe nge for most prisone rs. T h e id e a of priso n e rs fo rg iving themselves is unacce ptable to man y peo p le . Man y be li eve g uil t and t h e threa t of add itio nal pun ishme nt a re th e drivin g forces th at will stop future viole nce a nd c riminal be havior . But as history has shown us, this threat doesn't wo rk. Despite th e p rofound sense of g uilt and sh ame that ma ny pri sone rs feel, rec idivism rates are high. Iro ni call y, it is ofte n a pervasive se nse of g uil t th at fuel s viole nce and a ddi c tion. Chron ic g ui lt e n sures a poo r se lf-image a n d low self-estee m. It is self-forgiveness tha t crea tes o r resto res this sense of selfesteem. It shin es a lig ht o n the destructive fea rs an d selfj uclgmems th at kee p us a ll ca pti ve in our ow n roles as j aile rs. Scl f~ fo rg i ve n ess is the heart o f healing a nd, in my opin ion, the o nly sure deterremto crim e . What Self-For iveness is Not Before getting into how to actual ly fo rgive yourse lf, le t's sta rt by clearing up some miscon ceptions about se lfforgive ness. Let's stan b)' being clea r abo ut what se lf~forg iveness is not. Self-forgive nes is not co ndoni ng, excusin g o r ove rl ooking be h avior that is hurtful, insensitive, abusive o r that lacks integrity. It is not diminishing the importance or im pact of yo u r acti ons. Do in g a n y o f these is rati o n a lization , d e ni a l a nd selfdeceptio n . Se lf- fo rgive n ess is not a bo u t absolving yourse lf o f responsibil ity o r ac tin g like e\·erythi ng is o kay when it isn 't. Pan of self-forgiveness is taking full respo ns ib il ity for you r ro le in wha teve r has happened. Self-forgiven ess sh o u ld n eve r be e qu a ted with avo idanc e o f g uilt. In fac t , fee lin g re mo rse and reg ret for pain tha t o ne ha caused or for bad decisions one has made is part of the h ealing . All of this is true for eveq'o ne-whe th er th eir g uilt is in rela ti on to a serious crime or a m inor incident. Se lf~ fo r g i ve n ess is no t tak in g a righ teous attitude a n d saying , I forgive lll)'Self because God or Jesus (o r whomeve r) lwsj01given IIU', wh en, in t ruth, ro u have n ' t d one the in ne r wo rk and soul-searching necessa ry fo r in ner he al ing. Self~forgiveness, like all heali ng, is a process- not a one-time event. It is not a superficial act of saying, Yeah, I did suth and .wth, now I'll j01give lll)'self In man y cases, t ru e se lf-fo rg iveness takes tim e, cou rage and a dep th o f hon est se lf-exa m ina tio n th a t not everyone is read y or wil li ng to make. Few peo ple have an understa nding of what it means to forg ive th e m selves and, with out qu estion, priso ners have not bee n offered th e necessa ry guidan ce and support to do so. In fact , the pri so n ex perie n ce un de rmin es the process of self-forgive ness on a daily basis. I nte rac ti o n after interactio n fosters sham e an d re info rces the concept of the prisoner as an inferior person who should not be forgiven an d who will never be forgiven. No t understand ing wh a t se lfforgive n ess is, ma ny people feel th e re is no way th ey could eve r forgive themselves, or be forgiven. Yet if you are open a nd patie nt, and sincerely work with the co ncep ts and exe r cises that are presented h e re, the n regard less o f your past, the freed o m an d peace of self-fo rgiveness are within your reach. The process of se lf- fo rgive n ess is highly individ ual. How long it will take to work o n eac h of th e ste ps varies from perso n to p e rson. Som e steps m ay n eed m on th s or ye ars to b e processed. Others may ta ke minutes. The steps of self-forgiveness are n ot distinct uni ts, but rather have ove rlapping boundaries. The Steps of Self-Forgiveness STEP 1: ACKNO WLEDGE Til E TRUTII Acknowledging Lhe truth refe rs not on ly to the truth of what yo u h ave clone but also to th e truth about you r feeli ngs and the truth about how your actions have affected othe rs. Acknow ledging the e n tire truth of yo ur ex p erie n ces ta ke s courage . It takes courage to accep t the fear, gu il t, h u m il iation , sh ame, sadn ess, selfhatre d and th e actions, inner thoug hts and feelings th a t a pan o f us would rath er reprc sand avoid. Without co ming to terms with these issues a nd feeli ngs, dignity ca nn o t be res tored and se lf-forgiveness can never be achi eved. The priso n environment can act to undermine this honesty. As o n e prisoner who is in for murde r said , "It is h a rd to feel re morse in a n e n vironment th at is so brutal. I didn't fee l so rry for what I h ad d o n e for a b o ut thr ee yea rs afte r co min g to prison because 1 was too busy tryin g to survive. 1 was focusing o n takin g care of me. Eve n if a pan of you is willing to look at it, you feel li ke it's n ot a safe enoug h place." Ma ny p eople feel gu ilty but a re not con cio usly aware of the ir g uilt. Drugs a n d alcoho l a re often u sed to keep the uneasy a nd so me tim es ago nizing feelings o f g uil t at a dista n ce. One priso ner put hi s expe rie nce this way: 34 PRISON LIFE "Once I quit drugs an d reflected back, then I realize d h ow mu ch p a in I was ca using. You don't feel guilty until you straighte n up. I was so full of my own pain, I didn 't want to look at myself." Many people are in d e nial, re fusing to take resp o nsibility when it is th e irs, spe nding a great deal of energy justifying thei r actions, a nd projecting th e ir g uilt on to others as anger and blame. Rather than being a n easy way out, se lf-forgive n ess calls for to tal confronLaLio n with your past. If yo u commi tted a n offe n se again st a n individual, you need to c h a lle n ge yourse lf to co me to as fu ll an un d erstan din g as possible o f what yo ur actions have meant to th e vic tim , his o r her fam ily and the community. Even crim es tha t are conside red no n vio le nt in our legal syste m are laced with psychic violence agai nst people. If we are ho nest with ourselves, we need to acknowledge this fact. A very loving 72-yea r-old wo m a n comes LO mind. H er h o me was ro bbe d during th e clay wh e n she was out taking care of a g rand child. Perhaps th a t robbe r rationa li zed his o r he r be havior by thi nking, "No one was ho me so it was okay, and besides, insurance will take ca re of th e d a m ages." Now thi s woman never feels safe in her ho m e, and h e r fear propels her to spe nd every weekday wandering a round sh o pping ma lls until her husba n d comes home from work. Eve•y clay her li fe is domina ted by th e fear or a "nonvio lent" robbery th at happen ed three yea rs befo re. She doesn 't feel safe in her own home, even tho ug h it is in a neighborhood with a lo w crime rate. As is ofte n the case, th e psychological effec t of the robbery was far m o re destructive than the materia l loss. I think of people I have me t, in a nd ou t o f prison, who have sold cocaine to support thei r habit. They we re sellin g cocaine to emo tionall y tro ubl ed 14- and 15-year-olcls. 1 o one at 14 o r 15 wh o is doi ng coke isn' t troub led. And yet we call it "nonvio le nt. " We all n eed tO loo k fro m the vantage point of th e love, wisdom a nd integrity or o ur h ea rts an d fro m that van tage po int, consider wheth er our actio ns arc nonvi olent. Until we arc honest with ourselves about what we have don e-whethe r it was terribly abusive or j ust mildly h urtful-the g uil t fee lings th at arise fro m these actions con trol us at some un conscious level and keep us from healing. Cleani ng up begins by telling th e truth LO o urselves. We o ften avoid self-h onest}' o ut of a desi•·e to avoid th e d iscomfort of th e truth . Yet in ord er to heal we have to develop a genuine compassio n for o urselves while , at th e same Lime, enduring total honesty about our own experie nces of d arkn ess. \•Vhatever your offenses, you have to get cl own a nd dirty about what you h ave clon e an d h ow it h as affected everyone, including yourself and your own fa mil y-n ot so that you can beat yo u rse lf up but so you ca n h ea l. To de ny the truth is LO den y yourself th e possibility of heali ng. Both the fo urth and fifth step in the I 2-step program of Alcoh oli cs Anonymous are p a rt of this process- condu ctin g a fearl ess, searc hing moral inventoq' a nd the n admitting to Cod, to ou rse lves a n d to an o th er hum an be ing Lhe exact nalllre of o ur wrongs. STEP 2: TAKE REsPONSIBILITY FoR WHAT You HAVE DoNE Taking responsibili ty fo r wh a t v;e h ave don e re quires th at we stop makin g excu ses and bl a min g oth e rs for our own be h avio r . It m ea n s owning up to what we have clone. An impo rta nt pan of taking respo nsibi li ty, also in ke eping with th e 12stc p programs, is making amends when possi ble and re pairing th e clamage in wh atever ways we can . STEP 3: UNDERSTAND THE FEELINGS TIIAT MOTIVATED YOUR BEHAVIORS Because th e vast majority of prisoners a re bro u gh t up in d ysfun ctio na l homes where e mo ti o nal abandonme nt and a buse a re co mmon, rather than being in touch with yo ur intrinsic wo rth a nd va lu e, t h e r e is a good ch a nce you g rew up feeling insecure and inadeq u a te. It is thi s unreso lved pain a nd toxic shame that usua lly fuel the sense o r powerl essness that lead to drug abuse and th e abuse of powe r. In o rder to heal, the impact o r these early influences needs to be examin ed. As part of th e process of self-forgiven ess, it is esse ntia l to ste p bac k a nd take an ho n est, objective loo k a t the peo ple and circumstances that influe n ced the th o ug hts a nd fee li ngs you h ave abo ut yourselr. By re n ecti ng o n the ex perie nces an d fee lings that you h a d as a ch ild, yo u gain insight in to h ow th ese expe ri e n ces direc tly in£lue ncc yo ur self-i mage, self-esteem , fee lings a nd behaviors as an adu lt. When th e abuse a n d p a in of ch ildh ood is ig n ored a n d d e ni e d , th e wounded c hild within you remain s a driving force in the adu lt psyche. By becom ing a wa re o f th ese in£luences, you ca n begin to d evelop grea ter understa nding a nd compassio n for you rself. You can see tha t you by Aaron Collins I reme mbe r the d ay . . . T here were cla rk skies above South Cen tra l Los An geles. At least I re me mber it that way. I was standing in from of a brown . di la pidated apartment building o n 69th Street, ale rt with a n l.izi buried be neath my j acket. I was o n guard whi le my ho meboys kicked it insid e. If someth ing was to happen, I was pre pared to die. I stud ied each car tha t passed , and brca th('d relief as th ey co nti n u ed o n by. Th e n a gray Cadi llac a pp roach ed-a nd came to a n a brnpt halt in fro n t of my building. T his was it. "ENEMY1" I ye lled , tryi ng to free my Uz i. But it was too la te. They we re fi rin g the ir au toma tics o ut th e wi ndow. People scream ed a nd ra n fo r cover. So d id I. Wh en it was ove r, a six-year-old g irl lay sp rawled on th e sidewalk. As the Cadillac sped off, I stood, ran to the midd le of the stree t a nd unload ed my Uzi . T he car swe rved , hopped t he curb an d crashed in to Pam 's Don ut Sho p. Two of th e g uys leaped o u t, pulled a lady ou t of he r car nearby and Oed . 1 ran over the to the Cadi llac a nd pee ked insid e. The driver, still g ripping th e steerin g wh ee l wi th b o th h a nds, was brea thin g h eavy a nd coughing blood. T h e n his grip loosened a nd he died. I had killed him. My ho meboys were peering out fro m behind windows a nd parked cars. I wonde red wh}' th ey weren't sta nd ing o ut in the street next to me. I had killed for the m. This was what it was all abou t: T o kill or to di e fo r the ne ighborhood. It di d n ' t fee l r ig h t. I fe lt stu p id . Ri d icul ed an d used . T hen fear gripped me. "Ge t ou t! Ru n !" my m ind was sc rea mi ng. But th e fea r h ad im mo bi lized me; I co uld d o littl e b u t stand there until Lhe po lice came a nd han dcuffed me. In t h e squad car, rea li zatio n h it m e . Life in prison. T his was it. I would never see the su·eets again. I had be trayed myse lf, le t the cops ta ke me away. T he streets had betrayed me. ow I sit in a cold , gray prison cell. I learned wh at is o n ma ny a ha rd-core criminal's mi n d whe n solitude a nd lo n e liness se t in. It's cal led re morse. A d eep se nse of regre t takes over th e mind a nd ki cks into ove rdrive. It's like th e subco nscio u s m ind su d d e n ly sla p s th e sh it o ut o f th e co n scio us m ind and th e n laug hs bitterly in your face. Fool. Ass- h o le. No t o nl y h ave yo u killed, you've end ed yo ur own life. Th ne isn't a ph ysical p ain or expnicnce kn o ,,·n to m a n th a t can com pa re to t he havoc guilt can wrea k. It's real. It mo ld s your physical fea LUres, robs you of you r appe tit t·. It takes away your pride an d exposes th e real you. It made me break d0\\'11 and cry, somethin g I'd never do ne before. It also told me to wa lk mv black ass np in fro nt o f a mirror to take a good long 'took at myse If. "You ' r e n u t h in' b u t a dog an d a ki lle r ," I told myself, overridden with g uilt and fea r a nd shame. Still I wa k(' up eve ry morni ng and II) ' to justify my ac tio ns, all to no avail. I d id it for the 'hood , righ t? Shit ... I search for scapegoats to relieve the pressure. Not hing works. At times. ali i can do is t hin k about th e life I' ve taken. H e was yo u ng and black-like m e. I see his face in my d reams. I th ink about his fa mi ly's g rief and wo n d er how the y' re co ping. I sha re h is mother's ·, pain , especially wh e n s he se nt me .... ... \ his obituary with an a ttach ed list of p rayer scrip tures on repenta n ce . Th ere was also a little note in which ~i she tal ked about ·her so n an d asked me LO get my life rig ht a nd to pray. 1 wrote h er bac k ask ing for forg iveness. It was all I could do. I'm not th e o n ly one here who lives with remorse. The re a re many others behind ba rs wh o sh are th e pa in and sorrow. I can see the hu rt in their eyes. Sometimes people learn fro m th e ir m istakes and wa ke up. Maybe soc iety doesn ' t give a d amn, b u t th ere arc no h eartless people in prison. T he ones who ac t bad a rc p uttin g on a n act beca use late at n ig ht afte r "lig h ts ou t," eveq' si ngle o ne of us gets a visi twhethe r we li ke it or not- from o ur demons. Guil t docs no t a llow peace of mind. It won' tl e t you laugh o r smi le without reme mbe ring. lL distorts chi ldh ood memor ies, erases any positive self-image a nd makes you accep t and adapt to any a nd a ll negative Lreaunen t by pr ison guards. Atoneme n t can make you start caring abou t peop le o f a ll races. It ca n teac h yo u respect fo r life a nd show you how to love manki nd. Socie ty can rest assured tha t it also never lets you fo rget you r crime. Every d ay, it rem inds you o f wh e re you are a nd wha t you d id . Please fo rg ive me. I'm truly sOrt)'· We all a re. r---' ~~· .,. 36 PRISON LIFE ...... were n o t a bad p e rso n ma king b ad c hoi ces, but a fundamental ly good pe rso n who, beca use of unreso lved pain , a n ge r and insec urity, acted destruc tive ly. Ste p back. Loo k at you r e ntire life a nd try to unde rstand what p rope Jled you to make a ny destructive choices you have made. Get in to uch with th e pa rt of yo u that is a caring a nd loving adu lt, the n, in your imagination, go back to yo ur ch ild hood and offe r the hu rting c hild with in yo u th e u nco ndi t ional love, compassio n , respect an d safety that was deserved but was n ot rece ived. By reflecting on the experien ces a nd feelings of the in ner chi ld, you g-ain insig ht into h ow these expe r·iences have influenced your self-image, self-estee m, feelings a nd behavio rs as an adu lt. In order to fuJly experie n ce the peace o f self-forgiveness, it is crucial to work on healing these emotional wounds. STEP 4: OPEN YOUR HEART TO YOURSELF In kee ping with t h e previo us step, self-forg ive n ess requ ires a ce rta in deg ree o f com passion and ge n tlen ess with yourself. This does not im ply selfindulge n ce o r lenie n ce th a t excu ses or absolves accountability. Som etim es true co mpassio n is "ru thl ess com passion ," the wiJlingness to be ho nest a nd accou nta b le to yo urse lf wh e n it is ex tre me ly pai n ful to do so. An ope n heart is t h e pe rso n al co ntext t h a t a Jl ows yo u to experience safe ty in ho nesty a nd vulnerabi lity rathe r than the false safety many peop le have historically known th rou g h p rojection , d e nia l, numbin g, dish onesty, co ntrol and mani pulation. I t is a nonjudg ing accep tance of true feeli ngs th a t lead s th e way to the tran sforma tion o f these feelings a n d to a new de pth of e moti onal matu rity. It is through ge n tl e n ess and com passion th at you crea te th e in terna l climate to reveal yo ur sma JI , wounded self to your greater Self, to allow your da rk sid e to co m e in to th e lig ht of awa re n ess so th a t yo u ca n hea l e m otional wounds. 5: HEAL E~lOT!ONAL WouNDS Work on healing e motiona l wou nds by heeding the inne r caJls fo r love in healtl1y and responsible ways. An y selfdestru c tive act o r e m otio n ca n be unde rstood as a caJI fo r he lp a nd love. In add ition to working on th e preceding steps, heeding th ese caJls takes th e wi llingness to be the re for yourself in a va ri e ty of nu rturing ways. Some o f t h ese ways inclu d e ge tting supp o rt from ski lled a n d caring co un selo rs, STEP therapists, cle rgy, e tc.; atte nding support grou ps; choosing no t to associa te witl1 peo ple who have a negative influe nce o n you an d choosing to associate with peopl e who a re a positive influe n ce; read in g b oo ks that are ed ucat ional a nd inspirin g; exe rcising; meditati ng and praying. STEP 6: AFFIR\f mome nts when the compassio n , love and g lory or th e grea ter Self is born with in our di rect expe ri ence a n d kn own beyo n d o ld definit io ns. Regardless o!' whethe r we reside inside o r o utside priso n walls, wh en we forg ive, we a re given a fresh start wit h o urselves. When we fo rgive, our Jives are always tran sformed. IJI] YouR Fu;-;oA.MENTAL GoODNESS The word "Self," as it is used h e re, refe rs to a co re or esse n tial aspect of yo ur human n ess. ' •Vhe n yo u a re a lig n ed with th e Self yo u n a tura ll y expe rie n ce g reater wisdo m and access the incl ination and powe r to act with integrity, compassion and co nscio us ch o ice. By ali gn ing with the Self yo u are in creasing ly ab le to see whe n a n in n e r self-cr itic kee ps )' O U locked in humili atio n , unh ealthy g u ilt and sh ame, a nd loc ked o ut of your own hea rt. On e p owe rful way to a lign a nd develo p a di rect relation shi p with this greate r "Se lf" (as di stin c t fro m th e sma Jl e r selves-the condition ed identifi ca ti o n s with limiting e mo ti o ns, ro les a nd be liefs), is tl1 ro ug h the daily practice of meditation. Meditati on is a powe rful tool fo r helping a nyo ne cu t th ro ug h au to ma tic reactions a nd judgments so that o n e ca n see th ro ug h o n e's "fa lse se lves," prejudi ces a nd fears. Medi tation e mpowers one to res pon d t h oughtfully rath e r th a n react with o ld surviva l m echani sms. It m o bi lizes o n e's inne r reso urces for cop in g with t h e c h allenges of daily living-wheth e r in o r out of the priso n setting . Meditatio n he lps to estab lish a solid fo undatio n for the cultivation of self-es teem. Wh e n you a lig n with th e Self, with yo ur in nate capacity fo r discerning wisd om , co mp ass io n a nd co nscio us c h o ice, th e n th e re is g rowing selfrespect, a healthie r se nse of responsibili ty towa rd yo urself and o th e rs, courage a nd a belief in your ability to m ee t li fe's chaJl e nges. It is th e inn ocen ce o f your essen tial na ture, and an awa ke ning spiritual reality, tl1at greets yo u as you g ive yo urself th e g ifts of aware ness a n d self-fo rg iveness. Fro m th is van tage point no abuse is ever perpe trated , no crime is ever committed. ••• T h e re is often g re a t resista n ce to self-forgiveness, fo r like a ny sign ificant change, it is a death . It is dying of th e hab it of keeping o urselves sm all and unworthy. Yet self-fo rgive ness is also a g rea t birth. It is in he re n t in t h ose THE LIONHEART FOUNDATION In 1992, Robin Casarj ian, group facilitator, psychotherapist, educator and a uthor, established the Lionheart Foundation to broaden the scope of her prison work. Casarjian' s goal was to bring the message of her classes to as ma ny prisoners as possible. Toward that end, she wrote Houses of Healing: A Prisoner's Guide too Inner Power and Freedom, a guide for prisoners on how to deal with the stress of prison life. The book a lso offers guidance a nd inspiration for the healing of ch ildhood wounds, selfesteem, anger, grief and a seve red sense of connection with other people. The Foundation's goal is to distribute free copies of the book to every county, state and federal prison libra ry. So far, 12,000 copies have been distributed . In addition to working with offenders, Casarjian also works with crime v1ct1 ms . She addressed members of the group, "Families of Murder Victims for Reconciliation," add its annual national conference a nd contributed to its publ ication, The Voice. To order Houses of Healing: A Prisoner's Guide too Inner Power and Freedom, send $8 (prisoners on ly) or $ 12 (freeworlders) to: Th e Lionheart Foundation, Box 194 Back Bay, Boston, MA 02 117. Price includes P&H. PRISON LIFE 37 PRISON LIFE 39 Not evervone can be the good guv in Hollvwood. Think about all the movies vou·ve ever seen and all the heroes who've shot, punched and fought their wav across the screen. Think about all the beautiful women thev've won over. And all the bad guvs thev·ve caught, killed or incarcerated. Bad guvs: everv movie's got ·em. Where would Stallone be without half a hundred Uzi-toting, evil guerrillas to shoot down:- He'd be a muscle-bound midget nobodv would pav attention to. Or imagine Dirtv Harrv. Magnum in hand. chasing old ladies or kids down the street instead ot sinister drug dealers. Pimps and convicts. Booorrrinnng. No doubt about it: Bad guvs add excitement and realitv. Without them. heroes are one-sided and action is reduced to something straight outta Driving Miss Daisv. Adventure:- Hell, stav home and watch Barnev. But who are Hollvwood's bad guvs:- Who are these guvs whose names are never mentioned but whose laces and presence are never forgotten:- Are thev iust acting, or do thev bring real life experience to their roles:Meet Dannv Treio. Not onlv is he one of Hollvwood's baddest bad guvs. he's one of the real ones. h e n eve r Da nn y T r ej o wa lks o nto th e se t of a movie. everyo n e loo ks his way. ''We ca n stan now."' they laugh. 'The bad guy's h e re.·· Da nn y thin ks tha t's g reat. He doesn 't mind being the cold-h earted kille r, the assassin, the dope cleale r, the convict. "Some body's got to d o it, homes," he says. la ughing. T he re's noth ing th e 50-year-old Chicano wo uld ra th er be doing tha n acting. Not o nly has h e mad e a name fo r himself, b ut ac ting h as give n him the means to ra ise h is ki ds. mo re th a n eno ug h money to he comfortabl e an d, most importa n tly. it has ke pt him out of tro uble. lL hasn't a lways bee n that easy for Danny Trejo. 40 PRISON LIFE H e g rew up in East L.A.'s Pacoina ba r r io, a n o nly child. After running wit h t h e n e ighbo rh ood ga n gs a nd spe n di ng time in and out ofjuv<~nil e halls, he ended u p at California "\(mth Authority at age 14. "It was kinda fun ny," says Da nny. "I h ad a lot of fun in .Juvey h a lls." He was surrou nded by his frie nds. Like so ma ny o th ers, Da n ny learn ed th e ropes a t CYA. ':Juvey hall was like prep school." By th e time h e was th row n in to a state p e ni te n tiary fo r ad ults. Da nn y, soon to be 18. was a n ex pe ri enced criminal. He was also a d rug add ict. Dan ny was bustt'd by a ft·<kral agent wh o'd bee n going a rou nd the ne ighbo rh ood trying to buy d ope. "Some informa nt b rought him to me and I sold h im some pure shit- 100% pure sugar! T hey were really angry because I would n 't gi\'e the money back after I sold him th e stuff. Hell. I was going to jail ei ther way, so I kept the 17 gra nd." Trejo was booked on im cm to d istr ibute narcotics and se"n tenccd to a clime. He ended u p do ing a n ickel o n his fi rst bid. Da nny was locked up a t Tracy, an d h e had no problem with p rison life hy then. "My gang was there, my friends were t h e re . . . I was su r ro unded by everything 1 knew... Dan n y spclll nearly th<· e ntire '60s in prison. Tracy. Soledad. Folsom, San Quentin . . . h e d id time in all th e hardcore join ts o n t he \\'est Coast. \\'hen one sentence wac; up. he'd lind h imself back o n the streets doing rob- NOT JUST ANOTHER PRETTY FACE be ries o r o the r drug-rela ted c rimes. Finally, h e was a ble to b ea t h is drug habit, as we ll as b eco m e th e lightweight and we lte rweight boxing champio n a t Sa n Quentin . By th e time h e was re leased in ' 69 , h e h ad n o id ea wha t h e was going to d o with his life. O r if h e 'd be a ble to stay clear o f prison. They told him to stay away fro m convic ts. "Alii kne w were co nvins," he says. "Th ey we re my pee rs. a nd a lot of these g uys we r e pn·tty d ecent people. We used to h ave big do min o games in the park, just like we used to in the ya rd a t Sa n Q u e ntin . o nly no bo d y was sta bbed. ' H ey this g uy's ch eatin '!' one of u s would acc use a noth e r . 'Sh o uld I sta b h im?' ' No. ma n , it' s just a fu cking d om ino game.'" Thro ug h th e Narco tics Preve ntion P rogra m . Trej o t' tc t J immy Pe na. ':Jimmy is one of t h e most d ece nt huma n b e in gs I' ve eve r m e l. " sa ys Da nn y. "Ilc was also a n ex-co n .·· Pel'ia h e lped Da n ny beco m e a drug counselor. "I wanted to he lp gu ~ s gett ing ou t of the joint," he says. Da nny was a success sto ry befo re he eve r made it on film . For 15 years, be was a ble to m a ke it in th e frc c worlcl with o ut co mmittin g a no ther crim e . He was also a ble to keep h is j o b as a drug coun se lo r. B11t after a while h e grew bored a nd frustrated. "It was bot-ing a~ he ll,'' says Trej o . "[ ma rried twice in tha t time p<·riod , too, bu t it was all so mu nd a ne . T here was no longer any rush to my life. r sta rted th inki ng abou t do ing . .. some thing." l n '85, Danny met a kid who need ed his help to ge t off drugs. 'T his ri ch , wh ite p re ppy kid co mes up LOm e o n e day askin g fo r h e lp. I a lmost wa n ted to la u g h , but I gave him my pho n e nu mbe r an d to ld him to call me if h e h ad p ro ble ms. T h e nex L thi ng I kn ow, t h is ki d is calli n g me u p a t home. "' Hey. can yo u come to m y wo r kplace?' be's saying. ' I reall y need th e he lp.' "1 ca m e . T h a t's wh e n m y life cha nged. '' Dan ny did n ' t know it bu t the pre ppy wh ite kid was wo rkin g as a n extra on th e set of the m ovie R unaway Train. \•\' h e n T rej o a rrived o n th e set PRISON LIFE 41 to hel p the k id. he was imme d iate ly approached ll\ a cast ing directo r. "Thn asked me if I wanted to be an extnl. I said. 'Sure, okav.' T h e n thev asked me if I could aCI like a cmwicr. · "T il gi\'e it a shot,' I said, tn ing not to laugh ." The m in u te Da nn1 took off hi s shirt. he \\'as approaclwcl agai n . "I got t h<'~l' ta tt oos," says Tre jo. "And 111~ tats d on' t represt' II t the ,\r med Set ,·ices o r n ut h in' tre nch, e ither. These tats say, ' Thi s g uy was in th e pen .· So this g tll' comes up to me, lw loo k~ real fam il i<tr, wo. '" \\'here'd ~·ou d o tim e?' he asks me. "'Ed d ie? ' I saicl. It was Eddie B u n kl·r. 