ngb�ngers Speak out • Oliver stone ooes to Prison

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Announcing PRISON LIFE s
Second Annual Art
Behind Bars Contest
PRIZES
1st Prize-$250 and two subscriptions to Prison Life
2nd Prize-$150 and two subscriptions to Prison Life
3rd Prize-$50 and two subscriptions to Prison Life
WRITING CATEGORIES
Fiction: short stories or excerpts from longer works, up to 15 pages
Nonfiction: essays or articles, up to 15 pages
Poetry: no more than two poems, up to 5 pages
Drama (1st place only): scenes, excerpts from plays or screenplays, up to 30 pages
VISUAL ARTS CATEGORIES
Paintings, drawings, collage, sculpture-any medium.
Contest Rules: Entries accepted o nly fro m incarcerated contestants. YOU MUST BE 11 J AIL O R I 1 PRJ SO TO
E ITER T H IS CO TEST. Manuscripts must be typewriu en o r legibly handwritte n in English. lame , prison ID
numbe r, name and add ress of institution must be on fro m page of all e nu·ies. Contestan ts may subm it o nly o n e
e nuy in each catego ry. En tries will no t be re turned unless accompa nied by a self-addressed, stam ped e nvelope.
O nly unpublished manuscripts and ar t will be considered, with the exception or pieces that have appeared in
prison publicatio ns. All e ntries become the property of Prison Life, and th e winners will be published in Prison Life
magazine. Send e ntries to Art Behind Bars Contest, Prison Life magazin e, 505 8 th Avenue, 1 ew York, Y 100 18.
Contest Deadline: October 15, 1995.

PRISONLIFE

March 1995

COVER
Art Behind Bars
Winner
1sf Phu·r' : "Untitled,"
by A/do Saul Gan·ido.

Features
18 Silencing the
Oppressed-No
Freedom of Speech
for Those Behind the
Walls

Departments

William Kunstler and
Ronald Kuby reveal how
prisoners' 1st Amendment
rights are routinely violated.

4
6
9

28 Everybody Must Get
Stoned
A Prison Life interview

12
14
17
26
34
62
64
66
68
70
72
74
77
78
81
82

with America's most
controversia l filmmaker.

36 Art Behind Bars
Prison Life announces the
winners of our first annual
Arts Behind Bars contest.

40 The Prison Toilet
1st Place Nonfiction winner,
by Gregory J. McMaster.

43 The Visit
1st Place Poetry winner, by
lsmael G . Santillanes.

44 Gangbangers Speak
Out-From the 'Hoods
to the Pen
Uncensored, uncut, unbi ased stories from gang
members across tne
country.

Voice of the Convict
Word
Block Beat
Mail Call
Guest Editorials
Callouts
Insider Outlook
Crimejacker
Iron Pile
Ask Bubba
Family Matters
Prison Papers
In-House Counsel
Tattoo of the Month
Jailhouse Rock
In-Cell Cooking
Pen Pals
Mind
Classifieds

56 Fiction
1st and 2nd Place Fiction
winners: "The Shot," by
Chester Cornman, and
" Lennie's Catch," by
Benton Murray.

p,~j~ou Life mag;ui n c..· j, puhli~h cd bimonthly hy PRII.I FE. Inc.. r.o:, Hth An~ nu e. New York. NV 1001 8. Prison Lift· ma ~:t~inc· j, printed in llll' USA anti all
1ig: hh arc r eserYcd. 0 199.·, hy.fu int Venture ~lcdi;~ . Inc. i':n pan oft!Ji, ho ok m ay be rcprodun·d 01 1ra nsmi1tc d in any fo r m 0 1 h\' any mean:, willuHit wri Ht..·n pl·r mi,~i on of the publisher. lJn,olicitcd manu~criph and pluuogmph ' :u c 1hc: rl·~pon !loibi l ity n f \t.' ndc ·J ~. All lcucrs sent IU 1'1 j,cm l.ifc magazine will be: trc.•a tc·d a'
uucunditionall r assig ne d for publica tion or hro dua rt.'. and are .'IUbjcct to Prbon Life magaJ'inc.··, unn.·,lrictcd rig ht to edi t ;nul r ou1mcnL Single: cnpie"' iu th e: US
:1.!15. Subscrip tion rat<:\ one rear in GS . 24.75 ro r 6 i'su cs: in Ca nada. a n add itional I 0: an ad d itional 12 cbcwhL· rc: a ll l"'l .thlc in
runcls o nlr . I'IL'a \C mail
all ' u h,c.T iption order·~ and eh ang-c.·s to Pri~on l.ifc ma g:llinc. Sub~cript ion Departme nt. 4200 \\'c.·, thc.·iml.'r. Suite 160. llou, ton , T X 770~7-14 26.

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PRISON LIFE

3

viet

BANNED IN CALIFORNIA
by Richard Stratton

)'

the t ime you re ad thi s- if
you get it-Prison Lijf• will be
imm e rsed in the fi g h t o f its
life . ·w hi le at home last wee k working
o n th e March issue, I got a f~t x from
th e o ffi ce info r ming m e t h at th e
October Prison Life had been ba nne d
from a ll alifo rnia state prisons.
This is a se rious bod y blow to a
struggling magaz ine . Califo rnia has
th e largest and most po p ulous prison
sys tem in the U nited States-over
120,000 p r iso ners. We shippe d out
n earl y te n th o usa n d copies o f th e
October issue to the members o f the
California Priso ne r's nion. The ban
o n Prison LifP in California is eq ual to
barri ng m e m bers of t h e t atio n al
Rifle Associatio n from subscribing to
Guns and Ammo. l n o n e omi n o u s
move, th e b u re a u crats wipe d out a
potenti ally h ea lthy pe rce ntage o f our
fl edglin g subscriber base- and co t
us so me serio us bucks.
Bann ed in California? I've heard
o f be ing ba n ne d in Boston , b ut in
Ca li fornia ? And t h e wh o le s ta te?
Wh y? The me mo I got was addressed
LO a ll ward e n s a nd s ig n e d b y th e
Depu ty Director, Institu tio ns Division
fo r th e
ta t e of C ali fo r ni a ,
De partm e nt of Correctio ns. Subject:
P U BLI CAT ION REST RICT IO t P RTSO t L1 FE , OCTOBER 1994
ISS UE. Date d: Dece mbe r 2 , 1994,
wh ic h d idn ' t m ake a lo t of se n se
sin c e th e O c to ber issu e had b e en
sent o ut in Septe mber a n d we we re
a lread y getting fe ed back o n it from a
number o f Califo rn ia prisone rs. T he
body of th e me mo reads:

B

77te abovr liiiPd jJilblicalion is no/
to be allow('(/ inlo any insli/11/ion.
The Oc/obn 1994 issue conlains
4

PRISON LIFE

an article which describes escajJe
jJlans and melhodology (allached).
Ptmuanl /o /he California Code
of Regula/ions, §3 136(d),
in males may no/ recr•ive corresjJondence wh ich co n fl' rns jJla ns /o
t•scape or assisl in an esmpe fro m
lawful cus/ody.
Plt,ase advise your mailroom slalf
lo bPaware of !his Jmblicalion.
The re was no article auac h ed.
r ec al le d th e fe atures a n d o t h e r
pieces we ran in O ctOber a nd co ul dn't fig u re o u t wha t article the y were
talkin g abo u t. We' d h a d a lo t of
pro b lem s wi t h t h e O c to ber iss u e
bei ng reje cted fro m diffe re nt j o ints
a ll o ve r t he n a ti o n fo r a varie ty o f
bog us re a so n s. Th e warde n a t th e
federal priso n in Otisvi lle , 1c w Yor k
ban n e d it b ecau se , "The magaz ine
dcpicLs detailed o rgan iza ti onal activiti es by inmates d uring eve ra l priso n
di s t urba n ce s. This inform a ti o n i ·
d ee m e d to b e d e trim e n ta l to th e
se c urity or thi s in sti tution and is
th e r e fore r ej ec ted. " I t was easy
e nough to fig u re h e was refe r ring to
t he piece we did o n rio ts at Aui ca ,
anta Fe and Lu casville . 1 ot so easy
was to understand how informa ti on
that has been wide ly d is e minatcd in
newspapers, boo ks and magazines, in
film s and o n TV n ews broadcasts sudd en ly becomes d e trim e ntal to the
sec u rity o f a n y in sti tu ti on simpl y
beca use it a ppears in Prison Life. At
an o the r fe de ra l joim in Big pring.
Texas, th e wa rd e n flat out rej ec te d
th e wh o le issue without ide ntifying
sp ec ific co n te nt. Prison e rs with su bsc ripti o n s we re notified that Priso n

Li fe wo u ld n o t b e a llo wed at Big
Sp ri ng because it con tained a rticl es
that were ·'anti -B.O.P. " T h ey h a d
th e ir cells sh ake n dow n a nd bac k
issues o f the magazine were seized as
contraband .
Prison Life h as had an ongoin g
struggle with ce nso rship. The State
Co rre c tio n a l Institutio n a t Da ll as,
Penn sylva nia has consiste n Lly rejected
eve ry issue I ed ited a nd p ublishe d.
The magazin e was banned at a few
pri son s b cca u ·e o f a s hort story I
wro te, 'The Grea t E cape," published
in the june '94 issue, about a hapless
In dian who u·ics to escape by burrowing in th e trash compactor a nd ends
up ge LLing sq uashed to death . Great
p la n , that. We 've had th e magazi n e
thrown o ut o n th e g ro un ds tha t we
prim p icture of ta ttoos a nd tattooing
is il lega l in p ri son. Ye ah , r ig ht.
Anothe r favorite is th e o ld standby:
Prison Life publishes le tte rs writte n by
prisoners, and as prisoners arc fo rbidde n to cor respon d with ea ch o th e r,
the magazine co u ld serve a a means
of communicatio n between prisoners.
Sure, li ke we' re going to go throug h
th e thousa n d s or le tte rs we re ceive
e a c h m on t h a nd print love n ote s
between so m e guy in T exas and his
crim e pa rtn er in 1 cw York.
In anc , yet in a way, this rationale
- banni ng the magazine because we
p rim mate rial wri tte n by priso nersge ts closer to th e truth . Some priso ncra ts-those who loath prisoners and
me re ly wan t to make th e m su fferare not th rilled by the prospect of a
national magazine that bills itse lf a s
t h e "Vo ice of the Co n vic t. " Ye t we
have never had a pro ble m getti ng the
ma g a z i ne in to se ri o u s j o ints like
Lewisburg, nor even Mario n , fo r tha t

mauer. I ge t leucrs and calls from
guards and prison admi nistrators who
say they subscri be to the magazine,
read i t from cove r t o co,·c r a nd
apprec iate what d1e}' reacl. We are, in
the words of so many, "telling it like it
is" and th at ca n on ly b e good for
g uards and those who run priso ns if
they have nothing to h id e because, as
we a ll know, they have to live in th e
pri o ns as well.
T h ere is a lot goi ng o n in th e
priso ns o f this co untry th;n the freeworld has litde or no understandin g
of-m u c h of it as u n settl i ng to
g uards and stafT as it is to priso ne rs.
j ust last wee k, Sena tor Paul Simon
released a natio na l s urvey of prison
wardens who had stro ng cri ticism for
th e politically drive n crim e-fi g hting
solutions comi ng out of Washington.
(Sec a rticle in Block Beat. ) To q uo te
Bo b Gang i, executive director of the
Co rr ec ti o n al Associat ion o f N e w
York, "There are few areas where the
publi c is more mi sinform ed ..,
Priso n Life want to h e lp ri g ht
that wrong. The craziest thing about
banning o ur magaz ine from prisons
is that most o f wh at we p u blish is
wriuen by priso n e rs. Who is be in g
p rotected fr o m th is info rma tio n ?
T h e pr iso n e rs a l re a d y kn ow wha t
goes on be hind the wa lls. It is th e ir
voice we want to make heard so that
the rest of America might liste n up
a nd qu esti o n the rhetoric o f po litic ians whose o n ly inte rest is in pe rpetuating th e fea r monge ring that gets
the m re-elected and
keeps the tax paye rs
s h e lli n g ou t th e i r
hard earne d mon ey
to fina nce the building of mo re prisons.
T h e Ca lifo rni a
ba n does n ot bode
we ll. In law e nforceme nt, as in ma n y
o th e r aspects of o u r
c u l tur e, as goe s
Californi a so g oe s
the res t of th e
union. California is
we ird. On the o n e
hand it is the m ost
p r ogress ive
and
kink ies t o f st a t es.
On th e o th e r hand
it is th e la nd of
Ro n ni e a n d Taney
and so man y of
th ose g r ea t m oral
leaders who say they
wan t to riel us of big
gove rnm e n t and yet
want to contro l eve ry

aspect of o ur pri,·ate Ji,·cs.
What to do ? H ow to d ea l with
thi s major ki c k in the tee t h to our
plans for growing the magat. ine?
I c all e d Ca lifor n ia . "'Thi s is
Ric ha rd Stratton, editor and publisher of Prison UJt' magazin e," I said to a
reaso nable sou nding woman wi th th e
Department of Correctio ns who took
my call. I had my you ngest son , Dash.
o n my knee a nd he "·as g urgling and
makin g baby noises th a t threate ned
to drown ou t my words. o th ing like
the so und s o r a bab y to m el t the
hea rt o f el'e ll th e saltiest of b ureauc rats. "i\ li nd telling m e wh at it is you
folks clon ' t like a bout my magazine?''
To my amazement I learne d that
th e O ctober issue has bee n ba nne d
in Cali fornia beca use of a piece we
printed in Bl ock Bea t re p oning o n
an escape from a pri so n in Sou th
C h arleston, Virgin ia by a g uy who
braided dental fl oss into a length of
rop e. \Vc pic ked th e sto t'}' up from
th e Asso c ia te d Press news se n ·ice.
Th e piece appeared in practically
eve r y n ews pape r in Amer ica. But
wh e n re prin ted in Pri.1on Ufe, th e
sa me story wa mira c ulously tran sform e d into "esca p e plans a nd
me tho dology...
I asked if they couldn ' t just clip
the offend ing page and kt the rest or
th e m agazin e through . She repli ed
that in th e fuwr e they may do thi ~.
ho weve r it was t oo late for the
October issue. '·And .J a nu a r y? .. I
asked. " li as th a t b ee n ban n e d as

well? .. The memo I rece ive d had a
hand-written note at the bottom sayin g the .Ja n ua ry issue wa · al so "n ot
all owed. "
.. ~o t fro m h eadquarters," sh e
assured me . Sh e also to ld m e th a t
n ew g uide l ines on ce n so rs hip i n
California priso ns were about to be
issued and imple mented statewide. I
asked her lO se nd me a copy.
:\ot that I inte nd to exercise a ny
son of se lf~ce n so rs hip. T ha t would
defe at th e wh ole purpose o f th is
m agazine . But I mi g h t thi nk twice
abou t incl uding a piece tha t appea rs
o n one of th e newswircs if I thin k it
could give th e cen sors an excuse to
kee p us o ut.
If you've subscribed to Prison Life
and been den ied your co py, we urge
you to fill out the appropria te g ri e,·ance forms and file the m rig h t away.
We can 't Lake thi s lyin g down . The
s urviva l or Prison Lifi' d epen d s on
pen etrating Ame ri ca's many prisons
and jai ls, reac hin g th e impriso ned
and givi ng them a fo rum. We' ll take
the cen sors to coun. We 'll fig ht the
ce nsorship issue in the mainstream
media. We' ll keep pu blis hin g th e
truth abo ut crim e and p un ishm e nt
in America. We' ll keep e ndin g th e
ma gaz in e t o pri so n ers. And we ' l l
keep re minding th e rest of th e world
that wh at made this coun try a g rea t
nation was th e idea of freed o m and
justice for a ll. We want to he lp that
idea become a rea lity.
PL

Richard Simi/on (center) with fJiisout>rs · 1ights allon//')'\
William Kunsllt'r (ltjl) and Ronald Kuby, (right).

PRISON LIFE

5

Word

ot of people ask me why the
11agazine's got such a n a uiude, especially recemly, whe n
the su~ject of banning h_a~ co me up.
"Tone it down ,., these cn llc · suggest,
··vou wo n 't hm·e any more troub le
":ith the D.O.C. a nd B.O.P. You 'II circul a te more ... .Just th ink o r a ll the
money you could make!"
Yea h , yea h , yea h. And ma r be
we' ll stan running a rticles like 'T en
Best Ways LO Ki ss th e Man 's ~ss," or
"How I Sto pped 13e ing a Co nv1c Land
Learned to Love the System." O r how
' bout runni n g departmen ts like,
"l nrormalll or the Mo nth," o r ··Best
Unicor Factoll' \<\1orker?"
O h yes, I understand now wh )~ I'm
mving 20 yrars for .w>/lin' a mufJlr Juts of
arid at a Gratiful ()('(fd concert, or )'Pall,
I see now why I deSI' IVNI a Continuing
Criminal l:"ntnprise fijr bid for 110t tetlin'
tltr Man what ht' wanted to lll•ar or
becawrsomrmt-Jinhdid. 1 o th anks.
Sure, we co ul d easil)" pro du ce a
mag like that, ma)•be call it "Sons or
Correc tions" or "Inm ate Today." We
could eve n include yo ur favorite warden s on t h e editoria l/ ce nsor sta rr.
He ll , at least we'd know it'd get into
the prisons.
But damn, o ur assho les wo uld
sure h un from all the bendin' over.
You guys better appreciate us: We
muc h prefe1· the real deal we've _contin ued to produce in ce_J un ~ ? f. last
yea r- the in-yo '-fac e, fuck-1t-tf-you
can' t-deal-with-reality ap p roac h. We
prefer the resi Lance to th ~ Machine
if th at's the on ly way were go nn a
earn our props and be able
to sleep at nig ht, even if it
means we go tta tig h ten o ur
belts and sta nd tall.
Hell , in more th an o ne
priso n , Prison Life magazine
is heavy contraband . I figure
if the mag ever goes down, I
ca n ge t e mployed at some
prison as a guard (if I change
my name) and make a Lon of
mone y smu gglin g in back
issues of o ur rig lueo us rag.
"Hey, can ya cop me a bag o'
weed?" '"No man, but I got an
6

PRISON LIFE

71ME 70
STEP UP
by

Chris Cozzone
Editorial Executioner
October issue of P1ison Ufr here ... "
T he light goes on, bro the rs a nd sisters. We're ·teppin' up to the Man and
we urge you to do th~ same .. We gotta
·how 1.he world that th iS mag IS the very
embodiment of the First Amendme nt.
T he issue you hold in your hand is
a li vin g d ec la r at io n of you r
Constitutional rig hts. It's a Pandora's
13ox crammed with words, images and
ideas rarely seen o utside ba_rbed wire_T hat's why we ' re leadmg off wnh
"S il e n c in g th e Oppressed-_ o
Freedom of p eech for Those Be hmd
th e Walls," by crimi nal defense_ a~tor­
ncys Rona ld Kuby a n d Wtl l ta m
Kunstler .
We also got the wi nn ers of _th~ An
Be hin d Ba rs co ntes t -submiSS IOn s
full a energy, e motio n and c :ea_ti ~e,
raw tale nt no max imum secunty JOIIlt
could ever contain. It proves that they
can co ntinue the warehousing regime,
th ey can lock up ph)'S_ic_al ~od i es, . but
they ca n' t ta me the spmt. ) our mmds
remain free. T h e m e n an d women
who won, and the hundreds o f o th e rs
who contributed, are a ll worthy cons,
as you ' II sec when you check o ut the
swff they've produced.

·w e also got gangs in this issue.
Al th ough P1ison Life is not a~out promoti n g g an gs, we' re ce ~ta 1 n l y not
a bou t layi ng clown when tt comes to
figh ting for hu man righ ts or freedom
of speech . There a re alw_ays &"on na be
gangs, whethe r anyone hkes It or not.
We see gangs as tremendo us P?te ntial that could be u eel constructively,
but o n ly if the G' a nd the ir leaders
can straigh te n out th eir acts.
Before a nythi ng can be wo rked
o ut wi th ga ngs, be it gang-to-gang or
cops/ media / society-to-gangs, we feel
t h at t h e gangs ough t to b e heard
befo re judgment is m ad e. So we' re
publish ing a two-pa rt series on gangs
stra ig ht fro m the G's themse lves.
We've give n 'bange rs a chan ce to say
wa up, witho ut so meone e lse's perspective getting in the way.
.
Kee p in mind, th o ug h , that th1s
col lec ti o n (and n ext issue) is not
represe n tat ive of all gangs. Man y
leade rs and G 's keep to th emselves.
We respect tha t, but remembe r tha t if
yo u g u ys are gonna mo a n_ about
be in g forgouen, o r even misre prese n ted, th at's because you were too
scared or too ca uti o us to spea k up.
It's not as if we d idn ' t send the word
out. (The invites are still wide ope n.
All you gotta do is pick up a pen. or
the phone. We' ll co ntinue to pubhsh
material fro m gangs, m ay b e eve n
start a col umn on th e subject. )
The rest of th e issue leans toward
th e inspirat iona l. We go t ki c k-ass
prison an win n e rs throughout, a nd
m os t o f o ur usual departme n ts:
Bubba, Iro n Pi le, C rim e jacker, In-Cell , e tc. The re's
also an in terview with Oliver
Stone, who wrote th e epic
prison flick Midnight Exfmss
an d directed the co ntrove rsial Natuml Born Killers.
So keep tho e pens, penc ils and typewriter go in',
and we 'll do the same he re in
t h e freeworld . Reme mbe r :
Hi de those back issues-ya
never know when th e goon
squad 's gonna be comi n ' fo r
'em.

EDITOR & PUBUSHER
Richard Stro»on
EXECUTIVE EDITOR & ART DIRECTOR
Chris Cozzone
EDITOR·AT·LARGE
Kim Wozencroh
MANAGING EDITOR
Jennifer Wynn
ASSISTANT TO THE EDITOR
Koren Cantrell
DESIGN/ LAYOUT
Steve Lashley, Bobo Willkie
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Myron #Hodji" Hamilton
STAFF ARTISTS
Rob Sulo, Marty Voelker
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: BEHIND BARS
Michael Davis, D. DiDominicus, Janel Dolber,
Aldo Soul Garrido, Thomas Lujan, Andrew Kish,
Don Locke, Joaquin Mous, Jed Miller, Paul Mulryon,
Daniel Nicklaus, John Nilsen, Enrique Ortiz,
Terry Oulds, Sco» Prado, Mark D. Smith,
C. Thompson, Sergiio Voii
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: FREEWORLD
Stephen Conway, Deni Jovos, Muth
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jasmine Rowbotham, Sarah Willkie
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: BEHIND BARS
Troy Chopmon, Chesler Cornman, Loran Douglas,
Lorry Fassler, Figolo, Gregory McMaster, Benton
Murray, lsmoel Santillanes, Jimmy Tyler
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: FREEWORLD
Thomas Foloter, Ronald Kuby,
William Kunstler, Brother Rosa
PRISON UFE EDITORIAL OFFICE
505 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
Tel: (212)967-9760
Fox: (2 12)967-710 1
CANADIAN SALES OFFICE
Robert Rowbotham,
Conodion Managing Director
Kenny Hudson, Assistant
253 College St., Suite 444
Toronto, ONT M5T1 R5
Tel: (41 6) 536·5641
Fox: (416) 536·7687

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Gory Tuslison
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Lewis Groce
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Tel: (212) 274-0400
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PRINTED IN U.S.A.

AWORDTOOUR
WOMEN READERS
by Jennifer Wynn

Managing Editor
"You're /oo uwrho. "
ass, }'es-man types yo u ' d find in,
"Why luwPn 'I any WOIIIP/1 bePn say, corporate America. T hese o utrellmates of !liP monlh ?"
laws want true crime, gritty writing
"Don't we womPn fJrisonns havr• and hardcore ex poses. And we, as
the 'Voice of the convict," are coma voice in yow· mag?"
Yo u sure do. And that's wh y m itted to p rinting their stories in
I' m wri t in g thi . That 's wh y I their wo rds. We also gotta ma ke a
riske d b odi ly harm muscling my buck, so we gotta p roduce a magaway o nto Cozzone 's page .. . to zine that appeals to our majority
let you know you do have a voice aud ience.
G rante d , o ur first two issues
we want to h ear , you do ha ve a
p lace in Prison Life and we d o were pretty macho. But wh e n we
want to publ is h }'Our sto ri es . b ega n ge LLing feedba c k from
Pro ble m is, we haven't received fema le prisoners, we listened to
many.
the ir co ncerns. '"'e published a n
May b e you're s h y. Maybe award-w inning story by auth or
we've sca red you with our ha rd- Susa n Ro ·en berg and ran a callco re, roug h -and-tumb le style. o ut in our October issue fo r stoMaybe that ugly mug of Bubba 's ries from wo men be hind bars. We
turn ed yo u orr for good.
put a woman on the cover of the
More likel y, it's because you .J a nu a ry iss u e, and in the next
women account for o n ly six per- issue yo u 'll be pleased to find o ur
cen t of America's incarcerated . So first lc malc Celly of the Month .
naturally, most of the ma1e rial we
Fo r an y o f yo u m e n who
get is fro m m en. I'm n ot saying 1hi n k we' re mov in g into
we ' ve received not hin g from Affirm ative Actio n terri tory, lowwo me n. It 's just that 1h e number ering our sLandards so to s peak,
of submission s we re ce ive from you ' re dead wrong. These women
yo u is mi ni sc ul e compared to ea rn ed their way into o ur magathose we recei,·e from me n. So th e zine. They re presem role models
com petition is fierce. 'Nhat's new?
to a nyon e behind bars-male o r
You wanna be h ea rd? Roa r ! fe ma le .
Yo u wanna be publi heel? Write
vVc fee l we're mak in g some
powerful sto ri es. Se n d a n SA E headway, but we know we have a
fo r o ur g uide line o yo u ge t an way to go. We 'd li ke to hea r more
idea of the kinds of articles we·re from women, because we know
looking for.
you have important, powerful stoAs for the macho tone, think
ries to tell and profound in ight
about ou r audience and our pool LO offer. Most of all, we want yo ur
of prisoner authors. I'm no t saying stories because Lhis is your magathese guys aren't civilized, I" m just zine, too.
saying they were neve r the candyPRISON LIFE 7

THE SELF-DEFENSE BIBLE
The 1nost effective street - fighti11g techrziques
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In this highly detailed training manuals , Wellard draws on his experience to reveal the psychology , strengths and
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Over h&~lf of the men nnw

in fede ral prbon are
incarcerated for drug
offense.. (B.O.P.)

America's National Prison Newspaper

March 1995

Prison Life Canadian Managing
Director Gets 18 Years
Toronto, Ontario-Robert ''Rosie"
Rowbot ha m, Canada's legendar y
marijuana ou tlaw and Prison Life's
main ma n north of the border, was
sentenced to 18 yea rs in prison for
conspiracy to traffic in 400 lbs. of pot.
The fresh 18 is to run consecutively
with a 13-year sentence Rosie was
paroled on last Jul y. H e'll have to
serve a minimum of 17 years before
release.
T he unprecede nte d sen tence
s tunned frie nds, fam ily and loyal
supporters who ga thered at a federa l courthouse in To ronto on
December 19, 1994 to hea r Judge
Bruce Hawkins pronounce sentence.
No t two weeks earlie r, Rosie was
convicted on a five-year-old unconsummated or "dry" conspiracy, the
result of an undercover s ting operation cod e-named Project Amigo.
After th e trial, Jud ge Hawkins
a llowed Rosie to re ma in in a
halfway house and continue his new
job as Pris011 Life's Canadian managing director. All indications were
that the judge did not intend to punish Rosie too ha rsh ly for wha t was
clearly old business.
Rosie is no stranger to the criminal justice syste m. H e was o nce
d escribed by Ro ya l Canadian
Mounted Police and DEA agents as
a "hippie godfather" reputed to control an international family of freak

dope d ea lers. ove list Norman
Mailer and rock star Neil You ng are
among the luminaries w ho ha ve testified on Rowbotham's beha lf at various tria ls. He holds the record for
the most amount of time given to a
p o t defendant in Canada and has
already done a total 16 calendars out
of his 44 years.
At court proceedings over the past
25 years th is no-bullshit marijuana
martyr has consistently admitted his
involv e ment in th e pot trad e. H e
chooses to fight the government on
ground s that trafficking in a Godgiven substance he and many others
believe is a sacrament and a medicine
is not criminal, the laws against it are.
Rosie's life s tory is a harrowing,
absorbing saga of life in the marijuana
subculture worthy of a major motion
picture. ln the seventies, he emerged
as the kingpin of the infamous
Rochdale College, a Toronto experimental school that became a mecca for
pot and hash smugglers from all over
the world. Rosie was known for his
prima Lebanese hash. In 1982, he was
arrested and sentenced to 20 yea rs
(reduced to 13 on appeal) for his role
in a massive North American marijuana and hashish smuggling conspiracy.
(Priso/1 Life's editor and publis her,
Richard Stratton, received 25 years in
the U.S. on the same case.) Govern-

(continued on page II )

Rosie and grandron a/ Collins Bay p1·ison. Photo byjasmine Rowbotham.

Wardens Criticize
Crime Bill Solutions
Prison ward ens unifo rmly reject
the popular crime-fighting solutions
coming out of Washington, according to a national s urvey conducted
b y Sen . Paul Simon's (D-lL)
Subconunittee on the Constitution, a
panel of th e Senate Judiciary
Committee.
Instead, wardens call for additional prevention programs, smarter use
of p rison resources, the repeal o f
mandatory minimum sentences and
an expansion of alternatives to incarceration.
Eighty-five percent of wa rdens
s urveyed said tha t elected officials
are not offering effective solutions to
America's crime problem.
Simon sponsored the survey of 157
wardens and also poiJed 925 prisoners in an effort to introduce "a reality
check" as Congress prepares to renew
its deba te on crime p olicy . Noting
that Congress will be asked to consider popular but overly simplistic remedies for the nation's epidemic of violent crime, Simon sought the input of
those on one front of the criminal justice system: wardens who oversee the
nation's prisons. The surveys were
d is tributed by the Departme nt o f
Corrections in California, Delawa re,
Florida, Illin ois, Michigan, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Texas. Sixty percent of wardens responded.
"We've just passed the dubious
milestone of having 1 million people
in prison," said Simon. "But for a ll the
new prisons we've built and filled
over the last two decades, we feel less
safe today than we d id before.
Loading our prisons with nonviolent
drug criminals means that, today, we
a re co mmi ting more non v iolent
offenders to hard time than we are
viole nt criminals, and there's little
room left for the violent offenders
who should be put away to make our
streets safer.
"Chase Rive land, a corrections official in Washington State who looked
a t the survey results, said that focusing only on prisons and ignoring prevention is 'd rive-by legislation,' at
best," Simon continued. "He's right."
Despite the curren t "tough on
crime" rh e to ri c favored by many
politicians, the wardens who particiPRISON LIFE

9

pated in the survey generally call fo r a
more balanced approach that mixes
punis hment, prevention and treatment. For example, when asked how
they would spend an additional $10
million in resources, warde ns sa id
they would allocate only 43% to law
enforcemen t, while spending 57% on
prevention programs. That ratio contrasts sharply with the spending in
last year's crime bill, which allocated
only a quarter of the $30 billion bill to
prevention programs . The s urvey
results also raise questions about proposals in the "Contract for America,"
which call for the repeal of much of
the remaining prevention funds.
Wardens also urged a more intelligent use of prison space, expressing
concerns that the nation is wasting
scare prison resources on nonviolent
offend ers. Warde ns no ted that, on
average, half of the offenders under
their supervision could be released
wit hou t representing a danger to
society. Similarly, 65% declared that
the nation should use prison s pace
more efficiently by imposing shorter
sentences on nonviole nt offenders
and longer sentences on violent ones.
Wardens also questioned the use of
a "one size fits all" approach to sentencing: 58% rejected mandatory minimum sentences for dru g offenders.
And 92% said that greater use should
be made of alternatives to incarceration, sud1 as home detention, halfway

houses and residential drug treatment
prog ra ms. These results were confirmed in general terms by prisoners,
who indicated that longer sentences
did not represent a particularly effective crime deterrent.
When asked to identify the mos t
effective way of fighting crime, wa rdens overwhelmingly chose prevention programs, especially those that
address basic huma n development
need s. Seventy -one percent said
improving the educational quality of
public schools would make a major
diffe rence in fi g hting crime; 66%
favored increasing the number of job
opportunities in the community; and
62% endorsed d eveloping progra ms
to help parents become better mothers and fathers. In contrast, only 54%
said longer sentences for violent criminals would have a major effect on
crime, and only 8% supported longer
sentences for drug users.
Sim ilarly, wardens and prisoners
were nearly unanimous in calling for
an ex pansion of rehabilitative prog rams in prison s the mselves. For
example, 93% of wardens recommend
a significant expansion of literacy and
other educa tional programs. Again,
the result stands in sharp contrast to
Co ngress' actio ns du ring the last
yea r's crime d ebate when Congress
elimi nated aU fund ing for Pell grants
for prisoners.

FEDS' NEW TOY: PRISONER STUN BELT
Looks like the Federa l Bureau of Prisons has approved a new vehicle of
torture: the Remote Electronically Activated Technology (R-E-A-C-T) Stun
Belt. (How long did it take them to make up tha t acronym?)
A Program Statement dated September 30, 1_994 fro?1 t~e U.S: Department
of justice outlines the various uses of the device, wh1ch ts des1gned t~ prevent prisoners from escaping while being .escorted to .cour~, to the hospital or
to another prison. But firs t- the gory details, as explamed m the document:

The Custody Control Belt discharges 50,000 volts of electricity. By means
of a remote transmitter, an attending officer ha.s the ability t? activate the
stun packnge attached to the belt, thereby caus111g the followmg results to
take place:
JmmobiliZlltion, causing you to fall to the ground.
Possibility of self-defeca tion.
Possibility of self-urination. Only maximum custod y convicts "re.quiring g reater security than can be a fford ed through conve ntio nal
restraints" ca n be forced to wea r the stun belt. The document states
that the officer-in-charge of the escort detail "must exercise sound
judgment when making a d ecision to acti vate the Custody Co.ntrol
Belt." But it goes on to say tha t "verba l orders are not reqUired 1f the
s taff member reasonably believes a danger of death or gn evous bodily harm is imminent." In addition, prisoners ca n be stunned if they
tamper with the belt, fa il to comply with s taff's verbal order to halt,
or if the officer-in-charge experiences "any loss of visual contact"
with the prisoner.
Hmmm. Guess the days of handcuffs and s hackles are over.
1o

PRISON LIFE

Prison Life
Article Enrages
Congressman
U.S. Rep. Scott Mcinnis, R-Colo., is
fuming over an article depicting the
gor y details of life behind prison
bars that appeared in the Jan uary
issue of Prison Life.
The "disgusting" article by a former prisoner at the Florence federal
prison prompted Mcinnis to ask an
advertiser to boycott the period ical.
Prison officials said although the
article was reckless, prisoners have a
right to speak their minds.
The offend ing a rticle d e tails the
horrors of Jiving with a " twisted,
psychotic, pe r verted, disgusting,
smelly, farting, belching, nose-picking, abject creep."
The author, Thomas Falater, who
served 14 months for mail fraud in
the minimum security prison, complained that his "celly" used his job
in the kitchen to sully the silverware,
scratching himself with a spoon and
using a fork to pick his nose.
Mclnnis said he was "stunned" by
the article, which arrived on his desk
even though he is not a su bscriber.
In addition to writing to the prison's
warden, Mcinnis a lso wrote to the
Priso11 Life's largest advertiserUniversaJ Labs, a company that advertises on the magazine's back cover.
"Given the trash in this magazine
a n d the gene ra l public's desi re to
stop this a buse in the American
prison system, I believe tha t it is irresponsible for a company, s uch as
yours, to advertise in a ma gazine
directed toward prison inmates,"
Mchmis wrote.
Mcinnis said inmates shouldn' t be
allowed to write such trash.
"It's not about freedom of speech.
You give up that righ t when you go
to prison," sa id Mcinnis, a fo rmer
police officer in Glenwood Springs.
Lee Stennett, executive director of
American Society of Newspaper
Editors, disagreed.
" Th a t is con stitu tiona 11 y very
wrong. In prison, you still have freedom of speech. You don' t have freedom of movement, bu t the Bi ll of
Rights still applies."
T he magazine's editor-i n-chief,
Richard Stratton, sa id the Fa later
article is filthy, but termed it "jailhouse humor."
'1'd stand by it. I admit it was not
the most pleasant of reading, but it
does kind of capture an aspect of
prison life," Stratton said.
Tire De11ver Post

18 years
(continuedfmm page 9)
ment agents and prosecutors from
New York, California, Texas, Maine
and
Can ad a
charged
the
Rowbotham / Stratton orga ni za tion
with importing and distributing multiton loads of hig h quality has h a nd
marijuana for over a decade. Some 60
people were arrested after Leba nese
heroin dealers caug ht red-ha nded
with ten kilos of jWl.k flipped and traded evid ence on the pot organiza tion
for their freedom.
Seven years la ter, Rosie won a n
appeal, overturning his '82 conviction . While in a holding ce ll at
Toronto' s Don jail a waiting release
on bond pending a new trial, he had
the misfortw1e to meet a Uruguaya n
coke dealer named Sa ul Spatzner.
Unbeknownst to Rosie, Spatzner had
been busted h.Yice w ithin a yea r on a
variety of cocaine trafficking charges
and had rolled o ve r, ag reeing to
work for the Mounties and set up
alleged members o f a C olo mbian
cocaine cartel operating in Canada.
Once th e two we re both ou t on
bail, Spatzner lured Rosie to a couple
of m eetin gs where the informant
taped conversa tions in w hich Rosie
agreed to hook Spatzner up with a
friend who would supply him with a

load of weed out of Austin, Texas.
The deal never happened . Spatzner's
ra tting netted 25 d efendan ts in just
und er a yea r. Rosie was ca ug ht in
the coca ine-laced web.
Mea n w hile, ret ri a l on th e big
importing case resulted in a second
co n v ictio n and Rosie re turned to
prison, th is time with a 13-year bid.
He wound u p ser vi ng a total of 12
yea rs o n t he '82 beef. T he new
cha rges were left unresolved for over
f ive yea rs until a fte r Ros ie was
released on parole early last summer.
With the '89 case still hanging over
his head, Rosie moved into a Toronto
ha lfway house a nd immed iately
went to wo r k as Prison Life' s
Canadia n managing director, using
his solid credentials in the prison culture to s prea d the Voice o f the
Convict to our bro thers a nd sis ters
up north. In the six months he was
on the s treets, Rosie threw himself
into his new career with the sa me
brilliance and gus to he once brought
to the pot trade. Within weeks, Prison
Life had a presence in a ll Canada's
penitentiaries. Rosie put Prison Life's
edito rs in to u ch w ith Ca na dian
prison writers, editors and activis ts,
and he s upplied us with first-hand
information to bring us up to s peed
on the Canadian prison scene.
To everyone' s shock and dismay,

Judge Hawk ins ig n ored e loqu e nt
appeals from Gayle Gilbert, manager
of th e ha lfway h ou se, as well as
p leas fro m Ros ie's empl oye rs to
leave him out of prison so he could
continue to pursu e hi s firs t legitima te career. Ins tead, the judge chose
to sentence Rosie to more time than
the heaviest of the co ke d ea le rs
s n agged in th e un de rcover tra p .
While he said that he fo und Rosie an
engaging and likable enough character, he felt compelled to give him 18
yea rs based on the weird logic that
Ros ie s ho uld get more time than
he'd received on the '82 conviction.
Priso11 Life w ill continue to work
closely with Rosie in-house. The editors p lan to cover Canadia n prison
li fe w ith the sa me fra nkn ess and
com mitment we bring to exposing
the vast prison indus tria l co mplex
d ominating the U.S. Still, Rosie is a
bro and will be missed sorely. Now
we'll be communicating collect via
Bell Canada. He called from the Don
jail a few days after the sentencing
and told us to send magazines.
"Send m e te n, twe nty, a hundred ," he sa id, as though he we re
ordering ki los of hash. "I can sell a
lot of s ubscriptions to guys on their
way to the different joints."
You can lock 'em up, but you can' t
keep a good man d own.
PL

Prison Life, HBO plan docu series
by Rex Weiner
Life behind bars will be the subject of a documentary series produced
by HBO in association with Prison Life magazi ne, a controversial periodical
published for the captive audience.
"Prison Life Presents: Prisoners of the War on Drugs" is the first hourlong installment, according to publisher/ ed itor Richard Stratton. The docu, to
be produced and directed by Marc Levin (HBO's "Mob Stories," "Gang War:
Bangin' in Little Rock") starts shooting this month. Future series installments
will cover a range of issues including deatl1 row and sex in prison.
Executive producer for HBO is Sheila Nevins an d the coordina ting producer is Kary Antholis.
Based i11 Gotham, the glossy bimonthl y has publis hed three issu es
under Stratton, previously editor of the Fortune Society newsletter and a
former inmate of the federa l prison system. Lis ted as editor-at-large is
Stratton's wife, Kim Wozencra ft, w hose autobiogra phical book about life as
a n und ercover-cop-gone-bad was the bas is of the 1991 MGM m ovie,
,,.Rush."
Oliver Stone is the subject of a featured interview in the upcoming issue
of Prison Life. According to Stratton, the director speaks of his own jail experiences resulting from a long-ago marijuana bus t, and explores his fascination with prison subjects.
Mostly written a nd illus trated by prisoners, Prison Life was recently
banned from the California state prison system. Stratton plans a legal challenge to the ban, and told Daily Variety, "Wha t are they going to d o nextbanHBO?"

Sland-up lifer Herby SfJed ing, f eatured
in thejwu' 1994 issue o.f Prison Life,
pia)'S San/a Claus for I! ids and fa mily
members iu the visiling room a/ USP
Lewisburg. llerb)' :S been down fo1·
nea1·ly a quarte-r of a century, but still
manages /o l1eep his spirits high.

