Prison Life magazine, November-December 1995
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11 0 7 4470 8660 1 5 November-December 1995 FEATURES 23 Hollywood Goes to Prison What happens when a Hollywood film director and a prison-educated poet team up to make a movie inside San Quentin? Prison Life interviews Taylor Hackford, director of Blood In, Blood Out, based on the epic vision of Jimmy Santiago Boca. 29 A Short, Brutal Life - Terry Fitzsimmons entered the Canadian prison system a confused 18-year-old kid . Ten years later a deranged killer emerged to seek revenge on society. 32 A CURE for Crime Report from the Capital : Prison Life attends the Fifth National CURE Convention . N ews on America' s grassroots movement to reform the criminal justice system. 36 FICTION Animal Factory In the first installment of Edward Bunker' s classic prison novel, a veteran convict becomes mentor to a fresh fish and teaches him to survive in the penitentiary. l'ri'Ou l.ih- ISS:"# !Ofi!t-()709 :'\' t•H'IIIbc.·r · lkc:cmhc.•J, NumlH..'I (). 1'1 i<r.«m l.i fl· nl,,g;\/inc·~ j,. publi'ihcd lmnunt hl\' h\ Joint Venture M ed ia. 4200 Westheimc r. S uil e 160. H ou.•- iton. TX 77027-4426. Pr i"'"' I ik nug:t.1iuc j,. priutcd iu thc..·L'S.A .u\d :111 ri~hts .uc.· rl'"CI"\Ccl. 0 l ~~•:--• h\Juiut \'~:uturt..• Medi.l, l ue. ='u p.m oft hi' boolm:wbc lt·proc.lu(l'Cl 01 tr;ul'\miucd in ;ul\' lcn m mIn ,1m llll',lll" withulll \\I im·n penni .. -.iou of tht• puhli,hc•r,. U n ,oliciiCdmauu i\Crlpt lli ami photO);Iolphs ;u t• tht· n,• ,pon ..iblht) nf the 'c•uclcr"'. All lcrtcr' ~ nt to Pr i\.tm l .ift· m:tg:v iuc will ht• u·t.·.ttt·d as ttttfOil· tliliOtt:tlh· ·"~i~ttt."•l fot• lht..' puhli( .tliiiU or l~t ocl ntt c. :utd :u·· 'ittltic( I II) "' i-.4111 l.ifc m:t~aLittl'·., IIIII"('''' it ted I i).thl lt.l t.•dit :tud ('( 1111111 ('1 11. S itt gk c.vpic' itt tltc u.s. s:t95. S tthsct iptttlll r.tll'' CUIC \t'M i n U.S. $2:\.70 for fi i" llt''; 111 C.ttt.ul.t, $3!': .ut ;uldi1ional Sl:! ,.,,t.'\\ hCit': .Ill p.l\~thlc in U.S. fnnc.h tml). Plt·.t~ m:til all 'itth~riptiou o rder' ;uul ch:ut.:cli to Priw u L.ifl· m:agovim·. Suh~· r i1r lion D t.·p.utmt·ut. •1200 \\',·,thcittU' t , Suitt· lliO. l lou'lton. TX 770 :l7·•H:!(j, P OSTl\L\STER: Pk.t!iiC fon\,ud ndtlt t'" chaugt·s tu l't·i,ott L ife· ~l:l~.llinc.·, 420() Wt•st ln·imer. Suill' H)(), l louslon, TX 770~7-+ l:!(i. J\pptm";.tlllt tuail ill ~ncl CJa,., po~ t:tgc.· rate is pt•tuliu).: at llou,lwt, TX :mel :t<l<lil ionalllt:tilittg ullin• . 4 PRISON LIFE COVER STORY 44 Back on the Chain Gang Publicity stunt or just punishment? Nonviolent parole violators are forced to work shackled at the ankles like slaves so that politicians and prisoncrats can appear tough on crime. An inside look at Alabama's chain gangs. 57 Gettin' Out & Goin' For the Green-Legally! Ex-con? Can't find a job in the freeworld? Prison Life business correspondent Michael Chavaux gives you three ideas for starting your own business for under $300. Cover Photo by Michael Corsentino DEPARTMENTS Voice of the Convict 6 Just in Case 71 Contributors' Column 8 Family Matters 75 Word 9 Mail-Order-Mall 77 Guest Editorial: Con to Freeworlder: "Get Over It!" Mail Call 10 Classifieds 80 In-Cell Cooking 82 Pen Pals 83 Block Beat 15 Resources 84 Insider Outlook 18 Callouts 20 Ask Bubba 61 Cellmate of the Month 63 Post-Release 64 12 The Low-Down on Post Release Benefits Iron Pile 68 Fat A ttack- Aerobic Style Tattoo of the Month 70 PRISON LIFE 5 AMERICAN OWNED by Richard Stratt on Editor & Publisher t had been anoth e r marath on day. I was up a t 2:30a.m., wrote from three to fi ve, and by six I was on my way into the city. A fu ll day of meetings wou nd d o wn aro und seve n in the evening. Afte r consulting with Professo r Afg h ani, a n Ame ri can e ntre preneur if eve r there was one, by nine that night I was o n the road again . Traffi c o n th e He nry Hudso n Pa rkway a nd ove r t h e George Washin gton Bridge was mod e rate. I surfed th e radio a irwaves loo king fo r j ust th e rig ht tun es to carry me in to the heartland. T h e n I heard a voice, th e voice of the vo ice less. I r ecog ni zed Mum ia Abu-J a m a l a nd reali ze d once aga in that this was August 17, th e day Mumia had bee n sch edu led to be execute d . Cries of ouu·age and suppo rt for J amal from a rou nd tl1 e world had resulted in a n indefinite tay; I believe they feared riots in the stree ts. A re p o rte r from WBAJ in ew York and a Germa n journalist h ad m a naged to breach me dia blac ko ut lines a nd ta lk with J a ma l while he was be ing held at a county jail in Philade lphia during several days of hearings be fore the notorio us ha nging judge Albe rt Sabo. Mu mi a's modula te d to nes a nd radical, egoless thoughts (''The re a re ma ny Mumi a Abu:Jamals o n d ea th rows a ll ac ross Am e rica .") were just what I nee ded to pre pa re me for th is j o urney. Headi ng west o n Inte rstate 80, I saw th e sig n "We lcome to Pe nn sylvan ia: Ame ri ca Begi n s He re" that my wife had wri tten o f in h e r Prison Life piece on J a m a l. Aro un d midni gh t, I stop pe d for gas a n d food at a truc k sto p that ha d tin y pay TV sets be fo re th e stools a t th e cou n te r an d in th e boo th s. Flan ked by team sters ea t ing app le pic a Ia m od e and pum p in g quarte rs into th e ir mini-tubes, I really fe lt as tho ug h I ha d e nte re d a nothe r Ame ri ca, a twi s1ed land o f supe r h ighways, ubi qu ito us TV , ba d food a nd ho rrendous a rchi tec ture. By th e time I 6 PRISON LIFE l c hecked into the mo te l my frie nd 's wife recomm e nded in Lewisbu rg, PA, I had put in a 24-hou r day. "Whi ch o n e?" the wom an a t th e from d esk answered tl1e nex t mo rning whe n I as ked h e r how to ge t to the p1·ison. I knew tl1e area, reme mbered it from the days whe n I came through on the Bureau of Prisons bus. Then tl1e re were just three federal j oints: ilie penitentia ry: Lewisb urg, with its sa te ll ite camp; a nd Alle nwood, one o f th e first Richard Stratton, family and fliends a/the fedemljJrison in Danbuty, CT. of the so-called "counu-y club·' prisons. That was ten yea rs ago. Now I ha d crossed in to Priso n America, a vi rtual state of siege, a nd I needed directi ons to tl1c new fed eral prison complex. I wante d to get there early to beat th e c rowd s. When I drove in to th e co mpl ex, I was swnn e d . 'vVhi ch one, indeed . I pulle d to th e side of th e road a t th e top of a ro lli ng hi ll fo r a panoramic view. I was surround e d by prisons. Fe n ces a nd wa lls festooned with g lea min g ribbo n s of co ncertin a wire stre tche d in a ll direc tions. It was as tl10ugh l had su·ayed into some vast Pr isonland tl1 e me park: he re a prison, th ere a p1·iso n , eveqrwh e rc a pri ·onpriso n. T he a rc hiteclllre was a n o min o us Taco Be ll style. I was struck by how c losely pri so ns h ave co me to rese mbl e the new fue l-and-fast-food complexes sprou ting along the America n hig hway. Squat, brooding g untowe rs and sil ver ro lls of razo r wire have replaced the Colde n Arches. Get in o n the latest ho t fran chise; be th e first in yo ur community to ope n a new MacPrison . Th e r oad wo un d th ro ugh th e Fede ra l Pri so n Co mp le x a t White Dee r. Th e r e was n o mista kin g th e m ax imum sec urity j o int. A se n se or doom ema n a te d from its m ass ive walls. Th e first prison I tried wa · n ot th e rig h t o ne. There we re gradations in sec urity I cou ld n ' t fathom: a few Ies su·ands or razor wire; no g un towe rs. Still , no one was going to get out. And even if o ne d id , the esca pe was further into Pri so nl and. \<\'hen I fou nd the rig h t institlllio n and e n tered , I was rem inded of a comm e nt a fri e nd h ad m a d e wh e n h e came to visit me a t th e fe d e ra l prison in O tisville in th e micl-'80s. ··o n e thing these people know how to do is run pri so n s." Am e ri ca n in ge nuity, Ame ri can e ffi cie ncy: if yo u want to see it h a ppe n , m a ke it a busin ess. Th e joint was clean , antiseptic. But wh en I wen t to the fron t de k to fi ll o ut th e visiting form s, th ey told me the co mpute r was down . Panic in cyberspace, an e lectronic riot tha t meam the cops had to call my friend ' Unit Team and c h ec k lO sec if m y n a me was on hi s approve d vis ito rs li l. Para noia took ho ld . Eig ht yea rs in priso n had o nly serve d to stre ngthe n my conviction to qu esti o n a uth ority. Are th ey wiring th e visitin g roo m ? If t h ey let m e in, will they le t me out? It was just after e ig ht in the morn- in g, a lready a num be r of the fa ith ful had g ath e red and we r e wa iting patie ntly to e n ter th e priso n. I watch ed two Muslim wom e n in trad itiona l d a rk ro bes as t h ey stru gg le d with thre e yo un g c hil dre n , o n e of wh o m was a surpri sin g ly h a ppy a n d active li ttle boy with a badly deforme d spine . T h ey worried ove r the biza rre questionnaire: Are you bringin g an y ex plosives? Wea p o n s? Dope? T wo teen age Ita li an boys a nd a man I guessed was th e ir g randfather; an o ld, Eas te rn Europ ea n cou pl e; a you n g, skinn y blo nde; a Latin o man in his ea rly thirti es: incom ple te couples and fam ilies wa ited for a brief reu ni o n with the ir imprisoned othe rs. Gradually we were admitted , first through the me tal de tector tha t always goes o ff on accoum of m y b ion ic hip. I h ad to ta ke o ff my sh oes a nd be lt be fore some young Penn sylvania farmboy dressed up as a corrections officer stamped my wrist with special ink tha t sh ows up und e r ultra viole t li g ht. The n we passed th ro ug h a se ries o f e le c tronically co ntrolled d oors, u p a ramp into the parched , den uded compound. Som e people say th ese n ew prisons look like college ca mpuses; if so , this place was Harvard fro m he ll. The id ea see ms to be to e rad ica te a ll traces o f n a ture, replace grass, tre es and plants with cinde r block, co ncrete, metal a nd plastic foliage. It was eerie going back in a fte r five years o n th e o ttts ide. I have visited othe r priso ns; the previous week I had been to see a fri e n d a t the fe d e ra l prison in Danbury, Connec ti cu t. But that is a n older joint, all wo me n now, a nd more like a real prison than some huge indusu·ial pa rk and regional corporate headquarte rs. T his was th e first tim e I had been inside o n e of th e mode rn mega-p riso n s, my first excursio n to B.O.P. Priso nland , In c. Th e place had a ll the te no r a n d a unosphere of a fu turisti c factory where th e product is ke pt hidd e n. Wh at un se ttl ed me was how norma l it seemed to evet)'One but me. No ne o f th e priso ne rs was in th e la rge visiti ng room whe n we e nte re d. The furniture, UN ICO R modular, was arranged in neat rows. The cops ma nning the visiting room , a clean-cut pai r who could j ust as easily have bee n runn in g a con veni e n ce store, were a ll b usin ess. Wh ole fami lies, the re to sp e n d a clay with cla d or broth e r o r son , sta ked out tables and c hairs. The kids nocked ar o und vending machin es where they boug ht arm loa ds o f packaged food they spre ad on tables picnic- style. A con crete-walle d o utdoor area furn ish e d with UN ICOR pa tio se tsta b les a nd be nch es with umbre llasm a d e m e th ink o f poolside at th e tvlotel Cali forn ia, where th e re is n o pool a nd you can' t check out. In one's a nd two's, khaki-clad prisoners e nte re d fro m th e shake-down roo m. I re cog ni ze d a blac k co nvict with who m I h ad been lo c ked up a t MCC New Yo rk a decade be fore . He d idn ' t look as th o ug h he ha d aged a clay, bu t h is m oth er was in a wh eelc hair. As prisone rs a nd visito rs fi lle d the roo m , I re me mbe red th e b itte rswee t feelings a visit stirr e d in me while I was a prisone r. I watched mo me ntarily as whole fam ilies experienced the j o y and heartache of being re un ited wi th a loved o ne, who would soon have to return to his cell. FOT" nearly three hours, my friend rega le d m e with his intelligence. I th ought abo ut th e waste of imprisoning a man like this, a no nviole nt, firstLim e m a rijuan a offende r . It cost taxpayers upward s o f thirty grand a year to keep him he re in Prisonland like so me capti ve specim e n from o u te r Ame ri ca. H e should b e o u t workin g and ra ising his fami ly. I met a few of his friends, other drug prison- ( continued on f}(tge 74) PRISON LIFE 7 PRisoNLin: November-December 1995 EDITOR & PUBUSHER Richard Stratton EXECUTIVE EDITOR & ART DIRECTOR Chris Cozzone EDITOR-AT-LARGE Kim Wozencraft MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Wynn J im Ballar d , loc ked up in Orofino, Idah o, con tribmed the piece on postr e lease bene fits. "I' m in my tenth su·aight year of doing time," Jim writes. "Thanks fo r g iving m e the ch a nce to wri te for you r mag." Look fo r m ore of Jim 's work in upco ming issu es. CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: FREEWORLD Steve Gressak Ex-con Edward Bunker, author of such hard-bo iled classics as No Beast So Fierce and AnimalFactmy (excerp ted in th is issu e), lives in Hollywood, CA, wh ere h e writes n ove ls a nd sc re e np lays. Bunker, wh o was th e cover s tory of PL's Sept./ Oct. issu e ("Am e ri ca's Greatest Living Con vict Write r"), has been he ralded as o ne o f the few American writers who h ave created au thenti c literature o ut of th eir experien ces as crimin als. CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Michael Corsentino, Tony Hardman, Elizabeth Heimlich, Alan Pogue CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: BEHIND BARS Jim Ballard, Mike Chevaux, Alex Friedmann, Karl Johnson, David Wood Mich ael Chavau x , PL's May Cell y of th e Month and busi ness edito r , wrote "Gettin ' Out & C oin ' for th e GreenLegally." From Michi ga n 's Adrian T e mporary Facil ity, h e r u n s a ma il order service for forrune h unte r·s an d wrote a book on buying used cars. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: FREEWORLD Oriana Conti, Tricia Hedin, Peter Schmidt, Michael Steinberg PRISON UFE EDITORIAL OFFICE 175 5th Ave, Suite 2205 New York, NY 10010 Tel: (212)229-1169 Fax: (212)229-1334 Michael Corsentino, the photographer and writer of this issue's cover story, visited Alabama shortly after he heard that DESIGN & LAYOUT Bobo Willkie w/ Mike Feldman OFFICE MANAGER Darrell Vesper CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: BEHIND BARS Joseph Hernandez, Henry Herz, B.D. Hill, Enrique Ortiz chain gangs were being resurrected. "I kn ew the re was a story th ere," h e says. Corsentino took a break from his job as a graphic d esigner in NYC to spend an en tire week on the chai n gang. Alex Friedmann, ou r resource ed itor, has spen t two years compiling data o n agencies and resources fo r prisoners, excons a nd their fam ilies. He con tinues his research at S.C.C. C. in Clifton, TN. Steve Gressak illustra ted this issu e ' s guest edito rial. He works as a free lance illusu·aror· in New York. J oseph Hernandez, illustrator of "Wh o's Got th e Money," is a graff-iti artist and illustrator locked up at Green Haven Correctional iri New York. Even though he's stuck in the Hole in Texas, Henry Herz is able to supply PL with top-no tc h illustrations and comics, shown th roughout the issue. B.D. H ill, illustrato r of th e excer·pt from An ima l Factory, is serving a 30year bid in Hun tsvi ll e, TX. Peter Schmidt, forme rl y a corporate lawyer, wr ites th e 'Ju st in Case" column , a synops is o f r e leva nt fede r al rulings. CANADIAN SALES OFFICE Robert Rowbotham, Canadian Managing Director Ken Bean, Assistant 253 College St., Suite 444 Toronto, ONT M5Tl R5 Tel: (905) 773-1746 Fax: (905) 773-8088 JOINT VENTURE MEDIA, INC. of TEXAS PRESIDENT & CIRCULATION MANAGER MaryMizwa ADVERTISING DIRECTOR A. Richard de Antoni OPERATIONS ASSISTANT Janette Sherlock SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION & INQUIRIES 4200 Westheimer, Suite 160 Houston, TX 77027-4426 CALL: 1-800-207-2659 INTERNET ADDRESS HTIP:/ magazine@concom.com/ pi mag Address inquiries online to Stan Dickens (sdickens@daystan.com) PRINTED IN U.S.A. s PRISON LIFE Money Back Satisfaction Guaranteed! Optical, Inc. P.O. Box 680030, Dept PL53 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 of eyeglass frames for men and women, including designer styles, metal frames, and sports g lasses, discounted 30-50%. You can have your prescription lenses ground by Prism Optical, and choose from a number of lens options, including photochromic lenses, ultra-thin lenses, fashion tinting, and UV-filtering and scratch-resistant coating. Single vision, bifocals, trifocals and invisible bifocals are available. Prism guarantees that the glasses will fit correctly, and the catalog provides guides to gauging the correct size of the temple and bridge. FAR FROM HOME? NEED YOUR LOVED ONES? by Chris Cozzone, Ex ecutive Editor X t's a rare occasion whe n correct ions d epartm e nts or th e B.O. P. give th e media an y so n of a ccess to a pri so n . No rmall y, yo u have tO submit a stack o f pa pe rwork and go thro ugh a lot of ve rbal bullsh it in order to sec a sing le priso n e r. Alth o 11g h t h ey cann o t legall y d e n y a priso n e r a ccess to th e med ia , t h e whi te shirts in charge of mecl i« re latio ns can (an d do ) sta ll yo u past your deadl in e by g ivin g yo u th e "lack of staff at this poi nt" exc use or "Mr. Soa nd-So is in the H o le rig ht n ow and not a ll owed media visits." Things ch a nge when the priso nc rats want th e publicity. Freelance photographer Michael Co rsentino was a b le to sh oo t the Alaba ma c hain gan g f'ealUred in thi s issue fo r e ight days. He ll, th e AJabam« O.O. C. in vite d him in . "C' m on o n dow n and g it al l th e pic tures yo u wan t," th ey told him, knowing tha t th e public eats this ·hit up. O f co urse, I' m sure the go od o l' boys clown 1here had no idea Cor·sentino 's expose wo ul d n o t on ly portray th e atroci ties or life o n the chain ga ng but wo uld en d up in th e evil Prison Life magazine. T he Ala ba ma p ri so n crats wan t everyone to kn ow. Those re dne c ks want the wo rld to sec what they' r e d oi ng, how they're straigh te n ing o ut socie ty's ·'scu m '' and gc u ing thei r highway clcanccl fo r free. "Yessa h massa h boss, yo u sure kn ow h ow to wo rk 11s crimin a ls to d eath ... 1 ossi r, wou ldn ' t dare commit anutha c rim e now ... '· Read o n: Yo 11 'll sec how fuckedu p the who le th ing is. And you wond er why this coum ry is plag ued with slamecl j o urn alism? Why th e public is so un sy mpa th e ti c to th e hum an rig hts vio la ti ons of American prisoners? Easy-because evcty thi ng is controlled by access a nd coope ration by th e g uys in c harge. Once peo p le sta n seeing real images of Ame rican priso n life, th ere's ho pe that th in gs migh t c hange. Look at America's reaclion to Vieu1 am. Look at Bosnia. South Africa. Even the bombing in Okla ho ma City. What if the re had been no images o•· fi lm clips of those horror stories? Do you thi nk 1he)' would have gotten the auen Lio n th ey d id if we had to me re ly visualize the scenes? Doubt it. Priso n cra ts kn ow wh a t th ey a re doing when th ey lim it j o urn a lists. T hey arc protecting the mselves from be in g ex posed, from losing co n tro l and from facing the truth th at prisons a re n o thin g but m o n ste r factories. C h ai n ga n gs, co ntro l units, g u ard bru wli ty and wretche d cond itio ns are n o t go in g to pro du ce a nythin g for socie ty bu t anima ls. Case in po int: T c n y Fitzsi mm ons, a dark p rod u ct o f' the Canad ia n co rreclion syste m. Fitzsimmons started his criminal ca reer as a confused , IS-yearold conve nience store thief. He e nded it te n years late r by injecti ng himself' with th e HI V-infec ted blood of hi s fo urth m u rder vic tim a n d LUrning himself in to the pol ice. Shortly before his d eath , Fi tzsimmons spem time with Prison Life's Ca nadian corresp o nd e m O ri a na Co n ti and expla ined how the le th al co m bina tio n o r yea rs in th e Hole, inadequa te w unscling and zero re ha bilita ti on turned a troubled man into a raving mani ac. Th e sa m e th e me is ex p lo re d in thi s iss u e's fi c ti o n supp le m e nt, a n excerpt from Edward Bunke r's prison classic, Animal Farlnty. Bunke r, wh ose ug ly m ug g ra ced o ur Sept e mbe r cove r, te lls th e stOry o f a yo u ng, San Quemin con whose spi ri t is d estroyed by the crim inal justice srstcm. It 's peo p le like C h a r lie a nd Paulin e Sulliva n , f'reeworld fo unde rs of an o rga nization called CU RE (Citize ns Re un ited for th e Re h a bilita ti o n of Erra n ts) who arc d o ing real work in t h e fi e ld o f' co rrectio ns. Prison Life atte nded th e ir fift h na ti o n a l con ventio n in D.C. and met similar-min ded people co mmiued 10 priso n refo rm . For those o f you gc11in ' o ut soon , readj im Ba lla rd 's low-down o n postre lease be ne fits. And o ur business e dito r Mic h ae l C h avaux is back wi th three id e as for legal businesses yo u can start for under $300. Th e on ly thin g th a t 's missi ng is Bubba. He's bee n pu t in th e Ho le for runn ing a busi ness, i.e. writing h is column fo r Prison Lifr. Actua lly, we were ho p ing th ey' d transfer h im to Lime stone a n d stick hi s sor ry ass o n th e chain gang, butl hey co uldn ' t fi nd a pai t· of' shackl es wide e no ugh 10 fit his fat an kl es. For all you eludes missin ' your loved o nes ove r th e ho lid ays, ha ng in the re <mdtry to ma ke 1he most o f it. We hope this issue will make tl1 e ti me easie r. If you a re far fro m home, the Law Offices of Benninghoff & Ramirez can ass is t yo u in mov ing yo u closer to your loved ones. We ha ve been able to accomplish th is both in the fede ral system and in va ri ous states. We have fou nd tha t the cha nce for rehabi litatio n is g reatly imp roved w hen there is p roximity to family and loved ones. If yo u find you rself fa r from your fami ly and loved ones, p lease wri te to us. We will employ all of our yea rs of experience to help you. Our ra tes a re reasonable a nd we w ill provide a very prom pt response. INTERNATIONAL PRISONERS Go HoME! Not only do we have yea rs of experience moving prisoners closer to their fa mili es, bu t we're a lso ab le to assist p risoners in re turning to the ir homela nds to comp lete the ir sentences. We have been successful with priso ners from th e follow ing co untri es: Austri a, Belg ium, Canada, Cyprus, Denm ark, France, Germany, Greece, Icela nd , Ireland, Ita ly, Luxe mbo urg, Mnlta, Ne the rl ands, Norway, Por tu ga l, Spain, Swed en , Switzerlnnd a nd the United Kingdom. LIBERTAD TEMPRANA PARA PRESOS HISPANOS Los prisoneros Hispanos, especialmente en el sistema federal, pueden se r trans feridos hacia Mexico, Espana, Bolivia, Peru y Panama para recibir libe rtad temprana, y vivir cerca de sus seres queridos atraves de los servicios del Bufete de Benninghoff & Ramirez. Atraves de nuestras oficinas hemos proveido Ia transfere ncia a muchisimos prisoneros Hispanos. Los prisoneros transferidos podran recibir Jibe rtad immediata bajo fianza, libertad temprana para trabajar, y tiempo libre por buena cond ucta. Tambie n, h emos tenido mucho exito con prisoneros a los cuales se les ha negado Ia transferenda anteriormente. Favor de escribir a Ia siguiente direccion pa ra que reciba un folleto descriptivo prparado especialmente para prisoneros Hispanos. W rite to (Escriba a): & RAMIREZ BENNINGHOFF P.O. Box 1355 SAN JUAN CA PISTRANO, CA 92675 PRISON LIFE 9 PRISONER TO FREEWORLDER: 11 GET OVER ITII by Karl C. Johnson M y (i rsl eve r dea th threat came in th e mo rning's mai l. lL was a ve no mo us respo nse from a frecworlde r to a n o p-ed piece I wrote in the Oregoninn exp ressing va lid con cerns a bout co nvicted crim ina ls. On be ha lf o f America's incarce ra te d , I feel com pel led to issue a rcbuua l. He re arc a few exce rp ts fro m th e freeworlder's le u er: These crimiunls thinh thf)• have an opinion because a rag-ass Uf'WS/)(1/Jer lihe the Oregonian gives them one. Till')' thinh someonP brlieves their sony stOI)' about doing hard time. Even on a good dny, the motlu•r of an imnate has to admit that her son is nothing betler tlwn a lying idiot. Sorry, but we priso n ers do form o ur own ideas a nd we ce rtain ly have o pinio n s, especially about impriso nm e nt. And Mom said sh e n o t o nly be lieve d my h a rd-tim e story, she doesn ' tthink I' m a n id io t e it he r . I did n ' t press h e r o n th e lyin g pan-it 's an occupatio na l n ecessity for any c rimina l. O th e rs wh o un dersta nd o ur "sorry story about do in g tim e" in c lud e th e Natio n a l Pri so n Project of the Ame ri can Civil Libe rties Un ion , Amn es ty Inte rnatio n al, th e Huma n Rig hts Wa tc h , Prison Fe llowship a nd th e Fo rtun e Soc ie ty. Me mbe rs of the e o rga ni zati o ns h ave sp e nt ti m e in pri o n , e ither as convicts or as vo luntee rs. They sp ea k with in tim a te kn owledge o f th e d iffi c ulti es an)' hum a n races do in g time. 1a t io nwide, thousa nds o f local re lig io us vo lun t ee rs and te n s o f tho u sa nd s o f pri son e rs' famil y m e mb e rs ha ve see n the des tru c tive resu lts o r priso n firsth a nd. o r least resista nce and th e lifestyle they know is beuer tha n o ne they don ' t kn ow. Priso n ra p e is a proble m t h a t has as mu ch to do wit h ho mosex ua lity as street ra pe has to d o with hetero ·exuality-no thing at all. Bull ies will a lways try to ex ploit others through sheer physical stre ngth . Rape is one o f th e ir tools. It proves a ma n 's brutality, granting him power ove r those who can ' t figh t him. The truth o f th e matter is the re a re many more victims th an rapists. A "con ·enti ng homosexua l'' is in no way rela ted to a turned-o ut boy-toy raped imo submissio n, fo rced to provide any service to avoid anoth er vicio us showe r session. So wh y do so ma ny people rewrn to priso n? In very few ca es, it's beca use the per on's tru ly a n an imal, belo nging n ow he re e lse . More o ften , priso n beco mes ho m e. Man y priso ne rs were mandate d by the state to spend their chi ldhoods in foste r homes, bouncing from one state-regimem c cl instituti o n to an oth er before winding up in th e sta le pe n: re fo rm sc hools to state hospita ls to juvc n ile justice ce nte rs. To the m , p rison is the only place th ey b e long because it 's the o nly place they know. People still snivelling about ruined lives rather than grabbing hold and rebuiiCiing, are doing so because they like the victim role. T hey tltinh someone else is to blamr. Their lifr in prison is not theirfault. The;• blame the "s)'Stem," their mother or fathe1·, th e prison nurse or even Dear Abb)•for their jJroblems. TIU')' do not /mow how to accept any rt'S/Jonsibility. They thin/1 th f')' don 't lihe life in prison, when in fact the;• love it.' ThP)' love to brag to a ll thPi1" criminal friends about their jwthetic crimes. The;· love to /ram new criminal shills and llwy love being with other men IH•cnusP their homose;nw llust is not only f ulfilled in jJrison but tllf')' can also justify it. If thf')' don't love it, wh)' do the;· heejJ going bach? The reason is bmJUsr it 's their homt•, its the only piare where they truly brlong. Listing factors conu·ibuting to crime is not sh ifting b lam e. Psyc h o logis ts and sociologists a re n 't providing exc uses wh e n th ey po int o u t cu ltu ral, socia l a nd e nvironm en ta l fac to rs leadin g to c rime. C rimin a ls are n 't shirking respo nsib ili ty by acknowle dging evem s in thei r lives tha t led the m to commit a crime. It's part of th e self-discovery process. I wen t to priso n beca use I broke the law. I kn ew I co u ld be p u nished , but felt the po te n tial gain outweighed the poten tia l loss. I broke the law because I wan ted to. 1ow I don ' t want to. I wan t norma lcy. To get tha t, I must explo re what le d me to become a crimina l. I' m no t blaming society o r my fami ly or even Dear Abby. I' m not U)'ing to assign blame. I'm trying to fix the problem. Al l too often this is u·u e. I recen tly heard a man brag incessantly about th e e ig lnball o f coke he 'd sco re a nd the new 'Ven e h e' d steal his fi rst day ou t. Fo1· each such bragga n , however, I can fin d two me n striving to change the ir lives. Unfo nunatel )•, many sin ce re o nes will re wr n beca use li ke most people, th ey' re steering thei r lives down the path They think th£')' deserve to be treated as lunnans while the;' are doing time. fn fact, the way tlu'Y hour roblml, raped, assaulted, sold drugs and !om ufJ respectable comnwnities, j1roves the;• are not lmman and not worthy of being consideml pm·t of society. A good altemative to "doing time" fJlaying cm·ds and watchi ng TV would be to worlr these useless animals to death. Another cost effec- 10 PRISON LIFE live measure would be lo shoot habitual ojfmders and drug dPalers Tight in the com·t TOom and uol waste money in tmnsjJor/ation and warehousing. Increased crime is a sympto m, no t a cause of ou r socia l ills. So, too, is th e treatme nt o f crimi nals. Perha p s we d o n ' t d ese rve hu man trea tm en t. P erhaps we sh ould ap peal to th e ASPCA ra th e r than th e ACLU when we ' re mistreate d. But we are human. We are the pan of socie ty that refl ects Ame rica's da rkest side. But we refuse to be d ehuma ni ze d. T hat is our most huma n u·ait. Should slave labor, concentration ca mps an d summa ry execu ti on become th e norm, we' ll be have as hum a ns always behave wh e n face d with g ross tyranny. Some of us will sell out to our warders, so me of us will die re fusing to coope rate, but most of us will muddle tJwough, trying to make o ur lives a nd ou r friends' lives be tter. As fo r work-we'll work, bu t as men, not d raft ani mals. G ive us som e in centive and we' ll li ne u p for it. Wh y do convicts spe nd the sum mer figh ting fires for a pro m ised $1.25 an hou r tl1a t they sometimes never even receive? A coup le o f mo nths watching MacGyver and T he Equa lize r and we'd vol unteer fo r road crews a nd chain gangs, anything to move the time a long and se nd us to bed tired. Treat us like huma ns, a ll ow us some hope, let us be productive. The n the money spe n t in kee ping us won't be waste d. They thinll lhal once their lime is done they are fo,given. No rnaller whatllind of lime they serve it is nol enough to make them jJay for the scars they havP left on their victims and ou1· communities. The;• may walh away after a few )'Pars ofeaJ)' ti111e, bullhe vir/ims have lo live with lite shit Ihallhese jJUnhs have spread on their lives. No lime can erase litefeelings ojjfm~ hatred and generalmistrusl generated by the criminal sub-culture. You know, I don 't really g ive a damn if I'm forgiYen . Th at's no t my problem. People still parad ing victimization after a year or so, people still snivell ing a bout ru ined lives rath e r than grabb ing h o ld a n d rebu ildi ng, a re doing so because th ey li ke th e victim ro le. It's true, no amoun t of ti me l do can h eal my vic tims' wo unds. T ha t's because doing time is not consu·uctivenot fo r my victims, fo r me or for socie ty. My five-year sente n ce se rve d n o rea l purpose. l received some counseling; I d oubt if my victims rece ived a ny. Whil e I was d own , I sh o uld h ave bee n invo lved in counseling with my vic tims. Counseli ng I paid for. Cou nseling a imed at teaching me the damage I did. Cou nseling a imed a t teach ing my vic tim s to le t go of the ir rage, to learn to fo rgive-not for my sake, but fo r the ir own. T he freewo rlder's fina l words: johnson, I would bet that this isn 'I )'Olt.rfirsl prison experience, and I bet that once )'Ott get out you '1·e jJlanning to re-ojfend. I can only hojJP that you do it iu my neighborhood so f rnn l1ill you . Until then, I can onl)' continue lo arm myself and dream about seiVing tnw justice. This was my fi rst, a nd I ho pe, o nly priso n ex perie nce. I'm n ot plan ning to reoffend bu t I can ' t p ro mise I won't. After a ll, th e fact that I did it o nce proves that I'm capable of doing it aga in . NevertJ1eless, I U)' to recognize and correct my real th inking errors. But th e re a re so many, the cycle is so ingraine d, I may no t make it. One of my coun seli ng ha ndbooks poin ts ou t tha t success in recove1y is not based on how well I do in life or by how good I fee l a bout myse lf. Success is measured by having no more victi ms. Be ing successful is how I d rea m about erving true justice. PRISON LIFE 11 BONKERS FOR BUNKER T ha nk you , Richard Strauon , for introducing us to Edward Bunke r in yo ur Se pte mbe r/ O c tobe r '9 5 issue . Edward Bunke r is a g reat write r period. The wo rds "convict write r" are too limitin g. Like al l g re a t writers, he draws his tal e nt fro m th e d e pths of his soul and experie nces. He is willing to sh a re a ll that with h is readers, while o pe ning up his heart and soul. Bravo ! To a g rea t write r a nd a g reat man ! Ri chard Su·auon needs to be cong ra wl a ted fo r writin g a sup e rb biog ra p h ical essay o n Buhke r. I t is obvio u s fro m Stra tto n 's writin g style th at h e, too, is a n exce ll e nt write r, reporte r and editor. P1ison Life and its readers a re fo rtuna te to have hi m. Wh e re can we o rd e r all of Edward Bunke r 's boo ks? Samuel j. Smolen, Jr. Darmeuwm, N. Y. Unforltwately, Edward Bunker's books a.re out of print in the United States. You cm1, ho wrom~ order some titles, su ch as No Beast So Fie rce, fmm the Priso n Life boolistorr-Books on the Block. See the ad on pagr 78 for o1'flm·ing infon nalion. Bunlter's San Qumtin novel, Anima l Fac to ry, is exrPI1Jled in this issue of Prison Life . - Editors COMPTON: YOU'RE COOL I h ave just finish ed reading Virginia Compton 's anicle, "No Place for a Wo ma n ," in th e Septe mbe r/ Oc to b e r iss u e. The a rticle was co m- 12 PRISON LIFE pe lli n g a nd ins ig luful , a first-ra te piece o f j ou rn alism that courageously addressed the distin ct crisis that incarce rated wome n face eve ry d ay. I am gra teful tha t you reca nted your d ecision to d ecline being an "inside" correspo nde nt fo r P1ison Lifr and instead, o pted to o n ce again d isplay th e prove rbial "ope n fo r business" sign . Yo ur un iqu e pe rspective, inte ll ige nt a n d frank writing is ve ry much appreciated and insta lls a who le n ew dim e nsio n of resp ectabili ty to Prison Life magazine. j osejJh R. Pulliam Reprrsa, CA PRAISE FOR BACA Just fini sh ed readin g C h ris Cozzon c's story o n J immy Santiago Baca in th e july-A ug ust issu e. It's ni ce to read a su ccess sto ry a bout a co nvict! Main strea m medi a rarely pri n t a nything abo ut a con re wrning to so cie ty and d o in g th e ri g ht th in gs. As for Baca, and ma ny o th e r convicts o ut in the re al wo rld o r about to return , th ey must be stron g e n o ugh with in th e sou l to le t priso n go . Wa ke up fro m the nighu11are a nd the next step wi ll be peaceful drea ms in stead o f ha ume cl screams. Baca sa id whe n h e was re leased from th e pits of he ll tha t he wa nted to re turn . Either h e's a sad ist or prison almost got th e best of him- as it does to too many. Instead , Baca turned the table of to rme nt into a picnic of positive ac hi eve m e nt. Bravo fo r Baca! H e's a perfect ro le mo de l fo r convicts wh o a re trying to ge t so me thing o ut of the ir lives. The re are many ta le nted write1·s, artists a nd c ritics withi n p riso n walls. Speaking fro m firstha nd ex perie n ce, with II years clown, a few o f the m in so li ta ry, I kn o w that solitude can broaden a pri so ne r's pe rspec tive a nd increase the sen ses. Or it ca n turn a huma n imo a savage. Yes, Baca has bitte n with his fa ngs into the swee t pie of li fe instead of the poiso n of priso n. Mo re powe r to him . Un Vato Loco , Georgie Fields Menanl Carrectionallnstilution, IL GET THE WORD OUT I ' m writin g in resp o n se t o th e article in the July-August issue by Jon Marc Taylo r regardin g th e Reader's Digest article po rtraying our na ti o n 's priso ns as resorts. I' m h ip to the article 's d e libe ra te a tte mpt to "smoke scr ee n " soci e ty and was ge nuin e ly appalled at th e Re(ufpr 's Digest auth or 's ign o ra n ce so braze nl y d isplayed by his inabili ty to speak the truth . The three accounts o f real truth be hin d priso n conditio n s we re relayed as po ig na ntly and acc mate ly as a ny I've ever read. I applaud those fellow cons fo r their galla ntry. But this n eed s furth e r ex p lo itation . How man y wh o n eed to h ea r these Lrue-life acco unts actua lly subscribe to Prison Lijr? These a rticl es n eed to ma ke th e b ig time pe ri o dicals-th e n ewspape r s a ro und the country via th e Assoc ia ted Press a nd magazine read by the ge ne ral public: Reader 's Digest, Lif r, Time, McCall 's, Good HottSelleejJing, e tc. What a shame for th e ta le n ts o f th ese me n to go unno ticed . P1ison Life is a wo nderful magazine, but we can ' tjust let it sto p th e re. We n eed to educate th e public about th e show j ob the med ia is sending. Wh atever happens, le t's get this articl e out to th e world. vVe co ns already know the truth. It's our job to see that everyone else docs too. Thanks for making a di ffe re nce. 81)'011 Nfildmhall Central Utah C.F., UT RATHER BE HOMELESS THAN HERE I'm locked down h ere a t SCIGree n , a max secu rity prison in PA, a nd I think you r mag is the real deal. I' m glad you talked abou t the people who think we have it so good in prison. I don 't see where I have it so good. I'm from Phill y so I can 't see most of my family because they're too far away. I' m in th e H o le so on ly immediate fami ly can come see mebeh ind a glass. My mom and g randmom passed away this year so that's th e end o f my visits. Oh yea h , th ey were g iving o u t lun c h a co up le d ays ago a nd a bou t five o r six of us had spit o n o u r trays. Som ebody took t im e o u t to spit o n ou r trays. Yeah, we got it real good. I'd rather be h omeless with nothing tha n he re. j emwine TlwmjJson SCI-Green, PA CONVICT CODE: KEY-RYEST! Just fi nish ed r ead ing yo ur Jul yAugust issue, a nd it's tim e for me to speak out, whi ch I usually do for a ll the hardcore mofo's in this hell-hole. As we all share the PL mag here at the Special Manage melll Unit (SMU), we read a story in your last issue of some wan n a-tel l-everyone-he's-a-ha rei core m o t he r fuc ker who says h e's earned hi patch, b la h b lah blah, a nd th a t everyone else is a chump ("Revising th e Convic t Code," by J orge Re na ud). He te lls it all th e way from pro tective segregation . (Guess h e clidn ' t brag about th a t. ) Revisions in the Convict Code from broke-down motherfuckers who can 't hang no more? O n a nother note- listen up folks and liste n good, 'cause there are hundreds o f Greg Waleski 's (" Ho n or is Everythin g," sa m e iss u e) co min ' in and goi ng ou t. I may not know him pe rsona ll y, but I kn ow the attit ud e and it soun ds damn su·aightto mel Wh at? If th e sys tem changes, we're supposed to change and coopera te? O h , gee, I don' tlike th e a ttitude o r th e n ew g uys so I' ll take IT!