Prison Life magazine, January 1995
Download original document:
![Brief thumbnail](/media/cache/f0/d4/f0d465e5320463d50b5b1443fe89f766.jpg)
Document text
![Brief thumbnail](/media/cache/f0/d4/f0d465e5320463d50b5b1443fe89f766.jpg)
Document text
This text is machine-read, and may contain errors. Check the original document to verify accuracy.
BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID Prison Life 5058th Ave. NY, NY 100� SPANISH FRENCH GERMAN ITALIAN JAPANESE 30 Cassettes +Triple Bonus 30 Cassettes +Triple Bonus 30 Cassettes +Triple Bonus 30 Cassettes +Triple Bonus + Triple Bonus 30 Cassettes $265.00 $265.00 $265.00 $265.00 $285.00 Brazilian PORTUGUESE RUSSIAN Mandarin CHINESE 30 cassettes +Triple Bonus 30 cassettes + Tnple Bonus $285.00 $285.00 Learn Foreign Languages... Incredibly Fast! Conversing in a foreign language is a major social and business assel...and brings new life to the worlds of travel, entertainment, and relationships. The technique of accelerated teaming, as conveyed by these proven foreign language courses, allows anyone to comfortably converse in a new language within 30 days. Acce lerated learning, developed by famed leaming expcn Dr. Georgi Lozanov, is based on the premise of involving both hemispheres of the brain in the education process. The analytical or logical left side of the brain, when properly activated with the musical or artistic right side of the brain, both increases the speed and heightens the retention of leaming. Utilizing these untapped menta! capacities of your learning ability is the basis of this unique, highly effective course. You will/earn the language as stresslesslv as a chi ld docs. by hearing new vocabulary and phrases in alternately loud. whispered, and emphatic intonations, all accompanied by slow rhythmic music in digital stereo. This perfect combination of music and words allow the two halves of the brain to work together to dramatically facilitate your assimi lation of the new language. The fi rst I S (memory) tapes of this 30-tape package help activate the learning capacities of the brain. The second I S (study) tapes are the very same tried and proven tapes used by the Foreign Service Institut e to train career diplomats. This marriage of two concepts literally gives you two courses in one. providing the best of both worlds in language instruction. Best Value! With a total of 32 cassettes plus study materials. this program represents the best "American Managers with Language Skills Open More Doors" II u/1 Slrrt"l Jollrnall:.tlunriul "Com~any and market ing executives will find after 992 that it is a handicap not to be fairly conversant with at least one other major European language- and preferably two or three..." - 7 lit' Lmtclon Tmt~\ value available today in language instruction. Compared to other programs, the Accelerated Learning Series outperforms them with twice the audio and 20 times the study material. To correctly converse in a foreign language, you must understand the meanings and intent of the nati ve speaker. If. after 30 days of listening to the study and memory tapes, you are not comfortably underslanding and conversing in your nell' language, re/um them for a full re._timd, TO ORDER: Phone or send your check. money order or lnst. P.O. TOLL-FREE 24 HRS: VISA · M /C 1•800•85•AUDIO Rush Orders PHONE 9-5 PDT: 1-818-896-6956 Y ou may FAX yo ur c red i1 c ard order or co m pan y P.O . 1o: 1-818-896-0272 •INTERNATIONAL ORDERING INFORMATION • .. N ew ! '\'()\\ for your onkrini( l"OO\ t·nienc.:t•. you may call our order llc'k tnll·lrl'c 2·1 hour' a tLt)' from anr of the folio" 10): roumne' via AT AT lnternatlonal800 Se rvice." BELGIUM ........... 07811·6599 NETHERLAND ..... 06-022-4612 DENMARK ............. 8001·0578 SINGAPORE ............ 800-1625 FRANCE·····--·..··· 05-9G-13&8 SPAIN ............... 900-98-1120 GERMANY ....... 0130·81·1139 SWEDEN ........... 028-793-62& ITALY ................ 1678·70·119 SWITZ .............. 1146-05-9632 JAPAN ............. 0031-11·1907 UK .................. 118011-89-7452 r-----------, 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Triple Bonus ! ! You'll also receive: • T wo 90-minutc Vocabulary Tapes • The I00-pagc /low To I earn A forejsw L<uu:um:e • The American £roress FRENCH $265.00 SPANISH $265.00 GERMAN $265.00 ITALIAN $265.00 PORTUGUESE (Brazilian) $265.00 JAPANESE $285.00 RUSSIAN $285.00 CHINESE (Mandarin) $285.00 ~·------------------------- A~,~-------------------------- /mernational City___________.Slate______ Zip______ Credil Card No Exp. IIIIIIIIIII IIII II Signature (Card Orders Only) 0 VISA 0 MASTERCARD 0 DISCOVER Need II Tomorrow? Ask Operator for Express Service f!!Jl!;\7 Or Write To: PROFESSIONAL CASSETfE CENTER 408 SOUTH PASADENA AVE., SUITE 4 DEPARTMENT PRL PASADENA, CALIFORNlA 91105 U.S.A. L Please add $11 .00 shipping & handling California residents add 8'1·% sales tax. All Funds Payable In U.S. Dollars ----------- .J iTambien tenemos cursos para aprender ingles! Llame o escrlbanos para los detalles. THE ECONOMICS OF IMPRISONMENT by Richard Stratton e used to sa y that if yo u stood o n the beach in South Flo rida back in the cady '80s and th e wind was just right, blowing in off th e G ul f, yo u cou ld hear Colom b ian sailors c ry out from the d ec ks of pot-lade n fre ighters as they steam e d north : A job in UN/COR; a pair of Reebolis; and a boll om bunk. Whe n I was at the federal prison at Petersburg, Virgi nia in the mid-'80s, we sa t in the chow hall one morn ing a nd watched a slig h Lly dera nged priso ne r cli mb the huge water tower in th e m idd le of t h e co mpou n d. li e roosted there fo r the be tter pan o f a clay, issui ng but a sin gle demand: He wanted a job in U '!CO R. UNICOR, myste rio us acronym fo r th e Fe deral Prison Industries, I nc., is a "wholly owned, self-supporti ng govern me nt corporation" that maintains a nd operates fac to r ies a t all of the fe d e r a l co r rec ti o na l i n stitu t io n s around the cou ntry. T he re we re two UN ! CO R p la n ts a t P e te rsb urg : a p rintin g p la nt wh e re th ey ma n ufactured governmen t publica tions and a cable factoq' wh e re priso ne rs ma d e complica ted power cables for suc h gove rn me nt operatio ns as ASA. At o th e r fe d eral p ri so n s where I se rved time, UNICO R wo rk e rs mad e furniture , clothes, signs and a variety of other products- a l l su pposed ly sold b y co ntrac ts to various gove r nment agencies. T h e re we re lo ng wa i t l ist s fo r j obs in U NICOR. l rememb er o n e Colo mbia n wh o we p t wh en h e lea rn e d he was to be rel e ase d from W prison and se n t back to his hom ela n d. H i U lJ CO R wages, arou n d 200 p er month , we r e th e m os t mo ney he'd eve r made. After buying so m e essen tials like sham p oo a n d Ben and .J erry's icc c ream at the prison co mmi ssaq•, he had e no ug h left ove r each momh to send money ho me to support h is wife a nd six kids. He to ld me he was conside ring co mmilling a new cri me wh ile in custody so he cou ld sta}' in p rison a nd kee p h is cove ted UN ICORjob. Illegal alie ns comprise 28% of the fede ra l prison population; many of them ne,·c r se t foot in America be fore b e in g arrested. A large numb er of rh ese "crimin al aliens," as the fe els call th e m, work in UN ICO R facto ries. Base wage a t U ICO R when I was in prison was 22 cents an hour. With increases for tenure an d performance-Supe rgrad e, as it was calledpay could reach mo re than a d o llar an hou r. l knew me n who worked SOp lus hours a week and mad e th ree or fou r hu ndre d a m o nth. They d id th eir shopping at th e compa ny sto rethe prison-run com missarv. T h ev spent the li mit ( 100 per mo'mh ) junk food and oda, snea kers, fr uit 0;1 and n uts, deod orant a nd coffee; t.hey bought ciga rcu es and rolls of coins to use as c urrency o n th e p riso n blac k m a rke t. The gove rnment extrac ted paymen t from prison wages for whatever fines or cou rt costs th e co nvict owed. Conscien ti ous convicts sent the rest home to their wives and famil ies o r d eposited it in bank acco u n ts. Othe rs spe nL it o n d rugs, or Ll1e}' gambled it away or used it to b uy blac k market goods and services, including sex. Most of th e money made by prisone rs worki n g in U 'lCOR and in othe r prison jobs stayed in the system. What ma n}' tax-paying Ame rica ns don ' t reali ze is th a t a ll able-bodied prisoners arc req ui red to work-on e co uld say lorccd to work since, if you r·efuse, yo u are se n t to th e h ole and locked down 23 hours a day. Prisoner also must pay for j ust about e\·eq·th ing beyond the basic n ecessities. They feed you slop in the chow hall a nd give you a bu nk, bu t if yo u wan t a g rapcl'ruit o r cigareucs, shampoo o r Be n an d J e rry's, yo u've got to buy th em from th e comm issa ry, ofte n at prices above wha t you would pay on th e stree t. T he sa me is t rue in the state ys t e m. Pr isone rs work. Increasi n g ly, th e prod u cts m a d e in sta te p rison l~tc to ri es are sold LO private compa ni es. Pri soners earn mo ney. They sp end most of tha t mo n ey with in the system . W ith a mi llion and a hal f peop le lo c ke d up i n t h is country, we're ta lkin g about a lot of " mo n ey c h ang in g ~-·. . ~ hands beh ind pri on walls. ·C: I mpri so nm e n t 8 0>. in Amer ica is bi g .D 0 0 .<: Q, (continued on page 6) PRISON LIFE 3 PRISONLIFE January 1995 Features 2 2 The Clown-Prince of Crime Jackie DiNorscio laughed the Feds out of court 1n the longest mob tria l ever. Now he's pu rsui ng a victory closer to home. 33 The Lieutenant Called Bubba You know if Prison Life is doing a story on a cop, he's got to be straig_ht- up. Meet Lt. August of East Jersey State Prison. 38 Putting a Human Face on M andatory M inimums Julie Stewart, founder of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, shows the human tragedy behind thoughtless laws. 42 Fighting Back The Prison Education of Karen White. While serving an 18-year bid, she championed women's rights. Now she's out a nd her fig ht continues. 50 Busted!Corruption at Unicor Federal Prison l ndustrie~ Inc., the engine of the BuP, gets caught with their !lands in the cookie jarby federal prisoners. 60 Prison Fiction "Old Max," a haunting_ ta l_e of re-..:~nge, by PEN. pnson-wntmg award wmner J.C. Amoerchele. 64 Underground A con on the lam goes underground and returns with a firsthand account. COVER STORY "There's no way you can deny 18 years of hell." Ka re n vVh ite: Prison Life's first cover woma n. Story by Kim Wozencraft. Photo by Wa)me Maser. Departments 3 Voice of the Convict 5 Word 8 Mail Call 10 Guest Editorials 15 · Call-Outs 68 16 18 30 49 68 70 75 76 78 Block Beat Insider Outlook Crimejacker Cellmate of the Month In-House Counsel Iron Pile Humor Survival Smart Time 80 82 83 84 Family Matters Poetry from Prison Tattoo of the Month Ask Bubba In-Cell Cooking African-American Perspective Prison Papers Pen Pals Classifieds 85 86 22 88 90 92 l'ri,on Life magazine i• publbhcd bimonthly by PRJ LIFE. Inc.. 505 8th A\'cnuc. 14th Floor. New York. 1\'Y 100 18. Prison Life ma1,"V.inc i, printed in the USA and all riglu., arc rcscn·cd. © 199<1 b) Joint Venture ~ l edia, Inc. No part of this book may be reproduced or trausmitted in any form or by any meam without writ· ten pcrmi"ion of the publisher. Uu,olicitcd manuscripts and phowgraphs arc the rcspousibility of scudcrs. All letters sent to Prison Life ma!,'Olziuc will be treated ao;; 111lCOIIditionally assigned for publication or brochure, and arc li!tll~j ccl In Prison Life magalinci!\ unrl·striclcd rig ht to edit and commc nl. Sing le copies in 1hc us s:~.\15. Subscriptiou rates OIIC year iu us. $24.75 for 6 issue;; ill C ln:trla, an <~dditioual $8; :til :tclclitional 12 elsewhere; all payable in us funrls only. Please mail all ; uhscription orders and change< to Priso u Life magat.inc. Suh;cription Departrncnt50f> 8th Avenue. 11th Floo•·· l'\ew York. 1 Y I0018. 4 PRISON LIFE Word JUICE ''This magazine is considered a secuTity rislt . .. " "This copy of Prison Life magazi ne contains vety grajJhic accounts . . . it would incite more u.nTest." ''This jm.blicn.tion incites, aids 0 1· abets ctiminal activity and violence against oth- ers." -from va rious DOC "Decision on With hold ing" forms we received . very d ay we get calls or le tters from wh i te and b lu ebe lli es t e llin ' us h ow we suc k. "Th is magazine is gar bage! Yo u guys oughta be burned at the stake!" Wh ateva. We liste n to a nd read these responses with patience, sometimes aski ng the a ngryh ead wh a t was so offensive. Sometimes it's the language, oth e r times it's that we' r·e makin g "he roes" ouua "crimina ls." Most of the time, it 's th at we' re providing a voice fo r th e cons o f Ame rica. By doing so, we increase the juice o f t h ose b e h ind bars. An d b y pumpi n ' juice, maybe they fear we'll get too powerful. We ll, we ' re not a bo UL anarchy or inci ting ri ots, so you can call off th e goo n squ ad . We' re about increasing the word, te ll in ' America wassup with life behind bars. We ' re about change in a peaceful ma nne r. We' re a bout reality. If we show prison life as he ll, it's o n ly because that's what it is. If we say "fuck, sh it, da mn , motherfucka " in our articles, it's only because that's part of the p rison lingo. If we ru n stories o n riots, o n admin istrative co r-ruption , on rape or killi ngs or ratting, it's o nly because the prison system is flooded with the shi t. If prison officia ls don ' t wanna face reality, they o ughta be working somewhe re e lse. At least they have a ch oice. Pr iso n e rs don ' t. An d if t he syste m is be n din' th e m ove r , or if th ey' re being swep t und e r th e rug , there o ught to be a place for the m to have th e ir say, a place for them to sha re ideas and eve n swap tho ughts o n self-empowe rme nt. T hat's where we come in . T he C.O.'s and officials o ut there who are closed-mi nd ed can make our E by Chris Cozzone Editorial Executioner lives h e ll by throwing yo ur asses in t h e H o le a n d by black li st i ng o ur mag. (Ever stop to thi n k how bad it is for business to run th e stori es we do?) But we a in 't gonna stop a nd neith er sh ould you. It's Li me to come togeth er. It isn ' t gonn a be easy, but it'll be wonh it. This month's issue of Prison Life proves my point. Wh at h a ppe n s when co n s wo r k togethe r to expose th e bullshi t? Flip to p age 50: "Busted! Co rruptio n at U n ico r ." Fe deral prisoners joe Mohwish, Duan e O lson a nd Donald Sargeam were sick of getting bucked by the system. Read how they, together with PLM, are exposing some heavy shit the feels are getting away with. Our cover stotl' p rovides a n othe r exa mp le of a con ful la jui ce. "Fig htin g Back: Th e Pri so n Ed ucatio n of Kare n Wh i tc," writte n by Kim Woze nc ra ft, shows t h e life of one to ugh woman who served 18 calendars in th e joint. At Bedford Hi lls Co rrectional Fac ili ty in Ne w Yo rk, she was the juice behi nd nearly every program that exists th e re today. Kare n White ' s not th e o nl y woman with might in this issue. We also fea ture julie Stewart o f FAM.M, who 's fig hting the fucked-up ma ndatory min imum laws in vVashington . And then t h e r e ' s J ack ie D iNorsc io-Th e C low n-Pri nc e of Crime. Jackie's a stand-u p guy and a stand-up co mi c who h e lp ed d efeat th e gove rnme n t's most vic ious mo b attack in histOtl'. Speaking of stand-up, we are not above recogn izing those on th e other side of the bars who rack up to such sta n dard s. Meet Lt. Alan August of East J e rsey State Prison. If the system had more cops like h im, th ere might be a cha nce a t rehabilita tio n (huh? wha's that mean?). Our celly o f the mon t h is King Buck fro m Jefferso n City Correctional Cen te r. Altho ugh he was thrown in the Hole fo r it, th is guy had the balls to write us about what's goi ng down in Missouri. Speaking of 'nads, skip ahead to "Old Max," by J.C. Ambe rch e le, th is m onth's fi ctio n selection. "U n de rg round ," by J.B. Springs III , is a true account o f a co n o n the la m livin ' be nea th th e streets. Crimejacker, our naive ex-governme nt wh ipping boy, retu rn s fo r a n other dose o f priso n reality. Of course, you 'II find Bubba, who's still sorta pissed off that he's n ot on o u r c over ye t. If yo u ca n ' t s tom ac h Bubba, t h e n forget t h e Humor de p artme nt. I h aven ' t been able to eat since. W e ' r e introd u ci ng "In-House Coun sel," by jailho use lawye r Larry Fassle r. In every issue, he 'll be writing on importan t legal topics. He invites you to send him questions. And for those of yo u with beefs with us, we now go t a fall guy: Steve Rogove, circulation manage r . He 'll straigh te n o ut a ny mess you might have ge tting your mag. As always, Prison Life e ncourages you to sen d your fi tness questions to Iron Pile; news ite ms to Block Beat; letters to Mail Call; recipes to In-Ce ll Cooking, e tc. Also, we ' re always looking for good guest editorials, regularsized articles and pieces fo r every other d e partme nt. If you got an idea, run it by us. Re me mbe r, th is is you-r mag, yow· voice. PRISON LIFE 5 Voice of the Convict (continued from jJage 3) business. The la tes t crim e bill calls for almost nin e billio n in taxpayers' mon ey for n ew prison construction. T axp aye rs will also spe nd a n additional $20,000 to $30,000 a year p er prison er (be tween 20 and 30 billio n bucks) to support men a nd wo me n who actually support th e mselves and spend billions yearly, most of which g o es b ac k to th e gove rnm e nt. Looking solely a t th e botto m li ne, this is a curious state o f affairs. The r e's a n o ld ax io m among investiga to rs: Follow th e mo n ey. If you want to understand how a company wo rks, how a conspiracy opera tes, even how people live their lives, fo llow th e mon ey. Wh e re do es a ll the mo ney that is ea rn ed a nd spent by prisoners within th e syste m go? Who pro fits? Whe re do the tax dollars go that are supposed to be used to suppo rt priso n e rs who, in fact, earn their own keep? And why a re taxp aye rs being mad e to bea r this econo mic burde n whe n private compa nies are ge tting into th e prison busin ess to ca pitalize o n Ame ri ca 's booming prison industry? How is it that prisone r-made consume r products are being sold direct.ly to private sector compani es whe n our gove rnme nt bans impo rta ti o n o f fo r eig n prisone r-made goods? Some thing is very wro ng here. Ame ricans are b eing lied to by their governme nt. Surprise, surprise. And, as usual, the taxpaye r is th e sucke r ge tting mugged in this transaction. In case you didn ' t know, the re's a lo t o f prisone r-bashing going on in this electi o n seaso n . Politicia ns rail about "counu-y club" prisons whe re pri so n e rs lo un ge a ro und a ll d ay wa tching color TV and plo tting new crimes. You would have to be media unconscious and fi t for jUt)' duty on the OJ. Simpson case not to have h eard th e frantic campaign slogans pro mising tough ne w laws, a nd the se nsational stories o f ex-con murde re rs a nd sex crimin als who ge t o u t o nl y to co mmit mor e c rim e . Po liticia ns, always o n th e loo k-out for fall guys for their own failed policies, sh out for longer se nte nces and harshe r prison conditio ns. Wash ingto n h as resci nded Pell grants fm- prisone rs. Prison administra tors, bowing to political pressure, have moved to take away ot.l1er re habilita tive a nd recr eati o n al o utl e ts despite the fact Ll1at t.l1ese progra ms a r e th e onl y prove n a ntid o tes to 6 PRISON LIFE r ec idi vis m. In a ki n d of Cong ressional legislat ing fre n zy, politi cia ns runnin g fo r re-elec ti o n we re tripping over each o the r in the rus h to pass ill-conce ived , sh o rtsig hted measures mo tivated mo re by a quest fo r th e fear vo te than by real co ncern over crime in Ame rica. And let's not fo rget t.l1e econo mics. In a falte ring economy stifled by governm e nt waste a nd ove rregu lation , th e prison business is o n e of Ameri ca's fe w remainin g g ro wth ind usu·ies. Someone is making large profits, or you can be sure corporatio ns like Wacke nhut, a spooky security finn th at went public earlier Ll1is yea r , wo uld not be a nxious to ge t into the prison business. Wha t you won 't hear, unless you pay a ttention to the few voices questi oning the Ame rican gu lag bo na nza, is the tr uth about the imprisonme n t e xp lo sion in Am e r ica. The U .S. already imprisons th e la rgest p e r cen tag e o f its popu lation a nd gives o ut the most time o f any industri a lized, supp osedl y d e moc ra ti c natio n in th e world. Viole nt offe nde rs make up a small portio n of our prison popu lation. Bet\vee n I 980 and I992, only 16 pe rce nt o f n ew court co mmitments to state p r ison we re for viole nt offenses; 84 pe rcen t we re fo r d rug c rimes a nd prope rty o ffe nses. In the federal system th e numbe r of violent criminals is even smalle r . For every ex-con who gets o ut and comm its som e h e in o us crim e, thousands are re leased a n d get j o bs, pay taxes, live decent lives. The truth is that crime a nd punis hm e nt in Am e ri ca is a ll a b o ut mo n ey. Ame ricans n eed to sto p liste ning to the crap spe wing fro m Ll1e mo uths of lying politicians an d dutifully re p on ed by a co-opted , corpora te mass media. Taxpaye rs n eed to start paying atte n tio n to what th e gove rnm e nt is doing with a ll th e mon ey it bleed s from wo rke rs' paychecks. T he real threat fro m crime in America does not come from th e stree ts; it comes from t h e gove rnm e nt. If Ame rican s wa nt to take a bite out of c rime , th ey s h o u ld de mand a n end to th e massive fraud b e ing p e rp e trated upo n th e m b y their elected officials. "Hedragz,® secured in the back with a cordlock, is style, comfort, and attitude!" Available also in 1" stripe Patterns '='!:'n'·'1· '' •••••••••• 1:1!2k?hliij $10.00 ea. plus $1.50 postage Send Check or Money Order To : One-On-One Active wear 609 Hunter St. Oceanside, Ca 92054 California State residents add 7% sales tax Phone orders: Mon-Sat Sam- 6pm Pacific Time USA: (800) 733-6074 Inti : (619) 757-8492 Fax: (619) 433-7864 No C.O.D.'s I Same day shipment available. PRISON1m: January 1995 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Richard Stratton EXECUTIVE EDITOR Chris Cozzone EDITOR-AT-LARGE Kim Wozencroft MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Wynn ASSISTANT TO THE EDITOR Koren Cantrell CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: BEHIND BARS Reginald Alexander, J.C. Amberchele, A. Jalil Bottom, Thomas Folater, Lorry Fassler, Eric V. Reid, Shep, Jon Marc Taylor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: FREEWORLD Harris Breimon, Mike Hogan ART / PHOTO DIRECTOR Chris Cozzone STAFF ARTISTS Rob Sula, Marty Voelker, Steve Lashley CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: BEHIND BARS Lee Carlson, Joseph Hernandez CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: FREEWORLD Stephen Conway, Deni Jarvis, Mike Montoya CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Patrick Finan, Manual Machuca, Wayne Moser, Sarah Willkie PUBLISHER Richard Stratton CIRCULATION MANAGER Steve Rogove OPERATIONS ASSISTANTS Myron Hamilton, Jimmie Youngerman PRISON LIFE EDITORIAL OFFICE 505 Eighth Avenue, 14th Floor New York, NY 10018 Tel: (212)967-9760 Fox: (212)967-71 01 REGIONAL SALES OFFICES Robert Rowbotham Canadian Managing Director 253 College St., Suite 444 Toronto, ONT M5Tl R5 Tel: (416) 536-5641 Fox: (416) 536-7687 JOINT VENTURE MEDIA, INC. Scott Osman, President ADVERTISING JCI 438 West 37th Street, Ste. 400 New York, NY 1001 8 Tel: (212) 629-7065 Fox: (212) 727-0533 FREE Listing of thousands of cassettes and LP.'s as low as $1.99 C.D.'s as low as $7.99 PRE-PLAN YOUR RELEASE Popular titles and groups as well as hard to find and out of print titlc:s. Here's just a sampling. Rock - Beatlc:s, Van Halc:n, Ac:rosmith, Black Sabbath, and more. Bluegrass/Country - J. Cash, M. Haggard, W Jennings and more:. Big Band/Easy Listening- Nat King Cole:, Miller, Goodma n and more. Gospel - Rev. J. Chc:vc:land, Michac:l Jackson, and more. JazzBenson, C. Parker, New Age:, D. Wash and mo re:. Comedy - Rc:dd Fox:x, Moms Mablc:y, Pigmc:at Markham, Cosby and more:. Blues B.B. Bland, B. B. King, L. Hopkins, M. Waters and m ore. Classical - Beethoven, Ravc:l, Chopin, and more:. Soul-S. Wonder, J. Brown, Jackson, and more. FREE Shipping on your 1st order and valuable: coupons to be: used on future: orders. FREE MUSIC We: allow you to choose: 1 FREE Rc:corcling of yoyr ch o ice: absol u tc:ly FREE for ~ rccorcling you buy. TAKE THE FIRST STEP For Links To Resources • Job • Housing • • Education • Counseling • FREE MONEY Send is a list of people you know that would like to rc:cc:ivc:our FREE - NO OBLIGATION listing and we'll send you a coupon worth $2.00 OFF your next order for ~ single: person who placc:s llilY size order with us. PLEASE WRITE: CEGA Direct Services P.O. Box 81826 Lincoln, NE 68501 OUR HOUSE 22 Huron Street, Dept. P-1 Terryville, NY I 1776 Be the first on your "Block" with ... More Balls than Most MORE BALLS THAN MOST A great new healthy way to kill time! For a great mind and body workout c hoose our fam ous s wndard three ball "Thud " kit o r the super large "Splats" exercise balls. These specially designed ha nd made balls w ill not bounce or roll out yo ur cell door w he n dropped .The exercise balls weigh ove r 3 lbs. eac h. A 10 minute workout is the eq uivale nt o f lifting 3 ,500 lbs! And all our balls arc g uaranteed to last a life se nte nce. The absolutely perfec t Ho liday Gift. Standard kit and instructional brochure: $25 .95 +3 .95 S&l-1 Splats Exercise balls: S64.95 + 9.95 S& ll Video Kit: (instructional video + 3-balls) $34.95 +5 .95 S&l-1 Mo ney orders ro:jugglel nc P.O. Box 9200 Wal tham , .MA 02 154 .Mass. residents add 5% sales tax. Allow 14-2 1 days for shipping. Joe Strohl, Founder TOORDERCALL 1-800-JUGGLE-3 -=- == 18 1 PRINTED IN U.S.A. PRISON LIFE 1 Mail Call drum routine lO look forward to year afte r year. I r ese n ted the sla nte d portraya l "60 Minutes" did. I fee l lik e DEA agen t Mi c hae l Levin e, who ex pose_d the truth o n Reagan , Bush and O lhe To nh whe n n o o ne wa nted to liste n . Prisons a rc big mo n ey to a lot o r "big" p eople in Califo rnia . Cu)' E. Williams 1"fharhajli, CA LAUD & LOATHING FOR LEVINE r ead your OCLobcr iss ue . No t bad ! T he Mike Levine stoq' was the m os t inte res tin g. As a Vie tnam Vet, d own 15 yea rs o n a tripl e life, drugre lated , it was a real eye-o pe ne r. Too bad Make Wallace didn ' t air th is stoq' o n "60 Minu tes" instead o r the slan te el story h e d id o n th e "so ft life" in Californ ia prison s. We were portrayed like C lub M e d-fr ce roo m a n d board, m ed ical and d e nta l, and all we do is lift we ig hts, watch color T V, lay around ge uing s un tans, living carefree lives. It e nrages the pu blic, th inkin g they a re paying for ou r so-called "good life.·· T h ey fa il e d to m e nti o n we' r e locked in o ur cages, with roommates n ot o f o u r c h o ice, h a rd be d s and pu ke for mea ls. We' r e required to work fu ll-tim e j o bs th a t pa y li ttl e . Prices o n cam cc n a nd collect p h o ne ca lls are inOa te d 15% , whi ch pays fo r a ll ou r weig ht s a nd rec r eatio n , p lus th e p erks th e co ps ge t. Our denLa l a nd med ical ca re is a lso no t free. We pay 5.00 fo r a sick call visit. Our d octors arc mostly quacks who can ' t find emp loym ent a n yw h ere c l. e . ' Vhe n we' re see ming ly taking it easy o n the yard. it' on o ur own time, off from o ur full-tim e jobs. We drink po llmed water th at's fu ll o f silk screen ch e mica ls a nd raw cwage (o u r own water s upply), whil e th e cops are to ld to brin g th e ir own drinki n g wa te r to work. \•Vc a re under g un coverage a ll t h e time , a nd m e n a r c sho t for fis t fig hts. For life rs in Max, it 's this hum8 PRISON LIFE I cen a inl )' agree th at th e "drug war" is a co rr u pt a nd mi sg uid e d effo rt; howe ver , Mike Levine is an in ap pro pr ia te s pokes perso n. H e is m e re ly a fanatical zea lo t who is now p rosecutin g th e DEA with the sam e conn ivin g, d ece ptive, m ea n-spirited aggre ss io n th a t h e em pl oyed _to wrongfu lly imp ri so n co u ntl ess V I Ctims. i'vli ke Levine is the kind of pe rso n who will co mpl e te ly cha nge his viewp o int and just as fanatica lly pursue ideas comple te ly o pposed to what he o rig ina lly e mbraced. \1\'c need lO coo l the passio ns and d e m agogu e ry and a ddress th e drug po li cy in o ur na ti o n with reaso n. If thin king, reaso nable m e n studie d o u r national drug po li cy, they wo uld be fo r ced to co n c lud e th a t p ena l laws are fa r m ore d e tructivc th a n drugs. Our na t iona l drug po licy n eeds to focus o n root cau es a nd edu ca tion. Th e m e di ca l p r ofessio n s h ou ld address d r ug abuse is ucs. Th e co ps, lawyers and judges have sure m ad e a m es of thi ngs. .fmy D. Patrhen A/lom e)' at l.aw WHY WASTE SPACE ON RATS? reall y e njoy PL magazin e, but l ca n ' t sec g ivin ' up seve n page s lOa b roken down , lying rat ru ck like "th e C reek" (Do n a ld Fra nkos). Me n like J oe Su ll y a nd H e rby _pc rl in g ~re inspirations to the convJcL. Me n hke th e m a re true lege nds. They deserve se,·cn page . 1 ot n o punk, fre e h o le like th e C reek. Yo u still got a fe w good m e n le ft be hind th ese wa lls. These arc th e m e n wh o h o uld be vo ic in g th e ir o pini o ns. T hese yo ung g un s comin ' in m ig ht ge t a liul e ins ig ht about bei n g a man from th e m. All we have in he re is o u r wo rd a nd o u r d ignity, and th e m two things will ca rry yo u far in li fe. Your mag is enjoyab le but kee p it r e al. I n tim e yo ur mag wil l have an impact o n the penal syste m, but what ki nd o f impact it will have wi ll depend o n you a nd yo u r sta ff and what you 're gonn a print o r not. Mih P)' "llu• boxpr" Liguo1i Southport Conutio11al Facilil)' TSK,TSK Pl ease r e m ove m y n a m e from your maili ng list. Wh en I fi rs t r ece ived th e magaz in e, l t h oug h t it mig ht be good , b ecause I wor k with inma t es on Sundays a nd Tuesd ays eac h week. I was really surprised and disappoi nte d at the language in the m agazine. Yes, I kn ow wor e th an that goes on, b ut why add to it? Pastor Marcos Thru Rivers, TX LUCASVILLE: PROS & CONS J ust wan ted 1.0 wr ite a nd t ha n k you a nd a ll the b ros a nd s isters at PL for publis hing my narrative, "11 Days Under Siege" in you r O cto ber issue. As I write this, I' m siLting in the Ho le- n ot a by-product of the n arrat ive. It see m s one o f t h e g u a rd s thought I sa id "Fu ck You " wh e n he d ema n ded we a ll roll in . Swears h e h ea rd m e say it, so ... 1o big deal. I need e d the time to catch up o n som e letters. Enough o n th at. I was thinking maybe your team cou ld put together a piece about th e se ri ous c h anges tha t n ee d to take place in s id e t he j o int to p r eve nt sieges. O ne of the pri mary causes of the Luke riot was forced inte rracial ce ili ng. I' m ta lking about "fo rced. " If two people o f d ive rse cul tu res want to cell with each o th er, th en cool. If they d on' t, the n why wo uld the prisoncrats try to fo r ce th e m to? Pe rhaps it 's because they need a nd wan t the di fferent cul tures to b e a t o dd s. Th e auth or i ties wo uld rat h e r h ave u s lighti ng amo ng o urse lves than combining ou r thoughts a nd su·cng ths. Let' be rea listi c! Th e pri on system is already integra ted and the priso ncrat knows full well that different religious a nd cu ltura l be liefs do n o t ge t a lo n g very well in id e the wire. Shi t , t h ey d o n ' t ou ts id e th e wir e eithe r ! It ta kes a com p lete id io t to think that rac ia l h a rmon y ca n exist withi n the p ri son system , a nd that a ll it needs is a forcefu l discipli narian to bring it all home. Un fortunately, Lu ke was a prison with one of those complete idio ts at the h elm. H e created m any policies designed to keep te nsion high a mo ng th e diffe re nt e thni c g ro up s, but h e keyed o n the white a nd blac k brothe rs. Of course, h e and his administration will be added to th e evergrowing list o f disciplinarians who tried to tear a new ass in a "beast" whose will they th ough t they h ad crush ed , only to d iscove r t h e b e ast had re ta ined its stre n gth , its will a nd all of its tee th, whi ch it promptly used to chew each of them a brand new ass. During the Luke siege, wh ites and blacks united and became a vel)' powerful voice th at was heard na tionwide. T hey had been p ush ed , beaten , locked down , lied to and den ied this o r that unti l they looked at eac h othe r and said, 'This is be ing d one to eac h of us by an e ntity that hates us. V·l e n eed to lay our haLred to the side and focus fou r eyes o n t he true e ne my instead of two. " Of cou rse, Luke prisoners caused viole n ce a nd bloodsh ed , but o nly afte r suffer ing mu c h o f the sa m e th emselves. Wh at I advocate is exposing the real d eal, bros. Look d eep ly for the tru e m otive, expose it, and wo rk toge ther to remove it. Paul Mubyan Mansfield Conectional Facilit)' exposed to the public in ways society wil l u n d e rstan d ou r dil e mmas a nd ou r reaso ns for ac tio n. Docs society wish to read we ll-writte n elra ma from fakes, or does it want th e truth ? l\lfichael Lee Wood Lucasville, Ohio HOLD YOUR HEAD UP I picked up the Oc tober issue of Prison Life, the first time I ever seen it. I think it's excelle nt. I read it co mple te ly, a nd there a re a lot of th ings I wou ld like to get off my ch est. I wou ld like to comme nt on your Ma il Call. It was good to see the narrow-mind ed views of so m e o f th e 50,000 m e mb e rs of th e Am e ri ca n Correc tional Association, altho ug h I d o n ' t see myse lf as a crimina l paras ite, a nd I ce rta inl y d o n ' t see any prosec utors o r judges as kni g hts in shinin g a rmor. I d o see th e grea t inj u s t ice so me p e op l e h ave to endure, a nd after being ha nd cuffed and beate n down , and thrown in to a dark hole an d fed ba lls of food that you have to feel a round to eat, a nd all th e other little gam es some of th e would do upon release. Well, to some people it wou ld n ' t be too exciting. I just want to spend a d ay with my kids, maybe go to the park a nd have a picnic lunch or see a movie, feel the hugs and hear "I love you " from someone who really cares. I just can' t sta nd all th e h atre d that pours ou t of t h e a rticl es t h at these hig h -h o n c h o p r oba t ion office rs , priso n offi cials a nd ward ens wa n t to demonsu·ate. I have never had a gun o r drug charge, and I would have beat th is one if the prosecutor played fair. I j ust want to say to all the other people doing time: "Hold your head up a nd never give up, that's right, I said people!" Robert Lambert Oxford, WI bitte r, you m ight ask me wh at the firs t thin g I I am profoundly disappointed in yo ur post-ri ot art ic le o n Lucasville . I guess I \·vas assumi ng yo ur fo llow-up wo uld contribute some positi ve ideas and eve n more knowl e d ge of what goes on h ere ra the r than the well-writte n "stOI)'" fictio n a lized by a p riso n e r . I gave th e mag to seve ra l priso n e rs. who we re " . t!ilb~..,...- ,o there du nng th e f}lfiY6~ ~n ri o t, and I can ~'"' ~ 11c~.p< ~ ass ur e yo ~ even ,~.. ~;.,. 'l~: \P- # th ey a re d 1sgu ste d 11• o-~#' with th e articl e. ~o'' For o n e, this g uy [Muh)'an] was only writing wh at h e h eard because he was more a victim than anyth ing else, and two, since he was over the re, he sho uld be convict enough to kee p his m ou th shut! Even th e small deta ils h e gave o ut mig h t lead the police in so m eo ne's direction. We as convicts aren't looki ng fo r good "sto ri es" but fac ts PRISON LIFE 9 Guest Editorials HIGHER EDUCATION IN PRISON Education and Gun Towers by A. J alil Bottom Shawangunk C.F 0 o n e cla y b e paro le d and r e turn to th e ir communities. (As of this writing, th e r e arc m o re th an three mi llio n peop le on parole and/ or probation.) It is d ifficu lt to be lieve tha t th e public a dvoca tes re leasing me n a nd women from priso n witho ut havin g had the o pportunity for re habili tation. Refe rring to th e wi thdrawa l o f Pe ll Gra nts for th e incarce t·ated , former Chic f.Juslice of th e U.S. Supreme Court, vVarren Burger, Stated: "We must acce pt the reali ty that to co nfin e offe nde rs be hind wa lls withou t lll'ing to cha nge th e m is a n expe nsive approach with short-term benefi ts-a win ning of banles whil e losing th e war. " Ind eed , the an nu a l average cost of in carce ration is abo ut $25,000 per priso n e r, a nd th e cost of b uild ing a n ew cell is abo ut $90,000. Co mpare th ese fig ures to the costs of e d ucating n Jun e 4, 1994, with a frown o n my face, I slowly m oved through th e processio n lin e to be confe rre d two d egrees, a bachelor o f scie n ce in psyc h o logy and a bac h e lor of arts in ocio logy from SU 1 Y- ew Pa ltz. Wh en th e De pt. Superinte nden t o f Programs h e re at Shawan g unk Co rrectio n a l Fac ili ty sh ook my h and to co ng ra lllla te me, he said, "Sm ile, you fin a lly made it. " Hi s st ate m ent mad e me laug h . "Whateve r I made," I thought, "may take yea rs before I can acwally apply, and for many oth e r prisone rs, th e re may n eve r be a c ha n ce to sta n d in this li ne ." These tho ug h ts ra n thro ug h my mind as I conte mpla ted tht: statistics showing that more yo un g black men go to prison than e nroll in college. In 1990, 2,280,000 blac k men were jailed or impriso ne d at so me po in t, wh ile only 23,000 earned a college degree. T hat's a ratio of 99 to J . For wh ite me n , the ratio o f p risoners to g radua tes was 6 to 1, wi th 2,4 12,000 loc ked up a t t he sa me tim e in 199 0 and 41 3,000 earning a bache lor 's d egree. Until rece ntl y, prison and ed ucation were no t mutually exclusive. But a prison e r: O n e Pe l! Gra nt of less now th a t th e newly passed crime bill than SI ,300 pa id for boo ks, tuition has take n away th e Pc ll Gra nts t hat and re lated fees. Most priso ne rs e nte r priso n with e nabl ed p ri son e rs to earn a college few ma rketable ski lls o r work experied ucatio n , th e co nce pt th at priso n can be a p lace fo r me n and wom e n to e nce; 75% lac k a hig h school d iplog row into bc u er human be ings di ed ma. Th e m~o ri ty of me n and women ca ugh t in th e sn ares o f th e crimina l as well. The maj or ity of th ose who justi ce sys te m a rc m e mbe rs o f th e espouse the "lock 'em up and throw und c rclass, th e poo r and the dise naway the key" concept be lieve on ly in fra nc hi eel. Many of the m are locked retribution with no re formatio n. This o ut of ma in tream society from birth , is unfo rtun ate. T oday, Ameri ca incar- born a th ey a rc into poverty with litcerates nearly J .5 millio n citizens, and tle c h ance to ri se ou t of it. Eith e r the growing trend to imprison rathe r priso n or ea rly d eath beco mes the ir than to sec k a lte rnatives to priso n lot in life. Mea nwh ile, co unt less s tudi es renect a co llec ti ve, societal assumpshow that edu cation and j ob u·aining tion that no o ne be hind bars is worth saving or is capable of changing . For reduce recidivism and lead ma ny exthe most part, th e publi c d oes not rec- offe nd e r s Lo ga in fu l e mpl o ym e nt. ognize that 90% o f a ll priso ne rs will H e n ce, t h e Pe lf G r an ts we r e an Io PRISON LIFE i n va luab le service t o th e pub li c because they e nsured that those p risoners who wan ted to change had a n o pp o nunity to d o so. P e l! G ran ts se rved to brea k th e cycle o f c rim e because t h ey p rovid e d ex-co n s th e best chance to live in society without having to victim ize oth er citize ns for the ir own survival. I n fact, th e U.S. Labo r a nd Commerce De partm en t s r ece ntl y issued a joint re po rt on the nation 's work force that fou nd that th ere is a "large, gro\\~ng populatio n for who m illegal activity is more attractive tha n legitimate work" clue to th e a bysma l job ma rket. Co mm en tin g o n t h e report, Labor Secretary Robe rt Reich warned th at "a socie ty divided between have 's an d the have-not's or the welled u cated and th e poo r ly-educa te d cannot be stable ove r lime." I n a dditi o n , the Al te r nat ive Sch ools Ne twork, a priva te organization tha t supports schools and learning centers in Ch icago, co mpi le d a co mprehensive repo rt in 1990 ill ustrating the di sastr ous co rr e lat io n be twee n high schoo l dro po u ts "wh o ar e poor and have limited job opporlllni ties" and the vio lent crim e that h as a substa n tia l segment o f society te rrifi ed. Since 1973, th e income o f dropou ts h as d eclined 37%, "leaving th e m very few legitimate ways to earn a living and very li ttle hope of e ve r growing up with a dece nt paying j ob and th e ab ility to marry and ra ise a family." T he report also aptly states: "Over the last 25 years the U.S. has sp e n t m ore th a n $8 00 b illi on for po lice, co urts a nd p ri so n s to stop c r im e. Yet we fee l less safe in o ur homes a nd on th e j ob than ever. " The problem is, the n, not too few p risons or laws that are too soft, bu t the willingness to create and fund th e necessary programs th at ca n t rain and e ducate at-risk vouth for meaningful work. ' For six years I was pro hibite d fro m aue ndi n g co llege. Pr ison ad min ist rato r s c la im e d tha t m y atten d ing sch ool would be a security ri sk. On e su perinte n de nt to ld my lawye r I was a lready too intell ige n t and did n ' t need to go to college. It took a la ws uit a nd a tra n s fe r to a noth e r prison be fo re I was able to e mb a rk o n th e jo urn ey of hi g h e r educati o n . I was tra nsfe rred to th ree diffe re nt prisons be fo re grad uating. Whe n thinking a bo ut the d)'l1amics o f ed u ca tio n a nd prison , specifically th e obstacles in the path of the prisone r seeking kno wled ge, I appreciate th a t much more the e ffo rts of those prison ers who had th e te nac ity to earn a college d egree be hind ba rs. It certa inly wasn ' t easy. Now, it's virtually impossible. fl . j alil Bottom is a political fJrisoner and former member of the Blacli Pan/her Pm·ty/ Blacli L iberation finny . H e has been in jJrison fo r n ea1"ly 23 years, and has earned bachelor degrees in sociology and psychology. He is fJresenlly held captive at Shawangunlt Coneclional Facility in Wall/dll, N. Y. # 12589. The Crime of Education byJon Marc Taylor Jefferson City C.F. n Apri l 19, 1994 I "celebra te d " my a nn ive rsary. On th a t clay I had been locked up fo r 14 years. I h ad su rvived a nd eve n g rown stro nger in th e c ruc ible of the keep (as good as a ny reaso n to celebra te) , but afte r wa t ch in g BC' "Da te line " th a t eve ning , I fear e d I h ad o utlived the best cha nce a ny excon has o f ma king it o nce he hi ts the bricks again. Th e "D a t e lin e " seg m e nt was re poning on legisla tio n to bar prisone rs fro m receiving Pe ll Grants. With growing dism ay, I wa tched the piece unfo ld , o n ly to realize th e produce rs had appa re ntly based the ir story o n the hi g hly bi ase d ne ws pa pe r se ri es fro m las t O cto be r 's Po ttstown , PA, M ercu1y. Pe rh aps I sh o uld not h ave b ee n surprised a t s u c h di sto rti o n. Afte r all, this was a SlOIJ' abo u t crime a nd punishme nt, and it was co,·e red by the same media that h ad increased its reporting of viole nt crime by 300% in the previous year, while per ca pita viole nt c rime had actually reac he d its lowest level since I 973. From th e beginnin g, th e sto r y cited inflamma tory numbe rs witho ut any context, provide d no humanistic comparison be twee n imprisoned stu- O d e nts and tradi tio n al o nes, and o nl y vagu e ly hi n te d a t th e pos itive o utco me th a t priso n co llege progra ms provide society, a ll the while suggestin g th a t a c rim e o f e du ca ti o n was occurring at th e exp en e of J oe and J a ne College . Su ch slo ppy re po ning h as a ll too sad ly b eco m e n o t t h e excep tio n but rath e r th e rule amo ng n ews cove rage o n c ri m in a l ju stice issues. In th e first fe w min u tes of th e segm e nt, for example , we learn that 27,000 p ri so n e r-stud e nts r ece i,·e d so m e 35 milli on wo rth of P e l! Gra n ts. vVh a t we we re no t told was tha t 4.3 millio n gra nts totaling $6.3 billion we re awa rd ed the sam e year, o r abou t o ne-ha lf of o ne pe rcent of all Pe ll Grants we nt to priso ne rs. Nor were th e nu mbe rs placed in the contex t th a t ove r o n e-q ua rte r of th e na tio n 's 14 millio n co llege slllde nts rece ive d th ese ( impli e d ) scarc e g ra nts, thu s m a kin g th e Pe ll Gra nt progra m numerically a nd fin an cia lly by fa r th e sin gle la rgest g ra nt pro- g ra m in the na tio n. The a udie nce was a lso told tha t h a lf o f th ose wh o app l)' for th ese g r a nts a r e d en ie d a ss is ta nc e, and because of priso ne rs' lack o f income th e n e e d-b ase d fo rmul a unfairly a wa rd s th e m fundin g ove r m o r e d ese rv in g s LUcl e nts. W h a t was n o t e xpla ine d was that those lllrnecl away g ene r a ll y ca m e from fa mili es with in co m es a bove the Co ng r essiona ll y se t $42,000 limit, whil e 70% of a ll g ra nts we re g ive n to stude nts fro m fam il ies with in co m e s b e lo w th e $ 15,000 threshold. Add itio n a lly, the compa ra tive fi g u res o f th e ave rage priso ne r wage o f 56 ce nts a n ho ur, a n d tha t 71% o f th e co untry's co nvic ts ea rn e d le ·s th a n I 5,000 th e year prior to th e ir incarce ra tio n, was n o t provided fo r pe rspective. U nder such circumsta nces, priso ne rs canno t "work their way" thro ug h school, a nd surviving o n th e stree t nea r o r eve n b e low th e pove rty lin e , th ey wo uld have qua lifi e d fo r th e sa me e du ca(continued on nextjHtge) PRISON LIFE 11 Guest Editorials (continued from previous page) t.i onal as ista nce anyway. In wha t I fe lt was th e most glaring o mi ssio n of th e segm ent, n othing abo ut reduced recidivism rates as a result of ed ucation was me n tio ned. Since the '70s, numerous LUdies have shown tha t recidivism is fa r less likely among educated priso ners. In 1993, the Federal Bureau of Pri on re poned a 40% rec id i,~sm rate for all federal parolees while among college graduates the rate was only 5%. Pri so ne rs th e mselves kn ow we ll th e va lue of an e ducati o n , eve n if they haven't avai led th e mse lves o r bee n able to ava il the mselves of the opponunity. A pri ·o ne r-sLUdent study revealed that 96% believed a pet·son 's behavio r ca n change for the better thro ugh prope r education, a nd most said th ey would prefe r a beLLcr education program over a better rec reationa l faci lity. Nine o ut of te n di sagreed that prison is the same wi th or without ed u ca ti o n , a n d a n overwhelmi ng majority believed tha t witho ut educa tion , incarceration o nl y increases their ange r, frustration and aggressio n . Finall)', ove r 80% of the co ns wish ed th ey h ad had th e sa me opportun ity before incarce ra tion, and education in the joint h ad provided them with what was missing in their lives. r /1 Prison Life Mission Statement on Edu catio n Only th e mo t determ ined pt·isoners, those who b ecome obsessed with getting some on of train ing or education while they are incarcerated , have a ny hope for transcending th eir e n viro nment an d cha ngin g th eir lives. The numbe r one cause of crime in Ame rica is ill iteracy. If yo u ca n 't r ead o r write, yo ur chances of finding a job are slim. If you 're poor and from the in ner city, th en crime and c riminal activityparticularly the illegal drug tradeoffer almost tJ1e o nly job o pportunit.ies a round. 