'Fuc·k m a n , what a rc vou doing he re?'" Da n n1 didn't kno" it then but Hu nker. a "Kct·s~ ful n m·elist (sec Ptison l.ifi•, Septem berOctober 199.'>) was worki n g on th e ~l't for l?unawa) Tmin. Thn h a d kn own eac h oth er from th e ir davs at San Q uen tin. Bu nker i m m ediate!~ we n t to th e d irector, ,\n d r ei Ko ncha lovsky. h a r d in th e face. \\'In couldn ' t I be doing th is, and getting paid for it: ''Tlw m·x t thing 1 kno\\' J' m sitt ing at a tahk in a fin·-s tar resta u rant with Fddie and .Jo n \ 'oigh t. 'Th is is i n,<l n c ~ · I'm th inking. T h t'rc is no way Eddie's supposed to be a n ywhere b u t lor ke d up. a n d h ere he is d isc u ssing scrip t changt'' with .Jon \ 'oight. I was siltin g thne. freaking o ut , thinking, Dam n , I can d o th is~ I ca n d o th is, too~·· It wasn't until Da n ny's first shot tha t he reali,red what a rus11 acting could be. "\\'hen Anclrt'i sa id, ' Ac ti o n ~· l just stood th en·. I blew the sho t. Eddie was watch ing a nd knew wha t ha p pened to me. I h ad thi s loo k on Ill\ lace. 'Are I 'OU o ka1? .\re you o ka1?' th ey aske d ED M FI COULD ACT LIK I E IT A SHOT,' N OTTO LAUGH." ''1' 11 n ever forget it,'' says Danm·. "Eddit· goes up tn the dire< tor and o;an. ·check the \lexica n. ' :\ndre i d icln ' t e1·cn kt1011· what a :\lexican wm! H e was fr om Russia. Th('l asked me if I ,,·ante d a biggn part th a n just an t'Xtr a. I sa id 'Su re .... Tlw' ne<"dcd som e bodv to figh t Eric Robe rt s in th e l;oxing rin g fo r a sce n e in t h e mm ie. Si n n· Edd ie kn ew of Dan n 1 's boxing ka ts, he th o ug h t th e ro le was perfcrt f()J' hi Ill . "] had n o idea what 1 wa~ ge ttin g into," s<l\'s T r e jo. ''All of a 'udden ('\'l'tTboch 's calling me '\rister'. People stant'd com bing my h a ir and b r inging m<· coffee. And I'm thi nking. "I' m just a drug counselor-\\ h a t 's go in g on hen·?' I'd bee n teac h ing boxin g to k ids in t he a rm ory fo r free, lett in g t hem pun r h m e 42 PRISON LIFE -- me. I said, "Yeah, I got it now.' '"'hen he said, ' Action!' agai n , I was read)'· It was like doin g a robbery. It a ll ca me back. the whole thing . "And that's when I realized that this is what I fucking wan ted to do." Thug. Prisoner#l. First Inma te. Bad Cuy. Bodyguard. Killer. Danny went from role to role, movie to moYie, always the bad guy. He was a prisoner in several movies: Penitm/i(/1)' III. LodwjJ, with Stallo ne. and a member of a prison gang in Taylor Hackford's Blood / 11, Blood Out (see Prison I.~{P. July-August a n d NovemberDecember 1995). He even played a cop once, in a '91 made-for-video movie called l'iclor One-The GI'Orge Aguilar Story. IL"s one of his strangest ro les, he says. 'These Englewood cops saw me in a movie,"' says Tr~jo , "and th ey thought I was the spitting imagt" of George Aguilar, this cop who 'd died in the line of duty. They kept calling me up, 'You got to be in this movie this guy's doing o n one of our partners.· The direnor got a hold of me and I took the ro le. lt was th e strangest thing bei ng around so many cops. I don ' t think they h ad any idea of my background." Danny h as also pla}•ed bad guys in dozens of mo\'ies like Dea th Wish IV, Marked For /)path, Dnubft•·Cmssed, Dmg Wars and .Vrtil~. The man has paid his dues. Rec<'n tly they paid off. 1995 was a good yea r for Danny. He got a role as a knife-throwing assassin in Robert Rodrig uez 's Desperado, starring Antonio Bandcras, and a speaking part iu Michael Mann's Heal, with Robert De !'\iro, AI Pac ino a n d Val Kilmer. "Desperado was a lot of fun, ·· says Da nny. ''Robert Rodriguez is an unbelievable director. Workiug wi th him is like doing a bank rohb(T}' with Eddie Bunke r . He has su ch fun doing what he does." Dann y's bigges t role, to d a te, was his pan in I kat. "In every mo,·ie I meet new people," says Robert De !'\iro. "O n H eat, l found Danny." The veteran actor considers Dann y a frie nd . "He's in terested in more th a n himse lf. In tcad of the Hollywood party circuit. he spe nds many <'\'Cn ings work ing with yo un gsters who need a rok model." "I was really scared wh en I go t tha t part," admi ts Trejo. "De Niro, Paci no, K.ilmer-thcse guys wc1·e the b es t in the business. i t's awesome working with th ese guys. But it scared me. ''I'd never really consid e red myse lf to be an actor. So I called up Raym ond Cruz, he 's a grea t ac tor , h e was in A Cll'ar and Present Danger. I called him up and said, 'Shit, ma n. l' m scared.' It was so hard to adm it I was scared. H e c racked up , but he coac h ed m e. He said I had to stop faking it. The re was a lot l could do n a turail)' to make th e character come to life.'' yo u h a n g o n th e wall. I just want to kee p on working, no matte r what the role is, a nd kee p my ki ds h a p py. I'm raising two daugh ters righ t now and I may have been th e wo rst h usba nd eve r, but I' m probably the bes t damn fa the r th e r e is. I te ll th a t to a n y woma n who wants to be with me. I say, it's a package d eal an d te ll th e m we migh t e nd up watching Beauty and the Beast with the kids later o n tha t nigh t. " "INSTEAD OF THE HOLLYWOOD PARTY CIRCUIT, [TREJO) SPENDS MANY EVENINGS WITH YOUNGSTERS WHO NEED AROLE MODEL." -ROBERT DE NIRO In th e end , says Dann y, th ey c ut a lot or his scenes from the movie. But th a t didn ' t both e r him: "They cut Pac ino's shit, too," he says. "1 d o n' t feel so bad. " This year should prove an even bigger year fo r Dan n}. 1ot onl y is Heat still playing in theaters aro u nd t h e country, but Trejo a lso p lays "Razor Cha rli e" in Quentin Tarra ntin o's ne w movie, From Ou~/1 T il Dawn, with H arvey Keite l and George Cloo ney, and a rol e in Last Ugh t, starri n g Ke ife r Suthe rland. He is also in The.Jaguar, now being fi lmed in South Ame rica. It "·ill be his first leading role. "1 never th.~mgh t I'd .be do ing th~s:" says Dann y. ever. C mon man , JL s like catching lightning in a bottle. l"ve been luckv. I \ ·e worked with the best in th e bu~in ess. Dennis lloppe r , De 1 iro , Suth erlan d , Kilm e r . .. these g H}'S arc my friends, too." Acti ng has enabled Da n ny to see more than L.A. an d prison. '"I've gotte n to go all over the place: Paris, South Ame ri ca, you n a me it. Som('thing happened in Paris I'll never forget. When I 11sed to ge t thrown in th <' hole in San Quemin , to keep from going crazy, "I 'd act o ut a sce ne fro m "!Y1e flu n chba rli of Notre D a me, with C harles Laug hton. 1 wo uld scurry across the cell, 'Sanctuary . . . sanc tUaJ) ' ... ' We ll , I n ever rea lized that there was a real No tre Da me and tha t it was in Paris. So when l was in Paris doing a movie, I came across it a nd it bro ugh t tears to my eyes. I was awestruck. "I n ever h ad a n y aspira ti o n abou t being a nyth ing," he says. "Until! ra n into Eddie o n th e se t o f R unawa)' Train. Now, th<'rc 's nothing l'd ra the r be doing." Da nny' s pl a n s are simple : to kee p o n working. "Eve ryon e talks about a rt a nd acting ," he says. "To me, <trt is some thi ng Whe n h e's not with his kids o r fi lming a m ovie, Da nn y can be fou n d ha n ging ou t with Eddi e Bunke r. H is oth e r close fr ie n ds a nd m e nto rs are ex-cons, too- like George Perry, a 72year-old ex-con Da nn y has been a ble to get into acting and who he 's known fo r 35 years. " I was h a ng ing with Geo rge o n e day, driving u p Rodeo Drive when tl1is g uy cuts me off a n d gives me the fin ger. I'm about to d o so m ethin g an d George says, ' Fuck this punk. How's it gonna look in fro nt of a Beverly Hi lls judge wh e n h e p u lls o u t yo ur o ld record ? Ar m ed robb e ry, d rug sales? What' re yo u gon na say whe n he asks you why you beat him up so bad? 'Cuz he gave us the finger, You r Ho nor?'" Wh en h e's n ot h a ng ing a ro und Ed di e o r George, Da nn y still spe nds tim e a t Western Pacifi c Re hab , a d etox ce n ter ror dr ug addi cts a n d alcoholics. "I talk to peo ple," h e says. ""''e have a clinic an d I sec a lo t o f dope fie nds I used to run with ." U nlike som e ex-cons, T rejo refuses to fo rge t abou t his p ast. "You ca n ' t fo rget a bo ut wh e re yo u com e fro m ,·· he says. 'That's how guys like me and Edd ie Bunke r have m a n aged to stay clean for so lo ng. You got to keep positive. You can' t give up ho pe." Danny h as a few wo rds of advice for th e ex-co n who ca n ' t make it in th e real world afte r priso n. If you got" th e look," ll")' Hollywood: "T here's a d e m an d for bad g uys. Th e re will always be a d e m a nd fo r bad g uys . Th ere's a wh o le lo t o f things you can do. Yo u don' t walll to be an ex tra? H e ll , you have to start some wh e re . Fin d a n ex tra age n cy, send the m yo ur p icture. But yo u got to wa n t it bad , m ore th an an yth ing . You gotta want it bad ." lii1 PRISON LIFE 43 44 PRISON Llf e ing Coke elli g Jokes Tim Allen'.s A.scen.sion from Federal Pri.son to Super.stardom By jennifer Wynn Prison takes away your freedom in a way you can never i1nagine until you've spent time there. Once you lose your jreedo1n, you never want to lose it again. Prison was the worst and the best thing that ever happened to me. It taught me in no uncertain terms to be responsible for my own actions. - Tim Allen , from Don't Stand too Close to a Naked Man Just 15 years ago, Tim Allen was behind bars at FCI Sandstone, Minnesota. Today, he is a mega star in print, film a nd TV. Having reached the pinnacle of celebrityville through a bestselling book, a syndicated sitcom and a major motion picture, Tim Allen has got to be America's most successful ex-con. H is latest accomplishments are breathtaking: Home Improvement, Allen's ABC sitcom now in its fourth season, is TV's No. 1-rated show, earning Disney $400 million thus f~u- in the sale of reruns. His comic autobiography, Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked J\1/an, climbed to No. 1 on the l\'ew York Times best-seller list in October 1995 and by December was still riding high in second place; it is the most successful book yet published by Disney's four-year-o ld book division, Hyperion. The Santa Clause, Allen's first mo\'ie and the surprise hit of the 1995 Christn1as season, earned $71 1nillion in its first 17 days and jumped to No. 1 at the box office shorth after. PRISON LIFE 15 Perpetual Prankster Tim Allen learned the importance of humor at an early age. Born Tim Allen Dick in a middle class Denver suburb, his last name made him the butt of a hundred playground jokes. He'd battle his bullies with a healthy dose of selfdeprecating humor, which later helped him survive prison. Sources say he made the meanest guards laugh by putting pictures of Richard Nixon in the peephole of his cell when they made their rounds. Later he staged comedy shows for the other prisoners. "In prison,'' Allen recalls, "you could say one wrong word to a guy and he'd want to kill you. Literally." I once offended a guy without knowing it. We belonged to the Toastmasters Club ... This guy was outgoing president and I was incoming president. We had a roast at his retirement and I guess I really roasted him. Hours later, he came to my cell and said, "I'm not here because I'm a well-adjusted person. I'm a maladjusted man. In fact, I have one big problem: my really big inability to take criticism or be fucked with. You just fucked with me. And for that you Te going to have to pay. " You could hear me gulp in the warden's office. In a split second, he got me up against a wall. I realized I was going to die-and then a bubble popped right above his head. When you 're really in trouble your face gets this very odd, contorted look-like when you react to a vomit burp. One of the most amusing things, when my brother was about to get hit by my dad or had done something really wrong, was this look on his face. So as I was about to get my butt kicked, my life snuffed, this bubble popped up with my brother's face in it. And I started laughing. Suddenly the guy stopped roughing me up and said, "What are you laughing at?" I said, "My brother's head just popped in above your head because .. . "I tried to explain it to him. I couldn't stop laughing. Hesaid, "Yourecrazy. Gettingyour ass kicked and you're laughing about it?" "No, no . . . "I still tried to explain. "No, no, go ahead and hit me. I didn't mean to be rude. " He let me go. It was fabulous. 46 PRISON LIFE On a sunny November day, as Allen writes in his book, a tragedy occurred that changed his world overnight. His mother, father and brothers were driving home from a football game when they were hit by a drunk driver. His mother and brothers survived; his father was killed. "I realized that there is no one here to protect us," Allen writes. "That life can be taken from us at any time." His mother remarried a few years later, and the family moved to the Detroit suburbs, where Allen struggled through high school and then through college. He graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in TV production, and not long after got caught up in drugs. He started selling cocaine and in 1979 was arrested and sentenced to eight years. "While awaiting sentencing," Allen recalls, "I decided to give stand-up comedy a shot. The judge had suggested I get my act together, and I took him seriously. It was better than sitting around wondering why I wasn't getting any job offers. I thought that at my sentencing hearing the judge would take my efforts into consideration. He didn't. But as you know, being funny saved my life-on the inside, in my inside, and, as I was soon to discover, on the outside." Allen served just over two years, reading books and writing letters, and slowly facing the fact that he had seriously messed up his life. "It was frightening, that whole time, how much anger I had," he says. 'Then the anger was directed toward me, so I had to take the blame for this whoie situation I put myself into." A supportive family helped him through the ordeal. 'Tim accepted it," says his mother. "He knew he deserved it and he didn't fight it. Everyone in the family came out and rallied behind him." I called my mom once because I got moved up from a cell block to my own cell ... My own room, my own toilet! And two storage lodrers. It was still the size of a bathroom or a New York luxury apartment, but I was in heaven. I said, "Mom! Mom! Guess what? I got my own cell. " "Oh, "she said. "I'm so proud. " Meanwhile, I realize she's thinking, "Is this a jolle? Davy is in Europe, Geoffs just graduated from Michigan State, Dave's got a brand-new job with a construction company, and my brightest son . . . has just got his own cell! I'm just bursting with pride . . . '' TV's Tool Time Guy Emerges Returning to Detroit after his parole, Allen went to work in advertising while trying to develop a stand-up comedy act at night. He distinguished himself by wearing a coat and tie for his routine, which was full of sexual and scatological references. Eventually, he hit on the macho-tool guy persona that became his trademark role in his TV show Home Improvement. Allen started travelling back and forth to Los Angeles, got himself an agent and eventually broke into the big-time comedy clubs. Mter a few TV appearances and cable specials, he was discovered by a group of Disney executives who were having a meeting to discuss new TV projects. "We were sitting in the room practically snoring," Jeffrey Katzen berg, the former Disney movie chief, is quoted as saying. "Then someone put one of Allen's Showtime specials on the VCR: "He set the room on fire," said Katzen berg. Some of the group, including Disney chairman Michael Eisner, later went to the Improv comedy club to see Allen's performance. "It was one of those nights that was magic," Allen remembers. "They came backstage and said they'd like to have a meeting with me at Disney." The studio's first offer wasn't quite in keeping the rising star's vision: a TV sitcom based on the movie Turner & Hooch, in which Allen would costar with a dog. Allen rejected the offer, along with two others. Then he came up with his own idea: a series about the host of a TV fix-it show. Disney assigned Matt Williams (the former producer of Roseanne) to the show, added three kids to the mix and helped turn Home Improvement into TV's biggest family-show hit of the '90s. (Allen plays Tim Taylorthe kind of guy who gets excited about playing with power drills and rewiring the refrigerator.) Even though Allen can by all means afford a jet-set life style, he still keeps a home in an unpretentious neighborhood in Birmingham, Michigan, where he retreats for holidays and other family gatherings. Known th ro ug hout l lo llywood circles fo r h is una ffec ted, down-ho m e style, h e has b e en marri e d fo r 12 yea rs to his co llege wee thea n , La ura De ibe l, wh o manag e s hi s business a ffa ir ·. D e ibe l wa ited for All e n while he was in prison. Somr soriPiirs srpa mlr the mm and women . The IN/son is that men get along belter with men, and woml'n get along better with woiiU'Il. But ajtrr being in jJrison, !/w ow that wr ran'/ do that JorroPr brra usr it turns mrn-1 can on I)• spea/1fo r mrn-into Vl'l)' violent rrraltii"PS. Witltout wollu'n around, we beco me vel)' vioiPn l and Vl'l)' sad, and VPf)' uninsjJirPd a nd VPI)' onesided. It 's m llNI watrlting too murh sjJorts on Tl'. After the success of' ·,PSrmta Clause, H o llywood inside rs predic t that Alle n will command upward of 8 million for his n e xt m ovie (on top o f the 5 milli o n he re portedly 1 a e thi s ye a r from the TV series). Aile • s s he'd be happy with a small token of his achieve me nt. "It's o c hee Y, ' he says, "but I j ust want a little laque that reads, 1 0. l T V 1-1 \Y, :-.1 1 BOOK, 1 0. I MOV IE.jL for m e , becau se I work a lm ost di e d: IS-h o ur ch1) a nd o ut o r a fat sui t, typi n o n my laptop .. . " Since his a nta de but, r\11 n's stamina h as n ' t slowed o n e bit. ln ;-..;ovembe r, Walt Disney Picwrcs 1 <·leased Toy StOI)', a n a nim a te d fea tu e in wh ich All e n tars a s th e voi e of Buzz Lightyea r, a mac ho s pac man action fi g u r e wh o sh a res a t ybox with \1\lo o d y, a cowbO )' d o ll w" th a vo ice supplie d by To m Hanks. T his spring, Al le n beg ins filmin g indian in thr Cit)'. the story of a man w o discovers he's th e fa th e r or c h " d whom h is estrange d wiJC:• r isc·cl in th e Amazon. "Al l oJ:.th is seems to me to be by the g race of God," admits All en. ''I'm like ybody ('[se, born equal to every- bod y e lse and o me h ow I've bee n able to d o mag nifi ce nt th ings. And it 's pretty obvio us that ! had no thing to d o wi t h thi s. So t h e re must be so mething t h a t I h ave to acco m p lish. I hope I ha,·e n ' t acco m p lish ed it ye t , because I'm enjoyi ng the ri de." Yleanwhil e, D ' 's T ool Time guy just ca m e o ut \\"ith th e T im Alle n Sig n ature H a mme r, fea turin g a hic ko ry ax h andl e a nd Allen's "RRR " insig nia. 1ext o n th e line is a screwdrive r, also from H a rt T ools. Alle n hopes to follow in the footste s 0fan or'Pnul Iewm an , who se::. upscale food produc . h ave e a r eel mega bucks for !'{Oodcause o ganizations. "There's nothing li ke elbing charity work." says ,\ lien. "Yo ur time is well-s pe nt. you achieve a go<\1 that's fo r the good of everybody and you come out glowing." Gi\'en hi s extraordinary achic·vemcn ts. most pcop·c have no idt•a tha t Tim Allen-/hi' Tim Alkn?!-s pcnt time behind bars. "It"s a big shock to 1\eople. They sa~, ' You 're not that kj,nd of guy.· \\'ell, yes, I was that ki nd of guy. Half model citizen , ha lf hoolig 1. Pri.1011 i.s jillrrl with gup in whom Lit irlunatir i1jiH. ThP lunatir iljina fJ. when• he wan/1/o bt•. 111'\ in a jJlace wllf're lunat") worlo. Thr mort• of a lunatic _vou art·. tht• bt'/11'1" .wu gl't along with tht• otllt'rlunatin. Pri10n i.1 a wonde,1jul jJlart· forthr luuatir to bt• ~i'flre it' thr lunr.tir in ym1 that gl'l~ JOU there. Butt he differt·na• bt•lwn·n thr lunatic. lii'i ug i 11 till' out.1idt• world and hilling timt• in jnison 1s that imidt•lhe lunalir artuallJ spPall.l. fit• goe.1, "/ didn't do it.'' Or "!{ 1 had th1• dwnrt•lo do it again I o•rtainly wouldn't gl'l mught." Tht• lun.tlir is alway1 in dt•nial bt•cau.w' he nt"llt'r admit.1 lht• slightest rc~pon .1ibility. When we called Tim ,\lien's publicit~ agt·nt to anange an inteniew, "·e wen· told.\llen didn't ,,·anl to panicip<llt' ... lle"d like to put his pri-.OJl expnit•ncc behind him ... said publicist ~larll·ah Ll·slit•. Yeah? I hen win "d he clnote nMjm portion-. ol his llt"W boo\... /Jon "t Stand TlHJ Uo11 to a .\"alwd .\la11. to his ohsen;uions on !iii.· in the joint. his drug-dt•aling p<t-.1 and how ht· sunin·d his 1\lo-lt'al bid~ \\'e smdk·cl a rat. hum 0 111 , Allen is a rat. IY's l"ooi-Time gu' had his eig ht-rear st•n tence reduced because he ··roopt•raH•cl wi1h lh t· gove rnm ent, .. our sources said. (This was latn ronlirmecl when we caught a 60 Min- Al th o ug h h e writes with dark hum o r abo ut his Lime in prison, Allen stil l worri es abo ut how he will expla in it to h is fi ve-ye ar-o ld d a ug hte r K.D . "Th a t's th e h ardes t qu e tio n. I j u st do n 't kn ow. I d o n ' t know wha t I' m go in g to say to h e r a b o ut a mill io n th ings," he says. E,·en th o ug h he didn ' t commit the kind ofh e ino u · crime most Americans associate with pri one rs, Al le n doesn ' t de ny the reality of his ex-con stigma. "I was a bad g uy," he insists. "If yo u h ad se e n me in blue lo ckup clothi ng and shac kles- there's no diffe rence in th e pen ite n ti a ry ab o ut wh a t yo u did. M urde re rs e nd up in t he same place as rap'ists, c hild mo leste rs, drug dealers, ban · ro bbe rs. We're all losers who decided o take a sho t a nd go the easy route . . . ' Gu_)'s PI d u jJ i 11 jail because I hey don't har• goals. Or lheiJ· goals are the wrongo/1/!.i Iflifr i.1, in f act, a 1ive1; then you have ve1y jl'w ofJtfons, all of them vel)' clear. You 'rr in a anoe. You ca n II)' to paddle ufJslrPtlll and live in the past, look; ug barkwa 'd. Then you're going to hit something. and you 'll l1eep wondering why life kr jJs hitting you in the back Or you rm fight the cwnmt but f acefm~ ward, m 'd not get anywhere. Or you ran m.wally go with I heflow and think about ~ 1 lling ovPr to the side now and thl'll to ·jJlore the land. Smell the roses. And 1 me jJeojJle wan/to go as fast as they possibly can, straight to hell. IIIJ.ink I was badljJaddling and the ca1/IJI'flipped over. 1 had no idea aboutloohingforward and selling a goal. Then 1 mrl a gzt)' i 11 JIYisrpl, at one of these groujJs, who summrrl it ujJ best. The g;realt-.~1 missile in the work/ is useless, he said, uniPss it :~ targeted. J\ fol'k:._do is arhift un!l•s.s it has somPjJlacr to . n mrow is jJoiniiPss unless it hits somelhin . So it :~ imJmrtrmt for kids- for eve~y onr, I'TIPII ifyou Jail at first-to target somPthing and ht'ad i11 that dirrction. 1\'ith all JOU r might. OJ] tt/t'l '~"gment on manclaton minimums f"cal!l rin g omlriencl \h .. \lien.) Poor gu,·-t·xposed "' an ex-con and a rat on national IY .. \nd now he's expost•d in Prison Life. \oice of lht· rcnl\ in. :\o wonder he declined the inten it'\\. I It' ·c1 bt· ckadmt·<u if ht• e'er goes back to 1he joinl. \\t· ckrickcl to run tht· -.ton an\\\"aY. !lis mindblowing .teromplishnH·nt~ still make him America's 111mt sucn·sslulex-coJl. .\nd in a ll'a). we need pcopll" like .\!len. ! lis rise to mega-stardom shows that <IllY prison time. t'Yenjust a couple or years, isn 't a liflo st'lllt"IHT if the will1o arh il'Vl" is s1rong enoug h. PRISON LIFE 47 "My I'OIIrf' /"11 is lhe [Jijl WP lOIIfJ for, t/11' gift that, when it romes, speahs comma n dingly to the soul and irmsistibly moves us.. . " Lewis HydP, The Gift h a rl es Du u on doesn ·t n eed a scr ipt to la u nch into dazzling monologues. He's a bo rn sto ryte ll e r , a n d h is backg rou n d has g ive n hi m so m uc h to draw o n that he's become a qu intessential sp o kesm a n fo r p riso n life, c reative experience, and the possibility for individua l change through a combinatio n o f the two. Eve n o n scr ee n , Duuo n has the u n m istaka ble prese n ce o f a stage a cto r- so m eo n e wh o is addi cted to the thrill o f live pe rfo rman ce a nd th e bea u ty a nd command of la nguage. Du tto n is a powe rh o u se acto r. H e looks like a b r ic k wall and has o n e of th e mean est g rowls in sh ow-biz, bu t he's mo re like ly to cap tivate his a udie n ce with a ge m le smi le a nd reve re nt, soft-spo ke n vo ice. Dutton first caught th e theater bug in prison . A few yea rs afte r his release, h e accomp lish ed th e unh ea rd o f fea t of accep ta n ce into Ya le Dra ma Sch ool (go in g "fro m jail to Yale," as he pu ts it), a nd th en st ra ig h t to Broad way. Since his first feature role in the Aug ust Wilso n p lay, J\lla Rain ey~~ Blaclt Bollom, fo r whi c h h e rece ived a T o n y n o min atio n in 1984, it's bee n a steady ascemto stardom. By 1990 he ha d h is econd Ton}' no mina tio n for ano ther \1\lilson play, The Piano Lesson, a n d h a d begun Lo sta r in wh at h as si n ce a mo unte d to ove r a d oze n fea ture film s (No M erry, C This August will mark the 20th anniversary of actor Charles Dutton's release from the Maryland State Penitentiary, where he spent sevenand-a-half years for manslaughter and other charges. He has not forgotten for a single day that the only reason he never re-entered the system was because he discovered the one thing that provided an alternative, and he made a lifelong commitment to pursuing it. 48 PRISON LIFE THE METEORIC RISE OF CHARLES S. DUTTON by Pam Widener Q&A, M enace If Society, Alien 3, C1y the Belov ed Count1y, a nd A Time to Kill, to name a few) . Dutton even conquered prime time T V. H e's starred in seve ral n etwo rk movies, produced a mini-series for HBO called L aurel A venue, an d for three years was the star a nd executive produce r of his own se ries, Roc, which-true to his passion fo r t h eate r-be ca m e th e first prime-time comedy show since the mid-' 50s to air live fo r an e ntire season . Dutton 's life is a red efin ition o f th e classic Ame rican rags-to-ric h es story. The m<U o r twist in this new ve rsion is th a t in add ition to h a rd work a nd good fo rtune, th e young h e ro must e ndure a rite of p assage thro ug h the state pe n. Yet he refuses to accept th e "ro le mod e l" label so ofte n attac h ed to him. "In my business," he explains, "whe n yo u ' re g ive n th at stig ma, they' re se tting you up to be perfecl. And I'm not perfec t-not by a long shot." But Dutton is definitely a rarity: Fe w people in the ente rtainme nt industry succeed in all three are nas-s tage, scree n and televisio n-and eve n fewe r have as tho roug h , educated a nd realisti c a kn owledge of th e American prison syste m, and of th e d aily struggle involved wi th staying out of it. h e Roc Du tton sto r)' (" Roc" is a ch il d h ood ni c kname d e ri ved fro m sli ng ing roc ks instead o f snowballs) begins in the East Baltimore of the '50s and early '60s, where h is bedroom in a public ho using project overlooked the state pen. "In m y n eighborhood," he says, "you expected to go to p r·iso n . It was a g ive n . Some kids expected to go to college; we expected to go to priso n." T After quitting school in the seventh grade for the mo re exciting world of th e street corn er, Dutton 's life beca me o ne of defiance- of mischief that grew into criminal misc hi ef tha t grew into a we b of reform sch oolsuntil fi n ally, whe n he was 17, he fatally stabbed so m eone in a fig ht and was se nt to priso n o n a n 18-mon th manslaughter conviction. "As a youn g b lac k or La tin o in America," says Dutton, "in ce rta in communities, th ere is a morbid se nse of a rite of passage by going to prison. It starts as a juve ni le a n d it goes all the way to ad u lt h ood. A r ite o