}' sorry broken clmvn ass to lockup forever a nd g ive speech es o n how li fe just isn 't th e sa m e a n ym ore? Key-Ryes!! Can we ge t so me motherfu c kers to just stud up and ride the swrm? I've been to death row, did th a t gig. ow I' m doin' the life thing. Sure hated to leave m y bro Mike be hind (nothin g ea ts a t my sou l more). I' ve b ee n o n the yard , didn 't h ave to ac t li ke a fool, just stood my ground. They e nj oy locki ng up fun fo lks like mestanding up fo r yo ur rights is my job and it's o ne I do we ll. I pay the p rice with thei r bogus investigative lockups, too. They'll actually wri te you up whe n you appeal th e lockup status a nd th en tell you, "we encourage you to cooperate." I shit yo u n o t. I te ll 'e m , "Why don 't th ey suck a little cooperatio n out of th e head of my d ic k?" (Fe male admin isu<ttors preferred.) HAl T h at's the scoo p right now. Man y of us white boys are locked up fo r hom icide. First th ey drop the innue ndos and make false allegations, tl1en they te ll yo u h ow yo u ' re gon n a ride th e beef. T h ey go through this speech with 30 inmates or so before they ask you to coopera te. The words "blow me" come to mind awful fast the n . I'll stand up and fight for the man next to me as mu ch as I do myse lf. I may be doing life, but my case is back before tJ1e Court by my hard work and determi nation. Do I shake and quiver becau e tl1ey wam to drop bogus homicide a llega tions o n me? Even th o ug h tha t wo uld exti ng uish the light at the e nd of the tunne l? 'ope. Because it's not m e re ly a code, it's a bout h o no r a nd d igni ty, it's a bo ut tellin g these sorry-ass wannabe cop motJ1 e rfucke rs to go back h ome and try th e ir luck intimidating their fag lovers and dustyass kids. Because, in a nutshell, homey don 't play all tJ1at and never will. o, can ' t say I suppo rt your ca mp aig n to m odi fy th e cod e. The next thing yo u know, you ' ll be h a nging o ut at the White H ouse wan tin g to change tJ1e Constitutio n with tJ1 e girls on Capitol H ill. Try not to take it perso n al, troops. I've been in th is h ell h o le for ten years a nel l do n ' t care if it's ano tJ1e r 50. I've seen th e change in the a nitude, too. But I' ll b e dam n ed if it' ll c h ange m e, and yo u sh o uld b e d a mn ed if yo u le t a n o th e r c h a n ge you o r take from you what you fought to make rig h t. Lany P1in ce A1izona Slate Prison MOM PRAISES PLM I'm the mothe r ofajust-LUrned-18yea r-olcl ma le. Wh e n my son was 15, he was a rres ted fo r a felo n y. Things were looking very d im. I lived in terror t h a t h e wou ld o n e clay e nd up in prison . God, being the mysterious e ntity tha t He is, worked a bit o f magic in m y life. Th e G r ea t One a rra nged (continued on page 60) PRISON LIFE 13 At last , detainees and t heir friends and fam ily can get the books they want without a major hassle! Books Beyond Ba1'S 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 erotica and adult entertainment ... if it's in print, Books Beyond Bars can get it for you! For information on ordering or specific tides, write or send your requests by author and/or tide co: Books Beyo11d Bars, Publisi:Jers P.O. Box 4865 • Hialeab, FL 33014 ot· calL· (305) 444-0120 (No collect calls please.) Do11't waste your time! Write today. /Jooks /Jey cmd Bars Is r1 subsidiw)' ofCapt/tV! .llar('<'lill,~. /II C. • lfe do IIUtmail bate o•· racistliterli/IIIY!. libros In cy[emorium En Espano l. P osT-CoNVICTION RELIEF ATIORNEY MICHAEL]. O'KANE (305)285-3434 • FORFEITURES • FEDERAL CIUMINIU APPEAJ.S • Au. PRISON TRANSFERS 1401 PONCE D E lEON U~vD. Surrn 200 CORAL GAIIIIoS, Willi a m Kun s tl e r 1919 1995 }l friend, a counse{or and an inspiration. I'L 33134 APPEALS KENNETH A. WEBB 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 the court in each appeal, is available for your review by writing to Kenneth A. Webb at the address below. 3155 W. BIG BEAVER ROAD, SUITE 206 TROY, MICHIGAN 48084 14 PRISON LIFE "All the News You Can't Confine" BLOCK BEAT America's National Prison Newspaper November-Decenlber1995 HBO/Prison Life Drug Documentary in the Can Prisoners of the War on Dmgs, the first in ica sec who these people really arc.,. in her life and is now doing 24 year in a a series o f docume nta ry lilms pro duced T he biggest logistical proble m Levin federal pcniten tia1y, again on a marUuaby I-lBO and Prison Life, is in the can and and his crew faced in making th e film na growing charge." set to be aired in j anuary 1996. The pow- was gaining access to the inne r sanc tums Evenwally. Levin 'vas able to fi nd a e rful, g ritty lilm , shot e ntirely in maxi- of prison life. "In most places tl1ey would- few wardens who were not on ly willing LO mum a nd m edium securi ty pens, exam- n' t let us film anywhe re but in the visit- let him inside th eir prisons with his crew in es the impact of the drug war on ing room." but who also agreed to go on camera and America's burgeoning prison population. But Levi n-and HBO- wanted the talk about how the drug war has aiTccted Director Marc Levin , a ew York- film to have t11c same inside r quality as ilieirjobs. "I was surprised by p1;son offibased documentaq• a nd feature film- the magazine. He conti nued visiting drug cials-officers, wardens, adm in istrators, maker, won an ACE Award for Docu- prisoners in diffc1·ent pens looking for the front line troops in our war against mentary Special in 1993 and was recently tl1e right combination of story and access. crime-who constantly chall enged ilie no minated fo r an E mprevalent and popumy for Best Specia l lar mood of ' lock Docu me n tal)' for his 'em up and throw away the key.'" last HBO film , Gang War: Bangin' in Lillie Levin said he Roc/1, about street learn ed a lo t wh ile gangs in Clinton 's making the docubackyard . Levin workmen tary a nd he ed clo ely with the edhopes the film will itors of Prison Life to cause other Amerigive the film the same cans lO question tl1e savvy authenticity as government' tactics the magazi ne. HBO's in th e drug war. "I Exccu Live Prod ucc r never realized how for the America Unilic drug trade dedercover series, Sheila fines the convict Nevi ns, plans to co neconomy and shapes tinue th e series and the hi erarchy beLevin is already at hind bar just as it work developing a secdocs o n the street. ond special. ' What is happen ing in our prisons is the Prisoners of the War Al T - ·· d '' 1 r/, B . . jil . . n v I fid l d L.l:l//11 an camemman Jv. a 1 f!IIJOIII/11 1 mmg pnsoner r at 1 aung a title e era . f: on Dntgs rs a ast-pacc , . . _ ultimate metaphor for Jmson m Danlnuy, CT. Photo ify Tony Hardmo11. I1o ur- Iong Iook· at I10w th e madness of o ur the drug war has over-populated U.S. pris"Traveling to prisons around tl1c current approach. You can bui ld a wall ons with dope dealers and addicts whose coun try, I met a lo t of people r really around them , put them in cages, hire lifestyles continue unabated behind bars. liked and adm ired, " Levin sa id when g uards to mon itor them nig ht and clay Wardens, cops and prisoners in the docu- asked wha t it was that im pressed him and yo u still can't stop them from doing mentaJ)' readily agree that the drug war is most about th e convicts he came in to drugs. a costly, dcsu·uctive mistake. con tact with. "What frightened me was ''What scares me most is where this all 'The first visit I made was to a wom- no t the prisoners b ut the fact that so lead s. The social welfare sta te is dead en' prison." Marc Levin said in a recent man y of them were like acqua intances and we're replacing it with the jailhouse in terview at his Manhattan wdio. "v\le and friends of mine. I would return to state. The crimin al industrial complex is wen t to a federa l pr iso n in Dublin, Cali- tl1e hotel thin kin g how wi th a simple re placing the mi litaq• industrial comfornia where I met Amy Pofill, a pre tty twist of fa te it could have been me locked plex. Drugs have brought the war home, blond cover-girl from Dallas who's doing behind those bars fo1· years and years. I and the way we are fighting it now is lay27 years for MDA conspiracy. l couldn ' t met fath ers and sons like Donnie and ing tJ1c foundatio n for Gulag America.~ believe that people like Amy were being Duane Clark who are do ing time togetl1Prison Life wi ll publish a compan ion locked up fo r what is essentially tl1e rest er-thc father is doing life for growi ng editio n to the I lBO documental)', the of th eir lives, and I was moved by her pot. 1 met a man named Raymo nd Pope J an uary 1996 issue, due ou t in early Despirit and her determination to keep up who is also do ing life without paro le in cem ber. The edito rs arc already a t work the fig h t. Amy suggested I put together a Oklahoma fo r a few pounds o r marijua- compiling more sLOrics from inside phoLO mo n tagc of the faces of pri one rs na. And I met Pat Young, a motJ1cr and a America's w ug hcst joints fo r fmure TV of the war on drugs; let th e rest of Amcr- g randmother who was n ever in trouble specials. PRISON LIFE 15 PRISONER ACQUIITED OF MURDER CHARGES Corpus Christi, TX-Marcos Cruz-Estrada, a Mexican National serving a 15-month sentence for illegal reentry after deportation, was found not guilty in federal court here on charges of premeditated murder in the stabbing death of a fellow prisoner. The fatal shanking took place in a cell at the medium security federal prison in Three Rivers, Texas. Cruz-Estrada had 26 days left before release at the time of the murder. Cruz-Estrada took the stand and admitted killing the other convict, Cedric Ross, but maintained he did it in self-defense. The jury agreed, finding Cruz-Estrada not guilty on the murder charge but guilty of possessing a shank. He got an additional four months. Federal Public Defender Jose Gonzalez-Falla, who represented Cruz-Estrada, called two expert witnesses to testify for the defense. Rod Englert of Forensic Consultants, Inc., a crime scene reconstruction expert, testified that blood splatters in Ross's cell where the killing took place were consistent with Cruz-Estrada's assertion that he was attacked by a shank-wielding Ross when he entered the cell. Richard Stratton, the editor and publisher of Prison Life magazine, appeared as an expert on. prison culture and told the jury that the role of honor in the convict code calls for personal bravery and a refusal to go to the guards for help when threatened. Cruz-Estrada was a classic "short-timer" due to be released and the brunt of teasing by jealous cons. Cedric Ross, a petty criminal with a long arrest record, was serving 292 months with no parole for possession of a weapon STOP THE PRESSES?! Lansing, MI-Michigan prison officials have revised their opinion of prison newspapers. And they've decided that they are no place for opinions. Editorials and letters of opinion would be banned from the in-house publications under proposed guidelines issued recently by the Michigan Department of Corrections. No more criticism of the Legislature, the warden or the food. The department seeks to stick to objective "news and information for the prisoner publication." Department spokesman Warren Williams said the proposed change is part of an evolution in philosophy about prison management that has been under way for several years. He added that many top department officials think the newspapers should be banned outright. Newspapers and newsletters are published off and on at about half of the state's 30 prisons. "A lot of the long-standing prac- 16 PBISOII by a felon under the armed career criminal act. According to testimony, Ross began baiting Cruz-Estrada mercilessly as the day of his release came closer. During a game of pool, Ross called Cruz-Estrada a "bitch." Cruz-Estrada smacked Ross, and the two convicts went to the TV room to duke it out with Cruz-Estrada getting the upper hand. Ross later called down to the flats where Cruz-Estrada bunked. He displayed a shank and told Cruz-Estrada to "get something" and meet him in Ross's cell. Cruz-Estrada testified that "get something" meant arm himself. He got a shank, went to Ross's cell, and entered. Cruz-Estrada said Ross attacked him as soon as he walked in the cell. He fought Ross off with one hand and stabbed him a number of times with a shank he held in the ·other hand. Both convicts were cut. When Cruz-Estrada left the cell, Ross lay bleeding to death. Richard Stratton testified that, in adherence with the rigid unwritten convict code, Cruz-Estrada reacted in the only way he could to maintain his honor. Cruz-Estrada was described as a quiet but tough man who showed respect and expected the same from his fellow convicts. He and Ross had been friendly prior to events leading up to the fight. But as the baiting and insults got worse, Cruz-Estrada was faced with either backing down and being known as a punk, going to the cops and being known as a snitch, or defending his honor. There is, said Stratton, even in the case of a short-timer like Cruz-Estrada, no middle ground. "He did what he had to do." tices here have been reviewed and seem to be out of step with current thinking on crime and punishment," Williams said. "We decided if we were going to be publishing newspapers, we wanted them to be more like newsletters. Some of the editorial commentary that has appeared has been contrary to the mission and goals of the department," he said. Not surprisingly, prisoner journalists have a different view. "From this side of the fence, it appears that the mission, goals and objectives of the Michigan Department of Corrections are to keep everyone currently imprisoned locked up forever. One could not make that statement in our prisoner newspaper if this policy goes into effect," said Andrew L. Jeffries, editor of Muskegon Facility's prisoner publication, The Fq,ctor. "Letters of opinion, generally printed as letters to the editor by prisoners or freeworld citizens, would be prohibited. Most insulting, the Prisoner Benefit Fund of this facility, which pays for the production of the newspaper, would foot the bill for the use of prisoner newspaper space for Departmental notices," Jeffries added. ''The silencing of the penal presses of this country only further allow our keepers to commit the inexcusable atrocities not seen since the days of the Third Reich. An overly strong analogy? I think nod" "Bad Bob" Delgado Out on Parole Former gang member Robert "Malo" Delgado, featured in in PL's gang issue, has been released on parole. Delgado is currently working as a paralegal at a major Houston law firm. Although Delgado had quit the Texas Syndicate several years ago, the Texas department of correction has refused him parole for the last two years, claiming he was still the "number two" man for the Syndicate. Not long after the May-:June '95 issue of Prison Life hit the stands, the parole board reopened Delgado's file. His parole was approved and he was released August 23. LIFE ............ Female Prisoners Abused On th e night of Apri l 26, 1994, six fe male prisoners were asleep in the ad seg unit in Kingston, Ontario's Prison for Women. They had been placed in ad seg because they were suspected of drinkin g seve ral days ea rlie r. Arou nd 10:30 p.m ., the Emergency Response Team , consisting of ten men a nd two wome n in full riot gear, entered their locked cel ls, dragge d th e m ou t of bed, cut off their clo thes, forced the m to kn ee l while b e ing c h aine d a nd shackled, th e n paraded th e m n a ked to the showe rs. On May 6, 1994, fi ve o f th ese wome n were moved to Kingston Penitentiary to awai t u·ial o n the drinking c harges. Kin gston Penite ntiary is an all-male institution reserved fo r violent sexual offenders. T he women, most of whom had been sexually assau lted earlier in their lives, were within view a nd ea rsh o t of th e male popu lation . According to Kim Pa te of the Elizab e th Fry Society, a fe ma le prisoner advocacy g ro up, this greatly inte nsified their discomfon. Several months la te r , they were sti ll in segregati o n, d espite th e Correctio n Services' rule that 30 to 45 d ays is th e max imum tim e for holding a prisoner in solitary. Com plaints about the ERT's raid on the slee ping wome n a nd the fact that they were sti ll being held in ad seg produ ced n o action from a review committee. But th e mood c hanged whe n Chip O'Connor and Dan Scully, Kingston a rea lawyers represe n ti ng th e women , fought for a nd fin a lly obtained the two-ho ur vid eota pe made by the ERT of their April 26 activities. Immedia tely afte r th e tape was shown in court, the women we re moved back to ad seg in the wome n 's prison. ex t, a CBC radio show, As Jt HapfJens, featu red an inte1view with on e of th e rece ntly released prisone rs who detai led the indi gn iti es th e women had suffe red. This was fo llowed by a J a nua ry 3, 1995 Tomnlo Star edito rial asking wh y th e wome n we re still in so lita ry. T h e sto ry was b egi nnin g to leak, but th e public had still not seen th e video, so it was the priso ne rs' word against the officials'. Monday, Februaty 20 was not a good d ay for th e Correctional Services of Canada. Th e Office of Correctional Investigatio ns' long-awaited incide nt report was ta bled in Pa rlia me nt that mornin g, whic h effectively made the info rmatio n public. The con ten ts of the re po rt fo rced Solicitor-General H e rb Gray to create a Commissio n oflnquiry to inde pe ndently investigaw the even ts. That even ing, the hit hit the fan when CBC T elevision's The Fifth Estate a ired segm e nts of t he ERT video. Raw footage of life in the Canadian priso n system n eve r before see n was aired to the e ntire country. The public went ballistic. On Aug ust 9, 1995, Phase 1 of the inquiry took p lace. It didn ' t ht:lp that the officials a t the time o f the raid no longe r he ld th e same positions. The deputy commissione r o f corrections h ad been pro mo ted to sen io r deputy of co mmissio ns and the warde n had re tired. The investigation is still in its early stages, but so me surprising revelations have come to light: Kingston's Prison for Women, the o nly a ll-wo me n 's p rison in Canada, h ouses min imum to max im um o ffe nders. The pri so n e rs are all categorized as "h ig h needs" yet the staff are alarmingly inexpe1ienced. Th e re is also the mystery of the missing seg rega tion logs for th e th ree mo n ths precedin g th e ra id plus th e lost observa tion re cord s o f the segregation unit's officers, a fact whi c h is just now bei n g a nn o un ced , so me 16 months after tl1 e event. The inquiq• resumes as this iss u e goes to press. Updates will fo llo w in Block Beat. - Oriana Conti CON-TV BACK ON THE AIR H e-e-e-e-re's Rosie! Contacl, a controversial, hugely-po pular cab le TV progra m ru n by convicts in Kingston, Ontario, re turns to t h e air on Monday n ig hts with a n ew h os t-forme•· drug kin g pin Robe rt (Ros ie) Rowbo tham. Rowbotham, 44, is also ~anad ian managing d irector of Prison Life magazine . The sh ow, which dre w a ttention for its h a rd-edge look a t prisoners' issue from inside, was ya nke d last j une when host Ri c Atkinson a nd produce r Bria n J udge ran into difficu lties with a fu nd-raising campa ign geared at satellite disuibution. The show's producers a re curre ntly preparing a pitc h to the Roge rs cable gia nt in h o pes it will eve ntu all y lead to a national broadcast out ofToronto. Until then, Kingston will re main as headqua rte rs. Rowboth a m , 44, wh o is serving a 17-year se nte n ce at th e Pittsb u rgh fa rm fac ility in Kingston for maste r-minding a mu lti-m illion-dolla r m arijuan a importing caper, will re p lace Atkinson as host on the hit show. Once known as the "chairman of t h e board " for ru nn ing th e $54 mi ll io n hashish a nd marijuan a impo rting conspiracy, Rowbotham is famous for r eceiving the longest sente n ce eve r me ted out in Ca n ad a over so-ca lled '·soft" drugs. PRISON LIFE 17 ~l[tit.IYJLUtUa••_IUIL:llUtJ_ _ t~• ~lUL-lt~:~~l".--.-yi--Jill:Jf~ O n AugustS, 199LI, my 23-year-old son, Randy Payne, while serving time a t the Terrell Unit in Texas, was severely bcmen by 30 inmates because he would not meet their d ema nds for protec ti o n o r h ave sex with th e m. Ra nd y died seven days late r. My son was the on ly wh ite boy on that pod. The beating that ki lled him lasted for two hours. In addition to the 30 men who beat m y son, th ere we re another 50 who watched. I cann ot believe the guards would no t sec or hea r that many inmates-8 1- i'n one place. I wan t to know why the guards d id nothing to stop the brutal beating. Internal Affai rs has to ld me se,·eral stories about th e g uards. vVh c n I do not be lieve a Story, they cha nge it. They've changed their story three times now in t he six months I hm·c been figh ting them to get the incident reporL Today, I got the repo rt in th e mail. It read: "3 Hispa nicsjumped I 'vVhitc." End of Story. There have been thre e oth er inm a tes killed at th e Terrel l Unit and th e re are p ro babl y mo re d eaths than th at unreported. All fou r deaths have occurred on th e sa m e shift. One of the inma tes was ki lled by the guard s; the othe rs, by inmates. They all tell of being beaten by the guards o r by oth e r inmmes whi le guards are watchi ng . I know tha t th e ·e me n arc in prison for a reason but when 18 PRISON LIFE they all say the same thi ng you would believe that at least pan of it is true. There is too much vio lence in our justice department. I' m going to do everythi ng I ca n to put a stop to it. I have written to seve ral government and sta te officials. The on ly pe rso n willing to h elp is sta te se n a tor T eel Bivens. Our wonderfu l governo r Bush sa id he ca n d o noth ing to he lp us. I received a call from a mothe r in Fort Worth whose so n is also in a Texas prison. He has bee n beate n by the guards a nd also by the inmates. She's worried that he'll be ki lled. I'm hoping t hat enough atte nti on will pressure the TCJD to cha nge the way they operate. Vina Payne Texas '~'-l.lt.JJ~L,_I~t-"'•JIIII--.llt-l~fSl•lW• I'm a prisoner in Michigan se rvi ng I to 7 years for drunk driving. I'm a second-offense, no nviolent offender. A few months back I got a visit from my sister. She told m e th at our youngest brothe r had committed suicide the night before. After the heartbreaking news, I went to the prison o fficials to find out what had to be done in order for me to a u e nd th e fune ral. After th ree days of be ing lied to, they finall y explain ed all the d iiTe re nt p rocedures that need ed to be followed. In th e end, I was to ld I could go an d th a t I was to be in the co n tro l ce nte r th e fo llowing morni ng, dressed in state-issued cloth ing. That mo rn ing, once they pu t me in belly chains a nd leg shac kles, I was on my way to share and grieve the loss of my brother with my famil y. We a rrived early. The C.O.'s, info rm ing me that we had o me Lime to kill, took me on a short tour of my home town. We stopped at a little party store and they bo ught me a cu p o f coiTee, which I thought was decent of th em. The n we arrived at the funeral home. I noticed there wasn ' t anyone else the re. I figured we were still early and tha t my famil y would oon be arrivin g. O n ce in side, I asked the funera l hom e director wh at time my fami ly wou ld be getting there. Both the escorting officers and the di rector told me th at my family was not goi ng to be there. In fact, my fam ily h ad bee n told th at if a nyone was seen in th e pa rking lot upon our arrival, l was to be immediately returned to the prison. I cou ld pay respects to my brother, but not with my family and no t during the service. "vVhy?" I asked. "Who o rdered this?" 'Warden's o rders," I was told. 'We don 't know why." I was crying a nd I had snot running down my face. I begged th e m to allow me to see my fami ly b ut was told Oat-out," 1o ." Due to th e bell y chains, I couldn't even wi pe my eyes o r blow my nose. I was forced to stand there and pay my last respects to my brother alone and in complete humiliation. Wh e n we returned to the prison, I was taken into a little room and su·ipped of my clothes a nd checked for contraband. When I inquired as to wh y I h ad bee n o inhumane ly treated, I was told to go through th e grievan ce procedure if I had any complain ts. After d o in g j ust th at, I was call ed o u t to be inte rviewed by the warden. At this ti me, I asked why it was costing me $350 fo r less th an two-and-a-ha lf hours time a nd the 25-mile trip to my hom e town from th e priso n. I was to ld un conditionally that I was not getting m y mo ney back fro m my trust accoun t. vVh e n I asked why I h ad been kept from seeing my fam ily, the warde n said his offi ce was no t aware of any such o rde r. Wh e n I a nd my fa mi ly aske d for receip ts a lon g with an ite m ized statemen t for the clay, we were refused. Is th is their idea of punishme nt? Not o nly was l pu nished, bu t my fam ily was, as we ll. 1t is som e th ing my fami ly will neve r forge t. T h e warden viola te d a ll admin istrative r ules and p o licies concerning funeral furlo ugh s. I am classifie d a Level 1 property risk, a Leve l 1 management risk- th e lowest sec urity risk possible. But due to the lack of space in th e Mic higan system, I had bee n te mporarily housed in a Level 2 p rison. Is it my fault that bed space is li m ited ? I sh ould have bee n treated like the Level I prison e r 1 am a nd my fam ily should h ave bee n a ble to sha re their sorrow wi th me. All the administratio n accomp lished was to cause me and m)' fa mi ly further pain a nd sufferi ng. Ray j ewell 1\.R.F. , Kincheloe, Ml ,~,.a~•-••J~•••.a. It was busin ess a s u sua l in th e supe rmarket. I was ho ld ing th e customers spe llbound with the working e nd of my 12-gauge sawed-off shotgu n . My crime partner was clean ing out the cash registers and the safe. A move me nt caught my eye. A chi ld , a li ttle gi rl maybe seve n years old , was struggling to break loose from th e iro n grip her mother had on he r arm. She wiggled free and as she came ru n ni ng up to me, I e leva ted the sh o tgu n ba rre l to wh e re it was a imed over her head. The kid was excited, jumping u p a nd down. ] do n ' t exac dy come across as the e pitome of frie nd liness whe n I'm working, but the kid's face was glowing. She loo ked me righ t in th e eyes an d grinned . "Are we on TV?" My respo nse was blun t:" 1o !" He r blue eyes wide ned . "Is this an honest-to-God robbe ry?" I like kids as mu ch as a nyon e. But I do n 't like anybody 1vhe n I'm working. I spoke ha rshly. "It's a robbe ry." "Yo u a in ' t gonna shoot me," she told me. I a lm os t smi led. T h e kid had hea r t. l lowe r e d my voice so only sh e cou ld hea r me. "That's right. But if th e rest o f these nerds find that o u t, I' ll starve to d eath." It made pe rfect sense to h e r. She whi spe red back, "I ain ' t gonn a tell 'e m , then. " "Good, we' ll keep it our little secret, o kay?" My c rime partn e r was g ivin g me worrie d lo o ks. I motioned for him to proceed with the robbery. l looked at the kid 's moth er. She was as wh ite as a sheet, ready to pass out. "Do you do th is every day?" the kid continued. "No," I said. "Only whe n I'm hungt)'- Now you better ac t back to yo ur Mom. She's about ready to fa int." ~> The little girl smiled a nd went skipping back to h e r mom. As my crime partn e r a nd I le ft t he sce n e o f our crime, the li ttle g irl waved good-bye. H e ll , I' m human; 1 waved back. T he nex t day, upo n seeing the from page of the local newspaper, I groaned. Printed was ou r conversation, word fo r word, along with a picture o f her smiling face. A g uy can o n ly stand so muc h . l left town. R. i\lleengs ,_:,(l)_~l!tl;J.W:tJ~···· I'm o n e of 2,000 ward s he re at the Youth T ra ini ng School in Ch ino, Califo r nia. Everyone h e re is 18 to 25 years old so I guess you could call this a junior pen. Th e re a son I ' m wri ting is th at o n Apr il 2, ab o ut 6 p.m. , our wate r was turned off. Ou r toilets wouldn ' t Hush. Th is pl ace has o ld pipes so it was noth ing new. We we re told that the wate r would be back on at seve n the next morning . The water came on but the cops said th e system was still b e ing worked on. T hey a lso said that the wa ter was safe to drink. But th at day, all the un its in this joint got two b ig gallons o f bottle d wate r. H ere's the thin g, though: The bottled wate r was for co ps on ly. We asked for a little a nd they said no . It was for staff only. So, if the wate r is O .K., the n why were p r isone rs forced to drink it a nd not them? Are the y saying we are less than human com pa red to the cops? It's now April 4, 1 1 p .m . Thi s is the second day we have to take "cowboy showers" in our sinks because the showers arc still o u t of comm issio n . Some of the people he re a re saying tha t Ll1e water is bad and compla in abou t stomach proble ms, including me a nd my bunkie . . I unde rstand th at we put ourse lves h e re beca use o f o ur own ac tions. But a ren't we, at least, supposed to be treate d as hum ans? The p ipes a re still to rn back a n d it see ms to me that the)"re no t even u1'ing to fi x it as fast as th ey should be. \1\lh y cou ldn' t th ey just say, "Don't fu ck with the wate r," a nd g ive us so me of the ir wate r? Fmnl< Villarreal }'. T.S. Chino, Gil PRISON LIFE 19 1996 Catalog Discover the latest in leathercraft! Send for Tandy Leather's FREE 152-page catalog, packed with over 220 NEW products! You'll see garment, tooling and exotic leathers, hard-tofind tools, patterns, books and videos, craft supplies, jewelry findings, glues, d~es and finishes, how-to s, leather kits and much more. Contact your local Tandy Leather store manager for special inmate prices! For FREE catalog sond $3.00 pstg.Jhdlg. (rotundod on first order) to: Tondy Loothor Company, Dop1. Pl1195, P.O. Box 791, Fort Wor1h, TX 76101. FOR A MORE HUMANE AND PROGRESSIVE CRIME POLICY: Th e a ti o n a l Ce n ter o n In ti tuti o n s a nd Alte rn ative s recen tly started an advocacy project named Ci tize ns fo r a Safe Am eri ca (CSA). Its goa ls fo r 1995 are to do uble good conduct credi t fo r nonvio lent, first-time offe nde rs in the fede ral syste m; to discourage the use of mandato ry minimum sentences for first-time no nviole nt offe nde rs; to deve lo p a n effective p rog ram fo r ex pung ing c ri mi na l reco rds; to in crease th e use o f halfway ho uses, ho me d ete ntio n, mandate d d rug treatmem , educational o ppo rtunities, pareming tra ining, fam ily visitati o n , wee ke nd furlo ug hs and vo ters ' rig h ts. Citizen · fo r a Safe America is trying to o rgan ize ofTe nders, ex-offenders, the ir friends and fa milies in to a grassroots netwo rk in support of a more huma ne and p rogressive crime policy. Me mbe rs an d d o no rs receive a quarterly newsle uer, special repor ts and legislative ale rts, making it easy to com ac t e lected offi cials. "We want lO involve th is constituency m ore ac tively in th e process o f shaping public policy o n crime and punishment," ·ays proj ect directo r Ke ith Stro up, Esq. T o join, end a mem bership fee of 25 to Citizens fo r a Safe Amer ica a t 635 Slate rs La ne, Suite C- 100, Alexandria, VA 223 14 (703) 684-0373. Fo r those who can 't afford to j oin , says Stro up, free informatio n is available . AS A RESULT OF A FELONY OR CERTAIN MISDEMEANOR CONVICTIONS, you may have lost you r rig ht lO hold vario us types of lice nses or jobs, such as cashier, real estate salesperson , taxi d r ive r, nurse , ph a rma cist, n o tary public, etc. T o r esto re your rig hts, you need to o btain: a Certificate of Relief From Disabilities, fo r whi ch yo u a re e lig ib le if yo u have been con victed o r o n ly misd em eano rs and no t mo re tha n o n e fe lo ny; an d a Certificate o f Good Conduct, fo r which you are eligible if yo u have been convicted of mo re tha n o ne fe lo ny. Certificates a re offi cial r ecognitio n th a t you have been re ha bilitated . Th ey have the po we r o f removing any legal bar o r d isabili ty imposed o n you as a result o f having bee n convicted of th e crimes specified on th e certificate. If yo u have a certificate, no t o nly are most o f your lost rig hts resto red, but yo ur criminal record cann o t be held aga inst yo u in applying fo r wo r k, un less it is specifically j o b-re la ted. Th e burde n o f proof is now o n th e e mployer to d emo nsu·ate tha t hiring yo u wo uld be a risk to peo ple o r prope rty, o r tha t yo ur convictio n is direcLl y related to the j o b fo r which you are app lying. Re me mber that m any employers ar e fo rbidd e n by law to hire yo u unless yo u have o ne o f these certificates. Yo u can apply for a Cenificate of Re lief Fro m Disabilities im mediate ly afte r yo u r co nvic tion. T o a pp ly fo r a Certifi ca te of Good Co nduct, yo u may have lO wait on e, three o r five years. To request an applicatio n fo rm fo r e ither certificate, write to your state paro le board. - Michf'le Quid1 PRISON ARTIST SECURES SHOWING. Priso n e r a rtist Anth o ny Papa secure d a b owing o f his wo rk at th e Hudso n River Gall ery in Ossin ing, :-.IY. Pa pa learned to pain t in pr ison a nd last year h a d a p iece ex hi bited at th e prestigio us \1\'hitn ey Mu eu m in 1 ew Yo rk City. He is also a co mribu ting writer for Prison Life. T he sho w can be seen at th e Hudson Ri ve r Galle ry, 2 17 Main St., beginning ovember 17. 20 PRISON LIFE RAPE DEFENSE HANDBOOK FOR WOMEN . New York prison er and martial arts expert Sebastian Ventimiglia wrote The Rape Defense Handbooh jo1· Women, based on information gathered inside prison from rapists. Popular for several years in America, the book will soon be published overseas. The Rape Defense H andbook describes types of rape ; offe nde rs' motives and patterns; safety tips; wh en to fight back; keys to self-defense and where to get help. Jack H e n ry Abo tt writes in th e Introductio n : "The boo k aims at teac h ing women wh at every male, in one way or another, takes for granted: street fighting and street viole nce. Ventimiglia wants women to be sha rp, to be ready a nd able to respond forcefully to viole nt aggressio n. The book is a realistic, refreshing and timely approach to the problem." To order, write to Jaz Publications, 32 Garnet Lane, Plainview, New York 11 803. A NEW FORUM FOR PIDSONER AUTHORS, W1ilingjmm Prison , seeks fictional acco unts, o pinion pieces, short reflective essays and diary excerpts. Future issues of the newslette r will focus o n th e mes of addiction a nd recovery, women in prison, creativity beh ind bars and viole nce in prison. Send material and subscr iption inquiries to: W1·iting hom Prison, P.O. Box 38, Buckingha m, PA 18912. THE PIDSON LIFE FOUNDATION is back on track. After several months of reorganization and re d ta p e, th e Priso n Life Foundation has been accorded status as a not-fo r-profit organization and is ready to begin its stated purpose of helping prisoners obtain an ed ucatio n while incarcerate d. All those who h ave written to the foundation will rece ive a newslette r with mo re info rmation about the programs a nd proj ec ts the foundation is undertaking. Anyone interested in learning more about the Prison Life Fo undation should write to: Prison Life Foundati o n , 200 Varick Street, Suite 901 , New York, New York 100 14. DON'T GET OUT MUCH ANYMORE? VISIT THE MAIL·ORDER·MALL P.77 PRISON LIFE 21 [11];®&[1 'D!J/JjU~ &[?[3 [?W@[U] SUBSCRIBE TO PRISON LIFE AND GET: • • • • • • • • • • Legal advice that just might get you out of jail-free. Medical and health tips that could save your life. 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THE BLOOD OFA POET - II ' ll n r u APrison Life Interview with Taylor Hackford by Richard Stratton T rt)'lor 1/adiford (cente~1 with m"'o members and f11isorlt'rs 011 the weight pi!t• at San Qul'lllin. n the July-August 1995 issue of Prison Life we ran a piece by Chris Cozzone on the penitentiary-educated poet, Jimmy Santiago Baca. One of the finest poets wri ting today , Baca did it all from prison, and he hasn't forgotten or tried to deny the experience. He turned it into art. Baca and filmmaker Taylor Hackford teamed up to bring the poet's vision to the screen in an intense saga of life in and out of the joint for three vatos locos from East L.A., Blood In, Blood Out (Hollywood Pictures 1993.) The fi lm is based on true events that took place in the California prison system beginning in the late '60sthe rise of the powerful prison gang , the Mexican Mafia. The story follows Miklo Velka, played by Damian Chapa, a blue-eyed hall-breed who returns to East L.A. in search of family, both blood relatives and the larger family of man. He reunites with his cousins, I Paco (Benjamin Bratt) and Cruz (Jessie Borrego), and gets caught up in on-going macho clashes that lead inevitably to gang war, prison and death. In a gripping sequence , Cruz, who is a talented painter, has his spine broken by members of a rival gang; Paco goes on a rampage seeking revenge ; but it is Miklo who winds up with a murder beef. By the end of act one, Cruz is a cripple, Paco joins the Marines, and Miklo is headed to San Quentin. From here the story becomes an epic of prison life. Young and pretty when he shuffles onto the yard at Quentin, Miklo is scared to death. He has two alternatives: find protection within one of the cliques that rul e the yard , or be preyed upon by roving bands of psychopaths and lone maniacs. Hackford and Baca throw us into the unmitigated world of a maxi mum security pen that becomes a grotesquery of the masculine. As a half-caste, Miklo is severely tested. "Blood in, blood out" means that to be accepted as one of La Onda, as the Chicano gang is called in the movie, Miklo must first kill an enemy. He learns how to survive and ultimately thrive in prison by cunning , by showing courage and by wielding power and suppressing all emotion except hatred. By the end of the film, the sweet, lonely kid who goes home in search of love and identity has been forged into an alienated, ruthless convict. When I heard Taylor Hackford was in New York recutting a documentary about Muhammad Ali made by a friend of mine, Leon Gast, I immediately asked for an interview. Hackford was working 12-hour days on the Ali film in an editing room on Lower Broadway. The director's latest film, Dolores Claiborne, was about to be released in Europe and Hackford was due to be there for the premiere. I agreed to PRISON LIFE 23 meet him at the editi ng room to keep the interruption as brief as possible. T hroughout the interview, Hackford kept trying to give all the credit for Blood in, Blood Out to Baca. But the director's considerable contribution to the artistry of the film is evident in every frame. A couple of weeks after the interview, I watched Dolores Claiborne and Hackford's 1982 hit, An Officer and A Gentleman, starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger. These are Hollywood movies at their best-character driven, moody and intelligent, but nevertheless predictable. You wait for the plot points. Cinematically, Hackford gives us sweeping, wide-angled transitional shots, then he gets in close and lets his actors be intimate with each other and the audience. He gets real performances. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kathy Bates are brilliant in Dolores Claiborne. Blood In, Blood Out, though a very different kind of picture, has a lot of the same visual and emotional effects. It is to Hackford's credit that in making Blood In, Blood Out he stayed true to Baca's epic vision and made a difficult, heartfelt film. Hackford and I ducked out of the editing room for an hour during dinner break. We conducted the interview leaning against the wall in a hallway that could have been a tier on a cellblock. There was the same hurried intensity of a conversation during a controlled move in the joint. I started by asking H ackford about hi s background and how he came to be a filmmaker. grew up working class, got a schola rship to go to college, was into politics in the '60 . I was going to be a lawyer of all things. But I went into the Peace Corps first. I started reading about fi lm and thinking about the poli tica l context, th e powe r of film. Wh e n I got back from the Peace Corps I went to law sc hool for about two weeks and realized that was not a pro fessio n I wanted any part of. I walked out, lost my tuition. I d idn't knmv anybody in th e fi lm business, but I we nt into KCET, a public television station in lA , and asked them for a job. They gave me a job in the m a il room , a nd I just kind of worked my way up. Tha t was my fi lm school. Someone said, "Can you shoot film?" a nd I said, "Yes." I got a book on fi lmmaking an d r ead it. I didn't screw it up too badly. After that I did music sh ows, political reporting, investigative reporti ng. I did a law reform docume ntary. I just kept at it until I found that what I really wanted to do was dra matic work. I made a short fi lm for high schools on sex educa tion called T eenage Fathers, whic h is to ld from a boy 's point of view and is about teenage pregnancy. I wrote it, directed it, pro duced it. It I 24 PRISON LIFE was e nte red in the Acade my Awards a nd it won the Oscar for best short. I was 29 when I made the film a nd that was my ticket. I got my first feature, wh ic h was 77u Jdolmake1; and then I did An Officer and A Gentleman and that was very successful. I just we nt on from the re. What drew you to the material of Blood In, Blood Out? I've always been interested in Latino issues. I grew up in California, a lo t of my frie n ds were Chicano and I love the Latino c ulture. I went to South America in th e Peace Corps; I learned Spanish while living in Bolivia, a nd later wh e n I was a reporter in Los Ange les I d id on-camera news and investigative re porting on th e who le Latino scene. The early '70s was my time as a re porte r in LA, a nd there was this immig ration explosio n go ing on. Whateve r t h e official figures we re about immigration and illegal aliens, you could multiply it three to five times. That was th e reality. If you spoke Spa nish , you realized that city ran on Latino labo r guages represe nted. That's in H o llywood . Tha t's my city. But this film is about more than Latino cu lture. It is also about the much more insular and esoteric culture of the penitentiary. What made you want to do a prison movie? 1 kn ew th e sc ript, it had been around for a long tim e. The n I became fri e nds with Jimmy Baca thro ug h Lui s Valdez, a wonde rful playwright wh o runs T eatro CamjJesino ''/ got a job in the mailroom, anC/1 just kind of worked my way up. That was my film school. Someone said.t. 'Can rou shoot a film?' said, 'Yes.''' and most of it was illegal. It was the same situation as in New York in the la te 1800s: you have immigrants who are kept out o f the mainstream of society, you have young men growing to maturity in that culture, and they're going to lash out, they' re going to h ave a certain a nger because they can't get a job. They want a piece of the pie and they're being denied it, so they turn to crime. Jump a head 70 years and you 've got contemporary California. California is th e melting pot. Yo u've got Asians, Koreans, Latinos-it's pheno menal. In one te n-b lock area the re were 147 diffe rent na tions with 70 differe nt Ian- in Sanjuan Ba utista, Califo rnia. Luis wrote a nd direc ted L a Bamba, a nd I produced it. But La Bamba is like the Jimm y Cag n ey movie, Yanftee Doodle Dandy. It's mak ing it in America; everyone can do it; reach for the brass r ing a nd g ra b it. Peop le loved La Bamba and tha t's sweet, because they could say we're li ke a big wonderfu l me lting po t a nd everyon e's th e same. Everyo n e loved m e for doing La Bamba and for givi ng Luis a chance. But there's an other side. We aren 'I the same. I ope n ed myself up for a lot o f sh it whe n I did Blood In, Blood Out, for portraying th e realities of La tino life, the whole dark side of it. You' re show- ing a se nsitive sid e o f a cu lture. And J immy Baca was the man who made me open up lO that a nd appreciate it He re's a man who litera lly ra n wild in the streets in hi s tee nage years, d idn ' t speak a ny English , was viole nt, frusu·a ted a nd e nded u p in t.he j o im-he d id e ig h t-a nd-a h a lf years. Whe n h e we nt in , he was a fun ctio n a l ill ite rate. He taught himself lO read and write in the joint a nd subsequentl y h e's won the ational Book Award. He's a phenomenal poe t. This is a man who's inspit·ing . Bu t a t the same time, th e th ing that is TaJIOr l/adiford (ltjl) in the editing room at worll on a dorumeutary about M ulwmmed Ali. (/Mow)Cmumrmbers fnt>parr the rellblorll for a shot at Sou Qunrtiu during thr filming of Blood ln. Blood Out. in c ,~tabl y, it leads to the joint." An d jimmy wa sn ' t so mebod y who researc h e d it , he lived it. H e li ve d it and he really knew it. He gave me the co u rage to make th is movie . I sa id to hi m, "Look, I'm Ang lo a nd I' m makin g a fi lm abo u t Chi can os. T h a t 's number o ne. umbe r two, I' m ma king it about the dark side o f life. An d number three, I' m mak ing it about th e join t, wh ic h is a whole o th e r cultu re. I need you r he lp." Th is fi lm had fou r di ffe re nt la nguages. It had English , it had Span ish, it had Chulo , or Spanglish , and it had that emirc ly d i!Te rcnt prison lang uage-the adaptive language of thc jo in l. Tha t was e xc iti n g to m e. I was a mazed th a t I was ab le to co nvince a majo r stud io to finan ce it. A sc r ipt ex isted, o ne that two or th ree o t he r write rs h ad worked o n. But .Ji mm y Ba ca came in and in fused it with reality, with a voice that was to ta lly Chi cano a nd flue n t in all th ese lo ur lang uages. That's what mad e th e piece work. I wante d to make it rea l, a nd it's to ugh to have to g uess, "We ll , co uld this h ave h a p pe n e d in th e j o im ? pl ay-acting the c ha rac te rs, and yo u mig ht look at the m and say, "Oh, th is g uy loo ks real, h e loo ks tough ." But th e n you go in to a real join t. Yo u look into the eyes o f these people; wh o th ey arc comes o ut o f th e ir bod ies, th e ir eyes, and th e ir mo u t hs. Th ese p eo ple a rc so rea l that yo u know if yo u try to f~1ke it yo u ' ll wind up with some thin g that lacks in tegrity. At the sam e time, Eddi e Olmos was d oing Amnimu MP. It's too bad we had to co m pe te . There we re two e q u ally va lid poin ts o f view he re, a nd we bo th wan ted to go in to San Quentin to fil m. The warden o f Sa n Quentin at the time was Chi can o . O lmos and I bo th approac he d him , but Eddie went to him a nd said, "I' m Eddie O lmos, th e number o ne Chicano actor in America, and I want you to let us shoot he re ." The wa rd e n said, "Le t me re ad th e script. " Edd ie wouldn ' t le t h im sec h is script. T he warden, Danny Vasquez, is a vcty smart, to ugh man. Like o ne or the chart~ctcrs in the film , he was in a u·ect gang a nd went th e oth er way, j o ined the police Io ree, went inw corrections. I walked in and said to him, ''I'm An glo. I' m h e re to make a Ch icano movie. Yo u ' re Ch ica no . I wan t this to be true to the reality o r the join t. I have a writer wh o did e ig h t-and-a-half yea rs. These a rc n o t Ill)' words on the page, they' re his. What ! want to do is te ll a real SlOt)'. He re's the script. " He took it, read it, called back and said he wam cd us to do the fi lm. The warden, the harshest critic, pro nounced the script real, and that was because o f.J imm y 13aca. Acwally, the wa rden in the fi lm is the rea l warden , Dan ny Vasq uez. What was it like trying to shoot a movie in a working prison? g reat a bout jimmy is tha t he sa id , "I do n ' t want to deny my past. I can circulate in New Y01·k with 1 orman Mai le r o r G race Paley o r th e li te ra ti he re, o r with Chicano docto rs or lawyers o r people of tha t ilk. " He said , "That's fi ne, I wan t people to have ed ucation, bu t th e fac t is, th e re ' a ll th ose rhavalilos o ut th e re, the re's a ll th ose li u lc g uys who arc the same people that I was. If you say that they' re hopeless, then who am I? T h e fact is, yo u 've got to ta lk abou t that culture, shine the ligh t o n that cuiLUre a nd talk about th e h uman ity of it, the frustra ti o n of it. And tha t, Maybe th is is just folde ro l." Bu t .Jimmy was the re-and he re's a ma n wh o was a n eyewitness-so I can no w as a fi lmmake r know that I' m no t pulling an y bu llshit into th is fil m . So I go t t h e sc rip t a nd we n t in to p itc h it with real passio n for the sto ry. .J eff Katzc nbc rg at Disn ey sa id h e wamcd me to ma ke this movie. Disney is not a n easy p lace to ma ke a fi lm. I to ld him I wante d to make a rea listi c film- ) d idn ' t wa nt to go in to a shutd o wn p r iso n . I wa n ted to go in to a j o int th a t was real a nd fu n c tio n in g an d had real faces. Acto rs ca n come in Ge tting permissio n fro m th e warden at San Que nti n was o n ly t h e beginni n g o f o u r proble ms. Disn ey was co nce r ned I would have no cont ro l over sc h edu ling a t San Q u e n t in a nd wou ld n ot be abl e to bring th e film in o n tim e a nd u nd er budget. T he studi o a id no go. Wh e n I insiste d I wou ldn ' t m a ke the fi lm unless I could shoot it in San Que ntin, Disney rele nted a nd gave me the g ree n lig ht. We we n t fo rward in to this expe rimc n l. I took e ig ht or ni ne actors o n ly. Eve ryone else in the film is a real con. We shot d a ily on a live basis for six weeks. Eig hteen ho urs a clay. It was crazy. Whe n )' Ott go into a priso n , yo u 're go ing into a diffe rent socie ty. It's no t Am e r ica. It 's n o t th e socie ty o n th e s tree t with any of the in alie na b le rig h ts th at we have. It's th e ward en's PRISON LIFE 25 priso n a nd they have ce rtai n r ules o r The press ure o n t h ese a c tors was laws yo u have to li ve unde r , a nd so inte nse. The people a ll aro und the m th ey break everybody wh o co mes in. we re rea l co ns, r eal priso n e rs. orr They b roke me in th e lirst two d ays. ca mera, th ey had to walk imo the yard Beca use I've got a hu ge a mount o f and the cons we re saying, "Yo u ' re full pressure fro m Disney sayin g, "O kay, o f shit, pu nk," o r "Hey, man , th at waswe 'll le t you go in the re but you've got n ' t bad ." That's th e kind ora ni rm ato co m e ou t in the rig ht amou n t o f tio n th a t a d irectOr can g ive the m , bu t time." Butthe j oim worked on ce rtain wh e n they got it fro m those g u ys, it strucwres: four times a day eveqr day was a fanta tic expe ri e nce for the m . they cou m every prisoner in the p lace. We've heard from Jimmy Baca about Eveqrthing stop d uring the count. We kn ew th a t was go ing to h ap pen. T h e th e anguish he went through going back proble m is that wh e n the cou nt is o n , inside. Tell us how Baca handled it. e vet)'thing stops un til evet)' priso ne r is That was fasc in a t ing to m e, h ow accou nted for. \Ve were trave lin g with betwee n Ji mmy dealt with be ing in the re. As we three a nd four hundred priso ners as go t clo ·er a nd closer to e nte ring, h e extras every day. First d ay, we' re in the st.-·u ted to get really nerYou . I didn't ya rd, we h ave ou r extras with u s. It ge t it a t fi rst, and th e n I reali zed that co mes time for the co unt. We co unt this man wa in for eight-a nd-a-hal f, o u r extras a nd the prison co unts the he is now go ing to have to go bac/1 in rest of th e prisoners. They' re m issing for a long period o f tim e. He's truly in three prisone rs. In o ur g ro up , th e re th e minds of th ese g uys; h e's tru ly were three exu·a priso ners. Yo u kn ow, go in g into a h o use fill e d with th o ua n ds of p eop le h e unders ta nds; h e th ree guys, wh e n they were called in fo r co unt, said th e he ll with th a t a nd knows th e imeri or o f th eir brains a nd th ey joined our ran ks. T h e who le j oim it's vet)' painfu l a nd ve t)' dange rous. shu t down . Fo r four-a nd-a-ha lf ho ur T h e fi rst d ay o f shoo tin g h e freaks we sat the re una ble to work. T he first out. Comes up lO me and says he 's got two d ays it h a ppe ned twice. Th e sec- to ge t out of the re, just can ' t do it. And ond time th ey said th at if I didn ' t p lay I sa id , ·:Jimmy, I need you man . I' ve by the ir rules, if I didn 'L do my counts establishe d you o n cam e ra , you 're one a nd make sure it was ri g ht, th ey' d of the chantcters." And he said, "I don ' t give a ruck about that, I can ' t stay here. make su re I d idn ' t work. At first, the priso n ers th ough t this would be a cool thin g, becau se as an extra yo u go t fed twice a day. In San Quentin they only se tve real mea t twice a year. So we ' re se rvin g m ea t twice a day: stea k fo r d inn er, c hi c ke n fo r lu nch . After the first day, th e guys didn' t show up. I found o ut they were sick lO their stomachs, in their cells throwing up because the food was so rich. I took my nine actors in th e re playin g priso n e rs, and maybe o n e was playing a g ua t·d. For th e re t, we had real guards, real prison e rs. The h ead of the Arya n Broth e rh ood a nd th e seco nd-in-comma nd we re actors. The If I tay h e re, it's over. " We looked a t h ead of the Blac k Gue rrill a Family each o the r and I said , "I h ave to h ave a nd his seco nd-in -co mm a nd were }' O U here beca use I want to d o so m eac to rs. Fou r or live C h ica n os we re thin g real, a nd you ' re th e o nl y o ne I actor a nd the re t o f the peo ple, the u·u ly u·ust. How do we work this out?" gang , were all prisone rs. "Wh en you need me o n the set, ca ll I wanted to ge t the rea lity o f th e me. Find me a place-! d o n ' t ca re joint, a nd by taking Ho llywood acto rs what it is, a closet, a nywhere-whe re I in to a wo rk ing priso n , th e re was n o ca n put my typewrite r . Wh e n yo u ' re proble m ge ttin g au th e nti city. Instead no t using me, I' m going lO go in th a t of hav in g a whole bun c h of Ho ll y- roo m and shut myse lf o ff and I'm wood people posing and ll)'ing to act going to write. Tha t's the o nly way I'm like they we re in the j o im, here these gonna keep my sanity." g uys were walki ng in a nd th e priso nSo whe n we were sh oo ti n g a nd I ers we re sa}·ing, "So you' re supposed nee d ed him , I could find him in his to be one of us? You ' re su pposed to ·'cell," writing. But he d id it, and we made th e film be o ne of the h eaviest guys aro und?" a uth e ntic. The peo ple are bo n a fide. You can see th eir intelligence. Yo u seldom lind p eo p le o n t h e o utside as articula te as people in the j o int, and if an ac tor is go ing to foc us o n th e ir li ves, it's a g reat labo ratory, beca use it's all right the re and it's scary. De lroy Lindo, a great black acto r who played th e h ead of t h e BCA, was p lay in g a vet)' smart ma n. Kiki [Enrique] Castillo p layed Mo nta n a, th e lege n dary founde r of the Me xican Mafia, anothe r g reat m a n . T h ese a r e m e n who cam e imo priso n , looked a t why th ey ca me to priso n , looked at th e ir siwation , a nd bega n to und e rsta nd th e co ntext o f minorities in America and wh a t the pri on syste m has clo ne and is doing to their people. The lead of th e movie, Miklo , is a ha lf-b reed , some body who 's man , not an ime llectual. But he fiercely wan ts to be lo ng. He wants d espera te ly to be a part of th e broth e rho o d h e linds in prison . So Miklo fo llows Moma na, he kills o n e of th e white g uys wh o is explo iting eve ryon e, a n d u ltim a te ly Miklo is acce pted as o n e o f La Onda, whi c h becomes his fa mil y. \1\lh e n he m akes pa ro le a nd goes o ut to the stree ts wh e re h e has to d ea l with th e reali ty of Lt)'ing to earn a living a nd ge t back in lO socie ty, again he's rej ec te d . By this tim e his cou sin , Paco, h as become a cop. And Cruz, Paco's broth- 11The pressure on the actors was intense. All around them were real cons. Off 1cameral the 1 cons were saying 11 You re full 1 of shit1 punli.1 or Hey1 man~ 1 tnat wasn t bad.~~~ 26 PRISON LIFE e r, who is a tale nted ari.ist, is a junkie. Miklo can ' t sta nd the frustratio n a nd rejectio n, so he turn s to crime. Wh e n he meets h is cousin Paco du.-ing a rolr beqr, he gets his leg shot o fT a nd goes back to the joint. Some thing has died inside of him . When the guys from the Arya n Bro the rhood knock him down and ta ke his artilic ial leg, m ake him crawl o n th e gmund for it, th e re's no way this guy is going to turn th e other cheek. From th at mome nt on, he c ha nges. He takes the point of view of an eye fo r an eye, believes he must have an iron fist in order to rule over the organization. and said if there 's eve n a c h a n ce of vio le n ce, we're not going to show thi s m ovie. Th en the y kind o f wimped o ut, they c h anged t h e t itle from Blood In, Blood Out to Bound b)' Honor. We h ad a ve r y li mited re lease and that was it. How did the experience of making a movie in a working prison like San Quentin change your perceptions of crime and punishment in America? T o me the experie nce was re ally bi za r re . San Quent.i n is ou tside of San Fra nc isco, whi ch is th e e pito me of yupp ieclo m in th e US: ex u·emely expensive, people living the good life. You look ou t a t th e bay, a t th e boats, you see people sipp ing Cappuccino, and yo u say, "Jesus C hrist, whe re am I?" Th e re is o ne world in prison and Cmo mrm/m:1· .11'/liug ufi equifmwut in lit'rs at Srm QuPuliu. rig h t o u tside is a no the r How were you able to sell Di sney on world and that d icho to my is vet)' much present in America. the length and structure of a film that goes against everything studio executives strive O ne thing p eople vo te fo r over and for in making a movie marketable? over again is new prisons. If th ey spe nt a po rtio n o f the mo ney they' re spe ndI wanted lO make it lo nge r ! I had a ing o n priso n s on ed u ca tion , th e re whole oth e r stOI")' about whe n Miklo would be less need fo r prisons. Jimmy comes o ut to th e street 20 years later. A Baca is a n e loq u ent s p ea ke r on th e sto•y about what the Mexican ~ I afia can subj ec t o f educatio n . I was with him do and has clone. I would love to have once when he poke to the Californ ia completed it. Associatio n o f Educators, a ll these T he film as it ex ists is te rrib ly ambi- h ig h sch ool princ ipals, and he re's a tious. T o d o a H o ll ywood fil m bi lin- man who did n 't g rad u ate fro m g uall y, to make a visceral and very school, d id n ' t go to sc hool, and th ey to ugh m ovie wit h a lo t go ing on is jumpe d up and gave h im a sta n din g n ex t to impossib le . T h ey d id let me ova tio n beca use h e ta lked abo u t the mak e a three-ho ur movie, but th ey exc ite ment of learn ing. we re rea ll y fr ig h te n e d o f it. T o g ive Bu t instead o f sc h ools, th e poli tiMi chae l Eisner h is due , he looked a t cian s say ICl's bui ld mo re p risons a nd th e m ovie and said, "I've go t a three just lock 'em up so we' re safe. Law a nd billio n dollar corpora ti on here a nd I order is impo rta nt, but ultimately it's ca n ' t afford to put thi s m ovie o ut in not go ing to c ure a n ythin g . Ronald th ea te rs a n d take the c h a n ce that Reaga n d id more to desu·oy th is counyoun g Ch icanos a rc goi ng to come see try than ten p r es id c n ts. Reaga n pu t it and kill eac h other." I could under- throug h th e in de te rmi nate sente nce. stand th is to a degree. l mad e this fi lm If you look at th e ind e te rm inate se nfor t h ose people in LA-that·s wh o tence in Califo rnia-which 1 do in th e J immy wanted to communicate wi th. film- it brought a ll these people who Disney d id some test screenings. \l\1e were lo w-level drug o ffe nders into an had a really big response. But in Las "in stilUtion o r h ig h e r lea rni ng" fo r Vegas, so me ri va l C h icano ga ngs got crim e. Peo ple caug ht with marij ua na togeth er, and somebody had to th row o r so m e littl e b it of d o pe a re g ive n a pun c h . The ne xt ni g ht, a bunc h o f longe r te r ms tha n a r me d robbers. It's people sh owed up. Disney got ne i\'OUS n u ts. Ro na ld Reaga n sold voters a bill of goods that we'll a ll be tryin g to recover fro m forever. Society feels ab h orrence towa rd prisons and pri so ners. But look around an d yo u ' ll appreciate th e incred ible impact and inOue nce that prison c ulture has now- i n dress, in style, in la n g uage, in mu sic. T h e who le gangsta ra p thi ng had its b irth in p rison. In te rms o f th e way people d ress, the way th ey g room themselves, sh o rte r ha ir, the tattoo ex plosion. a ll come outol" the j oint. ·w hat I was interes ted in doing in Blooclln, Blood Ont was havi ng peo ple on th e ou tside look at what goes o n in prison. Some people ma)' th ink it's too intricate a stmy, too invo lved, but the Byzantin e nature o f th e join t demand s a ce rta in broad foc u s. T o the o utsider, priso n li fe is a lie n , th e language is hard to understand, the re's co mpli cation th e r e, there's such in te nsity. Every m o men t is survival. Every momen t is awareness. You d on't have that kind of awareness in the street. Peo p le wa lk thro ugh New York and thin k tha t they're aware, but it's like nurse ry sc hool co mpa re d to the j oin t. I was ho ping the a ud ie nce would loo k at the process of incarceration a n d say, "H ey, th e peo p le in th ere are not an imals. Many are there because o r bad silL!atio ns." For examp le, th e re's Paco. In th e beginni ng, h e's a rea l bad ass. He 's th e g uy who's about to kill somebody. Instead, his close fri e nd, Miklo, grabs th e g un, shoots th e g uy to protec t Paco, and winds up go ing befo re the jud ge, charged wi th the killin g. There are a num ber o f judges in East LA who g ive you a choice-go to the military or go to joint. But not if you're fac in g a murd er r a p . So Pa co goes into the Marines, gets turned around, co mes back o ut and e nters the pol ice departme nt. It 's an age-o ld process. One goe to the Marines a nd becomes a co p , o ne goes to p r iso n and becomes a ga ng leader. It is all a matte r of circumstance. Socie ty is now thoroughly in{ilu·ated wit h people wh o h ave gotten th e ir g raduate d egree in crime in p rison, a nd yo u 're neve r go in g c han ge the cycle until yo u fill the educa ti ona l vo id. 'ow, when peop le co m e bac k from the jo in t, they arc emulated. Wh en the e hardened m e n co m e back to the b lack and Ch ica n o communities from prison, they' re powerful entities a nd role mod e ls. But the real q uestion is, wha t kind o r man do you want com ing back into society: a p oe t like j immy Baca or a killer like Miklo Ve lka? lii1 PRISON LIFE 27 June '94 Herby Sperling : A Legend In His Own Time: Reputed mobster and convicted drug kingpin on doing life without parole at USP Lewisburg ; Ki m Wozencrafl on The Mark of the Convict; Fiction: The Great Escape by Richard Stratton; COLLEC,.OR's ITEMS-PRISON LIFE BACK ISSUES ARE sa.LJNG 007 FAST! Bubba's Debut! ... and more! ~'Em October '94 Former DEA Agent 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: The Economics of Imprisonment; Julie Stewart, founder of FAMM. March '95 Art Behind Bars-Winners of PLM's 1st annual Art and Writing contest; Exc lusive Interview with Controversial Filmmaker Oliver Stone; First Amendment Rights of Prisoners by William Kunstler & Ron Kuby; From the 'Hoods to the Pen: Gangbangers Speak Out. May-June '95 Gangland USA: Part II of PLM's Inside Look at Prison Gangs. Learn the shady history of Texas prison gangs from an O.G.; John Gotli's Lawyer Bruce Cutler Tells Why the Feds Want Him In Jail; Contract On America by Richard Stratton; Liberating Prisoners With Kindness: Jennifer Wynn on Bo Lozoff. Up andlhrow thek~ rrrst six issues of Prison Life are out. But you can still score our lat~st iss es. Packed with prison surviv strat gres and hard-hitting stories from the inside, these issues are going fast. Own a omplete set of America's hottest magazine. Only ten smacks a shot while they last, and that includes postage & handling. stnacks a ot-w last July-August '95 Novelist Kim Wozencraft on the Controversial Case Of Mumia Abu-Jamai-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 ExCon Poet J immy Santiago Baca. September-October '95 America's Greatest Living Convict Writer Eddie Bunker, by Richard Stratton ; Real Peop le on Death Row; The first look into the Alcatraz of the Rockies; Inside the Capital's Cage; plus fiction by Dannie Martin. 0 MasterCard - -- - - - - ---City _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ Zip _ __ to: Prison Life, 4200 Westheimcr, Suite 160, Houston, TX 77027. Or call 1-800-207-2659. Canada's correction system has nothing to do with correcting and everything to do with manufacturing the very people society fears. Terry Fitzsimmons, a 1.2-year career criminal, is a case in point. In 1984, T e rry Fitzs immo ns, a confused 18-ycaro ld, began his crim inal career as a co nveni e nce-sto re th ief. In .July, 1993, he e nded it by injecting himse lf with the H IV-infectecl blood of his fourth murd er victim and lllrning h imself in to the police. For 577 clays, he wai ted t0 die fro m AIDS. Fi n a ll y, h e got tire d o f waiting and hanged himself in hi s cell at Kingsto n Pe nite nLia l) ' in Ontario, Canada. In a mann er the co urts and priso n co uld not, Mr. Fitzsimmons instituted his own brand o f ca pital pu nishm e nt, a t least in part beca use he und e rstood that Canada 's co rrecti o ns sys te m has no th in g to do with correcti ng th e crime proble m- that, in fac t, it manufactures the very people society fea rs. And Ten) ' Fitzsimmons was a star exam ple of what the system can p roduce. Sad ly, th e mould th at fo r med h im wasn ' t bro ke n with his death . The le tha l combination of repressive hi g h-secu rity fac ilitie s a nd inadeq u ate co u n se lin g and re h abi li tatio n m e an m ore convic ts li ke him will mutate in o ur prison s. I first spoke wit h tvl r. Fitzs immo ns in Fe brua r y 1995 as part of my resea rch fo r a book aboutjoh n H ill, a priso n-righ L5 lawye r, and abou t his law cle rk, Howa rd Massicoue, a fo rmer a rm e d robbe r. O ver th e wee ks le adin g up to Te rry' s d ea th , we spe nt abo ut seven ho urs toge ther on the telephone. The in itial hype an d braggadocio abou t d e libe rate ly in fecting h imse lf with the HIV virus soon gave way to so meth in g mo re interesti ng: a clark tour of pen itentia ry logic. In our last conversatio n, fi ve clays before h is dea th o n Ma rc h 28 , 1995 , h e said that th oug h t h e re was no thing he could do abou t his own situa tio n, he wou ld like the world to kn ow just what a c reatu re of the syste m he had beco me: "I got noth ing to gai n by it, like I could sit back in my cell and di e, but I wa nt th e m to know tha t, h ey, I ca me o n t his p lanet o ne thin g a nd I' m leaving th is planet a to tally different thin g, a nd how the he ll did I go fro m one ex tre me to th e other. Not tha t a nybody's at fault, but let's sec where maybe we cou ld have preve n ted it." I n co ntrast to hi s me d ia bil ling as a deran ged mo nste r, the re was an engaging vita li ty abou t him. He was a pitiless realist who con from ecl fac ts head o n . In sho n , I fo und him tO be a luc id vo ice fro m the other side o f the law, unresistanl to quesli ons, honest in his answers-and only o ccasionally tru ly frigh ten ing. PRISON LIFE 29 T e rre n ce Fitzsimmon s was bo rn in to an uppe r-midd le class fa mil y in Lo nd o n , Onta rio, th e th ird o f four brothe rs. His chi ld hood e nded at age ni ne, by wh ich time he had developed a d rug prob le m. His e ducation e nd ed a t age 15 whe n he grad uated to the su·eets o f To ronto. He held a se ries of res ta ura n t jobs, t h o ug h h e n eve r ke p t a j o b fo r lo ng er th a n six mo n ths. A 198 1 convic tio n fo r obstructi ng a peace o fficer bega t a 1982 conviction for ca rrying a co nceale d weapon , fo llowe d by fo u r ro bbe ll ' cha rges a nd a th ree-yea r se n te nce in 1984. In 1986, he killed a fe llow inma te. He was se ntenced to n ine years and served six. He was re le ased in Dece mbe r, 1992, but wasn ' t o n t h e trec t fo r lo ng. At th e e nd ofjuly, he mu rd ered three people over the course o f fo ur d ays. Be twee n hi first convicti on a t age 18 and h i death at age 3 1, he was o u t of jail fo r j ust cigh t months. Was h e a n a wra l b o rn ki ll e r? Probably no t. In desc ri bing his in itiati on to life a t t h e me di u m-sec u ri ty j oyceville Pe ni te ntia ry in Kingston , he told me : "Whe n I first ca me in I was aro u nd 5-fee t-5. I was 18, 98 po un ds, blond ha ir, g ree n eyes. j ust a li u le cutie a t a party wh ich I had n ' t be e n invited to ." He was raped du ring his first wee k. Slowly, he lea rne d the ro pes: "You ge t to learn abo u t a ll th e diffe re nt aspec ts o f crime a nd all th e auiLU cles o f vio lence t h a t pe rtain to p ri so n subc ulw res a nd li fe. If yo u h a ve a n a lte rc a t io n , yo u h ave to use wh at yo u lea rn e d- killi n g so meo ne e lse, having a fi g h t , ta king h ostag es, a u e mp tin g escapes fro m p riso n . Yo u usc th e kn owledge you've learne d. An d you lose th e h u ma nity o f j ust be ing a nice pe rso n. " On e clay, h e witn essed t h e fa ta l stabbing o r a close frie nd by a n o the r inma te. Because th e Crown wish ed to call h im as a witn ess, he was u·ansferred fo r his pro tectio n to Kingston Pc ni te nti <lll', a maximu m-security facility. Sh o rtl y afte r h e a rrive d t h e re a t th e age o f 22, h e found himself in the path of ra pist-mu rd e re r Mark Sha nn on, wh o mad e hi m a sex ua l do-or-d ie offe r. "The threat.~ starte d abo ut 6 p .m . the n ig h t be fo re," recalle d Fi tzs immo ns. By mo rning, he decide d he ha d "no c ho ice." By 10 a.m., lr. Shan non was d ead. Mr. Fitzsimmons spen t a year in soli taq•, waiting to be t ri e d fo r m a nsla ug hte r- fo r whi c h he go t ni n e ye ars a dd e d to his ta b . H e wa th en t ra nsferre d to th e Saska tch ewa n Pe ni te n tiaq· in Prin ce Albe n , an ultra-maximum secu rity priso n wi th o n e of Ca nad a's two pccial Han dl ing Un its (S H ) . Thi ""as the crucible for the final tagc o f .t\ lr. Fi tJ_~im mo n ' d evelopme n t. Howard .t\lassicou e calls SH Us "the Sibe ri a of prisons." As most prisone r know, solita ry co nfine ment i desig ned to max imize sensory dcp•·ivation. T he u nits arc complete I)' automated , a li ttle more than tll rcc-bythree ya rds in . izc, line d with steel. Th e windows o r each cell are covered with steel sl at.~; th e solid tccl doors have a small pee pho le. Priso n e rs arc locke d up 23 ho u rs a clay; o u tside th e ce ll, th e priso ner is ha n d cuffe d to wa ist re tra in ts a nd ho bble -c h a ine d a nkle -to-a n kle . On ly o n e priso n e r is a llowed out a t a time. Te levisio n , ra dio and reading mater ia l a re privileges for good behavior. Mr. Fitzsim m o ns to ld m e, "I was fo rgo tte n fo r th ree yea rs wh e n th ey le ft me in the SH U. l d id n ' t realize it was d oing a ny da mage, to be pe rfectly ho nes t. Yo u co me to e njo y the isolati on . I was nu m b, confused . I became used to screa ming into th e speake r in the SH U. Wh e n yo u ' re ta lking to a n inanima te obj ect, you don 't give it too much respect. " D r . Stuart G rassia n , o f th e H arva rd Sch ool o f Me di cine a nd a u th o r of Psychop atho logical Effects o f Solitary Confi neme nt, co n su lted o n th e Fitzsimm o n s case: "These ki n d s of u ni ts [S H Us] a re like facto ri e , a nd tl1e product they create is rage. Ma ny p eople wh o've bee n in sol ita ry become mo re rageful , more irritable, m o re e x p losive . T h e kind o f t h in g Terq• described is certa in ly co nsistent witl1 what I've seen." Mr. Fi tzsimmon s was 26 whe n he emerged , a nd soon afte r was re turned to the ge neral populatio n a t Ki ngston . O n o n e occas io n , h e b eca m e d isru ptive a fte r b ei ng refused shower privileges fo r fo ur clays. On h is way to solita ry co n fin e m e n t, h e smas he d h is fi st in to a steel wa ll, shatte ring h is hand. "On the way to the hol e, I sta rte d freaking o u t, like with in myself, not p hysically. I said, 'You ' re going to loc k me up fo r breaking my hand? Obvio usly yo u just wa n t a piece of me,' so [ ende d up biting a chu nk o ut of my ann. It took 24 stitc hes inside a nd 12 stitch es outside 'cause I started pull ing a t it as we ll, rip ping it witl1 my teeth ." T he n ew pe rsonality had e me rged. T he a utl1o ri ties fe lt h is be havior warra nted exte nded tim e in Ki ngston 's solita•l' a nd Prince Al be n 's SH U, with th e resul t th a t Mr. Fitzs imm o n s spen t fewe r th a n two yea rs in th e ge ne•·al popula tio n before two-thirds o f h is se n te nce was com ple te d and h e was e lig ible fo r release. And so it was th at in j an uaq•, 1993, witho u t a structured and gradua l re in troductio n to life beyon d the pe nitc ntia•l'· he was d ischarged d irectly to the stree t to serve the fi na l o n e-th ird on sta tu tory release, whi ch mean s he had to re port regularly to his parole officer. "T h C)' d id n ' t 'ga te ' [refuse parole to] me because 1 did a lot o f groups [in anger con trol, p roblem solving, life skills] and they cou ld n' t j ustify it. I wasn ' t a re peal offendcr. The fi rst Lime anybody mentioned 'cascading' [gradua l introd uctio n imo socie ty] was afte r a paro le b•·cach . I turne d myself back in a nd th e parole people in Mi llhayen [Pe n i te mia ry] tho ug ht I h ad been o n a pre re lease progra m, tl1at l ha d seen tl1e street p1ior to getting out." Lawye r J o h n H ill , a lo ng-tim e ad ve rsa ry o f solita ry confinem e nt, says Correctio n Services was at fa u lt. "T hey sh o u ld have realized h e was a d anger to himself a nd to socie ty." Mr. Massicotte adds tl1at, "if a policy change has to co me in to e ffec t, it sh o u ld be tha t eveq • pe rson who has spe nt time in an SH U who is close to statuto•l ' re lease sh oul d be n agged a uto matically fo r [co n tinued] d e te n- Shortly after he arrived, he found himself in the path of a rapist-murderer, who made him a sexual do-ordie offer. 