Reprinted from Daily Variety.
PRISON LIFE

11

Mail Call
that pu r ports to se rve co nvi c t s.
Soliciting ra ts is bcs1 le ft to th e gove rnm e nt, th e a ll-tim e g r ea te st ratma ke r working 10 kee p us a ll down.
P1ison Lifi', as a \'Oicc from behind
bars, has the potc niial to bring about
positi ve c hange. Do n ' t a llow the perceptio n that yo u arc j us1 o n e mo re
shark feeding ofT 1hc mise ry or incarcera tion. OfTcring a $200,000 reward to rat
takes you too close LO the othe r side.
l?esjlectfully,
i\lilton E. Robins
Floren ce, CO

WHAT IS THIS SHIT?
I really like yo ur rag, especiall y
the sta nd-up, down-on-rats-and-snitches a ttitude. If it were n ' t for rats a nd
snitches, most of u would be ho me
with our fa milies.
You can imagi n e my surprise ,
then , when I noticed in the October
issue a 200.000 r eward offer to
sn itch! \\'h at the hell is going on? I
thi s an advertiseme n t ? Offering a
reward to nitch is completely at o dds
with the mi sion of Prison Life.
The e ntire cheme that put most
of us in prison is based on paid inform ants , paid by ei th e r money ,
r educed en t cnces or so m e oth er
secre t con sideratio n . Has Prison Life
j oined the snitch-for-hi re sc he me?
Supposedly, a "prom inent businessman" had two au c mpts made on
hi · life. "Ve il, as I sec it, if any selfres p ectin g co n reall y wanted him
dead we wo uldn ' t be t a lking
"au e mpts." Maybe thi s prominent
busincs ma n ripped someone o ff.
Ylaybe that' why he's scared . You
can be t t his gu y h as s uspects. H e
know exac tly who h e burned. The
reward even states that '·possible" suspects a re a lready known.
If thi reward article was in fac t a
p a id advertise m e nt, Prison Life h as
take n th e man's money a nd his side.
As co nvicts, we kn ow the m a n with
th e money is usua lly right no matter
how wro ng. I don' t think taking his
side is appropriate for a m agaz in e
12

PRISON LIFE

OkaJ. 1\fe admit it. 111Pfu clted ujJ. II
won't happm again. 71/f guy who let that
ad in is no /ongn with UJ.
771e matnial for the ad rame in a/the
last minute, and no one rPuiewed it before
sending the film to the jJiin lers along with
the rest ofthe ads.
\Ve nenl all the advnlising and s ubsnijllion mollf')' we mn get to keejl lhis magazine llfljJjJening, but wP willnroer run ruls
that go against the edit01ial mission of this
magazinf'. Thrmlls fo r keeping us honest.

who's wea k or evil a "fa ggo t" or
"punk," o r saying a p h o to makes a
man "look like a ho mosexua l," it turns
my stomach . First of a ll, it's a ll backwa rds: Gay prisone rs arc n ' t usually Lhe
cell block bullies, and I' II be L thai. gay
prisone rs arc never th e ones who rape
o 1.h cr prison e rs. Some of Lhc mos L
stand-up prisoners arc gay. Look aLLhe
people who've f'o ug hL for AI OS educat io n , co un selin g, and dc ce nL trcaLme nt of prisoners wi th AI OS. EquaLing
gay wi Lh "wea k" promoLcs a distorted
and sexi t view of what su·engll1 is.
Ptison Life pushes the position Lhat
prisoners need unity among ourselves
againsL Ll1e enemy-the pri on syste m,
guards and prisoncrats. So how can you
then turn around and insuiL one sector
of prisoners o lely because o f our sexua lity? II. so n of re minds me o f those
wh o go to Lh c c h a p e l to ta lk about
"God is love,'' and then wrn a rou nd
and disrespccL people of o Lher races,
religions and ex ua l orie n ta tions.
Priso ners more t h a n a n yo n e
sho uld und ersta nd first hand whaL it
me ans 1.0 be eli ..-cspecte cl, o ui.cast

~

f...,vr' '
1- ')

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I

" '

STOP BASHING GAYS
I like yo ur magazin e a lo t and
read it cover to cove r. I especially like
you r posi Li ons aga insL white supre macy a nd snitching.
There 's o n e Lhing, tho ugh, that
bothers me dee pl y and it runs th rough
the magazine: 1he co nstani attacks on
gays. Whether it 's ca ll ing so meon e

and si.c rcotypccl. It seems 1.0 me
Lhat our power even inside 1.hcsc cages
ca n g row from o ur human iLy, n oL
from our adopLi ng the inhuma n a nd
dehum anizi ng c haracte r of our jaile rs.
By th e way, I' m a political prisone r, a convict a nd a lesbian .
Lattm WhilPiwrn
Marirm:na, FL

PRAISE FOR UNICOR EXPOSE
Wow! T he article in the J anuary
issue regard ing U 1lCO R was fantastic! I h ave been imme rsed in thi s project day and nig h t since its birth: july
8, 1992. Hats o fi and kudos to my copl a in tiffs, j oe Mow is h a nd Do n a ld
Sa rgeant, a nd big h urrahs to C hris
Cozzone and Prison Life.
As you probably know by now,
Warde n Vic Loy of FCI j esu p se nt me
a memo banni ng t h e .J a nu ary iss ue
from t h e co mp o und . O n that sam e
day, a copy of the article, "Busted," a ll
te n pages, was place d in m y h and.
Some 100 copies were run o iT, a nd in
two h ou rs, said article was all over the
co mpound. On ce aga in , the s taff
fa iled to recogn ize that t.h cy'rc partt.ime rs an d we live here!
With co-pla intiffs like Mow is h
and Sarge, wit.h cou rage to te ll it like
it is a nd print it, i.e . Prison Life, and
wit.h the continue d assistan ce of othe r
prisoners, our goal will be achieved!
We' re a ll in the sam e boat., a nd if we
row toget.her, we ' ll get. to whe re we
want to go ... home!

Now, I go t. thi fro m th e mail
roo m su p e rviso r. An yway, d o what
you feel is best. I fi le d o n this e nd
with a 602 appeal. It's a start!
Woodron Witlroxon
Varaville, CA
I a m a convict at California State
Prison a nd a subscriber to yo ur magazine, which I c ruoy very much , whe never the g uards don't steal it. I'm not
h appy with th e Screws' larceny. To
th at e nd , I have file d sui t in Su perior
Co urt, Sac rame nto over the matter.
P lease le t m e kn ow how m a n y
copies of Prison Life you've sent to me.
So fa r I've received on ly o ne issue of
yo ur fin e magaz in e since I o rdered
m y subscription. The Screws stole the
rest. (They usc "faci lity secu rity" to
excuse the ir theft.)
Sinrerely,
.fohn C. Williams
Vam uille, CA

~

j

SUBSCRIBERS
FIGHTING BAN
As you can see fro m the e nclosed
memo to all wardens, your magazine
seems like it's not welcome . I was to ld
that our captain here read a n issue and
said, "Shit. I ain 't le tti ng this mag in!"

Thank fo r running m y two articles, es p eciall y the Plantation o n e
(" Life is C heap on the Plantation,"
Oct. '94). l have heard that c hanges
h ave a lr ead y b ee n m a d e a t. th e
Flo re n ce complex as a resu lt of th e
publicatio n .
H o pe fu lly, Prison Life will continue to be a catalyst for change and the
o nly pu blicatio n wi th th e g uts to print
the trut.h from behind the walls.
Thomas Falaler
Recently released from Flormce, CO

A PLEA FOR HELP FROM
THAILAND
Right now the re are 31 American
women and the same number of men
incarcerated in T hailand priso ns o n
d rug charges . .Justice a n d impartia l
legal re prese ntation are not part of the
equation he re. Trials take yea rs; gu il t is
assumed upon arrest. Some American s
here hm·c received the death cntence.
Some people d idn't even have drugs in
their possession and most of us arc first
Lime ollcndc rs. The USA has e nforced
a li mi t.at.ion, but it. bans a nyone havi ng
more than one kilo from ever using it.
And T hailand has a mandatOTl' minimum le ngt.h of stay of e ig ht years for
those with life sentences (the m~ority
o r us here have received life) and four
yea rs for those wi t h a nu mber sent.en ce. Condi t ions are horre ndous,
t.reaunem barbaric, language barrie rs
almost. insurmoun ta ble.
We sleep in quarters d1e size of cat.t.le pens. The prison has a pay-asyou-go policy: Nothing's free, not
eve n soap or toil et paper.
Exorcism is s till a valid medical
t.rea t.m e nt. in Thai lan d. For
example, Lh is past week a poor,
hil l-t.ribe woman was suffering
fro m hallucinations a nd spontaneously bleeding from t.l1e
eyes, nose, mout.h a nd skin. A
mon k was brought. in t.o help
t.he officers exorcise th e
demon from t.l1e body! Yet.
whe n we need a nti biotics
for t.he freq uem infections
we get fro m o u r d irty
enviro nm e nt., it.'s like
pu lling teeth. Which, by
t.l1e way, is what. t.he denList would rat.h e r do
t.han fix our teet.l1.
The worse t.hing
we suffer from is the
culture d ifferences and isolation
!To m our own people and coun t.ry. TV,
newspapers a nd radios are pro hibit.ed.
We are expect.cd to work in th e prison
sweat. boxes ye t. have to buy everyt.l1ing
we need. The USA has an int.e m ational
trade law banning convict.-produced
goods from be ing im port.ed int.o th e
counlll', yet. most. of the th ings we make
are marketed in America.
Americans s h ould be aware of
wha t. is going o n he re, but. most. o f all
we need you r support, even if it's j ust
a leuer.
Diana Smith Nwnnltwo
.Jacllie Lynn Samjlle
3313 Ngamwang-wan Rd.
Bangkhen, Brmglwli
Thai lrmrl 10900

PRISON LIFE

13

AMERICA'S OBSESSION WITH PUNISHMENT
By Troy Chapman, Kincheloe, MI
e arc a nation th at see ms to
cnjO)' in fli c tin g pain on
o th e r huma n beings. Mostly,
we do it in the name ofjuslice and as
a response to crime, but no netheless
we a pparently e nj oy punishin g peop le. We are e nte rtai ned by the who le
process of in nicting pain .
On TV, we sec one long glorification of the process of bringing people
to punishme n t. Sh ows like "America's
Most Wa nted ," "Crim e Stoppers" a nd
"Cops" exemplify the point. vVe like to
te ll o urselves these a re honest eiTo rts to
reduce c1·ime, but who are we kidding?
They are e nte rtainme nt. Walk through
any prison a t 7:00 p.m. EST a nd you'll
find 70 % o f 1h e co nvic ts watc hin g
these shows. 1Nhat do they care about
reducing crime? They don ·t, a nd neither do most othe r viewers.
We watch these shows beca use we
like crime and viole nce. To th is "info-

W

ta in men t" we ca n add a host o f fi ctional crime dra ma shows, wh ich have
a long his to r y o f p o pu la r i t y in
Ameri ca. T oday, we have reached the
poim wh e re it·s d ifficult to find a nything on TV tha t isn ' t eithe r subtly or
bla tamly rela ted to some variation on
the cops and robbers th e me.
Enjoying watch ing othe rs be ing
hurt o r punish ed isn 't res tric ted to
T V. Peo pl e a ll ac ro ss Am e ri ca
c h ee r e d wh e n T e d Bund y was
strapped in to th e e lec tric c hair a nd
tho usa nds of volts o f electricity we re
jolted in to his body. And le t's n ot forge t th e fo rward-thinkin g e nt re prene ur who created "Bundy Que" chi cke n , no r the good Ame ri can s who a te
it whil e admi ring his wit.
Life in co n te mporary Ame ri ca is
ful l o f exa mpl es o f our vica ri o us
e njoyme nt of pain . How lo ng did it
take George Bush to convin ce us that

Saddarn was a bad ma n who needed
to be pu n ished? And wh en we finished siccing o ur high-tech whipping
m ac hi nes on the n asty Iraq is,
Americans in sm all town s and large
stood around palling th emselves o n
th e back, r e h as hin g t h e bas h i n g,
reliving it all and weari ng T-shirt that
sa id , "Dese rt Storm : These Co lors
Do n ' t Run " a nd othe r th o u g h tful ,
inte lligem social comm e ntaries.
\<\lh a t do o ur po l i t ic ia n s ta lk
about more th an anythi ng else? Is it
o ur fa iling schoo l sys te ms? Is it th e
p overty a nd Third World cond itions
here in Am e ri ca? Is it our childre n
dying? Is it th e ha u·ed and racism that
poison us like a ca ncer? Io. They ta lk
about two tl1ings mo re than anythi ng
e lse, two th ings we love t h e most:
m o n ey a nd punishment. They d o it
because we te ll th e m that's what we
want to hear.

We don ' t discus s c rime at a ll ,
except as a lead-in to ta lk abou t punishme n t o r money.
Any citize n can see that we ' re
obsessed with punishment. We like it
like sex, and we wil l leave no sto n e
unturned in our search to find someone to pun ish. vVhy, here's a man in
Alaska who likes to smoke a joint now
and then. He keeps a little in his house
for h im and th e wife. What but a n
o bsessio n bo rd e rin g o n addiction
wou ld lead America ns in tl1 e form of
DEA agents to this man 's doo r? Ye t
tl1e re we are. T here we are all over tile
natio n with o ur so-call e d "war o n
drugs," kicking in doors, dragging people from the ir ho mes, taking possession of their childre n and their property, witl1 a couple of claps on tile back
of the head for good m easu re, shipping tl1em off to overnowi ng prisons.
The questio n is n o t wh e ther a
nation needs to e nforce its laws. The
questio n is: Are th e laws th e mselves
just? And wh at does it mean whe n a
nation begins to thorough ly enjoy th e
process of inflicting pain in the nam e
of law and order? Wh e n it begin s to

be tl1rille d and e m e rmine d by it? The
answer is frig h ten ing.
Freed o m begins to stan d as a n
obstacle to punishmen t. And de pe nding on which is stro nge r, the d esire to
punish o r the d esire to be free, one
of tl1 e m has to go. Lately, o ur d esire
to punish has been su·onge r, and we
not only g ive up our freedom to ge t
it, we he lp the gove rnment canl' this
freedom to th e truck, load it, shake
the offic ial's ha nds and thank th e m
as they drive away with it.
\•Ve ' re at a point where we n eed
to se ri o usly exa m in e th e d e pths of
our d esire to punish and wha t we arc
givi ng up in re turn .
On an individual level, what would
we say of parents who derive pleasure
from punishing th e ir childre n? Such
people would rightfcllly be recognized
as sick. Such be havior wou ld rightfully
be condemned as intole rable. Even if
the pare nt ca n point to good reasons
for th e punishme nt, if we recognize
tl1at the motive is self.gratification, we
would neve r condone it.
Why, the n , do we apply a differe nt standard to our collective action s?

It is sim ply a matte r of d e nial.
This de nial is so dee p a nd colossal
it resembles the smog over L.A. Until
one le aves the ci ty, there is no way of
kn owing how polluted the a ir is. No
refere nce point exists, so people have
g rown accustomed to il. But th ere is
such a thing as clean ai r, an d there is
such a thi ng as a clear motive.
1 o in tellige nt citize n wou ld make
an atte mpt to d efend or exo n e rate
T ed Bun dy, but in ce lebra t ing h is
kill ing b)' ou r ha nd, we become on e
with him in spirit. At that point, no
inte lligent citize n would a tte mpt to
de fe nd us.
Wanting to h urt people, actually
loo kin g fo rwa rd to it, ritua liz ing it
an d ta king pleasu re in it, for a ny reason whatsoeve r, is wrong. It is a sic kness that a rises fro m sp iritua l poverty,
fro m se rious disconnectedness.
If we m ust pun ish, le t it be attended sole mnl y, with a sense of sadn ess
that it is necessary at all. Whe the r it
be tile tak ing of a life or tl1e impriso nme n t o f a huma n be ing-both a re
d esig n ed to inO ict punish men t a nd
pain-the re is no humane way to hurt

people. The idea i · pe r..-erse .
Pu ni shing people is o u t. of hand
in America. It is o ut. of hand because
we li ke it. Loo much , because we are
zealo us about it. It is 110 lo nger a bo ut
red ucin g cr ime, o r even abou t.j ust.ice.
It is sim p ly about. ge t tin g our kic ks.
Whe n we begi n to sec that and reduce
o ur hu nger for hurting, we will have
enLered t..he first stage of healing.
!\lcanwhilc, our sickness con tinu es. And if c rim e says so m e thin g
about. th e m o ra l ch aracte r of c riminals, o ur response to crime, equal ly,
says volumes abo u t our moral c haracte r as a nation.
PL

Holy Qur'ans
Translation & commentary of the Qur'an
with Arabic text.
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Cloth $25.00
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Hinesville, GA 31313
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16

PRISON LIFE

Bleeding with Words
by Thomas Falater
Whe n Prison Ufi' asked me to be a sta ff correspo nde nt. I jumped a t
th e c h a nce. Eve n tho ug h I've a lways e njoyed writi ng, before I was
arrested for mail fra ud and sen t 10 prison , I never had much to write
about..
\h cxpet;ence mer the la~t two years have fo rever changed me
and the image~ of incaret' t<Hion still haunt me: men in g rev overalls
waiting in li ne for craps of t.astck s food; long. un end ing corridors
I hat echo with the sou nd of ke)S and sla mm ing doors; and tall rows o f
k nee a nd barbed wi re in an empty fi eld.
In priso n te rms, my se nte nce was short, but! e nded up payi ng fo r
it wit h my life. Afte r Llw posta l inspecto rs looted m y bank accou nt, I
lost all my poss(·ssions. M)' fami l) left me a nd m y ch ild re n fo rgot my
name. While I was imprisoned in Florence, Colorado, I beca me a jailhome htwn'r ju<;t so I could be rclca~cd to my home sta te of Californ ia
and haw the chance to st•t· Ill\ kids again . Prison oflicia ls were too laZ)'
to do tlw paperwork to Lransft·r 111~ release to where I acllla lly lh·ed ,
a nd wh en th e court fina ll~ forced them Lo, I was grudginglv scm Lo a
g ht·no half-way ho us<· over a mo n th la te. My pro perty a lso myste r iouslv disappeared .
I now have to d eal wi th probation oflice rs who conside r it a part of
the ir job to com inually harass my employe rs a nd landlord . T he very
people d esignated and paid 10 help me ge t back o n my ICc t n)llld care
lt'ss. To th em. I' m just another n umber and fi le of paperwo rk to be
<1\'oidecl.
\\'hat is ocntring in our criminal justice syswm is a pe rversio n o f
punish mclll a ncl re habilitat io n . Ou rju l ice syste m is like a long, h eavy
cha in choking soci<' t:) a nd cldayi ng progress. Eac h li nk of th e c hain is
unaware of its OV('rall sin', shape or destructive powe r. \\11Cn the j aile r
ahsc ntmi n ckdly sla ms th(• door on a priso ne r , h e is a lso closing the
d oor o n the man's wife and ch ildren ; whe n th e probation oflin~ r visits
a job sitt·. he is ruin ing the l'x-oJlc nder's fu tu re cha nces of pro mo tio n .
The people c nt.rustt·d wit h stopping crime a rc feecling the fire o f
recicli,·ism by pulli ng o ut the ve ry structure upo n which the o Jle nde r
n ·lit·d lo H'tna in ewn marg ina lly in society. Strip ping convicts of possessions, fa m ily ti cs a nd ca rens o nl y com pounds the o rig in al pro ble m
a nd creates more crim e.
Socie1v is too muddled in rigid it\ a nd ncar-sightednc s to solve the
problem. T he war on cri me is fough t with jailers rathe r than psycho log ists. The \\'ar on d rugs is fo ugh t with cops rathe r tha n d octors a nd
lead w rs.
Somewhe re alo ng the way we have become e n trenched. Vlhy does
a young ma n pick up a gun a nd walk into a liquor stort·? Why d o so
ma nv o f us become add icted to d rugs and steal? \ Vhy docsn ' t o ur sysLt·m o fjuslicc work? \\1 w han·n ' t wt· searched fo r th ese a nswt·rs?
Before I wen t. 1.0 p rison, I n ever aske d nwse lf s uch questions. I
nt•n·r en·n knew that such q uestions ex isted .. \ nd a t. the same time, I
nt'\'l'r knew that. pri5ons were a secret place- a p lace people we nt to to
cut tlw ir hearts open and bleed.
Some convicts bleed th ick, red b lood o n the streets and allcvs; o thers bleed tears in the ir cells for Lhe rest of their lives; some will bleed
in to dir ty needles stuck in thei r arms. Unfo rtu nate ly, most blec·d mo re
crime th at se nds th e m back into the syste m . We all have o ur ways of
coping, a nd a few o f us, a \'(TV few, bleed with words.

7/mma.\ Fala1t·1; mt•ntl_v ll'll'ft,\Nl from prison in Florenu. CO. lives in La
11.1 ht' wnrh~ I I h01111 a day a/ a "rnnnmy .\(/If'\ job" in addition to (m·lanring for Prison Life.

jolla. C \. lit· It'll'

lfm u'd like to be a Prison Life corr<'sponden t, send cli ps, resume
(if possibk ) a nd a n SASE to: Prison Lifi' Editorial De partmen t, 505 8th
AVl'llll(',

1'\Y, NY 1001 8.

Callouts
"8-0 'Ciock, Local Time"
Pray-Ers

INCARCERATED HEARTS
SUPPORT GROUP

From tltr point of U gltt witltmthe Mind of God

Incarce ra ted Hea rts, a Co rp us Christi, T exa -based organiza tio n ,
se nds le tte rs o f e n co urage men t a nd h o liday ca rds to p ri o n e rs
th ro ugho ut the co um ry an d ho ld s weekly support gro ups fo r T exa ns
with loved o nes be h ind bars. Fo unde r Te n)' Silvas started the grou p
in May 1994 afte r he r d aughte r a nd son-in-law were se nt to prison
for ba nk robbe ry, and she became despera1e fo r suppo rt h e rself. "In
a way, f~1 m il y m e m be rs a re incarcera ted , w o," she says. "\'lie wa lk
a ro und with feeli ngs of helplessness, shame a nd gui lt."
During meetings, membe rs display pictures of th e ir captive relatives a nd frie nds and sha re co ping strategies. T hey also write le tte r ,
birthday a nd holiday cards to a growing nu mbe r of prison ers. The
grou p already has 200 me mbers, mainly in T exas, a nd is aimi ng to
expand nationally during 1995. To j o in , write to: Te rry A. Silvas,
Incarcerated H earts Support Group, P.O. Box 7086, Corpus Ch risti,
TX 78467-7086. (5 12) 855-3792. i'vlembe rsh ip is free.

utligltt \lrramforth into tltr mimiJ ofmm.
1.-l'l U gltt tlr.rtml on l~•rtlt .
Fromtltr Jmint r![ Lnvr witlrintlrt llta r1 of Cotl
Let/ow 1tm1111 forth in/11/lr• lu•m1.r of mrn.
Ma)' C:lt ri.•t m um to &mit.
Fmmthr rnriPT whn-,. lllr \\'ill ofCod i~ kt~onm
Let p111p111f guide t!tr lilllr will<of mm7/~r JlllljiO.<r whirh tlrr Ma.\lm /wow am/ ;e~w.
From I hi' rn11n which Wt' cal/thr mce of lllt!tl
Letthe I'/an of /..ow amll.iglrt rt'ork out
A11d may it <1'0/ tlU! door w!tnr t'uil tiUN'/1!..
ut Light a11d 111!Jf a11tl Ptm.,. m tort tltr Pla11 tm Earth.

Co n victs i n m ax jo i nts who
shared in establi h ing th e "8 o'clock,
local ti me" praye r n el\vork: Good
job! We ' re back on th e ca e. It's
your w rn to write. Linda e t al, P.O.
Box 15 17, Redon d o Beac h , CA
90278.

Envelope Art Wanted
T he Idaho State Historical Socie ty
an nounces a competition for decOJ-ated e n ve lopes an d paper. ' "'inni n g
d esigns will be featu red on stationery
sets sold in the O ld Pe n Gift Store.
Proceeds from the sales will go toward
pre erving the Old Pen histOJic site.
Submit your en try on a whi te, letter-sized (# I0) enve lo pe. The desig n
must be con (i ned to the left half of
the envelope. A rela ted design must
be submitted o n white, u nli ned standard-sized pa per (8 I / 2 x 11 ). Do
not fo ld. Black o r blue in k on ly. 1o
pe ncil. Incl ud e yo ur n ame, in mate
n umbe r (m ust be in ca rce ra ted at
time ofsubm i io n ), and address.
Winn ing en tries wi ll receive 50
or th e eq ui va len t in Old Pe n G ift
Store m e rc h a n dis e (as per t h e
require menLs of your institution) and
one sta tio n ery set. v\'inning design s
beco me the propert}' of th e ISHS,
wh ich retains th e copyright. All other
submissions will be re turned.
Contact: Old Ida ho Peniten tia ry,
Contest, 2445 O ld Penitentiary Road,
Bo ise, Idaho, 83712 (208) 334-2844.
Deadline: Apri l 28, 1995.

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PRISON LIFE

17

SILENCING THE OPPRESSED
No Freedom of Speech for Those Behind the Walls
by Ronald L. Kuby and William Kunstler
n a ny given day in America,
more than a mi llio n and a
ha lf people I in p riso ns a nd
jaits2 spend their days subjected to th e
most rigorous censorship, denied Lhe
fund ame ntal rig hts protected C\·erywhe re else by th e freedom of speech
guarantees of th e First Amendment.3
T h ey are de n ied readin g mater ia l
dee m e d objec ti o n able by th e ir captors, exposed to re ta liatio n for expressing opin io ns at o dd s wi th those of
the ir jailer , re fused acces to the new
media, punishe d for possessing "radical" views, and rewarded for renouncing th e m. Th e pr iso n au th oritie s,
more o fte n than not, arc persons of
limite d intellectual capacity and o f
authorita rian attitudes whose primary
pe no logical goal is lO main tain o rder.
As this country aban do ns whatever
liberal pretensions it o n ce had abou t
achieving a n equal ociety, the population o f priso n s and jail h as grown
apace with th e poor a n d th e dispossessed. The United States now leads the
world in per capita incarceration , ha\·ing finally ovcn.akcn the Soviet Union.4
Approximate ly 6 15,000 perso ns a rc
confi n ed lO slate and federal co rrectional institu tions on a ny g iven day.
l\llorc th an one million arc confi ned to
coum}' o r mun icipal jails, e ithe r awaiting a r rai g nm ent o r tr ia l or se rvin g
sho n sem enccs for pe ur oOc nses. 5
Opposite Page: Art Bl'hind Bar:. ' ffonombll'
i\lentio11: "Censorship, ·· by Sl'lgiio Voii,
Shawang11nk Com,cliOIIal Facility.

O

18 PRISON LIFE

Only in th e area of imprison mcm
d ocs a perso n with b lac k sk in or
Latino he ritage have a better chan ce
th an does a white person . More tha n
63 % of the n a ti on' priso n popul atio n is black a nd La tino.6 Nationally,
a black youth between the ages of 18
and 22 has a bcuer chan ce of going
to jail than go in g to c o l lege . l n
Washington , D.C. , on any g iven day
i n 199 1, 42% of th e c ity's Afri can Ame rican me n betwee n the age of
18 a nd 35 we re in jail or prison , o n
probation or pa role, awaiting trial o r
se ntence, or sought o n warrants.? In
Baltimore, :'5 6% of th e c ity's yo u ng
blac k ma les were under so me fo rm
sanction bv the crimin a l justi ce v '
'
tc m.8
Th e n a tio n's pen a l sys t e m has
become the primary means for socialit.ing a n emire generation of minority
youth. 1l is to the j a iler that we have
en truste d th e task of in culcatin g in
these youth th e che ri shed notions of
d e mocracy a nd th e values of a free
socicry, th e fo re mos t of th ese being
freed o m or speech . The nation's ward e n s have shown the soli c iwd e fo r
free expressio n and the ma rke tplace
of ideas that one might expect fro m
th ose whose life's work is caging th e ir
fel lows. A nd pri so n e r s h ave b ee n
utte rl y aba nd o n e d b y th e fe d e r a l
co urts, wh ethe r the winds or th e
nited States upre me Co urt blow
left or right.

THE SUPREME COURT'S APPROACH
TO THE FREE SPEECH RIGHTS
OF PRISONERS
The doctrinal infra tructurc that has
permiued prison officials around th e
coun uy to crush free ex pression is not
a pro duc t of th e "ga ng o r five"-th e
Reaga n-Bu s h a p po in te e s lO t h e
uprcme Co urt. Indeed, the foundatio ns were laid in the early L970s by a
Court that was still one of the most "libe J<tl,·· in te rm of civil rig hts, of any in
the histo ry o f American jurisprudence.
In Procunin v. i\larlinn.,9 the Cou rt
faced a variety of content-based restricti o n s o n o utgo ing p ri so n e r mail.
Begin ning its analysi with what was to
become a famil iar paean to the tasks
and toils of priso n adm in isu·ators, th e
Cou rt n oted th ose who run priso ns
faced "he rculean o bstacle ·· th at were
•·too apparcmto warrant explicat.io n."IO
Court!> arc "ill equipped " to deal with
these problems, which require expertise
"peculiarly within the provin ce of the
legislati\·c and executive" omcials. l I
With \·inually no discussion of th e
over-arching value of free speech g uarantees in American history, the Court
in tHmtinez stated that a regulation limiting free expression would be upheld
if it was directed to one o r more "substantial " governmental interests and
was "n o g reate r than is n ecessa ry or
essen tial to the protection of the particular governme n1al interest invoh·ed. " 12
The idea that this c reated a "least

res tri ctive means tes t "' of th e t)'pe
th a t wou ld a ppl y to anyo n e e lse's
rig hts was scotch ed a few paragrap hs
la ter, whe n , in a n o ften-quoted passage, th e Co urt noted:
Tlu:f does not mean, of coursP, that Jnison
administrators may be req~tired to show
with certainty that adverse rons('(1umce~
would flow fromthP failure to rensor a prn~
ticular lelle~: Some latitude in anlirifmling
the j1robable consequences of allowing m~
lain sjJeerll in a prison mviroument is
rssf•ntial to the jJroiJer discharge of all
administmtor's duty.13
1 o whc re d id the Court in Marti11n.
explain why th e standard se t forth in
Tinlu•r v . Des M oinrs l ndP/JP11lll'ut
Community School Distlirt,l4 requiring
proof of so me actu a l h a m 1 n owin g
fro m th e exe r c ise of free speech,
should no t a pply in prisons.
The Cou rt in Martinez c ited o rder
a nd d iscipl ine, main te nan ce o r security aga inst escap e and un a uth o ri zed
e ntr)'• and re ha bilitatio n as inte rests
that would j ustify limi tations o n a priso n e r 's freed om o f s p eec h . ' 5 Th e
Court did trike clown the regul atio n
a t issue, largely because of th e cliflicult)' it had u nderstanding how outgoing
prison er mail could lead to proble ms
insidr• th e p ri son .l 6 Oth e r co urts
were to be more imaginative. I 7
Less than two mo mhs late r, in Pt41
v. Prorunier,IS th e Co urt uph e ld a
bla nke t ban by the Sta te o f California
o n face-to-face im e rviews with priso nc rs.19 The Co u rt in Pr/1 h e ld t h at
'lawful in carce ra ti o n brings about th e
necessat)' withdrawal o r limitatio n of
many privileges a nd rig hts, a retracti o n j ustified by th e co nsideration s
unde rlying o ur pe nal syste m ."'20
However , a "p rison inma te retains
those Fir t Amendmen t rights that arc
no t in consisten t with his sta tus as a
priso ner or with th e legitimate penal
obj ec ti ves or th e correc ti o n a l syste m . "2 1 Res tri c ti o n s o n pri so ners
wou ld be j u dged "i n li g ht of legitima te pena l o bj ec tives. "22 I n two
mon th s. " ubstantial" an d "im portant"
in te rests h ad fa lle n to m e re "'leg itimate" ones. An d o ne o f those legi timate goa ls was securi ty a nd "rel a ted
administrative problems. "23
Retreating still further fro m the suggestio n th at its d ecision in 1\llartinn.
req uired e levated scrutiny wh e neve r
the First AmendmenL is implicated, the
Cou rt in Pelt h e ld th at de ference
would be the to uc hstone, as security
proble ms in priso ns were pec uliarly
within th e provi nce a nd professional
expe rtise of corrections o fficia ls, and,
in the absence of substan tia l evidence
in the record to indicate tha t Lhe o (Ti-

PRISON LIFE

19

cials have exaggerated their response
to these conside rations, courts sh ould
o rd ina rily defe r to their expert judgemen t in such matters.24
Thu , the Court decreed th at me re
adm inistra t ive prob le m s related to
security cou ld be th e basis to deny
free speech, a nd that suc h d en ia ls
required the d efere nce o f the cou rts.
T h e d ec isio n in Pell was wide ly
regarded as establishing a "reasonable
relation hip"' test,25 both by its terms
and its resul t. According to th e Court,
all reporters may be barred from faceto-face meetings with prisoners by th e
warden 's assertion of security con cerns
that were so "obvious" th at th ey did not
even require explication. But attorneys
a nd clergy, 11 · well as friends and fam ilies of the prison ers, e ntered the priso ns for h1ce-to-face meetings on a regular basis. T he Court in PeU did not even
question why the same securi ty precautions used for those visits could not be
used for the press. 1 or did the Court
co nsider th e fac t that excluding t he
news media, while pe rmitting other visito rs, suggested th at priso n officials
had an agenda more d irected to the
su ppre sion of e xp ressio n th an th e
suppression of disorder. 26
After Pell, the Court had no difficulty
upholding regulations that proh ibited
meetings of a prisoners' unio n, solicit."lt io n of o th er priso n e rs to j o in the
union, and the disuibutio n of union literature by p riso ne rs. In j ones v. Nort~
Camlina Priso11ers' LabaT Unum, Jnc.,21
the Court deferred to the clete nn inaLion of prison officials that a gathering
of prisoners for a union meeting created hosts of fea rsome secu ri ty threats.
T hat tho e same threats mysteriously
evaporated whe n those same prisone rs
whe n to meetings of th e JayCees, Boy
Scouts and Alcoholics Anonymous did
no t troub le the Co urr. 28 Unl ike a
uni o n , those orga n iza ti on fu lfill a
'·re habil ita tive" function, according to
the prison ad minisu·ato rs. That North
Carolina officials mig ht invoke "rehabilitative" or "security" as a subterfuge to
pre,·en t the exp1·ession of views d ifferen t from the irs appare n tly never
occurred to th e Court.29
Finally, in Bell v. Woljish,30 the Court
held that pre-trial detainees were e ntitled to no better treaunem than convicted mass murderers, and '·deference··
was e nshrined as a value of almost rel ig io us magnitude. In th e process, th e
Court in Wolfish upheld a rule prohibiting hardback boo ks fro m e ntering t11e
institution unlc · they were mai led by a
pub lishe r, book club, or book store.
T h e prison argued that con traband
could be secreted within t11e hard co,·20

PRISON LIFE

e rs, a nd scree ning th e books Ouo rosco pically, although not impo ible,
would consume "substantial and ino rdinate a moun t of available staff time. "31
Because the rul e was a "ra ti o n al"
respo n se to a sec u ri ty issue, it was
upheld.32

posse sing
such
materials.
Furt11ermore, he contended tl1at tolerating the expression of opi nion tolerant of a h o mosex ual lifestyle co uld
lead to more homosexual ity, which he
perceived to be a danger in prison.
The United States Co urt of Appeals
fo r t he Sixth Circuit fo und the first
THE GRIM APPliCATION BY
conten
tion who lly unsuppo rted by the
THE FEDERAL COURTS
record, but agreed that th e second j usThese cases estab lished th e frame- tification fell well "witl1i n the wide d iswork for the free speech rights o f the cretion" accorded t11e warden.39
millions of Americans to pass through
Similarly, in Wm·den v. Thomas ,40
t11e American penal S)'Stem in the 1980s the United States District Court for
and ea r ly 1990s-th e d ecade t h a t th e District o f Texas uph eld a regulawould see the greatest rowt11 in prison tio n p rom ulgated by th e Dallas cou n ty
population in histoty.3 The lower fed- jai l prohibiting publ ications that
e ral courts, packed with Reagan-Bush depict "nudity, pander to sexual interclones a nd aided by a Justice De part- est, advocate rac ial prejudice or prement eager to h ave as man y peop le se n t a secu rity threat to th ejai J. "41
~ nj oy as few civil libe rties as possible,
Inclivid tals se~ n g to obtai n reading
were fre to savage th e free speech materials were required to consult th e
righ t of ptiso ne rs. Jndeed , entrusting 'jail commander" before subscribing.
u-ained chimp to paste up cliches fro m
T here is no ind ication that the j ail
Pel' Mmtinez, j ones an d Wo?fish able ilie commander had any particular experword "denied" would achieve roughly t ise in t h e areas of co mRa rative or
t11e same result as seeking redress from mode rn literature. Indeed, the opposite wa the case. He testified that the
the federal judicial]'·
commercially available magazines such
CONTENT-BASED RESTRICTIONS:
as Playho)' a nd Penthouse would be
PRIOR RESTRAINTS ON
banned, blll he was not sure about the
INCOMING MATERIALS
Na tional EnqttiTeT o r Rolling Stone,
As th e Supre me Cou rt h as no ted, b eca use h e was "not fami liar wi t h
"Prio r restraints on speech and publica- [the m ]."42 He claimed that th e ru le
tion arc the most sclious and the least was ju tiliecl because materials that
to le rab le in fr ing e me nt o n First depict nudes might cause prisoners to
Ame ndment rights. "34 Justif)~ ng a prior fi ght ove r the magazi l} cs, altho ugh
restraint req uire "proof tha t publica- there was no ind icatio n that this had
tion must inevitably, d irectly and imme- ha ppened in that j a iJ.43 Nonethe less,
diately cause t11e occurrence of an event the Dallas jai I commander was e n ti tJed
ki nd red to imperi ling th e safety of a to great defere nce. There is, apparenttransport already at sea."35 However, if ly, no "ignorant peckerwood " excepyou are serving a two-month se nte nce tion to t11e rule of deference.
1or a re p ublications ex pressin g
fo r marijuana possession or are in jail
awa iting u·ial, too poor to make bail, political speech given any greater prothen a detenn ination by a prison \\"ar- tection. In Vodicka v. Phelps,44 a prison
de n , no maue r h ow ig n o rant, that reform o rganiza ti on published a
receip t of a par ticula r book will affect newsletter called Inside, a nd regularly
the secu rity of the instituti o n is suffi- mailed it to priso ne rs at a Mississippi
cient lor the publication to be banned.
state prison. O ne edition reported t11at
In Espinow v. Wilson,36 officials at a a prison er work-stop page had taken
Kentucky sta te prison proh ibited pe r- p lace live weeks earlier. The warden
sons from rece h~n g gay rights publica- refused to a llow the publicati on in to
tions, even an issue-orien ted, national t11e prison, based both on tl1e content
pub licatio n like th e Advocate. T h e of the article and the philosophy of the
priso n "officials" d e te nninecl that if a group that published it. Although the
specific publica tion advocated o r l.egit- article neither advocated future workimi.zed a homosexual lifestyle in totality, stoppages nor claimed t hat the past
then it would be ''~thheld."37 The war- one had been justified, the warde n statde n put it eve n mo re b lun tl y-any- ed tl1at t11e "tone of the article" soundth ing that could be consu·uecl as "con- ed as if t11e group had approved of the
cl o nin g h o m o ex u a lity" wou ld be stoppage.45 He was not more specific.
barreci.18
As to th e nature of the group, the
The wa rden asse rted t h at such warden tated that the article was cenmaterials were a th reat to the security so red because the group existed to:
of th e institutio n, claimi ng that prison- Encourage convicts, ex-offende?·s and
e rs m ight be p hysically assa ul ted for friends and families of fnisoners to come

together lo make themselves heard and 10
demand I hal changes be made by our elecled officials and p rison adminislralors. II
seeks to emjJowerlhost' who lwvt' never had
a voice in Ihe system. -l6

law cler k at an Illinois sta te l~t c ility, was
to ld that so m e guards and wh ite
inma tes were sol iciting me mbe rship in
th e Ku Klux Kla n . Caru th o btained a
copy of a KKK applicatio n as p roof.
He surre ptitio usly pho tocopied it and
se nt it to correc tions officials a nd to
th e news media. Prison officia ls, after
an investiga tio n , charged Carmh with
imprope r u se of th e prison copie r ,
placed him in soli ta l)' con fine me nt for
30 days, and dismi ssed him from the
position of law c le rk. T h e U nite d
S tates Co urts o r Ap p ea ls ror th e
Seventh Circuit up h e ld the pun ishme nt, holct ing thai the regulation was
a reasonable time, place and manne r
restricti o n , and that the punishm ent
was no t a pre text for le tting th e public

The ward e n d e LCrmined tha t the
g rou p foc used on "re d ress a nd / or
c h a n ge o f th e e ntire d ilemma o f
inca r ce ratio n . "47 Thi s c reate d a
"po tential for tro u ble. That pote ntia l
must be avoided. "48
In credibly, the Sixth Circuit agreed,
fi nd ing that u nder Pelt a nd M arli11l'7.,
th e priso n 's d e te rm ina t ion of like ly
ad ve rse conseque nces was e nough to
j ustify th e exclusio n of th e article.-+9
And the co urt in Vodicka de fe rred to
th e priso n a uth o riti es e\'Cn th o ug h
news stories substantially sim ilar to th e
o n e in I nside h a d
a lread y e nte r ed th e
institution from mainst rea m n e ws p a p ers
whi c h cove red t h e
work-sto ppage. 50
In the same vein , the
Un ited Sta tes Court of
Appeals fo r the Fourth
Circ u it , in Pillman u.
H ullo,S L up h e ld t he
pr iso n adm inisua tio n 's
suppressio n of one issue
o f an awa rd-winnin g
priso n
news pape r .
Ass istant Superinte ndent Sue Kenned y de termin ed that some o f the
articles were no t "factually correct," "out of line Ronald Kuby and I IIi/limn Kuusllt'r
1~ th good t.-'\Ste," and not
"fair to the adminisuation:•S2 Ke nned y know abolll KKK activity. Sure.
Bu t th e prize goes to the Un ited
was pa rticul arly concerned with t h e
trULh of th e articles. Relying on } OIIt'S, States District Cou rt for th e North ern
the Fourth Circuit tossed away two hun- Dis tri c t of Ca lifo rni a in M arlin v.
dred years o f First Am e ndme nt doc- Rison.56 Dannie Marlin, a fcde1a l pristrine regarding the search for truth in a oner, 1vro 1c a fca LU re for th e San
demoCJacy, and upheld the ban. 53
Fmnrisco Chroniclt• c n tiLied 'The Gulag
Me nta lity,·· sha rp ly criticizin g priso n
PUNISHMENT FOR THE EXPRESSION
officials. Immediately after the publicaOF UNPOPULAR VIEWS
tio n of LllC piece, he was placed in soliI n th e d e m o n o logy of the f ree ta ry confinement, and Ll1en transferred
speec h vio lations, re taliatio n for th e to a no th e r instituti o n. Priso n officials
ex pressio n of unpo pular views ranks alleged tha i Martin had viola ted r ules
second on ly to prior res tra in ts. But that pro hibited conducting a business
prison o ffi cials have not hesita ted to while conlincd, and acting as a reporter
use th e ir positio n o f total con trol over or publishing under a byline.57
every aspect of a p ri so n e r 's li fe to
The disuict court. held that "engagi ng
pu n ish 54 a n inmate for expressing in writing activities is not a constitutionunpopu lar views. And th e fe d e ral ally protected 1ighl... uch activities arc
courts, usually o n guard against th e delegated by Congre. s to Ll1e discretio n
natura l tende n cy o f th e powe rful to of the Bureau of Prisons.SS As long as
lash o ut agai nst the vo ices of th e po w- the restrictio ns arc rmionally rela ted to
e rl ess, show unbeco min g c redulity pro moti ng pri ·on secUJity, thC)' will be
when ad ministrato rs dutifull y in sist uphclci.59 The district court had no dir:
that their goa ls we re proper.
ficu lty coming up with llstfuls of possible
In Ca ruth v . P inhn ey,SS Alsan sa harms that the regulation was geared to
Caruth , a black prisoner, wo rking as a preve nt, a ll o f the m spec ulative and

un uppo n ed by any e\~dence. 60
Pri so n offic ials r ece ive d so m e
threats after th e article was published,
o bsen ·ed a n increase in te nsions, and
noticed an u n usually la rge numbe r of
prisone rs in clusters. 6 1 T he distri ct
court somewhat sheepishly noted that
t h ese ma n ifestatio ns may well h ave
bee n respo nses, no t to the a rticle, bu t
to th e action of prison aULho ri ties in
placing Martin in solita ry co nfin e m e nt. Wheth e r or not t h e prison's
censorship c rea ted th e ve ry secu r ity
threat tha t was being used to justify
the ce nso rsh ip in the first p lace was
irrelevan t to th e district co urt. 62
Prison officials also a re free to punish prisone rs for showing "d isrespect."
In Srmym u. Ponle, 63 the
Chri> Cozzonc
.
pnsone
r wrote a Iener to
a gua rd wh ic h was
"a rg u ab ly mockin g,
tatmting a nd disrespectful. ··6-1 That provided a
suitable basis fo r imposing discipline, as long as
the o ffi cials the mselves
were acting with a good
faith belief that the pu nishment was nccessaJ)' to
m a in ta in
o rd e r .
Simi la rl y, in Gibbs v .
King,65 the Unite d
States Court o f Appeals
fo r th e Fifth C ircu i t
upheld a p rison regulatio n p ro hi biting a priso n e r from m ak in g or
writin g "d e roga t ory or
d egrading remarks about a n e mployee," fi nd ing that the "clear purposes"
of the rule were to "prevent the escalation of tensio n" an d to a llow g uards to
work with o ut "verbal challe nge s to
thei r au thority. "66 The Un ited States
Court of Appeals fo r the T hird Circuit
went o n e ste p furt h er in 1/arlden v.
f-loward,67 pc r mining inte rnal pri son
d iscipline for "insolence," "d isrespect,"
a nd '·lying 10 an employee," eve n when
such conduct took place in th e fo rm o f
a n offic ial grievance fi led by a
prisoner.68

