SUSAN 5ARANDON ON DEAD MAN WALKING

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"One of the finest
achievements of prison
literature, and, indeed,
of that much larger body of
literature about criminals."
- H. Bruce Franklin
Prison Literature in America
"In No Beast So Fierce,
readers will be able to
discover urgent truths
a bout crime and punishment
-and therefore about our
ultimate concern with freedom
-set down by a vigorous
and important writer."
- William Styron,
from the introduction to
No Beast So Fierce

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MARCH·APRIL 1996

About the Cover
Ex-con movie star
Danny Trejo
Photo by Chris Cozzone

FEATURES
22 Dead Man Walking
Susan Sarandon gets real with Prison Life. In

Dead Man Walking, the actress/activist looked
for a role and found a cause.

28 FICTION
Animal Factory, Part II
In the second installment of Edward Bunker's
classic prison novel, one of San Quentin 's
predator-rapists tries to turn out a young con.

32 The Heart of Healing
Forgive us our trespasses. Forgiveness begins
at home, in the heart, with the self. How to do
the inner work and get on with your life.

Pri"'m l.i(~ 1~'\ WJ()6,j..07()4J ~1.trch·.\ pril l!t!.tH. ~uml>t'r I. Pri~m Life nu,~.t.tlllll' j, puhh'h'-"d bunumhh 1)\ J oint \ 't'nturc
Mrdia of T u .:b. Inc.• 1436 \\'est Gray, Suh r 531. How-to n, TX 7i019. Pri'-fm l.ift·nMg.uim· •~ p1inted in tht·l'~\ .uu l .tll
n ght\ oll l ' rl"'t'l\t'fl. c l ft!l:. h) j oint \'t•ntun· ~kdl.l ofTr'\:.l~. l nc. S o p.tn nf thl \ huoL 111.1\ bt• l t'JUHfiHn'tl ()I u-;m~IIIIIWcl m
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tiun,1lmailin ~o: u llicc.

4

PRISON LIFE

38 SCORING
IN HOLLYWOOD
From doing time to prime time, crime pays in Hollywood. Ex-cons Danny Trejo, Tim Allen , Charles
Dutton and Miguel Pinero get healthy in the entertainment biz.

40 Danny Trejo
From San Quentin to the silver screen , Trejo has
become Hollywood's toughest bad-ass.

44 Tim Allen
With his nationally syndicated TV show, bestselling book and blockbuster movies, Tim Allen
might just be America's most successful ex-con.

48 Charles Dutton
From jail to Yale to stardom, " Roc" Dutton proves
an ex-con is limited only by his will.

53 Miguel Pinero
Rebel, bandit, dope fiend , poet-the tortured and
talented life of Miguel Pinero.

DEPARTMENTS
Voice of the Convict

6

Contributors Column

9

Mail Call

10
15
18
57
64
75
78
80
82
83
84

Block Beat
Callouts
In-House Counsel
Iron Pile
Prison Papers
Mail-Order-Mall
Classifieds
Pen Pals
In-Cell Cooking
Resources

CONVICTS ON TV
by Richard Stratton
It was a media coup,

We made it in a little over four hours
a first in th e in forma tion business: of some of the most harrowing driving
convicts with their mvn national maga- I h ave ever done. Man hattan und e r
zine; an d n ow, convic ts o n cable TV. two feet of snow was a who le n ew
After 18 months work, the premie r of adventure . People were cross-coun try
our first HBO I Prison Life special was skiing down Broadway. T h ere was a
about to happen . On January 8, 1996 twen ty foot sn ow bank on Fifth
a t ten p.m. , mi llio ns of Americans Ave nue. And the sn ow kept coming
would get an intima te look be hind the until la te Monday afte rn oon, the d ay
walls and into the sordid lives of pris- of the party. It was to be a combina tio n
oner s of war in th e ir own land. For celebration for the airing of tl1 e HBO
m e, th e doc um e nta ry and o ur com- sh ow a nd my fiftietl1 birthday. Yes, the
pan io n J anuary/ February issue, devot- big Five-0. But the weather con spired
ed to casualties of the drug war, were against u s. It was the worst storm in as
the culmination of a journalistic mis- many years as I have b ee n ali ve . New
sio n I h ad b ee n on sin ce my own J e rsey was sn owbo und. Long Island
in te rnme nt as a marijuana POW dur- and the o u ter bo ro ugh s were closed
to all but foo t traffic a nd e mergency
ing the 1980s.
Th e re was a pre mier party planned veh icles. All day we heard from people
at th e h o m e of th e prod ucers, Blow- who said th ey co uldn't make it. What
back Productions, in Manhattan. The was supposed to be a u·iumphan t affair
forecas t was fo r sn ow- lots of snow; was turning into a muted gathering of
weathe rpeople we re predic ting up to stalwart Manhattanites, most of whom
two feet in New York City. We live h ad been involved in th e produc tio n .
no rth of th e city in the Hudso n River We co nsoled our selves with the
Va lley n ear Wood stock. When snow though t that a lo t of people would be
began falli ng o n Sund ay, th e d ay staying in a nd watching television.
By ten p.m. whe n we turn ed on the
before th e pre m ier, we bundled the
fa mily into ou r four-wheel drive Jeep TV to watch th e specia l, a surprising
and set out fo r New York. No way we numbe r of friends, co-worke rs, people
who worked on th e documenta•1'· and
were going to miss this party.
We were headed into the cen te r of supporters of the cause had gathe red
th e storm. Snow was accum ula ting so to sh a re the experie n ce. Norm an
fast that high way c rews co uld n 't keep Maile r made it in from Broo klyn;
up. Strong winds drifted the snow and there was a cer tain karm ic balance-!
ca used white-out. I had t he defrost had been to his fiftieth birthday party
cra nked , still the windows fogged a nd twe n ty-five years earlier. Marc Levin,
th e wipe rs caked with ice and snow. I wh o directed th e fi lm , a nd his parthun ch ed over the wheel, gazed into ner, Daphne Pinkerson, we r e th e r e
what would be known as the Blizzard of with most of the Blowback crew. Ali'96 through a patch of me lted ice a nd son Ell wood, wh o d id th e dazzlin g
sno1v; it was li ke watc hing white no ise edi ting, was there. People who h adn 't
o n a 14--inch TV so-ee n. On t h e seen the show sat glued to th e tube.
Mai ler, who saw a n ea rlie r cut a nd
thruway, traffic was down to one lane,
more like a toboggan run than a hig h- pronoun ced the film "the most powerway. Cars spun out and skidded off the fu l prison docume nta11'" h e had ever
road o n both sides. We passed at least a see n , said h e wish ed it h ad been
dozen mu lti-car wrecks. I fo llowed d im lo n ger, h e wou ld h ave liked to h ave
fli ckering taillights into wha t looked seen more of the women, h eard more
like a swirling mass of froze n whitewash . of the ir stories, and he re marked how
6

PRISON LIFE

su·uck he had been by the di ffe rence
between t h e me n 's pri sons and th e
wome n 's. His so n Michae l turned
from the screen duri n g Sn owball's
"toss my salad" routine a n d sa id, "I
feel like tossing my cookies." Wh en it
was ove r , peo p le clap p ed a n d
cheered. I was already an ticipating the
ratings. We we re up agai n st so me
tough comp etitio n: Mu-rder One, Chicago Hope. In TV, u n like publishi ng or
featu re films, you know the next clay if
you have a future.
It was a great evening after all. Afte r
the show, the b irthday party went in to
full swing. I was presented with a cake
c rowd ed with fifty trick candles and
decorated witl1 pot leaves. I was so elated I couldn't blow out the candles. People laughed a n d called for a speech. I
was stym ied, e mbarrassed, but I managed to talk about how good it was to
be o ut o f prison. And I said, "But let's
not forget a ll those POWs still insid e .
We've got to p ut an e nd to th is f1.1ckedup war against our own people."
"End th e wa r o n drugs!" Marc
c h imed in to more c h ee rs a n d
applause.
Bu t the bl izzard of '96 was m ild
compared to the shi t storm of controve rsy aroused by this film. I view that
as a co mp lim en t. The best art provokes the most divergen t response.
Th e free world was blown away. We
got top ratings, beat out Mu-rder One,
wh ic h means we ge t to do m o re
shows, which means Prison Life mig ht
ma ke it afte r all. Both th e docume nta ry a n d the companion issu e of th e
magazine we re pra ised by med ia
wa tchers as a bo ld and exciting fo ray
agai nst a political sacred cow. We were
fo llowed by ABC's Diane Sawyer, who
spent two nights in a women's prison
in Louisiana, an d by New Yo-rk an d
National Review magazin es, who did
cove r sto ri es o n th e failed drug war.
Prisoners of the WaT on Drugs was a h it.
(continued on page 8)

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Some pri so ne rs-panicu larly the
women at FCI Dan bury, wh ich was the
only federal prison we were a llowed to
film in-hated the documentary.
They were d eeply offe n ded- n ot by
the women's scgmen t, wh ic h most
eveq•o ne found moving, but, curiously, th ey were o ffended by the men.
Many of th em fe lt we d egraded a ll
priso n ers by showing th e c h a rac ters
we found in men's pri sons: ha rd-core
dope dea le rs, predatory homosex uals
who wou ld just as soon suck your di ck
as stick yo u wi th a shank, unre pe nta nt
mcth monste rs and strung-o ut j unkies
look in g for h e lp. o r course, n o t a ll
m ale drug priso n e rs are a nim a ls o r
degenerates. Nor a re th ere man y
white, middle-class Boy Scouts who
j u t happe n ed to ge t set up with two
ki los o f coke. As we used to say in the
join t, "I didn't get here by obeying the
r ules." Anyone who has spe nt time in
m axim um ecu r ity m en's pe ni tentiaries knows Den ny the Grand Master
of Meth and Snowball wi th his recipe
fo r a n a l-li ngus. l used to think of
them (and myself) as the scarred, th e
m a imed a n d th e deranged. A lot of
dope d ea le rs a re wild m e n , though
never as bad as they prete nd, whic h is
wha t makes for compe lling TV. And,
no mauer how offe nsive to the women
of Danbury, th ese m a niacs a re rea l
p roducts of the war on drugs.
Y.l e welcome th e controve rsy. As
long as I am edito r of Prison Life, we
will n ever succu mb to th e PPC-the
Pri oner Poli tically Correct. I am not
trying to offend a nyone; 1 am tq•ing to
offend everyone. Prison Life is offensive. At least, in the priso ns 1 was in ,
prison life is vile, degrading, viole nt,
weird a nd cut-throat. T he d rug economy runs li fe in thejointjust as it does
life in the streets. T ha t is th e point.
The drug wa r is a total offense to a ll
America n people-n ot o n ly th e foo t
soldie rs who broke the law an d are re-

s PRISON LIFE

sponsible for th e beh avior that brought
them to priso n , but
straight, law-abiding,
tax-paying Americans
who watch TV and do
not view drug dealers
as victims. I was a
dope m uggier for
man y yea rs; 1 spent
e ig h t yea rs in federal
prison . I know what it
is like to be an o utlaw,
a co nvict, now an exconvict, a nd the truth
is th e re a re no t many
o f us out h e re who
sympathize with the
cause. We arc not propagandizing for
liberal abolutionists no r preaching to
the con ve rted . We a re showing free
America th at priso ns are not the answer to o ur social proble ms. Indeed,
they ma ke the m worse.
vVhcn I believe the system is wro ng,
th a t it ca uses more harm than good,
as an a rti st, as a write r, magazine edito r or filmm a ker- as a n American of
conscie n ce- I feel l h ave a n obligation to try to c ha nge it. The times we
live in now re mind me of 30 years ago
during the early days o f the a nti-Vietnam war move m e n t. The n, to protest
aga in st th e war was to be h a ted a nd
misund e rstood, called a coward a nd a
traitor, especially by th e soldie rs wh o
pu t their li ves on the lin e . It was n ' t
un til th e h orro rs o ur t roops were
inflicti ng on the Vie tn amese p eo ple
sh owed up on TV screens in o ur living
room s th at significa nt numbers of
Americans began to que tion the war.
Live coverage did more to force politicians to end th e war than a ll th e
protest ma rches put together.
TV is th e most p owerfu l m e dium
in the wo rl d. To sh ow mainstream
America r eal im ages o f drug war
atroc iti es as t h ey play o ut in o ur
nation 's bursting priso n s seems to
m e a su re way to ge t the question out
th e re . ot many parents want to see
th e ir kid on sc ree n whe n th ey h ear
Snowba ll say, "That motherfucker's
tn ine."
Prison Life d idn't ma ke its name by
see king shelter from the storm. This is
not a gen tle ride. With the documentary a nd th e magazi n e we tri ed to
show tl1e impact the drug war has had
o n o ur prisons. If what you saw made
you un easy, like d riving by th e seat of
your pants in bad weath er; if it made
yo u nin ch a nd fee l anger o r disgust
because you saw som eth ing u gly and
degrad ing, the n you got a true picture
o f tl1e drug war .

1111

PinsoNLin:
March-April 1996
EDITOR & PUBUSHER
Richard Stratton
EXECUTIVE EDITOR & ART DIRECTOR
Chris Cozzone
EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Kim Wozencroft
MANAGING EDITOR
Jennifer Wynn
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Edward Bunker, Michael Chavoux,
Mansfield B. Frazier,
Alex Friedmann, Donnie Martin,
Susan Rosenberg
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Pam Widener
DESIGN & LAYOUT
Cook lorenzo
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: BEHIND BARS
Craig Adame, Virgil Barfield, Henry Herz,
B.D. Hill, Robert Lomrne, Tim Martin
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: FREEWORLD
Steve Conway, Jaime Madero
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jack Brown, Arlene Gottfried, Robert lit,
James Thomas, Demmie Todd
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
BEHIND BARS
Aaron Collins, Brent Ellis,
Michael Montalvo,
Sebastian Ventimiglia
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: FREEWORLD
Robin Cosarjian, Oriana Conti,
John Mock, John Mauro
PRISON UFE EDITORIAL OFFICE
200 Yorick Street, Ste. 90 1
New York, NY 10014
Tel: (212)229-1169
Fox: (212)229- 1334
CANADIAN SALES OFFICE
Robert Rowbotham,
Canadian Managing Director
Ken Bean, Assistant
253 College St., Suite 444
Toronto, ONT M5T1R5
Tel: (905) 773· 17 46
Fax: (905) n3-8088

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CONTRIBUTORS COLUMN
Oriana Conti, Prison Life's Ca nadian correspo ndent, has writte n for a number of national magazines an d newspapers. Conti is a seasoned
reporter on t.h e Canadian pri son scene a n d is
curre n tly working on a major story for Prison
Life on the p iigh t of fe male prisoners at
Canada's largest women 's prison .
Pam Widener brings to Prison Life a background
in film research and production. The
J an uary/Februa r-y issue marked her editorial
d e but in the magazine with h e r "Cell mate of the
Month" featu re o n Yusuf Abdush-Shaheed. To
im merse he rself furth er in prison issues and
bring h er love of fil m to th e imprisoned, Widene r is current.Iy teachi ng a film course at Rike rs
Isla nd.
After a year a t Prison Life's business office,
Janette Sherlock has been promoted to Circulation Manager. She rlock ha ndles all subscription
req uests, ma nages Lhe database and appears
weekly o n Houston 's Prison Program o n KPFT
with Ray H ill, champio ni ng the rig hts of Ll1ose
beh ind bars. As an ex-offender and info rm ed
activist, She rlock makes inval ua ble contribution
to PLM.

NYC-based freelance writ.er Jack Brown has written for such publications as Esquim and High
Times magazine. In this issue he writes from th e
heart about his deceased fri end , Miguel Pinero,
autho r of th e classic prison drama Sho,rt Eyes.
Robin Casrujian, aut.I1or of "Self Forgiveness:
The Heart of Healing," is executive director of
th e Lio nheart Foundation. H e r rece nt book,
Houses of Healing: A Prisoner's Guide to i nner Power
and Freedom, was distributed free to prison
libra ri es across the cou nny. In additi on to
teaching in prison s, Casarjian educates the public about th e need "to make prisons places for
people to heal. " She has appeared on national
talk shows incl uding 20/20and Oprah Winfrey.
Michael Montalvo is one of the nation 's fo re most
j ailhouse lawyers. With his victOI)' in U.S. v.
405,089.23, Montalvo threatened to slaugh ter the
governement's sacred cash cow: asset forfeiture.
And he did it a ll from Ll1e law libraq at USP
Lompoc. Now in this third year of law school,
Montalvo inte nds to become a licensed me mber
of the Bar after release from prison so th at he
can continue to resist the drug war by c hallenging the unconsti tutional mea ns th e governm e nt
employs against U.S. a nd fo re ign citizens.

Ricardo G. Federico
Barrister-at-Law
Carlton-on-the-Park
120 Carlton St., Suite 412
Toronto, Ontario M5A4K2
Practice Restricted
to Criminal Law.

416-928-1458
Money Back
Satisfaction
Guaranteed!

Optical, Inc.

P.O. Box 680030, Dept PL34
North Miami, FL 33168

Prism Optical has been selling prescription eyeglasses to inmates across the
nation for over 34 years. You may select from a full line o f eyeglass frames for
men and women, including designer styles, metal frames, and sports glasses,
d iscounted 30-50%. You can have your prescription lenses g round by Prism
Optical, and choose fro m a number of lens options, including photochromic
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Prism guarantees that the glasses will fit correctly, and the catalog provides
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POST-CONVICTION
RELIEF
ATTORNEY

MICHAEL J. O'KANE
(305)569-3099
• FORFEITURES
• D ESIGNATIONS
• FEDERAL CRIM INAL APPEALS
•ALL PRISON TRANSFERS
140 I PONCE DE LEON Bl.VD. SurrE 200
CORAL GABLES, FL 33 134

PRISON LIFE

9

MAIL CALL

BRAVO!
Ju st h a ppe n e d to ca tc h th e HBO
sp ecia l a nd th o ug h t yo u did a g re at
j o b. Bravo! You sho uld send a copy to
Preside nt a nd Mrs. C li nton a nd a sk
th e n ice peo ple in Con g ress a nd th e
Unite d Nati o n s to wa tch it and gi ve
feedbac k to th e peo p le. It was g rea t
synchro nicity to ca tch the sh ow, having just received the companio n issue
of Prison Life. Keep up the good wo rk.
L inda Ayres
Los A ngeles

YOU SHOULD BE
LOCKED UP

Prison Life Presents: Prisoners of the War on
Drugs generated a deluge of responses. We continue to seek your comments, questions and feedback. In the MayI June issue, directorI producer
Marc Levin will respond.
Despite the controversy, Prison Life prides itself
on being at the forefront of this critical issue and
for providing, through both the magazine and the
documentary, what we believe has been the
most comprehensive and accurate coverage to
date of the failed war on drugs.

o PRISON LIFE

1

Dea r Rich a rd Stratto n a nd Ma rc
Levin,
I a m writin g to you to ex press my
o pinio n on the HBO s pecial th a t was
produced by Blowback Productions. To
say th a t I a nd m a ny othe rs we re
a ppa lle d would indeed b e an unde rstatemenL The scouting crew must have
searched the bottom of mankind to find
the men shown in that degrading piece
of trash that you view as a show.
I r ealize th a t se n sa ti o nalism se lls
spots. I believe that is the reaso n that
you de p icted the state prisone rs as you
d id. If yo u wa nte d , yo u co u ld h ave
fo und human be ings lO portray. I perso na lly d o n ' t kn ow a ny huma n be in g
in th e world wh o be h aves in su ch a
d egra din g fa shi o n. The m e n yo u
de pic ted obvio u sly ca re n o thin g fo r
the mselves o r the ir fa milies. They are
o ne percent of the e ntire priso n populatio n . Wh y d id you choose to igno re
th e re m aining 99 pe rcent o f us? Is it
because we d o n ' t sell air time?
You co uld h ave sh own th e public
that we a re n ot a nimals. \Ne are human
be in gs who have made mistakes. Yo u
failed in tha t respon sibility. It h as been
made clear to all prisone rs throughout
this coun try that you are no t the voice
we need. You have degraded us. All fo r
the sake of a do llar. I'm sure you live a
very sad existe nce.
My opinion o f both yo u gen tle men
(I u se tha t te rm in be in g g rac iou s,
actu a lly it's n ot be fitting to e ithe r of
you ) is in th e sam e ligh t in whi ch I
view the me n de picted in the special. I
know tha t the women who were in tha t
s p ecia l to ld th e ir c hil d re n to watc h
P risoners of the Wa.r on Drugs. Can yo u
imagine wha t those fami lies/c hildren
fe lt, thi n king th at th eir moth ers were
e nd urin g such ho rror within th e confines o f the priso n walls? H ow can you

LIBERTAD TEMPRANA
PARA PRESOS HISPANOS
infli ct th at ni ghtm a re upon peop le?
Oh-it was a ll for the sake o r a dolla r.
Why did you not tell how it u-uly is? 1
work in a law library at a federa l prison.
I see women o n a dai ly basis spe ndi ng
countless hours researching the ir cases.
I see th e h ope written on the ir fa ces
when th ey find a looph o le in th e ir
cases. 1 hear stories a bout the ir fam ilies.
I hear th e sound o f their hearts bre aking wh en th ey cannot comfo rt t h e ir
c hildre n. Have yo u e ver , Mr. Le vin ,
heard the so und of a moth e r 's h e art
break? I'll te ll you what it sound s li ke.
Take a piece of ice from your freeze r.
Drop it a n d liste n to t h e ice sh atte r.
That's the sound we h ear througho ut
this compound on a daily basis.
I h ave m ade it p e rfec tly cle a r th at
my opinion of you , a nd what you re prese nte d to the public, is le ss th a n
acce ptable for a gre at number of people. At this point, I don ' t fee l yo u
could do a nything to recti fy the damage yo u c h o se to inflic t up on th e
wome n / m e n you d e picte d in yo ur
progra m. I hope you d on ' t insult ou r
inte llige n ce by sayin g you h ave h ad
favorable responses to the program. A
fri end of mine (Mon a ) said 1 shou ldn ' t be so ha rd on you. Sh e says you are
kind , d ece nt gen tl e m e n. That is h e r
opinion. I be lieve I h ave sta te d mine
in this missive .
In closing, I shall add that if you continue to completely disrespect your fellow human beings, then I sin ce re ly
hope yo u a re no t a llowed to p rac ti ce
freedom of the press. I hope that someone shu ts d own yo ur business. I ho pe
th ey lock the doors and throw away the
key. Al l fo r the sake t h at you a re n o
longe r able to earn a do lla r from o thers' sad ness. You have taken some thing
that is real to all prison e rs and turn ed
it into a side show. I hope I have give n
yo u a g limpse of th e damage you have
inflicted upon all prisoners.

Tin-ia Holder
FCJ DanbU1y

ENCORE
Prisoners of the Wm· on D·rugs was a
power ful HBO do c um e ntary produced by Marc Levin a bout the price
we pay for the counte rproductive perve rsity of th e d rug laws, th e way the y
cripple th e crimin a ljustice syste m 's
capacity to dea l with vio le nt fe lo n s
and turn priso n e rs fo r first-time possession into hardened crimi nals. A lot
of peo ple missed it because it was first

Los prisioneros Hispanos, especialmente en el sistema federal,
pueden ser transferidos hacia Mexico, Espana, Bolivia, Peru y Panama
pa ra recibir libertad temprana, y vivir cerca d e sus seres queridos
atraves de los servicios del Bufete de Benninghoff & Ramirez. Atraves
de nuestras oficinas hemos proveido la transferencia a muchisimos prisioneros Hispanos.
Los prisioneros transferidos podran recibir libertad immediata bajo
filanza, libertad temprana para trabajar, y tiempo libre por buena cond ucta. Tambien, hemos tenido mu cho exito con prisioneros a los
cuales se les ha negado la transferencia anteriormente.
Favor de escribir a la siguiente direccion para que reciba un folleto
descriptivo preparado especialmente para prisioneros Hispanos.