30 PRISON LIFE ti o n . That might seem a negative thin g coming from a "I believe strongly that I'm more a product of the syste m t h an of my own family upbri ng ing. Maybe th ey defe nse lawyer, but p risoners need il." should sta rt looking at tryi ng to correct th e ir m istakes Rega rdl e of po licy or respo nsibi lity, Mr. Fi tzsimbefore more people like me ge t out." m o n s was now o n t h e streets of Kingston. Six m o nth s Mr. Fi tzsimmons died by his own hand on March 28, before h is re lease, he had married Tammy Lyn n McG ui re , the sister o f an inmate. The un io n lasted I 0 1995. A memorial service was he ld fo r him at Kingston Penitentia t)' on April 13th . ·Tm hoping my fam ily will a t days into his freedom. He t h e n moved in with beau tyleast claim my body," he said during one of our final consalon owner Sheryl Blackadder, a relation hip that lasted versatio ns. "If no t, the n it's Sl 35 for cre ma ti o n a n d it'll unli l July, when he stole J 0,000 of he r jewelry a nd disapbe o n the taxpayers' back. It doesn't matter to me." peared into Toron to's gay communi ty. It is a tradi tion in Kingston Pe nite ntiary to wait a fu ll He soo n met up with Do n He bert, a n HIV-p ositi vc travel age nt who was infatuated with him. The two fo und 24 hours afte r a suicide befo re moving a n ew priso n e r into a n e mpty ce ll. l n th is case, a prisone r was p laced they had a common inte rest in cocaine. To ge t money for drugs, Mr. Fi tzsimmo ns robbed a m idtown Can ada Trust; th e re sh o rtly afte r the body had bee n re moved. That n igh t, o th e r priso n ers reported that th e new resident a few days later, this time acco mpa ni ed by Mr. He bert spe nt mu ch of th e nig h t sc ream in g. Mr. Fitzsimm o ns' (w h o h ad fanc ied them as "th e first gay Bonn ie and Clyde"), he held up the branch again. u·oubled spirit had apparently returned. There is som e debate as to whether Terry FitzsimBack at their a pa rtme nt, they were j oined by a retired mon 's d eath was t11e final chapter in a nighunarish story Toron to dentist named 'orman Iusky, who had a crack problem an d had moved in wit11 the m th e clay before. Dr. o r the begin ning of a trend. Mr. Massicotte is pessimistic. ·'We' re predicting we'll see a lo t more of this coming out Rasky, 62, figu red o u t that th ey had robbed a bank to buy o n the street. The SH U o nl y o p ened u p 15 years ago. cocaine and th rea te n ed to call the police. Mr. FitzsimThey' re ge tting ou t now." m ons, h ig h o n d rugs, b ludgeoned and re p ea ted ly Co nve r sely, Mr. J ohn Oddie, assis tant warden of stabbed Rasky wh ile Mr. Hebert looked on. He says it was Kingsto n Penitentiary, does not believe Fitzsimmo ns' case th e n th at Mr. He be rt asked him to kill him so he co uld is a p ortent of th e futu re. "Our programm ing hasn't escape th e torme nts o f d ea th by AIDS. Mr. Fitzsim mo ns c hanged no r d o we see a req uire ment to change it. For agreed, a nd said he wished to d ie, too. It was like ly th e n inma tes re turnin g fro m SH U, the p rocess has been the tha t h e injected himself with some of Mr. He be rt's blood. sam e as with Mr. Fitzsimmon s. They are seen by the case Mr. H ebert an d Mr. Fitzsimmons fl ed to Montreal by manageme nt offi cer and th ey wo rk ou t a treatm e n t pla n train , leaving be hind the beate n and stabbed body of Dr. to mee t their requ ire me n ts." Rasky in the base ment of the ir apartme nt building. O n Alth oug h h e re peatedly ex pressed a n absence of August 1, th eir mo ney gone, th ey robbed and ki lled ca b fear, T e rry Fitzsimm o n s fully und e rstood th e imp licadriver Fern and Talbot. The next da)', they wen t to Ottawa. They decided th at ti ons of dying a lone. The in terviews that led to t his article wer e con du cte d by te lep h o n e th is was the d ay Mr. Hebert wou ld die. because I, along with oth e r me mbers In a secluded spot in a Red Barn of th e media, we re not a llowed in to restau ra nt, Mr. Fitzs immons c ho ked see him. In a n effort to atte nd h is Mr. H ebe rt into sem i-conscio usness, "I'm more a then plunged a kni fe in to his chest. me m o ri al se rvice, I m ade ren ewed product of the H e wen t to an Ottawa police staattempts to get clearance, but prison autho ri ties did not respond to any of tion and turn ed himself in. "It's go t to system than of sto p ," h e to ld them. "I' m tired of my requests. Afterwards, it was reported that atten d ance for th e service was ki lli ng people." my own family closed to ou tsiders. Whe n I first spoke with him , Mr. upbringing. Fitzsimmo n s had had time to re fl ect Father Hail, the prison ch aplain, said he had bumped in to T e rry th e o n the four murd ers and his decisio n They should start weeke nd before h is suicide. "H is pain to e n d his life by g iving himself AIDS. correcting their was showin g . H e looked ve ry tired, "I wish non e of th e murders had hapvery pale." This repo rt contrasts with pened, but wis hi ng isn't go ing to mistakes before the voice I heard jus t 48 h ours c hange it. They' re ve ry deep expe riences, vet)' vio lent experie nces a nd I befo re . Th e m a n I'd sp oke n to was more people don't think one i easie r than th e filled with determination, a n absol u te get out." oth er to li ve with. I h ave diffe re nt resolution to have his story heard, to ch a nge th e syste m for the better n o t emotions for each person. Ha tred for Ma rk Sha nnon. Ras ky? Pity. The cab for himself but for the next prison e r d ri ver? I wished it never happened. who might u·ead th e same path. Te rt)' Fitzsimmons may have given up h o pe with his his fin al Don , the best friend I eve r had? I m iss him but I' m ha ppy act, but he managed to override the prison's media ban fo r him because he's where he wanted to be. an d gra nt his story a secur·ed place in the public eye. I "I believed in ou r fri e ndshi p. I believed that if he was firm ly believe he understood tl1is when he mad e his deciwi lli ng to die by my hands then I should be willing to die sion to leave tl1is world. by his b lood. I' m giving socie ty exactly wh a t th e)' want. I'm go ing to give them capital punishme nt. Instead of it Reprinted from the Canadian Globe & Mail. being a five-minute thing, they' ll see it for five o r 10 yea rs and watch it cat away at a pe rson. PRISON LIFE 31 A CURE FOR CRIME PRISON LIFE AT THE 5TH NATIONAL CURE CONVENTION IN WASHINGTON, D.C. by Richard Stratton &Jennifer Wynn C rime, poli ticians tell us and mainstream media duly report, is the co untry's number one domestic problem. If we are to believe o ur e lected lead e rs, the answer to the crime crisis lies in administe ring more of the sa m e sho rt-sighted re medies that have thus far fa iled to staun ch the now o f blood in our streets. Mo re laws and longe r prison sente n ces. More co ps a nd more federal agents with broader pol ice powers. More priso n s a nd a return to inhum a n e cond iti ons of con fin e ment. :Vlo re capital crim es and more executi ons. Tho ug h these sna ke o il c urati ves on ly appear to have made t h e condition worse, we are assured that larger a nd la rge r doses of deadly medicine will eventually h eal the nation. All we need to do is give up more of our civil rig h ts and let the police have their way and Ame ri ca will be safe. Both conservatives who purport to oppose big government and liberals who cry fo r mo re gover nm e nt over32 PRISON LIFE sight favor g iving greater power to police agencies, to th e courts a nd to prison officials to wage war on crime. Whe n he was Gove rn or of Arkansas, Bill Clinton ordered a me mally retarded man to be executed so as to appear to ug h on crime and to deflect bad publicity on his ph ilandering. Spea ker Newt Gi ngrich recent.ly called for mass executions of drug smugglers. The level of vio le nce and brutali ty in our society plagues many Ameri cans and ye t to question official hard-li ne policies on crime is to commit political suicide. Look what happen ed to J ocelyn Elders when she so much as suggested it might be t ime to o pen di a log o n decriminalizing drugs. \>\'hat we need , our trusted o fficials see m to be saying, is a Mark Fuhrman on every su·eet corne r a nd we will a ll sleep be tte r. Some Ame ricans are beginning to questi o n the government's wisdom and motivation in dealing with the impac t of c rime on o ur society. In muc h t h e sa me way as the a n ti-Viet- nam war movement started 30 years ago, th ere is a growing constintency of the citizenry wh o now disn·ust and outt-ight o ppose Washington's solutions to the crime question. The imperative to wage war in th ej un gles of Southeast Asia in order to protect Ame rica from Communism proved to be a lie; in the real world in hab ited by ordinary Americans, "lock 'em up a nd throw away the key" as a means of del ivering us from crime is equally bogus. It took the fam ilies of sol diers kill ed in Vietn am, a nd the veterans th e mselves, to co n vince the rest of middle-America that th e war was a mistake. ow a grass roots organizati o n made u p large ly of priso ners' loved-ones, family members a nd e xprisoners who have expe rie nced the crim inal justice system first-hand has brought the war o n crime home to the hallowed halls of Congress wh ere insular law-make rs jostle fo r p ower at the expense of t.l1e coun try's well-be ing. CU RE, Citizens U nited for Reba- Pauline & Charlie Sullivan founded CURE 23 fears ago. They have dedicated their lives to reforming the criminal justice system and helping improve the lives of individuals behind bars. b ili ta tio n o f Er ra nts, is a n ati o n al o rga n izatio n d evo ted to reducing crime through refo rm o f the c riminal justice syste m (es pecia lly pri so n refo rm ) . With c hapte rs in 36 sta tes a n d a n a ti onal offi ce in Wash ing to n , D.C., CU RE is t h e n ati o n 's fo re mos t coa li tio n o f' crimi nal justice advocacy gro ups. T his yea r CURE held its Fifth Na tio nal Co nve ntio n in the Capital on J un e 17 throug h 20. The edi tors o f Prison Life atte nded th e co nfe re n ce and were welco med h ea rtil y bo th by o the r conve nti o n ee rs a nd by th e o rga n ize rs. It see ms we a re saying much th e sa me thi ngs. fn the fo ur clays o f the co nvention, hundreds o f me n and wome n fro m all over the co unuy gathe red at T rin ity College in \IVash ingto n to ex press concern lo r th e bruta l and wasteful tactics e mbraced by o ur governme nt in th e wa r o n crime, a nd to di sc uss alte rn a tive m e th o d s a nd strategies fo r red u cing crime throug h reform of the crim inal j ustice syste m. But the CU RE cause does no t e nd with talk. CU RE is also a lo bb}' g rou p , and as Ch arlie Sullivan, Na tio nal CU RE '~ executive d irecto r, pointed o ut to conve ntio n participa nts in his we lcoming lcue r, "The most impo rta nt eve nts of the conventio n are th e Congressio n al visits o n Tuesd ay." Conve ntio nee rs were urged to con tact th e ir Re prese ntatives a nd make a n a ppo intment to visit. CU RE p rovided each o f the a u e ndees with a le u e r fo r th eir Re prese ntatives ra ting th e 103rd Co ngress and urging Co ngress m e mbe rs to beco m e Public Official Sponsors of CL'RE. Saturday, tJ1e first d ay of th e conve n tio n, was given over to registra ti o n and, in th e eve nin g, self in trod uc ti o ns a t a getacquainted social he ld in o ne of' the voluminous o ld ha lls at th e baroq ue Catho lic university. Re prese nta tives fro m diffe re m state CU RE chapte rs a nd affilia te groups stood and ide nti fied themselves. Man y to ld of having had no idea j ust how sick our crim inal j ustice syste m i · until a loved one or family me m ber we n t to p ri so n. It was extraord ina ry to be in th e sa me room with so ma ny like-m inded p eo ple o n a ra nge o f tOpic· th at have divided America ns into two o pposing camps: th ose who believe the way to de te r crim inal be h avior is with mo re vio lence a n d abuse, a nd th ose who ad voca te tha t the so lu tio n lies in und er ta n din g th e ca uses o f c rime, a nd in edu cating an d re h abili tati ng those who break the law. Beginning a t ni ne a. m. Sun day a nd runn ing umi l Mo nday evening, over 50 panels were he ld on a fascina ting varie ty o f cr imin al justi ce top ics: !.:.Jft'rtive Substance Abuse Treatment an d Unrlenlanrling Inmate Phone Systems: !'our Rights and Remedit'S lO Tht' National Camj){[ign to StojJ Control Unit Tortu1·e a nd Doing Ti111e Today: Dl'bttnlling the Myth that Prisoners Have it Made. Pe rusing the sc he du le , it was frustra tin g to h ave to choose be tween pa ne ls on so ma ny issues vital to read ers o f Prison Lift'. We a n e nded a pane l on capital punish me nt, Update on the DNtth Penalty: Fil:1·1 Degrf'e Murder by the Stale, and we re moved by pa nel ists who told of having a mentally distu rbed son o n deatll row in Texas. A young stude m from De Mo ines, lowa recalled h ow she became frie nd ly with co nd e mn ed poe t Will ie Otay, a nd h ow sh e e ndured hi s execution. In a gro up di sc ussio n afte r the pane lists spoke, it was agreed tha t th e on ly legitimate way to resist the death penalty is on mo ral gro unds. Thou shalt not kill goes fo r the sta te, too. Next we sat in o n a pan e l c h a ired by Juli e Stewart o f FAMM (Fa mil ies Aga inst Ma ndato ry Minimums) a nd h eard fro m .J ul ie 's bro the r, .Jeff' Stewart, a form e r ma rUuana prisone r wh o was re leased fro m prison this year and n ow wo rks with his siste r lo bbying Co ngress to end ma ndatory minimum sente ncing . Rece ntly FAM.M won a m;Uor victo ry o n a se nte ncing issue th e g ro u p h as bee n ad voca ting fo r ove r two yea rs. An am e ndm e nt to th e sen te ncing g uidelin es now se ts th e sta nd a rd we ig h t of' a ma rij ua n a p la nt at 100 gra ms p e r plan t PRISON LIFE 33 What is CURE? A national organization to reduce crime through the reform of the criminal justice system. When and Where Did CURE Start? CURE began in San Antonio, TX in 1972, when a dozen citizens (families of prisoners and concerned individuals) went to the legislature in Austin to work against the death penalty. In 1975, CURE formally organized with an annual convention and a constitution. In 1985, CURE expanded to a national organization. CURE's Goals Are Making Sure that: • Prisons are used only for those who absolutely must be incarcerated. • Prisoners have all the resources they need to turn their lives around. CURE's Outreach Activities • Providing errants and their families with information about rehabilitative programs. • Promoting the creation of more rehabilitative programs. • Convincing errants that change can be brought about more effectively through the exercise of their constitutional rights. Who Supports CURE? CURE has a mailing list of over 5,000. This includes prisoners and freeworlders. Five percent of the membership of Congress representing both political parties are Public Official Sponsors of CURE. Where is CURE Active? CURE has an organized presence in most states. This is either through state chapters, contact chapters (the first step toward becoming a chapter) or organizations with similar goals that affiliate with CURE. What CURE is Working on • Stopping the expansion of the death penalty. • Removing racism from the application of the death penalty. e Renewing the Targeted Jobs Tax Credit (which pays for a portion of the starting salary of a newlyemployed ex-felon through government subsidies). • Voting in federal elections by all probationers and ex-prisoners. • Improvement of the availability of veterans' benefits and services to incarcerated veterans. • Encouraging prison-based businesses. • Increasing awareness of the special needs of women prisoners. • Stronger enforcement of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Person Acts (CRIPA). • Establishing a waiting period before the purchase of a handgun. • Supporting professional accreditation for all correctional entities. • Allowing prisoners to be transferred to the state where their loved ones live. • Offering effective drug treatment on request in the community and in prison (CURE is a member of a network that monitors the government's war on drugs). • Eliminating discrimination in employment for a felon if nature of job does not relate to his or her crime. • Passing a constitutional amendment that fundamentally changes the criminal justice system. 34 PBIIDJI LIFE in stead o r at th e fo rm er I ki l o pe r plan t. Th e am endm en t, effective retroactively, wi ll red uce o ff ense scal es by 0-lO levels an d effects close to I ,000 federal priso ners who will receive substa n tia l sente n ce r ed uc ti o ns and i n a n u mber o f cases b e released. T his is good news no t only for the prisoners bu t for all th ose en gaged in sente n ci ng refo rm. I t is great to ee r eal p r ogress bei n g made. FA MM is to be co n g ratu lated fo r its effo n s. Later that aftern oon we j oined a panel discussing progress in Prison Ref orm Utigalion and were most impressed by an impassioned address by Kwasi Seitu, a former prisoner who spoke eloq uently on how priso n r eform li tigatio n has had wha t l imi ted successes it can claim largely because of wo rk d one by jailho use lawyers. Sei tu was adamant in insisti ng that the state o r pr iso n refo rm litigatio n is in reu·ograde . Lawyers o n the panel spoke of wor k being clon e by prisoners' Legal Services attorneys. We were re m i n ded th at the l an d m ark Suprem e Cou n case U. S. v. $405,098. 23 was initiated by j ailhouse lawye r Michael Mon talvo. SeiLLt was correct in stre · ing the work of incarcerated, scl f:taught lawyers in ligh tin g injusLice. vVho knows better than pr isoners the abuses of the system? Finally th at aftern oon we j o ined a grou p discussing ways and mean s o f Communicating Criminal justirP Reform T hrough Publications in a Punishment Em. T hi is a subject abo ut wh ich Prison Life' editor sh ou ld kn ow a thi n g or two . Pa n elists incl ud ed ed itors o f Th P Tum ing Point, th e exce llenL newsletter o f M issouri CU RE and Grate1jriends, publ ished by volunteers and prison ers at Grater fo r d , PA . We also met th e man aging ed ito r of Amerira n j ail Association magazi n e and we r e i mpressed to see that th e Sheri ff' s o rganization has co m e o u t against the wh olesale ware housing philosoph )' of co r rec tion s sweep ing the natio n . Prison LifP, th e only freewo rl d-baseclmagazine clone b)' co nvicts an d ex-con s, was a welco me presence at the panel. O ther noteworthy pan el we au ended later in the morn ing d eal t with sto pping co ntr o l unit to rtu r e an d selling prison reform po liLically, which was led by the charismatic Rozier .. Roach ·· Brown, chairman of the Ex-Offender CoaliLion and staff assistant to D.C. M ayor Mar ion S. Barry. Roach was t.he per fect candidate to eli cu the concept o f selling prison refo rm . H e h i m self is an ex-co n wh o d id a two-decade bid for murder. A fter h is re l ease, he wen t to wo r k fo r th e M ayor , also an exoffender . M ayor Barry ervecl six mo nths i n a federal p rison o n a mi demeano r d rug co nvictio n and then miraculously managed lO regain voter confidence and wi n the 1994 Democratic mayoral p rimary. Mayor Bar ry did th is, Roach explained, wi th the help of a liul e-known I 976 D.C. law th at u nlocked a vo ti ng b lo c of exco nvicts, wh o were over whelmingly suppo rtive o f Barry's ca mpaign . Mayo r Barry hired Roach Brown to head up his Coali tio n of Ex-Offenders, and together they canvassed th e city's alleys and shelters to spread the word that ex-felo ns co uld vote, which got many of them to the polls. T h e organ izatio n was responsible for bri nging in th o usand s o f new vo ters p redisposed to elect th e man they could idenlif)• wi th , an ex-convict li ke themselves. On M o nday eveni ng, the CU RE chap te r fo r ex-o ffenders, CU RE-Et 0 GH ( Ex-O ffenders Need O p po rtuni ties, U nderstanding, Guidance and H elp) met to discuss ways ex-offend ers and tJ1eir lm·ecl ones can work together to change law re tricLing fu ll participatio n in ociety b)' former prisoners. Chairper on Bob Vieweg raised the example o f an cx-ofTcnder from Virginia who had served ti me o n a d rug o ffense o nly to be denied a license to operate a used car lot upon release. Given the unreasonableness o f such penal ties, Vi eweg suggested the grou p begin to wo rk po li Lically and legally to overturn unreasonable decisions. Roach Brown agreed to serve as th e new co-ch air of CU REENOUGH and mentio ned o rganizing a natio nal ex-offen d er cl ay in D.C. to be held in the fall of 1996. The charismatic Rozier Brown, chairman of Mayor Barry's Ex-Offender Coalition, led a panel on selling prison reform. Mayor Marion Barry plans to appoint "a qualified person who happens to be an ex-offender" to the next parole board vacancy. After hours, we met with Steph en Do naldso n, h ead o f Stop Priso ne r Rape, who is lobbying Congress to ensure th at male ra p e in pri so n receives the same atten tion as female rape o n th e streets. We also had a lo ng con versat io n with J o hn Woods, a Vietnam veteran and ex-offe nder who is p reside nt of Vietnam Veterans of Ame rica. Woods has spent the lastlO yea rs runn ing prison-base d programs an d su p p o rt g ro ups for in ca rce rated Vets an d h e lping to expedite th e release ofVete ran offenders. Th e fo ur-day seminar culmin ate d with a brea kfast on Capitol Hill in the Dirksen Senate Office Building . The highlight was an appearan ce by D.C. Mayor Mario n S. Barry, who, despite a work strike at the D.C. prison that began the second day of the conven tion, a ttended the Capitol Hill meeting and de livered a rousing 30-min u te speech. "Through the grace of God a nd a lot of in ternal fo rtitude and th e help of frie n ds and fam ily, " Barry to ld th e CURE audien ce, "I managed to come back stro nger an d wiser an d be tter than ever." He spoke of his strong advocacy of priso n reform a nd his su pport of ex-offe nde rs. "I h ave ex-offenders working in o ur office now, a nd at the next vacancy on th e pa ro le board, I in tend to appoin t a qua lifi ed pe rso n who happens to be an ex-offe nde r. Wh y sh o ul dn' t those who are affected by the d ecisions be part of the decision making process?" Mayor Ba rry told the group he is fighting for more money for drug treatme nt a nd believes in "treating chemical dependency medically, not criminally." He is also working to re instate co njugal visits for D.C. p r isone rs and setting up community education cente rs in poor D.C. neighborhoods "to tackle proble ms before incarceration. " Barry's final message, which brought him standing applause, was di rected to everyone invo lved in the fig ht for priso n reform- prisoners a nd freewo rlders alike. H e urged th e group to d raw inspi ratio n from his struggle to regain h is mayoral position afte r he was virtua lly banished from th e pol itica l scene as the resu lt of a nationally televised bust for smoking crac k. "Never g ive in , never give ou t, never give up. Whe n you' re going through a storm, hold your head up h igh ," Barry exhorted th e audience. A prayer from the Kora n was read fo r priso n reforme rs who had died in th e last two years; fam ily membe rs o f me n and women o n death row spo ke briefly and poignantly abou t th e ir loved o nes be hin d bars. Presenta tions we re made to Congressman Lane Evans fo r his leadersh ip in helping incarcerated veterans; to Congressman Robert Scott for his leadership in prison reform , especially for requ iring tha t a ll deaths in custody be reported to the U.S. De partment ofJustice; and to Senator Pau l Simo n for his wo r k on the Famil y Un ity Demonstratio n Project. Apprecia tion was extended to Alvi n Bronstein , the executive director o f the National Prison Project, wh o is retiring this year, and to Leigh Di nge rson, executive director of the National Coalition to Abo lish the Death Pe nalty, \Vho is also leaving he r positio n. The final sp eech was d elivered by the e n lighten ed O klah oma warden, j ack Cowley, who spo ke candid ly a bo u t how Co n ections a nd CURE ca n a nd must work toge th e r if we ho pe to see a reduction in crim e, a nd how th e growing prison indusu-y in America is doing nothi ng to help make our streets safer. Before this issue we n t to press, it was learned that Cowley had been re moved from his positio n as warden and re legated to a regional desk j ob. Afte r the con fe re n ce, CU RE arranged for me mbers from each state cha pte r to meet with the ir Sen ato rs and ed ucate th em on pressing p rison reform issues. Our only regre t a t the end of the day was that we couldn 't be in fifty different places at o nce. [I]] PRISON LIFE 35 Ron Decker, a young, white middle class dope dealer, has been given an indeterminate sentence and sent to prison for two years by ajudge who wants to see signs of Decker's rehabilitation before he'll consider reducing the sentence. Decker has gone from ahigh-rise in West Hollywood and a Porsche Carrera to the L.A. City Jail and a prison bus that deposited him in the animal factory of San Quentin. Now he must learn to survive or fall victim to the psychopaths who prey on fresh fish like Decker. Earl Copen is aveteran of the California prison system serving his third term in San Quentin when he and Decker meet. Reluctantly at first, Copen takes the "youngster" under his wing and teaches him how to stay alive and do time in the penitentiary. Illustrations by B.D. Hill 36 PRISON LIFE BY EDWARD BUNKER orne Decem b er d ays in the San Francisco Bay area exh ale pur e spring, and this was o n e of the m , a Monday between Christmas and the New Year. The sun had burned off the freezing morning fog, and although the lower r ecrea tion yard was still crisp, it was dazzling bright. Earl sat shirtless on the worn b leachers along th e third base line, finishin g a joint in the n ear est thing to solitude the prison allowed . A red bandanna was ti e d around his forehead to kee p the sweat from his eyes, though it h ad dried ten minutes after he left the h andball court. A still soaked glove lay limp b esid e him, and his legs ached from the hard hour of exercise. H e p layed poorly but loved the game. He couldn ' t bring h imself to jog or do calisthenics, b ecau se h e quit the mome nt h e began breathing hard, but when there was competition h e kept going until his body scream e d in pro test and h e h ad to b end a t the waist to draw a good breath . Winte r closed th e handball courts for months at a time, so h e played whenever they were open for a few hours. He su cked on the joint, uttering "d yn amite shit" in anely, and the aches wen t away. H e was relu ctant to make the lo ng trek to the big yard , a nd then five tiers to his cell to get a towel to showe r with. "Too b eautiful a d ay to be locked up ," h e muttered, liking th e bittersweet ach e of longing for freedom . It told him that h e was still human, still yearned for something more than b eing a convict. H e still hoped. PRISON LIFE 37 ing towa rd him at a n a ngle . On e was e'd decided to follow See ma n ' T ony Bo rk, a c hunky young co n wh o advice a nd avo id tro ub le b y was the Ea t ce llhouse plumber, no t a avo id ing th e siLUatio ns. H e \,·as to ugh guy but personable and kn own keeping to his ce ll durin g the d ay, as a "stand-up d ude." He had in tow a reading a lot, and when so mething sle nd e r youth in the stiff, unwash ed h appened , it was ove r befo re he h ea rd d e n im o f a n e wcom e r. Eve n with o ut about it. On e of th e Brothe rhood had the clo thes, Ea rl knew the youth hadkilled a man in the East cell house, and n ' t b ee n long in San Que ntin , fo r th e n e xt clay d u ring t h e lun c h hou r alth o ugh he o ften saw faces for the two Chicanos had ambushed a third first tim e afte r they'd been a round for and c ut him up pre tty b ad. If h e' d m o nths, t hi s o n e he wou ld h ave di ed , it wou ld have tied the record of r e m e mb e r ed. He was too st riking ly 36 m urde rs a year; th e record for stab- good lookin g an d yo u ng loo ki ng, b ings, I 07, had already bee n broke n . es pecia lly be ca use o f a clear, pale T J. and Bad Eye worked in th e gym , comp lex io n se t off by cla rk blue eyes a nd h e saw th e m on ly a t th e nig ht th a t were se rious but in ex pressive . m ovie wh e n th e Bro th e rh ood fi ll ed The re was no thing effe m in ate abo ut two ro ws of rese rved b e n ch es. Ea rl him, but there was an extre me boyishwo uld have co me o ut during the day if ness tha t by prison standards wo uld be heroin was on the yard, but the prison co n sid e red pre uy. Pre tty was a bad had bee n dry sin ce h e' d gotten an th ing to be in San Que ntin. "Hey now, big duke of Earl ," Tony ounce three wee ks ea rli e r. Po t, acid a nd mini-be nni es were abu nd a nt- said . "I n eed a favor. R.:'lther, m y fri end throu gh th e H e ll's Angels-but Earl here docs. A show pass." To ny glanced was no t inte rested. In a paran oia-laden at th e yo uth. "Ro n Dec ke r , Ea rl a tm os ph e re, he co uldn ' t r isk be in g Co p e n ." A noel of ac knowledg me nt did the work of the usual ha nd ha ke. spaced out. "Arc th ey runn ing the show lines Ea rl did n o t kn ow a bo ut a strike that was to ha ppe n the following morn- ye t?" Ea rl asked. 'They we re getting ready to when ing, but it was kn ow n by eve ryo n e, incl ud ing th e wa rde n . Someon e had we came down." Ea rl picked up his sweatshirt and ill egally used a mimeog raph mac hine to ru n ofT th ousands of copies of a bul- ha ndball g loves and started clown the letin ca ll ing o n a ll con vic ts to either bleac h e rs. Bork a n d Dec ke r fe ll in stay in th eir cells in the morning or not besid e him. As they walked , he strugleave the big yard at wo rk call. The first gled into th e swea tshirt. "You haven ' t been he re vet)' lo ng, d e ma nd, an e nd or a m odifi ca tion of th e inde te rminate sentence-a term a ny- have you?" Ea rl asked. Ro n shook hi s he ad. "T hree whe re be tween a year and e te rnity until th e parole board decided-was some- wee ks. T Oll}' tells me yo u ' re good a t thing Earl fie rcely agreed with. fl was law." "I used to fuck with it. r o more. I the cruelest to rture never to know how long imprisonment wo uld last. And the d o n ' t be lie \·e in it. Smith and We son de ma nd tha t prison indusu·y wages be beats clue process." "Wh at do you mean?" raised a bove the prese m m<Lx imum of "Besides being funn y"-Ea rl 12 cents a n o ur was also reaso na ble . But th e n th e wr ite r h ad wrn ed irra- smilecl-"lmean that law is bullshi t. tiona l, d e mandin g th a t all "Third .Jud ges do n ' t h ave an y in tegrity. Worl d " peo p le a nd "poli ti cal priso n- Th ey' ll spri n g so m e b ig shot o n a e rs" be released to the various People's p o in t o f law, but wh e n so m e poor Republics. This absurd ity wou ld aLU"act H oosie r in h e re h as th e sam e po int, wha teve r cove rage the press gave th e th ey shoot it down. " strike a nd bl u nt a ny con side ration "Bu t whe n Smith a n d Wesso n th o ug htful p eo ple mi g ht give to th e wo n 't d o a nything, th e law mig ht be d em a nd -n o t tha t ma n y cared a bo ut a ll th e re is. I d o n ' t want to imp ose, wh a t we n t o n in p rison. A trike was but I'd like you to loo k at my case. I'll futil e, ye t a t leas t it showed that th e pay you." men had no t surrend e red . It wo u ld "Whe n I ge t some Lime," Earl said , bring a lockdown of evet)'One while the not n o ticing tha t his br ush-off mad e lead e rs we re ro unded up, clubbed , and Ro n blush . "Wh a t fuck in ' movie a re th ey segregated . "And I 'd be tte r go ge t some cigare ttes, coffee and food to last s h owi n g tod ay?" Earl asked. "It 's a unti l th e unlock. Four salami a ndwich- lVIo nclay. es a clay wo n ' t ma ke it." "Blood-donor's movie," T ony said. As he stood up o n th e to p row o f ''I'm on the list but Ron isn ' t. " Earl glan ced a t Ron from the corbleache rs, he saw two con victs climb- H 38 PRISON LIFE n e r of his eye a nd fe lt bad that he'd sta lled him so co ldl y. "Wh a t kind o f thin g did you wa nt to kn o w a bo ut yo u r ca ·e?" 'The m ain thing i th e judge said h e'd call m e back a nd modi fy m y se nt e n ce in a year or two . Som e g uy in t h e bus sai d th e judge loses j uri sdiction and can ' t do it. " "He used to lo se j u risd icti o n , bu t si x mo nths ago a cou rt of a ppe al s ruled th a t if h e se nte nced you unde r 1168 h e can call fo r re p o rts a nd review h is sentence." "Tha t's what h e se nte n ced me unde r." "What kind of beef? " "Pos ession of na rco tics fo r sale with a weed prior." Ea rl m ad e a silent wh istle a nd lo o ked a t Ro n m o re close ly. 'T e n yea rs to fu ck in ' life , with six to th e pa ro le boa rd. Yo u 'd be tter h o pe h e mod ifies. " "Do n ' t 1 know it." As t h ey reac h ed th e to p o f th e stai rs, th e sound o f counl!)' and weste rn music fro m th e lo udsp eake rs p o u red ove r t h em . Th e last li n e of co nvicts was going imo the mess ha ll, an d the guard ch ecking passes wasn ' t one Ea r l co u ld inllue nce. "C' mo n to th e yard office. We'll ge t a pass fro m that big sissy." Whe n they n eared the yard office d oo r, Earl too k Ro n 's I. D. ca rd to ge t his numbe r. He left the m outside . Witho ut saying a nythi ng to Big Ra nd, wh o was d a n gling a string before a cuffi ng, scrawny kitten (on e o f hundred s in t h e prison ), Ea rl sat down and typed a pass; th e n dropped it o n Ra nd 's d esk for a sig nature. The big ma n igno red it, co ntinued playing with the kitten. " H ey, you want m e to throw that cat in th e Bay?" Ea rl said, k n owin g Ra nd just wanted atte ntion. Rand p icked u p th e p ass . "Two weeks ago-Gibbs, rem e mbe r?" "Ohman , that wasn ' t noth ing." "Nothing ha ppened , bu t a wh o le bunch of sh it could 've happe ned. " "Whadclya th ink-1 was go nn a snitch o n you? Sign the mothe rfucke r." "Who is th is asshole?"' Rand leaned in his chair so h e could loo k o u t over th e Dutch d oor , clu bio u ly eyed Ron an d Tony. H e knew Tony Bork a nd h is was n ' t t h e n a m e o n t h e pass. Ra nd curled a fo re £inge r a nd Earl lea n ed for ward . "Yo u ' r e t rying to fu c k th a t kid, a re n 't you?" Ra nd accused. "You got a dirti e r mi nd th an these convicts, Ra nd. Yo u really d o." "We ll, wh o is he?"' "A good white bro th e r. Ar e yo u gonna sign? I've got business. I wan n a get to the cantee n to stock up in case there's a lockdown over that strike." "We'll get you out if-" Earl c u t hi m off with an upra ised h a nd.'· h-huh. I' m a co nvict. If the joint' slamm ed, I'm slam med." "I' ll make sure you ge t so meth ing to eat. " Earl didn ' t pro test, though fo r a mom e nt he was surprised. Rand (Seema n, too) cou ld be savage to convicts he disliked , specia lly blacks. He wore a swastika med allio n unde r his shirt. Ra nd signe d th e pass slowly, ma king a de libera te c hi ldish scra wl, and th en han de d it to Earl with a grin. "I sho uld have sign ed it myse lf," Earl said, bur he took it and wen t o ut, g iving it to Ron. "I' ll wa lk with yo u. I've go ua get some food an d dirty m agaz in es in ca e th ey have t h at strike. We"ll be loc ke d d own with nothing to d o but use o u rselves, and I've fo rgouen wha t broads look like." Ro n la ughed , showing good wh ite teeth. Wh e n th ey reach e d th e big ya rd , Earl paused long e nou g h to make sure th e pass wasn ' t questi one d; the n h e went toward the heavy crowd o utside th e ca ntee n . Other · were a lso stocking up. H a lf a n h our be fo re th e m a in co unt locku p , Earl e nte re d th e b ig ya rd. Ha lf a dozen of th e Bro t h e rh ood, including Pa u l, T J., Bird, a nd Baby Boy, were gath e red in th e afte rn oon sun n ea r th e East cellho use wa ll. When Earl wa lked up, T.J. reach ed o ut and b r ush e d th e slic kshaved skull . "Wh e re's Bad Eye?" Ea rl asked. "On a visit. You kn ow his fo lks love the it· baby boy." The conversati on was about the strike . tobody th ough t it wo uld acco mplish a n ythin g, a n d Baby Boy was angry because h e like to wor k and was go ing to th e paro le board in two weeks. Yet th e re was no questi o n of th e m breaking a str ike, eve n o ne they disagreed with. '\ Vh a . . . wh at we ough ta do," said Bird, a small, tight-muscled man with a big nose a nd a c h ole r ic d isposition, "is burn the mo th e rfucke r down . I'd go a lo ng with th e ni gge rs o n a riot where we get in some licks. T hey j ust talk revolutio n ... " "Yea h ," Baby Boy sa id, "th ey wa nna go bac k to Africa or whe reve r, sen d the fuckers." "The m p eo p le over there don't wa nt 'em eit h e r ," T.J. said. "[ was readin '- " "Fool!" someone said. "Q uit lyin'. You know you ca n't read. " Earl sca nned the ya rd. I t was beco min g c rowded with co n victs be in g he rded fr om t h e lowe r ya rd before lockup. ear the edge of the she d he saw Ron Decker talki ng to a Puerto Rican whose name Earl didn 't kn ow-b u t who he did know for a g lue-sni ffer an d loudmouth troubl emaker. A cou ple of t h e P uerto Rica n 's cl ique were hovering nearby. Th e co nversation was h ea ted, with Ro n gesticu lati n g, a n d the Puerto Rican suddenly jabbing a finger at his chest. The good-looki ng you th spun on his heel a nd walked away. Ea rl saw Tony waiting some d istance away. The whistl e blew an d th e swarming convicts began to form lines. Earl h ead e d against the tide toward the yard gate. A closed-door conference took place duri ng co un t, and Ea rl locked th e wash room d oo r and liste ned. The warde n had gotten word from th e stool p igeons (probably in exchange fo r a transfer, Earl thought) th a t severa l d oze n in m a tes, m ost ly black, planne d to crowd aro und the big yard gate just b efo re it opened, knowing that even convicts willing to work wo uldn ' t cross such a line. The lieutenants we re being bri efed by Ston eface Bradl ey, the p oc kmarked associate warden. Ex tra p erso nn e l would be o n duty. T hose trained fo r the tactical squad would be held in th e p laza 11ntil n eed ed , and the h ig hway patrol would le nd a dozen sharpshoote rs to beef up firepower o n the wall. But they would try to break the strike befo re it began by ope ning the ya rd ga te an hou r ea rly a n d r u nn ing th e co n s d irectly fro m the mess h a lls to work , o r to th e fa r side of th e ya rd away from the gate so th ey co uldn ' t gather and create a bottleneck. As soon as the coum cleare d, Earl we n t to th e ya rd, watched the lin es come from the cellhouses to the mess hall un til he saw a wi llowy young black with a ca fe a u lait comp lexio n who be lo nged to th e Black Panthe rs. lt was PRISON LIFE 39 a cenainty th at he was involved in the stri ke plans. or a t least knew who was. Ea rl also knew the man wa n ' t a racia l fa natic. When h e came o ut. Ea rl waved a nd walked over a nd w id hi m what h e'd overh ea rd. '· For whate\·er it's wo rth ," he finis h ed. T h e black thanked him. As h e turned away, h e sa w T o n y Bo rk ge ui ng a ciga rc u e lit by anoth e r convic t nearby. Earl gave a brie f wave and starl c d to le ave, b ut T o n y bec ko n e d him. The yard was clark exce pt for th e nood lights. a nd convicts were streaming by th e m en rou te to the cell hottses. Wh e n Earl step ped over, lowering hi s head sligh tly because he was tall e r than T o n y, th e plumber put a hand o n his sh o uld e r. "tvly fri e nd ," T o ny said. "th e one I in troduced yo u to today, he's got pro ble ms- " "] guess so," Earl said , sn ortin g. "so me cocksuckc r in Sa c ram ento should get a foo t in his ass for sending 40 PRISON LIFE him here ... a mong the anim als." "Somebody cut him in to Psych o Mike-" "The Pue rto?" Earl inte rrup ted. Ton y nodded. 