VIOLATION OF FREEDOM
OF CONSCIENCE
If pun ishing someo ne for expressing certain views is o di o us to a free
society, in nic tin g tortu re u ntil o ne
renounces his o r her views is medieval,
yet permined by the federal judic iary.
In Bamldini v. Meest',69 prisoners challenged th e co nditions at th e federa l
H ig h Security U n i t (" H SU") fo r
\•Vome n , at Lexin g to n , Kenwcky, as
we ll as the criteria by whi ch they were
PRISON LIFE 2 1

placed the re. The HSU was a priso n
within a pri on , loc;n ed in a specia lly
modifie d basement. Little, if any, na tural light e n tered the institution. T he
priso n ers h ad n o p e rson a l co n ta c t
with each o ther and virtua lly no visitors. They were mon ito red by came ras
24 hours pe r day, e ve n wh e n th ey
showered . Every time they left th e ir
cells, even for me di cal care o r for a
sh owe r , th ey we re h andc u ffe d a nd
sh ackle d . Afte r a year in the HSU, th e
wome n experienced me nta l de terioration , sensory disturbances, perceptual
d isto rtio ns, and concentratio n difli cultic _70 Expe rts, includ ing the forme r
Secre ta I)' o f Mai)•Ia nd 's Public Safe ty
a nd Correcti o n a l e rviccs, tes tifi e d
th a t such condi tions we re im prope r
for a nyone.'l
How we re prisone rs se lected fo r
thi s trea tm e n t ? Burea u o f Prisons
Director Mi ch ael Quinlan ackn owled ged th at "a prisoner's jJast or Jnesent
a.ffiliation, association or membership in
a n organization wh ich .. .a u e mpts to
disrupt or overth row the govcrnmenr
of the U nited Sta tes.. .is afaclorconsidered" regarding p laccmem.72 Another
BOP offic ia l was mo re. blunt, noting
th at p lace men t was based o n "committed alliance to terrorist-oriented ideals and

politically revolulionary 01ganiw tions.•>7 3
T h e women we r e sp eci fica lly
info rmed by priso n staff tha t the only
way th ey wo uld be a bl e to m e rit a
u·an fe1· wa if they would '"disavow any
assoc ia ti o n with left is t p olitical
groups."7-l BOP oflicials admitted that
"if th ey received re lia ble o u L~ id e in formation th at pl a i nti fl:~ were no longe r
a!Ti liated with such o rganizati ons, d1ey
wo uld conside r re locming thc m ."75
In find ing bo th th e co nditi o ns of
the prison as well as the crite ria used
fo r place m e nt un co nstitu ti o n a l, th e
United Sta tes Distric t Court for th e
District of Columbia held: "Co nsigning
an yone to a hig h securi ty uni t for past
politi cal associations th ey wil l n ever
shed un less forced to renoun ce the m
is a da ngerous mission for thi s cou nu·y' prison system to continue.'"76 The
nited States Court of Appeals fo r the
District of Columbia Circui t reversed ,
fi nding th a t the right of th e prisone rs
to "co ntinue to ho ld viole nt, revolut io n a ry views ... d o[es] n o t r e qu ire
priso n ad min istrators to ig nore th ose
views ... in assessing the dangers of the ir
esca pe fro m c u st ody wi th o uts ide
hclp."77 Re nunciatio n of th ose Yi ews
simp ly meam that the securi ty th reat
had diminished. The fact th a t two of
the plainti ffs had no prior escape histOiy, while many o the r prisoners with
prio r escape histo1y remain ed in gen22

PRISON LIFE

the courts. "8-1
The d ecisio n in Dooley presaged
the Supreme Court's ruling in Tumer
v. Saj7ey ,85 wh ic h uph e ld a ge ne ra l
ban of le tte rs betwee n prison ers in diffe ren t instillltio n s. Ove rturning th e
lower co urt's strict scru ti ny a na lys is,
the Court in Tumer placed its imprimatur on tJ1e reasonable relationship
test a lready in gene ra l use.86 The
Court th en fo und tJ1 at tJ1e security j ustification- preven ting transmis ion of
esca p e p la n s a n d p la nnin g o f
assau lts-warranted the ban .
Even whe n prisoners arc allowed to
communi cate with each otJ1er, prison
o llicials arc e ntitJcdto censor th e conte nt o f th e ir co mmuni ca ti ons and
pu ni sh c riti ca l sp eech. In Adams v.
RESTRICTIONS ON PRISONER-TOCwwe/1,87
three priso ne rs were placed
PRISONER CONTACT
in so li tary co nfineme nt, a nd th e n
A judiciary that permi ts the punish- g ive n a n in stituti o nal "tri a l" whe re
m en t o ( a priso n e r fo r wri tin g an,.. they were co m~c te d an d se ntenced to
unnauc ring news stOI)' fo r a na tional loss or all "good time"88 because th ey
publication on the gro und of "institu- had signed and suppon ed an "illegal
tio na l securityN has hao no trou ble petition ."'89 T h e pe titio n , gentle in
pe rmitti ng pri on officials to deny per- ton e,90 a lleged th a t black pri o n e rs
sons within the prison o mmun ity the we r e d c.ni e d so me o ppo r tun iti es
righ t to commu nicate with each other. granted to whi tes, and requested tha t
Injones, th e Su pre me Co u rt h e ld "ave nues a nd strategies" be developed
broadly tJ1at wha tever righ ts prisoners to a ddress thi s proble m .91 The petire tained to associate with eac h o the r tio n was se nt to the wa rden , a loca l
could be "curtailed whcm·vcr th e insti- p a per a nd th e ACLU.9 2 Th e Fi fth
tution 's o ffic ia ls, in th e exerc ise o f Circ uit, n o ting that th e warden h ad
the ir info rmed discretion, reasonably cited sev ·raJ con stitutio n ally impe rconclude tha t such associations... pos- missible reasons for the rule, noncthese th e like lihood of di sru p ti on to lc found o ne of the rcasp ns acceptp rison orde r or stabilit}, or o therwise a b le-th e fear th a t so m e inm ates
inte rfere with legitimate penologica l might coerce othe rs into sign ing th e
objectives. "80
peti tion.93 Faced with this invocation
Prison oflicials arc free to de ny pris- of prison ecudty rationale, the Court
o n ers a ny ri g ht of associa ti on with uph e ld th e res tri c tio n , fi ndi ng tha t
each other by confining tJ1e m in soli- Firs t Ame n dm e n t r ig hts wee
tary confinemcnr.81 But as a practical "touc h ed,
but n ot se ri o u sly
mauer, few prisons are run u nder such in fri nged .··9-1
conditio ns; it is inevitable that prisonNO RIGHT OF ACCESS TO THE PRESS
e rs will come into p hysical proximi ty,
or at least sighL, of each o the r. Prison
lt should come as no surprise th at
o ffi cials are still given vast auth ority to whe n eve r there is a priso n re be llio n ,
regul ate th e co mmun icatio n a mon g one of th e ke y dema nd s is direc t
them . In Dooley v. Quich,82 two prison- access to th e news media. Pri oners
e rs were placed in d iiTe re n t modules a n d p ri so n o ffi cia ls a like know t h e
within the prison, fo llowing u nproven importa n ce o f a free, inve tiga tive
al lega ti o n s o f h o m osex u a l co n tac t press in exposing wro n gd o in g and
between tJ1cm. This placement ended arousing the public conscie nce. They
th e ir physical co n tact, a ltho ugh th ey see k it a nd shun it, respectively, fo r
still tried to communicate. T hey were this ame re aso n . In bo th Pf>ll a nd
then punished fo r atte mpting to pass a Saxbe, total bans b)' tJ1e prison or facelette r and fo r twice "wig-wagg ing hand to-face inte rviews we re upheld by th e
sig na ls .. .thro ug h a g lass window."83 Su pre me Court. Wh e n prison ollicials
T he nited States District Cou rt fo r do p ermit som e re p orters access to
th e Distri ct of Rho d e Islan d u phe ld pdsone rs, they "re free to de ny access
the punishment, ruling that "thi · is at to otJ1 ers. lnjersawilz v. Hanbeny,95 a
bottom, preci e ly the son of adminis- j ourn alist who had produced a public
tra tive d ecisio n which is best le ft to the access cable televisio n show wished to
tra in e d custodi a l professio n a lism of inte rview Fathe r Raymo nd Bourgeois,
correc ti onal managers, rather than to an o utspoken c ritic of th e Unite d
e ra ) pop ul atio n , did no t affect th e
analysi .
In 1 ichens v. I l'lzite,78 pri o n oflicials
at a m ed ium sec urity in s tituti o n
placed a n inma te in solitai)' confin ement a nd the n tran fe rrcd him to a
max imum f~t c ility whe n he refused to
ta ke his name ofT a petitio n . T he pe titio n , sig ne d by abo ut two hun d red
prisone rs, was directed to a tate o!Iicial and protested prison co nditions.
The United States Cou n of Appeal
fo r the Eighth Circuit uph eld both the
po licy against pe titi o ns as we ll as its
p ec u l iar e n for ce m e n t. Th e co u rt
fou nd no First Ame ndme n t proble m
in punishing a priso ne r for re fusing to
re no un ce his prior specch.79

States foreign policy imprisoned for
civil disobedience. Prison regulations
permitted the entry of only those
reporters who worked· for media holding an FCC license. The United States
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh
Circuit upheld the ban, finding that
the prison's desire to ensure that the
reporters who entered the prison
were "responsible persons" who were
accountable "to recognized media
organizations" was legitimate.96

two of whom had to be family members, and the third, if not a relative,
had to be a female. No male nonfamily members could be called. The
Eighth Circuit upheld the determination of the prison officials that "male
to male" telephone contact served no
important rehabilitative value, and
posed potential security problems. lOG

TWO DECADES OF
SUPREME DISHONESTY

For almost two decades, the
Supreme Court and the lower federal
Even a prisoner who has no desire courts have created an apartheid applito obtain, distribute or even discuss cation of the First Amendment.
anything objectionable faces grave Perhaps the most striking aspect of the
impediments in pursuing his or her history of prison free speech litigation
own intellectual star, however innocu- is the general absence of any genuine
ous. A plethora of prison regulations, First Amendment analysis. There was
designed to facilitate prison adminis- no acknowledgement in Martinez, Pel/,
tration, impose formidable restric- jones or Wolfzsh that free speech rights
tions of a prisoner's access to ideas hold some special place in American
and information.
society or that they fulfill some unique
In Wolfish, the Court upheld a rule role in the democratic process. To the
permitting entry of hardback books contrary, the courts have treated such
only if sent from a publisher, book claims, both analytically and rhetoricalstore, or book club. 97 In Wagner, the ly, in the same way they treated claims
district court approved a similar rule that prisoners are entitled to single
for all books and magazines, citing cells or to conjugal visits. Two centhe same justification-administrative turies of high-minded judicial lantime and effort to leaf through every guage about the primacy of the First
single page.98 Going even further, Amendment is conspicuous for its
the Third Circuit, in Hurd v. absence in prison opinions.
Williams,99 allowed to stand a rule
It is a truism that the freedom of
that required all publications to come speech values of the First Amendment
only from the publisher.IOO
have endured and flourished because
Neither can prisoners expect any of their value to all individuals and, by
privacy in their incoming or outgoin~ extension, to society as a whole. But all
correspondence. In jackson v. Norris,
of the justifications that have been
incoming mail that was not privileged advanced for free speech guarantees
was read by the jail staff. In upholding over the ages of American law should
this practice, the United States District apply with equal, if not greater force,
Court for the Middle District of to persons in prisons. Prisoners do not
Tennessee refused to require the value freedom of speech any less than
prison to make any particularized free citizens, nor is the right of any
showing that the correspondent or the less use to them than to nonincarcerrecipient posed a danger. In Norris, ated people.
the writer was presidential candidate
The quest for self-fulfillment, recReverend Jesse Jackson whose letter ognized as a central value protected
were read (for escape plans?) by the by the freedom of speech guarantees
staff.102 And in Gaines v. Lane, 103 the of the First Amendment,107 does not
Seventh Circuit allowed prison offi- end when sentence is pronounced.
cials to read all outgoing correspon- Given the limitations upon a prisondence, noting that the regulation was er's other means of personal advancedesigned to foil the transmission of ment, reading, speaking, writing and
escape plans or other, unspecified painting often become the central
security threats. The certainty of harm focus of daily life. Malcolm X noted: I
did not have to be shown.l04
have often reflected upon the new vistas
There is also no general constitu- that reading opened to me. I /mew right
tional right of access to the tele- there in prison that reading had changed
phone, at least for calls to person forever the course of my life. As I see it
other than lawyers. In Benzel v. today, the ability to read awoke inside me
Grammar,IOS the Eighth Circuit some long donnant craving to be mentally
upheld a Nebraska regulation that alive... My homemade education gave me,
permitted prisoners in the punish- with every additional boolt that I read, a
ment unit to call only three people, little bit more sensitivity to the deafness,

OTHER RESTRICTIONS

dumbness and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America.l 08
Among others, John Bunyan wrote
Pilgrim's Progress, Oscar Wilde wrote
the Ballad of Reading Gaol and Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote his
Letters From A Birmingham Jail while
behind bars. Alexander Berkman
wrote a political manifesto;109 Caryl
Chessman exposed the roanny of the
criminal justice system; I 0 and Bobby
Sands wrote ~oetry and songs while
incarcerated. 11
Closely related to personal fulfillment is the First Amendment's protection of the quest for political and social
truth, and the concomitant idea that
such truth is only discoverable when
people are free "to think as they please
and ... speak what they think."112
Prisoners have no lesser need for truth
than free citizens, nor is truth ascertained differently behind prison walls
than across the street from them. The
prisoners in Pittman no doubt believed
the truth of their criticism of penal
authorities, as did the plaintiffs in
Vodicka. Indeed, if one proceeds from
the assumption that persons are in
prison because they have erred in
some way, then granting them the
same tools possessed by the rest of us
to search for truth is an unquestionable penological good.
Free speech rights are also cherished as a vaccination against tyranny
and abuse of governmental power.l13
Underlying this "checking value" is the
well-founded suspicion that every government has a natural tendency to
suppress the unpopular and maintain
the status quo. Within a prison, the
hand of government is far heavier and
more frequently involved in one's daily
affairs than outside the walls. Prisons,
after all, are total institutions with
every aspect of life regulated by the
state. In Martin, the prisoner wanted to
alert the public about prison conditions; in Caruth, the prisoner wanted to
alert the public that the KKK was
recruiting. The potential for abuse
when one has complete control over
other people needs little explanation.
Effective participation in the political process is also dependent upon
freedom of speech. While prisoners,
by virtue of their own incarceration,
sometimes have no access to the ballot box, voting is but one means of
participation. Writing, speaking and
seeking to influence public sentiment
are activities of equal use to prisoner
and free person alike. The prisoners
in Nickens and Gunnell attempted to
petition corrections officials, while
the plaintiffs in Baraldini maintained
PRISON LIFE

23

the ir belief in co mmun ism a nd
refused to denounce their comrades.
Lastly, freedo m of speech has been
co n ce ive d o f as a "safe ty va lve. "
'·Puni shin g people for speech docs
no t discourage th e speech ; it only d rives it undergro un d, a n d encourages
con sp iracy. In the ba ttl e for publi c
ord e r, free speech is the ally, not the
e ne my."' 1-l If this is true o u tside the
walls, the re is no reason to think tha t
th e op posite rule app lies o n ce se nte n ce is pron ou nced . nfonu na te ly.
prison ward e ns have been permitted
t o procee d from th e o pposi te
assump tion-that punishin g speec h
wi ll prevent that speech and, accordin gly, prevent the realiza tion of th e
ideas ach·ocated by the speakers.
The cou rts h ave n ever evaluated
the im portan ce of free speech righ ts
in light of the va lues protected by the
First Ame nd ment, prcfeiTing instead
to address th e o the r side or the eq uation, in vo ki ng th e famili ar sh ibbole th s that priso ns arc d ifficult places
to run , that ru nn ing th em requires
th e exe rcise of j ud g me nts uniqu e ly
u ited to cor rec t ions officials, a nd
that co urts arc u n suite d to m ake
th ese dete rmi natio ns. But these arguntc nts ca nn ot with sta nd a nalysis.
Runn ing a prison ccrt inly is di!lic ul t a nd dangcrou . But th is hard ly
supports th e conclusion fo r which it is
invoked . The d i!liculty of the government's task has ne,·er pr0\1dcd a ba is
fo r suppressing the free spc<.;c h righ ts
of th e c itizen ry. Cou rts, d · pile two
d eca d es of b lath er a bo u t di fficu lt
tasks, hm·e ye t to a rti culate the reason
wh y adm in is te ri ng thre e cells in a

county j ai l, for example, is so much
more d iflicult tha n. say. running the
City of New York that the managers of
the form er shou ld be g ive n vast powe rs th at are denied to th e latter. Nor
has a n y evide n ce ap p eare d in the
record of a ny prison case that prm·es
running a prison is so much more diffi cul t than running a nuclear power
plam, the Center for Disease Comrol,
a satellite researc h facilit)', o r som e
oth er enterprise which leaves the free
speech ri ghL~ of its members more or
less in tact. or co urse, wh en speech
raises some g rave r isk of immi ncm
dange r, the n and only th en is the govcnuncnt free lO ac t, in the narrowest
o f f~1s h i o n s, to avert that danger. T he
courts have n e ver ex plained why a
"least restri ctive means" test, ·triking
th e proper balance between order an d
rig hts in the o utside world, is un suite d
for priso n free speech.
Nor have the\' <·ver expla ined whv
the ma nager of a ll prisons and ja il~
a rc given th e same a u th ority to suppre free speech righh. despite ob\ious diflc rcnccs a mong in titu Lions that
directly affect the difficult)' or the task
o f admin istration. Som priso ns arc
h uge insLitu tions housing thou a nd of
p(:opk; others arc o nly a few cells in a
municipal building. Some prisons contain ma xim um-security prisoners sen·ing long cntcnce~ for viole m crimes,
whi le OLlters bouse a population of low
sccurit)', nonviolent offi•ndcn; who participate in work release p rograms by
clay. ,\la nr, indeed most, incarcerated
pe rso ns ha ve not bee n co nvi c ted o f
an yt hin g . Yet t h e Su pre m e Cou rt
accords cxaCLly Lhc same a uth ority a nd

requ ire!> precisely the same de ference
to th e Podunk Co unty Sh e riff as it
do cs to the head of t h e Federa l
Bureau of Prisons. A prisoner with a
perfect record, serving the last weeks
o r a short se nt e nce in a n hono r camp
can be t rca ted, for Fi rst Amendme nt
purposes, the same as a d eath-row prisoner on the eve of cxecuLion.
It also is simply unu·uc tha t prison
administrators, as suc h , possess ome
myste rious expertise that requires deference from the federa l courts. Prison
a dmi n istra tors differ wide ly in bac kgrou nd, education, skills a nd social attitudes. There is no penological consensus that literature ..condoning·· ho mosexua li ty, fo r example is dangerous to
institutio nal security. The Ke ntuc ky
warden in /~.1jJinoza was m ore li ke ly
moti\·ated by h is own prej ud ice than
a ny _gcnc rall)' . bared expertise. Indeed ,
Ow mayor of cw York City recently
signed legislation perm itting gay a nd
lesbian .. domestic part n e rs·· o fj a il
inmates the sa me visita tion ri!fhts as
he terosexual maniccl couples. I b
An d eve n assum ing th at p ri so n
admi nistrator: a a who le do po sess
training and c ducaLion differe nt fro m
that of the citizen ry as a 1\' ho lc, n o
co urt h as eve r su gges t d t ~1at suc h
training is so far beyond th e ke n or
the federal judiciary tha t the fo rmer
arc incapable of being understood by
th e Ia u e r . Eve ry d ay, fed e ra l co urts
deal with th e inu·icacics of C\'CI)•thing
fro m g ia n t financial empires to Dt A
r e ·carc h. They d eal wi th bodies of
kn ow! dge far more specialized tha n
that req ui red for an associate's d egree
in priso n manage me nt.

ENDNOTES (l].See Colman McCanhy. Thornburgh's Solution: Lock ·em Up Wash. Post. July t3. t991 . at a19 ]2!.Cf. Black·s Law Dictionary 1194 (6th ed. 1990) dehnlng -pnson· as
"(al public building or other place lor 1he...1mpnsonment ol persons conviCted ol the more senous cnmes. as d1st1nguished lrom relormatones and county or city ja1ls-). [3).See U.S.
Const. Amend. I. The F~rst Amendment prov1des in relevant pan. ·congress shall make no law... abndg1ng lhe freedom ol speech.- ld (4). See Sluan J. Taylor, Locked Up 1n Ja11. Locked
Out ol Coun. Legal Times. June 24. 1991 . al27. (5). See Eugene H. Methvin. An Anii·Cnme Solulion: lock Up More Cnminals. Wash. Post Oct. 27. 1991 . al C t . [6). See Violence
Threarens Dream. Atlanta J . & Const., Jan. 20. 1992. al t O: Richard Pnnce. The Forgotten Prisoners ...H1spamcs Behind Bars. Gannett News Serv.. Dec. 13. 1992. (71. Nalional Cenler
on lnslnulions and Allerna11ves. Hobbling A Generation: Young Alncan Amencan Males 1n lhe Cnm1nal Jushce Syslem ol Amenca·s C11ies: Baltimore. Maryland (1992), ciled in 2
Washinglon Digesl . Nalional Ass·n ol Criminal Defense Lawyers. (Nov. 1992). 18). ld. 191. 416 U.S. 396 (1974). (101. Procunier v. Marhnez. 416 U.S. 396. 404 (1974). overruled by
Thornburgh v. Abbo\1. 490 U.S. 401 (1989). [111. ld. At 405. [121. ld. a\ 413. [131. ld. at 414. 114). 393 U.S. 503 (1969). [15). Maninex. 416 U.S. At 412. [16). ld. at 4 18· 19. [17). See
intra noles 56·62 and accompanying text (dlscuss1ng Man1n v. Rison. 741 F. Supp. 1406 (N.D. Cal. 1990). vacalod sub nom.. Chronicle Pubhsh1ng Co. v. Rison. 962 F .2d 959 (9th Cir.
1992). (1 8). 417 U.S. 817 (1974). [19). ln the companion case ol Saxbo v. Washington Post Co.• 417 U.S. 843 (1974). the Court uphold a similar blanket ban established by federal
authorities. See Saxbe. 417 U.S. al850. [20).Pell v. Procunier. 417 U.S. 817. 822 (1974) (quoting Price v. Johnson. 334 U.S. 266. 285 ( 1948)). In Maninez. the Coun noled that the
issue before 11 was no\ only the First Amendmenl nght of prisoners but also !hose to whom lhe correspondence was addressed. Accordingly. 11 left for another day the issue ol "prisoners·
righ ts.· The Coun in Pell heralded the coming of lhal day. [21). ld. Thus. tree speech righls are not taken away as part of the punishment imposed by sociely upon tho malefactor.
Indeed, although some CIVIl nghts are expressly Wllhdrawn lrom the mcarceraled by stalute. no penal law has auempted to abrogate freedom of speech as a penalty. II also should be
nolod !hal many of those persons behind bars are pre·lnal delainces who have been conVlcled of no1h1ng and cannot be -punished- cons1stent With !he Due Process Clause. [221. ld. a1
823. [23). ld. al826. (24). ld. at 837. 1251. See Turner v. Salley. 482 U.S. 78, 88 (1987). Follow1ng Poll. the elevated scruliny suggesred"' Manmez was limiled 10 analysis ol reslric·
liOns on oulgoing correspondence. Thornburgh v. Abbott. 490 US. 401 . 424 (1989). and some11mes nol even !hose See Manin, 741 F Supp. AI 1409. 1261. The Coun 1n Pell. in a neat
piece of conshtulronal pres\idrgrlalron. actually creared !he opposno ol a teas1 reslnchve means test lor such claims. aniCulatmg a sort of -teas! m1rus1ve nghrs- lest The tact !hal pnsoners
could communicale wilh the press through the marls led lhe Coun In Poll to uphold the ban on lace·tO·Iace meehngs. Pell. 417 U.S. Al827·28. (271. 433 U.S. 119 (1977). 1281. Jones v.
Nonh Carolina Prisoners· Labor Union. Inc .. 433 U.s. 119. 122·23 (1977). 1291. That Nonh Carolina ofllclals regarded a pnson labor union as subversive is hardly a surpnse. grven that
Stare·s drsmal record roward organrzed labor generally. (301. 441 U.S. 520 (1979). (311. Bell v. Wollrsh. 44 t U.S. S20. 549 (1979) (32!. So eiiiCIOntly drd this quanet ol cases demolish
tho tree speech rights of prisoners. th e Reagan·Bush Courllcll the need to address lhe queslion only lwlco. wreaking comparatively minor damage. In Turner. lhe Court upheld a llat ban
on prisoner·to·prisoner correspondence. And in Abbot!. the Coun ratified the right ol prison administrators, already widely recognized by lower federal couns. lo censor Incoming writlen
malerials I hal lhrea\ened !he secunly ol !he inslrlulron. l33J. See Porer Applebono. With In males a\ Record H1gh. Senlence Polrcy rs Reassessed. N.Y. Times. Apr. 25. 1988. at A t . C4.
1341. Nebraska Press Ass·n v. Sluart. 427 U.S. 539.559 ( 1976). (35). Now York Times Co. v. United Stales. 403 U.S. 713. 726·27 (1971) (Brennan. J .. concu rring). (361. 814 F .2d 1093
(6th Cir. 1987). (37]. Esprnoza v. Wilson. 814 F .2d 1093. 1095 (6th c1r. 1987) (emphasis added) (381. ld. at 1096. 1391. ld. at 1098·99. Permitlrng a ban on tree expressron to sland as
long as one ollhe asserted fUSIIIicaiiOns lor r11s constrluiiOnally valrd hardy promoles honesty and rnlegrrly erlher '" lhe promulgallon ol regulations or rn federal ht1gation. 1401. 608 F.
Supp. t09S (N.D.) Tex. 1985). (411 Wagner v. Thomas. 608 F. Supp. 1095. 1097 (N.D. Tex 1985) (quolrng Dallas County Jail Polrcy No. 21 1.80.4 t (IV)(A)(7)). (421. ld. at 1097 n.6. 1431.
ld at 1103. (441. 624 F 2d 569 (5th Cir. 1980). l45J. Vodrcka v. Phelps. 624 F .2d 569. 573 (Sih Crr. 1980). l46l. ld at S72. (47l ld. (48) ld. (49). 1d. al574. (SO!. Id. at 574. (511. 594
F .2d 407 (41h Crr. 1979). IS2). Pollman v. Huuo. 594 F .2d 407. 409 (41h C1r. 1979). IS3l. In 1989. lhe Supreme Court 1Abbon approved s uch censorship whenever a warden lrnds !hal
pnnted material would be -delnmenlal lo secunly. good order. or d1scrplrne of the rnstitu110n , or mrghl lac1hlate cnminal aclrvity." Abbou. 490 U.S. At 403 n. t & 404 (quotrng 28 C.F.R.
540.71(b) (1988}. Given the praclrce of lhe lower federal couns. the decrsron in Abbotl broke l~tle new ground. (541. Prison adminrstrators have a wide varrety ol means 10 punish prison·
ers who violate 'nslrlulronal rules. These rnclude ( 1) limrla11on or suspension of marl. telephone. comm1ssary. and recreatronal pnvrleges: (2) ISOlation 1n solitary confinement lor anywhere
lrom a lew days 10 decades: (3) \ransfer to a more · secure" lacrlrly or loa more restriclive depanmont wrlhin lhe prrson; and (4) loss of s\alulory · good 11me." Depending on ! he jurisdic·
tlon. every day of good behavior can reduce a senlence by as much as one day. Hence. loss of all good time can ellectively double the sentence \hat a prisoner actually musl serve and.
accordrngly. is considered by stall and pnsoners alrke as one of lhe hars hest punrshments. And any rns\r\uhonallnlraction could allecl a pnsoner·s parole. ISS). 683 F 2d. 1044 (7th Cir.

24 PRISON LIFE

The argument that federal courts are
unsuited to running prisons also unravels when pulled a bit. In the first
instance, protecting the free speech
rights of prisoners should not require
the federal court to "run" the prison. It
simply requires in this country, something the feder.il courts presumably are
suited to do, even in this benighted era.
Of course, sometimes the intransigence or incapacity of the prison
administration requires courts to
assume responsibility for day-to-day
functioning. Federal courts are as
unsuited to run prisons as they are to
operate public schools, large financial
institutions, airlines, newspapers, grocery stores, or bus companies.
However, they do end up running
such institutions, usually quite capably, when the original managers are
unwilling or unable to meet their
obligations.116
The notion that the judgments of
prison administrators are entitled to
wide-ranging deference is a concept
utterly alien and antithetical to the
rest of First Amendment jurisprudence. Prison administrators are the
persons who are least likely to be
trusted with the power to censor
inmates. It is they who feel the lash of
prisoners' freedom of speech most
keenly; it is they who are called to task
when corruption and brutality are
exposed. The idea that governors, by
virtue of their roles as governors,
should have the power to silence the
governed is absurd in any other context but penal institutions.
Lastly, if the suspension of First

Amendment rights was somehow justifiable because prisons are so unique
and so dangerous that some special
rule should apply, the free speech
rights of all members of the institution, including prison guards, administrators, as well as prisoners, could be
suspended or adjudicated under a separate constitutional standard. Not surprisingly, this has not been the case.
In Curle v. Ward,111New York's
Third Appellate Division applied a
"strict scrutiny" standard to a prison
regulation prohibiting staff members
from belonging to the Ku Klux Klan.
The Commissioner of the Department
of Correctional Services determined
that such membership was a threat to
the administration, programming and
security of the institution. In Curle,
there was no talk of the difficulty of
running prisons or of "deference" to a
method that "treads too broadly on
constitutional" choices.l18 There was
no Baraldini-type analysis, permitting
prison authorities to take preemptive
action based upon organizational affiliations. The difficulty of running the
prison could not permit the abridgement of fundamental rights of guards.
Similarly, in Babcock v. Michigan
Department of Corrections, 119 the
United States District Court for the
Western District of Michigan held that
prison administrators could not punish a guard who spoke to the press
regarding prison conditions, notwithstanding the contention by the warden that the statements were false,
reflected poorly on the department,
and caused a security threat. The

court held that the guard's "statements concerned potentially illegal
drug activity occurring in a publicly
funded institution, and the treatment
of persons who disclose such activity.
These are, by any standard, matters of
public concern. "120 In Harris v.
Evans,121 the Eleventh Circuit struck
down a prison policy prohibiting staff
members from communicating directly with the parole board regarding the
merits of any particular case. The
prison authorities' invocation of the
talismanic phrase "security" left the
court in Evans unmoved as it held that
"citizens who comment on individual
parole decisions are offering input on
the working of the state's criminal justice system. "122

CONCLUSION
Prison free speech cases demonstrate, in the starkest possible terms,
the hypocrisy of the federal judiciary
and its high-minded pronouncements
when the liberty of the poor and
oppressed is at issue. Our prisons are
vast warehouses for entire generations
of black and Latino youths who are
being taught the meaning of power
and authority, but most certainly not
the meaning of democracy, or the
importance of free expression. There
is every reason to believe that these
youths emerge from prison imbued
with the same tolerance for ideas and
discourse as their wardens. A frightening thought.
.
PL

1982). [56]. 741 F. Supp. 1406 (N.D. Cal. 1990). [57). Martin v. Rison, 741 F. Supp. 1406, 1410 (N.D. Cal. 1990), vacated sub nom., Chronicle Publishing Co. v. Rison, 962 F .2d 959
(9th Cir. 1992). [58). ld. at 1420. [59). ld. at 14. According to the district court, heightened scrutiny under Martinez was not required because the ideas did not just exit the institution,
they also returned through the newspaper.ld.at 1412. [60). See id. At 1414-15. These harms included creating a danger of threats of violence, focusing attention on an individual prisoner, which could lead to unrest, creating fear on the part of the staff that their statements might be reported, encouraging a prisoner to be more loyal to his paper than to the prison, and
preventing a prisoner from becoming too well known, which could result in his having disproportionate influence In prison. ld. There was evidence that the "prison staff was upset about
the artlcle."ld. at 1415. [61]. ld. at 1414. [62). Other facts that would, in any other context, have called into question the sincerity of the prison in even-handed application of prison
rules were that two other federal prisoners had written under by-lines but were not punished, and that Martin had written about eighteen prior articles for the San Francisco Chronicle,
that were published as regular Sunday features. Martin's writings were known to some prison authorities and cited favorably in his parole file.ld. At 1420. [63]. 638 F. Supp. 1019 (D.
Mass. 1986). [64). Scarpa v. Ponte, 638 F. Supp. 1019, 1020 (D. Mass. 1986) (footnote omitted). [65). 779 F .2d 1040 (5th Cir. 1986). [66). Gibbs v. King, 779 F .2d 1040, 1045 {5th
Cir. 1986), cert. denied, 476 U.S. 1117 (1986). [67). 713 F .2d 1003 (3rd Cir. 1983). (68). Hadden v. Howard, 713 F .d 1003, 1006 (3d Cir. 1983) (citing Pa. Code 95.102a(b)(25), (31).
[69). 691 F. Supp. 432 (D.D.C. 1988). [70]. Baraldini v. Meese, 691 F. Supp. 432,445 (D.D.C. 1988), rev'd sub nom., Baraldini v. Thornburgh, 884 F 2d 615 (D.C. Cir. 1989). The conditions of the Lexington HSU and the effect they had on the women confined there was documented by filmakers Nina Rosenblum and Alexandra White in the Public Broadcasting
Network film Through the Wire. [71). Baraldini, 691 F. Supp. At 445. [72]. ld. at 437-8. [73]. ld. at 438. (74]. ld. at 443 [75). ld. [76]. ld. at 449. (77]. Baraldini v. Thornburgh, 884 F .2d
615,620 (D.C. Cir. 1989). [78]. 622 F .2d 967 (8th Cir. 1980). [79). Nickens v. White, 622 F .2d. 967, 971·72 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 1017 (1980). (80). Jones, 433 U.S. At 132
(19n). [81]. See Baraldini, 884 F 2d at 618. [82). 598 F. Supp. 607 (D.R.I. 1984). [83]. Dooley v. Quick, 598 F. Supp. 607,611 (D. R.I. 1984), all'd, 787 F. 20 579 (1st Cir. 1986). (84].
ld. at 612. Prison officials are also free to curtail discussions among prisoners while they are in the mess hall, prison corridors, and working. See Lamar v. Coffield, 353 F. Supp. 1081,
1082, 1084 (S.D. Tex. 1972). [85]. 482 U.S. 78 {1987). [86). Turner, 482 U.S. At 91. [87). 729 F .2d 362 (5th Cir. 1984). [88). Adams v. Gunnell, 729 F .2d 362, 365 (5th Cir. 1984).
[89]. ld. at 364-65. [90].1d. at 364. [91]. ld. [92]. ld. [93). ld at 368. [94). ld. at 367. [95]95. 783 F .2d 1532 (11th Cir. 1986). . [96)96. Jersawitz v. Hanberry, 783 F .2d 1532, 1534
(11th Cir.), cart. denied sub nom., Jersawitz v. Noonan, 479 U.S. 883 (1986). [97). Wolfish, 441 U.S. at 550-51. [98). Wagner, 608 F. Supp. at 1102. [99]. 755 F .2d 306 {3d Cir. 1985).
[100). Hurd v. Williams, 755 F .2d 306,308 {3d Clr. 1985). (101). 748 F. Supp. 570 (M.D. Tenn. 1990). [102). Jackson v. Norris, 748 F. Supp. 570,573 (M.D. Tenn. 1990), aff'd, 928 F
.2d 1132 (6th Cir. 1991). (103). 790 F .2d 1299 (7th Cir. 1986). [104]. Gaines v. Lane, 790 F .2d 1299, 1304 (7th Cir. 1986). The Court in Gaines upheld the regulation under the
Martinez elevated scrutiny standard. ld. See Burton v. Nault, 902 F.2d 4,5 (6th Cir.) (allowing prison officials to read outgoing mail, even if privileged, to learn whether drug use played
any role in a prisoner's unsuccessful suicide attempt), cert. denied, 111 S. Ct. 198 (1990). (105]. 869 F .2d 1105 (8th Cir. 1989). (106). So much for Damon and Pythias. [107). See
Martin H. Redish, The Value of Free Speech, 130 U. PA. L Rev. 591, 593 (1982). (108]. Alex Haley & Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X 179 (1965). [109]. See Alexander
Berkman, Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist (2d ed. 1920). (110]. See Caryl Chessman, Cell 2455, Death Row (1954). [111]. See Skylark Sing Your Lonely Song: An Anthology of Prison
Writings of Bobby Sands (1982). [112). Mary H. Maguire, Attack of the Common Lawyers on the Oath Ex Officio, in Essays in History and Political Theory of Charles Howard Mclwain
212-13 (1936). See Thornhill v. Alabama, 310 U.S. 88, 95 (1940) (stating that the First Amendment "safeguard[s) •..The rights to the ends that men may speak as they think on matters
vital to them1. [113]. John E. Nowak & Ronald D. Rotunda, Constitutional Law 16.6, at 940 (4th ed. 1991). [114].1d. 16.6, at 941. [115]. N.Y. Newsday, Jan. 27, 1993, Part II, at 50.
The legislation went into effect on March 3, 1993, and applies to all20,000 persons, mostly pretrial detainees, in New York City's jails. [116). Actually, federal courts have shown themselves to be quite good at running prisons. Throughout the 1970s, numerous prisons and jails were placed into federal receivership, and run by the federal courts, because they were
unable to meet the constitutionally minimum standards of health, safety, and dignity required by the Eighth Amendment. The termination of those receiverships in the 1980s says more
about the lowering of constitutional standards than it does about the upgrading of prison administrations. (117]. 399 N.Y.S. 20 308(N.Y. App. Div. 1977). [118]. Curle v. Ward, 399
N.Y.S.2d 308, 312 (N.Y. App. Div. 1977), modified, 389 N.E.2d 1070 (N.Y. 1979). [119). 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3644 (W.O. Mich. Apr. 2, 1990) (unpublished decision). [120]. Babcock
v. Michigan Dep't of Corrections, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3644, at •7 (W.O. Mich. April2, 1990) (unpublished decision). [121). 920 F.2d 864 (11th Cir. 1991). [122). Harris v. Evans, 920
F.2d864, 867 (11th Clr.1991).

PRISON LIFE 25

TEXAS SUCKS, TOO
I'm a three-time loser doi ng
2 5 o n a Bitc h (25-99 ). Fro m
everything l saw in Prison Life, I
was very surprised there were no
le tte rs fro m T exas. You have all
th ese suppo sedly stiff co nvicts
who bitch every day but have no
nuts to be heard .
Ot me: f wa nt all my fellow
co nvicts o ut the re to know th at
their ra tho les ain 't the o nly pieceo-shit prisons arou nd. Texas brags
about being th e large t prison system but can they run it? H ell no.
We' re trea ted like ca ttl e h e re,
only they care less about us. It's all
about money, not rehab.
We got big proble ms with o ur syste m. Crooks arc run n ing it. In ou r
sta te, we h ave law e nforce me nt of!icers getting bu ste d for stea lin g
coca i n e, s h e ri ffs ge ttin g n abbe d ,
too-all kinds of shit. O u r govern or is
an o.ld drunk.
In Texas, law o ffi cers credit the mselves with good work. But they don't
do shit. T h e law he re ca n 't bust no
one without too l pigeons. Ha! l can
go on a nd o n. Our country is hurting
wi th homeless an d hunge r a nd these
punks are over the re plucking Cubans
outta the water. Know what they see?
Dollar signs. Those fucks will be in
prison in no time.
Texa ha a syste m no better than
th e oth e r states. Soon, o ur mayo rs
will all be wa rde ns an d all Texa ns will
h ave a pre-# for t h e T exas
Depa rtme nt o f Co rrec ti o ns. T h ey' ll

26

PRISON LIFE

need to put a fence around T exas.
I know what I'm sp ea king abo ut.
I was arrested with a j udge in '89 in
sou th Texas. We we r e impo rti ng
2,000 pou n d s o f d o pe from South
Ame ri ca.
You have noth ing but rcdnecks as
g u a rds in T exas priso n s. Th e few
Spanish guards have all tu rned cowboy
and the black guards are Uncle Toms.
The circus goes o n.
Alfredo Gonzales
Alfred 1/ugltes Unit, Te:~as

WHAT LITTLE WE HAVE
People who don't have much get
ugly an d mean when Lhey have to gi,·e
up wha t liLLie they have.
Back in 19 70 , when I sta rted
doing time, the prison yard was divided into litLle co urts. Every clique had
o ne-the Italians, whi tes, Latins a nd
Blacks. It didn ' t break down j ust to
race. Bank robbe rs h ung o ut toge ther, con men had Lhcir own spot, the
iro n freaks d idn ' t mix with Lh e baske tball junkies. If you ste pped into
another 's cou n, you did iL Lhe same
way }'Ou 'd co me in to a no th er's cell
wiLhout an in vite-with a sha nk in
ha nd.
Survival means thinking abouL and
seeing Lhose arou nd yo u. And that
includes knowing each prison "shi ft.··
On the first shi ft, cons arc o n
th e ir best b eha,•ior because th a t's
whe n th e visiwrs arc allowed in an d
freeworld people come around: th e
j e rkofl' therapists, counselo rs a nd religious n uts.