--·--

iPINCHES ABOGADOS
VAGOS Y HUEVONES!
Siente que le m etieron una larga sentencia, m as larga que la que
usted acord6. Siente que su abogado tambien le prometi6 la luna pero
se lo transi6. Pues, p6ngase trucha. No deje que se lo hagan pensar.
Cada dfa cientos d e Mexicanos sedan culpables por el rolla que les
cuenta su abogado. Luego, d espues que reciben su feria, estos abogados huevones los llevan frente al juez como vacas al rastro a darse culpables.
Pucs, jYa Basta! Si su abogado se aprovech6 de u sted y le meti6
miedo para darse culpable, Benninghoff & Ramirez le pueden reabrir
su caso para reducir su sentencia o ejercer su derecho a un juicio. Benninghoff & Ramirez ha reabierto casas y reducido sentencias a Mexicanos que han sido engai'lados por abogados para darse culpables.
Diga, jNO! a los abogad os huevones y Harne a Benninghoff &
Ramirez, los abogados con huevos.

--·--

APELACIONES Y 2255
LPiensa que fue hallado culpable en muy poca evidencia solo porque
es Mexicano? LPiensa que su sentencia es muy larga?
LPiensa que los narcos lo esculcaron a usted, su casa, o su carro sin
motivo? LPiensa que su abogado no le ech6 ganas a su caso?
Benninghoff & Ramirez puede ayudarle con su experiencia en apelaciones y 2255. Por mas de 20 afios hemos representando a Mexicanos
por insuficiencia de evidencia, abogado inefectivo, esculcadas ilegales,
y sentencias ilegalmente largas.

--•-Escriba a:
BENNINGHOFF & RAMIREZ

Benninghoff Law Building
31411 Camino Capistrano
San Juan Capistrano, California 92675
PRISON LIFE

11

aired on th e nigh t o f a b lizzard when
ma ny lost ca ble se rvice; H BO sh ould
give it a nothe r prime-time airing.
Ron Rosenbaum

The New York Obse rve r

RACIALLY SKEWED
I am c urre ntly inca rce rated a t FCI
Danbury, a m 24 yea rs o ld, form e rly a
college stude nt and a mothe r. Acco rding to my paperwork , l wo n 't be
r e leased un til 20 16, when m y so n is
22. I am a fi rst-time nonviolent ofTende r se n tenced to 224 mo nth s.
I was ve ry fru strated after watch ing
your program. \Vhy did you foc us on
Ca ucasia n cases? T h e few blacks who
were interviewed did not come across
well at al l. I' m sure you 've clon e you r
resea rc h , but h ave yo u learned an yth ing? Or are yo u li ke everyone e lse
who wants to cover up the tru th ? Wh y
d o yo u thin k th e Millio n Man Marc h
was so poten t to us black prisoners?
Whe n it comes to drug cases, minorities are getting bu tchered.
The program was biased. I have bee n
in the syste m for over a year and have
met so m e ve ry in te lli gen t priso n e rs
who are seri ous about the ir lives. Your
program violated prisone rs' rig hts and
made us look igno rant. After mill ions

lf you ' re ready to fight for yo ur
freedom now , yo u ' re faci ng the
b igges t c hall e nge of yo ur li fe.
Most people fil e a few briefs a nd
send a few leiters and are surpri sed
when nothing happens. The ir freedom sea rc h turns from months to
yea rs . It ca n be diffe re nt if yo u
have connections. We' re experts at
he lpin g p eop le get res ults fa s t.
Ga in ac cess to the ri g ht co urt.
Identify better appeal or constituti onal options. Don ' t make the mistake of doing all the wrong th ings
and don' t take too long before calling us. We' re here to sit down w ith
yo u , assess yo ur s i tu a ti o n , and
determine what we can do to he lp
you meet your goals. Have a friend
cal l fo r a free confidenti al appointment. Collect 5 16-624-29 15. Direct

5 16-922-2946.
12 PRISON

LIFE

of people .saw th at program, they n o
doubt thought, "Keep the m locked up
a nd throw away the key!"
Maybe Tewt Gingrich wi ll thank you
for th a t H BO sp ecial. lVly fe llow prisoners a nd I wan t to know wh a t your
real ca use was. Maybe money?
Kemba Smith
FC! Danbtoy

NOD FROM THE NY TIMES

cells has h ad littl e effect on the d rug
trade b ut has had so m e be ne fits, for
ins tanc e g ivin g j o bs to p eo ple like
himself who run the prisons.
Warde ns have recently take n to banning face-to-face intervie ws with priso n ers in the hope of discouraging
sh ows that m a ke ce leb riti es o ut o f
murd e re rs. But like a random victim
o f a drive-by sh ooting , th is kind o f
g ritty do c um e n tary wo uld also be a
casualty. And that would be a loss.

In one res pec t ex istence in priso n
these cla ys is p retty muc h like exisWalter Goodman
tence on the streets: a contest between
The New Ymk Times
dmg selle rs a nd users on o ne side a nd
the law on the othe r. Such is the mesWHAT TRASH!
sage o f Prison Life Presents: Prisone1:1· of
Ohm)' Cod ! Please don't te ll me
/he War on Drugs.
that you, Richard, of all peop le, were a
The fi rst a nd most pu ngent segment pa rt of th a t trash that I-IBO aired o n
of this verite-style "America Undercov- j a nuary 8. My who le wor ld came
er" documentary visits East j ersey State cras hing down o n me mome nts afte r
Priso n in Ra hway, 1.J., where pro- the special began. It was a h o rribl e
fessed dealers te ll, no exple tive d elet- nightmare co me true. 1 suspect that I
ed, how drugs are smuggled in , hidden will h ave to re live it until every fam ily
in bod y cavities and sold for three me mbe r a nd frie nd I asked to tune in
times the su·eet price fo r sexual favo rs.
h as rid th e mse lves of th e vie w they
Th e on ly ch ee ring n ote in a n h our now undoubtedly have.
of fast-a n d-fuzzy o r slow-a nd-fuzzy
When I was inte rviewed for this spee ffe cts an d a preva ili ng b ea t of rap cial, I believed wholeheartedly th at the
a nd rock comes from J ack Cowley, a n final prese ntation would prove to be a
unu sua ll y candid Oklah oma officia l. positive reflection on thousands upo n
He no tes th at pac king p eo ple in to thousands of priso ne rs. In fact, I was so

complete ly sure I told my son, whom
I love more than life, to watch this
program so h e could get an idea of
the decent victims our Government
chooses to railroad into long, unnecessary priso n terms. Well, th e HBO
special put a lid on that one for me.
H ell, I' m too d amn ed e mbarrassed
and humiliated to call him to find
out just h ow bad that special shook
him up. No kid wants to believe that
his moth e r is imprisoned in the
manne r de picted in the special.
T he last time I even came close to
fee ling thi s hum ilia ted was when I
first arrived at this facility and had to
strip , sq uat a nd cough. This time I
feel as ifl 've rea lly bee n fu cked in
the ass.
Richard , I don ' t understand for
the life of me h ow you wou ld eve n
think that suc h vu lgarity a nd p essimism co uld strike freeworld citizen s in a positive way. If it were me
on th e outside looking in , I' d be
totally agai nst convicts like th e ones
presented eve r havin g the ir freedom or even a chan ce at parole.
These guys were n o t o nl y foulmouthed and negative, but seemed
to be dead set against rehabi li tating
themselves. Couldn ' t you have c hose n a few more po lite me n wit h
future goals to re prese nt us prisoners of the war o n drugs?
I do realize, R.ichard , that this film
was not yo ur doing. I do believe
that you played a role in putting it
toge th er, h oweve r. It's just so
painful for m e to be lieve what has
happened beca use in a sense, yo u
are a h e t·o to me. Your articl es a re
tha t of an intell igent m an who
wan ts to se t the record straight for
us convicts. In this special, however,
I fe lt like I was watc hing a film the
Feels p roduced to d issuade Ame rica
from voting for paro le or mandatory minimum se nte n ces.
Ramona DiFazio
FCJ DanbttTJ

A MUST·SEE FOR TEENS
At 10 to nig ht, parents across the
counu1' should shephe rd their c hild re n , sit th e m d ow n in front of
cable-equipped TYs, and force the m
to watch Prisoners of the War on Dmgs.
And , for diffe re n t r easo n s, they
should stay and watch as well.
For this hou r-lo ng documentat")',
prod uced by Maplewood [ UJ filmmake r, Alan Levin, 69, a nd h is .Manhattanite so n Marc, 42, is a serio us
shocke r.
It's a picture guara nteed to scare
the pants o ff a n y tee nager who
mi g ht be te mpted to d abb le in
drugs.

And it will outrage m ost of the ir
pare nts. Warde ns a t all th ree prisons
explicate at le ng th h ow th e war o n
drugs failed "complete!)"' to stop drug
use but created an econo mic boom
in the prison building indusu-y.
Parents should know th a t the film
is graphic in the extre me: o t only
are prisone rs strip sea rched on camera, but inmates describe the torrid
sexual scen e in priso ns, wh ere th ose
who ca n ' t affo rd to pay fo r their
drug h a bit kee p d eb to rs at bay by
b eco m ing t h eir "virtual slaves" or
offe ring homosex ual favors. Others
d escribe the vio le nce of prison riots.
It's n o t pleasant. But it might be
enough to ma ke tee ns run away
scream ing should th ey eve r
e ncounter drugs or drug pushers.
Jennifer Braun

The Star-Ledger

YOU BLEW IT
As I sat in the lo ng-termers uni t in
FCI Da n bur}' a n d yo ur docum e ntary bega n , my h ea rt san k. There
we r e about 30 of us watch in g,
incl uding a number of peop le who
were shown in th e film or had been
prese nt whe n your production team
came he re to get foo tage. Our TV
roo m was packed, as I know TV
ro o ms were around th e country.
Peo ple waiting with anticipation for
someth ing good about us, finall y to
be shown on nationa l TV.
Ri c hard , how cou ld yo u ? How
could you allow this total u·ash to be
passed off as a serio us docume n tat"}'
on the t·eal and terrible realities that
we face both as prisoners and as a
society in the war on drugs? I cann ot
be lieve that you pro mo ted this a nd
had a hand in makin g it. I ca n n o t
be lieve th a t you cou ld imagine tha t
th is wo ul d do anythin g to h e lp in
the fig ht against mandatory minimums, aga inst th e te rrible spiral of
inc reasing priso n costs, again st the
very ha rsh conditio ns tha t prisone rs
ac ross th is la n d face. I ca nn o t
be lieve tha t th e re wasn ' t o n e shred
of analysis about this most profound
crisis, and that the ex te nt of analysis
was a warden fro m Oklahoma who
said o n ca me ra one of th e m ore
c hillin g thin gs that I have he ard
since th e Attica re be llion: "Wh e n
they riot, I 'II kill them , they must
learn to obey the syste m."
This d ocumentary did damage to
our ca use. It se t back th e struggle to
humanize prisoners a nd Lo challenge
society's view that prisons m·e a solution for all th e ills we have in Ame rica.
It fed evet)' te rrible stereo type ou t
the re . It was racist to th e core . How
could th e edi torial ch o ice be m ad e

I NTERNATIONAL
PRISONERS

Go H oME!
If you are a foreigner doing time
in the United Sta tes, it may be possible for you to be transferred to your
h ome country to d o your time; close
to your loved ones and in your own
culture with yow· own language.

The Law Offices of Benninghoff
& Ramirez ha ve specialized in

transferring International Prisoners
for many years and we have the
necessary expertise. Transfers can
be arranged to dozens of cow1tries
around the world so if yo u ha ve a
desire togo back h ome, write us a
letter exp laining your situation and
we will respond immediately.

Write to (Escriba a):

& RAMIR EZ
P.O. Box 1355
}UAN CAPISTRANO, CA 92675

B ENNINGHOFF

SAN

PRISON
BOOK SHELF ®
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at Discount Prices

OVER 500 11TLES
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Toward Free Books
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and info on becoming a commissioned salesman.

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New York, NY 10009

PRISON LIFE

13

not to include a postuvc blac k
spokespe rson d oing time a nd who has
no doubt spc m years fighting th e drug
war in prison ? I kn ow hun dreds of o ldtime rs who have an analysis of this who
would have adde d a radical view about
th e ro le o f drugs, a nd th e fig ht on the
front lines of prisons. The next line of
radicals to include should have been the
ro le of Islam in the prisons, a nd th e
Muslims who wage war against tJ1e drug
culture eveJ) •day. I would also add tJ1at
there we re no black women in the magazine or th e special. ot one was visually
present, and it is a big mistake because
the reality of th e drug war is tha t a prima•y goal of it is to neutralize if not commit o utright genocide against people of
color. The point that it happens to white
people was th e o n ly po in t made , with
regards to women. The exception of tJ1e
o ne-minu te look at the Colo mbia n
woman did not make the point.
H e re was a c h ance to ta lk abou t
legalizing d rugs, about drug treatme n t
on de mand, a bout the total fai lure and
pure hypocrisy of the DEA/ FBI in the
crimin a l justice system . Opportuniti es
a ll lost in this program. Instead you
went fo r ex plo ita ti on a n d ca u sed us
inside sh ame, grief, em barrass ment
a nd a deep feeling of betrayal fro m a ll
the people who up unti l now have
been supp o rters of Priso n Life . In
p ickin g the individ ua ls yo u d id , yo u
made it seem that all people associated
with dru gs are c razy, d e prave d a nd
deserve to be locked up. T h e re is no
way yo u can d e fin e yo u rse lf as th e
"voice of the convict," u se your position as an ex-prisoner to ga in legiti macy and access a nd th e n turn a ro und
and c rea te so me thing a negative as
th e 1-1 BO special.
Susan R osenberg
FC! DanbUI)'

FILM SHOWS FAILED
DRUG WAR

I t's a safe be t De nnis Morrow hasn 't
bee n missed a t Me nsa m eetin gs during h is stay at th e Okla hom a State
Re formatory in Granite, Okla.
Mo r row, wh o is kn ow n across th e
Midwest as tJ1 e Gra nd Maste r of Me th,
may d ese•·ve his re putatio n as one of
the counuy's best me thamphe ta min e
chemi ·ts, but that doesn'L mean h e ' a
particul arly brigh t man. Indeed , Morrow is th e very image o f the Okic good
o l' boy: see mingly good-natured ,
amusing ly boas tfu l an d , a t least in
appearance, dumb as a lam p post.
Still , De nni s Mo rro w kn ows so m ething that see ms to have escaped virtua lly eve ry brig ht-boy p o li t ic ia n in
Washi ngton: h e un dersta nds tha t th e
14 PRISON LIFE

Wa r on D ru gs is d oo med to fa ilu re.
And he knows why.
Morrow mig h t not be long to the
geni us cl ub, but he's smart e no ugh to
know that a coun try tha t impriso ns a
greate r percemage of its citizen ry than
any other indu stria li zed nation is a
coun U)' in deep u·ouble. lie a lso knows
that it's largely poor and working peop le who have paid tJ1c price fo r the 23ycar, $300 billio n Wa r on Drugs.
But th e truth, of co urse, is that a ll
b ut th e d ull es t o r most de lusio nal
p oliticia ns in Ame r ica know the same
thi ng. Un like Mo rrow, who is se rvi ng
a J 05-year priso n se nt e n ce for manufac wrin g cra nk an d h as li ttle le ft to
lose, h oweve r , th e poli ticians c an't
afford to ad mit it to a public they and
th e ir pred ecessors h ave bo mba rd e d
with an ti-d rug, pro-d rug-wa r propaganda for too long.
Marc Levin i n ' t a n in mate, but n either is h e a p o litician . He's a film
make r, wh ich gives him license to te ll
th e truth. And in his n ew effo rt fo r
I-lBO , Prison Life Prr•smts: Prisoners of
the War on Drugs, Levin e xtends that
lice n se to Mor row a nd hi s fe ll ow
inmates a t G ra ni te, prison e rs a t two
o tJ1 e r facilities a nd a ha ndrul of courageo us prison officia ls, a llowing th e m
a ll to ta lk about the drug war's fu tility
as de mo nstrated by th e governm e nt's
co mpl ete inability to control the drug
trade eve n \Vithin th e walls o f its own
pri so ns. What Levin e xposes in hi s
startling documenta•y is th at there's a
h ealthy drug trade be hind ba rs, o n e
th a t isn' t me rely a live, it's booming.
"Po li ticians a re doing eveq1thing to
increase the need for drugs, th e drive
for drugs and the incemive to get in to
the drug trade, a nd they prete nd they
do n 't understa nd why all th ese tough
laws h ave n ' t sto pped drugs," Levin
said. "All we ca n do is h ope that with
progra ms li ke [Prison ers of the War on
Dmgs] we ca n get the facts o ut th e re
for people a nd t ha t m o re a n d m o re
peo p le will stan LO realize th e futility
and the insanity of th is drug war. "
O n e can hardly watch the docume ntary and fa il to get that point, at least not
if one hasn ' t been to ta ll y bli nded by
drug wa r propaganda. Blind or not,
however, a viewer can 'L help but come to
one basic concl usion from Le,~ n 's fi lm.
As tJ1e director pm it, "If we can put people in pe ni ten ti aries with wa lls arou nd
them and put them in cages a nd they
still get this stuff, how can we really hope
to eliminate it on tJ1e streets?"
Smn Glennon
T he Va lley Advocate

DO A PART II
The HBO sh ow was excelle nt a nd
yo u d id ge t your p o int ac ross to the
publi c very we ll. I loved th e show as
we ll as ha te d parts o f the program.
T he show was tru ly a se nsational piece
o fjourn a lism a nd a grea t success.
I li ke th at you were a b le to sh ow
a udiences the ho rrors tha t we li nd in
eve ry d ay prison life, the feelin gs we
fee l b)' being locked up a nd away from
o ur families. You clearly de mo nstrated
that th e government ca nn o t stop th e
influx o r use or d rugs or the drug culture tha t exists in thi s co u n try, eve n
beh ind the fo rtifi ed wa lls a nd unde r
the h eavily poli ced federa l a n d sta te
peni tentiaries.
T he pan I ha ted was th at the majority of people yo u showed were sc umbags. o citizen o n th e o utside cares if
they fuck eac h othe r in the ass, have
themselves a "tossed salad " or di e in
p r iso n . I kn ow you h a d to use these
kinds of peo p le to shock viewe•·s a nd
show that drugs a re still ge tting in , but
I assure you th a t I, eve n th o ugh I a m
inside these walls fo r a drug conspiracy and having to rub elbows with some
of these people, do n ' t care if they ever
get out, fo r t h ey a r c th e sco u rge of
society a nd I do no t wa nt th e m ncar
me o r my i~1 mil y.
I believe a part two need s to be presen ted. Take th e programming a ste p
further in to th e g uts of this drug war
a n d sho w th e o th er e nd of t he scale
(tJ1e ca usalities be hin d bars) by using
th e more e du ca ted people li ke yo ur
lawyers, doctors, engineer , pilots, etc.
who are a lso in carce ra te d , d o in g li fe
e nte nces, being first-Lim e nonvio le nt
offe nde rs, a nd wh o kn ow h ow they
were targeted b)' the fed e ra l governm e nt o r by snitch es tha t we re o ut to
pro fit a nd be n e fit fo r themse lves, by
e ithe r working a deal with the governm e nt to cut th e ir own tim e fo r drug
c harges or by ac tua lly profiting by settin g peo ple up to take a fa ll , a nd / or
how this "war" has a ffected the lives,
caree rs and econo mic stability o f priso ne rs, taxpayers and fami lies.
Yo u n eed to co n tinue you r li n e o f
tho ug ht a n d p roduce a pa rt two to
show the p u blic th at not eveq'o n c in
priso n is a "Me th amph e ta min e Monster," a freak fu ll of tauoos o r a queer
wanting to get his a s licked.
There are n umerous good, clea n ,
well-educate d professiona ls a nd Godfea.-ing people behin d th ese walls who
h ave fallen pre)' to thi s unh o ly war. I
kn ow thi s to be tru e for I a m o n e of
w ose people.
David Coma

"All the News
You Can't
Confine"

BLOCK BEAT

America's National Prison Newspaper
---------

March-April1996

CLINTON VETOES "NO FRILLS" PRISON BILL
WASHINGTONHaving passed in
both the House and
Senate, Rep. Dick
Zimmer's (R-NJ)
"No Frills" prison bill
was rece ntly vetoed
by President Clinton.
The Preside nt vetoed
the e ntire Commerce, Justice, State
and judiciary Appropriations Act, whi ch
included the Zimme r
amendment. However, a legisla tive representative from Zimmer's office reported
that the bill is not
dead yet. "What
we're attempting to
do now is a targe ted
appropriations bill,"
Zimmer's aide told
Block Beat, meaning
the bill will be resubmitted as part of a
smaller package considered more likely
to pass.
Zimmer's amendment states that no
appropriated funds
shall be used by the
federal prison system
to provide specific
amenities, including Photo by James Thomas. OK Stmc Refomm1ory
in-cell cable television; R, X and NC-17-I-ated movies;
The prison-as-country-club concept
pornographic materials, instruction conu·adicts what many Prison Life
or train ing in martial arts; weightlift- readers report: That few, if any, of the
ing equipment; in-cell coffee po ts or amenities targeted by the Zimmer bill
other heating elements; electronic are now available to federal prisoners.
Zimmer's provision, if passed, would
musical instruments and personallyowned computers or modems.
require the federal p rison system to
"When yo u break the laws of this "provide p1isoners the least amount of
land, you should pay the price for amenities and personal comforts conyour crime,'' declared Zimmer, "not sistent with co nstitutional requirebe rewarded with a vacation watch- me nts and good order and discipline
ing premium cable on your personal in the federal p1ison system. "
TV. There is no reaso n why we
It would also abolish earned good
shou ld be using taxpayer funds to time credits, require prisoners to work
finance inma te amenities."
no less than 40 hours a week and have

-

all phone calls monitored, except when
between the prisone r
and the prison er's
immediate family or
legal counsel.
"Some c rimin als
have come to view jail
as a n almost acceptable lifestyle because
amenities are better
for them on the inside than on th.e outside," said Zimmer.
The Zimmer amendment also wou ld instruct the Director of
the Bureau of Prisons
to submit an annual
report to Congress
providing a brea kdown of money spe nt
at each federal correctional institution on
amenities
a nd
non essential
programs.
"This amendment
will give us the basis
for subsequent remedial legislatio n," said
Zimmer.
At the request of
Rep. Bi ll McCollum
(R-FL), th e crime
bill 's floor manager,
Zimmer limited the
scope of his amendment to federal prisons. However,
h e said h e will work to extend "no
frills" requ irements to state prisons
receiving federal funds.
Apparently, the Federal Bureau of
Prisons is not pleased with the
potential passing of the Zimmer bill.
A confidentia l memo from BOP
Director Kath leen M. Hawk to wardens of federal prisons stated: "I
fully appreciate that the timing of
this iss u e could not b e worse;
nonetheless, all indications are that
this legislation is inevitable."