f passage tes ting your m a nh ood. T h e who le syste m. " Dutto n has always maintained th a t the pressures o u tside the prison walls a r e g reater than ins ide. "Th e re's a simple way to survive in priso n ," h e says. "It beco mes its own little society, and you deal with it. The minu te you wa lk th roug h the p riso n gate, yo u ' re already assumed by everyone else to be a to ug h g uy. l f yo u weren't a tough guy, yo u wo u ldn 't b e th e re. And until that's d isproved, you don ' t h ave a ny tro ubl e." Roc never had any u·ouble. He kept on be ing the same tough guy insid e as out, piling up more convictio ns (possession of a wea p on , fighting wit h a guard) and more time. Over th e n ext seven yea rs, he learn ed everything there was to know abou t the m ech a ni cs o f surviving in the penitentiary "I was beyond a Ph.D. I was a Rhodes sch olar· in tl1a t sh it. " As muc h as h e understood it, th o ug h , he n ever a llowed h imself to b e cond iti o n ed by priso n life. In seven-and-a-h alf years, fo r in stance, he never d ecorated his cell. "Tha t's th e lowest for m of conditioning," he says. "Deco ratin g o n e's cell. Putting u p pretty pictures a nd towe ls and painting boxes ... It's o ne thing to be nea t; it's anoth er to make it horne. I neve r did that. I didn ' t want it to get so comfortable that it was o kay- regardless of how lo ng I was going to be there." Dutto n also refused to wo rk in prison. He was a member of the Black Panther Party, he had radical, left-wing viev<s, a nd h e co rresponded with George j ackson, Angela Davis... "ever) 'body wh o was somebody in tlle rad ical moveme n t. " Wo rking fo r 35 ce n ts a d ay didn ' t fit tlle revolutionar)' scheme. "You can't compare the prisoner of the '60s and '70s to th e p r iso n er o f the '90s," says Dutton. "W h e n I was th e re, yo u h ad 85 pe rce nt o f th e prison popula tion readin g. I mean physically reading. It was a th ing th en. A fad. Wh e t h er it was leftist ma terial, o r whatever you were reading ... it was abo ut being a prison debater, a priso n inte llectual, ajai lhou se lawyer, aja il house doctor. You had 85 percent of the prison po pu lation really wa n t in g to be o u tspo ken a nd to be articulate. Wanti ng to be tte r the mselves men ta lly." On a rece n t visit to the Maryland State Pen , where Dutton delive red the keynote speech at the college g raduatio n , h e was struc k by how m uc h tha t h ad c h ange d. ow, h e says, 85 pe rcent o f the priso n e rs 'just want to sit tllere, ha ng o ut. " As with most things, h e blames this deterio ra tion o n the d rug c u ltu r e. "Whatever yo u did in th e streets, that's wh at yo u ' re go n na do in th e joint. If yo u h ave a dinosaur in your brain wh e n you' re o n the street co rn er, you'l l still h ave that d inosa ur mentality witll your prison life." PRISON LIFE 49 DUTTON MASTERS STAGE, TELEVISON AND FILM. (From left to r ig ht ) Ouuon as Boy 'vVilli e in The Piouo Lessou ( p h oto by Bob Greene/ H a llmark); as Roc Emerson in Ror (photo by Timothy White / Fox): in C•y. Tht• 81'/ourd C:ouull)' (photo courtesy of to.liramax). D uuo n was lu cky, he never got in vo lved with drugs. He could see as early as '66 how they were destroying t h e neighbo r hood. '· J saw g uys a rg uing over who'd get. the last. bits, get the spoo n, ge t.t.he cooker. I always looked at th a t ga m e as a c rudely, vic ious game. Nobod y could be tru sted , yo u we re a lways gonn a have to hurt. somebod y, beca use in evitab ly somebod y was go nn a come u p short o n th e money . .. . " The drug epidemic has resulted in such devia nt behavior that. Ouuo n h as a lmos t co me to empa thize with socie ty's im pa t ience with co nvicts a nd add icts. But h e ha sn 't forgotte n who th e real cul prit is: H e h o lds the gove rn m en t responsib le for a turating communiti es wi th drugs. "I saw it.," he in sists. "The Uni te d t.at.e gove rnment. wouldn't. have c nlig h t.encd people a fter the '60 ·and '70s in t he b lack co mmun iti es. T h ey couldn' t have that.." It. h a d bee n a perio d of peo pl e ga in ing conscio usness and a sen se of revo lu tio nary passio n , and the governm e nt "h ad to so m e way, so m e h ow, to ta lly d ismantle and destroy what was being bui lt upon in th e '60 · a nd early '70s. I think it was don e th ro u gh th e sa tu ra tion of drugs-and th e to ta l idiocy of te le\"isio n. " 50 PRISON LIFE "... Andre, guys lille you can do morr than any movir, any trlroision show, or ony politician, to getthrsr hids to understand that life is a precious thing. That kid Danwn is about to go lo thr penitmlimyfor hilling a nolher hid, jJrourlthat hr:5 following in )'Our footsteps, and you're going lo sit herr and tell me it's none of your business?" - Roc confro n ting the local drug pushe r on th e fi nal episode of Roc h e n Dutto n was give n his come dy ser ies, Roc, in 1991 , it was one of severa l shows created by Fox th at. pro mised a n u n us u a lly h ig h level o f c reative co ntrol t.o African-Ame rica ns. I n May 1994, wh e n Fox exec uti ves cance led two th irds of th ese b lac k-produced show , in what. was referred to a t. th e tim e as the "Grea t. Black Purge of'94," some of them, like Roc, d id not. go out. witho ut a fig ht. T wen ty-ni ne blac k me mbe rs of Co ng ress sig n e d a le tte r of p ro tes t to Ru pe rt Murd och , wh ile Congressman Ed Town s even iss ued a statemen t t h a t. m embers of the Congressio nal Black Caucus wou ld not stand for the pate rnalistic cancellation of positive black shows. Charles Du tton's fig h t was th e loudest. of a ll. ''There's a se rio us .J im Crow W law in Ho llywood ," he told just about every news a nc hor and reporter in th e busine . "And t.hat.Jim C row law, in my opin io n , is after 9 p.m. - n o blacks, clogs, or La tinos on the air." It wasn' t Fox per se he b la m eda lth oug h h is "crea tive co n tro l" had bee n a n up h ill battle a ll th e way-it was the te levision indusu-y, pe riod. ··we have a lways been co nfin ed t.o a comedy zone in 40 years of televisio n . 1 ow, I' m n o t. so ens it.ive that. I don't think we can laugh at. ourse lves-because to be ho n est , wh o m akes b igger fools of themselves every day on te levision tha n wh ite peop le, in the mi n dless , sense less ha l f~hour comedic ? "You ca n be st.upid be tween 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. , b ut a t 9 p .m. yo u ge t. to run th e wo rl d; yo u get to be lawye rs, doctors, corporation leade rs ... When it. comes t.o cu ltu ral diversity, we need some balance. If Nelso n Mande la can come out or prison after 27 years and in fo u r years go to the preside n cy of South Afri ca , I j ust wonde r wh y afte r 40 yea rs of American television you can't have good qual ity shows a bo ut people o f co lo r o n the n etworks . I thi nk, in a nutshe ll, you'd have t.o call i l o u t.ri gh t , b lata nt racism . I've searched lor other excuses, an d tha t's the only word I could find for it. " Eve n though it was a 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. comedy se r ies, Roc introduced some iss ues tha t h ave ye t lO be see n e lsewhe re on televi io n. For instance, Roc was lhe first show in lhe histOI)' of te levisio n to introduce th e ati o n of Isla m in a positive way. "My slan t," says Duuon , "was to se n d messages to th e Africa n-American community about problem solvin g." In th e e nd , d esp ite h is frustra tion with Fox a nd hi continued ouu·age a t th e ina ni ty o f te le,·isio n , Dutton a t leas t knew that he wo u ld b e ab le to "back away from it in thre e ye a rs and sing the song of Frank Sinatra, I did it had fin ally d iscove red what I was bo rn to do with my life." In a single m o me n t, the re m a inde r of h is life beca me cl ear· to him- imp le a nd u n complic ate d. " I knew a t that m o m e nt th a t e ithe r I pursue thi s gift I'd discove re d in myself to th e full es t exten t , or I was go in g to spend th e res t of my life in a nd ou t of prison. There was n 't go ing to be a n y middl e g round for m e, because I d idn ' t kn ow a nyth ing e l ·e t o d o . I was n eve r m ec h an ical ly inclin e d , o r te c h n ical ly in c lin e d. I wasn 't made to be a labo re r o r a j a n itor o r a ga rbage ma n ... I kn ew that I wo ul d pro ba bly spe nd th e rest of my life in a nd o ut o f prison if th a t' s a ll I h ad lO d o ." But th e most wonderful thing, says Dutto n , "was th a t I re all y b egan to unde rsta nd a nd di sc ove r my o wn humanity. And th a t 's what c hanged me- fro m a ha rd kind of mind set to an und e rstand ing a nd discove ry of huma ni ty." Afte r fou r-a nd-a-ha lf yea rs of ca using troubl e, of stabbings, sh ootings, getting cut, "this thing to o k ove r a nd it was like I wasn 't there anymore. I m ean, I e mbraced it with a p assion. I grabbe d it with the same passion th a t I 'd g ra bbed the negative stuff. I was .. ASTRUGGLE FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE. YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE STRUGGLE. TO LOVE IT. .. my way . . .. "Whic h," he knows be tte r than anyone , "i lO say so m eth in g in Ho ll ywood. " t b e ga n one day in 1972 , a b o ut four-and-a-half years into his senten ce . A friend on th e outs ide had se nt hi m a play by Douglas Turner Ward calle d Day of Absence, a sa tirica l one-ac t in whi ch al l of t he blac k p e ople in a n unna me d Sou th e rn town myste rio u sly di sa ppear o ne d ay, leavin g th e wh ites h e lpl ess a nd the tow n in c h aos. Dutton, wh o was d o ing a six- I d ay stint in isolatio n whe n h e read it, found th e play to b e bo th hilar io u s a nd in keeping with his politics. And it "gave me some th ing lO think about aside from who se he ad l was go in g to bash in the n ext d ay." By the time he cam e out o r th e hole, his wh o le mind se t h ad ch an ged. H e convin ced th e wa rd e n to a llo w him to sta rt a th eate r gro up, a nd th e n h e got toge th e r th e "funni est, crazies t a nd m os t dem o nstra tive guys in prison " to put th e play o n . "A t one p o int during th e pe rfo rmance ," h e re calls, "I so rt or looked ou t at the crowd, a nd I saw tha t I had th ese guys in lhe palm of my ha nd-I could make them laugh , I cou ld make th e m cry, I could make them th ink, I co uld make them quie t, I could ma ke th e m pe nsive, re flective ... all of thi s, with what I was doing on stage . It was an ee r ie ki nd of powe r . I fe l t li ke I PRISON LIFE 51 still in the prison e nviro nm ent, sure, but I found tha t o ne thing to believe in. And I thi nk in essen ce that's what everybody has to find ." took ove r the Ya le dra ma de p a rtme nt. And thu s bega n the symbiosis be tween Richa rds, hi pro tege, playwrig ht Au gust Wi lso n , a nd Dutto n , who wou ld star in their prod uc ti o ns of Ma Rainey, j oe Tun1er's Come and Cone a nd The Piano Lesson. Au g ust Wilson h a said th a t th e character o f Boy Willie in The Piano Lesson was writte n with Dutto n in mind : " ! wa nted to write so m e thin g to cha lle nge his tale nt. " Wh a t th e play mea n to Dutto n is "simp ly a nd pure ly histo ry. On e hundred years from now, some li ttle boy wi ll be trying to d o Boy ·willie in hi g h sc h oo l. When Aug u st Wilson fi n ish es hi s cycle, b lac k p eo p le in Am e rica will have the ir own theatrical histo ry." fter his r e lease, Dutto n e nro ll ed a t T o wson Sta te University, wh e re h e eventua lly ea rn ed h is B.A. in ' 78 . Despite a sch o la rship a nd a conti nu ed passion for the thea ter, it was th e h a rd est peri o d of hi s life . "That was th e most pressure I eve r faced , wh e n I was re leased th a t last time . I m ean, the te mptatio ns we re great. To put on e foo t bac k o ut in th e stre et, to kind o f d a b o n th e right side, be positive in sc ho o l a nd all th a t -a nd then h ave the left foot still o ut in the stree t hustlin g." H e says the fact tha t he was never into the drug sce n e is pro bab ly what " S o me wh e r e in yo ur life," says Dutto n , "if yo u ' re a n saved him . That and a commitmen t o ffe nder o r ex-o ffe nd e r , he made to what h e considered to be somewh e re in your life you "the econd half' of his life. !he first fou nd it. Som ewh e re in half was all ab out tha t stupidity. The seco nd half was go ing to be a co m- yo ur life yo u did it fo r just two seco nds, yo u did som e thi ng th a t yo u mitme nt to what I was going to do." Twe nty years late r, it's still an eve•)' kn ew yo u did ve ry we ll. Som e thin g day struggle. "You hate to say, 'a su·ug- you might have bee n put on th is gle from the cradle to the grave,' but it pla ne t to do." is. A struggle from the cradle to tJ1e grave. You have to learn to fa ll in love with th e struggle. T o love it. Tha t' s the o n ly way to bear it, is to love it. " Wh e n a dram a pro fessor a t Towso n told him he sh o uld app ly for a sc h o la rship to Ya le, his immed ia te response was, "Ma n , get o utta h e re." But th e pro fessor wou ldn ' t le t up until Dutto n se nt o ff th e ap plicatio n and we nt for a n audition. "First I thou g ht, I' m not go ing to ge t excited . Btll I kn e w I blew th e m away a t th e audition." Afte r h e h eard th e n ews ove r th e Clea rly, you must h ave a se nse o f p ho ne fmm the registra r-"Outton ? yo ur own huma nity befo re th e d eciYes. Co ng r a tul a ti o n s"-he didn ' t sion to revere it can take p lace. But the re is no way to p redic t whe n that leave the house for three d ays. "!figured , if I walk outta this crib, discovery will occur. T he re is a n e leI ' m g o ing to get hit by a bus, I ' m me nt o f revelation involved, a na tu ral go ing to run into a n o ld e n em y, maturing, and the proxim ity to beausome bo dy's go ing to be slanding o n ty wh ich can occur o n ly th rough creth e co rn e r a nd th e cop s go ing to a tive actio n . co me up a nd so m e b o d y go in g to Dutto n had a n unusually profo und dro p so m e drugs a ro und my fee t, experie n ce tha t day on stage. He disa nd I' m go ing to ge t the cha rge." covered his hum a ni ty, his gift a n d a Dutto n 's app lica ti o n a rrived th e clea r visio n o f his path a ll in o n e sa me yea r direc tor Lloyd Ri c h a rds moment. It's not so m e th in g th a t's A likely to happe n to ma ny people, and yet it's absolutely n ecessary to turning one's life a ro und. Wh e n asked what he thin ks some o f the causes m igh t be for such a breakthrough, and how we mi g ht be ab le to e n courage it, Outto n 's a nswer a lways co mes bac k to individual respo nsibility. "I te ll p eo p le all th e tim e, wh e n I talk to prisoners o r juveniles, th at it's n o t a ques ti o n o f wh a t yo u lea rn in priso n , it's a qu es ti o n o f loo kin g in th e mirror one clay, in the solitude o f yo ur ce ll , a nd te lling yo u rse lf th a t you ' re p h ys icall y, e motion a lly and spiritually fired o f this life." He te lls th e m to sto p looking fo r o u tsid e stimula tion to ignite a passio n in them. "Look for it with in ,'' he says. ''Beca u e th at's wh e re it h as to come fro m. It certain ly ain' t going to come fro m watc hin g C harl es Outto n's effo rts. Because be lieve it, this was n ot an easyj o urn ey." Dutto n co ntinues to be frustra ted at being turn ed to as a ro le mod e l, or thought of as a curiosity. "I have ple nty o f buddies,'' h e says, "wh o did as mu c h tim e as l did , o r m o re tim e, wh o a rc ha rdwo rking cats-labore rs, janitors, bricklayers, ca rpe nte rs-and haven ' t gone back to prison . They've go n e b ac k to th e o ld n e ig hborh o od wh e re a ll th e d ru gs a n d vio lence a rc, a nd th ey've rai sed th e ir fam ilies a nd tried to instill in them a se n se o f se lf-es tee m , self-worth . Th ese a re th e g u ys we sh o uld be ta lki ng a bo ut. Th ey h ea r th e g un shots eVe I)' nig ht. " Th e d ecision to stay straight is som ething th at co m es o nl y with d a ily in te rn a I struggle. A lo t of peo ple we don't h ea r a b o ut ac hi eve it. Being a cele brity d oesn't ma ke it go away o r mak e it a n y easie r. "Staying o ut of the pe nite ntial)' is go in g to b e t h e to ug h est t im e yo u hm·e in your life," says Dutto n . "But it can b e d o n e ... it can be d o n e. And th e rewa rds are g rea t wh e n yo u ca n finally walk clown the su·eet a nd relax, not have to worry abo ut an e ne my, o r some body hitting o r shooti ng you in th e back o f the head, o r peop le lookin g fo r }' OU. It' s suc h a wond e rful , wo nd e rful wo rld a nd life o n ce yo u leave a ll tha t be hind a nd m ove o n to the eco nd half." UIJ .. IT'S AOUESTION OF LOOKING IN THE MIRROR ONE DAY. IN THE SOLITUDE OF YOUR CELL. AND TELLING YOURSELF THAT YOU'RE PHYSICALLY. EMOTIONALLY. AND SPIRITUALLY TIRED OF THIS LIFE." 52 PRISON LIFE MIGUEL PINERO IS ALIVE AND WELL AND SCATTERED THROUGH THE LOWER EAST SIDE W hile doing a five-year bid for armed robbery in Sing Sing, Miguel G. Pinero wrote the classic prison drama "Short Eyes," named Best American Play of the 1 973-'74 season by the New York Drama Critics. It ran on Broadway and later became a critically acclaimed movie. Director Robert M .Young recalled that while fi lming "Short Eyes" in a Manhattan jail, Pinero was upstairs being booked for jumping a subway turnstile. Pinero went on to write and act for film and TV, specializing in crime stories. He wrote the script for and appeared in Miami Vice's "Smuggler's Blues." He authored a collection of full length plays and published several books of gritty poems documenting his life on New York City's famous Lower East Side. Born in Puerto Rico in 1946, Pinero drew his inspiration from the teeming, multi-ethnic streets of lower Manhattan, home to struggl ing artists, vagabonds and outlaws. As the tenyear anniversary of Pinero' s death nears, writer Jack Brown (and long-time friend of Pinero), talks about the artist's twisted, talented life. by Jack Brown PRISON LIFE 53 attracted people from the neigh borhood a nd we ll-kn own anists from a ll over th e wo rld. It was a n exciting, u np re di c tab le atm osp here. A chea p p lace to h ang ou t o n a weeken d night, a place to sec a play or whe re Pine ro hi mse lf mig ht show up porting a new ha t, fired up , a revo lve r lU c ke d into his pants, to passionately offe r hi s la test work to the Gods and his fellow man. Once a pregnan t woma n got up and abando n e d herself to the Co n ga d rums of Edd ie Co nd e o r Tito Goya (a runnin g budd y a nd fo rm e r con who played the characte r Cupcakes in Shari Eyes) a nd th e poe try of Mig u e l Pii'iero. She la ter lost th e baby. Sometimes you 'd be tte r duck. "A Lowe r East Side Poem " j ust once before I die I want to climb up on a tenement sl1y to d1·ectmmy lu ngs ovt 'till I Cl)' then scatter my ashes thru the Lower Ens! Side. In April of 1988 Mig u e l G. Pin ero, wo rl d c itizen and poe tic proponent o f ew York City's Lower East Side, m ad e his Ia t bi-coastal journey. H e return ed ho me fro m Los Ange les wearing a brightl y striped green cra p e and carrying two makeshi ft su itcases. H e re turn ed kn ow ing th e e nd was n ear. Yea r. of h a rd livin g had ta ke n th e ir to ll. The e ndl ess nights saw the incandescent Oame turning to a co ruscatin g ni c ker. H e'd don e a lmost as muc h tim e in hospitals as he had in prisons. Th e same fig h ti ng s pirit that enabled h im to write 'The Book o f Genesis Accordi ng to St. Miguel ito" in the middle o f th e insur recti o n at Attica during Roc kefe lle r 's te rm , a lso a ll o wed him tO n au nt th e med ica l odd s a nd return from cocklail hour in the afte rlife time a nd again. ;o. Jig ue lito the miracu lo us. H e mi g ht have d one more. H e might h ave had a more distingu ished ca r ee r. But h e had wh at h e h a d. Before h e "re tired hi s c h a racter," wh ile in Si ng Sing, he'd wr itten the powe rful priso n drama Short E)•es. A work th at on stage and film was by turns a rau co ns, h a rrow in g and po ignant look at a c hil d mole te r 's journey throu g h p e n a l h el l. Co mpell ing. And unfo rgeuable. The la te Marvin Fel ix Camillo de,·clopecl him . Mel Cussow of The New l'od1 Times discovered him. j oseph Papp o f 54 PRISON LIFE the Public Theater a nd fi lm direc tor Robert Young vindi cated him. Everyone who kn ew Miky was touc h ed by him . Sometimes yo u were touch ed in places yo u didn ' t even know you had. A thief, a junkie I've been rom milled eue1y /mown sin Jews and Gentiles. . . Bums and Men of style. . . run away child polire shooting wild . . . mother's fu tile wails. . .fJuslzers making sales. . .dope wheelers & cocaine dealn:s. . . smolting pot streets arr !tot & fred off those who bleed to death . .. Miky was an original. He was a h a rbin ge r of c ulture to co m e, investi ng his tales o r urban real ity with a Span ish sense o f danger a nd death laced with a lase r-like se nse of darkly rascal humor. Miky was a n eye- a nd door-opener. hows like "Bareua" a nd '·] ~ja k " bene fited from an a uthe ntic ity a nd co mpass io na te e lo quen ce television h ad no t kn own be fo re . Acto rs have acted a nd writers wr iue n a n d a nth o logies and m}•tho logie c reated through Miky. The appreciation of a n ists Bimbo Ri,·as-Charas, Luis Guzman , Hen •)' Street an d j oel Rose runs d ee p. After th e s uccess o f Short /~'yes, ~li gue l shared his wea lth with th e comm un ity. He gath ered street you th from the Times Square area and gave t hem a p lace to live. H e a lso wrote p lays fo r "Th e Fami ly." Alo n g wi th Professor Miguel Algarin and the bucca n ee r poet Luc ky C ien fuegos, h e o pened the 1uyorica n Poets Cafe o n ixth treet be tween A,·enues r\ and B on th e Lower East Side. Based o n the ta lent a nd celebrity of Miky, th e cafe There's no othrr placefor me to be There's 110 olherplarf' that I mn see There's no other town arou11d that b1ings ) 'Oil 11p or keeps JOII down No food litlle heal sweeps b)' Fan cy mrs and pimps & bars & )11lte saloons & greasy sfJoons malte my spilits fl)' with my ashes scalier('(/ thr11 the Lower East Sidr ... Those were glory day s an d Nu yo r ican ni g hts. Salsa in th e wind, the air pulsating with Spangli h. T h e n e ighbo rh ood hosted a n d was toasted by th e world. ~vli ky- t h c ·tar th a t was Mig u e l Anton io Go m ez Pi•ie ro-pinwhee lecl across the fir mamen t. He was larger tha n life. Bolde r than can be. By lllrns a rebel, a ba ndit, a dope fi e nd but a lso a loyal, tender loving be in g and wh e n h e co uld be h imse lf a fri end . He h ad a s p ecia l magnet ism for yo ung peo ple a nd a fee ling for those who lived hard Limes. He was a lso a shy a nd private man. One th in g a ll hi s fri e nds h ad in common was a fascination with his stori es. Tr u e o r fa lse. Writte n o r ora l. Real o r imaginaq'. Pi•i e ro's death in th e late ·s os marked the e nd of an era. The transiti o n from ga ngs to protest a nd social uph eava l, from smoke to acid an d dope was co mp lete. Iron ica ll y, with th e redu c tion of humbl e teneme nt style livin g in the Lower East Side , thanks to th e rapacious developers catering LO th e gentry and trendy, the use or drugs is pe rvasive a nd co rr·uption syste ma tic. Miky was d ismayed by crack, at a loss for how to deal with it. It was too cheap a nd violence-provoking to dec rimi nalize. Amuse d by ex-dope fiends who tried to se ll it to h im as they sa t d e h ydra ted a nd h ac king in the park. Like his fe llow poet Lucky C ienfuegos, who di ed in October 1987, wh o had "re tire d the c h a racte r of Moises Rod ri g u ez," M iky reti red seve ra l str ee t c h a racters. Approac h in g "re t irement'' on j une 17th, Miky p ro bably j us t got c u r ious abo u t th e afterlife. Afte r m oving in the s h adow world, as h e had so ofte n , h e m oved o n. I n a mano-a-m ano wi th Bell evue he freed himse lf o f m e di cal techno logy's inte n sive car e . At the funeral home on Avenue A, people r e po rte d him rustl ing in th e nigh t wind , see ing h im in the park, Oash ing a r o und corners an d a ppea ring in d r eams. Mi g u e l 's spirit was loose, they said. Hi a bility to play m a ny roles cou ld have had hi m in hab itin g th e body o f th e b lack m a n who lay in a d oo r way adj acent to th e funeral home. H e cou ld have bee n th e o ld m a n wit h wh ite h a ir who sat at a desk , puffing h i pipe m ed itative ly, a t a typewriter across fr om the morti c ia n 's h ea rse. Like Tom Sawyer a nd Hu c kl eber r y Finn , he could have bee n a wimess to h is own ce re mony. I th o ught ! saw Mig uel s mi le, lyin g in th e coffin, when Amiri Baraka, Newar k's P oe t Laurea te a t the time , said socie ty had killed Migue l. Baraka loo ked furt ive ly at a white m a n wh o stood against the wall: Miguel Pinero's father. "Bullshit," h e sa id, eac h tim e Bara ka claimed M ig ue l was a "victim. " Co nni c L? O f course. But h umoro us. T he irreve re n t kind Mig ue l ap preciated. H e loved a ll kinds of peo ple . His wo r k sh owe d that. That's wh ere he to ld th e u·uth. He perha ps best called the shot, his liver fina lly delivered , whe n h e sa id at tl1 e end o f "New Yo rk City Ha rd Time Blues": Wejus/ walk /lie streets with loaded dice and hear jJeOjJle say there goes Milq Miliy Piliero lhff)' call him thejunky duisl . .. Miky could have been a docto r caring for h im in I. C. U. H e co u ld have been hi s own la wyer. He cou ld h ave been th e sma ll boy-so n o f th e man wh o h ad see n m o r e perfo r mances of Short Eyes than a n yo ne e lse, who hid half a box o f cooki es in the back of the car o n th e way to the Lo ng Isla n d C re m atorium . He co uld h ave been a woman in black wh o c r ied for th e twe n ti eth , but n o t the last time at the brief service. PI:\ERo's PLwsAuvE, WI u & OL TR\GEous By Pam \\"idener ( 11 Ocwbcr 197!"), wh en the poetry read ings in Miguel Algarin 's living room becam e too crowded, he and fellow p oet l'vl i gu~ l P il~e ro mon:d th e ~cene to a nearby Iri sh pub a nd ca ll cd n the Nuyoncan Poe ts Cafe. The salon in Algarin's li,·ing room had been a u racting all the newest black and Latino write rs, as well as such figures as Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Amiri Haraka and Ntoszak~ Sha_nge. Th e_J~e:u_ Yo:!~ T imes called it a hotbed of "raw energy and Th1 rd \•\ oriel sensibiiiues, o n e of the d riving forces in downtown .lvlan hauan's coumcrcultural mecca. t\f'lcr being closed lor six years, th e Nuyorican PoeL~ Cafe reope ned in I ~lH9 at another East Villa~e location. Known as one o f th e h ippest reading a nd performan ce spaces in New York, it has won over a _d?zcn theater awards in th e last liYc \'ears and anracted ac tors, m us iCians, poets, \Crecn\\Titers and pnfon;1er of ri ch cu ltu ral di,·ersity. Three one-act plays fron1 Pi1iero 's 197·1 collect io n , Outragi'Ous, _were rece n tly staged b~· Algarin and directo r Rome l"\ea l at Ll~e Nuyoncan; Prison /.ifr headed O\'er to d barrio to sec if they were s llll outrageous ann all these yea rs. The sce ne was di stinnlv retro: ' 70s disco, be ll bottoms, big hair, bright colo rs ... but Pi1iero:s l an~uage sl10~1e tim~lcssly through_. , The fi rst play, Side Show. marked th e ch rcctonal debut of M •g uel s brother. Dadi Pi1ino. A colorful, small ense mble p lay, Side Show tracks the li,·es of a group of llTct people-hustlers, drug dealers, hookers, pimps. \\'hal s tarts off as light comedy e\'en tuall?' bcco m_es h eartwrenching as two of the characters-both drug adcllcts-deh\'er long, painful monologues; o ne e nds in a se nseless suicide. T he ot he r two plays, direc ted by vete ran Rome cal, serve m o re as side shows to Side Show. Cold Bl'l'r features a Piiic ro-likc writer a t a typewriter waiting for inspiratio n as his deadlines approach; he's constan tly inte rru pted by b iza r re vi sitorsamthing LO d e ncct the m use. f Japer Toilrlunfo lds in a public ba throo m in a subway sta tion , where two pelt)' thi e,·es (b lac k an d Pu e rto Rican ), the woman th ey've r ipped o iT (black), two p la incloth es men a nd a cr azy u nd e rcove r cop (all wh ite) find them e lves un able LO comm u nicate as a n y possibi lity of justice d rifLs further and furtl1er away. Wh e n Outragt'OIIS was published in 19 74, producer j ose ph Pa pp wrote in the introduc tion, "All dramatists of rea l value m ust sooner or la ter con front what for th e m is t r uly dan ge rou s, e ithe r within them se lves o r in the o u tside world. Th a t we, the a udience, feel that da n ger a nd understand so mething of what it is abo ut , is often what makes a p lay impo rt ant and d u rab le." b ·en the most outrageous of Pi1iero's work holds up to thi s sta nda rd of dra ma tic val ue . The issues and poetry feel as r eson a nt to us today as they did to audiences then. plw t" ' lrr 1/o/~·• t /. 