The second shift is when you
setLie all your disputes-if you're
serious about the m. Prison fightS
usu all y Ia t on ly a fe w cco nds,
someone dies a nd someone walks
away. Jf the guy you stab lives, he's
enlitled to a rematch.
The third shi ft is whe n yo u
c h ec k o ut o f t h e hote l if you
ca n ' t stand the room. It's when
th e wea k o nes hang it up in their
cells. Pri on, j u t li ke the freeworld , is bullshi t, vio le n ce a nd
death. O nly here it's on a tig hter
schedule.
Inside th e wa lls they don' t
leave you with much. That's why
th e bodybuilders treasu re the ir
m eas u remen t more th a n any
fashi on model. You ca n die for ste pping on a nothe r ma n's li ttle piece of
space, or h is name. You either stand
up to wha t they th row at yo u or you
go dow n . It's t h at simple . And i n
prison, if yo u go down, you stay down.
Clayton Phillips
Colorado State Prison

STOP BASHING
PECKERWOODS
I 'm writ i ng thi fro m Pee kerwood's H ell. t>.ly na me's Wess. an d I'm
doing a 27-ycar bid fo r robbery a nd
assault here at the Mississippi O.O.C.
I 've been d own fo r even an d have
ano L11er seven to go.
I noticed in the O ctober i u e's
article o n Attica, it said "a wh ite man
has little c h a n ce of mak ing it ... "
Da mn su·aight!
I ' m sick a nd tired o f eve ryo n e
bash ing the Peckc rwoods a nd Featherwoods with chea p shots every c hance
they get.
You want to know what rough is,
asshole? Try doi ng a bid he re where
94% of the population is Black-the
police as we ll as th e prisone rs. Try
being L11rown in an open donn 1\~th 75
and only two arc white a nd 50 arc gang
me mbers.
Let me tell you omething: The
Peckenmods I h ave done time with
here know what it's like to have their
backs to the wall. We know what trust,
honor and survival a rc all about. Me n
lik e P yc h o, Man iac , Hobo,
H o ll ywood, Ca t Dadd y, H o ss, O z,
Sn a ke, C. Pope , Roy I 1. , Da n ny W.,

Billy J. , L arry 0. a nd m yse lf h ave
ea rn ed eve ry o unce of res pec t a n d
ho no r o ur na mes carry.
Il's no t abo ut you r time, p lace or
race. It's a bo ut your h ear t. Witho u t
h eart, yo u d o n ' t h ave h ono r , a n d
wi th out h o no r , you ain't go tjack in
this H ellhole.
So sto p b as hin g us an d ou r
wome n. Stop te lling us whe re we can
and can 't ma ke it. Speak for yourself,
not us! Us Pecke rwoods are he re for
the duration and we ain 't running.
So put th at in yo ur pipe a nd
smo ke it! Tell 'em Wess said that, too!
Kenneth Bowers
Unit 32/C, Pa.rchman J\ITS

MADE IN PRISON
I'm a 50-yea r-o ld d o ing two life
sen te nces in Arizona: on e for murde r,
o ne fo r assault by a prisone r (a "sticking"). I' ve go t a bo u t 17 fla t in n ow
a nd 19 more to go o n th ese cases.
I'm a prod uct of the Californ ia
system. I started soldiering in the CA
Youth Au tho ri ty a t 15 a n d made my
bo n es 30 yea rs ago. Wh en I was
bran ded you had to take a life to wear
the brand a nd it was a thing of respect
in the j oint and on the streets.
Le t m e g ive you a slan t a b out
priso n creating cri mina ls. I di d my
time in se ri o us prisons wh en I was
yo ung: San Que ntin. Fo lso m, T racy
and oth ers. I also did ti me in Raifo rd,
Flo ri da. My time was for real. vVh e n I
was pa roled fro m San Quenti n I came
to Arizona wh ere I wound up killing a
guy because he snitched o n me.
An yhow, wh a t ha ppens when we
do a lo t of ti me is we get programmed
with a set of ru les a nd reactions tha t
are not o nly correct bu t often are the
only reactions that ~~ 11 allow us to sur\~ve in these places. Th ey become normal and set in our minds and d1en we
a re released and somethi ng happens.
And we react. Of course, to a normal
freeworld person, we will seem savage
and brutal, even though all we did was
what kept us alive d1e week before we
were released.
As I look back I can see my reacti ons to the situa tion whic h cost both
th e ma n I kill e d hi s li fe a nd me,
mine. I can a lso see h ow I was prog ram med in these places. o excuses,
only a n o bservatio n.
Lee McVay
Arizona Stale Prison
i nsider Outlooli a11: "Te:ws, "by Dan Locke,
TDC}; "Hand," by Daniel Nicldaus,
Staleville, !L; "Death," by Michael Davis,
Corcoran State Prison, CA.

"WHAT MORE CAN
A FAG ASK FOR?"
In you r Octob e r iss ue yo u ask:
Are yo u ma n o r wo man e n o u g h to
tell us a bout sex be hind ba rs? Haven't
you liste ned to th e prison ad min istrato rs? Sex in p riso n on ly ha p pe ns on
TV a nd in th e movies!
Yeah, righ t.
Let me tell you, sex goes on he re
eve ry day. It goes o n in th e cells, the
stairwe lls, the sh owers, a corn er in the
ya rd-everywher e. T h e ad m inistrators of these places remain silent or
deny it happens.
Believe me, ho ney, it' goi ng on.
I've sle pt with mo re men th a n are
na med a nd n umbe red in th e Bib leO ld a nd ew Testament combin ed .
An d most of 'em while locked up.
otjust inma tes, eith er!
I thin k it's impo rta nt to rea lize
that we are, by defini tion, a nimals. As
such, we h ave basic appetites: food,
water, shelter-and sex. V1le are d riven
to satisfy these h ungers at all costs.
Being o penly gay,
I'm frequendy hit
Im ag in e
on.
that! I gotta tell
ya', so m e of
t h ese boys a r e
th e me n some of
us use d to d r ea m
a b ou t: b ig, thi ck, c u t
bod ies, an d too stupid to
ca rry o n a real co n ve rsation. What mo re can a fag
ask for? I get what 1 want,
he gets wh at he wants, and I
don't have to talk to him or
cook breakfast in d1e morning! Cotta like that!
L et me stop ba b bl i ng
here an d ge t serious. Al l of
us, inclu d ing the administ rators, kn ow wh at's u p .
We can ignore it, but it's
n ot going to c hange. Sex
will no t go away. Due to
th is fact, th e re are some
important decisions to be
made here.
Fo urtee n years ago,
sex was sex; noth ing much
to worry abou t un less your
herpes fl ared up. Sex can
now mean death. Blow the
wro n g dud e a nd end up
d ea d o r with h epatiti s.
Q u ite fr ank ly, n e it h er
a p pea ls to m e . But th e
ad ministrators' den ial is costing prisone rs their lives.
With tha t in mind , h ow
do a ny of us know wh o's sa[e
and wh o's not? We d o n't h ave

a clue! O n the street, at least two ca n
grab a rubber, but no t in prison. Hey
now, the re's a th oug h t: Sell condoms
a t t h e co mmi ssa r y. Silly m e, th a t
would mean th e st.-'lff would have to
ackn owledge what's go ing o n.
Fucking a n d suckin g wi ll go o n
behi nd the walls and fences of eve ry
prison in this nation fo r as lo ng as they
exist. Isn't it ti me th e State ack nowledges it a nd does something to protect
those ad ults who a re e ngaging in consensual sex wh ile locked up?
Let me wrap this up with a warning to my q ueer bro th ers and sisters
o ut there: P lease b e car eful wh o
you' re doing.
Jay Twidme-1~Baum
fowa City, JA

OLIVER
by Richard Stratton
INT. PRISO N CELL- DAY
MOVE II O N: Billy a nd Eric do yoga
exer cise . As t h ey stre tch in ri tua l
m ove m e nt, bod ies g li ste nin g wit h
swea t , th ey r e peat a mantra-l ike
p h rase.
BILLY/ ERIC
Prison-monastery. Cloiste r-cave.

T

he

ce ne is f r o m M idnigltl

Exj;ress, th e classic dope sm ug-

g le r 's pri so n h o rror movi e
writte n by O liver Stone and direc ted
by Ala n Pa rke r. The wo rds, prisonmonastery, cloiste r-cave, the concept
conveyed by j uxtaposing those wo rds,
a n d th e mantra-like re pe tition, sustain ed m e thro ugh more than one
lo ng lo n e ly d ay in a p riso n cell. A
prison i a mo naste ry, a cell a cloiste r-a cave a t the ce nter of th e universe. It is all in the mind, a ll in how
you look at it: your vision.
I we n t to see Midnight Express
wh en it first came ou t in 1978. At the
Lime, th at was what I did: I smuggled
hash out of cou ntries like Le b a non
a nd Turkey. Watchi ng the film, I fe lt
my guts tighten with fear: th e sa m e
fear I fel t evC I)' time I was a pproached
by a cop o r a customs oflicer, the fear
I was addicted to. I thought, This is too
real. Get me out of herP.

O li ve r Sto n e's film s do th a t to
me. They make me feel as though I
should ge t up a nd run before I ge t
caugh t in the obsession he 's trying to
exorcise. Bu t it is too late, I am riveted to the scat, glued to the screen ,
a lread y h e ld in thra ll by th e sam e
obsessions.
During the '80s, whe n mo,~es written and directed by Stone started coming out, I \\"as in cus!ody, held in maximum sec u rity fe dera l pens. Late at
nig ht, in a smo ky, crowded cellblock
TV roo m, I wa tch e d Scmface ( 1983,
28

PRISON LIFE

written by Stone a nd d irected by Brian
De Palma) with a tough audience, me n
wh o knew bullsh it wh e n th ey saw it,
me n who li ved th e co ke-and-powercrazed criminal life depicted by Stone's
main character, Tony Mo ntana. The
convicts were mesmedzed; th e re was
none of the usual jeering and hooti ng
provoked by m ost Hollywood rendition of their expetience.
But it was Salvador (1986), the n
Platoon ( 1986), th at re ally got to me.
Afte r wa tc hin g b o th film ·, I we n t
bac k to my ce ll a nd hit th e bunk
nearly wrung o ut from the e motions
I' d fe lt. I was e nrage d , co nfused ,
inspired. Most of all, I wanted outout o f fucking priso n so I could join
th e fig ht. I saw myse lf as a prisone r of
war, a de dica ted writer searc hi ng for

truth , a revolutionary burning with
h atre d fo r th e sa n ctimo ni o us a rrogance and hypocrisy of a gove rnme n t
t h a t cou ld wage war in Vietn a m to
defen d freed om and lock me up for
25 yea rs fo r smuggli ng pot. It was all
re lated: pot, Vietna m, freedom, ou r
lyin g government. And Oliver Stone
was o n to it. I went to sleep wondering, \l'lw is this guy? How does he /mow
about this shit ?

One of the first things I did a fter
I got out was to re nt Bon1 On the
Fourth of july ( 1989) . A wee k la ter,
Wall Street ( 1987). a me thing. I was
b lown away. \!\la tchi ng T om Cru ise as
para pl eg ic Ro n Kovic, I ba r e ly
moved. It is th e incre dible inte n sity
Stone manages to ge t actors to bring
to the torme nted, compe lling charac-

te rs h e creates that ma ke his films so
enth ra lli ng. Tom Crui se has n eve r
been as tightly wound since, Mich ael
Douglas never so despicable. In Talk
Radio (1989), wh ic h I also saw o n
video, Stone began to reveal his ha nd
as a c ine matic virtuoso. Even as I
watched the movie on a TV screen , I
h ad a disorienting se nse of having
been granted omniscient point of
view, as though I were seeing each
frame from somewhere in th e midd le
of the action.
The Doors, re leased in 1991, was
the first Stone-auteured fi lm I saw on
the big screen. It is the o n ly way to
ex pe rie n ce that movie. Big. Loud.
Overpowering. Re lentless a nd d a ngerous. Excessive. Like a rock co ncert, like a Doo rs concert, like a
Doors concert o n acid, a nd like the
times: the sixties. Tha t's what I like
about Stone's fihns-the danger. H e
h as a dan gero us visio n , a vision of
c h aracte r forged through life-anddeath risk-taki ng, excess, despair an d
courage.
Stone h as su c h co urage, as a n
a rtist a nd as a man. An o n ly c hild,
son of a well-off J ewish businessman
and a loving, Ro m a n Ca th o li c,
Fre n c h moth er, Stone was a Park
Avenue kid an d a Yalie. At twe ntyone, he quit it all and went off to war.
After a bitter fight with his parents,
h e dropped out of college, joined tl1e
army and shipped out to Vie tn am as
an infantryman.
I unde rstand t h e impul se. I'm
sure it came mo re from needing to discover himself than from wan ting to kill
communists. I've oft.e n wonde red
how I would h ave handled combat. I wou ld h ave gone to
Vietnam had I not been turned
on to pot and radicalized at early
age. Ye t th e question remains:
Would I have had the courage to
fight and kill? Stone volunteered
for co mba t, h e was wounded
twice a nd awarded the Bronze
Star for bravery. H e smoked
Vi etna m ese pot every d ay for
months, ate acid , listened to the
Doors a nd we nt out hunting
Vietcong. How's that for pushing
the surreal envelope? No wonder
the man is so far o ut there- far
e no ugh, indeed, to discover it was
a ll a horrible mistake. As a filmma ker, Ston e has bee n creating
powerful testaments to an apocalyptic vision of Ame rica tllat was
galvanized fig hting guerrilla war
high o n psychedelics in the jungles of Vie tnam.
And tllen came ]FK (1991).

ever h as a f ilm excited such
inflamed, polar co n troversy. 'eve r
has a big budget Holl ywood movie
had such an impact on ou r national
psyc h e. O nl y O live r Stone h as th e
gu ts to m ake su ch a mov ie. On ly
O li ver Stone h as the power a n d
integrity as an artist to get such a fi lm
made. At a tim e wh e n most of o ur
esteemed artists have chosen th e easy
way out, cowering before the keepers
of the bottom line, Stone remains
true to his heart, true to his instin cL~.
true to his creative vision.
We ll before the movie was shot,
a pirated versio n of th e sc ri p t \Vas
making the ro u nds and the vicio us
guard dogs of our national mendacity were excoriati ng Stone for supposedly ta king liberties with histo ri cal
fact. So what? I thought. Every great
a rti st inte rprets so-ca ll e d rea lity.
What mauers is t h e trut h of t h e
artist's vision.
JFK, all three-pl us hours, passed
quickly before my eyes and resonated
in my mind and solar plexus like a
pot-i nduced p arano id fa ntasy. So
many of us who grew u p during the
sixties are victims of the same obsessions. It's all a fucking conspiracy!
Hadn ' t I a lways known that? True,
the cocksuckcrs who arc co nspiring
to m a nipul a te history don't know
what th e fuc k they are doi n g. But
th at only makes it worse.
From the time 30-odd years ago
(30 very odd years ago) when I took
tha t first hit and journeyed forever
o ne toke ove r th e li n e, I knew wh y
th e stuff was illegal. You get high and

you begin to question reality. T ha t is
what happe n ed to O liver Stone. He
got stoned a nd he 's n ever been the
same since. No ne of us will eve r be
th e sa me. ot Newt G ingrich , nor
H u nte r T h o mp so n. Not J o h n
Le nnon , God rest h is soul. Not Ken
Kesey, nor Robe rt Ston e. (An oth e r
sto n e d St o n e.) Not Bob Dylan.
Everybody must get stoned. Only Bill
C linton is exe mpt, still stee ped in
bullshit because he didn 't have the
guts to inhale. Sure, Bill.
The a~tc rn oon I we nt to see
Natural 13om Killers, I thought it might
be interesting to smoke a liuJc Ulster
Co unty we e d to ge t in th e p roper
frame of mind. It should come as no
su rprise that some of the best pot in
the world comes from th e hill s
around Woodstock, ew York. I got
o ut o f the cab, lit up a j o int, took a
couple of hits, then stroll ed around
the corner and into the movie theate r.
Moments into th e ope n in g
sequence I was grippin g both a rmrests and ho lding on for d ear sanity.
Holy sltil, I tho ught, this is madness. I'm
losing it. I 'm too high. Th e vertiginous
c in ematography, the ball e ti c viole nce, th e ha llucinatory colors and
images dazzled me, scared me. Again
I thoug h t I shou ld £lee th e th eater
befo re I saw what Ston e wanted to
show me about violence in America.
I me t O liver Stone a couple of
weeks la ter in a large, plush TV studio co n fe r ence room o n W. 5 7th
street in Manhattan. We were both
th ere as guests o n differe nt segments
o f Politically incorrect, a cable TV show
o n Co m edy Ce ntra l. Ston e
h ad agreed to meet a fter I
se nt h im a few copies of
Prison Life witll a note saying I
wanted to ta lk with h im
about his prison experie n ces.
I had b een warned that
Sto n e liked to insult people
when he first me t the m as a
way o f t hr owi ng th em o ff
guard. I wasn ' t worried about
th at. One thing nearly a
d ecade of prison will do for
you is teach you how to hand le c h arged meetings with
me n who like to come o n as
h eavies. Sto n e wasn't at all
p ompo u s or in s ultin g. H e
was intense, d ressed in black,
wired, lean and restless as a n
outlaw in a hold ing cell. But
h e was essentially cool, sincere, it seem ed to me. I had
the feeling that he is still o ut
l'oga in flrisonfr01n Midnight
Express.
PRISON LIFE

29

the re roaming arou nd in so me h airy
state of co nscio usness see ki ng selfdiscovery at all costs.
We b ega n b y ta lkin g ab o ut
A4irlnigltt Extn·ess. Th e sc rip t wo n
Stone an O sca r and j um p-s ta rted his
ca reer.
"Midnight f xjHess was a he ll of a
story. The movi e was done o n a very
low budget. lot much was ex pec ted
fro m it at that time. It was a big surprise, you know, a sleeper hit. It cost
about tJuee or fo ur milli on dolla rs to
ma ke and mu st have g rossed o n e
hund red milli o n do llars in te rnationally. It put me on the board, as wel l
as Ala n Parker.
"I wish they h ad shot the e nding
tha i was scripte d , the o riginal e nding
wh ich was his escape thro ug h Greece.
Billy actually got o ut without killing
a nybody. T he re \vas a c hange, drama ti c lice n se, beca use th ey d idn't
have tJ1e mo ney to shoot I he overla nd
escap e t h r o ug h Tu r key to G reece,
wh ic h has a Great E. ·cape kind o f feeling, so tJ1ey e nded it with Billy walking o u t of the prison afte r he committed a murde r in order to give it some
dramatic excite men t. We felt he had
to kill th e fat g uy, th e co mma nda nt
wh o ran th e p r iso n , to get o ut.
Ac tua lly, the fat guy was a lot funn ier
U1<111 how he's piclllrcd in th e movie.

H e's ve l")' sole m n a nd serio us in th e
movie. The Turks arc ve ry fu n ny to
me because their p rison syste m is so
screwed up. vVh c n we we re shooting
in th e priso n , we would p an down
one cell , sec so me poor g uy wh o's
rcall}' suffering- skinn y and gau nt. In
the nex t cell a nd you'd sec anoth er
Turk h avin g h ookers a nd business
cronies in a nd making d eals and runnin g contra cts from jai l. ome o f
the m lived in suites, had a ll the good
food. You co uld bu y anythin g in a
Turki s h pri so n . Th e wh o le p o int
about the relativity o r tJ1e syste m was a
little bit lost in the movie . Every thing
was fo r sal e - sex. Yo u cou ld h ave
co n cubines in . We we re acc used o f
sen sa ti o nalism and racism . Amn esty
l nte rmui onal h as ahva}'S rega rded
Turkey as one of the great abusers o f
huma n r ig hts in thi s regard. Their
priso n sys t e m is notorious ly bad.
Yea rs la ter, whe n the Turkish priso ne r made th at extrao rdinary fi lm Yol,
a bo ut his life in a T urkish prison, he
actually sho t it in a prison.
'The ho mosexuality, I d ropped.
It wasn 't even in th e book, bu t I son
of se n sed that was go in g on .
Colu mbia in 1978 was in no positio n
to d o a mainstream film with a g uy
buttfuc kin g o r be ing buttru ckecl. It
wou ldn ' t have go ne clown ."

I asked Stone what it was that drew
him to the subject matter of prison.
" I h ad wr itten Platoon a year
before Midnight Exj1ress as an o rig ina l
screen play. Everyone h ad read t hat
sc reenplay, a nd they were impressed
wi th the writi ng but they d idn't want
t o ma ke th at m ovie. So they ,
Col umbia , hired me to g ive it a sh ot
on this film. I was d rawn to the mater ial innatel y because I think it's a
great sto ry abo u t justice a nd inj u st ice, the p ri so n system . An d I was
drawn to the story because o f my own
ex pe ri ence in prison, whi ch I used to
g ive it the se nse of visce ra l p ro tes t.
Th at al l comes from t he sense of
shock a nd ou trage I ha d whe n I came
back fr om Vietnam. La te i n
l ovembcr of '68 I was busted. I had
Vie tnam ese grass on me . Couple of
o unces. You kn ow, it was g reat grass,
wh y not bring so m e ho m e? I was
d oing it on a steady bas is. I go t
hooked over there. In a n ice way, not
in a destructive way.
" I ended up fr eakin g out in
America, taki n g acid on th e West
Coast. I just h ad to get o ut or t h is
country. I wasn ' t p repa red to com e
ho me yel- l had to cletox. I was not
decompressed from the war yet. So I
crossed ove r into Mex ico a nd partied
clown there because they were a little

BPIow: Tommy Lee j ones as a rlt'mngnl warrlt'n. OpjJosilt': Woody f-lare/son bust.\ out of Statroil/e. From

30

PRISON LIFE

alltral Born Ki llers.

diiTe rent from me. I fe lt more at home
in Mexico. On the way back, I was busted at the border with pan of those two
ounces o f Vietnamese grass. J<jnd of
stupid o n my part. So th e FBI cam e
and got me-handcuffs an d all that. I
was cha rged with fede ra l smuggling.
Nixon had j ust declared a drug war o n
th e borde r. It was the first drug war,
which became the precursor to everything that's happen ed since tJ1en. The
FBI came and got me and booked me
und e r fede ra l smu gg li n g c h a rges,
which was serious. The guys in jail told
me that if I got one judge, I'd see tJuee
years' probation and pro bably get it
suspe nded. They said tJ1e o tJ1 er guy' ll
give you twenty years a nd you 'll have to
do at least five. It was like a live-to-twenty-year sentence. That was the law, five
lO twenty years fo r drug smuggling. So
th a t 's wh a t th ey booked m e o n.
Mugged me and eve rythi ng. Th ey
paraded me through d own town San
Diego in w e daylight into w e co urtroom for th e indic tme nt, ch ained lO
the b a r s. Th is was ten days o ut of
Vietnam. I neve r go t to make m y
phone call. It was a mess. T he prison
was a fucking mess. It was overpacked ,
people were sleepi ng on the floor. It
was San Diego Coun ty J ail, a b ig in nercity prison and it was j a mmed wiw people, mostly Blacks and Hispanics, all up
o n drug charges. Everyone was young ,
my age or a li ttle bit o lde r. They a ll

hung in gangs. I talked to a lot of w ese
guys and I was just amazed. It o pe ned
my eyes. Kids had been in the re for six
months and they hadn ' t even goue n a
lawyer to co me and see them . It was
like ha rd Lime, but it was preli mina ry
to the trial.
"I th ink I h a d sp e nt abo ut two
wee ks in th ere and still couldn ' t get
my ca ll in. You ' re suppose d to be
a llowed a ph o n e call, ri ght? I ke pt
writing no tes. Atlirst I d idn ' t want to
call my fa th e r, I just wa n ted to deal
with it myse lf. I thought m ayb e th e
public defender would co m e an d I
could work som e thing o ut with him
myse lf. But h e \vo uld n ' t sh o w up .
That' s th e scene from Midnight
ExjJress. Waitin g for som e lawyer to
get yo u out.
"Evenllla lly, because o f the no tes,
w e guards started to pay a little mo re
atte nti o n to m e. I got a n o te o ut,
"Pl e ase , I ' m a Vie tn a m vetera n , I
have n 't h ad my phone call. " Fina lly,
one d ay th ey let me make my phone
call and I called m y fa th e r in ew
Yo rk a nd sa id I was ba c k from
Vie tnam. I hadn ' t even told him I was
back from Vie Ln am and here I was in
j a il on dru g s muggl i ng c h a rges.
Within a few hours, tJ1e lawyer showed
up because my father had called and
tJ1 e lawyer knew th ere was going to be
a payme nt in wis matter. He showed
up and he was very chee•-y, like the fe l-

low in lhe movie. Then he started to
wo rk o n th e process o f geui n g me
bailed o ut.
"U ltima te ly, to make a lo ng story
sho rt, I got o u t and tJ1e charges we re
dismissed in th e inte rest of justice. I
had to stick a round San Diego fo r a
week o n a probatio n kind of thing.
The lawye r implied th at somebody in
th e D.A.'s o ffi ce pull e d th e fil e. I
se n se d that mon ey was c h a n g in g
h an d s. The re was som e thin g go in g
o n. I was so n of detoxed and cleaned
out, whatever the word is, a nd I made
it back to ew York. Welcome back to
1 ew Yo rk. It was a we ird re turn . I was
twenty-two years o ld ."
"There was that g r ea t priso n
sce ne in JFK," I said, "whe n Garrison
goes to Ango la to ta lk to th e Kevin
Baco n c harac ter. And now, with th e
horre ndo us ri ot sequence at th e e nd
o f Natu ral Born Killers, yo u 've go ne
bac k into prison . Tell us what it was
like shooti ng tha t riot sce ne."
"We sh o t Natuml Born Killers at
Statcville in llli nois, which is a ro ugh
priso n . It's to ug h. S ta te vi li e was, I
think, 70% o r 80 % vio le nt criminals.
It 's th e h eavies t st ate priso n in
Illin o is. A nd I think 80 % o r 90 %
Blac k. So, it was a ve ry interestin g
view o f Chicago. I know it's a viole nt
priso n , but I loved the way the ward e n ha ndled it. He was so cool, just
kind o r saying, 'They've got it,' mea n-