'The g lue-s n iffe r. yea h . And he 's schemin g o n the g uy. d id h im a few favors, banaroo clothes, c t ce te ra , be fore Ro n knew the score. The yo u n gste r wok e up to wh a t 's going o n , and he's trying to back o fT, b ut Psyc ho's o n the m uscle now a nd he's go t that li ttle clique." "Is that kid Ron a b road?" To n y sh oo k h is h ead . '·No, ma n , but you know how that goe . He d oesn ' t h ave an y hench me n o r-" "Wh a t abo ut yo u ? Yo u tryin g to turn hi m o ut?'' "You know I don ' t play th a t shit. I like hi m a nd I' m g iving h im m ora l suppon ... bu t like I go to th e board real oon and I've got a good sho t at a parole. Besides, I'm no to ug h g uy... "So yo u wa n t tO c ut m e into th e a ction , is th at it?" "Somebody's go nn a ge t him , o r d ri ve him into pro tective custo dy. o r make him kil l so me bod y. Why don' t yo u pull him ?" ''I need a kid like I need a bad h ea rt. A pre u y kid is a tic ke t to tro uble ... and I' m too o ld to ask fo r t hat. Shit. I have n't eve n boo ked T o m my th e Face in two years. I' m turning into a jack-off idiot. " "He 's te n times smarte r a nd classie r than the shi tbums around here. I was thi nkin g abou t that b lo nd yo u ngste1· t h at Psyc h o Mike 's bo ys g rabb e d off th e bu s last year-ra n a gang ba ng, made h im plu ck his e}•ebrow , a nd th e n sold him to th at o ld p e rve rt. T h e kid wo und up in the psych ward." ''Fuck it. It 's n o n e o f my business. If a sucker is weak, he 's got to fall around h ere. I came whe n I was 18 and nobody turne d me o ut. I didn't eve n smi le fo r two years. " 'Things were d iffe re nt Lh en ... a dud e co uld rep re e nt h im self by himse lf. There we ren' t n o ga ngs then . He's not a killer, blll he's no t a cowa rd." Ea rl shoo k hi s h ead a n d refused to liste n furthe r, but whe n h e t urned away h e rou nd hi s j aw muscles tig h te n as he re membered what Ton v h ad described . Ra ised in reform. sc h ools, used to places without women, Earl li ke everyo ne e lse wi th s u c h a bac kg ro u nd was n ot agai nst queens a n d preny boys. Afte r se,·e ral years without a wo man , a surrogate co uld arouse just as in t e n se ly. Bu t Ear l was against force, a nd even more th an th at, he loath ed the practi ce of buying a nd selli ng young boys, a phe n o m en o n of rece nt years. For a mo men t he th o ug h t or ask ing Pon c h ie (wh om he 'd known all his life), o r Grumpy o r Bogu s Pete, a ll of the po we rfu l C h ica n o Bro th e rhood, to j e rk up Psyc ho Mike. Not that it wou ld do a ny good; with like gone (tha t was easy), oth ers would move in. "Wh at th e fu c k do I ca re?" h e mu u e rc d , see ing Paul's fig ure working with a broo m o n a n o p e n g uner across the shadowlan d ya rd. He went to sec if Paul ha d wo rd o f a ny n a rco t ics. It wo ul d b e easie r to go thro ug h tomo r row if he was tra nqu ilized o n he roin. L a te in th e eve n in g, whil e th e clack, clac k, clac k o f cell d oors being loc ked reve rbera ted thro ug h th e cellh o use, Ro n Dec ke r stre tched o n the top bunk of his cell. An elbow propped up his torso as he He swiveled on the bunk so he could lay on his side, while spread in front of put the letter on the bars for the last him, as if for reference, were Pamela's mail pickup. Then he jumped down. letters, her Christmas card, a battered Jan the Actress, so called because he'd collegiate dictionary, and a photo of lived as a woman for ten years long her against a background of a field of ago, was cross-legged on the bottom pinkish wildflowers. The last letter, on bunk, fingers flying and yarn trailing pale yellow stationery with a hint of as he worked on an afghan that would perfume, he studied while he wrote. sell for $90 in the visitor's handicraft He adored her letters, for she had a store or 5 hits of acid, 20 joints, or 2 flair for mood and nuance and some- papers of heroin on the yard. times included a page of evocative Ron stepped to the back of the poetry. Sometimes the letters made cell and got his toothbrush, his eye him imagine an entirely different per- catching his reflection in the mirror. son than he remembered, and he It was odd to see his hair so short and blotted out memory to respond to the combed straight back-but without a letter writer. Ron was uneasy with the part; someone had told him that some written word. He was well enough would think a part was sissified. He'd educated, but lacked experience in laughed at the ignorance but followed transmitting thoughts with the pen. the advice. He'd written more since his arrest Jan the Actress pulled a cardboard than in all the previous years of his box from beneath the bunk and life. He wanted to make his letters a began depositing the knitting gear. journal, and the one he was working "How's the problem with that Psycho on tried to convey what he was seeing Mike coming?" and experiencing. He described San Ron spat out the toothpaste foam. Quentin's hideous look, but he could "Tense. He wanted to know why I was not tell her of the wholesale violence shying him on ... and something about and paranoia, or of the expected owing him." strike. A letter with upsetting informa"I could've told you he was bad tion would be returned by the cen- news." sors. He did tell her that the "He was friendly at first ... and I classification committee had assigned didn't know anybody. I should've him to the furniture factory, and he known." was to report in the morning. He was ''What happens now?" unhappy with the idea of sanding var"I'm going to stay away from him." nish from chairs all day, but there was "What if that doesn't work? He's nothing he could do about it for a got some friends and it could get while. He told her that he had a per- rough." sonable cell partner, without amplifyRon shook his head. He wasn't ing that it was a 45-year-old queen. He afraid of Psycho Mike, not really-and told her that he was disillusioned by yet in a way he was. And it was the personalities he had found, that demeaning to be worried about somehe'd expected at least some who were one so stupid. That he would go along intelligent, but here were the under- with what Mike wanted (he stopped world's stunted failures, muggers, gut- short of fully imagining it) was ter junkies, gas station robbers, and unthinkable. He already knew what he those who committed moronic rapes would suffer if he went into protective and murders. Master criminals didn't custody, and rejected that idea. He seem to exist. He wanted to tell her was willing to fight if necessary, but about the young men raised in reform could imagine what little chance he schools that so deformed their psy- had against a clique. If he used a ches that institutions and institution knife-Tony had offered him one-it values were their whole life and whose would be resolved, but he balked at status was built on violence. He want- that choice for two reasons: it would at ed to tell her about racism that went least mean a denial of modification by beyond racism into obsession-on the judge, and even if he got away both sides-and how it was affecting with it, the vision of running steel into him to be the object of murderous human flesh was revolting. When he hate just because he was white. It finished his ablutions, Jan was waiting aroused fear, and a kernel of hatred to use the sink. The cell was less than in response. five feet wide, and the space beside None of these things could be the bunks was so narrow that they written, so he finally signed the letter. were chest to chest as they passed. He was putting it in the envelope Jan's fingers brushed at his crotch and when the public address speaker he reflexively shot his ass back. blared: "Lights out in ten minutes!" "Damnit!" "Try it, you 'lllike it," the queen said, the time-worn parody of a woman's face screwed up with a smile and desire. Ron quickly jumped onto the top bunk, his legs dangling over the side. "This is supposed to be a place of tough guys. Everybody is some kind of pervert. Wow!" Jan had turned to the mirror, trying to make thin hair cover loss of pate. "No, they're not. More the pity." "It sure seems that way." ':Just because you're young, tender sweetmeat." Ron blushed furiously. When the lights were out (though it was not really dark because lights outside the cell threw a bar-waffled glow inside), Ron could see the blackness of the Bay beyond the cellhouse, and beyond the blackness twinkled the lights of the Richmond hills. It was an insult to put the ugliness of a prison in such a setting. It increased the torment to be walking dead amid so much life. He had another thought and stuck his head over the edge of the bunk where he could see the featureless paleness of Jan's face. "Say, I was thinking about having some guy look at my case today ... some older dude with a shaved·head, Earl Copen. Know anything about him?" Jan's giggle was quick. "Do I know Earl Copen? Honey, he was my cell partner years and years ago when I came here. For a few weeks. He ripped me off." "Ripped you off. Him, too. Yuk." "Oh, he's another convict. He waited until the lights were out and-" "Spare me the details." "You're not interested in my love life?" "Not especially." "Earl was just a kid then. He was one step ahead of the wolves himself, but he was a wild sonofabitch. Stoneface, the A.W., was a lieutenant then, and I remember Earl turned his desk over on him and spent a year in the hole. And I remember some wolf eyeing him with that look-" "I know the look." "Earl asked him what he was looking at ... and the guy told him, 'I wanna fuck you.' Earl told him that if he kicked his ass he'd let him. The guy was a light-heavyweight prizefighter and Earl was skinny as you. They were supposed to meet in the back of the block after breakfast. When the guy came in, Earl was on the fifth tier with a big water bucket, the kind the tier tender uses to fill up gallon cans. It weighs about 70 pounds when it's PRISON LIFE 41 su·ike, wonde ring if a "fog line'' would be ca ll e d , closin g th e lowe r ya rd to eve1) 10 n e. Th e mess hall was ab n o rmall y quiet, the customa ry roarin g vo i ces~~ low hum , exaggerating th e claue r of ute nsi Is against steel trays. It see med as if fewe r men than u su a l we re eatin g. Ro n 's tie r was among the last to sit down . Ron gu lp ed his food , dumped his tray, a nd ste ppe d into th e co ld g ray morning ligh t. A row o f gua rds waited just o ut ide the mess hall doo r, nig h tsti c ks in h and. Pe rc h e d o n th e gu n rai l above the yard ga te stood a guard and a highway pa tro lma n , o ne with a r io t gu n , the o th e r with a tear-gas g re nade la un che r. Ro n stoppe d , surp rised. "Industri es worke rs clown the stairs, .. a ta ll sergeam said , moving his h e ad to indi cate th e o pe n ga te. "Eve rybo dy e lse ac ross th e yard." In less than fi ve h eartbea ts Ro n 's e}'CS panne d acros th e yard to where n early two tho usa nd convicts waited. The crowd broke in a n L shape whe re th e Ea t a nd North cellhouses joined. Th e blac ks we re, as u ua l, a lo ng th e North cc llh ouse wall. Ro n didn 't know if he sho uld go through the gate or j o in th e thro ng . One m ig ht m a ke him a stri ke breake r, bring re ta lia tion fro m oth e r convicts; th e o th e r co uld ge t h im in tro ubl e with the oflicia ls. "Get movin g,'' a gua rd sa id to him-and at that m o ment th ree co nvic ts ste pped fro m th e m ess h a ll be hind him a nd turn e d with o ut hesitati on to go o ut th e gate. Th e ir exit b ro ug h t n o j eers or catca lls fro m the crowd , so he lowered his head and fo llowed the m. The fog m e t him o n th e sta irs. The figures a head turn e d into vague outl ine a nd disappea red a ltoge th e r. He cou ldn ' t see the prison wa lls. He he n tJ1 e mo rn ing bell wake ned fo llowed th e road aro und th e lower Ron, the la nd outside th e cell- yard; th e indu stri a l are a gate was a h o use windows was cove red quarte r o f a mil e away. 1 o g uard s wi th fog . T h e e d ge of th e sh o re, 20 we re in sig ht; even o n brig ht d ays ya rd s away, was to ta ll y in visible. The wh e n th e re was n o tro ub le, t h e gate fog wo ul d n ' t go over t h e cell ho uses had several. Now he LUrned and fo llowed the imo the big yard, but the lower recreatio n ya rd wo uld be bla n kete d. The road a lo n g the base o f th e wall , feelfactory area was beyond the wall o r th e ing ·trange in tJ1 e b linding la nd 'Cape. lowe r recrea ti o n yard ; it had its o wn Two co nvic ts ap pea red, trudg ing towa rd him , ca p s pu lle d over t h e ir wall. Ron d ressed a nd was he d qui e tly, cars, hand sjammecl in th e ir pockets. ''H ey \\•hite bro t he r," one sa id as for J a n neve r go t up until th e 8:30 lockup , arri,·ing a t wo rk ha lf a n ho ur th ey reach ed him , ">'OU m ig ht as well late. lie was cle rk to th e supervisor of go back. Th e ni gge rs b locked thi s e du ca ti o n , who ca m e in at 9:00, so gate." The o th er one laugh ed, th e caw n o thin g wa ever said . e it h e r did Tony Bo rk go to bre akfas t, so Ron of a crow, showing gaps wh e re tee th sLOocl by th e bars and wa ite d to c at shou ld have bee n . 'The fuckin ' bulls alon e, wond e ring abo ut the rumore d go t slic k and o p e n e d th e yard gate fu ll of wate r. I d on't kn ow if it was. Ea rl droppe d it, a nd it wo uld 've p ut th e guy's head down aro und hi. asshole if it'd lande d, b ut it ba rely missed a nd sha u e re d his a n kle. Earl ca me running down th e sta irs with a claw ham me r to fin ish him , but th at rucker managed to ge t o ut, broke n a nkle and a ll. He was sca red to come o ut o f the ho pita!. Ea rl could have fucked him by th e n .'' " He didn ' t strike m e tha t waycrazy a nd all. " ··oh, he's be autiful people. I talk to him. l-Ie's inte lligen t and see ms burn e d oul. Wh e n yo u reac h yo ur mid-thini es, yo u tend to slow clown. That's old for a co nvic t. He's tired of do ing tim e." '·I saw h im with som e yo ungste rs up against th e wa ll. Is that his gang?" ·'Probably pa rt of the White Brotherhood . That's not his ga ng ... no t a nybody's. They don ' t even think God is bo s. I've seen a lo t of dangerou men h e re, but n eve r a bun c h o f th e m ganged together. " ··what about the Mexican Bro the rhood?" "Th e sa me. Maybe worse. Th e re's more o f th em . But the)' ge t a long with Earl' · frie nds. Those kids-he ll, so me of the m are nea rl y 30, love Earl. Pau l, too." ''\Nh o's Paul?'' ''The g uy with the white h a ir, looks abo ut 50." '' I haven' t see n him. " vVh e n h e ro ll e d back a nd p re sed his h ead to the pill ow, Ro n dec ide d to keep away from Ea rl Co pe n. Jailh o use lawyers were ab und a nl. Earl was too unpredi ctable. All I need is a se rious disciplin ary repo n , Ro n thoug h L The judge' II toss the key away. W 42 PRISON LIFE earl y. The r ugs go t sli c ke r a nd bloc ked th is gate. With the fog and shi t, it' worse fo r the b ulls." "Nobocly's go ing to wo rk ?" Ro n asked. "They' re wai tin ' clown th e re 'bout a h unn ercl yards, wa itin ' to see wh at ha ppe n s. The p eople bloc ki n' th e gate arc after that." "I think I'll go see .., '·I learned to get away from h ot spo ts. So me shit is like ly to ki c k o rr clown the re. I wanna miss it." "Do n 't stay too lo ng . Stoneface is gonna be ma d as a .Ja p. He' ll be wantin ' to kill so me body, an' co nvicts all go t the a me color LO hi m .., ''It's the color of shit," his fri end said , a nd they we n t off through th e fog toward th e big yard. C uriosi ty a nd excite m e nt n ecked with fear g rabbed Ron as he went ro rward u pon th e back of the c rowd . Fro m beyo nd he heard a vo ice with a Negro acce nt sc rea min g, 'The)' ca n kill m e! I ain ' n o m a mm yfucki n ' dawg!" Ron stepp ed to th e left, where a fe n ce bo rd e red th e o pposite sid e o f th e road from the wall. The re was room to pus h thro ug h and he did, coming to the fro nt ten yards away. Across a space from the crowd was a t ig htly kni t g ro up o f abou t fift)'· Most of the faces were black. but a few whites "·e re there. Some o f the strike rs ha d baseball bats a nd length s of pipe. One roly-poly black was in fro nt or th e strike rs, ex h o rtin g th e worke rs: "Whatch a go n na do ? Get on ove r here. We a ll toge th er. Do n ' t be scared! " A white convict beside Ron shook h is head. "I'd go over the re if it wasn' t all spooks. My fuckin' partne rs wou ld turn o n me if I did." Ro n loo ke d a lo ng th e su mm it o f ilie wall. A single guard in a greatcoat stood in silhou e tte, his rille ha nging like a ha lf-mast phallus. Did the o fficials kn ow that was happe ni ng? What would they do? The cold was insidious. Becau se there was n o wind, it d id not cut; ra th e r , it a te slowly like ac id. Ro n began to shiver a nd chatter. H e wish e d so m e th ing would h a ppe n , wonde red if he should u·udge back to the yard. A llun)' of moveme nt in the workers' crowd m ade hi m sta nd on tiptoe and crane his neck. A chubby middleaged C hi ca n o was pushi ng t hro ug h with a ye llow card he ld overhead. lie walked resolute ly toward th e strike rs. The ye llow ca rd was a checkout sli p tha t h ad to be sig n ed by h is wor k upervisor befo re he could leave th e prison on pa role. "Yo vaya . .. la lebere esta manana." The from rank o f strike rs o pe ned li ke lips to swa llow th e ma n without pro tes t, a nd a mom e nt late r th e inn a rds c hurn ed ad crun c h e d a nd Ro n hea rd th e spla t of blows a nd a g urg led screa m. His excite me n t fe ll away, re pl aced by h o rro r. "Oh God , they' re ... killing h im." He fo ug ht away nausea. "He sh o uld a wa ite d ,'' th e con besid e Ro n a id . "I'd have waited. Now h e's goin ' o u t th e bac k-in a box." The crowd a round Ron sudde nly crushed imo him, spli t by some fo rce he couldn ' t see. The n he d id . Me n in he lm e ts with Pl ex ig las masks we re wading through , swin gi ng lo ng clubs. One ma n we nt clown. He was n ' t a st rik e r but blood spurted fro m hi s h ead as h e dre w his le gs up. T h e gua rds were in fo rma tio n . The young co nvic t b es id e Ro n leaped to th e fe n ce. Ro n was thrown aga inst it. H e struggled, turn ed , dug his fingers tht-oug h th e ho les in the wire a nd scra mbled up. The base ba ll fi eld was on th e o th e r side. The fog provided a hidin g place o f so rts. E a rl ' s cell o n th e fifth ti e r was a perch overloo king the yard . Just be fo re 8:00a. m . he looked o ut. T he he rd o f convicts aga in ·t th e cellhouse walls stoo d qui e lly. He spo tted his frie nds halfway down. They'd gathe red LOgethe r in a mome nt of po ssible tro ubl e , bu t it see m ed th at troubl e was passing by. Earl put o n his heavy coa t a nd g loves a nd we nt o ut o f th e cell. As h e came o ut of the rotunda he me t o th e r. mo re timid me n , co ming in . But Ea rl had looked and it seemed o kay. li e ra n his eyes alo ng th e g un rail. Half a doze n guard s were th e re , wea p o n s h e ld cas ua ll y exce pt fo r a set-gea nt-a we ig htlifter wit h a T ho mpso n su bmac h in e g un a t po rt arms. Earl wa lked alo ng th e rea r o f th e crowd un t il he saw Baby Bor' red h air. Th e n h e p ush ed thro u g h to wh e re his fri e nds we re. All the o th er convicts were qui e tly se ri o us, bu t the cliqu e was g rinnin g a nd la ug hi ng, co mi ng a live in th e threat of chaos, which Paul was reducing to a bsu rd ity. "All th ey wan t is a whi te ho a n ' a Cadi llac. T h a t's sure as he ll reaso nable afte r all white clone did to 'e m ... C hec k th a t bu ll. " 1-1 e po in ted to a chubby rosy-cheeked guard facing the crowd 15 ya rd s away. The g u a rd couldn ' t decide how to h old his club, a t his side, across his chest, be hind his leg, in one or two hands- a nd he kept g lan cing ne rvously at th e protec tive cove r o f th e rifle m e n. "Fool don ' t kn ov1 wh e th e r to shit or go blind," o meon e added. Bad Eye caug ht Ea rl 's a tte ntion and put two fing ers to his mouth, asking for a cigarette. Earl started to reach in to his pocke t wh e n the flatul e nt re port of a rifle echoed , followed by a ho llowe r fi rearm, eithe r a sho tgun or a tea r-gas gun using a sh otgun c ha rge. T he two thousand me n on the yard fe ll instantly a nd utterly silem, froze n , as hear ts leaped to a faste r bea t and the a un osphe re pulsed with te nsion . T he chubby guard fe ll back a ste p, and rifleme n shook off their casualness. Even Paul was quie t. A fig ure ca me hurtling thro ug h th e ga te, j e rke d to a walk, a nd tri ed a bsu rd ly to be n o n ch ala n t. The g u a rd s sta rted to close o n him , but th e n o thers ca me and th e g ua rd s let the m thro ugh . T wo blacks cam e up o ut of t he fog, o n e g uiding th e o th e r , whose h a nd he ld a b lo od-so pped rag lO his fore h ead. They turn ed left, heading for th eir brothe rs. Two guards we nt to cut th e m o ff, but a massed spontan eou s m oa n th a t turn ed into a ro ar sto pped the m-a wa ll of sound. And as th ey h esita ted , the blac k c rowd b ro ke fo rwa rd , surround ing th e arrivals while the guards fell back. The rifl e m e n braced their wea p ons on th eir shoulde rs, squinted along sights, but the blacks stopped. Earl 's heart pumped like a bird 's \vings. Bo di es surged aga in st him , blocking his view. He saw some whi tes and Chi can os run from th e ga te into the crowd , and seconds la te r got wo rd th a t a Chican o had been sto mped lO d eath by th e blacks. Th e racia ll y divided c rowd n ow pulled apart, like o rganisms mutually re p e lled. Ea rl a lm os t fe ll , but T .j. gra bbed his be lt and kept him e rect. The sound of voices was like th e lowing o f cattle before a stampede. Mome n ts la ter th e spilled gasolin e o f m adn ess was ig nited . A whum p sound fro m a tea r-gas la un c h e r a nd g r e n a d e a r ced d o wn b e tw ee n th e (continu ed on page 73) PRISON LIFE 43 I t is the midd le of a record heat wm·e whe n I arrive at the Limeston e Co rrecti o nal Facility near llu nts\·i ll c, Alabama. Th e stone guardwwc r. se t in the ce n te r of th e prison, casts a lo ng shadow in th e blazing afternoo n sun. I sec the fo rm o f a rm ed gua rd s as they move anonymousl y behind the towe r's tinted windows. T h e e ntran ce at Li mes to ne is mark e d by two bric k co lumn s with thi ck black me ta l bars between th e m. I grasp th e door hand le and loo k up a t th e video ca m era mounte d to my left as a n unn ervin g c lan g ing so und c u ts thro ug h t h e sile n ce. My ar m vibrates a nd I feel the steel bolt inside 46 PRISON LIFE the doo r rel ease. I ste p th ro ug h and cross man icured g rounds that sme ll o f freshly cut grass on my W<l)' to th e admin istration building. A tall white man with a thic k musta c h e and easy So uth ern ma nn e r introdu ces himse lf a Cap tain \Vi c . "Don ' t take anythin g from prisoners and don 't give anything to priso ne r ," h e says, a nd radios for a g uard to se n'e as my escort. I am here lO p hotograph priso ne rs at th is medium-sec urity fac ility. In May, Alabama Governor Fob .James .Jr. and State Priso n Commissioner Ro n .J ones d ecided w t·esurrectthe cha in gang as part of a mu c h-to uted ge ttough-on-cri me campaign . Afte r hav- ing been ba n ned as inh umane punish ment fo r over forty year , th e practi ce o f shackli ng men at t h e an kles and herding them out to work beside highways has become a ho t pol itical issue. T h e return of the c ha in gang, which requ ired no state o r federal legislation, i ·een by c riti cs as a step backward to t im es when m en were trea ted worse than an imals. In fac t, parole vio lators bro ugh t to Lim estone have tra di tiona lly bee n ass igned to wor k crews th at c lear brush a long the highway and keep th e prison grounds clean . The d ifference now i that th ey do t h e same work c ha in ed at the ankles like slaves. The purely symboli c program fun cti ons as Chained in fives, the men swing hatchets and pickaxes for ten hours a day. a m ea n s of a ura c ting p ubli c ity fo r p o litic ia ns a nd prison officials whil e humi liating and e mbiuering the prisone rs, a ll of whom are med ium-security, nonvio le nt offe nde rs. Pri so n e rs wh o work o n th e c h a in gan g, 70 percen t Afri ca n Ameri can , a rc h o used in se parate d o rm s a nd de ni ed such privileges as persona l visits with fa m il y me mbe rs, educa ti o nal programs, televisio n , radio, cofTce an d cigare u es. They a re required to spen d a t leas t 30 clays on the cha in gang before th ey m ay be redesig n ated to o th er work d e tails an d living qua ncr · wh e re rudime nta ry privileges a rc return ed. r reca ll movies that ponray condition s o n a So uth er n c h a in ga ng . Mervyn Le Roy's classic 1932 film , I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, sta rrin g Paul M uni , to ld the sto ry or one ma n ·s suffering a t the hands o f· the Georgia c h a in ga n g S)'Stc m . Wh e n th e m ovie was released, public se ntiment was stirre d by th e bruta l treatme nt prisoners e ndured. Shortly thereafte r, Georgia Gove rn o r Ell is Arnall abo lis h e d cha in gangs and th e rest of the nation soon fo llowed suit. ivc minu tes la ter a gu a rd shows up and mo tio ns for the door to be o pe ned. He g ives me a Lo ur of the prison faciliti es, stopping now and then to indica te su ch p oints o f inte rest as t he in matestaffed shoe sh ine room. A we pass, a b lack p riso n e r looks up an d smi les over a pile of dirty rags and shoe polish caniste rs. In the infirmary, th e guard shows me a room where priso ners with AJDS lie dyi ng. The room is lit on ly by the blue-gray glow of tcle,~ si on screens. .\len \~th gaum faces eaten away b)' disease Jowl)' turn and look my way. The guard te lls me th e prison has a popu latio n o r 2,000 men , with 420 assigned to the c ha in gangs. "No ma tte r what th C)' say," he says, puffing on a sh o rt thin c iga r, "t h ese peo ple a ren' t in prison fo r singing too loudly in c hurch." Pri son ers sec th e cam era eq uipme nt and shout to ge t my atten ti o n . "Hey, ca m e ra m a n . You gon n a Lake my picture?" "Yo, you gonn a be my girl ?" The o the r me n la ugh. In Dorm 3 1, whe re c h a in ga ng prisoners a rc hou ed, men eye me as I wa lk inside th e dorm ito ry. The roo m is teem ing with me n. F A young guard, chewing a wooden match stick, explains his philosophy: "These kind of people just aren't constituted for work. We get 'em out here and show 'em how to work." PRISON LIFE 47 With another 200 beds soon to be added, all bunks will be three beds high, bringing the number of men in the already overcrowded dorm to 630. Bunk b e d s two a n d t h ree tiers h igh are jamm ed toge th er row a fter row with narrow spaces be twee n the m for walkwa ys. An e leva ted b lock h o use used by guard s sits in th e middl e o f the o pe n room. More priso nc rs, just returned fro m th e c hain ga ng, sta n m ak in g th ei r way in side. My escort leaves m e and mo u n ts th e b lockh ouse. Afte r a strip sea rch , the men troop in to an open , Liled roo m fo r sh owerin g. 1 earby, o t h e rs sit on ex pose d toilets. The smell of 400 me n hangs in stagnam a ir; a large cei ling fan docs littl e more than push around th e stench and h umi d ity. One priso ne r lies on a top bunk reading a worn edition of The Fugitive; the man below h im is a lready fas t so PRISON LIFE asleep, h is feet d angling orr th e end of the bed. T he priso ners are a nxious to sha re the ir experie nces, to te ll me stories about the chain gang. They want p eople to know h ow th ey feel. Ma n y vio la ted parole simply by givin g a dirty urin e sa mple. I as k a few h ow long th ey've been o n the c hain ga ng, a nd they sho u t the nu mber of days: "Eigh ty-three. " "On e hundred and e leven. " " inety-eig h t. " They explain tha t a uto ma tic disciplin a ry ex1e n sio n s h anded o u t fo r infraction make it rare for a nyone to leave after only 30 days. The usual stay is fro m three to six months o r lo nge r. An orie ntation shee t for newcome rs lists reasons for exte nsio n : showing up la te for wor k, not b e in g properl y shaved, not h aving your bed made to the sa tisfac ti on o f th e shift g u ard or disres pec ting an o ffi cer. Exte n sio ns ra nge from th ree to six months on top of time a lread y served, a nd a prisoner with a bad a ltitude ca n e nd up on the cha in gang indefinite !)'· A few co nvicts show me their bod- ies, pans of wh ic h a re cove re d with seve re outbreaks o f poison i,·y and oth e r skin el i eases from work ing o n th e chai n gang. One ma n pulls up his shin a n d lowers hi s pants to r eveal scabbed re d skin coverin g most o f his body, th e resu lt o f infestatio n by chigge rs-pa rasitic, b lood-sucking mites th at burrow un der the skin and cause intense irritation. Anoth er man d isp lays his swo lle n red feet, raw with large, Ouid-filled b listers. An over h ead sp ea ker crackles a g arbled a nn o un ce m en t. The g uards take a h ead co un t. Lining u p single file, th e men e m c r th e d ining hall and shufn c a lo ng the cafeteria line whil e server fill their trays. Meatloaf of oy a nd gristle is ton ight's fare. Between bites, men speak of rising te nsio n in th e priso n. If thin gs don ' t change, they say, a ri ot will break ou t. Wi th a n oth e r 200 beds soo n to be added , a ll bunks will be th ree beds high , b rin ging th e numbe r of men in the a lready overcrowded dorm to 630. J ust th e day before, 20 sh anks we re fo un d in the unit. Still hu ngry, th e Chain gang leg irons, returned for the evening, show their age after four months of use. men I sit wit h ask fo r the le ftovers from my plate. The next morning at six, prisoners are checked out for the day. After being patted down, they board buses one by one, followed by drivers lugging milk crates full of leg irons. The lead bus pulls out, trailed by a co nvoy of five others, along with several vans and station wagons. After a 20minute drive, the buses stop in staggered formation along route I-65. Prisoners exi t the buses slowly and stand waiting. Guards order them onto all fours. Working in twoman teams, guards shackle prisoners togethe r in groups of five. Many men wear two pai rs of socks to avo id skin burns caused by leg irons rubbing against their flesh. The chain gang workers pick up rakes, garden sheers and bow saws from a n open trailer. he long work day begin s. The men spend h ours hobbling arou nd, tripping over the chains and each other as they remove trees and clear brush, clean up litter a nd pull weeds. As cars a n d semis speed by, drivers honk, ye ll and howl at the c hain gang prisoners. Guards sitting by the roadside sho ut an occasion al o rde r. Each guard h as his own group of prisoners to watch and hi s ow n style of supervision. A young guard, chewing a wooden matc h stick, explai n s h is philosoph y: "These kind of people just aren' t constitu ted for work. We ge t 'em out here a nd show 'em h ow to work. This way when they leave, they wo n ' t wan n a come back. They'll know what work is. " He adj usts th e sh otgu n ove r hi s shoulder and continues. 'The thi n g is, we're kee ping 'em safe. Without the chains they'd try to escape, and we'd T PRISON LIFE 51 have to shoot 'e m. " Farther north on th e interstate, a bored guard tells the men in his crew that h e is d issatisfi ed wit h th e job th ey're doing; h e ex plains th ey are no t responding qu ickly enough to his orders. H e pulls a wing-nut from his pocket, fixes on a locatio n and throws 52 PilSON LIFI t he nu t in to th e weeds a nd grass. H e ye lls to h is gro u p to co m e forward. They sh uffie over an d he ind icates the ge n e ral direction of the wing-nut, th e n o rders th e m to get o n th e ir hands and kn ees and search un til they find it. This diversio n lasts two hours. T h e first break, fi ve h o urs afte r wo r k began, is for lunch . Pri son e rs co mp la in about meager portions. One man hold a sandwich made of a si ng le p iece of cru sty p rocessed cheese between sli ces of dry wh ite bread. In disgust, he throws t he stiff piece of cheese o n th e g round . "Real cheese wou ld me lt," he says. "If they try anything, I have to put them down. Buckshot spreads outI might take out more than one." Chain gang prisoners from the disc iplin ary lock-u p unit have it wo rse. Th e first to le a ve th e ir cells in t h e mo rning and the last to re turn a t th e e nd of the day, th ey swing hatch e ts a nd pickaxes for te n ho urs. Ch a in ed in fives, they tug, pull a nd hack at tree slllmps. The chains make already dif- fietllt work hellish. Afte r la bo ring a ll clay in the swe lte rin g h e at, m e n on th e stump-di gging de tail begin wa lking the six miles bac k to th e prison. They stop at th e Lim es tone Facility fa rm to cool o ff and ge t a d rink o f water. "The worst thing is the h um ilia- Lion of be ing c ha ine d to othe r me n," a pri sone r n a m e d Good e n te lls me . "The sta te has made me th ei r slave . I' m no t a man a nymore. " Me n chain e d to h im listen a nd nod. "We we re d o ing th e sa m e work as be fo re, o nly now they c hain us up like a nimals so the governor can make it loo k li ke h e's do ing som e thing a b o u t c r ime . Al l th is shit is doing is maki ng pe ople a ngry. Whe n we ge t out, we' re not go ing to be in a goo d mood. " Th e g ua rd s h ave the ir own story. "On my c hain gang," says o ne, "I uy to b e as fa ir as p ossible, n o t like som e o th e rs. I m e a n, if it 's reall y h o t, I'l l wo rk m y guys in the sha d e if they' re ge tting ti red. " H e lifts hi s hat and wipes th e swea t fro m h is brow. "If 1wo guys want to beat the shit out o f e ac h o th e r, th at's o kay, too. As long as they don ' t figh t with tools, l figure le t th em setLie th e ir di putes like me n . ow if they pi ck up tools, th a t's a diffe ren t st01y . The n I have to fire on the m. If they try an ythi ng, I have to p ut the m d own. Buc ksho t sprea ds out, I mig h t ta ke o ut mo re th a n o n e . I d o n ' t ask questio ns, thoug h . My ma in o bjective is to sto p wha t 's go ing o n a nd regain co ntro l. They pretty muc h stay in line." The guard smi rks and says wh a t f' ve heard a t leasl five times in th e last two days: "Yo u know, they ain' t in he re fo r singing too lo udly in c hurc h. " "Rig ht, " says a n o t he r g ua rd . "That's right." Prisoners ask if I've photograp hed the "Mexica n prison " or the "h itching post. " The hi tching post resembles the ki nd o f pos t used to h itch a h o rse, o nly t h is o n e is built fo r me n who r e fu se to work o n t h e c h a in ga ng . Stubbo rn convicts are handc uffe d and chain e d to th e pos t a t fou r in the m o rning a nd unchained 12 h ou rs la te r. Beca u se t h e post is n ot tall PRISON LIFE 53 eno u g h to a ll ow a m an to sta nd st rai g ht, nor shon e n o ug h to a llow him to sit, be ing chaine d to th e post forces th e priso n e r LO be n d ove r al l day in the Alabama sun. The Mexica n prison is a n outdoor cage with barbe d wire strung a long 1h e lop . Th e n oo r , em bedded with jagged rock . makes it uncomfortable, if' not impossible, for prison e rs to sit or lie down. Locked in the pen for 12 hours. th e men stand in the su n a nd wa it. "I1's called the Mex ica n prison because inmates locked inside bake in th e sun a ll day," a prison e r ex p lains a nd ki cks the ground, causing a cloud o f' dust tO r i 'C. 11 my last cl ay a t Limestone I meet Acting Warden Ra lp h H ooks, a rese rved man who sits placid!)' be hind a large wooden desk when I am sh ow n into hi s o ffi ce. I noti ce 1h ere are no fam il y photograph s on h is desk. H e has neatl y arranged p ile of paperwork s pread before him . In we ll-re hea rsed sound bites, I looks explains the benefits of the c hain-gang program. He stresses its cosl-c fTcctiveness , a nd qu ic kl y points 0 11t 1h a t leg iro ns provide a safe work l'nviron men l fo r priso ne rs. "Th ey al so bui ld c h a ra cter," H oo ks 0 54 PRISON LIFE asserts. I memio n what th e men told me, that th ey ha d bee n doing th e sam e work more effec tive ly before th e c umb erso m e leg iro n s were introduced in May. "It's a mauer of budget," H ooks continues, dropp in g hi s a rg um ent for c harac te r d evelopmen t. Where once it required two arme d g uards to watch over a d e tail , the leg irons m ake it possible for o n e guard to supervise 40 chained prisoners. The priso n had to lay o ut a n initi a l cost o f' ove r $ 17,000 for the leg irons. But chaining convicts a llowed prison admin istrators to reduce th e guard staff and cut payroll. The practice h as a l o e n abled th e governor and pri so n co mmi ss io n er to turn Lim es ton e into a m edia sideshow whil e winnin g po in ts with vengefu l voters. The real cos t o f th e c ha in gangs, however, is still unknown. Two days after I left Alabama, Prison Com mi ssio ner Ron J ones, basking in a spo tlig h1 o f med ia auention , announced a nother innovative work deta il. Me n on the cha in gang will spend th e ir days b reaking large boulde rs into small rock with sledgehamm e rs a n d picka xes. Ne ith e r th e priso n no r the state hig hway departm e nt h as any n eed for th e cru shed The "Mexican prison," used for punishment, is an outdoor cage whose floor is embedded with jagged rocks, making it impossible to lie or sit. Prisoners are locked in for 12 hours at a time. Acting Warden Ralph Hooks stresses the cost-effectiveness of the chain ang. "They also build char· acter," he asserts. rock. As the wo rk can be don e more effi c ie n tl y by a mac h in e, with no gua rds req u ired , one ca n on ly surmi e th a t this is a nothe r progr am d esig ned to b uild character. oli ticians wh o champion the usc of chain gangs as a deterren t to rec idi vism may be more concern ed with public pe rception tha n with social reality. For whe n th ey a re re leased, me n fro m th e Ala ba ma c h ain gang will know liLLie more than h o w to p u ll wee d s, dig stumps and bre ak roc ks. Alo ng with these job skill s, th ey wil l be g ive n Sl 0 and a bus tic ket. Most will feel a nger and h a tred at having bee n physicall)' tonured a nd hum ilia ted o omc poli tic ian could gran dsta nd for a short- ig hte d public. As to wha t kind o f characte r the c hain gangs build , America has seen th e damage thi s degrading an d futile form of pu ni shm en t d id to th e n ationa l charac te r de cades ago a nd [JJ] rej ected it as evil. P Men whose bodies are covered with severe outbreaks of poison ivy receive calamine lotion for treatment. Chain-gang workers commonly suffer from infestation by chigger bugs - parasitic, blood-sucking mites that burrow under the skin and cause intense irritation. Prisoners return to Limestone Correctional Facility after a long day on the chain gang. PRISON LIFE 55 Don't serve the • tzme, let the time serve you THE PRISON LIFE FOUNDATION D o n ' t in c arcer a te; e ducat e . e Personal Transformation through Education Fully-accredited GED. College and Vocational Degrees Scholarships and Funding for e e Prison Educati onal Proj ects e Courses and Study Materi als Deli vered Directly to the Pri soner/Student Please tell us your educmional intcre,ts. GED/H.S. Degree 0 Liberal Arts B.A. 0 History Science B.S. 0 Biology Business 0 Accounting Voc:ttional 0 Other (Specify) 0 Name Address 0 English 0 Art 0 Computer Sciences 0 Chemistry 0 Marketing 0 Pre-Law 0 Philo,ophy 0 Engineering O M.B.A. Th e Prison Life Found at i on. Inc. is a not-for-profi t organization devoted to helping prisoners break free from th e cycle of cr ime and incarcerati on through educa ti on. Th e Fo un dat i on, toge th er w ith Pri son Life Educati onal Services . Inc .. sponsor full y-accredited GED, co ll ege and voca ti onal courses through correspondence learning. If you are interested in l earnin g more about educational opportun iti es off er ed by the Pri so n Life Foundatio n, please fi l l ou t and return the attached questionnaire to The Pri son Li fe Foundati on, 350 Fift h Avenue , Su i te 1905, New Y ork, NY 101 18. GETTIN' OuT & GOIN' FOR THE GREEN LEGALLvl How to Start a Business for Under $300 by Michael J. Chavaux Adrian Correctional, Ml o yo u ' r e geLLin g out soo n a nd you ' r e wo nd erin g h ow yo u ' re going Lo ma ke it-how you' re going Lo ge t a job, earn a living, pay th e bi lls. You co u ld always take a no th er sh o t at the qui ck a nd easy buck, but do yo u really wan t to risk a no th er bid ? Have n ' t you spe nt e no ug h tim e in th e can? Th e average an nual in co m e o f a U.S . e mp loyee is $ 26,000, acco rding to Link Resources Corpo ratio n, a ew Yo rk City-based resea rc h and co n sul tin g fi rm. Th e average yea rly ea rnin gs for a h o m e-ba eel busin ess is approxi ma te ly $52,000; twe n ty perce nt o f all home-based bu sinesses bring in ove r $75,000 a year. Most prisone rs think it's too com pli ca ted a nd cos tly to sta n a legitima te busin ess o f th e ir own a nd th at's why th ey turn Lo th e qui c k bu ck o n th e stree t. Regardless of your past, th e re are num e rous, legitimate busin esses yo u ca n start, a nd it d oesn ' tta ke a ny longe r to learn h ow to sta rt a legal bu ·in ess th a n it does an illegal o ne . Lo o ki ng a t it fro m a busin ess pe rspective, the poor success rate associated with any type of ill ega l activity carried o ut over a peri od o f tim e is ce rtain ly no t worth the r isk. But hom e-based businesses have a 95 % surviva l rate. You d ecid e whi ch is th e better cho ice. S PRISON LIFE 57 Choose your Business A business can be born from just about anythin g yo u have knowledge of, be it ed u ca tion , e ntertainme n t, sports, hobbies o r th e ever-popular prod uc t/ se rvice area. The key is to find somethin g you like to do a nd figure out a way to make money from it. Eve n if yo u d o n ' t kn ow a nythin g abo u t what you want to ge t into, sometimes all it ta kes is a n ad to hire someon e who does. Ke n Ko prin is a booking agent for rock n ' roll ba nds. He knew the e ntertainm e nt ind ustry inside an d out, but he didn ' t have a clue when it ca me to removing tree stumps. Acting on a Lip, h e did a liulc marke t research and found that th e re was a tre me ndous n eed for th is type o f service in h is area. He had no tOols a nd didn ' t know an ax from a h ole in the g round, but h e was d e te rmin ed to cash in on a need that wasn' t being filled. Koprin placed two ads in th e classified sectio n of the local newspaper. One was a help wanted ad fo r wmp removal (employees mu t h ave own tools) . In the othe r he advertised his services, "Kopri n Tree Stump Re moval." In le s tha n a month , he had three c rews o ut removing tree Slumps. He billed the custome rs, paid his e mployees by the job, and he started the e ntire business fo r the price of two classified ads. Test the Market The most risky aspect of a ny business start-up is taking a chance on losing the money you 've invested . This is why the beginner must look for busin ess o ppo rtuni ties th at have good profit po te n tial but a re also inexpe nsive to sta rt. This i a smart way to minimize yo ur risk. If a ll you n eed to start is a fe w hundred niers, a nd you get no respo nse, th e n wh a t have yo u lo st? Startin g out with some fo rm o f c hea p advertising to test cons um e r inte rest is called test marketing, and it can save yo u lots of ti me and money. Whet he r yo u do it in th e for m of a survey, thro ug h Oie rs o r t hro ug h a n in expe n sive ad , make sure yo u test the water bcrore diving in. Mail Order T he mail order business is a billio n-dollar-a-year in d ustry in wh ic h some th riv ing e ntrep re n eu rs h ave mad e a fo rtun e Lani ng r igh t f ro m th e ir kitch e n ta bl e. You can se ll just about a nythin g thro ug h th e mail. If you d on ' t have a nythin g lO sell , then loo k up so m e wh o lesale rs a t yo u r loca l library. You co uld place ads in 58 PRI SON LIFE STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS TARGET YOUR ADS • Make sure your ads are reach ing the right peop le. If you ' re selling so mething useful for rocke t scie n tists, don ' t waste your mon ey o n a mailing list fu ll o f Elvis im perso na to r . An d d on' t try to e ll a "do it your elf divorce kit"' in a bridal magazine. Your adve ni ing audience should have some so rt of interest in whatever it is you ' re trying to sel l. This is called target marketing. You a rc targeting your ad s to a specific g roup of people with specific need a nd inte rests. If you arc p lacing mo re than o ne ad in more than o ne p ub lication, be sure to key your ad so you know wh ich publica tions are bri nging in money and whi c h o n es a re n ' t. Fo r example, if yo u place a n ad in Holling Stone and Hit Pamderand your