11 PRISON LIFE 55 One role he could no t ha\'e p layed was that of the n omi n a l cleric, wh o read in a wooden pe rfun clOI) ' to ne, a passage from th e sa m e o rdinary farewe ll e ac h a n o nymous clie nt received. to , Miky had fa r too m uch life fo r that. See a ta pe o f a pe rforman ce o f "The Book o r Genesis According to St. t\ l ig u clito" to ee a Pi nero cleric. He could have been the g ur p ic king swea ty coo kie crumbs from his n eck wh o, obse rvi ng a lunc h eo n e tte sig n ad ve rti sin g "Giant H e ros,·· said , " I kn ow wh y Mig ue l didn ' t want to be buri ed in t his area-th e re arc mo re people unde r the grou nd than a bo,·e i l. , I don 'I wannabe b111ied iu Puerto Rico I don 'I wauna be nea r the slabbing shooting gmnblingjighting & unnatural dying & IIPW birth Cl)'ing so jJlPase whm I die.. . don 'tlalie me Jar away lwPjJ mP near by lal/p my ashes and scalier II/PIII tltru out lite Lower East Side... He might have been th e attcndanl of th e ove n . The h eave nly bake r. weating in th e doon vay o f th is dog day in .Jun e. His co mpl ex io n o f b lanc h ed potato an d a look of in evitabi lity a rri ved about him. The ovens inside a blue cinde rbl oc k and cemem flo or bui lding. This roncrPir• lomb is my home to br.fong to survive you go//a be strong you mn't !Jp shy less wilhouiiWJIU'SI someone will scaller )•Our ashes lhm the Lower l~'ast Side. th e ti pper co n tinued. "He wrote a nd acted on 'Miami Vice."' T he attenda n t ga\'e a ni cker of recogn iti o n . The tipper said, "\Nhcn yo u d o him ... give h im a good one. Turn it up just a little. H e'd appreciate it. " So let me sing ITI)' song tonight lPI meJn.f onl ofsight and let all eyes be d1y when tlwy scal/Pr my ashes tlmt the Lower East SirlP. So Miguel G. Pinero Miky cou ld have been the guy who j o ined Meye r La n sky, Francis "Two ca m e a ro und back to look a t the Gun " C rowley, Go lda Ma ie r , an d fina l roas ting place. Came a n d .J ames Cagn ey as no table g radua tes as ked, "Is this wh ere it takes p lace?" of t h e Lowe r East Side schoo l of Attenda nt n o d s his h e ad. "Whi c h h a rd kn oc ks. one so e loq u e n t in o n e wi ll h e ge t?" Atte n da nt re plies: their p oe t ry o r d evotio n to the " Pro bab ly n u mbe r o n e ." The g uy mig hty D. says, "Good , th a t's what he d eserves. An old friend of Mi ky's said in FebNumbe r o n e." r um)', before h is death , "T hey say tha t The c urio us guy left and re turn ed if people like tvliky make it thro ugh qui c kly. He h e ld out fo ur d o llars to th e wime r, they' ll live ano th e r year." the a tte nda nt. "He•-e, thi is for yo u." H e mad e it thro ugh th e tit-tig hte ning H e was a wild ca t, but a beautiful pe r- cold of '87-88, but h e found a lin al son. " The a tte ndan t said, "Th a nks." way to beat the heat in .Ju n e. Foo led Kn owin g eve rybod }' likes a ce leb rity, 'em again , frie nd. [IJ] JAILHOUSE ROCK Rap • country • Jazz • Reggae • Blues Prison Life wants to hear from prisoner musicians making music behind the walls. send us your tapes with full details of your musical accomplishments ble recording. Send to: Jailhouse Rock c/o Prison Life 200 Varick Street, Suite 901 New York, NY 10014 56 PRISON LIFE IN·HOUSE COUNSEL D E by Michael Montalvo Michael Mo n talvo won a landmark Jailhouse Lawyer victory for convicts in his 1994 case, U.S. v. $405, 089. Th e r uling held that a civil forfeiture of property is prohibited by th e Double J eopardy Clause when the forfeiture is based on the same offense already prosecuted in an earlier proceeding. Legal newspapers compared the $405 victory to "tossing a grenade into every U.S. Attorney's office from Arizona to Alaska." (See Prison Life magazine , Jan ./ Feb. 1996) . But while the ruling remains the law of the land, few convicts are using it to their advantage. Jailhouse lawyer Mich ael Montalvo returns in this issue to tell you what's going wrongand, more importantly, how to use $405 to set you free or get your assets back. S ince September 6, 1994, $405 has been lhe law o f the inlh Circu it. Eve ryd ay, I search the legal o pinio n s o f all circuits to collect a nd m onito r th e d ecisio n s th a t re ly o n $ 405. U nfo rtunate ly, I' ve fo und th a t few d efe nda nts are winnin g. In mo re than a year since §405 o pe n ed th e d oor, fewe r th a n ten cases out o f tho usands have succeeded on th is claim. I wro te four o f the m. Wha t's wrong? Lawyers a nd prose litigan ts are losing because lhey face gen e rally hostil e courts, prosecu tors with su perior hightech resources and h ot-lines to expe rts in d efea ting these claims, and because the litiga nt or lawyer did not carefully plead the facts, issues and law, a nd the n pro p e rly apply these case facts to the a pplicable law for lhe re lief sought. It's importa nt to kn ow up fro nt tha t the Do uble J eopa rdy C la use protec ts indi viduals fro m three a buses by gove rnm e nt: pro te c tio n fro m re prosecu tio n fo r th e sam e offe n se afte r acquittal; pro tection fro m re prosecutio n for t h e same offe n se afte r co nvictio n ; a nd pro tectio n fro m multiple punishme nts for th e sam e o ffe n se. [Unit.ed Stales v. Halpe1·, 490 US 435 (1989 ) and DejJarlmenl of R evenue of M ontana v. Kurth Ranch, 5 I l US (1994) .) The Supre me Court d e te rmin ed tha t statutory in 1·em fo rfe itures for drug law vio latio ns, pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 88 1 (a ) (4 ) a n d (7) we r e ind eed punis hm e n t. Austin v. United Stales, 509 US (l 993)and United Stales v. §450,089.23, 33 F3 1210 (9 th C ir. 1994 ) h e ld that 88 1 (a ) (6) was also a punishm e nt sta tute . This is th e bas is o f Do uble J eopardy/ Fo rfe iture Law. HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR LEGAL POSITION First of all, recognize that this is no t a gam e o f ch ance whe re yo u just file a n a pplica ti o n fo r release. There are many qu estio ns you must ask yo urself, a nd the a n swe rs must be precise. The fac ts of eve nts in your case wi ll g ive you a clear a nswe r of whi ch , if a ny, re lief yo u ' II receive: re lease, re turn o f prope rty, b o th o r n eithe r. T h e exact dates o f legal eve nts in yo ur civi l a nd c riminal case a re criti cal. At this Lime, if yo u d id not file a tim e ly claim fo r the property, you do n ot h ave a Do uble J eopard y claim , but you might h ave some oth er constitutional claim. (In an upcoming a rticle I'll discuss the remedies you do have if the law enforceme nt agency did not pe rsonally give you n otice of th e seizure, or if yo u r atto rney to ld you no t to claim it, or if your attorney failed to claim it whe n you to ld h im or her to do so.) So to de termin e if you have a claim, you sho uld d o exactly the same thing a n y good j ailho use lawyer o r atto rne y would d o-getlhe en ti re record o f every d ocument filed in both the civil a nd criminal case as if you we re pre paring fo r a petitio n fo r the Great Wdt, or a post-convictio n mo tio n . (For refe re nce, see ''Writ Writing : Ga th ering lhe File," by Larry Fassler, Plison Life, May/ June 1995, p. 72.) If you do no t have th e d ocume nts from the administrative fo rfe iture, you must use th e Freedo m of Information Act/ Privacy Ac t (FOIA/ PA) , or T it le 5 U .S.C. 552 a nd 552a. Write a le tter req uesting the information you n eed to the federal agen cy lhat seized yo ur pro perty. This is a simple le tte r ; a nyo ne who ca n read a nd write can do it. You can obtain lhe address o f eve ry fed eral age ncy in your law library fro m a book e nti tled "American Jurisprude nce 2d, Desk Refe re nce Book." Whe n you a re requesting your PRISON LIFE 57 Double Jeopardy Event Analysis Sheet Th e first step in de te rmining if you have a Double j eopardy claim IS lO comple te Lfie fo llowing info rma tion: 1. Da te of arrest 2. Date of indictment For violatio ns of 3. Date ofjury swo rn in for trial 4. Da te of g uilty plea accep tan ce For viola tio ns of 5. Date of conviction by jury For counts of 6. Date of sentence For viola tions of 7. Date of appeal 8. Date of appeal decision Re mand or Reversed? 9. Date of petition for cen iorari Result J 0. Date of post-conviction motion 11. Date of decision of the motion Re lie f obtained? 12. Date of appeal of such decision 13. Date of appeal decision Relief obtained? 14. Date of petitio n for ceniorari Re lie f o btained? Administrative/ C ivil Forfeiture: 1. Date of seizure of prope rty 2. Type of propert)' 3. Seizi ng offi cials (state/ fed age ncy) 4. Date you received notice of seizure Grounds fo r seizure? 5. Date you fil ed an official petition for remission or mitigation of seizu re 6. Date you received answer to your petitio n for remission 7. Date you fi led an official claim for the property 8. Date the civil forfe iwre in rem complaint was fil ed 9. Da te you received sum mons and civil complain t 10. Date you filed your claim for the property in compla int 11. Date you fi led your answe r to complain t allegations 12. Basis of complain t? \t\'hat offenses? 13. Date of motion for summary judgment Grounds 14. Date of your opposition to summa ry judgment Grounds 15. Date of the court's orde r of fo rfe iwrc o f property Ground 16. Date of your motion to reconsider Grounds 17. Date of your notice of appeal 18. Date of the appeal decision Result o r relief? 19. Date of pe titio n for certiorari Result or re lief? After collecting this informatio n, read the civil compla im and the criminal indictme nt to find a match of vio lations for which the civil compla int is based. Read the Judg ment and Commitm ent Order of the criminal sen tencing proceeding lO match it to the probable cause fo r forfe iture in the civil complain t. Did you default? Fill this out as far as you can. For succes ive prosecution analysis, note the date of criminal jeopardy attaching. For multiple punishment a na ly is, note the dates of e ntry of judgments. If you have any questions, ask me. Michael Montalvo, 87224-0 12, 3901 Klein Blvd. Lompoc, CA 93436 58 PRISON LIFE FOI A/ PA information, be sure to specifically identi fy the seizure numbers (if yo u have th e m), as we ll as the dates, and identify the evenL and prope rty take n . If you have no papers o r n umbers, se nd a FOIA/ PA request to th e usual culprits: the DEA., FBI, IRS, Customs a nd AIT. Even if you did not make a c laim or con test the adm inisu·ative forfeiture actio n by the agency, you sh o u ld sti ll ge t your FOIA/ PA inform atio n beca use th ere may be eviden ce incl ud ed tha t shows that the DEA (or a ny agency) fai led to prope rly g ive n otice of th e seizu re (i.e., notice ·ent to your em pty reside nce instead of jail , or to an ex-spouse who did not tell you ). T his is likely to be a due process vio la tion for which you have a n action. There's a lo t more pre-fili ng legwork a nd legal resea rch necessary before you know wha t kind o f re lief yo u are e ntitled to-a new hearing, set aside o f default, recovery or o th e r. Still , seuing aside the defau lt in adm inistra t ive fo r feiture won't affect the prison sentence. Once you have the records, make a copy o f th e following items to work with and replace th e o r ig inal in its pro pe r place so yo u always have a co mple te fi le. From yo ur civil fo rfe itu r e case, yo u n eed: th e do c ke t; the notice o f seizure; the warrant for seizure and t h e affidavit; th e co mplaint; your claim; your answer; th e government's mo tio n for su mmary judgme nt; th e o rde r o f judg ment o f fo rfei LUre; th e n o ti ce of appeal; and th e appeal d ecisio n if yo u appealed. In yo ur crimi nal case, you need: the docket; th e indictment you were tri ed on or pled g uilty to, or the information; and the j udgmen t and commitment order fro m sente ncing. Until you h ave th ese documents, yo u can not sta n your analysis of the eve n ts to see if yo u h ave a Double j eopardy or multiple punishmenL constitutional violation that will re lease you from priso n , preve nt trial o r return yo ur p rope rty. Maybe you wo n ' t have a double jeo pardy claim. Maybe you won ' t have anyth ing. YOU MUST HAVE CONTESTED THE FORFEITURE Make a list o f the da tes of eve n ts a nd th e documents yo u re ceived in the m ai l or by ha nd de livery from the cop s. Whe n you were a rrested , your perso nal pro pe rty and vehi cles may h ave been seized , but that alone is not a legal forfe iture-yet. It is merely a "dete ntion" of you and your property. Say you were then sent to jail. La te r, yo u received a "n o tice o f seizure" from the DEA, FBI , Cu stoms, IRS, a n oth er federa l agency, o r m aybe th e state o r coun ty law e nfo r ceme nt offi ces . Your no tice gave yo u the optio n of a pe titio n for rem is ion or m itigatio n , or to make a "claim ," which the n initia tes civil proceedings for the property in court for a jud icial dete rmin ation. At that point, you may have asked your a u o rn ey wh at to do. Ge n e rally, a ll defense a u orneys, un til $405 was published, to ld th e ir clien ts not to do a nything, o r not to make a claim for fear o f "self-incrimin ati on." T his was bad advice, but more o n that late r. If you ignored your auorney's advice a nd filed a claim within the ten- or twemy-day time limit on yo ur notice, you d id the rig ht thing. If you r claim was "timely," th a t stopped th e "ad mini strative forfe iture" by th e se izing age n cy a nd preve n ted a "declaratio n of forfeiture" of yo ur property. If you didn ' t make a tim ely claim , the n you ' re out of luc k and the cops a re red-lining you r Por ·che and pawning your jewelry. You will n ot have a Double j eopardy issue unless you contested the administrative fo rfeiture-at least a t th e time of thi s writing in a d COMMENTARY ON CRIME, PUNISHMENT, RACE, AND THE UNDERCLASS BY A PRISON CONVICT MANSFIELD B. FRAZIER 'I'•" Order, see Be•ks •~ the B 1eek, Inside Back Ce~er PRISON LIFE 59 Don't serve the time, let the time serve you. The Prison Life Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization devoted to helping prisoners break free from the cycle of crime and incarceration through education. The Foundation, together with Prison Life Educational Services, Inc., sponsor fully-accredited GED, college and vocational courses through correspondence learning. If you are interested in learning more about educational opportunities offered by the Prison Life Foundation, write to us describing your educational background and future academic goals. Send to: The Prison Life Foundation, 200 Yorick Street, St. 901, New York, NY 10014. DoN'T INCARCERATE- EDUCATE . An by Stephen Conway all circui ts. Howeve r, a couple district courts have gra nted relie f. If yo u made th e tim e ly cla im, the prosecuto r filed a civil suit against th e prope rty using a "co mpla int for fo rfe iture o f pro pe rty i11 rem." This aCLion is a se para te civil actio n running a longside yo ur criminal case. Now, if you fi led a new claim with in te n days, a nd a n answe r withi n twe nty d ays, then yo ur Do uble J eopardy issue is still possible, but no t certai n . It is important to compare the date s o f cla im a nd an swer to th e date o f your c rimin al case when th e ju ry was en paneled (sworn in) , or whe n you p led gui lty, or your d ate of sen te nce. LIST THE EVENTS List th ese eve nts in se parate nu mbered p a rag rap h s, chron ologically, i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc. (Use the info rmation from th e Dou ble J eopardy Event An alysis shee t provide d on page 58). For your Double J eopardy issue of multiple jJI'osewtion, th e first d a te o f "j eo pardy attach ing" was when you fil ed yo ur time ly "an swer" to th e c ivil co mpla in t in rem (some courts ho ld no jeopardy until fo rfe iture judgme nt}. In your criminal case, 'jeopa rdy attached " when the jury was e npa ne le d , o r when the judge acce pted your guilty plea. The first jeopard y makes th e second proceeding illegal. Do not confuse 'jeopa rdy" o f prosecutio n with the "multip le pu n ishm e nt" pro hi bition p rong of th e Double J eopardy Cla use. Be aware th at yo u o r you r property were not punished until th ere was an actua l cou rtjudgm e n t of senten ce o r forfeiture. The dete ntio n of you a nd yo ur pro pe rty prio r to se nte n cing o r judgm e nt o f forfe iture is me rely the sta te 's rig ht to deta in yo u an d p rotect the ir interest, so th ey claim . Fro m the decisions that have come down since $405, it is clear that ma ny judges and lawyers have fai led to separate and d istinguish a multipl e or successive p rosecution jeopardy analysis from a multiple punishme nt a na lysis, a nd th e d e fe ndants lose. DO THE CRIMINAL AND CIVIL PROCEEDINGS INVOLVE THE SAME OFFENSE? The fo rfeiture must be based o n the same offense as the cr imin a l case. This is a lso a cri ti cal e le m e nt of multiple prosecutio n ana lysis. Do not re ly o n what you think, but on th e actual vio la ti on underlying th e comp lai nt by th e d ocume n ts fro m the governme nt tha t state th e g ro unds or probab le ca use for th e forfe iture . A federa l forfeiture o f pro pe rty for drug o ffe n ses, Title 21 U .S.C. &881 (a) ( 4) (6) and (7) wo uld include o r be based o n crimina l cha rges of 21 U.S.C. 84 1, possessio n with inte nt to d istribute o r ma nufactu re; 846, co nsp iracy to viola te one o f the d rug statutes; 843, u se of a te le ph o n e to vio la te a d rug sta lllte; o r even 848, co n tinuing crim ina l e nte r pri se, are so me of the vio lations that could be overturne d o r d ism issed depending on the affid avit supporting the 88 1 (a) fo rfe iture compla int. Most states have si mi la r civil fo rfe iture sta tutes based o n violations o f H ealth a nd Safety state law. It is simple to de te rmin e that both civil a nd crimina l proceedin gs a re t h e "same offe nse" wh e n th e gove rnm e n t's docum e nts say so. For e xamp le, th e civil fo rfe iture co mp lain t a lleges th at you were co nvic ted for d rug co nspi racy and distribution a nd the prope rty was used to facil ita te the offense, as an instrume ntali ty of the offe nse, o r if yo u are in th e Ninth Circuit, it was proceeds fro m the offe nse. Double J eopa rdy will be impli cated in your proceed ings o nly if the civil a nd criminal proceed ings involve the sa me P1iso11 Life applauds the excellent work of' two cri minal defe nse attorn eys: Cha rles F. Benninghoff Ill or Benninghofl' & Ramirez and .Jeff Stei nborn o r Stein bo rn & Associates. Dedicated to expandi ng the limited options available to most prisoners, both West Coast atto rn eys have lo ng supported the needs of' Prison Life readers and the missio n of the magazine. Charles F. Be nn ingho fT Ill has over 20 years' ex perience in criminal defense li tigation. His firm , Benninghoff & Ramirez, specializes in issues of' inte rest to Mexican prisoners: transfers to Mex ican prisons, e li mination of guilty pleas and criminal appeals and habeas corpus. BenninghofT & Ramirez serve convicted Mexicans by arguing the un con tilllti onality o f' a ny und e rlying searc h and seizure , voluntariness of any confessio n, the insufliciency of eviden ce justifying a conviction and ine n·ective assista nce of counsel. ''Out· office is designed to better se rve the needs of Mexi can priso ne rs," says Benning ho ff. "Practi ca ll y everyone in th e office speaks Spanish and we recognize o ur duty to re prese nt i'vlex ica ns with more di lige nce simply beca use o f th e prej udi ce we 've see n over the years." J eff' Steinborn has almost three decades of legal expetience. Currenlly assisting jailhouse lawyer Michael Montalvo, who won th e land mark fo rfei ture case, U.S. $405, 089.23, Stei nborn handles crimin al defense, forfe iture, appeals and post-convictio n relief', as well as civil li tigation including personal property and litigation. "I started my career representing conscientio us objectors, both inse rvice and in the clrafL. As th e war o n d rugs escalated and th e war in Vie tn am wo und down," says Steinbo rn , "my e mph asis shifted to represen ting d rug offe nd ers, which I have clone e,·er since." AGGRESSIVE EXPERIENCED EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION 'k FORFEITURE * DOUBLEJ EOPARDY * WRJTS OF HABEAS CORPUS ·'k APPEALS ·' k rNEFFECT/\1£ ASSISTA NCE OF COUNSEL * DD'ORTA T ION * IMMIGRATiON Serving the nee ds of inmates and those accused of criminal misconduct in federal and state courts nationwide. John Matteson Attorney at Law 10 Park Place South Suite 212 Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 525-8802 PRISON LIFE 61 offense. This test asks whether each offense requires proof of a fact o r e lement whic h the o ther does no t. If not, th e n they are the "same offen se," and Double j eopardy bars the successive prosecutio n or multiple p unishment. DID THE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL CASES CONSTITUTE "SEPARATE PROCEEDINGS?" con victio n , wou ld ra th er ge t out of prison tha n ge t thei r property back. But you cann ot do tha t by blindly charging in on a mo tion relying o n $405 a nd demanding yo ur sente nce be vacated. Also, do no t ask for the property to be r e turn ed o n a 2255 motion or simil a r pos t-co n victio n m o tion becau se it is th e wro ng procedural ve hicl e-use Rule 60 (b) Federal Rul e of Civil Procedure (or whatever yo ur sta te civil code has th a t is equ al) to se t as ide a civil judg me n t. But don ' t give up yet. Release is still possible. The civil a nd criminal cases must be se para te doc kets. Double J eo pardy occurs o nl y wh e n th e re is a successive prosecution o r multiple pu nishme n t for the "same offe nse," STRATEGY CAN SHIFT PUNISHMENTS which was d escribed a bove. You do not have a Double j eopardy claim if your indictme nt contained a count fo r crimiIf you dete rmin e th a t yo u now h ave a Double J eopardy nal (not civil) forfeiture o f th e sa me prope rty th a t was issue, but the do uble punishme nt is th e forfeiture and no t seized. The governme nt can lawfully seek and obtai n both th e c rimin al sen tence, wa it a mo m e nt before requesti ng the civil penalty and the full ra nge of statutorily au thorized the return o f th e property. Loo k to see if you h ave a valid crimin al pe nalties in the same proceedi ng. Howe ver, se pa- direct appeal or post-conviction issue on the crim inal conrate dockets indicate "separa te proceedings." viction or sente nce that would reverse the convictio n or at The Eleventh Circuit so far ho lds that separate civil for- least vacate th e sente n ce. An a ppe llate o r post-co nvic tion feiture and crimin al dockets for th e same conduct are sim- reversal o f convictio n o r a n order vacating the sen te nce as ply a "sing le, coordin ated prosecution," an d not "separate illegal or illegally imposed (exce pt a mo difi ca tion order) proceedings" for Do uble j eo pardy purposes. So you lose in wo uld re nd er yo ur criminal sen te n ce ( the first punishthe Eleve nth Circuit. However, th a t ruling was made prior me nt) null a nd void, thus it would be without a preclusive to KU1th Ranch in 1994 and is not likely to lasL effect. lf the re were no preclusive effect to your first invalid lfyou have a "separa te proceeding" for the "same offense," or illegal punishm ent, it wou ld see m that the civil fo rfe iwhich is first? The answer to tha t question depends on which ture would th e n become the first va lid, finalized and fully prong of the Double j eopardy Clause you are pleading: suc- sa tisfied punishme nt you legally suffe red. The re wou ld be cessive prosecutions or multiple punishme nt. As stated previ- n o powe r of th e court to impose a new cri minal se nte nce ously, th e po in t at which 'j eo pa rdy attaches" is diffe ren t because it would be prohibited "multiple punishment." depending on which prong of the Double j eopardy Clause is This m ea ns yo u must have your p ost-convictio n direct involved. Whe re one is claiming "successive prosecutions," appea l or 2255 motion done co rrectly. U nl ess you h ave the j eopardy attaches once the criminal jury is e n paneled, or oth e r possibilities, do not rush into court with a post-conwh e n a d e fendant's guilty plea is accepted by the court. viction motion o r p etitio n for writ of habeas co rpus. Be 'J eopardy attaching" is a conce pt im portant to retrial after patient, and bring all your possible issues up so that you do mistrial or a second criminal trial on the same charges. no t get caught in a position la ter o f having "waived " any In contrast, if o n e is claiming "multiple punishme nts," issue. Successive writ applications are hard to win because Jeopardy is a confusing and inappropriate term. Nonethe- th e Supre me Court h as d ete rmined that it is an "abuse of less, some couns use the word "j eopardy" concerning multi- writ" in most cases to bring a second application for postpunishme nt analysis, claiming that "punishme nt j eopardy" convictio n re lief. Thus, just b ecause yo u have th e Do ubl e occurs in th e criminal case only when th e defe ndant h as J eo pa rd y iss u e, do n o t aba ndo n a co mpl e te a nal ys is of the sente n ce imposed , if the d e fe ndant is incarcerated . eve ry issue you must raise. Otherwise, it occurs when th e defenda nt starts serving the I do not reco mm e nd cas u al filin g. Get a skilled j ailsentence. Fed eral Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(c) a nd ho use lawyer o r attorn ey wh o know how to do post-concase law h old that the re is no 'judgement" until sentence is viction work a nd kn ows forfe iture law. The re a r e on ly a imposed. Tha t presupposes a legal and valid sentence. few good ones, but lots o f bad ones. Keep in mind tha t In a civil forfe iture case, a j udgme nt of forfeiture is a pun- legal writing is a n exact skill. You can learn it if yo u h ave ishme nt according to the Supreme Court in Austin v. U.S., the tim e a nd d esire . It is notj ust looking up a bunch of me ntioned earlier. If the separate civil forfe iture judgment, cases a nd quoting th e pa rts you like in supp o rt of wh a t based o n th e same offen se, is e nte red before the criminal yo u think a bout your case. Use care. Also, man y atto rneys trial, successive prosecution can be raised . But if civil judg- an d jailho use lawye rs can write pretty p apers th at m a ke me nt is e nte red afte r nimin al trial but before se nte nce is you feel good , but won ' t ge t you o u t. You must invo lve imposed , it would b e a proh ibi ted multiple punishment. yourself and ask questions to ge t the best results. Become (Lawyers have lost this type of silllation by claiming a S1tcces- fam iliar with yo ur case facts a nd th e re leva n t laws and sive jJrosecution instead of mu ltiple punishment ba r. ) Howev- d ecisions in o rder to assist yo ur legal wri ter. Appoi ntment er, if your separate civil fo rfeiture j udgme nt, based on the of coun sel is possible, but rare , unl ess you make an adesame offense, is imposed after se nte n ce is imposed in the qua te showing o f n eed. In o ther words, yo u must prove criminal case, you have a Fifth Ame ndm e nt right to have yo u h ave issues that e ntitle yo u to re lief. the civil forfeiture actio n dismissed (or th e judgme nt se t In the May/ June '96 issue, I'll discuss wha t can be don e if aside) since it wou ld be the multiple punishme nt th at is you failed to make a tim ely claim or contest the forfeiture. now unconsti tutional. In the meantim e, if you h ave lost property, try to find out If you have the civil forfe iture judgment as the second who took possessio n of it. In ma ny instances, a defendant's punishment, the n you cannot expect to win a post-convic- ho me, ca rs or possessio ns were assigned or "sold" cheap to tion a ttack o n your criminal sente n ce as a vio la tio n of the law enforcement people. Many expe nsive h o m es h ave Double J eopardy Cla use. Several publish ed cases recently become 1·eside n ces o r investmen ts for prosecu to rs, marridiculed th e defe ndan t for such e rron eous logic. Obvious- sh als, agents a nd cops. Find out and le t Prison Life know the ly, most read e rs wi th a situation such as this, with a civil for- accu ra te , doc um e nted , ve rifia ble de tails if cops no w own feiture judgment base d on th e prior se pa ra te criminal your property. 