PRISON LIFE

31

in g th e priso ne rs. ' It's th e ir thing.' me n wh ich cost us more. But still it were lig hting amongst on e anoth e r
He did the minimum, he see med to worked out. The real sense of viole nce and th ere was a killing wh ile we were
g ive e n o ug h leeway to play a ro und that you have is those guys goi ng mrts t h e r e. A nd th e n th e r e we r e th e
a nd fuck up. I didn 't notice a h eavy on o ur stununen-beating the shit out Aryans too, fucking crazies. So there
d egree of re pressio n , which I saw cer- of the m and e njoying it, climbing the was this who le crazy mi x. We h ad fairtainly in Arkansas and in some of th e walls, ye lling , screaming. Throughout ly good re la tion s. It's a be autiful o ld
th e film , yo u ' ll see rea l priso n e rs. priso n , visua lly exciting. The roundTexas prisons l have visited."
"Th e T ommy Lee .Jo nes c ha rac- Sometim es we we nt to th e ro und- h ouse is in c re dibl e . He re we were
te r in Natural Born Killers was wi ld ," I house, the real ro undho use, th a t's a runnin g rampant in it. C laudi a
said. "Amaz in g. T o mm y was g re at. h e ll o f a sce n e. Wh en yo u sec th e Schiffer came to the set o ne d ay to do
Sort of every con's worst n ig htm are un cut ve rsion on lase r d isk, th at ver- a doc um e n tary o n us. Schi ffer, this
ve rsion of some insa ne gcc k warden sio n \viii have the uncut riot, which is gorgeou s Germa n model, is walking
yo u just know is in th e re because he an a mazing scene. People get tJ1rown down th e tier a nd all th ese black guys
in ovens. It's all over th e to p, it's nuts. a re like , ' Wh a t th e fuck '. Th e g uy
really e njoys inOicting pa in."
"Yea h ? Yo u liked him ?" Sto n e It's li ke the music sets in and the riot who runs th e priso n system in Illinois
asked with a g rin. "In Statevi lle they goes on for a bout fifteen minutes. The was reall y cool, liked to sec these guys
have fun. They seemed to be
had three maj or ga ngs, I be lieve. We censors went crazy when they saw that.
shot in several wings of the prison. We
"A few times during shooting the
pleased tha t the re wasn ' t a ny
h ad good coop e ra tio n . The warde n ligh ts went o ut. There were
dam age . We were in a lo ng
was great, actua ll y. He was th e oppo- a lot o f storms an d
tim e, shoo Lin g ri o ts y' kn ow,
si te of th e Tommy Lee .Jones c harac- t h e cleca nd it was toug h . I've been to
ter. He was a ver1' su·ong guy, he wasn' t
a lot of prisons because I've
all th at popular, but he kn ew the
resea rche d o th er films a bo ut
right way. He le t th e prisone rs
prisons.
go. H e let th e m h ave th a t
"I n 1980, I resea rc hed
edge. A lot of th e priso ne rs
Baby Boy, which is a beauti ful
mad e c racks a bo ut the joint.
prison novel. And I went to all
I'm no t going to say it was a
the prisons in the SoutJ1. l went
perfect prison, but I think tha t
to Pa r chman , and I we nt to
th a t prison was we ll run.
Arkan sas a nd Ala ba m a a nd
Imagine a llowing us to shoot a
Mississippi-tJ1at's Parchman. I
riot in the re, with rea l prisonwe nt to Angola at that point
e rs. It's pre tty mll.ly. Most pristoo. It's a good prison, if tJ1erc
o n s wou ld neve r a llo w th at.
is such a thing, it's a much betBut Stateville did a nd I thin k
ter prison th a n so m e o f the
that ultimately it \vas a good
othe rs I've seen. For example, I
t hing becau se th e pri so n e rs
re me mber Arka nsas was horrigot paid. We also put in a new
b le beca u se th e prison was
ca b le TV syst e m . We hired
totally regimented, run military
prisone rs to work on the film .
style where you walk a long the
T hey offe red us, I think, a bou t
e dge o f a wa ll. You ' re not
1,000 priso ners a nd we used
a ll o wed to eve n wa lk in th e
most of the m. In the first part
idd lc. You sh ut up a nd yo u
o f the film , we le t th e m usc
quie t. There were all these
prop g uns a nd bea t up o ur
lcs. I feel like that's the kind of
stunt me n . They loved it, they
that's going to blow."
we re having a ba ll. Th en the
It was nearly time for us to
press got involved, they hea rd
~~~~~~~~~~fllifl~~~~~fl~· go to the gree n roo m to preabout it, a nd th ey o f c ourse
p a re for the ta ping . The segwe nt nuts. It hit th e pa p e rs.
m e nt I was to d o was about
The n they closed us d own. The
makin g prison s to u g h e r . l
governor's office said, 'Wh at is
aske d Stone wh a t he th o ug ht
thi s? Priso n e rs a r e wa lking
a bout this who le prison bui ldaround ma king a movie? What
up , th e c r ea ti o n o f an
if th ey escape?' Th e usual. So th ey trr c rty we nt o ut. Our cre w go t Am e ri ca n gu lag, a massive pri so ncl osed u s dow n , s to pped u s from spooked because in th e d a rk , a cou- ind ustria l complex.
shooting. It was pre tty h a iry because ple o f tJ1c m got grope d . So th ey saw
" I t ' s abso lute bull shit. I t's
we were facing a big linanc ial defi cit th e re a l th in g, y' kn ow. Wh e n t h e absolute ly the wrong way to go a bout
h e re. We sh ot some o th e r stuff in lig hts go ou t, th ings ge t we ird. I like it. I think it's fascism. The who le conChi cago. Meanwhi le, we ke pt negotiat- Statcville beca use you have no securi- ce pt o f fearin g crime and crea ting a
ing with th e prison board to get bac k ty. I mean , once you ' re in , you ' re in . mo nster o ut o f crim e is pa rt o f th e
in Statcville. Finally, th ey made a new They can take you out wh e never they madn ess o f th e media. The media has
dea l with us. We could usc the prison- wa n t. T h ey co uld h ave take n th e c r eated t h e fear o f c rim e. C rim e
ers, but we h ad to segrega te th e m who le movie crew, if' they had wanted itself, violen t crime, has re main ed th e
from the weapons, rubber weapo ns. It to. They kn ew that we were ra n - same, according to Bureau of.Justi ce
made it a littl e m o re co mpl ica te d so m a b le, but th ey we r e coo l. Th e statistics, or is actua lly decli ning."
because we n eeded to usc more stunt ga ngs-o n e Sp a nish , one Black"But is it th e media creating tJ1e

32

PRISON LIFE

fear of crim e, or is it th e media covering wh at t h e p oli ti cia n s i n
Wash ington are pushi ng- th e ir agenda?" I said. "On ce we lost the Evil
Empi re as a n en e my, they n eed ed a
r ep la ce m e nt, so m e b ogey man to
kee p th e public in fear and get out
the vo te. Crime, prisone rs, prisonsit's a natural. ' Le t's pic k o n th e m .
They can't vote. 1 o bod y gives a ·hit
about th em.' To get e lected. to get ree lected , they were in a fre nzy to see
wh o co uld p ass the toughest laws.
'Th ree st rikes, you ' re o ut,' a nd a ll
that crap. The medi a picks up o n this.
The media covers it. "
"1 o, I think th e m ed ia c rea ted
this monster beca use they mad e a lot
o f money selling crime shows during
th e '70s and '80s. It's abo ut money.
T hey crea ted th e concept of the bad
g uy a nd th ey terro ri zed th e public
with it. The lo cal n ews is now taking
over. Eve rywhe re I go, th e local ne ws
is u·acking a crim e a round the clock.
Th e average g uy stays a t h ome, the
passive consumer watches TV and he
d oesn ' t want to go out to the supermarket, he wants to stay home and
wa tch the bad guys o n TV, which is
te rrifying. He like it, he wan ts to see
th e vio le nce. But h e doesn ' t want it
d o n e to him . Therefo re, yo u h ave a
more passive and consum erist society.
U ltimate ly, th ey don ' t wa nt yo u to
leave your h o use. You ca n sh o p on
Ba r ry Diller's H ome Sh op ping 1 etwork. You can call everything in . Yo u
can give them your credit card number for th e u nde rta ke r. You keep socie ty at bay-it's a r e pressed soc ie ty
and it's a fear-ridden socie ty. No o n e
think s for th e mse lves , t h ey can ' t
think through the mi asma of images
of crime a nd fear and danger."
"Cert.-'1in ly Natural Bom Killers has

been criticized fo r its attack upon the
media," I said. "But I have to tell you, I
didn ' t see it that way. To me, the movie
was really about the culture of viole nce,
th e idea that viole nce begets vio lence.
Ours has always been a viole m society.
We' re a nation founded upon viole nce.
The murder of the Indian in the mm~e
was for m e a metaphor of Am e rica
destroying its he ritage by annihi lating
ou r ind ige n o u s peo ple. You h ave
Mickey coming in and d ropping forty
pounds of red mea t in th e middle of
the Ooor, Rodney Dangerfield g roping
hi s daug hte r . By th e wa y, that
seque nce in the film , the bizarre, overthe-top, sit-<:o m parod)' with Rodney as
the lecherous o ld man was ab olutely
amazing. But what I think the movie's
sa0 ng is: Violence begets violence. This
is my whole spiel. You want to create a
class of supe r-crim inals, peop le wh o
have no feelings? Treat the m like animals, and that's how they ''~ II behave. I
d idn' t see your movie as an indictment
of the media so much as an indicunent
of the culture of violence."

Sto ne n ash ed me his e ngaging
gap-toothed g rin. He took o ut a pen
a nd b egan sc ribb ling notes. "vVh ere
th e h e ll we r e you wh e n I n ee d ed
you?" he asked and laughed. "I think
you 've said it better than I have in all
my ime1views. I wish I'd talked to you
before th e movie came ou t. I think
you've summ ed it up in a way that
I've bee n struggling to say. The film
works on a level which is so ha rd fo r
peo ple to get. It's a harsh fi lm. It's a
savage film. Peo ple say they like it o r
they d o n't like it. I say that it's in·elevant if you like it o r don ' t like it-it's:
Did yo u ge t it or didn ' t yo u ? It's
b eyo nd whethe r yo u liked it. Wh o
likes this? You can ' t say you li ke this
kind of cultu re. It's a crazy cul ture.
It's a culture gone to hell. "
A few weeks afte r the inte n~ e w, I
rented Heaven and Em·th (1 993), th e
third-with Platoon and Born on th e
Fourth ofjuly- in Stone's Vietnam u·ilogy. I wanted to round out his oeuvre,
get the full sense of where he's been
and ponder where he mig h t be going.
I watched the film alone late a t night,
the n went to bed to dream o n it.
Stone conu·asts the beauty of pastoral Vie tn am, th e wisdom of its simple, indomitable people, with suburba n Ame r ica, sweet la nd of TV an d
obesity. The film is about karm a, soul
debt, as Buddhists call it. Ultima te
jus ti ce. The p ai n and h o r ror yo u
inflict upon othe rs will come back to
you. H is fi lms a re seditious. I wonder
if th ey will allow Natural Born Killers to
be s h ow n in pri so n. It sh o u ld b e
re quired viewing in Washington . The
riot seque nce is your wake-up call. In
the n a tio n 's priso ns, Ston e's nig h tm arish , paranoid vision of Am e ri ca
PL
h as become reality.
Left nnrl Above: T wo stills from the 1·iot
scene in Nawral Born Ki llers.
PRISON LIFE 33

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LOOK.E.E: HERE:, C.ONV\
'I'\JE.. G:,OT SOMETHING
THAT'LL INTEREST YOU.
34

PRISON LIFE

AND "rON IC:.HT

SHE' S GONNA

BE WITH ME.

PRISON LIFE

35

by Karen Cantrell
h en Prison L ife a nn ounced
its fi rst an nu a l Art Be hind
Ba rs Co ntes t la s t J une, we
had no ide a wha t to expect. vVe kn ew
th e re was a lo t o f tal e nt be hind bars,
but th e response we go t was mind
blowing.
By th e Decem be r 15 deadline , we
had accumulate d over I ,000 poems,
200 essays, 200 s h o rt sto ri es, 125
wo t-k of vis u a l a n , a n d 25 drama
entrie ·. Enoug h work to fill an office.
Poetry a lone grew in to fou r stacks
each the size o f a sma ll ch ild.
T o cele brate th e g rea t respo nse,
we d ecided to throw a pan y a t Art In
Gene ra l, a n ot-fo r-profi t 1 ew York
ga ll e ry, o n December 19. Ex-cons
fro m Cate ri ng With Convicti o n-pan
of Fresh Stan , a n orga nizati on dedicated to h e lpin g ex-offende rs find
work o n th e o utside-provid ed th e
food a nd drink.
After th e ma il a rri ve d on
Dece mber 15, the edi t oria l s taff
pull ed o ut the visual e ntries and started j udging . We disc ussed and conside red, argued and lo bbied for the wi nn ers . A ra nge or t hemes an d forms
e me rged: impri o nmen t, ce nsorship ,
na ked wome n , wi ld animals, ta ttoos,
g raffiti, a nd ma ke-d o an.
O n th e clay o f th e party, S te ve
Las h ley, o ur ass is tant art direc tor ,
a nd I spe nt th ree h o urs ha nging th e
artwork am id mo re arg uing an d lo bbying. I a rg ue d for hanging th e show
thematically. Stc,·e lobbied fo r visual
stre ng th , some thing about the room's

W

36

PRISON LIFE

ax is a nd hang ing the larger, d a r ke r
works so that th ey would a tu·act peop le towat·d the sm all er , lig h ter drawin g . We climbed ladde rs, measured
the walls, th e wo rks a nd each o ther
unti l we could agree o n ho w the show
sh o uld look.
Ove r o ne h und red people attended th e show. We passed o ut ba llots to
everyone as they stepped o rr the elevator a nd aske d the m to choose the ir
to p three favorites. I feel safe in sayin g that the best artists wo n a nd th e
honorable me ntions will n o t be left
be h ind. We plan to use many o f the
en tries in u pcomi ng issues.
For wee ks b e fo re th e pa rty, we
evalu ate d th e writing s ubmi ss io n s.
T h e writing was so rte d into"good ,"
"pre tty good " an d "reject" piles.
Authors of th e r ejec te d piece
h a d th e ir wo rk re turn e d ( if the y
in c lud e d a SASE. ) A uth o rs o f th e
"pre tty goo d " r eceived a le u er of
e ncourageme n t fro m the editors.
We the n scaled the "good " down
to o ur first, seco nd and third place
winn e rs with several honorable me nti ons. Like th e visual e ntries, we plan
to spread o ut the good works through
seve ral issues.
If you a lready have ideas for next
year's contest, a wo rd to the wise fo r
vis u a l entries: D o n ' t wo r r y abou t
whethe r o r not your matc d a ls a rc to p
g rad e. Lun ch ack an, enve lope a n ,
handkerchief art, recycli ng whateve r
you can get yo ur ha nds on is a timehon o red prison tradition. One of o ur
s urpri ses was t h e d ea rth of thr e e

dim ensional works. Except for a pair
o f illustrated Ray Bans, the re were no
ca rved bars of soap, box co llectio ns,
popsickle stick sculptures, or tapestries
woven from u nraveled socks. Did you
keep th ese things fo r yourselves?
Fo r th e poe ts, we und e r ·ta n d
wh ere you' re com in g fro m . Love,
mothers, lover , time, prison , d reams
a nd praye rs were th e most comm on
the mes. Dozens of poe ms had "love"
i n t h e titl e: "L ov in g A Co nvic t ,"
"U n see n Love," "Love Is," "Love Is
Like,·· "Recipe for Love, " "So n g of
Love," even "Tasty Love." 'Time" was
th e seco nd fa vo rite titl e , alone or
"Loc ked in T ime," "Prison of T ime,"
and oth ers. Titles like with "Prison "
a nd "Priso n er" competed with "My
Sm a ll Dark Ce ll ," "W hite Wa lls,"
"Prison Walls,"' "Locked In A Box," e tc.
Fi c ti o n entries we r e prcuy
d iverse, a ltho ugh we had to draw the
line at the racist, para no id a nd o th erwise unbe lievable e nu·ies. But don ' t
think we' re pansies. We like a li ttle
d r ugs and sex a nd rock' n ' rollto spice
up th e stori es as ne cessa r y a n d we
ap prec ia te upbeat, co ping sli ces o f
pri son life.
1 o nfi c t io n wr ite rs n a tur al ly
fo cused o n problems with the sy te m
a nd re ha bili tatio n.
A big tha nks to all of you fo r making P1iwn Life's li rst Art Be hind Bars
Conte t uch a g rea t success!

First Place
Aldo Saul Garrido
CA State Prison, Norco
"Untitled"*
Second Place
Enrique Ortiz
Algoa Correctional, MO
"Facets"*
Third Place
Paul Mulryan
Lucasville
"Untitled"*
HONORABLE
MENTIONS
Douglas Berg
Eastern Correctionat MD
"Free at Last"*
Janet Dolber
Alderson Correctional, WV
"Halls of Justice"*

* mnning in this issue.
(Below) Art 's 2nd Place winner

Janet Galloway
FPC Carswell, TX
"Tiger"
James Gooda ll
Allen Correctional, OH
"John H enry"
Joseph Hernandez
Green Haven, NY
" You thicide"
Kenneth Huskey
CA Sta te Prison, San Obisco
"First Storm"
H. Loible
Pelican Bay, CA
"Lunch Sack Art"
Thomas Lujan
AZ Sta te Prison
"Face in Cage"*
Robert Madaus
Ozark Correction al, MO
"Sunglasses"
Joaquin Maus
Limon Correctional, CO
"Nude"*
John N ilsen
Pelican Bay, CA
"Mama Tried"*

Scott Prado
NHSP, NH
"Untitled"*
Ty Rekshynski
Iowa State Prison
"Untitled"
Mark Smith
LA State Prison
"Beyond Reach"*
C. Thompson
USP Terre Haute, IN
"Untitled "*
Sergiio Voii
Shawangunk Correctional, NY
"Censored"*

First Place
Chester Cornman
Missouri East Correctional
"The Shot"*
Second Place
Benton Murray
F.S. Correctional, GA
"Lenny's Catch"*
Third Place (tie)
David-Michael Harding,
Clinton Correctional, NY
"The Cats of Savone"
C.W. Pyle
CA State Prison, Represa
"Surrendering of Spirits"

Second Place
Patrick Nolan
CA State Prison, Represa
"Inside Reasoning"
Third Place
Derrick Corley
Shawangunk Correctional, NY
"Disciplinary Hearing"
HONORABLE MENTIONS

Jesse Campos
CA State Prison, Crescent City,
"And Justice For All"
Lance E. Fleming
New Folsom Prison, CA
"The Tao of Darkness"
David Wood
Baker Correctional, FL
"Chowhall Blues"

HONORABLE MENTIONS

J.C. Amberchele
Canon City, CO
"Bedbugger"
Randall Cole
Tiptonville, TN
"A Learning Experience"
Alex Friedman
CCA/SCCC, Clifton, TN
"The Information Man"
Sam McBride
CMF, Vacaville, CA
"Frog's Song"
Joseph Raymond Pulliam
CA State Prison, Represa, CA
"Weekend '}ass' Ensemble"

~

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Jackson Stahlkuppe
Dooly Correctional, GA
"Please Don't Squeeze the
Trigger, Charmaine"

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First Place
t
Precious Bedell
~ Bedford Hills Correctional, NY
~
"Pieces"

Second Place (tie)
Nathaniel Hardy
Orient Correctional, OH
"The Making of a Criminal"
Jorge Antonio Renaud,
Robertson, TX
"Poets in Prison"

Third Place
Greg Waleski
Arizona State Prison
"Honor is Everything"
HONORABLE MENTIONS

Marc "Baruti" Bell
Dixon P rison, IL
"Cold, but True"

First Place
Ismael G. Santillanes
N orthem NV Correctional
"The Visit"*
Second Place
Pam Golinveaux
ICIW, IN
"Underground Clouds"
Third Place
Jorge Antonio Renaud
Robertson Unit, TX
"This Time, This Time"
HONORABLE M ENTIONS

~

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First Place
Gregory J. McMaster
MCF, Stillwater, MN
"The Prison Toilet"*

James Griffin
Atascadero Sta te Prison, CA
"Scream"
Jackson Stahlkuppe
Dooly Correctional, GA
"Dear Eve"

E. Todd Evanoff
Central Utah Correctional
"Down But Not Out!"
Lance E. Fleming
New Folsom Prison, CA
"Yoga and Me"
Daniel L. Gorton
New Hampshire Sta te Prison
"A New Hysteria?"
Patrick Middleton, Ph.D.
State Correctional, PA
"The Autobiography of an
American Criminal"
Shep
WA Sta te Pen, Walla Walla
"A Pretense of Poverty's
Defense"
John Kline Towner, III
Huntsville, TX
"Not Less than Life"
Charles Young
USP Terre Haute, IN
"Is the Crime Worth the Time?''

£

PRISON LIFE

39

The
Prison
Toilet
J.

by Gregory McMaster
MCF, Stillwater, MN
os t peo ple don ' t g ive a second th o u g ht to prisons
un less, o f course, th ey a re in
o ne, have a friend o r fami ly me mbe r
serving time, o r wo r k in the g rowth
business known as the inca rcera ti o n
o f Ame ri ca. Even th ose o f us wh o
break o ur daily bread and wrestl e our
sleepless ni g hts away within th ese
cages g ive li ttle thoug ht to the s u~j ec t
of this story: the prison to ilet.
De pen d ing o n how ma ny diffe re rn prisons a nd j a ils a man has see n,
he may have come aero s a wide va riety of toilets. The re are th e standa rd
porcelain toil ets, but these a rc often
round instead of oval a nd a re built
far stu rd ie r than th e ave rage h o usehold mode L Stainl ess steel toile ts are
th e mos t common becau se, un like
the po rcelain mod e ls, they can no t be
broke n into pieces and can be bolted
and faste n ed d own mo re securely.
Stainless ste el mode ls include the
to ile t-sink combinat ion unit sim ilar to
that which is commonly fou nd in the
wa shro o m of a c h a rte re d bus. In
so me cases a porce lai n o r sta in less
steel to i!ct is blocked in by ce me n t. A
form is mad e a ro und th e toile t a nd
the ce me nt is poured, leaving nothing visible other than the ve r)' top o f
the toile t and the actual toilet bo wL
If a man is unfo rtunate e nough to
have bee n in a padded ccll, strip ce!l
o r some oth er variatio n o f a n isola tio n
ce!l, he may have co me ac ross th e eve r
popular pipe, wh ich is no th ing more
tha n a ho le in the lloor a bo ut four to
six inches in d ia m e te r. Good luck
u ing th at. For those m e n who have
been in a riot o r lived in a facility during th e a fterma th of a rio t, thC)1 have
probably used the plastic threc-ga!lon
po uy bucket, wh ic h is sim ilar to wha t
fam ilies take on ca mping trips except
the re's no p lace to clump it.
T ypi cally, wa te r rese rvo ir tanks
a rc not built on the back of the toile ts, a nd oth e r th an th e tempora ry
po uy bucke t, non e o f th e m wi!l have
to ilet scat lid s o r cove rs. At least priso ne rs ca n ' t be accused o f not lift ing
up or putting down th e scat.

M

40

PRISON LIFE

The priso n to ile t se rves a wide
varie ty of uses othe r than fo r the obvio us bodily functio ns. So me uses wi ll
shoc k the public's senses; o thers wi!l
catc h eve n the m os t h a rde n ed co nvicts by surprise.
Alth ough it's an e normous waste
of' wate r, most prisone rs usc the ir toile ts as a u·ash can for unwanted food,
to rn-up le tters, ca ndy wrappe rs, tissue
pape r , c iga rette bu tts, e tc. l f someth ing fi ts o r can be made to fit, it usua!!y ends up getting ll ushed.
The prison to ile t is a lmost always
the o nlr c hair in a ma n 's ce!l (oth e r
tha n his bed) a nd is o fle n used as

such by h im o r a visiti ng g uest. Many
priso ne rs p refe r siuing o n th e ir toilets whi!c ha nd lin g co ntraban d in
c a se the re's a surp r ise vis it fro m a
guard. rr need be, they can instantly
£lush th e items in qu esti o n . In m os t
cases, th e g ua rd is going to look tl1 e
other way si mply because you arc o n
th e toile t. The visual effect of having
yo ur pa nts down arou nd yo ur ankles
always hc!ps.
Many me n fee l t h e toi le t i · th e
m os t co mfortab le re adin g s pot i n
th eir cell , and mo re th an a few have
used it as a masturbation sea t whil e
loo kin g at so m e gi rl ie m agaz in e. A

"Untitlnl, ··by C. Th omjJson from U.S.P. Trn-e Ha ute, IN.

game board , such as for c hess, or any
suitabl e flat surface ca n turn a toi let
into an all-aro und work be nch. It's a
ste pping stool to the higher recesses
of a cell a nd a workout d evice for
th o ·e wh o are athl e ti cally incli n ed.
Many prison cells have no mirrors
or r e fl ective s urfaces in them.
Inte nti onal or not, a nd de pending on
how ma ny h ours a day are spe nt co nfi ned to the cell, a ma n could begin
to expe ri e n ce senso ry depr iva ti o n.
Not seeing u·ees, anima ls o r automobi les is o ne thing, but n eve r seeing
yo urself is anoth e r. The man in solita ry co nfin e m ent qui c kl y discove rs
th a t h e can see himself re fl ecte d in
his to ile t wate r. Just as a child peers
into a still po nd, a d esolate p risone r
can look into th e to il et bowl a nd
ide ntify wi th himself again.
For reasons unknown to me, priso ners spit wiLh an abnorm a l freque ncy. Wh ile pacing back and fo rth in a
sma ll cage, th e toile t makes a pe rfect
spittoon.
ince our a ncestors lived in caves,
man h as a lways fo und creati ve uses
fo r fire. Priso n ers arc no different.
Th e r im of th e sta inles steel bowl
makes a n excellen t fireplace with a ll
o f th e re mna nts being flushed at th e
e ncl . Ass istin g in the fi replace c once pt is the fact that most cells come
e quipped with a bui lt-in a ir ve n t on
th e wa ll be hi nd th e toi le t or in th e
ceiling above it.
The to ilet ca n a lso be used as a
re fri gerato r o r ice che t. On a hot,
swelte ring clay, fresh toile t water can
be quite a bit coole r th an th e o utside
a ir. A ca n o n of milk o r a boule o f
soda can be easily c hill ed. Some priso n s h ave ice m achines in the c e ll
blocks, usually pa id fo r by th e priso ners th e mselves. A ho m e made lid of
a lmost a ny kind turn s a toile t into a
pe rfect ice chest.
Whe th e r it's lo ng-term seg regatio n , iso latio n or a ge n e ra l prison
loc k-d ow n , th e re co m es th e tim e
when most prison ers fi nd the mselves
co nfined to the ir cells fo r days and
even wee ks at a tim e . These in-cell
con finement pe ri ods a r e usua ll y
acco mpa ni e d by a lack of clo thin g
exchanges or laund ry service. Yes, sir,
ladies a nd ge ntl e me n , thi is whe re
the to il e t bowl beco m es a was hin g
machin e. Usc a li LLie sh a m poo fo r
soap , and socks and unde rwear ca n
be scrubbed up real nice.
If a man can get hold of some inks
or dyes, he can usc the toilet bowl as a
soaking tub to change the color of his
clotl1es. T he same principle a lso applies
for bleaching clothes and pre-soa king.

Sitting back o n the bed with some
crumpl ed u p balls of pa pe r, the to ilet
sudde nly becomes a basketball hoop.
"He shoots and he scores!" At tim es
the priso n toile t becomes th e a ll-purpose recreation ce nte r.
So far, tl1e lighte r side of tl1e prison
toil et a nd iLS mu ltiple uses has been discussed . 1 ow it's tim e to di sc uss th e
darker side. Prisons always have a darker side, and so do the ir toileLS.
During a pr·ison riot, a toile t can
lite ra lly save a ma n 's life. RioLS mean
fi r e a n d p r iso n fir es me a n tox ic
smo ke. There are a lso the multi lUde
o f gasses that a re used to qu e ll th e
ri ot. By itself, e ithe r th e smoke o r the
gas can make bre ath ing d iffi c ult.
Together, th e two can form a deadly
combin atio n . Little known to m ost
prisoners is th e fac t that ever)' time a
toile t is flushed , fresh air comes in to
th e bowl. By covering yo ur head with
a bla nke t o r towe l a nd placing your

"The man
in solitary
confinement
quickly discovers
that he can see
himself reflected
in his toilet
water."
h ead in th e to il et bowl , yo u ca n
receive a blast of fresh ai r eve r)' Lime
you flush.
Most people wo ulcln ' t conside r a
to ile t to be a te leph o n e, but th a t's
exacLiy wha t prisone rs use the m for in
cases o f e m e rge n cy or whe n o th e r
fo rms o f co mmuni cati o n a re thwa rteel. Plumbin g pipe s are basica ll y
e mpt}' exce pt fo r when a to ile t h as
b een fl ushed . T h e on ly ta n di n g
wate r in th e sys te m is in th e to il et
bowl. Mos t o f thi s wate r ca n be
scoo p e d o ut wi th a b owl o r c up.
1 aw ra ll y, bo th parties wh o wish to
communicate must re move th e water
from th e ir bowls. Once this ha bee n
acco mpli sh e d , a di r ect li n e ex is ts
through th e pipes a nd vo ices co me
th rough with a mazi ng clarity.
If using the toi let as a telep ho ne
is a bit stra nge, th e n "going fishin g" is
total ly b izarre . De pe ndin g o n h o w

isola ted a man is a nd what his needs
are, his toilet bowl a nd Lhe connecting p lum bing ca n be his life l in e.
Whatever ca n fit throug h the pipes
can be passed through th e pipes with
surpri sing case.
As commonly portrayed in priso n
movies, the c urve in the pipe of the
toilet bowl is frequently used as a hiding spot for co n traband.
If a man uses his toilet as a comm u nication a nd transportation highway, you can bet Ll1a t he keeps it not
on ly clea n, but in most cases immacula te. Th e rest of his cell m ight be a
shambles, but a ma n 's to ile t can li tera ll y shin e . Upon m ovi ng into a new
cell, he wi ll thor o ug hl y sc rub it
before using it for even basic bodily
functio n s. De pendi ng on the prisone r , h is to ile t m ay be c lea n e r th an
those found in the finest hote ls o r in
th e h o m es o f the m os t fastidi o u s
ho usewives.
A man can be very protective a nd
possessive o f his to ilet. He m ay be
emertain ing a visito r from th e othe r
end of the cellblock who n eeds to urina te. "Well, tl1a t's just too da m n bad,
a nd you h ad beuer start walki ng now
because you' re not using m ine," he'll
probab ly say. Some pri so n e r s will
ac tu ally ki ll a nd die for each o th er,
but never o nce sha re the ir toileLS.
While visiting a noth e r prisoner's
cell, a ma n will give the to ile t a visua l
once-over before using it as a cha ir.
Th e occ u pa nt of the ce ll may even
o ffe r th e visitor his bed as a seat whil e
he sits o n the toilet. Or, th e visitor
migh t just be told to stand. If out visiting and a n individual is grossed-o ut
by a d irty toi le t, he will suggest tl1at it
be cleaned. He may even volumecr to
d o it himself. !a ny prisoners discourage visito rs in what they co nsider to
be their p rivate domai n , thus avoiding con fro ntati ons of th is nature.
Living in a sma ll cage is one tl1i ng.
Living in a sma ll cage with a toile t as a
co nstant com pan io n is ano th e r. For
tl10se prisoners who spend most, if not
all, of their days confined to the ir cells,
having a toilet for a roomma te creates
certain d ifficulties.
The average prison cell is set up
with o pen faced bars on the fron t, the
bed ru n ni ng clown th e length o r a
sid e wall, wi th th e toile t on the back
wall. Due to th e narrowness of th e cell
and the extreme ly limi ted floor pace,
the toilet is usually within twelve inches o f the bed , wh ich is abou t three
in ches hig h e r th a n the toilet. Many
me n ch oose to sleep witl1 thei r heads
towards the back of th e cell. T h is is
do n e fo r r easo n s of pr ivacy, t h e
PRISON LIFE

41

reduced n o ise a t th e rea r of a ce ll ,
and feelings of safety. Unfo rtu nate ly,
slee ping in this p os it io n res u lts in
slee p ing right next to the to ile t. It's a
m a n 's las t vi io n at n ig ht befo r e
falling o ff to slee p and the first th ing
he sees in the morning. It's as if e \·e•1'
single morning he is wa king up from
th e wo rst drunk of h is life with h is
head nex t to th e toilet bowl.
Whe n eaLing in his cell, a p risoner
is fo rced to e ithe r use th e toile t as his
seat wh ile he eaLS, or he can sit o n his
bed with th e toile t in plain view as he
e nj oys h is c ui sin e . T h e re 's n o way

around it. With every single meal, the
to ile t re mind s him that he is in prison.
Priso n to ile ts o ffe r n o p ri vacy
whaLSoevcr. Wh ile siu ing o n the toile t,
a man is in clear vie w of a nyone walking by h is cell. This most imperso nal
inu·usio n takes so me ge lling used to,
especia lly wh en fe male gu ard s work in
th e a rea. It is a maz ing h o w a bas ic
bod ily fun ction and the usc of a toile t
ca n promo te im cnsc feelings of rage,
hum il iatio n and ind ig n a t io n. T h e
prison toile t becomes a n une xpected
c h alle nge to a m a n 's c harac te r a nd
sense of dece ncy.

H onornblf' J\ll rnl ion: ''i'vlnma T ried,·· by.fohu Nilsm, Pf'limn Boy, CA.
42

PRISON LIFE

Even if no o ne sees, more than a
few peo ple know whe n a man i using
his to ile t. o so un d goes unheard .
The sma ll cells se rve as ec ho chambe rs a nd carry th e no i es of urina tion
a nd d efecatio n to all. vVhc n th e toile t
is flu shed , d a m n n ea r ha lf the cell
bloc k will h ea r it. Due to th e h ig h
wa te r pressure a n d subseque m level
of n o ise, the re is a n unwritte n r u le
am o ng in ma1es in man y priso ns: no
flu sh ing a fte r mi d n ig ht. A b iza rre
se nse o f comm o n courtesy t ha t o n ly
PL
priso n cou ld fos te r.

''"'"'
••
,,, ,f\Ml
The Visit
by Ismael G. Santillanes

For six hours
we played cards and made
small talk about
the way things
used to be
how little Emma
has found a man
she thinks will care
howP.apa
with Ins heavy arm
wrat>Ped around Henry's neck
had lo hold him
while mom called the cops
Henry lost his mind
again in a cloud
sin-semilla and PCP
and even though we
tried to focus
on the cards we held
we'd catch a glimpse
of each other's eyes
tried to smile
like strangers
so our good-byes
wouldn't hurt too much
then some blur
with green pants and a bad,e,-e
1ellect:-- like slow motion hafe
"Time's up.'"
and we forgot what
we were sayzng
zombied our way
to the red line
where her world starts
and mine ends
and I realized I
was once u mbilicalled
to her
my mother
my life blood
PRISON LIFE

43

h e n I was co min ' up in
Ch icago, ga ngbanging meant
hanging ou t wi th the homey , p aypainti ng your set here a nd
the re, maybe sell in ' weed to ma ke a li ttle mo ney. Yea h , gang vio le nce ha ppen ed, but most o f it was don e with
fi sts or bats . Dri ve- by's, Uz is an d
9 mm 's were unh ea rd o r. Eve n co mmon handguns we re rare.
The n crack e nte re d the picture.
Wi th in te n years, local t u r f a nd
priso n ga n g h ad o r ga n ize d into
nati onal syndicates. In the early '80s,
wh o h ad eve r h ea r d o f C ri ps a nd
131 ood s? Mos t p eo pl e th o ug h t th e
44

PRISON LIFE

La tin Kin gs were a m a ri achi ba nd ,
and the Disciples, a re lig io us sect.
o wadays, you can ' t turn o n the
tu be or read the pape r wi th o ut hea ri ng so m e t hin g abo ut ga n gs.
EveJ)'thi ng eems to be gang-relate d:
prison riots, rap mu sic , ca1jac kings,
d ri vc-bys, g ra ffiti , Sox a n d Ra ide rs
sports gear.
With th e war on drugs a nd the
d isin tegra ti o n o f u rba n co nditi o n s,
we have seen Ame ri ca's ga ng population ex plode. With th e crackd own o n
crime , h undreds of street ga ngs have
h ad t he ir p ower bases re located to
priso ns. Oth e r ga ngs, started be hind

bars, have sp illed over to th e streets.
\"' he re th e recruiting takes place
is inco nsequ e ntia l. The fac t of th e
ma tte r is too man y kids arc join ing
ga ngs, o nly to ge t buste d a nd go Lo
priso n. And p ri sons a re pro vin g to be
no th ing but tra ining g ro unds-gradua te school · for gang bangers.
Beh ind ba rs, ' ha n gers fro m th e
str ee ts simpl y ca rry o n th e ir fi g h t.
Those who wouldn 't othenvise join a
gang are forced to do o in o rder to
urvive th e h a rsh wo rl d o f p ri on.
T he vio le nce con tinues.
The m e di a an d pu b l ic h ave
picked u p on th e vio le nt ga ng sce ne.

T h e cops, now seein g eve ryth ing as
"gang-re la te d ," h ave waged wa r o n
ga ngs. The resul t is m o re barri e rs
b etween cops a n d G's, a n d m o re
'bangers beh ind bars.
It is critical tha t society has a be tte r u nd e rstanding of gangs.
T he pu rpose of this article is not
to an a lyze ga ng ba nge rs. We' re n o t
go in g to bo re you with meaning less
o r hyp ed-up statisti cs. Yo u will, howeve r , hear from gang b a n gers t h e mselves why they join gangs a n d what
they a rc abou t.
Prison Life invited gang me mbe rs
to speak to us about wha t was on th e ir

m ind s. H ow d o th ey wa nt t o b e
known? Wha t are they fig h ti ng for, or
against? O ur e nd of t he d eal was to
pu bl ish th e ir stories- u n ce n sor e d ,
u ncut, unbi ased .
Th e voices in this issue a nd th e
n ex t d o n ot n ecessari ly re Oec t th e
creed s o f t he ir respective ga ngs. They
a re m o re a coll e c ti on o f ind ividua l
vo ices ex press in g th e ir co n ce rn s,
experien ces an d observations with ou t
the fea r of h ow the pu blic will react.
In t h is iss u e, we featu re ga n gs
fro m th e Midwest (th ose o riginating
in Ch icago) a nd gangs from the East
Coast. In the next issue, we'll highligh t

Texas a nd Cal i-based o rganizatio ns.
Fo rget what the media has a lready
said . Forget what the cops and correctio ns people say. Sit back and listen to
the real deal, straigh t from those who
know from ex pe rie nce.

Ch1·is Cozzone
Executive t.ailor
Top li!fl: Vice Lords hanging out in
Ht~mboldt Parlt, Chicago.
TofJ 1-ight: A prisoner at Rahwa)' signs
his set.

Photos by Chris Cozzone
PRISON LIFE

45

IN THE MIND OF A

TRUE DISCIPLE
by Laron Douglas, a.k.a. Scoobie G,
Gangster Disciples,
Ohio Correctional Facility

arc many inciden ts in wh ich
the oppositio n tries to infiltra te o ur bu sin ess. Even
though we ain ' t practicing
that ga n gba n gi n ' trip n o
more, we haven ' l forgotten
how to war.
No w we're teac hin g
knowledge a nd money as the
keys to success. I see brothaz
all the tim e co min ' to th e
~~-:::.=::;;::.!:=,n joint ~~th that 'bangin' mental ity. I U')' to teach the m to
get wise. Money is what's
going o n. Being in the j oint
ain 't cool for a real ga ngsta,
Brotha, I str-uggle.
a real gangsta is out on the stree ts
making millions, buyi ng up businesst's been fo w· years since I was last es in the community to h e lp up lift
on Lhe streets in my everyday uni- o ur na tion. I try to show t hese guys
form : a b lack sweatshirt with a reality a nd make th em more aware so
lo ng blueT-shirt up under it, a black th at in th e future, th ey won't make
leather tweed belt turned to the rig ht the same mistake.
We arc also tl')'ing to he lp edu~'~th my all-black, hard leg Levis sagg in ' to pe rfection, a black Pro-Model ca te others o n a ll th e negativity
cap, also wrned deep to the right, a aga in s t ga n gs- and I spea k o n ly
turkish gold rope and a beautiful six- abo ut the Gan gsta Disciples, 'cause
po inted star on my rig h t index Cin- tha t's wha t I am and will always be.
ger. This is what it was to be a memThe Gangsta Disciple 1 atio n is
ber of the glod ous Gangster Disciple not a gang but a n organ ization. I've
ation on the streets.
been part of tJ1is glorious na t.i on since
O rga nizatio ns in th e streets are '84. l'm from Cleveland, Ohio, but in
worse t.han in the joint. There is easy Clevela nd, Disciples are th e m~j ority.
access to arti lle ry a nd explosives, but I'vc lost a lot of brothaz in th is nation
being in a nation doesn't make on e a due to ga ngbanging. 1 don't associate
criminal. It just shows one how to be with nobody outside of m)' nation.
more productive. If a brother is not
Being in this g lorio us o rga nizawilling to die for any particular cause, tion has taught me a lot. I g rew up
the n that brother is lost.
without a father a nd I turned to my
r was brough t up in this glorious Disciple brothaz fo r love. They knew
natio n to help all my brothers grow exactly h ow to treat a brotha a nd
a n d reach th e ir ful lest potential. were always th e r e for me, thro ug h
Kickin' it on o ne of our strips called thick and thin.
th e Graveyard, this u·ip is a mu lti-milI came to the joint for a ga nglion dollar industry-nuthin ' but re la ted murder I did not do. The
drug sales, 24 hours a day. We make police said I was shooti n' at a riva l
a ll the money we ca n to up lift our ga n g me mber (Vice Lo rd s), th at I
glo ri o us nation, and a lo t of mem- missed him a nd killed someone else.
bers a re meeting their quotas.
The police stuck that bullshit on me,
But do n't get me wrong. The re but my Disciple brothaz have hired

I

46

PRISON LIFE

me a good lawyer and investigato r.
Things are looking good so hopefully
I'll be up a nd ou t of prison before
you know it.
vVhe n I was young, it was cool to
' bang. But it got our nation n owh ere.
Now I'm olde r an d sman e r a nd more
aware. The dope game is a way to ge t
quick m oney, an d th e brothaz see
this, yo u kn ow, living in the ghetto.
They don't have too much , and selling d ope g ives th e m th e c hance to
h ave the finer things in life. See,
some brolhaz o nly know how to hustle, which is good , but th e brothaz
with Lhe great minds, we need the m
in school and college so we can own
more businesses a nd become more
productive in society. We do appreciate legi t professions, but livi ng in the
g hetto is hard so we got to start somewhere and move up.
I know that here Lhe love is thick
a nd strong, a nd a ll my brothaz is
going to keep it real wit.h me no ma tter whaL. r go t a lot o f a nimosity
towa rd the opposition 'cause they
took ple n ty o f my brothaz away. ['ve
rook some, too, but th e ' bangin ' shit
got old and I got tired o f visiting my
bl'Othaz in coffins, throw ing a sixpo in t st.ar over the d ead body, sheddin ' tears, then go in g b ack to th e
Gr aveyard (our strip) and gelling
drunk, rem in iscing about the brotha.
Then a cold rage wou ld co me ove r
me, a nd I'd throw my bod y up for
reve n ge. We'd all stra p up and go
into e nemy territory a nd take care of
so me of them. But now I'm tired of
that. Shit, tha t's why I fee l tha t th e
prese rvatio n of my nation depends
on true bro th az who want a change.

Top Left: "/ was born a Gangster DisriplP,"
saysj o-j o of the G/D Nation in Chicago.
Other Page: Gang graffiti in j o-j o's 'hood.

G's GIRL: GET A GRIP
by Michele Flanagan
My fian ce is curre ntly se rving a
te n - and a six-year se nte nc e at a
prison in I llin o is. H e i h eavi ly
involved in a white gang o rga nization
and his ran k is extre me ly hig h . From
visitin g him and ot h e r friends
th roughout the Illi no is prison system,
this is what I've no ticed.
With all th ese ind ividua ls be ing
Cau casian , it has been necessary for
some of these men to do wha t th ey call
"hook up" with various wh ite organizations. This is because the ratio of black
inmates to wh ite is about 50 to I .
I am no t a racist, but I ca n understa nd th e need and desire for· th ese
indi vid ua ls to b eco me in vo lved fo r
reaso n s o f pro tec tio n a nd safe ty in
numbe rs. I also sec th ey have a trong
need for brotherhood and friendship.
My point, however, is this: In the
Ill ino is penal syste m, most prison officials and guards are not accustomed
LO dea lin g with racial te nsion. The
result is chaos.
I a m fu lly aware th at ga ng activity
is fro wn ed upo n by the adm inistratio n, but ma ny people do not realize
the a mo unt of reve rse d iscrimin ation
occurring wi thin these pri ons.
O llicers allow th e b lack o rganizations to ru n a mu ck and break many
stringen t prison ru les because they' re
so fearfu l of wha t m ight h a ppe n to
the m if they d on't look the oth er way.
Meanwhile, they harass an d try to d isband th e whi te organ iza tions, punishing them for a ny slig h t infrac ti o n.
This, to me, is a blatant exa mp le of
reverse discrimination .
Too many people are unaware of
th is, and the o nes who are don ' t seem
to care, or th ey're simply too afraid to
spea k up.
I und e rstand th a t so me peop le
have th e attitude tha t o rganizations
such as these should not exist, but is
it fair to try to ban o n e race ·s activities and not a nother's, especiall y in
uch a dangerous environment?
Don't these office rs and gua rds
reali ze that they're no t o nly hurting
th emselves but all of us in th e long run?
Maybe it's time they sta rted thinking.
Le t 's j u st b e th a nkfu l that t h e
individuals within th ese organiza tio ns
a re inte llige nt, stron g, a nd industriO tt
eno u g h to work th eir away
a ro und these pansy-operated administration ·.

ed nesday nigh t, 8:30 p.m. Many of us soldiers were out that nightdrinking, sell ing dop e, shooting dice on t h e strip we call t he
Graveya rd , acti ng as if nobody would dare ste p to th e stro ngest
Disciple a tion in the city.
My brotha Snake pulls up in his triple-green '86 Blazer with deep dish
Daytons, pumpin' to the ou nds of "6 Feet Deep." He gets out, chirp his
alarm and comes walking across the street wearin' his b lack sweatshirt, white
lo ng T-shin up u nder it, black j eans saggi n '. When I sec my little duclc, a
sm ile comes to my face. Many of these nigh ts he's dodged death by the skin
of his tee th. l see my little shony a nd clinch with h im, showing h im a ll the
love in the world.
I notice Snake's pockets is kinda b ig. "G, what up with ya?" I ask him .
Snilke tells me he's just jacked o rne fools for te n grand. Says he just got finished hitting the lick. '1n yo' truck?" I ask.
"Yeah , foo l. I ain't hid in ' fro m nobody. rviy name is Snake."
I say, "Yeah , cool."
We go in the back whe re th e rest of my brothaz are and we start drinking so me more. T he n a friend comes up an d asks me to sell him a 50. I say,
··cool-three for $50," so the lame gives me S40 and tries walking off real
fast. I' m already tipsy from drinki ng Eigh t-Ball so I ru n an d catch up with
th is fool. No questions asked, I pu nch him in his j aw a nd cold-knock hirn
out, ta ke my dope out his hand a nd go back to where my brothaz are.
We're a ll standjng around chi llin ' when all of a sudden, a reel Ford station wagon pulls up wi th the lig hts off. Automatic gunfire breaks loose. Our
su·ip is a one-way street, and on this particular nig ht a cou ple of my brotha7,
all drunk, h ad come up the wrong side of th e street, so the wagon is now
blocked. So me and my eludes run to the bush es, get our gats, and run down
the stree t to where the wagon is trapped.
We lig h t that wagon up! It pu lls up on the sidewalk. BAl'vl! It hits a lire
hyd rant and the fools get out runn ing. Vle're still tiring missiles at th ey ass
when I see Oashes: 5-0. We a ll retreat and h ide 'til the police leave. When
everything is finish ed , th e police tow the wagon away.
But my brothaz who came up the wrong side of Lhe su·eet have been