12 PRISON LIFE Considering th e cost of $25,000 a yea r to inca rce ra te a n offe nde r, th e bi lli ons spe nt o n cell const ruction a nd a nat.ional recidivism rate of 50 to 70%, the re wrn o n investme nt that society receives fo r educating prisone rs strikes me as economi cally so und. The ave rage prison college graduate earns a skill-related a sociate's degree a t a cost of $3,000. This is a little over 10% of the cost of j ust o n e yea r of imprisonment. The savings related to increased peace of mind a nd quality of life, as we ll as the costs that society incurs wh en j ust on e offe nder breaks the cycle o r criminalizat.ion, victimizati on a nd reincarceration, the rewrn on investment of th e relatively inexpensive Pell Gran ts was phe nome nal! The day after tJ1e "Da teline" segment, the H ouse overw h e lming ly voted to expel prisone rs fro m th e Pell Grant program. The Senate had done t h e sa me th e previo us Nove mb e r. Both spo nsors of the legislation said they were not agai nst prisoners ea rning college ed ucations, but tha t Pell Gra n ts were a n inappropriate way to finance tJ1 em. Yet nowhere in th e 30 billio n crime bill is tJ1 ere a penny to replace prisone r Pell Gran t fin ancing. With o ut Pe ll Grant access o r so me substitute funding, th e c hance fo r a prisoner to ea rn a d egree will essentially no lo nger exist in Ame ri ca. Thus, ironically and perh aps hyp- It 's th a t sim p le. Me n an d wome n with no educa tion an d no money a re much more a pt to commit crimes than those with even a high school diploma and a weekly pay ch eck. They are likely to spend th e money tJ1ey do make by commitling crimes on drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of their wretched lives. O nce those people go to prison and ad d the stig ma of ex-con to their resume, th eir ch a nces fo r becoming em ployed , law-abiding, tax-payi ng citizens arc drastically reduced. If Americans really wa nt to do some thing about crime in thi country, th e n we must transform our priso n a n d j a il s into ce nte rs for ocritically in crime bills that are su pposed to fight crime, the most effecti ve a n ti-recidivism (i.e. a n ti-crime) measu re has bee n discounted. States already spe nd less than 5 % of their co rrectio nal budgets o n all forms of offender treatment, including educatio n. With the "truth in entencing" provisions in the crime bill, which will result in explosive priso n growth, the possibility that states will be able to finance education beyo nd their curr ent pal try contributions has been ex ti nguished. And mo re poorly educa ted, untra ine d o ffe n d e rs wi ll be released back into society. We had the c h ance to p ay for rehabilitation; now it looks like we' ll have to pay much more later. This essay is a n expanded version of an Op-Ed p iece published in The New Yorh Times by J on Marc Taylor in Augus t, 1994. It was su bseq ue ntl y read by Senato r Paul Simon into the Congressional Record-Senate during the debate over Pell Grants for prisoners. j on M.arc Taylor, a prisone1· in Missowi, won a Rober/ F. Kennedy joU1~ nalism award last )'em·. He has receivf'd numerous other writing awmrls and has been jJublished in 11f'1JJSjJajJers, magazines, joumals and boo/is. lea rni ng a nd resto ration, colleges and vocationa l train ing sc h ools instead of hum a n ware houses and breeding grounds for Cl;me and viole nce. The editors of Prison Life magazine are commi ued to helping priso ners make constructive c ha nges in their lives t hrough ed uca tion a nd crea t.ive expressio n. The purpose of th is magazine is to educate p risoners an d t h e publi c, to s timulate thought an d positive action and to give America's incarcerated a forum where tJ1 ey can voice their concerns, their ideas and tJ1eir hopes. SUPPORT THE VOICE OF THE CONVICT. Name DENCLOSED IS $19.95 Number - - - - - - - - -- -Institution _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Address ------------ Ci ty State Zip Code Mail To: Prison Life Magazine 505 8th Avenue, 14th Floor New York, NY 1001 8 Mail Call (continued from page 9) PAPA PRAISE the wifeys really have a misco nception about priso n li fe. My wife do esn ' t h ave th e slig htest idea wha t goes on in h e re, but by reading your magazine, it puts he r a t ease, a nd she h as a more positive attitude abou t p rison. Sh e's not so worried anymore. Si n ce I 've di scovered PL, I've passed it on. T wo of my cellies want to s ubscribe. Two thumbs u p fo r Prison Life magazin e. I received the October issue and spe nt th e wee ke nd reading all of it. From "Common Ground" to "Prison Uprisin gs" to "The Metamorphosis of Mi c h ae l Levin e" to "Are You an Inmate or a Co nvict?" (I've qui zzed IF JESUS WERE HERE . .. seve ral fellow co ns alread y) a re al l well-writte n, informative pieces with I am reading my second issue of Prison Life a nd would like to respond stories tha t need to be told. Touche! My favorite article was "Po rtrait of to the J a m es A. Summ e rlin le tter a n Artist Be hind Bars." Besides the h eaded "Eye for an Eye ." Mr. co nte nt a nd th e co mp e llin g sto ry Summerlin was very critical of your to ld, you mad e a fine effort in catch- magazine a nd stated tha t h e found ing the mo re e phemeral in tangibles the mate rial "offensive." In the midof th e su·uggle individuals in the keep dle of his castigation o f your product, experie n ce. Throughout the piece, I h e states that he is a p ro ba tion / pake pt nodding my head as l identified r o le officer a nd a C hristi a n. That with experie n ces, emo tions and even caught my attention. bureaucratically maddening actions I am a director of a rural probalike th e withhe ld ribbon (my MA tion d epartment in Texas. I am also a diplo ma was with he ld a nd then lost C hristia n because I h ave acce pted by the I -DOC). Good work in pe r- J esus Christ as my Lord a nd Savior. so n alizin g o n e man 's struggle that The ma te rial in your magazine does exe mplifi es a ll of ou r e fforts to h ave a n initial shock value that ma ny ex press a nd find ou r humanity so wou ld find offe nsive. H oweve r, if a twisted by life a nd repressed by th e p e rson ta kes th e tim e to read th e system that e ntombs us. ma te rial obj ectively, he/she wi ll find j on Marc Taylor great depth of feeling a nd sincerity. Jefferson City, MO I was pa rti cularly moved when I read "Common Ground " by Richard GOOD FOR THE WIFEYS Stratto n. His revelation that value can I've been in M.C.C. ew York for b e fou n d in a ll m e n an d wome n abo ut four months now. It's my first regardless of race or backgro und is bid. I was n eve r really in to reading th e very essence of what J esus Christ du e to compre h ension p ro ble ms. I came to Earth to teach us. I wish that cou ld read a whole p age an d not more officers with in this syste m could re me mbe r a thing, u n til my celly gave learn to look a t offende rs as un ique me a copy o f your magazine. Once I creations of God and guide th em to a picked it up I couldn't put it down. I vision of what t h ey ca n beco m e, n eve r r eall y e nj oyed r eading a n y- ra t.he r tha n sentencing th e m to a life thing, but I e njoyed r ead ing Prison marked by wh at they have been. If J esus C hrist were he re in perLife. son, I know he would want to visit you I told the wifey abo ut it a nd she loved th e idea. I tho ught it would be and th ose wh o are incarcera ted. His great for both of us to read b ecause "self-rig hteous" conte mporaries criticized him harshly and ofte n for asso- cia t.ing with ocial outca ts. Mter reading the October i sue, I am convinced that the prima ry goal of you r magaz in e is to encourage readers to develop a posit.ive visio n of th e mselves a n d thei r fu tu re. If the words of wisdo m in Proverbs a rc true, the n you are working toward th e goal th e whole system sho uld ad opt. Your intent is further established by reviewing the advertisers. More than 70% o f the adve rtise ments in the October issue were for educatio n, h ealth o r legal ass istance. I see this as a ve ry posi tive e ndo rsement. I a m going to con tinue to read yo ur magazine an d e n courage my staff to read it because I find it to be o f in terest and val ue. I salute your eiTort to exp ress how prison life rea lly is and how priso ne rs fee l abou t is uc in crim inal j ustice. Maybe what offe nds Mr. Summe rlin, and othe r detractors, mo re th an the vu lga ri ty is th e brutal honesty your co n tr ibutors e xpound. Fro m m y point of view, your contributo rs a re e ithe r maner or more honest than the leade rs in the fie ld of crimin al ju stice. I say thi s because many of yo ur articles te nd to expose wh at I feel is t.he key issue in criminal j ustice today: Crime is big b usiness fo r the governm ent a nd o ur present system d oes mo r e to p r o mo te c r i min a l behavior than to correct it. I have e nclosed this dcparunent's check for a o ne-year subscri ption. I wi ll read it and make it availa ble to my probation officers. I hope that it will help th e m be tter un d e rsta nd th e people they are working with and fo r. Also, I a m g lad you ' re providing priso n e rs with th e opportunity to express t.heir creativeness. After over 20 years in tJ1 is b u siness, I am still amazed at the u·emendous raw potential we lock up. Bill A. Coleman, Director 286thjudicial District Community SujJemision & CorrPrtions Dept. Lrot'lland, TX FAN MAIL Fascists! T his is wh a t T thi n k of what you a rc! Just Ral Pigs! And all connected with you. R.joe Kidd FoLwm P1ison, 18 yenrs in Uh, tlwnhs MT. Kicill. T hat's quite a uice jJirturP you drew for us. Did you draw it all yourselfl -tlw so-railed Fasrist-Rat-Pigs 14 PRISON LIFE Callouts HEART TO HEART It's the o nly singles magazine for prisoneJ-s: for 15, you can n m an ad with a ph~to__ For "camera shy guys~" it's only $5. For customers outside pri on walls, a subSCI ~ p u01~ to ffpa ~1 to //('(ttl will run you $15/ year. T he Troy, Ml-based quarterly fea~<.ues pnsone rs lr<:>m a rou~d t.he counUJ' looking for pen pals, friendship or a signi fIcant oth ers. For mformauon, con tact: f-lell rt to H eart, Box 1858, Troy, MI 48099. SERVICES FOR PRISONERS ' ,';\ \ . r ' .\II ~~ BUILDING CARS BEHIND BARS After a fo ur-da y riot in '68, Oregon Stale Prison d ecided to act o n pri o n e rs' req u es ts for so me thin g o th e r th a n run-ofthe-mill programs. Officials challenged pri o n ers to co me up with worthwhil e projec ts to prove that th ey could acce pt res po nsibility. Sin ce the n, the Highwaller , th e only professional pri so n ra cing team in the U.S., has built a nd maintained two racing cars, one for a dirt track a nd o n e for asp h a lt. Although th e drivers and the pit crew are always freeworlders, the cons do all th e bodywork a nd repairs on th e cars, sometimes wo rking 14 hours ada)' dming racing season. No public mon ey goes into the team. lndivictnals donate $20 a year to have their names painted on the car's side, and occas ional prize mon ey ma kes up the res t of th e te~m 's lean budget. Auto motive supph e rs, ~rom Good)•ea r Tire to top na m es 111 the au to business contribute so me pans. Thei r m~tto is: "We strive to survive." And, as o ne con noted , "T here's nothing be tte r th a n sendin g o u r cars ou t to run against high-doll ar tea ms a nd kicking their butts!" marketable skills, subsidized o n-th ej ob training and work ex pe rie nce fo r th ose n ot ye t ready fo r co mpe titive California em ployme n t. Counse lo rs a re ava ilPrison Low Office Con tact: Donald Specter, Genera l De l ivery, Sa n a b le to guide ex-offe nders through Que n tin, CA 94964. (214) 457-9 144. the rein tegnuion period. All se rvices Pmvides d irect lega l ass istance for a re free or charge. proble ms encoun tered by CA pris- Texas oners, excluding attacks o n c rimi- OPEN, !NC.-OJ!mder Preparation and nal co nvictions. Focus is o n condi- Edumtion Network, Inc. Contact led Rollo, Executive Di rector, P.O. Box tions of confinement. 566025 , Dallas, TX 75356-6025. New York South Forty CotjJoralion, 500 8 th (214) 271-197 1. Develops educationAve. Suite 1203, ew Yor k, Y al mater-ials for o iTende rs, their fami1001 8. (212) 563-2288. NY's on ly lies a n d c rimin a l justi ce age n cies. Goal is to help offenders make a suc~ge n cy devoted exclusive ly to helpcessful re turn to socie ty. Materials mg ex-offe nd e rs find j obs. Car ee r fo r purc h ase cover issu es ava ilable Deve lop me nt Prog r am provid es direct j ob place me nt for th ose with f~om e mployme nt to release pre parauon. Wlite fo r price list. FOSTER CARE HANDBOOK Pare nts: Protect yo ur legal righ ts a n d carry out yo u r respo nsibilities with the Foste r Care Ha ndbook fo r In ca rce ra ted Pare nts. Writte n by Y's Bedfo rd Hills m o th e r s a t Correctional Facility, with help from fami ly law experts, it discusses laws, r~g ul a ti o n s an d po licies; vis itin g n g hts; vo luntaq' a nd court-o rdered placement of c hi ldre n in foster care· pare n ts' legal rights and alternative~ to foste r care. Also includes samp le letters to caseworkers, attorneys and Fami ly Co urt. Suggested d o n a tion: SI 0. Contact Chi ldre n 's Center, P.O. Box 803, Bedford Hills, !Y 10507. Rud y Padilla of the H o urg lass Ga l le r y in Albuquerque, M recently submiu ed 14 pa1ios to the 1 at io n a l Museum of Ameri can History of th e Smithsonian Institute. The pa1io collection will be pan of a traveling ex hibit of Pano An e to begin in 1995. Pa 1io, or handkerchief, a r1 is prin cipally clo n e by ~o ~thwest Ch!ca no prisoners using li mited matenals, such as ball poin t pens and home mad e dyes. For more info, con tact Rudy Padilla a t the Ho m glass Galle!]', I 021 Isleta Blvd SW, Albuquerque, •M 87 105. PRISON LIFE t5 Block Beat NEWSTATS GANGS BUSTED BY RICO The number o f people in America's prisons to ppe d one million for th e first time, a ccording lOa recem repo n from the justi ce De pa rtm ent. On J une 30, 1994, th e re were 1,0 12,85 1 me n and women in state and federal prisons. Th e co untry's pri son po pulation gre w by n earl y 40,000 prisone rs in th e first six momhs of this year, equ ivalem lO I ,500 new prisoners a week. Th is figure does not include priso ne rs in local jai ls. The last time th ey we re co umed, 445,000 pe ople were in local j ails. T he number of p ri so ne rs has soared in comparison with the nation's population over two decades, th e survey sa id . In Jun e, there we re 37 3 p e o pl e i n prison for ever y 1 00 , 000 U .S. r e s id e nts- a r eco rd. I n 198 0 , 139 p e o pl e were in ca r c e rated fo r e ve r y 100,000 rcside nL'i . Th e in c re a se in prison e rs has made the . . second in the wo rld , b e hind Ru ssia, wh e n it co m es to in c arce rat io n ra te . Cou nti ng people bo th in prisons a nd those awaiting tria l or servin g sh on se nte n c e s for m isdem eanors in local jails, th e U.S. h as a n incarce ra tio n rate more than 4 t i mes t h at o r Ca n ada , mor e tha n 5 t im e s that o f E n g lan d and Wal es, a nd 14 times th a t ofJ apan. I n carce ratio n rate s in th e U.S. arc high e r than in man y co un trie s because of the higher nlles o f vi o le nt c r im e h e r e , expe rL'i said. ThP Nnu Yorh Times Th e Go ve rnme nt is wrning to fed eral racke teering laws to attack stree t gangs in cities natio nwid e. In 1994, th e Gove rnme nt indi cte d me mbe rs o f abo ut two doze n gan gs around th e co untry us in g RI C O , th e Fe d e ra l Ra cke te er ln nuence d a nd Co r rupt Orga n izati o ns Ac t, enacted in 1970 to fig ht the mob. RI CO has proven to be a mo re pote nt weapo n against entrenche d gangs than the state laws u·aditio nally used to fig ht street c rime. U nl ike state laws, which are desig ne d mostly for addressing ind ividual crimes, the R1 CO law pe rmi ts p rose cutio n o r gang members for be in g part o f an ente rprise tha t commi ts a series of crimes. A racketeering conviction involving murder carries a life sente nce withou t parole . Under the new federal a nti-crime legislatio n, som e o f th ose co n victio ns wi ll can)' a possible death sentence. Also un like state courts, fede ra l co urts pe rmit wid e u sc o f un co rro bo rated testim o ny fro m a ccompl ices, whi c h is o ft e n esse n tia l in prov ing a c riminal conspiracy. And prosecu to rs say it' s e a sie r to have a defe ndant he ld in p r iso n wit h o ut bail before a trial in the fed e ra l system th an in the sta te syste m. The New Yorll Tinu's POP PREFERS PRISON A 94-ycar-o ld man has gotte n his wish: H e's h eadin g back to p r iso n . vVes lcy " Po p " H o n eywood was se nte n ced to seve n years. He plead ed guilty to armed assault a nd possessio n of LESS THAN LETHAL a firearm by a fe lo n fo r pointing WEAPONS a n unl oade d g un a t a ma n who warned him not to cat th e g rapes A jo int De partm e nt of growi ng in the man ' yard. Justice and Pe n tagon committee A Cellbloclt at/he Santa Ft' PPII in New J\ilpxico. Afte r H o ncywood d ocs three is con side ring manufac turing Pholo by Manu al Mt1thum. th e judge sa id , he sho uld be years, th e foll o win g "less th an le thal " re leased to serve fo ur yea rs und e r weapons: *Sticky Foam , used in g un s fue led by pressu ri zed ni tro- ho use a rre st. To Honeywood , t.hat bea t the a ltc rnat.ive-a ge n . The foam fro m the g un s wou ld "g lue " disruptive nursing home. "If I go to j ail, I may b e o u t in a co upl e o f ye a rs," prison ers to fl oor o r wa ll witho u t injlll)'. ll o neywoocl e xplained . "lf I go to a nursi ng ho me, I may * Hi gh-po we r e lec tro magne ti c ge n e ra tors th at inte rfere be the re the rest of my life ." with brain waves and a lte r be havior. AssoriatNI PrP.ss *Low-e ne rgy lasers that can cause te mpo raJ)' bli ndn ess. *Flicke ri ng o r alte rnating ligh ts that can confuse o r sickMONTANA e n perpe trators. A Mo mana priso n official caused a n up roa r by taking *Gia lll ne ts, fired fro m a g un , wh ich immo bilize people three wome n prisone t·s o ut to dinn e r a t a seafood restauor ve hicl es with ad hesive o r elecu·ic shock. David Boyd , head o f the Na ti ona l Institu te ofjusticc , ra nt in Billings, Mo ntana, as a reward fo r good be havio r. a t·esea rch divisio n o f th e justi ce De partme nt, says th a t On e of th e wo me n was serving a life sente nce fo r mu rde rth e push to develo p such weapo ns as tJ1 ese ste m fro m th e ing he r husband. Hu ndred s of people call ed sta te o ffi ces, d e mandin g th e o uste r of the o ffic ia l, Mic key Ga mbl e, Rodn ey King e pisode. wh o said he used h is o wn money to pay fo r the dinn e r. Christian SciPncP l\1/onitor Gamble , ultimate ly, bowed to pressure a nd resig ned. From: Aaron Collins, Cr\ StolP Prison Rn iiPn 16 PRISON LIFE FORGIVE &FORGET The Rev. Walter Everett has forgiven the man who killed his son seven years ago. He also helped him get out of prison early. And in November '94, he officiated at the man's wedding. "I had known people whose loved ones had been murdered, and years afterward, they still seemed consumed by the anger and hatred. I didn't want that to happen to me," said Everett. Everett's own 34-year marriage of ended after he forgave Michael Carlucci for shooting his son to death in Bridgeport, Cf in 1987. Carlucci feels redeemed by Everett's compassion. But like others, he doesn't fully understand how the pastor could forgive him. "I have a 13year-old daughter and if anybody hurt her, I'd probably feel like I have to hurt him," Carlucci said. Less than a month into his sentence for manslaughter, Carlucci got his first letter from Everett. "He told me that he had forgiven me for the love of God," Carlucci said. ''Tears were coming down my face. It made me feel like I wanted to live again." After months of exchanging letters, Everett visited Carlucci. Before he left, the men embraced, and cried. After Carlucci served his time, Everett testified for him at his parole hearing. At a party sponsored by a recovery program for drug addicts, he met his future wife. Before proposing to her last Christmas, Carlucci asked his friend to officiate at the wedding. "I wouldn't have it any other way," Carlucci said. "He's my best friend." Associated Press PLEASE KNOCK! BIKERS ISLAND: BANGING BY THE STRINGS To close the city budget gap, NYC Mayor _Rudolph Giuliani plans to make life even worse for Rikers prisoners. Rikers is the world's largest penal colony-home to 20,000 cons and 8,000 C.O. 's. The mayor wants to cut 900 officers and civilian workers. In the jail for sentenced felons (C76), he plans to eliminate all social services, including drug treatment, all counseling and the entire programs department. Worse yet, he'll reduce the Grievance Board staff from 27 to 2, rendering it virtually useless. Prisoners' pay will be cut; it's dead smack winter and they're talking about closing the gym. N.Y. DOC also plans to wipe out The Board of Corrections, the DOC watchdog. Ninety-two percent of Rikers prisoners are black and Latino. Seven out of ten have done time before. Eight out of 10 are substance abusers. One in five are HIV positive. Here you have the most diseased and hard-core cons in the city, yet the mayor plans to axe all rehabilitative programs, social services and the Grievance Board, things that 43 Attica rioters died for. If the mayor's plan goes through in 1995, by February the headlines will read "Attica All Over." When the riot breaks out, it'll be the same old song: minorities killing minorities. So to the predominantly black and Latino C.O. 's here, we say "Watch out-nobody gives two shits about you either." The criminals today are worse than the cowboys of Tombstone who preyed on Western settlers. These are some crazy motha-fuckas! If the mayor sets if off, Attica will look like a scrimmage compared to the war about to take place here. -Mickeni Caldwell & Steven Taylor Rikers Island A convict's cell is his castle, a German court has ruled. The court says prison guards must knock and wait to be invited into a convict's cell ANOTHER CASE OF JUST-OS at the Giessen prison, north of Last year, numerous prisoners Frankfurt. Guards can only enter a filed small claims actions for personal cell without knocking in an emergency, such as if they suspect the pris- property that was damaged or oner is trying to escape through the destroyed during the April 1993 riot at S.O.C.F. Lucasville, Ohio. The priswindow, according to the ruling. The order came after a prisoner oners said officials' actions precipitatcomplained that guards had barged ed the riot: They knew or should have into his cell unannounced. The court known a riot was imminent, and they says prisoners have a right to privacy failed to take measures to maintain and that life behind bars must resem- security. After an influx of such claims, ble general living conditions. What a Court of Claims Judge Russel Leach concept. announced that all prisoner claims Sun Magazine From: Lakeland Pen ·arising from the rebellion were without merit, and prison officials would Coldwater, MI not be held responsible. All such suits were then dismissed. Shortly after, several prison guards and their families filed suits in the Court of Claims alleging that prison officials were at fault for the riot, that they knew or should have known that a riot was imminent and took no steps to prevent it. Guards and their spouses are seeking an unspecified amount of damages. Judge Leach has been silent. Prison Legal News FROM ONE CAN TO ANOTHER A 47-year-old Michigan man was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three months' probation for secretly videotaping people who used his bathroom. Gary G. Newman pleaded no contest to five of six charges of eavesdropping with an electronic device. Huron County Prosecutor Leslie A. Hagan said the videotaping occurred at Newman's antique shop for about 10 years. Officials confiscated about 30 videotapes, which they said will be destroyed, after the sheriff's department received a complaint. Saginaw News From: Bob Weess Charles E. Egeler Correctional Facility ARIZONA CONS WIN MEDICAL CASE A district court judge ruled in favor of Arizona state prisoners, who filed a DOC-wide class action suit alleging inadequate medical and dental treatment. Extensive injunctive relief was ordered. In this decision, the court set forth the legal standard to be used in reviewing prisoners' 8th amendment claims regarding the adequacy of medical care. The court notes that the denial, delay or intentional interference with medical care shows deliberate indifference by prison officials. While courts may consider expert opinions in order to determine constitutional requirements for medical care, such opinions do not establish constitutional minimums. Prison officials can be held liable for failing to implement a proper mental health care program or failing to adequately train or supervise their subordinates in medical care positions. See: Case v. Lewis, 834 F. Sup 1477 (D AZ 1993). Prison Legal News PRISON LIFE 17 Insider Outlook JEFFERSON CITY: ON THE VERGE OF A RACE RIOT Conditio n h ere at th e .Jeffe rson C ity Correctional Center in Missouri have worse ned. It cems tha t Superinte ndem Michael Groose is U)'ing cve11' ploy imaginable to ki ck o fT a racial r iot benvccn whi te a nd black p rison ers. Th is place could sudd e nly e rupt in blood and war. Th e re arc a zillio n di!Tere nL thi ngs Groosc has done to crea te th is a tmosphere of turmo il and confusion. He must be sto pped befo re he has a c hance to put th e final pieces in play. J ust last month, Groosc had nine white pri ·on crs locked in Ad Seg because they refused to sit in a specific a rea in the dining room that was pred omina ntJy black. The prisoners had a legi t reason for not wanting to sit at those panicular tables: they know how possessive some prisoners arc about seating a rran ge m e nL~. and they mere ly wished to avoid a confron tation. As a result o f their refusal to comply, tJ1ey were cited for Ll)'ing to ove rthrow the admin istration an d inciti ng a riot. Ano the r trick e mployed by Groose to break d own the mo ral fabric between races is what's been dee med musical chairs. Groose has begun transferring a ll tJ1e infl ue ntial black prisoner out ofJ CCC to Potosi a nd other institutions. Meanwhile, h e's had a great number of influential white prison ers sh ipped to .JCCC from those same places, which have a wh iter populatio n. This concentration of influe ntial wh ite prisoners thrown ra ndom ly into th e population atJCCC has set the stage fo r a racial explosion. The u·ick is th is: Wh ile the m<uor18 PRISON LIFE ity of prisoners at.JCCC are young and black, the re is now a larger numbe r of older white prisone rs Ula n the re a re older bladt prisoners. This was not don e by chance or accid ent but was a carefully orchestrated move o n Groose's pa rt to create an a unosphere of racial dom inan ce and complexit.ies. Furthermore, the g rea ter majority of upscale priso n j obs are a ll occup ied by the white inmate popu lation. Most black prisoners a rc con fin ed to in-cell stallls, with limited moveme nt and recreatio n . Groose has created a n intolerable atm osphe re fo r black and wh ite prisone rs. A lot of these prisoners are fina lly starting to take notice of his actions an d a re a nxious to see tJ1 ese problems corrected. Riots are real. T hey ta ke lives on both sides of the fe nce. Some lives a re tota lly destroyed, if no t lost, by tJ1e m-a ll because citize ns fail to hear th e wa ke-up call prisoners sho ut d u ring the pre liminary stages. Ronald Davis Bey, a.k.a. Ki ng Buc k .Jejferso/1 City Comctional Cmlm~ MO VATOS CON RESPETO Because I grew up in prison, I know a lo t about th is world. ow if I could learn about a way to turn tim e back a nd sta rt my life over, I would never make the same mistakes that got me into this j o ke o f a place. I say j oke' ' cause that's all that it's abou t. El Philo talks about usjJPio and to me tha t is no t seen. About th e time I was convicted (1978) it was our o . I rule that n o rats could be in gen e ra l pop ulation. Now th e vato sitting next to you is a rat, a coward, a stool pigeon-it's all the sa me. Now th ey' re using th is mla as confide ntial informants a nd the good ''flmtf valos" arc getti ng loc ked clown. All this is ha ppe ning in th e New Mexico Priso n Syste m. It's a nowin game he re. Yo u can ' t wi n because day in, day o ut they ma ke their own ru les. Aga in, I sec no rPsjJelo. Yo u want to talk about ga ngs? Again, we go back to resjJelo. At th e tim e I came into the syste m, there was respecl. You cou ld do something tha t needed to ge t clo ne a nd get away with it. ow, with all the new socalled fimw vatos coming into the syste m, you ca n ' t ge t away with n oth ing. Anoth e r thing is tha t it's n o t just o ne on one: now it's two, three o r four o r five on one. And tJ1ey say it's respeto? I believe a good finne valo should not let o thers make decisio ns for h im; he should stand fo r own beliefs. JQue no? ~Simon que si ?That's 1·esjJeto to me! I' m not in a gang b ut I ge t resjJelo from a lot of valos. Why? Because l stand for what I bel ieve in a nd eve•1'one wh o don 't respect tha t isn' t finne to me. And be lieve me, I let it be known. J'm not the baclclest valo arou nd 'cause l got my ass kicked a few Limes, but I can say this: Stand for your beliefs and you 'll be respected for it. Ano th e r thing: don ' tlose your familia and your resjJel.o for le tting o th ers make your decisions. Stan d jim1e. Bumo valos you stay su·ong, both heart and m ind. Siempre con respelo jJor vida, Joe Surule #28306 Sanla Fe Pen FROM SUGAR TO SHIT I've spe nt 20 years in and o ut of prisons. He ll, I gave th e Southern Ohio Correctional Facility almost all my '80s. But whe n I came ou t to Californ ia fo r a break, I caught a case a nd wound up in th e California Medical Facili ty in Vacaville. Three "doctors" to ld me I had a me n tal proble m. I've never been in a mental hospital o r psych ward in my entire life, and I sure can ' tunclerstand this join t. There are u·anssexuals pra n cing around with tits bigger th a n some women o n tJ1 e street. The med ical d epartmelll gives these cre tins shots a nd pills to enhance their female parts. All over the syste m, statewide, inma tes resort to a nything to ge t he re, even fake hanging th emselves o r slashing th eir wrists. H e re, snitch es have been given a new Litle: co nfidential source. O ut of 3,200 inmates, the re are abou t 100 convi cts-we ' re a dying breed. And I fron ted by cold reality. VANILLA GORILLA: I'm like a dog chained to the backONE FIRED-UP CON yard fe nce, left out in the cold waiting I don't know why the American for his master to bring him food. Once people are crying about crime. Shit, I had a dog I treated in this fashion. I tl1is motherfucking country was never realized I had been so neglectful founded on criminal activity. of my friend . Now, in the belly of this That's right-every vicious crime beast, the only frie nd I have is a sharp you can imagine was inflicted upon piece of steel. Indians in the government's quest to At times, I feel vexed because I've steal their land. This same governbeen ducking bullets all my damn life. me nt abducted Africans and put Growing up as a ghetto bastard was them in chains; those who rebelled in rough. Even when I was running the name of dignity were killed. To around tl1e 'hood seeking knowledge, make matte rs worse, the government I was still a prisoner- a prisoner of tries to teach kids tl1at Christophe r my own mind. I d idn't know how to Columbus discovered America. Shit, escape. My environ men t dictated viotl1e o nly thing Columbus discovered lence and because of that, I was viowe re innocent people he could inflict lent, thinking it was ilie only way to terror upon. obtain respect. My mentor was ex periVacaville, CA And who the fuck is Santa Claus? Is he the e pitome of the government's THE " WHY ME?" PEN child mo lester? Do you realize that if On C-76 at Rikers Island, you'll you rearrange the letters in San ta, find a 12xl5, iron-mesh cage painted you get Satan? Motherfucking right bubble-gum pink. Open 24-7, the you will. "Why Me?" Pen keeps prisoners for The American government h as minor d isciplinary infractions up to 12 only gotten more sophisticated. They keep talking about locking motherhours. They call it modified medium, fuckers up, yet tl1ey legalize 180 segregative isolation. And in various proof whisky to be sold to 18 to 21behavior modification studies, it's year-old kids. They legalize gambling, supposed to work as a mean s of elimi- nicotine and in some states, prostitunating unwanted or undesirable tion. They themselves are the biggest ~'1'1behavior, sort of like shock treatment drug deale rs. e nce-the streets a nd th ese penitenwithout the electricity. The pink They do all this, yet still have the tiaries taught me to be strong fo r only paint is supposed to have a calming audacity to incarcerate a motherfucker me strong survived. I will continue to e!Tect. To the DOC, the "Why Me?" for growing marijuana, Mother survive until I'm cu t in half by an Uzi pen is a safe, lawful form of punishNature's plant, a plant that has been or locked up fo r life ... ment. on th e face of the earth since the Damn, I'm hurting deep down A C.O. who was asked his opinbeginning of time. inside. Seeing what's happening and The government is ruth less ion of the "Why Me?" pen had th is not being able to act hurts. I guess typical prison crat response: "Why because while it makes sure drugs my cries will go unanswered . An open me? Why not?" flood o ur streets, it incarcerates smallmouth that just won' t get fed. K.D. Hawkins time dmg users who commit petty Brotl1ers li ke myself are constantly Rikers Island crimes so it can make even more ridiculed or labeled as hate teachers money off them in corrections. These or u·oublemakers. Of all people, petty users are whores who don't bring brotl1ers who are for growth a nd in enough dope/ tax money to their development should be supported government pimps. They're worth and pro tected . more in prisons. The isolated mind is a great wanIf the government can fuck over derer. society, then so can I. I'm not in William Battle X prison for a crime. I'm in prison Altona ComctionalFacility, New York because I le t a mothe1·fu cker put handcuffs on me. But soon I will be paroling to a T ech Nine ... because I DID SAY " EXCUSE ME" I'm tired of standing in a we lfare line. The Vanilla Gorilla, George Toth I received a written conduct violation for insulting behavior here in Western Missouri Correctional Center. It read: ISOLATED MIND On the above dale, at approximately Sitting in the small confines of 6:30a.m., this rejJorting officer Sheny A. my cube, my mind runs wild. Some Callum requested a frisk search on inmate thoughts are positive but most, I Can·ollJourdan # 173 008. As this 1·ejJortadmit, are not. Every time a positive thought e nters my mind, I am con(continued on fJage 21) h ave been trapped in this romper room, this nasty, faggot-infested gutter. But I shall be leaving soon. I beat a cretin with a lock in a sock and they told me I was much too violent to stay here. So much the better! I hope to be sent to a place where I can finish my time and maybe finally learn something. But not in Vacaville. I don 't know why this hole was dug, but someone should throw the dirt back in. Picture an adult being constantly treated like a 6-year-old by an asshole who went to school for 20 years and couldn 't get a decent job on the su·eet but he has the answers to all your problems. From sugar to sh it. Leroy Arrington PRISON LIFE 19 You Don't Have To Read Music I ~~ A $4400 VALUE I ~· ONLY $19~ If you 've always wanted the enjoyment and satisfaction of playing a musical instrument, RUSH TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS VERY SPECIAL OFFER! Our exclusive "Fast Learning System " will teach you to play the harmonica in Genuine Hohner HARMONICA just one easy lesson! Our Kit includes a genuine Hohner's world renow ned HOHNER HARMONICA plus everything you need harmonica , c omplete to p lay like a "pro"! No specia l talents are :_"J._-.:s~~f;. with handy c arry c ase! needed-You don't even have to read music! "- You'll receive all thisl Play Entire Songs-The Very First Time Imagine! Rock, blues , pop, country & 2 western : YOU'LL PLAY THE SONGS YOU LOVE-in their entirety-even if you 've never played a musical instrument before! Best of all , this inc redibly easy " FAST LEARNING SYSTEM" w orks for everyone, young and old alike. Just follow and play along w ith the audio tape. To make it even more enjoyable, we 've also inc luded an exciting how-to video. "Tuneful " results are guaranteed! Marco s is a great teacher! Learn 20 songs as you w atch, listen, a nd practice. 30 m inutes; VHS. 3 Instructional ~ AUDIO CASSE E Basic tip s, techniques, and terrific songs you c a n sta rt to p lay instantly! 30 minutes. Be the Life of Every Party-Impress Your Family & Friends! After just one lesson you 'll be putting your new HOHNER HARMONICA in your pocket or purse to take - and p lay with confidence - wherever you go. Perfect for parties, family gatherings ... or whenever you feel like enjoying a relaxing musical break. Amaze everybody (including yourself!) with your brand-new musical talent. Order yours today! 30- DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE Learn to play fast a nd ea sy- o r receive a full refund. Play Along Witti MARCOS ... World-Famous Harmonica "Pro" ! Easy-To Follow HOW-TO VIDEO Beginner's 4=--' SONG BOOK Clearly explains everything ! Use it with the audio tape and video . Easy lessons; over 60 songs. Plus fa cts about the harmonica ! r --- - ---- - - - - - - - Abigail's Treas ures, De pt. PL 1 1 Box 2957802, Myrtle Bea ch, SC 29578-7802 I 0 One Kit for j~st $19.95 ph~s $2 .95 P&H . Total 522.90 0 TWO Kits for only $38.00 plus $4.95 P&H . Total $42.95 I Enclosed is S I Charge my: 0 MasterCard 0 VISA 0 Money Order I (NJ residents odd soles to x) I I I I Cord Number Signature _ 0 Check Expiration Date _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ Nome _ _ __ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ Street _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ City 1 OUTSIDE U.S.A. ADD 55.00 _ _ __ State _ _ Zip _ _ __ Please allow 4 to 5 weeks fo r delivery. Insider Outlook (continuedfrom j)([ge 1 9) _ _ _ _ Excuse ,4/e tJ/'/'/cer '' ing officer was frisking his leg, the inmate Can·oll j ou rda n farlf!(l in this reporting officer's fare. (This plares inmate in violation of role #2 1, fnsullive Behavior.) My interviewer stated in th e re port: In male interviewed in the presence of Reporting OffiCI'r. Inmate states: "She was Ji nished shaliing '1/le down when thP in riden/ occwTf'd. I did say 'excuse me' to the officer. " · I received five clays' cell restriction and the infracti on was placed in my "inmate fil e." Carroll J o urda n Wf'slf'm Missouri Correctional Center BEWARE THE YOUNG BUCKS My na me is Ri card o, age 31, and I'm doing a 3 to 7-year sen tence at Gra te rford State Prison in Pe nnsylvan ia. vVe have a problem he re with you nger inmates. We call th em "young bucks" o r "young gun s." They are j uve nil es who have bee n cenified as adu lts, or younger inma tes 18 to 22 years of age. They cause the who le jail to be locked down for days or weeks at a time, while every cell is sha ke n down. Phone calls, visits and court dates a re missed because of th e ir s1abbings and fighL5. They disrupt o ur who le bit and we a ll get punished for the acts of a few young bucks. Ricardo B. Graterford Stale Prison, PA VIOLATING PAROLE I don' t know wha t th e he ll is go ing o n but I have a pre tty good idea. T he paro le board in Georg ia is repudia ting a ll inm ates it feels can' t meet socie ty's require me nts. In othe r words, they a re telling us that th ey don ' t give a damn if we're good in prison; they will be the ones to de termine whet.her or not we can get. out. We, the prisoners of Georgia, are in prison for breaking laws but who will take disciplinary action against the parole board when it d oes wrong against. us? They plan to eradicate, eliminate and te rminate the Georgia inmates, white and black, fro m society. For example, a man might have 20 years for a crime. Aft.er he has comple ted seve n yea rs, wit.h no writeups, the pa ro le board will se nd him a le tter saying that for NO reaso n a t a ll a re we going off t.he guide lines and we want. yo u to do seven more years. When docs th is sto p? It doesn 't. Because once you have completed th e seven years, they'll send a nothe r letter rej ecting you, a nd t.he n another, until you have completed th e e ntire sentence. ow if you think that's erratic, what about the poor inma tes wit.h life sente nces? Pressure will bust a pipe but whe n evil pressure is applied to th e lives of helpless people who do n ' t deserve such an injustice, th ey will rise u p, even unto death, and take ac tion against th e oppressor until th ey receive justice, freedom a nd equali ty. Wa-Lailmm-Sa/aam Bro th er J a mi e Ke n mont Ke rreem Gt\ Stale Prison th ey are. People need to find o ut what prisons a re all about, and to see that this type of punishme nt h as failed. Today's a pproach to "corrections" has shown o nly n egative resu lts. The actions of th ose behind bars may be temporari ly stopped by punishment, but th e lhinlting is n ot corrected . In fact, the thinking in prison worsens. Le tters and visits from the outside a re the most effective way to help a prisoner c ha nge. In other 1vords, love, having a frie nd o r someone who cares. It took the experie nce o f prison to really ope n my eyes to see what life is all about. ow I know tha t you can never fa il if you have God on your side. We' re all in prison unti l we can find freedom within o urselves. If we are a ble to ma ke this a better world, then is it no t all o f o ur responsibili ty to pi tch in? Cheye n ne Valentino Yakima j ohnson Correctional Jnstilttlion, Georgia w TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL When pare ms lose control over thei r children, mo re a nd mo re prisons must be buil t. Therefore, pa rems: teach your childre n well, and discipli ne t.h cm with love and compassio n. If you don ' t, your own head will be lowe red in sha me. Fo r ma ny years I have been a prisone r, and I 'vc wan ted to he lp others. But beyond th ese wa lls, th e re 's only one type o f rehabilitation: self-re habilitatio n . And so I've educated myse lf. Ch ange comes on ly when individuals truly desire to ch ange. Wh en th e prison gates sla m shut behind you, do n ' t think you 'll lose your hu ma nity, or tha t your mind will beco me closed to ideas. If anything, the needs for identity and selfrespect become even more compelli ng in this deh umanizing e nvironme nt. There will always be those who' ll look down on the priso ne r as something evil. It's this fear and failure to accept o r recognize a prisoner's huma ni ty tha t make prisons wha t PRISON LIFE 21 BY JENNIFER WYNN e r o. 1\1l obster. Maniac. The clown-prince of crime ... J ackie "Fat Jac k" DiNo rscio h as bee n called everything bu t rat. The ma n 's reputation , as lo ng as his sentence, ste ms from hi s ro le in the largest mob u·ial ever. Of a ll the wi ld Stories tO e merge from th e war on o rgani zed c rim e, none is quite so extraordin ary a the U.S. gove rnm em's 1986 prosec ution of the notorio us Lucchese c rime famil y, th e mob reputed to "own " ew J e rsey. T h e Feels ca lled it the m ost a mbitious legal attack ever mounted agai nst u nde rworld fi gures: its 65page indictment, capping a ten-year in vestigation, wou ld have wiped out an e ntire o rga nization, from capo to s tree t so ldi e r. Lastin g n ea rl y two yea rs, The United States of America v. Anthony Accetturo et al., was th e longest Ma £ia u·ial in American h isLOry. Ye t it took th e jury less than two days to render its verdict: not gu ilty, on all coun ts. The crushing blow to the governme nt was dealt by a man with a 6thgrade education, a man who, d espite his igno rance of th e law, became his H 22 PRISON LIFE own a ttorn ey, a ma n with a terrific se nse of humor wh o h ad the guts, a nd the savvy, to use it in the courtroom. In so doi n g, he transformed the courtroom into a theate r o f the absurd, a n arena in wh ich the judge would shout, "Order in the co urt! I didn' t hear th e p unch line!" T oday, nearly a d ecad e afte r his shining days in the 1ewark, J. courthouse, J ackie DiNorscio is poised to dea l another b low to t h e gove rn me nt. Th is time, if successful, it will bring h im home. Ja ckie is bei n g held a t F.C. I. Fai rton, U· H e's serving 8 1/ 2 years of a 30-year bid for cocaine trafficking. Had J ackie not to ld government p rosecuto rs to go ru c k th e mselves whe n they asked for info rmatio n on Lu cc h ese crime boss A n th ony Accetturo in 1986, he wou ldn 't be in the can today. T he Fe els p romised to drop the d rug u-afficking charge and protect j ackie for th e rest of h is life if h e'd sn itch. But h e d idn ' t, so th e drug c harge stayed, and two days la ter, .Jackie was brought up o n racketee ring cha rges and called as a dcfen- dam in the U.S. v. Anthony Arcettu1'0 case. Today, .Jackie is looki ng to have the 1986 d rug conviction ove rturn ed. He recently fil ed a motion for a re u·ial that took him fi ve yea rs to write, but the 140-page docume nt, containing in credi b ly damaging evidence against the government, was returned to him for revisio n and sh ortening. "1 told 'em from th e beginning I was ignorant in th e law," DiNo rscio says. "I mea n , they got th eir lawyers, paralegals and sec re ta ri es to h e lp 'em. All I got is one jun kie, two burglars a nd bank robber." J ackie's motio n for a retria l is based on a number of government screw-u ps, the most b latant of wh ic h is a violation o f the Brady law. Brady req u ires p r osec u tors t o give the defense any information abo ut gove rnm ent witn esses th at can be used to impeach th em. What Jackie is ttying to show is that his 30-year se ntence is based on testimony from witnesses the gove rnm en t knew were liars, drug addicts and people who wa n ted revenge on DiNorscio- like h is cousin, .Joey Alonzo. For seve ra l years in th e early '80s, Jackie a nd j oey had been partne rs in a gem-se ll ing co mpany in Flo ri da. Wh en j ackie d ecided to sell th e busin ess- d ue to new laws he believed would sink it-Aionzo fe lt betrayed a nd thought J ack ie was trying to cut h im o ut. Al o n zo's h e r o in a nd coca in e addi c ti o n s o nl y made him mo re paranoid. In February 1985, he paid jackie a visit. "Th e re I was, sleepi ng ," reca lls Di o rscio, "wh en I fe lt something in my j aw. I th oug ht I cracke d it. Then I fe lt some thing on my back, but I'm still half asleep, a nd I thi nk it's b ed bug. But it was .Joey shootin ' me with his silencer. So I jump up o u t o f bed, 1 was like a n a nima l, a nd I see .Joe, a nd I says, '.J oe, whaddaya shoo tin ' me for? Yo u 're my cousin . I love you, j oey.' I put my hand up as he's tryin ' to shoot me in th e face and he gets m e in t h e wri s t. I says to m yse lf, 'What a ra t bastard.' "So what does he do? He runs to th e Feels and starts te lli n ' o n everybody. ow, yo u see, th e Feels h a d been tryi n ' for 14 yea rs to bust up this mob a nd th ey a in ' t ge ttin ' n o place, a in ' t ge uin ' no stool pigeo ns. And sure e n o u g h th is rat b as ta rd cousin o f min e wants to become one. But h e didn 't kn ow n o thin' . How could he? H e was a fuckin ' junkie." S ix months later, Di Torsc io , .Je rry "th e J ew" Cohen , Manue l Monteiro a nd Gera ld De Lu ca we re arreste d. 'Th ey built the case o n the testimo ny of.Joey Alonzo, who spe nt the money the government gave him t o buy d rugs, a guy who te sti fi ed befo re th e g ra nd j ury whe n h e was high," says .Jackie. DiNorscio paid his $200,000 bail a nd was re lease d . T h e n , just n in e months later, th e Fe els slappe d him with another c ha rge- con tinuin g c rimi nal e nte rpri se (CCE). "Th ey said J went out a nd sold drugs to fur- the r t he orga nizatio n, whi ch wasn ' t u·ue. So they pulled my ba il and tried me in 89 days. I was co nvicted and senten ced to 30 years." Th e judge in thi s tr ia l was Maryanne T rump-Ba rry ( Do n a ld Trump 's sis t e r ). Acco rdin g to Di No rsc io, Trump-Bar ry fai le d to n o ti ce that DiNorscio was ph ysically unfit to stand trial. Sufferin g from sleep apnea, a rare respiratory disord er, Di 1o rscio was u n ab le to stay awa ke d uri ng hi s tri a l. "I woke up and I had thirty years," he recalls. At the Accettu ro tria l, presiding U.S . Di stri c t Jud ge H a r o ld A. Ackerman immediately understood th a t so m e thin g was wro n g with J ackie , wh o wa · slee ping thro ugh e ntire days. "This ma n is fighti ng for his life, yet he can 't stay awake," said Ackerman , an d promptly orde red an examination. Indeed, it was the gover nm e nt's o wn m e di cal exa miner who d iag n o sed .J ac ki e ' s di sorde r , declared him unfit to stand u·ia l a nd gave him a d evice to a ll evia te the proble m . And when they did , th ey "woke a slee ping giant," as Di orscio is fo nd of saying. PRISON LIFE 23 dant in the Acce lluro case and J ackie's long-time pal. Caravaggio no tes that th is was the mid '80s, and th e anti-dru g feve r was a t a n a ll-Lime high. T he governme n t knew the case wo uld be mu c h s t r o n ge r if it incl ud ed drug cha rges. The government never ex p ecte d J acki e to go to tri al. Vl hy wou ld h e wh e n he riske d spending the rest or his life in prison? "\t\lc to ld th e m to d o wh a t was best fo r t h e m ," says C aravagg io . "But .Jac ki e fel t respo nsible, and he knew that if h e got out o f t h e case a t th a t time, eve ryo n e e lse wo u ld ge t hurl. So they told the gove rnme nt ' no deal.' T hat 's the type of m e n th ey a rc. he fi rst th ing J ackie d ecided to d o was re present himself. In a fi t o f rage, he fi red his lawye r, who ned fro m th e j udge's ch a mbe r a nd in the process broke h is li ngers in the d oor. In a shou ting match with J ac kie ove r paym e n t , he Sll id .Jac kie had "inco nve n ie nced " h is fi rm , eve n tho ug h J acki e h ad p a id h im ove r a quan e r o f a mi ll io n do llars in lega l fees. "I gave th e m all my jewelry, my car , everyth ing. An d n ow he says th is to me. I we n t crazy. ' Yo u won 'L have tO worry abo ut being inconven ie n ced a nymo re,' l told hi m . · Beca use I' m gon na kill you, mo th c rfucke r.' "The j udge asked me wha t I said to h im . So I saici ,' T LO ld h im to go fu c k him se lf, j u d ge. I' m th e n ew a u o rn cy. I wa nn a go jJro se.' Th e j udge sta rte d ho lle ring, sayi ng I ca n ' t de fend myself. So I said, 'J udge, d id yo u m a ke t h e Sixt h Am end m e nt? The la w sa ys I h ave t h e ri g h t t o de fe nd myself a nd I c hoose lO go fHo se today.''' '" Did n't a n yo n e te l l yo u , Mr . Di 1o rscio, t h a t a ma n wh o r ep re sen ts himself has a fool for a die m ?'" "' t o, .Juclge, l never heard that., ., '" We ll do n't you rea lize you have to have so me legal tra in ing' Do yo u have a ny?''' "Ye a h , J u dge," J acki e sa id , "I've bee n in j a il al l my life." And tha t was tha t. T In the U.S. v. Antho11y Arrellu ro el al. trial, "ct a l. " referred to 2 1 defend a llls, includi ng .J ackie. T h e d efe ndan ts we re a ll m e n J lle kic g re w up 24 PRISON LIFE wit h , m en wh o we re o n trial simply because t h ey were l i nk e d t o h im. "I fe lt responsible for those boys," J acki e says . " ! f it was n ' t fo r my '86 dru g co n victi o n , t h e re wou ldn 't have bee n a tria l." For the r\cccnu ro tria l, th e governme n t was re lying o n RI CO , t h e Ra c ke t ee r Influe n ced a nd Co rr up t Orga n izatio n s Ac t. T h e RICO law, e nac teel in 1970, gave swee ping new powe r lO gm·e rn men t prosecuto rs, enabling the m to ho ld to p leade r s of o rgan ized crim e responsib le fo r th e ac ti o n s o f th e ir underlings. T h e Fe els we r e ho ping .J acki e wo u ld cop a p lea, and that his 30-yea r se nte n ce h a d softened hi m u p for such a deal. If he agr eed to p lea b a rga i n , t h ey to ld h im . they'd run the time fo r th e new charge co nc urre n t with the se nte nce he was a lready doi ng, th e re by kee ping h is total time a t 30 years. But if he d ecided to go to trial and lost, he'd be looking at a no th e r 40 years in the can , meanin g he'd d ie in prison. "Th ey wa n te d .Jac kie a nd J e rry [Coh en 1 to plead guilty to th e d rug c ha rges so the j ury wou ld be le ft with a n imp ress io n o f g uil t," says Ro be rt "Buc ky" Ca ravaggio, a no the r d e fe n- If it were a nyone else in this busin ess tod ay, th ey wo uld 've take n th e govern ment's offe r. Not J acki e." "I co ul dn 't d o it," says J ac kie. 'T hey we re askin g me to lie again st these b O)'S, a nd they o ffe red lO drop 111)' charges if I nipped. But I wo uldn ' t d o it. 'ever." ackie be lieved tha t if he could get th e jury to wa rm up to him , o nly t h e n wo u ld h e a nd t h e o th e r d e fe nda nts have a cha nce. The ro le o f coun jeste r came na tu ra lly. 'J ac kie added a touch of h um an- J ity to a grou p of in d ividua ls wh o a pp eared, to th e jury, si le nt and immutable," says powerhouse lawye r Michael Critc hl ey, the lead d efen se attorney in th e tri a l. "When J ac ki e spoke, h e not on ly spoke for himself but for th e o th e r defe ndants. He came across as li keable, which conu·adicted Lhe image the govern ment was Lrying to portray o f him ." While J ackie was a ble to huma nize himself a nd the o the r de fendants to the j ury, he a lso managed to reveal t h e gove rn m e n t's d ece ption. Th e prosecutors bega n to look mo re like the crooks. "They came across as cold , coe rcive and nasty," n otes Caravaggio. After ma kin g his ope ning statement, a nn oun cing tha t he was pro sP a nd thankin g t h e j u r y for its patie nce, Di r orscio put on a b lack fed ora. Then h e turned to the jury. 'Th e reason I' m wearing this hat is to make me look like a gangster,"' he said, then pointed to th e prosec ution tab le, wh e r e U.S . Justice Department Attorney C rady O ' Malley sa t beside the rest of the prosecut ion tea m: Assistant U.S. Atto rn ey J osep h Braunreuther, U .S. J ustice D e p a rtment p rosecutor Barbara l\lliller head a nd whi pped off th e h at. "It's no t even my hat," he said. "And I' m not a gangster. I'm a gag ·te r. '·Acllla ll y, afte r hearing a ll t h e attorneys and the lawyers lor the past co u ple of days, I' m what you ca ll a relief.