PRISON LIFE

15

3. Strikes and California Will Be Out--of Dough
·LOS ~~E~S-California's "~ree strikes" law to imprison repeat criniinah ~ea~ns cash-s~pped Los Angeles.
County s JUStice system, accordmg to a recent report presented to county o:ffictals.
·
Three strikes cases are tying up an "excessively disproportionate" share ofjustice system resources for-prosecution,
defense, trial courts and jails, according to the County-wide Criminal Justice Coordi.n,ation Committee tt;:pott.
The county criminal justice system will dole out an estimated $309 million this fiscaJ:ye~ to cover the caost 9f t:Iu;ee
strikes cases, a 306% increase over the last fiscal year, the report said. Tom~~do,jailspac;efor:nonvioi~ntf.elo~~:has
been decreased along with the resources to handle misdem.eanor and otl_ler (elon,y.cas~s th~t dp ~o~'ijlllundet'tll:~
three strikes law.
··
· · ·. · · "There. is strong subjective evidence, based upon a consensus of LQs ~g~les Countyd:Ps.i~e :e,xper~, that we are •qui~k.­
ly reaching the point of 'breaking' the system and that future accommodatiOJJ.S and self-adjl;astments will be made ~t the·
expense of even higher levels of misdemeanor and felony crim_es," t:he r~port:P()IlClucfed. ·~
.
The state's 1994law known as "three strikes. andyQu're out" mandates:pqsqn s~nt¢i}~es,qf'2P~Year~ to life for ctiJ:,n.iilals
convicted of a third serious felony. Since its inception, the high.:.securityjail'p:opu]atiq~m;tb~·county-h~increased:to ·
62% from 36%.
·

Reuters

Drug Czar Brown Takes Parting Swipe at A.dfdas, 'He:mp~ ~Sne~e.t'$
Says Shoe Capitalizes tm Reference to Marijtmng ·

·

·· ··

':

WASHINGTON-On the eve of his departure as th'e nation's dRig .ezar/IJee ·Bro:Wn·:fi~·,zet~ed in on a new way to combat drugs: from the ground up. .
.. .
..
.
.
. ,
. ·. . .
.· ...
As the country's national drug control policy director~ Mt~ B;rown has called upon.Ac;liclaS. to stop ·p~oducing and sell':'
ing its hemp athletic shoe.
.·.
,
.
. •. .. .
.
.
·
In a Jan. 5letter to Adidas America's president, Steven WyJm~·Mr. Brown points o~tthatthe "cyniqll'¢larke~g".of
the Hemp shoe is an attempt to "capitalize on the qrug cQltur;e/'
·.·
.
·
_ ·. _
.
,: An Adidas spokesman said the company has n9 plans to disc.ontinue production. In a lett~t responding;. to ·Mr.
Brown's plea, Mr. Wynne dismissed the drug qzar' concern~
said that the Hernp sgoe:was designed with :envil"<>n"'
mental concerns in mind. "It's comforting to lqlow. thatthejWC!X on drugs is going so well that you can ~or<l.:to'4evote
your time to writing letters ~o me," he chided~
·- ·
·
He also suggested that the drug czar's cc:mc:;ems were ,misplacep. "You should noJe that hemp is not m¢ju~a. 'ntis
fiber hemp has only trace concentrations ofTHC~ the p$fchoactive element in marijuana. I don't believe you will
encounter anyone smoking our shoes anytime SO()J1."
·
·

s

and

The WaU StreetJoomal

Guard Pays For Eating Con's S:nail
PARIS-Peeved prisoner Bernie Warreau has won :a. 'Whoppil)g $232,000 in damage.s {rQm ~ he~utless guard who killed
his pet snail Cyrille, and ate him for lunch~.
·. .
. -,
, '·
. .
. ·._
- . . . .·.
·Bernie won the judgment against guard Claug~ -de GPiUot:~d!Fre~cltprison offici~ wQ.e11 a judge rUled that bliDlJr
ing off the burglar's little buddy viol~ted• his ciVil .tifgh~·.
·
. ."Everyone is entitled to companionship, and' th~f.~itlclude~:¢oii~cte<i fel.plls,"'S~d: ~OJilbetJudge Se(ge Gerardi.
"The killing of Mr. Warrea1,1' s friend ·dep~ve·cf,the; ·pl~tiffqf;~9nltad¢'slrlp-.ii~edlessly and:·Without due process of law,
in violation of his rights under the French <:;op:stitution;" . . .·. _ .· -.
.- .· . . .·
,
judge Gerardi ruled that the snail-crilzy con...:.-setvh;1g~sev~n: years for a1:>o9kstore break-in~ collect the entire
$232,000 judgment the day he's rele~ed on p~qle, so:tl!eti~~ ·iA}~:m~e-· '.9.~~: 'Tll;e ·mo11ey'll be nice, but itwon 't bring
Cyrille back," lamented a bitter Bernie~ 38. "I st:rre do miss tb:e· li.ttle IDlY·"
·

Weekly World News . _

Ruling Curbs Law that Adds TitJJ.e tc>llru,g. :P~al~rs~ 'l'ellm$ ·f()J: ·~QDS

,

WASHINGTON-No longer can the Feds slam drug dealers with an e;xtta fiveyearsfo~ "Qsip.g or ®ryinga gilll,"
according to a December '95 Supreme Co'urtruling.
·
·
·
·
·
·
Until recently, prosecutors and most federal courts had imposed an additional five yews ifa weapon was fo":lnd i~ .th.e
drug dealer's car, in a locked trunk or even a home closet. If the weapon was accessible to a drug trafficker, proseC,Utor'$
reasoned, it was used in the commission of the-dealer's crimes··b~cause it,providedproteation.
·
.
But in a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court threw out that definition as too broad From·n,ow on, a qr:iminal musthold,;
brandish or fire the weapon to get the extra punishment, the jlistices·said. The "mere possession'' ofa gun is pot enough.
The decision, Bailey vs. U.S., overturned the five-year prison sentences imposed on two ~g deal~rs.in·W~hingt;Qil•
In the first case, police found cocaine in the glove compartment of Roland Bailey's car andlater founrlaloaded. pistol
in his car's trunk. He was sentenced to four years for the cocaine violatio:ns and. fiv~ more y~ for the;.g1),Jl> offense.
In the second case, an undercover officer bought crack cocaine in Canclisha Robinson's apartmentand.-retQrned to_
find an unloaded pistol in a locked trunk in her closet. She was given eight years for dealing crack an9. five mt;>re yea,rS"
for having a gun.
.
.
.
The federal gun law was originally passed in the summer of 1968. It added-a five-year pen~ty for allyon~, who used a :
gun to commit a violent crime.
Congress broadened the law in 1984 and 1988 to apply the extra penalty "in relation toady drug trafficking crime."'

The &J,n,.ras City star
16 PBISD• LIFB

~

Big Apple
Lawyers Snub
Guards in
Landmark
Brutality Case
NEW YORK CITY-The city is refusing to defend at least 23 Rike rs Isla nd
correction officers, includ ing two captains and a deputy ward e n, who have
been accused of prisone r· brutality in
a landmark lawsuit.
The cases of additio nal officers,
including at least one warden , are still
under review by th e city's corpora tio n
counsel.
The services of th e city's lawyers
are withheld from municipal e mployees, such as police and correction
officers, if the corpo ration counsel
dete rmin es that their actions violated
de pa rtment rules and regula ti ons.
The city's refusal to re present so
many correction officers, including
high-ranking supervisors, seems to
signal th e city's willingn ess to settle
the lawsuit \vithout goi11g to court.
T he class-action lawsuit filed in
1993 by the Prisoners Rights Proj ect
cha rges tha t un provoked beatings in
the Centra l Pu nitive Segregation Un it,
also kn own as the Bing, have caused
brokenjav.rs and perforated eardrums
as well as otl1e r pe rmane nt injuries to
priso ners. The sui t, which seeks $2. 1
millio n in dam ages, char ges that tl1e
beatings were ofte n ignored or even
supervised by captains.
Th e lawsuit also spawned a U.S.
Justice Departme nt investigation of
conditio ns in th e Bing; as a result of
tl1e investigatio n, tl1 e Bing was closed
in early J anua ry.
Rikers officers are an gry that the
city has a bandoned them in t11e face
of accusations made by p risoners. "If
the city d id its homework, they wou ld
see throug h this smokescreen," said
Norm an Seabrook, presid e n t of the
Correctio n Office rs Ben evole nt Association.
Seabrook said the officers won't be
left witho ut a legal defe nse, a nd
added tha t the unio n is consideri ng
suing the city fo r refusing to re present its officers.
NY Daily News

Canadian Government Outraged
Over Wounded Knee Nightmare
of Leonard Peltier
After twenty years of suffe ring, native activist Leonard Peltie r may be
beading home. He is the victim of a n F.B.I. vende tta of blackmail, threats,
deceit, viole nce a nd arroga nt racism. T he Bureau 's behavior h as ouo·aged
the Canad ian governmen t. The Canadian Minister of justice h as called fo r
an examin atio n of ne w evide nce of gross misconduct by the F.B.I. and feels
it may lead to a demand for Preside nt Clin ton to decree clemen cy, or at least
a re-trial.
O n Jun e 26, 1975, F.B.I. agents Ron Williams and jack Coler were sh ot
to death on Pine Ridge Ind ian Reserve, in South Da ko ta. This was a Lime of
much unrest and violence betv,reen num erous rival native g roups, primarily
over bow to best utilize extremely valuable uranium d eposits on Indian land.
Originally four n atives were charged wid1 the murde rs, but ch arges against
all but Peltie r, who was in Canada, were dropped. Wh a t resulted was on e o f
the hig hest profile, large-scale manhun ts in Nord1 Am erican histOI)'Over fifty Canadian me mbers of Parliam e nt have signed a doc ume nt
in support of Peltie r. Canad ian poli ti cia ns a nd citize ns are disg usted by
" azi-like ., manipulations, fabrication a nd te rro r tactics used by th e F.B.I..
while d ealing with key witn ess Myrtle Poor Bear. H e r testimony was insu·ume ntal in th e exu·adition docum en ts filed with th e Can ad ia n government.
If th.e trud1 h ad bee n known about this fabricated testimony, Leonard Peltier wou ld never have been exu·adi ted from Canada to face his mw·de r oial.
Poor Bear was coached in her testimo ny and fo rced to lie because o f
threats agai nst h er a nd h er fam ily by the F.B.I. She has a history of mental
proble ms and drug a buse. She also has admitted to falsifying testimony in
tl1e murder u·ial of Canad ian a tive activist Alma Mae Aquash. Sh e has fu lly
r·ecan ted h e r testimony against Leonard Peltier. Othe r key prosecution witn esses, Michael Ande rson a nd Wilford Drape r, have now also admitted to
F.B.I. threats forcing th em to falsify their testimonies at Peltie r's earlier oial.
An a ppeal in 1986 was lost due to some techn ical oversights and/ o r
complications which "kept the shackles o n. " In a post-o·ial phone conve rsation with a reputable journalist, AppealJudge Heaney states, "I think Peltie r should get cle me ncy and have so writte n the Preside nt, through SenatOr
Da n In o uye (H awai ia n De m ocrat). I t's tim e for a h ealing." Th is is th e
Appeal Judge who h eard Peltier's appeal. Who could have mo re credibility? How can th e system be so cold as to fail Peltie r over a legal technicality?
With th e support of th ousands of individuals across North America, the
Canadian Government, as well as judge Hean ey, is it no t Lime for justice? Is
it not time for Americans to d emand honor and truth in the eyes of n ot only
their counU1' but the world? Leonard Peltie r m ust be freed!
- Tom Mann

PRISON LIFE

17

CALL OUTS
PRISON LEGAL NEWS is a well-established, professionally-written newsle tte r produced by Paul Wright and
Dan Pens, both '"'ashington state prisoners. PLN covers
the latest case law on prison-re lated litigation nationwide;
it also includes articles about America's prison indusU)',
the role of the co urts, legal research and other related
subjects. Subscription rates are $12/ year for prisoners (12
issues) and $50/ year for insti tutional subscriptions. Get
your facility's law librat)' to subscribe- this is a great legal
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News, P.O. Box 1684, Lake Worth, FL 33460. Highly recommended!
-Alex Friedmann, Resouues Editor, PLM.
CARING ABOUT THE PRISON SYSTEM
(CAPS) is a foundati o n fo r fam ily members concerned
with th e inhumane a nd bruta l treatm e nt of priso n e rs
within th e Texas D e partm e nt of Criminal JusticeInstitutional Divisio n. Their purpose is to share information with other fam ilies who feel they may not be
alone. For informati o n , write or call: CAPS, P.O. Box
121124, Ft. Worth , TX 76 121-1124, c / o Vina Payne
806/ 273-5422.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEWLY RELEASED
OFFENDERS. written by Josh Hoe kstra, is a n outsta nding reference boo k for those in prison or jail, on
paro le or probation and seeking employment opportunities. It offers suggestio ns for o btaining employment, aid
and be n efits (primarily n ation al resources), busin ess
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At last, h ere is a reference work tha t can make a real differe n ce to n ewly released offenders. For co pies, send
$27.50 to: OfJportunilies for Newly Released Offenders, c / o
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SCAM ALERT! The Brotherhood of Prisone rs of
Ame rica is a fraud! These rip-off artists advertised in our
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you did, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, P.O.
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bad-they ripped us off, too.
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and haven 't seen it yet, be patie nt. We can only print so
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Remember: Prison Life subscribers are allowed on ly one
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except those on Death Row. After your free one, pen pal
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IF YOU OR YOUR ORGANIZATION has a
callout for us, send your informatio n to our editorial
office or fax it to us a t 212/ 229-1334.

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?
Recently escaped
from a maximum-security
prison in Californiaaccording to the FBIBubba is armed and dangerous.
Think twice before ratting him out.
If you do run into him, tell him
Prison Life magazine is
waiting for his next column.
Tell him he is behind deadline.
Then get out of his way.

IS PRISON

LIFE

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Retired, BOP
Corrections consultant

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PRISON LIFE 19

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INSIDER OUTLOOK
Snitch or Victim?
I'm in th e Ho le , awa iting a cou rt
d a te for a new c h arge t h a t ca rri es
three years minimum a nd n ine years
maximum. I was char ged with possessing a 10-inc h kn ife th at wasn' t mine .
On April 19, 1995, my o ld cellma te
made a knife and brought it back to o ur
cell. H e showed it to me. I told him to
get th e knife out of the room beca use
not only \vould he get in u·ouble, but he
would get me in u·ouble, too.
Everyo ne kn ows wh a t h a ppe ns lO a
snitch in prison. So I gave th e ma n a
cho ice righ t th e n a nd the re lO ge t rid
o f the knife. The n I left.
Whe n I re tu rn ed, my cellma te said
it was gone. "Good ," I said, "because
I'm n o t a snitch a nd I'd hate to h ave
to turn you in."
The next morning I was cleaning the
room and I fo und the damn th ing. To
make a long story sho rt, I turn ed th e
knife in a nd my cellma te took h is own
weight. Now, four months later, he's saying tha t the shank was not his, but mine.
So now I have this new case.
I have two-and-a-half years left on my
12-yea r bid a nd a m facing a n o th e r
nin e years straight time. 1o t o nly that,
but at the time this happe ned , th e warde n he re to ld m e, ''Yo u ' re do ing th e
righ t thing" l
\>\There's the j ustice in this?

selves thro ugh education is gone, they
will no t h ave a cha nce. Would freeworlders rathe r h ave an ed ucated exco n with a wo rki ng trade living next
door or an ex-con they're worried might
be casing their ho mes?
If the sc hools are re m oved, th e re
wi ll be high e r recidivism. As a re peat
o ffe nder, I can pro mise you that.
\Iinam/ Perez
Ar·izona Stale Prisou

TIAS Treaty a Cruel joke
At a tim e wh e n taxpaye rs a nd legisla tors bemoan th e ever-increasing cost
of retaining Am e rica's ti tle as priso n
capital of th e world, little use is b eing
m ade of th e 1983 Mu ltila te ra l
T reaty- TIAS 10824. T h e treaty p e rm its the rep a tri a ti on o f a lien p riso ners, t here by freein g up sca rce cell
space an d saving taxpaye rs unto ld millio ns o f dollars.

OILY

Repatri ation is b y no means th e
equ iva len t of a "get out of jai l free
card." Repatriates must serve the
re mainder of their sentence, b u t can
serve it in their native country.
In the case o f my code renda nt and
I , c it izens o f Ge rman y and Turkey,
respec tively, it wi ll cost 1ew York
State approximate ly $ 1.2 mi llion to
keep u s im prisoned fo r the bala n ce
of o u r sen tences. Desp ite th is huge
expendilll rc, th e state refuses to pe rm it our re p a t riatio n. Most othe r
juri sdictio n s h ave ta ke n a simi lar
position toward usc of the trea ty.
To my know ledge, no t o n e of t h e
approxi mately 5,000 alie n pr·isoners in
ew York alo ne have been offered the
option of being repatriated pu rsuant
to th e trea ty. Yet the state is so
strapped fo r cash that in desperatio n
the gove r no r a n d legislalll re have
e li minated prison college p rograms,
curtailed h igh school CEO instruction

ONE

WORD •••

Shannon Lane
IL Vienna Con. Center

Don't Do It
In th e past four yea rs I've bee n in
prison , I've take n advan tage of a ll the
edu ca ti o n a l progr a ms I possibly
co uld. Now rum o rs a re circ ul a tin g
h e re in Arizo n a tha t the gove rn o r is
going to e liminate bo th college education a nd vocational u·aining.
lfl had neve r received the vocational
edu ca ti o n I h ave n ow, I wo uld, o n e
day, be released wi th th e same juvenile
mind I had wh e n I was a rrested . Since
the n , I have re placed a ll my get-r ic hquick sche mes with pla ns to p ursue a
career in fi re fig hting a nd o ne d ay, to
o pe n my own business. I wo uld neve r
have gone to college on the streets. My
family just did n' t h ave th e mo n ey to
send me there.
Ma ny of the you n g me n co m in g in
to day are gang ba ngers and small-time
d rug deale rs wh o've dropped o ut of
high school. Now they have the time to
think about what they wanL out of life. If
th e oppo rtunity to re h abilitate the mPRISON LIFE

21

and g uue d vocatio n al trai ning p rogra ms a nd li brary services. Also, th ey
are n ow c h a rg ing each priso n e r man y of wh o m earn a paltry $3 p er
week-$ 1 per wee k roo m and board.
Fo r the first time, t.hey are imple me nting the dange rous practice of housing
two m e n p e r si n g le-ma n ce ll in th e
sta te's maximum-security prisons.
Ful ly u tili zing th e provisio ns of th e
TlAS u·ea ty will h ardly solve the prison
overcrowding problem in Ame rica, but
the milli o n s o f do lla rs t h a t co u ld be
saved by doing so also would allow the
co ntinuatio n of ma n y vita lly n eeded
educatio nal and the rapeutic programs.
T he TlAS treaty makes sense. De nying alie n prisoners the o ptio n of using
it is o n e more example of fiscal misma n age m e nt a nd th e U.S. gove rnme nt's fa iled prison policy.
Herbert Ehinger
Eastern C.F. , NY

Kansas Department
of Corruption
As o f J a n u a ry I , 1996, Ka nsas prisoners ca n no lo nge r wri te to inma tes
in o ther pri so n s, unl ess it is
app roved b y t h e wa rd e n s o f bo th
fac il ities. As of ove mb er 3, 1995,
th e Kan sas DOC quit giving Tyle nol,

llluSiration by Tim Manin

22

PRISON LIFE

aspmn a n d o th e r m edicines like
Maa lox a n d started se lli n g it to u s.
You can buy I 0 2-pill p ac ks for 14
ce n ts, o r if you don 't h ave a n y
money, you ca n see the nurse for $2
(payable whe neve r mo n ey comes in
for yo u ) a n d ask for T yle n o l.
Whether you ge t two aspirins or n o t,
you' ll still pay the $2.
The pho n e sys te m h e re h ad to be
thought up by a real id io t. Yo u have to
dial 00 plus you r inmate numbe r p lus
0 p lus area cod e p lus th e pho ne numbe r . That's 18 d ig its! And it d oesn 't
stop there. You can only call n in e people total. Your atto rney's numbe r and
your ch osen nine a re on the computer alread y, so if you try to call anyone
else, the phone shuts o fT.
To ge t someon e o n your pho ne list,
you have to give the ir street ad dress,
nam e, re lationship a nd phone n u mbe r . All o f it h as to b e ve rifi ed. All
ph one calls, th e n , a re ta pe-recorded
and listened to during the actual conve rsa tio n . If th e p e rso n in th e co mp ute r/ r eco rdin g roo m "d ee ms it
appropriate," th e pho n e call ca n be
shut off a t a ny tim e . You are a llowed
to ta lk fo r 15 mi nu tes, then th e
phone automatically sh u ts o ff.
T h e bottom li ne is: T h ese Ka n sas
DOC officials d on' t kn ow how to run

a prison! They run a d ay ca re cente r
fo r idiots. They act tough, but we have
chi ld moleste rs and snitc h es all ove r
the place.
I ' m 29 years o ld a n d I 've don e 10
years in this priso n . There are punks
h e re who thi nk they have it ha rd but
are too busy snitc hing to stand up like
we did ten years ago . We fough t th e
Kansas DOC for the phones and many
o th e r thi ngs. Now this n ew breed of
inma te lets th e administratio n ta ke
what we fought for and the n complain
a bout it. When I te ll th e m to file gri eva n ces a nd court ac ti o ns instead of
whi ning, th ey run to th e Ma n and
snitc h that I ' m inciti ng tro ubl e .
Kansas prisone rs are too weak to riot.
What we reall y n eed is a good mass
killing spree to c ut d ow n a ll th ese
snitches.
Bntce Dyche
/-1 utchinson C. F., Kansas

These People Play God!
Abou t eight mon ths ago, I met a penpal through a bike r magazin e called
"Rag." He wrote m e eve ryd ay a nd we
end ed up e ngaged . Our wedding was
planned for May 26, 1996, shortly after
my release on May l .
Befo re h e co ul d be p laced o n my
p e rm a n e nt visita ti o n li st, h e h ad to
have a NCIC-UCIC check (nationwide
backgro und c h ec k by the feds a nd
state). But un til that investigation was
completed, classificatio n allowed my
fi ance to visit me o n August 12-1 3, on
what they called a "sp ecial visit."
Shortly afte r th e special '~sit, his background check arrived a nd he cleared it
with fl ying colors. H e h ad no prior
arrests or convictions, and he posed no
security risk to t11e institmion.
But my classifica tion o ffice r saw fit
to d e ny me regul ar visiting privi leges
b eca use "n o prior re lationship was
establish ed." I took it a ste p furt h e r ,
u sing th e o l ' fa ithfu l ch ain o f co mma nd, but all grievances we re de nied .
My fiance called m e institution a nd
h ad a p o lite 30-minute con versatio n
wi th the h ead o f class ifica ti o n ,
ex plaining his bac kground cleara nce,
t11e fac t that we 'd me t as pen-pals, and
r e minding th e m th a t we we r e also
e ngaged. We 'd even had our wedding
invitatio ns mad e. It was all to no avail.
Th e sad thin g a bo u t th is e ntire
e pisode is tha t my fiance was recen tly
ki lled on his scoote r. I received word
fro m th e ch a pla in afte r sh e ve rifi ed

his dea th when his fami ly called to
re port th e incide n t.
T here was n ever a ny proof shown to
me, upo n my req uest, th a t there is a
rul e, a chapter, or a revised o r added
rul e or chapter, law or me mo, stating
that prisoners must h ave established a
prior r e la ti o nsh ip before visitation
rights can be obtained.
These people pl ay God! They
robbed me of time with my fia nce and
rationalized the reaso ning with a
phantom rule. They use their p ower
to tell us who's good for us.
Would it have bee n beue r if someone from my past vis ited me? Someo n e wh o played a big part in t h e
reason I' m he re, someone to visit and
e ncourage me to "h urry up a nd get
out b ecau se we got a nothe r big score
awaiting you?"
They say a pe rson from the past is
bette r than someone who comes clean
on paper, who is "rock so lid " a nd
wou ld be willing to give me a ne w life,
like th is system claims to be doing.
Are they so stuck o n ke e ping this
human ware h o use in operation ?
Where's the rehabil itation?
Linda Clayton
Jefferson Con ·. lnsl., FL