pulled over by the cops. Too d runk to run , th ey get caught wi th beer, some
elope, pages, a .357 Magnum a nd a .38 Snug. They're 16 so tl1eir pare n ts
have to come a nd get the m.
So Sn ake comes ove r to me and say , "Scoobie G, the m was th e fools l
jacked for th e $ 10,000." I te ll him it' all cool. Then o ne of my sh o rties
comes up and say a G got shot. I say, "Stop lying, fool," but he shows me a
hole in his leg and one in his arm. "Damn!" I say.
ow I go t to take my sho rty to th e hospita l so I get o n Snake's car
phone and call some mo re brothaz 'cause taking my shorty to Mt. Si nai hospital is moving into the heart of th e e n emy's territory, which they call "Th e
Promi eel Land."
A half-ho ur later, j eeps, Blazers a nd wagons pull up. I get al l my bro th a7
together and explain to them what's about to go down. I ask if evel)•bocly'

W

PRISON LIFE

47

CLAIMIN'

YouR

SET

SjJanish Cobras, a gang allied with the
FolliS from Humboldt Parll, Chicago,
sign their affiliation and stand b)' their
marlcings. TojJ: Plinass Die.
Below: Sh01ty signs her set. The "West
Side" 011 her T-shirt ·refers to the division ofHumboldt Par/c.- roughly the
PeojJle Alliance on the EelS/ Side, the
Folh Nation on the West Side. OjJposite
jHtge: Lillie, Li 'l Beans mulJ. B. stand
b)' their comer. "l\le're allietl with the
Gangster Disciples," saysj.B. "But/hal
don '1 mean we don 't shoot at 'em if
there's a jm-sonal beef 11te Kings
{ Ltllin Kings-PPople Nation/ are a
diffi•renl siOI)'. We're King Ki llers."
48

PRISON LIFE

strapped and sec p lenty of
weaponry. I tell them, "Folk ,
Shorty got popped so we need to
rush him to the hospital. Me and
seven brothaz will take him, and I
want a ca r parked outside th e
door. In ca e word gets to them
fool , I want a car circling th e
hospital ready to cut 'em down
before they reach us." Evcq' body
jumps in they rides and pulls ouL
Our car pulls up in front of
the eme rgency door at the hospital and eight brothaz get o ut a nd
take Shorty in. We walk up to the
lad y at the d esk and l te ll h e r,
"My dude got shot. He n eeds to
sec a doctor. " While the lady is
fumblin g wi th some p ape rs, I
look behind me in th e waiting
area a nd see si.x member of our
e n e m y. All m y bro th az loo k
around a nd stare so th e fools
stand up, they hats all to the left
a nd shit. l tell Shorty to go to the
car a nd tell the rest of the brothaz to come in .
So we a ll walk up to t hese
fools. I say, "What it be a bout?"
One fool says, "That 's the
la me t.h a t robbed us!" pointing at
Snake. I say, "H o ld on, C." O ne
of the fools say, "Do n ' t call me
C." Then I see o ne of th em run
out the hospital door. i'vly mind
thinks fast: We're in the midd le
of the ir little te rritory and he's
running to get more mu thafuckaz. I tell my bro tl1a Slo-Pace, "Co
get that fool. Run afte r him !"

Then l yell a number a nd hit Ll1e dude in
fro nt of me witl1 a nice
three piece o n the button, knockin ' him ou L
The r ecep ti o n lady
sta r ts screaming. Here
we a re in the middle of
the hospital eme rgency
room, rumblin ' ! Me
Snake
a re
a nd
wh oo pin ' thi s o n e
dude real bad. I pick
up a chai r and sla m it.
o n on his head. I loo k
a nd see my otl1a brothaz run in . "It ' s o n ,
now!" I Sa)'·
I h ear a "Watc h
o ut!" then see a ch air
flying through the air. I
U) ' to move out t.hc way
but. it ·u·ikes me in the
forehead. One of my folks picks
up o n e of the m fools and sla ms
him into th e candy machine. I
see my C, Polo, getting his head
beat. into th e ground so I run
over and kick the foe in the back,
kn oc kin ' him over, the n I kick
h im so me mo re. Polo ge ts up,
take o ut a little Boy Scout. knife
a nd sta rts sticki n g th e e nem y.
The duclc is screaming now, "Oh,
stop, no!"
Then l g lance up an d see
secu rity com ing. I h ear boom
boom boo m boom , so I h it the
n oor . I look up and my brotha
Slowp ace got his .44 Auto o ut
a nd he's ye llin', "Cittou t! Them
fools is on th ey way a nd it's a n
a rm y of ' em! " So I ye ll , "Le t' s
pull fo lks!" a nd we all run out
the hospital, jump into the cars
a nd race back to the Graveyard.
Wh e n we get b ack to o ur
strip, we're all laug hing, talking
a bo ut a ll the fun we h a d. We
drop S horty off at his mo m ' s
house. Everybody ta lks for a
minute, th en pu ll out after
show ing some love . Me and
nake go up to my house and lie
on the couches.
I say, "Bro , what made yo u
go into th e heart of those fools'
territor)' a nd rob 'e m?"
Snake te ll s me , "A r ea l
Disciple don't bar none. I don't
g ive a fuck. I'm from the
Graveyard. "
And I say, "You're rig ht, little
bro. " \IVc fall asleep.

My Family
by Lamont Brown,
a.k.a. L-Dogg, Gangster
Disciples, Green Bay C.F.,
Wisconsin

<:--:

ca n ' t say wh en I b eca m e a
Ga n gster Disci p le because I
was bo rn o n e, a nd I ' ll always
be o ne. Most bro th e rs ge t in a n organizatio n fo r protection , mo ney o r just
because th ey wa nt to be d own, bu t I
was bo rn o ne and they arc my fa mi ly.
Be ing in a n orga niza tion d oesn 'l
ma ke yo u a bad pe rson. It's no t like
th ey ma ke you d o things you don't
wa nt to d o. Yo u have freed o m of
c h o ice, you just have to m a ke sure

you choose rig h t.
Growing up in the g he tto was all
about mo n ey a nd survival. Eve ryon e
has guns now, from g•·a nd mo th e rs to
eight-ycar-olds. I wasn ' t a bad kid , bu t
I had to make mo ney a nd carry a gu n
for pro tection. I never started trouble
with a nyone.
It hurts to see a ll my bro th e r s
locked up. I wou ldn't wish this o n my
worst e ne my. It's no j oke being away
from your fa mi ly a nd frie nds. I kn ow
the Lo rd is punishing me for no t liste ning to my mo the r and grandpa. I
didn ' t mea n to kill, but tee nagers are
going to be teenage rs; th ey're go nn a
do some stup id swff. In my case, it
was playing with a gun .
I was busted a t the age of 16 fo r a
187 . 1 to o k so m eo n c's life, tru e
en o ug h , but I'm no t a cold-blooded
kill e r beca u c I tru ly regret wh at I
did. It could've bee n h a ndled in a diffe re nt way. l got sen te nced to life. At
first I blamed myself h ard. I'd think,
"Wh a t a fri en d yo u a r c to kill a
frie nd ." T h en m y f'a mi Iy m ad e m e
reali ze th a t it was an acciden t. 1 ow I
can go o n wi th my life, neve r m ind
wh at th e syste m says o r thinks.
The bro the r crossed me. I d idn ' t
want to do h im, but if so meone crosses you o nce, he'll d o it again . At the

time, I was going to le t him slide, but
he tried to hun me a nd I took care of
my business. Altho ugh I've sho t a lo t
of p eo ple ove r gang-re la ted thin gs,
this wasn ' t o ne of th e m.
Be ing a Disciple has h elped me
lea rn to acce p t respo nsibility fo r my
actio ns. I feel Lh at I can live with my
past because I wasn 't that bad . I didn ' t ba ng too to ugh because I was too
young. But I did take care o f business
wh e n it need ed ta kin g care o f. No
one in this organizatio n ever to ld me
to take som eo n e 's life, a nd I d o n ' t
feel they wi ll.
I have a good fa mily, so th at wasn ' t th e p ro bl e m . But n ow I h ave a
be tte r fa mi ly, o n e I'll do a nything f'o r,
as if Lh cy we re my blood . Altho ugh I
still res pec t my fa mi ly to th e fu llest
b eca u se th ey too k ca re o f m e a nd
broug ht me up rig ht, my hea r t was
seeking some Lhing e lse. I' m sure yo u
fe ll in lo ve with a wo m a n b efo re.
The re's a love in this orga ni zati o n
that can ' t be ex pla in ed . Like mos t
people can ' t explain how th ey fa ll in
love a nd why, I love th i organization
and wo u ld die for it a nd kil l fo r it.
I j o in ed th e Ga n gs te r Disciple
na tio n whe n I was 13, in Mi lwaukee,
WI. Th e Di sc i p les a r c bi g in
(contin u.Pd onfHlge 5 1)

PRISON LIFE

49

RIDIN' UNDER THE 5-POINTED STAR
by Albert McGee, Vice
Lords, Mississippi State
Pen, Parchman, MS
We ge t a ll th e bulls hit jus t
beca use we're in a gang. It do esn ' t
matter what you ' re in for or how you
h andle your time behind bars.
Just abo ut everybo d y in th e system kn ows that th e o nl y thing yo u
have to do is te ll the police that a
gang member h as threatened your
life and they' ll go for it-because of
a ll the bad press gang me mbers get.
H e r e in th e M S D epartm e nt of
Correcti ons, th ey don ' t give gang
membe rs a c h a n ce. If your na me is
broug h t up, you' re assu m ed g uilty
until found othe rwise.
It doesn't matter how much good
I d o. The fact that I'm a kn own gang
me mber is e noug h. Forget th a t I'm
going to college here. Forget that I've
no t had a rules vio la ti on report since
I came h ere in '90. They look for the
wrong in me, jus t because I 'm a
known gang me mber.
The m ed ia doesn't h e lp; every
tim e you turn around , you see something o n th e set a bo ut gang-re lated
this or that. The media plays a big pa rt
in wha t the public thinks about gang
members without even giving a person
a chance for being human. The media
is ig norant and the system is afraid.
If the DOC wo u ld let us talk to
and handle o ur own, it would be be tte r in he re for the average guy. See, a
lot of proble ms with gang m e mbe rs
so PRISON LIFE

in prison is that older guys don 't get a
chance to talk t o th e young g u ys
com in ' in who are causi ng the most
trouble. But the staff is afraid because
they kn ow we just might be able to do
wha t th ey ca n 't do.

~ nnr.e s4n± a

ri&al's mn±4.er in
hn±q kn££5 jus± in
5££ 4nfn lnuo 5q.e
rnulo 5t:r.eam. .
I'm 33 years old a nd I've been an
Insane Vice Lord for about 18 years.
Like so many, I joined a gang at an
early age. Contrary to popula r belief,
I d idn'tjo in because I lac ked a family. For me, it was simply a ma tte r o f
my surroundings. Had I lived a bout
fo ur blocks over, I would've bee n a
Black Gangster Disci ple instead of a n
Insa n e Vice Lord-whic h I' m ' ve ry
proud of being. I s h a ll die a Vice
Lord, loyal a nd true.
I've don e some rath er \Vild things,
some of which I was never arrested for
so 1 won't get too d eep the re. But I
will U)' to let you see inside my mind.
There are so m e things, tho ugh,
that can' t b e expla in ed, like why I
would want to take another's life for
so m ethin g as sim p le as a co lo r . I
remember the first time I ki lle d a

rival gang member. I was 15 o r 16
at the time; it was more of an act to
prove myse lf th an anything he d id
to me or a ny o f my brothers. 1 stole
a car and told myself that the first
pe rson I saw who 's conven ie nt ! was
go nna kill. After driving a ro und
some, there was this guy I saw going
to his car. I just pulled up beside
him and asked the time.
The n I sh ot him in the face with
a .357 five times-being a Vice Lord
I ride unde r th e fi ve-po inted sta r.
Mte r I sh ot him, I got out of my car
and kicked him to make sure he was
d ead, wh ic h he was. Th en I started
d ancing a round a nd laughing, h aving a good o l' time. That was my
first time, but not my last.
H ad the g u y b ee n with h is
brothers, I wou ld have killed more
of th e m 'cause killing a rival gang
me mber was o n my mind. When I
saw h im wa lking with th e "fl ag"
sticking out of his back pocket, I
figured he may as well be a Gangster
Disciple 'cause I shot him down like
he was o n e. Afte r that, I fe lt as
though I could take on all the m sucke rs. I even mad e a pact to try and kill,
or a t least just shoo t a gangster every
few mo nths or soone r if one of them
did som e thing, or if we just caught
o ne or two of them off by themselves.
I once s hot a riva l's m othe r in
bo th kn ees just to see h ow loud she
could scream, especiall y sin ce she
thought I was going to kill he r for sure.
Guess what I've always wanted to
be? A seri al kille r, so they can make a
movie or something about me. 1 know
you're thinking I have no regard for
o th ers or myself, th at I'm sick, or that
I need h e lp. Yes, m ay b e I do, but
sometimes I just want someone to talk
to, and som eo ne to listen . Outside,
I' m no rmal; but inside, only a select
few really know who I am. I'm sick if
you judge me by socie ty's standards,
but on the stree ts I'm just another
gangbanger tr)'ing to survive the war.
Be ing in a gang is truly a positive
thing, if you look at the loyalty, love
and disc ipline th at we h ave toward
each oth e r . The respect I h a ve for
other gang me mbers is also deep, but
h opefully we can a ll get together a nd
stop some of the killing.

Top Le.ft: "Murder Town "-another name
for this 'hood in Humboldt Park, Chicago
where the Gangster Disciples cloim mle.
Other page: Stateuille Correcti011al Facility
in Illinois, which houses the stale's most
dangerous Cs.

My Family
(conlinued from page 49)
Wisco n sin because th ey've co m e
down fr o m Chicag o. Wh e n I was
g rowi ng up , eve ryone aro un d m e
was Discip le, in cluding a lo t of my
uncles and co usins o n both of m y
pare m s' side. They used to te ll th eir
Discip le brolhers that I was going to
be a tru e Discip le, and here I am
today.
When I said my h eart was seeking so me thing, let me clari fy th at.
T he re is n o regre t, on ly ded ication. I'm a real young brother who 's
down and willing to die fo r this organizatio n. Whe n your heart is dedica ted to someth ing, it's there for life, a t
least it is for me. I love this nation
like I love my moth e r.
What people and th e med ia fail
to realize is th at we are not ga nghangers a nymo re. We a rc an o rganiza t io n tryi n g to b e tt e r o urse lves
through la ws a nd po licies se t forth
by ou r chai rman , Larry Hoover. And
th ose laws a nd poli cies arc about
g rowt h and d eve lo pm en t. We ' re
a bo ut ge LLin g an educa ti on so we
can move on to b igger a nd be tte r
things, like college a nd geuing o ur
own businesses. Then we' ll be a ble
to look out fo r our brothe rs who arc
locked up, an d our fam ilies.

Wh e n ever a n ythi ng h ap p e n s
with a gun , the media says it's gangre la ted. But most o f the in c iden ts
are n ' t. The whi te ma n has orga nizati ons an d nobo d y gets swea te d. So
why d o we?

JJ loft£ ±4is
organi1!ation
ana fnoula
ai£ ana kill
for it.
Wh e n I go t loc ke d up , I truly
th o ug ht our orga nization wo uld be
strong up he re in Green Bay, b ut it's
n ot. T h at's b eca u se th e re a re so
many fake-ass brothe rs saying they' re
a pa rt o r this n a tion wh e n th ey' re
n o t. Ma n y b roth e rs get loc ked u p
and ride with o rga nizatio ns fo r protec tio n . T h ese bro th e rs ai n ' t shit.
Th is o rgan izatio n is nothing to p lay

with a nd t hese bro the rs will lea rn ,
sooner or late r.
So many brothe rs are abo u t hate
beca use of th e wa rs o n the stree t.
Wh e n they get locked u p, the hate is
still the re, so we can ' t get any structure go in g b ecause we' re too busy
lighting each o the r. Up he re, we try
not to have any wars, bu t if we d id, it
would be agai n st t h e Vi ce Lords,
Lat i n Kin gs a n d the 2-4 ' s from
Mil wa uk ee-o r bas icall y, a n yo n e
who 's n ot Fo lks, or who disrespects
our organizati on.
But if we ca n ge t a ll thi s h a te
o ut, we ca n m ove o n to beuc rin g
o urselves, so that wh e n we ca n get
ou t of priso n, we can build a fo undation we can a ll live on wilho ut doing
I 87's on eac h o th e r.
It's a lways said that th e real recognize the fake. That's true because
if you ' re a Disciple, yo ur G is go ing
to shin e! T h e fake-ass brothe rs will
be de alt with whe n th e time comes.
These guys a rc th e ones who make
this organ ization loo k bad in other
people's eyes, and also in th e eyes o r
the Discipl es, who are struggling to
make thi s o rganizatio n abide by th e
laws and policies given by our ho nOl·ablc c hai rma n .

NATIVE AMERICAN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST GANGS
by Larry Harris, Stateville Correctional, Illinois
I got a 65-year sentence for armed robbery at Stateville Max in Joliet, Illinois. I don't
understand the cons in Illinois at all. Thls join t is all gangs. When I first got here, I went out
into population only to learn that you have to ride with one of the organizations to stay alive.
The different gangs here have rules to tell a man how he has to conduct his life. They have
ch iefs to tell a man what to do.
I stopped lis tening to my fo lks at 15-years-old so how am I going to let another man tell
me how to live at 35?
If the men here would stop stabbing and fighting each other, and stand together as one
reasoning force, think of the changes we could make here for the treatment and way of life.
I am an Indian-Cherokee tribe-and I think all the chiefs here need to school the young
and work together to improve thin gs for themselves and s top giving the Department of
Corrections reasons and leverage to lock us down and treat us like animals ... Last week
three blacks got stabbed by whites in a fight that got everybody locked down. Now when we
come up out of lock-up men will have to fight just because now it'll be a racial thing.
These gang chiefs need to sit down to council and smoke a peace pipe.

PRISON LIFE

51

nyone wh o takes a ha rd
look at so me of o ur most
celebra ted heroes can see
what some of them really we re:
glorified gangsters. Gangsters in
Ame rican cultu re have glamorized a social condition as old as
hum a nkin d i tse lf a nd m ade
c rime into a nig ht passage fo r
urban youth ll) 1ing to cope in a
concre te and glass jung le.
Th e re was a tim e when
gangs were regard ed as a rational response to society's "inadequate o ppo rtunity strucwre."
T h at social theory goes d own
th e tubes as the realitie of gang
viole nce a nd economic su"'ival
come unde r public scrutiny.
Wh a t wen t wrong? What
mutated th e o the rwise ratio nal
and o rde rly grou ps a nd turned
them into un reformable recidivists and socio p a th s unfit for
anything except th e jungle? Was
it tu rf or, as sociologi ts like to
call it, "territorial imperative?"
The transfo rma ti on o f this
country from agraria n to urban
life acce le ra ted th e ri se o f
ga ngs. Ci ty street· beca me the
battleground for th e young a nd
the disenfranchised. Lacking
skills and education, the o nly
way out of poverty was the me rchan dising of vice. Passing laws
that ou Llawed gambling, prostillltio n, drinking, drug trafficking a nd loansharkin g didn ' t
reduce th e public's appe tite for
th e m , a nd th e ir survival drew
bands of aggressi,·e youths into
th e ma rket. The exa mpl es o f
this ugly transformation are legion.
Th e wo rst c h a n ge in gangs h as
become th e total disregard for human
life. Th e diffe re n ce to da y is that
in s tead of brass knu c kl es a nd zip
g un s, stre e t ga n gs arc ar me d with
automatic weapon s. Bl oody noses
have g ive n way to g un sho t wounds.
T oo many innocent victi ms h ave been
caug ht in the crosslire-that's so mething th at didn ' t ha ppen "back in th e
clays. " If it did , th ose res pon sibl e
wo uld be he ld acco untabl e by their
own . Wha t ha ppe ned to the morals,
principles and codes o n ce e nfo rced
by ga ngs in cities a nd prisons back
th en? Wh y a re th ese basic hum an
qualities to tally d isregarded today?
No gang banger in the ' 60 could
have predicted today's state of affairs.

A

I

A

Dream" of material success.
Stories of 15-year-olds driving
BMW's, Cadillacs and Be nzes
with trunks full o f weapons
and pocke ts stuffed with
th o usand s of dollars are as
co mmon as th ey a re true.
Teach ers are afraid to ba r
beeper-toting teenagers fi·om
classes for fear o f re prisals.
The proble m with gangs
wi ll not go away overnight, if
ever. The solution probably
wo n ' t be realized by disarming gangs, as if that were possible anyway. Pare nts have to
start educating the ir k.icls as
soo n as th ey are ab le to
unde rstand what all this really m eans, a nd kids have to
start seeing that th e r e are
too many d ead kids now and
a nother needless score who
will be spending a m~or part
o r Ll1eir lives in prison .
Man y of th ese gang
members don 't understand
th e se ri ous n ess of th e ir
actions until th ey are caught
and se nt to prison. By then,
it's too late. A lo t of th ese
young brothe rs and sisters
are e nding up in th e ad ult
di visions. In Illin o is, that
m ea n s Statevill e, Pontiac
a nd Menard (the most dangerous ma..x systems) , as we ll
as th e state 's num e rou s
m e dium sec urity priso n s.
Now these fac ili t ies are
expe rie ncing gang problems
like never b efore, a nd th e
administrators can't seem to
get a grip o n it.
A lot of c razy things
j ump off here a t the 'Ville
(Stateville). There were four
murde rs in just 18 months: two prisoners, both of them Latin Kings, and two
em ployees: one a commissary supervisor, k.illed by the Vice Lords; another,
an officer, killed by three Latin Kings.
No n e of the things I witn ess on
an almost d aily basis a t the 'Ville faze
me because they' re minor compared
to the things I saw when I was part of
th e crazy life, high up in th e La tin
King Organization.
I am living proof tha t gangbanging is a dead end. I got mixed up with
gangs and drugs at a very early age in
Ch ito wn-th e r es ult was a long
prison term. I was blinded by powe r
and selling drugs, and having money,
more money th an I ever would've
made nipping burgers at McDonalds.
But ne ither the power nor th e mon ey

SHOUT-OUT

To

GANGS

by Figalo, ex-Latin King,

Stateville Correctional, Illinois

52

PRISON LIFE

It probably would've mad e all the difference h ad they known. Fewer people would be lying in coffin s today.
Big cities a nd prisons are not the only
places with gan g proble ms. Federal
researchers have d iscove red that twoth irds o f th e cities re po rting gang viole n ce h ave popul a ti o ns below
500,000. Most experts say the reason
gangs arc spreading to th e suburbs
a nd small towns is because th e conditio ns tha t spawn the m have crept into
th ese once safe h ave ns: rac ial a nd
e thni c se p a ration , p ove rty, fami ly
break-ups, high you th unemployment
a nd lack of recreational activities.
Today's gan gba nge rs !ind th e mselves d ivided into warring factions to
wrest contro l of what many see as the
o n ly way to attai n th e "Amer ican

was wo rth m y los in g h a lf m y life
inside th e j o int. ot o nly a m I losing
a good part o f my life here, I a lso lost
a good woman a nd have LO e ndure
the ago ny o f watc hin g my son grow
up with out me.
W hil e I was b e h in d th e wa ll, I
d ecided it was time for m e to retire
and leave a ll the bu llsh it be hind. So I
d ro pped my fl ag a nd left my gang status fo r good.
The fi rst a nd fo re most law of the
Alm ig h ty La tin Kin g Orga nizatio n
Nat io n (ALKO ) is "on ce a King ,
always a King; you come in a live and
t h e on ly way yo u leave is dea d . "
Howeve r , th at law d oes n 't a pp ly to
m e b eca u se I n eve r left. I simp ly
resigned a n d re tired. I a lso sto pped
cre ws from be in g ab le to co n tinu e
sla nging na rco tics in my ' hood as we ll
as in the o ther fi ve cities me and my
crew he lped th e organizatio n se t up
sh o p: Milwa u kee, Spa ni sh Har le m ,
New Yo rk , Mia mi , H o u sto n ,
Minneapo lis.
Believe it, because the re a re La tin
Kin gs eve rywh ere . There a re eve n

T here a re more th an 40 m<-uor
stree t ga ngs ac tive in Chicagoand most of the m have powe r bases
in s id e I l linoi · priso n s. T h e
st ro nges t of these are the Lati n
Kin gs, Black Ga n gs ter Disciples,
La tin Disciples and Vice Lo rds.
In the mid -'80s, t h e Blac k
Gangster Discip le Natio n a nd the
Latin Disc ip les for m e d th e Fo lk
alliance. Soo n after, t h e La t in
Kings a nd Vice Lo rds started the ir
own alliance-Peop le.
lowadays, mo st gangs i n
Chicago a re e ith e r Peo ple or Folks.
T h is super allia nce has allowed th e
s tronge r fa c tion s to branch out
into oth e r states. Th u s, we h ave
Disc ipl es, Kings a nd Vice Lord s
thro ug h o ut th e e ntire M idwes t,
su·etch ing coast-to-coast. The Latin
Kin gs a re known th ro u ghout the
New York area, too .

Latin Kings in Connecticut. T he two
bro th e rs who call it ou t tha t way are
Nelson Millet a nd Pe dro Mila n . These
g uys are re n egad es a n d co n sid e re d
outcasts by the ALKO beca use they
sta rted th at cha pte r o ut the re without
pro pe r blessing (a big no-no) . T here
h as b ee n a n a t io nw id e hit out o n
th e m eve r sin ce . Lord G in o se n t a
c rew o f g unn e rs at t h e ir r eg io nc row n s o r c h a pte r j e fes as we ca ll
the m and they sh ot up th e place, but
we re ca ug ht by the 5-0 a nd a re now
do ing time in the ir syste m. Ma n I'd
ha te to be in those brothe rs' shoes!
T he reaso n 1 resign e d from the
Latin Kings is because Lord Gino, who
wasn 't d oing anythi ng but sitting on
his thro ne getting fat off me an d the
rest of the organ izatio n , ma d e some
very bogus moves that made me realize o ur "cause," no longer had a cause.
L o r d Gi n o go t up se t wh e n I
wa lke d away f r o m t h e Kin gs a nd
d ecided to pu t a h a lf-m illio n d o lla r
p r ice tag o n my h ead. And wh ile I
kn ow th a t ha lf a m il is asswipe mo n ey to Lord Gino, --==,....,
( I kn ow becau se we used
to ge n e rate th a t ki n d o r
mo ney on an almost weekly b as is s la n g in g n a rco t ics), I ' m n ot i n t h e
leas t co n ce r n e d a b o u t
h im b eca u se h e k n o ws
th at o n th e bric ks, it's a
much d iffe re nt ba ll game.
And wh oeve r h e se n d s,
h e' ll h ave to se n d th e m
ri gh t o r h e' ll be read ing
a bo u t th e m in the o bi ts
a nd se nd ing their fa mi lies
flowe rs, fo reve r! \1\lo rd !
Fo r n ow, I a in 't gon na
lose slee p ove r it because I
h ave much mo re imp o rtant thi ngs to do with my
life and o n e o f the m isn ' t
s p e nd ing t h e r es t o r i t
inside prison , or dead.
Wh e n I hu ng up m y
colo rs a nd de cide d it was
t i m e t o m ove o n in a
much d iffe re nt d irec tio n,
I too k a to ta lly di ffe re n t
o u tlook o n life because I
fin a lly realized th e re was

so m uch mo re to · loving than be ing a
shot- calle r a nd a drug trafficke r.
I will always can)' the love I once
had for the organ izatio n in my heart,
a n orga nizatio n th at I devoted a lmost
20 yea rs of my life to, bu t I will n ever
re turn to it. T here is no turn ing back,
no t now or ever. I am 31 years o ld , I
have a beau tiful wife and a wo nd e rful,
gifted and talented son who is now 12.
Wh at do I wa nt to do \Vith my life?
Wh a t is my pu r p ose? We a ll have a
reason a nd d irectio n for living. T hat I
a m head ed toward someth ing ma kes
me wa nt to p la n fo r th e fu ture. T his is
what today's gang me m bers lack.
I ' m no longe r involved with
ga n gs b ecause I kn ow I h ave a
stronge r desti ny. Ga ngbangin g d oesn ' t contribute to th e im po rta n t and
m o r e wo rth wh ile th ings I wa n t LO
accomp lish be fore I grow o ld.
Page 52: Young recruits signing their sPl.
TojJ: Twfmarkings in Humboldt Park,
Chicago. Below: King Pit, a Latin King in
New York, recruited at Rikers Island.

PRISON LIFE 53

by Jose Colon,
Neta Association, New
York City
have bee n a Ne ta fo r 14 years. I
j o in ed when I was 16, in Puerto
Rico, where I was sem to priso n
fo r murder. It was th e r e that I
became a Neta. This was during th e
war against t.h e I nsectos. I ended up
killin g five m o re p eople in pri son
duri ng th at war. At o ne po im, I was
facing l 03 years in priso n . I end ed up
with a pa rdon from th e governme nt
d espite my crimes.
1 ow th e fig ht in Pue rto Ri can
priso ns is aga inst t.he syste m. For the
first four years we waged war against
the lnsectos-t.he weak, t.h e treache ro u , t.h e snitches who ruled all Puerto
Ri can priso n . During the war, th e
sy t e m h ad ·t a ye d o ut o f i t o nl y
beca use inma te· were killin g eac h
oth e r. But once t.hc war was over, and
afte r th e - et.as ·t.aned ta rgeti ng the
ad mini strat io n , it was a d iffe r e nt
story. By t.h e n , o ur o rganizati on had
g rown too strong to fight a nd th e syst e m h ad to comp ly with o u r
demands. Sin ce J 98 1, the conditio ns
of priso ns in Pue rto Rico have bee n
mu ch better.
The fig ht ha moved here to lew
York because so ma ny Pue rto "Ricans
h ave co m e h e re and b eca u se th e

I

54

PRISON LIFE

j oJi: Co/011

nJ tilt ,\.'tin tl mrintio11.

n eed is grea t to fight fo r o ur rights
agai nst t.h e system.
There is a te rrible co rruptio n in
the correction s syste m , esp ecially in
t.h e areas of food, health and educati o n . This corrupti o n is thro ug ho ut
all 1 ew York, especially Rike rs Island ,
where I have just left.
Th is co rrupti o n h as go u e n so
bad t.hat in Dece mbe r, together with
the Latin Kings, Fi ve-Pe rce nters and
o th e r o rgani za ti o ns, we o rganized a
hunger and work strike.
We we re n o t tryin g to rio t. We
we re trying to send a message to the
system th a t tim e is sho rt a nd we ' re
n o t sta ndin g fo r th e ir co rrupti on.
Now th ey kn ow we're seri ous. If a nrthing, the strike at Rike rs Isla nd gave
o ut some credi t.
The strike was a protest 1.0 the $23

million th e city of 1 ew York cu t from
p rograms a nd drug re ha bili tatio n in
c ity jai ls. Since 90 % o r ou r peo ple
go ing into priso n a re d o in g so for
drug-related o ffenses, we fe lt that cutting out drug re habilitat.ion programs
was wrong. It called for act.io n .
On e of the purposes of o ur o rgani za ti o n is th a t wh e n a m e mber
leaves priso n, he sho uld never come
back. By culling tra ining and re ha b
progra ms, th ey ma ke th e re turn to
prison inevitable. An offe nde r n eeds
so me way to co ntr ibute to society.
Tha t's why we need u·aining and e duca ti on in our priso ns. V\fho's gonna
hire ex-co ns?
Taxpaye rs sh o uld d e mand th e
correc tio n system b e stronge r in the
~reas of e du catio n and trainin g. As
Ne tas , o u r mi ssio n is t o d e m a nd
cha n ge in th e c urrent oppressive
regime.
That's wh y 24 hours b efo re th e
strike , th e co mmissio n er, A nth o n y
Schem bri , se m a message LO me tha t I
was goin_g to be tran sfe rre d-m e and
a ll the Ne ta leade rs from th e o th er
ho uses. A meeting was a rranged with
the director of Inte rn al Affairs.
They kn ew what was happe ning.
We had se nt th e m le tters as a warning. T hey kn ew wha t h o uses th e le tte rs were co min g fro m (6 Bui lding )
but we d idn ' t le t th e m kn ow e xactly
who se nt th e m . £ o t knowin g I was
th e pt·eside m of Netas at Ri kers, and
fi gurin g m e fo r a go-be twee n , th ey
e nt word to me tha t they wanted to
talk to the lea ders.
I said no, until they gave me th e
guarantee that the leaders 11·ould n ' t be

move d , bro u ght up on bogus
c harges o r b ecom e vict im s of
abuse. Then l told them I was th e
President and a meeti ng was setup.
The comm ission e r talked to
me, and told me he knew there
were proble m s with the co rrect ion s sys tem. H e said h e kn ew
there was corruption, mi suse of
funds and misclealings with discipli ne, bu t the problems we re two
diffe re nt o nes-state and localand the re was very little he could
do about it.
So we we nt a head with the
su·ike, a nd it lasted seven clays.
They dicln' t move me because
th ey saw what was goi ng on. The
co rrections peop le tried to, but
th e comm ission er h ad g ive n m e
h is word that I wouldn't be a victim of persecution or physical viole nce or a buse by the sys tem. I
had told them that vio lence would
occur o n ly if th ey didn ' t kee p
the ir word.
Even though most of the drug
programs have bee n cut, th e food
a t Rikers is bette r now, marginally
anyway. And the C.O.'s have cut
clown on the physical abuse.
Although I a m o ut now, I have
no proble ms go ing bac k in if my
bro thers n eed me th e re. I' ll just
ho p a turnstile a nd I'll be back in
Rike rs befo re you know it. In fact,
be fore th e hun ge r strike, I was
supposed to b e re lease d , but I
co mmitted viola tions in order to
stay dwough the strike.
To m e, what's worth a ll th e
pain of being a leader is very often
just a "thank yo u. " I'll do whateve r
it ta kes fot· m y b rothers, fo r m y

people, eve n though
te rn wants to pa c k
m e up , move
me aro u nd .
T h ey con sid e r
me a dangerous
p e rson , but th a t
is ju st pan o f
b e in g a lead e r ,
putting up wi th d1e
treatme n t.
That strike was
n ot the firs t and it
will n o t be t h e last.
There will be another
one soon, th is tim e
including all New York
sta te prisons.
Everybod y
we' re a gang, bu t we're not. They
d1ink we' re crimina ls, that we ki ll,
d o dr ive-bys, sell drugs-we do
no t.
The Netas d o not wan t power,
we just want to be recognized and
respected. You have to respect my
food , my h ealth , my fami ly.
We do n ot re c ruit. P eo pl e
come to us. We' re not a territorybased o rgan ization. What we fight
for are human rights, not turf. We
figh t fo r respect a nd be tter treatme nt, not for powe r. We have a
mission and we follow it.
The re a re e tas in the su·ects,
th o ugh , who arc corrupt and go
aga inst our c ree d s. Sin ce I left
Rik e rs, m y du !)' is now to d e al
with these few Netas who co rrupt
ou r whole assoc ia tio n. These people hav<; no business calling themsel ves Netas. They wi ll be d ealt
with.

The current tre nd in Gangland is to call your gang an organization. "We're not about gan gbanging," you 'll hear from more d1an
one member, '\ve're about progress, about brotherhood ... "
Ye t tl1e viole nce con tin ues.
A lot o f "shot calle rs" mig ht be pissed with some of the n egativity expressed in more tha n one o f these articles, especially if it
invo lves d1e ir natio n. Sorry bros, but it's time to do a reality check.
Yo u can push your o rga niza tio nal procedures a nd teac h your
brotl1erh ood creed but locs are gonna be locs.
Maybe d1ese articles will open some eyes and push gang leaders
and organization preside nts to get a handle on their own. ll's time
for the bro d1e rs wiili the juice to realize that un less the viole nce is
curbed, you ' re never going to get the respect you ' re de mand ing.
Unless you get it together--deliver and enforce ilie message that
the way of d1e 187 only le nds juice to th e 5-0-you' re never going to
a moulll to ;:mything but fodde r for d1e na tion 's big prison business.
Peace.
Prison Life

FROM THE
"ASSOCIATION
NETA"
HANDBOOK:
We are determin ed to
progress, a d vance and
spread. We have no time
fighti n g for unworthy
reaso n s o r co mm ittin g
cri me s of ~n y sort .
Association Neta has a
d esire to live better in
society. Too mu c h
crime takes over me minds
of our children . Our most wanted
wish is to feel safe in our neighborhoods
during the day and be able to walk our
sidewalks at night. We don't h ave th e
power ye t to put a stop to this proble m,
but with help, we can and will put a stop
to it.
We are a group of Hispa nic adu lts
a nd young adults getting orga nized to
help others help the mselves. V•le are not
a gang or a crew. We are not crimeseeke rs. We are a n asso ciation u-ying to ge t
somewhe re in Life by influ e ncing each
othe r to ge t an education that wi ll eventually turn us into assets for our association.
We are very peaceful-but don ' t
underes tim a te u s . We wi ll solve an y
proble ms that o th er s may have with us
a t all costs. We wi ll h elp and look after
o ur famil y in time of need. At first we
will try to talk our differe n ces out, but if
that d oesn't work, we will use all force
n ecessa•-y to solve o ur problems, witl10ut
pity or regret.
History:
Around 1979 , in a prison ca ll e d
Presidio in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, a
man by t h e n a m e of Ca rlo s Torrez
Jrria te, a.k.a. La Sombra (dle Shadow),
got tired of the abuse that occurred in
the prison system-whi ch was inmate to
inma te and administration to in m a te.
He decided it was time for a change and
did somethi ng abou t it.
_ Step by step, priso n to prison , th e
Neta Associa tion was formed. An a ll-ou t
war against m e Insectos (inmate operesso rs) was formed. Carlos and his Ne ta
warriors spilled thei r own b lood, tighting for the peace, harmony and respect
that we have in our Pue rto Rica n jails
today.
In 1981, Carlos w~s killed by a sh ot
in th e head, but his 'eta warriors continued fighting. Now, that fight h as carried over into the prisons of the U ni ted
States because mere are a lot of inmate's
rights violatio ns going on there, too ...

PRISON LIFE 55

The Shot
by Chester Cornman,

Missouri Easter n Correctional
"A u e nti o n o n th e ya rd . Inmate
Co rnm a n , n umbe r 44526, report to
Co ntro l Center. "
Da mn ! I th oug h t, vVhy can ' t th ey
just leave me alo ne? I've done a few
months o n a fo rty-yea r sen tence, a nd
these assh o les wan t to call me to the
Conu·ol Ce nte r. o doubt for some
stupid reason li ke to ee my caseworke r fo r a j ob assig nm ent, a cell move,
or some totally bizarre reason I couldn ' t eve n thi nk o f. Damn ! I have years
to do, and they want me right now.
Obviously, th ey had no idea that
my h u stling pa rtne r, Cha rli e, a nd I
had hustl ed a ll m o rnin g to get th e
d o lla rs fo r a sh o t o f d o pe. Th e n it
had taken a no th e r two ho urs of waiting a nd h unting fo r th e d o p e-man
befo re we realized he was o n a visit.
Mte r all that, th ere we stood, waiting
fo r h im to co m e b ac k with o ur

56

PRISON LIFE

a l r ea d y p a id fo r s h o t, an d the se
buuh ead s wan t m e at th e Con tr o l
Center. Yeah , right.
T h e silly g r in o n Cha rlie's face
was a ll I needed to te ll me t hat if I
le ft, I' d lo ·e o ut. C harlie a nd dope
woul d be go n e befo re I even got to
th e Con trol Cente r-much less there
and back.
"Go o n , Dog, it mig h t be important," he said with that sideways grin
of h i . "I'll co p a nd mee t ya back in
A-Hall. "
Yea h , s ure. Wh e n pigs fl y! I
th o ug ht. I'd bee n down th at road
before. l could hea r the SlOt)' already.
"Damn , Dog, the cops rushed me just
when I was getting eve t)'thing ready. I
had to nush it all. "
" ah ," I said , "I ' ll ju s t h a n g
aro un d. T h ey ca n wait o n me fo r a
cha nge."

T hi rty m in utes later, still wai ting,
no d ope-m a n , a nd ag a in th e lo ud
spea ke r called . "Cornma n , C h ester,
numb e r 445 26 , r epo n t o Co n tro l
Center. IMM ED IATELY."
"Wow! Dog," said Charl ie. 'T hey
so u nd ed pre tty serio us th a t time. Ya
beue r go man. T hey' ll write you up."
"Screw you ," I said. ''I'll wait."
"O.K. , Dog, it's o n yo u," he said
with a little giggle.
"H ey, Cornman, " I h ea rd fro m
be hind me . A I turn ed a r o u nd , I
realized it was Shift Ca ptain Bogart.
Assho le of assholes. "Did n ' t you h ear
th em call you ove r the inte rcom?"
"No si r , b oss, I su r e di d n ' t ," I
re plied.
"v\'e ll , they d id. They wan t you at
th e Con tro l Center . Ge t yo ur ass on
up there n ow."
"O.K., boss, no proble m," I said as

I looked ove r m y s h o ulder jus t in
time to see Charlie bite his hand to
keep from laugh ing out loud.
C harl ie's scum ! I ke pt re pea ting
to myself a ll the way to the Control
Ce nter. I' ll kill him ! If that worm
beats me, I'll break h is j aw. Shit, not if
he does, but when he does. I should
just go back there and pummel him
to the ground rig h t now.
"Yeah, I'm Cheste r Cornman, can
yo u te ll me wh o wants me?" I asked
th e Contro l Cen ter gua rd.
"We've been calling you for an
h o ur and a h a lf. T h e casewo rk e r
need s to see you," he responded .
I kne w it. A j ob cha nge, a survey,
some thing stupid. Be t o n it.
'just h ave a seat o n th e be nch.
He' ll be with you in a minute," th e
guard con tinued.
Yeah, righ t. After twe nty m in utes
ofwaiting, I began to nod ofT.
"Mr. Cor n man , Mr. C h este r
Cornman," I heard a male voice say.
"Yeah , that's me."
"M r . Co r nma n , d o yo u h ave a
brother named j oh nn y?" he asked.
"Yes sir, I sure do."
"We ll, Mr. Cornm an, yo u need to
call h o rn e. T h e re has been an accident o r some thi ng, a nd my information is he's d ead," h e said, a nd ke pt
lookin g at his wa tch.
Wow! Wh a t a bed side ma nne r, I

thought, wh ich was a strange thought
fo r me to have a t the time, I know,
but fo r so m e r easo n I just could n ' t
get it out of my mind . .H ere's a man
supposed to be a profession al a nd he
can't thi n k o f a be tter way to say my
brother is d ead tha n j ust "He's d ead."
"Come o n in he re. I'll give you a
pho ne call," I h eard h im say thro ugh
th e fog that see med to so mehow take
over my brain.
His bedside ma nne r continued as
h e ha nd ed me th e phone. ''You have
five minutes."
"He llo. Mo rn? What's ha ppe ning?
This caseworke r just said .Jo hnn y was
kill ed. What's th e d ea l? Do n ' t cry
Mo m , just calm down a n d te ll me
wha t's going o n ," I said.
"Wh at d id yo u call fo r?" J heard
her say fro m th e oth e r e nd. "Yea h ,
he's dead , a nd it's a ll your fault. He
got shot in a robbe ry." I could h ear
he r sobbi ng o n th e other end.
"Da mn, Morn, " I said, as I felt the
tears we ll up in my eyes. "I didn't d o
nothi ng. Why is it my fau lt?"
"You a re his o lder broth e r. He
wanted to be just li ke you. And wh at
did you teach him? I'll te ll you wha t,
you taug ht hi m how to rob a nd steal.
We ll , h e's d ead now. l ho pe yo u ' re
ha ppy."
''Your time is up," I heard corning
fro m the rece ive r. "Please h a n g up

the phone."
"What's h a ppe nin g he re? Morn?
Morn !"
"I just got c u t om" I sai d to the
caseworker. " o warn ing, noth ing! I
just got cut om"
''Your time was up. I told you you
had five minutes when I gave you the
phone."
Wow! Th e b rai n fog was reall y
ta kin g over n ow. I co u ld h ear just
fin e, I could sec everyth ing, but it was
as if not hi n g was quite getting
through the fog to the brain .
"Well, redi al the numbe r. I. n eed
a n oth er fi ve minutes," I pleaded.
"Please, my mother will th ink I've just
h ung up o n he r. "

"There's been
an accident
or something.
My information
is he's dead."
" I' m so rry, Mr. Cor n ma n ," h e
said. "I d on' t h ave the a u thor ity to
give yo u anoth er call. Yo u will have to
make a formal request th rough your
regu la r caseworke r. " Again he looked
at his watch.
It's Friday, I thought. I won't be
a ble to get in to uch with a caseworke r
until Mo nd ay morni n g. My mom
ha tes me, my brother's dead, is it my
fault? A th ousand th ough t~ kept reeling through my m ind, and then the re
was that dam n brain fog. I just wished
things wo uld slow down. I co uldn 't
grasp a ll th is at o nce. -:Just give me a
minute to get mysel f together," I said.
"All in ma tes report to th e ir
H ousi ng U nits. C lear the yard for
Count," sa id a vo ice over th e lo udspeaker as I left Conu·ol Ce nter.
" Damn , Dog, what t ook ya so
long? I didn 't t hi nk you we re eve r
gon n a get done. ow we' re gonn a
have to wa it until afte r count to fi x,
man," I hea rd C ha rlie say through
the fog. "Da mn, Dog, what's the matter?" h e said, as h e go t cl ose r and
rea lized I was cryi n g. "Are you a ll
right, man?"
I ran down the whole story as best I
could in such a short time, and thro ugh
that damn brain fog. When I had finished, a small crowd had gatJ1ered.
"Let me get this straigh t," Charli e
said. "Five minutes and tJ1 en they just
cut you off?"
''Yeah, th a t's rig ht."
"Hey, can ' t you assholcs h ear? It's
PRISON LIFE 57

cou nt tim e. Get to yo u r cells rig h t
now, " Captain Bogan was hollering.
Oh n o, I th o ug ht. H e re we go.
Now I've go tten everyon e in a wreck,
and I kn ow for a fac t Charlie's dirty
a nd can ' t stand a sha ke down.
"Let's ge t goi ng guys. We don't
need a ny problems with this creep," I
said.
"H ey, Bogart," C h ar li e ye l led.
"We 've go t a proble m over here."
"Ya d am n ri g ht ya do," h e
responded. "You ' re a ll la te for count,
and o ut of bo unds in the process."
He was com ing in o ur d irectio n .
''We ain 't goi ng to o ur cells until
Ch este r here gets a p h o n e call. " I
do n 't know wh o said it first, but everyone chimed in.
Captain Bogan listened calmly to
our story. When we finished , h e said,
·'Ch es te r, yo u co me with m e . You ' II
get your phone call. The rest of you
go back to your cells. It'll be all right."
True to h is word, th e captain got
me a phone call. He sat the re with me
for a fu ll forty-five minutes a nd even
handed m e a tissu e o r two to wipe
away the tears. My mo the r and I got
everything togethe r.
Be fo re we hun g up , I to ld h e r
how mu ch I loved her. Sh e said sh e
was sorry for what she had said. Sh e
need ed someo ne to b lam e, and I was
the most avai lab le p erso n. An yway,
sh e loved me too.
Whe n th e call was over , Cap tain
Bogart said, "Well , C hess, I gu ess ya
kn ow I' m gon na h ave to put ya in the
Hole for that little incide nt o ut front. "
I d idn ' t a rgue. What the h ell? I
th oug h t. I didn ' t fee l lik e b e in g
a round p eople anyway.
T h e H o le g uard seemed s u rpri se d to see u s. "Damn , Ca ptain ,