·· li e paused until the jury finished la ughing. " ow I want to thank Mr. Critchley fo r tel ling me what the sign unde r the judge's desk m ea ns. (Th e sign was Latin for ':Justice for All ".) I thought it meant ' o Smoking in the Courtroom ."' At tha t po int, th e jury, speCLators, a tt o rn eys and de fen dan ts were laugh ing o ut lo ud. Without missing a beat, DiNo rscio continued . "T o get ser ious fo r a momen t," he said , and the n began recounti ng the sums of money th a t h·lW)'er · tabulated had bee n pa id to o n e of th e informants. "Eighty-four th ousand do llars fo r '86. It's now '87. That's well over o ne hundre d and fifty thousand you paid your info rma n ts." He turned to prosecu to r J ose ph Br au nre uther a nd asked: "M r . Bra un reuth er-yo u n eed a n oth e r guy?" When th e la u g hte r su bsided , Jac kie continue d . "Ladie an d ge n tleme n , I th a nk yo u for yo ur presen ce he re today and thro ug ho ut the trial a nd I ask yo u fo r your pa tien ce. As yo u ca n sec, I'm n o lawye r . I only have a sixth-grad e education. I' m no t ophisti ca ted in the laws, but I have learned as a layma n . I read th e RICO law. And I can tell you that it wou ld be m ore a ppropria t e for the m e n involved in the Ira n scandal deal fo r se lling arms to the Contras. T h ey sh ould be indi cted, not me." And so began what a tto r ney Mike Critchlc)' descri bes as th e "most b iza rre tr ia l " h e h as ever experienced. Every time J ac kie add ressed tl1e ju ry, Critc hley recalls, h e had to b ite his tongue to sto p fro m la ughing. "I tri ed LO maintain a d emeano r or d iscipli ne and pro fessio nalism, but whe n J ackie got u p, it was im possible, not only lor me but for the prosecutors a nd the judge." "Wha t T h ad to d o was m a ke a comedy o ut o r it," .Jackie ex plains. "It wa s t h e o nl y way we co uld b eat Ule m ." Be fo re he finished his ope ning re marks, J ackie told one more j o ke. It began as a response to the governme m 's depictio n of hi m as an extravagant, swash buckling drug deale r. "ExLravagant?".Jackie began, "Let me tell you about my wi fe. Once sh e aske d me for twe n ty do ll a rs fo r a rump roasL I took her in front of our full-le ng th mirror and pulle d out a twen ty dollar bilL 'T he twenty dollars in the mirro r is yours,' I to ld h e r. 'This one is mi ne.' "Th e n ext cla y, there was mea t fr o m o n e e nd or the tab le to th e o th e r. I asked my wife where she go t it. She lead me to the mirror a nd lifte d h e r dress. 'Th a t 's yo urs, in th e mirro r,' she said, and poi nted to he r c rotc h. ' Thi s o n e belongs to th e butcher."' As Lh e jury co nvulsed , DiNo rscio said, "I hope I did n ' t e mba rrass anybody. I' m just uying to show you I'm not a gangste r. I' m a gagste r. " Prosecu to r O'Malley was d isgust- and FB I a ge nt De nnis Marcha Ion is. "That's wh at th ey wa nt yo u to think I a m. Th at's wh a t th ey wa nt me to be." There was a mu rmur in th e cou rtroom. o one see m e d quite ce n a in wh a t was h a ppen in g. Some of th e jurors bega n to rea li ze th<ll Di Norscio was ma king a j o ke. They laugheel. .Jackie pa used , a nd t h e n po inte d to hi s PRISON LIFE 25 H BO featured J ackie DiNorscio in its 1993 d oc um e ntary, M ob Stories, p rod uced an d d irec ted by Marc Levin. Mixe d in with stories titl ed "Revenge" a nd "Be traya l", Di lorscio's seg m e nt, "Loya lty," was th e o nl y o n e th a t evoked admiration rather than horro r . .Jac ki e's performance in t h e Acceuuro trial has a lso caught the eye of.Joe Isgro, executive produce r o f the movie Hoffa. Isgro rece ntly a pproac h ed .Jac kie a b out ma king a movie based o n his ro le in t he tri al. "From wha t I kn ow about it, I' m fascinated by the case," says Isgro, "Especially .Jacki e's represeming himself-hi s self defense was brilliant." Whethe r o r no t .Jacki e wins his appea l and walks o ut of Fairton nex t year, Isgro is pursuing th e movie, he said , and .Jackie is o ffe ring hi m exclusive righ ts. "My imerest is to sh ow p eo ple tha t they can do it fo r themselves, tha t th ey goua do it for themselves," .Jackie says. "Any perso n ca n go im o the law library and learn . If people did th e ir work, there wou ld n't so many rats." 26 PRISON LIFE e el; he feared the effect J ackie's sense o f h umor wo uld have on the j ury, and he was in furia ted th at Ackerman was le tting hi m ge t away wi th his a ntics. H e turn ed to his partne r. "What a n ass h o le," h e sa id, re fe rrin g to th e judge. Th e j udge h ea rd him a nd , according to J ackie, had th is to say: "Mr. O ' Malley, I heard wh at you said . Whe n .Jacki e DiNo rscio said he wa n ted to re prese n t himself, I told him tha t a man who re p resents himse lf h as a foo l fo r a clie nt. If yo u thi nk he's ma king a fool o f hi mse lf, th at's yo ur business. I'm te ll ing yo u now, figh t hard, but fig ht fair." J ac ki e jum p e d i n . "judge Acke rma n, I tha nk the court fo r ta king my side in this ma tte r. And if it's a ny co n ce rn to Mr. O'Malle y, I'm since divo rced a nd I' m n ow a vegetaria n ." Fro m tha t day o n, J ackie knew he had th e j ury. Even a t the outse t of the u·ial, it was cle a r th e gove rnm e nt h a d sc raped th e b o ttom o f th e b a n e ( whe n it cam e to finding info rma nts. Most were con fessed murde re rs, d rug addi cts a nd d ealers. J ackie knew this, a nd he used h is "ig no ra n ce in th e law" to showcase th e unsavory de tails of th e informan ts' lives. 'J ac kie was tre me nd ous fo r us," says codefe nd ant Ca ravaggio . "H e didn ' t kno w t h e la w; h e wasn ' t a lawye r. So he co uld get more in. If h e vio la ted pro pe r courtroo m co nduc t, what was th e j udge gonn a do? Fi n d hi m in co nte m p t of co urt ? H e already had 30 years." 'Whe n th e governme nt's star witness-Jac kie's cousin, J oey Al onzotook the stan d, J ackie waved his ha nd a t Ju d ge Ac ker m a n. ''judge?" h e asked. "Is it possible I could arrest Mr. Alonzo on a civil ma tte r? Make a citize n 's arrest? See, he vio la ted my civil righ ts. He u·ied to ki ll me." J ac kie ca used th e jury to qu estion no t only the val id ity of gove rnme nt's case, bu t the judgme n t of th e prosecuto rs. He di sp e lled the j uqr's myth th a t the gove rnme nt represe n ted th e hon est, fair e nfo rce rs o f law a nd j ustice. 'The" governme m m ight not be "tJ1eir" governme nt a t all. "I was in sh ock at som e o f the things th e governm e nt tri ed to d o," says Caravaggio . "Al l they had was a g lo rifi ed gambl ing case. In the end, the j ury kn ew th ere was mo re wrong clone o n the pa n of the governme nt tha n o n ours." .Jackie d e m o nstra ted this in his c r oss-exa min a ti o n o f i n fo rm a n t Ra y m o nd Pinto, .Jr. , a co nvicted drug deale r. " ow h ere's a ma n who was caught with a key of coke, and there's a warra nt out for his a rrest," Jackie says. "Before I began , I said, 'Is the cou rt aware that th is man h as a warrant o ut for his arrest?' T h e judge sai d, ' H aven't I to ld yo u , Mr. Di No rscio, you can't arrest a nybody in this couru·oom?' "judge,' I told him, 'it's not my du ty to a rrest him. It's the court's.' So Acke rm a n goes, 'Mr. DiNorscio, I 'll te ll yo u agai n . We're not arrestin g h im. Now ask questio ns!' '"Okay. Then I ask for a mistrial!' "'And I d eny your motion fo r a mistrial! "So I says, ' H mmm. Then how 'bout a cu p of coffee and a ham sandwich?"' idway th roug h th e u·ial, Jud ge Ackerman d iscovered that the proseClllion h ad committed a Brady informant violation wi th Robert Fisher. T h e material Ac kerman stumb led u p o n revealed that Fisher had testified before a magistrate with a h ead full of cocaine, qualudes and alco ho l. He also adm itted that muc h of what he said were li es. Des pite the d efe nse's repeated requests to the prosecutio n to turn over this material, O'Malley stalled. Ju dge Acker ma n stopped th e tr ial for thr ee days to determine whe th er a motion for a mistrial was in o rd e r . But b eca use th e case had a lready gone o n for a yea r-six months longer than the j u rors were told it would last-the judge settled for impeaching Fisher. It's t h at d ecision th a t J ackie DiNorscio is hoping will be his ticket h ome. DiNorscio has compiled nearly a hundred pages of transcript th a t sh ow Judge Ackerman's recogn ition of th e Brady violation. Clearly, if the defe nse had bee n aware of the impeaching evidence agai nst Robert Fish er in th e first tria l, the one in whic h J ackie was sentenced to thirty years, DiNorscio wo uldn ' t be in the ca n toda y, a nd the govern m e nt wouldn ' t have had the fou nda tio n for th e second trial. "It's a very substantial argumen t he's maki ng," says Critchley. "And he did it all o n his own. J ackie's got a stro n g ch a n ce of winnin g this not only because of his argument's me rit, but because he doesn't give up." "I a m what I a m and I did what I did," says J ackie, "But at least I played fair. The prosecu tors n ever did ." acki e's summation, like h is performance through out th e tria l, took jurors on an emo ti onal roller coaster ride. "I'm a li ttle nervous," he said , picking up the microphone a nd tapping it. "One, two, three, four. T hat's no t th e counts I'm involved in . I'm just warming u p. "God b less yo u," h e to ld th e jurors. "What e ndurance! Reme mbe r they told you the trial wou ld take six months? It was six months ago that I became a court j ester. See, I knew it was gonn a be 18 months before they were through, and I didn't want you to be mad at me at th e end of the trial... J M "See these men?" he said, his voice cracking witl1 emotion. "I know every one o f their famili es a nd their kids. They got something to go h ome to. I know I mad e a lot of jokes about my wife in this courtroom, but I'd give it all up righ t now for her to be at my side." At tha t point, seve ral fema le jurors began to cry. "Don't fee l bad, ladies," Jackie said. "I done it to myself." J ack ie took a d ee p brea th and gained his composure. "l f you fee l li ke th e governme nt go t to you and everyone is g uilty, would you let these men go home and fin d me gui lty instead? Because if it wasn't for me, there would be no trial." He addressed the jury for the fi nal time. "I don ' t have nothing further to say, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much. " n tl1e e nd, it was t11e government p rosecutors who looked like foo ls. It h ad taken two years for O'Malley and the prosec u tion team to p resent t h eir case, but less than two days for th e jury to render its verdict: Not gu ilty, on all coun ts. Un li ke the other defendants, who were hugg ing the ir wives and c hildren and leaving the courthouse for a massive celebratio n, J ackie, the man who was la rgely responsible for th e stu n n ing victory, stood alo n e. Un like the others who we re go ing home,Jackie was going back to jail. As he walked into th e M.C.C. in New York, DiN orsc io was greeted with banners and applause from the pri so n ers. As far away as Fort Leave nworth, Ka nsas- througho u t th e federal p rison system-spo ntan eous ap plause e rup te d when the news was announced. M.C.C. cons went wild. 'They gave me a stan d ing ova t ion fo r 25 minu tes," Ja c kie recalls. "It felt so good. Not so much th e app la use, b u t the fact th at all th ose b oys got off, and that's a ll I cared about, seeing th em get home. "Me? I'm used to th is,'' he says, po in ting to the concr ete wa lls a t F.C.I. Fairton. "I miss th e street j ust li ke a nybody, but if I do n e \vrong, I've dan ced a nd I've paid the fiddle r. I don e my time. ow it's time to go home." I "Most people don't really li ke fat people. But ladies and gentleme n, a t least you can see my feet. I can ' t." T h e n J ackie go t se ri ous. "I a m accused of being a drug dealer and ta kin g over an o r gan ized crime g ro up . I don' t know how I co u ld have. I've been in jail since '72. I got ou t in '79, just in time to go back from '81 to '83. I done my time lad ies and gen tlemen." H e bro ught up his fathe r , Dominick DiNorscio, wh om the prosecutors were fond of snidely referring to as a boss of tl1e Philadelphia Bruno fa mil y. "T h ey always m e nt io n my fath er in the courtroom," J ackie said, "But that man gave m e t h e best advice in my life: 'H e who takes what isn 't his sooner or later winds u p in prison."' DiNorscio picked up his h a ndwritten speech from the podium and waved it in front of the j ury. In a dramatic gesture he ripped the pages in half and threw the m into a wastebaskel. "Believe me," h e said, pointing to t h e to rn speech, "this is a waste of time." He looked around the courtroom. PRISON LIFE 27 ISDN LIFE Don't serve the time, let the time serve you -"""" v T t+ THE PRISON LIFE FOUNDATION Don't incarcerate; educate. e Personal Transformation through Education e Fully-accredited GED, College and Vocational Degrees e Scholarships and Funding for Prison Educational Projects e Courses and Study Materials Delivered Directly to the Prisoner/Student The Prison Life Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization devoted to helping prisoners break free from the cycle of crime and incarceration through education. The Foundation, together with Prison Life Educational Services, Inc., sponsors fully-accredited GED, college and vocational courses through correspondence learning. If you are interested in learning more about educational opportunities offered by the Prison Life Foundation, please fill out and return the attached questionnaire to The Prison Life Foundation, 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1905, New York, NY 10118. Please tell us your personal educational interests. {} Liberal Arts B.A. History { } Philosophy { } Art { } English { } Science B.S. Biology Computer Sciences Chemistry Engineering Business Accounting Pre-Law Marketing M.B.A. <GED> - H.S. Degree { { { { } } } } Vocational Courses { } Name: Address: Other (Specify) { { { { } } } } { } 30 PRISON LIFE :t STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I'M HERE ... ALONE ... A CRIMINAL. 'IT SE.EMS LIKE JUST YESTE.ROO>.Y :r WAS CHASING DOWN CROO'I<S FULL OF PoWER ... SUPE\=I..HUMAN STRENGTH PSIONICPOWER.S ... JE'SUS, WHATWIASIN "T'HOSE &'IRI NGES? WHAT WE~ "THOSE. CHEMICAL.S "THE GOVERNMENI SUPPLIED ME WI'TH? THOSE SHOTS THAT TURNED """E. BEST COP NEW VOR..'t<. EVER SA.W I~TO \HE 6EST SUPERHERO THE WORLO WOULD E.VER KNOW . INI-'Y CAN'T 1-'E 5.'!4UT Ul=l?' 0\-\ GOD, 'I' N\ 50 ALONE. ... L£SA . . . w z 0 N 0 u \)) DL I u ~ ()) ()) ~~~--------------~~~@ PRISON LIFE 31 SOME LAWS WERE MEANT TO BE CHANGED. FRIJlflJ Families Against Mandatory Minimums FOUND AT 0 N Fam ilies Against Mandatory Minimums is the only grassroots organization working to eliminate mandatory sentencing laws on the federa l and state levels. But we need your help to change the law. Start by joining FAMM. Then ask your loved ones to j oin the growing chorus of judges, politicians, and fami ly members calling for sentencing sanity. Every voice makes a difference. •FAMM T-Shirts! 0F~w. \ L to Justice you need to MMS&how to change them. JOIN FAMM! 0 Yes, I want to join FAMM. Here's my $5, $ 10,$20, $_ _ contribution. Please send me copies of the booklet "Passport to Justice," at $2 per copy. T-Shirts: Adult size: ($ 12 each) L XL XXL • Legislative updates • Safety Valve Overview • Inside Scoop on Cap itol Hill • 1995 FAMM Strategy for Change • Ex-Cons tell What to Expect from Federal Prisons • FAMM Media Watch • FAMM Calendar of Events ($ 1.49 I st min. I .99 addt'l. min. must be 18 to ca ll) Get the Facts. Change the law! quantity: Children's ($ LO each) S,M,L Enclosed is a check or cash for total amount of$,_ _ _ __ Na me - - - -- - - - - Address _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ City - - -- - -- - -Zipo _ __ St Phone _ _ __ _ __ Send checks to FAMM Foundation 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 11200-South, Washington, D.C. 20004 Story &: Photos by Chris Cozzone stiff sente n ce, and like other m e mbe rs o f th e Li fe r ' s ife r Arman i Shakur spent seven years in solita t)', a t Gro up , he has d edicated his ti me be hind bars to he lping T re_n Lon State. a nd at East J e rsey StaLe P!·ison , not canng a bout Jack shtl. The n he me t Lte ute nant juve nil es learn from his mi stakes. The re's no shortage of pra ise fo r 46-yea r-old Ala n Ala n August, who lllrne d o ut to be the o n ly pe rson who August at East J e rsey State Prison in Rahway, NJ. In fact, would liste n to h im. Aug ust would visit the young lifer in th ere's so muc h of it that if he isn ' t careful , befo re h e soli tary. The n o ne clay h e wen t to the adminisu·at.i o n and re tires next M.a rc h , the prisoners and C.O.'s a re go nn a ta lke d to th e m abo ut g iving A rn1ani a noth e r c h a n ce. dip his ass in bro nze an d stick h im up o n the dome this Su rprisingly, they did. Today, Armani, pa n or th e Life r's G ro up, is a differslate pe n is known for. T he man's as much an insti tution as the institutio n itself. e nt man . Alan August, kn own to Calvin Bass has a simila r all as "Augie," a nd to many s to r y. At 14, h e was se npriso n e rs as "Lt. Bub ba," ten ced to 35 yea rs to life for has pu t in 25 cale nda rs a t mu rder. Calvin will n ot be Rahway. For h is first eight eligible for paro le unti l he is years, he worked as a C.O. nea rl y 50. At the time or se nThen he go t invo lved with tencing , th e judge told the Life r 's Grou p and th e ir Calvin he was "unreha bil itaJ uve nil e Awa reness Protive ." For th e first five years g ra m. In 1976, ac tin g as o f his incarce ratio n , Calvin , liaison for the prisone rs, deprived of any hope, was a he s u pe r vise d th e Scared troublemake r. T he n he got Straig h t p rogram. involved in th e Li fe r 's Scared Straight was th e Grou p a nd he, too , met Lt. first in-yo "-face program to Au gust, who gave th e kid e me rge from a p riso n. It hop e . T o d ay, at 25, Calvin As sem from inside, thP bmss dome of l:'tisi.Jnse:y Stale Pri.1011. beca m e so su ccessfu l th a t has learn e d to d eal with hi s L PRISON LIFE 33 offic ia ls i n Wa shingt o n , D. C. , T e nn essee, Ida ho, cw Yo rk , West Virginia, De laware and even o rway asked Lt. August for he lp in starting sim ila r programs. Augie has a lso b ecome one of th e leadi ng lecturers o n juvenile crime. Fo r the Scared u-<1igh t program, Augie would brin g wackecl-ou t juveni l es into Ra hway t o meet co n s, wh o'd verbally assault th e m with th e h ardco re truth of pri son life. Th e inten ti o n was to sca re some se n se in to th e kids a nd hope th ey d idn't re peat the prisoners' m ista kes. "The re's no bu llshit with Scared Straight," says Augie. "We te ll 'em what t h ey need to kn ow. Like about d rugs. We tell 'em, yeah, th ere arc drugs in prison. Drugs a re in all prisons. T hey get in by visitors, by workers, by dirty cops ... a nd the price? Triple in here. Now, if you had a prog ra m wh ere just staff talked to kids, you 'd hear, ' o, no , th ey're no drugs h ere. ' Bullshit." Whateve r it to ok to shove some sense clown a punk-kid's throa t, th e co n s o f Scared Straig ht a nd Lt. August did it. "You co m e in h ere, kid," one con might say, "and you r ass is mine, 'ca use you gonna be my bitch. Yo u h ear me?" Or, "I'm gonn a di e in here. You wanna do th e sa m e?" o subj ec t is tab oo: rape , s h an ks, dru gs, d issin ' a nd dyin '. Afte r 17 yea r s of Sca red Straigh t a nd working with prisoners with the common goal of he lpi ng kid s, August said h e started to change o n a personal level. "Wh en I first came he re, I had an ego proble m," says the forme r Golde n Gloves cha mp ion. "I was a toug h guy. I was li ke a lo t of 2 1-ycar-olds who co me he re eve n now, wanting powe r a nd con trol over other peo ple. " August had wan ted to be a State Trooper but he was too short; back th e n , the re was a height require melll and 5'7" d idn 't cut it. "Then one clay, I saw an ad in t h e paper for a corrections officer. I didn ' t even know what it was. Back the n, they used to hire you off th e street. " Augie became the youngest oflice r at Rahway. "I was the odd o n e o ut. Everybody e lse was in their 30s a nd up , just a bunch o r old people. And the priso n? Forget it. Priso ne rs had to h ave military ha irc uts a nd wa lk be tween th e ye llow lin es. Mail 34 PRISON LIFE was ce nsored, solita ry confin ement with bread and wa te r was in, a nd th ey used to have band mu ic p lay ing when priso ners went to work." Augie played a long fo r ·eve ral years, until h e became Sergea nt. Then , with the stan of Scared Straigh t, he began to see a purpose to his professio n . "vVhe n you work in a prison setting," he says, "the inmates have an image to keep. The officers do, too." That line sta rted to blu r for August. "I started spe nd ing so much time with the inma tes tha t after awhi le, I le t the image go. And so did th ey. We started to know each other real good." East JersP)· Stale Prison's Lifer :~ Group: (above) the 01iginal group, which formNI in 1975, and (b1•/ow) the most ruent. "We were a li ttle skeptical about him a t first," adm its Willi e All e n , who's been in carcerated for as long as Aug ic's worked in Correc ti ons . "But that was ju l because he was one of 'them' e n tering our ra nks. As time we nt on , he showed he was just o ne of the fe ll as. He ta ug ht us that if you're stra ight-up with a guy, if you treat a man like a man , you 're gonn a b e trea ted like a m a n back. That's why h e was so successful. " "H e's a lways g iven a fu c k," ex plai ns Chris De Luise, ch airma n of th e Lifer's Group. "He's p eoplethat's why we've given him th e ni ckna me, ' Lt. Bubba."' Anot h e r r easo n wh y Aug ie believes he has succeeded in connecting with th e co ns is because of his street background. He grew up in th e rough pa rt o f Elizabeth, ~· "I was always a tough g u y, " h e says. "Remember ' H appy Days'? The Fonz? That was me-tJ1e leather jacket, Va eline in tl1e hair, y'know. I did a lot of bad things. I just never got caught and I got out in time. T hese guys d idn 't. Man y of the inmates I work with and most of the kids tha t come to Scared Straigh t a re th e ones who won't get ou t in time." O ve r the yea rs, Augic has developed some very unusual rela tionships with priso n e rs. These bonds have ge n e rated h u ndreds of stories and incidents. Li ke the time o n e o f t he prisoners (who was in for murd e r ) pu ll ed Aug ie o u t of a cellblock fire; it was the same con wh o'd tried to stab him several years earlie r. Or the time h e was attacked by a n inmate with a wooden club, knocked out cold a nd h ospitalized. Where did the majo rity of get-we ll ca rds come from? Yep: prisoners. Or even t h e t im e Augi e step p e d into th e rin g with T ony Aya lla, a p risone r at Ra hway wh o a t o ne time was ra nked o. l j un io r midd leweigh t boxer in the world. "Au gie got his ass k ic ked, " laughs one of th e Lifers. The bout was a fu n d ra ise r for a promo g ig in o rd er to h e lp save a li ttle girl in need of a n operation. 'There's a lot of stories," says Augie. "But that's what happ e n s when yo u ge t a ttached." o t all stories come from Augie, though. The cons got a few of th eir own. "I tal ked Augie's n ephew into j o ining t h e se rvice," laugh s "Crazy Chris" De Luise, who has grown close n ot o nly to August b ut to t h e Lt.'s fam ily. "Th e kid e n ded up ge ttin g stuck in th e Gu lf War. And Augieh e says to me, ' If my nephew dies, you d ie.' It was pretty fu nny. "And whenever Augie bt-ings kids in to tl1e program," continues the 59year-old co n, "h e tel ls them th at they' re gon na meet a 70-year-old hitman-me, of co urse. I kee p telling him that if he says tha t, I' m go nna tell a ll th e kids tha t he's gay or something. Yeah, we got co medy between u s." Lt. August jokes around with 1-lemy Condit and "Crazy Cl11is" DeLuise of the Lifer's CroujJ. "One time thi s kid was go nna jump o n him," re lates \>\Tillie Alle n. "So o l' Lt. Bubba ca m e to see me. ' Willie, whatsa matte r wit' this kid?' 'Wh atsa ma tte r, Augie? Scared of this kid?' I asked him. Augie was hollerin ' a n d sc rea min ' a t thi s kid. H e h ad everybo dy up th ere cracki n ' up. H e don ' t know this," Alle n laughs, "but we used to sic kids on him. 'See tha t g uy ove r there with that sui t on?' we'd say. 'H e thinks h e can kick your butt, m a n. Go ove r th e re a nd sta n some shit with him, refuse to do wha t h e te lls you to d o.' And Augie a nd this kid wou ld get into it and we 'd just sit back a nd la ugh our asses off. " Altho ugh th e special re lation ship Augie has with th e Life rs h as bee n positive fo r those invo lved , some outside rs have criticized Augie's ways. "A lot of C.O.'s would call him a fu c kin ' lib eral ,·· says Anth o n y Lorraine, ano th er Lifer who's known Augie for ove r a d ecade. "Some have ca ll ed him soft. But if being soft m eans carin g abo ut us, th e n yeah , he's bee n soft. l think they just p erceive him as soft becau e h e's worked so closely with u s." Pa tri c k Arvo ni o , th e S up e rinte nde nt of Eas t J e rsey Sta te Priso n, agrees. " obody says he 's too soft out lo ud , but you pick up info rmatio n a ro und her e. S ure, so m e peopl e think he 's acted on be hal f of inmates when they thought he shou ld n ' t, but that isn ' t the case. If some g uy gets busted who should 've gotten busted , Aug ie d eals with him . In this business, the re a re gon na be times when you go to bat fo r a n inmate because yo u think h e's r ig ht. And Aug ie's d one that. Some of that oth er stuff with staff is just jealo usy." "If being ~oft means car1ng, then yeah, he's soft." "Th e guys who 've loo ked down o n Aug ie a re dinosau rs," says Lt. AI Ha rri s, who says Aug ie broke him into the bus in ess 18 yea rs ago . "These turnkeys a nd headbuste rs a re leftove rs from th e '50s a nd '60s. You d eal with eve ryone he re as individuals, a nd with res p ec t. That's wh a t Aug ie's taught me.'' "I' m n o t a b leeding-b ea n li be ral," says Augie. "But I think prisons should be reserved for the real jerks a nd idiots. Some things work here, som e things don ' t. I act accordingly. But too soft? I m ay be li beral one way, but I'm hard in o the r ways. Eve r hea r those inmate sob sto ri es? Some of 'em blame eve rybody but themselves. I ca n ' t stand th at shit. T he re are certain types o f inm a tes wh o deserve to be locked up. "On the o th e r ha nd, if you treat prisone rs like sh it, and take away programs and recreation ... Tha t's not righ t. It just means trouble. If a pri ·o n e r has done so m e thing that warra nts punishmen t, you put him in the prison 's prison: Ad Seg. But you don ' t stan taking thi ngs away like weights and progra ms for th e he ll of it." Th e co n s of the Lifer's G rou p can also attest to Augie's hard side . "He ain't all peaches and cream," says He nry Condit, preside nt o f th e Lifer's Group. "We get in a rgum ents. I cuss him out, h e cusses us o ut. He gets pissed o ff, slams the doo r. But if he 's wrong, and vice versa, the re are always a pologies. It's a human thing with us and Aug ie. " PRISON LIFE 35 Lt. Ill I-lanis mps biz with llugie. For Lt. Au g ust, th is " hum a n thing" r eally hit h o me abo ut two yea rs ago. Lt. August sta rted losi ng his bala nce; some tim es h is legs would g ive o u t. Me mb e rs of th e Life r ' s Grou p wou ld h e lp him to his fee t, teasi ng Augie th a t maybe h e'd had too much to drink the nig ht before. When h e was dia g n ose d with Mu ltip le Sc le ros is, th e pri so n ers stopped ma kin g fun of h im. "Eve n if I asked the inmates to imi tate me," says Augie, "because it m ade me laug h , they wou ldn ' t do it. It was then that I realized o ur unusual relationship was no t a fro nt, but real. " Multiple Sclerosis has made it hard for Augie to maintain the hectic schedul e he's kept up for 18 years, so last year, he announced his re tirement. T h e Lifer's Gro up gave him a n a pprecia ti o n dinn e r. "We kn ew h e likes o ld Motown tunes," says Condit, who sings in a gr ou p with several othe r Life rs. "So we sa ng a medley of his favorite hits at the dinne r. The re we were singing and I look down at him a nd Aug ie's sitting in the fro nt row crying. I'm like, 'damn'-he almost messed me up when I seen him." Although M.S. h inde rs Augie, he d oesn 't pla n to sit on his butt after his reti rement. The man has plans: a book, movie projects and , of course, a continuation o f the work he's done with Juve nile Awaren ess. Augie will keep working to help kids stay out of priso n; h e's even talked to so me of the Life rs about incorpo rating the m in to his project, once they' re out. Some of th e priso n e rs are co nvinced tha t Lt. Bubba will get bored and r e turn to Corr ec tions. Some would like to see him as a n adm inistrator, o r, better yet, a supe rinte nd e nt. But that's all up to Lt. Bubba, who's sti ll unsure what's next for him. "One thin g is fo r sur e," says Wi llie Allen. "When he's gone, he's d efinitely gonna be missed ." 11fZ. MA/Z.I.F'I T/113PI=' fig WA!T/330 5£VP;11 . 1'1CW!ll'5 TO 114£/.eA TOO'Tll FIU-ee> ANI) /.(~5 !3/?'/3N£JI£Wtt:O FOP TO~ Y.~!( 0 36 PRISON LIFE I NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of IN BROTHERS and SISTERS & OUT 48 HR. SHIPPING LOWEST PRICES FACTORY WARRANTIES ONE LOW $3.65 SHIPPING CHARGE·ANYQUANTRY UPS 2nd DAY AIR AVAILABLE NABSIO 10013 S. Vermont Ave, #254 Los Angeles, CA 90044 (213) 755-8778 Donald R. Evans, Director Nathaniel Ali, Asst. Director OCATION-:-9220 PULASKI HWY. • BASKETBALL SHOES ==~~.:.::: ADIDAS INVADER-MID-BLACK-EN --45.95 ADIDAS SUPERSTAfH.CTN.8LKIWHT-MEN -39.95 ADIDAS PRO MODEL-MII).6tJ( OR WKT.U .44.95 ADIDASCENTURY~-MEN41.95 ADIDAS MUTOMBO-MID-MEN __............ 44.95 ADIDAB WllfTER8AI.L.-l--... 59.95 ADIDASFULLCOURf-MID-SLACK-MEN .51.95 ADIDASIH'1'R\JDER-MII ....,69.85 ADIDAS AQRESSOR '95-MID-MEN ........--59.95 ADIOA8 BTREETBAU. ~ 49.95 ADIDAS STRfET'BALL 111-lOW·BLKIWHT-M .54.95 ADIDABSTREETIW.Lilf-MID-MEN --59.95 ADIDAS TORSION RESPONSC-MID-BLK-M •48.95 ADIDAS TORSION A11T1\JD&lOYHILK-MEN 49.85 ADIDAS TORSION A'TJ11UDE.MID.el-MEN .49.95 CONVERSERUN'NSI.AM-MID-BLKNMr-M .. 49.95 CONVERSE RUN 'N SLW '115-l0W.f3LK-M .. 54.95 CONVERSE RUN 'N SLW 'IJ5oloiiD.BI.X-M 58.95 CROSSTRAININGSHOES Breaking the chains of ignorance with the True Knowledge of Mrocentricity. Help us turn prisons into universities, and prison cells into classrooms for Mrocentric studies! NABSIO is a national, non-profit organization which provides incarcerated Mro-Americans with reorientation programs needed to meet their needs for readjustment back into society. Contact NABSIO for admission into its Mrocentric program. HOLABIRD SPORTS- NEVER A RESTOCKING FEE REEBOK LTSso-I.OW-Sl.ACK- --37.95 REEBOK LTS 55-MID-Bt.KOR WHI'-MEN 39.95 REEBOKBREAKAWAY-HIGH-MEN ---51.95 REEBOK BB 4800 ULTRA MID-BlKIWKT.Y .... 38.95 REEBOK B8 4800 UL'TM-HIGH-MEN - .. 39.95 REEBOKSHAQAlTAQIHSTAPUMP-MIDoM -79.95 REEBOK BAI.LGAME-MID-Bl.ACK4CEN ... 59.96 REEBOK CROSSOVER 11-MI[).BlJ(fNH'I'-M .. 49.95 REEBOKSPECTOR-MID-IIlK OR WHT-M 49.95 REEBOK ISOI.ATDR-M!D-8LK OR WHT.Y .47.95 REEBOK TEAM VERTICAL-lOW-BI.I(-M .. 51.95 NABSIO FREE CATALOG AVAILABLE RJU LINE TENNIS, RACQUETBALL a SQUASH RACQUE1'8, SHOES, BAGS a ACCESSORIES AT LOWESr DISCOUNT PRICES EVERI MAIL OR PHONE-WE SHIP ANYWHERE SEND IIONEY ORDER OR CHECK. IIIARYLAND RESHJEJml ADD 5%. MON.· FRI. 9 • 5 • SATURDAY 9 • 3 mlllmmBDELF! RUGGED SHOES & BIKING/WORK BOOTS CONVERSE CHUCK TAYLORllMBERLANO: ALL STAROlC-l.OW-&K OR WHT-M -21.95 10081-81NCH-TAN-MEN _ .................-88.95 ALLSTAR4GGH-BLKOR WHT-MEN -22.95 10089-eiNCK-BtACK-MEN --72.85 CONVERSE SPEEDPULL-II0-8LKIWHT.Y 44.95 10381-ti~TAN-l.ADIES --------~.95 CONVERSE CONS 500-I.CW-MEN --33.95 11066-61NCI+!-BAOWN LEATHER-M- 107.95 OONVERSECONS500-HIGif.8U(ORWHT.Y37.95 20081-81NCK-TAH-MEN----B1.115 CONVERSE TAR MAX-MID-MEN _,...._,44.85 800119--a INCH--illACK-MEN ---78.95 CONVERSE NBA lHREAT-Mio.BUWMT.Y .. 44.85 30304-GENA TRBO<ER-LADIES ---83.95 B.LESSE 84o998-lOW-IIlA-MEN .....-49.95 37042-CHUICKA TRS<KER-MEN --105.95 NEW BALANCE BB 550-HIGH-I!lKIW-MEN 37.85 311001-uLl'IMATETREK-IIO-IEN -120.85 SPBCIALI NIKB AIIl JIORCB BIGB 50CIC»-3.£YB.EI' ClASSIC WG-MEN -· 118.95 BLACKOilWBITE-MEN .... .s.tt.t5. ~-== NII<EAIRJORDAN 9-HIGH--MEN --19.95 ~ FIEI.D-MEN --109.95 NIKE AIR 80UND--MID-BLK OR WHT-MEN. 49.95 57334-KARRlE-MID-I.ADIES - ............ 85.95 NIKE AIR FORCE 1-lQW.BlK OR WHT.U -57.95 58033-3 EYB.ETOXFORO-MEN --105.85 NIXEAIRFORCEMAXCB MID aEH ...- .. 89.115 ~7EYB.ETCtU<KA-MID-MEN 117.95 NIKE AIR Ufi.IMfTED-HIGH---19.95 II8044-8U8H HIKER-lOW-I!ROWN-M .... 58.95 NIKEAIR SWIFT-MI0-8I.K ORWHT-MEN 1115.95 118047-BUSH HI<ER-LOW.a.ACK.Y ...... 59.95 NIKEAIRPREVAIL--MIO--M:N ·----75.95 8110156-8USHJIKER.-.MI0.8AC-14J15 NIKEAIRPROP IIIOBLACK MEN .. 51.85 88057-IIUSHHI<ER MII).BIAQC-M ...-14.115 NIKEAIR DARWN-lOW-MEN -----57.95 fiiiCI54-EURO HICER CHUIOCA-MEN- 87.95 NIKE AIR DARWIN-Iom-IEN -----84.95 1111071-tiNCH MOCTOE WORXBOOT.U, 79.85 NIKE AIR POUNo-&.11)-...81 ~CK-MEN _ .... 59.95 89357--DIANE-MIO-a.A -118.95 NII<EAIRAUTHORRY~D-BLKORWHT-MENC8.95 01)3S2--01-.tE MIDBOOWtJ LADES .. I58.95 NIKE AIR STRONG-WD-BLACK-MEN ....... 82.95 83381-.IAVNE-MID-TAN-I.ADIE8 ........ 85.95 NIKE DRMHG FClRCE-110-MEN ---39.815 92055-TMT-MID-MBJ ----~.815 PUMA SlJEDE-..lOIW-8 OR Bl.UE-M .39.115 M332-RSEE-lADIE ............................ 58.95 Pl.ltMBASICET'-LOW11501St BJROHICER-IID-MEN--58.95 WHT WI NATURAL'OR BlK SWOOSH-MEN35.95 951oo-£URO HIKER-LEATHER-MEN ... 89.96 PUMA SKY JAil liOBUCK-MEN 38.95 9531o-aJRO HIKER-LEATIEJMADIES 118.95 I I . RUNNJNGSHOES ~~.:-.:=::::: ADIDAS TORSION CFR HURRICANE LJTE.M .49.95 REEBOK ClASSIC LEA1JtER.8LKIWHT...,_ .44.115 NEVAD06'TUNDAA-IID-MEN I LADIES ... 33.96 NEWIW.ANCECXT775-8, D, EE&4E-MEN ,56.85 RS:BOKPYRO-MENILADIEB _ ............. 39.95 NEWBALANCEMH518-MID-DIE15-MEN .47.95 ~~:-:~: ~~~:::: REEBOK SATElliTE-MID-lEN ----52.95 REEBOK EXOFIT LEA'JHER.l().61JC1Wtfl'-M .. 43.95 REEB01C EXOFIT LEA'fHER.MI[).I!U(NMI'.f.t 44.95 REEBOK EX0F1T LEAlHER.fii.BU<NMr.f.t ... 48.95 NEW BALANCE M878-8, D, EE& 4E-MEN.52.95 NIXE AIR PEGASUS '94-MEN &lADIES ·-·- 42.95 SAUCONY Jm.4000-MEH &LADIES --41.95 SAUCONV BANOOR-MEN & LADIES ............ 38.95 ADIDAB EQUIPMENT ADYEH1\JReoHIGH -74.815 ADIDAS CRATOR-MID-NEN ·---·--44.95 DEXTER ~NW.t ... 69.95 DEXTER ICL.ONDIKE-foiDES 80.85 DEXTER ICLONDIKE-MID-MEN ---80.85 DEXTERCARIBOO-MID-MEN.----·-84.95 DEXTER ROXIE-MIDoBROWWI'NKADIES .IS0.95 HI-T£C ALPINE-MD-MEN &LADIES-·-·- 54.95 HI-TEC VISTA--MID--liEN 54.95 HI-TEC MIONITE lllACK-MiO-MEN --150.95 HI-TEC SIERRA LITE 11-Mio.BROWtWU<.U -38.95 :::~~~~ M,_,_ _ _ : : : HI-TECSHASTAII-MEN .. 29.95 K.SWISS TAl.ARA-HIGK-UDIES ---59.95 K-&WISS MURAI.TO-HIGH-MEN--69.815 K.swiSSPONT~ - - - -.. 94.95 NI<ECAI.DEP'rliD MEN &LADIES -46.95 REEBOKZEN-HOH-MEN _,,_,_...._ .. 79.95 REEBOKBWERIOGE~--48.95 REEBOKTB.OS-HIGH-MEN---...-58.95 REEBOKTEL06 ULTRA-HIGH-MEN --84.115 REEBOK CliFfHANGER--YD REEBOKVIRAZON 11-M!D-lADIES --45.95 ROCI<PORT: DISCOVERY 5519-8ROWN-MID-MEN .... 80.95 DISCOVERY 55»-8RRWN-t..W .. 54.95 ---48.95 SKEQER8: GIROERW/STEEL TOE~.U-42.115 H1EAM W/ STEEL 1'0E-MID-BROWN-M ... 49.95 TRESTLE WOIICIJOOT.yo.TNWRQWN.M .45.95 ~~(iM'Nstzii)::: RIPSAW-foi0-8U< OR BAOWN-IoEN ... 315.95 OILS'JCNE.MI)oTAtWRCMN-l(EVENSIZES) 49.95 TENNISSBOES ADIDAS TORSION RESPONSE-lOW-ME 55.85 NEW BALANCE CT 8110-8, D, EE 14&MEN .&5.95 AVIA 742 LEATHER-MEN &LADIES .............. 29.95 REEBOK CENTRE COURT-MEN -·---- 54.95 FILA a.ASSICTENNIS-MEN 48.95 REEBOK QUAUFIER-IoiD-MEN ----53.85 HEAD RADIALI500-lOW LEATHER-MIL ...... 45.95 PRISON LIFE 37 PUTTING AHUMAN FACE ON MANDATORY MINIMUMS by Richard Stratton e should all have sisters like Julie Stewart. When her brother, Jeff, got busted for growing pot and sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of five years, Julie, in her words, " went crazy." She launched a one-woman campaign to change laws she calls "stupid" and " unAmerican." That was five years ago. Today Julie is the president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), a Washington, D.C.-based organization some 27,000 strong. FAMM is directly responsible for one of the few sane provisions included in the horrendous, politically fraught Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994. The "Limitation on Applicability of Mandatory Minimum Penalties," otherwise known as the "safety-valve," represents a hard-won if partial victory for those Americans who still believe that the punishment should fit the crime. Julie is a smart, articulate, attractive woman who looks like Jer ry Brown's old flame, Linda Ronsta dt. She credits the success of FAMM's efforts to appearances, " putting a human face on the law," and to looking and acting professional and businesslike instead of coming on like some radical freak. Her strategy includes " attacking at both the grassroots level, getting to the public, as well as at the legislative leve l h ere in Washington or in state capitals." It's a combination that works. "I'm frrmly convinced now that for any cause, you need a victim," Julie tells me when I visit her at FAMM's professional and businesslike offices a cross from the FBI Building on Pennsylvania Avenue. "You need to visually display the victim and that's what we' ve done and I think we've done it really successfully." You also need to appeal to a wide range of the political spectrum. One of FAMM's most important contributions to the fight for rational sentencing practices has been to alert conservative politicians to the dangers inherent in mandatory sentencing, which strips away all judicial discretion from the sentencing phase of a criminal proceeding and places unconstitutionally broad powers in the hands of prosecutors. "I think you have to play the game by the rules of the establishment," Julie an swers whe n I ask how her organization has been able to m ake the kind of political inro ads it h as in Washington. "And those rules are: look conservative, act conservative, find conservative support, which is what we have done." W The yo un ges t of fo u r k id s, J u li e was a to mboy who loved to romp around with her best buddy, her o lde r b rother J e ff, and r id e ho r ses an d m oto r cycl es on t h e fa mily wh eat farm in Wash ington state. By 1990, wh e n J e ff go t a rrested , julie had moved to D.C. wh ere sh e wo rked in pu b li c relations for the CATO In stitute, a li be rta ria n thi n k tank. 'Jeff was g r ow ing ma rijuan a with two friends in a house that he owned bu t didn't live in. T h e guys who lived in the house showed the ne ig hbo rs what th ey were do in g, like fools, and th e n e ighbo r s turned them in to the police a nd got a thousand do llar reward. The two guys who were living in th e ho use turned J eff in as the ki ng pin. T hey both had prior felo ny convictio n s, b u t th ey go t p robation beca use t h ey turn ed J e ff in . J eff took the fall for everybody. H e got five years for 375 marij uana plants. I was a p palled. I tho ug h t this was stupid. T his was n ot justi ce. I think tha t as much as I was sorry th at J eff \vas going to priso n, the thing that pi ssed m e off was th a t th e jud ge h ad no d isc re tion. T h e g uy h ad bee n on the be nc h for 25 years and at Jeff's se n te n c in g h e sa id , 'The re's nothing I can do. I have to give you th is sente n ce."' j u l ie bega n ask in g p eo p le a ro und t h e Ca pi to l exac tly wh at ma n d a tory m inim u m sen tencing was all a bo u t. She quickly learned an important po litical lesson: Most Congressmen do n 't unde rstand th e laws th ey pass a n d the y h ave n o id ea how th ose laws tra nslate into p ractical, hu ma n terms o nce th ey a re e n ac ted. MnndatOI)' minimums, three strikes you're out, get tough on criminals-th ese arc po li tical slogans that beco me laws with n o consid era ti on for rea l socia l co n sequ e n ces beyo n d winni n g votes fr o m an e qu a lly unen lig hte n ed electorate. So J ul ie decided it was time to educa te th e public and the legislators in order to show the m exactly wh o th e ir ill-co n ce ived laws we re affecting. In Ju ly of 1991, sh e left CAT O and fo und ed FAMM. "Go meet with you r legisla tor," she urges FAMM me mbe rs, most of PRISON LIFE 39 wh o m a rc, like J ul ie, rudely awake ned re latives of drug war prisoners. 'Take a p ictu re of your loved o n e with you . Ex pla in in five minutes o r less wh}' he or sh e is in priso n and why it's wro ng." T h e FAMM s tra tegy is c learly effec tive. In a li ttle over three years, FAMM has accomplished more th an all th e othe r se ntencing reform groups co mbi ned. Th oug h Ju lie recognizes tha t th e bure aucratic be h emoth that is our fe de ra l governme nt takes a lo ng tim e to respond , sh e credi ts he r me mbe rs wi th a vital yet billersweet victory fo r those opposed to mandatory minimum sente nces. "Th e ' a fcty-va lve' that 's in th e crime bill is d irectly the resul t o f our e fforts. I kn ow that because I h ear it from peo ple o n th e Hill. Peop le who have been th e re for L5 years arc saying that t h e l e tt e rs co ming into Co n g r ess m e n' s o ffi ces, th e tel ep ho ne calls and the faxes a rc registe ring. Nobody wa talking about th e issue of mandatory minimums prior to FAr--,t M comi ng u p. No o ne knew abo ut it. The m e mbers o f Congres didn't even know it existed, or if they d id it was like, ' Eh , th ey ' r e j u st inm a tes, nobodies.' Bu t now we've been able to attach a human face to the i sue, whe ther it' th e moth er or th e wife o r sister or who mever, it's a real constitue nt, a real p e rso n that t h ey h a,·e to an wer t o. So eve n thoug h we h ave n ' t su ccee d e d in e liminating mandatory se nte ncing, we've made it a n issue th e me mbers of Congress can ' t ignore an ymore." Th e safety-va lve provision allows a se ntenci ng co urt to depart fro m mandatory minimums for ce rtai n first-time, n o n-violent drug offende r . Th e judge can u se th e U.S. Senten cing Guide lines a nd lower a se nte nce to re n ecl the dcfcndam 's min or ro le a nd a cce p ta n ce of responsibility o r othe r mitiga ting factors. The biller Laste le ft by FA.l'vlM's victory comes from th e fac t th a t th e provision was not made re troactive. FA.\IIM membe rs fought h ard LO have re troacti,·ity included with the safe tyva l\'e, but it was re move d from the bill after a !ie rce lobbying e ffort by a n ew o rga nization called th e lationa l Assoc iation of Ass istant. U.S. Allorney"s (1 AAUSA). In th e excelle nt, in for mative "FAMM-gra m ·· n ewsletter julie publi ·h cs she no tes: 'They did th is lo bbyin g o n taxpayer tim e from th e ir fed e ra l offices." Ju lie's broth e r J eff and th e loved-on es o f 40 PRISON LIFE FAMM membe rs wh o a re now se rving mandatory minimums won 't bcne!it from the new law as it is wrillen. Still , j ulie sees this "seem ingly innocuo us" provision as t h e begin nin g of the e nd for m a n d ato ry m inim u m sen tences. "Most of tl1e tim e I fee l very positive abou t what I'm doing," .Julie re plies when I ask how she feels about the results FAMM is ge lling in Wash ing ton . "I feel th at we a rc makin g s low but steady progress fo rward. T here are times wh e n I don ' t feel like t h at b eca u se th is is such an uphill battl e and you ge t tired c lim b in g a mountain a nd yo u want to rest. Like when we lost retroactivity of th e safe ty-va lve in th e c rim e bill , 1 was really de mora lized for a wh ile. It really took the wi nd out of m e." Her dark eye sparkle a n d she smil es. "But th e thing that has a lways con ti nued t o m otiva t e me is anger. Anger th at the system is so sc rewed up that it al lows people to ro t in priso n for fi ve o r te n or twenty yea rs for a non-violent crime. " W h a t up sets Ju lie most about manda totl ' minimums is that they remove a ll discre tion fro m sentencing judges. '"Tha t's (Left) .JnliP Stewm·t (13rloru) Jeff Stewart, .Julie's brotlte1; with his nt'jJitews Ross ami Ravn Whiting/on. (Next page) II FAJ'yfJ\11 protest in Indianapolis against mandaiOI)' sentmcing. Prison Fiction by J. C. Amberchele h e re are h ill s al l a round , jagged hills, a nd th e wall, a nd above the wa ll a nd th e hills, th e clean white dome of sky, so clean you can a lmost feel it, smooth beyond measure, sil ky h o t. Where the dome e nds at the horizon , it is all snaggletooth e d hi lls, so th at eve ryth in g above resembles th e inside o f a n egg, broken in ha lf, a nd if you ro ll yo ur head back and gaze toward th e sun , straight, straight up, squinting, sweat burning you r eyes, you can feel yourself float, rise on a wave of hea t a nd the n soa r above th e wall and the hills, high e r a nd high e r. Ale x Pitts, lea ning o n hi s sh ovel and with his face to th e sky, fee ls his n ec k pop, and a t th a t vc.r y in stant h ears Crummage, tha t pig, sho u ting from the far side of th e field. "Pitts! Hey, Pitts! We ain ' t got time fo r bird watch in g'! Piu s, you dumm y!"- o n and o n while Alex pulls his h andkerchie f from his pocket a nd wipes his face, wipes the sweat a nd-if he clidn ' t kn ow b e tte r , if thi s h ad b ee n anoth e r life-wipes what could have been tears from h is checks. l-I e ope ns h is eyes and sees what he a lways sees. Years ago, they h ad convicts build the wa ll, cut the sto n e fro m the hill beh ind th e prison, bri c k by brick; what used to be a roc ky bluff covered with sage and pine is now a vertical scar thr ee hundred fee t hig h , the e n tire side o f it clown to th e fences nearby. The res t is in the wall-30 feet ta ll and ha lf a mile lo ng, thic k e nough to walk on. "Yo u gening' a tan , Pitts? Yo u o n th e beach ?" Crummage has crossed the ditc h and co me up behind Alex, laughing even tho ugh nothin g is funny. "Ge t you r ass in gear, boy." T he d itch ·is pan of a new irrigati on project for th e town. T h e o ld slui ce has run west to east through th e prison compoun d for years-now th ey wa nt a spillway to the south , past T 60 PRISON LIFE the clinic a nd death row, under the wall and through the park o ut fro nt. Th e re a re six inmates to d ig it with picks a nd shovels, te n ho urs a day, seve n days a week, anoth e r hu ndred yards before they bring in the cement u·ucks. Alex kn ows he is o n the crew for a reason-he is big a n d stron g an d th ey figure he is dumb e n ough to do what he's told. "If yo u ' re sic k, Pi tts, ge t a pass from th e clinic. " Cr ummage , smilin g broadly, throws o ut a h and in the direction o f the buildings a foo tba ll field away. Alex has th e cho ice. He can drop his shovel and head for the clinicm e n h ave kee le d over in this h ea t, and the re are always lawsuits pe nding aga inst th e State. Bu t a trip to th e clini c mea ns two clays' lay-in, no gym o r yard privileges, too many questions fro m a suspicious nurse who couldn't give a damn if you lived or died. Alex has thi s c h o ice, an d one o th er-h e can swing the shovel, turn h is back to Crummage and do his job, d ig fo r his lo usy mea ls a n d what li u le freedo m h eca n e keout ofa da~ "Pitts, you got a problem?"' Alex looks up at him. Crummage is the day-shift la bor foreman, pushing six ty a nd close to retirement. He is as thi ck a nd wrinkled as a tree ·tump, and wh e1·e his eyes should be th e re are tiny holes covered by ch eap, wirerimm ed sunglasses he neve r re moves. His mouth is loose, mocking. "Because if you do, Pius, we can take care of it. Just you a nd me, son." H e steps in from o f Al ex, hands still o n h is hips, now with h is ch in up, close. Al ex can smell his breath. The old man 's brow is dq•, not a drop of sweat, a nd Alex hates him for tJ1is; he could ki ll thi s ma n with on e punc h , bust hi s over rip e h ead be fo re th e g u a rd in th e t ower co uld s h oot. Crummage is unarmed . He is fa t a nd sloppy a nd Alex has seen a thousand li ke h im , h avin g grown up in state homes and dete n tion ce nte rs, hating the g ua rds with a fire in his chest h e could barely control, h ati ng the m the way he ha ted his fath er 1vho beat h im with fists whe n he was a chi ld, punished him fo r crying, and late r, when the tears d ried forever, punished him for ta lking, fo r saying "I'm sorry," for saying a nything at all, unti l Al ex quit tha t also-and a ll tJ1e whi le he wanted to kill the man , silently, never sa)~ n g a word-just kill him and walk away. Crummage must sen se it because h e drops his ha nds a nd sh akes his h ead. Alex kn ows wh a t Crummage th inks-that a man who canno t talk i stupid ; th a t a ma n wh o is sile nt is blind a n d deaf as we ll. But Crummage knows that Alex ca n feel. H e know beca use h e ta unts Alex, beca use h e push es him to the e dge and th e n a liLLi e b eyo nd , a lm ost e noug h , b e fore he bac ks o ff a nd sha kes his h ead . Alex stabs a t the side of the ditch , gets a foot on the shovel a nd buri es it to the hand le. The din is sa nely in pl aces. wet a nd h eavy in o th e rs . Th e re are rocks, chunks of shale by the t h o usa nd s, and th e d igging is un even, fi tful. T he sun scorc hes the back or his neck, boils the sweat o n his shin. Yeste rday h e fe lt his kn ees give out, and today it is his feet-an ache h e can ' t qu ite place, a ll over in his th ick, state-issue brogans. But his back a nd sh o ulders are stro ng, a nd he ca n co unt on his arms, his arms will be th e last to go. A hundre d years ago, they bought this land and built a prison on it, put up a schoolhouse a nd scratched out a yard and the n built the wall, to re down some buildings and put up new ones, renovated everytJ1ing and changed the name when tJ1 e Feels sue d, but basically it's the same. Except the old convicts are gone. The re are new faci lities now, windowless pods scattered out on the plai ns: modern, low-slung all"airs with high-Lech fe nces; prefabs and mo duIars resemblin g hun kers by clay and spacecraft at night. They are fi lied witJ1 yo un gsters, gangs of kids with crazy hairdo 's and city faces, mouths full of cha uer th at Alex cannot listen to . And now Old Max is reserved for the ill a nd ~ ~ <3 ~ ~ Dl .£;' -~ _s :::! -..<:; ....... A • '~II?ED····• u II' i'c o 1t PRUGH INDW"TitiES', Fl£DEIIAL INC. EUCTRONICS', PUJTICS' AHD OPTICS' DIVIS'ICJI ·······················-··· ...............•......•.••.• • QUOTATION IIUIIDER • 2Q9ff6 • DATI• Hllt/92 • RU: 1049:1 PRICE QUANTITY I TEll S'TOCII 110, 599S-GI.•J23•S201 IIIRINIO NAIINES'S' QUOTINIO TO DRAIIINIO t 9338209 • DILlVOY ARO 3:133 ~i'IEO ·· f',ECI~ - \ 1'6ft \)~\~~~ '· .llt~~~'S'ItALI. ~ ¥ tb'\? V ~ \ ( liE AIIARIIED TO, liND 3 r.OPIES' S'ENl TO THE Foti.OIIIIIG: FEDERAL Pit liON INDUSTRIES, INC • CIU!ti.E FACTORY FEDERAl. CORRECTIONAl. INS'TlTUTION OXFORD, liN 53"2 CAGE 53753 PI.£A.fE SEND A COURTESY COPY OF TK!' ORDER 1'0' · •' llltlCOR, nECTRDNICS', PUS'liCS' AND OPTICS DIVISION 320 FIRST S'T., N.ll., IIASMIIIGTON, D.C. :0534 ·, 1 ; " FOI FACTORY • (far kft) A Unit Cost Estimate from theUNICOR plant at F. C. I. OxfMd, WI, to Jaco Ekctronics of NewYmX. (middle left) An order acknowledgement to Jaco. (left) A quotation from UN/COR to Tamsco Manufacturing fM an Mder over $2 million. • FOR ADDlflOHM. INFDRIWITlON CALL BOP DAYlE 011 202-5tii•844:U8443 DR AUTOYutl 285•1 205 VERY TRilLY YOURS', .!!!!!.