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TOTAL Send check or money order to: Western Audio, 175 Fihh Ave., Box 2205. New York, NY 111010 APPEALS KENNETH A. WEBB THE WINNING DOUBLE JEOPARDYFORFEITURE DEFENSE STRATEGIES OF "$405" Learn the method used to win the landmark case, U.S. v. S405,089.23, 33 F.3d 1210 (9th Cir. 1994) amended 56 F.3d 41 (1995), the most devastating victory against the government in recent legal history. And learn it from the source. Order your set of the S405 Supreme Court briefs complete with appendices of case history and law. This set is over 400 pages and contains the government's Petition for Writ of Certiorari with the highest ranking prosecutor's best arguments attempting to reverse the S405 victory (184 pages), and the Respondent's Opposition Brief (with reasons to grant certiorari, and affirm $405) which details the proper form and facts, law, arguments, authorities, history and policy considerations showing why $405 Is a correct decision (228 pages). Learn the method, thinking, style and argument to use in your double jeopardy-forfeiture case. To order this 400 page set of briefs, send S1oo.oo plus S8.oo S&H to: legal Briefs, Dept P 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive Suite 7-566 Palm Springs, CA 92264 ALSO INCLUDED free are: 1) The Supreme Court Brief of amicus curiae, supporting the federal prosecutor's petition written by the Attorney Generals of 41 states and two commonwealths, claiming that their state criminal law enforcement and asset forfeiture programs will be damaged; 2) the government's petition for rehearing In the Circuit Court, written by nine prosecutors; and 3) the winning opposition brief by the respondents in pro se which defeated the government and affirmed the landmark decision. Use these briefs to learn persuasive argument to defeat prosecutors. Attorney at Law 30 Years' Experience in Criminal Appeals A complete list of published criminal appeals in which Kenneth A Webb represented the appellant, together with the disposition mode by !he court in each appeal, is available for your review by writing to Kenneth A Webb of the address below. 3155 W. BIG BEAVER ROAD, SUITE 206 TROY, MICHIGAN 48084 ALL INCARCERATED MEN FREE Brochures! Cut Red Tape! Meet Women Worldwide and in the U.S .A. LADIES run your ad FREE! Send SASE or (2) 32 cent stamps to: REACHING OUT P. 0. Box 90609 Houston, TX 77290. PRISON LIFE 63 USE THE PRINCIPLES OF PROPER FORM by Chris Cozzone & Sebastian B. Ventimiglia Whether yo u ' re in a gym in the freeworld o r a gym in th e joint, you can always lind bad fo rm. There's a lways som e idiot who thinks he's actually working his biceps to th e max when he rocks the barbell to his chest Or some dumb-ass who thinks his chest wi ll get bigge r if he boun ces th e bar off his chest o n th e bench press. The n th e re's the g uy who's convinced his taus won't g row unless he yanks the cable to his torso using every available muscle g ro up. "H.cavy we ig hts," th ey'll tell yo u. 'That's the key to mass." I guess that depends o n yo ur de fini tio n of heavy weig hts. An old time r a t Aui ca, a g uy with a massive chest and bulg ing biceps, summed it up. "Listen kiddo,'· he said. "Ya gots to do each re p carefully. Ya go ts to feel the action o f yer muscles. Ya gots to use pro pe r fo rm- 'fore ya kill ye rself. " "Po ps" had a point lf your ta rgeted muscle g ro up cannot fee l the intensity and you e nd up with an injury, h ow's that going to improve yo ur training? We've all seen accide nts on the Iro n Pile . I reme mbe r this o ne do pe heacl who's form was so bad o n th e bench press that he pulled his back o ut while doi ng a set with 315. He lost control of th e bar an d it ended up in his mouth-busted his jaw and broke o n· a few teeth. o t a pretty ig ht. One g uy wo uld yank his dead lifts o rr th e ground without ever really "feeling" the weig ht. The last time I saw h im , he had pulled the bar up so fas t his biceps muscle po pped out from the bo ne a nd rolled up like a window shade . "Fuck th e fo rm , it's heavy weights that' ll get you big," he used to te ll me , frowning when I 'd take a weight and control that mo the r way past failure . By the tim e I was fini shed wi th my set, my targeteel muscle g ro up wou ld be so pumped it would cramp. ••• "Demonstratin g strength isn 't th e sa me as buildin g it," says Ellington Da rden, Ph.D., a respected a uthor o n strength-training. Pumping heavy weight in a fast, sloppy man n e r forces you to use muscles you sh o uldn 't be using. Whe n you 're doing h eavy barbell curls fo r bice ps, you start rocking because you're e nlisting oth e r muscles g roups to do what your bi ce ps aren't cap a ble of doing alone. Before you know it, you 're not only working your biceps but yo ur shoulders, lower back and legs. Bette r to isolate the muscle group you ' re trying to target. If you' re hitting bice ps, th e n hit th e biceps. If you're working your ch est, the n work the chest. It's calle d co n centr ation and it's done using prope r form. Prope r form can be d efined as t he most efficien t way to work a muscle with a m in im um of lost motion and wasted ene rgy. Eliminate unnecessary motions and muscle contractions that o nly tire you o ut. Consetve e nergy by using the least a mount of overall energy, which is don e by using the greatest amount of e n e rgy fo r your targe ted muscle group. Prop er form is body aware ness. One way to get in touc h with your b ody is by deve lo ping n e uromuscu lar proficiency, also known as kin esthetic pe rception (KP). KP is th e a bility to fee l contraction and re laxation, to know j ust what the h ell a muscle is doing. It's a ha rmonious interplay o f mind and body, and is developed by conscio usly feeli ng the muscles you use a nd relax during a n exe rcise. Rel axa ti o n do esn't mea n kicking back or taking a nap. In KP, it refers to the d egree of tension in the muscul a ture. The relaxation of muscles depends upon the mental poise a nd emotional co ntrol -te lling th e muscles you shouldn 't be using to chill so you can hit the muscles you're targe ting. For example, if you' re doing crunches, you want to concentrate o n relaxing the back a nd using o nly th e abs to do the work. Pro per fo rm ca n b e ac hieved through KP, but it takes time, practice a nd a willingness to train your mind. ••• Wha t a re weights? We ights are tools. When you g rab a barbell, cable or dumbbell, you ' re grabbing a hamm e r , a pencil , or sewing n eedle. Wh at matters is n ot h ow mu c h it weig hs, but wh a t you're a ble to d o with it. After a wh ile, you should get to the p o in t wh e re yo u don't eve n think of th e weig ht as existing, but CISeS USING THE P OF PROPER FORM Squats. Although this "king• of exercises works all the major muscles in the upper legs and buttocks, it is not the most isolating for your quadriceps. Your quads primarily work by extending t he knee (straightening the leg), which is best done on a Leg Extension machine. Although squats simulate that motion, they also incorporate several other movements. By the t ime you' re fatigued with a set of squats, are your quads truly pumped? Try doing leg extensions before squats so the quads will be the limiting factor during your squats. Also, while doing squats, keep your back straight, your legs shoulder-width, and feet pointed straight ahead. Without leaning forward or elevating your heels to keep your balance, squat down unti l your thighs are almost parallel to th e floo r. Return to the starting position. If you have a tendency to lean forward , use a board to elevate your heels in order to maintain balance. Bench Press. Grasp the barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart. With your back flat on the bench, lift the barbell off the rack and lower until your upper arm s are parallel to t he floor. Now press the weight straight up until your arms are straight. Don't lock your elbows or pause at the top but keep in constant, slow motion. Keep a natural arch in your back but do not lift your butt off the bench. One-Arm Dumbbell Rows . Rest yo ur right hand and knee on the weight bench and bend forwa rd until your back is parallel to the floor. Keep your back arched and stationary during the exercise. Pull the dumbbell straight up to your s ide, until your upper arm is just above parallel to the floor, then lower it. Don't jerk the weight up. Repeat exercise on other side . Lat Front Pulldowns. With your feet planted firmly on the ground and your knees tight under the pads, take a shoulder-width grip on the bar. Keep your back arched and do not lean back. Pull the bar down to your chest, or until your elbows are at your sides. Lower stack unt il your upper arms are just above parallel to the ground. Repeat. Rotating Dumbbell Shoulder Press. Grasp a pair of dumbbells and raise t hem shoulder height. With your elbows pointing downward and your palms facing in , slowly press the weights overhead while simultaneously rotating your palms forward. The we ights should be shoulder-width apart, palms facing away from the body at the top of the movement. Don't lock your elbows. Now lower the weights back to t he starting position, rotating your wrists once again so your palms are faci ng you. Shoulder Side Raise. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your arms straight or s light ly bent at yo ur sides, pal ms facing in. With your back straight, slowly raise your arms out from your sides until they are parallel with the floor. Slightly rotate your wrists forward at the top of t he movement, as if you were pouring two pitchers of water. Hold for a second or two, then slowly lower your arms back into the starting position. PRISON LIFE 65 I3ASIC EXERCISES Bent-Over Shoulder Raise. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your side, and sit at the end of a weight bench. With your legs and feet together in front of you, lean forward until your chest reaches your knees. Keep your back straight, head facing down to the floor. This is the starting position. Now, with your chest glued to your knees, slowly raise your arm s straight out from your sides unti l they are nearly parallel to the floor. Hold for a moment, then return to the starting position. Trapezius Shoulder Shrug. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand. Your arms should be hanging down at your sides, palms facing each other. Now, slowly drop your shoulders until they are "square. · Then raise them as far as possible, as if you were trying to touch your shoulders to your ears . Don 't rotate the shoulders. Biceps wide-grip barbell curl. Your grip and stance should be shoulder-width . Keeping your elbows tucked, slowly curl the bar upward to chest level, making sure your shoulders stay stationary. Don't bend or swing the weight up-curl it! Biceps Incline Dumbbell Curl. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, sit on an incline bench and rest you r back on the bench with your arms hanging straight down at your sides, palms facing forward. Now curl both dumbbells up to the sides of the chest in a sem icircular motion, keeping your elbows at your sides. Lower your weights back to the starting position. Barbell Incline Triceps Curl. Lie on an incline bench, and rest your head and back on the bench. With your hands no more than six inches apart, press the bar up to arm's length, making sure that your palms are facing up, and the bar is directly overhead. Bend your elbows, lowering the bar in a semicircular motion to the top of your head . Be sure to keep your shoulders and upper arms stationary. Press the weight up to return to the starting position. Trlcep Pushdown. Stand facing a straight or slightlybent bar on the cable. Start pressing at chest level and slowly straighten your arms. Keep your weight distributed slightly over the bar but do not use momentum to jerk weight down. rather the moveme n ts yo u arc performing th at require max imum contractio n. Think of t he weight as an extensio n o f your body. This is where prope r fo rm gets impo rtant. The joints in your body are desig ned to move in sp ecific, pre-defi n ed ways. Althou gh increased fl exibility ca n improve yow· j o ints' range of motion, it cannot change the angle or actions defined by the design of your tendons, ligaments and musculalUre. T hus, your biceps muscle p•·imarily works to fl ex the elbow j oi nt. So if you 're going to u·ain biceps, why wou ld you incorporate oth er movements into your exercise? If you are doing anything othe r than a strict elbow joint flex, you are working other muscle groups and taki ng away from your targe ted muscle. There is a best way to lift iron. You learn proper fo rm by getting to know body movements, also known as kinesiology. For example, if you know that the chest primarily works in a horizontal shou ld e r flexion, you ' re not goi ng to want to c heat on your be n ch by raising you r hips. If you know your latts a re worked best with shoulder flexio n , you're not go ing to ch eat o n your pulldowns by adding extra e lbow move ments, li ke e nlisting the aid of your biceps. Following a re a few o f the principles of proper form : • Warming-up. Briefl y contract, stretch and loosen up the target muscles prio r to any vigoro us exercise. Cold muscles don't perfo rm worth sh it, and you ' II run the •·isk of an inj ury. • Breath ing. Syn c h ronized move m e nt of oxygen in / o ut of the lungs for muscle g r owth is ne cessa ry during eac h and ever)' rep. Kee p it rhythmic; breathe o ut do ing a lift, breath e in while you lower the weight (the negative). • Positioning. How equipm e nt is positioned in relatio n to the body is importa nt. Yow· joints should line u p to cams and leve rs on mach in es. Your posi tio ning sho uld be natural for you r body. • Grip. Kee p you r g rips sho ul de r width on presses, rows and pu lldowns. Wid e-grips d o n ot make you wider-they just limit your range of motion. • Control. Maintain balance of the weight being used to prevent injury. Concentrate! This is best done by using a weight you can h andle without c heati ng. • Balance. Whether you ' re squatting, pressing or curling, balance is vital to good fo rm. Without bala n ce, you ' re go ing to lose e n e rgy from the begin ning of a se t. Susta ining your p ower th rough o u t a set requi res leverage and perfect timing. • Mome ntum. Mome ntum is the monster. Reduce to a minimum . If yo u h ave to e mp loy momentum in order lO com plete your reps, you ' re going too heavy. Maste rin g proper form wi ll not come overn ight or with a sin gle wo rko ut, but th e good n ews is that anyone ca n learn it. All it takes is pa tience and motivation, and turning away when someone in the gym says you have to th row on the weight to get big. It's going to be harder to learn for those who've been using im p rope r fo rm fo r yea rs. It co uld take several mo nths of re learn ing, a nd ca reful, concen trated effort. Altho ugh yo ur ego mi g ht suffer as yo u scale down th e weight, your reward may be a growth phase by traini ng the ri~t~~ 66 PRISON LIFE ~ POST CONVICTION ADVOCATES Federal and New Jersey State Appeals, Habeas Petitions, Parole Revocation Hearings, Sentencing Memoranda, Forfeitures. Dedicated, competent, experienced staff. Electronic Research. Cassandra Savoy, Esq. 141 South Harrison Street East Orange, New Jersey 07018 (201) 678-1515 G~'Mil\T A Full Body Workout designed to build muscle, get you in shape or help you stay fit. Includes the Pro Boxer Workout: The routine used by pro'fessional world contenders. Complete package includes everything you need: • Manuals • Exercise Gear • T-shirt Name_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ IDII_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Address - - -- - - - - - - City - - - - - - - - - - State Zip _ _ _ _ __ Send $49 to: Gym-Cell Corp, 346 First Avenue, New York, NY 10009. EXPER' LEGAL BELP IS AVAILABLE AND THE POST CONVICTION LEGAL GROUP® MAKES IT EASY TO SECURE. We are in the process of forming a cooperative association of the best and most experienced criminal defense attorneys in the country. One phone call will provide you with the name and credentials of the attorney that best suits the specifics of your case. Our members are responsive. They have demonstrated their skills in the criminal courts and earned the respect of their clients. If you are in need of legal representation, your calls or letters are invited. Calll-800-207-2659 for further information. Post Conviction Legal Group, 1436 Gray, Suite 531, Houston, TX 77019. Additional attorney participation welcomed. Please call. PRISON LIFE 67 ANIMAL FACTORY The colonel was on duty, trimly military at his desk, and Big Rand was d isappearing toward the front gate. As Earl stepped in the way, the black lieutenant known as Captain Midnight was o n duty. Seeman, Earl recalled, had taken (conlinuul from fJage 31) the night off to drive h is daugh ter to the airport. Cap ta in Midn ig h t had a reputation for being a b lack racist, a n d d own me first, a nd then T J. and Bad Eye will-" "Oh , man, I do n ' t want to get you in to trouble." whether it was deserved or not, the man was a hateful sono"Fuck all that." fa bitc h-and h e th o rough ly d isli ke Earl Cope n . Earl "Yeah , okay. I don 't want to kill him ... or rather I do n 't believed that the man resented an y in telligen t convic t a nd want the penalties fo r it. " despised all ig n o rant ones. Earl knew he wou ld have to "Let's c h eck him ou t. Le t me see if I recognize him. watch himself with both Captain Midnight and the colonel. He though t about how lO ha ndle the situation with Buck Then we'll plan. We'll go to the libra ry and you point him Rowan in the East cell ho use. T J. and Baby Boy lived on th e ou t th rough the window when school lets o u t." As th ey c rossed the ya rd and went o ut th e ga te, Ro n fifth tie r and a te first. H e wou ld h ave to ge t to th e ya rd grabbed Earl's elbow. "Loo k, motherfucker, promise me .. quic kly and ca tc h th em before they locked up. They we re . if it comes to trouble, don't take over for me. Don 't go get n ecessa ry in case Buck Rowan n eeded to be stomped T J. an d d o something withou t me. I'd ha te you if you d id th rough the ce ment. Paul and Vito would be sweeping and hosing th e ya rd. H e wanted th em there, too, for a show of that. I've learned h ow to ho ld up my end. Pro mise ...?" stre ng th. And if any o f t h e Bro the rhoo d were available, "I promise. I ca n d ig it." they co u ld also stand on the sideli nes looking m ean. If th e libra ry th ey waited nea r a h e'd been plan nin g a killing, Ea rl would have asked on e fro nt window until th e sch oo l man to come along to help and a second for lookout, but a bell rang and a h orde of convicts killing was what he wanted to avoid. The sh adows o f twi light deepened-and the count was burst fro m th e Education building, many ca rrying schoolbooks. A minute later th e literacy trainin g class came fro m ve l)' la te in clearing. The colo ne l called con trol. Nobody the ann ex. Buck Rowan stood o ut and he was alone, canying was missing; th e LOtal was right but some bodies were in the his books. He had a clodhoppe r su·ide, anns hanging sua ight wrong places. One tier had an extra prisone r while ano thd own, feet ste ppi ng high-a if he were pulling them from er had o ne too few, a fa irly commo n e rror, but one that he ld back the supper unlock until corrected. ploughed dirt. vVhe n th e bell fin ally ra ng, and Earl swung his fee t o ff "I've see n that fool a round," Earl said. "He catc hes th e the typewriter stand, Captain Midnight came from the rear eye. But I h ave n 't seen him with anybody's who's trouble." "He cells o n the botto m ti e r in th e East block, close o ffice with two pieces of yellow legal tablet in han d. "Here, Copen , make a n original a nd two copies." custody." "Can I go eat first? " Earl' s eyes narrowed to sli ts a nd the mu des twitched"Do it before you eat. Have it ready when I get back." bu t the thinking about what to do took less than a minute. Earl g la nced a t the crabbed, n early illegi ble handwrit"O kay, don ' t go bac k to the cell b lock after ch ow. Hang back o n the yard with the clean-up crew. Paul and Vito will ing. "Don 't ma ke any c ha nges," Cap tain Midnight said. "I'm be th e re. When TJ. comes by, te ll him to wait, but don't tell him what's hap pening or he's liable to go ta ke care of hip to you. " "Wh atever yo u say, boss man. I' ll eve n leave the misit himself. I'll meet you, and we' ll catch him ' •he n he goes back to the block. He won ' t ex pect us then, a nd we'll have spe lled words if you want." The black lie u tena n t froze for a second . 'Just do your a ll the ed ge." Earl neglected to add his feeling th a t the proble m could be ha ndled without mu rder. He'd go with job, convict. And be careful. I'm after your ass." "Oh , I kn ow that. .. and I'm so care fu l wh e n yo u ' re his allies, and if Buck 's respo n se was unsatisfactory, they would kick him within a n inc h of his li fe-but Earl was around. " "If I catch you down wrong, they' ll have to pipe air into confident Buck wou ld back down when he saw what he was up against. o man alone, no matte r how LOugh, coul d win you. l know about you and your gang." He started to add something more, but clicked his teeth togethe r and though t against fifteen killers. A m inute behind th e co nvic ts leaving sc h ool came the better of it. "Have th at memo done when I get back." "Okay, boss." eve ning watch gua rds carrying lunchpails, hurrying toward Typing t h e memo took longer than u sual because th e the cellhouses to h e lp with the main coun t. "Wait a couple m inutes before you go to the yard," Earl handwriting was hard to decipher. In addition, he was pressed said. "Wh e n you hear th e li neup whistle, go straight in to because he was in a hu rry, a nd therefore made mo1·e errors the block. The mooch migh t be waiting. I've got to go to than usual. When h e finish ed , the automatic lights of th e prison had gone o n . He put the me mo on th e lie u te nan t's the yard office." Ron n odded without enthusiasm. "Da mn , I'm tired o f d esk and rushed out "Gonna get some chow, boss," he said. "Best hurry, lad. It's n early time for t h e mess hall to this c rap. j ust. .. ruck it," "Oh no, we can h andle this. It's routi ne shit." Earl cuffed close. " The las t tie r-Buck Rowan's tier-had long since h im on the arm. e nte red the mess hall, an d men were straggling back across "Yo u have to act like an a nimal to get respect in he re." "Coo l it. It's go nna be o kay. Quit snive lin '. You've h ad t h e ya rd to the East cel lh o u se fr o m the exit d oor. Th e o rth ce llh o u se d oo rs we re loc ked, th oug h th ey wo uld the red carpet. I was six years you nger th an you and d idn't smile for two year . It took me a d ecade to make the North o pen after the meal for night school and other activities. block and go to nig ht movies. An d you've go t as much ti me H e circled in th at direction, looking for Ron- but Ron left as a mosquito has p ric k, un less you fuck it up. I need wasn 't there. At the far end of the yard, in the overhang of you out th ere to look after me." the canteen roof, stood several figures silhouetted against Ron head ed toward the yard and Earl we nt to the o ffi ce. the ca nteen lights. The night yard crew, a mong the m Paul •d I n Sl e 68 PRISON LIFE a nd Vito, Earl moved quickly in that d irection , unabl e to run because it was against the rules and the rifle ma n would b las t h is whistle. Pau l and Vito we re both lea n in g o n broom ha ndles. "Whe re's Superhonky?" Earl asked. "Him and Baby Boy went in. They're bo th drunk," Paul said. "I was gonna try and fu ck him wh ile he was ou t," Vito said, "but the big mothe rfucke r might wake up." "Shit!" Earl said. "I n eed e d him to stand a round a nd look mean. I gotta drive on some fool. " "vVh o is it?" Vito asked . "Some lo p fuckin ' with Ron. " "Ron just went in the East b lock," Paul said. "I to ld h im- " Earl began; th en wh eeled a nd nearly ran toward th e square of yellow lig h t fi lling t h e open doo r. Vito a nd Pa ul threw d own th e ir brooms and h u rried afte r. The vast cellhouse h umm ed with the accumula ted voice of trapped m e n. The ti e rs were pac ked with inmates waiting for lockup, a nd around the doo r were m e n jammed waiting fo r night un locks to begin. Earl p ush ed through , turned around th e corn e r a nd put a n arm up besid e his face as h e passed the se rgea nt 's office. The rifl e m an was on th e o th e r side of t h e cellh o u se. The crowd was mu c h th in ner o n th e bo uom becau se th e space was much larger, going all the way to th e cellhouse wall. Earl imm ed iate ly saw Ron a nd Buck facing each o ther halfway down th e tie r. He in c reased his pace. Paul ., a n d Vi to were twe nty feet be hind h im, moving more slowly a nd trying to a ppea r u n conce rn ed. Earl \Vas both pro ud of Ron's courage a nd a ngry at his foo lishn ess. I' ll le t hi m ha nd le it as long as h e can , Earl th o ught whe n he was te n fee t away, but that th oug ht was in sta ntly e rased wh e n Buc k saw him over Ron 's should er a nd said, "He re 's your d add y." H e sneered. "Or maybe h e's a sissy, too. Or a rat. " obod y had eve r b ee n so disresp ec t fu l. Earl's mind r eele d with th e burst of fu ry. H e lea p ed past Ro n a nd swung-but his rage made hi m start the pu n ch fro m too fa r away, wi th too mu c h warn ing. Buck evaded the blow and Earl 's momentum sent h im crash ing into the big ma n . H e insta ntly saw th at Buck was too big a n d too strong , clumsy but quick, his hands swinging like a bea r swatting bees. Ea rl was sla mmed bac k as th ey went aro un d . Buck drove h im back under th e tier, into th e cell bars with suc h force th a t Earl 's wind was kn oc ked o u t. H e co uldn't ge t leve r age to pun ch . Buck' s h ands we nt around h im , g rabbed th e cell ba rs a n d tri e d to c ru sh hi m . T h e big )( man's check was next to Earl's face. He grabbed th e h ead, sunk his teeth into the top of Buck's right ear and bit it off, the blood running instantly. Surprised , Pa ul and Vito were secon d s la te- for Ro n had pulled the kni fe from his waistband and come forward with the qui ck steps o f a matador. Without h esitatio n , he struck with a ll h is strength, burying fourteen inches of steel in the wide back. "Die, you mothe rfucker!" The big man collapsed instantly, fa lling straight down like a dynamited building. The spinal cord was severed . He nearly pulled Ea rl down on top of h im un til Vito's brogan thudded into his face. The n he screamed , a te rri ble, b e llowin g sou nd th a t cu t th roug h th e cellh ouse hum a nd brought a sudde n h us h as hun dreds of eyes looked for signs of another murd e r. "Cut his throa t," Vito said , "so h e can't snitc h ." And he reached for th e kn ife when Ro n hesitated. ;L__ I l A police whistle sh rilled alarm. "Split! " Pa u l said . 