were n ' t yo u supposed to get off at
four o'clock? It's nearly six-thirty. "
A tho ugh t struck me: Bogart hadn ' t loo ked at his watc h o nce during
the whole affair.
Mon d ay m orn in g ca m e . Rig h t
afte r breakfast, t h e re was Captain
Bogart in fron t of my cell in Ad Seg.
"Well , Cheste r , it looks like you ' re
gonn a skate on this o ne . It says he re
in th e rule boo k that yo u must be
inte rvi ewed o n a vio la tio n within 24
ho urs of its occurrence. Damn technicali ties got me th is time," he said with
a smile.
As I ste pped out of the Ad Seg uni t
a nd le t my eyes adjust to the sunlight, I
h e ard , " Da mn , Dog, you' ll n eve r
believe what happe ned to your sho t."

PL

58

PRISON LIFE

Lennie's Catch
by Benton Murray,
Frank Scott Jr. Correctional, GA

h e tunn el boat skimmed th e waves at full thro ttle.
Carefully stacked layers of mo nofilament gill-n etting
flew from the deck and left a bobber-strewn trail in the
wake. The razor-tippe d oyster b ar d ead a h ead see m e d
unavoidable, a nd Wanda's kn ees we re braced for the crash
wh en Lennie sudden ly kicked the steering rod hard left and,
almost sh avi ng t he paint from t he boat's side, gunn ed it
between the school of mullet and the treacherous reef.
When the boat reached the outer edge of the sch ool,
Lennie looped around and drove back toward the beginning
of the bobber line, hurriedly closing the webbed death trap
around the shoal of frenzied fish. As he approached the fr0n t
end of the net, h e raced back and pulled th e prop out of the
water. The momentum swept the boat over the cork line and
inside the circle. Wanda tossed the remaining 20 yards of the
300-yard n et overboard, tyi n g th e two n e t e n ds togeth e r.
Lennie then did a few figure-eights inside the mesh walls, terrifying and scattering th e mullet into the nooses.
"Look at 'em jump, Wanda. What a strike!" Lennie said
as he su rveyed the scene . Silver flash es gleamed along the
entire len gth of the n e t as thrash ing fis h fought helplessly in
the mesh. In a few spots the bobbers had been drawn underwater from the weig ht of the catch .
"Must h ave been ove r a hund red," Wanda ag r eed.
"Anothe r couple of su·ikes like this and we'll make some real
money today."
It was the third strike of the morning. Lennie rubbed his
back, anticipating the work of unloading and restacking the
n et facing the two of th em. 'This is gonna have to be th e last
strike today, Wanda. My back's killing me. I don 't remem ber
fishing be ing so rough back when I used to do it," he grumbled.
Wanda shot him a worried g lan ce as she snagged the tail
end of th e net, straightened it, then began the job of neatly
restacking the n e t onto tl1e deck. This was a j ob that had to
be done painstakingly, for any slo ppiness could result in the
net knotting up on the n ext strike. She worked fo r a full fifteen minutes, pulling mullet and stacking net before Lennie
came back to help her.
Wanda n o ted tha t he took tl1e cork side, leaving he r the
much more difficult and strenuous lead line to work. T he

T

o ld Lennie would never have done
that, she caugh t herself thinking, an d
was in stan tl y as h amed of h e r se lf.
Len ni e had been in prison for fi ve
years on drug ch arges and had been
o ut for only a week now. The two had
e nj oyed a g reat marriage before his
arrest, and they had a boy named
Len ny Jr. who was six a nd a daughter,
Sara, a year younge r. Those long five
years had seemed like an eternity, but
Wanda's me mo ries of Lennie's kindness and th oughtfulness h ad he lp ed
h e r waiL
The Le n n ie wh o came back to
h e r one week ago was a c h anged
character. The fun-loving and carefree Lenn ie of old was gon e. In his
place was a quiet, a lm ost so le mn
man. They'd once talked co nstan tly
abou t everything. Now he never initiated conversations a nd expressed little interest in a nything but the kids.
Most painful a nd h ard to understand
was the fact that h e had n't sle pt with
he r yet. H e'd not been able to get it
up when Wanda had lured him into
b ed soon afte r h e got home, and
since then he just said he wanted to
wait a week o r two and "get his head
straig hL " She didn 't kn ow what th a t
mea nt a nd had decided sh e didn 't
care to know. She wa nted h er husband back.
Throwing a mullet h a rd at the
icebox, she exploded. "Lennie, we've
got to ta lk! I don't know what's goi ng
o n, o r just what th e problem is, but
this isn't working. You know I love
you; I just can't figure what's wrong.
Is it me? I k n o w I put on a littl e
weight after I h ad Sara and haven't
gotten it off yet. Is that the proble m?"
" o, Cod, no, Wanda. It's m e,
ho n ey. My head's all messed up, a nd I
just don't know how to act or what to
d o . I asked yo u for two weeks. You
waited five years for me. Can you just
g ive me another week. I' m sure I' ll
have things worked out by th e n. "
The two fini shed cl earing and
restacking the n et in gloomy silence,
Wa nda near tears and Lennie keeping his head d own a nd his thoughts
to himse lf. Wanda, n ot a t all happy
with his a nswer, struggled with h e r
feelings. She was sure of o ne thi ng,
tho u g h. She 'd waited fi ve years for
Lenn ie; whatever the problem was,
sh e could wait anothe r wee k.
"I'll wait," she said . "1 d on't know
why you ca n't te ll me n o w, but I'll
wait even lo nger if I have to. I'll wait
as long as it takes 'cause I love you,
Le nni e, and me a nd th e kid s n eed
you." H e hu gged he r sile ntl y, face
impass ive. As h e started forwa rd to

Art Beltinll Bars' Honorable i\1/ention: "Beyond Reach" by Mark D. Smith, Angola State, L4

"The white
P-Owder
gleamed
through the
rent 1n the
Dlastic: about
25 pounds of
cocaine."
c ra nk the motor, s he d ecided to
change the subject. "Can we stop and
ca tch a few sh eep head or a redfish
for din n er on the way home since
we 're going in early? Junior sure loves
baked redfish ."
"Of co urse," Lennie replied. "I
know a spot that always used to ho ld
sheephead, a nd I could usually find a
red fi sh th e re, too . It's on Seashore
Reef right off Cedar Key on ly a few

miles out of the way. I used to find a lot
of good driftwood there th at I could
sell, and I've been wanting to swi ng by
and take a look for the last few days."
Le nni e cra nked up the Mercury,
aimed th e boat no rth toward home
but a little westward a nd offshore. H is
fishing luck was ho lding, it seemed ,
fo r as h e approac hed the roc ky outcropping so m e minu tes la ter, he
spied th e striped fo rms of at least a
dozen sheephead and the long, dark
shapes of several red[ish feed ing in
th e s h a ll ow wa te r . "Le t go!", he
h o llered , sign aling Wanda to throw
out the weight auached to the n et.
Th e n he raced up to th e rocks and
ski rted th e edge for abo ut 20 yards
before turning away sharply to begin
encircling the doomed fish.
Just as h e began the turn, a
shin e from the ed ge of the rocks
caug ht his eye, a nd h e shut down the
thro ttle so fast Wanda fel l to h e r
kn ees a nd c ri ed o ut. Le nni e d idn ' t;
PRISON LIFE

59

h e ra n by h e r an d sh oved t h e two
hu ndred re main ing yards of n e t in to
th e wa ter. He the n re turned to t h e
fro nt a nd idled th e board to the reef,
shu t d own the motor a nd got o ut.
H e'd known wh at it was th e seco nd his eyes h ad caught th e g li n t
fro m t h e two-foo t sq uare p ackage
wra ppe d in pl as ti c an d we d ged
a m o n g th e roc ks . With tre mblin g
hands he scooped it up and stepped
back into the boat, avoid ing Wa nda's
eyes. Lennie was an expe rie nced drug
mover, h e knew full well that bales of
ma rijua na we re always muc h bigge r
tha n this. Pulling out his pocke tknife,
Le nnie cut a deep gash in the triplewra ppe d p lastic. Afte r feas tin g his
eyes fo r a seco nd , he loo ked up a t
Wa nda. The white powder g lea med
be twee n t h e m through th e re nt in
t h e pl as ti c: a b o ut 25 p o unds of
cocaine.
Even at the rock bottom price of
$8,000 a pou nd, which Le nni e kn ew
he could easily get for the whole bale,
th ere was a t least $200,000, far more
th a n a m a n co uld m a ke
co mm e r cial fishin g . It was
e noug h to ta ke care of his
kid s and se nd th e m to a
good school so t hey wouldn ' t h ave to g o throug h th e
hardships he'd faced .
Wanda thou ght of these
t hi ngs, too, but uppe rmost
in her mind was fear: fear of
the police a nd fear o f losing
Le nnie again a fte r all these
yea rs. "Thro w it bac k" sh e
hissed . "Tf you wan t me and the kids,
th row it in th e Gulf. I don' t want to
be ric h, I j ust wan t you." She reached
for the bale, b ut Le nnie g rabbed her
wrist.
"Just you wait a minute, Wanda.
T h e r e ' s n o ru sh . Le t's think thi s
tht·oug h ," h e sa id h ea te dly. Th e ir
g la n ces loc ked fo r a mo me nt unti l
Le nnie loo ked away. "Okay," he said,
"mayb e yo u ' re rig ht. We ca n ' t ri sk
coming in with it. But maybe I can tell
one of the o ld t,rang whet·e it is and get
some money o u t of it anyway." Le nnie
picked the bale u p, ste pped back on
th e ree f a nd carri ed it u p hi g her
beyo nd the Lide mark. H e the n cove red th e bale with seve ral p ieces o f
driftwood and re LUrned to the boat.
The two began the tedious task of
res tocking th e net while th e nearby
cocaine we ig h e d h eavil y o n the i r
tho ugh ts. Lennie agai n took the bobber side o f th e n e t a nd sto ppe d to
res t t wice b e fo re th e n e ttin g was
again neatly stacked o n d eck. In h e r
perturba ti o n, Wand a sca rcely n o ted

tl1 at she was d o ing most of the work. up the kid s, th en swung back by the
Da mn my bad timin g in wantin g a fish ho use a ro und three o'cloc k, at
shec phcad , she tho ught. She was so Junior's insiste n ce, to see if Le nnie
furio us that if e ithe r of the sp ecies would take the young' uns for a short
h ad bee n in t h e n et, sh e' d h ave boat dde. Le nnie was gon e with the
thrown it back. She was startled when boat, testing it, sh e thought, or, even
more like ly, tied up to o n e of the
Le nnie suddenly broke the sile nce.
"I think yo u ' re rig ht, Wa nda . I ma ny waterfront bars nearby.
Le nnie came h o me a bo ut 6:15;
d o n ' t kn o w wh at I was thinkin g .
Especially with you in tl1c bo at, too. surprisingly, he was sober. "I ran into
We've got to think ofilie kids. We just Darryl a t the bar ," he said as soon as
he came in th e d oor. "He wa n ts me to
ca n ' t risk it."
"Oh honey," she gush ed. "' knew de ck hand o n his shrimp boa t for
you 'd sec it was wrong. Le t's throw it him the next tl1ree d ays or so. We'll
away a nd get out of h ere. I don't even be head ing out in a n hour and a hall:
so I've got to eat quick."
feel safe this close to it."
"But Le nnie," said Wa nda. "You
"We'll just leave it whe re it is," he
a n swe r ed . "I'm n o t going n e ar it won't make but thirty dollars a night
again. It' ll rot or a sto rm will wash it on the shrimpboat. You' re supposed
away soon. Maybe somebody else will to stay away from convicted felons as
find it. Who cares? Let's you and I get p art o f yo u r pa ro le. Da rryl 's b een
o ut of here."
busted several times. lsn 't h e still on
As the reef reced ed in th e wa ke bond? T ell him n o, a nd le t's catch
be hind the m, Wa nda felt as though mulle t whi le they' re running thick."
the bulk o f he r worries was being left
"I d o n ' t re a ll y car e a bout th e
be hind , too. If Le nni e cou ld turn mo ney tl1a t much. You know I need to
d own this te mptatio n fo r the sake of get my head straight o n a few things.
Th ese three d ays will b e
p e rfec t. I'll ta lk with you
a nd le t yo u kn o w everything that's bee n bothe ring
m e . I'll h ave eve ry t hin g
u n d e r co n tro l by th e n , I
pro mise." H e grabbed up
up Jun io r, swung him up in
th e a ir a nd hugged him
tig ht. "Wha t do you wa nt to
be wh e n yo u g r ow up,
Junior?" he asked the boy.
"I wa nt to b e a sp acet h e fa mi ly, th e n h e r wo rri es were man, Daddy," Junio r piped up. "And
g r ou ndl ess. Sh e' d just h ave to b e Sara's gonna be my n urse for wh en I
paLie nL
co m e b ac k to ea rth a nd n eed a
An ho ur's cruise broug ht them to ch eckup. "
"Is that so, Sa ra?" asked Le nnie.
the fish ho use whe re they fo und tha t
mulle t prices had d ropped two cen ts She didn ' t a nswer, j ust nodded shyly.
a po und. Th eir ca tc h still broug ht
"Well, we'll have to see a bout this,"
th e m nea r ly seve nty dolla rs, minus Leonie laughed. "Don't neither of you
gas money, fo r a morning's work, so two want to be a fish erman li ke your
Wa nda suggested steak fo r dinner.
daddy? My daddy was a fisherman and
"Sounds good ," said Le nnie. "You so was his daddy." Sitting on the floor,
ta ke th e truck a nd go o n sho pping . with a n a rm a ro und ea ch child,
I'm go nna c h a n ge th e plug in th e Le nni e to ld Junior a nd Sa ra a bo ut
Me rcury and re place the fuel line. It's h ow, b ecause of no t going to school
getting pre tty rotte n. I might just sto p and studying h ard , h e, his father a nd
a t the bar o n the way h ome, too. Ain 't his grandfathe r had all lived most of
every day I ilirow away a fo rtune and I their lives in Yankeetown, fishing fo r a
th ink I'll h ave a few beers."
living . But if t hey stud ied real ha rd
"You d eserve 'em, ho n ey." Wanda th ey co uld be spacemen , nu rses or
smi led . "I' ll get you a six-pack from wha tever they wanted whe n they grew
the sto re a nd have it waiting o n you. up. Wanda, reheating dinner , looked
Dinn er's served aro und six so don ' t in a nd smiled at the rapt, wide-eyed
b e la te." S h e h a nd e d him $20 , and a tten tive expressio ns on Junior
h o pped in th e truck and took off. and Sa ra's faces. H e always could tell a
Le nnie headed back towa rd tl1e boat.
good tale, she tl10ught.
Le nni e ate a nd th e n h e lpe d
Wa nda we nt to the g rocery store,
sto pped a t h e r mo th e r's a nd picked Wanda wash t11e d ishes, much to he r

''Lennie came home
about 6:15 p.m.
Surprisingly, he
was sober.''

60

PRISON LIFE

a mazed bu t secret de light. When the
h orn honked ou tside sum m o ning
him, Le nni e gave a ll three g reat big
hugs, kissed them aU, and headed out
the door. Wanda stood at the door a
lo ng time afte r the tru ck drove off,
p o nd e ring, a nd when Darryl's boat
ca me in three days later and Darryl
himself told he r that Le nnie certainly
hadn ' t gon e out with him , he'd o nly
talked to him a few minutes the afternoon before he went out, Wanda was
more numb th an su rprised. Re turning
h ome, sh e unlocked the door, he lped
the kids in, then no ticed the suitcase
and letter sitting on the dinner table.
She o pened the e nve lope and took
out the short note. Tears had already
started at the corn ers of he r eyes wh en

she began reading.
Dew· Wanda, it began.
l guess you jJrobably think this is the
cowm·dly way for me to tell you, bu.t I
couldn't face you with the truth any other
way. Five yeats in a cage can do a lot lo a
man 's mind. It can mahe him t hin II
thoughts cmd do things he'd never do an)'
otlw· plrue. What I 'm trying to say, I
guess, is that I jell weah a little over two
yean ago. I had sex with a queer in
jnison. Ju st once, I swear, but once was
enough. He had AIDS, honey, and I
caught it. Just before I got out I tested positive. I love you and the hids too much to
stay. You llnow u s anyway-we never
could resist se:,, and I won 'I chance it.
Cod knows I want you and love yo u. I
went bach to the reef, Wanda, and in the

suitcase is $180, 000. T want you to put it
away and sj1end it wisely on the l1ids. It s
all I can give I hem now, and it's the only
thing I can leave you. I'm laking enou.gh
money to get myselfJar away and outside
the U.S.A. I'll be all right, honey. Don't
wail jm· me this time 'cause I can 'I come
back. T love you, baby. Be strong.
Love Lennie.

Jun io r sudd e nly tugged on her
h a nd and sa id , "\.Vhat's wr ong,
Momm y? You're cryin g . Where 's
Daddy?"
"Hush , litLle spaceman," she said.
"Eve r ythin g's
okay,
da rlin g .
Everything's gonna be all right." PL

PRISON LIFE 61

BIG ED'S
DREADED QUADS
Iron Pile: I'm trying to build legs
bigger thau God;.il/a. So I squat and I
Jquat all(l I Jquat ... but, still, my
thighs don't sr.nn to be popping out of
m.v pautJ. All I got to show for my
t'fforts is a .m rr lower back. WhCll up
witlt thi.~ squat action? There no reason whJ I .\ houldn't have huge legs-

s

s

l'm 6' and bigfmmed.

Big Ed
U.S.P.

Your sore lower back says it all,
Big Ed. Ifynu 'n: squatting your ass
off and the only thing hurting is
your lower back. rd say iL's time to
find somet hin g l'lse for your
quadriceps.
Not evervonc is meant to
squat. For mo~t people, the squat
is a vel)' ineffecti\·e exercist• when
it conu:s to blasting quads. If
you're not able to keep your back
straight as your legs form a 90
degree angle (the point at which
you should t·nd a squat). then you
arc not mechanically inclined to
perform a P'' rf(•ct squat. Let me
explain.
The basic function of vour
quadrin·ps muscles (Re'ctus
femoris , Vastus intermedius,
\'astus latcralis, Vastus medialis) is
a knt·e cxtension-basicallv,
straightening your leg from a be~t
position. The most direct way of
hitting your quads. then. would be
an exercise which most closely
rcsemblt:s this primary movement.
You got it-l.t.•g Extensions.
Leg Exlt'nsions arc a onejoint
mo\·emt.•nt, nwaning all vou 're
working on arc your quadriceps.
Squats, Leg Presses , Hac k
Squato;-tht~y·n· all compound, or

62

PRISON LIFE

multi-joint movements. Wh e n
you're blasting away on the m ,
you're also hitting oth er bodyparts. For example, on squats, you
won't be able to help but in vo lve
your lower back in assisting the
lift.
So if you're compl a i ni ng
about lower back pain . it's o nly
because that area is g e ttin g
fatigued bt•fore your quads ever
get a chance. And sin ce you ' r e
squatting so damn mu ch, yo u 're
probably injurin g your lo we r
spinal rnuscl(•s.
V\'hat. you're striving for is that
bone-d ee p burn in your quads,
and th at's something that most
people do n't oftt•n feel on squats
(unless th ey're mechanically gifted and able to perform that perfect squat).
Takl· a break from squats, you
don't need 'em anyway. Instead,
do Leg Extensions. Blast the hell
outta your quads in the most
direct way possibl<'. Learn to love
that burn , 'cause that's what's
gonna gl·t them quads to pop out.
If you're still up to it, after
Extensions. throw in a few sets of
squats or Leg Pl't·sses while you're
pre-exhausted. If that don't get
'em, nuthin ' ·will.

LOSIN' STRENGTH-

NOT

htm Pile: It's good to hea r tLI prisoners have someone to write about ou1·
problem.~ with weightliftiug. I am a big
guy. 23; pounds, 6'T. I've hem trying to lou weight llnd get a urelltlrfint•d lmdy before Ill)' 1·elrase in one
.\'ea1·. A.\ I los(' bod)' weight-about
three pounds a month- my ovem/l
l11:nt·h press .W!l'11L\' to d t!d i ue. I'm taking

vitamins, eating fruits, potatoes, rice,
beans and foods high in proteins and
complex caTbohydrates. Is there any·
thing I can do to l:eep my bench pms
up as I start to lose body weigllt1 Ycltlr
ideas would be ofgreat heljJ to me.
Steplum j ohn Koutoes
U. S.P. Atlanta, CA

Stephen, until yo u stabilize at
a given body weight, the best you
can d o is keep pushing that we ight
as best yo u can. Bear in mind that
losing pounds on a bench press
d oes n ' t necessaril y m ean t ha t
you' re ge tting Wl'akcr. In racl, you
may even be getting stronger.
Re member that s tre ng th is
determ ined bv how much vou can
lift at a give1; weight. So~ if you
were benching 300 at 235 pounds
( 1.276 times your body wt·igh t),
and now you're benching 265 a t
200 (1.325 your body weight). you
would've actually increased your
strength.
All that extra fat will enable
you to heave more weight, but
n:member that the extra pounds
are mere leverage. Fat cells arc
not able to contract and pull joints
(i.e. lift weights) so don 't worry
about a few pounds on your bench
press.
Once you'vt• stabilized at your
targeu·d hody weight, your body
will be ready to explode with newfound strength. Just keep doing
what you're doing. and eating
what you' re eating.
Send your Q's and problems
to Iron Pile, c / o Prison Life
Magazine, 505 8th Avenue, 14th
Floor. New York, NY 10018.
Backgrou11d photo by Sarah Wulkie

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PRISON LIFE 63

AskBubba
Hi Baby!
I lhinh you're so cute. I'd love lo have
a man lihe you. The only problem is, I
Lhinh you like dich as much as I do. "Ask
Bubba "? I Lhinlt it should be "Ash
Bubbella. " Why don 't you stop acting so
Lough and gel )'Ourself right? Shave yow·
legs, arch yonr eyebrows and get some pretty panties to wear. And girl, while I'm
writing you, I'll aslt you to send )'ow· sister a subscrijJtion. !f you don '1. f'fl lticlt
yo ur ass!
L OVI',

Steve a. lw. Stephani
U. C. I., Florida
Dear Stepha ni,
Biaaaaaalch! Yo u man gy,
niveling ho. Do n 't be dragging that
slo ppy pussy of yours a rou n d h e re
tryin ' to sell it to me for no subscription to my magaz ine. You wa n t to
read th is, hon ey, go out and sell that
ass. The n save your quarte rs till you
h ave twenty bucks a nd send m e a
money orde r. I just know you ' re so
ugly nobody will have you, but give it
a try an yway. Eve n a blind, one-legged
chipm u nk omelimes fi nd s an acorn.
Love and hisses, Bubba

Greetings, Bubba!
I read Prison Life fo r the firs/ lime a
couple wr'ek5 ago. The rag is jJretty Jnchin '
good, jaclt! I mean, Bubba. So I'm as/tin ':
Can l gPI a free scrijJt? I cau 'l afford
cracfters for 111)' pet mouse or a mbberjor
his head 'cast' it rains.
Ya help a lot of peojJ!e and ya might
be able to help me with this problem(violi ns jJlease):
I 'm doin ' double life phts 35 years
with 110 jJossibility of parole roe1; jorbank
robbel)'- I never hurl anyonr', or kidnapjJPd anyone. I jus/look the monl')' and
mn. (So [used a gun.) That .5111·e does
jJiss 'em off in Virginia. Th e Virginia
prison system considers a lifi' sentence 600
yem:5. So in reality I have lwelvP flu nd red
and 35 ye(/./:1· wilhou/ parole 'causr' that 's
what my time sheet says. I evm have I 0
years bac!t-up time for the Feds. They want
me when the Slate is done with me, and
y'hnow the Feds lihe to collect their lime, so
! figure when I die the stale will send my
body to the Peds and they will stand my
coffin up in the come1· and of ace{{ until
my Fed I i me is ujJ. Then they'll bwy me.
Bubba, m.y problem is, what color cof
fin should 1 get?
Ludty,
A HafJ/J)' Convict
P. S. Keep gi vin ' those wimpy,
whinin ' short limen the blues. The)' don 'I
/mow how /uc!ty th ey are. It gels me of/
when you ride their back~.

Lucky, yo u a in' t, pal,
First of all, le t me te ll you what I
th ink abo ut th e tim e th ey gave yo u.
A ma n robs a ba n k with a gun, h e
gets I ,200 years. A man rob a bank
wi t h a fountain p e n , h e d o n ' t get
sh it. And I bet yo u pro bab l}' sto le
c h ump change. You know what the
wo1.. t cri m e of th e decade was? In
te rms of h ow much mon ey they too k
a nd how many peo ple th ey hu rt, th e
biggest bank robbers of 'em all are
the poli ticia ns a nd the ir cronies who
ran the S&L sca m on a bunch of middle class folk who sure as he ll couldn 't affo rd to h ave t h e ir savi n gs
ripped o fT.
How m uch time did th ose g uys
get? How m u ch time did George
Bush 's kid get fo r his involvement in
the Silverado bank scam? What really
pisses me off a bout the people in this
co un try is how fu cking stu p id t h ey
a re. When a re America ns going to
smarten up? The real crimina ls d on' t
break th e laws, they make th e laws.
And if yo u thi nk th ose fat cats
"·h o just took over down t he re in
Was hington , th ese so-called Republica ns, are any better, fo rge t abou t it.
Bub ba kn ows wh a t th ey' re u p to .
People thi nk I'm ome lily-livere d libe ral, but that's al l wro ng. I'm a rad ical fu cking rig h t win g nut! (The re,
at las t I ' ve sa id it. I fee l better
alread y.) I co u ld te ll o ld :-.J e wt a
thing or two about wha t it mea ns to
be co n se rva t ive.
What the
Republicans want to do is to re place
th e welfare state with th e impriso nme nt sta te. They say d o away with
big gove rnme nt, yet t11ey wa nt more
cops, more priso ns, more laws- and
less freedom for everyo ne.
Lucky o ld pal, you slap ha ppy,
stir crazy rucke r yo u, to hell with the
coflin . Tell 'em to burn your ass in
one of them oYens. the re is no such
thing as death . Let yo ur spirit run
free. An d the n com e back to hau n t
th e m.
Bubba joT President

Bubba wants your questions!
Send y our kites to Bubba, cj o
Prison Life rnag, 505 8th Ave,
NY, NY 10018.

64

PRISON LIFE

7

The first six issues of Prison Life are nearly sold out ••• you ain ~-~,JR~Illiilll
,But ou can still score issues 1, 5, 7, 8 and 9. acked with
from e Inside, these issues will never go outta date. Only
and that includes postage & handling.

Send me back issues of Prison Life!

,...~acks a
shot----..while
they last

Issue:
01
05
07
Enclosed is $10 per copy.

08

09

NA~ I E

11)#

f

J H ·.SS

CIT Y

STATE

Zl l'

Send to: Prison Life , 505 8th Ave,
New York, NY 10018.

Family Matters

REUNITED

rn the ja.nua1y '95 "Family Matters,"
we printed a letter by R eginald "CA$H"
Alexande1· beseeching women with children
by a man behind bars to let the fathers see
their children. While CA$H's feller was
wrillen to all women, il was based on his
relationshijJ with Trinetta, thf' mother of
his son, Le Cashi·us. CA$H had:n 't sf;oken
to his son for several years, and for this he
held Trine/la lmgely responsible. Trinella
1·ead CA$H's lel/er in the janttG1)' issue
and se1t1 her Tesponse.
Dear Cash,
As I write this le tte r, you r son and
are doing fin e. In fact, he's sitting
h e re next to me looking more and
mo re like you every minute.
We're happy to hear you' re staying strong a nd, like you, we are trying
66

PRISON LIFE

d espera tely to weather the storm. I'm
sorry I haven't been more of a friend
to you, and especially regre tful that I
haven 't do ne everything possible to
a llow you to remain a part of your
son's life. T h e reasons are co mplex
a nd many, and yo u may not unde rsta nd or forgive me for them, but in
lig ht of your letter I will explai n.
Cas h , when the y se nt yo u to
prison it was as if I had been impriso ned , too. They took away your freedom-they sna tch ed away my ho pe.
Eve rything I had e n vis ion e d and
p lanned for Lhe future was suddenly
yanked away. For the first few yea rs of
}'Ou r in ca r ce r at io n I was los1, m y
mind was doing ta il sp in s . Eve ry
dream l h ad was desLroyed. T hen one
day I sudde n ly stopped spinning and

ope n ed my eyes a nd saw th e scary
truth. You were gone!
I was all alone, with a small child
a nd facing a wo rld tha t I was not prepared to face without yo u. 1 never
wanted a child until I me t you. And I
told you when we fi rst met tha t I was
d e te rmined no t to end up a single,
struggling mo th e r like many of m y
friends.
I co nceived and gave birth to Le
Cashi us because J loved you and that
was what you wa nted . You promised
m e a million times that we wo u ld
always rema in a family. And although
I knew you didn' t willfully leave us, I
still fou nd myself b la ming you for our
struggles.
r tr ied In)' best to wait fo r you,
re mai n fai thfu l and by your sid e. But

as the years dragged along I beca me
lon ely a nd unh a ppy. I won 't try to
deny that I h ave fo und so meo n e to
fill those voids, I'll simply ask, "If the
tables were turn ed , wo uld you have
waited for me?"
An yway, o n ce 1 beca me d ee pl y
invo lve d with th a t som e on e, it
beca me e mo tion ally impossible fo r
me to re main a pan of your life . H ow
could 1 write you love le tte rs, visit you
(smiling in your face and kissing you)
fo r seve r al h ours, knowin g th a t as
soon as our visit e nded my affection
would be fo r an othe r ma n?
You may not respect th e way J've
chose n to ha ndle things, but J'm sure
you wo uldn 't have respected me if I
had don e the above, wo uld yo u?
Still, I tell your son about you all
th e tim e, a nd con tra ry to wha t you
may be lie ve n o ma n wi ll eve r ta ke
your p lace in his life. I've wanted to
bring him to visit you a nd a t tim es
I' ve sta rte d to write you , bu t dee p
down inside l've felt g uilty, like I've

let you d o wn , a nd I kn ow th a t you
don 't forgive easily. The refo re, I was
afraid to face you or to contact yo u. I
believed tha t you h a ted me and tha t
rum o rs h ad turned yo u comple tely
against me.
I was also going thro u g h ma ny
c ha nges, trying to find myse lf, a nd
hopelessly d e pressed ove r your situati o n. But d o n't eve r th ink th at yo u
we r e forgo tte n. It's impossible to
look a t Le Cash ius a nd not see you. It
rea lly hurts my heart fo r him to grow
up witho ut having his daddy a round.
I d o m y bes t with him but h e still
need s )' O U. I was so d e pressed tha t
some ho w it j ust seemed muc h easie r
to stay away a nd n o t co mmunicate
wi th yo u a l all.
You a re n ' t ve ry unde rstandi ng,
and loo king back on it now I must tell
you tha t whe n you first went to prison
you had some very unrealistic expectations of me. The n wh e n I co uldn 't
live up to all of the m, you made me
fee l like a tramp. 1 avo ided co n tact

wi th you because I didn 't like being
made to feel that way. Life wasn't easy
for me e ith e r during th a t time, but
your und e rstanding of my predi came nt was ze ro! Cash, you ex pec ted
mo re than I was capable o f giving.
I know l've been wro n g to de n)'
you your son, and I a po logize. But I
have always to ld him a bo ut you and I
promise you tha t he will be taught to
love you. I, myse lf, think a bout you
ofte n a nd I miss you a lo t. I hate tha t
things have gone this way, but I ho pe
that one day we ca n become frie nds.
So mu c h b as h a pp e n e d sin ce
yo u've been away, so muc h to ma ke
me cry. I just wish you could come
ho me. We may have been o lll o f your
life for th e past th ree yea rs, but we
have always loved a nd n eed ed yo u.
And we always will.
Love,
Trinetla and 'Lit Cash

PRISON LIFE

67

Prison Papers

STORIES FROM THE YARD

Iron House: Stories fmm the Yard
J erome Washington
QED P ress, $18.95, 164 pgs.
Review by J ennifer· Wynn
"So what if the food is llnfit for
can ine consumjJtion?" the Niess se1geanl
said. "We a in 'I feeding dogs, we is feeding
you. " He gloated, then added, "The SPCA
can 't squawk about that. "
The last time we tried a hunger strike
the warden stormed into the mess hall and
ordered us to eat. When no one made a
move to break our solidarity by eating, the
wanlen dragged a 1{//ge challiboaul into
the middle of the 111esslwll.
"This is youT last chance," the warden shonled as he held u.p a jJiece of chalk
for all to see, then prefJmWI to write. "If
you men don 'I slaTI eating right now," the
warden sc1·eamed, "I'm going to wl'ite the
names of l'Vel)' informel; snitch and 1'0/ in
th e jJriS0/1. '
Beforf' the challi touched the bom·d
nearly evel)' plate was clean.

Ri ng a be ll ? So sho ul d m ost o f
the accou nlS in Iron House: Stories from
thf' Yard . .Jero me WashingLOn's book,
win n e r of the 1994 Weste rn States
A n s Federatio n Book Awa rd for
Creative Nonfiction, is exactly what its
title proclaims it lO be-a compe nd iu m of ,·ig nettes and impressions cove ring the author's time in th e j oint.
68

PRISON LIFE

Some a re as sh o rt as a se nte n ce o r
two, oth e rs are seve ral pages lo ng . Ye t
nothi ng I have read by a p risone r o r
ex-co n captures with such depth and
po ig na n cy th e e motional un de rcurre n ts of life in he ll.
Every portra it is sha rply wri ttenun ad orn ed ye t g raceful. The author's
lyri cal sLO ryte lling sta n ds in direct,
a nd so m e times di sco n ce rting, co ntrast to the ho rro rs he writes a bout.
In j ust a few pa ragra phs, Washi ngton
man age · lO make the ma in cha racte r
o f each sketch com e to life, a nd h e
succeeds in leaving the read e r wi th a
se nse of motive, wh ethe r c rue l, crazy
o r heroic.
We un de rstan d, for exa mple, why
Lizard Macdo na ld only la ug hs wh e n
he is clowni ng with th e g uards with
his "Rig ht on!" U ncle T o m ro utin e;
how Willie, afte r te n years of masturba tio n , could on ly see "his wife as a
substitute fo r his fist," and why it is
tha t the auth or, wh o admi lS he's been
·:jive, insensiti ve a nd fast ta lking ... "
n ow watc hes as his "' help-me le tte rs
co me back like stray ho ming pigeo ns,
stamped 'Return to Sende r."'
Th e a u th o r 's c lear wri t in g a n d
s h a rp o bserva ti o n s a re m o r e th a n
odes to clear thinking. They show h e
has taken pa ins to un de rsta nd the syste m a nd th e p laye r s within it.
Washingto n respects his fe ll ow priso ners and seeks lO te ll the ir sto ri es truthfull y. He points out in th e introd uctio n that p rison writing involves risk:
"If th e writ ing is no t rep rese nta tive
and doesn't ring u·ue to the prisone rs,
cri ticism can come from the blade of
a knife or a p unch in th e face."
Wh e n J e ro m e Washin gto n we n t
to priso n , he was a lread y a n acco mplished write r, teach e r and p olitical
activist. In fact, he was the first black
Yi ppie leader. Acco rding to the '60s
activist Pau l Krassn er's autobiogra phy,
the t\VO met while pissi ng side by side
on the walls of the Pentagon d uring a
d e monstra tion. La ter, blinded by tear
gas, th ey he lped each o tl1e r up a h il l.
In 1968, 'Nashin gto n h e lped his
fe llow Yip p ies Abb ie H o ff m a n a nd
Krass n e r d isr up t the De m oc rat ic
Nati onal Conve ntion in Chi cago. His
FBI reco rds fa lse ly classified him as

the liaison be tween the Yippies and
th e Black Pan thers. By 1972 he was in
j a il fo r cha rges o f m ur d e r and
attempte d murder, whi ch we re u ltima te ly dro p ped upon his re lease 16
years later.
"I n ever gave in to bei ng a prisone r," says Washi ngto n , n ow living in
Fo rt Bragg, Ca lifo rnia. "I a lways saw
myself as a survivor." judging from his
p r ison reco r d, i t see m s t h at
vVashing to n did mo re tl1an "survive"
life in the New York Sta te prison system. He li te ra lly tra n sform e d it. "I
became successful in an unsuccessful
system," he says with c h a racte ri stic
mod esty.
Whi le at Au b u rn Co rrecti o n a l,
Was h in g ton s ta rte d th e Auburn
Collective, which won awards from the
American Penal Press for ilS respo nsible and powerful journa lism . Drawing
fro m h is experie n ces as a li teracy
teac h er in th e d eep So uth to h e lp
Blacks exercise their powe r lO vote,
Wash ington starte d the first lite racy
p rogra m at Auburn. H e also tau ght
j ourna lism in prison and gained the
support of local, freeworld j o urnalislS.
No t s u r p r isin g ly, t h e wa rd e n
became th rea te ned by Washingto n ,
whom h e felt was becoming too powerfu l. O ffic ia ls co nfisca te d h is typ ewriter, ma n uscrip ts and two years of
researc h. H e was se nt t o Attica in
ha ndcuffs and shack les. "They tr ansfe rred m e to Attica to sile n ce m y
voice as a writer."
But Washington fo ught back-an d
won. H e enlisted pw bono assista nce
from a leading Ne w Yo rk Ci ty law
firm a nd fi led a F irst Am e nd me n t
lawsui t in F e d e r a l Di s tr ic t Co u rt
agai n st t he wa r den wh o h a d hi m
transferred to Attica. Despi te th e warden's attem pt to poru·ay Washing ton
as a security risk an d a "card-carrying
m ember o f t h e Blac k P a n the r s,"
Was hi ngto n won t h e su it for t he
"right to write," as well as $5,000 in
d a mages. "This was the fi rst tim e a
p ri so n er eve r bro ugh t su c h a case
against an institu t io n ," Washington
says. "It was a major victory not only
for m e b u t fo r a ll p ri so n e r s."
Re flecting on th e warden's desperate
last d itch efforlS to defame him , th e

a uth or obse rves: "In pri so n ,
paran o ia works b o th wa ys. It
affects the watche r as much as it
d oes the watched ."
While m os t peo pl e mi g ht
r es t on t h e ir lau r e ls, Was h in g ton we nt on to publi s h
anoth e r small magazine, a nd to
write and publish severa l plays,
including The Boys in Cellblock C,
fo r whi ch h e wo n a fe llows hip
from The e w York Foundation
for the Arts.

same loo k of desperation on th e
face of a m a n rumm ag in g
th ro ug h a garbage ca n as th e
man ridi ng in a limousine."
'vVhile Wa hing ton's primary
goa l in writing i ron House was to
te ll with h ones ty and sen sitivity
th e to rie of Ame rica's imprisone d , an e qu a II y im portan t
inten tio n was to give freeworld
citi zens "a glimpse o f priso n life
in a way that they can grasp it."
\ '\1ith billio ns of doll ars commit-

"Those of us who
are in prison have
been convicted.
Everil'one else
is sti on trial."
The fin a l p ages of h on
H ouse are devoted to th e
autho r's re lllrn to the freeworld ,
wh ic h was n o t at a ll h ow h e
a n tici pa te d it. Pa rano ia, despair
a nd cy ni c ism preva il e d. Th e
po litical activism a nd collective
rallying cry o f the '60s had bee n
re placed by isola te d subgroups
of soc ie ty at o dd s with eac h
other a nd the world. "I saw th e

A

t e d to bu ilding more prisons
every year, this isn ' t a bad idea.
F or p eop l e who h ave n eve r
expe rie nced incarcera tio n firs t
h and , hon H ouse s h o uld be
require d readi n g. As W as hington notes on th e first page:
"Those of us who a re in prison
have bee n convicted. Everyo ne
PL
e lse is still on tria l."

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PRISON LIFE

69

In-House Counsel

Writ Writing:
GeHing Started
By Larry Fassler, Jailhouse Lawyer

MAKE A LIST

h is is th e fi rst in a multi-part
se ri es o n how to c rea te a nd
wri te a new appeal of your conviction or sente nce. Most like ly, you
will have already appealed your case,
a nd the "writ of habeas corpus" will
be you r last sho t at freedo m. It may
go by ano th er na me in your jurisdi ction , such as a "2255" mo t.i on if you
are fig hting a fe de ral convictio n, or a
"2254" if you're appealing a state convictio n to fe de ral cou rt. ( I' ll use the
g eneric term "h a b eas c orpus . ")
Rega rd less o f the na me, eve ry sta te
and fe d e ra l co urt h as a procedure
ava ilable.

T

IDENTIFYING

YoUR l SSUF.S

Th e firs t req ui re ment fo r any writ
is to ide ntify tJ1e issues. Good issues
can wi n; poorly chosen issues wi ll lose.
Most prisone rs who want to file a writ
simply find a j ailhouse lawyer and ask
him to look at th eir case and find the
issues to raise. A good jailhouse lawye r
can d o that. Unfortunately, not all j ailhouse lawyers are that good, and eve n
th ose who a re co mp e te n t u su a ll y
kn ow li ttle more tha n th e pa rti cula r
issues tJ1ey raised in th eir own appeals
or in o ther wri ts they he lped write. So,
whil e a jailh o use lawye r ca n o fte n
he lp, l suggest you start by trying to
he lp yourse lf.
The person who knows yo ur case
bes t is yo u. You kn ow h ow yo u r
d e fense fa ile d yo u. If yo ur law>re r
wo uldn ' t in vestigate or pre pare for
trial, you a re the on e who knows that.
If th e cops vio late d pro p e r p o lice
conduct in in vestig atin g yo ur case,
you a re the person who kn ows about
it. So th e first ste p in an y wri t is to
ide nti fy the things you be lieve were
wrong a bout your case.
70

PRISON LIFE

Write down eac h o f the t hi ngs
about your case that doesn ' t sit rig ht
with you. Don ' t won)' about the law
or whe tJ1e r they a re legal issues, like
the Miranda warni ngs. If you feel you
were wronged by a pa rticular acti on
or dec ision, a dd it to you r list. Use
co mm o n sense. Muc h of th e law is
ba eel o n common se nse.
You h a ve prob a b ly a lr e ad y
app ealed you r case . We re yo u sa ti sfied witJ1 the o utcome, o r do you feel
stro ng ly that tJ1e re was a n issue raised
o n yo ur appea l that th e co urt
ig nore d ? Do yo u fee l yo ur lawyer
fa ile d to prese nt your issues adequately? rr so , add this to your list.
Have other people raised iss ues
that so unded good a nd might apply
to you r case? Add th e m to your list.
Have you read a nythin g in a boo k,
magazine or newsle tte r th at sounded
like it might help you? \1\'rite it down.
Don ' t scrimp o n your list. Put d own
evel)' possible issue yo u can th in k of.
Brainstorm.
Take your tim e putting the list
togeth er. The re is no hurry You may
be very anxio us to go to court a nd U)'
to get a reversal, but reme mber-you
will proba bly o nly have one chance,
and if you don ' t fi le the best writ you
possibly ca n , yo u a re j eo pard izing
your future possibilities for appeal. It
is b e tte r to take six months d o ing
things co rrectl y than it is to do an
e xu·a six yea rs because you we re in a
hurl)' and filed a losing writ. The key
he re is e ff ectiveness befo re efficiency.
After yo u have compi led the list,
sleep on it for a few weeks. During that
tim e , yo u may think of ad d iti o n a l
issues, and whe n yo u look at th e list
again, you will probably think o f more.
This i not a proj ect you should expect

to do in a day. It ta kes th o ug ht a nd
recollection , both of wh ich take time.
HIT

THE STACKS

I strong ly re comme nd that you
read a good basic text on criminal
law at the early stage of th e writ-writing process. The best book I know of
is Modern Criminal ProceduTe, by Hall
and Ka misar (West Publishing Co. ,
St. Paul, Minnesota) . Do n ' t be daunted by its size. It's easy to read and wi ll
give yo u a good un derstanding of the
basic issues for a ppeal. You can read
it in section s-taking a month or two
to finish the book may d o mo re for
yo ur c h a nces of success th a n an ything e lse. Most prison law libraries
h ave th e boo k, but if you rs doesn ' t,
it's we ll wonh th e mon ey to buy your
own copy.
By tJ1is time, you sho uld be looking aro und the law li brary a nd ge tting to know th e p eo p le who h a ng
o ut there. You will find b oo ks and
other publica tion s that catch you r eye
a nd give you additio nal ideas. At this
stage, howeve r, it is best to con ce ntrate o n id e ntifying issues that might
be worth ra ising in yo ur case, not in
d o in g legal r esea r c h o n th e m.
(Resea rching you r issues wi ll be the
subject of a future colu mn.)
Afte r you have d evelo pe d yo ur
list, start d iscussing your case with jailhouse lawyers. Undoubte dly, th ey wi ll
h ave id e as of th e ir ow n , a nd you
sho uld a dd th e m to yo ur list if yo u
think they apply. If you ' re co nsiderin g using a jailho use lawye r to he lp
write your writ, tJ1is is a good opportun ity to begin to evaluate those individuals who are offe ring to assist yo u.
Pay care ful attentio n to what tJ1 ey say.
If someon e in sists on a partic ular
issue th a t you feel is not re levant to

your case, take it as a warn ing abou t
that ind ivid ual. Ma n y jai l ho u se
lawyers kn ow o nly one or two issues,
and they build the ir en tire ca reers o n
them, o fte n to the disadva n tage of
th eir clie nts.
For example, 25 years ago, whe n
I fi rs t sta rted doing legal wo r k, I
be ca m e d eeply involved in il legal
searc h and seizure law, which played
an important role in my own a ppeal.
Whe n I began he lpi ng others, I naLUrally tartecl by looking for search and
seizure issues because I knew the law
on thi s su bj ect. So m e j a ilh o u se
lawyers never get beyond that stage,
and if you fall into the ir hands, you

may fi nd that your excelle nt Miranda
issue, or your ineffective assistance of
counsel claim, is ove rloo ked simply
beca use yo u a re us ing a j a il hou se
lawyer who is famil iar o nly with one
o r two areas of the law.
By th e same to ke n , if you arc
lu cky eno ugh to find a jailhou se
lawyer wh o is very fami li ar wi th a n
a rea o f law that seems panicu lar ly
suited to you r case, you may want to
usc this person's help even though he
or she has li mited knowledge in oth er
a reas. So keep an ope n m ind at this
stage, and listen carefu lly to a nybody
who o ffers you advice or suggestions.
In conclusion , I reiterate my ca r-

lie r advice: T ake you r Lime. Develo p
you r list of issues slowly an d compreh e n sive ly and don ' t wo r ry abo u t
wh e n yo u a re goi ng to fi le. If yo u
blow this c h a n ce beca use o f impati e n ce, it's you wh o will have to do
the time.
In my next colu mn, I will discuss
how to go about na rrowi ng your list
of issues, d eciding which ones to use
PL
a nd which to d iscard.

Send your legal questions lo In-House
Counsel, c/ o Prison Life, 505 8th Avenue,
14th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

CRIMINAL DEFENSE
TRIALS, APPEALS AND POST-CONVICTION
0

ND HOSTETLER
Ff\CE OF MARKS A W
LAWO

ATfORNEYSAT LA

's

I (800) 700-4J44
" (303) 333-9493

STANLEY H. Mt\RK LER
RICHARD A~

-

1733 HighSlreel 80218
Denver. Colorado
(303) 399-07~3