~!!!:£ IIOicUII .wL ~~IAIIKIKf COS'T AND S'CHEDUI.IKIO registered. Mohwish and Olson requested a court order to redesignate Sargeant to F.C.I. Jesup via the U.S. Marshal's Service. They further requested that once the transfer was completed, the U.S. Marshall's Office would keep the three of them in safe custody until the resolution of their case. Instead, they sent Mohwish to Sargeant at F.C.I. Tallahassee. Olson was kept at F.C.I.Jesup. "They knew I was financing it," says Mohwish. "And by now, they knew they couldn't scare or intimidate us. So they did the next best thing: stall us. For four months, they were successful in obstructing justice." But by August, Mohwish and Co. were ready to roll. The casework on CV 294-011 was resumed. At about the time Sargeant joined the team, the UNICOR plant at F.C.I. Jesup was apparently continuing its venture to sell products illegally to the private sector. Additional documents captured by Mohwish, Olson and Sargeant reveal an attempt to solicit T-shirts sales to Mason & Hanger-Silas Mason Co., Inc., a private company in Middleton, Iowa. The memo, addressed to Silas Mason's plant manager, Donald Duke, documented the products UNICOR could provide. A price list and set of samples was also sent to Duke. Mohwish also received six prisoner-liberated documents from the ltANAIOER UNICOR plant at F.C.I. Oxford, Wisconsin. The papers, all estimates, cost sheets and purchase orders, were addressed to six different companie~all in the private sector. The breakdown: t/ 4000 tail lights for Cummins Military Systems of Augusta, GA$41,960. t/22 cable assemblies for Jaco Electronics, Inc. of Happauge, NY$17,163.30. t/3333 wiring harnesses for Tamsco Manufacturing Division of Polson, MT-$2,391,794.13. t/ 40 cable assemblies for Lasmer Industries, Inc. of Kerryville, TX$4,113.60. t/ I l l cable assemblies for Electronics & Space Corporation of St. Louis, M0---$3,192.36. t/184 cable assemblies for Minowitz Manufacturing Co. of Roseville, MI$7,452.00. The transactions total nearly $2.5 million. Even before Mohwish, Olson and Sargeant could incorporate the new, bullet-proof evidence into their case, they received a shock. Based on the documents already provided to the court- i.e. papers proving UNICOR had done business with Sports Europa-the UNICOR Three were granted a motion to take their evidence before a Grand Jury. "I was ecstatic," says Mohwish. "The court has only been provided the Sports Europa evidence. The government has no idea the rest of our arsenal of evidence exists. We've been holding back ·but now we get to blast them all before a Grand Jury. With incontrovertible, staggering documented evidence like this, there's absolutely no way UNICOR can cover their tracks." .,; And CV 294-011 isn't the only legal action against UNICOR. In November, 1994, Postconviction Consultants, Inc. of Georgia, under Truman Buckles, filed a complaint against Federal Prison Industries, Inc. Representing a coalition of businesses UNICOR has crushed, the suit, similar to Mohwish, Olson and Sargeant's, charges UNICOR with deprivation of civil rights and conspiratorial acts committed in violation ofR.I.C.O. For years, federal prisoners have bitched and moaned about the illegal activities of UNICOR, all to no avail. Who is going to believe a bunch of convicts? Certainly not the government. According to Joe Krovisky, a spokesman for the Department of Justice, th~ U.S. Attorney General's Office would not say whether an investigation has ever been launched into the allegations against UNICOR, but only that "nothing has ever been publicly disclosed." "They've taken advantage of us for years," Joe Mohwish says, "only because they've been able to. If it was a RICO action against John Gotti or ·Herby Sperling, the feds would immediately investigate, even grant immunity to admitted serial murderers like Sammy "the Bull" Gravano to testify before a Grand Jury. But what happens when the feds are caught red-handed breaking the law? They try to cover it up. The obvious question to Attorney General Reno should be, Why won't or can't you enforce the law? After all, Olson, Sargeant and myself are just American citizens trying to expose a massive scam and report a crime! This case is a serious can of worms. "And when we go before the Grand Jury," Mohwish exclaims, ''we'll be making history." PRISON LIFE 59 • UNIT COST ESTlMAT& ~ !!!\~~-..~. CAlLE 61~-oo-2~8332 - CAlL£ AIS£1'lll.V ......... 72289 100 c- - G- 0_0_0_0 . ., ' ORDER ACKNOWLEDOIIENT RHO Cl\.- 102 4 7 2 281i1 • 4/b-4/12 .. CTR·t•" CTR·t•ll' ""oo~•C324t2P s•:ss-oo-1 •-a ""0:557C3 2412S 5935-<>0•1 4•1 ,.AC-0011 St..V-o-290 TBT- 0001 PACIUNO I"'ATEAIA , r ilN:O A'ITIII ltR, N'l' 11788 AI AtOUI ED ~~~~~';~'~;~ =~·c~A~ 1 0.000 1.000 1. 000 I RlQ 0.7~ S R£0 ... .. 200. 3 181. 1' 2 0. J(JJI 1•. o. ,f,, ........ ..... ,. ""''""'..... . . 'tWo ..... . . . . ...... HOU. H S NZR AVIINI 1/A l/PPNICI , 11'1 J.I7U ..J L 190.00 200. U 11 1 . 0 1' 20.00 2. 0 '·"' 2.00 You Or.lt r No. Ol-MIO-U IJfU - b h,.bJ &Obo'f1f4&f4o llt1;.nt • ill M M4• fro. f &0\01'7 a t: ....... C 1.-..t • Ul bt Mitt UO.\l OX1'01f.D, tiiiCOifll• 11-.TJJI- 14 u., o.un•UT oorr..poMeoo• oonc• ralo& thl• orttt ...,_14 Mlll~ r.rtru.c. to o.r w.o. e.btr to• «rutH to tbh • U te• &Wt&ri~l 111 \tit boa. *"'. ~-w-....~nr.c.,., g,_.n,.. ~ollftrt- (' ,....,.,..,_,.Oftltoc.., THE CIVIL CASE: IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Cable Systems Inc. et al, Plaintiff, v. Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (UNICOB), et. al. Defendants ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) COUNT ONE: Deliberate deprivation of civil rights by parties acting under the color or contour of federal laws. COUNT TWO: For redress of constitutional rights secured by the U.S. Constitution. COUNT THBEE: For redress for conspiratorial acts committed in violation of Civil Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act. Representing a coalition of businesses UNICOR has crushed, Postconviction Consultants, Inc., under Truman Buckles, filed this civil complaint on November 8, 1994 against UNICOR. Postconviction Consultants, Inc. was formed in October of 1992 by Truman Buckles, an experienced prison litigation specialist. Postconviction Consultants, Inc. offers legal services to state and federal prisoners. For the past five years, the rJ.rJO has concentrated on prison litigation, emphasizing federal sentencing guidelines. 58 PRISON LIFE would be th rown on a bus and be put on Diesel Therapy for six mon ths and if I persisted o n doing my legal work, he would have my 'ass locked up in the Hole.' He also stated that he would have my room ransacked and my stuff confiscated. "I was very uneasy, to say the least," Mohwish admits. "I began to fear that this was j ust th e beginni ng of retaliatory ac ts taken against me and my personal property, and that my legal materials would be destroyed." Moh wish was also orde red by F.C.l. 's Health and Safety Officer, Lt. Commander J oh nn ie Williams, never to have ano ther piece of registered mail sent to him. 'This is a direct order," Williams yelled at Mohwish. In April, Olson was presented with a letter, clearly marked as legal mail, fro m his uni t officer . The letter, t h e officer explained to Olson, had been mistakenly opened b y th e warde n 's secretary. Meanwhile, Mohwish and O lson began filing for time extensio n s o n the ir case because they were cu t off from Sargeant. On May 23, still un able to communicate with their co-plaintiff, Mohwish asked his Unit Case Manager, Mr. Milton , to be permitted a non-monitor ed, legal telephone call to Sergeant at F.C.l. Tallahassee. Milton said he'd consider it. An hour later, he told Moh,vish he had been ordered by the institu tion's pa ra legal, Mr. Dedman, not to allow Mohwish any phone calls to Sargeant. Outgo ing ma il from Mohwish and Olson to Sargeant, albeit certified, started d isappearing. Legal mail sen t to Sargeant never reached its destination, despite being A month late r , Assistant United all prisoners deaf, dumb a nd blind to States Attorney Me lissa Mundell of the illegal actions taking place. "New prisoners would be thrown Georgia, re prese nting UNICOR a nd its d e fend a nts, fil ed a Mo tion to into th e h o le," explains Sargeant. Dismiss. The grounds stated: "lack of "That way, they'd be at a disadva ntage subjec t matter of jurisdiction; lack of when th e officials wou ld offer the m standing; insufficie ncy of service of jobs at UNICOR as a way to get out." Pri so ners start at 23 cents an process; failure to exhaust adm inistra tive remedi es; failure to sta te a hour when first beginning work at constitutional vio lation; and failu re UNICOR. After they are there for a to state a claim upon whi c h re lief while, the pay grade will increase to over $1. "But very seldom did a ny may be granted." ''Their dismissal," says Mohwish, prisoner climb th e pay grade," "consisted of 81 pages of frivolous, ex plains Sargeant, now a jailhouse inapplicable, misleading and unnec- lawyer. "When the time for a raise essary pleadings that did not address came, the prisoner was either transthe issues. For instance, Mundell stat- ferre d to non-UNICOR j o b in th e ed 'failure to exhaust admin istrative prison or u·ansferred to another instiremedies.' Why would we need to tution. Prisoners coming from other file a n adminis tra tive remedy in federal facilities with UNICOR expeorder to r e port fe lony violations of ri ence wo uld b e denied work at criminal law commi tted by corrupt Miami's UN ICOR because the y official s of the U .S. gove rnm ent? wou ldn ' t b e ab le to start at th e pathetically low wages." That would be their job. " By now, the prisoner/ whistleblowers reali zed they wou ld get li ttle, if any, help from free world authorities. They turned to other sources of assistance-this tim e, from their side of the bars. By establishing a network of federal priso n e r s from institutions arou nd the co untry, Mohwish and Olson wou ld, in time, uncove r even more damaging evidence against UNICOR a nd the De partme nt of Justice. Sargeant gathered other a ffiBut first, they recruited fellow prisoner Donald Sargeant. It was time for davits fr o m prisoners a t M.C.C. Miami complaining of UNICOR's the fed eral prisoners to play hardball. wrongdoing and hiring practices. For Donald Sargeant, 39, doing 183 insta nce, a prisoner is supposed to months since 1990 fo r narcotics dis- have an 8th grade education in order tribution a nd possession o f unregis- to \vork for UNICOR. "But t11ere are tered firearms, was studying the law Latino inmates in tl1ere now," reads to fight his own case when h e was an affidavit from Mark Lavalle e , a approached by Mohwish and Olson. prisoner at M.C.C. Miami, ''who can't Sargeant, who already had a major read or write English or Spanish. " beef with the Fed s, was eager to help. "No one," says Donald Sargeant, Sargeant's complaints aga inst UNICOR dated back to 1989 when "is above or beyond the laws of the they allegedly forced him to work for United States. All laws must apply to the factory at M.C.C. Miami. "I to ld all or apply to none. This is the very them no," he says, "because it was ille- heart of our action against UNICOR: gal to force me to work b efore I h ad CV 294-11." Sargeant says this Action my trial. Besides, I n eeded time to is a n ew theory and has never been prepare for my upcoming case. They tested before the Court before. "But threatened me \vith tl1e Hole and no this avenue," Sargeant adds, "isn't so visits with my family. I h ad no choice." much a new one as it is a revivificaSargeant started learning a bout tion of the right, power and authority UNICOR's Miami operation. During all U.S. citizens possess. The mistake his stay at M.C .C. Mia mi , Sargeant everyone h as made in addressing this observed and heard B. O.P. staff lawsuit has been to treat it as a typical me mbers threaten to harm prisoners prisoner lawsuit, a civil lawsuit, when wh o attempted to exerc ise the ir in reality it is not a law suit at all but a rights not to work at UNICOR's fac- criminal action. It is on the law and tory. He also claims to have observed on common sense." The three muckrakers joined an ongo in g pattern us e d b y the Bureau of Prisons in Miami to keep forc es to fight UN ICOR in Apri l, 1994. Just a few days after Sargeant filed a motion to join CV 294-011 , a nd whi le h e was in possession of most of th e case materials, he was ordered by B.O .P. officials at J esup to pack up for an unexpected transfer to F.C.I. Tallahassee, Florida. As all federal pri so n ers know, sudde n a nd unnecessary transfe rs from one institution to another, kn own as "diesel therapy," are often used to separate a writ-writing prisoner from his personal property and legal papers for weeks or even months. Such inaccessibility to files in the UNICOR case, as \veil as to Sargeant's personal case, was a devastating blow. Sa rgeant spo ke to seve ral staff members at Jesup, asking for a d elay so he could complete legal papenvork and keep disruption to a minimum, but he was denied. Once Sargeant arrived at F.C.I. Tallahassee, h e was placed not into the general population but into the Dete ntion Center. There , h e was informed that he could not obtain any of his prope rty, including his legal materials, as long as he re mained in the Detention Center, which would be 3 to 6 weeks. The Detention Center is the lockdown unit at F.C.I. Tall ahassee. Prison ers are confined to a single unit Sargeant was precluded from doing any legal work, as well as from seeing his family. The sudden transfer was not the beginning of what the UNICOR Three call "retaliatory acts" from the Feds. Early in February of '94, Duane Olson came back from lunch to d iscover that several of his legal files h ad been taken. Olson went to find the C.O. in charge of his block, Officer Ward, to inform him. Ward explained he hadn't been ripped off, and not to be alarmed. "I know you would like me to tell you what went down," Ward said, "but I can' t do that for you. You need to see Lt. Wilson about it." Olson went to see Wilson, who returned the materials. "It was a mistake," he replied. Later that month, Mohwish, after prese nting a cop-out (an "Inmate Request to Staff Member" form) to the Food Se rvice manager, was ordered to the Lieutenant's office. When he arrived, he was confronted by several B.O.P. officers, as well as Lt. Matthew Arnold. "Arnold accused me of being a 'writ write r,"' says Mohwish. "Then he told me that he would not put up with my filing paper work and if I continued, I would be in a lot of trouble. The more h e talked, the louder and a ngrier he became. He said I PRISON LIFE 57 I've been fighting th e Man's syste m for fi ve years n ow a nd I've always tried to help others o n the inside do th e sam e. I've p aid th e price for going against th e flow of the syste m by b e ing thrown o n th e ol' B.O .P. bus and shipped around, away from my fa mi ly. Tha t's just o n e o f th e aggravatio ns I've had to put up with. Yo u already know that it's almost impossible to fight the Fed s and their bullshit. But it ma kes me so d a mn angry seeing the m get away with ail the c rimes th ey're committing and then calling us criminals, telling the world that we deserve the 5, 10, 20, 50 or 100 years in p r iso n beca use we're drug dealers. Wha t's th e r eal r eason fo r this ni g h tm a r e calle d th e Drug Wa r ? Th e r ea l n ee d fo r o ur impri so nme nt? UNICOR, money and greed . "No shi t," you 're probab ly saying. Well, wh y aren 't you doing anything to sto p it? Mayb e it's b eca use yo u don 't know how. Well, now WE can fight the syste m and we can WIN. I've d iscove red th a t the best way to fight back is not by suing. I've seen thousands of suits filed by prisone rs against the Man and the Syste m, a nd these suits have lost. Ninety-nin e pe rcent of these cases lose because the Co urts rul e th a t t h e Ma n o r th e System have immunity, or they acted within the scope of their autho rity. Bu t look a t the other side. T hey make hundreds of laws and rul es tha t t hey use aga inst us a nd th ey win . Their laws, their victories. Now th ey've forgotten to cove r their own asses. And now we can use their laws to p ut th eir asses in prison. I h ave drafted a nd filed my first Action to the U.S. District Court in Brunswick, Georgia. The case nu mber is CV294-011 , started by J oe Mohwish a nd Du a n e O lso n , a nd it's fil ed against the D.O J., B.O. P., a nd UN ICOR. Sure, we've had to put up with th ei r p etty acts of r e ta liation, but what they d idn 't expect was that we wouldn ' t stop. And we had o thers on the outside who help us, a nd now, we are back again . What th e Action does is a ll ow you to utilize your rights, powers and authori ty as a U.S. Citizen. Everyone who gives a dam n abou t themselves o r their fa milies must get in vo lved an d h elp o ut in th is lawsu it. T h e Actio n -CV 294-0 11 -is soli d i n the Court. The beau ty of it is this: They ca nn o t d efeat it un less th ey defeat, or ch ange, th eir own laws. For all you no nvio lent ofien ders: Lo ok into UN ICOR. Tha t's where you 'll find the real reaso n you ' re in prison. It's a govern men t owned a n d o p e ra te d slave factory th at n eeds n o n vio le nt offe n de r s to ru n th e d a mn thi ng. You can't ge t vio le nt psych o pa ths to sew T -shi n s, m a ke mattresses, sh eets and all that in one of these U If COR factories. The Feds don 't want d angerous people threatening their opcralion. Think a bout it. Look aro u nd you: How many prisoners a rc killers or charged with crimes of violence? U t I COR h as broken th e law, and now it's tryi ng to cove r its tracks. Why ha it lobbi ed Co ngress for a brand new bill asking to exempt prisoners from min imum wage laws and asking Congress to allow UN ICOR to sell p rison-made goods to the public? l f it hasn ' t bee n breaking the law in the past, why does it n eed Congress to pass a bill allowing it to do what it has al ready been doing? If you have a ny informa tion that will help the cause concerning criminal acts commiued by these peop le or institutions, send us the information. l fyo u want to kn ow more about this, Wlite to me and ask. D. Sargeant C/ 0 Box 920474 Norcross, GA 30092 Nothing else \ \laS heard about the inquiry fo r months. Still, Mohwish a nd company did n ' t stop. T hey sent registered letters to Slattery's superior, U. S. At torn ey P e te Strong of Columbia; to th e Assista nt Atto rney Gene ral in Washington; and to three members o f th e U. S. Ho u se o f Re presenta tives-only one of who m, Newt Gingrich, respo nded . Gingrich info rm e d Mo hwi sh th a t Attorn ey General J anet Reno had been notified of the allegatio ns. Finally, Mo h wish put Reno on notice that previous le tters to the DOJ had gon e unanswered, and o n ovember 2, 1993, Mo hwish and Olson requested that Re no begin a formal investigation. "We had n o idea it would be this difficult to re port a crime," on e le tte r fro m Moh wish stated . On December 27, 1993, Bureau of Prisons Assistant Director/ Gen e ral Cou nsel Wallace Ch en ey se nt a le tte r to Mohwish saying t h a t th e allega- lio ns against UNICOR were refe rred to t h e Office of th e In s p ec to r Gene ral for investigatio n. O n J anuary 5, 1994, U .S. Co n g r ess m a n J ac k Ki ngston se nt Mo hwish a lette r confirming tha t a B.O.P. inte rnal affairs investiga tion had bee n initiated . A wee k la te r , J o hn Mox ley, Sr., Sp ec ia l Age nt fo r th e In sp ec to r Gen eral's O ffi ce, Brunswick Divisio n, appeared un a nn o un ced a t J esu p to sp eak with Mo h wish . After a fi veminute exchange, Moxley left with a comple te set of evidentiary mate rials. The n- no thing . Mo hwish wro te to Moxley bu t received no response a nd a ll l e tte r s se nt to Mo x l e y a t t h e Bru n swi c k office were re tu r n ed "uncl a imed ." By th e e nd of Marc h, Mo hwish a nd com pany were notified th at Mox le y h ad r e t ire d a n d t h e Brunswick o ffice h ad closed pe rman ently. "If you want to se nd more evid e n ce ," th e Je u e r read , "se n d it to this po st office box. " Aro und th e sa m e time, Represe nta tive G i n g r ic h n otifie d Mohwish tha t th e allegations of criminal m iscon d uct h ad bee n u pgraded fro m a B.O. P. Inte rnal AJTairs matter into a preli minary investiga tio n conducted by th e .Justice De partme n t and the Office of th e Inspecto r Gene ral. Bu t Mo h wis h a nd Ol so n we r e ti red or waiting for resulLs. T hey decided it was time to ta ke action against N ICOR themse lves. They lil ed a c r imi na l ac ti on suit, CY 294-0 II , aga i ns t U ! COR , t h e Bu rea u o f Prisons, the United Sta tes Departmem ofJustice a nd 17 defenda nts including forme r B.O .P d irector Quinlan, U ICOR a ttorney Ki rschba um, th e c urre nt B.O.P. directo r, l«tthl een Hawk a nd Sports Euro pa. Their fi lings, categorized as a writ of Ma ndamus, called for the defendants to take actio n and pu t a sto p to th e illegal activities o f U !COR. Response cam e q uicker th is tim e. A CALL TO ACTION by Donald Sargeant 56 PRISON LIFE Army-style T-shirts over the next four weeks for $1. 10 per item . (Ed Narajno, the president of Sports Europa, did not return our calls.) Mohwish says UNICOR used government documents and disguised the T-shirt deal as a sale of their manufactured products to the Defense Department. ''We have U.S. Government documents proving this sham: a D.O.D. manufacture/ sales transaction was financed for UNICOR and the private sector business Sports Europa by a loan from the Small Business Administration in Marietta, Georgia." Despite the documentary proof and relentless letters to officials, Mohwish and Olson's complaints went Under Federal law, UNICOR is unheeded. In April, 1993, Mohwish prohibited from selling anything to and Olson enlisted the law firm the private sector. Dur ing their in- Kneece, Kneece and Brown of house investigation, Mohwish and Columbia, South Carolina to help purOlson managed to obtain documen- sue their case against UNICOR. All evitary evidence that the UNICOR facto- dence was turned over to William ry at F.C.I. Jesup was manufacturing Kneece for evaluation and validation. and selling T-shirts to a company After deeming the materials both "subcalled Sports Europa, a Miami, stantial and overwhelming," Kneece Florida mail order and telemarketing concluded the criminal activity ofUNIsales catalog company. An inter- COR should be reported and the evioffice memo written by John Wolgen, dence should be turned over to the acting factory manager of the UNI- U.S. Department ofJustice for further COR plant in Jesup reads: "We will investigation and prosecution. soon begin manufacturing PFU TThe next month, everything was shirts as a subcontractor for Sports handed over to Assistant U.S. Europa beginning the first week in Attorney David Slattery of the U.S. March . .. The supplies for the Sports Justice Department in Columbia. Europa T-sh irts must be segregated Later that month, A.U.S.A. Slattery from the rest of the manufacturing was granted permission to present material ... Due to the importance th is criminal evidence to the of this project, please ask any ques- Department ofJustice in Washington, tions as they arise." D.C. "It was understood by all," says Mohwish and Olson also secured Duane Olson, "that Mr. Slattery factory work orders, purchase orders, would hand carry the books of eviT-shir t labels and a Sports Europa dence to Washington on Tuesday, catalog featuring the T-shirts. May 31, 1993." In early June, Kneece "Genuine U.S. Army 'Physical Fitness confirmed that the documents had Uniform' T-Shirts ... for just $5," ran been delivered to Washington. the ad in the catalog for the UNI"Slattery believes," said Kneece to COR-manufactured shirts. his clients at the time, "there are very Mohwish and Olson wan ted to drastic violations of federal law going know whether the UNICOR factory on and he is now working with the in Jesup was acting on its own, or D.C. people." whether the Department of Justice Over the next few months, both was actually behind the crimi nal Mohwish and Olson as well as Kneece scheme. When further documenta- sent a series of letters to Slattery to tion was obtained, the two had their determine the status of their inquiry. answer: Both the Department of Finally, at the end of August, during Defense and the Department of a phone conversation with Slattery, it Justice were in on it. The proof came was confirmed to Duane Olson that in the form of a notice issued by the "It (UNICOR) is being looked into." D.O.D. confirming the order and Slattery also promised to send a letter shipment ofT-shirts (to be shipped updating them on the situation. and billed directly to the D.O.D.), "The plaintiffs were led to believe and D. 0 .].-issued factory work that the U.S. Department of Justice orders to manufacture the T-shirts. had, at the very least, confirmed Sports Europa, furn ishing UNICOR wrongdoing and that an investigation with fabric, would purchase 132,000 would be forthcoming," says Kneece. Mohwish and Olson more suspicious. "We engaged outside resources and began an intensive field investigation into UNICOR activities," Mohwish continues. "And after our inquiry was completed, the results produced new evidence of UNICOR's involvement in the commission of I nterstate Felony Criminal Violations of Federal Anti-Racketeering laws-RICO. "From our internal and external investigators," Mohwish explains, "we acquired overwhelming and indisputable evidence that UNICOR and its management is involved in a criminal conspiracy to commit felony violations of RICO." WHEN GOVERNMENT IS CRIMINAL How do upstanding American citizens, let alone lowly convicts, take the government to court when they are convinced federal officials are conducting an illegal enterprise under the guise of official business? Ordinarily, one would do exactly what the UNICOR Three did: report the alleged crimes to the proper authorities (cops or government lawyers) and expectjustice to be carried out. But, as we've seen time and time again, when the government is guilty of criminal wrongdoing, they are reluctant to investigate and prosecute themselves. What Mohwish, Olson and Sargeant have done is unique. After presenting their evidence to an Assistant United States Attorney and to the Attorney Genera l, and rece iving no resu lts, they took their case directly to federal court by filing a Writ of Mandamus to compel the authorities to do their jobs and present the evidence before a grand jury. Further, basing their case on Title 18, subsection 3332: Powers and duties (of the grand jury), which stipulate that the evidence of wrongdoing may be brought to the attention of the grand jury "by the court" or by an attorney representing the United States, they appealed d irectly to the judge to order that a grand jury be presented with evidence of criminal wrongdoing on the part of UNICOR officials, thereby bypassing the U.S. Attorney's office. With the Court's dramatic ruling that a grand jury consider their evidence, the UNICOR Three have instituted an unprecedented criminal action by prisoners against officials of the U. S. Government. We can hear the chant resounding from UNICOR slave labor factories around the nation: THREE CHEERS FOR THE UNICOR THREE! -Richard Stratton PRISON LIFE 55 UOIIT MOPA .. ...""' IMCXll ;lO AU•«• ......'""hl""""' r....... j ,,, ...... ·..-. l n . StzH t N. V, ,.,}< DC: , ..._ I)Z11><S! DII'Ct . .................. nl ~ _, _.:;:-~. __nu T-sl-lru S<V. Tl~<ODO , TO- 1 CUt '"' ' '"· .............. - ' • orl~aln - = l ll.oool::o LIOV l:,_QQ(J_ _,~ - 32,0011 ..lll!m_ I• :..: , .. c-< joo IOil1TII> C1Drl/t0Lr - r..:.loo4 an orr cum I '->OR """"'" l•.,.u .oollAr ... un, ......,as n • .........2 , rwn ~· ••~~~ "'-'On•• '"'' ' I""" ,.,.., _,.....---c.:,.w O'tA.,..,}... o.o,.,.._.., 00 ... ,~ ~ ~~ f· ~ - ..- J~;T '!' - !PLY TO \ln" OF: SU!JE.CT: S t: . ;,r:-t ;:: : to . ..· . ~.:. ~ ~ : :: r ::·~: :. :. ,_..., ,_,01 ,.._,.I --- . ,,. ·. _,. . . "The civil and criminal violations by UNICOR are egregious, blatantly arrogant and in contempt of Congressional intent." a k~~...-. Put A ...... (1;2.... IU ........ IU4~ 1- IC.I "''"" S cnttnu l lm.IIUIUI,. \JoHJt . AetlnQ Factory Kaneqer r~ ILLJI.,, Crcdu Co.phtcd1 Crcltlccl'd Hl1h S~hooh__Ju ~~~~ ~ W'e vtl l ao::~o beq tn a&nutacturtnQ PfU T·ah tru a • • au~o~ tract or t o r Sport £::ro ~• beotnntnv the ttr.s~ ve:d: tn Karch. It w1ll be cf"ltlc&l t!'.a: • l l dep.art•tnta v orlit t oo ether· to ensure that a ceoun tab 1 11 :.y o ! aaterl&l :~. t ctll& ry d ocu.c nt&tl o n for recct vtnv an~ a hlpptno U rutnutnrd rroper ly . Sport Eu rope will aupply ua vtth every th ln Q n clud tno t h:-ud and labo r . 11&ter1ah r cc etvtd fr ont Sport Europa mu a t be aeore-oau d In t ht wa r e h ou a t and OD the pr oduc ttotto floor to aat ntetn prope r &CCOUtlta bll t ty . • ccct v t no :-eporta, nquta ttlon•. e.nd eutttno roo• d~WRtntatlon auat bt aetntetned a ccurate ly. loddy Spr t fiQtr , P lant ~rollc:-. Dctd& t O Obta1!1 a u paratt (&br1c: flU.~:" 1b SnUX Co r t h recttpt or tMa a ettrl&l per Atlanta bu a 1nus o(Clce. The •ner ta ahould bt rt ce1Yt ~ &a: & -c; ov ernru:~ t F'"llr-ntahed K•t•r t a l- and -.uat be leQrtQ&tcd tro::a other 1ft hO"IliC T• ah1:-t a ater tala. 1 wtll cotl fy y o u ot any f urt her dcve-loprl'ltlnta . Due t o the S•poru:~.ce ot tMa project ple&at a alr: any queatl ona a a t hey a r l&e it 10 , wh11 It JOUr tntrr d t lt: -rr.o;-plcue dt t crlk •• • .: • 11 hutl lvtlon/Un:~~~CIMhl l with l he h•t ,,... _. •••"' f441t•-'"' ._,_,;'loth"'' ,....... h --· . ;;;:~:.:,~rre:0o::.~;~,r UNIC: :1. \Ill j:.~~~~~~t~;,~I.U& 11 Ihe lt•c of Brhnr dcsc rlbt end prc-tnur ce;:;n;njob tltlll t lhll rov bc lltu will ht1p rou wHSI UNICOI: ~0:.:·,-~ . .t-4 ~•ttlon 7" ,,. c~o~ rnnl 7 • PP )'ln1 or: l<tlll ' ''"' ' 4oto "'~~~~= o:r!.:::.. e• s-.. o lft.il uo4' t11... lool' t h 6oU"' N ~-~t. _ '{'"" 0 tl ,..,.._ ua.., ... hl"h _ , W ilt Jf~U IOIIS, loc i.... ,.., ,.. .. ,., t l o..r "'' ""'lu4, ilrltlf c.ti.UCI n h ,..,lr t4 ~, -~h- '•lh, . ,_.h.,. I....,.Vht, I .111 .,• ., til LIJI II liCit!,""'· l<o w 1n .,.., 1 .,... ••.C..,.. fill•• ...t u.. .... -'lent.... t..l""'"t •I ..,.., ,.... .... ""'l h.ul .. ' • .,..• • , ,.. ..,....., ....... .... UW1W.wuruJJ.U.WW.U.UUJUWWW.W&UIUWGUJJ.WUUlll.WDJU.UJ.U,lU1UillU.UIWUWUl.IJWSUI.UUII'II' 8 h• ~ t~ott l "r u.. '-llu.oot'• -.it to .. l • ...,_.. Moo lk,...... ,_ , ~ "'' •h ~•rt - II••.., .-,r............ '-•... "........ "' v.o .. dotol\.o4 ..., ,..1. . .loCCII ...1.,..... - '"' ' ur . n""''· ... nt", ., t"tlrOt .. ,.,,., ~tt I• ~ . _ , u te .;,.., Ptt ...,1_ ....,,..h , I.e • .,,,, ' -lo.,. .... }" oUih I• ,,..., , tott_tl ...• "' . ....:.,, u ... IU... ••It- 1oo aw«aooot• . 1u u.. atJCCII • - lot h iler .., ,....,.,... "- - · uhr- • • ,..,,, • u ... ,. ,..,, ,.,. , '"" .,..llul tucrhtl..o• •r U.. .... ,lot 14•11 ... u.. ""'" .t ,.h ....1~1- "'" "•• lhc H ... tN ,...... ••• •' Uh • llo u l... """'".an..,..'- u.o•1~u. 1 .._ PRISON LIFE t'luto fr~ln htlf Pluu ll ll kl- .... o) It I u . ,,.." P 54 M ."1\re JOU cnrOiled In ANT td~·tl iOftci Prosrut e tt~it l n uihulonf=::J iuu Cle~cnbc othlt p ro,ra• o r lltl 1hc cl•ue~ rou tlltl\4: · Do ,oV hu• •nJ phJtlut lwnd~ccptl All S utr "") - D••• ll~:he.;·:~~,:~':~ut cd.a.tiOMi cou••• o r pr•sr.•• w~la ,_ Jwu c-,tt~7_, tk conu-acttnQ T ·& htrta t o r Sport £ur opa J\.lt ab 07- 1047 Pro)KlCd lclu,. K.. t l•t Unlc _ _ Cue Hcu1• r Unit Tc.• • l'tf~ci iOGI ac;r..auz.5 Ftd ltl I . ,.., Nc• tt ···--- tMJO't•ttllftaUI! t...th.tl•a-A-cnl... .....,J» htlr-t ') b;:;;;;; . .. Are ..rou prorr.••ed 10 Vou lion• i "'' - ,. .. .. r,' . . '-.;:3.~ ·~ ....- --: .:: 1:.- :.;::::. .::: -:: : .:..: ·: ·: : : T ~ ':.~ : \ : ·~ u~" · ,,../ ) :{~ ~l ,...... ) Jo ~/~ £J.M" ,,..,. 1.. I 2-_,-<_,_ r· ~:--~~;. (tojJ left) A purchase order to Sports Europa for 132,000 T-sltirts. (tojJ 1-igltt) a unit cost estimate to SjJorts Europa-$3.22 per T-sltirt as compared to the commercial fnice of $4.49 (bottom left) A memo from the actingfactOiy manager at UNICOR/F.C. I.Jesup to all staff on the SjJorls EurojJa projPct. (bottom 1-ight) The (Jl\1/COR job ajJJJlication freel)• uses the word "emjJloyee, " "emplo)'er, " and "employment. " (Cente1j j oe Moltwish )A':!: · - ~ -- h l.-lc, bel<>< iM olutl~ ba" '" . 0102 <ii::YIS -1)1-U N- 'll/. ).I, ~ ~= (~ t7\? o( " ' " ' ' lruj>oe\lon on< ohlll'lnQ _ tMo;ll. _l'l:l _Jnw>• ]10 " ' " ' pony ~" ........ -:ow ........ ji.OS ) 1\ ~- lnc:. viii ;tori•" 1ah<lc, ,....,~, , .::-~l·~.; (,.;.~;;--~;-:.·...·.;.;;o..:~~:::. •0)2/1.1. 1.10 U *t.,U 'l potr.t• ~ ..... ........ --:1400 ..... _,. .0100 1 I" ! li&CO, toLn!O!D1 tliOliiU" 1.....1,..,.tim .LMIOOI!l, LOeattc"' j_ ... 10' 21 " r..c-1... ~\. l<»nt.c&et ~ -,, 1.....,.,.. tiQaJI:.liSpl' C4 Tll1'tU llll/UIIZ, ......_... 241.1.. 1112 ,..,.,'l:,/n •• .ooo f-il =· 1>, .....o,. ] n<J<f' . trtl j oo l~oo """ aa/A<m 1\Uft P.4C-I&l7 iJlAIOD-92-<:- 0CJt I' ._... .._ W/j]Dif UlCO (PI'O) ~ lDGIU_ ISTIMATE !'ltt lO IO:. Iroc...u-.4 "' ""'••- ... . .. T~ M---· UNIT COST './2/9) O#tktW , .. -..,u luo.olo "- C... I ....,:..; : OfTIOEl> ---~~--.. 0189 2/W'r. ~~~.~ I"" I• N! 7111 I .W. 15111 1Tl££T 1111111. R.DfU04 Jl121 "WWtt: Ill DADE (l Ol l ffl-tl41 IOU IQl: 1· 100 - U!-l!DI Fn-1110$) m-1111 -· . Is IJCO R exempt fro m Fede ra l legislaLion pe rtaining to the pa)'mcnl of minimum ho urly wages? Attorney Ki rschbaum re plied 30 days later. With regard w Cllll)loyinCY . • 0 Il legal aliens, he wrote, '"Title 18 USC 412 2 ( b) ( 1) do cs not pred ic a te inma te work on the basis of inmate citizensh ip. It prO\·idcs in part th at the ' board of direc tors s hall provide c mplor mcnt for the g reatest n um ber of those inmates in the U.S. penal and co rrectional insti tutions who arc e ligible lor work as is reasonably possi ble .... Ki ger was not sa ti sfi ed with Ki rschbau m 's res ponse, saying that th e iss ue s were not p r ope rl y ad d res ·eel . H e be li eved the y were "witho ut standing, me rit or a de quate case law. ·· " Kirsc h baum's attempt to address the va lidity o f UN ICO R's e mplo ym e nt o f ill ega l a lie ns," says Mo h wish , "is bo th fm il c a nd weak. His refere n ce lO Titl e 18 to justify UN ICO R's position docs not apply to U1 ICOR at a ll but rath er add resses the mandatory employment of a ll inmates incarcenued bv the Federal Bureau of Prisons and ' concerns the dail y operations of th e priso n itself, no t th e h a ll~b illi o n d olla r manufact uri n g pri so n ca ll ed UN ICO R. Furthe rmo re , Kirschba u m comp le tely disregarded the c ivi l rig hts vio lati o n wi th r espect to .S. c iti ze ns be ing de n ied employme n t in li eu o f illegal aliens." In re spo nse to th e q u e sti on of wh e th e r UN ICOR is exemp t from mi n imum wage laws, Kirsc h ba um stated that Title 18 au th o ri zes th e Atto rn ey Ge nera l to es ta b lish r ul es and reg ula tio n s gove rn ing th e paymen t o f co mpe nsa tio n to ind u strywo rking inmates. ''The tem1 pay, Kirschbaum wrote, '·actually means a gra LUity ra the r than wage, in relatio n to the non-taxabilitv of UN ICOR inmate pay. Accord ing t~ th e IRS, th e [re la tio n shi p be tween] inmates and Fed era l Prison In dustri es, In c. a ri ses from th e incarceration of th e inm ates o n one ha nd and fro m the legal dULy o f th e Corporatio n to provide re habi li tati ve labor on t he other. It is not the legal relationship of e mpl oyer a nd e mp lo yee ... Acco rdingly, the prison in mates pe rlorm in(Y . 0 SCJYJCes fo r Federal Prison lndusu·ics. Inc.... arc no t its em ployees fo r purposes of the Collection of Income Tax a t So urce o n \1\lages ( IR ruling 75~2 5 ). In add ition , severa l cases h;wc h e ld that. inma tes are n o t pri so n e mplo yees and ca nno t benefit fro m the provi ions of the FLSA." Kir c hb aum goc o n t o quot e 11. U.."i. , 1987. in whic h the Supre me Co urt held tha t '· inmates arc tec hni call y a n d realist ically not employees. Inma tes arc not fre e to se t their wages throug h negotiation o r ba rgain ing; th ey ma y not form uni o ns o r strike; and t hey m ay n ot q uit work. Their service in vocational programs and the ir rig ht to compe nsa tion is so le ly by legislat ive grace, p rimarily for the ir own be ne fi t and re habil itation ... T h e r e fo r e, Kirsc hbaum c o n cludes, Fe deral Priso n Industri es is n ot in violation of an y r ulin gs. Kirsc hbau m fai led LO me ntio n flair• v. Arizona, a 1992 landmar k case conce rnin g the Fa ir La bo r Standard s Acl. In //ale, the Court of Appeals determined that the FLSA docs applv to prisoners who arc work ing in ~ p riso n in dustry. \Nh e thcr an employm e n t relat ions h ip exis ts und e r the FLSA d epends o n th e "econ omic realit( of the e mployme nt siwation. To d ecide wh e th er s uch a silllation ex i ts, the economic realitv test looks to lo ur facto rs: Whether ~he a llegecl e mployer ( l ) had th e powe r to hire and fire e mp loyees, (2) supervised a nd co ntrolled work sc hedul es or conditio ns of c m ploymem, (~) d e te rmined m e th od of payment and (4) main tained e mployment cards. Ut ICO R mceL5 a ll fou r criteria. "Kirsc hbaum 's auempt to escape th e wage iss ue was wr ong,·· sars :Vlo hwish. "Sudden ly re ferri ng to wages as gra tuity is not in keeping with the hundreds of pages or evide nce whi ch refers to the UN ICOR/ Inmatc relationsh ip as e mployer/ employee, as well as the dozen s of re ferences th roug hout the ir li t era ture to s uc h ter m s a s 'bonus' , ·fired ·, ·wage,' etc. witho ut a sing le appcar;mce of th e word 'gratuity.' In the first 87 pages of !CO R's "Report to Congress on Study Findings a n d Recom m enda t io n s" o f Au gus t 199 1, we sec th e words 'e mployee', 'em ployer', 'e m pl oy· a n d 'em p loyment' 11 5 times." On J anu a ry I . I 99~. :Vl o h wish an d Olson draft ed "Leuc rs of Intent" a nd posted registered copies to th e II officers and d irectors of ICOR in Wash ington, D. C. Alth o u g h the le ucrs fai led lO pro duce (Ill}' so rt o r respon . c fro m \'\'a shi ngton , the prison o flicials at F.C. I. .Jesup began ha rassing the whistl eblowcrs. "O ne simply cannot d ra ft such a letter and mai l it from where we arc wi th o ut cliscip lin a r}' actio n b,· the Bu reau of Priso ns,,. says i\ lohwisl1. Th e hara ss m e nt o nl}' ma d e Amos ADMISSION TO WRONGDOING? Was it a case of coincide nce o r is UN JCO R trying to cove r its tracks? Severa l mo nth s a fter tvl o hwish and Olson had th e i•- a ttornC}' se nd l!COR ' in- ho use coun se l, I ra Kirschbaum , question pe r taining to whatther aw as U nCO R's crimina l enterprise, two bills were submiuecl to Congress by Representatives Wolf and Reid. H.R. 703, submitted J a nuary 27, 1993 , and c it ed as th e "P ri so n Inmate T ra ining a nd Re habilita tio n Act o f 1 99~" proposes "T o provide fo r pi lo t prog rams co n d u c te d by Federal Prison In clusu-ies to test the feasibility of meeting th e n eed for in c reased employme nt of Federal priso n e rs by prod ucing ite m s, fo r tJ1e priva te marke t, in co njun cti o n with p riva te Un ited Sta tes firm s, tJ1at would o th e rwise be produced by fore ign la bor." The bi ll states exe mption from Title 18, USC: " Decisions to produce new produc ts n o t s ubject to in d ustry involvement procedu res," a nd "Contracts may be award ed by Federal Priso n In dustries unde r this sec tio n without using compe ti tive proced ures o th e n ,·ise required by la w." In ot her words, UN ICO R wou ld have the go-a head to open ly do business with the p rivate sector, the co nsequences of wh ic h could be ca tas tro phic to sma ll govern me nt contracting businesses. Senate billll 15, submiu ccljune J 6 , l 993 , would amend the Fa i r La bo r Stand ards Act o f 1938 "To ensure that mini m um wage requirements d o no t apply to inma te with respect to work clone for tJ1e incarcera ting e ntity, and for oth e r pu rposes." It wo uld a me nd th e te rm "employee" to mean "any inmate o f a pe nal o r correctio na l institutio n of the Federal Covernm e m , District of Colum bia, or a State o r poli ti cal subdivision of a Sta te.~ If Senate bill 111 5 pa sed , the amendme nLs would be re troac tive: "ame ndments made by this sec tio n sha ll apply as il' enacte d o n the date or e n ac tm e nt of th e Fair Labo r Sta nda rds Act of 1938." 'Th ese two bills," says Mohwish , "clea rl y demon stra te th e le ng ths the U.S. De partment of Justice and the Federal Bu reau of Prisons will go to to e nsu re the ir racketeering operatio ns will continue ." PRISON LIFE 5~ tio ns, wi ll see 30 new prison factories by 1998 and 4,800 new priso ne r jobs by th e year 2000. need . O lson was searching for a way to suppo rt his qu a drip legic son; Mo h wish's fa mil y n eeded financ ia l h e lp. But both prisoners were told U nd e r th e Immi gratio n a nd there were no o peni ngs and de ni ed Na ti o na lity Ac t (INA), an "alie n " is e mployment. a ny pe rso n who is no t a citizen or natMohwish and Olso n wanted to ura l of th e U nited States. Section kn ow why they, na nu-al-born citizens 274A of the Act says it is illegal for an and federal prisoners in need , wou ld individual o r organi zation to hire an be turned down whe n tJ1ey knew for a a li e n o r to co ntinu e th e knowing fac t th at the UNICOR plant a t F.C.I. e mpl oym e nt o f such. Fede ral Prison Jesup e mployed illegal aliens. In dustries, Inc. is th e la rges t known "U TJ CO R j esup e mployed some e mployer of illegal aliens in th e coun- 200 to 3 00 il lega l a li ens," sa ys try. Though tl1e exact nu mbe r of ille- Mohwish. ''Thus began our investigagals working in prison factori es is no t tion into UNICOR hirin g practices, kn own , roug hly 28%, or 4,500 of the a n d eve ntu a ll y a ll o th e r phases of fede ral priso ne rs e mployed by U Tf- ope r a tion s p rac t iced by Federa l COR a re ill egal a liens. When Prison P rison industries, Inc." Life asked the Bureau o f Priso ns fo r Mohwish, 47, is curre ntly se rving a n exact count of t h e ill egal ali e n s a 20-year sentence for drug conspi raworking for UNICOR, we we re to ld cy, money la und e rin g a n d tax evat h e BOP "d oes n ' t keep track" of sion . Before his arrest and conviction, th ese statistics. J oe owned a window ma nu fac tu ring Why n o t? Th e informatio n ca n compa ny in Le xi n gto n , Kentucky. be o btained easily e nough. For every Mo hwish says tl1at because he didn ' t prisone r, th e B.O.P. is required to p lead gui lty, vo lu ntarily fo rfeit h is have a B.P. 15 Custody Classificatio n assets and coo pe rate wiili the Feels by Form , wh ich clearly ide nti fies th e ratting on oth e rs, he was put on th e pri son e r as e ithe r a natural-born o r Fed eral "sh it list." Sixty-e ig h t-year-old an alien. For each UNICOR worke r, a D u ane Olson was se n tence d to 27 B.P. 15 fo rm showing his statu s exists. yea rs in 199 1 for p ossession with T he B.O.P. has the information; it's intent to d istribu te cocai ne . H e also appa re ntly choosing to ignore it. fe lt he was p ut o n the Fed's shitlist At prese nt, no federal laws or reg- for refusing to cooperate a n d ulati o ns exe mpt UNI COR fro m th e become a stool pigeon. Immig ration a nd Na ti o n a lity Act. "Whether we're crimi nals or not Th e p ena lty for e mploying illega l is beside t h e p oint," says Mo hwish. alie n s is $3,000 pe r e mployee a nd up "Wh at we have discovered boggles to six monilis imprisonme n t, accord- tl1 e mind. The civil and cri minal vioing to t h e I TA. Lying abo u t su c h la tions of local, state an d federal laws employme n t can mean imprisonment by U lJ CO R nationwide are eg refo r up to five years, a fine, or both . gious, bla tan tly a rrogant and in conLe t's see, for th e Justi ce De pa rtme nt, tempt of Congressio nal in tent." Besid es t he hiri ng of il lega l t h at wou ld b e 4,500 x $3,000 = 1,350,000 bucks, no t to me n tion the a liens, Mo h wish and Olson q u estioned wheth er UN ICOR was in violatime behind bars. "This is noth ing n ew," says J oe tion of tlle Fair Labor Standards Act Mohwish. "We've known for years tlla t (FLSA). Accordi ng to FLSA, a com paU ICOR has e mployed illegal alie ns. n y mus t pay its emp loyees a min iTo get what it wa nts, the De partmen t mu m wage of at least $4.25 pe r h ou r. of j ustice has d ee med it necessary to Although setting th e minimum stancon side r itself above the law it pre- dard is o ne purpose of FLSA, anoth er te nds to uph old. But illegal aliens are equally important p urpose is to elimin o thin g co mpared to t h e c rimi na l nate un fair competition . e nte rprise UN ICOR is running." Mohwish and O lson arranged a mee ting with attorn ey Wi llia m Kiger In July, 1992, Joe Mo hwish a nd of West Virginia to eval uate the eviDuane O lson submitted requests for d e n ce against UN ICO R. Ki ge r cone mpl oyment at th e UN ICOR pl a nt firmed its autJ1e ntici ty and sent regislocated with i n th e Fe d e ral tered letters to Ira Kirsch ba um , inCorrectio n a l I n stituti o n in J es up , h o use counse l for UN I COR, and J. Georgia. Bo th men me t a nd exceed- Michael Quinlan, then di rector of the eel a ll re quire m e nts fo r UN I COR Bureau of Prisons. T he letter asked em ploy m e nt: le n g th o f se nte n ce, two questions: Is UN ICOR exe mp t court-imposed fin es th a t wou ld b e fro m fede ral legislation pro h ibiting re p a id fro m wages, a nd fin a n c ia l tJ1e e mployme n t of illegal alie ns? and, 52 PRISON LIFE I from differe nt UNICOR fac tori es proving illegal sales transactions to privately-owned businesses. On October 13, 1994, the United States Distri ct Court for the Southern Dis tri ct of Georgia, Brunswick Division , g r a nt ed ap prova l for Mo hwish, O lson a nd Sargeant to present the evide n ce in their case, CV 294-011 , before a Grand j ury. UN ICOR e xists und e r th e De partment of Justice as an incorpor a ted e ntity of th e Distric t o f Columbia. The $500 million-per-year company opera tes on a nonappropriated fund b as is. Fe der a l Prison Industries, Inc. operates 86 factories in 48 fe d eral priso n s a r ound the country. Priso ners in these factories be hind walls ma ke everything from clothing and furniture, sta.inless steel counters a nd signs to e lectr o nic wiring and cables, all supposedly for differe nt agencies of the government. Bu siness h as b ee n so good th a t UN! COR's sales now approach h alf a billio n do llars a year, putting UNICOR ah ead of Ch rysler Corpora tion as one of the country's top 50 suppliers to the federal governme nt. But the n, there's no reason why UNICOR shouldn't be a hugely successful company. Co n side r th ese business advantages. The 16,200 fede ral priso n ers UN I CO R e mpl oys receive standard inmate pay: a whopping 23 cents to $1.15 per h o ur. And, si n ce UN I CO R is gove rnm e ntown ed , it p ays no fe deral or state taxes, no workman's compe nsation or Social Security tax. There are n o license fees o r permit fees. UNICOR has direct access to surplus industrial pla n t equipme n t a nd raw ma te rials from other federal age n cies, a nd it can b or row dir ectly fro m th e Treas ury a t be low prime rate. UNICOR's overh ead co mpared to that of privately-run companies and corporations is practically nil. To make ma tters easie r for UNICOR, th e government h as give n it priority supplie r status. Tha t means t h at any federal age n cy n eeding a product or service provided by UNICOR must go to UNICOR first. If UNICOR can't satisfy the o rde r, the agency in n eed o f product cann ot solicit bids from the private sector until it receives a waiver from UNICOR. While n o t illegal, this special status h as earned UNICOR a bad rap with competing private companies. For businesses d ealing extensive ly if n ot exclusively with the governmen t, UNICOR's governmen ta l "super preference," its lack of overh ead and its burgeoning growth have proven devastating. Fo r exa mple , b y consiste ntl y coming in with lower bids, the UNICOR fac tory in Me mphi s, TN , brought about the d em ise o f Hiltronics Corporatio n, a 21-year-old fam il y-owned company t h at made a udio cable for the Navy and Marine Corps. Thomas W. Rafte ry In c., a dra p ery ma nufacturer in H a rtford, CT, saw its government sales topple from $1.5 million to $750,000 after UNICOR began bidd ing on governm e nt drapery. New J e r sey's Ce ntercore, a manufacture r o f office furni ture fo r the government, had to cut a third of its wo rk force due to co m petition from UN ICOR. And Cable Systems, Inc. of Boston , MA, shrunk its work force fro m 180 to 45. The list of private com pan ies ruined by UNICOR goes on and on. "Small business is lobbying for a change," says Leslie Aubin, legisla tive represe n tative for the Washingtonb ased Na ti o n al Federation of Independe nt Business. "It's a noble ca use. We 're just asking for a level pl aying fie ld . Smalle r businesses can ' t compete with UNICOR. Wha t co mpany ca n afford to unde rbid UNICOR, which pays its inmates 35 cents an hour?" Outraged federal contractors have p e ti tioned Co n gress to kee p the Fed e r al Prison Industries from taking more th an thei r fair share. Th e Coalitio n fo r Governme nt Proc ure m e nt claims UN ICOR h as forced numerous private companies out of business and eliminated more th a n 2 ,000 private sector jobs . UNICOR's impairment of private sector businesses h as also resulted in the formation of th e Priso n Industries Refo rm Allia n ce. Curren tl y, 1,000 comp an ies and la bor unions subsc ribe to the fouryear-old organization. "We're very concerned about the impact UNICOR is ma king on private business," says its director, Sue Pe rry. "And so our organization is looking at working with UNICOR to change their direction." So far, Perry says, UNICOR h asn 't bee n very coo p e rative. "Th ey see m to h ave their ow n agenda, regardless of our attempts." According to UNICOR propagand a, making mo n ey and ex p a nding government-owned industry is me rely a by-product of UNICOR's true mission: re h abilitation. Nat Gordon , a spo kesm a n for UN ICOR, says th at UNICOR was originally formed, and still exists, "primarily as a work progra m to keep inmates busy. " That "work program," according to current Bureau of Prisons' proj ecPRISON LIFE 51 FEDERAL MANDATORY DRUG SENTENCES Type of Drug 5-year sentence, no parole 10-year sentence, no parole LSD 1 gram 100 plants or 100 kilos 10 grams 1000 plants or 1000 kilos 5 grams 500 grams 50 grams MARIJUANA CRACK COCAINE POWDER COCAINE HEROIN METHAMPHETAMINE PCP why FAMM opposes manda tory minimums for a ll crimes, not just non-viole nt c rim es but an y crime , beca use the basic principle o f th e justice syste m we h ave honore d fo r over 200 years in this cou ntry is that judges are impartial mediators in this adve rsarial procedur e a nd th ey are th e r e to ma ke the distin ction s be twee n wh at is re a lly i mportant a nd what ' s n o t importa nt, how invo lved is th e d e fenda m a nd what was his o r he r role a nd a ll th at stuff so tha t t h e judge ca n determine wha t an appropriate sente n ce is . T h at ' s b ee n co mpl e te ly stripped from the sente ncing process under man dato ry minimums." It wo uld seem th e n that judges 100 grams 10 grams 5 kilos 1 kilo 100 grams 10 grams 100 grams wou ld be th e first to ra lly be hi nd FAMM's e ffo rts to re peal manda tory min im um s. "Yeste rday a judge testifi ed at a hearing be fore th e District o f C o l umb ia g ove rnmen t , Jud ge H a ro ld G ree n , wh o is a Su p e ri o r Court j udge he re, a nd he was great. He was really e loque nt. I think that th e re a re som e judges who unde rsta nd wha t the prob le m is and wh o suppo rt us but they're wimps in th e long run and do n 't wan t to say a nythi ng to upse t the status quo, which is co nfu sing to me becau se a t th e fe de ral level they've go t th eirjobs fo r li fe so what do they have to lose?" julie's brother J e ff is due to be re le ased from priso n in late I 99 4. She pla ns to urprise her friends and fe llow FAMM me mbe rs by inu·oclucing J e ff when she cha irs a pa n e l on ma ndato ry minimums a t th e Eighth Inte rna tio na l Co n fe re nc e o n Drug Policy Re form . .Julie 's effo rts may not h ave s u ccee d e d in re du c in g th e amount of time he r brothe r had to spe nd in prison, but she is not do ne. Ma ny o the r huma n faces wi ll light u p b eca u se of FAMi\IJ ' s wo rk. "[ will a rgue ' til th e clay I die tha t the me mb e rs o f Co n g ress, wh o n e ve r h ave la id eyes o n my bro th e r or any othe r p eo ple wh o we h ea r fro m , sh ould n o t be th e o n e s to m a ke th e d ecis io n s a bout wh a t se nte n ces a r e a ppro pria te fo r th ese d e fendants. They don ' t kn ow the m , th ey d o n ' t kn ow th e ir cases, th ey don't know the ir involve me nt or the ir role in th e o ffe nse. They should not be maki ng the decisio n as to what sente nce they get. T o me, that is a bastardization of the Am e rican justice system." For mort> inf ormation on FAJ\tfM, con /act /h e FAMM Fou nda tion, 100 1 Penns)'lvania Avenue, N. W. , Suite 200 South, Washington, D.C. 20004. W PRISON LIFE 41 The Prison Education of Karen M. White by Kim Wozencraft "She was tired of duddng into the woods when cars passed, ti1·ed of lying in ditches alongside the roads, alone and afraid the police would find her and return her to the institution." - Wann Hem·ts, Hot Flashes, Cold Concrete, a novel in progress by Karen M. 