'T h e g un ~ bull 's coming." Th e wh istle came aga in . The guard was rushi ng down the catwalk, levering a cartridge into the rifle's firin g c h am b er. H e couldn ' t see und e r t h e bottom tie r. Earl shoved Ro n and t hey started r u n nin g towa rd th e r ea r of the building, kee ping unde r the tier so only tl1eir feet were visi ble . Paul and Vito were be hind th em. The ce ll h o use bu lls wo uld co me from th e front. When th ey reach ed the back stairs, Earl a n d Ro n we n t up , d isappear ing before th e rifl e ma n co uld co m e aro und on the catwalk. Paul a nd Vito stayed o n the bo u o m, circling th e cellblock. T he whistle still bleated, but it was falli ng behind. Ron still had the sh iv. Convicts on the tie r fe ll back from them, giving them passage. "Throw it," Earl said. Ron r eac h ed thro ug h a cell's bars a nd dro pped the weapon . Someone wou ld get rid of it. T hey pushed along tl1e third tier, h eadi ng toward the front stairs. "The y' ll loc k th a t door in a min u te," Ead said . "We 've gotta get o u t of h e re before th at." No g u a rds we re in front. They' d rush ed towa rd th e sce ne o f the stabbing . Ron a nd Ead leaped down the steel stairs three at a bou nd, and in seconds were throug h th e rotunda a nd in the dark yard. A hundred yards ahead o f th em Pau l and Vi to were already turning into the mess hall whe re tl1 e nigh t ya rd crew was allowed to drink coffee. To th e rig ht, convic ts were stream ing o ut of th e orth cellhouse o n evening unlocks. "Co to Education," Earl said. "We might be okay. It was un der th e tier a nd n o t many saw it. Maybe we won't ge t )( ]c_ PRISON LIFE 69 snitched on." "I neve r thought I could do that- and it was easy. It just wen t in." Ea rl dra ped an ann aro und Ro n 's shoulder. "If a n asshole ever got his issue, it was that one." Ron nodded, sudden ly unable to spea k, beginning to feel the squeezing finge rs o f fear in his stomac h. If th e act had been easy, the possible re percussions were not. When th ey n eared th e gate, Earl patted him o n t h e b ack a nd sto pped. "Keep going. The colonel wi ll see us together if we go much farther. " While Ron hurried o n, turning through th e lig hted door into the school building, Earl loitered unde r the gate. Then he saw Captain Midnight and t he third watch sergeant hurrying toward him down th e road, e n route to the East cellhouse stabbing . Earl sauntered toward the m , passed with a nod to the sergeant, ign oring th e lie utenant. He we nt into th e ya rd offi ce, g lad to b e hidde n by d arkn ess, for he was tr embling from nervo us te nsio n . The colone l sat in th e sh adows. "Another stabbing in the East block," h e said. "Who was it?" "Do n ' t h ave his name yet. But it's a good one." "Is he d ead ?" "H e was on a gurney when I got the call. .. so h e's still alive." Earl grumed , no t wa nting to a ppear too interested. He sat in his own chair, looking out at the prison night, wo ndering if they would ge t by. Five minutes la ter a cadaverous-faced d octor hurried across the plaza from the fro nt gate, going to the hospital. He was a legend amo ng co nvicts, esp ecially with knife wounds. H e' d saved me n stabbed in the h eart. Earl stood up, too te nse to sit still. He wanted to go somewhere, see Ron . "Better hang around," the colonel said. 'There'll probably be some re ports to type wh e n th e li e utenant ge ts back." "That won't be fo r h alf an hour. I'm going to the cell for some cigarettes. Call over there if you need me." 'Just so we know whe re you are," the colonel said. "I ca n ' t go too far," Ea rl said, stepping out into th e night. eared the doorway of th e education building, h e met n o lde r con vic t comi n g the o th e r way. Red Malo ne was a friend, though they seldom saw each o the r. Red worked o utside th e walls in th e employee snack ba r as a night cook and lived in th e elite West cellho use. Red stopped as Earl approac hed , obviously wanting to talk, a nd although Earl 's mind raced on oth er things, he stopped a nd gri nned. Then, as Red stuck o ut his h a nd, Earl re me mbe red th at th e man was go ing homeafter a dozen calendars b ehind the walls. "When is it, Red?" As E arE " Ma1iana." "Good luck, brother." "I 'm sca red shi tl ess. I' ve gotta make it. I can ' t sta nd anoth er jolt. My tee th are gone and my hair is going." "You'll be okay. just keep your shit toge ther." "We're getting o ld ." "We 're younger tha n spring time, sucke r." H e sla pped Red affectiona tely on the back and clenched his hand. Whe n Red was go ne, Earl stu ck his head through the doorway to Educati on. H a lf a d oze n cle rks were be hind their desks around th e room. Three teachers were picking 70 PRISON LIFE up th e ir ro ll ca ll sh ee ts. Ron was in th e g lass-e nclosed o ffice of the supe n>isor of education, sitting on th e edge of th e desk talkin g to J an th e Actress. Mr. H arrell was also there-and Ea rl wondered if the ma n eve r wen t home. It was best not to go in . They might provide Ro n with a partial alibi if they though t h e'd been th e re five minutes earlie r tha n he was. H e wanted to tell Ron not to say a word if he was picked up-not eve n a lie. He d ecided Ro n p robab ly kne w that; silence canno t be impeach ed, wh ereas a lie can some times be refuted . Earl co n tin ued to the yard . T h e mess-hall doors we re locked a nd h e didn ' t know if Vito a nd Pa ul we re inside. Th e years of priso n to ld Earl that it was like ly he' d b e picked up fo r the assau lt. Someone wou ld fink private ly, th ough it was most un likely th a t he wou ld testify. It was a good idea to get ready for the ho le. He headed toward th e North cellho use, ducking through th e doorjust befo re th e guard locked it after the nigh t unlocks had finish ed. Buzzard had the cell key for the fifth tie r . Earl found him working on a leather purse in his cell. "U nlock my cell, Buzz, a nd keep a wa tch o n the door downstairs. I think the pigs might b e coming for me." They went qu ickly, a nd as Buzzard inserted th e key, he said he' d h eard som e thin g a bout a stabbin g in the East cellhouse. H e didn 't punctuate th e state me nt with a sign ificant loo k; the words were enough. Earl didn't rep ly, but too k off the pillowslip a nd began filling it with property th a t he co uld have in "B" Sec ti o n-cigarettes, to ile tri es, p a perback books. H e took three twe nty-do lla r bills from the hiding place in the gallo n can, ro lled th em up o n e a t a time, and inse rted each in a LUbe of shaving cream thro ugh the top. The guards ch ecked the botto m o f tubes fo r tampe ring, but n ot the ho le. It go t messy to squirt eve rything o ut, a nd th e co nvict who h ad n othin g co u ld co mpl ain loud ly about it. H e loo ked a t his cell furniwre, the o il painting shu tters, the la mpshade, th e glass-to pped d esk. "Give it all to T.J. ," h e said; th en h a nded Buzzard the pillowslip. "If they slam me, give th e sack to Lieutenam Seeman. He'll see that I get it. " ''Wha t about those cigarettes I'm ho lding for you in my cell?" "Consider th em a present. " Ea rl g la n ced over the ti e r a nd saw Captain Mid nig ht a nd two oth e r guards come through t h e door, ca rrying nightsticks. Earl mo mentarily tho ught of hurrying to o ne of the two hundred and fifty cells and hiding. They wouldn't find him until th e last lockup, o r la ter th a n that if h e wa nted to risk a charge of attempted escape. Instead , h e went to th e stairs and started down, feigning surprise wh en th ey ganged around him. ''Wha t's the trouble?" h e asked. Surprised , they hesita ted , h efting the clubs ne rvously, and the n Captain Midnight had him turn a nd lean against th e wall for a weapons frisk. Then they j a mm ed him close a nd th e group went down th e stairs whe re the cellhouse g uard had the door open for them. O n e of the gua rds, an old-timer and a favorite of Lie utenan t Seeman's, wrinkled up his face to show h e was doing something distasteful in arresting Earl. T h e co nvict n early smiled, thinking th at afte r e nough years in prison, everybody's va lues we re distoned. The o ld g uard didn ' t care about the stabbing; he was sorry to pick up a convict he liked . The colo nel's face was hidde n in the darkness behind the window wh en the quartet we nt by; the old Army man didn ' t move his head. As th ey passed th e c ha p el, n earing the custody office, Earl heard d1 e voices of the cho ir. It had to be a tour, for the lig hts we re also on unde r the fountain . Captain Midnight ope ned the door and Earl went in a head of the two escorts. The large room with half-glass offices along its walls was deserted except for two convict clerks and the sergeant in the control booth; and Ron was on a bench outside the associate warden's office, a young guard beside him. Captain Midnight motioned Earl to keep going, wanting him as far across the room from Ron as possible. Earl stopped and the guards nearly bumped into him. "What's happening?" Earl asked. "They won't tell me," Ron said. "Keep moving and be quiet," Captain Midnight said, reaching for Earl's sleeve. Earl jerked away. "Keep your hands off me, chump." He turned to Ron. "If it's serious, demand to see a lawyer." "Knock it offi" the lieutenant said, raising a can of mace with his thumb on the button. "Man, fuck you! What're you gonna do? Kick my ass? Assholes have been doing that ever since I can remember. You can't kill me ... and if you do, you can't eat me ... it's against the law." He threw his head back, the personification of defiance, and everyone froze for half a dozen seconds. ''You ain't nothing," Earl said. They sat in silence except for the clicking of the clerks' typewriters. Earl sllloked and tried not to think about the future. Finally the warden came in, a big man almost never seen inside the walls. Now he wore slacks, sweater, and a ten-gallon hat, an unlit cigar between his teeth. He glanced at the two convicts and went into the associate warden's office, followed by the black lieutenant. Ten minutes later Captain Midnight leaned out and beckoned Earl. The guards stayed with him until he reached the door, and the lieutenant told them to wait outside. The warden was behind the wide desk, his hat off and one cowboy-booted leg propped across the corner. He had a cup of coffee. His face was droopy at the jowls and his eyes were big behind his glasses. A direct line to every win· nlng case in the Federal Courts since "Strlcfdand v. Waslzlngton"- all gathered together and summarized In this comprehensive text. A 70 page index leads you to exactly the right case with almost 800 examples of Ineffective assistance, with every reference to a winning case. Over 300 cases decided since Strickland, and 200 before, are gathered togeth· er and indexed according to the precise factual issue considered in the decision. Defense attorneys across the country are using this book to save untold hours. and even days, of research. If you have ever tried to find "Have a seat," he said, waving expansively toward a chair across the desk. Captain Midnight stayed behind Earl's right shoulder, moving as the convict moved. "No, I don't think I'll be here that long." "Want some coffee?" the warden asked. Earl shook his head, smiled softly. "Boy, you shore got a mess of trouble," the warden said laconically. "That ol' boy Rowan says you stuck him ... an' he's willin' to go on the witness stand ... from a wheelchair, I might add." "Who's Rowan?" The warden flushed momentarily; then regained his fellowship. "Oh, he's a sorry ol' thing... and you know him. He probably had it coming." "I don't know what you're talking about." "I really didn't think you did. You're an ol' smartass... don't even know how to help yourself... tell your side of the story." "I'd have to talk to my lawyer before I make any statement. Besides, you didn't warn me about my constitutional rights." "Might as well put him away in the shitcan," the warden said, still not displaying anger-certain of his power. When Captain Midnight ushered him to the door and opened it, the lieutenant said to the guard, "Make sure he's in a boxcar. Bring his clothes back to see if there's any blood samples on them, especially his shoes." Earl looked at Ron seated outside the door. The young man was pale and drawn, but his eyes radiated strength. ''You weren't in there long," Ron said. "I dido 't have anything to say. They think I stabbed some guy." ''They better watch what they're smoking." A guard nudged Earl and the trio went out. He sucked deep on the clean air, looked up at the dome of night cluttered with stars, knowing he might never again be outdoors led INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF. COUNSEL ** WINNING CASES IN THE FEDERAL CoURTS GOOD case law to back up your ineffective 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 emphasl~ on specific facts which to the finding of Ineffective Assistance of Counsel. Seeking an evidentiary hearing? You'll find the case law you need to support your arguments In Ineffective Assistance of Counsel. In a large looseleaf binder, this book is supplemented at least twice annually. The $120.00 purchase price Includes all supplements issued during the following 6 months. Supplement service is $42.00 per year thereafter. 'lb order send your payment of $120.00 plus $8.00 S&H to: SoUTHWEST LEGAL SERVICES P.O. Box 57091 TuCSON, ARizoNA 85732 PBISOI LIFB 71 at night-even in prison. Certainly not for a long time. When they crossed the yard they stopped while the keys to the South cellhouse rotunda were passed down from No. 2 Wall Post. At night the keys were taken from the cellhouses so it would do the convicts inside no good to overpower their keepers. Moments later they opened the door to "B" Section and the bedlam of the damned rolled forth. The yelling voices were an unbroken roar in the shadows of the honeycomb. Trash was ankle deep the entire length of the floor, and the stench of excrement and urine was overpowering. The cells broken up nearly a year before had still not been repaired. Earl looked up at the fence that sheeted the outside of the tiers. Two "B" Section guards were waiting for him, apparently having been called by Control. 'We want his clothes," an escort said. Earl stood against the wall and stripped, handing over his clothes and going through the poses of a skin search. When he finished, they returned his shorts and motioned him to walk to the rear of the cellhouse. He kept far out from the tier and walked softly, carefully avoiding the shards of glass from jars discarded over the tiers. He could see shadowed faces behind the bars. "Hey, Bad Eye!" someone yelled. "Earl Copen just came in!" The voice had to rise above the uproar, but Bad Eye heard, for in seconds an arm came through bars on the third tier and Bad Eye yelled, "They finally got your slick ass!'' "They think sol" Earl yelled back, still pussyfooting · along, slowly. ''What they say you done did?" "Some fool got stabbed!" "I know you're innocent!" They reached the "boxcars," five cells at the rear. They'd begun as regular cells but then concrete blocks had been extended between each out to the walkway above. A solid door was added, and when it was closed, a man screaming inside the cell was just a squeak outside of it. A tiny light, dimmed by the wire over it, Was in a niche in the ceiling between the cell gate and the door. Earl stepped into the cell, noting that the cast aluminum toilet and washbowl were still in place. Apparently, the occupant during the strike hadn't been able to break them. A grimy mattress and two blankets were on the floor. Wadding a blanket into a pillow, Earl flopped down. The smell was bad, like mildew. Water was leaking somewhere, perhaps in the service alley, maybe from the seal on the toilet. The floor under his bare feet was both gritty and sticky. "Just lik~ home," he muttered. "I love it." He was still keyed up, his mind jumping and unable to focus. He knew from other situations that eventually the despair would eat through in to consciousness. Hope would become an uncertain flicker, the candle wax melted, the wick bare. He'd know that suicide was really the one answer to the miserable futility of his existence, but he'd lack the courage of his knowledge. He worried about Ron, hoped the younger man would not feel obliged to confess to take Earl off the hook-and he wished he knew precisely what Buck Rowan had said. It would be .very bad if he testified, especially from a wheelchair. Vito had been right: the fool should have had his throat cut. It certainly would have been no loss to the world. The musings were broken by a rhythmic thumping through the concrete ceiling. He was wanted on the "telephone." He signaled back by standing on the toilet and 72 PBISOR LIFE pounding with the heel of his hand. Quickly he folded both blankets into squares, put them over the mouth of the seatless toilet, sat down and began jumping-forcing the water out. He scooped the last of it into the sink and kneeled at the toilet, his face in the bowl. "Hello!" he yelled. ''Who's on the phone?" "It's Rube Samuel. .. your man! The old ass sure looked smooth when you went by." "Only 'cause it was dark. It's all wrinkled and hairy." Earl liked Rube, the half-Mexican who'd served twelve of fifteen years in the hole at both San Quentin and Folsom. Rube had come to prison for mistakenly entering the wrong apartment, while drunk, but when accosted by the irate resident, Rube had beat him up. The charge was first-degree burglary. Rube had then picked up new convictions for a stabbing and an escape and seemed to be getting wilder and more frenzied as the years went by. Earl liked Rube, even though they seldom saw each other. "Where's Bad Eye?" Earl asked. "Too far away. You could probably hear each other if you blew your voices, but I'll relay messages." "Are you above me?" "I'm on the third tier, a couple cells from Bad Eye. That's Wayne, T J.'s home boy, above you. He just came from Soledad." "I heard about him." "What's with you? I thought you were too slick to get busted." "They say something about a sticking in the East block." Earl was aware that others could have their toilets empty and be listening. "Did they bring my partner in?" "Who's that?" 'That youngster I fuck with." "I heard about him. They say he's pretty." "Nothin' happenin' there, sucker." "You sure you ain't eatin' him up? You know how you old convicts are." "You've been here a long time yourself. I ain't got caught if I am, so you'll never know ifyou should be jealous." "How bad is the dude hurt?" "He's paralyzed... everything but his mouth." "Snitchin', huh?" "Does a dog have fleas?" ''Who is he?" "Some hillbilly fish. Been here a couple months and wanted to be a bully." "Hold it! I'm signin' off. Bad Eye's calling me, these fools are screaming... I'll talk to you in the morning." "Send some smokes and something to read." "Got you covered." "If you can send word out, tell our friends about how that fool is snitch in'." ' "We'll send word first thing in the morning. I'll see you if they let you out to exercise." "Right on!" When Earl flopped back on the mattress, he expected to spend the night turning things over and over in his mind. He called it "squirrel-caging," the compulsive repetition of thoughts without conclusions. He felt the gritted dirt imbedded in the mattress and was chilled because he wore noT-shirt. He pulled the second blanket over him. In three minutes he fell asleep, both because he was utterly drained and because his unconscious said sleep was a means to escape reality. Decker was in a more mo de rn cell-in the adjustme m ce nter. It, too, was at t.h e very rear, but on a solid floor rathe r tha n a ti e r, a nd instead of a toilet there was a hole in the floor beside the ma uress. It was the floor where mi litant ·revolutionari es were usually kept, n early all of th e m black, and wh e n Ron had walked by with th e guard they had stared o ut with sile nt, hostile faces. He could hear the sounds of vo ices beyond th e do ubl e doors but co uld not deciph e r the words. He re he was doubly a n alien , and h e wish ed they'd put him in "B" Section wh ere he might co mmunicate with Earl. Buck Rowan appare nlly believed tha t Ea rl had stabbed him in the melee, and Ro n was bei ng to rn apart by t.he siLUation. He was astounded that he felt so indiffe re nt. to Buck Rowan 's condition ; it was the death of something in himself, or perh aps the begin ning o f some L11ing new. But. h e was also crucified by gu ilt th at Earl was in trouble because of him when he was basically innocent. Ron had gone into the building alone to avoid just such a siLUation. The warde n had promised that he, Ron , wou ld get favorable action from the judge if h e LUrned on Earl. It was an insulting offer and h e'd sneered, refusing to make any sta te m en t whatsoever without an attorney-but it also raised h o pe. Maybe they needed co rro bora ti o n. Whateve r h a ppe n ed , h e wouldn't le t Ea rl be convicted o f the assault-fuck what Earl said. Ye t his own freed o m, which had b ee n firmly in h and, was in danger of oozing between his finge rs. Eithe r Earl or himself convicted of the crime wo uld face a life sente nce o r t.he death penalty, depe nding on what the jury decided. Even without that, if t.h e judge in Los Ange les found out, h e wou ld deny sentence m odificati on, which wo uld mea n five lo ng, bitter yea rs before h e was eligible for parole, a nd the chances of getting it would be small even then. He'd already seen too many me n psychologically maimed by Lh e indefinite senten ces o f California. If one year made him capable o f plunging a knife into a man 's back, what would a decade do? AcLUally, the re was not.hing for him to d ecide, n ot ye t. H e wou ld simply wait. until things b ecam e clea re r. M.aybe both of th e m would skate byunlikely as it now seemed. He could take a few weeks in a bare cell. When it gets too tough fo r the average moth e rfu c ke r, it ge ts the way I like it, he thought, grinning at one of Ea rl 's expressio ns. [II] R0 n APPEALS WRITS OF HABEAS CORPUS fORFEITURES NEW TRIAL MOTIONS SENTENCE MODIFICATIONS Don 't take anymore chmu:es with _yourjilfure. Today you need a highly skilled research firm that utilizes state-of-the-an electron· ic research methods if you want to com· pete with the prosecution. FREE CONSULTATION. LAW OFFICE OF JACQUELINE GOODMAN 800.515.0233 • Payment Plans Available • Low income? We can help . .fhtliC:Illtl 1<>1:\.ll'll.f:\<i./l'.II/C/ 1\tl ·Ill'/ I'JI.O('L\S ·!Otl.,lJIL. ICCL'S! tl. 2201 EAST CHAPMAN A VL FUllERTON, CALIFORNIA 92631 714.879.5770 LIFE ON DEATH ROW Prison Life Is planning a SPECIAL ISSUE on DEATH ROW and the DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA We want to hear from condemned prisoners: poets, essayists and fiction writers. Tell us your stories. How you wound up on DEATH ROW; how you feel about the death penalty; how you face day-to· day existence knowing you are to be put to death. DEATH ROW ARTISTS. Send us your work for possible inclusion in this SPECIAL DEATH ROW EDlTION of Prison Life. Address all replies to: DEATH ROW, c/o Prison Life, 200 Varick, Ste 901, NY, N Y 10014 PRISON LIFE 73 COLLEC,.OR'S I,.EMS-PRISON LIFE BACK ISSUES ARE 'F.)pLIIIUiu.rAS,.! OCTOBER'94 Form er DEA Ag ent Michael Levine Debunks the " Phony" War on Drugs ; Snitch ' n' Bitch: Confessions of a Government Rat ; 3 Strikes, You' re In-For Life!; Prison Fiction: Lee's Time by Susan Rosenberg. JANUARY '95 PLM's First Cover Woman , Karen White- One woman's triumph over 18 years in hell; Ground-breaking journalism exposes the scam on UNICOR : Th e Economics of Imprisonment; Ju lie Stewart, founder of FAMM . MARCH '95 Gangland USA : A Inside Look at Prison Gangs; John Gatti's yer Bruce \ J'[, ds Wan SOl.\) 0 · On Ame 1chard Stratton; Liberating Prisoners With Kindness: Bo Lozoff. to swift back issue sales, .......... rov are sold out. If you move can still score our latest packe d with prison surviv ~o~,..... f-:omes and hard-hitting storie~ JULY-AUGUST '!15--illRifi]}IY Novelist Kim Wozencraft on the Controve rsial Case Of Mumia AbuJamai-Convicted of killing a cop, this outspoken journalist may have been framed; Revising the Convict Code; Prison Life Reveals the Truth About So-Called " Resort" Prisons; Prize-Winning Ex-Con Poet Jimmy Santiago Baca. SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '95 America's Greatest Living Convict Writer Eddie Bunk · ard Stra S()ll) 0\J'[! th Row ' e lcatraz of the ockies; Inside the Capital's Cage; plus fiction by Dannie Martin. NOVEMBER-DECEMBER '95 An inside look at Alabama Chain Gangs; A CURE for Crim e; Gettin ' Out & Goin' for the Green ... Legally! 3 ideas for starting your own business; plus Animal Factory- fiction by Eddie Bunker. JANUARY-FEBRUARY '96 Special HBO issue! Prisoners of the War on Drugs: King Rat by Michael Levine; Junk in the Joint; Women Casualties of the Drug War. .