mailing address is P.O. Box 999, you may wamto list it in RollingStone as Box 999-RS and in Hit Pamderas Box 999-HP. That way, when the o rders come in, you will know by the Ia t two leu ers of your box number which magazine i pulling in the most custome rs. Otherwise, yo u co uld ma ke no sales whatsoeve r from o n e of these magazines a nd you'd neve r know it. You wo uld just keep wasting your money on a publicatio n that wasn ' t p roducing a ny resu lts. REDUCE MAILING COSTS • T h ere a re seve ral ways to do this th roug h va rio us postal services. Just contact yo ur loca l post office a nd th ey will p rovid e you with a free booklet th a t describes ma n y mon ey-saving methods ·uch a t hird class a nd bulk mai ling . But there a re o th e r techn iques that can h elp yo u to save and pro fit as we ll. Instead o f paying for mailings, a clever e ntre pre neur will a rrange it so he profits from the m befo re a ny o f his products a re even sold. If you are ma king your own catalog, yo u ca n solicit non competing businesses to p lace th e ir ow n ads in your catalog and c h arge th e m for it. Or you could offer lO mail o ut th e ir busin ess literature along with your own. The 32 cen ts will cove r a ro und fi ve sheets of paper. Wh y waste a ll that ex tra sp ace wh e n it wo n ' t cost you anythi ng mo re, and yo u ca n charge o th e rs to include th e ir inserts? OFFER INCENTIVES • Ma ke it as easy as possible fo r your cu tomers to o rder wha tever it is you are u·ying to sell. Make the m wa nt it bad a nd make them wam it now! Offe r disco un ts if they o rd er within a specifi ed pe ri od of time. Or offer something free if they orde r now! When they o rder the free item, send some of your othe r offers along with iL Include a self-addressed , stamped e nvelo pe (SASE) for their convenie nce. Statistics show that businesses receive a better response with these types of offe rs and incentives. magazin es, e n d o u t ni e rs (di rec t mail) o r make your own catalog. Most whole ·ale rs o ffer d rop shi ppin g. ay a custom er se nd yo u $ 10 for a n ite m yo u had ad ve rtised. Yo u check yo ur who lesale pri ce li st an d fin d th a t yo ur cost is o nl y 5. Yo u e nd th e $5 to th e who lesale r alo ng with th e o rd e r info rmati on a nd you poc ke t the diffe re nce. That's a ll you a re req uired to do. The who lesale r drop ships, o r fi lls th e orde r and delive rs itLO your custo me r with you r return add ress o n th e pac kage. This way yo u d o n't n eed a ny inve nto ry on ha nd a nd it saves yo u all th e h assles associa ted with shipping a nd handling. But the pac kage and prod uct is mad e to appear as if it cam e rig ht fro m you. Your c ustomer th in k they were deali n g d irectly with you a ll along and arc co mpletely u naware o f a ny other co m pan}' bei ng invo lved in the transaction. Information is pe rhaps t he easies t thing to sell through the ma il. Yo u ca n write a report o n a ny subj ect yo u h ave kn owled ge of. Anythi n g from quiltin g to a uto re pair ca n be so ld in th e form o f a re p ort. But d on't o ffe r just o n e so urce of informatio n. just as in any other business, in ord er to survive yo u must offer a selection of goods or se rvices. A potential customer may no t be inte rested in th e first thing yo u h ave to offe r, but might buy the seco nd o r third . You wj]] n ever see this custome r or his m on ey if you d on 't h ave that seco nd or third prod u c t to offer. Even if yo u cannot come up wi th a varie ty of yo u r own re p o rts, you could offer b oo ks, tapes a nd re ports don e by oth e r firms. Ma n y informatio n co mpa ni es will sell yo u th e ir reports co mplete with reprint ri g hts. Buy th e m o ne tim e and run th e m off on a co p y m ac hin e every time you rece ive a n ord er. Mail ord er is a n ideal business to start at ho me. You ca n begin on a sho estring even whi le h o ldi ng anot h er job. No previous e xperien ce is n eed ed. If you' re a mbiti o us and eage r to bu ild a successful business o f yo ur ow n , th en this m ay be th e op p o rtunity yo u 've been loo king for. Personal Trainer Many people want to lose we igh t and get in sha pe, but they just d o n ' t h ave th e kn ow-h ow or the motivation . A pe rsonal trainer has bo th and earns anywh ere up to $200 or more an hour. An d co ntrary to pop ul ar beli ef, yo u d on't have to look like Arnold to be a pe rsonal trainer. Take a look a t Richard Simmo ns. H e's in good sh ape and knows a g reat d eal a bo ut h ealth, fitness a nd nutrition , but he is far from th e m assive, c hise led loo k of a b odybuild er in so me monste r muscle magazin e. So, alth ough it may h e lp, t hat scul pted look is far fro m a requ ire m e nt in order to succeed in this business. But you do have to be in good shape. Have a printe r make so me professional looking flie rs a nd disu·ibu te th e m in afflu e n t n e ig h borh oods. Read u p on the su bject. Get a subscription to h ealth and fitn ess magazines; a ttend so me classes; obtain a cenificate; join some clubs and organizations and list any of these involveme nts on your fl ie rs in order to g ive your business some credibility. In add ition to an ho urly rate, you co ul d offe r ex tras like h ouse calls, the pre para tio n of low-fat, low-calorie meals, massages, we ight training, etc. You could sell vitam ins, videos, clothing a nd equipmenL This type of produc t line, along with the high rates a n d low overh ead, a re the ingredients of a lucrative business. Auctions There are many types o f a uctio ns throughout the United State . Ba n ks, credit union s and many state o r governme nt age ncies au ctio n off con fiscated , re possessed a n d used prope rty. You can purchase anything fro m small a ppliances to h omes o r vehicles at far below wholesale prices. For five do llars, th e Au to Auction Associatio n will send you a directory of eve ry a uction in your a rea. The National Autom obile Deale rs Assoc iation ( DA) publi sh es a m o nthl y blue boo k th at lists wh o lesale and re tai l prices fo r u sed cars. Upon request, many state agencies like th e De p artm e nt of T ransporta ti on will send you a yearly calendar that shows th e d ates on which different auctions a re h e ld. T h e un wr iue n r u le for a uto mobiles is ge nerally: spend hundreds, make hu ndred s; spe nd t housand s, make th o usands. *** If none of t h ese ideas in teres ts yo u , there a r e stil l hundreds o f o th er small businesses you can tart inexpe nsively. Lisa Thomas we nt to garage sales and bought every book she co uld get h e r h a n ds on. Mo t went for un der fifty ce nts. When she fe lt she had enough books, she re n ted a ch ea p s tore fro n t a nd opened a u sed book store. Pa m e la Cassani had the sam e idea, onl y she bough t baby clothes a nd o pe ned a resale clo th ing store. Afte r turnin g hi s dinin g room into a bedroom, a n d b uildi ng two bed rooms in hi s basemen t, Mark Danie ls had a total of seven rooms in his ho u se to rent. At $75 a week eac h , the man rakes in 2, 100 a momh without leaving ho me. The opportunities are un limited. .Just use yo ur mind a nd be creative. Whe n you find something th at in terests you , research it, read everything you ca n o n th e subject a n d ta lk to people wh o are in similar businesses. Get the ir brochu res, lite ra ture, opinio ns a nd ask a lot of questions. Write clow n ways to save mon ey and c ut cos ts at every a ngle . Don ' t le t a lack of fund s o r limi ted ex perie n ce di scou rage yo u. Your o nly tru e lim its are the limi ts you place on yourself. Have an)' questions or comments? WritP to: Michael Chavaux, # 169378, P.O. Box 1888, Acl1ian, M f 49221. Law Offices STEINBORN & ASSOCIATES (U.S. t•. McCaslin; U.S. t•. -105.098.23) • Criminal Defense • Forfeiture Double J eopardy • Recovery of Seized Assets Representing the Acmsed since 1968 Steinborn & Associates 30th Floor, Smith Towe r 506 Second Ave. Seattle, W ashington 98104 206-622-5117 fax: 622-3848 In ternee: SURLA W @AOL.com Avai lable for representation, or consultation with you r attorney. SANTA'S LETTER This Christmas, send a special letter from santa to your child. For more Info, write to: santa's Letter P.O. Box 27!4$5 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) 32c stamps to: REACHING OUT P.O. Box 21136 Castro Valley, CA 94546. PRISON LIFE 59 Listen in on SASSY SORORITY GIRLS - See how bad two sorority sisters can be when they answer your phone call and decide to tease you. CHEERLEADER CONFESSIONS ~Eavesdrop~ on this very private phone line as three wild cheerleaders tell you what turns them on the most. BACHELORmE PARTY Find out what happens to the only male stripper at an all-girls' bachelorette party. ~4 Ad\lenture!i to Choo!ie From! Rich Girls 1 Sassy Sorority Girls J Private Yacht Party 1 Horny Hitchhikers Motorcycle Mama I Eager Beavers Alabama Alice 1 Drugstore Cowgirl 2 Jenny & Suzi I Too Big for Brenda 3 Screamers I South of the Border Action Rub·a·Dub in the Tub/ A Tale of Two Tinies Female Bonding I Pearl Necklace 4 Bachelorelle PanyI Secretarial Interview Tammy & Tina I Cheerleader Confessrons Backstage Visitors / Stewardess on Right 69 Kneepad Nancy1 Knob Gobblers o Each Audio Tape $9.95! "Deluxe Set" All 24 Titles-that's a full two hours of steamy adultsonly adventure- on 2 special, long-play1ng cassettes for only $19.95! o Cassenes are professionally sealed m plastic and contam no explicit graphics or nud1ty on covers. All product is shipped in plain packaging with no ind1cation of contents. ORDER BY MAIL! -- - - -- - -- - -- - - -- - - NAME (I ADDRESS certify !hall am 11 or older I STATE Quantity/Tape I #1 #3 - ZIP _@ S9.95ea. _ Deluxe set(sl @$1 9.95 Add $3.50 P&H 12 #4 Deluxe Set(s) (all4 on 1cassenesl (CAres1dents add 825%sales tax.) TOTAL Send check or money orderro: Western Audio, 175Fihh Ave., Box 2205, New York, NY111010 Mail Call (continued from page 14) for me to become pen pa ls with a man in prison. He had been down for seve n yea rs. I fe ll h ead-over-heels in love with Alle n , who I no w fond ly refer to as my "p risoner of love." All en began an immediate campaign to educate me and my son so he would not end up where Al le n is. Pan o f that educational process involved getting my son a subscription to- you guessed it!-Prison Life. T h e straighttalk and no-frills look a t th e inside has done wonders fo r my boy. Fo r kids o n the stree t, prison is ro manticized , but as we a ll know, there is absolutely nothing roman tic a bout prison. Some folks said that Al le n wou ld be a bad influence on my son , bu t that h as not been t h e case. My so n gets to watch hi s m o th er an d ste p-fath e r cond u ct a re lationship via con trolled visits, te lephone lin es and th e ma il. So n ow when I say th ings like, "Who wa n ts to go to prison a nd not ge t la id for yea rs?" my wo rds are no t th e e m pty pondering o f an unknowing mom. The very last p lace my son wan ts to en d up is in th e j o in l. For th ose of you wh o are incarce ra ted a nd fee l your life h as no meaning, I hope you 60 PRISON LIFE wi ll consider the impact you can a nd do have on the you ng peo ple of our society. O n e you ng life h as been tran sform ed, but ma n y oth e rs a re waiting. Nell Villegas Pasadena, CA A FEW WORDS FOR RICKI First we had Reader's Digest spreading lie upon lie that priso ns were all counU)' clubs. Yesterday I saw a rather a musing top ic of di sc u ssio n on t h e R.i cki La ke show. "Life is too toug h o n the su·cet. I want to go bac k to prison wh e re I had it real good. " Cr a n k # 1 had a Robin H ood comp lex. H e believed in steali ng from the rich and giving to th e poor . Crank #2 has been ou t fo r 10 years after d o ing a measly four year bit: "I had a j ob in prison a n d got a CE O. 1 want to go back." Crank #3 was a 17-year-old kid who'd just done two-and-a-h alf yea rs in a j uviejoint in Maryland: "I don't fit in. I want to go to an ad ult prison." Cran k #4 said th is: "I was in jail overnight a nd I liked it. Send m e back to prison." Please. Inte rspe rsed among the studi o guests were the typical ex-priso ncrats informing the audie nce that a ll priso ns have 35" color TVs, more weights than Bally's and all the other luxuries that we don't have and never will have. What th e h e ll is going o n h e re? If the public th inks life be hind bars is so sweet, why do n 't they m ake an exchange program? Keep the populatio n down by swi tch ing someone who wants to live in p riso n for someone that wants out of prison. Apparently, t h ere arc a lot of wealth y people who pay large sums of money to go to "fat fa r ms" to shed excess po u nds. Se nd o n e of those rich pric ks to prison-le t 'em lose the weight withou t exercise. I lost 13 pounds in three months on the Wisconsi n DOC diet plan: no work, no mea l p lann ing,j u st th ree inedible meals a day wi ll me lt those pounds righ t off! Rick i La ke had a h ell of a problem before sh e went on her diet. Send her to prison and she'll be a svelte 120 within a month or so. Cold ce rea l and g reasy food for a month a nd sh e'll n eed a new wardrobe. I can hardly wait for the sequel. Tlwuws Reimann Waufmn Com'ctional Institution, WI rrn ~JGIII.~illlilli1£3 BUBBA-PINCHED! The edit&rs regrPI that ou1· j1ojmlar column. Ask Bubba, will not m n in this issue. Bubba, who wrilf'S f rom inside a largt! stale pen what' he is doing t1ijJlPlife wuler the A m~ed Career Criminal A rl, is in ad seg charged with operating a busillfS..\ (writing his trashy column) fro m inside the joi nl. We wPre in a quaurlmy, wondmng whether to II)' to 1f'plare Bubba with anotlunvriter, perhajJs mn a rail out in the magazine askingfor candidates, or simply JttSfJend the cohmm pmdiug the oulccme ofa disciplinlll)' rmnmitlee hearing which is sujJjJosfid to deU:rmi ne if Bubba will be allowed to resume un·iting for Ptfor no pay-whirh is imuic as he has been demanding a misP since day one. Last WPek, j ust ttS we Wf'1'f' getting read)' to go to press, a mystnious caller who wottld identijj hmPlf only as ".~)•!via ~ left a message at our N t'ltl Vork office. WP were told to send a mes.\engt-'1· to a l(}jlless join t on 7th Ave. for an important/die from Bnbba. "Seud Coz.zoue, " Sylvia said. "He's cute." Syluia turned ou l to be onP of the dauw-s. Aj il:r the show, we bought her a beer and she gavr us thr liite, jJurportnlly smuggled out oftl~e joint by ~)·1m as sister who is a CO Upstair where Bubba ~- doing time. We have no way of lin owing if any of this is trtte or if tlw llite is gtmu ine. Sylvia claimed to have lw own B ubba when he was on the stmrl. H n jwrting commm t was that shP lwjJes they kePjJ him loclier/ up, 'for hi.1 own good. " We ltavP dPrided to n m the kite even though publishing Bubba right now could get him into l'Vtm mon• Iruuble. Fucking scum ! Who cares about these peop le? V\'ha t a bo ut my First Amendment r i g h L~? Bill Ku nstle r, God rest his restless soul, would have had these communist pun ks in coun and been flai ling the m with his acid to ng ue, and wh a t d o you do? Nothing! Bitch to me, "Vl ho' re we gonna get to write th e column?" o bo dy, godda mn it! Get a dog to ta ke my place bu t don ' t you da re try to front some liberal poseur ofT on the sucke rs who buy this rag. Listen to me, I to ld those fools I have never been paid! 1 o t once. Wha t business? Those convicts wh o run this rag do n 't p<t)' anybody. Wha t do you expect from a bunch of cons? T his is a mo the rfucking ho bby! I was in the Captain ·s office and 1 dared the m to produce my books and show me one check or money orde r I'd received from P.1ison LifPorjoint Ve nture Media or wha tever the crooks who run this scam are calling the mselves now. Yo u know what the Captain said? ··w e ha,·e reason to believe the mo ney is going su·cet-to-su·cct," as ifl 'd been caught peddling d ope. l kn ow wha t t h is is abo ut. Yo u wa nt to know? It's abo ut fam e. ot fa me and fo rtun e, u nfortun a tely, but fa me, pure a nd simple. I ge t mo re mail in a wee k th an th e wa rde n and everyone else who works at this j o in t gets in a year. I h ad two gu )'S he re fro m Hollywood wh o wa nt to do my life story. The re's a comi c boo k a nd inte rac tive CD/ ROM in the wo rks. Bob Guccio n e wa n ts to hire me to wri te for PenlltousP. The warden is j ealo us, tha t's why h e had me locked u p. They ain ' t got shit on me. I could beat this case with Ma rcia Cla rk fo r a lawyer. M)' first a nd o n ly legitima te gig a nd th ese alie ns want to give rne nin el)' d ays hole time ! If you people don ' t have the balls to go afte r the ward e n a nd get Bubba's ass out oflock-up, wc"re th ro ugh. I'll n ever write a no tl1er miserable fu cking wo rd for Prison L ife and I'll se nd so meone down the re to rip your eyes o ut if yo u don 't take rny li ke ness and name out of your pe nny-pinching pub· Jjcation. And tell all my fa ns n ot to wo rry. This is Ame rica. Bubba is Ame rica n. T hey ca n't do th is to me. I may be a n o good co nvict, but I do have righ ts. J have a rig ht to wri te, for c hrissakc , a nd to read whatever the fuck I wa nt. An d to say wh a tever I wa n t, too, for all you littl e o l' ladies and Bible ba ngc rs out th e re wh o take exceptio n to my lang uage. 'What good arc the Constitution a nd Bill of Righ ts if we le t these peo p le shit all over us? Call Kuby, fo r God 's sake . Call my age nt. Call Mike Tyson. Le t them know wha t's ha ppe ning to me. Se nd some cigare ttes so I can bri be an o rd e rly a n d ge t so me thin g going a ro und h ere. I' ve got no thing. Yo u p eople leave me to rot in he re like a sick an imal. Stop knuckling u nder. And d on 't eve n think of trying to rep lace me. I'll keep getting my column out to you ifl have to send it by smo ke signals. One last thi n g. My mo the r could usc a few bucks. If you decide to pay me a n ytime soo n, se nd th e o ld gal 50 o r $100 a n d th e rest to the wife an d kid . Tha t's righ t, I h ave n ' t given up on you. Do n 'tgivc up on me! Bnbba PRISON LIFE 61 UNiqtJE, PlAIN IANGU G ~IP]](CIILFI1CC.MI1I1TI l\)lliill\ffiJ&11 IFCIDill 111 ~II~ IL&TIIV1Iiill\Ja The Citebook 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 Mill HIVt 1001 for any individual :onsidering involvement in our legal system . g! ...........................................................................................................................~ ...............................................................................................................................~ Plese send the hooks checked helow: ~ Send us_ "Citebooks" at $24.95 each: YEARlY fDITIONS. ....... YEARlY EDITIONS ARE PRINTED AND SHIPPED EVERY OCTOBER. COST IS $27.45 ($24.95 + $2.50 S&H) QUARTf.RlY UPDATES. ....... QUARTfRlY UPDATES ARE ISSUED DURING THE MONTHS OF JANUARY, APRil, JUlY AND OCTOBER. COST IS $109.80 FOR UPDATESAND MUST BE ORDERED ON A YEARLY BASIS. , 0 Check here for QuarteriiJ Updates 0 Check here for YeariiJ Editions Send my ''Citebook[s T' to: Name._ _ _ __ _ _ __ Date._ _ Address._ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ Postage at $2.50 each: Florida residents add 7°/o sales tax: Total enclosed: Fo r 2 Day prio rity Ma il add $5.00 Fo r Overnight Mail add $17.00 Send to: Starlite Inc. P.O. Box 20004 - Dept. 22 St. Petersburg, Fl 33742 ~ (800) 577-2929 (813) 392-2929 FAX (813) 392-6161 City & State._ __ _ _ __ _ Zip_ _ Ca ll for spec ia l pric ing o n orders of 25 or m ore . .......................................................................................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,...................~ ................................................................................. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ...... ~ Name: Age: Birthplace: Conviction: Sentence: Time Served: Ambitions: Rap Sheet Clayton Howard 30 Opa Locka, FL Murder Life No possibility for parole for 25 years 12years To run an organization for youth at risk Some readers may have noticed we haven't had a Celly of the /vlonth for the jHtsl two iswes. "Nfa)dJe that's because no one wo1·thy of the title has ben1 nominated, " wrote "a subscriber, reader and Jan" nameri David Wood in Flo1·ida 's Baker· Conectional Institution. "If that's the case, " he continw•d, "then you have nothing to worry about. !Ill of us Priso n Life readers here at Baker have tallwd it over and we feel/ hat Clayton !-/award is more I han wo1·thy of the title. " Following is David Wood's j;rojile of Prison Life's November '95 Cellmale of the Month. by David Wood As a kid , Clayton Howa rd fe lt he neve r qu ite fit in. "Som e thing was mi ssing in my life," he says, "and I thoug h l my paren L~ we re th e reaso n . At I 6 I dropped out of school and ran away fro m home. I lived in the streets unti l I go t a job an d saved e n o ugh money fo r an a partme nt a nd a car. This was th e life, I thought. "I didn't get into tro ubl e fo r a whil e, not even a parking ticket. I had neve r see n th e inside of a j a il. But within two yea rs, I stood in front o f a judge in Fort Lauderdale as h e said , 'You ng ma n , fo r th e crime of murder, I sentence yo u to spend th e r es t of your life in the state pe nitenti ary."' N"ter a night of drin king and d r ugging with a local drug deale r, a vio le nt a rgum e n t h ad e n sued and H owa rd e nded up shooting the dealer. When the judge handed down a life se n tence with a m a ndato r y 25 years, C layton fe lt as if hi s life was over. "I be li eved that a ll th e dreams I had fo r myse lf wou ld be forever beyond my reach ." After se nte n c in g, C layton was shipped to Baker fo r two months, Lhen tra n sferred to U nion Co rrectio n al Institution, known as "The Rock," and the second worst prison in Flo rida. T hree yea rs later, just wh e n h e thought things could n' t get any worse, he was se nt to Flo rida 's most vio le nt pen, the East Un it, wh e re he spe n t five hard years. "I was yo un g a nd th o ug ht! co u ld gain respect in prison by staying in u·ouble," Howard says. But in h is mi d 20s h e decided it was time for a change. "l realized it was time to he lp myse lf, not just im press othe r pri ·one rs." In L993, he attended a Chri stian retrea t calle d IZa iros, where he fou nd people willing to help him. Soon a fter, Clayton decided to start helping o thers. H e focused on tro u b led tee n s, yo un g me n wh o were on th e same path tha t had led hi m to priso n . Clayton realized that some tough talk was needed an d asked the administration if g rou ps of tee n s co uld visit the priso n. Bu t o ffi c ials n ixed th e idea. Knowin g h e would never be pe rmitted to make o u tside visits, h e deve loped a co rrespo n de nce p rogram, "Straight Ta lk, " and wrote to yo un g peop le abo ut hi s story and th e hazards of drugs. H e encouraged them to stay in school an d stee r clear of crim e. vVith h e lp from fri e nds o n the o utside, he produced a pam phlet a nd distributed it to sch ools, c hurch es a nd youth o rgan izatio ns. Called Grooviu 'Finding the Good Life-The Clayton Howard Story, th e broc hure brings h ome the horrors of pri so n li fe in g ra p hic descrip t ions."! ate fl y- and roach-infested food sli d th ro u gh a h ole in the door of my tin y cell. l was g ive n th ree five-minute s howe rs a week. I saw othe r teenage boys c ut th e ir wrists a nd jugular veins. Death seeme d a be uer way." C layton to ld hi s sto ry over and ove r, hoping others would learn fro m his mistakes. Kid s wrote to C layton imm e diate ly, a nd o n ce pare nts got wind of Clayton 's "Straight Talk," they begged hi m to write m their kids. Clayton rece ives abo ut th ree n ew teen pen pals a month and adds th e m to hi s li st o f p roteges. H e recen tly expanded his project with a newsleu e r called Brothers Helf; ing Bmlhen. Upo n his release (he 's hopin g to ge t his sente nce commuted to 17 years ma ndator y time) , h e p la n s to establish a full-fl edge d ou treac h orga niza tion and speak to la rge g ro ups o f youth at ri sk. In preparation fo r th at clay, Clayton has bee n honing his public speaki ng ski lls through the p ri so n ' s Toastmasters Club. Since joining, h e has won first place in e ig h t speech contests. He wins by writin g a nd rew ri ting his speeches, me morizing and rehearsing them in hi s cell into the ea rly morning hours. His humorous and motivational speec hes have titillated both priso ne r and freeworld audi e nces. Today Clayton wo rks in the education departm elll as a clerk/ secre tary for th e education s upervisor. H e a lso vo lun teers hi s tim e as a peer cou nselo r in the drug program and u·ies to ge t oth e r priso ners invo lved in se ll~ d evelopme nt e ndeavors. H e g ree ts new arriva ls at Bake r and explai ns th e prison pitfa lls, traps and "boo" ga mes. H e is a lso writing a p ri so n man ua l/ surviva l g uid e for first-tim e o n~ enders. Clayto n 's newest c ha llenge is college. "I was the first person in my family to co m e to priso n , and I ' ll be the first o ne to earn a coll ege "degree," he says with a smi le. l-Ie pla ns to receive hi s B.S. in Busin ess Administration next year. "Prison can be a place for positive growth ," C layto n says, "and l hope I can in nue n ce othe rs to make the time work for th e m , n o mauer h ow long the senten ce." PRISON LIFE 63 Who's cot the Money? The Low-Down on Post-Release Benefits by Jim Balla rd Idaho Correctional Institution some of us have no idea what we 'll do when we get out, beyond spending our gate money and making that first appointment with the P.O. But one thing's for sure: we face some pretty tough obstacles out there, and once the money runs out, things will get ugly. Maybe you've heard the myths about all the benefits awaiting excons. You may even be one of those unlucky dudes who purchased an info sheet detailing all the people and places just waiting to fork over big money to you . Let's face the facts: No one out there is going to hand something over to you just because you've been in prison. There are, however, some legitimate programs you can tap into if you're willing to use your head, have patience and apply yourself. With a little persistence, these programs could mean the difference between making it or not. Employment Development Department T h e Em p loym e nt Deve lo pme nt Departm e n t ( EDO ), b e tter kno wn as th e u n e mp loym e nt o ffice, wi ll n o t- n o m a tte r wh a t yo u h a ve h eard- g ive you u n e mp lo ym e nt co mpen satio n fo r a prison j o b. At one tim e th ey di d, but that p rogra m was abolishe d in Octobe r, I 983. Ho weve r, acco rd ing to Lazlo To th , au tho r of the Prisoner's Yellow Pages, the re a re still un em p loyme n t and d isability be ne fi ts to be h ad , a lbe it li mited , for any time spe nt o n a p rison j ob or vocatio nal program prio r to july l , 1982. So if yo u we re breaking yo ur back fo r Priso n Industries befo re thi da te, you m ight have some be n e fi ts coming. Ch eck it ou t with your local EDD. 'Wh ile you ' re loo king for wo rk, it's a good idea to regis· ter with th e EDD. T h is h e lps o ut in a numb e r o f ways. Wh e n you see an ED D cou nselor , ask about the T a rgeted J o bs T ax Program . This and othe r programs like it e ncourage businesses to h ire ex-offende rs by reward ing the m with tax breaks. An e mployer h iring an ex-con is eligible fo r up to $4,500 in fe d eral tax credi ts, eve n mo re in so me states. Find o u t wha t the de a l is in you r state a nd co nside r usin g this as a selling ite m whe n loo king fo r work. 64 PRISON LIFE Department of v ocational Rehabilitation The De pa rtme m of Vocati on al Re ha bi litation get. a lot o f me nti o n , b ut unfo rtun ate ly m ost o f it is false. A whi le ba c k, I h a d th e o ppo rtu n ity to interview Do n Esk ridge fro m a Califo rn ia offi ce o f th e OVR. H e sa id h is o ffice receives h u ndreds o f lette rs asking about the ir services. In case yo u 've heard t h e ru mo rs: No, t he DVR will no t buy you a car o r tru ck to get to work; a nd no, they will not cosig n a loan . Abo ut 15 to 20 years ago, the OVR rea lly d id lll' to he lp a nyone ge tti ng out of prison . But th e powers-tha t-be took a look at th e abuses going on and they pu lled the plug, fast. vVhat the DVR will do is he lp anyo ne who is physically or me m a lly hand icappe d p repa re fo r employment. Serio us substance a buse problems that a ffect your abi li ty to work do consti tute a vocatio n al h andi cap . So if you had a problem ho lding d own a j ob because of booze or dope, th ese folks will he lp yo u decide wh at line of work m ight be best suited fo r you. T hey'll pu t you on a traini ng program geared for (coutiuul'd on f}(/ge 67) An b)' Jo-.cph lfcrnnndcl. Green Hu,cn C.F. PRISON LIFE 65 The scoop on social security by Michael Steinberg, Attorney If you arc disabled due to a severe mental impairme nt, you may be eligible for Social Security disability be nefits. Social Security recognizes illnesses such as drug add ictio n , alcoholism , schizoph renia, depression, menta l retardation, anxiety, pe rsonali ty d isorders, orga ni c brain damage and so me other types of disorders. The Social Security Administration places a lot of e mphasis on th e fo llowing fo ur categori es to determine if a p erson is d isabled: activities of dai ly living, social func ti o ning, co ncentration a nd episodes of deterioratio n in work or work-like situations. If you arc markedly impaired in at least two of these areas, you have a good chance of be ing awarded be nefits. So why aren't most priso ners receiving Social Security benefits? The reason is that the Social Security Ad ministration prohibits payment of be nefits to perso ns inca rcerated under a sente n ce that ca rri es with it a prison te rm of one year or more. Then why bother reading this article? The re arc basically two different types of Social Security disabi li ty be nefits: Social Security Disabi li ty Insurance Benefits and SSI. In order to q ualify for Disab ili ty In sura n ce Benefits, a p e rso n mu t have worked and paid Social Security taxes for at least five of the past 10 yea rs prior to becoming d isabled. (The rules are a little diffe rent for persons und e r 30.) In order to receive SSI , o ne must be poor and disabled. Social Security Disa bi li ty wi ll pay a p e rso n one year prior to the date of his application o r five months after he becomes disabled, wh ichever is the later date. In other words, if you we re rece ntly sentenced, you may be eligible to receive back benefits of up to o ne yea r, even though you are not curre ntly elig ible for ongoing benefits. If you wait until you get out, you wi ll lose all of the back pay to which you are entitled. SSI only pays benefits from the date of tl1e a pplication. In additi o n to money benefits, if you are found e ligible for SSI, you wi ll also be e ligible for Med icaid. If yo u filed for SSI and were denied within th e past two yea rs, you may be ab le to reo pen yo ur case a nd get paid back to th e date of the prior application. Why fil e now for disability benefits? Besides the possibi lity of back pay for Social Security Disability Insurance Be n efits, it is important to establish a "period of disability" as early as possible. First, the medical a nd psyc ho logical evidence will be fresh. Secondly, tile Social Security a ppeals process ometimes takes as long as two to three years before a findjng of disability is made. Wouldn ' t it be nice to be eligible for benefits the firstm ontll you get out? What to do The first ste p in obtaining Social Security benefits is to fill out an app lica tion. The Social Security 66 PRISON LIFE Regu lations a nd the Social Security Ac t do n o t prohibit priso ners from applying for benefits. Nonetheless, Social Securi ty o ffi ces refuse to accept and take applicatio ns until just prior to a prisoner's anticipated release date. Curren tly there is a Petition fo r Writ of Mandamus pending in Fed eral Court to order the Social Security Adm inistration to accept a nd process prisoners' applica ti ons. In the meantime, se nd ing a lcuer to Social Securi ty stating your inten t to file for benefits sh ould act as a p rotective fili ng date of yo ur application. Why is it valuable to society for priso n e rs to be found eligible for benefits? As most of you know, it is ex tre mely difficult for a newly released prisoner to get a job. It is even more d ifficult for a n ex-convic t with severe me ntal impairments to get a j o b. If one is released with no way of making an honest living, there is a high probability that h e will return to a life o f crime. With Social Security, SST and Med icaid, a perso n at least has e nough money to su rvive, and insurance to u·eat his illness so th at he can once agai n (or for the first time) become a contributing membe r o f society . But how do we kn ow the ex-co n won 'tjust use the money for alcohol o r drugs? Because Social Security requires that fo r th ose pe rsons who h ave an alcohol or drug-related impairme nt, or who ca nn ot hand le th e ir own mone y, a Re presen tative Payee wi ll be appointed to handle thei r money. The Social Security Adminisu·ation also requires th at p ersons addicted to alcohol or drugs attend suc h rehabilitation programs as the SSA dee ms appropriate. If disability is based primarily on alcohol a nd drugs, after three yea rs the benefits will automatically be te rminated, even if th e person is still disabled due to alco holism or drug add iction. Do yo u need an attorney? The Social Security appea ls process is complica ted. Most attorneys who h and le th ese cases must li mit their practice to this a rea . It is ex trem ely difficult for a perso n o u tside prison without a m e n tal impairmenL to represe n t himself. If you are in prison a nd suffer from a mental impairme nt, you need an a u orney. Wh e re can yo u find one? You ca n write or call the atio nal Organization of Social Security Represe nta ti ves (1 OSSCR) at 6 Prospect Stree t, Midland Park, New Jersey 07432. They will provide yo u with tile name of an auorney in you r area who can ha ndle yo ur case. Expect to pay this a tto rn ey 25 % of you r past due benefits. If the re are no past due benefits, expect to pay this auorney a Oat fee (probably around $ 1,000) if you win and n othing if you lose. If an attorney wants to charge you a fee regardless of whether you win or lose, don ' t hire h im. You may also contact this write r at 2203 orth Lo is Avenue, Suite 950, Tampa, Florida 33607. this ne w lin e o f wo rk, and th ey' ll work with th e EDD to help you find a new job. T h e DVR will also he lp yo u through a n unsee n financial crisis sho uld one occur while you 're in their program. And if you need books, wols or equipm e nt for this new line of work, they'll help you get them . Fina lly, altho ug h they won 'l buy you a car, they wi ll h e lp you out with a bus pass. You should know, however, that these benefi ts arc n ' t ava ilab le until you ' ve spem a specific a mo unt of ti me on the job, usually 60 days or more. You ca n lind th ese guys in th e state list ings of yo ur p ho n e book unde r th e Depa rtm e nt of Re habilita tion. Write th e local o ffice to get the ce n tral office's addre s a nd maybe you can get th e ball ro lling even before yo u ge t ou t. Food The price of food may shock you upon re lease. It sure hasn' t gone down in your absence. Don't despair. You are e lig ible for food sta mps- u p to about S80 a month dependi ng o n what state yo u live in . But you will need to satisfy two requiremen ts: You need to be an established resident of that state, and you must be registe red for work. Remember th at trip to the EDD? We ll, you satisfied both require m e nts wh en you registe red for work. Do n ' t allow pride to get in the way, because food stamps could mean th e differe nce betwee n making it in the free world and coming back to the pen. small Business Administration The Small Busin ess Adm inistra ti on sha res ma ny of th e same myth s a nd m isu nde rsta ndin gs as th e DVR. I have wr itte n to th e SBA (and yo u ca n bet it wok a lot o f letters!) to get to th e bottom o f wh at th ey're wi lling lO do for ex-cons. This is what th ey said: The re arc 1 0 benefits avai lable to a pe r o n o n probation o r on parole. Also, a n ex-fe lon is lOT considered a minority fo r loa n purposes. T o make a long swry short, if you ' re out free a nd clear, you stand th e sa me c h ances as a n yo ne else of gettin g some th ing from the SBA. But you be tte r have yo ur act together before you go. They' ll want LO see substantiatio n o f your ex pertise in you r proposed area, a five-year pla n o f opera ti ons, marketing a nd consumer stats and lo ts of o th e r related data: material costs, including a mo ums and sources as we ll as tools a nd any special equipment that'll be needed . This is notlO say that once you 're off paro le, you should not go see them. just be prepa red. One last n o te o n th e SBA: They do not g ive yo u th e loan. They co-sign the loa n for yo u a t a pa rti cipatin g bank. O n e guy I know who got help from th em says it's a good idea to al ready have a ba nk lined up. Education Even though th e feds have c u t the Pc ll G rants, ma ke su re you avail yo urself o f any educati onal o pportunities you r instiwtion offe rs. On ce you ' re out, d o so m e resea r c h on g ra nts and loa n s a n d co nsider ge uing a d egree. Th is will increase your c ha nces of finding a job in the compe titive ma rket that awaits you. For additi onal in formation , write to: Fed e ra l Swdent Aid Progra m s, Departme nt DEA-85, Pueblo, CO 8 1009 . Ask them for th e b oo kl e t, Five Federal Fina ncinl Aid Programs. So m e states o ffer assista nce, lOo. Call o r write for information a t yo ur sta te 's capital city. That's about it for federal stuff. You may want lO check wi th nitcd \1\la y, wo. Th ey' ll b e more th an happy lO g uide you lO a ll the programs available in your area. Do n't fo rget to check out all the good programs at the sta te level. Look for prog rams that deal with alco ho lism, b lood banks, den tal care, disabi li ti cs, drugs, e merge ncies, e nviro nme n tal h ealth, eye ca re, hearing loss, hospita ls a nd h os pi ces ( lodging if }'Ou ' rc reall y sick), lo n g- term ca re , m ed ical reco rds , m e n ta l h ealth , tax inform atio n , health-care clccluc tio ns, X-rays, etc. Roll up your ·Jccves and start looking. on a Positive Note .. . Now that I' ve got all tJ1at covered , l'cllike to e nd on a more positive note an d talk abou t yo ur parole officer. If yo u ' re like me, th e fi rst th ough t to e nter yo ur mind is "ene my. " If you ' re screwing up , tha t's probably going to be u·ue. But the fac t is-and you may find this pre tty hard to stomach-th is guy really wo uld rathe r sec yo u make it th a n fail. Ir you show him you wa11tto succeed , and if he takes a liking lO you, this guy ca n steer a ll so rts of he lp your way. In an intcr.