'White sk Ka ren White wh at it fee ls like af~er e ig htee n years. In May, 1976, ~te r an eig ht-week tri a l, sh e was convic ted o f murd e r a nd sen t to priso n. Sh e's b ee n out since lastj a nuary. We're sitti ng at a lunchtime table a t L 'Acajou, a res taura nt in Manh attan 's Flatiron district, chosen because it's on ly a few d oo rs down fro m Th e Fo rtun e Soc ie ty offices, where Karen works as the Edito r-inChief of the F01tune News. Fortune is a n ot-for-profit organization th a t helps ex-priso n ers g e t jobs a nd works to cha nge the criminal justice system. Kare n d oesn ' t even b link whe n she walks in and finds me nursing my three-mo nth-old son in a small booth at th e back of th e resta urant. "H e's adorable," she smiles, her brown eyes a lig ht with th e warm lh that so many women feel toward the world's babies. \ll'e order lun c h , a nd l ask her, "What does it fee l li ke ... Freedom afte r eighteen yea rs in prison?" "It goes bac k and forth ," she says. Sh e h esita tes, a nd th e n speaks candidly. "I live with a lot of fear because l feel like l have o ne foot in and o ne out. Not because I' m doing anything wrong, but because of h ow th e syste m is. You can be walking down the su·eet and yo u see a poli ce ca r go by a nd you think to yo urself, "My God, they A 42 PRISON LIFE could just stop, a nd fo r any given reason say, ' You ' re going bac k in ,' and i t' s suc h a scary fe e ling .. . You ' r e doin g everything ri g h t, yo u ' re not vio la ti ng a n y la ws, bu t t.h ey've in s tilled thi s fea r. Having li ve d throug h th e expe ri e n ces I 've h ad, having see n how the syste m is run , I know how d estruc tive and degr ading it is. How inhuma n e. It's defin ite ly not a positive thing, what they U"}' to instill in you." I ca nn ot. imag in e i t. Ei g htee n years. I did bu t a pittance compared to this woman. Yet I re me mbe r t h e same feeling, just after I was released, an intense awareness of the power of knew nobody. By that time I was him was right," she continues. "He the State. The worry that someone strung out on heroin. was into anal sex and violence. We would knock on the door and say, "Then I found out I was preg- got into a major physical brawl. Larry "We made a mistake. You have to nant. I called my mother and said, heard my screams and came in. The come back." It took three or four 'Look Mom, it was a bad idea to run two of them got into a struggle and years before it went away. My jail away, but I want to come home now.' Larry was saying, 'Help me, give me dreams are now random and occa- She hung up on me. something, I can't deal with this guy, sional. Karen's, I think, must be "That was when Larry stepped he's too big.' I was afraid imme~liate and sometimes over- into my life, • t of Larry and I was afraid whelmmg. I ask her how she d 1t' S OU. of John and I was afraid wound up in priso~. of the situation, and so I "I was a prostitute. I "~.a. t7 DO a did. I went in the got into that because I was kitchen and got a pot a runaway. My mother had t b. ¥f and handed it to Larry, placed me in St. Anne's 0 and he hitJohn with it, Institute, a girl's school, and then I pulled out a after her second husband bed slat that was stickraped me. My mother b ingoutfromunderthe couldn't accept what had :t t 8 bed and Larry began happened. On one level she .._,~._ 1r S hitting John with that. believed me, but she could- 1 t~ I retrieved John's waln't afford to let herself VI let and gave it to him believe what had happened. P and begged him to leave. But he She needed this guy's salary. and took over called Larry a nigger and it got worse. I've seen it happen many Rick's role. He kept me involved in John was a big guy, two hundred and times. Women go with a guy because prostitution. He also beat me. I lost the something pounds, and he really outthey need his money to put food on baby because he beat me. powered Larry. I was so frightened of the table and they put up with the way "During this time I was dancing Larry, I did what he said, kind of like he is so they can take care of their chil- in a club, a place called the Body an automaton." So Karen handed Larry housedren. I suffered terribly behind that. Shop, a real sleazy joint. There was But I un~erstand why it went on." this guy, call him John, who kept hold items that Larry used to beat up telling me that he wanted me to go the drunken, enraged customer, and "I didn't do anything wrong. Why out with him. And I didn't want to. when the guy died, Karen was He was very young, and he drove a charged with murder in the second are you blaming me, mom?" - Wann Hearts, Hot Flashes, motorcycle, and he was talked about degree and robbery. Why robbery? Cold Concrete by the other women. The word was, 'Don't go with him, he's no good, "They just needed a motive, actual"I ran away from the institute. I he's into creepy stuff, and stay away.' ly," she says. "There was no proof of met a guy, call him Rick. I was with So one night, I was dancing at the that. But I guess by my saying that he him for awhile. He was more or less club, and he came over and ordered handed me his wallet, within the paying my way through life, and one me a drink. When somebody ordered framework of the prostitute/client day he said to me, 'Hey, you know, you a drink, you were more or less relationship, that was enough for them you're going to have to bring some obliged to sit with them. He asked me to claim robbery. I gave him the money into this family.' I couldn't for a date and I told him no, that I money back but the authorities really get a legitimate job. I was a run- already had another date. After my claimed that he didn't have his wallet." "When I hear it said today that away. I was thirteen years old. Rick dance routine I left work and took a cab home. When I got there, he was there should be leniency for people said if I tried to get a legitimate job they would track me down and send sitting on the front steps, with his who are involved in crimes of passion, me back to the convent. I was a kid, motorcycle parked on my landlord's and that if they're on alcohol and you know, I believed he had my best lawn. I got very upset and asked him drugs there should be leniency in interests at heart. He was about 12 or to please leave. He said he wanted to sentencing because it's like a sick15 years older than I was. He said, be with me. I was exhausted; I said ness, an illness, I agree. I think that's 'Look, I'm going to set this up for no. He insisted, and finally I said very true. I wasn't able to think logiyou, and tell you how to do it.' So I okay, just get the motorcycle off the cally. I was too young and drugged-up lawn and go around the back way. to understand the consequences of got into prostitution. "I let him in the back door and my actions or the lack of them. It did"Unbeknownst to me, he was on parole. He was involved in things I everything was going fine. Then he n't occur to me to run or to get help. "Battered Woman Syndrome washad no idea about. Robbing people, handed me his wallet and said, 'Here. that kind of thing. I traveled with I trust you with this.' It took me n't even a known thing then, you're him, and I should have picked up on aback. Usually they just handed you talking 1976. It took me a long time to understand my role, to realize my what he was doing, but I was so into the money and that was that." Karen would learn at trial that guilt in the thing. I was essentially an my own problems, I just wasn't seeing things. He kept moving us around, all John's blood alcohol was well over accomplice under force. But I was over the state, and I didn't pick up on the intoxication level-and that he'd there, and I let John into my apartit. Then he got arrested and put in been out drinking since about five ment. "The jury considered me more jail for a robbery. I was left in a that afternoon. "It turned out that the word on than an accessory because I was a strange town with no family there. I of e ftlb,e""'re SO scar ' t ,•noWi1lg• u.t of ignorance' O t wb.at tb.e JD,aSS people accep people lVlOS tb.e11l aboUt in 11ledia teUS d what goes on nvicted an false. are CO d it'S all SO prison, an tO educate it'S iJD.pOrta,D: on " bat reaUY goe . u.bUC aboUt PRISON LIFE 48 prostitute. "Yo u know," s h e says, "because we' re women, we are supposed to stay in our place. We're not supposed to be out t h ere on the streets, we're supposed to be good g irls, stay within boundaries." "Kristina stood near the back of the long line, hair matted, clothes unironed, waiting to 1·eceive the highest dose she could get: one hundred milligrams of Thorazine. The thidt liquid numbed her brain, llept wandering thoughts subdued, and let h er sleep. Her eyes could no longer stare at the m zor-lined fence outside her window. " -Warm Hearts, Hot Flashes, Cold Concrete Karen, age 5, and her mother. prostitute and I let J o hn in ," Ka ren says. "I was essentially convicted from t h e moment I wa lked in the courtroom. He re I was, a wh ite girl with a b lack man, addi cted to drugs. I was alone, had no fam ily there, I was the ou ts ider. T o th e m I was trash. Looking ba ck, I can see h ow th at community felt. .Jo h n was one of their own. Bu t some thin gs weren't brought out a t trial. No one bothered to ask why h e was out th e re doin g what he was d o ing." Th e head n un from St. Anne's Instillltc testified as a character witness for Kare n, and so did the principa l, a nd th e social worker and th e psychologist. The jury found h e r g uilty. The minimum was fifteen years, the maximum, twen ty-five. T he judge gave her twenty, t h e sam e sente n ce Larry received. Accordin g to Kare n , the j udge didn't want to g ive her the ma-ximum, but feared th e community woul d fin d th e minimum un accep table, a nd so gave her a medium term. "It's funny," sh e says . "I didn't know a t the tim e what that judge was thi nking about. Years late r I 1vrote a very personal lcucr to him, a nd I told him everything that I had done in the meant ime a nd h ow I fe lt a bout t hin gs. And h e wrote a letter back th at really surprised me, saying th a t he never wanted to se nte nce me, th at he fel t I was a victim , and th a t h e believes in his heart tha t if I hadn·L been involved with Larry thi s situation n eve r wo uld h ave h appened . T hat just threw me fo r a loop. I never would have guessed th at h e felt th at way a t the trial." S h e spe n t over a yea r in Utica County J ail , before, during and afte r th e tri al. There, sh e withdrew cold 44 PRISON LIFE turkey from he roin. Afte r sentencing, she was transferred to Bedford Hills, the New York State wome n 's prison in Westcheste r County. Before the murder charge, Karen had never bee n arrested. " lot even for so muc h as jaywa lking," as sh e puts it. "Al l of a udd e n I fou nd m yself in a crim in al situatio n, in a violen l si tuation. I h ad bee n treated violently myse lf all those ma ny years. Maybe p riso n to a point was ap p ropriate, if combined with trea tme nt. But keeping me loc ked up for two d ecades was excessive. There was a poin t a long time ago whe n the y co u ld have le t m e o ut and I wou ld have been a law-abidi ng , contributing citizen. I d on't see the poin t in keeping people in prison who don 't n eed to be there. " We're learn ing now that ma ny, if not mo st, of th e women who are locked up for so-called crimes of violen ce a re t h e re because th ey were defe nding th em elves aga inst violent, abusive spo uses or boyfriends. Most women don ' t act ou t whateve r vio le nt impulses th ey might have. T hey kill o nl )' wh en th ey' r e de sperate th ey' re lighti ng fo r th e ir li ves. But whe n they do ki ll, n o matter h ow co mp e ll in g th e circu ms tan ces, it sca res judges a nd juries se nseless. \•Voman arc supposed to nurture, to heal, to care and love a nd, evide ntly, put up with a sh itload of abuse from cowards who bea t th em. In Ame rica, four million wome n a year arc beaten by those who "love" them. When th ey light back, watch out for the wrath of the judge. Karen's case was eve n worse than th at o f th e h o mema ker whose life aspira tion i to ra ise a fam ily. Sh e was living outside the ge nerally ac cepted social limits. She was a Though she had over a year in at th e Utica County Jail , Karen found herself petrified th e day she entered Bedford Hills. "I was just a kid, " she recalls, "I didn ' l know what to expect. I tu rn ed eighteen in the jail, so I was going on nineteen, but I was still a child in so many ways. The re were no kids there then, th ey were all o lder women . It was rare for a teenager to go inside d uring those years." As is o ften th e case, the n ew girl was ap proac h ed firs t by a priso n e r who was a bit of an ou tcast. "Sh e was a very large woman, Susan, and people kind of rejected her. "I winged it," Ka r en says. "I stayed very isolated, I was afraid to trust. It too k me years to accept the fact that I was not goi ng anywhere a nd t h a t priso n was pretty muc h gonna be my h ome for aw hil e, whether I liked it or not. "Whe n I first hi t the r e it was stri ctly p un is hm e nt. They still h ad t h a t farm m enta lity, from when Bedford H ills was the 'Westch este r Farm for Girl s' or so mething like t h a t. You wo rked on the far m a nd you worked every day. There was n o t h erapy. The re we re n o programs, perio d . It was stric tly work, wo rk, work. Six o'clock every m orni n g, until the wee hours of th e night s lave labor. The guards were all women, a nd were very matronly. Back in the '70s, there were very strict rules: li nes for everything, no speaking when you' re not supposed to, and all of that. It was run like a very tight ship. "I co uldn 't accept wh ere I was and I didn 't believe I was worth anythin g . All of those thin gs go with being locked up in the garbage pit of the wor ld , as it' s r eferred to, yo u know. I t h o ught eve rybody wanted so mething fro m me th at I couldn 't give. I spent my first few years totally oblivious. I couldn't accept where I was, what happened, that I was alone. I couldn't believe that I was going to be there for twenty years. But it wasn 't illicit drugs as much as it was their prison drugs, you know thei~ Thorazine. You stand in long lines for medication and then you don't worry . about where you are." "Approaching the intersection of numerous heavy steel gates, Kristina stood under the flickering fluorescent light bulbs set in wire cages on the ceiling and waited for a key to tum the lock. Five in the morning, sleep still in her eyes, she walked through dark lobbies past stony{aced female guards and waited for yet another gate to be unlocked before she entered the brightly lit kitchen. " - Warm Hearts, Hot Flashes, Cold Concrete Karen was three years into her sentence before she began the monumental task of facing the pain. Back when she'd first come in, Susan had introduced her to a woman named Maria Sohal, who ran the South Forty program, for self-motivated individuals. "It was designed to make you independent," Karen recalls. "Now South Forty has expanded to outside the prisons. They help ex-offenders in New York find jobs." Karen was younger than most of the women locked in Bedford Hills. "At that time, I was considered the baby on campus," she says. "Today, it's a common thing. There are more seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds going in now. Then, it was unusual. "So I started learning from the other women, listening to their stories. That's what really opened my world for me. There were so many women who had been through that kind of pain and abuse. I wasn't alone." Though it took a long time for Karen to get into the program, she credits her awakening to the determination of Maria Sohal. "She allowed me to be me," Karen says, "and she took me under her wing. It was in her program that I first began to heal, accept, and it was also there that I read my first issue of Fortune News. When I picked up that paper and saw that there were other people going through similar situations, even if they were mostly men, . and I started reading about the legal system, I began allowing myself to see that the world was much bigger than just my own. I began to find that hope, "School W'as so change and self- Grow•""DlUch forgiveness were • ., .&.Q.g lear. . a Part Of Dl possibilities." Dlore, it.. ~g, to e. "Back in '77, COUldn't "'o as lDirained l·n· ...,.knoW' there were no .& re ... e I fences at Bedford DlOre boo.~'-See a fUture liiTfth • Hills. And as we t&WJ' DlOre OUt got into the '80s, Wo~edge. '' the authorities seemed open to the development of programs." Karen "But at least half," Karen took to heart the adage, "Don't serve says, "are changing their lives in spite the time, let the time serve you." She of prison. It's a shame, they could be began work on her Associates Degree doing so much more out here." through Albany University. In the late '70s and early '80s, "I began living again," she says. Karen began working to make "Regardless of where I was, I was changes within the walls. "I was alive. I sought out therapy for myself. instrumental in some way," she I dealt with who I was and what I had recalls, "in bringing about every probeen through. I created my days gram that exists there today. It's helpmyself. I set up my own schedules, my ing the women who are in there. own goals, my own deadlines. And I None of that existed. I think between met them. I became self-motivated. myself and Luz Santana, we left whatEven though I was in 'their' environ- ever programs are there now, and left ment, I made it my own." them in good hands so they're carried forward. Everything we did was "I looked around for the first time self-initiated and prisoner-made. and took in what would be my 'home' Thafs.how they referred to it, 'This is for the next seventeen years. I saw on~ a prisoner-made program,' or a 'prisunused, untapped talent, intelligence oner-developed program.' The proand energy hidden behind the masks of grams were so valuable that the state frozen feminine faces. I was one of assumed them as their own. Before, them. I decided then and there that there weren't any. I get a really good there would be no middle ground for feeling about that. And Luz is out me. I would no longer be the victim, the now too. She received clemency after dependent. I would no longer work serving eight years for killing her abuwith what I should have been, but sive stepfather. "And it was because so many of us rather with what I could yet become." - Warm Hearts, Hot Flashes, had experienced abuse in some form Cold Concrete or fashion, we decided to just reach out. We wrote letters to all the legislaWhile inside, Karen discovered a tors, to Albany, we had our families passion-and a talent-for writing. involved in it. It culminated in a hearShe kept journals, wrote poems, ing inside the prison gymnasium in painted, tutored, edited a prison col- 1985. I was the editor of the Bedford lege paper and prison newspapers, Chronicle, the prison paper, and I was and wrote volumes of letters-to sitting in the audience taking notes, friends, supporters, family and edi- thinking, 'This is so powerful because tors of community newspapers. "It women are coming together and took me a long time to admit to sharing their experiences and exposmyself that I had any talent, and that ing themselves, at risk, and bonding it could save me. I had time to realize together.' It was something most peomy mistakes, to realize that I could ple didn't think women could do. spend my life in a positive way, help- Many women testified to the legislaing others. And when that happened, tors about their experiences, and it was just so moving, I mean, you could It was like, okay, I'm free.'' Not everyone was motivated to almost see the tears in these legislachange. "I saw women who were so tors' eyes. It was very powerful. The cracked-out, so burned-out, they legislators realized that something needed instruction just to get had to change, and what developed through the day. Each generation has out of that was the Domestic Violence to deal with different problems. I Task Force in Albany. The governor remember my generation, going appointed key persons to go inside through heroin and cocaine. And the prisons and to develop legislation now it's crack. I've never seen a drug for leniency in the laws, which of Iike crack, what it can do. It takes course is still going on. Change their hearts and minds. Mothers comes very slowly." throw their babies in garbage cans. 1111"8Dtfng I kJJ.o ,, PilSON LIFB 45 Karen and her sister Viclti. "Mr. P lifts a three-seated, metalarmed couch over his head and fires it like a projectile into a row of women gathered to watdt the beating he's giving a one-hundred-and-two pound woman because lz e didn 't lihe the song she was singing. 'You fudtin ' niggers should all be shipped back to Africa! Lynching is too good for you! ' he ~creams, n~uscles bulging, sweat pourmg from hts massive forehead. The door is loclled and he's the only officer on the tier with sixty women, he has the lley. Most of th e women stand idly by, half covering their eyes with their hands so as not to see what might yet come; others shout at him, 'Leave her alone! Leave her alone!"' -Warm Hearts, Hot .Flashes, Cold Concrete "After the hearings," Karen says, "I was in co ntact with Lo ui se Thomp on, one of my clemency supporters, and she was a member of the ational Orga ni zation for Wome n (NOW) 1 ew York City chapter. She put a seed in my h ead , said, 'You know, Karen, if you really wanted to yo u co uld have a chapter in here.' And I said, 'Oh, Louise, you' re crazy, the re 's no way they' re gon na let us do that, you kn ow, no way. It's rad ica l, it ' s co ns ide r ed extr e m e, and they' ll never let us.' But s~e kept ta~k ing to me and encouragmg me, g tving me more names and more num46 PRISON LIFE bers to contact, and eventually I started m ee tin g a ll these people. They would visit, and we discussed how we would develop it. I submitted it as a program proposal .through ~he volunteer coordin ato r 111 the pnso n, and we sent it up to Albany and it came back approved because we had so ma n y sig n a tures o n th e petiti~n. That's just another exam ple o_f do111.g thin gs with others .•You can t d o. It alo ne. I think that s when my life started to change, wh e n I rea lized that it's through interconnectedness with others and their experience that change comes about. It doesn 't happen a lo ne. And no o n e 's alo n e in their experiences." Kar e n worked a va rie ty of jobs whi le loc ke d up, eve ryth ing fro m m o ppin g fl oo r s. to worki~g ~n Grievance to tuto nn g to wo rk111g 111 th e Grap hic and Commercial Arts department, wh ere, sh e says, "We made in-ho use pamphlets, booklets and signs for the institution . Most of the signs said 'No' something. 'No walking.' 'No talking.' ' o smoking.' 'No' whatcuer. We used to laugh abou t it. " In 1983, sh e received her Associates degre e through th e Alba ny Regents External Degr ee Program, wh ich was largely cOt-respondence. In '85 she earned her B.S. through the Mercy College Program. "School was so much a part of me. Growing, learning, wa nting to know more, it was ingrained in me. I couldn ' t foresee a future without more books, more knowledge. I had hea~d that there were only two programs 111 the whole United States, one in Ohio and the other in Vermont, that offered graduate programs for prisoners. A fellow prisoner, Luz Camacho, had contacted them also, unbeknownst to me. She's a lso out now, sh e a lso got clemency, she was in for drug muling and, you know, I'm j ust so glad some of the people got out of there. She had a little daughter a t the time, so it makes all the difference in the world. She went through so much hell. Anyway, Luz ended up telling me about Dr. Margaret White- no relation, by the way- and I contacted her and she came for a visit and I told her what I wan ted to do, and she told me how much it would cost, and I got my fami ly invo lved. The y we re like, 'Karen, if this is what you want to do, we'll help you in any way we can,' and I felt great. I had to find a .mentor ~vho had a d octorate in Enghsh o r Ltterature. Through the librarian at .the prison , I met a woman , Dr. J er!Iyn Fische r, who said, 'I know the n ght person for you.' She gave me this person's number and I contacted her and sh e came in . We becam e one big happy family. We had m eetings every month, I gave presentations, it was very concentrated. It was very, very intense tutoring. I created two j ournals, did .my thesis, which was titled, "Confrontmg Margin a li ty: Em powering Wo~en through Writing and Literature 111 a Prison College Program." It was a study of literature and writing in the Mercy College prison program. At that time I was o ne of the head tutors there and that's how I did the work with tl1e students. I learned from them and they learned from me. We d id good work, an d I go t my Master of Arts in Literature and Writing Pedagogy. "Now, th ey've e liminated Pell grants. I know of a woman who's still in and has been going to college and by nex t J anuary, that '~ it. N~ more college program. T hat s so fnght~n ing. They've just ended the most vt~l program that exists inside the pnsons. It's going to show, it's going take its toll. It's frightening." Kar e n was locked up long enough to see the fluctuati~ns, t~1e changes in attitude and yu?hc o pmion, often driven by pohuctans looking for scary rhetoric, tl1at swing the penal pendulum fro m punishmen.t to rehabilitation a nd back to pumshment again . "As we entered the eighties," she says, "things sta rte d to get a little more humane. But I have to say they I got ri g ht bac k to th e punishment within th e priso n so tha t sh e coul d do th a t is essential to my well-being aspect. At Bedford, it coincided with ge t th e suppo rt that sh e did. But I righ t now.'' th e Brinks robbe ry, in '86 or '8 7. think also we we re glad to see that What was it like to e merge into a Kath y [Boudin] a nd Judy [Cla rk] finally one clemency was g iven to on e who le new world after 19 years inside? "The thing that frigh te n ed m e came to the prison. Ka thy had twenty woman after so many had bee n given years, Judy had a seve nty-five-year-to- to me n. There's definitely an imbal- was having been away in a socie ty of women, with o u t m e n. I rem e mbe r life se nte n ce. Three fences we nt up ance there. " back to back. It was a whole d ifferent My three-month-old so n chooses stand ing o n a u·ain platform , o n my menta li ty. No body wanted to h ea r this moment to express himself. H e way to report fo r parole, and I saw a a nything a bout programs. They stan- begins CI)'ing, a nd I sooth e him, ask man I thought was hiding be hin d a e d phasing th e m o u t. One by one what's wrong. Karen, expe rtly in te r- pole. Fo r awhile, I j ust though t eveJ)' they let teach ers go. A lot of the pro- pre ting the baby's cries, says, "I can ' t man I saw was a rapist. It took awhile grams were run by com munity volun- take my nap, it's too noisy in here." I to get used to functioning in a society tee rs, and th ey [the a uth o riti es] put him to my breast and he begins that was both male a nd female ." Karen's siste r Vicki had died in a began to be fearful of the voluntee rs nursing happily, no longe r aware of m o to rcycle acc ide nt at the age of a nd their mo tives. They saw th e vo l- his surrou ndings. untee rs as being bleeding-heart liberIn the cliche-ridden stories about twe nty-two, whi le Ka r e n was sti ll als and God knows they didn ' t wam prison written by those who 've not inside. One of th e first things Karen them to he lp anyone esca pe or a ny- been th e re, there's usually some talk wanted to do when she was released thing like that. So things started real- a bo ut "that first breath of free air. " was visit he r siste r's grave. That was ly getting ti g ht, a nd eve ryo n e suf- When I fi rst got o ut, I felt like I was o n the pe rsonal level. On a socie tal fered for it. hitti ng a wall. You know, you walk ou t level, she says, "I wanted to work. I "Most of the women I was locked from b eing confin ed within prison wanted to be a pan of th e commun iup with were good p eople, p eo pl e walls a nd hi t another kind of wall, a ty, to earn my way, to give back.'' Ail who made mistakes when th ey were h ard h igh wa ll of self-righteousness th e work sh e'd d one on herself in put in certain situation s. They d idn't e rected by a vengeful socie ty. Karen prison began paying off on the o utside. When I ask if she is bi tter abou t see a ny oth er way to m ake thin gs m et it, too. "I was living wit.h my sister when I the th ings t hat happened to he r, if work. They made mistakes. It d oesn ' t mean that they' re not redeemable. I first got out," she says. "In order to go sh e has h ard feel ings toward any of mean, society may judge me to a cer- shopping we had to take a car service. I th e p eople wh o to ok advantage o f tain point, but that d oesn ' t mean that took a car service, and at one po int h er, sh e says she's over it. "If I h ad there's not a human being here. The th e re were so me g uys wo rking in a continued on that tr ack," she says, "I would never have been able way things seem to me right now, it's fi eld beside the road , and the driver to get whe re I a m today. I as though once you 're convicted of a says, ' Oh, th ey' r e would h ave been blinded , crime, socie ty is saying to you, 'We're totally blind e d. I t's too n ever going to let you for- " ... time-consuming to be ugly get this.' You aren't allowed .a. of to put it b e hind you a nd move on. The system right now defies everything that Visiting with her sister America is supposed to be proba bly a bo u t: g iving p eo p le a seca chain gang. I don't believe in o nd chance." After a three-pan series on Kare n it. T h ey sh o uld be be hin d a appeared in the New Yorlt Dail)• News fe nce. Loo k at ou r society .. .' in 1980, guide lines were waived and a nd he we nt on and on.l wantsh e was allowed to appear before tl1e ed so badly to say to him, 'Do l cle m e ncy board before serving two- look like I just got o ut ofjail?' "That is the typ ical attithirds of her se nte nce. "They denied me n eve rtheless. I was d en ied , n ot tud e o ut th e r e . Th ey' re so just that once, but five times. When scared , it's out of igno ra nce, yo u ' r e d e nied , yo u h ave t o wait ou t of not knovving. Most peoanothe r year befo re yo u can put in pl e accept wha t th e m ass aga in , a nd th e process itse lf takes media te lls the m abo u t how almost a year, so every two years l put p e ople are co n vic t ed a nd in because that was an avenue that what goes on in prison, a nd was op en to m e, until I realized that I it's a ll so fa lse . I think it's didn 't h ave th e politi ca l cl out it impo rtant to educate the public about what really goes on." would take to ge t clemency. " Th at's one r easo n sh e Karen recalls that th ere was a lot of anger when J ean Ha rris, the well- works for the Fortune Socie ty. heeled matron convic ted of murder- "Having been in sid e," s h e ing the Scarsdale Die t d octo r , go t says, "I kn ow how vita l it is clemency. "We fe lt th e r e we r e so that the re a re people on the ma ny o thers who we re more deserv- outside willing to speak out to ing. Also, we saw how she manipulat- try to make n eed ed changes ed the media as we ll as th e p eople in th e syste m. Being able to you can denY here's no waY U, he • eighteen years PRISON LIFE 47 was locked up h woxnen 1 l who "1'Jlost oft e d people, peoP e tin with were goo theY were pu ~'stakes when di·.2-'t see anY xnad e A•. 'rheY \U" "'h y ain situatlons. . gs work. .a. e cert xnake th,i.n that other waY to It doesn't xnean ~ade mistakeS. ..... edeexnab',. .e ." they're not r and negative a nd bitte r. You have to lea rn to let it go. For th e most part, I feel so rry fo r m en who arc viole nt towar d s women. Th ey t h ink it's expected o f them. I've felt how angry and vio le nt th ey could be, a nd t ha t was ve ry germa ne to my situa tion. I don ' t m ea n to abso lve p eo p le of res p o n sibility fo r th e ir a c tions. Eve ryone is on th e ir own journey, a nd we are each at a differe nt point in our d evelopme nt, but a t a certain leve l , it is a m a tter of in dividu a l res p o n sibility. So, I fee l so rry for the m, I j ust h ope th ey reach a poi nt wh e re th ey' re a b le to loo k a t thei r behavior and the ir lives and come out o f it with a realization that acting that way doe n ' t lead to a n yt hin g but d estructi o n." Friendsh ips for m ed in dire circ umstan ces te nd to be intense, and they tend to last. I fo und getting out a lot more frig h te nin g than go ing in. Wh e n it was tim e, at long last, fo r Karen to wa lk out the fro nt gates, she was wa lking away from th e only re lationsh ips sh e had formed as a ma ture ad ult. The sto ny han d of justice had grabbed he r wh e n she was but a kid a nd locked h e r away, a nd now th at same hand wou ld toss her bac k out into the wo rl d as an ad ult. Prison was he r world u n ti l j ust a few mo n th s ago. What of fri e ndship? "You don ' t find it o ut he re unless you really seek it ou t. It ca n be very M~Sl'ER PAM RYBER Sf< I>A NURS 48 PRISON LIFE lonely lor women o ut h ere if you don't have your own ne twork of support a nd fri e nds who you know you can reach o ut to. But th e re are a lo t women's groups a nd I'm part of a lo t of th em a nd tha t's what keeps me feelin g co nn ected. And that's how I prefer to b e, you know, co nne cted and bonded to o th e rs. I do n 't ever want to be isolated again. Some times I h esitate abou t revealing my past. I' m trying to start my life ove r aga in, and to do th at in a co mmunity that I 'vc neve r lived in before. I've mad e ne w friends and I know new peop le. Eve n though I have a whole se parate c rew of people who know me and my e xpe riences and love me regardl ess, 1 do n ' t wan t an y m ore qu es t io n s . T hat's why I was afraid to do th is article. I was waver ing b ack a n d forth because I don ' t want people to point nn gers anymo re a nd say, 'O h , sh e's th e o n e,' and 'T here she goes.' But th en the re 's that other pan o f me that says, 'So what?' 1 did it. I paid for it. T here's nothing you can say to crucify me any furth e r. It doesn ' t matter. I' m o u t he re, a nd yo u can be afraid o f me if you want, bu t th a t's yo ur proble m, not mine. It's been a strugg le during th ese e ight mo nths that I've been out he re to decide whethe r I was go ing to le t peo pl e kn ow o r whe ther I was go ing to kee p it a big dark sec ret tha t was a ll in the past. But there's no way you ca n deny eighteen years of h e ll. There 's n o way. And as m uch as I walll to d o that, I can ' t. It's too much a part of me." I loo k clown at my so n , who has falle n aslee p. 1o n e of us in this life arc inn ocent beyond infancy. It see ms to me that life, c ha nce, circumstance, whateve r you wan t to call it, dea lt Karen a particularly cruel hand in her youth. I wonder how he is coming to terms with th e rage a nd anger that a re pan of the prison expe rie n ce, how she's coming to terms with a vengefu l society. "t o p eople a rc mo r e ve nge fu l than th ose inside the priso ns," sh e says, "th e o n es wear in g th ose b lu e uniforms, calling themselves g ua rd s, o r, I' m sorry, cor-rec-tion-al o f-fi-cers, they have th at label. o lo nger priso ns or pen ite n tiaric ·, it's correctional faci lities. Wh a t a r e th ey co rrec ting? T hey' re not. And people co ming out h ave to remember th at no on e can co rrect yo u or co rrect yo ur d ir ec ti on in life. On ly you ca n do that. And if yo u ca n survive priso n , and yo u o b vio usl y have i f yo u ' re walking o ut with you r sa nit)', th at's wh at gets m e thro u g h every cla y. I can smi le and say, ' I corrected me. I corrected my outlook a nd my thin king and I got back o n track because I wanted to, and I h ad to for me, not fo r anyone else.' No one ca n make you go to a p rogra m, and no one can make yo u go to th era py. On ly yo u can ge t the he lp that you need and deal with th e a nger and the rage and the pain and a ll th ose things th at arc the roo t, tha t lead to wha tever reason yo u arc in th e re . So, I look a t that every day, a nd I' m proud of th a t. No one ca n ta ke that away from me , like no one ca n take my education fro m me. T ha t's what keeps me as stro ng as I a m a nd h elps me to go o n. So that wou ld be my advice, to those wh o are getting sh ort, ge ttin g out soon. Re me mber th a t: Yo u did it. No one else did it fo r you." s 0 Cellm.ate of the Month Rap Sheet Name: Ronald Davis Bey, a.k.a. King Buck Age: Birthplace: Conviction: Sentence: Time Served: Ambitions: 37 Fort Riley, Kansas Armed Robbery-2 counts 30years 14years To see that prisoners' rights and treatment reflect dignified, human standards. "Pe rsonally," King Buck con ti n" Isla m Greetings! My name is Ro n a ld Davis Bey, but most every- u ed , ''I' m not as co n ce rn e d abou t body inside th ese walls knows me by myself as I a m about seeing any innoKing Buc k ... " So wen t Ki ng Buck 's cem lives lost, inj u red o r destr oyed , first lc u e r to Prison Life, in whi ch he eve n th o ug h I'm b e ing clogged out desc ribed t h e wr e tc h ed cond itions p re tty bad with the loss of a ll my privand rac ia l ten sio n brew in g at ileges and co nsta nt confi ne me n l. I J effe rson City Correctional Ce nter in beli eve it's a worthy cause. This is th e Missou ri. Since we received simil a r rea l deal news." wa r nings fro m ot h e r pr iso ne r s a t And it's this "real dea l news" of J CCC, we th o ugh t th e least we could priso n life th a t has motivated l<.ing do to he lp was to publish th e letter in Buck to kee p a journa l during th e 14 o u r Ju n e iss u e. (See thi s iss ue 's years he's b een inca rcerInsicle r Ou tlook for more of - ..; ate cl. T h e journal, f(.ing Buck's writing). . • \'SuckonRacisfl\ whi c h King Bu c k o t long after the \(,ng . 0 nald oavi• Bey. h o p es to get pub\ natne ,s R . de th ese ~ iss u e was mai le d , we got I My ·everybodY in•• \r.. 1•10 a lish e cl, d epicts pris. b f' I<.i bUt tnOSt King sue b anot h e r sen e ro m ·ng l\s\UI0 wtnebY l'vebeendo'"" one r a u se, g u a rd Buc k. "Th ey t h rew m e in ~~rcc-tin,e losera~~'""'tgo-'round bruta li ty a nd the u• d on • g up th e ho le fo r my le tter tha t ! !lcalen arsb·blybepus1"" 1•10 "evil co rruptio n" d I'll pro a , cause yo u printe d ," h e said. "Bu t . an be(orc toO long .:._ incorri· ' be hind th e p ri so n , t wo rry a b o ut ·It - f , m dals\eS · outh . ·de<edab•g 10 ·erthatis. a cl m .i ni. s tr ation. cl on . . cons' _ ,ihat~ / . gomg to co n tmue m y fi g h t gibleprisoncr ddress t I t's tille d "Sup e r u ntil soc iety kn ows wh at's I wan t to a Max : Kin er Bu c k 's . n nest \SS\lC: • ' o gomg on h ere . ·nug Deal Project.' We knew we h a d a "Early o n durin g my incarceraCellm ate of th e Month . H e re was a tio n ," I<.ing Buck says, "I got tired of guy wh o was thrown in to soli tary, suf- see in g a ll th e bullshit. Everything ferecl a ll kinds of abu se; but h e was a rou nd he re has always bee n so counstill willing to stand up for what he te rp rodu ctive to th e real needs a nd be li eved in-to he ll with the co nse- o bjectives p risoners have." que nces. lf Kin g Bu c k had it hi s way, Soon afte r, we got a nothe r lette r J e ffe rson C ity wo uld be a House of fro m o ur man : Su pport, whe re guards an d prisoners, "As you reca ll , l was p lace d in wh ite shirts an d society, co uld come Admini st ratio n Segrega t ion in Ytay to work o ut the ir differe nces peaceafter yo ur mag az in e ra n my le tter full y. abo u t the racism he re. I was released "What wou ld I c hange h ere if I fro m the H o le about a month la ter, co uld impleme n t my D eal Proj ec t?" but a wee k after that, I was p laced l<.ing Buck asks. 'T he gam e-running ba c k in Ad Seg p er o rd e r s fr o m sche mes taki ng place between g uards Supe rinte nde nt C roose. I was never a nd inmates, the c ru e l, un c hec ked given a ny reason bu t every othe r pris- abuse of admini strative power, gua rds o ne r kn ew what was go ing on: pla in g iving priso ne rs kn ives to stab eac h o ld h arassme nt. I'm ge tting pu nish ed o th e r, th e h igh rac ia l ten sio n , th e need ror you ng , white inmates to every clay for my political views. u• ~ ~a~~!~~~ see k protect ive cu stod y in orde r to escape drug sm uggl ing, rip-off artists an d ho mosexual gatl1e rings, Lhe psyc hotrop ic, mind-alte ring drugs many inmates are given as a substitute for therapy treatment, a n d the con fineme nt to strip-ce lls many of the me ntally disturbed are forced to e ndure." Al th oug h m any would sco ff a t such high a ims, es p eciall y comi n g from a "mere priso n e r ," I<.i ng Buck h as a lready ta ke n th e first ste p: selfe mpowerment. "Most men a nd wome n in prison who a re slig ht o f wi llpower go u nder and remain clown u nder their o ppressive state of servitude a ll the clays of the ir li fe. Co nvicts call th ese hopelessly lost people 'tl1 ose with broke n spirits.' But my s piri t is al ive and th riving. I refuse to le t myself get saclclenecl by the loss of my freedom even th ough 1 am surro unded by tl1 e co nstant madn ess." A lt h oug h t h e Missou r i DOC wou ld beg to differ, I<.ing Buck conti nues to live his life setting positive examples fo r o tl1 er prisoners. H e h as prove n tha t the convicted felo n is not li m ite d in h is ca pac ity fo r g rowth, self-wo rth a nd achi evement. I f Ki n g Bu ck made it bac k to General Populati o n by p ress ti me, he ce rtai nly won 't be Lhere whe n you 're reading t hi s. You ca n be su re t h e whi te sh irts wi ll r eta liate. But h e knows th e score, a n d he's ready for it. .Just take his last message to heart: "I hope wh<ueve r effo rts I have m ad e to e nl ighten th e p ub lic a nd o th er prisoners h e re have not been in vai n ." - Chris Cozzone PRISON LIFE 49 BY CHRIS COZZONE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA BRUNSWICK DIVISION Duane R. Olson, Joe Mohwish, Donald B. Sargeant, Plaintiffs, v. Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (UNICOR), et. al. Defendants ) ) ) ) ) ........cv 294-o 11 ) ) ) ) COUNT ONE: Knowingly employing illegal aliens, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. COUNT TWO: Breaching federal labor laws by hiring prisoners and failure to pay minimum wage, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. COUNT THREE: Selling prisoner-made products to private sector companies, in violation of Federal laws. 50 PRISON LIFE 1owi n g ly em ploying illegal alien s? Violating federal labor aws? Sounds like on e of those crimin al e nte rprises the Feels wou ld love to sink their teeth into-that is, if the gove rnm e nt weren 't so busy running the racket themselves. The culprit is non e oth e r th a n th e Department o f Justice's Federal Pt·ison Industries, Inc., known as UNICOR. The me n who have uncovered th ese alleged criminal activities a re federal prisoners J oe Mo hwish, Duane O lson a nd Do n Sargeant. They have filed a unique crim ina l com pla int aga inst the federal government that could, if they are successful, turn the De partment ofJustice upon itself and make it the laughing stock of our gettough-on-crime poli tics. Not on ly h ave Mo hwish , e t a l. fi led charges aga inst UN ICOR fo r employing illegal alie n s and for its unfa ir and illegal la b o r practices, but, most damning of a ll, th e th ree prisoners have managed to uncover docum e ntary evide nce proving that UN LCOR is selli ng prisoner-manu factured met·chandise to the private secto r. Working with a network of fede ral prison e rs, th e trio has accumula ted volumes of p hysical evidence such as purchase orders, memos, cost summ a ri es a n d other documents K the aged, th e nut a nd crippl es, me n who can't walk or can 't talk. Som e wh o d o not be lo n g in p rison a n d some, li ke Alex, who do. There arc a fe w cons le ft over from th e days wh e n it was one prison in o ne place, back when Alex first ca m e h e re, co ns th ey ke e p a r ou nd to do th e h eavy wo rk-AJex an d Lincoln, Gomez a nd Lafa ye u e, Sta n s ky a nd Pe ters- th e inside labor gang. Pe te rs is a li u lc guy, sle nde r but tough , o ld e noug h th a t he h as e nded up h e re. Everywh ere he's been he's screwed up, and now U1C)' are e ither offering him a fi na l chance, or lhcy have pu t him here as a way of ge uin g r id o f him . Pe ters' gaunt, pocked face is dominated by la rge d oe-li ke eyes you try not to look aL Pan of his nose is missing, a crude notch gouged out of his nostril, wh ich lends him a d amaged, lopsided look worse lha n if he had lazy eye. Alex tolerates him, but Pe ters fancies him- "A lifetime in the Hole- they'll slowly kill him. This is how it is. This is how it will always be." self a con man; he is sly and quick, a nd Alex is waty of him. 1 ow Crumm age has crossed back t o t h e ot h er s id e o f th e ditc h , an d Alex watc h es as h e app roaches Pe ters. T h e othe rs a re the re, Oscar Lincoln , Gomez and Lafayatte , Big Stansky, b ut Crummage is a co median and he picks his stra ig ht men ca re fullyAlex beca use he can ' t ta lk, and Pe te rs beca u se he 's six in c h es sh o rter and ha lf Cru mmage's we ight. "Pe te rs, wh en a ll this is don e, wha t say you and me go fi sh in '?" Crummage grins an d winks at no o ne in particular. "Right he re in this ditc h you dug, b e t th e re' ll be ome ni ce tro ut.., He hoo ks his th u mbs in his belt and sta nd in front of Pete r s, wh o is partway in t h e ditch. Crummage is nec kless; his jaw juts forwa rd a n d h is h ead slo p es u pwa rd t o a point , as (continu ed on nexljJage) PRISON LIFE 61 Mommy! Daddy'~ again!" OPERATION PRISON GAP 32 Tuckahoe Road, Yonkers, NY 10710 (914) 376-7771 There's no secret to our success! Since our inception in 1972, OPG has transported ove r 1.5 million people to various correctional facilities throughout NY state-about 1.3 million more than our nearest competitor. Safe, reliable, affordable and dignified service. Operation Prison Gap provides service fo r most New York th ough all that really mattered in his skull had grown dense and settled to the bottom, where h is mouth is. "You like trout, Peters? I'll bet you do." He guffaws. H is p e ndulous belly hangs over the ditch directly above Peters, \Yho continues to dig with his shovel. Crummage twists his head to the right. "H ey Gomez, what do they call trout in Spanish? Trucha, rig ht? Yeah, lru cha." He turns back to Peters. "Maybe you and me, Pete rs, we could have some trucha one of these nights. Or put it this way- you could h ave the trucha, a nd me, I'll supply it." He laughs loudly, the n wheezes. "Pe te rs, you a littl e o ld fo r m e, but yo u ai n't that bad. ' Specially when you be nd over like that. " It happe ns fast, almost too fast for Alex to see. The shovel falls away from Pe ters' hand and immediately he is up under Crummage's gut-just there, attached to Crummage, lips tight and eyes like coal, arm and shoulder and entire upper body pus hi ng into Crummage 's abdomen. Suddenly Crummage whee ls around and stumbles, picks h imself up and stumbles again. His glasses hang from o ne ear and his tiny eyes are now huge a nd a mazed . He is running, holding his stomach and bellowing, and Al ex sees the guard emerge from the tower with a rifle. Peters, holding a dull gray shank in his h and , the end of it shiny with Crummage's blood, casually sits down o n the bank of th e d itch, drops the knife in th e dirt and kicks it aside. Security arr ives-more than twenty Blueshirts round the corner of th e n ear est cellhouse a nd spring for the field. Crummage has collapsed fifty yards from the d itch, and the guard in th e tower is shouting for Alex and the othe rs to drop their picks and shovels and kee p their h ands wh e re h e can see them; Peters sits elbows on knees, head lowe red , p e rfectly still. They' ll kill him, Alex thi n ks. H e'll sp e nd a lifetim e in th e H o le where they'll slowly kill h im. This is how it is. T his is h ow it will always be. There is a trace of blue in the afte rnoon sky, but mostly it is white ho t, the sun baking the air to a cera mic hardness. Alex ti lts his head back until his face is nea rly horizontal with the grou nd. He can relax th is way, block it all ou t, float for a minute in his eyes. But tl1en it occurs to him that there are no c racks in th is dome, that no thing lives in th is sky, that birds could never fl y here. State Correctional Facilities. Buses depart from W~st 59th St. & Col umbu s C ircle, d irectly in fro nt of the New York Coliseum. Monday-Thursday 9am to 5 pm Friday 9am to 8 pm Saturday 62 PRISON LIFE lOam to 4pm 1\bott/ /he Illustrator (next page): j oseph H emandez is doin' time at Green H aven Co1-rectionalFacility in New York. ·~ Name issues: Number I n s t i t u t i o n - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - Address Mail to: Prison Life City State is D Enclosed $19.95 - - - -- - - - Zip Code - - - -- - - 505 8 t h Ave NY, NY 10018 D uring 1989 and 1990, b e twee n 68,000 a nd 70,000 h ome less pe o p le live d in New York City. These statistics are r e ported in a co mbination o f record s from th e Ce nsu s Bureau , sh e lte rs and homeless organizatio ns, a nd fro m spotters who count in publ ic faci liti es: the Port Author ity, Pennsylvan ia Statio n , Gra nd Cenu·al T e rminal, Ce n tra l Pa rk, Tompkins Square Park and various ferry stations. If you wen t with the high numbe r, you'd sti ll be short by 3,000 to 5,000 peo pl e . It m ay b e hard to accep t that professio nals co uld b e off by such a la rge number, bu t I kn ow this to be a fact. Don't get me wro ng, th ey did t h e ir j obs as best th ey co u ld. The proble m was, they co u ldn ' t possibly co ulll wh a t th ey couldn ' t see. In th e summ e r of 1989, afte r mo re than five hours of running and hiding from law e n fo rcement officers a nd vo lun teers, I fin a lly made good o n my esca p e. Dead tired , I staggered off the New J e rsey T ra nsit trai n and found my way upstairs into New York's Penn Station. Afte r e ight 64 PRISON LIFE yea r s o f priso food , I bl ew my re m aining $41 i an o rgy of pizza, h ot clogs, cho te sundaes, banana splits, Gyros, Is and Buffa lo wings. Th e ess I'd felt b efore was n othing pa red to the way I fe lt afte r ea ti . I walked a ro und Pe nn Station til I cou ldn ' t kee p my eyes ope n , d the n I fo und a spot o n th e g Isla nd Rai lroad level to rest. ice sh ou ting "Ge t A fa r-off t m e b ac k f r om dreamland, a n I found myse lf sitting o n th e flop r o f Pe nn Statio n. Ten feet away a tl d directly in front of me we re threeilderly women. Two of the m h ad Ia ndry carts filled with pe rsonal be lon ings; the third he ld a piece of thr e-quarte r inch pipe wrapped with e ectrical tap e; it had a wi cked-looking