=.;..._ Zip _ _ _ Life, 1436 Gray, Suite 531, Houston, TX 770 19-4946. _ PRISON PAPERS FEDERAL SENTENCING EXPERTS * Plea agreements * PSI review * Guideline analysis * Appeals -- RONALD E. SCHWARTZ Attorney At Law Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America Edited by Herb Boyd and Robert L. Allen Ballantine Books, $19.95 Review by John Mack 8060 Montgomery Road, Suite 202 Cincinatti, OH 45236 (513) 792-0606 Fax 792-0606 PRE-TRIAL & POST-CONVICTION ve ry experie nce that defin es what it mea ns to be a black male in America is ex plore d in Brolherman, an a nth o logy e dited by He rb Boyd and Ro be n L. Alle n . Whe n th e Africa n sla,·e first set foot o n this co ntinent there was a total smashin g o f every psyc hic co nstellation by whi ch the African live d and survived within his own culture a nd community. H e had to make a n ew adjustme nt to a ne w and a li e n language, a n a li e n r e ligio n , a n d a soc ial a nd economic world that placed him o n par with horses and cattle. Whatever d efinition h e had wit hin his Afri can community was obli terated. The consequences have bee n a consta nt sea rch fo r defin ition , for identity. Wh o are we? What is our language, o ur true rel igion? Who are our real ancestors? Where is o ur village? The re has been so much sexual intermingling be tween blacks a nd whites, betwee n blacks an d Ind ian s for so many generations tha t it is unde rstandable why o ur search for identity has bee n riddled with confusion. We h ave gon e from "colo red " lO "Negro" to "Afro-Am e rican " to "Black" to "Afri ca n-Ame rica n " an d with a m ove me nt a m o n g som e n eo-conservatives to go back to "Negro." If la nguage and accultura tio n are essen tial ing redients in d efining who we are, th e re is n o way b lack men in Am e ri ca ca n esca pe the fact that we a re Weste rnized black m e n : We a ll speak a nd th ink in English , a Western la nguage, and our education is grou nded in Western culture a nd ideas. We are hybrids. And as much as we try to claim the contra q r, t11e re is no way we can escape the fo rces that h ave mad e us what we are. And ye t o ur ex pe rie n ces in America have mad e us differe nt, and it is this diffe re nce th at makes Brolhl'rman such a fascinating and cha lle nging anthology-an a nthology which is indispensable to a nyone who wants to know what it has been like for black males in America. Altho ug h it is difficu lt to buy in to th e fi ction that the pro ble m of ide ntity a nd the condition of black me n are unique in comparison to those faced by black women , Brotherman m akes a convi ncing argume nt tha t they a1·e by including only the voices of black men. T h e a n th o logy is divided into six p a rts, beginning with a sea rch for our forefathers and co ncludin g with the myth ical bird from the Akan c ulture of West Africa- th e Sanko fa, a bird which "faces forwa rd and looks backward." And between th e fo refath ers and the Sanko fa, we hear the voices of wha t the E PRISON LIFE 75 poe t Sterling Brown referred to as "strong m en getting stro nge r," recreating their experie nces as son s "in the family" a nd in relationship to women, and th e ir survival und e r rac ism, a nd th e magic o f th e ir art, th e ir so ngs, their poetry, th e ir n ovels an d plays, their music and sports. Ma ny of the pi eces a nd voices a re fami liar, so fam il iar th at th ey have become tim eworn and clich ed a nd added very little if a nything to understa ndin g what the j o urn ey o f b lac k me n in Ame rican h as mea nt. Boo ker T . Washington 's Up From Slave1y, th a t g lorio us hymn to the virtues of Un cle T om a nd Missy Anne, has grown stale a nd trite. Its only co ntri bution is to r e mind u s of the exten t to whi c h black men have h ad to debase a nd humilia te th e mselves in o rde r to survive. But the vo ice o f W.E .B. DuBo is is the starting point for every black person who h as wrestl ed with th e proble m of id entity: "One eve r feels his twoness- an Am e rican , a egro; two souls, two tho ugh ts, two unreconciled strivin gs; two wa rrin g idea ls in o n e dark body ... " The voice of DuBois, as well as those of Ralph Ellison , Rich ard Wright, C la ud e McKay, Langs ton Hug h es and J a mes Baldwin neve r grow weak regardless of h ow ma ny times we hear the m. And then there are new vo ices, some fro m whom we h ear a lo t of gibb eris h . C h eck ou t Icc T and The Ice Opinion, in whi ch we a re presented with th e m eanin g of rap music, or what h e calls "the art of shit tal kin "' 76 PRISON LIFE a nd h ow it re fl ects his life a nd the world he g rew u p in an d how it spea ks to a n d fo r the "hip-hop ge n e ra ti o n .·· One finds little to cele brate, however. Ice T's world and th e "music" tha t glorifi es it a re eve rythin g that a sane b lack p e rso n is trying desperate ly to get away from. There a re voices h e re who re mind us tha t the forces of Western acculturation have had such a n overwhelming impac t that it has left a profound d istrust a m ong so me of us fo r o ur own p eo ple. Sh e lby Steele has mad e the re ma rkable d iscovery tha t his positio n in academia has had everything to do with "the co nte nt o f hi c h a racte r " and n othing to do with his inordinate a n d peculiar predilectio n to massage the egos of th e likes o f David Duke, whom St eele co mp ares Ma lco lm X. Alth ough Stee le ma kes a good atte mpt to cover a conscien ce steeped in "bad fa ith ," his liking for police wh o murd er black suspects a nd his excuse fo r yo un g white thugs wh o murde r b lack people m e re ly because they made the mistake of walking into a white n eig hborh ood make it all too obvious on what side of the fence he's standing o n. I a lso fa il to see wh a t Stan ley Cro u c h co n tributes to th e ideas e mbodied in th e edito r 's con ce pt o f Bmllterman other tha n h is readiness to le nd his mind a nd talent to a ny p e rso n or idea d esigned to d emean his own people, as he did so splendidly in his piece defending Mic hae l j ackso n 's p a th o logica l rage to be whi te. But th e n , every black co n se rvati ve, fro m Boo ker T. Was hin g ton to Cla re n ce Thomas, kn ows instin ctive ly th a t there 's gold "in them the re hi lls." Of parti cular interest are th e p ieces a bout priso n a nd th e pri son ex perie n ce, main ly beca use prison and th e crimin al justice syste m h ave beco m e the defining me ta phors for black males in the inner city. Reading these pieces is like rubbing salt into a raw wound, especially the exceJ-pt from j oh n Edgar Wide man 's Brother and Keepers. I fo un d Dho ruba Bin Wahad disappointing, however. There's some thing painful and no t a little pathetic about brothe rs like Dhoruba Bin Wah ad , who are still locked into th e mind-se t of th e six ties, who still think abo u t "revolution, " about the "movement, " and who still believe tha t there's a big, sweet, juicy pie in the sky. Given the inevita ble drift of th e computerized, hypnotic world we' re living in, a world of "virtua l r eality," of sublimin a l media contro l a nd manipulatio n , one is sadde ned by what prison does to so many good minds. I started this book with th e idea tha t I would read the introduction a nd skim th e text. Altho ugh I was disappointed in n o t finding t h e n a mes of Robe rt Hayd e n , Da vid Brad ley or Eth e rage Kni g h t, I go t h oo ked a nd e nd ed up read ing a ll 878 pages of a book I'm cenai n I wi ll be drawn back to as lo ng as I ca n hold onto a passion and a co n ce rn fo r th e joys an d sorrows of all people, as well as my own. un Al GUAGELEGAL ~MIL ~IFIECCillFIICC.A\IIJLTI IFCIDffi 111 HII ~ IL&~o The Citebool< is the only bool< written which contains solely positive case law. It gives you a clear and concise understanding of what your constitutional rights really are, how to work your way through the legal system, then obtain the relief you seek at a fraction of the normal cost. It is also the nations #1 legal assistance manual for both the layman and professional. It is a for any individual considering involvement in our legal systen r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S.f""""P'fs:~=. ~~·::·~:!~~~~s~·:~::~!·;e:~=·d""'h'~'l'~;;.. YEARLY EDITIONS........ 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P.o. 22 St. Petersburg, Fl 33742 (800) 577-2929 (81 3) 392-2929 FAX (813) 392-6161 Zip_ _ Ca ll for s pecia l pricing o n o rders of 25 or m ore. ~ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• fll llll lllllllll llllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllltlllllltllllllllfllllllllllllllllllllll~lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllttlllflflllllllllllllllllllllllll tlllll l ll lllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll• We offer a complete selection of U.S. and European adult's only girlie magazines. We also have comic books, adult's only paperbacks, and selected other related reading and viewing periodicals. We ship all orders by insured parcel post. For a complete listing of our product line, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: :~~~b~ier, send $8.95 to: Cloud Chart c/ o FSS Dept PL P.O. Box 191 Lexington, MA 02173 This could be one of the most significant, positive steps of your fife! 78 PRISON LIFE Love a Convict? Then show them with a card from Luvacon's fine line of greeting cards. I nspirationa[ • CDevotiona[ • Jrumorous • ~[igious Luvacon Greetings produces two lines of fine cards ••• one for families to send to their loved ones, and one fo r convicts to send home. Most of the artwork for our cards (which are produced in English and Spanish) is provided by present and former convicts ••• and speaks directly to the heartbreak and pain of forced separation of families. For a color br ochure and sample card send $5.00 to: Luvacon Greetings Ltd., 1276 W. 3rd St., Suite 420, Cleveland, OH 44113 "'MaRjng a cfif[erence for convicts ancffamifies." <Addi t i onal art i sts and poets needed . ) PRIME SPACE AVAILABLE CALL 212/229· 1169 r---- Mail this coupon for a 10% discount on vour first order. Or mention Prison life magazine when vou order bV phone. See back cover for full details. Name _________________________________________________ _ ID#--------- ---- --------------- - - -- ------ - --- - Our SPring catalog Is in the works. We'll be offering even more products selected especlallv lor vou. II vou have suggestions. put them on paper and send them along to us. We'd be happv to hear rrom vou. L-------------------------------J PRISON LIFE 79 CLASSIFIEDS _ LEGAL PARALEGALGRADED CURRICULUM BY BLACKSTONE SCHOOL OF LAW. Approved home studies legal training since 1890. Affordable and comprehensive. Free catalog: 1800-826-9228 or write Blackstone School of Law, P.O. Box 701449 Dept. PL, Dallas, TX 75370. _ _MAIL ORDER=-Say Happy Mother's/Father's Day, Happy Birthday, I'm Sorry, I Love You; gift certificates, perfume, candy, flowers. Serving prisoners exclusively. Free brochure. MAIL ORDER BLUES, 2767 So. Parker Road, Suite 188, Aurora, CO 80014. Telephone: 303/914-3955. EXPRESS YOUR LOVE TO FAMILY & FRIENDS. Custom designed gift baskets shipped nationwide and to foreign countries.Gift Baskets By Mail, P.O . Box 610924, San Jose, CA 95161. FREE CoLOR PHOTO & BROCHURE. Call or write today. (408) 254-4134. CASSETTES & COMPACT DISCS DELIVERED TO YOU. Huge selection, great service, great prices. Catalog $1, includes a $2 discount coupon. Write: Miles of Music, Attn: Peter Benjamin 20929-47 Ventura Blvd., Suite 28, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. T-SHIRTS & CARDS TO UPLIFT THE HUMAN SPIRIT! Beautiful, full color artwork inspired by Earth Philosophy, the Vision Quest and the Teachings of Tom Brown, Jr. Free Brochure. Wolf Pup Studios, 333 Prospect Road, Springfield, PA 19064 (610) 328-4504. DESIGNER SUNGLASSES AND WATCHES. Oakley, all styles; Rayban, Bolle, Calvin Klein watches, Tommy Hilfiger, Tag Huier, sold only as replicas. Glasses $17.50. Watches $22.50. Call 517/7961121 or write: P.O. Box 6593, Jackson, Ml 49201 . soPRISON LIFE PACKAGES FOR PRISONERS. Name brand quality no generics. Call 800/386-5120 or write PFP P.O. Box 8213 Spokane, WA 99203 for our brochure listing our 4 basic packages. Custom packages done by arrangement. BECOME AN EXPERT. Mastery of 97% of English Words without memorization. MAGNETIC PATTERNS of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE has a new concept based on the relationship of music and language. This program covers word recognition for reading, spelling, speech and vocabulary. ANALYZE-DON'T MEMORIZE: The program consists of 12 cassette tapes and 6 workbooks. A proven success in correctional institutions. Job Corps, Community Colleges, etc. START NOW!! SEND $45.00 TO WYNNER PUBLICATIONS 4596 HICKS LN . CHICO, CA 95973. Literature on request. RADIOS AND OTHER GOODS. Serving the prison population since 1984- We are the Conoid Company, Inc. We offer a variety of radios and other goods specifically for the prison population. Free Catalog. Write to: The Conoid Company, Inc., 2302 230th Street, Pasadena, MD 21122. MEDIA WRITER DOING RESEARCH FOR BOOK. Looking for people convicted of fraud, embezzlement, con games, scams, etc. Compensation for all stories published . For more information please write to: B. Philbrick, 853 Vanderbilt Beach Rd., Suite 212, Naples, FL 33963. Filmmaker and photographer seek love stories: relationships that have started during incarceration (between inmates and partners or spouses on the outside). Write to: Gladsjo/Adams, 1072 Folsom St., Suite 238, San Francisco, CA 94103. ARE YOU SERVING A LONGTERM SENTENCE AND WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOUR STORY? I'd like to know your thoughts of life on the inside. Write me, I'll write back. PO Box 873, Pleasanton, CA 94566. Tired of doing time you do not deserve? Have you given up on all possibility of any justice since your confinement? Please write: Freedom Press, Prisoner Support Division, P.O. Box 4458, Leesburg, VA 22075. Include a narrative and copies of your sentencing documents. Phone: 703/491-8725. Collect calls are accepted on Saturday and Sunday only. FREE CATALOG. Absolute lowest prices on subscriptions to 850 magazines. Examples; Newsweek 1 yr $23.95; Esquire 1 yr $7.95; Motor Trend lyr $9.95; Penthouse $19.95; FREE LIST -Magazine Warehouse, 1243-48th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219. (800) SAVESAVe. _OTHER STUFF For God So Loved The World That He Gave His Only Begotten Son That Whosoever Believeth In Him Shall Not Perish But Have Everlasting Life . John 3:16. Jesus Loves You. TIRED OF THE SAME OLD FACES? Join my pen-pal service and meet new people. For free information write to: M&D's Internationals, P.O. Box 361,Duncansville, PA 16635-0361. CLASSIFIED RATES: $75 for 35 words. Additional words are S1 each. Prepayment required. Send to: PRISON LIFE Classified Ads, 1436 West Gray, Suite 531, Houston, TX 77019. 1-800-2072659 or (713) 840-7801. PEN PALS One Angry Motherfucker looking to kill everyone on the staff of Prison Life magazine. He is "sick of us running a game on him like he's some kind of bitch," concerning his pen pal ad. Of course, if he had his original ad, we'd run it. Please write to this guy. As long as you're not working for PLM, he'll be nice to you. Write to: David Grillette, #114695, Camp j Shark 3/L #7, Louisiana State Prison, Angola, !.A 70712. White, 54, Blond hair, blue eyes. Likes to write poems, essays. Been down for 13 years, still have 12 to go. Need any and all pen pals to keep sane in here. Will answer all. Kenneth Gardner, #092244, DeSoto C.I., P.O. Drawer 1072, M.N. 212, Arcadia, FL33821. SWM, 44, 6'1 ", 275#, solid, brown hair & eyes, into a lot ofweightlifting & shaping. Can do just about everything. Seeking women for pen pals or possible relationship. I'm lonely and need of correspondence, age/looks unimportant. Will answer all letters. Doug Orville, #03287-090, P.O. Box 1000, Oxford, WI 53952. Not interested in pretentious, fantasy romance been there, done that. Too many over the years and they don't last or they hurt too much. I need something real, something that will last. Looking for sincere, mature, intelligent women who want a good friend in a man they can write to share thoughts, feelings with. I'm a BM, 45, handsome, 6', 200#, vegetarian, sincere 7& intelligent. Been in prison 25 years. Bennie Demps, #030970, Box 221, A-1, 452216, Raiford, FL 32083. I'm in prison on a burglary and D.U.I. charge and I've learned my lesson. I'm 6', 180#, 27, hazel green &: gray eyes, pleasant, easy-going & lonely. Born in jackson, Mississippi. Seeking pen friends to help ease the loneliness of prison. Race, sex, religion, taste and choices unimportant. Ronathan Adams, Unit 32-B, #82472, Parchman, MS 38738. WM, 195#, 5'11 ", hazel eyes, auburn hair Christian. Would like to have a good Christian woman for friendship and to share the Word with. Will answer all letters. God bless. Kenneth Newby, #839257, D202U, Okaloosa C.I., 3189 Little Silver Rd., Crestview, FL 32539. Black youngsta from Colorado, in search of a cool female who is willing to work through hard times. Outside females preferably but will respond to all letters, in or out. Mr. Shane Davis, #84152, C.S.P. D2/23, P.O. Box 777, Canon City, CO 81215. SWM, 40, seeking someone to write, to help ease the loneliness of being a convict. Serving 15 years in this federal concentration camp. Hope to be released by 2002. Looking for honesty, sincerity, caring, trust, open-mindedness, understanding: a person for friendship or possible serious relationship. Will answer all letters. No prisoners. Will exchange photos. Kenneth E. Sherry, #03328-027, FCI Pekin, P.O. Box 5000, Iowa 2, Pekin, IL 615555000. SWM, 22, brown hair, hazel eyes, 6'1", 175#. Seeks friendship and possible love. Interests: reading, sports, movies, learning &: everything that will allow me to have fun. Down since '93, min. date Jan., 2000. Photo for photo. Anthony Hartman, #CB6931, S.C.I. Huntingdon, 1100 Pike Street, Huntingdon, PA 16654. Death Row Correspondence: I'm looking for women, free to visit, for friendship, fun &: excitement. Age &: race unimportant, but must be over 18. A little knowledge of criminal law would help a heck of a lot, too. Must write so please do so soon. Henry Omar Brisbon; A-01072, Box 99, Pontiac, IL 61764. SWM, looking for pen pals to write to . I'm into weightlifting and staying healthy. I love the outdoors and poetry, and people with a good sense of humor. Roger M. Chambers, #42-444, Ely State Prison, P.O. Box 1989, Ely, NV 89301. Puerto Rican/Black, 5'11 ", 200#, 30, TX guy doin' time in NE. Seeking open-minded female correspondence. I enjoy reading, bodybuilding, writing, communication with others. ISO someone who is honest, intimate and sensitive. Race unimportant. No inmates, please. Robert E. McHanny, #47033, P.O. Box 2500, Lincoln, NE 68542. 82 PRISON LIFB SWF, 41, 5'4", 130, brown hair, green eyes. Looking for friendship and possible companionship. I'm from Southern CA, out this year! Virginia Robinson, #W55103, CCWF C512-12-4 up, P.O. Box 1508, Chowchilla, CA 93610-1508. WM, 35, kind, intelligent, accomplished author, financially secure sincere, ex-white collar criminal, ex-Wall Street wiz. Seeks special person to correspond with (maybe more). No gigolos, games or bullshit please. Smiles guaranteed. R. DiRose, #85C0773, Box 700, Wallkill, NY 12589. BM, 41, doing a 16-year bit. Been down 4 years, another 6-7 to go. Would love to exchange thoughts and ideas with someone who is beautiful as well as openminded. For M, it doesn't matter. Anthony Rancher, #18841, P.O. Box 900, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Seeking Helen ofTroy. DHM, 45, 6', 200#, brown eyes & hair. Seeks honest, sincere lady, 25-38. Enjoys life to fullest: romance, music, dancing, sports&: doing those special things. I offer honesty, loyalty and much more. john (Ringo) Castillo, #520514, Connally Unit, HC. 67, Box 115, Kenedy, TX 78119. I'm a white boy lookin' for letters. I'm 23, 5'8", 140#, brown eyes&: long hair. If you can help me out, let me know. I have piggyback capabilities if your institution doesn't allow inter-institutional writing. See ya on the flip side. Ronald Barnum, #89523, ASPCPerryville, Santa Cruz, P.O. Box 3200, Goodyear, AZ 85338. Peckenvood looking for featherwood to exchange letters, good times, friendship and more with the right lady. Brian Neilsen, Solano County Jail, 500 · Union Ave, Fairfield, CA 94533. SBM, 44, 6", 165. Seeks lively communication with sensitive female of any race, 30-45.J.H. Readus, H05714/Rm.5256, P.O. Box 8101, San Luis Obispo, CA934~101. Healthy, handsome NYC/SWM-Polish American. Never married, college-educated, blue eyes, 5'8", 160#, 50 (but look 30), somewhat financially stable, 1st time in prison, fighting to prove innocence. 3 years to parole, non-violent, non-smoker, non-druggie-just a rare glass of wine or cocktail. Loves jazz, classical, Cat Stevens, jogging, camping, theater, writing, poetry (Maya Angelou), politics. Seeking tender, caring, loyal and emotional supportive Italian, Hispanic, or Afro-Amer. mature female over 21. I'm not a hard-nosed gangster, I'm a soft-nosed sensitive prankster. Would also like to write to any LiberalDemocrats (if any are left!), students, teachers, anyone who smiles, laughs and stops to smell the flowers while sipping cappuccino. Sam Solen, Jr. #85A4082, Box 2001, Dannemora, NY 12929-2001. Love needs to communicate and mine is reaching out in spirit. Released soon. Californian, 35, adventurous &: romantic desiring decent and caring women of any age. Could it be you? Contact Jorge Gutierrez, #477999, Stiles Unit, Beaumont, TX 77705. BM, 33, 6'0", 205#, solid. Seeks women with sense of humor, intelligent and sincere about corresponding with a true brother. Will respond to all. Russell Dew, #085288, Liberty C.l., P.O. Box 999 (Dl-46L), Bristol, FL 32321. *Outta here 12/961 WM, imprisoned 15 yrs, 39, weightlifter, college graduate. Desiring correspondence with fellow LaVey, Satanists. Interested in conversing about different rituals &: expanding relationships with fellow Satanists, and Churches of Satan on the streets. Would like to discuss humanistic, psychological vs. mystic, religious beliefs and concepts. At this moment, I have no belief in any personified God or entity. David Heaton, #14937, Box 400, Rawlins, NY82301. An unconditional friend. BM, 25, 6'2", 180#, very athletic with black eyes and dark complexion. Very understanding with a great sense of humor with H.S. diploma & half a semester of college. Very affectionate to one's needs, wants & desires. Seeking female, 22-32, who's very sensitive and loves to watch sports who is political, spiritual & social-minded. Love to write, sing, dance, read, play basketball, ride horses &: motorcycles. Michael Bee, #893613, U/32 E, Parchman, MS 38738. Will answer all letters from those who were kind enough to read this ad. SWM, 42, 6'3", tall, 220#, lt. brown hair with blue-green eyes. Thank you very much. Kevin john Whisenhunt, #15787, Ely State Prison, P.O. Box 1989, Ely, NV 89301. SWM, Italian, 39, 5'9", 165#, salt-n-pepper hair, w/ brown eyes. Looking for an honest lady, open-minded, uninhibited, naughty-but-nice lady to share correspondence, fantasies & maybe more. I love children and have a 5-year-old son. Love rock 'n' roll & fast cars. Write to: L.K.. Papalia, #884491, B254-L, Okaloosa C.l., 3189 Little Silver Rd., Crestview, FL 32539-6708. SWM, 28, 6'1", 205#, muscular, brown hair, green eyes. Seeking correspondence with anyone. Kevin Porth, #40656, P.O. Box 1989, Ely, NV 89301. BM, 38, 6'5", tall, dark, handsome, sincere with open mind to whatever comes my way. Caught up in the system with 3 1/2 years left. Seeking a good woman, 30-45, with a positive outlook on life who can cope until this good man is freed. Looking to fill my lonely nights writing to you. Will answer all letters, photos, etc. immediately! Any race, just be real. Gerald Shelton, #AP-8949, P.O. Box 99901, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. My second ad. First ad was a very big success. Free world dude, 46, white, single, seeking correspondence with inmates from across this land full of "Hell's Kitchens." Ladies especially welcome to write. I answer all letters. Again, no fags! No games, no solicitation of any kind. I am not a preacher, I just care about my brothers and sisters who are locked down! Square business! Make 1996 a better year by receiving male for a change. Write: Gary R. Lee, 2418 Bayou Drive, League City, TX 77573-2702. BM, 37, 6'1", brown eyes, black hair, light-skin, 195#. Seeking women, 30-55, but would write all women back who write to me. Very serious and honest and truthful. No games. Only 2 1/2 years before I'm out. Please hurry. Love kids. Jeremiah N. Brazile, #E885652, D-205, Okaloosa C.I., 3189 Little Silver Rd, Crestview, FL 32539. SWM, 40. Looking for Christians to pen pal with. It's my second ad. Had great response to the first. Will answer all. I will not answer requests for sex letters. Write to: B. Neal Francis, Twin Rivers Correction Center, P.O. Box 888 (C-518), Monroe, WA 98272-0888. (Dianna D. in TX, please write again. Include your TDC #. I've gotten all letters back.) Aquarius, 42, 5' 11", 21 0# of sleek, chick medium built madness, black hair & beard or goatee, brown cat eyes, very bow-legged. Professional musician, Master's degree in percussion, music theory and compositions. Enjoys exercise, self-defense, reading, writing, jazz, Gospel, R &: B music. A true romantic seeking a professional sincere, loyal, dependable, strong, music-loving women. All are welcome if sincere. Photos please. Age 21-75. Race unimportant. We're all God's children. Ronald C. Searcy, #210284, Marquette Branch Prison, P.O. Box 779, Marquette, MI 49855. SWM, 35-65, no fat, cowboy seeking female, 30-45, who's honest, sincere and disease-free for friendship, possible relationship who enjoys dancing, swimming, movies, sports, long walks at night, fairs, country music&: the outdoors. Bobby Davis,jr., #954637, P.O. Box 601, 15B4A, Pendleton, IN 46064. SWM, 21, 5'8", brown eyes&: hair. Looking for a female pen pal of any race. Brian McFadden, W54990, MCI Norfolk, Box 43, Norfolk, MA 02056. Certainly sincerely ... BM, 33, 6'1 ", 215#, light skin, brown eyes, looking to make a heart smile. All races. james Coney, #387453, Okaloosa C.I., 3189 Little Silver Rd, Crestview, FL 32539-6708. D-225. SWM, 35, blond hair, green eyes, 6'1 ", 240#, heavily-tattooed, attractive & well-built man. Seeking true friendship with for real, stand-up white gals with stout heart &: soul. I've been down 9 yrs. on this 45 agg. and have a ways to go-1 need something real! I'm into health&: wealth, rock 'n' roll, blues, jazz, Harley-Davidson's, guns&: I love sex!!! Photo for photo, will answer all. Curtis R. Nolen, #474467, Robertson Unit, 12071 FM 3522,Abilene, TX 79601. Open-minded male desperately seeks real friend. I'm on Death Row and my life is very lonely. I need a true friendship and perhaps, more. So, if you're heart is full of love, please share some with me. Gary Hart, #2-518, 7-D-11, Holman 3700, Atmore, AL 36503. IN·CELL COOKING Chef's Special of the Month: Texas Frito Pie 1 can Roast Beef 2 cans Chili with Beans 2-4 Jalapeno peppers 1 pickle Corn chips Cheese Hot sauce 1 teaspoon mustard Salt and Pepper The Big House Pasta-To Go 10 cans V-8 Juice 1 garlic bulb 1 medium onion 1 green pepper 1/2 tsp. oregano 1 tsp. parsley 3 tsp. olive oil 3 cans Tuna (or squid, octopus, sardines) Put corn chips in bowl. H eat roast beef a nd c hili, the n mix in chopped up pickle and J alapei1os. Add a little hot sauce, th e teaspoon of musta rd a nd salt a nd pepper. Put o n top of corn chips. Top it a ll off with cheese. Feeds two people or one Bubba. Thomas Weathers Tenn. Colony, Texas Brown garlic and onions in o live o il. Add V-8 ju ice, parsley and o rega n o. Salt and p ep per to taste. Add g ree n p e ppe r a nd simmer for 2 hours. Ad d lllna, sq uid, octopus or sardines 15 minutes prio r to serving. Serve over p asta o r Ramen Nood les. Serves 4. Pete Huf Lewisburg, PA The Slop Sever 1 container (10 oz) Salsa 1 can Jalapenos, drained 1 Hot Pickle, drained 1/2 container (4 oz) Cheese Spread (optional) 1 packet or single serving Ranch Dressing Cu tup J alapenos, o n io ns and carrots from can , and hot p ickle. Mix with the salsa. Mix in c heese a nd ranch dressing. Shake it, stir it, whateve r, but use it on anyth ing you want to make the slop edible a nd h e lp to keep yo u from barking at the moon! Stays fres h around three days without refrigera tion. Enjoy. The M1'S. Bu.ggs Badman Utah State Prison 23-yearo(}ld, 5'8". 18!># Chicano from Calif:lS who got c:naghtup in tlae Rocky ~foun tains. I h:l\'e 2 years le ft on Ill)' sentence and I'm looking for a down·to-carth female to write to. J osh Medina, #8 1437, CSP C.7-21, P.O. Box 7i7, c.,n on Cit , CO 8 121 5. SWM, 30, 5'9 ", 200#:blond h air and bitch in' blue eyes. Teutonic beliefs. Likes: progress, iauclligence, true justice, and indep endence. Dislikes: two·digit IQs, authority. political scum and religion. Looking for likc·mindccl females to stir up the cslahlishmcnt with. ;:md possibly. romance. if the ingredients mix compatibl)'· Will answer all responsible inrpairies. no exceptions. ~ l ario Gambino, #610527. Coffield Un it. S-<106. Rt. I Box 150, Tennessee Colon , T X 75884. SWM, 40, 5'T, 200#, eligible for parole Christian Lifer. Rclocatable, drug/ disease-free . honest. compassionate, unique style seeking sincere. dedicated WF or Italian/ Latina lad)• for friendship/ relationship, age/ weight/ handicap unimpo rtant. Send pho to. Pen pals of all race s/ sex welcome. All a nswered . Send SASE to H.M. Byrne, #X56453. ~IDOC Unit#24-A. Parchman. MS 38738. Artist. 