•icw with a Califo rnia P.O . named Tucker, he to ld me that a P.O. can eve n h elp a client get a carnot only at a low price, but also on a payment plan from th e state. Ask your P.O. what so n of programs he knows about to help you get a leg up. Kee p in mind that many o rga ni za tions speciali ze in h e lpi n g th e ir ow n . I have ye t lO find one Lh at h e lps retired elope crooks, but th e re a rc fo lks like the Veteran's Admi nistra tion and the NAACP. (Sec Plison Life's Resources departmen t. ) If you ' re will ing to put forth so me effort a nd swallol'J some pride, you 'll discover there really is a lot of he lp o ut th ere. I don 't know about you , but I' m d o ing 15 fixed. Wh en th i is o,·er, I'll be using every resource to h elp me make it. II]] YO READERS! l I A large part of our commitment to you in publishing this mag is the determination to provide access through our advertisers to the products and services that will help improve the quality of your life while you're doin ' time. Whatever your needs-educational, legal, recreational-we hope to deliver. Let us know what you need-within reason, of course--and we' ll find the advertiser to provide it. Write or call. Prison Life Magazine Advertising Department 175 5th Avenue Suite 205 New York, NY 10010 (212) 229- 1169 I PRISON LIFE 67 by Chris Cozzone, Fitness Editor FAT ATTACK-AEROBIC STYLE / 'vi' bt'l'll lijlillgjor ynu:\· lll're and I've fmt on somt' dt'I'I'IIIIIW.\'d e. I'm also jn-etty strong: a/5 '8" a11rl 190 jiounds, I can br•11d1 jm•.u 350 a11d squat 500. Only, l can 'I rl'flll)' St'l' lllltrh of that muscle berausl' I'm sorla rhubby. I read in a magazille thai doing morr• rl'jJs will heljJ me get rut. Do you hr1vl' a11y othpr suggestions? OnPs that woufd11't invofvp rhanging my diet? 1'111 rdrn1d)' walrhi ng my fa t intake and br•sidr•s, therl':~ IIO/murh control over what J'Oll 'rl' gonna gr•t sProPd in chow half. A. Pinatts CA State P1ison Chubbs, Fo rge t I he we ights, bro. \o\1e ig ht lifting isn 'tgo nna trim a fat body. (True, a bod y with more musc le re quires more calo ries a clay than a body withom the ex tra beef, but if you ' re carq•ing f~n . yo u ' re overdoing your caloric intake anyway.) You can do thousands of re ps a nd it won' t d o a damn thing to those ugly fat de po its. Yo u can do crun c hes for h ou rs and still not lose your spare tire; sidebends foreve r a nd still be sp o nin ' love h a ndl es; th o usands of squats a nd still have fat legs. T his is call ed spot reduction-and it doesn 'L work! A lo t of guys th ink that d o ing re ps ove r the norm (6 to 12) crosses over into th e definiti o n , i.e . fat-burning stage. 1 ope ! 1 o t that you shouldn 't do hig he r reps: the)"re g reat fo r muscle g rowth. ( Mos t of t h e tim e, weigh tl ifte rs d on' t g ive th emse lves proper time to "dig deep'' and really burn th e sh it o uua th ei r targeted mu scle gro up .) .Just kee p in mind tJ1at it isn' t go ing to c ut yo u up. If yo u wa nt to get r ippe d , o r just bring out basic muscle c uts, you ' re go nn a h ave to do th e dreaded "A" word-Aerobi c train ing. 1 o, yo u don't h ave to spe nd a ll yo u r h a rd-earned or swindled cash on a Ri c hard Sim mo n s "Sweatin ' to th e O ldies" video o r ro und up th e ce ll b lock qu ee ns and stan a J a ne Fonda gro up. Nah , leave I hat crap to 68 PRISON LIFE the sissies a nd ho use\vives in the freeworld. That's on ly one form o f aerobic traini ng. Aerobi c tra ining involves tra ining yo ur majo r muscle groups a nd yo ur h ean thro ugh continu o us exercise . In th e freeworld, the re a re dozens of o p tio ns at t he local gym: treadmills, ord ic Track mac hin es, Stairmasters, co mpute rized sta ti onary bikes with d ig ital m en to race-a ll kinda shi t. The re a re step classes and low-impact c lasses with lo ts of c hic ks, to o. But you can get the sa me res ults fro m running (in place o r on a tra c k), jumping j ac ks, sta ir cli mbin g, eve n fas t wa lking. You go t ple nty of o ptions. You ca n eve n do ae robic work in th e Ho le if you have to. AEROBIC EXERCISE PRISON : Running, Walking IN THE HOLE : Running in place, Squat thrusts, Jumping Jacks FREEWORLO: Stationary bl)e Treadmill BASIC AEROBICS: FREQUENCY You should do aerobic work a m inimum o f three t im es a wee k. Space your workouts, maybe every othe r d ay at fi rst. As yo u improve, in c rease to four tim es a week. If yo u go t the energy a nd attitude (we know you got the time), you can eve n increase ae robics to fi ve o r six times a wee k. J ust kee p in mind that training hard every clay is gonn a burn you out. 'Sides, as a devo ut wei g htlifter, yo u ' r e still gon na want to save some ofth atju ice for t h e we ights. Th e last thing yo u want is to do so mu ch ae ro bi c sh it that you not only lose th e f~tt but half your hard-gained muscle. DURATION Research has hown that for the aYerage person, a mini mum of J 5 mi nutes of continuous ae robic tra inin g is a mu t. Anyth ing less th a n 15 minutes will show little ot· no be nefit. You see, it takes your body n early 15 minmesjustto reach that aero bic, fat-burning stage. All activity befo re th at is fue le d by stored ca rbohydrates. Stan with 15 m in u tes a shot , but as soon as you ' re physically ab le, inc rease your tim e. Work up you r d uratio n until you' re doing a min im um o f 30 minutes pe r session. You might even want to work up to 45 minutes a sessio n , if you have ene rgy to spa re. Researc h shows th e re's a big d iffe rence betwee n 15 and 30 minutes, a noticeable-but-notso-g reat difference between 30 a nd 50 minu tes, and very little difference for a ny Lime ove r that. INTENSITY For this shi t to wor k, you need a mi nima l level o f intensity. lf yo u ' re wh istling t u nes through yo ur supposed-ae ro bic wo rkout, yo u o ug htta kick yo urse lf in t h e ass. But you sh ou ldn 't be gasp in g for a ir, e ithe r . Training at too ha rd an inten sity rate will be too strenuous o r impossible to co n tinue for a long period of time. Your in ten sity leve l should be at approximately 65 perce nt of your maxima l heart ra te (220 min us your age eq ua ls yo ur max heart ra te, give o r take). Check your pul e during your workouts to keep your elf on target. COOL DOWNPERIOD Each ae rob ic session sh o ul d end with a cool-clown to bri ng yo ur pulse rate down slowly. Stopp ing exe rcise sudd en ly causes b lood to p ool in yo ur legs an d this m ay cau se fa in ting. T a ke fi ve o r 10 m i nutes to wa l k arou n d after each sessio n. INTERVAL TRAINING As yo u ge t us e d to do i ng ae r o bi c worko u ts, yo u m ig h t wa nt to intr odu ce inLe rva l t ra in in g . Duri ng yo u r r egul a r a e robic wo r kou ts, a l tern a te p e riods o f h ig h e r leve l in te ns ity into yo ur tra inin g. Fo r e xa m p le , in a 30m inutc r u n , yo u mig h t wa r m u p fo r 10 m inu tes, th e n sp e nd th e n ex t 20 minu tes a lte rn a ting slow jogs and fast s p rints . Cool d o w n fo r 10 m i n u tes a fterwa rds. A l tho ug h in te r val trai n in g a nd s p rinti n g will a lte r th e str ic tly fatburn ing p rocess, it ca n lead to burnin g m o r e fa t th an s t r a ig h t a e r ob ic traini ng. Fast-p ace trai ni n g sp eed s up yo u r m e ta b o lis m , a ll owing yo u to burn fa t a t a fast e r ra te dur ing th e tim e you ' re no/ exe rc ising. If yo u ' re t ra in ing ae ro b ica lly fo ur tim es a week, yo u mig h t want to a lte rn a te i nte rval sess io n s with r egular , co ntin uo us sessio n s. T hi s s h o u ld ge t yo u sta rte d. Still, be ca r e fu l a bo ut wh a t you ' re eating. o, th e r e ain ' t mu c h yo u ca n d o abo ut th e sta te-issue d shi t, b u t if yo u got som e d o ug h fo r co mm issary, yo u ca n s u p p le m e n t yo u r d ie t with h ealthie r fa re. If p o ssible , su b a can o f tuna fo r th at s la b o f m ystery meat on yo u r t ray; m ayb e tra d e i t fo r a p iece of fruit o r so m e thin g. Losi ng lOW FITNESS 3 t h a t fl a b is best d o n e b y c h a n gi n g you r d ie t rmd e xerc ising . Send you rjilness quPslions to Iron Pile, c/o Prison Life, 175 5th A venul', Suite 2205, New Y0111, N Y 10010. AVERAGE FITNESS HIGH FREOU ENCY (days/week) 3-4 FITNESS 5+ DURATION (minutes) 10-20 15-45 30 -60 INTENSITY (o/o max. heart rate) 60-70 70-80 80-90 Got Nothing Else To Do? Take This Course! "The second that you make a man truly free he becomes truly good. And it is only that individual who has lost his belie f in himself and his own pride of goodness and his own pride of being and his own honor who is dangerous. Because a fter that it doesn' t matter what he does. It doesn' t matter what he does to anyone, inc lud ing himself." Quote by L. Ron Hubbard Crim inonTM is a non-pro fi t acti vity dedicated to he lping inmates and juvenile offenders. We provide a correspondence course based on the book let " The Way to Happiness," written by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. Through studying this easy-to-read booklet and course, a person has the opportun ity of adopting for hi mself guidelines for a happy and decent life ... guidelines which make sense to him and which he can agree with and actually apply to hi s life. One graduate of the Way to Happiness course wri tes: "Since I have completed the Way to Happi ness course, my life has made a turn toward a road ful l of happiness while previously my life was on a road to nowhere-lost, unhappy and very dangerous. I don' t know how I managed this fa r, but I did and the big step I took is to get to be a better person, as much as possible in realms of life. I believe that my outlook on life is in focus, toward goals I never thought I would set or achieve. I am happy and free with morality. Thank you CriminonTM." L.D. Maryland. THE WAY TO HAPPI ESS COURSE -AN OPPORTU NITY FOR LIFE ! Criminonnt is made up of a group of vo lunteers and as such we raise money for the inmates ourselves. Our funds arc limited. We ask you pay $30.00 (to cover books and postage). For anyone who cannot pay, this course is free of charge. It is never too late! Yes! I would like to get started on the "Way to Happiness" correspondence course as soon as possible! N am e_____________________________________ _ _ _ _ __ I. D . # - - - - - - -- -----------------Fu II Na m e o f In s ti t u t io n --- ----- ------------- - - - ------- - - - - - - - -- ------------ - - - - A ddre s s o r P .O . Bo x # -- - - - - -- - - --------- - -- C it y-- - - ------ --- - - ----- - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --- S tate / P ro v i nce ___ ____________ Z ip/ C od e - - - -- - - - - - - Please ma il to : C riminonTM Ca na da, P.O. Box 14024 , 2398 La kes hore Blvd . Wes t, Toro nto , O nt. Ca nada M 8 Y 4A2 Cri minonTM is a 1rademnrk owned by A.B.L.E. lntcmalional and used wilh ils pennission. '0 1995 All Righls Reserved. Gralcful acknowledgcmcnl made 10 L. Ron llubbnrd Library for permission lo reproduce scleclion from copyrighl works of L. Ron llubbard. PRISON LIFE 69 It's my lifestyle. Just because your arms are sleeved with tattoos, it doesn't mean you're a criminal or you've been in prison. Yeah, I'm in prison, and yeah, I got a lot of tattoos, but they each have a special meaning. My right forearm is dedicated to my grandparents, who died while I was in prison. My other tattoos are there because they look good, but most of them have stories behind them. They're a part of who I am. If you're thinking of getting sleeved, you should remember that the tattoos will be there longer than any prison sentence. ..c: .!.! E ] Dan Severson Montana State Pen EXPERT LEGAL HELP 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 d emonstrated their skills in the criminal courts and earned the respect of their clients. If you are an attorney, your participation is invited. If you are in need of legal representation, ym.u ca lls or letters are invited. Calll-800-207-2659 for further information. Post Conviction Legal Group, 4200 Westheimer, Suite 160, Houston, TX 77027. 70 PRISON LIFE A Summary of Recent Federal Criminal Cases by Peter G. Schmidt United States v. Carr, 56 F.3d 38 (9th Cir. 1995) Wilson v. Meeks, 52 F.3d 1547 (10th Cir. 1995) He re's one of those crazy cases that makes yo u th ink abou t 'justice" in Ame rica. T he defe n da nt is co nvicted as a career o ffe nd e r because h e had two pri o r co nvictions: one for selling a "nicke l baggie" of marUua na for $5, and the o the r for selling .26 g rams of cocaine for S25 do llar . In this case, years late r, he is found g uilty of selling 66 grams of c rac k, a n d ge ts se nten ced to 262 m o n ths in prison-n ea rl y 22 years. On a p peal, his sen te n ce is affirm ed , a nd to cleanse its so ul the court cites lo ts of o the r h orrible examp les wh e re th e Supreme Cou rt has ru led that o u trageous sente nces a re neither "grossly dispro portio n a te" with the offe nse no r crue l a nd unusual pun ishme n t. T h is is ano th e r police bru ta lity case th a t shows the extremes to wh ic h th e courts wi ll go to excuse law e nforce me nt agen ts. Here, after the cop shoots a suspect, h e ha n d cuffs hi m, mak ing it dif'fi cult fo r the wou nded man to breathe. The guy ultimate !)' die -n ot of th e gunshot wounds, but of asphyx iation-but not before a n EMS staff m e mbe r a r ri ves a nd as ks th e cop to remove the hand cuffs so he can admin ister first aid. The cop refuses, stating he does "not want to get blood on his hands." The deceased man 's relatives sue under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 fo r civil rights damages. The claim is de nied, de pitc serious al legations of cover-ups suc h as "lo ing" valuable evide nce. In one of th e classic li nes of American jurisprud ence (a nd justice), the court ho lds that: "The Constitution does not e mpower us to co mmand police officers to show com passion for th ose they it~j ure in the li n e of duty." Thomas v. District of Columbia, 887 F.Supp. 1 (D.D.C. 1995) Check o ut this p risone r case aga inst Sergeant Cha rles Ingram, a co rrec tions officer at th e Maxim um Security Facili ty a t Lonon, Vi rgin ia. The lawsu it, unde r 42 U.S.C. §I 983, a lleges tha t th e plain tiff was ha rassed a nd retalia ted against by Sgt. In gram becau se he resisted In gra m 's ho m osex ual advances. The d efe n d a nt see ks to dismiss th e lawsuit on th e gro unds of qua lified immunity. T he co urt refuses to d ism iss it a nd o rd e rs th eca e to t rial, holding in part that "sexual assau lt, coercion and hara sme nt of Lhe sort alleged by th e plaintiff violate conte mporary standards o f decency a nd ca n cause severe physical a nd psycho logical harm. " United States v. Tayman, 885 F.Supp. 832 (E.D.Va. 1995) United States v. Hogan, 54 F.3d 336 (7th Cir. 1995) A revea ling case in wh ich a director of person n el for th e Cook Co unty Sh e ri ffs department e ngaged in a fraudulent sch e me LO make sure that the people he wanted to e mpl oy as co rrecti o n officers met th e necessa ry qualifications for employment. Acting at the behest of an "anonymous" high level official, he created "at least" 125 fi ctitious GED certificates for those candidates he wanted-assuring that the correction. staff in Cook County was stocked with il literates- somethin g t hat won't surprise a nyo ne who kn ows anything a bo u t the way prisons really operate. United States v. Lopez-Aguilar, T his case is an im po rtant follow-u p of th e Fourth Cir886 F.Supp. 305 (E.D.N.Y. 1995) cu it's d ecisio n in U.S. v. Irvin, 2 F.Jd 72 (4th Cir. 1993), He re's a case tha t should appeal to all lusty prisoners. wh ic h he ld th at ma ndato ry minim um sen ten ces imposed u nde r 21 U.S.C. § 841 must be based on th e a mo unt of J udge We inste in rul es that fertility probl ems of a dcrendrugs tha t was reaso na b ly fo reseeable to th e d efe ndant, dant and h is wife, who was in her thirties, constit uted rathe r than on the amou nt disu·ibuted by th e consp iracy. "ex trao rdin a ry fam ily circu msta n ces" under§ 5 111.6 o f He re, judge Ellis h o lds th at the Irvin decisio n is re troac- th e Fed e ra l Sentencing Guide lin es and warra n ted a huge tive ly applicable a nd tha t the d efenda nt (who was origi- downward departure of I 0 levels. T h e co urt took into n ally sente nced in 1992) is now e ntitled to a hearin g to co nsid eratio n th e fact that if the defendant had been determine the a mo unt of drugs reasonably foreseeable to incarce rated for the mandatory minim u m term that the him, eve n th ough he never o bjec ted to th e quantity of law required, it would have red uced the chances o r the drugs attributed to him in his presentence report. This is d e fendant a n d his wife having a child to almost zero. im portant because if the issue were not p reviously raised, Th is d ecision is certain to be a ppea led by the Gove rnmost courts requi re a defenda n t to how cause why it was ment; it is anothe r gem from j udge \!\'einstein. not, a nd some d egree of prejudice before it can be raised on a new appea l. He re, the judge rul es that th e "cause " Sisneros v. Nix, 884 F.Supp. 1313 (S.D.Iowa 1995) needed now to raise the issue on appeal was "the novelty T his o u tsta nd ing case ex plores in-depth the rights of of the subseque m decision in Irvin". The decision is lo ng and well-reasoned; it should be a bo nanza to federal drug prisone rs, their ability to bring an act io n for damages and th e concept o f q ualified immun ity !'o r prison orticials. defe ndan ts in the Fou rth Circuit. PRISON LIFE 7t Judge Be nn ett reviews a ll these topics in a 40-page decisio n that sho uld be requi red reading for a ll j ail ho use lawyers. T he two main issues are (a) whether a n English-on ly policy for incomin g mail for prison ers is Con stitutional, and (b) wheth e r a priso n e r has th e r ight to sue for damages fo r reta liatoq' transfe rs within the prison syste m. O n the llrst issu e, .Judge Be nn e tt co ncl udes tha t priso ns do have th e right to establish a n Engl ish-only po licy for incoming mai l, but he reviews a ll the pertinent case law-a great source of informati on for any jailhouse lawye r. O n th e second issue, he finds that the prisoner was tra nsferred from Iowa to Arizona without a legitimate pcnalogical reason an d in retaliation fo r pursuin g p riso n e r grievan ces. The court awards compe nsatory and punitive damages against the two prison officials who ord e red him transfe rred , and grants injunctive relief, requiring th e Iowa officials to transfer him back to Iowa. It also warns th e Iowa o rfi cials no t to harass the prison e r upo n his re turn to th e Iowa prison syste m. Any priso ne r who wan ts to study wha t righ ts a nd re medies a re ava ilab le sh ould read t his case. If you ha ppe n to li ve in Iowa and need help, contact Prof. Barbara Schwartz, a t the Iowa College of Law (3 13-335-9034) , who wro te the briefs in this case fo r the plaintiff. Ware v. Barr, 883 F.Supp. 654 (M.D.Fia. 1995) H e re's a g rea t case o f persiste n ce paying off. A d efe ndant is co n vic te d o n th e b as is of tes timon y of a cod e fenda nt who snitc hed. Whil e in priso n, th e d efe ndan t fi les a Freed o m or In fo rma tio n Act request with th e FBI a nd actua ll y rece ives a report showi ng th e re we re some 68 finge rprints on th e c urrency th a t was seized in th e investigation, but none belonged to him. T h e p rosecuto r wi thh e ld t h at inform a ti o n fro m th e defe ndant a t trial. Based on th a t Bmdy vio latio n , th e co urt vaca ted th e co nvicti o n ; on a re trial th e d efe nda nt was acqu itted aft e r spend ing so m e t hree yea rs in p r iso n . H e re h e bri ngs an actio n fo r dama ges und e r 42 U.S.C. § 1985 (3), which provides a re m edy for pe rsons wh o have bee n deprive d of the ir r ig hts due to a co n spiracy. The prosec uto r moves for dismissal of th e compl ain t based on a claim o [ immu n ity, but th e co urt refuses to g rant to tal d ismi ssa l, holding t h at immunity o nl y a pplies whe n the Government acts in good fai th. I t ho ld s that a d e li bera t e d ecision to wit hh o ld t h e FBI repo rt is not immune fro m suit. lii1 NATIONAL CASE LAW SUMMARIES A bi-monthly reporting service listing case citations wi th summari es coverin g over ninety top ics fro m access to th e courts to witnesses . Ha ve the latest state and federa l case law at you r fin gertips thus reduc ing research time. Annua l subscription $30. Mail orders and make payments payable to: PARALEGAL ASSOCIATES 209 South Broadway - Sui te 246 Baltimore, MD 2 123 I Paralegal Services Available: Parole- Transfers -Immigration Pre-Release Plans 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 EDITION of Prison Life. Address all replies to: DEATH ROW c/o Prison Life 175 Fifth Ave., Suite 2205 New York, NY 10010 Illustration by Henry HcrL 72 PRISON LIFE ANIMAL FACTORY (continued from jJage 43) crowd s, se nding th e m fanhe r apart as it ex ploded, gyrating and spinning as it gave off its fearfu l fumes. Again Earl was buffe te d so th a t h e h ad to fig ht for ba la nce. It was li ke struggling to keep his h ead above wate r in a sto rmy sea. The m o tes reac h e d his eyes a nd lluid bega n to run from th e m a nd fro m his nose. "Cocksuc kers ... bastards," he cursed silently. Like so m e mindl ess beast d riven with out purpose, the twe lve hundred Chicano and whi te convicts swung in a clockwi e motion o tha t th ey were agai nst th e mess-hall wa ll. Drive n by the tear gas from the onh cellhouse wall, the blacks were whe re the wh ites h ad b ee n a long th e Eas t cellh o u se. Th e two g roups, twe lve hundre d whi tes a nd e ig ht hundre d b lac ks, fa ced each o t h e r across a hu n dred a nd fifty ya rds of ope n space. A hundre d con vic ts were j ammed agai nst th e East cell house gate, trying futil ely to ge t in away from trouble. "Lockup! Locku p! Ma ndato •l' lockup!" th e lo udspeaker bla red. "Open th e fuckin ' gates," someone near Ea rl said. Both sides were n ow spread OUL Earl's fl;ends stuck togethe r and his fear became fury. H e was certain the officials had delibera tely turned a strike in to a racial confrontation. A window o f the mess hall crashed o ut. Then another. Men were yelling in fu ry. Stacks of stai n less steel trays were being passed to th e raised ha nds o f whites a n d Chi canos. The n ca me oth e r things th at wou ld se rve as weapons-mop wringers, pieces o f the dishwashing machin e, heavy wooden lad les used on th e kitc he n va ts. Ac ross the yard the blacks were ripping be n ch es apart to get hunks of lumber. Earl did nothing, kn owing the gro ups would never get a t each othe r ac ross th e n o-m a n 's-land. The rill es a nd submac hin e g un wou ld erect a n insurmountable barrier of d eath. A co nvict push e d agai n st Earl to leap to th e window to get some thing. H e landed on Earl's foo t when he came down. "Assho le!" Ea rl snarl ed, ra mmin g the heels of his hands imo the ma n 's c h es t a nd kn oc kin g him bac k. The convic t bumped into some one beh ind him and kept from fa ll ing. His fa ce was a lready con torted with rage a t the b lack . His cu rse a t Earl was drowned in the c hurn in g, screa ming crowd as he tensed to spring. He had a piece of p ipe in h is ha nd and lunged . Earl stepped back, raising an arm , ime nding to rush under th e swi ng if he could. He wished h e had a kni fe. The convict rushed without seeing T J., nor d id Earl sec him until the p owe r fu l weightli fter sw un g th e glat o f a sta inless stee l tray as if it we re a base ba ll bat. T h e ma n ru she d into it, and hi s fee t ke pt go in g as th e tray curta in e d his face. His sho ulde rs h it the g round first, and it was a few seconds be fo re the blood came fro m hi s ·q uash e d fl esh . His legs trembled in spasms. Bad Eye came from somewhere and p la nte d a stec l-LOed brogan aga in st t h e man's head, as ha rd a kick as h e could del iver. T J. gave him the accolade of a pat on th e back. The tumul t made it impossible to talk, b u t th ey pus h ed thro ugh th e crowd toward othe rs o f the Brothe rh ood a few fee t away, leavin g the supine figme to be wa lked on-or to di e fo r all they cared. The two crowds were screa min g a t each o th e r , bra nd ishi ng m akeshift weapons. Bad Eye c upped his hands to Earl's ea r. "We ' ll ge t 1he black motherfucke rs thi s tim e. All they've got is so m e sticks." Earl said nothi ng, but looked again at the riflemen. The two crowds started to surge toward each other and the submachine gun ham m e red three short bu rsts, tearing up c hunks of asphalt in sti tches. T hen the rifles volle}'ed. Bullets swe pt down the open zo n e a nd th e crowds froze and fell back. The gunfire silenced the screaming. One b lack was twisting o n th e gro und. Obvio usly a g uard had sho t in to the crowd instead of in front o f it. Th e b lack was ho lding his rhi gh a nd tryin g 10 get up. Two b lacks stane d fo rwa rd to h e lp him , but a bullet wh ipped ove r th ei r h eads to d ri ve them back. Som e of th e hys teria had dra in ed away. G lazed eyes began to narrow, mad n ess was rep laced by questio n abo ut what to do, wha t was goin g to happen. "Attention in the }'arc!! All inmates b y th e m ess hall will go th e lowe r yard!" The a n swe rin g be llow o f defiance was a sh adow of a few m inutes earlier. Some me n ye lle d a nd sh oo k thei r fi sts, but th e}' wou ld h ave clo n e the same if' told to sta nd f~t s t o r go h ome. The tear-gas grenades Oew over the me n , landing under the sh ed be}'oncl the fringe of the crowd. The gas drove convicts crashi ng into others, sending a reve r beration thro ug h the c rowd and jamming bodies together again. The rou te of escape was th ro ug h the gate. They couldn 't go down the road beca use the visored tactical squad was waiting with clubs a nd mace, so they su rged down the stairs, some falling unti l a nor her body stopped them. T h e}' were h erded like ca ttle in to the thi nn in g fog. All was g ray under the lighlless sk}'; th e wa lls loo ked soft in the fog; lined by f'acele s sil houettes with rifles. The lower yard was big, and the convicts spread ou t like water on a plai n . Everyone searched f'o r a friend, sensing that this was a dangerous si n.ation, for no guard s were on the ground and th ose on the walls were too f'ar away to sec what was going on. It was a chance to seule o ld grudges. The law of bnnalit}' was replaced with no law whatsoever. UIJ APPEALS WRITS OF HABEAS CORPUS FORFEITURES NEW TRIAL MOTIONS SENTENCE MODIFICATIONS Doll 't tnke fl11J11ZOI'e cbn11ces witb your future. Today you need a highly skilled research finn that utilizes state-of-the-art electronic research methods if you want to compete with the prosecution. FREE CONSULTATION. LAW OFFICE OF J ACQUELINE GOODMAN 800.515.0233 • Payment Plans Available • Low income? We can help. tDE·DIC~T'E·D '10 rXSURJ~'>C.i J'VSTICE )1:;\'D ·DVE ·PJW<'ESS •WI(_ ·T.Jff. 3CCV.~ED. 2201 EAST CHAPMAN AVE. FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA 92631 714.879.5770 PRISON LIFE 73 Voice of the Convict ~ (rontiu ued ~ Jmm />aft' 7) -crs and the ir fa milies se rving insan ely ha rsh sente nces. In t he middle o f th e visit, g ua rd s swa rm e d th e room a nd cal led co u nt, "Visi10rs o u tside! Inmates against t he wa ll !" as tho ugh th ey we re a fraid so m eo ne mig h t try to wa lk off with o n e o f th ei r c h e rished n umbe rs. Dri ving a\\:ay fro m th e p r ison co m p lex late r th a t cia}'• back toward th e bo rde r of Ame rica , I saw a sign o utside a sm a ll co n venience sLOre; "Ame rica n O wn ed" it sa id . I winced a t th e cn ti mcn t: Who th e fu c k d o th ese people thin k th ey arc? AmPrican ownPd. America begins hr'rt' . Wh a t does th at ma ke th e r es t of u s a nd wh e re do we live? Th ese sucke rs a rc th r iving o n th e prison industry. It's one of th e fastest growing of the few hea lth y businesses in th e coun t!"}'· I was read y to bet that the rcclnccks who owned the store made a la rge percentage o f the ir profits o ff visitors to Prison la nd. Ame ri cans of a ll race a nd c la n a nd c reed have come to th is counllJ' seeking freedom a nd opportun ity. Some we re uproote d a n d b ro ug ht here aga ins t th e ir will to serve as slave A direct line to every winning case in the Federal Courts since "Strickland v. Washington" - 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 th is book to save untold hours. and even days. of research . If yo u have ever tried to find 74 PRISON LIFE labor fo r wea lth y whi te Am e r ica n s. Dispro p o ni ona te numb e rs o f th e poor, of Afri ca n Am e ri ca ns a nd o f the la test immigran t wave in evita bly wind up in priso n. They arc the ones White bread Ame rica, sitting in fro nt of T Vs, love LO loathe. Sell th e m crap, treat them like d irt, loc k t he m up , a nd mu tte r epithets a ll th e way to the ba n k. At o n e time, th e hi lls of Pe n n sylvan ia we re quilted wi th fa mil yow n e d farms. Lovely o ld ba rn s d eco ra ted with co lo r ful h ex sig ns sLOocl beside the road. The h eartl and o f Amer ica wa th e breadb as ke t of the worl d. T h e n we d omi nated intern ationa l markets with Amer icanmade goods. Now we buil d prisons. There arc sta te rep rese n ta ti ves an d Co n g ress m e n wh o sp ec ia li ze in b ring in g prison ind ustry to the ir distri cts. Business is so good private sector co mpan ies li ke Wackcn hut a nd Correctio ns Corporation o f Ame rica are competing for a slice of th e p risons-for-profit p ic. T he p ri vate co mpan ics arc a lre ad y expo nin g the Pri on la nd fra nc hise, o p e ning n ew m a rkets in Ca n ad a a nd Fra n ce . .Just as th e mi li ta ry-indust r ia l co mpl ex we lcom es retired ge ne ra ls a n d Pe ntago n heavies, Pri vate Pr iso nl an d Ame rica, Inc. is top h eavy with former sec urity a n d corr ec ti o n s officials. INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL liJ[ 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 t his book is briefly summarized, with emphasis on specific facts which Wit h ove r fi ve milli on p eople under the contro l of th e criminal just ice syste m , e ith e r in pri o n , o n p a r o le o r pro ba tio n , Pr iso nl a nd America, Inc. shows no signs o f going ban kru pt soo n . Run by cops a nd excops, xeno phobes, racists, re dn ccks, Repub licans a nd De mocrats, libera ls and conse1vativcs, th e governme nt o r b ig b usiness, it h a rd ly maucrs, th e priso n industry n o u •·ish es in b a d tim es. a t ions o n th e verge o f uph eaval in ca rce ra te an d exec ute more and mo re of th e ir peo ple, as if pa in and death a me lio ra te socia l ills. Vt/e n eed to re mind o urse lves wh a t th is ugly, vorac io u s ind ustry pro du ces. Priso nl a nd Ameri ca, Inc. m akes pri sone rs, d isenfranc hi sed m e n a nd wo m e n it th e n d espises. Broke n fa milies a rc just o n e o f th e waste ful by-prod ucts, broken fam ilies th at p rovid e mo re raw m a te ria l fo r prisoner fac tories. Wh e n I c r ossed back in to New York sta te o n th e way ho me, I ha rdly felt any more a t case. The re are vistas a lo ng the thruway whe re the n ight is b right with th e glow of h ig h intensity security la mps illumin a tin g prison s. Soon New York will join o th e r dea th states a nd start killin g co nde mn e d prisone rs. The re is n o need to travel to visit the latest th e me par k. Priso nland Am e ri ca, Inc. is at our d oorste p. UII led to t he fi nding 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 S 120.00 purchase price includes all supplements issued during the following 6 months. Supplement service is $42.00 per year thereafter. To order send your payment of S 120.00 plus $8.00 S&H to: SOUTHWEST LEGAL SERVICES P.O. Box 57091 TUCSON, ARIZONA 85732 by Tricia Hedin h ave b een reading le tters in yo ur magazine from prisoners bem oaning the fac t tha t the ir wives or girlfrie nds e nded their re la tio nship after they we n t to pri son. As I read these letters, I find myself fumi ng: They are so full of self-pi ty and even vin dictiveness toward the wome n. I a m m a rried to a m a n wh o is serving a lengthy sente nce in fed eral prison. I h ave b een visit in g him in priso n fo r the past 13 years. Yes, tha t's years, folks. And now I hear you guys saying: "See? She's a good wife. She stuck by he r man. Sh e can d o it. Why can ' t my woman ?" And that's my point. Sto p criticizing the wome n you h ave hurt by yo ur actio n s a nd yo ur incarceration. Stop blaming th e m for your sirua tio n a nd for their unwillingness to j o in yo u in being o ppressed by the prison syste m. Eve n with th e b es t husba n d in the world, living in two worlds is very oppressive. The reason my marriage wo rks is tha t my husband a nd I d o not get bogged d own in self-pity. We d o n ' t try to bla m e eac h oth e r , m a nipul a te each o th e r o r demand thin gs we can' t provide fo r eac h o ther. We support each o ther. Anothe r maj or factor is that I h ad the privilege o f be ing bo rn middleclass. I h ave a good j o b a nd a lot of suppo rt fro m fri e n ds a nd fa mily. I talk with yo u r wives a nd girlfrie nds whil e we wa it for visits. I h ea r h ow th ey struggle with hig h p h o n e bills, low-p aying j obs, th e welfa re syste m a nd sing le p a re nthood . I kn ow th e sham e society heaps on he r for lovi ng a priso n e r. I kn ow th e e m o t io n al a buse a nd humili a tio n sh e ex perie nces fr o m so me of th e prison guards. I kn ow h ow much it costs fo r tran sportation and motel bills to visit. I h ea r h e r h o p e th a t yo u will cha nge and her belief tha t some how it is h e r r espo n sibility to h e lp you cha nge. I hea1· about he r loneliness. I see how sh e dresses fo r you, lives for you, waits for you. Th en I see how she tires fro m her own efforts a nd fro m your dema nds a nd requests. Sh e tires of giving he r a ll to wha t begi ns to seem like a hopeless situ a tion . Many o f yo u d o n ot hear it in h er voice. Yo u do not listen to he r worries. Yo u take and take and ta ke. Yo u wa nt mo re visits. You wa n t more pho ne calls. You wan t daily le tters. You want money. You want d rugs smuggle d fo r yo u . Yo u wan t h er to hire a lawyer. You want he r waiting by the phone each evening so you kn ow she's be ing faithful. Yo u want her in your world. Sh e d oes no t live in yo u r world. Sh e li ves in two wo rlds. Sh e lives in th e o utside community a nd sh e li ves in th e visiting roo m. Sh e d oes no t know your world; it is impossible. You d o n ot know h e r wo rld . Wh a t yo u have to build is a world toge ther, and the prison syste m, th rough its policies and regulatio ns, makes tha t extremely difficult. Reme m ber that she knows wha t la nded you in pr ison . She may be a ngry; she may feel betrayed and abandoned . Sometimes she re-experie n ces th at feeling aga in wh e n you mess up and get sen t to the hole. You have to un d e rsta nd th ose emo ti ons. You have to be patie n t. If yo ur loved one is stic kin g by you, value he r. Liste n to her. If she is becoming weary, lig hte n up. Encourage he r to live in he r world, to pu rsue h er inte rests. Work and se nd h e r m o n ey to h elp with th e chil d re n o r th e p hon e b ill, eve n if it's a sma ll amo unt. If sh e is fru strated with the visiting conditions, support her in visiting less frequen tly so she doesn ' t burn out and stop altogeth e r. Work together to ll)' a nd improve the visiting condi tio ns fo r yo ur fa mily. If sh e is dep ressed , encourage he r to seek ou t friends or a counselo r. If she is ab using d1·ugs or alco h o l to n u mb th e pain, encourage he r to get treaunen t. If she is raising you r children, listen as she sh ares her joys a nd fr ustra ti o ns. Read some paren ti ng books to h e lp he r with new ideas in a nonjudgmental way. Let her know you are interested in her life. She may leave you anyway. It takes tre me ndou s stre ng th o n th e pan of both people to maintain a prison rela ti onship for a lo ng pe ri od of tim e. T he fact is, people need in ti mate relationshi ps and intimacy is d iscouraged by prison au tho ri ties a nd di ffi cult to sustain witho u t p1·ivacy. If your wife or gi rl frie nd chooses a relationsh ip witl1 a no the r man o n the outside, it is no rm al. You must stop blam ing her. Bla me the system. Blame yourself fo r th e mista kes you made that allowed me syste m to rake conu·ol of you. Quit the self-pity routine. Above a ll, begin ma ki ng changes in yourself so that wh e n you are released , you ca n stay ou t and enjoy whatever new relationship yo u find. Bu t don 't b la m e yo u r loved one; most of the ti me, she is just doing th e best sh e can . ....... An by Enrique Oniz ·--------------------------------------------------------Call: 1-800-207-2659! FIGHTING 0 Check or Money Order 0 Visa 0 MasterCard Card # _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ Exp. For 1 year 6 hardcore Name___________________________________ issues Number________________________________ Institution Address City qEnclosed s $19.95 (Canada $28.75) State_____ _ __Zip Code_ _ _ _ _ __ 11 95 Please allow 6·8 weeks for delivery. Make check or money order payable to Prison Life Magazine (U .S.$ only). Send to: Prison Life, 4200 Westheimer, Suite 160, Houston, TX 77027. In Canada, send to 253 College St., Suite 444, Toronto, ONT M5T1R5 (Canadian $.) FOR YOUR RIGHTS THE PRISONER'S SOURCE FOR PRODUCTS & SERVICES "'c: ~ c"' VI z m VI VI n )II -Z -1 0 PRIME SPACE AVAILABLE CALL 212/229-1169 MAGAZINES BOOKS We offer a co mplete selection or U.S. and European adu lt's o nly girli e magazine . We a lso have co mi c books, adult's o nly paperbacks, and selected o the r re lated rea din g a nd vi ewing pe rio dicals. We hip all o rders by insured pa rcel post. Fo r a complete list.ing of our product lin e, se nd a se lf-addressed , stamped envelope to: Paper-Wings P.O.B. 4855 Baltimore, MD 21211 BOOKS 01 TIE BLOCK 2 1 4 3 5 Send me these books: 0 1. No Beast So Fierce by Edwm·d Brmher 0 2. Soledad Brother by Georgejachson 0 3. Smack Goddess by Richard Stratton 0 4. Prison Literature by Br·uce Fran/din 0 5. T h e Bad Guys ' Q uote Book by Bob Singer NA~ I F Send check or money order plus $2.50 P&H to: Joint Venture Publishe rs II) # ADDRESS CI IY 78 PRISON LIFE $ 10 $ 14.95 $ 18.95 $ 12.95 $2.50 - -- - -- - Sl"A I E _ _ Z ll' _ _ 175 5th Ave., Suite 2205 New York, NY 10010 Yeah, get me some . Regul ar Pocke t Style OL $14.95 $14.95 O XL O XXL lor 0 Black 0 White - - - - - - - - STAT E Zll' Se nd check or mo ney orde r plus $3.00 P&H to: PLM Shirts, P.O . Box 537, Stone Ridge, NY 12484. NY res idents only add 8.25% sales tax. I,U~E<l Qay, we offer readIt's 17x23, pre•....""'. . . in a tube. This •:llf.U~51JU&fll!t"""' 35 cloud for~~~"' cooperation with FOR dedicated to aw:are:Dess·()f the sky's beauty and wonder. .....u .... ""''""' --~4tfn~·protJlt foundation To order, 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 life! CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL PARALEGALGRADED CURRICULUM BY BLACKSTONE SCHOOL OF LAW. Approved home studies legal train ing since 1890. Affordable and comprehensive. Free catalog : 1-800-8269228 or write Blackstone School of Law, P.O. Bo x 70 1449 Dept. PL, Dallas, TX 75370. APPEALS, HABEAS CORPUS. Attorn ey, California (fede ral & state) bars, U.S. Supreme Court, Abogado, California (federal y estata) abogacia, Corte Supremo E. U. Pa ul McCarthy, 1 Kaiser Plaza 1750, Oakland , CA 94612 . 