e lb01v a t its e nd. T he pipe was a seri us piece of weaponry, a nd the way sh e wie ld ed it said she knew how tp use it. "Get out o' th e re! " the woman with the pipe said , a nd I ass um ed that I ' d acc i e nta lly tak e n th e ir sleeping place. I opened my mouth to apol og ize wh e n a vo ice fr o m b eside me said, "Move o u t o f th e way! " I loo ked slowly toward th e area wh ere th e vo i ce came from and found myse lf fac in g a man who could have bee n 20 o r 40 be neath a h uge growth of bea rd . He was huclclle cl beside me in the smallest ball a 140-po uncl man could curl imo, a nd h e he ld a stainless steel razo r. I was mad- after spend ing yea rs in prison, I'd allowed someon e fro m th e street to sneak up o n me. At t h e sa m e time, 1 co n side red the damage he could do to me before I could do to h im. I glanced back a n d fo rth be tween him and th e wo me n , b u t m y eyes s t ayed o n t h e razo r . I wa tched the women back out of the opening o f the cul-de-sac, and th en the ma n was up and runn ing. T he wo man wit h th e p ipe s h oo k h er head pathe tically as I sLOod u p. ''You're a pre tty good-sized guy," sh e said, "but you ai n ' t street sman . You be u er go settle things at ho me." Withou t a notl1 e r word , th ey turned an d he aded in th e opposite d irection of the guy with the razor. That was m y introduction lO Penn Stati o n. At that m o m ent, I promised myself I wo uld never again lay my head whe re so m eo n e co uld sn ea k up on me so easil y. I staye d awake th e res t of th e n ig h t. In t he morning, I met Amtrak Billy, wh o woul d teach me tile wnne ls beneatll a nd be hind Pe nn Station. A few hours la ter, I met Sandman. My first Mole Man. During the 17 month s J was out- side the New j ersey prison system , I spe nt e ig ht months living be n eath Pe nn Station, Gra n d Ce nt r a l T e rmi na l, Ri vers ide Drive o n t h e Uppe r West Side, a nd in shacktowns and boa t basins a lo ng 12th Ave. In th ose places, r saw a nd met people who have n ever bee n counted a nd will never be see n, u nless it's by acc id e nt. But, of eve rywh ere I'd li ved, th e most m e mo rable of the times I spe nt h o meless were th e d ays under Gra nd Ce ntral Termin al. "You save d my li fe . Tru st m e now," Sandman said to me, digging into his re tri eve d duffe l bag a nd pu lli ng out a mac h ete. He h e ld it out. I took it a nd he ld it in my hand loosely, like h e'd to ld m e, wa iting u n ti l h e'd strappe d h is own b lad e on. I followed him down the access stairwe ll a nd into one of th e lowe rlevel w nnels be n eath Grand Centra l. H o ld ing a mache te loosely was supposed to mean it was just th ere, li ke a tool, wi th no th reat intend ed. We wa lked for maybe 20 m in utes, and men we had to climb some ove rh ead p ipes and crawl through a manmade h o le into a ventilation shaft. After maybe 30 feet, Sandman put a hand aga inst my shoulder for me to slOp at th e so und o f a wo man 's voice . H e respo n ded with wh a t I would lear n late r was a daily exchanged code. The voice bid him to come forward. Tapping me, h e moved to the en d of t h e s h a ft, grabbed an ove rhe a d p ipe an d pulled himself ou t. H e hung unti l he PRISON LIFE 65 stopped swinging, then he dropped. I moved to the e nd of th e o p e ning and looked into th e fire-i llum ined face of the woman whose voice I'd h eard. Sh e was sitting o n a n overturned cra te pe rched on top of a 10foot step ladd e r. Sh e held a n axe, and th ere was a mach e te, much like the one Sandman h ad given me, in a sheath attached to h er belt and tied to her knee. It wou ldn 't take but one perso n to defend the e ntra nce the way i t was s i tuated , a nd ge nd e r wou ld have n o thin g to do with it. She nodded at me. Still ho lding the machete, I pulled myself out of the ho le a nd dropped clown o nto a pile of ma ttresses into what I imagined hell wou ld be like. T here were d oze ns of shacks and lea n-to's built of woode n scraps, tin a nd cardboa rd o n top o f th e p latform and beneath it. The tracks were clear. Each area had marked bounda ri es, a nd most h ad fires bu r ni ng with in th em. A few were dark but for the ligh t coming from nearby spots. T h ey m ad e me un co mfortabl e because there were people in them an d all I could see were eyes. I have neve r liked b eing watch ed without being able to see the watche rs. I didn't like it then, but I was too dee p be neath Gra nd Cen tral to fi nd my way o u t witho ut Sand man, so I did as h e whis pered a nd ig n o r ed th e m . Climbing up o n e side o f a n e normous pile of rai lroad ties and down the other, I found myself in the h ean of t h e th ri ving co mmunity th a t Sandma n called home. T here we re maybe 60 to 70 peopl e standin g, s ittin g o r m oving a ro und. Most loo ked norma l, save their smutty a nd raggedy appearance, but the re was a scaue ring of obvious loon ies. T h e loo ni es stood around smi ling at me a nd do ing the street version of the Tho razine-sh uffie. A huge fire burned in th e center o f the area, as black smoke from the o il y timb e r s r ose a n d ga th e r e d aga inst the tunnel roof. I remember wo nd e ring wh y th e sm o ke wasn ' t c ho king eve rybody to d ea th. The next thi n g I knew, a man named Mook an d his inn e r circle were standing around u s. T hey clidn 't ga the r , they were just there, and it was creepy. I'd never seen Mook befo re, b u t Sandman's d escripti o n 66 PRISON LIFE o f a hu nc h b acked six-footer with dread locks to his rear was perfect. He was un armed, but th e seve n or e igh t men a nd women sta n d in g around him were n 't. T hey stood tapp in g t h e ir th ig h s a nd legs with machetes, pipes and ha mmers. Sandma n stepped in front o f me and explained to Moo k h ow I had kept him from being beate n to death by so me crack deale rs a few weeks back a nd how we' d hung out together off and on since the n. There was n eve r a c h a nge of expression on Mook's face, u ntil Sandman told him I'd escaped from a p rison in j ersey. And t h en it was so brief, I almost missed it. Watc hin g m e, Moo k motio ned with his head fo r o ne of his people. Whisperi ng in his ear, he se nt him off a nd over the pile of railroad ties. I looked at Sandman, who shrugged his thin shoulders and lit a smoke. Afte r ta kin g a co up le of drags, he p assed it to me. We waited maybe 10 minutes, but it seemed a mu c h lo nger wi th n o b ody ta lking and everybody watching me. I reall y co u ldn' t believe I was wh e re I was beca use all my life I'd bee n a hustle r. To stoop to living underground was n ext to t h e fi n al su-aw. "Wh o esca p ed from j ersey?" a vo ice as ked fro m b e hind an d I turn ed to see who it was. A elude stood a t the top of the railroad ties. I co u ldn' t ma ke o u t h is face in th e sh adows. The gu y who ' d go n e off after Mook spo ke to him, made his way cl own the pi l e a nd squatted clown. Knowing the speaker h ad to be talking to me, I said J had escaped fro m prison. T he n ext questions and d irec ti o n s cam e fas t: Whe re was I fro m? Wh ere exactly did I escape fro m? How much time h ad I clone? Had I eve r bee n to th e Annandale Reformatory? Who ran the dairy at Annandale? Afte1· I had sufficiently answered th eir question s, I was asked my real name. I'd given the answers to every q ues tion , but I refused to give up my name, and I to ld him and Mook so. Whispering to Sandman, I remind ed him of his promise to take me back to the surface if I decid ed I clidn ' t wa nt to be th ere. "He's straight by me! " Sandman ye lled, and it was echoed by the guy o n th e p ile before h e disappeared down th e o th e r side. It must h ave been en ough because I was allowed to stay. T o this day, I still don't know who it was who asked me all those questions. Al l I know is he lived right unde r my nose. I lived be n ea th Gran d Central for almost two mon ths before I got tired a nd left. It wasn't th e people; everybody who lived in our quadrant got along most of t h e time. There were a few problems every now and th e n, but Mook and his people kept th ings running relatively smoothly. It could n 't ha ppe n like that in prison, because inside we all seem to want to d o 'our ' thin g a nd the key word beneath New York was 'us '. That's because eac h of us was an integral part of each other's survival. If someone from o ur communi ty h ad trouble, we all d id, a nd our area had over 200 people in it Less than half tha t numbe r eve r went above. I did , because I became a 'surfacer' for the time I was there, like Sandman. Fo r some reason, I just couldn't see locking m yse lf u p u nde rg r o und after going through so much to get away fr o m priso n . Su r facers venture d above gro und an d collected food, clothin g, aluminum a nd co ppe r , which we re sold to buy d rugs a nd alco h o l, or to e ntice wome n from a b ove down , for th ose wh o were committed to darkness. In r etu rn , the surface rs were watched over and held in high esteem. T h e real Mo lers stayed below, ma pping o ut un explored te rritory a nd basica lly keeping things runn ing. I re member two Molers find(continued on page 69) JB. Springs lll, doin' Lime at Trenton in NJ. Mo'onMoles "If you want to know more about mole p eople," Springs to ld Prison Life, "go to Grand Ce ntral and find a guy named Sergeant Henry." Sergeant H e n ry, now Lieuten an t H e n ry, is on e o f the coolest cops you 'd ever want to meet, esp ecially if you were living unde rgroun d. "The mole peo ple have bee n very good to me," h e says. "They we re responsible for my promotion .'' Several years ago, Lt. He nry ven tured under Gra nd Centra l a nd vo luntee red to coax an e ntire co mmunity from their cocoons. "My goal was to very humane ly and compassionately ge t the m to leave." Most either didn ' t realize or didn 't care that they were living in condition s unfit for human habi tation. "In my o pinion, it's worse th an jail," says H enry. At the height of the mole moveme nt, over 50 people lived under Gr and Central alone. Many were livi ng knee-deep in trash, with feces from rode n ts and huma ns scattered about. But it was warm all year round, and water was easily obtainable. H e n ry be nt over to pick up a ca p fro m a shampoo boul e. "Under this pipe was a makeshift shower. " O n his rounds, h e'd occasion ally be treated to the sight of naked mole peo ple bathing be neath the pipes. H enry used gra nola bars and a team of social workers to persuade the mole people to leave. "I would basically talk the m to death," he says. "I'd tell them it was dangerous, unsanitary and if they did n ' t ge t the ir act together today, they neve r would." H e'd h ook the m up with age ncies for the homeless, drug re habs and, if they had skills, with jobs. "The pro blem was that so many we re either illite rate or socially dysfun ctional. I guess that's what brought them down here," h e notes. Some, like Springs, were cons on the la m. Afte r th e mole peo ple were "displaced," as H e nry d esc ribes it, New York C ity spent over four millio n dollars on wire fences and concre te walls to seal o ff th e a rea for good. But o n th e day of our tour, th ere was talk of mo le sightings among th e transit cops. 'Just because it's under control now cloesn 't mean it's p ermane nt, " says Lt. He n ry. "We need to con tinually seek these people out and h elp the m find ho mes a nd j obs. It just isn ' t right for humans to live this way." (Fmm TojJ lo Bollom) 1. Lt. Hemy /Joints out the water storage container where the underground dwellers bathed. 2. Beyond the [51ill, an "apmtment " where, according to Hemy, "a bunch ofgay guys lived." 3 . The "Do Not Enter" sign at 3 1st & 11 A ve. marlt.s the entran ce to another underground habitat. 4. Graffiti deejJ below Gmnd CA'nlral Station. PRISON LIFE 67 In-House Counsel by Larry Fassler, Jailhouse Lawyer hrougho ut 1988 and 1989, I could be found in th e law libra ry a t F.C. J. Ph oe n ix al m os t eve ry d ay, a t a lmos t a ny h our . An oth er jai lhouse lawyer, whom I' ll call "Ro n ," was in th e library a lmos t as o fte n as I was. On e day just be fore Chrisu11as '89, Ro n and I were the o nly o n es in th e li brary. I n o ti ced h e was sittin g at a ta bl e SLa rin g a b se ntmind e d ly into s p ace, so I asked him wh a t h e was working o n . Ro n to ld m e h e h a d filed a ha beas corpus, a nd that it h ad been d e nie d . ex t he had fi led a n a ppeal, whic h h ad a lso bee n denied . He was n ow work in g o n a Motion for Re hearing, but h e knew how ra re it is to win a re he aring, and th e frustratio n was tearing him (and those twoby-fours) apart. Fi n a ll y, Ro n wen t in to a lo ng, a ngry monologue about h O\v impossible it was to ge t justice out o f th e inth Circ uit, a nd ab o ut how bl atantly th e judges we re ig no ring th e facts of his case. I understood those feeli ngs, so I just listened with o m saying muc h . After Ro n fi n is he d ta lkin g, l aske d him to le t me read his pleadings. H e h a nd e d t he m ove r , a n d I spent a nothe r ho ur reading his writ an d hi appeals, but whe n I h ad finish ed , I couldn ' t unde rstand wha t h is iss ue was. I cou ld te ll it h ad to d o with his parole violatio n , but beyond this it was unclear. So I aske d him to expla in. Afte r thirty mi nutes of additio na l question s, I finally realized that Ro n had a n issue go ing to the fa irness of paro le vio la tio n h ea rings. Ron T 68 PRISON LIFE Jllustmtion ll)• Rob Sula felt that his righ ts had been violated because the Paro le Co mmissio n had shipped him ofT to prison before g ivin g him a h ea r ing. When th e Commission did h old his h earing, it was fa r away fro m h o m e and h e co u ldn ' t prod uce witn esses fo r his defe nse. On ce I g rasp e d th e co n ce pt, I agreed with Ro n that he had a va li d issue. I sa t clown a t a typewrite r and in less the n twen ty minutes produced a short argume nt th at expla ined Ron 's issue in plain , simple words, language even a judge could u nderstand I handed my ve rsio n to Ron and asked, "Is th is what you mean ?" Ron said it was, so I suggested th at he tear up th e 15 -pagc Mo tion fo r Re h earin g, wh ic h h e h a d writte n , a n d si mp ly subm it a sh o rt moti o n using my wording. I explained tha t if I could no t understand what he had writte n , he sho uld n ot expect a j udge to. Afte r all , th ey're o nl y h u m an. Ro n ag r e ed , a nd h e rew ro t e th e m o ti on u sin g m y sim p le two-p age ex plana tio n of the issue. I was tran sfe rred fro m Phoe nix sho rtly after this incident. More t han a year la ter, whi le read ing the Federal Reporter looking for another case, I learned what had happ e n ed wit h Ron's motio n. H e won! T he inth Circuit g ranted a re h ea ri ng a nd re ,·ersed its original dec isio n . It vaca te d hi s paro l e vio lat io n , thu s gra n t ing hi m relief. T h e poi nt o r t his colum n is to em phasize th e im porta n ce wr i t ing clearly whe n you do )'OUr own legal work. If th e j u dge cann o t u n derstand you, you do n 't have a c hance. No j udge is go ing to accept an arg u men t he can ' t follow. Ro n spent two years and many hu ndreds of hou rs working his case to death , bm he had never p resented it in a simple and straigh tforward mann e r. Fina lly, when th e arg ume nt was presented in plain , simple language, the j udges reve rsed the mselves a nd Ro n won. I kn ow how dimcu lt it is to wri te motions an d appea ls fo r yo u rse lf. Keep ing o ut the a nger is some ti mes im possible . Realizi n g that ot h e rs d on't kn ow your ca e as well as you do, and that th ey need to h ave thi ngs spelled out for them, is also d imcutt. Both a rc crucial to success. My favori te way of deali ng with this problem is to write my plead ings as early as I can , and then to "lose" the m for a whi le. I'll put th e m in a box under my bunk, o r deep in the back or my locker, and try to forge t them for a week or two. Then I take them o u t and read them afresh, and invariably I will sec things to change a nd correc t. T he key is to put the UnderGround document out of your mind long enough to forget what you wrote. Otherwise, you will see it with the same mindset that you had when you wrote. Another useful strategy is to show it to your friends. Pick literate friends, though not somebody with whom you always discuss your case. Mter reading it they will probably tell you how good it is, and that you should win. This is not good enough. Ask them to tell you what your argument is, and why they think you should win. If they can't, then the chances are the judges won't be able to either. Don't be misled into believing you have to use long words and Latin phrases to impress judges. You don't. You simply have to be understood. And if your buddy can understand what you are trying to say, odds are a judge will also. Finally, don't worry too much about using a lot of case law. What you want to do is to find and use a few good cases, particularly cases that are very similar to yours, and ideally cases that rule within your judicial district. Case citations, just for the sake of citations, will turn a reader off. If a judge or judge's clerk checks one or two of your citations and finds that those cases don't fit the facts of your case, he is not going to bother checking the rest. Be very careful about the case law you use, and use it sparingly. It is much more important to state your case, and the reasons you think you deserve relief, in a simple and understandable manner. If you convince the judge that you were treated unfairly, the judge himself will usually provide case law to support your claim for relief. Send your questions and legal concerns to In-House Counsel, c/o Prison Life, 505 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10018. tia pass it around. Killing isn't what I do, but at the time I wished I'd had an M-16. ing a rotted leather purse with I probably would have stayed almost $4 in it. Because everything longer than two months, but once we did was a community effort, they when I was wandering through some brought it to the counting table. tunnels and crawl-ways, I got lost for Doesn't sound like much, but I three days. When I finally found the noticed the coins were ancient. With surface again, I was where I started approval, I took them to a coin deal- out: Penn Station. There's a connecer and got close to a $1,000 for tion between Grand Central and them. Penn Station, and even though I'd I'd always heard about Mole peo- spent weeks hunting for it, I never ple, but I'd never really believed in found it again. I believe in fate, so I them. Even living among them I did- began picking people and taking n't, until I snuck a set of floodlights them down to the dry, warm subterdown and hooked them up to a car ranean world beneath Penn Station battery. That was the night I learned to live. Being a good talker, I manhow much damage lights can cause aged to hustle a number of businessto people who've been living for es into giving me leftovers in years in the dark. I mean, the fire- exchange for keeping the order and light didn't bother them the least their areas clean. bit, but white light could and did Before I lived the life, I could temporarily blind some of them. never understand how anybody Like I said, it wasn't the people could live on the street or in public under the terminal who made me buildings. I was one of the people leave. I just got tired of the hide-and- who would say they'd rather go to seek games I had to play with jail than live on the street. Sergeant Henry and his crew of I no longer have that attitude. Transit cops to get in and out of What I do have from living around there. I had at least three run-ins and under New York is a better with Transit, but nothing really seri- understanding of a very human conous, and that was probably because dition. Too much pride can be as of my size and the way I moved. If dangerous as having none. Too nothing else, prison teaches you how much pride is what wouldn't allow to avoid stumbling blocks. But others me to live on the streets, preferring weren't so lucky. I found myself start- jail instead. That same pride woulding to look at the transit cops and n't allow me to take a job paying hate them the same way I used to minimum wage, but it failed me by hate the bastard prison guards who allowing me .to work at state-issued would come in after a bad night or jobs for a whole lot less than miniweekend and stick it to anybody who mum wage. I take pride in whatever I got in their way. I knew one guy who do, but the 'too much' is dead and was chased down and beaten by gone, and I don't even miss it. seven Transit cops, 25 feet below the pipes. He wore the mother of all assABOUT THE AUTHOR: John B. whoopings that day, and when he springs Ill, a 20-year.plus veteran of the got out of the hospital, he was a correctional system, is a multi-published walking vegetable. His only offense author whose credits include five books had been to run long enough for (Kansas, a bestseller; Holloway House one of the Transit cops to take a fall Publishing Co.) and numerous pieces of and cut his hand on something fiction and nonfiction. He is now worksharp. I remember the cop repeat- ing on a book titled "AROUND AND ing, "Make us chase you, huh?" and UNDER NEW YORK: HOMELESS", "Make us get dirty, huh?" as they from which some of the above has been beat him senseless. It was insane. taken. The Transit cop who had fallen was not only half-drunk, but in case he wasn't he took time out from the beating to take a swig from the bottle tucked inside his winter coat and (continued from page 66) ma PRISON LIFB 69 TRAINING IH THE Given that the general public is bitch1n about how prisoners should hove zero access to weights one con hod this to soy: Hey mon, what the hell we supposed to do 1f our taint oin't got no we1ghts? Shit o lot of good your damn Iron Pile does us. . " Damn stro1ght So why not highhght o couple routines tailored for the prisoner without a ccess to equ1pment or beller yet, for the prisoner stuck 1n the Hole? W ith the threat to make we1ghts extinct, it seemed even more important to feature equipment-less exercise routines in Iron Pile Two prisoners were way oheod o f me on this: Sebastian Ventimiglia of N Y and W illie W isely out on the Coos/. Both submilted the two articles before you. So with tho/, quit woslin' lime ond get up off your a ssno more excuses! Chris Cozzone. Fitness Editor 0 0 0 . 1,.. • 0 fJ " ....,.."I · - " I( .. ., Prime the mind fo r a few minutes before you begin the romine. Mo tin tte yourself and think abo ut the m uscles yo u plan to train. ., .. Warm-Up Jl. 0 ~ 0 0 .,..." = " Meditation .. .," .. "" . . .. t Fro m Attica to Si ng Sing, fo r th e last 18 year , l '\'e bee n (i,·ing 1he prison n ig h tma re . Do ing time , howeve r. goes fro m bad to worse in th e H ole, a single-occ u pa ncy roach mo te l. e parated fro m the ge ne ral popula tio n , no t o nly are you loc ke d do wn 23plus ho u rs a day, bu t yo u also have to con te nd wi th s mall food ra tions, shit fig h ts a nd sometimes, sadistic g uards p rovoking yo u a nd playing m ind games. The o~jec t of th e ir game is to d rive yo u buck-wild so they ca n j ustify the se nseless beatin gs. T h e s tro n g m a n age to t r iump h o ve r i t al l. Despi te th e odds, yo u eve n w a lly ad a pt to t he circ umsta nces, re p ressing tho ug hts o f the isolatio n, th e inh u ma ne co n di tio n s a nd the c r ue l puni shm e nts. O nce yo u learn to d ea l with th e psych o logical a nd e mo tio na l stra in , it's tim e to get busy. Wi th a positive me nta l attitud e, yo u can ma ke th is time cou n t, solita ry o r no t. Fo rge t the Jron Pile-barbe lls and d u mbbellsa nd the ma keshi ft ru nni ng track your j o int may or may no t ha,·e. It' · time to com·en tha t Specia l Ho using Unit into a tra ini ng g ro und lit for Bruce Lee. IN THE HOLE EXERCISE ROUTINE 0 ~,;_· "' "' .._ ... .. by Sebastian Ventimiglia • Full Bo dy joint Ro tations (neck, wrists, elbows, sho ulde rs, 1\'aist, hips, knees and an klcs)- slowly rotate each j o in!. T his will pre pa re you r bod)• fo r the highe r-tension exercise to co me. • Dynam ic Te nsio n-slowly co ntract the muscles you plan to train , breathing deeply. Cardiovascular Training Yo ur card io\'aSc ul ar training must fulfi ll three mi nirequiremenL5: lntensit)', Duratio n and Freque ncy. • Int ensity Exe rcises must be performed vigoro usly e no ug h to reach a co ntin uo us yet co mfo rtable level of in tensi ty, a range within yo ur T a rge1 I lea n Rate Zo ne (T HRZ) . T he ra nge of safe-ye t-s uffi cient he art rate LO achi eve durin g exe rci se is be twee n 65 and 85 % o f yo ur l'vlaxinH un Pulse Ra1c (r-. IPR ). T his can be figured out 11111111 ~ .r: c.. ~ .:; :£ 0 10 PRISON LIFE 0 Poetry From Prison ESCAPING CORRECTIONS Mira fled Grants with her tattoos fresh her pale flesh displaying traces of her soul! picked her up in Memphis without a touch without a word her body said enough. Larry Boggan Western New Mexico C.F. LETTERS It's raining in the suburbs it's raining here beyond the fence. Angel's tears drip down dirty windows a good day to write a letter. Letters to poets outlaws and strangers. Letters filled with thoughtfulness when the distance between us makes it too far to whisper. James Allorto Terminal Island, CA 82 PRISON LIFE PRISONER Stalking you with my eyes Feeling what you must have Once felt all over in your Deepest being driven to the Height of power consumed In raw blood liquid urgency Slipping bodies clutching On the oil of love's Consummation gone up in fire A bed of white ash embers Dying in midday heat Stolen by night thieves Brittled to the cold wind Swirling dust swept to My empty window barred. I remember now and then Someone far distant in Time and my love The seasons move on Without you. SOME SURVIVE Met him my first summer in a clean tenement room that didn't spin in a halfway house on South Broadway in a crumbling brick part of t own by the river. Mouth clamped shut below take-no-shit eyes he walked in, been lifting weights, stiff and quick 5 '9" , 165-pound guy, cuffs folded back on forearms "He just got out ... Possession, I think." At first he talked, when he talked, like he was holding his breath, in short sentences barely moving his lips: Nancy McGovern, ex-con Phoenix, AZ "You working? When's wakeup? Later, man." When he found out I'd been caged, too, he loosened up a bit, then a lot. The stiff mask relaxed into an open, impish face . Just another tough guy with the soul of a child. He was life to be around then, bopping in and out of the room we shared with Big George and what was left of Zippy cracking jokes in rapping prison jive, Blond kid playing blues guitar ' - - - - - - - - - - -- ----"'-----'on the deck outside"Eve!)'One thinks this fJhot o is fJretty cool, a kind of nineties beatnik even fJoetic, "says R andolfJh Baggett of the growing a pale goatee, Union Con·ectionallnstitution in Raiford, bewildered in the big world FL. "But j ust do me one Javor: Don't u se it but hopeful, too, in 1·egan:ls to punks or some shit lilw that. " feeling a trickle of new life by the river. WHATANOLDGUYI Somewhere beyond cracked DONE TIME WITH SAID linoleum and lumpy walls he saw a world of freedom I wish I had a dollar and music, a neighbor I wish I had some wine of the world I wish I had my woman I saw of freedom and words. But all I got is time. But the girl he was hung up Clayton Phillips on, Colorado State Prison, Canon City who I took him to see one night away fro m us. The ir memory o f us will beco me fu zzy, and a lthough we a re a live a nd well, in the ir hearts we' ll be d ead. Children wh o never know the ir fath e rs will n eve r fully know t h emselves. We und e rsta nd that yo ur love be lon gs to another- tha t was yo ur cho ice-but don ' t make that ch o ice fo r o ur c hildren. The)' have a moral ri ght to d ecid e if we're worthy of th e ir love. \A/e h ave co mmitte d n o crimes against the m , and our love fo r the m h as not waned. Alth o ug h yo u have ta ke n them o ut of o ur lives, you ca n n ever e rase th e m fr o m ou r hearts. It is because of the m that we wi ll neve r give up. We know that o ne day our c hildre n will need us to he lp kee p th e m from repeating our m istak es a nd fa llin g vic tim to a wo rld that is rapid ly declining. We a r e t h e ir fath e rs and n o amo u nt of tim e o r di sta n ce ca n change that. The pic tures we have o f tJ1em a re old a nd faded, ye t they a rc ou r most va lu e d p ossess ion s. Be hind th ese wal ls they are ou r o nl y frie nds. There is so mu c h ta lk abo u t fa thers who a bando n th e ir ch ildre n, but what a bo u t women who purposely keep th ose chi ldre n away from th e ir loving fathers? A man may be a gangster on the streets, but at ho me with his child he is a lamb. We have made mi stakes a nd a re now paying the piper. Imagine h o w you would feel if so meo ne took your c hild fro m yo u and you n eve r saw th at c hi ld aga in ? That is wh a t yo u have don e to us, only we don't have to imag ine. Mos t of us n eve1· kn ew o ur fath e rs, a nd we vowed that o ur chi ldren would n ever be unfonunate e noug h to say th e sa me. La dies, we love our childre n , so if you don 't stay in touch [or us, please do it for them. SHOES DRESS & CASUAL SHIRTS • SWEATERS UNDERWEAR & MORE Holy Qur'ans Translation & commentary of the Qur'an with Arabic text. By A. Yusufali Cloth $25.00 Payable to: Kamco Enterprises P.O. Box 123 Hinesville, GA 31313 Also send $3.00 for catalog of educa. tional video tapes and Islamic items. For your FREE CATALOG, send your name , in mate #, institution and address to: Joe 's St. Louis 5757 Natural Bridge St. Louis , M i ssour i 63120 SUPER SAVINGS! Save up to I J>ANGE-R HIE\ll!r<>E. 50% Off Retail! FREE CATALOG • • • • ANABOL NAIURALS BKHNEUCY RES EARCH CIIAMPION NUTRITION DASH • EXCEL • f (RGIES GLOVES • Ill f ECit • ICOPilO • l&S RESEARCH • MLO • NATIONAL ffEALI H • NATUitE'S WAY • NEX T NUTRIUON S&S Enterprises Inc. PO Box 2131 Aberdeen SO 57402-2131 • POWER f OOOS • SOURCE NA1URALS • SrR£NGTB S YSI EMS • TWINlAO • li'IPRO • li'<IVERSAL 1-800-456-3955 • VAL.(O DEUS • WEIO(R oFF l\71.\NTJ~J): -= "Alright, your last request is grantedone Prison Life magazine coming up!!" Inmate pen-pals by outsiders. Lonely hearts, students, curiosity-seekers, researchers, etc. desire correspondence with a ll levels of pr isoners. Send brief histo ry & desired pen- pal type to: DEN-KAY. P.O. Box 358 15. Las Vegas, NV 89 133 PRISON LIFE 81 Fa:mily Matters 11 Lette~ to ott? Lai/M A message to all the ladies who have a child by a man behind bars by Reg "CA$H" Alexander Georgia State Prison OW' Larlie.s-: It has bee n a wh ile sin ce we've writte n to you a nd eve n longer since we've hea rd from you . We pray tha t God h as kept you a nd ou r chi ldre n safe and we ll. As fo r us, we are staying strong, trying to be a rock an d weathe r the storm . \ll,lc we re re luctant to write thi · le tter becau se li ke a ll th e oth ers we've writte n to you, we fee l th a t ou r word s won ' t c h ange yo u r actio ns or, be tte r said , inactio ns. At fi rs t , we we r e h ea rtbro k e n whe n you turn ed you r back on us an d le ft us in priso n a lo ne, u nloved a nd n eve r th ought o f. T h e h ea rtbrea k turned in to bitte rness a nd anger, bord e ring on ha te. But as th e years we nt by we slowly ca me to unde rsta nd and so PRISON LIFE our str u gg le t o make it ou t of "nowhe re" a nd to be a ma n in your eyes. Dee p down in you r h eart yo u h ave to know that we loved you. If we wou ld have become kings, you wo uld have shared the throne. Bu t we d idn't become kings. We're in p rison being p un ish ed fo r o ur m istakes, staring at co nc re te walls an d steel ba rs evet)'day of the wee k. Mo n th after mont h and yea r afte r year. We ca m e be h in d t h ese wa lls be lievi n g t h a t yo u would be o u r bridge ove r t r o u b led wa ters, bu t nothi ng in o u r lives has been farthe r fr o m th e t r u t h. V•/ c do not spea k t h ese word s to co nd e m n you or to put you clown . Yo u are the mother of our chi ldren a n d-wi n , lose or d raw-we 'll always ca re fo r you . We have acce pted losi ng you and it's poss ible yo u could j ust ify why yo u haven't even re mained o u r frie nd. Maybe yo u can even explain why you've hown us no gratitude for the many good th ings we've done for you over the years. But, lad ie ·, no th ing in this world ca n excuse o r j ustify why you haven' t sha red o ur children with us. We have lost o ur freedom, ho usacce p t th a t yo u d id n o t put u s in es, cars and every ot h er th in g we prison a nd you do n ' t owe us you r life once val ue d. We have lost }'OUr love, in wa iti n g. G r ad u a ll y, eve ry m a n but whateve r h appened to the frie ndwh o's se rving a lo ng b id begins to sh ip t h a t o u r rela t io n ship was su paccept tha t h is beloved woman will go posed to have c rea ted? As yo u can o n with her life a nd h e wo n ' t be a see, we have accepted each an d every pan of it. It's a slow, biller acceptance loss like m e n , beca use some how we can justify the m. But we cannot justify but it cases over time. Som e o f us loved yo u so m uc h you r notlc n ing us see our children. We ' re no t ask ing for a pen ny of tha t we wou ld have d ied pro tecting your h ono r. Part of the reason th at your money o r a drop or yo ur love, we're in priso n tod ay is beca use we altho ugh we remember g ivin g you wan ted to p rovide you and o ur c h il- both. We only ask one thing: Allow us d ren with th e best in life. Tha t is not to know ou r children! T he last time we saw the m , they a va lid excuse fo r our crimes, bu t it is how we fe lt a t th e tim e. So me tim es were too sma ll to u n de rsta n d wh y we too k yo u fo r g r a n t e d a nd m ay Dad dy was n ' t the re a n ymo re . ow have neglec ted o r misu·catecl you. T ry they are growing u p, a nd wi th evCI) ' to un de rsta nd th a t it was all pa rt of year th a t passes they'll grow fu rther and l faci litate each meeting o n a voluntee r basis. A computer call-out list is mad e a nd t h e priso ners are re leased from t h eir ce lls when our ar riva l is announced. At any g iven meeting, a nywhe re from e ight to 18 m en participate. A cod e o f h o n or amo ng those prese nt commits each man to confidentiality a nd mutua l r espec t. Afte r h a ndsh akes a nd h e llo's, our meetings begin with several minutes of sile nce and slow breathing to quiet the mind. One of us will then invite a ll pre en t to come together o n com mo n gro und with a se n se o f brothe rh ood and solidarity. Then a membe r will spea k wo rds of praye r, as kin g for the g r ace of the Divin e Spirit to guide our tim e together. We sit in a circle to symbolize equality of p owe r and th e desire to ex perience true co mmun ity. One man ass umes th e tas k of call ing upon othe rs to speak. Each person is recognized and given an op portu ni ty to share without interruptio n. On ly whe n all have spoke n d oes cross-ta lk or co nve rsation betwee n us begin. T he goa l is to liste n receptively a nd to sha re ho nestly. Both su pport a nd c halle nge are welcomed. Within this a tm os phe re, a diversity of viewpo ints is ofte n ex pressed , a nd resentment, naturally, can flare. We believe it is a sign o f a mature man to h ave th e emotio nal depth , inte ll ectua l disc iplin e an d physical co ntro l to let such conflicts be crea tive ly expe rie nced rather th an desu·uctive ly or vio lently expressed. The issues ra ised in th e Coun cil are wide-ra ng ing and va ry fro m sessio n to sessio n . We h ave exam ined th e mean ing of masculin ity by e xp lorin g the King , the Warrior, t h e Magician and the Love r-basic archetyp es that exist in every man' s psyc h o logy. We have sp o ke n a bou t the spiritual journey as a foundation for sa n ity, the necessity o f ongoi ng ed ucatio n, th e importance and power of fami ly, t h e inn e r work invo lved in preparing for parole and rel ease, the economi cs and politics of racism and social injustice, and the importa n ce of mentoring and comm unity se rvice. We a lso explo re remorse a bo ut the past. Each man brings a unique perspective. Each participant ass um es respo nsibility for his input, lead e rship a nd outreach to othe rs. We initiate specific tasks, proj ects and goals as de termined by collective vision and inspiration. Our Cou ncil seeks to be ope n to the u·em e ndous diversi ty of age, race, re lig ious, e thni c, ideological a nd other o rientations among th e me n in the priso n. O ur on ly prereq- Uistte is th at each m an brings an o pe n mind a n d a sincere desire to effect positive change. While feelings of grief and sorrow a re importa nt to express, these sessions a rc not inte nded as opportunities to whine, comp lain or indulge in a sta nce of victimiza ti on. Rathe r, th ey are o ppo nun ities to e nter an oasis where perso nal re newal is possible and where positive actions can emerge. For examp le, membe r or our Coun cil have committed themselves to mentoring younge r inmates; they have h elped raise funds for Rwandan re lief; th ey have worked to promo te "Good Time" legislatio n in New York State; th ey h ave taught African and La tin o st udi es classes; they have wo rked as facilitators in Alternatives to Vio le n ce works h o p s, I n n ovative Therape utic Process workshops, PreRe lease a nd Literacy pmgra ms. They have h e lped othe r inmates in the Law Libra ry, have served a mediators in disputes, have been active ly in volved in the Christian and Muslim comm unities an d have contacted the media with o ffe rs to produce public service annou n ce ments to h e lp break th e cycle of viole nce and give someth ing back to society. vVh e n our sess io n s come to a close, we stand together in a ci rcle and j o in h a nds. Fi n a l thoughts , visio n s, hopes and pra ye rs a rc expressed, a nd we become silen t one las t t ime. \h/e imag in e t h e energy among us going o u t to other inmates in th e fac ili ty an d beyond th e wal ls in to the world. As we part, we know we will carry each othe r in ou r hearts until we meet agai n. 'I'Ve call ourselves th e Fellowship of the King of Hearts to symbo lize o ur co mm itm e nt to providing service and positive leadersh ip a nd to serving as just a n d compassiona te role mode ls for other men. T he poet Roethke wrote: "What is madness but nobility of soul at odd s with circumstan ce." These me n have survived the madness in the bel l}' o f the beast. T hey are using p rison as a positive rite of passage by aspi ri ng to the noble side of human nature and by bringing go ld out o f the ashes of incarceratio n. We invite yo u to j o in o ur efforts. If you a re a n ad mini~trator or a cou nselo r in a correctional facili ty, consider starting such a program or being ope n to men who wa n t to stan one on th e ir own . If }'O U arc a prisoner, app roach yo ur adm in istration with such a proposal and La ke responsibility to he lp organ ize a Counci l alo ng the lines suggested here. Re member that each Counci l wi ll have its own un ique St}'le and pe rsonality and will take tim e and patie n ce to develop. If vo lunteer fac ilitato rs are n eeded , contact local human service organizations and ask them for he lp. You ca n also recruit vol unteers through ex isting programs within your facility that h ave outs ide spon so r ing orga n izations. Fi na ll y, we a1·e in the process of crea ting materials for Priso n Counci l deve lo pment and a re ava ila ble to p rovide consultati on and assistance. Let us work together in this quest for heali ng, co mmuni ty and justice. Let us work toge th e r to free the imprisoned soul ! For further information, con tact OASIS, ThP Nat ional Prison Council Project, P. 0. Box 31, Woodstoclt, NY 12498. CFT Correction Facility Transportation You rode with the restNow ride with the best Trips to and from all New York State Prisons. We are a door-todoor se rv ice. No mo re ru sh ing d ow ntow n o r hass les with the train. Your CFT dri ver wi ll pick yo u up at you r front doo r and deliver you back safe and sound. We also service all federal prisons in NY, CT and PA. Attica Groveland Auburn Comstock Cape Vincent Clinton Green Haven Sing Sing Fish Ki ll Downstate Bedford Hills Beacon $55 $55 $55 $55 $55 $55 $30 $30 $30 $30 $30 $30 If you don ·L see the faciIi ty you want. call for information. (718) 648-1399 (800) 37-VISIT PRISON LIFE 79 SmartTim.e STARTING A SUPPORT GROUP By Harris Breiman he priso n e xperience is o ne o f isola tion a nd e mptin ess. fea r a nd mi st ru st, vio l e n ce a nd c h aos-an assa ult up o n th e soul. Wha t can yo u do while incarce ra ted to keep your san ity, to d evelo p yo ur creativity, to no t o n ly su rvive but to rea li ze yo ur human p o te n t ia l and p re pare fo r yolll· re turn to socie ty? Ove r th e past three yea rs we have develo ped a Men 's Priso n Coun cil a t t h e S h awa n g unk C orr ectio n a l Fac ili ty. a New York Sta te max imum securi ty priso n. Our Priso n Coun cil , whi ch we've na med th e Fello wship of th e Kin g of H earts, ca n be a succes. ful m o d e l th a t an y priso n o p e n to reha bi li ta ti ve progra ms ca n use. Wh at exactly is a Pri so n Co u nc il a nd h o w d oes it wo rk ? Th e Pri so n Counc il at Shawang unk is a fo rum tha t addresses unive rsa l iss u es a nd co n ce rns: the d esire to heal pe rsonal wo und s a nd ove rco m e e m o ti o n a l traum a, th e strugg le to build co mm u ni t ies wh e re a se n se o f' m ea nin g Till' Jvlm and purpose ca n b e s h a r e d , a nd th e n eed to c rea te a wo rld whe re peace and justice reig n. T hese con cern s have mo tivated people th ro ug ho uL hi story LO form g ro ups o r coun c il s wh e re ideas, wisdo m a nd experie nce can be sh a re d , suppo rt ca n b e o ffe red a nd decisions to bring creative action o ut in the wo rld can be made. T welve-ste p suppo n g ro ups h e lp indi vidua ls o n th e d if'fic ult road from add ictio n to recove ry. C ro up th e ra p y provides a collec tive se tting in whic h membe rs wo rk thro ug h psyc hological pain and distress. Bo th indigen o u s t ribal c ui- T 78 PRISON LIFE as redee me d me n and creative contrib utors to o ur culture, there m ust be a shift o r perspective in the way priso ns function. The Prison Coun cil can be o n e element in transfo rmi ng incarceration in to a posi tive ri te of passage by suppo rting psychological healing a nd spiritua l growth. T hese men then become p os iti ve ro le mo d els a nd mentors to those who are both inside an d o utside the "Wall." Membe rs of o u r Council have encou raged o ther p rison e rs to begin or con tinue the ir academic stu d ies, to res ist negative peer p ressure, lo panicipate in therapeutic and vocationa l programs a nd to g r ow in se lf- awa r eness and unde rstanding . Th ey challe n ge othe rs to become the kind of m e n wh o command rathe r th a n d e m a nd res pect ... the kind of me n who e mpower o the rs t h an r a t her abuse them . H ow d oes our Council opera te? Fir st, a ll pa ni ci pa ti on is vol u nta r y. T he idea t o fo rm a counci l was s P1ison Council groujJa/ Shnwa ngun/1 Correrlional Facility. sp read by wo rd-o fan d numbn ess, c ut-throa t com pe ti- mou th fro m co unse lo rs a nd d irecto rs tio n , a nd d espera te atte mpts a t do mi- of ex istin g progra ms to the ge n e ral natio n . lf we add to this Lhe stress o f po pula ti on. Inte rested prisoners were g rowin g up in bro ke n famili es in invited to a prese n tati o n I developed . urban war zo nes, and the traum a o f A co re grou p of m en for m e d , and be ing targe ts of rac ism, pove rty an d these men invite d oth e rs to partic isocia l inj usti ce, th e re is g reat po te n- p ate . To d ay, a l l n ew recr uits are ti al fo r chaos and crimi nal be h avio r. scree n ed by the group , an d conse nIf th e pri so n expe ri e n ce focuses sus on t h e p r ospective m e m ber's exclusively o n punishme n t a nd incar- characte r a nd trustwo rth in ess musl ce ratio n , this dead ly cycle is pe rpetu- be re ac hed be fo re he can join . T h e Cou n c il m ee ts eve r y o th e r ated and the result will continue to be escala ting levels o f violen ce in o u r week fo r ap p roxi m ate ly two h o u rs, and my colleague, Onaj e Benj am in, s trec L~. l f prisone rs are eve r to return Lures a nd mod ern re ligio us communiti es provid e ritual , myth o logy and inspired teachings to he lp o ne apprec ia te th e sacredn ess o f life a nd to reco nn ec t with th e Earth and th e Di vin e S p irit. O ur Pri so n Co un c il d raws upon each o r these pathways lO pe rso na l healing a nd e mpowerm e nt. We focus o n qu estio ns of masculi ne d evelo pme nt, accoun tabi lity a nd respo nsibili ty. Inca rce ra ted me n ofte n ex pe ri e n ce h e ig h te n e d te nd encies comm o n tO a ll me n in o ur c u lture, te nd e n c ies to b ecom e froze n into m ac h o a rmor , e motio n a l isolatio n a nd h e is told n othin g. "Wh e n the guards return to gath er u·ays, the man is told to cu!f up. "vVe' re taking your mattress," th ey say. The crime: fishing a magaz in e fro m his n e ighbo r th e night before. H e refuses. His matu·ess is th e o nly softness in the harsh starkness o f his cell. T h e re has b ee n no hearing, no due process, no appeal. A ha lf hou r la ter a se rgeant co nfro nts him with th e same demand. Again h e refuses. His di gnity, frail a nd threate ned , remains in tact. Lunch tim e co mes a nd h e is not fed . At dinn e r, anoth er sack lunch is rude ly dro pped through his wic ke t. Afte r trays are collected , a guard passes h i cel l. Fra ntically, the guard cries into th e radio , "H e's sh a rp e n ing a spoon! H e's sharp e nin g a sp oon! " Li es . (\1\lc a re g ive n sm all , b ri ttle, plasti c pic nic spoons with o ur trays and they must be retu rn ed ; besides, he has no t received a tray that day.) Mo re g ua rds arrive. Aga in he is told to cuff up. Again he refuse , tryi ng to retai n a sh red of self-respect. Two hours pass. The te nsion in th e air is palpable . Most o f us have bee n through this before so we kn ow what is co ming. The talk is excited. "Ar e yo u go nn a fi g ht 'e m? " "I f ya do n ' t go ha rd, you ' re a weak punk!" "Wh at arc ya gonna d o?" "If th ey come in fo rce, I' m cuffing up," he says. "I d id n ' t come he re to get hurt. " ''Ya weak punk!" T he sudde n absence of th e hum te lls you th e recirculated air has been shut o ff; yo ur ha nd confirms the now d ea d ve nt. A press o f th e button shows th e wate r is also o ff. T owels are dipped imo toi lets fo r meager pro tect ion when the gas co m es. Sweat begins to ooze in the heating air. POP! The loud e lecu·onic lock of th e p o d door thund e r s in th e strain ed qui et. A g uard is pull ing a long accordion-like flex-pipe, stre tc hing it fro m the outsid e rec d oor to th e doo r of th e pod. Ano the r g ua rd p laces a high-ve loc ity fa n o n t h e mouth of the pipe. T h e air will be directed outdoors wh en th e tear ga explodes in his ce ll. Everyone watches. Yo u ca n se n se t h e sil e nt o n es a mo ng the hushed voices, those who have never see n this befo re. Minutes grind away like h ours. Su dde nl y th ey com e in ; l 0, no 12, no 13. in he lm e ted , Oa kjacke ted ri o t gea r , some wi th s hi e lds and batons, each with a gas pouch o n his be lt, gas- m as ked a nim osity o n his face. At th e rear of th e g ro up is a sergea nt, not dressed fo r battle; ne i- ther is th e guard b esid e him who wie ld s the camco r de r. "What 's it gonna be, asshole?" Th e ma n backs to his door, surre nde ring his wrists to th e wicke t. He is cuffed and told to ste p furth er into the cell. The door slides electronically to the side and th e front troo ps of L11e phalanx rush in to slam the man to the floor . T he re is no spoon . The m an is th e n ca rr ied by four goo ns, each holding a leg or elbow, to th e middl e of the pod where each of us witn ess t h e m a n s lammed to t h e flo or, face down , a kn ee p la n ted in the back o f his n eck. "T his isn ' t necessary," he plead s. "You p ieces o f shi t are fu cki n g out of line! " "It won 't be fun when the rabbit gets the gun!" "I'll find you!" The screams of angry, frighte ned me n add to the confusion a nd vio le nt mood. The man is picked up by the hair a nd a ba to n e ntwined through his e lb o w. H e is ca r ried away, to a noth e r pod , anothe r cell. There has been no gas. T his time. But th e rage burns within a nd wi ll not evaporaLe like CS tears; it will live a nd smolde r whe n the majority of us o ne day return home, a bit less sane. The vio le nce we witness a nd suffe r wi ll co me with us, thinly ve iled, but ever present. Because of these a buses, some of us will kill; others wi ll inflict pain; the cycle o f violen ce will rotate. The avo idable reality is that o ur victims will be those who a re eithe r close to us o r near where we live. It cou ld be you, good citizen. Some o f us may be able to ove rco m e th e hate, divert the viole nce, save ourselves. A few lucky ones. But it will not be than ks to the animals tha t you, America, assign as our keepers. It's a toss of life's dice. My fri e n d is losing hi s grip on sanity, a nd he is not alo ne. TRAVELING BOUTIQUE SPECIAL PRISONER SERVICES Intimate Lingerie for •Birthdays *Holidays We' ll mail any one of our 450 items along with a personalized letter or card to the one you care for. Just $3 for catalog. Send to: Traveling Boutique 505 Eighth Ave, Ste. 14-H New York, NY 100 18 ORDER NOW FOR XMAS!! ShejJ is lodml u p at Washington Stale Peniltmtimy. Although he has been notified that his a·rticle was accepted, ShefJ won't be able /o enjoy seeing his jJiece in p1int because the officials at Washington Stale Pen have jJrohibiled him from receiving Prison Life Magazine, lltte lo its conlent. Postage & Handling FREE PRISON LIFE 77 Survival co~:~nt~!MADNESS t's a warm spring day. I' m sitting in my cell in gene ral populatio n waiting to go outside and walk the yard when I think a bout my friend in the co ntro l uni t, isola te d fro m the rest of the prison . H e won ' t be go in g to the yard , or a n y place o u tside. H e hasn't been ab le to go o u t for over four year s. I got a letter from him yesterday. \1\le've exchanged le tte rs for the last couple of years, o n e of the few privileges a llowed by the administration. Each message I rece ive displays a g rip on reality ever more tenuous. I canno t reach ou t and shake h is ha nd o r clap him o n th e s h o uld e r in a n e ffo rt to c hip away at th e e ffect of inhuma n e treatm en t. My letters to him are a poo r s ub stitute: The h uma ni ty leach es throu g h th e porous e n ve lope; the ca m arad e rie evapo ra tes into b lack typ e o n harsh white pape r. I can o nl y wr ite, and h ope th at th e n ex t tim e h e gets loc ke d into the shower stall h e doesn 't request a disposable razor like the on e he tore apart with his tee th to slice his healthy flesh. My frie nd is no t a lo ne. Th e to rm e nt h e suffe r s is th e same as th a t suffered by eve r y oth e r m a n in th e co ntro l u n it. I kn ow. I spent five months th ere myself. T he e lo ngated , oval control uni t is a modern, e lectro nic cind e rblock-steel-plexiglass dun geo n o f 96 cell s divided into 12-ce ll p o d s. T h e steel doo r has a hinged wic ket fo r access to food , a nd it's just hig h e nough so th at a ma n can back in to the d oor to h ave his hands manacled. You never leave the cell with o ut your h an d s c u ffed behind yo ur back , I 76 PRISON LIFE e PeJJitellti ofte n a t a.zy the e nd of a leash. Twenty-three ho urs of every day a re spe nt inside the cell. One hour is a llowed for recreatio n in a n e mp ty, enclosed a rea. The loneliness is exacerbated by th e ru le proh ibiting p riso n e r-to-p ri soner co mmuni cation. Talking, weaving a fishi ng line to the n ex t cell, o r eve n using Am e ri ca n Sign Language (for the deaf) will get you placed o n "isolation stat u s," te n days w ith no reading mate rials and a te n-minute sh ower in a stall be hin d a bar red gate. Isola tion is th e punishm e nt for a n y perce ive d mi sco nduct, a stalUs assign e d at the whi m o f a g uard fo r behavio r that may be real, imagi ned or created. T h e guards who work in th e con trol unit are u·ained to see thei r wards as vile and dangero us, deserving no dignity. Whateve r pe rso nal quirks or a nimosities they may have broug ht to th e j ob are g ive n free reign. The o u trages they perpetrate are supported to th e hil t by th ose above the m in the hierarchy. The caged men, treated like a nim a ls, are mo re li ke ly to become just that. Some o f your ne ighbo rs are u·ansp la nts fr o m t h e t hi r d f loor-th e priso n hospital that h ouses the c rimin a ll y in sa n e. Whateve r conditio n led to their placeme nt is compou nded by th e inh umani ty of the conu·o l unit. Driven all th e more mad, th ey scream and beat upon their bunks, steel d oors or walls. T h e d in pen etra tes cinderblock a nd cem e nt a like . Some of them collect gar bage fr o m m eals; o th e rs sm ea r feces o n the ir cell walls. T he condition re mains until the g uards must forc ibly re move th e man to clean the cell. The no ise a nd stench dr ive sa ni ty away from those nearby. O n a day like a n y ot h e r , it is brea kfast. O n e man is g iven a sack lun ch ra th e r th a n th e m eage r tray, Hum.or am writing to you in sheer d espe ration. My cellmate is a filth y slob. My cell mate is a twisted, psychotic, perverted , disgusting, smelly, farting, belching, n ose-pic king, abj ect creep and I can't take it a nymore. Now, I can burp a nd fan as well as the next man . 