Let Inmates Mate In
Contrary to popular belief, conjugal
visits are not just a way fo r prison e rs
"to ge t so m e." Conj ugal visits are a
viable, th erape uti c a nd re hab ilitative
tool, whi ch , if used in te lligen tly, can
address at least three major a reas of
concern lo r prison officials.
First, conjugal visits can he lp reduce
prison er violence and infractio ns. Getting prison e rs to do what you wan t is
easier whe n you have someth ing to
offe r th e m in return. Any pe rson, prisoner or othe r, is less likely to obey rules
when h e has little hope or reason to do
so. Using cot"Dugal visits as rewards fo r
priso n ers with good track reco rds
wou ld provide incentive to ma in tain
good be havior.
Furthe rm ore, co njuga l visits ca n
he lp co n tro l the spread of AIDS.
Co n sens ual h omosexual ity a nd
h om osexu al rape h ave long been the
secret shame of priso n life. But n ow,
with AIDS reac hing e pide mi c pro portio ns in almost every prison, offi cials
can no longer turn a b lind eye to this
cos tl y ~md deadly situa tion. T h e sad
truth is th a t ma n y p riso n e rs turn to
h o mosex uality because it is th e o nly

o utle t, not just for sexual frustration,
but for wa rmth an d compassio n .
Occasional co njugal visits might provid e eno ugh of an ou t le t to kee p
so m e prison e rs fro m beco min g
invo lved in dange ro us liaisons.
Fina lly, t h e m ost sig n ifica nt proble m facing the American judicial syste m tod ay is the high recidivism rate.
Recid ivism is at the h eart of p ri son
overcrowdi ng a nd a t the core of public outcry that says the judicial system
isn ' t doing its job. Nume ro us studies
have sh own that parolees with strong
fami ly ti es a nd stable h omes a re significantly less likely to re-o ffend than
parolees with o u t those advantages.
Before filing fo r divorce, my wife told
m e, "I love you. I always will and I
always want you to be a pan o f my life.
But I n eed a man wh o can h o ld m e,

comfort me and make me fee l like a
woman again." Because I ca n ' t do
that for he r, if only a few times a yea r,
I won't have a sta ble home and family
to go to when I'm released. My situation is n o t uniqu e . That same "Dear
J ohn" conversation is bei ng h ea rd
regu la rly in prisons across the country. Conjugal visits, coupled witl1 marri age and famil y counselin g, wou ld
save man y marriages and lower the
recidivism rate.
To co ntro l p risone r b e h avio r , to
cut down on homosex ua li ty a nd th e
rampant sp read of AIDS, a nd t o
redu ce th e number o f crimes perpetrated by ex-cons, Virgi nia should follow th e lead of other states and offer
conjugal visits.
Mw1in Lewin
Staunton Co1Tectional Center, VA

PRISON LIFE 23

24

PRISON LIFE

Susan Sarandon on

APrison Life Interview
by Oriana Conti

.•r

o u 'd a lmost think
Susan
was

Sara nd o n
a

priso n

groupie. The re sh e
was, sitting in a posh suite in

ew York

City's Regency H otel, surro unded by
gowns for th e Go ld e n Glo be awards
cere mony (sh e received a nomination
for best actress fo r Dead Man Walhing,
along with Sean Pe nn , fo r best actor,
and Tim Robbins, for best screenplay), idly watching he r p ublicist, hairdresse r a nd ma ke-up a rtist buzz
a rou nd th e room. All of sudde n she
p erke d up wh e n sh e h ea rs m e say,
"He llo , I'm 1vith Prison Life magazine."

Sarandon h ad given a preview of
h er inte re st in priso n iss u es ea rli e r
that day during a press co nfe ren ce
with e nte rtainme nt reporte rs. Questio n , a nswe r, ques ti on, a n swe r, th e n
o n e man me n tions h e did a sixm onth stint as a p riso n g u ard and
Sarandon do es a split-second a bout
face a nd begins interviewing him.
Clearly no t you r typical Enterlaimnenl
Tonight script.
But th e n , ve ry little a b o u t Su san
Sar andon , h e r live-in p artner Tim
Ro bbins and th e movie he directed,
Dead Man Walhing, fo llows typi ca l
g litzy H o llywood. Eve n th o ugh Robbin s r e fu se d to se nsa tio n a lize th e
story, th e sta rk a nd subtl e Dead Man
Walhing h as been a t op box o ffi ce
earn e r since it ope ned in Dece mbe r.
Dead Man Wallting, is base d on a
cou rageous me moir of the same titl e
[Vimage, 1993] by Siste r H e le n Prej ean , a Rom a n Cath ol ic nun wh ose
e xpe rie n ces as a spiritua l advisor to
men on death row led to a passio nate
campaig n aga inst t he d eath pe na lty.
Called the "Angel of Death Row," Siste r He len (played by Susan Sarand on)
is d rawn in to th e last days o f the life o f
Matth ew Poncele t (Sean Pe n n), a
ma n convicte d of killi ng two
Louisiana teen age lovers. Wh a t begins
as a simple exc ha nge o f lette rs with a

death row prisoner e nds with th e n un
accompanying Poncele t as he's led to
th e execu tio n c ha mb e r . Alo ng th e
way, she not on ly he lps Po n cele t
address his own fea rs, sh e is also compe lled to unde rstand the anger o f the
victims' fami lies, the cold indifference
of the priso n administration and the
lynch mob m entality of th e 1 ew
Orleans co mmunity and its politician s. Early on, she establishes her elf
as a rogue n un , confron ting both religious and prison authorities on everyt h ing fro m b iblical inte rpretation to
wh e th er Po n celet's moth e r ca n h ug
him before he 's execu ted.
Sarandon met Sister He len when
sh e was work ing on th e movie, The
Client. Sh e had read Dead Man W(t//iing a nd passed it Ro bb ins' way fo r
movi e co n sid e ra t ion . Sarand on
ex p lains h ow she "took Sister H elen
under [he r ] wing to pro tect her"
from having a musical made out of
th e book. " 1 introd u ced h e r to my
age nt who had read the book, a nd we
explained to her how we would ma ke
the movie. There were a lo t o f people
ya ppi ng a t h e r· door, but sh e was
p atien t. Tim started writi n g the
screenplay, h e really got involved , a nd
then we foun d someone to give us the
m o ney to produce it th e way it was
wri uen ."
PRISON LIFE

25

•

In presenting the story and charac- Sarandon ca m e away fro m t h e fi lm
ters, Robbins did not rely on cheap ma- "fee ling much more viscerally connipulation. Typically, prison movies n ected to all the issues."
Sarandon d id h er research: She
give viewers a n easy out, an excuse to
feel sympathy for the wrongly convicted m et with vic tims' groups, visited the
(Shaws/um/1 Redemption), or ange r at a state prison in An gola an d stud ied the
syste m that revels in retdbuLion (J\Ilurder d eba te on ca pital punishment umil
in the First), o r a sense of cama raderie by she had nightma res. "As a mom," she
raising criminals to cult icon status (Nat- says, "I know I would feel all kinds of
ural Bam Killers). Ro bbins does non e of horrible things, su·ong things, but the
the above. The ra pe
sce ne in the movi e is a
su·aight, nonpoliti cal
rape. T he crime is as
se nseless as it is
heinous. And Poncelet
is exactly what he is--a
kill er, an adm iued
white supre macist, so
audacious he co mes
on to the nun at their
first meeLing.
"I didn't wa nt anyone to fo rget he was a
violent criminal," explains Robbin s. "If
you' re go in g to feel
co mpass ion, you' re
feelin g co mpassio n
for a violent c riminal.
I don 't be lieve in going halfway. If you ' re
going to oppose the
death penalty, yo u
can 't oppose it just in
ce rtain
circ umstances. You can't say,
'I'm aga inst it exce pt
when it's a really brutal crime.' In othe r
Dead Man IVa/king director Tim Robbin ~ also starred in Shawshwrk Ret/emption
words, if yo u ca n see
this film a nd sti ll be opposed to t h e q u es tion is how does that h el p you
death penalty, then you are really o p- sUt-vive yo ur loss? Rage is so easy, it's
posed to it. If yo u we nt into the film addictive." In th e movie, the nun
anti-death penalty a nd came o ut say- experie n ce painful flashbacks of the
ing, 'Oh , now I und e rstand why time sh e and a g roup of kid s beat a
there's a d ea th penalty,' }'OU were a l- poss um to death for th e fun of it.
ways pro-dea th penalty- you just d id- Sarandon says the flashbacks show
n 't kn ow it. "
"that eve ryo n e has th e potential for
Yet th e c hara c te r of Ponce let is vio le n ce," a nd they re move th e image
more th an cri m ina l. He is th e spring- of the nun as holie r than thou.
board fro m which politicians fly off
U ltimate ly, Dead Man Walking is a
the h an dl e with pro-death penalty quest to find a way ou t of th e ha tred.
rheto ric, ranting a nd raving, waving "It's about more tl1an th e death penalthe flag. As hi lawye r remarks whi le ty,'' Robbins e laborates. "It's abo ut
su·uggling to obtai n a last minute par- redemption and taking responsibili ty
d on: "It's easy to kill a monster; it's fo r yo ur aCLions. It's about a spiritual
ha rde r to kill a human being."
journey, resolving you r ac tions a nd
The events of the movie connect gaining peace of mind. I like the way
believably, as does the character of Sis- Tom \t\1aits put it: ' If the death penalty
ter He le n played by Sarandon. Both was gonna stop violence, it wou ld have
women started from the sa me placestopped it a long time ago.' In o th er
never .h avin g b ee n to prison, never words, it'sju t a circle, a constant cirhaving d ealt wi th prisone rs, n ever cle of viole nce, the state does it, then
really h aving voca li zed th e ir opin ions tl1e people do it, then the sta te does it,
on capital punishme nt. Like the nun , then the people d o it .... "
Robbin s a nd Sa randon n eve r
whose experie nces tra nsfo rmed h er,

in tended to deliver a pointedly antideath penalty message. As Ho llywood
veterans, they kn ew it would h ave
defeated their effort to ope n up "the
rea l qu estion-n ot wh o deserves to
die, but who deserves to kill, and why
are we electing people who a re telli ng
othe rs to kill," as Robbins puts it.
Sarandon e laborates: "There's no
way to get into that movie for people

whose minds are made up. I mean,
why would you pay $7 to be instructed?
And this is tl1e brilliant thing a bout Sister He len . She's finding her way, too,
maki ng mistakes along the way so you
can enter the situation with her."
Dead Man Walking is no Saturday
afternoon mall movie . It rides the rail
righ t down the midd le of the de bate
b etwee n life a nd death; it raises th e
question o f h ow much m ore statesanctioned ki lling is necessary before
we wake up to th e in h erent contradiction of punishing violence with violence. Sarandon knows th e movie
doesn't answer that question. "All we
we re trying to do was give a face to
what has exi ted as a mere soundbyte.
As Sister H e len said to me {sliding
into a flawless Louisiana drawl), ' You
know, we' re j ust a plow, Susan, we're
just breaking the earth . Some of the
so il 's go nn a go one p lace, some of
th e so il's gon na go anothe r. That's
Okay. Th e impo rtant thi ng is that th e
ea rth 's been broken."'
[[fl
PRISON LIFE

27

..

>

fllustrations by

B.D. Hill
28 PRISON LIFE

'

BY EDWARD BUNKER
On a crystalline afternoon, while Mr. Harrell had individual members of the class reading aloud, Ron sat in
reverie at his desk next to an open window overlooking
the plaza. He'd finished marking papers from a spelling
test, and while the stumbling voice droned on in the background, he looked out at the flowers, fountain and convicts feeding the fish. Soon he'd be going back to court,
and he had no doubt that he would go free. Although he
was overjoyed, that joy was not unalloyed. He felt that he
could still learn things here, that in the ten months of San
Quentin he'd aged ten years, had become stronger. He
smiled to himself, privately anticipating what he would do
for his friend if the judge acted right. Just the forged leHer
from the psychiatrist was a huge·debt- and it was one of
so many. In this ugly place Earl had become his fatherand T.J., Paul and the still segregated Bad Eye his cousins
and friends.
PRISON LIFE

29

Mr. Harrell finished the reading lesson and it was time
for two hours of educational films. Ron brought the
wheeled projector from the hallway closet and set up the
film. He pulled the curtains and Harrell turned off the
lights. Then Ron started up the aisle toward the rear
where he always sat. He felt a hand stroke his ass and a
voice hissed, "You're sure fine, baby." He slapped at the
hand reflexively and whirled, too stunned for immediate
anger. In the darkness he could see a pale face, and he
knew who it was from the location. Buck Rowan, the
hulking newcomer. He'd been in the class a week, and
Ron had noticed him staring, but had not given it any
importance until now. He'd become accustomed to
stares. Ron recalled the hillbilly twang and could smell
the fetid breath.
"Are you crazy, you asshole?" Ron snapped.
"Watch it, bitch! Ah'll whup yo' ass. You're a girl an
Ah'm gonna put my dick in your ass."
Ron ·was paralyzed for a moment. It was too sudden,
too insane. He suddenly remembered Earl's advice about
not arguing with fools until things were right. He spun
and walked to the rear of the room, oblivious to the
images on the screen. He
trembled and his face was
afire. He nearly wanted to
laugh. A year earlier and
he would have been quaking like a rabbit without a
way to run. Now the fear
was tiny, and that was
reined in. Everyone is
mortal; everyone bleeds.
As the minutes ticked
away, his stunned bewilderment became a controlled rage.
9
When the second film
started, he went down a
side aisle and through the
door to take a piss. He
was still trying to decide
what to do. In the toilet he couldn't empty his bladder.
He was too tight. He rinsed his hands, splashed water on
his fevered face. "A man does whatever he has to," he
muttered, and accepted the possibility of killing the fool.
It dismayed him, but there was no indecision. He would
try for a reason, but if that failed ...
As he stepped from the toilet the classroom door
opened and Buck came out, carrying a few seconds of
movie sound track with him. His searching eyes said that
he had followed Ron, who felt fear but was unashamed
of it. Earl said that fear was good for survival and only
fools were without it. Ron stepped forward to the edge of
the stairs. It was unlikely that Buck had a shiv-and his
hands were exposed so he would have to reach for it. By
then, Ron could leap down the stairs and into the plaza.
Buck was a couple of inches over six feet and weighed
two hundred and fifty pounds. He was built like a bear
and was too big to fight.
"You hear what I said in there?" he asked. "I wanna
play from you."
"I hope it's a joke."
"Ain' ajoke. We ain' gonna have no mess of trouble,
are we?"
"I don't ever want trouble."
"Baby, you're fine. I've been watching you an'
watchin' you an' my dick stays hard as Chinese arith-.

metic. I don't wanna have to beat you up, but you're
gonna cooperate one way or another."
Ron's face was expressionless, but his mind sneered at
the gross stupidity. "I'm not a punk. If you heard different, you heard some bad information." He knew as he
·spoke that the words were hurled against a gale.
"Bullshitl You're too pretty. An' Ah done seen you
with that dude. I ain' Ned in the first reader. Ah been to
Huntsville and Raiford. You might even be·makin' tortillas with that teacher in there.''
"I'm going back to court for modification. I don't want
any trouble to mess that up." The situation sickened Ron,
but a cold, detached part of his mind told him that Buck
was accustomed to brawls with fists, feet and teeth. San
Quentin had a different ethos. Buck was a bear unaware
that he was in the sights of a high-powered rifle.
"You can go back to court. The only way there'll be
trouble is if your old man finds out. I'll just kick his ass.
You an' me, we just meet somewhere."
Ron nodded, as if digesting the information, whereas
he was really looking at Buck's shoes, visualizing the toes
jutting upward from beneath a sheet.
The classroom door rattled. Ron and Buck both
turned to face Mr. Harrell.
The teacher's eyes flitted
from face to face and he
obviously felt the tension.
"Oh, here you are," he said
to Ron. "Would you go
down to the book storeroom and pick up a box
that came in?" Harrell nervously stood his ground
until Ron had gone downstairs and Buck returned
to the classroom.
As Ron stepped into the
sunlight, he faced the yard
office, thought of Earl, and
vowed that he would keep
his friend out of trouble. Earl had done too much
already, was too near getting out himself. Ron walk_ed to
the education building, but he had no thought of getting
the box. He was certain that Buck would have to be
stopped, and Ron wanted to do it-kill a mad dog-but
was uncertain of himself. How did T J. say? Underhanded and just beneath the ribs slightly to the left.
Fitz waved from the yard office, and Big Rand
knocked on the glass and gave him the finger. Ron nodded, remembering that Earl had said it was almost
impossible to be convicted for a prison murder unless a
guard actually saw it, or unless there was a confession.
For every informer willing to testify for the prosecution,
a dozen would testify that the accused was in Timbuktu-and a swearing contest between convicts never satisfies the burden of proof "beyond a reasonable doubt."
And there had been several killings within recent years
before hundreds of witnesses without anyone telling anything even in privacy. Too many convict clerks could find
out too much.
"Yeah, we'll see who gets fucked," Ron said, turning
into the education building. It was built on the slope that
led to the lower yard, so that the office space was on the
upper floor while the classrooms were downstairs. Ron
went to the file section without speaking to the clerks. He
ran through the drawers' newest numbers until he found

"Baby, you're fine. I ' ve
been watching you an'
my dick stays hard as Chinese arot:hmetica I don't
wanna have to beat you up,
but you re gonna cooperate
one way or another."

so PRISON LIFE

•

Buc k's fo lder. The hillbilly was "close" custod y and lived
o n t he bouom tie r in the East ce llho use . Tha t was th e
info rmatio n Ro n wanted, but he looke d over 1.he re maining data. Buck Ro wan was thirty-four years of age, had a
low-to-normal IQ, a nd cla imed a hig h school education
(unverifi ed) whil e scoring fourth grade on his scholastic
tests. H e'd served a n e ig ht-year term in Texas a nd three
yea rs in Flo rida , the first fo r ra pe-robbery, the second for
burglary. H e was o n escape fro m Florida whe n anested in
Sacramento, Cali fornia, for ro bbery. The picture o f a
to ugh petty c riminal, a fool asking to be killed.
For a moment Ron thought of the imm in ent court a ppeara nce. H e could avo id trouble by having himself locked up. The thought we nt as quickly
as it ca me. He could a lso submit, and
tha t idea we nt eve n more qui ckly. If
a nyon e fuckecl him, it would be
Earl. The thoug h t was sardoni c,
a nd he g rinne d at how h e
could now handle it with humor. Ro n kn ew abo ut
sou th ern priso ns, th e
grinding labor in the
co u o n and suga rcane
fi e lds a nd o n the
roads, with stool p igeons as co n bosses
and convicts with rifl es g ua rding o th e r
convicts. They did
it an d li ved. Buc k
Rowan was o bviou sly blind to how
qui ckly men killed
in Sa n Q ue ntin ; it
had mo re murde rs
in o n e yea r tha n
all th e prisons in
o
th e cou ntry put togeth e r.
(
It was nea rly 3:00
p.m. whe n Ron crosseel t he ya rd and e ntere d t he No rth cellhouse, hurryin g up the
stairs toward the service alley o n the ftfth tier. H e knew
whe re the cach e of long

(!}

0

c

th e showe r wh e n Ron e nte r e d t h e
building. The shower area was in view of
th e sta irs, a nd Ea rl saw his fr ie nd hurry by.
H e m o m e n ta ril y wo nde r e d why Ro n was o ut o f
wo rk so ea rly, but h e fe lt n o co n ce rn. Instead , h e
th o ug ht that h is fr ie nd wo uld soon be gone, and though
there 1voulcl be a sen se of loss, it was a happy thought.
I've clone him so me good , Ea rl thought, but he's clone
me good , too. J'm thinking abo ut the streets . .. and I'm
gonn a ge t the re o n e mo re ti me.
A mi nu te later, Buzzard, the e lderly Mexican, hu rried
clown the stairs toward Earl. "Your fri en d just got a piece
o ut of th e clavo," he said.
Witho ut fu lly rin sing off th e soa p o r d ryin g himself,
Ea rl threw on a pa ir of pants a nd sho we r tho ngs and hurried up the stairs, car rying the rest of his clothes a nd toile tri es in h is h a nd . H e was shirtl ess a nd b ead s of water

d ripped from his sh o ulders. Ron 's cell was th e only one
with its gate o pe n, and Earl was twe nty yards away wh e n
Ron came o ut a nd started to close it. The younge r man
wore a heavy black coat zipped up a nd had a kn it cap on
his head, the sta ndard disguise fot· trouble . Ron looked
up and his face was drawn tig ht, his eyes g lassy, a nd he
see med unhappy a t Ea rl's presence.
"Wh at's to it?" Earl said, stomach c hurning.
Ro n shook his head. Earl reached o ut a nd patted th e
coat, fee ling th e hardn ess of th e weapo n under it. "Shi t,
. .. something's sure as fuck wrong."
"Let me handle it. "
"What th e fuck are you talkin ' a bout? Man ,
you're going to the streets in a hot minute.
What' re you doin ' with a shiv? That's a
n ew se n tence."
"That's a secret?" Ron said ,
smiling sarcastically.
Earl h e ld back his ange r.
T hi s was se ri o us, for Ron
wasn't like many young
cons who tape d on shivs
and ta lked murder so
n o body would mess
with th e m . Earl was
afraid, not o f violence b ut of th e aftermath. A stabbing would keep
the young ma n inside; a killing
wou ld m ean a t
least five o r six
more years even
without a tria l.
And he himself
was involved. That
was un questioned,
a nd if somethin g
happe n e d , it would
snu ff o u t h is own
candl e of h ope. If it
was unavoidable, the n
it ha d to be-but he
wan ted to make sure it
couldn 't be handled some
oth er way. H e pressed fo r
the sto ry a nd Ro n to ld it, a t
first ha ltingly, finally with o ut
reservati o n. And into Ea rl 's worry
came fu t-y. The gross stupidity o f
Buc k Rowan , wh o m h e didn ' t kn ow,
made him wan t to kill the ma n. H e was m ildly re lieved that it was a whi te man; at least it wouldn ' t ig nite a race war. And Earl knew th a t a ny whi te would
be without backing against the Bro th e rhood. The m an
was no t mere ly a brute; he was also a n absolute fool.
"Maybe we ca n ge t aro und sn uffing him," Ea rl said .
"Sh ow him wh a t h e's up against. The best he ca n get is
killed. "
"H e's too dumb. Jesus, I hate stup id-"
"If we gotta, we gotta, but le t's make sure it's n ecessary. It isn ' t as if he was an immediate threat to your life
this afte rnoon ."
"H e's not trying to fuck you. Le t me handle it."
"vVh a t! If you make a move, you'd better get ready to

(\

\J

(continued on fJage 68)
PRISON LIFE

31

M

y prison " ·ork sta rted in 1988 wh en I was im·ited to give
a few prese ntatio ns o n the su~j ec t of fo rgiven ess. At the
tim e, I was writing a book o n forgiven ess, a subject I h ad lectu red o n fo r ma ny years. On e of my first prison talks was at
th e Massachuse tts Correctio nal Institution (MCI-Ga rdn er ), a
medium-sec urity priso n for men . Th e psycho logi t who coordimued the program said h e wo u ld post some fl ye rs aro u nd
the priso n ann o uncin g th e upco min g talk, but he d o ubted
th at many me n wo uld attend.
As I drove d o wn th e hig hway tha t morn ing, I wonde red if
m o re th an a few men wo uld vo luntarily show up fo r a talk on
forgiven ess. At th at time th e po pulati o n at MCI-Garde ne r was
700. V\rh e n I arrived at 9:00 a. m ., 120 men we re waiting.
I was d ee pl y move d by th e response of th e g roup , by th e
th o ug htful qu estio ns th ey asked , by the in sig htful comments
th ey mad e, by the ir desire a nd "·illing ness to share their own
ex pe riences with me a nd each o th e r. I was surprised by the
la rge number o f people who stayed around afte r the presentati o n , eager to learn mo re .
By th e e nd of my visit that day, I
kn e w that I wante d to co ntinue to
work with prisone rs around the d iffic ult and challe ngin g i sues of ange r,
gui lt, remorse, shame, forgi,·eness of
o th e rs, and th e esse nce of e motional
healing : fo rgiveness of oneself.
In its broadest sense, se lf~ forgi ve­
n ess is be ing accou n tabl e to o ur
h ig h est n atu re, an d lear n in g to
know, accep t an d lo,·e o urselves .
regard less o f our past. Thi s is an
e n o rmous cha lle nge fo r an yone. And
it is a particu la rly painful a nd hardwon challe nge for most prisone rs.
T h e id e a of priso n e rs fo rg iving
themselves is unacce ptable to man y
peo p le . Man y be li eve g uil t and t h e
threa t of add itio nal pun ishme nt a re

th e drivin g forces th at will stop
future viole nce a nd c riminal be havior . But as history has shown us, this
threat doesn't wo rk. Despite th e p rofound sense of g uilt and sh ame that
ma ny pri sone rs feel, rec idivism rates
are high. Iro ni call y, it is ofte n a pervasive se nse of g uil t th at fuel s viole nce and a ddi c tion. Chron ic g ui lt
e n sures a poo r se lf-image a n d low
self-estee m. It is self-forgiveness tha t
crea tes o r resto res this sense of selfesteem. It shin es a lig ht o n the
destructive fea rs an d selfj uclgmems
th at kee p us a ll ca pti ve in our ow n
roles as j aile rs. Scl f~ fo rg i ve n ess is the
heart o f healing a nd, in my opin ion,
the o nly sure deterremto crim e .