- -LAM

FA"

o essive
'enced effectiVe, and ag.,rd OSt•AI~~:~~~:W Office Marks an~r~~~~~~~~~:re~~~~~c\udin'g trials, appeals an .P .
firm devoted ~o a\\ phases
.
f the Colorado Cnmma\
conviction rehef. .
-founder and past presld~nt oears. He is a-v rated by
BRADFORD l

-

•,\lwMmitt~\~&\\\';',\~ and Penn<Yh"""

.

o~:!~~:Y
~;r~~bd \\~~~:\~~~~~~o~~~~~~~a~a~~a~~~
~:Er~~~;ted~:~~~~gfra~ ~~~~~~~
Martindale-Hub e . . .
a\s and has expen.

1

most recently emphas~z~~gc~:itti;,g crimes while mc~~~~de~\ courts throughout
Prison inmates accus~ ~efendants in numerous_state a
We nave ~ep~\s~;pes of serious crimm~\ cas~s. \ d' g securities violations
the country II\ a mn\ex white collar crnnesO' \1\dCCUC~
• COu•r
. \ d' 0 R\C an
d rs
• drug cases, me u '":o cludino death penalty mur e
• crimes of violence,'" inchiding pornography
• First Amendment cases.
buro \ary' theft
• robbery • "
te and international
• sexual offenses .
. · both mtersta '
• extradIliOn, . 0 - de\ines
·d the best
• federal sentencmg .,~I strenothen our reso\v~ to p~~"\o~ed public

Our years of exp~~\enf~~ ~~~;:e~~~us~d of c~me a~~:~~~~i~~t~:n:~~ments, and the
resentauon possl e
" \itica\\y motivate · 1 ·ohts
.
~~mands for "law and order ' p~t and enforce constitutlo~a r~"r trial or appeal or IS
unwillingness of court~~~
is in need ~f repr~~t~~~~~f~ce. Call us toll fre~ ~~
If you or someo~e. relief then call. wnte or d' ss your situation and provl
seekino post-convlc\lot\ 1 \\e~t We will gladly ISCU
00~00-4544 or ca co
.
\ -& t' mate of fees and costs.
Richard A. Hostetler
an es I
Stanley H. Marks

e::

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NEED A RIDE TO
PRISON?
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1-800-318-0500
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PRISON LIFE

71

"If I don't take anything to my
grave, I'll take my tattoos."
Fred D. Van Dyke n , a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe and a n a tive
of Montana, h as a total o f six tauoos, all d epicting Native American culture (h e says "Indian. ") The sk ull in the warbonne t des ign ta t on his
chest stands for fallen wa rriors and the inner stren gth you can get from
your ancestors. H e designed it and had it ap plied five years ago while
incarcerated in the Montana State Prison. Fred is curre ntly locked up in
Washin gto n State. Photo by Pat Hansen.
72

PRISON LIFE

FLOWERS WILT!

FOOD WON'T!
Thank your loved ones with a
BASKET of Gourmet treats.
Each basket includes a selection
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Along with: Name , address and
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the basket is to be sent.
Please allow 2-3 weeks
fo r delivery.

PRISON
FOR AN UPCOMING ISSUE ON SEX BEHIND BARS, PRISON
LIFE WANTS TO KNOW IT ALL ...
DO YOU MISS IT? DO YOU GET IT? HOW DOES IT HAPPEN?
WHERE DOES IT HAPPEN? WHY DOES IT HAPPEN? W HO
DOES IT HAPPEN WITH? HOW DOES IT FEEL?
MA STURBATIO N .
HOMOSEXUALITY
CONJUGAL VISITS . . . IN -CE LL VISITS
FEAR OF AIDS ... RAPE . . . PREGNANCY, ETC.
DID SEX GET YOU INTO PRISON?
DOES SEX GET YOU INTO TROUBLE IN PRISON?
INFORM US.
SEND US YOUR STORIES, YOUR OPINIONS.
WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR PORNOGRAPHY. WE ARE
LOOKING FOR THE TRUTH.
Send to: Prison Life Magazine, 505 8th Ave.,
14th Floor, New York, NY 10018.
* The illustmtion above was an 1-/onorab/e Meutio11 iu lhe Art Behind
Ban Conies/: "Untitled N ude, ·· by.foaquin J\llaus, L imon Con n lional,

PRISON LIFE 73

go to th e brothe rs clown th e b loc k
and tell 'e m I' m go nn a h a n g wi th
the m , a fte r they sto p laughing, they
see I a in ' t talking shit.
"Yo ," I say to th e bro 's (a nd I
do n ' t usually use the word "yo"), "it's,
like, a necessary evil and shit. "
Ju st like "N e ce ssary Ev il ," th e
song. Chec k it out:

BomDead
Body Count
(Virgin Records)
Review by Jimmy " Snake" Tyler,
Rihers Island, New York
I h ave su c h kille r m e mori es o f
Bo d y Co u n t. M y c r ew a nd I were
blas ting BC's first a lbu m , CofJ Killer,
th e nig ht we a ll got buste d fo r beating up m all security cops. ow f'm
h e re doin ' a sho rt stre tch . 1o biggie.
T he n the other d ay, my road dog
ca m e to m e. "H ey dud e, Bo d y
Count's go t a new o ne o ut! " h e said.
Since I'm d ue fo r a paro le hearin g, [
fig ure d it was like some sig n fro m th e
gods o r so me thi ng.
Fuckin ' A! I was righ t, too! Body
Count's Bom Dead kicks so me serious
ass! Ki ll e r shi t h ere, Bam Dead. It 's
like an a lb um fu ll of a ll ki n d s of
socia l-meani ng stuff. lt's changed my
life around . Aga in.
I t a ll sta rted wit h thi s dre a m .
T he re was this black g uy who loo ked
like tha t J esus d ude. H e looke d like
Elvis, too; maybe a co mbo o f the two.
An yway, he says (in my dream ) to me,
"White boy." Ju s' like th a t: "Whi te
boy." T h e n I wen t on to drea m of
God z ill a, o nly h e was a ll whi te and
h ad a b lac k button nose just li ke a
74

PRISON LIFE

po lar bear. But maybe th at has nothin g to d o with Bod y Count o r ElvisChrist, l d o n 't know.
I do knov; I wo u ld n ' t have h a d
tha t drea m had I no t bee n listen ing
to Born Dead ove r an d over agai n , all
godda mn day. 'ow all I wanna do is
h ang o ut with th e "brothe rs." I 1van t
to sha re with th e m my Metallica, my
feelings. l want to smo ke a bowl with
th e m , ha n g o ut an d ta lk shi t abo ut
Lhe governme nt a nd cops and about
how racist everythi ng is. I wa nt th e m
to see me no t as a pun k-ass white boy
me talhead but as j ust a nother "brother." Fuc k, m a n , for th e first time I
fin a ll y un d e rstand th e O n e-Wo rl dO n e-Love bullshit.
Fucki n ' A, my life has take n a 180.
And Ice T hath sh oweth me th e way.
At first, thoug h, I have to admi t I
was sorta pissed o ff. Bod y Co un t talks
abo ut tak in g o u t t h e w hite fo lks
th r o ug h o ut th e who le a lbum (CofJ
Killer, too). I th ough t, H ey elude, f'm
white, too. But the n I figu red it o u t:
Ice T just m e a n s a ll th e o ld eludes
wh o run t hi s f u cke cl- u p c o u nt r y.
Yeah , let's take 'e m out, Ice! I' m withya ! Nuthin ' pe rso nal he re !
Sh i t , Ice eve n dedic ates th e
a lb um t o "t h e wh ite yo u t h o f t h e
wo rld wh o have t h e co u rag e to go
aga in st t h e ir ra c ist p aren ts an d
fr iends." Yea h , way cool. Now whe n I

Lillie white kid with a kool-aid smile,
Training wheels on his bike thought he
called me a nigga
Pushed that little bastard in traffic so
grafJhic
He was holdin' his bike tight.
He was a victim offuelled up e.>:plaining
A11 Ameri.can example offuelled up
training.
When thejitckin' bus connected,
heflew like Knievel.
I was just necessary evil
But I fig ure Jce isn ' t really saying
to do th is for real 'cause th en all the

Blacks wou ld go a round killing whi te
kid s with ko o l-a icl smil es (a lot o f
th e m in th e ' burbs, 'case you really
want to find the m) and th ey'd e nd up
in priso n a n d the n more and m o re
Blacks would be be hind bars and Ice
T would have to d o a n oth e r a lb um
a bo u t h ow fucke d up the prison syste m is a nd h ow racist the mo the rfucke r s a re wh o run th e D.O.C. ' s a nd
B.O.P. 's and that t h ey s h o uld b e
pushe d into u·affic, too .
The tun es are about uniting and
killin g the "Monste r" (the gov' t), and
how we ' re a ll pawns in th e ir game:
Uncle Sam is his name, you're his slave,
shallow graves, and Muthafuck your red,
white and blue. In fact, Bom Dead really
re fe rs to how the whi te su pre macists
would wa n t to see all the "peop le o f
co lor" born. (Y' kn ow: dead .)
He re's what I say, a nd maybe the
Black Elvis/Jesus combo in my d ream
has inspire d me: 0 Boy/Man of Pa le
Colo r, Offsp ring of a ll T hat Maye th
be Racist, Even Slig htly So-Buy this
Album a nd Drink o f its Wisd om ...
An d th e n a fte r , relax, lig ht u p and
j am down to so me kick ass m e tal.
T hi s rules.

Fat Tracl1s-the

shit you should be
listen ing lo-b)'

lladji Hamilton.
Right oulla Rilll'rs,
hill in ' the briclis
of New York, he's

Fcdct·al
Appellate and
Post-Conviction
La\\'
",1/aldn;.:. I DUleren£'e Is
Our Jlusiness"

here to tell you

by

::
Hadji Hamilton

wassup wilh the
latest hijJ hojJ

/rae/is.

Slick Ri ck's "Behind Bars" (De f Guua/ l n terscope Records. Con sisting
J a m Reco rdin gs) is a must buy. The o f brot h e r
Mo preme, Syke,
tille song, "Be h ind Hars," is recorded ~l acad os hi s and The Ra ted R, Thug
with special g uest rapper vVarre n G., Life has a g rea t fuLUre a head of the m.
and it's as real as j a il rap can geL I t"s The lirst singl e, "Pour o u t a Little
no surprise that Slick Rick wrote most Liquo r," appeare d o n the "Above The
of th ese so n gs while locke d up for Rim " sound track, wh ich has already
auemp t ed murd e r. ll ype lyri cs gon e plati num . With strong shit like,
describe th e horror of life in prison : "A n d if I di e, it don ' t worry m e,
"I should be ou t minglin g with th e Mama d o n 't cry. bury me a G," it 's
stars, but instead I' m accumulatin g eaS)' to sec why th ey call th e mselves
sca rs beh ind bars." vVith son gs like "Thug Life." As 2 Pac ex plains: "A
"Sitting in My Car," you ' ll be bounc- thug is an un derdog, 1000 against 1,
ing no matter where you are- home, a nd still fig hting. If we're not thugs,
ca r or jail ce ll b eca u se thi s a lbum we don ' t survive." Althoug h Vo lume I
conta ins so me ha rdcorc be ats. Slick focuses on dea th . it's death tha t has
Ri c k co ntinu es 10 be th e mas te r of become pan of a Thug 's Life. Biggy
sto ry te ll ing, a nd he earns his p rops Smalls an d :-\ate Dog a lso put in gu est
on this o ne. lie's out on work re lease work on this C:D.
no,,·, a nd word h as it h e ma y b e
S t raigh t from S n oo p 's D og
depon ed back to England. ~o matter Pound comes Li 'l 1/ 2 Dead with Lhe
whe re he's at, I' m sure this I li p Hop same type of funk th at h as made
legend is s till kcepin' it r ea l a nd Sn oop a h o u se hold n a m e. Li ' l l / 2
makin " the shit we wanna hea r.
Dead's debut album, "The Dead H as
Move over Snoop Dogg}" Dog . Arise n," (Priority Record s) is as fat as
Biggy Sma lls is movin ' up in th e Hip Dr. Ore's "Chron ic." But wha t do you
Hop Natio n . Smal ls' debut CD, "The expect? l-Ie 's a lso from Lo ng Beach ,
Notor ious
B. I. G"
(Ba d
Boy CA. Seems like all 's in the fami ly over
Ente rta inme nt), is no thing but !lava . he re: with co usin Nate Dog and g uest
Hi s first sin g le , ·:Jui cy,'" will ins pire artist AMG & C hil l, Li ' l 1/ 2 Dead
a n yo n e who 's go in g thro u g h h a rd can ' t hl'ljJ but eanr props.
tim es. l-Ie te lls of g ro win g u p poo r
Don J agwarr 1\"dS discovered by lee
but always kn owi ng h e was gonna be Cube. I lis debut a lbum, "Padcd ," h as
somebody. From dru g d ea le r to t h at raggamuffi n fl avo r th a t ' II have
mega-enterta iner, he talks about it in d a n ce h a lls packe d wa ll- to-wall.
"' Big Poppa ": "Livin g a littl e better .Jagwarr 's style evolve d from living a ll
now, Cucci sweater now, dro pped to p over: He was bo rn in Tr-inidad, lived in
BM's, I'm the man , g irlfrie nd." E1·e r~' Brookl yn lor many years, then moved
so n g ha s h a rd-co r e. from-the-gut to Los Angeles. If you like that Hi p
lyrics-the ki nd that make you wann a Ho p/ Reggae combination, you' ll like
ge t your sh it together NO \\'. Biggy .JagwarT. O therwise, I g uess it's just O.K.
Sma lls go t it goin ' on.
I'll b e back in th e n ext issue of
2 Pac is back with a new c re w. Prison Ufi' wi th so me mo re good shit.
The n a me o f hi s g r oup is "Thug Por now, check o ut these !lava 's a nd
Life"; th ey' re represc n t in ' Out Da be coo l. I' m g host. Peace.

• 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
lllegal Sentence and Habeas
Corpus Relief
• Modification of Term o
Imprisonment - 18 USC
3582(c) Modification
Imposed Tenn oflmprisonment
• Motion for New Trial - Rule 33
• Motion for Reduction of
Sentence - Rule 35

Law O.lfice.\· l~(
illiller & Shein
71 o l.a ke \ "i\.'\\ \ \l'llll\.'. :\L
·\ tlanta (ieorgia W30S
( -1(1. 1) :\7-1-'):'()()

7Xo \: 1·: ()IJth Street. Suite :"ll I
i\liami. Florida 33138
(W:') 7:;(1-0-fO.)

l·lahla 1-:spanol
PRISON LIFE

75

THE HALLS Of J USTJCE ARE FALLI N6 APART
Jlrl/3ehind /3a.,-s' Hon orable Mention: "Halls ofjustice are Falling Af;aTI, " by.fanet Dolbm; Alderson C. F., West ViTginia.

76

PRISON LIFE

In Cell Cooking

Chef's Special of the Month:
Hearty Beans and Noodles
1 package Top Ramen Noodles
(beef or chili flavor)
1 handful Instant Dehydrated pinto
or red beans
1 tsp. mayonnaise
Jalapeno peppers
Minced dried onions
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Pinch of salt
C runch n oo dl es a nd put in
bowl. Add season packe t and handful o f beans. Add e n o ug h bo iling
water to fu lly cover n oodles a n d
bean s. Add o nio ns if using th e m .
Cover bowl and let stand until noodl es ar e cooked. Add m ayo nnaise
and j alapenos. Stir we ll. Extra water
can b e adde d to ac hieve d esire d
(soupy) consistency. Season to taste
with garli c powde r an d crushed red
pepper. Car eful with th e salt!

J. StervaTt
Centml California Women s Facility

Cone-Cox-Shun

Nutty Jims
1 bag Corn Nuts (barbecued or
plain)
1 or 2 Slim Jims
1 or 2 packets hot sauce (smuggled
from chow)
Soak corn nu ts in water 'til a l
dente. Break up Slim Ji ms an d add
to corn nut m ixture. Add ho t sauce
and cook over bo mb o r in ho t po t.
Eat & e njoy.

Bobby Lee
Florence, AZ

Stuffed Jalepenos
1 jar whole jalepenos
2 cans chicken
3 tbsp. mayonnaise (10 packets)
Sli ce p e pp e rs le n g thwi se,
re move seeds and ri nse. Place o n a
pape r to we l to dra in . Mi x mayo
and chicke n . Fill each pepper with
c hi c ke n mi x ture a nd c hi ll we ll
be fo re eatin g.

C.C. Calloway
Camvell FNIC, Texas

2 bags Top Ramen Noodles (beef
Flavor)
1 cup peanuts
2 bags pretzels
2 small boxes cereal
Find a large, empty coffee contai n er. Po ur a ll in gred ie nts in to
co n ta in e r a nd sp rinkle to n avor
with beef packet from Top Ramen .
Sh a ke to mi x in g r edi e nts. O th e r
ite ms can be a dd ed as conta in e r
goes e m p ty fro m eatin g a ll t h e
cone-cox-shun .

Cynthia Houston Winters
Chowchilla, CA

The Bowel RelieverA Convict's True Relief!
1 box bran Flakes or All-Bran cereal
1 fresh orange
1 tsp. coffee
Sugar or sugar substitute to taste
1 cup hot water
Co m bin e all in g red ie n ts, add
sweetener to taste . Eat a t individual
pace and head fo r th e to ilet!

Lance Ellis, CTeensville
PRISON LIFE

77

Pen Pals
NOTE: ADS IN PEN PALS ARE $10/ISSUE. SUBSCRIBERS GET ONE AD FREE WITH SUBSCRIP·
TION. AlSO: ALL FEDERAL AND MANY STATE PRISONS PROHIBIT CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN
INMATES. ALL SUCH MAIL WILL NOT GO
THROUGH.
SBM, God-fearing, cultural, 37, 5'10", br hair, 182#, br
eyes, It br complexion, college ed. Drug.free, non-drinker,
non-smoker. Enjoys boxing, martial arts, weigluJifting, art,
poetry, jazz. Seeks friend from amon85t the God-fearing.
Steven Leonard Theus, #17970, Ely State Prison, POB
1989, E~ NV 89301-1989.
SWM,een down for IO yrs, wtll be out m 2. SeekS
female for friendship, maybe love. David Armstrong,
#185607, P.O.B. 97, McAlestor, OK 74502.0097.
Odinist-oriented Aryan seeks female, 16-66, for lascivious letter lust, maybe phone, too. Also interested
w/ swaps by sailed scrolls of naturally realistic wisdom/philosophy. Mule is 99.9% Nietzschean, 100%
Danvin. Cum to me and you shall receive. Blue-eyed
bearded, heavily-tauooed Dennis Lee "Mule" Marsh,
P.O.B. 351, Wapunk, Wl53963.
SBM, 34, 5'8," 182# Christian. Never married, never
had kids, college-educated, musically and artistically
inclined seeking bnmeue, mulauo & black women
for corr. & phone. Must be goal-oriented and a
believer in good. Been in S}'Stem since 19. Gettin' out
in a few years. Need help, friendship, acceptance.
Mike Brighton, 40 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14202.
Creole/Blk guy, college ed., attractive, poetic &
respectful. Seeking female friend, 25-40, to share
photos/fun. Happy letters. Eric Martin, P.O. Box
7500, B60373, A6-122, Crescent City, CA 95531.
SWM, 5'11 ", 26, brn hair, bl eyes, 172#. Loves to
write to anyone who likes music and poetry. Looking
for a good lady friend to share stories. Plus, I'm pret·
ty good looking. William J. Blanchard, #21975, Box
14, NHSP, Concord, NH 03301.
SWM Lifer. Goin' to Board soon. Handsome, hon·
est, educated, seeker, published. Excellent letter
writer. Have R'n'R heart and live life w/ passion.
Much to offer the right woman. Looks important.
No smut. No games. Jeff Walker, C49778, CA State
Prison-Solano, POB 4000 (9-144U), Vacaville, CA
95696.
SWM, 33, 6'1", 250#, hazel eyes, bind hair, good
physical condition-got some yrs to go yet. Looking
for SWF or Latina who's got heart & soul. Will
answer all. Photo for photo. Curtis R. Nolen,
#474467, Robertson Unit, 12071 FM 3522, Abilene,
TX 79601.
Out in '95. No games or drugs. Enjoys country music
and sharing love & life w/ each other. Honest &
straight. Want a loving & lasting woman to grow old
with, enjoy laughter, nature, animals--a woman 4060 who knows how to stand by her man. Write Buck
Gorby, #286-008, UCI A·P 44-1222, POB 221,
Raiford, FL 32083.
SWM, 35, 5'11", 190#. Seeks all and any ladies \vishing to correspond w/ very down-to-earth, serious
person. Will respond to all. Been down 10 yrs so no
head games, please. Steven E. Huston, #179652,
POB 5000, Carson City. NV 48811-5000.
Ladies: Tired of cheating, lies, head games & immaturity? How 'bout tryin' this romantic Italian on for
size? Early '30s, educated, honest, handsome, affectionate, faithful. Seeking serious relationship-minded woman who's independent, appealing, mature,
open and not shy of commitment. Carl Puiatti,
#716927, UCI, Box 221 (A-1), Raiford, FL 32083.
SWM, 33, been down 10, out in '96. Seeks female for
friendship, maybe more in time. David Armstrong,
#185607, POB 87, McAlestor, OK 74502.0097.
Writer down again! Would appreciate correspondence
from anyone interested, especially females. I'm 45,
6'1", 195#, long-haired. Interests: weightlifting, reading (political, historical, adventure, comedy). Aspiring
writer-poet. John R. Sanchez, #08347-051, FCI La
Tuna Cp. 1, POB 8000,Anthony, TX NM 88021.
Down Wood, Irish Blood, Looking for down
Featherwood. Will answer all responses. David Aguilar,
#H-24170, B7-2360, POB 409000, lone, CA 95640.
SWM, 24, trim, athletic, would like to correspond with
attractive, trim, SWF, 20-30 yrs. Tim Caisse E48167,
CSP-LAC, 44750 60th ST West, Lancaster, CA 93536.

78

PRISON LIFE

White boy in Distress. 5'9", 170#, Blk hair, Brn eyes,
32 yrs young. Needs a tender touch with a warm
heart. Blind, crippled, & crazy OK. Will answer all.
Charlie Hurt 41069, JCCC Box 900, Jefferson City,
M065102.
Black, Row prisoner, 40, wants to exchange letters
with folks of all persuasions, perhaps visit. Amos
King #036275, Union Corr. Inst., A-1/43-2139,
Raiford, FL 32083.
WM, 37, 5'10", real life Drugstore Cowboy, seeks mail
from adventurous females, age & race open. No
gameplayers please. Will answer all letters. Thomas
Reimann #79759, PO Box 19033, Green Bay, WI
54307.
SWM into lifting weights & Sta}ing in shape would
like to hear from anyone who will write me. I'll
answer any & all letters. Roger M. Chambers, #42444, Ely State Prison, PO Box 1989, Ely, NV 89301.
SWM, 32. discharging on 20 year sentence in 2 more
years. Seeking caring female who appreciates the
simple things in life. Age & looks unimportant. It's
what's inside that counts. Timothy Crawford, D30901 B-4, HCOI, ReidSlille, GA 30499.0001.
DWM, 36, Father of 3, ages 19, II, 9. Recovering
alcoholic living the program. Been down 9.5 yrs;
parole possible soon. Slim build, common sense,
intelligent. Believes in God, love, honesty, family, &
altruism. Enjoys reading, writing, & pleasant, interesting conversation. We're all in this together & living
one day at a time. Harvey F. Garlotte, X60710, U-14,
PO Box 1419, Leakesville, MS 39451.
BM, 23, aspiring rapper with talent, 5'10", 140#, \vith
5.5" braids. H.S. grad, some college. Parole in '97.
Seeks corr. from females who enjoy writing & receiving letters. Age, race, height, weight, location, unimportant. Friendship satisfies the human need for
affection, affirmation, sharing, & companionship.
Will anS\ver all. James Jenkins #78817, Unit 29-A,
Parchman, MS 38738.
Knight in Tarnished Armor, SWM, 6', 200#, 30,
strong, intelligent, handsome, mature. Presently
death row· proving innocence!! Future secure, present difficult, Very Lonely!! AnS\ver all. Stamp appreciated. No games Please. Jeffry A. Muehleman,
094506, Box 221·A1, Raiford, FL 32083.
Author of 4 published non-fiction books, now writing novels, plays, & movie scripts. Seeks free world
collaborator & rep. Whores especially welcomed!
Dennis Sobin, 266816, C-4, Hamilton CI, PO Box
1360, Jasper, FL 32052.
Good-looking, Italian looking to meet women who are
serious about a relationship. I'm 29 & looking to settle
down lvith the Right Woman. Prefer black, Spanish, or
Italian. We can do it. Tommy Rosati 93A6915, Box
2000, Pine City, NY14871, South Pon Corr. Fac.
SBM, 29, 6'2", 190#. Seeks that someone special
who's compassionate, open-minded. Will anS\ver all.
Eric Turner #873681, Union Corr Inst 43-2144 A-1,
PO Box 221, Raiford, FL 32083.
WM, 34 enjoys the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald
& studied Solzhenitsyn. Please write to this honey
member. Michael Heston 06525-067, FMC PO Box
4600, 2110 E Center St, Rochester, MN 55903-4600.
Ex-con Stephen Donaldson ("Donny the Punk") welcomes letters from all survivors of rape behind bars,
jail/prison punks who were "hooked up" for protec·
tion, jockers who have or had their own punks, and
booty bandits willing to write about it. Be patient on
replies. PO Box 2713, Manhattanville Sta, NY, NY
10027-8817.
BLACK-ON-BLACK-GAY, beautiful, fem male, 5'9",
32, 184#, light skinned, oriental looks, arched eyebrows, pretty lips, HIV negative, seeks bisexual &
straight men in the free world. Can't receive letters
from other prisoners! Lawrence "LaValerie" Raibon
#33325-004, FCI, PO Box 1500, El Reno, OK 73036.
Does anybody really care? Cherokee male, 37, 6',
155", Brn hair & eyes. Don't lie or play headgames.
Seeking sincere, caring lady for friendship & possible long term relationship. If you're the type who
believes in fresh starts & 2nd chances, write to Brent
A. Ellis #47436 Moberly Corr Ctr 2-B-462, PO Box 7,
Moberly, MO 65270.

SWM, 50, semi-retired professional, likes reading,
TV, weight-lifting, 6', 180#. Wants special friend &
correspondent in prison. Dennis Tihansky, 206
Kings Court, Washington, PA 15301.
SWM, 36, 6'1", 180#. Seeking ladies 21-45 for pen
pals & serious relationship. Am kind, caring, romantic. Will respond to all. David Buckland #934897, PO
Box 30 21-5A, Pendleton, IN 46064.
Laurinda Hammock, Ellen Embry Fr Mo, 1973-74, old
friend-write me. To that Iii Irish lass (L.E.) what I
s;lid about you & your Iii boy I meant, put your heart
into a real thing and leave the punks alone. Anyone
else, if you want some decent conversation, I'll
respond. I'm real. You be real too. WM, 38, 5'9", Lng
Hair, 170#, no fat. Dakota Chad Dekoven 145274,
1576 Bluewater Hwy, Ionia, MI 48846.
SWM, 25, seeking any female 18-50 for
friendship/relationship. Interests include weight lifting, traveling, nature, & music. Will answer all
responses. Phillip Kimble #230-864, MA-188, PO Box
740, London, OH 43140.
Male, artistic & entertainment field genius seeks soon
to be released, young, female prisoner to act as Chief
Exec. Assistant in artistic business endeavors. Win
Peters #86028, PO Box 97, McAlester, OK 74502.
White Lifer, 46, goatee, tattoos, muscles, head
shaved, bald & beautiful! Seeks hispanic or white
lady to write/visit. Guy lvilliams C35148, Box 19024A, Tehachapi, CA 93581.
SWM, 49, seeking females of any age to correspond
\vith. Doing life lvithout parole and have no one who
cares. Able to write to other prisons. Promise to answer
ali.J Doc, 113665, Box 10, Stillwater, MN 55082.
SBM, Soul Seeker, 43, 6'3", 260 robust lbs. Enjoys
sharing & caring. Seeks correspondence, companionship, & love with female of the same interests.
Robert N. Olds, #036638, Moberly Corr Ctr, PO Box
7, Moberly, MO 65270.0007.
SWM, 35, Federal prisoner, writer. Seeks correspondence with sincere, honest lady. Age & race unim·
portant. No games-no lies. Charles Young #13104075, PO Box 33, Unit 5-C, Terre Haute, IN 47808.
SWM, 48, been down a long time - still has a ways to
go. Would enjoy some sharing of words & honest
friendship. Robert J. Ferrell #A917016, ll50 SW
Allapattah Rd, Indiantown, FL 34956.
Please write to a just-been-moved con. Embery
McBride EF-207197, GSP G-1-#1, Reidsville, GA 30499.
Tall, black, handsome, 35, male. Been down 15 yrs.
Out in a couple more. In search of a beautiful, sexy,
intelligent, sophisticated lady (20-50) lvilling to take a
chance lvith a loving, faithful, educated man. I'll do
anything to please my lady in or out of bed. Wanting
a long term relationship. Race not important.
Serious replies only. Julius Evans #453368, Coffield
Unit, Rt 1 Box 150, Tennessee Colony, TX 75884.
SWM, 30, Long blond hair, Blue eyed devil seeking
that heaven sent angel, S'WF. I'm lvild & if you think
you can tame me, I dare you! John Briggs C-94051,
Cal State Prison- Sacramento, FC-2-B-115, PO Box
29, Represa, CA 95671.
Lonely, athletic, black male, 39, 5'6", 150#, seeking
anyone who is searching for a sincere friend. Any
reply welcome. Will send photo. Larry E. Miles #200178,5900 Bid Rd, Lancaster, OH 43130
30 yrs old, 5'9", 152#, brn hair & eyes, very outgoing,
& love people in life. Interested in meeting an honest, sincere, loyal lady who deserves to be with one
man. I'm single, never been married, no children. If
you're that special lady, I'll be waiting to hear from
you. If you're ONE OF A KIND I may even marry
you. Gary Cooksey #860825, Branchville Training
Ctr, PO Box 500, Tell City IN 47586.
Age 34, Mexican/Navajo, caged over 17 yrs, could
use some female company. Race, age, come what
may. Would appreciate whatever you wish to say.
Cornelio J. Tristan B-92248, PO Box 7500 SHU C-7E#117, Crescent City. CA 95532.
If you're looking for a man that's down but not out,
TOTALLY in love with life, has learned his lesson,
but is unafraid to move forward, has a plan and a
great future, write to Pearson, Russell H-96499, PO
Box 3366 (3804-129), Corcoran, CA 93212-8310.

Inm ate awa it ing n ew trial seekin g true, lastin g
friendship that may som eday lead to som e thi ng
more inli mate & rewarding. Vel]' open & straight
fonovard abou t m yself. Humorous, care-free, educated in the cap tai n s field for 12 yrs. Wish ing to
share some quality time so let's do lunch. Roderick
Michael Orme #726848, A- 1 45- 1280, Union Corr
lnst, PO Box 221, Raiford, FL 32083-022 1.
STRANGERS ARE FRIENDS-SBM from DC, 35,
6', 190#. Confined for the past I I yrs & seeking
correspo n dence. \Viii answer all who write. 13rucc
Gayn o r , 186312, !JO I Correc tions Way A2-322,
Jarra tt , VA 23870-9614.
WM. 5' T. 170#, 25, enjoys reading, physical litness. self-improvemen t. Looking for correspondence with women of muLUal inte rests. Jack Fuson
#223 194, PO Box 480999, New Haven, Ml 48048.
SWM. 41 yrs. I'm a VCIJ' lonely prison er who n eeds
a fri end. Pl~ase write to Clay M Curlis, #0387 1.084.
PO Box 1000, Lewisburg, l'A 17837':-'·---,.--....-.
Convict: 6 '4 ... 265#, Blue-gray, 39, interests include
exercising, karate, Indian culture. I'Cading, bikes, o utdoors. Owns a b usiness. In system 10 y•·s & getti ng
short. Roy .. Mountain .. Wh itehead #944333. OCI (B233-L) 3 189 Little Silver Rei, Crest,;cw, FL 32539.{)578.

LONELY! 42 yr old WM, 5'9", 15011, Bl eyes, e njoys
C&W music, trucks, outd oor life, travel, histo,;c lite rature, seeks friend ship with like-minde d female,
but will answer all. Paul Hale #862345, Indiana State
Prison- M50, POB 41 , Michib"'" City, IN 46360.
32 yr old, vel}· good looking Italian, 5'9", 175#, in
good shape, brn eyes, long light blk hair. looking
to lind that special lady for long lasting relationsh ip. Will trade flicks. J ames Ferrari 112091!>3, 4008
Cooper St, Jackso n, Ml 49201-751 8.
BM, 3 1, 5 '9", 175#, bowlegged-loving, intelligent,
open, & hon est. Seeks correspondence with op enminded woman for frie ndship - age, race. looks
unimportant. Christopher Trotter #862556, 1'0
Box 41, Michi~ n City, IN 46360.
Pre-op transsexual seeking real man, honest. openminded, straight forward. O ther transsexuals most
welcome. Richard 1-la mm # 133886, DCI Box 66 1,
Wau >un, WI 53963.
WM, 40 yrs o ld with 22 yrs down & fi g hting to
come up. Seeks female to challenge the present
horizons & b roaden those yet to be found. No
games. O pe n minded. No promises but o n e ~ I do
not turn my back o n my friends. \·Vaync Knutso n ,
#·1022 18, 1'0 Box 316, Ft Madison, lA 52637.

Afri can-American man, 40, 5' 10", 175#, BS in Bus.
Mgt. , currently wo rking toward BS in Computer
Sci. Studies Biblical Hebrew & Spanish. Religion is
Nature, Science, & Art. Desires to correspond wi th
all beautiful-h earted women / men wh o can sec
what is good & dimly understand the music which
the earth produces. George E. Vaugh # 140-337,
PO Box 56, Lebanon , OH 45036.
33 yr old WM, 5 '8", brn h air, grn eyes, seeks female
age 24-44. for secure, loving, comm iu cd mate. SeX)'
pho tos welcome d . Sincere wome n in terested in
compassion, exercising. & ho n esty on ly apply to
this sincere body builder . Gregory Lee Meeker
#268-469 2C237, PO Box 120, Leban on, 01-1 45036.
SWM Convict, 36, doi ng I OlO'l ife, in Sp ud
Coun try of all places, brn eyes & hair. 165#, forced
back. Looking for a compassionate SWF companion. Steve G. Brown #35353, IMSI B-Block 1'0 Box
5 1, Boise, lD 8370i.Q051.
S\o\~M, 44 , 6'2", 240#, grn eyes. Capricorn into
New Age lifestyle. Tarot. Ct)'Stals, h ealth , n o smoking. n o d rugs. May b e going h o m e in next 12
m ont hs. Ron Wegner. #94A0949-4A-36, Box F.
Fishkill, New York, 12524.

Art Behind
Bw·s'
Honorable
M ention:
''Free at
Last," by
D ouglas
Berg,
Eastern
Con ectional,
Mmyland.
PRISON LIFE

79

Send me these books:
0 Soledad Brother by Georgejacllson
0 Smack Goddess by Richard Sh·aHon

$ 14.95
$ 18.95

0 Prison Literatm·e by Bruce Franllfin
$12.95
The Bad G uys' Quote Book by Bob Singer $2.50
Send check or money orde r
plus $2.50 P&H to:

Joint Venture Publishet·s
505 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10018
- - - - - - - - ST ATE

ZI P _ __

Mind

Meditating Together
By Brother Rasa
r ison is a place of dual i ties.
Confli c ts abo und b e tw ee n
g u a rd s and prisoners , a nd
bel\veen racial groups. Ou tside the
wal ls too, co nfli c t is a wo rl dwid e,
ongoing situatio n . We a ll experie nce
co nfli c t with i n ourse lves, as well.
Sometimes it see ms that for th e sake
of survival, we have to throw up barrie rs around ourselves. Spiritual exploratio n can h e lp us reso lve much of
the connict we fee l within.
My broth ers and I have bee n getting toge th e r for a couple of yea rs
now a nd expe ri e n ci n g the g ifts o f
meditation. \<\le p ractice eYery week
- some tim es as a group , so me tim es
in pairs , some tim es indi vi du a ll y in
o ur own space. \Nhe n you are with a
frie nd , m editating, sittin g with e yes
closed , at th e threshold of the d ivine,
eve n th e guards m ay hesitate to inte rrupt. They pe rceive that you a re in a
sacred s p ace, that yo u are do in g
some thing worthy o f reverence. An d
you are. You a re opening your heart
t o the prese n ce o f the Supreme
Being, a nd yo u are in viti ng th at
High e r Power to e nter, to e levate and
expand your understanding, to transfo rm your visio n .
Me ditation is li ke a prayer.
Anyone can do it. It is o ne of the tools
of transforma tio n that anyone ca n use
to en hance wh ich ever re ligious practice he o r she might a lready embrace.
In o ther words, me dita tio n is not just
th e prope rty o f Eastern mystics .
Whether you are Christia n , Moslem,
j ewish or ative Ame ri can - or even
if, like me, you don ' t put your spiritua lity into o n e of those categories yo u can use medi tation to d ee pen
your expe rien ce. For me, that's wh at
meditation is about.
Relax.
T o begin, find a place where you
can sit undisturbed (as far as is possible) fo r a n ho ur or more. If you have
ea rplug s, yo u mi g h t want to u sc
the m. Some o f the brothe rs use headphones and play soft music. Do wha teve r yo u can to c r ea te a n enviro nment of comfort a round yourself.
Some o f th e prisone rs I kn ow h ave
transformed the ir cells into beautiful

P

Illustration by Steve Lashley

te mples, spiriwal oases with in th e
pdson. I surround myself with things
that radia te a peaceful and nurturing
energy. I h ave photos of people I care
abou t , pic tures of C hrist , Kri shna,
Buddha. I. have scriptures an d books
th at are sacred lO me, a nd a display o f
cards t h a t pri so n e r s who m 1 ca re
deeply a bo ut h ave sent to me. I wra p
myself in my favorite security b la nke t
(win te r mornings a re a bit chilly h e re
in West Virgi nia), a nd I sit com forta bl y. I prefer to sit in a ' ha lf-lo w s"
posture - legs crossed with one foot
resting upon t h e o th e r thi g h . Th is
h e lps m e to kee p my bac k str a igh t
without strainin g and lets me breathe
mo re de e ply and easily a nd co n centrate be tter. The impo rtant thin g is
n o t whi c h posture you c h oose, b ut
th a t yo u sit co m fortab ly, with yo ur
back straig h t, in a way that will en able
you to best relax.

C lose yo u r eyes and begin by
focusin g o n brea thin g. T a ke a lo ng
dee p breath a nd exh a le. All ow yo u r
breath ing to slow down. Med itation
mea n s aware n ess . As I breathe
deep ly, slowly, I all ow myse lf to relax
with each breath. I am aware of my
brea thing an d aware of the g ift of th e
brea th of li fe. 1 accept each breath as a
gift from lhe C1·ea/01~ and I 1·eturn each
breath with gratitude back to the ttnive1:1·e.
Think about it. Each breath is something so precious, ye t you cannot possess it for lo ng. You h ave to le t go o f
it, re lease it, re turn it to th e so urce.
Give you-r mind a Test.
A ll ow you r thoughts to ca lm.
Alth o ugh you may have ma ny powe rfu l th o u ghts racing aro und in yo ur
mind, try to give yo ur mind a rest.
T ime sp e nt m e ditating is you r ow n
time for pe rso nal spirituali ty, for heal( continued on jJage 85)
PRISON LIFE

81

Classifieds
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BOOKS & MAGS
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MAIL ORDER
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ORDER BLUES, 2767 So. Parker Road,
Suite 188, Aurora, Co lorado 800 14 .
Telephone: 303/9 14-3955.

PEN PALS
Inm ate "pe n-pa ls" wante d b y outsiders. Lone ly hea rts, students, curi osity-see ke rs, researc h ers, e tc. desi re
corresponde nce with all levels of priso ne rs. Send bri ef history & desired
pe n-pa l type LO: DEI -KAY, P.O. Box
358 15, Las Vegas, NV 89 133.

ASSISTANCE
If you are an incarcerated victim of

involuntm-y sex behind bars, you ca n
get a free practica l in formation /
a d vice audio tape, "Becom ing a
Survivor. " U nsealed but tra nspa re nt,
tapes can be scm care of a sh rink or
c h ap la in if n ot allowed di r ec t ly.
Req uest from : P. O . Box 2713, New
York, NY 10027-8817.

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City
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For 1 year6 b ig issues
Mail $19.95 to:
Prison Life
4200 Westheimer, Suite 160
Houston, TX 77027-4426
For Subscription Info,
call1-800-207-2659

Don't

serve
the
•
tzme,
let the
time serve
you
THE
PRISON LIFE
FOUNDATION
D on. ' t incar cer a t e ;
e duc ate.

e Personal Transformation
through Education

e Full y-accredited GED, College
and Vocational Degrees
Scholarships and Funding for
Prison Educational Projects
e Courses and Study Mate ri als
De li vered Di rectly to the
Prisoner/Student

e

Illustration by Muth

Please tell us your educational interests.
GED/H.S. Degree 0

Business

0 History
0 Bio logy
0 Accounting

Vocational

0

Other (Specify)

0

Liberal Arts B.A.
Science B.S.

Name
Address

84

PRISON LIFE

0 Art
0 English
0 Computer Scie nces 0 Chemistry
0 Pre-Law
0 Marketi ng

0 Ph ilosophy
0 Engineering
O M.B.A.

The Pri so n Life Fou ndation ,
Inc. is a not-for-profit organization
devoted to helping prisoners break
free from the cycle o f c rime a nd
inca rcerat ion throu gh ed ucati o n.
Th e Fo un dat ion, toge th e r wit h
Prison L ife Educatio nal Services,
Inc., sponsor fully-accredited GED,
college a n d voca ti o nal cou rses
through corresponde nce learning.
If you a re inte rested in learni ng
more about educational opportun ities offe red by t he Pri so n Li fe
Fo un dat io n , p lease fill o ut a nd
return the attached questionnaire to
The Prison Life Found ation, 350
Fi ft h Ave nu e, Su ite 1905 , New
York, NY 10 11 8.

Meditation
(continued from page 81)
ing, growth, for resting in the Spirit.
You can resume your pressing busin ess later. Rig ht now, give it a rest.
T he re is a place within yourself
where yo ur Hig h e r Powe r dwe lls.
This power may be present to you as
Krishna or Christ, Allah or Buddah
or The Holy Spirit or a ny of myriad
other forms. Whi ch ever it is for you,
r eac h o ut to th e so urce, the life
force, breath e deeply with awaren ess.
Reach out to that Higher Being. We
use the stre ngth of o ur souls to break
thro ug h th e barri e rs o f ca res a nd
co nce rn s, move beyond th e limited
mind to o ur Hi g h e r Powe r. This
process of reaching out through the
boundaries of th e mind to the Divine
is the es e nce of meditation. It is the
opening into a vast universe of spiritual expe ri e n ce. As our med itatio n
d ee pens, th e b a rri e r o f th e mind
that separates us fro m ou r spirit disso lves and we pa ss b eyo nd the
mind 's anx io us ramblings into th e
p eaceful realm of sp iritual unde rstanding.
The Language of the Soul
In a meditative state, I repeat a
silent praye r, or mantra. I sp eak to

Go d , invoke God's presence,
a pproach th e presence of th e Divine.
Spea k as you are moved to speak. Let
you r heart sing! It's your path, you r
experience, your own spiritual vo ice.
Liste n to the song of your soul. Allow
yourself to feel the power of God surrounding you. This is prayer.
Enter the rea lm o f grace, th e
spiritua l realm withi n ourse lves
where our hearts find healing. As we
explore th e inner reaches of the soul
we discover tha t we all sha re a single
spiritual n ature - we a re all connected in the Spirit.
PL
Brother Rasa (a/k/a the Swami) conducts a meditation minist1y in West
\firginia prisons. Prisoners of the West
\firginia Penilentimy are putting together
a collection of convicts' spiritual experiences, 1·ealizations, visions, j1oel1y, etc.
and invite you to shm·e your exjJeriences
on the spiritttal path. Mail submissions
to: B1·othn R asa, P. 0. Box 11 5 3,
Moundsville, W\1 26401.

LIBERTAD TEMPRANA
PARA

P RESOS MEXICANOS
Los prisioneros Mexicanos, especialmente
en el sistema federal , pueden ser transferidos
bacia Mexico 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 Mexico, Benninghoff & Ramirez
provee a sus clientes un servicio sin igual.
Los prisioneros transferidos pod ran recibir
libertad inmediata bajo fianza, libenad
temprana para trabajar, y tiempo libre por
buena conducta. Tambien, hemos tenido
mucho exito 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 Mexicanos. Escriba a:

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

']ustlc!a yor los Mextcanos"

~:r:,.1ne· mo'st significant,

your life I
PRISON LIFE 85

C21S®'\lW~Uill®®~
o'f

CPIT\J~®W~\1~
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In the last three years, America's prison
Even prisoners agree that those who compopulation has grmvn threefold. There are
mit murder, armed robbery, rape, child
no\v 1.5 million prisoners in the federal, state
molestation and the like are a menace to sociand local prisons.
ety. There will always be the need to isolate,
not only to punish but perhaps to rehabiliThis hasn't happened by accident-and
tate, these people in order to protect society.
the odds are that the
rates will continue to ~""r===~~=~~~===~ But most other non-violent offendTHE UNITED STATES:
ers can be penalized without incarsky-rocket.
#linPRISONPOPULATION
ceration and its costs. If the right
State and federal
US.
resou rces were to
legislators continue
be made availab le,
Soulh
Africa
to ignore the statisthe tnxpnyer t.vou ld
tics and think nothRussia
benefit.
ing of America as
bemg the country
Hungary
with the largest prisRATES OF INCARCERATION PER 100,000 POPULATION
on population in the
world. What they need to do is take immediate steps to address this growth problem.
Instead of focusing on violent crime, those
in power need to adopt a more realistic
approach. Legislators, nell-bent on doina
everxthing thev can to curb crime througf,
"hara-corc" legislation, need to undo the crisis in the prison population they created.

BROTHERHOOD OF PRISONERS OF AMERICA:

Our network-affiliated with other similarlv
concerned organizations and agencies-ad\·ocaies
reform in pro~ccution, adjudication, correction and
probation procedures.
Why in the world would the Brotherhood spend
so much money, time and effort to reach out to the
thousand~ of prisoners, forme r prisoners and families who populate most states and bring them togeth-

cr in a national association when there is a host of
various prison advocacy groups abounding?
There is only one answer: We need it. We needed it before, we need it no\>v and \·ve'll need it forever in the future.
\Vho •.vould dare file lawsuits on behalf of prisoners, past and present, against the governmental
injustices? Who would have the wherewithal to
directly contact legislatures on each and every
issue involving the prison system, judiciary, sentencing guideline commissions and other regulatory bodies? Who is p repa red to put its resources
where its mouth is on behalf of every con and excon in America?
Only the Brotherhood of Prisoners of America,
with a potential membership stretching across the
country, has the ability to bring together those with
common problems to focus on common solu tions.

BROTHERHOOD OF PRISONERS OF AMERICA:

More than a union. More than a club. More than a
giveaway package. More than you've ever imagined.
Where once you couldn' t get credit, it's now you rs
for the asking. Where once you were denied health, life,
term, auto and home insurance because of your prison
record, it's now yours by applying. Wh ere once you
were being discriminated against when ap plying for
educational enrollments and grants, now there can be
an end to it.
When you thought the orange, khaki or green stateand fed-issued clothing had you dyed forever, you can
relish knowing these same uniforms are getting you
many perks and privileges you might not have been
able to get.
The Brotherhood of Prisons of America is making
this possible.
Credit ... insurance . .. education ... perks such as
family discounts, wholesale market club memberships, travel . . . these a re just
some of the extras you get when
you' re a member.
Consider the
Brotherhood YOUR
resource.

ADDITIONAL REFERRALS AND
RESOURCES FOR YOUR FAMILY
il
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til

fil

ONE MEMBER
QUALIFIES THE
ENTIRE FAMILY
FOR BENEFITS.

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Employment Opportunities
Medical, Dental & Pharmaceutical Aid
Legal Services: federal, state and local
Job Training
Scholastic Loan Assistance, Grant
Program Advice
Drug and Alcohol Education & Referral
Child Care Agencies
Insurance Services: Health (group),
Life (whole or term), Automobile,
Disability, Dental , Business & Home
Liability
Financial Services Consulting:
Bonding, Credit Union, Credit Card,
Debit Cards, Mortgages, Brokerages,
Portfolio Management, Pension and
Estate Planning
Job Placement, Executive Search ,
Union Placement & Resume Writing
Accounting & Bookkeeping Fi rms
Personal and Business Tax Companies
Immigration and Passport Businesses
Real Estate Service Brokerages
Commercial Property Analysis
Residential and Vacation Home

r--------------------------------------------------- Charte r Membe rship Requ est
1995 i n itial Fee: $95.00

Re newa l fee: $35
10#

.\lc mhc..·r

Name & Rchu ion ship of Fa mil}' ~ l cmbc•·

*

HElPS OffENOERS
lHE 8ROf~~~,~~En~lP tHEMSElVES.
AND lHE\R 1'\Jl\ '"'

Con ~ne t tel.#
St.~tc

City

Zip

Cred it Ca rd # OOOITJOODOOODOOOO
Exp.
0 Am X 0 Visa 0 Maste rcard 0 Discover
SignaLU re

0 Ch eck
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For infonnation, write to: Bro th e rhood o r Pri soners o r
Am er ica, In c., Em pire Sta te Bu ild ing, 350 5th Aven ue,
Suite 3304, New York, Y 10 118-0069