1 can dribble food on my shirt and scratch iny balls at the dinner table. I d o n 't give a fuck. I' m not a prude, and I don ' t expect a nybody else to be either. But my celly goes b eyond being a m e re cretin . H e co uld drive away Mexican cockro ac h es a nd m ake a gang-bang p o rn queen blush. H e's beyond filthy. He's abnormal. The first time I met him I knew I was dealing with one sick puppy. He didn ' t ask me n o rma l priso n qu estions such as: "How lo ng are you in for? What did you do? Have a family on the outside?" Oh no, n o t my celly. His questions were de praved . "Would you lick a girl's vagina if she had a yeast infection?" "Have you eve r put your tong ue up a girl's butthole?" "Wh at a bout yo un g stuff? Eve r fucked a teeny-bo ppe r?" These qu estions arc u sually followed by vivid d escriptions of his la test adventure. ''Wow! I just sho t a huge load. All over the bathroom. It came o ut slow at first a nd then just... POW! It spurted out all over th e wall and floor. Just like a big glo b. Took almost half a roll of shitpaper to wipe my dick off. But you know the funn y pa rt? When I was don e so m eo n e went into the same stall and slipped o n my cum. H e fell right on his ass in the middle of my load. He got it all ove r him. It was hilarious!" Tha t's th e high point o f his day. Wh e n th e prisoners a ren ' t slipping on his se me n , they're eating his snot and cyst juice. No kidding. H e works in th e kitc h en di sh room. H e see ms to think th at spoo n s a re for scra tchin g th e und e rside of l by Thomas Falater F. G. G. Florence, GO lllusl.r.llion by Sieve Lashley his balls-wh ere h e just h ap pens to h ave a ruptured cyst -a nd forks a re just perfect fo r plucking sno t out o f his nose. Does he even uy tO hide the fact tJ1at h e does this? He ll no . My celly stands be hind th e se rving counte r with a fork up his nose and a spoon down his pa n ts in fro nt of everybody. The who le row of 500 con s is waiting to be fed . The n, h e'll just toss tJ1e fo rk and spoon back into the pile with the rest o f th e "clean " ones a nd mix them togethe r. On e g u y ca me up to h im and complained . "Wh y do we h ave to eat with those filth y ute nsils? lsn 't prison ha rd enough? Why do you d o this?" My cclly looked him righ t in the eye and said, "What do you think tJ1is is? Denn y's? Loo k, inmate, jus t b e g ra tefu l for th e fe w morsels o f slo p you ge t. " "But thi s is terribl e," th e m a n protested. "T err ib le? You sh o uld h ave thought a bou t that when yo u we re selling pho ny o il wells to o ld ladi es. ow, ge t yo ur low-li fe inmate bun back in line before I pee in tJ1e soup." You ma y b e wonderi n g h o w I know he has a ruptured cyst on his bal ls. Th at's easy. I see the m eve ry morning when he climbs down from ilie top bunk. He le ts his balls spill out of his underwear and just seems to linger right at the poi nt where his balls are d a ngling over my h ead when he climbs d own. Such a lovely sig ht first th ing in the morning. We a r e a lso tr ea t e d to dail y re ports on tJ1c progress of his testi cular growth. "H ey eve rybod y! An o th e r cys t popped on my balls!" As you may imagi ne, his farts a re ab n ormal a nd disgustin g. They a re mo ist, lingering a nd sme ll like d ead infec ti o u s clouds. One rig ht a fte r anoth e r. He lifts his pimple-laden ass in the air a nd fa rts like a wild pig. He farts wh en it's quie t at nig ht. H e fans wh e n we're all packed into the T.V. room ; h e eve n fa n s whi le we' re ea ting. H e clocsn ' t care. The sme ll? Just uy to imagi n e a water buffalo witJ1 leprosy crawling up his butt a nd dying. Then im agine the sm e ll afte r travelin g out o f his pink little unwiped anus, thro ug h hi s fi eld o f cling leberri es, and caressin g aga inst his ruptured testicular cysts. Love ly, isn ' t it? So fa r, I 've bee n sm e lling th e m for a year. But I on ly have te n mo re days to go. Ten clays to freed o m. Le t thi s be a lesso n for all th e sca m a rtis ts a nd drug dea le rs out the re. Don' t worry a b o ut th e cops, j udge or DEA age n ts. Wo ny abo ut th e fac t tJ1at the re 's a n e mpty bunk avai lable in Floren ce. And it could be yours. W PRISON LIFE 75 Press a nd Dips a re gon na h ave to do it for you , bro. T ry alternating the m (one set of presses, one se t of dips, repeat, etc.) without rest. An d if the we ight stack gets too light, try d oi ng you r reps ultra-slow (goes for Dips, too). As lo n g as you' r e pumpin ' th ose reps (keep 'e m between 8 and 20) to fai lure, you 're hiui n' inte n si ty- th at's what is gonna ma ke those pees grow. 'Course, that do n ' t mean you 're gonn a see 'em all th at we ll. They rna)' be bigger than hell, but if you go t th e m buried be n eath fat, the n nobody's gonn a know. Since you ask about getting rid of love handles, I th ink this may be the case he re. Sto p buying all that commissary cra p a nd maybe d o some ae robic work. Those "love handles" can ' t be worked 'cuz th ey're n o t actua ll y muscles but a collection of bloated fat cells ha ngi ng out on your waist, m a kin g your life m ise rab le. Th e muscle group u nderneath the fa t is yo ur o b liques, an d you ca n work them (twists, sidebe nds) ' til you ' re u p for paro le but it ain ' t gon n a tou ch o ne bit of fat. You can't turn fat in to muscle o r muscle in to fat. Yes, cu t you r fa t intake. And yes, cru nch es are best fo r your abs. Good luck I Thanlts for the info on the abs. I'm gonna start doing some se1ious cmnches! Howroe1~ I have a lot of fJain in my lower bad1. I'd lilie to leam some exercises to strengthen it. Can you suggest some? Cap CA. Sta te Prison, Tehach api, CA. l f your lower b ac k is hunin ', you might want to get that c hecked out first. 'Course it could be that you' re d o ing a ll kinds o f shi t th e wm n g way at th e iron p ile. Most peop le d o n eglec t th e ir "e recto r spinae" muscl es ( uh , the lowe r back) , tho ugh. 74 PRISON LIFE The "lowe r back" is actua lly a group of muscles that originate in your lower back area bu t climb way up yo ur spin e, like ropes. T h ey se rve to stabilize your body and also to twist your trunk and hyp e rexten d your sp in e. Hopefull y, your iro n pil e will h ave a H yperextensio n be nc h . They are the contraptio ns th a t e nable you to, with your body parallel to th e fl oor, face d own , exte nd yo ur spine up a nd clow n. Mos t Unive rsals have 'em, but if yo u ca n ' t find o n e, h ave someone ho ld yo u down on a table or be nch while you slide up to th e edge, face down. Hyp erex tensions can eve n be d o ne o n th e floor (the "seal" exercise) although th e ra nge is limited. Most guys yo u sec do in g Hyperextensions d o them the wrong way, so don't pay 'em any attention. You'll notice that they start with their bodies be n t a t a 90 degree angle, the n raise their spine parallel to the floor, then up to full hyperexte nsion. Most of the movement is an unnecessary hip movement (which works the glutes and hamsu·ings) which doesn't primarily hit your spinal e rectors. To work yo ur spi nal e recto rs, start with your spine parallel to th e g r o und. Then s lowly exte nd upwa rd un til you can't go a ny fa rth e r. Do not bounce and j e rk to ga in ex tra g r ou nd h ere . I f th e range o f mo tion seems limited or s h o rt, d on't wo rry. That's o nl y because it is a sho rt m o tion . Yo ur body was not meant to do more, so d on ' t force it. After you ' re d oing th ese for a while, you can sta rt hold ing o nto we ig hts fo r m ore re sista nce. Just make sure you don't start cheating . Trust me, you' ll feel th ese moth ers if you do 'e m righ t. [n no time, you'll h ave a lower bac k sh a p e d li ke a Christmas Tree. EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS REQUIRE AN EXTRAORDINARY PROTEIN. PRO MAX's"' pharmaceuticat quality formula allows bodybuilders to maximize positive nitrogen balance for the greatest muscle growth possible. PROMAX makes it easy to get 150 to 250 grams of muscle-building protein per day without the fat. PROMAX mixes easily in water to make a great tasting vanilla shake that is sugar free and low in sodium. For extraordinary results get PROMAX. Send)•om· questions to Ptison Life Iron Pile, 505 8th Ave, 14th jlo01~ NY, NY Call 1-800-654-4246 or write to SportPharma USA, 930 Detroit Ave., Suite E, Concord, CA 94518 today for more information and a free copy of the Pro Bodybuilder's Diet Guide. 10018. SPORTPHARMA USA PHAHMACEUTICAL QUALITY SPOirfS SUPPLE~1 ENTS Hescarch available upon request. © 1994, Sportl'harma USA Inc. by Chris Cozzone, Fitness Editor Hey bro, what 's ujJ? Have a Jew q's. For one thing, f'm awaiting sentencing in Dupage County J ail. I 've been down th1·ee jJrior times and I'm. into weights. Only thing, though, is that 1 only have a Universal set t o worli with-no ji-ee weights. Second: 1 have a good-sized chest, but lite bolloms need to get into shape. I !mow all about flat, incline and decline bench presses nnd what they work, but what exercise can 1 do I !tat will worli effectively on Til)' bottom chest ? Should 1 wt my fat intake? Now, on to stomach. Are rrunches the best thing for this muscle? What about something for the good ol ' "love handles?" Any heljJ will be ajJjmcialed. That is, unless they decide to cut weights here. I 've been down a f ew times and lh t• weights have heljJed me ronsidembly. i t heljJs dml with the stress. Danie l Dupage CountyJ a il DanielSounds like you need to drop a few pounds, bro. If you' re uy ing to develop j ust lower pees, you might as we ll be uyi ng to grow anothe r row of abdominal plates. Let me explain. The shape of any given muscle cann ot be c ha nged . H oweve r, you can change a muscle's appearance either by e nl arg ing it o r by reducing bodyfat to bring out d efinitio n. We' re a ll stuck with the le ngth and shape o f our muscle bellies. That goes for your pees, too. It ' s impossibl e t o wo rk o nl y part of yo ur muscle. A muscle is lik e a rubb er b ancl anc h ored between two poin ts-th e origin a nd insertio n. It can o nly shorten (cont r act) and le n gt h en. Without c h a n g ing those "anch o r points, " working a portion of yo ur muscle be lly ain 't gonna happe n . The pees-pectora lis major- is a Y-sha ped muscle. It is attached at your sternum and your clavicle and in se rts onto the humerus b one. The dual o rigin is wha t g ives that "sp li t" look on guys who are ripped . T h e botto m line is: Some guys are gonn a have fulle r muscle bellies than othe r guys. It's a genetic thang. or course, that don't mean you can't have some ass-kickin ' pees. T he p ees can be worked best from a Oat be n ch with elevations no greater than 15 degrees. Forge t the d ecline; it actua lly limi ts your pees' ra n ge of motio n a nd a t the sa m e time puts you r inner sho ulde r muscles at r isk. Forget hig h inclines, too: They' ll hit your dells too hard. Stick to fla t benches, maybe throw in some clips, too. Now, you ' re Un iversal-bound? That su c ks. But a ll 's n o t lost. Fortunate ly, muscles a -re sLU pid brainless thin gs th at o nl y know a coupl e things: pain and inte n sity. S ur e, free weig hts a r e b e tter, because th ey a llow you to move in ways your body was meant to move in . Machines lock your ass in a n d force you to move in ways that may or may not be in syn c h with your particula r body's range o f mo tio n. lL don ' t mean you can ' t get in so me killer worko uts, though. It looks like the Flat Mach ine PRISON LIFE 73 • Ha lf-Squat (wid e but co mfortabl e stan ce) • Sissy Squat (hips out, on balls of feet, lean off wall for balance) • Fo rward/ Side Lunge (h ands on hips) • T oe Raise (on edge of thi ck books, go up o n balls of feet) • Leaning T oe Raise (ang le off a wall) • Sin g le-Leg Toe Ra ise (p rogress ive st.age) • Waist & Mid sec ti o n (Abs / Lower Back/ Obl iques) • Alternated Kn ee Rai se (stand in g, hands on hips) • Trunk Twisters (hands locked behind h ead , twist torso; progress to e lb ow touching o pposite raised knee) • Sid e Be nds (fee t togeth er, arms at side) • Si n g le / Do ubl e Be nt-Knee Rai se (lying on back, bring kn ee up to chest; progr ess to both knees) • Crunch es (lift torso , h a nds locked behind head; elbows go skyward) • Twisted Crunches (alte rnate twisting to left and l"ight) • V S i t-Up (simu lta n eo usly lift torso/ legs and touch toes in air) • Upper Torso (Neck/ Chest/ Back/ Shoulders) • For·ward / Rear/ Sid e Neck Flex (use h a nds for r es is tance , co n tr ac t n eck up/ down/sideways) • Push-Up (begi nners rest lower body o n kn ees for increased reps) • ·Close Diamo n d " Push-Up (thumbs, index fi ngers touch ) • Incline/ Decline Push-Up (feet elevated; off bed or wall) • Fingertip Push-U p (progressive stage) • H a nd s tand Pus h -Up ( u se wal l to maintain balance) • O n e-Ann Push-Up (place o th er arm behind back) • Bentove r Row (hand / kn ee flush o n edge of chair/ bed, lift bucket to chest) • Upright Row (lift bucket to chin level with two hands) • O n e / Two-Ar m S h o u ld e r Press (hand (s) under bucket, lift overhead) • Forward / Side/ Rear Sho ulde r Laterals (use heavy books or bucket) • Arms (Biceps/ Triceps/ Forearms) • Hand-to-Hand Bicep Curl (use LOwe!, simulate arche r pu ll ing back bow) • One/ Two-Ann Bicep Curl (use b ucke t, fill as needed ) e Tiicep Dip (on 45" angle, push off sink) • H a lf-Tri ce p Di p (g rip e d ge of chair/ bed from be hind, rest h eels on an elevated object, e.g. toilet) • One / Two-A rm Tri ce p Exte n s ion (bucket behind back, push upward) • Forearm Twirl (ex te nd a r ms, twirl magaz in e to low e r / wind up s tr i n g attached to a heavy book) Stretching • All stretching sho uld be clone by static m eth o d s, i. e. slowly and g radua ll y. Avoid fast-moving, boun cing stre tching (ballastic) . Never su·etch a cold muscle! Stre tc h b e twee n and afte r exerc ises. Su·etch to th e point where you feel mi ld te nsion, then relax and hold the position for 10 to 20 seconds. As yo u progr ess, move a frac tio n o f a n in ch with each position and h old for anO(her I 0 to 20 seconds. Full Body Stretch ing • In n er/ Oute r/ S id e G roin S tretc h (spread legs, rotate from ball of fo ot to heel postures) • Quad Stretch (elevate bent kn ee, gri p and pul l to ch est) •Jogger's Stre tch (stand about nvo feet away fro m wall, keep fee t tla t o n floor a nd lean forward, with h ands on wa ll , to su·etch Achill es Tendon) • Fo rward Be nd (seated o r standing, feet together; tO uch toes) • One-Leg Fonvard Bend (spread legs, touch op posite toes) • Hurdl e r 's St retch (o n e kn ee b ent behind o n floor, lean tOward opposite extended leg) • Butterfly Su·etch (seated, join bottom o f fee t togethe r; lean forward, press knees to floor) • Lowe r Bac k Stretch (o n back, lift knees to chest) • Lowe r Bac k Arch Stretch (on stomach , arch torso upward) • Ham strin g Str etc h (o n bac k, lift extended legs over·head) • Su·addle Stretch (seated, spread legs, lean toward tloor) • S id e Be nd Stre tch (sta ndin g, feet toge ther, a r ms ove r head , b e nd torso sideways; repeat with legs spread ) • Pee/ Bicep Stre tc h (grip ba rs from behind with ar ms spread wide, lean fo rward) • Shou lde r Stre tch (on 45" angle, rest fo rearm s flu sh against wall , lean fo rward) • Shou ld er Blad e Stre tch (fist on hip, grab e lbow and pull) D OIN' R EPS AT GREEN H AVEN " fra n is a way of life at Green Haven," S0)1S Sebastian Ventimiglia. (Right) Ventimiglia sjJots Nirki DeMallis 011 squats. Siuce DeMattis has been at Green Haven, he's been able to pack on 40# of mass. (Left) DPMattis cmnlls out reps on Presses Behind Nerk while Ventimiglia pushes him past failum. Although irou pumjJers at Crern Hmwn comjJlain that the equifnnent mrltS, they malle do with what they got-it 's not so much what yon got to work with, but what you do with it that fOtt/1 /S. photos by Chris Cozzonc 72 PRISON LIFE BURPEE MADNESS (Left) Sebastia n \lentimigfiarxrl'ffed in the martial m1s before hr got for/it'd up. Now he sjJI'Iuls his time at Crt'PII 1-fnven Com•ctionn f Facility rPading, Wliling a1llf hilling thl' iron with his two worliout partni'I"S, pictured flpfow. (Below) Most oftlw tiuw, whl'll \lentimiglin isn' t in till' ffof1•. You 'fl jind him cra111iing out reps a111f st•ts at Crl'£'11 Haven 's Iron Pili•. Below. \lm timiglia 's two pwtnn:~. Nicki D1•Mattis (lf'jl) and Joseph Medina (bt.f!iud) fmlll him 011 for extra rejJS on Tricl'jJ t~\·ten .1ions. Q: What the hell is a burpee? A: It's a squat-thrust, consisting of a series of movements. Remember those bullshit exercises your gym teacher made you do? The following is your basic, four-count burpee: 1. Squat down, palms flat on the floor about shoulder-width , i n front of your toes. 2. In one movement, thrust both legs back, fully extended so you're on you r hands and the balls of your feet. 3. In one movement, retu rn to the squat position. 4. Stand up. Start out with four-counts and keep going until you become comfortable with the movements and are able to control your breathing. Always warm up first. The most important thing to remember during a burpee routine is pace. If you go too fast, you'll run out of wind. Get into a rhythm and just keep going, step by step. It helps if you have music with a steady beat playing. Beginning Routine 1. Warm up 2. Do sets of 10 to 20 fou r-count burpees for 20 minutes Intermediate Routine 1. Warm up 2. Do 6 sets of 50, four-count burpees Advanced Routine by subtracting your age fro m 220 (220 You r Age = MPR) . Multiply that number by .65 to find 1.he low point of your THZ, and by .85 to find the high poi nt of your TH Z. (T o measure your hean ra1.e, place your first two fi ngers on lhe side of your th r oat, locate your pulse, and coun l. th e number of beaLS for six seconds. Add a ze ro to lhis number LO figure oul. you r pulse rate.) • Duration Although beginners may not be able LO go the distance al. fi rst, your goal is t? exercise J 5 to 50 minutes. Because It Lakes your body almost 15 minutes to really hi t the aerobi c ph ase, a cardiovascular workoul. of 30 minutes is recommended. • Frequency Do your cardiovascular at least 3 to 4 times a week. Take your pick from Lh e following, o r use a combina1.ion o f them: • Running in place • Jumping jacks • Simulated Rope j umping • Fonvard/ Side Scissor Skipping (hands on hips) Muscular Strength Development If pro perl y co nducted , th is r o utin e should last no more than a half-hour, and should be done three times a week. Stan with only one or two sets of exercises unti l you arc familiar wi th them. Beginners should not "rep to 1.h c max·· for the fi rst few worko u L~: Proceed slowly and carefully, increase se ts and reps over a reasonabl e period of Li me. and exerci se l arger muscle gr oups (ba ck, ch es t, l egs. etc.) first. Above al l , warmup Lhe muscl es you plan to work. Obviously, your sets and reps arc going w be dillcrenL than they'd normally be at lhe Iron Pile. Because you won 't be able to conu·ol the poundage, yo u can increase your reps LO a high number (if you'd normally bench pre ·s 225 for I 0 LO 15 reps and now you have to do pushups, then your reps migl11 be well m·er 50) to reach the breaking poim. or you could slow )'OIIr speed clown ( ll) ' going uiU<t-slow and )'011 ' 11 sec wh;11 I mean). • Legs/ Buu ocks • Full Squal (shoulder-wide sLancc; usc ro l led up m anrcss o n shoulder s fo r progressive stage) 1. Warm up 2. Do 45 minutes of burpees without stopping. Once you get used to burpees, the four-counts won 't be very cha llenging. You can increase the difficulty of your workouts, and the benefit, by adding counts. Here are some examples: 0 Six-Count Burpees Do o ne push-u p after step 2, then return to squat position. 0 Eight-Count Burpees Do two push-ups instead of one. 0 Ten-Count Burpees Do one push-up after step 2 , return to squat position, thrust legs back again, do another pushup, return to squat position, etc. To make your burpees even more interesting, you can throw in front snap kicks, upward or downward blocks, a jumping jack, or whatever you like. Don't be surprised if a few burpees leave you gasping for air. Keep at 'em, and soon you' ll go from 10 to 20 four-counts to 300 sixcounts an hour in eight weeks. Keep your lower back arched, and stiff, or you ' II strain it. Who needs weights when you have burpee madness? - ll'iflie Wisely Califom ia State Pen, TelwclwfJi, CA PRISON LIFE 71 in my mangled truck, was playing games with him or so he said and thought. "That fucking bitch. What's the use? " a morose imp an angry, bitter elf. "Don't let it get you down, man. Keep cool bro ... work the program!" We thirty in the house turned our gargoyle faces to him in love, reassuring him in hallways and the t.v. room and on the front sidewalk. But the guitar kept turning to heroin in his hands, and his fingers wandered off on the strings in search of needles. "What's the word?" was the word. "He was out all night. They're trying to decide whether to let him back in." Then he was gone, after six grass-grown weeks with us, and other spooked orphans of the drug night came and went, and we Didn't think too much about him in the balmy river August until someone brought the paper in and passed it around at breakfast. Steven M. Thomas, ex-con St. Louis, MO Tattoo of the Month D.A. MAKSIMIK'S "NO GUARANTEES" You !mow it's awful hard some/imes begin slttclt inside this p1·ison sentence. You go for days, weeks, months, stucl1 in one speed. Then something happens and you're somehow going lmckward, 1·eliving all the years you've wasted and hating that past with a jJassion, wondering what it all means. You're over 40 and you just don 'I !mow how many more years you got left-or will it all end here? So you take it day by day (tnd make the best of it. Thefi1'e world? ft 's just as ifyou dead because all you are is a memmy. The system you 're in? You rlon 'I exist unless yoU1· number paps up on the comjJuter. And then it's still not you that's taken into consideration, it's the pile of jJafJers in a folder the ~)•Stem goes lry, making your life whattmer they L.:.....IL..-.ii~L-----------""'"'"" choose. You fight hard but there's still no guarantees you 'll bejudged on who you Me instead of what the paper muls. You talk and you're ignored. l'ou ash and )'OU 'rr lied to. You comfJlain aud )'OU 're shipped to a nother jnison. Truth is an endangered sjJecies, and if you tell it, you find it can do you more harm than good. So )'011 search for that happy medium and lie by omission whenever you have to make that choir.e. When you thinli you're fJast it all, you realize you're in a world ofgames, and that ifym don 'I play right, you can lose-lime, money, san it)• and even your li.fr'. In the meantime, you play the game and lieejJ the lmth to youneif. Hopefully, one day )'OU can sow the Setids of love... OT talte a couTse i 11 justice. You'll do what needs to br done to fi"ee you-r self and your soul. D.A. Maksimik State Correctional In stitutio n, Bradfo rd, PA PRISON LIFE 83 AskBubba Bubba, /'rllihe to say that you're an assholf. I get to check ont your rag eve1y ona• in a grfal while when someone in the dorm can score one. You have tltf fu chin' nerve to jJllt that stujJirl ad ("Subscribe or l'llliick yow· ass '') in Ihe mg. Not all of us have J\1/ommy and Daddy sending us money. H ave a little rfsjJecl for those of us who wou ld lil1e to have I hings but ain 't got no funds. I'm out of here. Before I go, let me as/1 you one thing. With the big morwy youh! mal1in ', wh)l don't you do something about thai fu chin ' ugly mug of yours? They have swgeons who can even fix something as fuelled ujJ as you. Rt•specl? Corey Tehac/t(tjJi, CA I' m so fu ckin ' depressed. Yea h , Bubba 's lowe r th an a hu ll 's ba lls in ta ll grass. It 's t h ese h o lidays, ma n. Anoth e r Christmas in the slam. I miss bab y Bubba an d my swee t l i tt le Bubbe tte. She 'll be seven this spring and he r j a ilbird of a fathe r-m e- h as spe n t exactly two Christmases with the Iiule c utie. The o ld lady lives in a trac khouse in so m e gawdawfu l suburb of Ph illy. I' m way out here in I can ' t te ll ya' where. Too m any fa ns o ut th ere. I' m really sick of j ail in ', and that's the trutl1 , m}' brothers and siste rs. Ye p, it's really gettin ' to me, especially thi s tim e a yea r. I' d love t o wake up Ch risunas mo rn ing with the fami ly a n d watch th e kicldi es ope n their presen ts. Instead, I' ll be here in max playin ' witl1 my puc!. Hey, I got no o ne to bla me but myself, right? Okay, Corey, I ad mit it. I a m a n asshole. But a re n't we a ll assho les? I m ea n , th a t is one of th e tru ly g reat things abou t li fe-we ' re a ll in thi s together. o one is exe mpt. Look around you. Fro m Madonn a to Newt Gingric h, we a ll have to squ at down and take a cra p. In prison or in th e land of milk and honey, we' re all assh o les. There's another g uy who calls himself Bubba who 's a n even bigge r anus than l am. And he's sittin ' in th e Wh ite House. Liste n , Corey. [ may be an asshole, but I'm not a deadbeat. I work fo r my keep. The boys in New York g imm e a free sub a nd se nd ha lf a ya rd to my co mmissa ry acco u n t for writin ' this trash . Now if th at ain ' t a sca m. I'm sayin ', all you free ho les: Subscribe to this rag. Keep these fools in business so l ca n h o ld o nto my g ig . The next $50 th ey send me I'm gonna buy my little Bubbas some Chrisunas prese n ts. O~ecll Bubba, I'm here in one of !he most maximum secu rity solitude jJlaces you could be at Pelican Bay stale fJrison in California. My brothers, in !his slate we now have !he "threestrihes" law in ej]ect. 1 just got wonl that a brolher accused of throwing a cufJ of water on a pig is looking at 25 )'eG.Is to life here in this state for assault. Another brother is lool1ing at a life sentence just for· stealing a can of beer out the store and he's loohing at all day. You all better jJray to Allah or whoever you believe in that the "three strikes" law don't come to your state. Kareem X Pelican Bay Stale Prison Check, Kareen X. I h ear you, bro. Al l those faggot politicians scream in ' a bout making priso ns tougher: What do th ose fools kn ow abou t prison? What co untry clubs? Yo u know who goes to cou ntry club prisons-if there are su c h p laces, I wouldn ' t know. Out of th e 35 years I do ne in j oin ts around this grea t na tion, [ ain' t n eve r see n o n e o f th ose pl acesfuc kin' politicians, rats a nd snitch es, judges, white collar crooks who steal m illio n s fr o m little o ld lad ies-you kn ow, the real crimin als. \1\fhat about Ollie No rth ? T ha t !yin ' sack of shit brought more dope into this country th a n h a lf the gu ys o n th is tier put togeth e r. And where 's h e at? Never we nt to jail. Got to keep all his elope money. He a lmost became a Sena tor. I wish h e h ad won. H e be longs down the re in D.C. with all the rest of th e gangsters and thi eves. Look, Kareem X, you a nd me are comin ' from th e same space-behind bars. You know why tl1ey lock our asses up? 'Cause we refuse to play by tl1e ir bullsh it rules. They stack th e odds aga in st g uys like us. They m a ke up new ru les to cover tl1e ir asses. And wh e n one of th e m gets caught stealing from the sucke rs who voted the m into office, th ey usually get o ff sco tt free. Meanwhile, n iggers like us get fucked over time a nd time again . T h at's righ t, ] said niggers. One t ime I go t thrown in th e h o le fo r lig h tin g . Afte r t h r ee clays, th ey took all th e g uys in Lhe hole o ut into a cage and let us breathe so me fresh air for a n ho ur. [ was th e only white guy in a group o f a bout 20 guys. O ne of those dudes looked aro und, looked at me, looked at a ll the oth e r brothers a nd sa id , "Ma n , th ey go t e n ough n igge rs in h e re to make a Tarzan movie !" Now, does that make me Tarza n ? No way. I'm a nigge r, too. Love to a ll my broth e rs a nd siste rs be h ind bars. Merry fuckin ' ChrisLmas. In-Cell Cooking Chefts Special of the Month: Chili Mac Plus 1 box Macaroni & Cheese Dinner 1 tbsp. mayonnaise (or butter, if available) 1 chili season packet from Top Ramen Noodles 1 can boned chicken, roast beef or 1/ 2 cup diced beef sausage Boil macaroni in po t or large bowl with stingers according to package directions. While maca roni is boi ling, add approximately 1/ 2 to 3/ 4 cup hot water to chili season, cheese packe t, mayo a nd choice of meat, sti rring we ll to dissolve ch eese powder. When maca ron i is done, drain water. Add the sauce to the m aca r o ni a nd mix we ll. Season to taste with salt, pe pper, garlic powder, etc. J. Stewa1·t Centml California Women's Facility For Dessert: Mark's French Onion Soup 20 oz. cold water 8 tbsps. dehydrated onions 4 beef-flavored bullion cubes 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/ 2 teaspoon salt (optional) Boil wate r. Add de hydrated o nions and bullio n cubes. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes or unti l bullio n cubes a re comple te ly disso lved. Add peppe r and salt. .Goes well with a piece of bread or toast (if available) and a slice of cheese to r tha t rea l ho memade e ffect. Makes one healthy 16 oz. se1ving of soup, o r two 8 oz. servings if you want to share with your celly! MaTh Torrence CalifJal1ia Stale Prison International Coffee 1 cup instant coffee 2 cups coffee creamer 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup sugar 2 cups powdered milk Mix well. Add 2 ing wa ter. to 3 teaspoons per cup of boil- Ice Cream Supreme 1 pint ice cream, slightly softened and divided in half 6 Duplex cookies (or any flavor) 1 "Little Debbie" brownie 2 tbsp. peanut butter 1 banana 1 half pint milk (if you can score one) Crumble cookies in the botto m of a good-sized bowl. Spread o ne ha lf of th e ice cream over the cookie crumbs. Divide the brownie in half, cutting it le ng thwise, be ing carefu l to leave the top ha lf with th e frosting in tac t. Place the peanut butter o n the bottom ha lf o f the brownie; place the to p of the brownie o n top of th e peanut butter and put the stuffed brownie o n top of th e ice cream in the bowl. Slice th e banana a nd spread it a rou nd the b rowni e . Spread th e re main ing ice cream over th e brownie and banana . If you scored o n the milk, po ur o ne half of th e carton o n the cookie crumbs at the beginning, and the o the r half over th e brownie/ bana na layer befo re putting the rest of the ice cream over that laye r. Lock yourself in , a nd enjoy. Chef AI S. P.S.M, Jacltson, NU Michael LaFollette PRISON LIFE ss African-Am.erican Perspective The Lie We Live by Eric V. Reid Attica Correctional Facility D i ·covering !.hal your e ntire l.ife has been buill upon well-conslrucl.Cd lies can be devastatin g. So m e p eo ple di scove r the lies lal.e in life and find il d ifficul l lo l.llrn over a new leaf. T he re a re !.hose who even w a lly would say, "If I could do il a ll over again , I wou ld do il so diffe re ntly !.his lime." This is lrue o f ma ny incarcc rmcd Africa n-A me ri cans who a re co nvin ced !.ha l lh c lang uage of vio lence and criminal activity is !.he ir o nl y reco urse 1.0 socia l in e qu a lily. Su c h mi sco n cc plio n s about li fe's option have lead untold numbe rs o f African-American s imo a n unending cycle of vio le nce, death an d life-long impri onm e nt. Those most prone to living ou t a lie arc !.hose in pa in and d ismay over Lh e li fe th ey fee l compelle d to live. For in slancc, th e ho usewife wilh a bunch of childre n who has losl sight of h e r dreams may find esca p e lhro ug h h e r soap ope ra sl.a rs. The disillusioned convicl who hasn '1. come 1.0 l.cnns with his fai lu re as a ca reer c rimina l will wa lk th e priso n ya rds sharing wil.h his pee rs fabricaLed !.ales o f advcnw res a n d capers amass ing fortu nes. The deta ils are colored over 1.0 avoid the mo ral issue a nd personal juslificalion for !.heir choice o f behavior. Th e praCL icc of cxagge ra l.ing becomes such a habil for ma ny of us !.h a l o u r lrttlhf'u l ex p e ri e n ces ca n ba rely be distingu ished fro m lhe o nes we fabri cal.C. Such a pracl.i cc provides a n a ni ficia l a nd temporary se nse o r co nlrol. 86 PRISON LIFE An unwi llin g n ess lo fa ce o n e's own personal corruplion a nd shoncomings is commo n amo ng co nvicts. Of 1.heir own acco rd !.hey scleclivcly choose th e p a lh of leas!. resisla nce. They sh un 1.hc !.ask o f acquiring a d ecem cducalion thro u g h com m ilme m , dedication and hard work. As a direcl conse qu ence , they wander lh rough life un c du cale d , un skill e d , un e mpl oyed an d unemployab le. Because they avo id legiLimme suffering and work, th ey gen eralc dishonesly an d self-dece ptio n . Ye l in some Lwisl.Cd se nse lhcy see lhc mselves as juslificd for the ir criminal be havio r, which tJ1 ey freque ntly inflict o n !.hose j ust as pove rty-stricken a nd powerless as the mselves. It is true that people arc largely a produ ct o f thei r e nviro nme nt, but it is eq ua lly true !.ha l we arc the product of o ur individual ch o ices. The ave rage co nvict made th e choice to deviate from 1.he norms of socie ly because he boughl imo fantasies, comme rcialized delusions a nd cullllra lly-transmilled lies. Some are plain o ld thieves. Some convicts from our economically deprived co mmunities see themse lve s as th e m oder n -da y Robin Hood s with the right to rob from th e ri c h and give lo Lh e poor . They see l.he mselvcs as viclims of society, and as su rvivo rs who musl provide fo r a fa mi ly. Bul whal tra nspires Lh ese days has very little 1.0 d o wil.h providi ng for a fami ly o r h elping the poor. Several Lh o u sa nd in ca r cera t e d men h ave imprcgnaled a nd abandoned numerous wo m en, l eavi n g !.h e m al Lh e mercy o f while Ame rica's dehu man izing welfare S)'Stem. The Ro bin Hood philosophy is simp ly a smoke screen to hide irrationa l a nd irresponsible b e h av ior fr o m !.h eir co nscience. Robin Hood, !.h ey n ever were. An yo ne who op presses, terrorizes, robs and cxl.O n s lhc poor, or La kes Lh c life of o lhe rs for recreational purposes, ca nno l be classified as a Robin Hood. T h e Afri ca n-America n convic t, a mong many e thnic g roups, is smo the r ed in rn ylh s a n d li es h e both d efends a nd re fuses lo evalua lc oqjectively. lt is a lie tha t the white race is l.he sole cause o f African-Ame ri can s every failure an d the prirnaq' cause o f the destruction of his communities. It is a lie th a l Lhc while race prevenls us from getting a decem educalion and deve lo ping a qua lity lifeslyle. ll is a lie th a l Lh c wh i te race is exc lus ively r espo n s ib le for eac h Afri ca nAmerican incarcera1.e d loday. In eve•)' race there a re devils and saints. Every ma n is respo n sible for his or he r own cho ices in life. T he lie is th at so m eo n e owes th e Afri ca nAmerican somclhing beyond what he is capab le of ac quirin g him se lf. Because many African-Ame rica ns still be li eve t h at someo n e owes th em somel.hing, !.hey feel justifie d in using u n cl hi ca l a nd c riminal me a n s to acquire ma te ri al success. The prison sysLems are filled with those who ho ld d ear to the m !.h is concepl of life. Yet in our p rison ·ystc m , where AfricanAmerica n s dom in ate as a n c lhni c group, we vio lale o ur own eslablishecl codes, ru les an d sla nd a rds, ju sl as crookedly a nd co rruptly as whites d o. We exlort o lhe r Afri can-Amer ican s who are as eq ually opp ressed a nd victimized by society as we a rc. The murdering of' Olh er African-Americans in prison isn' l u sua ll y co mmiued b y whiles bul b y o 1.h cr Afr ica nAme ricans. Bul we selectively foc u s on th e while man as our worsl enemy, when African-Americans arc our own worsl enemy. Living o ul lies has had a cancerous im pacl on generation of AfricanAmericans. Chi ld ren, who are m osl suscepliblc 1.0 unl.rul.hs espoused by t he ir caretakers, dcspcra lely ll)' to live up lo the poisono us expectatio ns we cu lli v<llc d in !.h e ir h ean s. Today in our comm unili cs o f co lo r , we ' r e ex periencing l.he backlash from o ur own fabricated ideo logies and cou n- terproductive culture of hatred. Our children cater to viole nce as a conditioned response we've taught them to be lieve is necessary for survival. We have only ourselves to blame when childre n turn against us with the philosophy of violence. The lies we live have destroyed countless AfricanAmericans, and ye t they remain a dominating infl uence in our prisons and communities of color. Our fam ily stru c tures h ave eroded , along with our ideals of trust, commitment, dignity and compassion . Our love has grown cold for one another due to fear and our faithful adherence to the lies we trust. Though we live in a white-domin a ted po we r structur e that often turn s a d eaf ea r t o t h e pl ig ht of minorities, we are noneth e less obligated as African-Americans to d evelop the moral fortitude to work throug h our difficu lt circumstances. There is no denying the corruption that exists in wh ite America. It is their influe nce that facilitates the drug trade. It is their planes, trains and sh ips that funne l tons of drugs from abroad to our commu nities. It is they who facilitate the flow of a utoma tic weapons into African-American communities. Their e th ical indifferen ce and co nspiracy aga in st African-America ns is no secre t. Pove rty, drug depende nce an d the a la rm ingly high mortality rate of m inori ties are orch esu·ated by the ru lin g class, but AfricanAmericans cannot den y playin g a m ajor ro le in seeing thi s age nd a through. African-Ame rica ns are used as tools to en slave themselves, to cripple and effectively d esu·oy future generatio ns of African-Americans. There are African-Americans who act as coco nspira to rs with those respon sible for our d egrad ation. The drug d eale r is g lamorized in our communities. We drive by and shoo t our child re n a nd mothe rs in the back. We abandon our women and children to the m e r cy of socia l se rvi ces, a nd we neg lect to ed u ca te o u rse lves so we can co mpe te with corporate America. America is capitalist country, and as long as communities of color provide markets for th e circulation of genocidal agents, there will always be someone with a vested inte rest to oblige them with such products. Many people were opposed to me writing th is a rticle due to its raw content. As an Africa n-Am erica n , my conte ntion is that we turn our heads far too often a nd refuse to candidly discuss the roots of the conditions in our communities. My repeated incar- ceration is a prod uct of the h all~truth that I' ve been ta u g ht, th at I've beli eved in and h ave patterned my li fe after. During my e du catio n a l process at conso r tium co l lege , I became awa re of the lies th at sh roud my commun ity. Anyone with eyes to see an d a hea rt to u nde rsta nd the p lig ht of Afr ica n-Amer ica n s a nd re main a passive o bserver in watching our destruction is a co-conspirator in perpeu·ating th e lies th at destroy us. w Are you a confined MoorishAmerican and active member of the Moorish Science Temple of America, Inc.? For information regarding a potential class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, captioned Dr. Haywood Williams-Bey, et al. v. Janet Reno, et al., Civil Action No. 2655 (EGS). fi led on December 30, 1993, in volving the free exercise of religion as an unalienable right under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, 42 U.S.C., Section 200bb. Contact: Bro. Dr. Haywood-WilliamsBey, #20232-083, P.O. Box 3000. 1-B. White Deer, PA 17887. Sentencing and Post-Conviction Consultant "It j ust might make the difference between winning and losing!" MARY ANN MARZULLI, M.S. CRIMINAL JUSTICE CONSULTANT 2503 CONGRESSIONAL WAY POMPANO BEACH, FL 33073 (305) 428-1117 FAX (305) 428-6222 FEDERAL AND STATE • Defense guideline departure strategies • Defense sentencing memorandum • Parole representation • Parole appeals • Mitigation and alternatives to incarceration • Objections to the government PSI • Rele vant conduct • Additional services to help you win! "Beat the odds. Get a job when you get out. I did." PRISON LIFE 87 Prison Papers Mutant Ninja Turtles Go to Prison Green River Rising by Tim Wil locks Willi am Morrow & Co . 360 pp., $23 Review by Richard Stratton He 1"ettched ouer and sliced thmugh the croo/1 of DuBois' right elbow, seue1ing the tendons that controlled the gun ann and pierciug the brachial arte1y. DuBois bellowed and writhed, bucking his shoulde7· against the ground to free his head. Agry jJiled more weight through his knee. With a rooting, troweling motion he shoued the mzor into the shiny jowls under the angle of DuBois' jaw. Blood started to spray from DLtBois' lijJs and nost1·ils with mclr shout and the /melting of his body became more frantic. His head started to skid on the blood. Af51y dug the mzor in rleejm; almost ufJ to the handle, smrching for the camtid bmied in tlmt bloated necll. As DuBois' head slijJjJPrl fr1'e and he slm1ed to roll away, Af51)' s blarlP finally found what it was looking for. Af51)' stepped bacll out of the way. Gmuerholz gasped. "Awesome." Dud e! ove list J ames Elroy is ca llin g Green R iver Rising b y Tim \1\lillocks "maybe the best prison novel ever." But th e n , wh at does Elroy kn ow? Or Wi llocks? Have e ither of th em ever been in a prison? 1 o matter. Th ey've seen t h e mo vies. Wi llocks ded icates his novel to Joseph Roy Willocks, "who took m e to the pictures a nd taugh t me how to show a m a n ly b ea rin g" and if yo u d o n ' t 88 PRISON LIFE believe h im, just look at the cove r of t h e book, whi c h s hows aut h o r Willocks loo kin g mig hty man ly with lo ng , Oa ming red hair and ala baster skin. We a re to ld he "loo ks like an Archa ngel a nd writes like th e deviL " J oseph Wi llocks may have taught him to show a ma nly bearing, but his publicist must have th ought it wo uld sell more boo ks if he looked like a homosexuaL Showing a man ly bearing for the characters in Willocks ' novel seems to have a lot to d o with dick size. Just about a ll the c ha racters in th is book are obsessed with the relalive size of th e ir co c ks. "H e was lo n ger than you," says C laudine , Agry's punk, wh e n Agry asks him if h is [Ag ry's] dick is as big as that of th e black dude who 's b een bugge ri ng Claud ine . " But on ly a n in c h. " T h e a uth o r intrudes, "Only an in c h . Fuc ki ng he ll, man. Who wou ld n ' t have ki lled his own m oth e r or be trayed his best friend for an e xtra inch?" H ey, c' mon. Everyo n e knows convicts love their mothe rs. Write what yo u know. Willocks, a n Eng lishm an and a docto r, knows a lot abou t m e di c in e, the med ical na mes of body parts, and his de criptio ns of viole nce read li ke auto psies. H e knows nothing abo u t prison, certainly nothing about wha t life is like in a n Am erican pen ite nti a ry. This n ove l is a gross carica ture of prison life. The c ha racte rs are comic book superheros and villain s. It's dumb, it's cartoon ish, it's insulting to prisoners, and the wri ting is ove r-wrough t and ri ddled with cliches. A woman is d escribed as "looking like a mi llion bucks," a nd, ge t thi s: "If l have to 1 wi ll kill this li ttle fuck. And if l have to I will kill you too. And I will kill as many more assholes as get the mselves in my way. Beca use I will te ll yo u so m e thin g : yo u g u ys h ave r ea ll y rai ned o n my parade." It wo uld be laughable except tha t thi s is m eant to be a se rious b ook about a serious subj ect. I think. Or maybe I missed the point a nd it really is a co mi c b oo k. [ m ea n , m a n ic depressio n is refe rre d to as "Th e Arno ld Sc h warzen e gge r o f mental disorders. " Is th a t a castin g hi n t? Alan J Pa kula and Warn e r Brothers h ave p ic ked up the film rights. But wh a t d o they kn ow? Wh e n I asked Wil locks' editor a t William Mo rrow how they ha ppe ned to be p ublishi ng a novel abo ut a rio t in an America n priso n writte n by an Eng lish doctor wh o h ad n eve r d one a ny t im e, h e co mp ared th e book to Stephen Crane's Thr• Red Badge of Cou·rage. But Crane's novel o f a young soldie r during the Civil War has a unive rsal psyc ho logical tr uth to it th a t Willoc ks never approaches. H e 's see n too many movi es, too ma n y bad H o ll ywood m ovies, a nd h is b oo k reads li ke the script for a n e pisode o f the Mutant Ninja Turtles. The h e ro , Ray Kli e n , is a doctor and a karate ex pe rt do ing a skid bid on u·um ped-up rape charges. He a nd his form e r old lady we re in to ro ug h sex . "If rape m ea n s u sing sex to inOi ct pain and a n ge r o n anoth er, t h e n I raped h er m a n )' tim es," Dr. Ray te lls hi s n ew n a m e , Devl in, a beau tifu l la d y p syc ho log ist who answe rs, with penetra ting p ycho logical insight, "Sometimes love a nd hate are vet)' close." DL Ray ge ts through the day by thinking of himself as a sho tokan warri o r , wh a teve r th a t is. "He too k a d ee p brea th. H e was the shoto ka n warrio r. He was cool. At last, he really was." Yeah, rig ht. A race rio t breaks out in th e fictional T exas pen ite nti a ry. Or. Ray saves the day a nd goes off lO live happily ever afte r with Devli n , the piece o f ass psyc ho logis t who h a ppe ns lo ge t tra ppe d in side wh e n the joi nt goes off. Devlin fu c ks Or. Ray a n d t h rows a mercy fu c k at Wilso n , a b lac k fo r m er box in g c h a mp . or course, when Dr. Ray finds out a bout Wi lson , h e's n o t u pset, th o u g h h e cannot rest unti l h e knows: Is his d ick bigger than mine? Actually, the ri ot was plann ed by th e wa rden, wh o' suffe rin g fro m Arno ld Sc h warze n egge r d ise ase. There's a bad guy, Ne v Agry. The wa rde n ta kes Agry's punk, Cla udine, away from t ev and se nds her to live with th e Blac ks. So Agt)' decides h e's going to kill all th e Blacks, who, as eve ryo n e kn ows, h ave b igge r cl ic k than white g uys. I' m not exaggera ting. T he novel reall y is this puerile, this stupid. I had a hard time getti ng through it. I spent too much time in real prisons where di c k size was n o t an iss u e, where the conflict was not be t\veen the races but between th e keepers a nd t h e kep t, and wh e re ·bowing a man ly bearing meant treating one's fe llow convicts with respect. Willocks doesn ' t get th at, nor does he unders tand the essence of pri so n l ife , which is the loss of freedom. It's that sim ple and tha t p rofound. Wi llocks th inks it is about "a virulen t nih ilism born of prolonged and m ind less suffe ri ng." I t's not m indl ess at al l. Prison life is th e life of th e mi nd. W h at p isses m e off is that American publishe rs take this crap seriously. T hey pay money for it and hype th e shit o ut of it when there are some really good prison novels being wri tten by men and wom e n in Amer ican prisons wh o know wha t they are writing abo ut. If yo u want to un dersta nd American p riso n lite rature , r ead Bruce Fra nkli n 's Th e Criminal as Victim an d ATtist: PTison LitemtuTe in America.. Read Ch ester Hi mes, read Ed Bunker. Bu t ski p CTeen Rive1· Rising. Wait for t h e movie. I can hear the convicts in the TV room n ow. They a re laughing. Busted by the F eds by Larry Fassler Southwest Legal Services $29.95 Review by Michael Hogan For someon e charged with a serious drug offense, federal law and procedure can see m , in t h e wo rds of Robert Frost, "too much like a pathless wood." Even if one has access to a law li bra ry, it is n o easy task to d ete rm in e exac tly h ow m u ch t im e one is facing or what one's defe nse strategy sh ou ld b e. Law books are writte n fo r p rosec utors a nd defense attorneys, not for d efendants. Larry Fassler's Busted is a refreshing exception. Writte n in clear, concise language, it carefully ou tlines th e option s ava il abl e for so m eo n e charged with a federal drug offense. Fassler, a g ifted jail house lawyer, has clearly done h is hom ework a nd h is detai led knowl edge of th e in 's and out's of the fede ra l system reflects years of experie nce with the fe de ral courts. He offers precise information regarding possible se nte ncing ranges for various amounts of drugs, sh ows h ow to u se th e federa l se n te n cing guidelines to determi ne the a mount of ti me one is facing; and tl1en gives practi ca l advice o n how to hire a n attor n ey or p la n a defense wit h an a ppoi n ted attorney. The pressure on public defende rs and ap po inted counsel to p lead tl1eir clie n ts guil ty is great. Excessive case loads inh ibit th e efforts of the former , an d low appo in tment fees limit the latter. Often , they exagge rate the number of years a client is facing in order to convince h im to p lead gui lty. Give n th is situation , th e bes t way fo r such a defendant to protec t himse lf is to s tudy th e se ntencin g guidelines and know precisely wh at h e's up against. Then, even if he does decide to p lead gu ilty, he will be able to make an intelligent plea bargainnot be p ressured into a poor one becau se of ignora nce o r fea r. For those defe n d a nts who h ave the funds to hi re the ir own attorneys, Fassler g ives specific cri teria for hi r- ing them, and th e ave rage cos ts of superio r co un sel to th e me re ly comp ete nt. He ex pl ains in simp le language what you are li ke ly to ge t in te rms of actual services for the mo ney you pay. Fassler has strong language fo r those attorneys in the business who a re me re ly inte rested in collecti ng t h eir fees and "sh ove li n g" yo u into priso n . Th ese "dump tr u c k" atto rn eys, as he colo rfu lly calls them, can be spotted and weeded o ut with the practical tips in this manual. O ther issues such as bai l pe nding trial, d eportation, conditional pleas, treatme n t of women at sente n ci ng, the probatio n re port, and recove ry of personal property after arrest, are d isc u ssed with sp ecific exa mpl es and ste p-by-step in struction . The book, which is also avai lab le in Span ish, Coma Defender Sos Cargos Fedemles, is a survival text for any d efendant facing federal charges. Most defense attorneys concur. In a recent review in th e Champion, the pub li ca t ion o f th e Na tiona l Assoc ia t io n of C ri m ina l Law ye r s, attorney Ala n Elfish wrote of Fassler 's book that "crimin al d efe nse lawyers wi ll a lso be n efi t by readi ng it. " l-Ie calls th e version in Spanish a "godsend" for attorneys r e p rese nting H ispan ic d e fendants. I agr ee. As a teac h e r in Me xico for t he past six years, I found the Spanish translation to be clear, precise and accessible to average reader. Mr. Fassler never bogs the reader down in tedi o us circum locutions, a fault of many law books. He p resents questions commo nl y asked b y a defe n dan t fac in g federal c h arges (and many more o ne would n ot think to ask), the n provides answers as we ll as dow n -to-earth examp les . For in sta n ce, at every se n tenci n g the judge asks the de fe n dant if he has h ad a c ha nce to read the probation r eport. Most lawyers simpl y answe r "yes" on their client's behalf, even if tha t is not the case. Fassler advises the d efenda n t to speak u p a n d say n o . "Don 't be intimidated ," he cautions. The law says o n e has a right to see th is report ten days prior to sen te n cing or to object to incor rect statements. Failure to do so could result in an enha nceme nt of sen te n ce- extra years that the defendant will have to spend in a fed era l ce ll b eca use h e had ne ither the kn owledge nor the gumpti o n to speak up at the time. Fede ral co urts are intimidat ing . The case loads are so heavy tha t there is a tendency to move quickly over m a tte rs vital to the defendant. Fassler's sugges t io n s abou t wha t is imp orta n t, what o n e's rig h ts a re , when to speak out (as we ll as whe n to be sile nt), how to avoid rush ing into d ecisions, or being intima ted to act aga inst one's se lt~ i nterest, a re crucial ones. Finally, this boo k p rovides practical tips on how to crea te a record and p reserve matte rs fo r appeal, eve n if one pleads guil ty, a nd how to get a good probation report wh il e n ot admitting culpability, wh ich wou ld be damaging on a re-trial in th e event of a successful appeal. The grea test dan ge rs facin g a defendant c h arge d with a fede r a l drug offense are ign oran ce a nd fear. Both prosecutors and "clump truck" attorneys use these to make their own jobs easier . Busted by the Feels goes a lo ng way in eliminating these da ngers so that th e defe nda n t is able to confront the charges aga inst him with assurance a nd full awa reness. It is a clear path th ro ugh what previo usly appeared to be a "pa thless wood." PRISON LIFE 89 Pen Pals NOTE: A DS IN P EN I'A LS AR E S I O/ ISSU E. SUBSCRIU ERS GET O N E AD FR EE WITH SUBSCRII' TIO N. ALSO : ALL FED ERAL AND MANY ST AT E PIUSO NS PROI-IIU IT C ORRES PO N D E NC E B ETWE E N IN MATES. ALL S UC H MAIL WI L L N O T GO TIIROUGH. SU~ I . Cod·fl•armg. cuhu r.1l. :i7. f) 1(1"', hr hair, 182#, br C\c\, h hr cotnplcxion. college cd. Dntg·flcc. non-drinker. non-.. mokc.:r. Enjoy' hoxinR, m.u tial arts, ''dghtlifling. an. pt)Cin. jau. Seeks friend rrom .tmUilJ.,"il lhl." C..oc:l-fcaring. Sll'\'CO l.corMrd Thcu'>~, # 17~70, Eh St~Uc Pri\on. POU 1!189. Ely l\'V 89301-1989. OCI 1994 l>riJOn IJ]t Cell mate of the ~lonth. SW bro. 6'. 