What Self-For iveness is Not
Before getting into how to actual ly
fo rgive yourse lf, le t's sta rt by clearing
up some miscon ceptions about se lfforgive ness. Let's stan b)' being clea r
abo ut what se lf~forg iveness is not.
Self-forgive nes is not co ndoni ng,
excusin g o r ove rl ooking be h avior
that is hurtful, insensitive, abusive o r
that lacks integrity. It is not diminishing the importance or im pact of
yo u r acti ons. Do in g a n y o f these is
rati o n a lization , d e ni a l a nd selfdeceptio n .
Se lf- fo rgive n ess is not a bo u t absolving yourse lf o f responsibil ity o r
ac tin g like e\·erythi ng is o kay when it
isn 't. Pan of self-forgiveness is taking
full respo ns ib il ity for you r ro le in
wha teve r has happened. Self-forgiven ess sh o u ld n eve r be e qu a ted with
avo idanc e o f g uilt. In fac t , fee lin g
re mo rse and reg ret for pain tha t o ne
ha caused or for bad decisions one
has made is part of the h ealing . All
of this is true for eveq'o ne-whe th er
th eir g uilt is in rela ti on to a serious
crime or a m inor incident.
Se lf~ fo r g i ve n ess is no t tak in g a
righ teous attitude a n d saying , I forgive lll)'Self because God or Jesus (o r
whomeve r) lwsj01given IIU', wh en, in
t ruth, ro u have n ' t d one the in ne r
wo rk and soul-searching necessa ry
fo r in ner he al ing.
Self~forgiveness, like all heali ng, is
a process- not a one-time event. It is
not a superficial act of saying, Yeah, I
did suth and .wth, now I'll j01give
lll)'self In man y cases, t ru e se lf-fo rg iveness takes tim e, cou rage and a
dep th o f hon est se lf-exa m ina tio n
th a t not everyone is read y or wil li ng
to make. Few peo ple have an understa nding of what it means to forg ive

th e m selves and, with out qu estion,
priso ners have not bee n offered th e
necessa ry guidan ce and support to do
so. In fact , the pri so n ex perie n ce
un de rmin es the process of self-forgive ness on a daily basis. I nte rac ti o n
after interactio n fosters sham e an d
re info rces the concept of the prisoner
as an inferior person who should not
be forgiven an d who will never be forgiven. No t understand ing wh a t se lfforgive n ess is, ma ny people feel th e re
is no way th ey could eve r forgive
themselves, or be forgiven.
Yet if you are open a nd patie nt, and
sincerely work with the co ncep ts and
exe r cises that are presented h e re,
the n regard less o f your past, the freed o m an d peace of self-fo rgiveness are
within your reach.
The process of se lf- fo rgive n ess is
highly individ ual. How long it will take
to work o n eac h of th e ste ps varies
from perso n to p e rson. Som e steps
m ay n eed m on th s or ye ars to b e
processed. Others may ta ke minutes.
The steps of self-forgiveness are n ot
distinct uni ts, but rather have ove rlapping boundaries.

The Steps of Self-Forgiveness
STEP 1: ACKNO WLEDGE Til E TRUTII
Acknowledging Lhe truth refe rs not
on ly to the truth of what yo u h ave
clone but also to th e truth about you r
feeli ngs and the truth about how your
actions have affected othe rs.
Acknow ledging the e n tire truth of
yo ur ex p erie n ces ta ke s courage . It
takes courage to accep t the fear, gu il t,
h u m il iation , sh ame, sadn ess, selfhatre d and th e actions, inner
thoug hts and feelings th a t a pan o f us
would rath er reprc sand avoid. Without co ming to terms with these issues
a nd feeli ngs, dignity ca nn o t be
res tored and se lf-forgiveness can
never be achi eved.
The priso n environment can act to
undermine this honesty. As o n e prisoner who is in for murde r said , "It is
h a rd to feel re morse in a n e n vironment th at is so brutal. I didn't fee l
so rry for what I h ad d o n e for a b o ut
thr ee yea rs afte r co min g to prison
because 1 was too busy tryin g to survive. 1 was focusing o n takin g care of
me. Eve n if a pan of you is willing to
look at it, you feel li ke it's n ot a safe
enoug h place."
Ma ny p eople feel gu ilty but a re not
con cio usly aware of the ir g uilt. Drugs
a n d alcoho l a re often u sed to keep
the uneasy a nd so me tim es ago nizing
feelings o f g uil t at a dista n ce. One
priso ner put hi s expe rie nce this way:

34

PRISON LIFE

"Once I quit drugs an d reflected back,
then I realize d h ow mu ch p a in I was
ca using. You don't feel guilty until you
straighte n up. I was so full of my own
pain, I didn 't want to look at myself."
Many people are in d e nial, re fusing to
take resp o nsibility when it is th e irs,
spe nding a great deal of energy justifying thei r actions, a nd projecting th e ir
g uilt on to others as anger and blame.
Rather than being a n easy way out,
se lf-forgive n ess calls for to tal confronLaLio n with your past. If yo u commi tted a n offe n se again st a n
individual, you need to c h a lle n ge
yourse lf to co me to as fu ll an un d erstan din g as possible o f what yo ur
actions have meant to th e vic tim , his
o r her fam ily and the community.
Even crim es tha t are conside red
no n vio le nt in our legal syste m are
laced with psychic violence agai nst people. If we are ho nest with ourselves, we
need to acknowledge this fact.
A very loving 72-yea r-old wo m a n
comes LO mind. H er h o me was ro bbe d
during th e clay wh e n she was out taking care of a g rand child. Perhaps th a t
robbe r rationa li zed his o r he r be havior by thi nking, "No one was ho me so
it was okay, and besides, insurance will
take ca re of th e d a m ages." Now thi s
woman never feels safe in her ho m e,
and h e r fear propels her to spe nd
every weekday wandering a round
sh o pping ma lls until her husba n d
comes home from work. Eve•y clay her
li fe is domina ted by th e fear or a "nonvio lent" robbery th at happen ed three
yea rs befo re. She doesn 't feel safe in
her own home, even tho ug h it is in a
neighborhood with a lo w crime rate.
As is ofte n the case, th e psychological
effec t of the robbery was far m o re
destructive than the materia l loss.
I think of people I have me t, in a nd
ou t o f prison, who have sold cocaine
to support thei r habit. They we re sellin g cocaine to emo tionall y tro ubl ed
14- and 15-year-olcls. 1 o one at 14 o r
15 wh o is doi ng coke isn' t troub led.
And yet we call it "nonvio le nt. " We all
n eed tO loo k fro m the vantage point
of th e love, wisdom a nd integrity or
o ur h ea rts an d fro m that van tage
po int, consider wheth er our actio ns
arc nonvi olent.
Until we arc honest with ourselves
about what we have don e-whethe r it
was terribly abusive or j ust mildly h urtful-the g uil t fee lings th at arise fro m
these actions con trol us at some un conscious level and keep us from healing.
Cleani ng up begins by telling th e truth
LO o urselves. We o ften avoid self-h onest}' o ut of a desi•·e to avoid th e d iscomfort of th e truth . Yet in ord er to heal

we have to develop a genuine compassio n for o urselves while , at th e same
Lime, enduring total honesty about our
own experie nces of d arkn ess.
\•Vhatever your offenses, you have to
get cl own a nd dirty about what you
h ave clon e an d h ow it h as affected
everyone, including yourself and your
own fa mil y-n ot so that you can beat
yo u rse lf up but so you ca n h ea l. To
de ny the truth is LO den y yourself th e
possibility of heali ng.
Both the fo urth and fifth step in the
I 2-step program of Alcoh oli cs Anonymous are p a rt of this process- condu ctin g a fearl ess, searc hing moral
inventoq' a nd the n admitting to Cod,
to ou rse lves a n d to an o th er hum an
be ing Lhe exact nalllre of o ur wrongs.
STEP

2: TAKE REsPONSIBILITY

FoR WHAT You HAVE DoNE

Taking responsibili ty fo r wh a t v;e
h ave don e re quires th at we stop makin g excu ses and bl a min g oth e rs for
our own be h avio r . It m ea n s owning
up to what we have clone.
An impo rta nt pan of taking respo nsibi li ty, also in ke eping with th e 12stc p programs, is making amends
when possi ble and re pairing th e clamage in wh atever ways we can .
STEP

3: UNDERSTAND THE FEELINGS

TIIAT MOTIVATED YOUR BEHAVIORS

Because th e vast majority of prisoners a re bro u gh t up in d ysfun ctio na l
homes where e mo ti o nal abandonme nt
and a buse a re co mmon, rather than
being in touch with yo ur intrinsic
wo rth a nd va lu e, t h e r e is a good
ch a nce you g rew up feeling insecure
and inadeq u a te. It is thi s unreso lved
pain a nd toxic shame that usua lly fuel
the sense o r powerl essness that lead to
drug abuse and th e abuse of powe r. In
o rder to heal, the impact o r these early
influences needs to be examin ed.
As part of th e process of self-forgiven ess, it is esse ntia l to ste p bac k a nd
take an ho n est, objective loo k a t the
peo ple and circumstances that influe n ced the th o ug hts a nd fee li ngs you
h ave abo ut yourselr. By re n ecti ng o n
the ex perie nces an d fee lings that you
h a d as a ch ild, yo u gain insight in to
h ow th ese expe ri e n ces direc tly in£lue ncc yo ur self-i mage, self-esteem , fee lings a nd behaviors as an adu lt. When
th e abuse a n d p a in of ch ildh ood is
ig n ored a n d d e ni e d , th e wounded
c hild within you remain s a driving
force in the adu lt psyche.
By becom ing a wa re o f th ese in£luences, you ca n begin to d evelop
grea ter understa nding a nd compassio n for you rself. You can see tha t you

by Aaron Collins
I reme mbe r the d ay . . .
T here were cla rk skies above South Cen tra l Los
An geles. At least I re me mber it that way. I was standing in from of a brown . di la pidated apartment building o n 69th Street, ale rt with a n l.izi buried be neath
my j acket. I was o n guard whi le my ho meboys kicked
it insid e. If someth ing was to happen, I was pre pared
to die.
I stud ied each car tha t passed , and brca th('d relief
as th ey co nti n u ed o n by. Th e n a gray Cadi llac
a pp roach ed-a nd came to a n a brnpt halt in fro n t of
my building.
T his was it. "ENEMY1" I ye lled , tryi ng to free my
Uz i. But it was too la te. They we re fi rin g the ir au toma tics o ut th e wi ndow. People scream ed a nd ra n fo r
cover. So d id I.
Wh en it was ove r, a six-year-old g irl lay sp rawled
on th e sidewalk.
As the Cadillac sped off, I stood, ran to the midd le of the stree t a nd unload ed my
Uzi . T he car swe rved , hopped t he
curb an d crashed in to Pam 's Don ut
Sho p. Two of th e g uys leaped o u t,
pulled a lady ou t of he r car nearby
and Oed . 1 ran over the to the Cadi llac a nd pee ked insid e. The driver,
still g ripping th e steerin g wh ee l
wi th b o th h a nds, was brea thin g
h eavy a nd coughing blood. T h e n
his grip loosened a nd he died.
I had killed him.
My ho meboys were peering out fro m behind windows a nd parked cars. I wonde red wh}' th ey weren't
sta nd ing o ut in the street next to me. I had killed for
the m. This was what it was all abou t: T o kill or to di e
fo r the ne ighborhood.
It di d n ' t fee l r ig h t. I fe lt stu p id . Ri d icul ed an d
used .
T hen fear gripped me. "Ge t ou t! Ru n !" my m ind
was sc rea mi ng. But th e fea r h ad im mo bi lized me; I
co uld d o littl e b u t stand there until Lhe po lice came
a nd han dcuffed me.
In t h e squad car, rea li zatio n h it m e . Life in
prison. T his was it. I would never see the su·eets again.
I had be trayed myse lf, le t the cops ta ke me away. T he
streets had betrayed me.
ow I sit in a cold , gray prison cell.
I learned wh at is o n ma ny a ha rd-core criminal's
mi n d whe n solitude a nd lo n e liness se t in. It's cal led
re morse. A d eep se nse of regre t takes over th e mind
a nd ki cks into ove rdrive. It's like th e subco nscio u s
m ind su d d e n ly sla p s th e sh it o ut o f th e co n scio us
m ind and th e n laug hs bitterly in your face. Fool. Ass-

h o le. No t o nl y h ave yo u killed, you've end ed yo ur
own life. Th ne isn't a ph ysical p ain or expnicnce
kn o ,,·n to m a n th a t can com pa re to t he havoc guilt
can wrea k.
It's real. It mo ld s your physical fea LUres, robs you
of you r appe tit t·. It takes away your pride an d exposes
th e real you.
It made me break d0\\'11 and cry, somethin g I'd
never do ne before. It also told me to wa lk mv black
ass np in fro nt o f a mirror to take a good long 'took at
myse If.
"You ' r e n u t h in' b u t a dog an d a ki lle r ," I told
myself, overridden with g uilt and fea r a nd shame.
Still I wa k(' up eve ry morni ng and II) ' to justify my
ac tio ns, all to no avail. I d id it for the 'hood , righ t?
Shit ... I search for scapegoats to relieve the pressure.
Not hing works.
At times. ali i can do is t hin k about th e life I' ve
taken. H e was yo u ng and black-like m e. I see his
face in my d reams. I th ink about his
fa mi ly's g rief and wo n d er how
the y' re co ping. I sha re h is mother's
·,
pain , especially wh e n s he se nt me
.... ... \
his obituary with an a ttach ed list of
p rayer scrip tures on repenta n ce .
Th ere was also a little note in which
~i
she tal ked about ·her so n an d asked
me LO get my life rig ht a nd to pray. 1
wrote h er bac k ask ing for forg iveness. It was all I could do.
I'm not th e o n ly one here who
lives with remorse. The re a re many others behind
ba rs wh o sh are th e pa in and sorrow. I can see the
hu rt in their eyes.
Sometimes people learn fro m th e ir m istakes and
wa ke up. Maybe soc iety doesn ' t give a d amn, b u t
th ere arc no h eartless people in prison. T he ones who
ac t bad a rc p uttin g on a n act beca use late at n ig ht
afte r "lig h ts ou t," eveq' si ngle o ne of us gets a visi twhethe r we li ke it or not- from o ur demons.
Guil t docs no t a llow peace of mind. It won' tl e t
you laugh o r smi le without reme mbe ring. lL distorts
chi ldh ood memor ies, erases any positive self-image
a nd makes you accep t and adapt to any a nd a ll negative Lreaunen t by pr ison guards.
Atoneme n t can make you start caring abou t peop le o f a ll races. It ca n teac h yo u respect fo r life a nd
show you how to love manki nd.
Socie ty can rest assured tha t it also never lets you
fo rget you r crime. Every d ay, it rem inds you o f wh e re
you are a nd wha t you d id .
Please fo rg ive me. I'm truly sOrt)'· We all a re.

r---' ~~·
.,.

36 PRISON

LIFE

......

were n o t a bad p e rso n ma king b ad
c hoi ces, but a fundamental ly good
pe rso n who, beca use of unreso lved
pain , a n ge r and insec urity, acted
destruc tive ly. Ste p back. Loo k at you r
e ntire life a nd try to unde rstand what
p rope Jled you to make a ny destructive
choices you have made.
Get in to uch with th e pa rt of yo u
that is a caring a nd loving adu lt, the n,
in your imagination, go back to yo ur
ch ild hood and offe r the hu rting c hild
with in yo u th e u nco ndi t ional love,
compassio n , respect an d safety that was
deserved but was n ot rece ived. By
reflecting on the experien ces a nd feelings of the in ner chi ld, you g-ain insig ht
into h ow these expe r·iences have influenced your self-image, self-estee m, feelings a nd behavio rs as an adu lt. In
order to fuJly experie n ce the peace o f
self-forgiveness, it is crucial to work on
healing these emotional wounds.
STEP 4: OPEN YOUR
HEART TO YOURSELF

In kee ping with t h e previo us step,
self-forg ive n ess requ ires a ce rta in
deg ree o f com passion and ge n tlen ess
with yourself. This does not im ply selfindulge n ce o r lenie n ce th a t excu ses
or absolves accountability. Som etim es
true co mpassio n is "ru thl ess com passion ," the wiJlingness to be ho nest a nd
accou nta b le to yo urse lf wh e n it is
ex tre me ly pai n ful to do so. An ope n
heart is t h e pe rso n al co ntext t h a t
a Jl ows yo u to experience safe ty in ho nesty a nd vulnerabi lity rathe r than the
false safety many peop le have historically known th rou g h p rojection ,
d e nia l, numbin g, dish onesty, co ntrol
and mani pulation.
I t is a nonjudg ing accep tance of
true feeli ngs th a t lead s th e way to the
tran sforma tion o f these feelings a n d
to a new de pth of e moti onal matu rity.
It is through ge n tl e n ess and com passion th at you crea te th e in terna l climate to reveal yo ur sma JI , wounded
self to your greater Self, to allow your
da rk sid e to co m e in to th e lig ht of
awa re n ess so th a t yo u ca n hea l e m otional wounds.
5: HEAL E~lOT!ONAL WouNDS
Work on healing e motiona l wou nds
by heeding the inne r caJls fo r love in
healtl1y and responsible ways. An y selfdestru c tive act o r e m otio n ca n be
unde rstood as a caJI fo r he lp a nd love.
In add ition to working on th e preceding steps, heeding th ese caJls takes th e
wi llingness to be the re for yourself in
a va ri e ty of nu rturing ways. Some o f
t h ese ways inclu d e ge tting supp o rt
from ski lled a n d caring co un selo rs,
STEP

therapists, cle rgy, e tc.; atte nding support grou ps; choosing no t to associa te
witl1 peo ple who have a negative influe nce o n you an d choosing to associate
with peopl e who a re a positive influe n ce; read in g b oo ks that are ed ucat ional a nd inspirin g; exe rcising;
meditati ng and praying.
STEP

6: AFFIR\f

mome nts when the compassio n , love
and g lory or th e grea ter Self is born
with in our di rect expe ri ence a n d
kn own beyo n d o ld definit io ns.
Regardless o!' whethe r we reside inside
o r o utside priso n walls, wh en we forg ive, we a re given a fresh start wit h
o urselves. When we fo rgive, our Jives
are always tran sformed.
IJI]

YouR

Fu;-;oA.MENTAL GoODNESS

The word "Self," as it is used h e re,
refe rs to a co re or esse n tial aspect of
yo ur human n ess. ' •Vhe n yo u a re
a lig n ed with th e Self yo u n a tura ll y
expe rie n ce g reater wisdo m and access
the incl ination and powe r to act with
integrity, compassion and co nscio us
ch o ice. By ali gn ing with the Self yo u
are in creasing ly ab le to see whe n a n
in n e r self-cr itic kee ps )' O U locked in
humili atio n , unh ealthy g u ilt and
sh ame, a nd loc ked o ut of your own
hea rt.
On e p owe rful way to a lign a nd
develo p a di rect relation shi p with this
greate r "Se lf" (as di stin c t fro m th e
sma Jl e r selves-the condition ed identifi ca ti o n s with limiting e mo ti o ns,
ro les a nd be liefs), is tl1 ro ug h the daily
practice of meditation. Meditati on is a
powe rful tool fo r helping a nyo ne cu t
th ro ug h au to ma tic reactions a nd
judgments so that o n e ca n see
th ro ug h o n e's "fa lse se lves," prejudi ces a nd fears. Medi tation e mpowers
one to res pon d t h oughtfully rath e r
th a n react with o ld surviva l m echani sms. It m o bi lizes o n e's inne r
reso urces for cop in g with t h e c h allenges of daily living-wheth e r in o r
out of the priso n setting . Meditatio n
he lps to estab lish a solid fo undatio n
for the cultivation of self-es teem.
Wh e n you a lig n with th e Self, with
yo ur in nate capacity fo r discerning wisd om , co mp ass io n a nd co nscio us
c h o ice, th e n th e re is g rowing selfrespect, a healthie r se nse of responsibili ty towa rd yo urself and o th e rs,
courage a nd a belief in your ability to
m ee t li fe's chaJl e nges. It is th e inn ocen ce o f your essen tial na ture, and an
awa ke ning spiritual reality, tl1at greets
yo u as you g ive yo urself th e g ifts of
aware ness a n d self-fo rg iveness. Fro m
th is van tage point no abuse is ever perpe trated , no crime is ever committed.