6'. 175#, green eyes, long brown hair. free spirit. Would like to hear from warm, imell igcnt women. 28·up. Tom Connolly, B38619, Box 99, Pontiac. IL 61764. n.:..:g"'u""y-n-e""c'd's_a_p_e_n_ p'al'. -;c l , an 32, 5' I 0", Black/ l nd ic"a..:. 230#, easy goin g and o pen-minded. Hobbies include reading, wri ting and mu sic. Write to: j o hn Garrell, CA Men's Colony, H-397110 6389, P.O. Box 8 101. San Luis Obispo, CA 93409·8101. Wanted: In-Cell Cooking Recipes. Are you a convict cook? Creative with commissary cuisine? Got something you want to share with your down brothers & sisters? Send us your recipe! How to get a Pen Pal ad: You get one free ad with your subscription. After that, they're $9.95 a pop. If you want to include a picture of yourself, they're $19.95. Prison Life Magazine, Editorial Office 200 Varick St., Ste. 901 New York, NY 10014 Special Bulletin ! Pen pals wanted! I'm an inmate. I'm a BM. 160#, 5'11", and I'd like to make yo u smile an d laugh. Write me. I'll answer all. Carlton Smith , #7 10354, Union Correctional Instit ution, 1'.0. Box 221.{11 1, Raiford. FL 32083. SWM, 43, 6', 280#. Been down 4 yrs. got 13 to go. Lookin g for fe male p en pals . Will answer all le tters, r ace/age unimportant. Isaac L. Strope, #06618-067. L.S.C. I. Alle n wood, P.O. Box 1000. White Deer. PA 17887. DWM, 37. b rown hair, hazel eyes, !!8", 160#. Looking for sincere friendship, honesty very important. Please, no games! Age not an issue: ho nes ty is. Fe males only! Photo for photo. if yo u desire. Will answer all. Mark Estes, #6 14 108. 9601 N.E. 24th A\·e. (Clements), Amarillo, TX 79107. Strangers arc friends. ~1c:j ust turned 37. 6', 190#, open-minded, confined fo r the past 12 years with two more to go. Enjoy meetin g new people, reading (mostly law) and wrili ng. ISO woma n who's in telligent but wi lling to learn, seeking a friendship that's justthat. Promise to answer any/ all who write. Send photo for quick respon se. but not needed fo r response. Bruce Gayn or, # 1863 12, 9 0 I Correction s Way, 6 2-423, (arr.an, VA 23870.9614. Death Row Correspondence: I'm looking for women, free to \'isit for friendsh ip, fun and exciteme nt. Age and race not important, but must be o\·cr 18 years old and ha\'e a liule knowledge in criminal law would help a heck of a lot. Must write so plc:ISC do so soon. Henry Omar Blisbon, A.QI072, Box 99. Pontiac, IL~ Attracti\'e SW~I seeks a sultry fema le with a great sense of humor. I'm 34 a nd full of passion. I'd like to meet someone be fore I see the parole board tlais year. Write to: Craig Robi n son, #3414 1. PO Box 311. El Domdo. KS 67042. ra:..c""ti"",.e-·,- e-n-ergetic, tenderSBM, 33. 6'<1". 174#, att"' h earted & s trong-will ed. Seekin g beau tifu l p rincess, well-cduc:u cd, stable, physically fit, SCX)' & passionate; o ne with se lf-esteem , soulful eyes. a classic nose & sensuous voice; who's not afraid of com mitment and building real dreams togeth er . J\tust be marriage-minded, roman tic. faithful. k now how to II'C:lt a m:tn and love children. Age and race un important. Raymond Picke t t. #C21520. PO Box 7500, Rm. Bl-2 14l., Crescent City. CA 9553 1. SWM, 40. looking for Ch ristians to pen pal wit h. It's my second ad. I lad great re ponsc to th e first. \Viii an swer all. I will not answer reques ts fo •· sex lc n ers. Write to: B. Neal Francis, Twin Ri vers Cor- rection Ce n tca·, PO Box 888, C.5 18, Monroe. WA 98272-0888. • Dianna D. in Texas: Please write again! Include your TDC n umber. I have gonen all letters back. NOTE: All Federal and some state prisons prohibit correspondence between prisoners. All such mall will not go through . PRISON LIFE 83 RESOURCES by Alex Friedmann; Resource Editor; SOCCI TN The nonjJrofit and voltm tee1~run agencies in this list are all w01i1ing to helfl tiS, lluttlu!)' can 't helfl us without your help. If you. wan/ to contact one or more of thesP 01ganizations f or information, selfh elp materials or for their newsletters, then do the right thingenclose some loose stamjJs or an SASE. Beller yet, send them some money (that's right, some of your hard-earned, hard-time prison money.) 1:-ven one dollar can helfJ. SOCIAL SUPPORT AGENCIES • American Friends Service Committee, 150 1 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215/241-7130}: A 0-Joker organization that works for peace and equality. Their criminal justice branch con provide literature on a vor!ety _of prison issues. There ore six regional AFSC offoces 1n the U.S. : CA, Ml, NJ, MA, OH and NY. • Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, 251 Bonk Street #600, Ottowa, Ontario, Canada K2PIX3 (613/ 238-2422}: Provides services and programs for women in Canadian prisons, through 19 local offices. • John Howard Association, 67 E. Madison # 1416, Chicago, ll 60603 (312/263-190 1}: This organization is mostly involved with prison reform and criminal justice issues in Illinois, but they con provide materials of interest to a ll prisoners. There is a separate JHA branch in Canada. • Notional Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP}, Criminal Justice Prison Program, 4805 Mount Hope Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215-3297 (41 0/358-8900}: Offers referrals and advisory services for prisoners who wont to break the cycle of recidivism-especially among minorities. These projects operate through regional offices and ore not available in every area. Write for local conloci addresses. • Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR}, 301 Pork Drive, Severna Pork, MD 21146 (410/ 647-3806}: Provides post-release assistance for prisoners in lA, MD, NJ, PA and VA, through 12 1ocol offices. ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS • CURE, P.O . Box 2310, Notional Capitol Station, Washington, DC 20013-2310 (202/789-2126} : Organization for prison reform, with stole chapters and special groups for veterans, lifers, sex offenders and federal prisons. • Citizens for a Sole America, 635 Sloters lone G100, Alexandria, VA 22314 (703/684-0373}: Works for a more progressive and human crime policy. • Campaign for on Effective Crime Policy, 91 B F St. NW #505, Washington, DC 20004 (202/ 6281903}: This agency works for effective criminal justice reform. Ask your worden to join. • Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM}, 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, #200, Washington, DC 20004 (202/d57-5790}: Works for the repeal of federal mandatory minimum sentencing lows. • Justice Watch, 932 Dayton Street, Cincinnati, OH 45214 (513/241-0490}: Works to eliminate dossism and racism from prisons. PUBUCATIONS & MAGAZINES • Fortune News , ATIN: Inmate Subscriptions, 39 West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011 {212/ 2067070}: A publication of Fortune Society. • Inside Journal, c/ o Prison Fellowship, P.O. Box 16429, Washington, DC 20041 -6429 (703/ 47801 00}: A publication of Prison Fellowship. • Notional Prison Proiect Journal, ACLU Notional Prison Project, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW #41 0, Washington, DC 20009 (202/234-4830}: $2/yeor for prisoners. • Outlook on Justice, AFSC, 2161 Mossochusells Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140 (617/ 661 -6130}: A newsletter of the American Friends Service Commitlee; $2/ year for prisoners. • Prison Life Magazine, 200 Yorick Street, Suite 901 , New York, NY 10014 (800/ 207-2659}: A notional magazine by and for prisoners ($19.95/year}. 84 PRISON LIFE BOOK AND READING PROJEaS • Books Beyond Bars, P.O . Box 4865, Hialeah, Fl 33014 (305/ 444-0 120): A for-profit company that offers a book-ordering service for prisoners. • Books for Prisoners, clo Left Bonk Bookstore, 92 Pike St., Box A, Seattle, WA 98101 : This volunteer program provides up to three books a t a time. • Prison Book Program, Redbook Store, 92 Green Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130: No books con be sent to prisoners in KS, NE, lA, Ml, OR or CA. • Prison library Project, 976 W. Foothill Blvd #128, Claremont, CA 91711 . • Prisoner literature Project, c/ o Bound Together Books, 1369 Haight Street, Son Fra ncisco, CA 94117: Free books for prisoners. • Prison Reading Project, Paz Press, P.O. Box 3 146, Fayetteville, AR 72702: Free books for women prisoners. PAROLE & PRE-RELEASE INFORMATION • American Correctional Association, Publications Dept, 8025 laurel lakes Court, laurel, MD 207075075 (301 / 206-5059 or 800/ 825-2665): Publishes a parole planning guide, •As Free as on Eagle; and sells other self-help books. • Interstate Publishers, 510 North Vermillion Street, P.O .Box 50, Danville, IL 61834-0050 (217/ 4460500 or 800/ 843-4774): Sells a parole planning manual, "From the Inside Out." • OPEN, Inc . (Offender Preparation and Education Network}, P.O . Box 566025, Dallas, TX 75356-6025 (214/271 -1971}: Sells "99 Days & a Get-up," "Man, I need o Job I" and other great pre-release guidesfor $4.95 each. • Manatee Publishing, 4835 North O ' Conner St. #134435, Irving, TX 75062: Sells "Getting Out and Staying Out," a porole·Jllonning manual, for $22.45. • CEGA Services, Offender Referrals, P.O. Box B1826, lincoln, NE 68501-1 826 (402/464-0602}: CEGA offers pre-release referrals far prisoners for the area they will be paroled to (such as housing, employment and substance abuse treatment programs.) S 15 fee fo r each city. CEGA also sells the "Survival Sourcebook" and "The Job Hunter's Workbook." • Vietnam Veterans of America, Veterans Incarcerated liaison, 1224 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20005 {202/ 628-2700): Publishes "From Felon to Freedom; a pre-release guide for imprisoned veterans. PRISON AJDS RESOURCES • Correctional Association AIDS in Prison Project, 135 E. 15th Street, New York, NY 10003 (2 12/6740800): Offers resource information concerning AIDS in prison, especially for inmates in New York. • HIV Prison Project, NYC Commission on Human Rights, 40 Rector St., New York, NY 10006 (2 12/233-5560}. • Notional Prison Hospice Association, P.O. Box 58, Boulder, CO B0306-005B: Helps develop hospice programs for terminally ill prisoners. • Notional ACLU Prison Project, AIDS Education Project, 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW 410, Washington, DC 20009 (202/234-4830}. • Oasis Project, c/o Susan K. Meadows, Prison Program Director, 923 S. E. Boy Blvd, Newport, OR 97365: Provides a peer outreach support network for those infected with HIV or diagnosed with AIDS. • "One Doy at a Time," c/ o Richard H. Rhodes #0535301 B, U.S.P. Leavenworth, P.O. Box 1000, Leavenworth, KS 66048: An AIDS newsletter lor prisoners. • People With AIDS Gxilifion of New York, Inc. (PWAC· NY}, 50 West 17th Street, Bth Floor, New York, NY 100 11 (212/ 647-1415): Publishes Newsline, a monthly magazine by and for people with AIDS, in which they provide o space for prisoners living with AIDS. • Prison AIDS Pro ject, Goy Community News, 62 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 021 16 (Notional AIDS Goy Task Force: B00/221-704d). • Prison AIDS Resource Center, P.O. Box 2 155, Vacaville, CA 95696-2155; or 926 J. Street, #801, Sacramento, CA 95814. • Prisoners with AIDS/ Rights Advocacy Group, P.O. Box 2161 , Jonesboro, GA 30237 (404/ 946-9346): Offers support, educational materials, referrals and political lobbying for prisoners with AIDS/ HIV. MISCELLANEOUS RESOURCES • Families in Action for Incarceration Reforms (FAIR}, 309 Mamaroneck Ave., Suite 293, White Plains, NY 10605 (914/ 946-2734}: A volunteer group tha t assists prisoners with the following: locating a nonlegal aid lawyer, reaching the media and finding pen pals. They a lso provide how-to books below cost and legal items a nd gihs at cost. • Infinity Lifers Group, c/ o Julie Travers, Chairperson, P.O. Box 772, Station B, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 5P9: A volunteer prisoner's rights ond political advocacy group. • International legal Defense Counsel, Packard Building, 24th Fl., 111 South 15th St. , Philadelphia , PA 19102 (2 15/ 977 -9982): An advocacy agency lor American citizens incarcerated overseas. • league lor lesbian and Goy Prisoners, 1202 East Pike St. , #1044, Seattle, WA 98122: A project of Goy Community Social Services. • James Markunas Society, 245 Harriet Street, Son Francisco, CA 94103 (415/ 775-5445}. A resource for lesbian, goy and bisexual prisoners. • Mothers Opposed to Maltreatment of Service Members (MOMS), 8285 Block How Court, Frederick, MD 21701 : Advocates for prisoners in military prisons and disciplinary barracks. Con provide a pre-release booklet entitled "New Beginnings.• • The Prison Chess Program, P.O . Box 444 19, Washington, DC 20026 {301 / 530-4841.) • Native American Indian Inmate Support Project, B Dallas Dr., Grantville, PA 17028: A Native American group that supports the introduction of Indian religious ceremonies and programs in p risons. • Native American Prisoners' Rehabilitation Research Project, 2848 Paddock lone, Villa Hills, KY 41017: Offers many services for Native American prisoners, including legal and spiritual support, tribal and cultural programs and direct contact with prison administrators. • Packages from Home, P.O. Box 905, Forestville, CA 95436: Sells moil-order food packages for prisoners, at around $20/ pkge. • PEN, Writing Program for Prisoners, 568 Broodway, New York, NY 10012 (212/ 334-1660}: Offe rs a great resource booklet for prison writers. Also sponsors on annual writing contest for prisoners. • Prisoners of Conscience Project, 2120 lincoln St., Evanston, ll 6020 1 (708/ 328-1543}: A religiousbased agency that works fo r the release of prisoners of conscience/ political prisoners in the United Stoles. • Prisoner Visitation and Support, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215/ 241-7 117}: Provides institutional visits to prisoners in federal and military prisons nationwide. • Project for Older Prisoners (POPS}, c/ o Jonathon Turley, Director, The Notional low Center, 2000 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20052. • The Safer Society, Shoreha m Depot Rood, RR 1, Box 24-B, Orwell, VT 05760-9756 (802/ 897-754 1): Self-help materiels lor sex offenders. • Stop Prisoner Rope, Inc., PO Box 2713, Monhottonville Station, New York, NY 10027 (212/ 6635562); e-mail : sprdon@ix.netcom.com; Web: http:// www.igc.opc.org/ spr/. Information and advocacy on sexual abuse and exploitation of prisoners; support a nd advice for victims and targets of both sexes including info on psychological and health consequences, legal action and survivors' options. • The Poetry Wall, Cathedral of St. John, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025: Displays poetry written by prisoners. CHILD & FAMILY RESOURCES Thn-r nrr "''"')' organiwtions that htlp Jl1isowm who hm•r rhildrm. '111tJt agmcitJ prouidt littraturr, infonnation, tulviu aru/ support 011 how to r.opr with family prol>kms whilt i ll fniSOII. Dirtrt twisttmct is usually availablt o11ly i11 tht loml nmiS thntthtst progrtmiS sen~. • Aid to Imprisoned Mothers (AIM}, 599 Mitchell St., SW, Atlanta, GA 30314 (404/ 221-0092}: An advocacy group for incarcerated mothers. Although social services ore only provided in the Atlanta area, AIM con provide he lpful information for all women in prison who hove children. • Center for the Children of Incarcerated Parents, Pacific Oaks College, 714 W. California Blvd, Pasadena , CA 9 11 05 (818/ 397-1300): Provides free educational material for incarcerated parents and their children. • Family and Corrections Network, Jane Adams Center M/ C 309, 1040 West Harrison St. #4010, Chicago, ll 60607-7134 (312/996-3219): Provides information about programs serving families of prisoners. • Fathers Behind Bars, P.O. Box 86, Niles, Ml 49120 (616/ 684-5715): A by-prisoners, for-prisoners agency that helps to set up institutional parent groups for incarcerated fathers. Only the serious need apply! • legal Services fo r Prisoners wi th Children, 47 4 Valencia St., #230, Son Francisco, CA 94103 (4 15/255-7036): l egal services ore p rovided in California only, but some general information is available. • Notional Institute of Corrections, Information Center, 1860 Industrial Circle, Suite A, l ongmont, CA 80501 (303/682-02 13): Provides the "Directooy of Programs Serving Families of Adult Offenders." • Notional Resource Center for Family Support Programs, Family Resource Coalition, 200 S. Michigan Ave. , # 1520, Chicago, ll60604 (312/341-0900): Provides information about family programs, including prison projects. • Parent Resource Association, 213 Fernbrook Avenue, Wyncote, PA 19095 (215/576-7961): Support for ch ild/parenting programs in prison; offers referrals and information to incarcerated parents. • Prison Family Foundation, P.O. Box 1150, Auburn, Al 36831 (205/821- 1 150): Works to support family education progra ms in prison. Sells pre- and postrelease books and other publications; works with prison administrations to form institutional family support groups. LEGAL RESOURCE5-FEDERAL/ NATIONAL Tlwn• an• Jllfut_\' agrncits thai Jnrmhlr IPgal ~rn1iCI''i for Jni,,onn:\; mo,\1 of lltPSf' o~rmi:.atiou., r/i,,JH'IW' information or ojfrr rrfrrPurr matninl. XotP thai tltr ,,. flJ!f'llcit·~ tfo not uwally luuullf' jJerjonnllPJ!fll St'l11irr' .l t~ rh rn filing afljJrn/s, jJmt-rmwirtions or law.wits- witlt thr rxrttJtion r{ for-Jnuflt cowfJallil's (uotli.Jtnllum•) that rhnr-,:r lm;...rrJn~f. Federal • U.S. Deportment of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section, Washington, DC 20530 (202/ 51 4 -6255): Enforces the "Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act" through lawsuits against stole or local prison officials who deprive prisoners of their constitutional rights or who practice racial discrimination. • U.S. Supreme Court, Public Information Office, Washington, DC 20543-000 I (202/ 479-3211 ): Con provide up to five Supreme Court decisions per term. Supreme Court slip opinions ore available through the Government Printing Office. Contact: The Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 (202/ 783-3238). National • ACLU Notional Prison Project, 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW #41 0, Washington, DC 20009 (202/2344830): A branch of the notional ACLU that works on prison legal issues. Sells resource directories, criminal justice statistic books end legal aid manuals; also offers o prison newsleHer for $2 per year and sells the "Rights of Prisoners" handbook for $5. Doesn't han d le individual cases; they only litigate large-scale stole or notional prison reform legal actions. • Americans for Effective Low Enforcement, 5519 N. Cumberland Ave# 1008, Chicago, IL 60656-1498 (312/763-2800): Sells monthly legal update publicolions, including the "Jail and Prisoner Low Bulletin ." Although this bulletin is meant for corrections officials, it includes excellent resource material on the latest prison-related court cases nationwide . Annual costs ore S 168; perhaps your low librooy con subscribe. Other bulletins include the "Liability Reporter" and "Security Legal Update." • Columbia Human Rights Low Review, 435 West 1 16th Street, Box B-25, New York, NY 1002 7 (212/663-8701 ): Sells the "Jailhouse Lawyer Manua l" (JLMJ for $30 o copy ($13 for prisoners). • Correctional Low Reporter, Civic Research Institute, 4490 Route 27, Box 585, Kingston, NJ 08528: Case low newsleHer; $ 125/yeor. • Georgetown University Low Center, Criminal Procedure Pro ject, 600 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, DC 2000 1. (202/662-9468): Publishes the Georgetown Low Journal, the annual "Criminal Procedure" issue costs $30. • Freedom Press, P.O. Box 4458, Leesburg, VA 22075 (703/866-1446) or: (800/370-7052): A prison project run by volunteer porolegols. They offer legal services at reduced roles, sometimes on monthly payment plans; they also offer ministry and counseling services. • Inside/ Out Press, P.O. Box 188131, Sacramento, CA 95818: Publishes self-help legal guides. Inside/Out is the moil-order business for the Prisoners' Rights Union, which focuses on California prison issues. • Lewisburg Prison Project, P.O. Box 128, Lewisburg, PA 17837-0128 (717 / 523-1104): Sells low-cost literature regarding constitutional rights, due process and other legal issues of interest to prisoners. • Notional Lawyers Guild , Prison Low Project, 558 Cop Street, Son Francisco, CA 94 11 0 (415/2855067): A notional legal agency with o n interest in helping jailhouse lawyers. • Notional Legal Services, 710 Lake View Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 (404/874-9553): Post-conviction specialists; fees for service. • Oceano Press, 7 5 Main Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 (914/ 693-81 00): Sells prison-related legal books, including "The Prisoner's Self-Help Litigation Manual" (S30) and "Post-Conviction Remedies" ($20). • Paralegal Associates, 209 S. Broadway #246, Balti more, MD 2123 1: Offers a case-lows summary news service; S30 annual subscription. • Prisoner Legal News, P.O. Box 1684, Lake Worth, FL 33460: A magazine published by p risoners in Washington that covers nationwide prison legal issues . Subscrip tion roles ore around $12 per yeor/12 issues. • Storlite, P.O. Box 20004, St. Petersburg, FL 33742 (813/392-2929 or 800/577-2929): Sells the CITEBOOK, which is o collection of positive federal and slate case low, both criminal and civil. The CITEBOOK is updated quarterly and costs $28 ($112 annually). Although this is fairly expensive, perhaps your low librooy con subscribe; this company also sells other books regarding business, consumer and legal issues. • West Publishing Company, 610 Opperman Drive, Saint Paul, MN 55123- 1340 (800/328-9352): Publishes "Corrections and Prisoners Rights in o Nutshell" and "Criminal Procedures in o Nutshell," a t $17 each. PARALEGAL PROGRAMS • Blackstone School of Low, P.O. Box 701449, Dallas, TX 75370 (800/826-9228): Offers o well-known correspondence program. • Southern Career Institute, 164 West Royal Palm Rd, Boca Rolon, FL 33432 (800/ 669-2555 or 407/3682522): Offers o complete paralegal course that costs S1595 to S 1977; monthly payment plans available. This school is accredited by the D.E.T.C. • The Porolegol Institute , 3602 W est Thomas Rood # 9, Drawer 11408, Phoenix, AZ 85061 - 1408 (602/272-1855): Offers paralegal courses for fees ranging between $1290 and $2750. Monthly payment plans and on Associate degree program available. Accredited by the D.E.T.C. MINISTRIES & BIBLE STUDIES • A/G Prison Ministoy, 1445 Boonville, Springfield, MO 65802: Offers Christian ministering programs. • Emmaus Bible Correspondence School, 2570 Asbuoy Rd, Dubuque, lA 52001 (319I 588-8000): Offers free Bible courses for prisoners. • The Notional Convocation of Jail end Prison Ministry, 1357 East Capitol St. SE , Washington , DC 20003: A national agency far prison chaplains. • Good News Mission, 1036 Highland Street, Arlington, VA 22204 (703/979-2200): A Christian organization that provides support, witnessing and spiritual counseling to inmates in 110 prisons a cross 14 stoles. • Guideposts, 39 Seminary Hill Rood, Carmel, NY 10512 (914/ 225-3681 ): A Christian organization that publishes Guidepost magazine. Also sponsors the FIND information network, which provides information referrals: FIND Network, P.O. Box 855, Carmel, NY I0512. • Hope Aglow Prison Ministries, P.O. Box 3057 , Lynchburg, VA 24503: A nationwide religious organization that offers Bible study courses. • International Prison Min istoy, P.O. Box 63, Dallas, TX 75221. • Liberty Prison Ministries, P.O . Box 8998, Waukegan, IL 60079: This Christian ministoy publishes the Liberator newsleHer. • Liberty Prison Outreach, 701 Thomas Rood, Lynchburg, VA 24514 (804/239-9281 ): Provides religious assistance to prisoners, mostly in central Virginia; Bible correspondence courses available. • Prison Fellowship, P.O. Box 17500, Washington, DC 20041 (703/ 478-01 00): A nationwide ministoy that sponsors spiritual activities in prison. • Prison Ministry of Yokefellows Inte rnational, The Yokefellow Center, P.O . Box 482, Rising Sun, MD 219 1 1 (41 0 / 658-2661) : A religious organization that offers information and literature to prisoners. • Prison Project, c/o Tom Toomey, SYDA Foundation, 371 Brickman Road , Hurleyville, NY 12747-53 13. Offers o correspondence course in meditatio n upon request. • Set Free Prison Ministries, P.O. Box 5440, Riverside, CA 92517-9961 (909/787-9907): Provides on extensive Bible study course. · • Southern Prison Ministoy, 910 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306. • U.S. Mennonite Central CommiHee, Office of Criminal Justice, P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501-0500 (7 17 /859-3889): Offers many publications concerning crime and religion-most o re free to prisoners. ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS • Islamic Prison Foundation, 121 2 New York Avenue NW #400, Washington, DC 20005: Mostly works with Muslims in federal p risons. • The Notionol lncorceroted Muslim Network, c/o Maurice Taylor, #476837, Rou te 3, Box 59, Rosha ron, TX 77583: A p rison-based organization that networks with incarcerated Muslims for support and educational purposes. JUDAISM ORGANIZATIONS • Aleph Institute, P.O. Box 546564, Surfside, FL 33154 (305/864-5553): A full -service Jewish advocacy agency with regional offices. • International Coalition for Jewish Prisoners Services, 1640 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036-3278 (202/857-6582): Offers support, referra ls, guidance, educational and religious p rograms, and pen pols. BUDDHIST/ MEDITATION GROUPS • Human Kindness Foundation, Prison Ashram Project, Route I , Box 201-N, Durham, NC 27705: Provides reading materiel for spiritual living. • lskcon Prison Ministries, 2936 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA 70 119. • Prison Dharma Network, P.O. Box 9 12 , Astor Station, Boston, MA 02123-0912: Offers Buddhist meditation literature. DEATH PENALTY RESOURCES • American Civil Liberties Union, Capitol Punishment Project, 122 Mooylond Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002 (202/675-23 19): A branch of the ACLU that d eals with death penalty issues. • American Friends Service CommiHee, 1501 Cheroy Street, Philadelphia, PA 19 102 (215/ 241-7 130): A Quaker peace organization that works to bon the death penalty as one of their Cri minal Justice projects. • Amnesty International, Pro ject to Abolish the Death Penalty, 322 8th Ave., New York, NY 10001-4808 (212/807-8400): Works to abolish the death penalty through public leHer-writing campaigns. • Capitol Punishment Research Project, P.O. Box 277, Headland, AL 36345 (205/693-5225). • Catholics Against Capitol Punishment, P.O. Box 3125, Arlington, VA 22203 (703/ 522-5014): A religious organization against the death penalty. • Death Penalty Information Center, 1606 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 (202/347-2531 ). • Death Row Support Project, P.O. Box 600, Liberty Mills, IN 46946 (219/ 982-7480) : Offers pen-pol services to death row inmates. • Endeavor Project, P.O. Box 235 1 I, Houston, TX 77228-3511: A magazine produced by and for prisoners on death row. • Friends CommiHee to Abolish the Death Penalty, c/o Charles Obler, 802 West 3rd Street, Farmville, VA 2390 1: Publishes the Quaker Abolitio nist; subscriptions $6/yr for prisoners. • NAACP Legal Defense Fund , 99 Hudson Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 100 13 (212/219- 1900): A legal b ranch of the NAACP that supports minority rights; also has on anti-death penalty pro ject. • Notional Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, 918 F St. NW #60 1, Washington, DC 20004 (202/ 347241 1): Works to abolish the death penalty. Also provides o booklet listing anti-death penalty resources in each stole ("The Abolitionisr s Directooy," $2). 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