11!5# bOd)'bUi!der, 44 . .Just Olle Of tht• f<.•ll oW> looking for one of th l· gal\. All letters & pho to, receive same. Kt.'tTv Lee, #27486. I'OB 639. La< Cruce>. 1'\~ 1 88004-0639. Bublm·t)l>c: 38. 6'4", 2!'>0#. hi e\'e>. br hair, t:tttoo>, scaro. ll ~wt..· hccn down for :t , ..·h ilc but will be o ut prc·2000. J lobb il·s: Kar ate, cxcrci,c. fl·.ul ing. & In d ia n cuhu rc. Femall· ex-cons \\'Cicomc. Ro' '"Mou nrain"' \\'hitclu.:ad. #944~33 ( B-208). O.C. I .. 3!89 l.ittl<· Sil\'cr Roa<l. C',oc-t,ille, FL 32536-0578. Creole/ Bik Guy, Collcc ed.. attr:tcthc, poetic;-& respectful. St·eking female frie nd, 2:...10. to ,hare photos/ fuu. I lapp)' l.t·uers. Eric ~ l artin, P.O. tlox 7500, tl{i0373. A(~ ~~~. Crc~em Cit ·, ( J-\ 95531. with opCn mlilcl&liliilY Tall, lean , w/ hl eyes. i mcrc~t5. Age, gender , &.- sh apt.· nm im pon :uu as long as )OU ha\'c a heart & d esire to wr·itc. Tom B111h·r·, :16787.079, I'O il 9000, Scag_millc,_T~ 0 159. t\ lonclr man beh ind the bar.!'! uf Angola \Hmld appreciate 'om eunc to corrcspoud wi th . J oh u GiCi ro lam o. DOC. #8!1761. Cam p C Be:tr3. I A St.ne l'cu itcnti:ll). Angola. I.A 707 12. l.il..c.s to t cad . ,;-,;,e leu en~, li.!'ltt.·n to mu~ic & .!'ltudy d iflt.·rclll rc•ligio u..,. All rcplit.·s omos\\en_'Ci. Rolx.·r t IA.·,,·j, 9'lB2916. Att ic:t, NY H Olt. S~l~ l . L:uino 1\ro. 56, 140. hr <")e'. black hair; looking lor a good frienclc;hi p. In ner bc<.Hit} a rnu~1. Any race. <l).;'c. Ann an do Rod rigue/, #22'-1 201 . llnx :\8, Ea.!'l l Lake. ~ II ·1962li. I\~ I, 2:-\. 5' 10 ", 175#. Seeks o lder wum:m who k"'ilOw!!o wh at , Ja· want"' in a m an ! Kckclct'io Duho~u . #2 19 7 15. PO l\ ·l5(i9\l, LucaS\i lle, OH 4569!1-0001. l.buking for a lo11gicrm ti-icndship w L-:l~tlll-" lollclincS.!'l. I' m 37, Afr()ot\meric.:m who like~ to rc.tcl, ,,,;,c, 8: most of a ll. li<tc n . lle un· Fields. 92-A-5!169. llox 480, Scotch Scu lcment Rood. Coun:nl<~lll . ~y 13612. ll h p.tnic, :{9, ~·~female to help '''rite '!Cii pt fOr rnmio. ~ l icrochi p C:tstro. 1\6 1713. IU 2K :IIi. llox 3-18 1. Corcorau CA 9:12 12. U ~ l. H3, ';!!,5#, \'C.'I')' sincere & o pen m imkd. Looking for \\'O ntan " 'ho same, ph y~ica l hc:tUt )' d oesn 't m a tt er. l'•c>to n J o nes. 92A 712 1, 0 -li-26. C MC F. ll<> x 5 1, Conl'tc><:k, NY 12821. • nF. :\4, 15[1#, s·•r. br eve,, pa pe r "i:tck cum p lcxi0i1. l n t cl'e~ts: cooking, clean ing. j a il, & :or.taying in ~h apc. K11ow> Ito"' to >poi I a m an . Jo\'ce .Jo nc>. #3f>6003. Rt 4. Box 800 (~foun tain View) Catc\\illc, TX 76;;28. Sll~t : ~7--;-5'10". 155#. Att r::tcti\e college g::. rr: ::; .,::;a-. " lo-,·~ in"'g'& com pobsionatc. Seeking mature S\\'"F for I.LSting relationoh ip. Age docsn 't matter. Oa.id Wade, N505226, llughes Uni t, Rt 2, box + 100, Ca tes\ill e, TX 76597. -~---.. 2~ld sctkm g fema iC"' Wr po~~il)IC rn:trriagt."-no di,CI imin;uio ns. I lobbies: poctl'}'· 'tud)'i ng in college. e xercbing, & tra\'cl in g. Re le.-cd in 2/ 2 1/ 951 S h am c ll A A)':ttoll:th. #!)I A3 196, !lox 501. IV\'outiug CF. (S H U-AS), Attica. NY HOI I-0501. UM . 5'9.. , 46, 1901#. Lt Coillplcx. I lobbies: wc igh tl ifti ng. \\1'iting. & read ing. Prefer same n ationalit\', :;\8-56. \\ith a <en-..: of humo•· & inte lligence . Willie E. ~ l oore, #-139551. Elli' One Un it, HuntS\ille, TX 773 13. S\\'M. 6 1, 17511. easy-going. educated . & "ciJ:'u,l\cled. C:m rccchc mail from other prisoncn.. 0,\\id L'pchurch. ~ ISP R_$ #59005, Unit#32/~Uidg, P.trchman , ~ IS 3Si3S. II~ I. -27~·. 195#.1 O\'C 1>0Cu'} ;:;ip. U kCiOr.e:lrlrom >"CCI, kind, do,m-t<><:arth female. Tr::tf\' tll:tke, #E96-1 ~9. c.~ t. c. E='!!.-.!!?x s1ot. ~" t.11_i> Obi'!':''· c:,~3-l~ Italia n , :iO. 1 75~i t h br hair &- cVt.'.!'l, "'/ mustac h e. Looking fo1 a black. Latin. or or it.• ntal f't· lualt• to stan a lasti ng r ela tionsh ip wil h . O u t in m id - 199 5. r\ nthon y Da~l :tll:t, #87A5775, FC F, Box 12•15, llc.lcn n. NY 12508. Oil Demi1 Ko"W\,•7o- f:iffi11Y ~('k.."i c:u ing pcrM:m~·:--\ lothcr d ied '93 "'/ c:m ccr. Ertio> rcad iu~. ''riling l~ncrs. poems, IIHI"'ic. All lcnen. an~wc rcd Janu·c;. E. Bigh), N997. EIJi, One l:nit, l lunts\illc, TX i7~13. 1\"M , :13. 6':1", 220#, bl C)C' & ret! hair. l.ouking to meet raring ''oman any age 01 r..cc. would lilt• to build mcomin!,rful & t."\erlasting rclation~h ip. ) lilc Catlow, #93A l ~l9. GIICF. Drawer B. Storuwitlt·. NY 12:,82·0010. S\\'~ 1 . 2R. blo1ld h air. bl-grar qe\, in pt·rmaiH'Il1 lo r kcJ m,·n. In di re need of t"OII'c,pmHk·n ct•, will an" ''tr all. l'h otth gel ph o tos. J o hnu v C:. Smilh , ltH-1!,0·12. \ \ r)'l lll l ' Uuit. Rt I. llox I. l lu nts,; ll,·. T X 77!1•1\). csprrcon, 4 90 PRISON LIFE S\ V~1 . ::!:,, r ollcgt· grad nate. St·c ~~ m:uu n..· fe male for corfriencb hip. I larry llorak, ##525H66, \ \rp m c Unit, I h rrw~'i lle. TX 77349. S U~ t. ;,' II ", IHIJ#,"iirldcrstanding. lo,.ing. & cari n g. Looking for "unc in female. Race, loob. ~ite. unimpor· talll. rimoth) Jamc<. #~03395, GCI. 500 Oraugc A\'enuc Ci•cle. Llclle G~trdc. FL :!3-130. Sl. 27. 5'9 ... It)[)#, dmkbrt..~t''· black hair. mcd ·l;r:nrom: p lt:xiun. Seeks female corrc~pmulcnts. 2!J·35. e thn icity not·' factor. No 1 looking fo r nHHH.')' or p ackages. Cu hh·ation j.., rhc kc)'. Ah med Pink~to n , D-61708, Pelican SII U. !lox 7500 (FD-0'-J-12 1) / Cr<"•ct·n t Ci t •, CA 9!'>531. Att ica prhont·r. :16, wT norhing to h ide. Not a child nlofCstc r o r COI I· Illan . Cha rged \\'i th .!'le lf~l cfc n M: mu rdc •· l d idn 't cuu1 m i1. FromJ a mai<'a \\'.1. _ __ l.uokint-; lor ll'' cet. un dcr,tand ing. fun·IO\'i ng lady, age 18-55. 130-250#. O:Jah ntbba Dale). #8.'>-A-342~. Box 149, Au il.t,I'YI401 1. S\\'~1, -12, 5'H-, If):;#, br0\,1l hair and e\'e~. St.':trch ing for a 'Pt·cial 'iiomeone to share Ill\' thouglu ' and feelings with. Arc \Oll that someone? Race & loob arc unim portant. ~ li k<.· Remington . #33384. M.C.C.. llox 7. ~I obei)•. t csponck nrc. ~ 1 0 65~70. 6'2-. 198#, w/ \'ariOli.., intcrc,ts. \\' ill a nS\\'CI all mai l. Prc<ton Ceorge Dc mouch eu c, #90~3 1. C:unp C: J aguar-tKt-Ce ll 9, 1.t\St:ttc Pcn .~ola.l.A 707 12. *Can-a wmuan of rliy cnmplcxion mm·c in )'Ot ir di rCc'il~ Lnoki 11 ~ for a li' l affection, su let '!! makl.· a connec1ion. l.ah·r '''e'll \\01"1'}' aboul protectio n! 5'2 ... pe tite, 120#. "ill \\Tilt.' all! ChaunCe ) Nat...u cth, Uox GO'J8, Vilgin ia Bc:tch , VA 23 15ti. •suF, <·.ul> :w~. ,:,·6M. phat to dt•.uh.likc you ''ould lo\'C iL l.t ,J...in, hr l.')e\. & ·'"' far as Ill} character ''~m ds. winy w/ iml'llecl. couch ing for charming & rc..,pcctable o lder man \\hO doc ... n't plav games. Kik i Swin.;.ou . nox 6098. Virgi n hi Beach . VA ~3-156. _ • l la\'t; ,·o u lx:t.·n taking it all in \tri dc? T hen it'~ tin1e to lake a walk o n tht..• wild side. Do n 't bt.• sh)'<Ornc on & let it glide! Age & n1 cc unim porta nt. Dori an 1.. Smi1h , Box !iO!JM, Vh !l!!tia Beach . VA 234_:i6. __ • Ru"lt:'\ :1rc red. Violeu a l'e blue, I'm lOoking fo n ,'ilrd to hc:11·ing I rom )'Oil . \1'/ F 5'·1", 132#. with exotic looks. I am .1 c()llt-gt.• graduaic, Christ.ian . who crUors spons. Seeking m ale cotn panion sh ip. \\'rile R:unant:c-~ l ich clc ~ (i ller. #2139'J2. tlux 60!)8, ~~ ia Llcach . VA 23451!:_ 1\~ 1. :1~. :.' 10", 179#. 8 mo. ldt in prison . Seeking fem :ile of .m) n ;uion ;tlity who wa.nl.!t to gc.:t into in·d ept h COITe'l'"ndence. Ka' S laugh ter . 60341 9 . Rt 2. Box 4400, G:uc"ilk.TX 7f>f>97. Wh it<· IX>) in d i<trt'"- 5'9 ". ~-2. 170#, black hair & bi- L1'Cs. In 11Cl.'d or a tt.'IU.lcr wuch. Bli nd, Cl ipp lcd . & Cr.ll)' is O K. Wi ll an '"'-''' all. Charlie H u rt , #•11069, J CCC , 1\ox 900, JciTeiSOII City. ~ 1 0 65 102. - - SIVM . !Iii, ii' l l ", 20 0#, b r ha ir . Seekin g SF, 25-~5. for frit.-ndsh ip or m m·e. lnt erc.sl': !!pOrts, :m im al.s, read ing, 11111sic, & quic l lillie,, Kevin Phillip ,, # 101 ·155. Oakhill C. I.. 1\ox 2:18. 0!:$_on, 11'1 53575. Amh. 22-:-10oklng for mcc fema le. AgC'Cioc)n 1 maucr ! Us.una Far ha, 116 1778, Fl-2-1326. ·180 Aha Kd, s,,n Diego. C-\92 179. Tile l'rinre ol Darkness. :il["5''7". lllO#, soo n to b e rcle;L'I-Cd. ~ck..~ Platonic fritncl.sh ip &/ or rehu ionsh ip th at will po'5ihly blo~!IOITI into somel h ing hcaulifnl. Cou ld it be you ? Age. race . look.!'! uni mporta nt. Robert Doyle. #871' 1 1 ~7. ~ larry CF. Box 3600. ~:n·cy N'>:__]3403-3600 ,....:__ S\V~ 1 . :\9, pro ud Iris h/ Ch erokee h eritage. Seeks sincere lad y fo•· fri e ndsh ip &/ o r relatio nsh ip. Parole e arly '96. Rick Eho n. 238-72 1/ f>B I,I9T, Box 4501. Lima, O H 45802. W~ l, 41. 5' 11", 180#, br hiilr & bl ")eS. Seeking aoJOtllei' scch·r 10 fill tl10'c ~paces to gi\·c/ rccci\'C lo\'c & fricnd ship. Bt:eu throug h hell to find you . Orrin Carr, S-70020. Box 70:.. I.B 131. Soledad, C.-\ 93960. • \VF widm,·. 40, doing 100 many )iS: j c'iiu.' i\ t11e Lo1·d o f m)· life. \\'ill write a ll wh o '''rite me. Sar;t Otru si n a, #2 18362. 1_7500 fhe ~ life Roa~_!!pnoutlt, ~II 48 170. 1\~1. 5' 1 0~. 1!10#. w/ I'Tai"i'o.'l box like a champ! Loo king for cu te. 'e rio u ~. God-fe~tring fclllalc. J et 0111e \ ViHiams, #9 1-1}{} 17!'>, So u dtp~m CF. Box 2000, r inc Q!y. NV 1487 1. Pul.'IIO Rican , :-\i, 5 tr. Looking for a (c111alc also incarcerated . l.ui' Cn •spo, #92A0738, Oneid a CF, 6 100 School Ro.td. llox ·1!>80 , Rome, NY 13·1-10. \\f~ l. ~6. 6 '•1", 2~0#, on FI:-clC.uh row. Seekin g open mindt.·d individua ls. Age. r;tce, & ~ex don't ma u cr. Ronal<! II'. C lark. #8 129i4. l!.C.t ...\1~11 -20;,5, t:lox 22 1, K.1ifOJd. FL 32083. Ur ,kin hro. !lO. 6'. h an d,omc, mu~cu l ar, h u mo r oliS, ' liMIt Pl,l\' .til 'tp<.JrL\. mainlv box i n~. No kids, neve r m arlied. Sct·kiug fem ale. 2.~-45. Ant hon) J onc<. #87A8647, (;.~ I.C :. F.. t:lux 51. Com>tock, NY 1~821. U~·l . :,o, 'Cl.'k' til e ma te. R.tcc & re ligion un imp orwnt. l'ltillipT. T.t)lm, #81A5708, Box 111!7. Aidcn , NY 14004. 11 ~ 1 . 2 4, {j', ~110#, grea t bod)' & pe•-,oualit)'. Looki ng lor hon c~t. ca ri n g ft.·male. Ou t in '96! Eldt...·ridgc lla rdl er. #82612(i, Sh:mnee DOC. lloxJlt!Q. l'i.um a, II._Q2995. 4 \\'~1 . 28, a rtht , writer, .sta mp & CO\'e l' co llc ctol'. Seeks o th er stounp coll ectors & artists. David 0. S m ith , # 109969, SFRC. Bo x 02-8538, ~liami , FL 33 102. SWM.2ll, intelligen t. ln c ndly but scn o us. opcn-mm dcd but rescn ·cd , considerate & loral. \V~mt lady frie nd who m ight undcrsumd. wan ts to he-M m ore a nd be: heard h erself. Darryl McS>C r, # 179200, Bo x 45699, L uc:IS\ille, O H •1569<J-000 I . ll:i'l ian , 25, :> 9", 168N, Needs friendslup fro m matu re female, any age. Photo a\-ailablc to all who '''rite! C hris Troisi, Box 45699-256179 Luc:IS\ille , OH 45699. M';:-F's, he-she's o r it.'S , locked down o r free, wri te me. I'm d oin ' hard t ime. T r an ssex uals, henn orph r odi tc.!'l, big, strong, handso me me n or little , lonesom e lad ies. a nr o ne a n yti m e. All I as k is n o r e ligious n uls, ple a se ! Lew Abbc nha us, Box 59 11-A.C.-3, SiotL~ Falls, SO 57 11 7-591 1. B~l,21--;-5 ·s·. 159#. blk h ail·. br eyes. Cancer, slim & handsome. Seeking: o.u tJ.lcti\'c , fun·10\~ ng. h umorou.s femal e full o f fantasies to interact in relationship. Keith L. Adams. # 18 1958.J CCC. Box 900, clfe rson Cit . MO 65102. \ Vou ld like to ,,,te anyone as a n end ~ ui (I fro m lhcrc. Must be open . ho nest & understan ding. I'm in to music, spor ts. outdoors, read ing, mmi es, working out. I'm mixed blood,~ r.:1cc, looks, si1c & age do n't ma uc r to me! Dion Rend o n, #89115, Box 7500-CI I , Crescen t Cit •, CA 95532. 5 , r 1a1r. >r crcs, 5 , Pre·op tra nsscx ua . c c · ot her trnnsscxual females & imercstcd o thers. D. Dalton , C.C. F.. RR I, Charleston. ME 04422. Actl\'e, suM:-39. 5' I I ", SCil SlliVC, aJl ectio nal c, carmg & hon est. Searching fo 1· fun lming, intellige nt, charm ing & ho nest lady who cnjo)'S quiel C\'cnings. Age & r.1cc u nimport:m t.James Mcgee, 1170608, 2-10-114U, Aha Ro:1d. San Di <:go. CA 92 179. Sll~t. ~0. see king m:i'i:nagc-m indcd fem ale '~·ho wan ts to se ttle down to .!'!hare a n honest life with likl... m inded male. Race, uo fa ctor. Mich ae l Mord allo, 32 1805, Box 4400, GateS\;IIe. TX 76597. WM. 35--;-6·, 185#. ln':-te::-:r:: c"' sts "':'"'ll:" ><>::-:a:-:t:s--,"'n::-:,-:: o:--: to:-:r::: C):::.c:rlc::-:s:,--::o:: u:-: tdT.oo = rs = & rock mu!!ic. Lo o ki n g for se ri o u s relatio nsh ip. Eri c J oh son . # 19701!6, 1807 Roxbury Ro ad , 1-l:tgc rs to wn , M D 2 1746. WM. 30, gr eyes, b r hai r, 160n. SeekS lad )' lnends, age u n im t><>rt:m t. Tony 1-Iall, #860779. Box 41. Mich ig:m City, IN •16360. Loncl)' WM, 34. 5'5". 145¥. br ha1r , b r eyes & bulle t-p roof. Seeks la.!'l ting & m ea n ingful lone ly, since r e lady. Ji m Ouna,my, 142945. Box 45699, Lucas,; llc, O H 45699-0001. 1~1 . 39, br eye s, 170#. SeekS lady friend , age u u im portalll. Will ;mswer all. J oe Roell. #6317, Box 4 1, Mich igan C.!_ty_,!\1 •16~60. _ SWM. 6'3", 2•10#, br hai r, lake bl eyes, ex<ollcge football player & ;uno mech an ic who's getting o u t soon. Looki ng fo r fc 1n a lc f rie n d , age un im porta nt. J o hn Be n n e u e , #40843, Box 1989. Ely NV 8930 I. EX.b:ink roblicr. S WM;47:5'8", ]jr 1.1ir & eye s, 180#. Females o nl )'·write & mo re! Ray Mi nn ick, #0522 1-067, USI', Box 1000. L.cm·enwortiJ, KS 66048. SWM, 50. 5'9". 170#. bl u-gl')' C)'CS. nc\'cr mam ed & lonely. Seeking to share \\o;, rnn h wi th someone. Very open-minde d but don 't d rink or .sm oke. Religio us "'o man d esired . T h o mas llo bkins, #030677, ZC I, Mail #456, 2739 Call tll\·d , Zc h Th ills, FL 3354 1. B~1 , 2, 3 , ' 0 . ·c ma m re, canng, unc crsta n mg & co m p assion:u c S \VF. I wa n t to h ave a m e ani n gful friendsh ip. Will answer all! K. T )TOne Spraggins, #426750, Box 4500, Tenn. Co~ TX 75886. WDM lookm g or lid)•, 3~ 5-.;5;,.0;..:.'<'j';::m=,4"' 6-, '"5"'9"'"-. " 2" 1 5"#r,.,.b-r'"'l"'•a~ nwit h some gray. b eard & h aze l eyes. C:tl)' A La n gley, #9007951CP-1. ll'eSl\ille Corr. C tr .. Box 473. West,; lie , IN 4639 1.().173. B~l. 39, 6', 200lt. Speak 61anguages. Wants to corrcs1>0nd w/ beautiful, intelligent Afre>-American q ueens unafraid to take •igh tful pl:lCe in wor ld. James Par• di5e Cox, 597492. Micheal Un it. Box 4500, T enn. Colon~, TX 75886. Handsom 1\M, 35, 5'!1";170#, fun lo., ng & canng. Wo uld like to sh are special & de lig htful correspo nde nce with lady. Age & race un im portan L No nnan Good loe , 22410, Wesl\i llc Con·. Ctr .. Box 473, Wcsl\i lle, IN 46391. \\'M. br hall', bl eye.!'!, 5' 11... LOOk111g to wrnc female o ut lhcre. \ Viii answer· a ll le tters. Ca n ' t write oth er prisoners. Prefe r p ictu re. bu t no t nccess~uy. J amc.!'l McCallen , AP 9678. Box 245 Cr:uerford . I'A 19426. C hiCano nmlc arust, 31, 5'9". 209#. SeekS smgle, !ugh-spirited , in telligen t wo man w/ interest in cultural histOI]' & :ut. Will iam Garcia. C22697, Box 7500, Cresce nt City, CA 95532. SW~(Iooki ng for fnends 10 ''ntc &: exc hange tho ugh ts w/ . In terests: o utdoors, motorcycles. & m usic. I am 35 doing a 25 )Ca r sentence. Robert Marshall. 1229462, 703 N. ~ l ain Street. Con ilia, TX 78014. SII'M, 27, 6', 190 M, i ntell •;:g~e-':·n"=t;-,..,""''•7tt"y',...,"& soo n to b e released. Looking for special la d)' to stan life O\'Cr with . Photos get pho to. Davi d J o h n Sil,·erm;m , MCTC-215529, 18800 Roxbtll)' Rd. I-Iaget~town , MD 2 1746. SW~I. handso me, •13. 6'2", 200#, br hair. huel eyes. Consulmut, funclrniscr, college grad Christian seeks ,incere female, 20-30. I like or:wcl, an, calligo" phy, lo ng walks, shari ng talks. Lc~ I hat a year to d o. J ohn Gcn uau, 90T'l075, CCF, l.lo• 2002, Dannemora. NY 12929-2002. S\VM. needs letters roli1 ladiCSin thcl'rec \\Orld. I'm 6' , 200#, i on~:. curl)•, blond hair, bl eyes, & fnn . Je n y Spink, 904952, l.lox 30, Pendleoon, IN 4600&1. 3,222 days icli. WM. 3'Chcld priSOner againSI m>• mm "ill by feds. Reaching <>UL for lady w/ paoic nce. Age, looks. & religion unimport~ nl. Pc~nality a must. .Joh n Branham , 211 36-086.3901 Klien Bin~. CA 93436. M-:30,"'5~ , w:mts lm·ciYfemalc. 20.50,""'iiCC'Ui•importanL Only humorous, po.sili\'C, affectionate respond. James J:liii.,_ IH1548,.JC:CC,I.lox 9~0,Jcffcoson Qoy. MO 65102. SWM. ~DToncfll:iir, h:ue L')'<-s. 5'9", 145/f. SCekS sincere wo men. ~l ike llrlow, 1733 J.l , l.lox !JOO.jclferson Cioy. ~10 65102. l'lcasc pep my spirit.l'm lonely! 1\M, !i'; -3 1. 2 15#. SeekS sincere people. secure & lo\ing. Any race. ;~gc, etc. Pho1o would be ni ce. D""l"'e Williams. 089862 (i\-114). CCI. 500 Qr:II]Je /\ve nue Cio-cle, Belle Cl:tde , 1'1 . 334 ~ _ •wr. I'm being released & \\'Ould like 10 corrc~ pond with inmaoc>. I'm 27. 5'4", IIO#. J ackic Bayona, S W IS T errace, Mi ami. FL 33129. SliM seeking challengin g ,,·Oiucn no maucr wfiit fl;\\'of of race. I lo\'c 1hcm all hut need ouly one. \ Vritc to me & let's kick io. J oh n E. fcrgu-.on , 015110.43-2 1-21, Union C.l., Box 221 , llaiford, FL 32083. SW~ I , bodybuifCier, 30~5' 10", 19()( " >lo ndl"ii':li"l eyes. l .ooking fo1· pctilc female to share my IO\'{' for the Lord 1\ith. l'ic for pic. 2 ycal'> 'til parole! J o hn Spark ~lncllcr, D-41602, 1- I-2 17L, RJO, 480 Aha llcl, San Diego, C1\ !!2 179. Secl:ing large l;;ay.T'Iu a SM,"'40. 6~-. 225( lovong & compa..~ionate. l-loncsty b, what counls. Rarfo1 d ~ l anin, !!44190, Clallam lly Coo-r. Ctr ., 1830 Eagle Crest Way, CJ!l.llam ~-WI\ 983~9723. _ _ IJbcral, whi lt."'lndian m~1le. 34, 5'7 ... 165#. Need a good woman 10 hang with me & bccornc ;1ct i\·c in the stntgglc . D J ohnso n, B9552•1, Box 7500. D/ 10-105, l'e li can 1\ay, C~eno Q!y. Ci\ ~531 -7~-'Nc;uly I rim med beard. ,..,,·eraloao's. SWM, li'3", 185#, dk br hr, bl eyes, 38, Libra. Ex-biker looking for SWF o r 0\VF fo r rela tio nship. J lo\'c to party. dance, ,,,;m, camp 0111, oravcl, & ride llarlc)'S. Mark Keith Sulli" "'· 58!!5!!. S~lCI, U / 10-A.I.lox 1419. Lcaks\illc, MS 39~5 1. S\V~ l . 3!i5 rl50#. blond haor, b'Tcen eyes. SCcking likt· minded person~ with sim ular interests: movies, boaling, sporting, & rt.-ading. Age. mcc, & age unimpormnt. \\'ill auswer all, iusid e & Olll . Greg Thole. 186-928, l.lox 56. Lebanon, O H -15036. S W~(3:1, br hair, h 1l eyes, 6' . i9ll1f."r:ookmg fo r Chrhtian woman who'd like to grow in the ministry & cxa h .J esus. Rc\•, Tro) E. ll oh, 625235, !lox 9000, Woodville , TX 75990. Vikillg bclllild barS:~oOTI iCTC'aScd. sce~u. open miud cd female \\>arrior interested in pi~t oh, mocorcyclcs and especially sex. 'cause 1\·c been h ere a long time. Good girls need not wrilc. George To th, 215978, State Farm. Vi\ 23 160. j amaican-Engl ish S~l. 28. 6'. 190~. SeCk., opcn:mindcrl female. ~l ichacl II. Day, 39382, !lox 2500, Lincoln , NE 68542. \ VM, 42~. br hair & eyes. Seeking friendSh ip with lonelr . honest, ~in cc rc female. Looks unimporlanl. Caged or not. l ..;u11' ~1 artin. 4563t13, Ellis II, Hu ntsville. TX 77340. WM. 4f:"5'9", 1!!0#, <hll"k or ey~., & blac · 1air. no ll'ad games-good fl"icnds arc h.trd to find. Paul Delmont 1\r, 20•1-556, llox 4569!1, K-1-9. l.ncas•;lle, 0 1-1 'lii6!!9. Chicano male, 41. li cr, 5'6 . 185"lr.l::OOiiing for special lady. Possible motrriagc. Looks. age. & race unimpon.ant! Hcrbco·o Diaz. C-86543, llux 4000, Solano II , b'Y"' #106, Vaca.-ill e, Ci\ 95696-4000. ..-~tb m;tlc, 2'l. I.oOking torlcm~llc. AflY :tgc & racC nO mancr. Us.~ma Far ha, 1161778. F l-2-1326. 480 Aha J{d, s~ Di•·g~ ~ 92 172:_ _ _ Any pen pal oo woioe. 1"111 :>li, br hair. l>lcycs, ()'. & l!iU U. ll radl cy LaForce. 17857:1, C l - 11 5, llox 710, Ket·n Mount:tin . VA !&!'1624. At1y pen p;olto "'rioC.I'm ·II, 5'8, 170#. Will And crsoon, 180672. C l -114. l.lox 710, Keen Mounoain, Vi\ 24624. U kt.'S ow doon.. hun ting. lh.hing. bi~ats. and qliiet e.-cn ings. 43, 5'8", 185#, blond hair, b1 e)e>. Johnn y laFnrce, 097352, Al-106. llox 710. Keen Mo unoain. Vi\ 24624. SWM. goo< l00k1ng. Scek~Canilg person wh0doesn ' 1 mind writi ng to a con\'ict wi h a good sense or humor. Do nald 0'1\rien, 01 5828, C l-223 1. 1\ox 921. Im per ial, CA 92251-002 1. \V M , 6' 1":-175#, hr Jiai r. green eyes. Seeks lady friend ' II) or older. \\"Ill answer all leners. Mark Souhbh·flcld , 2fi 1!!1!. llox 1 00.~~~~ . NV 89~26. _ _ D\V~1 . :-13, scning life w/ o parole. M:eks fCmalc Ch ristian. Open, honest-seeking ~unc. No pri,oncrs. Paul Foborn, 129002, H-37, 100 Warrior Lane. lk\SCmcr. AI. 35023. COC:kCd dO\\•n biker looking furrig htcOus lad)' for hones t. stimulating correspondence. Bl e)es. br ha ir, tattooed . 6'2". 225#. o bullshio oo le raoed . Cooy Wood. 94 L\5()(i, Elmi"' C. F.. 1\ox !>00, Ehooir.o, NY I:!U02-0500. SW~l. 35, 5'8", 165#. i\ny correspond eoocc aoo swe red. D;,.;cl Vinceno, 081907, Cross Cioy Corr. lnso.. l.lox 1500, ~111488, Cro&' Cill!_ Fl. 32628. HopciC'SSly ro nl antic ltalii\il malc7Carly 30's;-Qn death row. but still \'ery much a li\'c. Seeking someone who w;ll take the time 10 get to kuow me as a pcr~on. Carl Puiatli, 7 16927. UC I, Ilox 221 (A- I ), Rooiford. FL. 32083. Vo ulig~ris h nla n- looki n g fo r ij)ccial ladY-" Phillip \\'~LtW:om. 11 49i5, J -Cator Unil, LJ\ St;ttc 1-.rison, 1\ngola. LA 70712. MI) bclilfiCrhar~ sec s a good woman of any age or rncc ror rriend ship. IO\'C, & possible ma rriage. All lc u c rs a oo •wcred. Ellis C h e n , D9588!1, H -206, ll o~ 2000, Vaca•ille, Ci\ %696. !Thl, •12. 5 If". l~ekSiovcly fema e, 25-50-a 11-ieoodas well as a h"..ing relationship. \Viii be released M>Ort . L:u'T)· Williams, 023778, Mail llox E-65, U nion C.l .. llox 22 1. ll;oifo o·d, Fl. 32083. Huggab le T eddy llcao·. SUM, 28. 6". 200#;-iiice/ dea n. Enjoys long '"'lks in park. i\ouhoooy Edw:m b . U 20595, 26000 N. Binoooo A•·e., Dixon. ll. 6 102 1. SUM. 28, II br eyes. li 4#. Re leased 4/95. Scckioog imclllgcnt, honest, o mgoing, & undcntandin~ rcmalc. Age. ra cl", & location unimponanl. J oseph L. \\'~tlker. 00181267, llo~ 500. S_!!ly•~.Q_E 1997_2. WM, 4~. educated & aOCction:uc. Wishes to corrc:~pon d with fe male, 3:;.45. D;wid McCo)'· 164239, ARF <'.orr. Fac.. l.lox 1888, A<lrian. Ml 4!J22L i'OW-Vicoim of 1 oe sysoem! W~T;"'b1 oncl h:olr& bl eyes. Male/ Female pen pals wanoed. No bag plc;l-.c. Romdolph U"&~'· 093!\40, B24, llox 221 ._Raiford. FL 32083. Sll~l . 41, 160#, 5'8". br eyes. black haor, emouonally since re, aura ctivc. Down 10 )'Cars seeking lovely female 2!.. ·10. ,inccre, lo\ing, c:mi ng. No Cons! James Earl \Villiam "i, A-08018. SwoC\illc Corr. Cll".. l.lox 112. J oliet, IL 60-1340 11 2. liM. ·13, 5'10". 180#. l'rnr lo ng ciiso.anr c runncr lonkll•g to ope n up communication with people on the ouuidc. Like 1alking about social prc>blc m s. Charl es Jones. 831\5095. Mid-Orange, 900 Kings l liglm«y, Wamick, NY 10990. St:arcllii"l'g for em ales. 1'11)20, br hair: bl eyes. !'J II "", & 170H. Doiug 13 yea,.._ Jason llandley. 223990. Ocllcrry Special Needs Facilioy. 7575 coc krill llldg, In d. Rd ., Na>hvi lle, TN 37243-04 75. Sll~l . 36. 5'8". 1715#. Scarcfill1g lor honcso. sincere lcmalc tO b CCOillC beSt rricnds w/ . R.1CC unimport.."'Uil, age 2[,..50. Soon to b e re le a sed . No ga m es·t r i ck~ ~rc rur kid s. Rc nauldo Shaw, 144 125, 47 13 Wcso M-6 1, Soandish . ~II <18658. S li M, 28, >r haor/ C)eS. seeks co mpa.'iSionaoc, inoclligcm, & e motionally mature F's. any age. who like d an cing. (',..._~\V music, trucks, & sharing inncn110St tho ughts. David M<dina, <1469-13. 300 1 Souoh Emily Road, Bce•illc, TX i!ll02. I wannabe lo\'cd , li ke Tome Crui"C tOOk alike scotrchiilg for Sarah , plain & tall. ot a fraid 10 oakc a chance for turc lo\'c. 3 1, 6'3-. 2 101#, non-smo ker/ d rinker. simp le man . Samuel Colden, ()<J3265, Unx 22 1, 1-2, R.1ifnrd, 1'1, 32083-022 1. 0<-a-th !{ow inonaoc, SliM, 24, 6'2", 205#. Enjoys re;odi nS: writing. & \\'Orking out. Age. ~:<. or M:xual orientatio n unilnportant. \Viii amMcr all. Tony L Ha)'C!t, 5952!13, llox 22 1-i\ I , R.~i fo rd. 1'1. 32083. Looking for 'iOmcthing new & exciting in a rehtlionshij>. Do you wan t to experience an e n tire ly clifTcrcnt treat~ mc nt o f IO\'C, communi cati o u. & inti rn acy? Soon to be rcle:&d & on a quest fo r a woman. I' m W. strong. bold, well-educated, undcrstJnding. caring. & faithful. Manin Woods, 100737, Union C.l.,l.lox 22 1, Raiford, FL 32083. WM , •12, 5r~f' . .seekS warm & sntccrc· woman. age & I"'O'kS unimponan t. 1\e adrcntu rous, write Michae l l.afollcttc, l!l069.1lox A. 1l1omasoon, ME 0~86 1. Co nCly, inc;u·cC'r.,ccd S\VM/ Pocl. 32. SCck.s lonely pen pal>. .Josep h U. Soch;o, H03026. C-628 1-X, Ci\ ~l en' s Colo'!)'. l.lox 8 10 I_,San Luis Obise_o. ~ 93109. r\:spiting r, ecl:m cc writer working on nm·cl ~t in 1\oston. \Vould like someone \\ho kn m,'S sonwthing a b0111 the area. \Vriting oth er in rn:ncs not pro hibi ted. J erem y Gore, 550!142, Ro 2, 1.\ux -1400. Caocsville, TX 76597. S \\'~ 1 . 1>rn h ai r , eyes, college grad:Scck> WF. :tgl·/ look.s un important. Sincerity a mu.st. Non-Polaro id pholo> O K. l';o ul Veasey, 16639i. FCC, 101 2 W . Columbia, Far~11~1on. MO 6364_0_._ __ WG~1. 25d. 58 . 145#-:bi'lialr. bl eyes. l.oo mg or a rncnrl/possihlc relationship wilh righ t pc r~on . I' m crltrCfltc:d. busine ss-minded and lm·c sporb. music. c hess. & romance. \\"Ill answer all. Dan Kramer. MCF-SCL llox II, 158!">82. St C loud. ~I N 51)302- 1000. fffi·o-t rner ica nAcfOI.iS.-~ !Jl ~0#, br eyes, mahogany com plexion. smooth & rclalivcly cool. LO\'Cs foreigners & would like 10 corrc~pond \\ith Victnar11e5e, j ap:trtcsc. Chi11c.SC, Uomhay Indian , Korean . Pal estinian. & l li~panic. \ Vritc in you r lang uage to Claude .Jon es, 11 6289, Camp J Shark, 3-R-5. LA Slate l'cnn, Angola, LA 707 12. gm Fcdct·al Appellate and Post-Conviction La''' ".1/uldn;.: _I D{tference J.\· Our llu.\ illess" • Direct Appeal from Trial • Direct Appeal from Plea and Sentencing - 18 USC 3742 Direct Appeal by Defendant on Issues of Sentencing Hearings • Post-Conviction Motions - 28 USC 2255 and 2241 - PostConviction Motion Based on an Illegal Sentence and Habeas Corpus Relief • Modification of Term of Imprisonment 18 USC 3582(c) Modification of Imposed Term oflmprisorunent • Motion for New Trial- Rule 33 • Motion for Reduction of Sentence - Rule 35 Law Office.\· ~~r illiller & Shein 71 o l. akl· \ "il'\\ . \ \l'lllll' . \:I . ·\t lanta ( il'OI").!ia \n.lnS ( -1<l- 1) S7-!--l)~ < ,n 7SD i\ F (JlJ th Strl'L'L Suitl' i\l iami _ Florida ~n I 3313~ ( 3 0 ~) 7 ) (, __ ()--J()3 1-fahla 1-.spanol PRISON LIFE 91 Classifieds LEGAL POST CONVICTION ATTORNEY. Direct appeal, habeas, PCR, CPL 440 & sentencing representation on federal and state levels. SALVATORE C. ADAMO, ESQ., 299 Broadway, Suite 1308, NY, NY 10007. 212-964-7983 or 908-859-2252. Member NY, NJ & PA bars. IN CUSTODY PRISONER DEATHS, California Jails and California State Prisons, Dick Herman, Attorney, 301 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, FAX 714-494-1460. II FEDERAL CRIMINAL APPEALS II DEDICATED, EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY WITH PRIMARY PRACTICE IN DIRECT CRIMINAL APPEALS AVAILABLE FOR APPELLATE REPRESENTATION IN: ALL FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURTS OF APPEAL JEFF P. MANCIAGLI FORMER STAFF ATTORNEY 11TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS (404) 688-7603 POST CONVICTION ADVOCATES Federal and New Jersey State Appeals, Habeas Petitions, Parole Revocation Hearings, Sentencing Memoranda, Forfeitures. Dedicated, competent, experienced staff. Electronic Research. Connie Bentley McGhee, Esq. Suite 1526 24 Commerce Street Newark, New Jersey 07102 (201) 622-2LAW (529) (20 1) 623-0329 FAX Cassandra Savoy, Esq. 1 41 South Harrison Street East Orange, New Jersey 0701 8 (201) 678-1515 92 PRISON LIFE POST-CONVICTION ADVOCATES, INC. Top notch appeal, habeas, sentencing representation by creative, dedicated professional staff. Fourteen-year member of the bar with multi-faceted post-conviction experience. Electronic research, competitive rates. 3061 Terrace Ave, Naples, FL 33942. Phone 813-7936511 FAX 813-793-2584 PARALEGAL GRADED CURRICULUM BY BLACKSTONE SCHOOL OF LAW. Approved home studies legal training since 1890. Affordable and comprehensive. Free catalog: 1800-826-9228 or write Blackstone School of Law, P.O. Box 871449 Dept. PL, Dallas, TX 75287. PARALEGAL SUPPORT FOR YOUR *Post-Conviction Remedies *Constitutional Rights Violations *Direct Appeals *Sentencing Issues *Ineffective Assistance of Counsel for Collateral Attack *Foreign Prisoner Transfer Assistance Specialist. RACHEL SMITH PARALEGAL SERVICES, 16885 Pacific Coast Highway, Box 1717, Sunset Beach, CA 90742. Call 714/840-9714. INMATES: PARALEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR PROSE LITIGANTS *Post-Conviction & Administrative Remedies *Sentencing Guideline Issues *Modification of Pre-sentence Investigation Report *Civil Rights. Write to PARALEGAL RESOURCES, L.L.C. 3550 N. Central Ave, Suite 1404, Phoenix, AZ 85012 Call 1-602266-2992. NATIONAL CERTIFYING ORGANIZATION FOR PARALEGALS-A highly skilled network of jailhouse lawyers dedicated to raising the standards of practice. For information: Rev. Jerry D. Kallmyer, NCOP Academy for Paralegals, 2721 Merrick Way, Abingdon, MD 21009-1162. BOOKS & MAGS Joe Bob Briggs Drive-In Review, Zippy, Quigmans, Bizarro, Mother Goose and Grimm, Mark Russell, and more! Bi-weekly humor mag. $15/Year, $2/Sample (deductible). Hoot, PO Box 02184, Columbus, OH 43202. FREE CATALOG. Absolute lowest prices over 850 popular magazines: Motor Trend 1 yr. $23.95; GQ 1 yr. $7.95; Rolling Stone 1 yr. $15.95; Penthouse 1 yr. $19.95; Penthouse Letters $17.95; FREE UST- Magazine Warehouse, 1243-48th St. Brooklyn, NY 11219 or call 1-800SAVE-SAVe. BOOKS inside!!! Direct to you. Make the best use of your time! Lowest prices, and never any shipping or postage charges. Send for our FREE brochure! BBR2, P.O. Box 4134, Hampton, VA 23664. Women in Prison. Sing Soft, Sing Loud, by Patricia McConnel, celebrates the indestructibility of the human spirit: how women survive the street and prison, written with gut-wrenching realism by a woman who has been there. Excerpts from reviews: "Extraordinary, heartbreaking . . . the tales here range from grizzly to harrowing and back again. But there is some good news. You can write your way through bars, through space, through time. . . " "None of McConnel's prisoners are stereotypes. They are women with an awesome determination not to be destroyed ... They are real people, and they will change the way you think about felons." "This book is destined to become a classic." Send $12 plus $2 shipping to: Logoria, P.O. Box 309, Blanding, UT 84511. PRISON 101 THE STRAIGHT UP, INSIDE TRUTH ABOUT PRISON! Written by a seasoned insider. Special chapters: About Making Parole, About Prison Officials, Dealing With Inmates, Special Advice for the Families, and more!! A MUST READ!! Learn how C.O. 's think, What Parole Officials want to hear. Priced as low as possible for inmates. Send $8.00 postpaid to B.A. Publications, P.O.Box 724, Newport, NC 28570. MAGAZINES * BOOKS SPECIAL REQUEST Send stamped, addressed envelope for comple te offerings to: Paper-Wings P.O.B. 4855 Baltimore, MD 21211. * Samp le Offerings * 6 cliff. iss. Gent $12, 6 diff. iss. Playgirl $10, 6 cliff. iss. Gallery $12, 6 cliff. iss. Wrestling $6, 6 cliff.. Ho llywood Nos ta lgia $6, 6 cliff. Espionage Magazine $6, 6 d ifT. X-Words/ Word Fi nd $6, 12 Super Hero Comic Books $6 In clude $2 per eac h selection towards UPS + handling. SELF-HELP BOOKS FOR MEN & WOME . Learning to Live Without Vio le n ce: A Handbook for Men, also avai lable o n aud io cassette, Every Eig hteen Seco nds: A J ou rn ey through Domestic Viole nce, plus others. For FREE Catalog, write Volcano Press, P.O . Box 270-PL, Volcano, CA 95689-0270. MUSIC MUSIC EXPRESS CO. Cassettes a nd CO's! Lowest Prices! Fastest Se rvi ce! 15,000 Titles. Send $2.50 for Catalog, refund ab le o n first orde r . MUS IC EXPRESS, P.O. Box 3666, Dept. P , Villa Park Station, Trenton, NJ 08629. Call 609-393-3360. THE ADVE 'TURES OF CAPTAI N RUMB EL LY & THE PA HEAD PIRATES. Th e ultimate biker ta pe! XXX! "Ribbed and lub rica te d for yo ur listen ing p leasure!" Rumbe lly gets ou t of Hun tsville and raises h ell . Send 12.00 to: BROWN WARRIOR, P.O. BOX 2950 , DEPT. C, PAGOSA SPRI 'GS, CO 81147. BUSINESS/CAREER 1 MO EY: EASY MO EY for yo ur group, organ iza tion o r whomever. De lta Publishin g Group / Magazine Ware house will show you how! No selling required! For free information call 1-800-SAVE-SAVe o r write to us at Fund Raising, Delta Publishing Group, 1243-48 SL Brooklyn , NY 11219, and let us know who you need fu nds for! FREE KJT: "CAREER CO TINUAT IO ' " A future awaits yo u, wheth e r you have 6 months o r 60 years. vVe ass ist yo u a nd yo ur family in J o b Search, Starting Yo ur Own Business, Entre pre n eurshi p, Resume Writing, Assessment, Gra nt Applicatio n s, Re tire me nt, Research a nd co mple te 1:1-aining for you to get into what you've always wanted to, and stay there. Send today for you r fre e kit: Prism Enterprises, Inc., The Biltmore Station, P.O. Box 25083, Asheville, NC 28813. START YOUR OWN BUS INESS Many d ifferen t ways to go. We guide yo u every ste p . For d eta ils write: GJIC, P.O. Box 75 De pt PL, Dayto n, OH 45402. HEALTH/FITNESS WEIGHTLJFTING. Find your "zone." Free subliminal motivation tape ($10 va lu e) with purc h ase o f "We ight Training Thru H ypnosis." $9.95 plus $2 S&H to: Quanlllm Rege ne ra tion, 3817 Lemay Fe rry Rd , Ste 201, St. Louis, MO 63129. H EALTH AN D FITNESS B UFFS WANTED: Health a nd Fitness Buffs to beco me supplie rs o f high est quality lin e o f body-building nutrition al suppleme nts. Guara nteed who lesale savings for your needs and a n exciti ng in co m e opport uni ty! Free Cata log o f 3 00 products an d Distributor's price list. Wri te: VPI, Box 0818PL, Freeport, Y 11 520. AMAZ I G SUPER FOOD! Super Blu e-G r ee n Algae, m os t nutrie ntde nse whole food available. May h elp boost immunity, vitali ty, mental clarity. Se nd M.O.: $40 for 1-mo nth supply; $70 for 2-month suppl y to: S.B.G.A .. , P.O. Box 3403, Livermo re, CA 94551. CLOTHING N BA, NFL, MLB, NHL. Official maj o r leagu e merc h a ndise. H a ts, t-shirts, jackets a nd more. All teams. Supe rior qua li ty. Fast de livery. No o n e bea ts our prices. Guara nteed! Send for free fl ye r to : \1\lestmark, Box 231475 , Enci nitas, CA 92024-1475. WE'RE I ATTICA. Appro\"ed Home Packages, Inc. h as bee n se rving th e clothing needs of inmates at Attica and many othe r ew Yo rk State Facilities. A.H.P. has the sweats, Tees, baseball h a ts, J a m le ngth sh o rts a nd mu c h more in th e colo rs yo u wan t at t h e prices you need. Why Pay More! For a fre e broc hure write to: Ap proved H o me Packages, Inc., P.O. Box 371 , Dept. P, Buffalo, NY 14207-0371. SPEAK OUT! Com·ictcd felons arc the last unreprese nted min o rity. Only o rga nizatio n a nd unity effects rea l change. Nationwide group. Al l felo ns, insider or out, friends and family, join us today. Stop the cancerous prison sys tem a n d m e nta lity in Ame r ica. e wslette r a n d membersh ip twenty d o ll a r s. Write to Pro / Se, 11 6 7 2 Melbourne St., Brooksville, FL 34609. Priso n e rs o r staff members involved with, o r knowledgeable a bo ut, experime n ts a t CMF/ Vacaville between I 962 a n d 1966, p lease ca ll co l lec t .Jo h n Kelly a t (20 2) 328-0178. T o ta l co nfid e ntiality; you don' t have to g ive your na me until after l ex plain my project. IMPROVE YOUR TALE 1T S. Mas te rin g th e Prob le m s of Proc rast ination a n d Writer' Bloc k. Aud io cassette tape. Se n d #1 1.50 to: Dr. L. Birn er, Box 2A, 823 Park Ave, 1 ew York, NY I 0021. J acqu e lin e's Garden . Cata lo g a n d ins titu tio n al sa les . Sa le prices. Be rem e mbe red with thoughtfu l fl owers or g ifl whi le yo u ' re away. Send for catalog: J acq u e lin e's Garden, P.O. Box 9112, Michigan City, I ' 46361. BECOME A RAP/ RO C K STAR! And Do n't Ge t Ripp ed O ff In th e Music Busin ess! Easil y und e rstand b usiness facts that will help yo u keep you r in co me. Se n d $ 7 .95 to RS E nt e rpri ses, P. O. Box 56 125 , Riversid e, CA 925 17. "Close your eyes and escape with these soothing sounds of na ture on cassette: c rashin g waves, ro llin g r ive r , pond sounds, rainforest. Send I0 ppd. fo r one, 17 for two, $22 fo r three, or S25 for all fo ur different so unds to PHL, P.O.B. 430412, Miam i, FL 33243. Ph otog raph s. Gi rl n ex t d oo r typ e. Please state your institutio n 's limits. 2 sa mp les for S 1.00 o r 4 sta mps a nd S.A.S.E. So lo ma n, 66 19 South Dixie Hwy, Apt. 175, Miami, FL 33143. MISC. WHOLESALE GREETING CARDS. Fine selection of over 300 Ethnic and Non-Ethnic designs for all occasions. Th e most uniqu e d es igns for th e unordinary situa tio ns. We deal only with the incarce ra ted . For FREE catalog, write L.D. Distributors, 1248 Ruie Rd., N. Tonawanda, NY 14120. CALL H OME A 0 SAVE MO EY Eliminate expensive collect-calls calling anywhe re in the world. (Within the U .S., 20 minutes fo r only $101) Send $10, $20 or $50 check to U.S.S.T., P.O. Box 1177, Palm Beach, FL 33480. CLASSIFIED RATES Straight classified ads go for $75 for 35 words. Additional words are S1 each. Prepayment required. Send to: PRISON LIFE Classified Ads, 505 8th Avenue, 14th Fl., New York, NY 10018. Tel: 212-967-9760 Fax: 212-967-7101 PRISON LIFE 93 LmERTAD T EMPRANA PARA PRESOS M EXICANOS Los prisioneros MeJticanos, especialmente en el sistema federal , pueden ser transferidos bacia MeJtico para recibir libertad temprana, y vivir cerca de sus seres queridos atraves de los servicios del Bufete de Benninghoff & Ramirez. Atraves de oficinas en los Estados Unidos y MeJtico, Benninghoff & Ramirez provee a sus clientes un servicio sin igual. Los prisioneros transferidos pod ran recibir libertad inmediata bajo fianza , libertad temprana para trabajar, y tiempo libre por buena conducta. Tambien, hemos tenido mucho eJtito con prisioneros a los cuales se les ha negado Ia transferencia anteriormente. Favor de escribir a Ia siguiente direccion para que reciba un folleto descriptivo preparado especialmente para prisioneros Melticanos. Escriba a: Charles F. Benninghoff III Benninghoff & Ramirez Post Office Box 1355 San Juan Capistrano, Calif . 92675 CRIMINAL DEFENSE TRIALS, APPEALS AND POST-CONVICTION AND HOSTETLER OFFICE OF MARKS LAW W ATfORNEYS AT LA I7331-ligh Slrccl I8 Denver. Colorado 807. (303) 399-0773 "ARKS STANLEY I I. '" .F.R RICHARD A~l • - = · LAM BRADfOROl. 1(800) 700-4544 X '303) 333·9493 fA' · '"ho Mrmncd ••&t~~~ ondl'<n"'''""" . ced effective, and aggresswe '"'"'TIM":~·Office Marks and Ho~te~le\i~:rc~~~~~~~uding trials, appeals and post'e II nhases of cmmna . I firm devoted ~o a Y • f the Colorado Crimma conviction relief. . founder and past presldent o s He is a-v rated by Stanley Marks IS the co- . d criminal law for 23 y~ar. . l law for 18 years, nd has pracuce h acticed cnmma Q ntin Defe~se BaH r abb II Richard Hostetler as pr .ence representing San ue Martindale- u e . . . o ppeals and has expen. ted most recently emphas~~~"c~mmitti~g crimes while mcar~e~de~l courts throughout Prison inmates accused~ fendants in numerous state an We have ~~p~~s~;;s o~serious crimin~l cas~s: I d. no securities violations the country I I 11hite collar cnmes. Inc UCIE" • comp ex\ d' 0 ruco and c • drug cases, mclu m!' I dino death penalty murders • crimes of violence, me uincluding pornography • First Amendment cases, • robbery' burglary' theft • sexual offenses . tate and international • extradition, both lnte~ . • federal sentencing gdmde~~~=gthen our resolv~ to p~~v\d~~b;~~lic .ence has serve to d faced wtth nusm o dI Our yea~ of ex~~e for those accused of c~me ~draconian punishments, an t le presentauon po Sl " litically mouvate . I . hts r:emands for "law and order ' ~t and enforce constituuo~a ng trial or appeal or is unwillingness of courts t~ ~~~~ is in need ~f repre~ta~~~i~~e. Call us toll fre~ at If you or someo~~-~~relief then call. wnte orr. ~ your situation and provide seekingpost~onv1c 1 1\~t. We will gladly 1scu I 800-100-4)44 orca11 co a~ estimate of fees and costs. Richard A. Ho tetler Stanley H. Marks 0 '']ustlcla yor los Mdicanos" YIU #1 8W\CE HI ADVNall SlJIPlfr.IMS OVBI2000 filMS fNW72 MAMfACTlRRS ANABOL NATURALS NATUROIDS AST RESEARCH NEXT NUTRITION ATLETIKA OPTIMUM NUTRITION BELlE·PHARMA OTOMIX BEVERLY INTL POWER USA CAUFORNIA BODY CLUB CHAMPION POWERSTAR SPOATPHARMA USA CYBERGENICS SPORTS ONE DASH STRENGTH SYSTEMSUSA ENERGIX lWINLAB GORILLA ULTIMATE NUTRrTION HEALTHY·N·FIT MEGAPRO UNIPRO METABOUC NUTRITION UNIVERSAL MLO USA SPORTSLABS NATIONAL HEALTH VITOL NATURES BEST WEIDER AND MUCH MORel PHONE: FAX: 94 PRISON LIFE 1-800-666-6865 (910) 947- 2125 1-800-8DEXTER 910 947-2525 A PRISONER'S GUIDE TO SURVIVAL Almost 15 years have gone into th is work. A Prisoner's Guide to Survival: a comprehensive guide to understanding the federa l sentencing guidelines, the U.S. Prison system and your constitutional rights. This book will guide you through State and Federal Statutes, Fede ral Sentencing Gu ide lines and Presentence Investigation Reports, as well as general legal procedures and other topics of importance to both prisoners and defense attorneys. Currently no other publication available on today's market more comprehensive and detailed. Available in English and Spanish. Each publication costs $95. Contact: Postconviction Consultants P. O.Box 360 Lithia Springs, GA 30057 LAW OFFICES OF J OHN WESLEY HALL. JR. FLOWERS WILT! A Professional Corporallon J OHN WESLEY HALL, JR. CRAIG LAMBERT MARK ALAN JESSE 523 West Third Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-2228 Telephone (501) 371 -9131 Facsimile (501) 378-0888 Toll Free 1-800-454-9500 Office ManaaeJ/Paralegal DAVIDS. HERDUNGER lnvestlljator BOB COMPTON, JR. II you or someone you know is presently incarcerated and feeling abandoned by your ttial lawyer, let one of America's foremost post-conviction law firms represent you In your apJ)eal, post-conviction, or habeas proceeding. We have been handling these matters since 1979. Our linn is rated a -v by Martindale-Hubbell. I am: a Life Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; author and editor of seven books on criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, and trial evidence; Certified as Criminal Trial Advocate by National Board of Trial Advocacy (1981). We have argued in the.United States Supreme Court, the 5th, 6th, and 8th Circuits, as well as various state courts throughout the .country. We currently represent several death row clients. Our success record is among the best in the country. Our best references are our clients and their cases. We are counsel in neatly 180 reported cases. Among them are: '8 11 FSupp 1363; 765 FSupp 513; 713 FSupp 299; 710 FSupp 1270; 675 FSupp 469; 588 FSupp 825; 948 F2d 470; 892 F2d 1348; 885 F2d 4 19; 778 F2d 470; 488 us 33. FOOD WON'T! Thank you r loved ones with a BASKET of Gourmet treats. Each basket includes a selection of fine foods including . . . Chocolates Chips Cheese and much, much Call. write, or lax for an estimate and fee quote. If your institution permits calls out, call us toll free. If you can only call collect, you may do so. Please tell the operator your name and location. We visit our clients in custody nationwide. We understand your feelings and predicament. Our paralegal Is a former lawyer who 'served time In Leavenworth before joining our firm. Cookies Salsa Crackers more ... Sincerely yours, f-G-/~ John Wesley Hall, JR. A GIFT FOR ALL OCCASIONS ORDER TODAY! $29.95 each $6.00 shipping (anywhere in U.S.) ORDER BY DECEMBER 8TH FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY Usten in on SASSY SORORITY GIRLS- See how bod two sorority sisters con be when they answer your phone coli and dedde to tease you. CHEERLEADERCONFESSIONS- Us ten in on this very private phone line os ORDER BY MAIL! three wild cheerleaders tell you what turns r-------------------------------------------· them on the most. : FEBRUARY 1ST FOR A SPECIAL VALENTINE BASKET BACHELOR mE PARTY Find out what it's like to be the only mole stripper ot on oil-girls' bachelorette party. To order: Send check or money order made payable to: Dawsa Enterprises 496 Chenango Street Binghamton, NY 13901 Along with: Name, address and phone # of the person to whom the basket is to be sent . Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. NAME (I "'tily that! am18 or alder.) ADDRESS CITY • .............. cr.... ,,.., Rich Girls 1 Sassy Sorority Girls 2 3 4 Private Yacht Party Horny Hitchhikers Motorcycle Mama Eager Beavers Alabama Alice Drugstore Cowgirl Jenny & Suzi Too Big lor Brenda Kneepad Nancy Knob Gobblers Screamers 5 South of the Border Action Rub-a-Dub in the Tub ATale of Two Titties 6 Female Bonding Pearl Necklace Bachelorette Party 7 Secretariallntervtew Tam my & Tina Cheerleader Confessions 8 Backstage Visitors Stewardess on Flight 69 (osselles oreprofessional~ sealed in~osti1 and!ontain no explitil grophi1s or nudily on !Over~ All produd ~shipped in plain IMI(kogingwith'Western Audio• moiling labels and no indi1otionof1onlents. STATE ZIP Quan./Tape # ' _#1 _ #2 _ /13 _ _/14 ' /J6 1;7 _118 : _ IS -Deluxe Set(s) ' ' . ' loU8 an 2conenes) _ @S7.98eo. @$15.96/ 3 - !Buy 2, Get! F10e) _ Deluxe sel(s) @$29.9S Add $3.50 P&H ' __11!_ l IUnlidomoddl.llXsol.sta.tl TOTAL ! Send check money order to: Western Audio, 940 01 , i W. FloretKe Blvd., Suite f79, Inglewood, CA 90301 i L .. ~ • •• • • • • .. .,.,.,.,., ........ ........ • • • .,., ...... .............. .. ........ ;..~ PRISON LIFE 95 INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL Winning cases in the federal courts. VIrtUally all the reported winning cases in the federal courts since Strickland vs. Washington are gathered together and summarized in this comprehensive text. A 70-page index leads you to exactly the right case with almost 800 separate examples of ineffective assistance of counsel, with every reference to winning case. Over 300 cases decided since Strickland, and 200 before are gathered together and indexed according to the precise issue considered in the decision. Over a thousand defense attorneys across the country are using this book to save untold hours, even days of research on their ineffective assistance briefs. If you have ever tried to [md good case law to back up your assistance arguments, you know how difficult that can be. Here it has already been done for you. Every case in this book is briefly summarized, with emphasis on the specific facts which led to the [mding of ineffective assistance of counsel. Speaking an evidentiary hearing? You'll find the case law you need to support your arguments in Ineffective Assistance of Counsel. In a large, loose-leaf binder, this book is supplemented at least twice annually. The $ 120 purchase price includes all supplements issued during the following si.x months. Thereafter, supplement service is available at $42 per year. To order, send your payment of $120 plus $8 P&H to: Southwest Legal Services P.O. Box 57091 Tucson, AZ 85732 To order, send $8.95 to: Cloud Chart c/ o FSSDeptPL P.O. Box 191 Lexington, MA 02173 ~J'!'.U.""" could be one of the most significant, positive steps af.your life! Joe Welder's Ultimate Strength Training System Volume 1: Introduction to the WeldeP System Volume 2: Basic Bodybulldlag Tecbalqaes Volume 3: Back &Biceps Training Volume 4: Chest &TPiceps TPIIBIRI Volame 5: Legs &Sbauldm TPalnlog Volume B: Calves, A~s. Formms Valeme 7: Mus &StPength TPalnlog Valame 8: Nutrltloo &Diet Volume 9: Advanced Tralalng Volume 10: Training Sale &SmaPt 1995 Women & Weaponrv. . . . ..=~· CALENDAR SPECIAL PlASTIC BINDING! COMING IN PRISON 1m: ®anfJh&~£.ers ~p.eak ®ut You've heard what the cops and media have said about 'em. Now hear the perspective of G's across the nation. PABLO ESCOBAR The world's most powerful criminal built his own private prison. A Prison Life exclusive by Columbian journalist Juana Ponce de Leon. 1ST AMENDMENT RIGHTS Have you been denied your copy of Penthouse or Prison Life? Learn about your rights and how to protect them. PLUS: WINNERS OF OUR ART BEHIND BARS CONTEST! 98 PRISON LIFE SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING : Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight. 0 Lorillllld 1995 Kmgs. 17 mg "tar·, 12 mg mcotme av per crgarene by FTC Method.