•••
T h e re is often g re a t resista n ce to
self-forgiveness, fo r like a ny sign ificant
change, it is a death . It is dying of th e
hab it of keeping o urselves sm all and
unworthy. Yet self-fo rgive ness is also a
g rea t birth. It is in he re n t in t h ose

THE LIONHEART
FOUNDATION
In 1992, Robin Casarj ian, group
facilitator, psychotherapist, educator and a uthor, established the
Lionheart Foundation to broaden
the scope of her prison work.
Casarjian' s goal was to bring
the message of her classes to as
ma ny prisoners as possible.
Toward that end, she wrote
Houses of Healing: A Prisoner's
Guide too Inner Power and Freedom, a guide for prisoners on
how to deal with the stress of
prison life.
The book a lso offers guidance
a nd inspiration for the healing
of ch ildhood wounds, selfesteem, anger, grief and a seve red sense of connection with
other people.
The Foundation's goal is to distribute free copies of the book to
every county, state and federal
prison libra ry. So far, 12,000
copies have been distributed .
In addition to working with
offenders, Casarjian also works
with crime v1ct1 ms . She
addressed members of the
group, "Families of Murder Victims for Reconciliation," add its
annual national conference a nd
contributed to its publ ication,
The Voice.
To order Houses of Healing: A
Prisoner's Guide too Inner
Power and Freedom, send $8
(prisoners on ly) or $ 12 (freeworlders) to: Th e Lionheart
Foundation, Box 194 Back Bay,
Boston, MA 02 117. Price
includes P&H.

PRISON LIFE

37

PRISON LIFE

39

Not evervone can be the good guv in Hollvwood.
Think about all the movies vou·ve ever seen and all the
heroes who've shot, punched and fought their wav across
the screen. Think about all the beautiful women thev've
won over. And all the bad guvs thev·ve caught, killed or
incarcerated.
Bad guvs: everv movie's got ·em. Where would Stallone
be without half a hundred Uzi-toting, evil guerrillas to
shoot down:- He'd be a muscle-bound midget nobodv
would pav attention to. Or imagine Dirtv Harrv. Magnum
in hand. chasing old ladies or kids down the street
instead ot sinister drug dealers. Pimps and convicts.
Booorrrinnng.
No doubt about it: Bad guvs add excitement and realitv.
Without them. heroes are one-sided and action is
reduced to something straight outta Driving Miss Daisv.
Adventure:- Hell, stav home and watch Barnev.
But who are Hollvwood's bad guvs:- Who are these guvs
whose names are never mentioned but whose laces and
presence are never forgotten:- Are thev iust acting, or do
thev bring real life experience to their roles:Meet Dannv Treio. Not onlv is he one of Hollvwood's baddest bad guvs. he's one of the real ones.

h e n eve r Da nn y T r ej o wa lks
o nto th e se t of a movie. everyo n e loo ks his way. ''We ca n
stan now."' they laugh. 'The bad guy's
h e re.··
Da nn y thin ks tha t's g reat. He doesn 't mind being the cold-h earted kille r,
the assassin, the dope cleale r, the convict. "Some body's got to d o it, homes,"
he says. la ughing.
T he re's noth ing th e 50-year-old Chicano wo uld ra th er be doing tha n acting. Not o nly has h e mad e a name fo r
himself, b ut ac ting h as give n him the
means to ra ise h is ki ds. mo re th a n
eno ug h money to he comfortabl e
an d, most importa n tly. it has ke pt him
out of tro uble.
lL hasn't a lways bee n that easy for
Danny Trejo.
40 PRISON

LIFE

H e g rew up in East L.A.'s Pacoina
ba r r io, a n o nly child. After running
wit h t h e n e ighbo rh ood ga n gs a nd
spe n di ng time in and out ofjuv<~nil e
halls, he ended u p at California "\(mth
Authority at age 14.
"It was kinda fun ny," says Da nny. "I
h ad a lot of fun in .Juvey h a lls." He
was surrou nded by his frie nds. Like so
ma ny o th ers, Da n ny learn ed th e
ropes a t CYA. ':Juvey hall was like prep
school."
By th e time h e was th row n in to a
state p e ni te n tiary fo r ad ults. Da nn y,
soon to be 18. was a n ex pe ri enced
criminal. He was also a d rug add ict.
Dan ny was bustt'd by a ft·<kral agent
wh o'd bee n going a rou nd the ne ighbo rh ood trying to buy d ope. "Some
informa nt b rought him to me and I

sold h im some pure shit- 100% pure
sugar! T hey were really angry because
I would n 't gi\'e the money back after I
sold him th e stuff. Hell. I was going to
jail ei ther way, so I kept the 17 gra nd."
Trejo was booked on im cm to d istr ibute narcotics and se"n tenccd to a
clime. He ended u p do ing a n ickel o n
his fi rst bid.
Da nny was locked up a t Tracy, an d
h e had no problem with p rison life hy
then. "My gang was there, my friends
were t h e re . . . I was su r ro unded by
everything 1 knew...
Dan n y spclll nearly th<· e ntire '60s
in prison. Tracy. Soledad. Folsom, San
Quentin . . . h e d id time in all th e
hardcore join ts o n t he \\'est Coast.
\\'hen one sentence wac; up. he'd lind
h imself back o n the streets doing rob-

NOT JUST ANOTHER PRETTY FACE

be ries o r o the r drug-rela ted c rimes.
Finally, h e was a ble to b ea t h is drug
habit, as we ll as b eco m e th e lightweight and we lte rweight boxing champio n a t Sa n Quentin . By th e time h e
was re leased in ' 69 , h e h ad n o id ea
wha t h e was going to d o with his life.
O r if h e 'd be a ble to stay clear o f
prison.
They told him to stay away fro m
convic ts. "Alii kne w were co nvins,"
he says. "Th ey we re my pee rs. a nd a
lot of these g uys we r e pn·tty d ecent
people. We used to h ave big do min o
games in the park, just like we used to
in the ya rd a t Sa n Q u e ntin . o nly
no bo d y was sta bbed. ' H ey this g uy's
ch eatin '!' one of u s would acc use
a noth e r . 'Sh o uld I sta b h im?' ' No.
ma n , it' s just a fu cking d om ino
game.'"

Thro ug h th e Narco tics Preve ntion
P rogra m . Trej o t' tc t J immy Pe na.
':Jimmy is one of t h e most d ece nt
huma n b e in gs I' ve eve r m e l. " sa ys
Da nn y. "Ilc was also a n ex-co n .·· Pel'ia
h e lped Da n ny beco m e a drug counselor.
"I wanted to he lp gu ~ s gett ing ou t of
the joint," he says.

Da nny was a success sto ry befo re he
eve r made it on film . For 15 years, be
was a ble to m a ke it in th e frc c worlcl
with o ut co mmittin g a no ther crim e .
He was also a ble to keep h is j o b as a
drug coun se lo r. B11t after a while h e
grew bored a nd frustrated.
"It was bot-ing a~ he ll,'' says Trej o . "[
ma rried twice in tha t time p<·riod , too,

bu t it was all so mu nd a ne . T here was
no longer any rush to my life. r sta rted
th inki ng abou t do ing . .. some thing."
l n '85, Danny met a kid who need ed
his help to ge t off drugs.
'T his ri ch , wh ite p re ppy kid co mes
up LOm e o n e day askin g fo r h e lp. I
a lmost wa n ted to la u g h , but I gave
him my pho n e nu mbe r an d to ld him
to call me if h e h ad p ro ble ms. T h e
nex L thi ng I kn ow, t h is ki d is calli n g
me u p a t home.
"' Hey. can yo u come to m y wo r kplace?' be's saying. ' I reall y need th e
he lp.'
"1 ca m e . T h a t's wh e n m y life
cha nged. ''
Dan ny did n ' t know it bu t the pre ppy wh ite kid was wo rkin g as a n extra
on th e set of the m ovie R unaway
Train. \•\' h e n T rej o a rrived o n th e set
PRISON LIFE

41

to hel p the k id. he was imme d iate ly
approached ll\ a cast ing directo r.
"Thn asked me if I wanted to be an
extnl. I said. 'Sure, okav.' T h e n thev
asked me if I could aCI like a cmwicr. ·
"T il gi\'e it a shot,' I said, tn ing not
to laugh ."
The m in u te Da nn1 took off hi s
shirt. he \\'as approaclwcl agai n .
"I got t h<'~l' ta tt oos," says
Tre jo. "And 111~ tats d on' t represt' II t the ,\r med Set ,·ices o r
n ut h in' tre nch, e ither. These
tats say, ' Thi s g uy was in th e
pen .· So this g tll' comes up to
me, lw loo k~ real fam il i<tr, wo.
'" \\'here'd ~·ou d o tim e?' he
asks me.
"'Ed d ie? ' I saicl. It was Eddie
B u n kl·r. 'Fuc·k m a n , what a rc
vou doing he re?'"
Da n n1 didn't kno" it then
but Hu nker. a "Kct·s~ ful n m·elist (sec Ptison l.ifi•, Septem berOctober 199.'>) was worki n g on
th e ~l't for l?unawa) Tmin.
Thn h a d kn own eac h oth er
from th e ir davs at San
Q uen tin. Bu nker i m m ediate!~
we n t to th e d irector, ,\n d r ei
Ko ncha lovsky.

h a r d in th e face. \\'In couldn ' t I be
doing th is, and getting paid for it:
''Tlw m·x t thing 1 kno\\' J' m sitt ing
at a tahk in a fin·-s tar resta u rant with
Fddie and .Jo n \ 'oigh t. 'Th is is i n,<l n c ~ ·
I'm th inking. T h t'rc is no way Eddie's
supposed to be a n ywhere b u t lor ke d
up. a n d h ere he is d isc u ssing scrip t
changt'' with .Jon \ 'oight. I was siltin g

thne. freaking o ut , thinking, Dam n , I
can d o th is~ I ca n d o th is, too~··
It wasn't until Da n ny's first shot tha t
he reali,red what a rus11 acting could be.
"\\'hen Anclrt'i sa id, ' Ac ti o n ~· l just
stood th en·. I blew the sho t. Eddie was
watch ing a nd knew wha t ha p pened to
me. I h ad thi s loo k on Ill\ lace. 'Are
I 'OU o ka1? .\re you o ka1?' th ey aske d

ED M FI COULD ACT LIK
I E IT A SHOT,'
N OTTO LAUGH."
''1' 11 n ever forget it,'' says
Danm·. "Eddit· goes up tn the
dire< tor and o;an. ·check the
\lexica n. ' :\ndre i d icln ' t e1·cn
kt1011· what a :\lexican wm! H e
was fr om Russia. Th('l asked
me if I ,,·ante d a biggn part
th a n just an t'Xtr a. I sa id
'Su re ....
Tlw' ne<"dcd som e bodv to
figh t Eric Robe rt s in th e l;oxing rin g fo r a sce n e in t h e
mm ie. Si n n· Edd ie kn ew of
Dan n 1 's boxing ka ts, he
th o ug h t th e ro le was perfcrt
f()J' hi Ill .
"] had n o idea what 1 wa~
ge ttin g into," s<l\'s T r e jo. ''All
of a 'udden ('\'l'tTboch 's calling me '\rister'. People stant'd com bing my h a ir and
b r inging m<· coffee. And I'm
thi nking. "I' m just a drug
counselor-\\ h a t 's go in g on
hen·?' I'd bee n teac h ing boxin g to k ids in t he a rm ory fo r
free, lett in g t hem pun r h m e
42 PRISON

LIFE

--

me. I said, "Yeah, I got it now.' '"'hen
he said, ' Action!' agai n , I was read)'· It
was like doin g a robbery. It a ll ca me
back. the whole thing .
"And that's when I realized that this
is what I fucking wan ted to do."

Thug. Prisoner#l. First Inma te. Bad
Cuy. Bodyguard. Killer.
Danny went from role to role, movie
to moYie, always the bad guy. He was a
prisoner in several movies: Penitm/i(/1)'
III. LodwjJ, with Stallo ne. and a member of a prison gang in Taylor Hackford's Blood / 11, Blood Out (see Prison
I.~{P. July-August a n d NovemberDecember 1995).
He even played a cop once, in a '91
made-for-video movie called l'iclor
One-The GI'Orge Aguilar Story. IL"s one
of his strangest ro les, he says.
'These Englewood cops saw me in a
movie,"' says Tr~jo , "and th ey thought I
was the spitting imagt" of George
Aguilar, this cop who 'd died in the line
of duty. They kept calling me up, 'You
got to be in this movie this guy's doing
o n one of our partners.· The direnor
got a hold of me and I took the ro le. lt
was th e strangest thing bei ng around
so many cops. I don ' t think they h ad
any idea of my background."
Danny h as also pla}•ed bad guys in
dozens of mo\'ies like Dea th Wish IV,
Marked For /)path, Dnubft•·Cmssed, Dmg

Wars and .Vrtil~.
The man has paid his dues. Rec<'n tly they paid off.
1995 was a good yea r for Danny. He
got a role as a knife-throwing assassin
in Robert Rodrig uez 's Desperado, starring Antonio Bandcras, and a speaking part iu Michael Mann's Heal, with
Robert De !'\iro, AI Pac ino a n d Val
Kilmer.
"Desperado was a lot of fun, ·· says
Da nny. ''Robert Rodriguez is an unbelievable director. Workiug wi th him is
like doing a bank rohb(T}' with Eddie
Bunke r . He has su ch fun doing what
he does."
Dann y's bigges t role, to d a te, was
his pan in I kat.
"In every mo,·ie I meet new people,"
says Robert De !'\iro. "O n H eat, l
found Danny." The veteran actor considers Dann y a frie nd . "He's in terested in more th a n himse lf. In tcad of
the Hollywood party circuit. he spe nds
many <'\'Cn ings work ing with yo un gsters who need a rok model."
"I was really scared wh en I go t tha t
part," admi ts Trejo. "De Niro, Paci no,
K.ilmer-thcse guys wc1·e the b es t in
the business. i t's awesome working

with th ese guys. But it scared me.
''I'd never really consid e red myse lf
to be an actor. So I called up Raym ond
Cruz, he 's a grea t ac tor , h e was in A
Cll'ar and Present Danger. I called him
up and said, 'Shit, ma n. l' m scared.' It
was so hard to adm it I was scared. H e
c racked up , but he coac h ed m e. He
said I had to stop faking it. The re was a
lot l could do n a turail)' to make th e
character come to life.''

yo u h a n g o n th e wall. I just want to
kee p on working, no matte r what the
role is, a nd kee p my ki ds h a p py. I'm
raising two daugh ters righ t now and I
may have been th e wo rst h usba nd
eve r, but I' m probably the bes t damn
fa the r th e r e is. I te ll th a t to a n y
woma n who wants to be with me. I say,
it's a package d eal an d te ll th e m we
migh t e nd up watching Beauty and the
Beast with the kids later o n tha t nigh t. "

"INSTEAD OF THE HOLLYWOOD PARTY CIRCUIT,
[TREJO) SPENDS MANY EVENINGS WITH YOUNGSTERS
WHO NEED AROLE MODEL."
-ROBERT DE NIRO
In th e end , says Dann y, th ey c ut a
lot or his scenes from the movie. But
th a t didn ' t both e r him: "They cut
Pac ino's shit, too," he says. "1 d o n' t
feel so bad. "
This year should prove an even bigger year fo r Dan n}. 1ot onl y is Heat
still playing in theaters aro u nd t h e
country, but Trejo a lso p lays "Razor
Cha rli e" in Quentin Tarra ntin o's ne w
movie, From Ou~/1 T il Dawn, with H arvey Keite l and George Cloo ney, and a
rol e in Last Ugh t, starri n g Ke ife r
Suthe rland. He is also in The.Jaguar,
now being fi lmed in South Ame rica. It
"·ill be his first leading role.
"1 never th.~mgh t I'd .be do ing th~s:"
says Dann y.
ever. C mon man , JL s
like catching lightning in a bottle. l"ve
been luckv. I \ ·e worked with the best
in th e bu~in ess. Dennis lloppe r , De
1 iro , Suth erlan d , Kilm e r . .. these
g H}'S arc my friends, too."
Acti ng has enabled Da n ny to see
more than L.A. an d prison.
'"I've gotte n to go all over the place:
Paris, South Ame ri ca, you n a me it.
Som('thing happened in Paris I'll never
forget. When I 11sed to ge t thrown in
th <' hole in San Quemin , to keep from
going crazy, "I 'd act o ut a sce ne fro m
"!Y1e flu n chba rli of Notre D a me, with
C harles Laug hton. 1 wo uld scurry
across the cell, 'Sanctuary . . . sanc tUaJ) '
... ' We ll , I n ever rea lized that there
was a real No tre Da me and tha t it was
in Paris. So when l was in Paris doing a
movie, I came across it a nd it bro ugh t
tears to my eyes. I was awestruck.
"I n ever h ad a n y aspira ti o n abou t
being a nyth ing," he says. "Until! ra n
into Eddie o n th e se t o f R unawa)'
Train. Now, th<'rc 's nothing l'd ra the r
be doing."
Da nny' s pl a n s are simple : to kee p
o n working.
"Eve ryon e talks about a rt a nd acting ," he says. "To me, <trt is some thi ng

Whe n h e's not with his kids o r fi lming a m ovie, Da nn y can be fou n d
ha n ging ou t with Eddi e Bunke r. H is
oth e r close fr ie n ds a nd m e nto rs are
ex-cons, too- like George Perry, a 72year-old ex-con Da nn y has been a ble
to get into acting and who he 's known
fo r 35 years.
" I was h a ng ing with Geo rge o n e
day, driving u p Rodeo Drive when tl1is
g uy cuts me off a n d gives me the fin ger. I'm about to d o so m ethin g an d
George says, ' Fuck this punk. How's it
gonna look in fro nt of a Beverly Hi lls
judge wh e n h e p u lls o u t yo ur o ld
record ? Ar m ed robb e ry, d rug sales?
What' re yo u gon na say whe n he asks
you why you beat him up so bad? 'Cuz
he gave us the finger, You r Ho nor?'"
Wh en h e's n ot h a ng ing a ro und
Ed di e o r George, Da nn y still spe nds
tim e a t Western Pacifi c Re hab , a
d etox ce n ter ror dr ug addi cts a n d
alcoholics. "I talk to peo ple," h e says.
""''e have a clinic an d I sec a lo t o f
dope fie nds I used to run with ."
U nlike som e ex-cons, T rejo refuses
to fo rge t abou t his p ast. "You ca n ' t
fo rget a bo ut wh e re yo u com e fro m ,··
he says. 'That's how guys like me and
Edd ie Bunke r have m a n aged to stay
clean for so lo ng. You got to keep positive. You can' t give up ho pe."
Danny h as a few wo rds of advice for
th e ex-co n who ca n ' t make it in th e
real world afte r priso n. If you got" th e
look," ll")' Hollywood:
"T here's a d e m an d for bad g uys.
Th e re will always be a d e m a nd fo r
bad g uys . Th ere's a wh o le lo t o f
things you can do. Yo u don' t walll to
be an ex tra? H e ll , you have to start
some wh e re . Fin d a n ex tra age n cy,
send the m yo ur p icture. But yo u got
to wa n t it bad , m ore th an an yth ing .
You gotta want it bad ."
lii1

PRISON LIFE

43

44

PRISON Llf

e ing Coke
elli g Jokes
Tim Allen'.s A.scen.sion from Federal Pri.son to Super.stardom

By jennifer Wynn
Prison takes away your freedom in a way you can never i1nagine
until you've spent time there. Once you lose your jreedo1n, you
never want to lose it again. Prison was the worst and the best
thing that ever happened to me. It taught me in no uncertain
terms to be responsible for my own actions.
- Tim Allen , from Don't Stand too Close to a Naked Man

Just 15 years ago, Tim Allen was behind bars
at FCI Sandstone, Minnesota. Today, he is a mega star in print, film
a nd TV. Having reached the pinnacle of celebrityville through a bestselling book, a syndicated sitcom and a major motion picture, Tim
Allen has got to be America's most successful ex-con.
H is latest accomplishments are breathtaking: Home Improvement, Allen's ABC sitcom now in its fourth season, is TV's No.
1-rated show, earning Disney $400 million thus f~u- in the sale
of reruns. His comic autobiography, Don't Stand Too Close to a
Naked J\1/an, climbed to No. 1 on the l\'ew York Times best-seller list in October 1995 and by December was still riding
high in second place; it is the most successful book yet published by Disney's four-year-o ld book division, Hyperion.
The Santa Clause, Allen's first mo\'ie and the surprise hit of
the 1995 Christn1as season, earned $71 1nillion in its first
17 days and jumped to No. 1 at the box office shorth after.
PRISON LIFE

15

Perpetual Prankster
Tim Allen learned the importance of humor at an early age.
Born Tim Allen Dick in a middle
class Denver suburb, his last name
made him the butt of a hundred
playground jokes. He'd battle his
bullies with a healthy dose of selfdeprecating humor, which later
helped him survive prison. Sources
say he made the meanest guards
laugh by putting pictures of Richard
Nixon in the peephole of his cell
when they made their rounds. Later
he staged comedy shows for the
other prisoners.
"In prison,'' Allen recalls, "you
could say one wrong word to a guy
and he'd want to kill you. Literally."

I once offended a guy without knowing it. We belonged to the Toastmasters
Club ... This guy was outgoing president and I was incoming president.
We had a roast at his retirement and I
guess I really roasted him. Hours later,
he came to my cell and said, "I'm not
here because I'm a well-adjusted person. I'm a maladjusted man. In fact,
I have one big problem: my really big
inability to take criticism or be fucked
with. You just fucked with me. And
for that you Te going to have to pay. "
You could hear me gulp in the warden's office. In a split second, he got
me up against a wall. I realized I was
going to die-and then a bubble
popped right above his head.
When you 're really in trouble your
face gets this very odd, contorted
look-like when you react to a vomit
burp. One of the most amusing things,
when my brother was about to get hit
by my dad or had done something really wrong, was this look on his face.
So as I was about to get my butt
kicked, my life snuffed, this bubble
popped up with my brother's face in it.
And I started laughing. Suddenly the
guy stopped roughing me up and said,
"What are you laughing at?"
I said, "My brother's head just
popped in above your head because ..
. "I tried to explain it to him. I couldn't stop laughing.
Hesaid, "Yourecrazy. Gettingyour
ass kicked and you're laughing about
it?"
"No, no . . . "I still tried to explain.
"No, no, go ahead and hit me. I didn't mean to be rude. "
He let me go. It was fabulous.

46

PRISON LIFE

On a sunny November day, as
Allen writes in his book, a tragedy
occurred that changed his world
overnight. His mother, father and
brothers were driving home from a
football game when they were hit by
a drunk driver. His mother and
brothers survived; his father was
killed. "I realized that there is no
one here to protect us," Allen writes.
"That life can be taken from us at
any time."
His mother remarried a few years
later, and the family moved to the
Detroit suburbs, where Allen struggled through high school and then
through college. He graduated from
Western Michigan University with a
degree in TV production, and not
long after got caught up in drugs.
He started selling cocaine and in
1979 was arrested and sentenced to
eight years.
"While awaiting sentencing," Allen
recalls, "I decided to give stand-up
comedy a shot. The judge had suggested I get my act together, and I
took him seriously. It was better than
sitting around wondering why I wasn't getting any job offers. I thought
that at my sentencing hearing the
judge would take my efforts into consideration. He didn't. But as you
know, being funny saved my life-on
the inside, in my inside, and, as I was
soon to discover, on the outside."
Allen served just over two years,
reading books and writing letters, and
slowly facing the fact that he had seriously messed up his life. "It was frightening, that whole time, how much
anger I had," he says. 'Then the anger
was directed toward me, so I had to
take the blame for this whoie situation
I put myself into." A supportive family
helped him through the ordeal. 'Tim
accepted it," says his mother. "He
knew he deserved it and he didn't
fight it. Everyone in the family came
out and rallied behind him."