510-836 -0100, fax 510-8323690. so PRISON LIFE MAIL ORDER Say Merry Christmas, Happy Valentine's Day, Happy Birthday, I'm Sorry, I Love You , with perfum e, candy, flowers and gift certificates. Serving prisoners exclusively. Free brochure . MAIL ORDER BLUES, 2767 So. Parker Road, Suite 188, Aurora , Colorado 80014. Telephone: 303/9143955. Fantastic Brand Name and Amway Products and Food. Competitive prices . Price of 226page , full-color catalog ($4 .50) refunded with first purchase . Call 416/331-8428 or write: 358 Danforth Ave., P.O.B. 65032 , Toronto , Ontario, Canada M4K1 MO. Express your love to family & friends. Custom designed gift baskets shipped nationwide and to foreign countries. Gift Baskets By Mail 396 Bird Avenue San Jose, CA 95126. FREE C OLOR P HOTO & B ROCHURE. Call or write today. (408) 254-4134. RADIOS AND OTHER GOODS. Serving the prison population since 1984- We are the Conaid Company, Inc. We offer a variety of radios and other goods specifically for the prison population . Free Catalog. Write to: The Conaid Company, Inc., 2302 230th Street, Pasadena, MD 21122. Prisoners! You, too, can send gifts to loved ones. Discounted 10%, plus $3.00 off first order. This company is prisoner conceptualized to fight injustice and modern slavery. For your catalog of available gifts (over 200 colorfu l pages) , send $4.00 to V.C. Enterprise, Box 1934, Pontiac, Ml 48341. CLASSIFIED ADS $10 Up To 100 Words. Personals-Business-Private Party-Any Category. Free issue with order. Self-Addressed stamped envelope gets details/order form. Planet Earth Classifieds, Box 12682, Las Vegas , Nevada 89112-0682. MEDIA Authors seeking dramatic, bold accounts chronicling life in the Hole: mental & physical effects, conditions, treatment, coping methods . For possible publication . Write to : Mad Zone , 86-33 89th St. , Woodhaven, NY 11421 . EDUCATED IN PRISON? Comments sought for book about NYS inmates who attended college programs: Why did you take the course? How did it change you? Why do you think funding was cancelled? What will you do now? All references will be anonymous. M/R Dissertation , PO Box 891, Hartsdale, NY 10530-0891 . Writers Needed for prison perspective section of WAKEUP,.a new publication aimed at raising the awareness of American youth. A simple straightforward and honest source of information. For much more information please write WAKEUP, 6637 84th Court North, Minneapolis, MN 55445. WRITER DOING RESEARCH FOR BOOK. Looking for people convicted of non-violent crimes. Especially interested in fraud , embezzlement , con games , scams , etc. Would like to hear your story ; compensation for all stories published. For more information please write to: B. Philbrick, 853 Vanderbilt Beach Rd ., Suite 212 , Naples, FL 33963. FOLSOM INMATES PAST/PRESENT. Journalist with 15 years experience writing articles on Old Folsom , maybe book(would be my third) . Aim (as always) to cut through myth , present accurate picture. Will explain more, send samples of work: G. Rivlin , P.O . Box 13314, Oakland, CA 94661. Nicknames okay. 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. Bo x 4458 , Leesburg , VA 22075 . Include a narrative and copies of your sentencing documents . Phone: 703/866-1446. Collect calls are accepted on Saturday and Sunday only. BOOKS & MAGS FREE CATALOG Absolute lowest prices on subscriptions to 850 magazines. Examples; Newsweek 1 yr $23.95; GQ 1 yr $7 .95 ; Vanity Fair 1 yr $9.95; Penthouse 1 yr $19.95 ; Penthouse Letters $17.95; FREE LIST-Magazine Warehouse , 1243-48th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219. (800) SAVE-SAVE. "When the gods made man, they made a weapon. " Order The Odin Brotherhood ($11.00 postpaid) from World Tree Publications, P.O. Box 961, Payson , AZ 85547. Bad Girls BedTime Stories. Titillating erotica by Eva Morris ; proud display of her dirty mind . MINISKIRTS . HELICOPTERS . VEGAS. Bad to the last bone(r)! $17 to LPPC , P.O.Box 20376, NY, NY 10011 . Specify mailing instructions . The Art of Holding Together Your Relationship While Doing Time in Prison. This book is way overdue. A real manual that deals with real issues and creative ways in keeping the one you love or are in love with while you serve your time . This manual is highly recommended for every man and woman in America who is currently serving time in juvenile, county jail, workrelease, work camp, state or federal prison. This book is so real , even O.J. Simpson has a copy. So, order your book now! Send $ 10. M.O. only, plus $2.50 shipping to : WARD Publishers , P.O. Box 1288, Spokane, WA 99210. - 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 . NY AREA INMATES with visiting privileges and expected release this year: If you are willing to wo rk on a photography project that involves your transition to the "outside" world , please write : K. Grannan , 144 East 7th St. #2 B, NY, NY 10009. CLASSIFIED RATES $75 for 35 words. Additional words are $1 each. Prepayment required. Send to: PRISON LIFE Classified Ads 4200 Westheimer, Suite 160, Houston/ TX 77027-4426 Call1-800-207-2659 or (713)840-7801 PRISON LIFE 81 Chef's Special of the Month: Criminal Carb Cuisine 1 cup brown rice (instant or normal) 2 cups water (for rice) 1 banana, sliced 1 / 2 cup raisins 1/3 cup honey 1 / 4 cup brown sugar 4 tablespoons cinnamon Pinch nutmeg (if you con get it) Make the rice. Instant stuff easier to make. While rice is hot, m ix in ho ney, cin namon a nd sugar. Might wan t to add a little wa te r to keep mo ist. T hen add in raisins a nd banana sl ices. Eat hot or cool for later. Even good at roo m te mpe ra tu re. Will give you p lenty of carbs for the morning workout. "BigC" Rilters Island, New Yorlt Thai Tuna 1 apple, finely chopped 1/ 2 o nion, finely chopped 1 ·,alopeiio 1 emon, freshly squeezed {con sub on orange) 1 con tuna 1 /3 cup chopped peanuts o r mixed nuts 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 packs mayo Mix thoro ughly, chill and serve on crackers. Edgar Tims and T Savage, recommended b)' the Dawg '?tPt 'Z)e44ef&t Snorgeldorf 1 banana 2 ta blespoons peanut butter 1 /2 cup cooked oatmeal 1/ 2 cup granola {or oatmeal) 1 teaspoon honey Mix thoroughly, th en enjoy. Kiwi j olm Florence, Colorado Jllus1rmion by Sieve Lashley 82 PRISON LIFE :s:;. 6'. 2 12#. brown hair. blue C\'l ' '· Wo uld like to correspond with female>. age n~ p roblem . Will write to all. Doing 5 to 8 fo r gelling into a light, with 5 left. Dale Ow>ley. # I 7110. !.S.C. I.. nit I:l64. P.O. Box 14. Boise ID 83707. Peckcm·oocl looklng for featherwood to exch ange letters. good times. fricncbhip a nd m ore with the right lady. Brian Nebon, Solono Co. Jail. 500 Union Ave, Fairfield, C'.A 94533. l lnpp)' about life. <IO:rcar-olcl Chrb tian. Ch r·ist is the basis of my hopes, as piration> and strivi ngs. J oyfu lly would d esire correspo nding with caring female will· ing to ; hare in teres" , hope> and making Cod a prio r ity. [ xce ll en t p h )•Sica l s pecim e n . Alvin Lewis. #04673!'>, P.O. Box 02-8538. Miami. FL 33 102. S\VM, '18, 5' !)", l.'iS#, long wt1it.;""halr.hazcl eyes . dark compl<"xio n . .Jcssc .Jamcs p<t<t, but looking to trade my guns fo r a good woma n . any age. Fret• in 1997. I am in great hea lth and ucc d to re loc:Hc from Santa Cr ul. Califo rnia in ord er to lca,·e m\· past be hind . Wl'itc Ray Hurt. #1-1·022 1!>. 1'.0. 1\o~ 921-C5 11 7, lmpel'ial. ('.A 9225 1·921. S \1'~ 1. 27. 6' 1". 205#, muscular. brown hair. green C)'es. Seeking hon est and sincere person for serio us re lationship. I c njo'' weight lifting. reading. tra,·cl. outdooN and <po rts. Getting out soon. Kc,in Porth #40656,1'.0. Box 1989. El . Ne.,•d:t 89301. S\\'M. 40. 5'9". 165#. long bro.;:;;-hair. h at e ! eyes, tattooed and m uscular. Seeking intdligent. ad\'enSW~!. turous. rightcou'i white woman into scooters. r & r. l ri s h/ ~ l cx i ca n , Ta ll. cbrk and ha ndsom<·. 29 ,·cars old. :'>' 10". 17:'>#. Got a g rip pit~> tl'\ing not to. trip. Looking to ~it·k it with be autiful inte resting lad ic>. So if you r beautiful or inter<·,ting. don't clcl;w send )OUr lcllcrs my way. l'hoto lor phmo. Bill llankins. #!>·18 12. Box 777 ~.S.l'. Cauon C::ity, <;;Q 8 1215. \\'oulcllike to meet prbon arti>t< to cxch:mge art and ideas. Only in tcrc"ecl in art that has a l"'bon Ila\'Or and mt"l ha\'l' j est" inclndccl o r a rdigio us theme. Audrey Re\'dl. 2'H 2 ~ li -.sion St .. San Francisco. CA !)4 11 0. Looking for that real blackman. ex-con or currently in carcera ted ancl o u t soo n. I' m a Gil'~ I; wan t a d ominating. take-ch ar·gc type. Age no t an i'-'ue; a11itude is. l'ossihlc long-tcr·m l'l'latiOn-'hip.J.E.P.. 4724 El Po n al. El Paso. TX 7990:-1-·1826. S W~ I . loo king for :nl\' ~wct· t girl to sha re thoughts and feelings with. Bt·c n down 3 yt·ars now and 7 to go. 175#, 2 2 yc;~rs o ld. 5' 11 ". All letter'< will he a nswcrccl . g narantl'l'cl. ~ l v intcrc>t> arc: <kin art. poetr)'. life and s poiling wo m en! Chri> Schmidt. 28385-2!)957. P.O. llox :~1! 9. Spri ng ficld State Prison , Spring field, SD 57062. L1tin Ur<>Lher down hut nol out. 5' 11 ". 185#. Finishing up bicl. \\'uuld li~<· to hear from all positi\e pcopie. john Rodrig iut !l:lR6276, ~h . ~ l cGrcgor. C. F. Uox 2071, Wilto n. NY 1283 1. \\')UI. 185#, big brown e~c,, mu ..cnl;;;::!ooking to !ill lon g loncl)' nighh "'ri ting 10 you. h o nc>t I to I commu n icat io n or t.•rotic a<h·cnturc. I do it all. Glccn Reves #fi!>75!>:1. Rt. I Box 1!•00. lkanmont TX 7770!>. \\'~!. 25. brown hair. (j' II". 190#. C:oocl>hapc, blue green eres. locked down in T exas, seeks a real ,wcethcan for Iiiencl•hip. Possible relationship. ~lay release date 6-97. ~ l an r \\'ebb #545 120. Stiles unit Rt.4, Box 1500. Beaumont. T X 77705. SW~I. 24, 5' 7", 165#, blue/ green eycS:..htack hair. ~ l c ,·err respectful, lc,el h eaded ;nul hate any kind o f abuse at woman!! ~ l ade o ne mistake in lifc,(safL~ cracking). will be free in 97. You. Coring. sweet. petty. and who like> a gentle man . Please write to : Andrew Lesky. J -2!H-26. C.M.F. p rison 1'.0. llox #2000. v~c:l\·illc. Ct\ !!5696. SW\1, d eaf, 38 year·s old, 5' 1o·, 200#, good h ealth , \'ery open minded. Seeks whit fe male male age 22·10 max. no rest rictio ns on who can wl'itc. Steven Christma n. 11916709. Indian state f:mn , 1500 west U.S. 40, Greencastle, IN 46 135-9275. ~ l ix male looking fo r a pen pal, male or female that ca n read a nd write the lan guage of "the p cot>lc Kola". Omaki) i \'e! t>itamap yelo. Erike llo lmbcrg #300 108 B4, P.O. Box !>3000. Rcid>ville, C:A 30153. S\1'~1 . 26. 5'9", 160#. blond h air. blue eyes. Drug and disease-free. ecking a SWF 2 1 to 35 for a pen pal. that with time can lead to more. All letters will get a reply. Kenneth Webb #645486. Hughes Unit. Rt. 2. Box 4400, GatcM·illc, TX 76597. GWM. 35 yr . u ld, 5'9", 160#, brown eyes, Italian . fnn-Im·ing ind h·iclual, looking for other GW~ I' s or " " l' white boys looking for com panionship/ fantasy lcucrs. Sister's \\'clcomcd! All answcrcd ... plcasc no beaches. tra,·el and Ji,·ing life toiL> fullest. No fakes. games. C:crard .J Natic llo, #6539 11. Rt. 4, Box 1500, p h o nics o r wa n nabes n eed appl y. Hill Kounanis lkaumont, TX 77705-9631. # 164089. Racing Corr. ·~~llll!l•!!!!!l•••••••••••••••••••·~~-•111111!•~···~·-··· SW~I. seeking correspondence "i th lnst. / Dane West nit. lllustr:ltion by Henry Hen white l:tclyies o f natio nalist disposP.O. Bo x 900-1, Sturtt'\':tnt. sion, , ~I )' boots and braces arc on Wisconsin 53 177-0900. the shelf for a fc ,~ but I'll be stand· ln;:;;:c.; ralCd l!i )'cars, 35 ing tall 'til the encll I' ll answe r all Years o ld Mexican . 5 ' 11". leuer>. Dean Adams #H-32535/ B-7180#. Seeks b ig b eautiful 224, Pelican Hay State Prison, P.O. lady with big hean and lots llox 7!>00. Cr·cscent Cit • CA 95532. o f hot passion. William R. SW~ I. 26, 5 '7", 160#, long b r·own Castro, C-42238, P.O. Box hair; h rown eyes. Muscular ami 7500, D-7-IO(i. Cr·cscen t haml>ome. Well hu ng. Into mmic cit •, CA 95532. a nd com edy. sex ancl h avi n g fu n . Love to party and tr:wel. 18 mo nths SliM . lig ht skin . 5'7". 32 yrs. old. looking fo r :1 ~e rileft. Searching fo r fun woman 18 ous, open-minded. o penand up fo r frie ndship, maybe more hcanccl, down to earth when released. I f you're looking for \\'Oman o fanr age an)' r-ace. guaranteed fun times. write. Will ll erbert llurguc.s, an swer all. Eric Rumbe rger #931\3237. Sullimn Correc~~::iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiijji;;;M;;;;;;;;:;::~ "Rumm y·. 1'.0. llox 595, Ebens· tio nal Facility. P.O. Box -: ---. burg. I'A 1593 1. _ AC, Falls bu rg. NY 12733· ~ ~~~• f Down hut not o ut42·rear-old W~l. I 0116. 1~ f ~ ~s'll...,. am a outlaw in chain >. searching for 2 IO#,greaiSiiapcancl get~a..-n.,~• ~A"'Ce as loving a n gel to set m e fr ee ting be tte r with d ed icated throug h lette rs a phottos. Le nny bodybuilding. I rear to go. Ku rx #03809-4000. P~IB ·1000, Rocl'm \'ery sincere and o pen-minded and I expect the Lookin g for fri<: ncl ~ h ip and comm itment. SW~ I. mostcr. ~ I N 55903-4000. clean-cut Chri,tian. 26. :r II ". 195#. reel hair. brown 6'2". 20!>#. bnmon·<kin brother looking to kick and same. I'll be a worth- while honorable friend. lf w.: "{A)K! a. 'M'IMe 'WOW., a ., rind compatihilit)' we can C\'l'll love each Olhcr. Vou eye:-.. ca)ly going. good M..: n ~l: of humor. still ro ung a1 hear son1c uplifti ng kn owlcclgc wi th al l sisters. clo n 't have to he a b eautifu l q ueen but you must lo"c yourself and be all wo man. Raymond Ruit. #91R956~. Attica C. F. Attica. 1 Y 1·10 11 -0 14!>. KI C:)~ Looking to correspond with o thcrs intncstcd in Conspiracy Po litics, Christian ldcnlit)'. The P:uri· h eart. love> the l.ord . music phows (will cxcha ngc) ,spnrt<. n·k other encourag ing Chris· tians for frk nds. I will b<' r·l'le:tst·d in ' !Hi. Sle\'C !'icard #6 1788. 1' .0. llox 777. C~m on City. CO 8 1215 I am a whi te. ·l!•·ycar·old fr·<'<' world elude looking T yse n Ingra m #8730 1•1, 27 11· 1D. C .l. C .. P.O . Box liO I, Pendle ton, IN ·W06<1. l.onc ly man lt:t> 3 yrs IeTt:"llrown h air & eyes. Age 36. 250#. 6'2". Would like to con·cspond with someone special. l'lcasc " 'ri te: Edclie Sims. D.C. 202995. 0 1 M ovement . etc. I have too much tim e to ha'"t' a relationship. but welcome all-except inmates. l..a.-ry for in111atcs to ha,·c a~ pt..·n·pals: lad i t·~ arc c~pccia ll r invited to writ l·. l.ct tt.•n. an,,,·cn·d at once. ~ l v D -202-1.. Okaloosa Correctional Institution, 3189 l.inle Sil\'cr Road. Crc~tvicw. FL 32539-6708. Williams. #9 111 56. CIC -Uox ()0 1. l'c n dl c tnn , IN <160()4. BM seeks o pe n-minded feminine corresponde nt fricnchhip is <'\'t·rlasting. Plea"' write me a1 the foilowing acldrc": Can· R. Lt'l'. 241 8·Bayo n Drh·c. l..e~ Cit}_. TX 7757:-1-2702. ;-\0 FAGS. Through Dl'\A . forensics, conlidcntial DA records, pro\'cd innocent. Framed. Looking fo r someon e to share n C\\'S articles, legal docume n ts with . 5' 11". free or locked do\\·n . Age. r:.1Cl', weight. look~. irrclc\'ant. Sincerity an asset. Promise to respond to all. S\ V~ I. 2:i, !)I ()-, 170#. ,·e ry long bl'own hair. nasty green l'\C,, skc,cd in 1an oo .... down~ ,·ea'"'. 10 lt.:ft. muscular, white . Atll-:lcth·c inside and out. wi th nice tattoos. Seeking new 1rial, freedom. writer. publish- Da,icl Mcgriii,.J.T.R.C.I .. #292425. 7 175 ~ lanor Rei.. Columbus, CA :11907. German lo newo lf looking for a pac ~. Charnctcriv tics: Warlock, Artisan. 5'7", 175#. hrown hair, blue eres. Seeks corresponde nce fromlikL, mindecl male> and femal es. Pirre llloo.cbrokcr. # 12:1 14. Louisiana State Pri son, Angola. LJ\ 7071 2. SII'M, 38 )'<S. old. br. hair·. 5' 11". br. qes. 185#. col- Outlaw <COOler tramp wa l~ing the talk . Seeks stron g. good "'oman to side with me. No ph ony bullshit. Le tter pholO< get ,,,me. tn me. taste m e. talk to me. C.\1'. Po llock, #8701590. EOC:l. 2500 West Gate. Pondle ton . Oregon. 9780 1. Doing lil'c in the bell) of th t· bca>t. Seek ing as<i>- cr. in telligen t fcmak and friend;. ~o games or pho nics. 'ationality. :ogc unimportant. Send pho to and SASE. Paul William Scott. 07 1615 P.O. Uox 221. North East U nit, Death Row, UCI Raiford, Fl. 32083. S\1' ~I caught up in sptem , looking for females who would like to p:H'\ some tim('. \ Viii w•·itc all intcrcsted responses. !lobbies: ..ex . >COoter.. boats. fishing. tauce from :-HI}'<H1C \\'ith hackgrouncl in Eng-lish ur law. I need someom· who i< wi lling to corrcct m '' lege-educated. EnjO)'"i '''ritin g le tt ers, alternati ve m i.. takc, in srntax to impru\'(' my writing skills. It is hunting. cam ping, part)'ing and genera II)' having a music, coo king. u-avcl (when allowccl). hon e.<t)' and sinceri t)'· eeks fe male pe n p al. Offers lette rs and fri en dship . .Jeffrey A. (;earns #22~291!, 320 I Be mis Rd .. Ypsilanti. Ml_:l§_IY7.o9 11. __ ' 'Cr}' impo rtant that I ht· abk to write well. In stnrgg le. Anthor1) I.ucer o. #7(i:l24. P.O. Box I 0000. Limon , CO 8082fi. good time. Best lette r sex in T X. Respond to: Dcnnis Bower·. #6:1 1736. Ram <er 2. C I-t-2-16. R ou te ~. Box 1200. Rosharon . T X 77583. PRISON LIFE 83 by Alex Friedmann, Resource Editor, SCCC,TN The nonprofit and volunteer-run agenrii'S i11 this list nn• all worlting to help liS, b11tllwy mn'tlu4p liS without your help. If )' OU wa11/lo con/rl(/ OIU' or mon' of these 01ganizations for information, self-help materials orfor tlu•ir nnusiPIIers, then do the rightthing-l'llclosr• somP loose stamps or an S.A.S. I~·. Br/ler )'1'1, smd them some money (that's right, SO II/I' of yo nr hardramer/. hard-timt' jnison 11/0IIf')'.) l;'ven one dollar can help. Therr• arl' over a milLion prisonr1:5 in I he U.S. a nrl if l'llel)' one of us sr•nl just a btult l'{rc/1 month to a worth)' cause lilte C.U.R.E., F. t\.M.i\1. or the A.F.S.C., lhPn thosr' 01ganiurtions would bt• col/rcting ovn S 12 million a yea r. That 's somr•thing to thinli about. If we rxpect free-world organi:.ations to help us, then WI' havP to hrljJ thnn. The bollom line: \\Ihat gaps a round co mrs a ronnd. SOCIAL SUPPORT AGENCIES: • American Friends Service Committee, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215/241 · 7130}: A Quaker organization that works for peace and equality. Their criminal justice branch con provide literature on o variety of prison issues. There o re six regional AFSC offices in the U.S.: CA, Ml, NJ, MA, OH and NY. • John Howard Association, 67 E. Madison # 141 6, Chicago, IL 60603 (312/ 263·190 1}: This organize· lion is mostly involved with prison reform and criminal justice issues in Illinois, but they con provide materials of interest to all prisoners. There is o separate JHA branch in Canada. • Notional Association for the Advancement of Col· ored People (NAACP}. Criminal Justice Prison Pro gram, 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 con· tact addresses. • Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR}. 301 Pork Drive, Severna Pork, MD 21146 (410/ 647·3806}: Provides post·releose assistance for prisoners in lA, MD, NJ, PA and VA, through 12 1ocol offices. • Woodbourne Long Termers Committee, Pouch #1, Woodbourne, NY 12788 : A prisoner support and advocacy group. Send for free brochure and newslet· fer. ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS • CURE, P.O . Box 2310, Notional Capitol Station, Washington, DC 20013·231 0 (202/789-2126}: Organization for prison reform, with state chapters and special groups for veterans, lifers, sex offenders and federal prisons. • Campaign for on Effective Crime Policy, 918 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/ 457·5790}: Works lor the repeal of federal mandatory minimum sentencing lows. • Justice Watch, 932 Dayton Street, Cincinnati, OH 45214 (513/ 241·0490}: Works to eliminate clossism and racism from prisons. PUBUCATIONS & MAGAZINES • Forlune News , ATIN : Inmate Subscriptions, 39 West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011 (212/ 206· 7070}: A publication of Fortune Society. 84 PRISON LIFE • Inside Journal, c/o Prison Fellowship, P.O . Box MISCEllANEOUS RESOURCES: 16429, Washington, DC 20041·6429 (703/ 478· 0100}: A publication of Prison Fellowship. • Outlook on Justice, AFSC, 216 1 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140 (617/ 66 1-6130}: A newsletter of the American Friends Service Committee. • Prison Life Ma!lazine, 505 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10018 (600/207· 2659}: A national magazine by and for prisoners ($19.95/year}. • League for Lesbian and Gay Prisoners, 1202 East Pike St., # 1044, Seattle, WA 98122: A project of Gay 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}, 8265 Block How Court, Freder· ick, MD 2 1701 : Advocates for prisoners in military prisons and disciplinary borrrocks. Con provide o pre-release booklet entitled •New Beginnings." • The Prison Chess Program, P.O. Box 44419, Washington, DC 20026 (30 1I 530·464 1.} • Native American Indian Inmate Support Pro ject, 6 Dallas Dr., Grantville, PA 17026: A Native America n group that supports the introduction of Indian religious ceremonies and programs in prisons. • Native American Prisoners' Rehabilitation Research Project, 2846 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 pris· oners, at around $20/pkge. • PEN, Writing Program for Prisoners, 568 Broodway, New York, NY 10012 (212/334·1660}: Offers o great resource booklet for prison writers. • Prisoners of Conscience Project, 2120 Lincoln St., Evanston, IL 60201 (706/326·1 543}: A religious· based agency that works for the release of prisoners of conscience/ political prisoners in the United States. • Prisoner Visitation and Support, 1501 Ch erry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215/241 ·711 7}: Provides institutional visits to prisoners in federal a nd 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, Shoreham Depot Rood , RR 1, Box 24·B, Orwell, VT 05760·9756 (602/897-7541 }: Sell-help materials for sex offenders. • Stop Prisoner Rope, P.O . Box 632, Fort Bragg, CA 95437 (707 /964·0620}; or P.O . Box 2713, Man· hottonville Station, New York, NY 10027 (212/663· 5562}: Provides support for victims of institutional rope. • The Poetry Wall , Cathedral of St. John, 104 7 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY I 0025: Displays poetry written by prisoners. BOOK AND READING PROJECTS. • Books for Prisoners, c/o Left Bonk Bookstore, 92 Pike St., Box A, Seattle, WA 96101 : This volunteer program provides up to three books at a time. • Prison Book Progra m, 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 l ibrary Project, 976 W . Foothill Blvd #128, Claremont, CA 91711. • Prisoner Literature Project, c/o Bound Together Books, 1369 Haight Street, Son Franc isco, CA 94 1 17: Free books for prisoners. • Prison Reading Project, Paz Press, P.O. Box 3146, Fayetteville, AR 72702: Free books lor women prison· ers. PAROLE & PRE-RELEASE INFORMATION: • American Correctional Association, Publications Dept, 6025 Laurel Lakes Court, Laurel, MD 207075075 (301 /206·5059 or 600/825·2665}: Publishes a parole planning guide, •As Free a s on Eagle; and sells other self· help books. • Interstate Publishers, 510 North Vermillion Street, P.O.Box 50, Danville, ll61634-0050 (21 7 / 446· 0500 or 600/843· 4774} : Sells o paro le planning manual, •From the Inside Out.' • OPEN, Inc. (Offender Preparation and Education Network}, P.O. Box 566025, Dallas, TX 75356·60 25 (214/271 - 1971 }: Sells "99 Days & o Get-up; "Man, I need a Job I" and other great pre· release guideslor $4.95 each. • Manatee Publishing, 4635 North O'Conner St. #134435, Irving, TX 75062: Sells •Getting Out and Staying Out; o porole·J>Ionning manual, for $22.45. • CEGA Services, O ffender Referrals, P.O. Box 61626, lincoln, NE 66501-1626 (402/ 464·0602}: CEGA offers pre-release referrals for prisoners for the area they will be paroled to (such as housing, employ· ment and substance abuse treatment programs.} S 15 fee for each city. CEGA a lso sells the "Survival Sourcebook" and "The Job Hunter's Workbook.' PRISON AIDS RESOURCES: • American Civil Liberties Union, 1616 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202/234·4630}: Operates on •AIDS in Prison• i nformo~ on project. • Correctional Association AIDS in Prison Project, 135 E. 15th Street, New York, NY 10003 (21 2/674· 0600}: Offers resource information concerning AIDS in priso n, especially lor inmates in New York. • HIV Prison Project, NYC Commission on Human Rights, 40 Rector St., New York, NY 10006 (212/233·5560}. • Notional Prison Hospice Association, P.O. Box 56, Boulder, CO 80306-0056: Helps develop hospice programs for terminally ill prisoners. • Notional ACLU Prison Project, AIDS Education Pro· ject, 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW 4 10, Washing· ton, DC 20009 (202/234-4630}. • "One Day at a Time: c/o Richard H. Rhodes #05353·016, U.S.P. Leavenworth, P.O . Box 1000, lecrvenworth, KS 66046: An AIDS newsletter for pris· oners. • Prison AIDS Project, Goy Community News, 62 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02 116 (Notional AIDS Goy Task Force: 600/221 ·7044}. • Prison AIDS Resource Center, P.O. Box 2 155, Vacaville, CA 95696·2155; or 926 J. Street, #601 , Sacramento, CA 956 14. • 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. CHILD & FAMILY RESOURCES Tlwrt mt IIUIII_)' mganiuttrou\ that hPijJ pn'iOP~i!TS wh()ltavr rhildtnt. 'l'lu•lf• t1J.fl' llfif'' j1rouidt• litt•mlut·t', iujorma· lion. rufl,irt' and SII/Jjmrt u11 how to rojJI' with fnmil)1 Jn·ob/1'111\ whiff' in jni\()n. J)irl'ft ru,\ istanrt' is 11Silflll)1 rwailnbh• auiJ irt lhP /om/ nrrm thatlllfjf fJm}..'rams St1Vt. • Aid to Imprisoned Mothers (AIM}, 599 Mitchell St., SW, Atlanta, GA 303 14 (404/22 1·0092): An odvo· cocy group for incarcerated mothers. Although social services ore only provided in the Atlanta area, AIM con provide helpful information for all women in prison who hove children. • Center for the Children o f Incarcerated Parents, Pacific Oaks College, 714 W . California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105 (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, IL 60607-7134 (312/ 996·3219}: Provides information about programs serving families of pris· oners. • Fa thers Behind Bars, P.O. Box 86, Niles, Ml 49120 (616/664·5715}: A by-prisoners, for·prison· ers agency that helps to set up in stitutional parent groups for incarcerated fathers. Only the serious need apply! • Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, 47 4 Valencia St., #230, Son Francisco, CA 941 03 (415/255·7036): Legal services ore provided in Col· ifornio only, but some general information is ovoiloble. • Notional Institute of Corrections, Information Cen· ter, 1860 Industrial Circle, Suite A, Longmont, CA 80501 (303/ 682-0213): Provides the "Directory of Programs Serving Families of Adult Offenders." • Notional Resource Center for Family Support Pro· grams, Family Resource Coalition, 200 S. Michigan Ave., # 1520, Chicago, IL 60604 (312/341-0900): Provides information about family programs, includ· ing prison projects. • Parent Resource Association, 213 Fernbrook Avenue, Wyncote, PA 19095 (215/576-7961 ): Sup· port for child/ parenting programs in prison; offers referrals ond information to incarcerated parents. • Prison Family Foundation, P.O . Box 1 150, Auburn, AL 36831 (205/821-1150): Works to support family education programs in prison. Sells preand post-relea se books and other publications; works with prison administrations to form institutional fa mily support groups. LEGAL RESOURCEs-FEDERAL/ NATIONAl Thtrf' are nuwy Of.!enrirs that fJrovidr lrJ!,al \PIVi((l:!) for plisuuf'n: mol·t of tlu'W' mgrwi:ation\ diJfH'IW' information or of/Pr rrjrreuu mntnial. Noll' that lhl'.sr agnu-it•s do not usunl(l' lwnt!IP ju•u o,mllegal ,n,iul uah as Jili u;: afJjJeals. fJost-conuirtirms or law.w it.}-with 1111' t•xrt'jJiiun offor-Jmjit fOIIIjJIIIIil's (11otli.l ll'tl hnl') /hot rhorge lwp • f ees. Federal: • U.S . Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Specia l Litigation Section, Washington, DC 20530 (202/ 514-6255): Enforces the "Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act" through lawsuits against state 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 20543-0001 (202/4 79-321 1): Con provide up to five Supreme Court decisions per term. Supreme Court slip opinions ore ovailoble 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, 187 5 Connecticut Ave., NW #410, Washington, DC 20009 (202/2344830): A branch of the notional ACLU that works on prison legal issues. Sells resource di rectories, cri minal justice statistic books and legal aid manuals; also offers o prison newsletter for $2 per year and sells the "Rights of Prisoners" handbook for $5. Doesn't handle individual cases; they only litigate lorge-scole state 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 publications, 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 $168; perhaps your low library con subscribe. Other bulletins include the " Liability Reporter" and "Security Legal Update.' • Columbia Human Rights Low Review, 435 West 116th Street, Box B-25, New York, NY 10027 (212/663-8701 ): Sells the "Jailhouse Lawyer Manual" (JLM) for $30 o copy (S 13 for prisoners). • Georgetown University Low Center, Criminal Pro· cedure PRoject, 600 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001. (202/662-9468): Publishes the Georgetown Low Journal, the annual "Criminal Procedure" issue costs $30. • Freedom Press, P.O. Box 4458, Leesburg, VA 22075 (703/391-8604) or: (800/370-7052): A prison project run by volunteer porolegols. They offer legal services at reduced rates, sometimes on monthly payment plans; they also offer ministry and counsel· ing 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, Lewis· burg, PA 17837·0128 (717/523·1104): Sells low· cost literature regarding constitutional rig hts, due process and other legal issues of interest to prisoners. • Notional Lawyers Guild, Prison Low Project, 558 Cop Street, Son Francisco, CA 9 4 1 I 0: A notional legal agency wi th on interest in helping jailhouse lawyers. • Oceano Press, 75 Main Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY I 0522 (914/ 693-81 00): Sells prison-related legal books, including "The Prisoner's Self-Help Litigation Manual" ($20) and "Post-Conviction Remedies" ($20). • Prisoner Legal News, P.O. Box 1684, Lake Worth, FL 33460: A magazine published by prisoners in Washington that covers nationwide prison legal issues. Subscription roles ore a round S 12 per yeor/12 issues. • Southern Illinois University Press, P.O . Box 3697, Carbondale, IL 62902-3697: Con provide "The Rights of Prisoners" brochure at no cost. • 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 stole case low, both criminal ond civil. The CITEBOOK is updated quarterly and costs $28 ($112 annually). Although thi s is fairly expensive, perhaps yo ur low library 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): Pub· lishes "Corrections and Prisoners Rights in o Nutshell" and "Criminal Procedures in o Nutshell, • at S 17 each. PARALEGAL PROGRAMS • Blackstone School of Low, P.O. Box 701449, Dol· los, TX 75370 (800/826-9228): Offers o well-known correspondence program. • Southern Career Institute, 164 West Royal Palm Rd, Boca Rolon, FL 334 32 (800/669-2555 or 407/368-2522): Offers o complete paralegal course that costs S 1595 to S 1977; monthly payment pions ovoiloble. This school is accredited by the D.E.T.C. • The Porolegol Institute, 3602 West Thomas Road #9, Drawer 11408, Phoenix, AZ 85061-1408 (602/272-1855): Offers paralegal courses for fees rang ing between S 1290 and $2750. Monthly pay· ment plans and an Associate degree program available. Accredited by the D.E.T.C. MINISTRIES & BIBLE STUDIES • Emmaus Bible Correspondence School , 2570 Asbury Rd, Dubuque, lA 52001 (319/588-8000): Offers free Bible courses for prisoners. • The National Convocation of Jail and Prison Ministry, 1357 East Capital St. SE, Washington , DC 20003: A national agency for prison chaplains. • Good News Mission, 1036 Highland Street, Arlington, VA 22204 (703/979-2200): A Christian organization tha t provides support, witnessi ng and spiritual counseling to inmates in 110 prisons across 14 states. • Guideposts, 39 Seminary Hill Road, Carmel, NY 10512 (914/225-3681 ): A Christian organization thot publishes Guidepost magazine. Also sponsors the FIND information network, which provides information referrals: FIND Network, P.O. Box 855, Carmel, NY 10512. • Hope Aglow Prison Min istries, P.O. Box 3057, Lynchburg, VA 24503: A nationwide religious organization that offers Bible study courses. • International Prison Ministry, P.O. Box 63, Dallas, TX 75221. • Libe rty Prison Ministries, P.O. Box 8998, Waukegan, IL 60079: This Christian ministry publishes the Liberator newsletter. • 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 (703/478-0100): A nationwide ministry that sponsors spiritual activities in prison. • Prison Ministry of Yokefellows International, The Yokefellow Center, P.O. Box 482, Rising Sun, MD 21911 (4 10/658-2661): o religious organization that offers information and literature to prisoners. • Set Free Prison Ministries, P.O. Box 5440, River- side, CA 92517-996 1 (909/787-9907): Provides an extensive Bible study course. • Southern Prison Ministry, 910 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta , GA 30306. • U.S. Mennonite Central Committee, Office of Criminal Justice, P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501-0500 (717/859·3889): Offers many publications concerning crime and religion-most are free to prisoners. ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS • Islam ic Prison Found ation, 12 12 New York Avenue NW #400, Washington, DC 20005: Mostly works with Muslims in federal prisons. • The Notional Incarcerated Muslim Network, c/o Maurice Taylor, #476837, Route 3, Box 59, Rosharon, TX 77583: A prison-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 Coalitio n for Jewish Prisoners Services, 1640 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036-3278 (202/857-6582): Offers support, referrals, guidance, educational and religious programs, and pen pols. BUDDHIST/ MEDITATION GROUPS • Human Kindness Foundation, Prison Ashram Pro· ject, Route 1, Box 20 1-N, Durham, NC 27705: Provides reading material for spiritual living. • lskcon Prison Ministries, 2936 Esplanade Ave. , New Orleans, LA 70119. • Prison Dharma Network, P.O. Box 9 12, Astor Station, Boston, MA 02 123-0912: Offers Buddhist meditation literature. DEATH PENALTY RESOURCES • American Civil Liberties Union, Capital Punishment Project, 122 Maryland Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002 (202/ 675-2319): A b ranch of the ACLU that deals with death penalty issues. • American Friends Service Committee, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia , PA 19102 (2 15/241-7130): a Quaker peace organizatio n that works to ban the death penalty as one of their Criminal Justice p rojects. • Amnesty International, Project to Abolish the Death Penalty, 322 8th Ave. , New York, NY 1000 1-4808 (212/807-8400): Works to abolish the death penalty throug h public letter-writing campaigns. • Capital Punishment Research Project, P.O. Box 277 , Headland, Al36345 (205/693-5225). • Catholics Against Capital Punishment, P.O. Box 3125, Arlington, VA 22203 (703/ 522-5014): A religious organization against the death penalty. • Death Penalty Info rmation Center, 1606 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 (202 / 3472531 ). • Death Row Support Project, P.O. Box 600, Liberty Mills, IN 46946 (219/982- 7480): Offers pen-pal services to death row inmates. • Endeavor Project, P.O. Box 23511, Houston, TX 77228-3511: A magazine produced by and for prisoners on death row. • NAACP Legal Defense Fund, 99 Hudson Street, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10013 (2 12/219-1900): A legal branch of the NAACP thot supports minority rights; also has on onti-deoth penalty project. • National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, 918 F St. NW #60 I , Washington, DC 20004 1202/ 347 -2411 ): Works to abolish the death penalty. Also p rovides a booklet listing onti-deoth penalty resources in each state ("The Abolitionist' s Directory," $2). Changes, additions and new information should be sent to: Prison Life Magazine Resources Department 175 5th Avenue, Suite 2205 New York, NY 10010. PRISON LIFE 85 Thanksgiving Prayer In other years I hoped, And waited for the skeleton To emerge, stripped clean As others grabbed Their share, Hoping That a knife, in ignorance, Would not cut through The wishbone I desired . This year I grabbed The leg and held it, Munching teeth to bone, Counting my losses and Thinking about my little boy. Chewing fowl flesh and Missing my son. Little man living Loss you never chose, This leg's for you. Drumstick desires. Savage and simple, Bind us all today. Sherrie Apple When I heard you'd been arrested I put on the silver ring you made for me years ago, just after you'd gotten out the first time; you'd hammered and hammered a quarter 'til at last you'd beaten it into a lovely ring . Our son has grown handsome and tall that chubby baby in green-printed pajamas who you cradled on your hip while you stood over the stove wait1ng for his bottle to warm. Tyrone was the name I secretly gave you when you were vulnerable and approachable, when your hair was tapered and soft and your dark face unlined; Tyrone in a pale purple shirt. solemn Tyrone Tyrone who on that last quiet evening tongued me until I came. Two days later you left our apartment for good, lugging a duffel bag with your belongings and sucking a pint of Bacardi Dark. I remember the afternoon you cried for your Uncle Sun, the uncle who used to take you to play with your Cherokee cousins in the hills, the uncle you used to watch the sunset with, you'd suddenly remembered his sister shooting him in the head with her shotgun. You told me about the time your mom and her new boyfriend hid you under some coats on the train and told you not to move so they wouldn't have to pay another fare. You told me about the time you were eight and went out in a blizzard to get some flour and syrup so your mother could feed all those kids. And school. how hard it was for you. you begged your mother to beat your head, thinking a head was something you could literally beat sense into. There were the deer in the early mornings that you used to watch drinking at the river's edge; there was your old Aunt Mo who'd go into the henhouse; you'd hear a flutter and a cackle , then she'd come out with three fresh eggs for your breakfast. Know that I haven't forgotten being held in the back room at knifepoint; the belt you hit our son with when he was five; all those n1ghts you stayed in Brooklyn; the syringe I found in your brown tweed coat pocket; that ride in the back seat of the police car. looking for you after you'd leapt on my bed and tried to choke me. Over and over you 've asked to come back. No place except a head is big enough to hold these extremes. Low benches. blank walls that morning we met at Family Court, how confusing it was for both of us that two people who loved each other should end up here. Peggy Garrison s 2nd Annua Art Behind Bars Contest W[Effiffi[bD~[Eg ~®Wo Dt09 D00t0 PRISON LIFE PRIZES 1st Prize-$250 and two subscriptions to Prison Life 2nd Prize-$150 and two subscriptions to Prison Life 3rd Prize-$50 and two subscriptions to Prison Life WRITING CATEGORIES Fiction: short stories or excerpts from longer works, up to 15 pages Nonfiction: essays or articles, up to 15 pages Poetry: no more than two poems, up to 5 pages Drama (1st place only): scenes, excerpts from plays or screenplays, up to 30 pages VISUAL ARTS CATEGORIES Paintings, drawings, collage, sculpture-any medium. Contest Rules: Entries accepted only from incarcerated contestants. YOU MUST BE I JAIL OR IN PRISO 1 TO ENTER THIS CONTEST. Manuscripts must be typewritten o r legibly handwritten in English. Name, prison ID numbe r, name and address of institution must be on front page of all e ntries. Contestants may submit o nly one ent1y in each category. Entries will not be re wrned unless accompanied by a self-add ressed, stamped e nve lope. Only unpublish ed manuscripts and art will be conside red, with the exceptio n of pieces tha t have appeared in prison publications. All entries become the property of Prison Life, and the winn ers will be published in Prison Life magazine. Send e ntries to Art Be hind Bars Contest, Prison Life magazine , 505 8 th Aven ue , 1ew York, Y 10018. •· l.cr :.1111 1'.Y.15 Kmgs, 17 mg. "tar: 1.2 mg. mcoune a.. per c1garene by FTC Method SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health.