I called my mom once because I got
moved up from a cell block to my own
cell ... My own room, my own toilet!
And two storage lodrers. It was still the
size of a bathroom or a New York luxury apartment, but I was in heaven.
I said, "Mom! Mom! Guess what? I
got my own cell. "
"Oh, "she said. "I'm so proud. "
Meanwhile, I realize she's thinking,
"Is this a jolle? Davy is in Europe, Geoffs just graduated from Michigan
State, Dave's got a brand-new job with
a construction company, and my

brightest son . . . has just got his own
cell! I'm just bursting with pride . . . ''

TV's Tool Time
Guy Emerges
Returning to Detroit after his
parole, Allen went to work in advertising while trying to develop a stand-up
comedy act at night. He distinguished
himself by wearing a coat and tie for
his routine, which was full of sexual
and scatological references. Eventually, he hit on the macho-tool guy persona that became his trademark role
in his TV show Home Improvement.
Allen started travelling back and forth
to Los Angeles, got himself an agent
and eventually broke into the big-time
comedy clubs. Mter a few TV appearances and cable specials, he was discovered by a group of Disney
executives who were having a meeting
to discuss new TV projects.
"We were sitting in the room practically snoring," Jeffrey Katzen berg,
the former Disney movie chief, is
quoted as saying. "Then someone
put one of Allen's Showtime specials
on the VCR: "He set the room on
fire," said Katzen berg. Some of the
group, including Disney chairman
Michael Eisner, later went to the
Improv comedy club to see Allen's
performance.
"It was one of those nights that was
magic," Allen remembers. "They
came backstage and said they'd like
to have a meeting with me at Disney."
The studio's first offer wasn't quite
in keeping the rising star's vision: a
TV sitcom based on the movie Turner
& Hooch, in which Allen would costar with a dog. Allen rejected the
offer, along with two others. Then he
came up with his own idea: a series
about the host of a TV fix-it show.
Disney assigned Matt Williams (the
former producer of Roseanne) to the
show, added three kids to the mix
and helped turn Home Improvement
into TV's biggest family-show hit of
the '90s. (Allen plays Tim Taylorthe kind of guy who gets excited
about playing with power drills and
rewiring the refrigerator.)
Even though Allen can by all
means afford a jet-set life style, he
still keeps a home in an unpretentious neighborhood in Birmingham,
Michigan, where he retreats for holidays and other family gatherings.

Known th ro ug hout l lo llywood circles
fo r h is una ffec ted, down-ho m e style,
h e has b e en marri e d fo r 12 yea rs to
his co llege wee thea n , La ura De ibe l,
wh o manag e s hi s business a ffa ir ·.
D e ibe l wa ited for All e n while he was
in prison.

Somr soriPiirs srpa mlr the mm and
women . The IN/son is that men get
along belter with men, and woml'n get
along better with woiiU'Il. But ajtrr being in jJrison, !/w ow that wr ran'/ do
that JorroPr brra usr it turns mrn-1
can on I)• spea/1fo r mrn-into Vl'l)' violent rrraltii"PS. Witltout wollu'n around,
we beco me vel)' vioiPn l and Vl'l)' sad,
and VPf)' uninsjJirPd a nd VPI)' onesided. It 's m llNI watrlting too murh
sjJorts on Tl'.
After the success of' ·,PSrmta Clause,
H o llywood inside rs predic t that Alle n
will command upward of 8 million
for his n e xt m ovie (on top o f the 5
milli o n he re portedly 1 a e thi s ye a r
from the TV series). Aile • s s he'd be
happy with a small token of his
achieve me nt. "It's o c hee Y, ' he says,
"but I j ust want a little laque that
reads, 1 0. l T V 1-1 \Y, :-.1
1
BOOK, 1 0. I MOV IE.jL
for m e , becau se I work
a lm ost di e d: IS-h o ur ch1)
a nd o ut o r a fat sui t, typi n
o n my laptop .. . "
Since his a nta de but, r\11 n's stamina h as n ' t slowed o n e bit. ln ;-..;ovembe r, Walt Disney Picwrcs 1 <·leased Toy
StOI)', a n a nim a te d fea tu e in wh ich
All e n tars a s th e voi e of Buzz
Lightyea r, a mac ho s pac man action
fi g u r e wh o sh a res a t ybox with
\1\lo o d y, a cowbO )' d o ll w" th a vo ice
supplie d by To m Hanks. T his spring,
Al le n beg ins filmin g indian in thr Cit)'.
the story of a man w o discovers he's
th e fa th e r or
c h " d whom h is
estrange d wiJC:• r isc·cl in th e Amazon.
"Al l oJ:.th is seems to me to be by the
g race of God," admits All en. ''I'm like
ybody ('[se, born equal to every-

bod y e lse and o me h ow I've bee n able
to d o mag nifi ce nt th ings. And it 's
pretty obvio us that ! had no thing to
d o wi t h thi s. So t h e re must be so mething t h a t I h ave to acco m p lish. I
hope I ha,·e n ' t acco m p lish ed it ye t ,
because I'm enjoyi ng the ri de."
Yleanwhil e, D ' 's T ool Time guy just
ca m e o ut \\"ith th e T im Alle n Sig n ature H a mme r, fea turin g a hic ko ry ax
h andl e a nd Allen's "RRR " insig nia.
1ext o n th e line is a screwdrive r, also
from H a rt T ools. Alle n hopes to follow in the footste s 0fan or'Pnul Iewm an , who se::. upscale food produc .
h ave e a r eel mega bucks for !'{Oodcause o ganizations. "There's nothing
li ke elbing charity work." says ,\ lien.
"Yo ur time is well-s pe nt. you achieve a
go<\1 that's fo r the good of everybody
and you come out glowing."

Gi\'en hi s extraordinary achic·vemcn ts. most pcop·c have no idt•a tha t
Tim Allen-/hi' Tim Alkn?!-s pcnt
time behind bars. "It"s a big shock to
1\eople. They sa~, ' You 're not that
kj,nd of guy.· \\'ell, yes, I was that ki nd
of guy. Half model citizen , ha lf hoolig 1.

Pri.1011 i.s jillrrl with gup in whom
Lit irlunatir i1jiH. ThP lunatir iljina fJ. when• he wan/1/o bt•. 111'\ in a
jJlace wllf're lunat") worlo. Thr mort• of
a lunatic _vou art·. tht• bt'/11'1" .wu gl't
along with tht• otllt'rlunatin. Pri10n i.1
a wonde,1jul jJlart· forthr luuatir to bt•
~i'flre it' thr lunr.tir in ym1 that gl'l~
JOU there. Butt he differt·na• bt•lwn·n thr
lunatic. lii'i ug i 11 till' out.1idt• world and
hilling timt• in jnison 1s that imidt•lhe
lunalir artuallJ spPall.l. fit• goe.1, "/
didn't do it.'' Or "!{ 1 had th1• dwnrt•lo
do it again I o•rtainly wouldn't gl'l
mught." Tht• lun.tlir is alway1 in dt•nial bt•cau.w' he nt"llt'r admit.1 lht• slightest rc~pon .1ibility.

When we called Tim ,\lien's publicit~ agt·nt to
anange an inteniew, "·e wen· told.\llen didn't ,,·anl
to panicip<llt' ... lle"d like to put his pri-.OJl expnit•ncc behind him ... said publicist ~larll·ah Ll·slit•.
Yeah? I hen win "d he clnote nMjm portion-. ol his
llt"W boo\... /Jon "t Stand TlHJ Uo11 to a .\"alwd .\la11. to his
ohsen;uions on !iii.· in the joint. his drug-dt•aling p<t-.1
and how ht· sunin·d his 1\lo-lt'al bid~
\\'e smdk·cl a rat.
hum 0 111 , Allen is a rat. IY's l"ooi-Time gu' had
his eig ht-rear st•n tence reduced because he ··roopt•raH•cl wi1h lh t· gove rnm ent, .. our sources said.
(This was latn ronlirmecl when we caught a 60 Min-

Al th o ug h h e writes with dark
hum o r abo ut his Lime in prison, Allen
stil l worri es abo ut how he will expla in
it to h is fi ve-ye ar-o ld d a ug hte r K.D .
"Th a t's th e h ardes t qu e tio n. I j u st
do n 't kn ow. I d o n ' t know wha t I' m
go in g to say to h e r a b o ut a mill io n
th ings," he says.
E,·en th o ug h he didn ' t commit the
kind ofh e ino u · crime most Americans
associate with pri one rs, Al le n doesn ' t
de ny the reality of his ex-con stigma.
"I was a bad g uy," he insists. "If yo u
h ad se e n me in blue lo ckup clothi ng
and shac kles- there's no diffe rence in
th e pen ite n ti a ry ab o ut wh a t yo u did.
M urde re rs e nd up in t he same place
as rap'ists, c hild mo leste rs, drug dealers, ban · ro bbe rs. We're all losers who
decided o take a sho t a nd go the easy
route . . . '

Gu_)'s PI d u jJ i 11 jail because I hey
don't har• goals. Or lheiJ· goals are the
wrongo/1/!.i
Iflifr i.1, in f act, a 1ive1; then you have
ve1y jl'w ofJtfons, all of them vel)' clear.
You 'rr in a anoe. You ca n II)' to paddle ufJslrPtlll and live in the past, look; ug barkwa 'd. Then you're going to hit
something. and you 'll l1eep wondering
why life kr jJs hitting you in the back
Or you rm fight the cwnmt but f acefm~
ward, m 'd not get anywhere. Or you
ran m.wally go with I heflow and think
about ~
1 lling ovPr to the side now and
thl'll to ·jJlore the land. Smell the roses.
And 1 me jJeojJle wan/to go as fast as
they possibly can, straight to hell.
IIIJ.ink I was badljJaddling and the ca1/IJI'flipped over. 1 had no idea aboutloohingforward and selling a goal. Then 1
mrl a gzt)' i 11 JIYisrpl, at one of these
groujJs, who summrrl it ujJ best. The
g;realt-.~1 missile in the work/ is useless, he
said, uniPss it :~ targeted. J\ fol'k:._do is
arhift un!l•s.s it has somPjJlacr to . n
mrow is jJoiniiPss unless it hits somelhin .
So it :~ imJmrtrmt for kids- for eve~y­
onr, I'TIPII ifyou Jail at first-to target
somPthing and ht'ad i11 that dirrction.
1\'ith all JOU r might.
OJ]

tt/t'l '~"gment on manclaton minimums f"cal!l rin g
omlriencl \h .. \lien.)
Poor gu,·-t·xposed "' an ex-con and a rat on
national IY .. \nd now he's expost•d in Prison Life.
\oice of lht· rcnl\ in. :\o wonder he declined the
inten it'\\. I It' ·c1 bt· ckadmt·<u if ht• e'er goes back to
1he joinl.
\\t· ckrickcl to run tht· -.ton an\\\"aY. !lis mindblowing .teromplishnH·nt~ still make him America's
111mt sucn·sslulex-coJl. .\nd in a ll'a). we need pcopll" like .\!len. ! lis rise to mega-stardom shows that
<IllY prison time. t'Yenjust a couple or years, isn 't a
liflo st'lllt"IHT if the will1o arh il'Vl" is s1rong enoug h.

PRISON LIFE 47

"My I'OIIrf' /"11 is lhe [Jijl WP lOIIfJ
for, t/11' gift that, when it romes,
speahs comma n dingly to the soul
and irmsistibly moves us.. . "
Lewis HydP, The Gift

h a rl es Du u on doesn ·t
n eed a scr ipt to la u nch
into dazzling monologues.
He's a bo rn sto ryte ll e r ,
a n d h is backg rou n d has
g ive n hi m so m uc h to draw o n
that he's become a qu intessential
sp o kesm a n fo r p riso n life, c reative experience, and the possibility for individua l change through
a combinatio n o f the two.
Eve n o n scr ee n , Duuo n has
the u n m istaka ble prese n ce o f a
stage a cto r- so m eo n e wh o is
addi cted to the thrill o f live pe rfo rman ce a nd th e bea u ty a nd
command of la nguage. Du tto n is
a powe rh o u se acto r. H e looks
like a b r ic k wall and has o n e of
th e mean est g rowls in sh ow-biz,
bu t he's mo re like ly to cap tivate
his a udie n ce with a ge m le smi le
a nd reve re nt, soft-spo ke n vo ice.
Dutton first caught th e theater
bug in prison . A few yea rs afte r
his release, h e accomp lish ed th e
unh ea rd o f fea t of accep ta n ce
into Ya le Dra ma Sch ool (go in g
"fro m jail to Yale," as he pu ts it),
a nd th en st ra ig h t to Broad way.
Since his first feature role in the
Aug ust Wilso n p lay, J\lla Rain ey~~
Blaclt Bollom, fo r whi c h h e
rece ived a T o n y n o min atio n in
1984, it's bee n a steady ascemto
stardom. By 1990 he ha d h is econd Ton}' no mina tio n for ano ther \1\lilson play, The Piano Lesson,
a n d h a d begun Lo sta r in wh at
h as si n ce a mo unte d to ove r a
d oze n fea ture film s (No M erry,

C

This August will mark the 20th anniversary of
actor Charles Dutton's release from the Maryland State Penitentiary, where he spent sevenand-a-half years for manslaughter and other
charges. He has not forgotten for a single day
that the only reason he never re-entered the
system was because he discovered the one
thing that provided an alternative, and he
made a lifelong commitment to pursuing it.
48 PRISON

LIFE

THE METEORIC RISE OF CHARLES S. DUTTON
by Pam Widener

Q&A, M enace If Society, Alien 3, C1y the
Belov ed Count1y, a nd A Time to Kill, to
name a few) .
Dutton even conquered prime time
T V. H e's starred in seve ral n etwo rk
movies, produced a mini-series for
HBO called L aurel A venue, an d for
three years was the star a nd executive
produce r of his own se ries, Roc,
which-true to his passion fo r t h eate r-be ca m e th e first prime-time
comedy show since the mid-' 50s to air
live fo r an e ntire season .
Dutton 's life is a red efin ition o f th e
classic Ame rican rags-to-ric h es story.
The m<U o r twist in this new ve rsion is
th a t in add ition to h a rd work a nd
good fo rtune, th e young h e ro must
e ndure a rite of p assage thro ug h the
state pe n. Yet he refuses to accept th e
"ro le mod e l" label so ofte n attac h ed
to him.
"In my business," he explains, "whe n
yo u ' re g ive n th at stig ma, they' re se tting you up to be perfecl. And I'm not
perfec t-not by a long shot."
But Dutton is definitely a rarity: Fe w
people in the ente rtainme nt industry
succeed in all three are nas-s tage,
scree n and televisio n-and eve n fewe r
have as tho roug h , educated a nd realisti c a kn owledge of th e American
prison syste m, and of th e d aily struggle involved wi th staying out of it.

h e Roc Du tton sto r)' (" Roc" is a
ch il d h ood ni c kname d e ri ved
fro m sli ng ing roc ks instead o f
snowballs) begins in the East Baltimore of the '50s and early '60s,
where h is bedroom in a public ho using
project overlooked the state pen.
"In m y n eighborhood," he says,
"you expected to go to p r·iso n . It was a
g ive n . Some kids expected to go to
college; we expected to go to priso n."

T

After quitting school in the seventh
grade for the mo re exciting world of
th e street corn er, Dutton 's life
beca me o ne of defiance- of mischief
that grew into criminal misc hi ef tha t
grew into a we b of reform sch oolsuntil fi n ally, whe n he was 17, he fatally
stabbed so m eone in a fig ht and was
se nt to priso n o n a n 18-mon th
manslaughter conviction.
"As a youn g b lac k or La tin o in
America," says Dutton, "in ce rta in
communities, th ere is a morbid se nse
of a rite of passage by going to prison.
It starts as a juve ni le a n d it goes all
the way to ad u lt h ood. A r ite o f passage tes ting your m a nh ood. T h e
who le syste m. "
Dutto n has always maintained th a t
the pressures o u tside the prison walls
a r e g reater than ins ide. "Th e re's a
simple way to survive in priso n ," h e
says. "It beco mes its own little society,
and you deal with it. The minu te you
wa lk th roug h the p riso n gate, yo u ' re
already assumed by everyone else to
be a to ug h g uy. l f yo u weren't a
tough guy, yo u wo u ldn 't b e th e re.
And until that's d isproved, you don ' t
h ave a ny tro ubl e."
Roc never had any u·ouble. He kept
on be ing the same tough guy insid e as
out, piling up more convictio ns (possession of a wea p on , fighting wit h a
guard) and more time.
Over th e n ext seven yea rs, he
learn ed everything there was to know
abou t the m ech a ni cs o f surviving in
the penitentiary "I was beyond a Ph.D.
I was a Rhodes sch olar· in tl1a t sh it. "
As muc h as h e understood it,
th o ug h , he n ever a llowed h imself to
b e cond iti o n ed by priso n life. In
seven-and-a-h alf years, fo r in stance, he
never d ecorated his cell. "Tha t's th e
lowest for m of conditioning," he says.
"Deco ratin g o n e's cell. Putting u p

pretty pictures a nd towe ls and painting boxes ... It's o ne thing to be nea t;
it's anoth er to make it horne. I neve r
did that. I didn ' t want it to get so comfortable that it was o kay- regardless of
how lo ng I was going to be there."
Dutto n also refused to wo rk in
prison. He was a member of the Black
Panther Party, he had radical, left-wing
viev<s, a nd h e co rresponded with
George j ackson, Angela Davis... "ever) 'body wh o was somebody in tlle rad ical
moveme n t. " Wo rking fo r 35 ce n ts a
d ay didn ' t fit tlle revolutionar)' scheme.

"You

can't compare the prisoner of the '60s and '70s to
th e p r iso n er o f the '90s,"
says Dutton. "W h e n I was
th e re, yo u h ad 85 pe rce nt
o f th e prison popula tion readin g. I
mean physically reading. It was a th ing
th en. A fad. Wh e t h er it was leftist
ma terial, o r whatever you were reading ... it was abo ut being a prison
debater, a priso n inte llectual, ajai lhou se lawyer, aja il house doctor. You
had 85 percent of the prison po pu lation really wa n t in g to be o u tspo ken
a nd to be articulate. Wanti ng to be tte r
the mselves men ta lly."
On a rece n t visit to the Maryland
State Pen , where Dutton delive red the
keynote speech at the college g raduatio n , h e was struc k by how m uc h tha t
h ad c h ange d. ow, h e says, 85 pe rcent o f the priso n e rs 'just want to sit
tllere, ha ng o ut. "
As with most things, h e blames this
deterio ra tion o n the d rug c u ltu r e.
"Whatever yo u did in th e streets,
that's wh at yo u ' re go n na do in th e
joint. If yo u h ave a dinosaur in your
brain wh e n you' re o n the street co rn er, you'l l still h ave that d inosa ur
mentality witll your prison life."
PRISON LIFE

49

DUTTON MASTERS STAGE, TELEVISON AND FILM. (From left to r ig ht ) Ouuon as Boy 'vVilli e in The Piouo Lessou ( p h oto by
Bob Greene/ H a llmark); as Roc Emerson in Ror (photo by Timothy White / Fox): in C•y. Tht• 81'/ourd C:ouull)' (photo courtesy of to.liramax).

D uuo n was lu cky, he never got
in vo lved with drugs. He could see as
early as '66 how they were destroying
t h e neighbo r hood. '· J saw g uys a rg uing over who'd get. the last. bits, get the
spoo n, ge t.t.he cooker. I always looked
at th a t ga m e as a c rudely, vic ious
game. Nobod y could be tru sted , yo u
we re a lways gonn a have to hurt. somebod y, beca use in evitab ly somebod y
was go nn a come u p short o n th e
money . .. . "
The drug epidemic has resulted in
such devia nt behavior that. Ouuo n h as
a lmos t co me to empa thize with socie ty's im pa t ience with co nvicts a nd
add icts. But h e ha sn 't forgotte n who
th e real cul prit is: H e h o lds the gove rn m en t responsib le for a turating
communiti es wi th drugs.
"I saw it.," he in sists. "The Uni te d
t.at.e gove rnment. wouldn't. have
c nlig h t.encd people a fter the '60 ·and
'70s in t he b lack co mmun iti es. T h ey
couldn' t have that.."
It. h a d bee n a perio d of peo pl e
ga in ing conscio usness and a sen se of
revo lu tio nary passio n , and the governm e nt "h ad to so m e way, so m e h ow,
to ta lly d ismantle and destroy what was
being bui lt upon in th e '60 · a nd early
'70s. I think it was don e th ro u gh th e
sa tu ra tion of drugs-and th e to ta l
idiocy of te le\"isio n. "
50 PRISON

LIFE

"... Andre, guys lille you can do morr
than any movir, any trlroision show, or
ony politician, to getthrsr hids to understand that life is a precious thing. That kid
Danwn is about to go lo thr penitmlimyfor
hilling a nolher hid, jJrourlthat hr:5 following in )'Our footsteps, and you're going lo
sit herr and tell me it's none of your business?"
- Roc confro n ting the local drug
pushe r on th e fi nal episode of Roc

h e n Dutto n was give n his
come dy ser ies, Roc, in 1991 , it
was one of severa l shows created by Fox th at. pro mised a n
u n us u a lly h ig h level o f c reative co ntrol t.o African-Ame rica ns. I n
May 1994, wh e n Fox exec uti ves cance led two th irds of th ese b lac k-produced show , in what. was referred to
a t. th e tim e as the "Grea t. Black Purge
of'94," some of them, like Roc, d id not.
go out. witho ut a fig ht. T wen ty-ni ne
blac k me mbe rs of Co ng ress sig n e d a
le tte r of p ro tes t to Ru pe rt Murd och ,
wh ile Congressman Ed Town s even
iss ued a statemen t t h a t. m embers of
the Congressio nal Black Caucus wou ld
not stand for the pate rnalistic cancellation of positive black shows.
Charles Du tton's fig h t was th e loudest. of a ll. ''There's a se rio us .J im Crow

W

law in Ho llywood ," he told just about
every news a nc hor and reporter in th e
busine . "And t.hat.Jim C row law, in
my opin io n , is after 9 p.m. - n o
blacks, clogs, or La tinos on the air."
It wasn' t Fox per se he b la m eda lth oug h h is "crea tive co n tro l" had
bee n a n up h ill battle a ll th e way-it
was the te levision indusu-y, pe riod.
··we have a lways been co nfin ed t.o
a comedy zone in 40 years of televisio n . 1 ow, I' m n o t. so ens it.ive that. I
don't think we can laugh at. ourse lves-because to be ho n est , wh o
m akes b igger fools of themselves
every day on te levision tha n wh ite
peop le, in the mi n dless , sense less
ha l f~hour comedic ?
"You ca n be st.upid be tween 7 p.m.
and 9 p.m. , b ut a t 9 p .m. yo u ge t. to
run th e wo rl d; yo u get to be lawye rs,
doctors, corporation leade rs ... When
it. comes t.o cu ltu ral diversity, we need
some balance. If Nelso n Mande la can
come out or prison after 27 years and
in fo u r years go to the preside n cy of
South Afri ca , I j ust wonde r wh y afte r
40 yea rs of American television you
can't have good qual ity shows a bo ut
people o f co lo r o n the n etworks . I
thi nk, in a nutshe ll, you'd have t.o call
i l o u t.ri gh t , b lata nt racism . I've
searched lor other excuses, an d tha t's
the only word I could find for it. "

Eve n though it was a 7 p.m.
to 9 p.m. comedy se r ies, Roc
introduced some iss ues tha t
h ave ye t lO be see n e lsewhe re
on televi io n. For instance, Roc
was lhe first show in lhe histOI)'
of te levisio n to introduce th e
ati o n of Isla m in a positive
way.
"My slan t," says Duuon ,
"was to se n d messages to th e
Africa n-American community
about problem solvin g."
In th e e nd , d esp ite h is frustra tion
with Fox a nd hi continued ouu·age a t
th e ina ni ty o f te le,·isio n , Dutton a t
leas t knew that he wo u ld b e ab le to
"back away from it in thre e ye a rs and
sing the song of Frank Sinatra, I did it

had fin ally d iscove red what I
was bo rn to do with my life."
In a single m o me n t, the
re m a inde r of h is life
beca me cl ear· to him- imp le a nd u n complic ate d. " I
knew a t that m o m e nt th a t
e ithe r I pursue thi s gift I'd
discove re d in myself to th e
full es t exten t , or I was
go in g to spend th e res t of
my life in a nd ou t of
prison. There was n 't go ing
to be a n y middl e g round for m e,
because I d idn ' t kn ow a nyth ing e l ·e
t o d o . I was n eve r m ec h an ical ly
inclin e d , o r te c h n ical ly in c lin e d. I
wasn 't made to be a labo re r o r a j a n itor o r a ga rbage ma n ... I kn ew that I
wo ul d pro ba bly spe nd th e rest of my
life in a nd o ut o f prison if th a t' s a ll I
h ad lO d o ."
But th e most wonderful thing, says
Dutto n , "was th a t I re all y b egan to
unde rsta nd a nd di sc ove r my o wn
humanity. And th a t 's what c hanged
me- fro m a ha rd kind of mind set to
an und e rstand ing a nd discove ry of
huma ni ty."
Afte r fou r-a nd-a-ha lf yea rs of ca using troubl e, of stabbings, sh ootings,
getting cut, "this thing to o k ove r a nd
it was like I wasn 't there anymore. I
m ean, I e mbraced it with a p assion. I
grabbe d it with the same passion th a t
I 'd g ra bbed the negative stuff. I was

.. ASTRUGGLE FROM THE CRADLE
TO THE GRAVE. YOU HAVE TO
LEARN TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE
STRUGGLE. TO LOVE IT. ..

my way . . ..
"Whic h," he knows be tte r than anyone , "i lO say so m eth in g in Ho ll ywood. "

t b e ga n one day in 1972 , a b o ut
four-and-a-half years into his senten ce . A friend on th e outs ide
had se nt hi m a play by Douglas
Turner Ward calle d Day of
Absence, a sa tirica l one-ac t in whi ch
al l of t he blac k p e ople in a n
unna me d Sou th e rn town myste rio u sly di sa ppear o ne d ay, leavin g th e
wh ites h e lpl ess a nd the tow n in
c h aos. Dutton, wh o was d o ing a six-

I

d ay stint in isolatio n whe n h e read it,
found th e play to b e bo th hilar io u s
a nd in keeping with his politics. And
it "gave me some th ing lO think about
aside from who se he ad l was go in g to
bash in the n ext d ay." By the time he
cam e out o r th e hole, his wh o le mind
se t h ad ch an ged. H e convin ced th e
wa rd e n to a llo w him to sta rt a th eate r gro up, a nd th e n h e got toge th e r
th e "funni est, crazies t a nd m os t
dem o nstra tive guys in prison " to put
th e play o n .
"A t one p o int during th e pe rfo rmance ," h e re calls, "I so rt or looked
ou t at the crowd, a nd I saw tha t I had
th ese guys in lhe palm of my ha nd-I
could make them laugh , I cou ld make
th e m cry, I could make them th ink, I
co uld make them quie t, I could ma ke
th e m pe nsive, re flective ... all of thi s,
with what I was doing on stage . It was
an ee r ie ki nd of powe r . I fe l t li ke I

PRISON LIFE

51

still in the prison e nviro nm ent, sure,
but I found tha t o ne thing to believe
in. And I thi nk in essen ce that's what
everybody has to find ."

took ove r the Ya le dra ma de p a rtme nt. And thu s bega n the symbiosis
be tween Richa rds, hi pro tege, playwrig ht Au gust Wi lso n , a nd Dutto n ,
who wou ld star in their prod uc ti o ns
of Ma Rainey, j oe Tun1er's Come and
Cone a nd The Piano Lesson.
Au g ust Wilson h a said th a t th e
character o f Boy Willie in The Piano
Lesson was writte n with Dutto n in
mind : " ! wa nted to write so m e thin g
to cha lle nge his tale nt. "
Wh a t th e play mea n to Dutto n is
"simp ly a nd pure ly histo ry. On e
hundred years from now, some li ttle
boy wi ll be trying to d o Boy ·willie in
hi g h sc h oo l. When Aug u st Wilson
fi n ish es hi s cycle, b lac k p eo p le in
Am e rica will have the ir own theatrical histo ry."

fter his r e lease, Dutto n
e nro ll ed a t T o wson Sta te
University, wh e re h e eventua lly ea rn ed h is B.A. in ' 78 .
Despite a sch o la rship a nd a
conti nu ed passion for the thea ter, it
was th e h a rd est peri o d of hi s life .
"That was th e most pressure I eve r
faced , wh e n I was re leased th a t last
time . I m ean, the te mptatio ns we re
great. To put on e foo t bac k o ut in
th e stre et, to kind o f d a b o n th e
right side, be positive in sc ho o l a nd
all th a t -a nd then h ave the left foot
still o ut in the stree t hustlin g."
H e says the fact tha t he was never
into the drug sce n e is pro bab ly what " S o me wh e r e in yo ur life,"
says Dutto n , "if yo u ' re a n
saved him . That and a commitmen t
o ffe nder o r ex-o ffe nd e r ,
he made to what h e considered to be
somewh e re in your life you
"the econd half' of his life. !he first
fou nd it. Som ewh e re in
half was all ab out tha t stupidity. The
seco nd half was go ing to be a co m- yo ur life yo u did it fo r just two seco nds, yo u did som e thi ng th a t yo u
mitme nt to what I was going to do."
Twe nty years late r, it's still an eve•)' kn ew yo u did ve ry we ll. Som e thin g
day struggle. "You hate to say, 'a su·ug- you might have bee n put on th is
gle from the cradle to the grave,' but it pla ne t to do."
is. A struggle from the cradle to tJ1e grave. You have
to learn to fa ll in love with
th e struggle. T o love it.
Tha t' s the o n ly way to
bear it, is to love it. "
Wh e n a dram a pro fessor a t Towso n told him
he sh o uld app ly for a
sc h o la rship to Ya le, his
immed ia te response was,
"Ma n , get o utta h e re."
But th e pro fessor wou ldn ' t le t up until Dutto n
se nt o ff th e ap plicatio n
and we nt for a n audition.
"First I thou g ht, I' m
not go ing to ge t excited .
Btll I kn e w I blew th e m
away a t th e audition."
Afte r h e h eard th e n ews ove r th e
Clea rly, you must h ave a se nse o f
p ho ne fmm the registra r-"Outton ? yo ur own huma nity befo re th e d eciYes. Co ng r a tul a ti o n s"-he didn ' t sion to revere it can take p lace. But
the re is no way to p redic t whe n that
leave the house for three d ays.
"!figured , if I walk outta this crib, discovery will occur. T he re is a n e leI ' m g o ing to get hit by a bus, I ' m me nt o f revelation involved, a na tu ral
go ing to run into a n o ld e n em y, maturing, and the proxim ity to beausome bo dy's go ing to be slanding o n ty wh ich can occur o n ly th rough creth e co rn e r a nd th e cop s go ing to a tive actio n .
co me up a nd so m e b o d y go in g to
Dutto n had a n unusually profo und
dro p so m e drugs a ro und my fee t, experie n ce tha t day on stage. He disa nd I' m go ing to ge t the cha rge."
covered his hum a ni ty, his gift a n d a
Dutto n 's app lica ti o n a rrived th e clea r visio n o f his path a ll in o n e
sa me yea r direc tor Lloyd Ri c h a rds moment. It's not so m e th in g th a t's

A

likely to happe n to ma ny people, and
yet it's absolutely n ecessary to turning
one's life a ro und. Wh e n asked what
he thin ks some o f the causes m igh t be
for such a breakthrough, and how we
mi g ht be ab le to e n courage it, Outto n 's a nswer a lways co mes bac k to
individual respo nsibility.
"I te ll p eo p le all th e tim e, wh e n I
talk to prisoners o r juveniles, th at it's
n o t a ques ti o n o f wh a t yo u lea rn in
priso n , it's a qu es ti o n o f loo kin g in
th e mirror one clay, in the solitude o f
yo ur ce ll , a nd te lling yo u rse lf th a t
you ' re p h ys icall y, e motion a lly and
spiritually fired o f this life."
He te lls th e m to sto p looking fo r
o u tsid e stimula tion to ignite a passio n in them. "Look for it with in ,'' he
says. ''Beca u e th at's wh e re it h as to
come fro m. It certain ly ain' t going to
come fro m watc hin g C harl es Outto n's effo rts. Because be lieve it, this
was n ot an easyj o urn ey."
Dutto n co ntinues to be frustra ted
at being turn ed to as a ro le mod e l, or
thought of as a curiosity. "I have ple nty o f buddies,'' h e says, "wh o did as
mu c h tim e as l did , o r m o re tim e,
wh o a rc ha rdwo rking cats-labore rs,
janitors, bricklayers, ca rpe nte rs-and
haven ' t gone back to prison . They've
go n e b ac k to th e o ld
n e ig hborh o od wh e re a ll
th e d ru gs a n d vio lence
a rc, a nd th ey've rai sed
th e ir fam ilies a nd tried to
instill in them a se n se o f
se lf-es tee m , self-worth .
Th ese a re th e g u ys we
sh o uld be ta lki ng a bo ut.
Th ey h ea r th e g un shots
eVe I)' nig ht. "
Th e d ecision to stay
straight is som ething th at
co m es o nl y with d a ily
in te rn a I struggle. A lo t of
peo ple we don't h ea r
a b o ut ac hi eve it. Being a
cele brity d oesn't ma ke it
go away o r mak e it a n y
easie r.
"Staying o ut of the pe nite ntial)' is
go in g to b e t h e to ug h est t im e yo u
hm·e in your life," says Dutto n . "But it
can b e d o n e ... it can be d o n e. And
th e rewa rds are g rea t wh e n yo u ca n
finally walk clown the su·eet a nd relax,
not have to worry abo ut an e ne my, o r
some body hitting o r shooti ng you in
th e back o f the head, o r peop le lookin g fo r }' OU. It' s suc h a wond e rful ,
wo nd e rful wo rld a nd life o n ce yo u
leave a ll tha t be hind a nd m ove o n to
the eco nd half."
UIJ

.. IT'S AOUESTION OF LOOKING IN
THE MIRROR ONE DAY. IN THE
SOLITUDE OF YOUR CELL. AND
TELLING YOURSELF THAT YOU'RE
PHYSICALLY. EMOTIONALLY. AND
SPIRITUALLY TIRED OF THIS LIFE."

52 PRISON

LIFE

MIGUEL PINERO IS
ALIVE AND WELL

AND SCATTERED THROUGH THE LOWER EAST SIDE

W

hile doing a five-year bid for armed robbery in Sing Sing, Miguel G. Pinero wrote the
classic prison drama "Short Eyes," named Best American Play of the 1 973-'74 season by
the New York Drama Critics. It ran on Broadway and later became a critically acclaimed
movie. Director Robert M .Young recalled that while fi lming "Short Eyes" in a Manhattan jail,
Pinero was upstairs being booked for jumping a subway turnstile.
Pinero went on to write and act for film and TV, specializing in crime stories. He wrote the
script for and appeared in Miami Vice's "Smuggler's Blues." He authored a collection of full length plays and published several books of gritty poems documenting his life on New York
City's famous Lower East Side.
Born in Puerto Rico in 1946, Pinero drew his inspiration from the teeming, multi-ethnic
streets of lower Manhattan, home to struggl ing artists, vagabonds and outlaws. As the tenyear anniversary of Pinero' s death nears, writer Jack Brown (and long-time friend of Pinero),
talks about the artist's twisted, talented life.

by Jack Brown

PRISON LIFE

53

attracted people from the neigh borhood a nd we ll-kn own anists from a ll
over th e wo rld.
It was a n exciting, u np re di c tab le
atm osp here. A chea p p lace to h ang
ou t o n a weeken d night, a place to sec
a play or whe re Pine ro hi mse lf mig ht
show up porting a new ha t, fired up ,
a revo lve r lU c ke d into his pants, to
passionately offe r hi s la test work to
the Gods and his fellow man.
Once a pregnan t woma n got up and
abando n e d herself to the Co n ga
d rums of Edd ie Co nd e o r Tito Goya
(a runnin g budd y a nd fo rm e r con
who played the characte r Cupcakes in
Shari Eyes) a nd th e poe try of Mig u e l
Pii'iero. She la ter lost th e baby. Sometimes you 'd be tte r duck.

"A Lowe r East Side Poem "
j ust once before I die
I want to climb up on a tenement sl1y
to d1·ectmmy lu ngs ovt 'till
I

Cl)'

then scatter my ashes thru
the Lower Ens! Side.

In April of 1988

Mig u e l G.
Pin ero, wo rl d c itizen and poe tic proponent o f ew York City's Lower East
Side, m ad e his Ia t bi-coastal journey.
H e return ed ho me fro m Los Ange les
wearing a brightl y striped green cra p e and carrying two makeshi ft su itcases. H e re turn ed kn ow ing th e e nd
was n ear. Yea r. of h a rd livin g had
ta ke n th e ir to ll. The e ndl ess nights
saw the incandescent Oame turning to
a co ruscatin g ni c ker. H e'd don e
a lmost as muc h tim e in hospitals as he
had in prisons.
Th e same fig h ti ng s pirit that
enabled h im to write 'The Book o f
Genesis Accordi ng to St. Miguel ito" in
the middle o f th e insur recti o n at Attica during Roc kefe lle r 's te rm , a lso
a ll o wed him tO n au nt th e med ica l
odd s a nd return from cocklail hour in
the afte rlife time a nd again. ;o. Jig ue lito
the miracu lo us.
H e mi g ht have d one more. H e
might h ave had a more distingu ished
ca r ee r. But h e had wh at h e h a d.
Before h e "re tired hi s c h a racter,"
wh ile in Si ng Sing, he'd wr itten the
powe rful priso n drama Short E)•es. A
work th at on stage and film was by
turns a rau co ns, h a rrow in g and
po ignant look at a c hil d mole te r 's
journey throu g h p e n a l h el l. Co mpell ing. And unfo rgeuable.
The la te Marvin Fel ix Camillo de,·clopecl him . Mel Cussow of The New l'od1
Times discovered him. j oseph Papp o f
54

PRISON LIFE

the Public Theater a nd fi lm direc tor
Robert Young vindi cated him. Everyone who kn ew Miky was touc h ed by
him . Sometimes yo u were touch ed in
places yo u didn ' t even know you had.

A thief, a junkie I've been
rom milled eue1y /mown sin
Jews and Gentiles. . . Bums and Men
of style. . . run away child
polire shooting wild . . .
mother's fu tile wails. . .fJuslzers
making sales. . .dope wheelers
& cocaine dealn:s. . . smolting pot
streets arr !tot & fred off
those who bleed to death . ..

Miky was an original.

He
was a h a rbin ge r of c ulture to co m e,
investi ng his tales o r urban real ity with
a Span ish sense o f danger a nd death
laced with a lase r-like se nse of darkly
rascal humor.
Miky was a n eye- a nd door-opener.
hows like "Bareua" a nd '·] ~ja k " bene fited from an a uthe ntic ity a nd co mpass io na te e lo quen ce television h ad
no t kn own be fo re . Acto rs have acted
a nd writers wr iue n a n d a nth o logies
and m}•tho logie c reated through
Miky. The appreciation of a n ists
Bimbo Ri,·as-Charas, Luis Guzman ,
Hen •)' Street an d j oel Rose runs d ee p.
After th e s uccess o f Short /~'yes,
~li gue l shared his wea lth with th e
comm un ity. He gath ered street you th
from the Times Square area and gave
t hem a p lace to live. H e a lso wrote
p lays fo r "Th e Fami ly." Alo n g wi th
Professor Miguel Algarin and the bucca n ee r poet Luc ky C ien fuegos, h e
o pened the 1uyorica n Poets Cafe o n
ixth treet be tween A,·enues r\ and B
on th e Lower East Side. Based o n the
ta lent a nd celebrity of Miky, th e cafe

There's no othrr placefor me to be
There's 110 olherplarf' that I mn see
There's no other town arou11d that
b1ings ) 'Oil 11p or keeps JOII down
No food litlle heal sweeps b)'
Fan cy mrs and pimps & bars & )11lte
saloons
& greasy sfJoons malte my spilits fl)'
with my ashes scalier('(/ thr11 the
Lower East Sidr ...

Those were glory day s
an d Nu yo r ican ni g hts. Salsa in th e
wind, the air pulsating with Spangli h.
T h e n e ighbo rh ood hosted a n d was
toasted by th e world. ~vli ky- t h c ·tar
th a t was Mig u e l Anton io Go m ez
Pi•ie ro-pinwhee lecl across the fir mamen t.
He was larger tha n life. Bolde r than
can be. By lllrns a rebel, a ba ndit, a
dope fi e nd but a lso a loyal, tender
loving be in g and wh e n h e co uld be
h imse lf a fri end . He h ad a s p ecia l
magnet ism for yo ung peo ple a nd a
fee ling for those who lived hard Limes.
He was a lso a shy a nd private man.
One th in g a ll hi s fri e nds h ad in
common was a fascination with his stori es. Tr u e o r fa lse. Writte n o r ora l.
Real o r imaginaq'.
Pi•i e ro's death in th e late ·s os
marked the e nd of an era. The transiti o n from ga ngs to protest a nd social
uph eava l, from smoke to acid an d
dope was co mp lete. Iron ica ll y, with
th e redu c tion of humbl e teneme nt
style livin g in the Lower East Side ,
thanks to th e rapacious developers
catering LO th e gentry and trendy, the
use or drugs is pe rvasive a nd co rr·uption syste ma tic.
Miky was d ismayed by crack, at a loss
for how to deal with it. It was too
cheap a nd violence-provoking to
dec rimi nalize. Amuse d by ex-dope
fiends who tried to se ll it to h im as

they sa t d e h ydra ted a nd h ac king in
the park.
Like his fe llow poet Lucky C ienfuegos, who di ed in October 1987, wh o
had "re tire d the c h a racte r of Moises
Rod ri g u ez," M iky reti red seve ra l
str ee t c h a racters. Approac h in g
"re t irement'' on j une 17th, Miky
p ro bably j us t got c u r ious abo u t th e
afterlife. Afte r m oving in the s h adow
world, as h e had so ofte n , h e m oved
o n. I n a mano-a-m ano wi th Bell evue
he freed himse lf o f m e di cal techno logy's inte n sive car e .

At the funeral home on
Avenue A, people r e po rte d him
rustl ing in th e nigh t wind , see ing h im
in the park, Oash ing a r o und corners
an d a ppea ring in d r eams. Mi g u e l 's
spirit was loose, they said.
Hi a bility to play m a ny roles cou ld
have had hi m in hab itin g th e body o f
th e b lack m a n who lay in a d oo r way
adj acent to th e funeral home. H e
cou ld have bee n th e o ld m a n wit h
wh ite h a ir who sat at a desk , puffing
h i pipe m ed itative ly, a t a typewriter
across fr om the morti c ia n 's h ea rse.
Like Tom Sawyer a nd Hu c kl eber r y
Finn , he could have bee n a wimess to
h is own ce re mony.
I th o ught ! saw Mig uel s mi le, lyin g
in th e coffin, when Amiri Baraka,
Newar k's P oe t Laurea te a t the time ,
said socie ty had killed Migue l. Baraka
loo ked furt ive ly at a white m a n wh o
stood against the wall: Miguel Pinero's
father. "Bullshit," h e sa id, eac h tim e
Bara ka claimed M ig ue l was a "victim. "
Co nni c L? O f course. But h umoro us.
T he irreve re n t kind Mig ue l ap preciated. H e loved a ll kinds of peo ple . His
wo r k sh owe d that. That's wh ere he
to ld th e u·uth.
He perha ps best called the shot, his
liver fina lly delivered , whe n h e sa id at
tl1 e end o f "New Yo rk City Ha rd Time
Blues":
Wejus/ walk /lie streets with loaded dice
and hear jJeOjJle say there goes Milq
Miliy Piliero
lhff)' call him thejunky duisl . ..

Miky could have been a
docto r caring for h im in I. C. U. H e
co u ld have been hi s own la wyer. He
cou ld h ave been th e sma ll boy-so n
o f th e man wh o h ad see n m o r e perfo r mances of Short Eyes than a n yo ne
e lse, who hid half a box o f cooki es in
the back of the car o n th e way to the
Lo ng Isla n d C re m atorium . He co uld
h ave been a woman in black wh o
c r ied for th e twe n ti eth , but n o t the
last time at the brief service.

PI:\ERo's PLwsAuvE, WI u & OL TR\GEous
By Pam \\"idener
( 11 Ocwbcr 197!"), wh en the poetry read ings in Miguel Algarin 's living room becam e too crowded, he and fellow p oet l'vl i gu~ l P il~e ro
mon:d th e ~cene to a nearby Iri sh pub a nd ca ll cd n the Nuyoncan
Poe ts Cafe.
The salon in Algarin's li,·ing room had been a u racting all the newest
black and Latino write rs, as well as such figures as Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Amiri Haraka and Ntoszak~ Sha_nge. Th e_J~e:u_ Yo:!~ T imes
called it a hotbed of "raw energy and Th1 rd \•\ oriel sensibiiiues, o n e of
the d riving forces in downtown .lvlan hauan's coumcrcultural mecca.
t\f'lcr being closed lor six years, th e Nuyorican PoeL~ Cafe reope ned
in I ~lH9 at another East Villa~e location. Known as one o f th e h ippest
reading a nd performan ce spaces in New York, it has won over a _d?zcn
theater awards in th e last liYc \'ears and anracted ac tors, m us iCians,
poets, \Crecn\\Titers and pnfon;1er of ri ch cu ltu ral di,·ersity.
Three one-act plays fron1 Pi1iero 's 197·1 collect io n , Outragi'Ous, _were
rece n tly staged b~· Algarin and directo r Rome l"\ea l at Ll~e Nuyoncan;
Prison /.ifr headed O\'er to d barrio to sec if they were s llll outrageous
ann all these yea rs.
The sce ne was di stinnlv retro: ' 70s disco, be ll bottoms, big hair,
bright colo rs ... but Pi1iero:s l an~uage sl10~1e tim~lcssly through_.
,
The fi rst play, Side Show. marked th e ch rcctonal debut of M •g uel s
brother. Dadi Pi1ino. A colorful, small ense mble p lay, Side Show tracks
the li,·es of a group of llTct people-hustlers, drug dealers, hookers,
pimps. \\'hal s tarts off as light comedy e\'en tuall?' bcco m_es h eartwrenching as two of the characters-both drug adcllcts-deh\'er long,
painful monologues; o ne e nds in a se nseless suicide.
T he ot he r two plays, direc ted by vete ran Rome cal, serve m o re as
side shows to Side Show. Cold Bl'l'r features a Piiic ro-likc writer a t a typewriter waiting for inspiratio n as his deadlines approach; he's constan tly
inte rru pted by b iza r re vi sitorsamthing LO d e ncct the m use.
f Japer Toilrlunfo lds in a public ba throo m in a subway sta tion ,
where two pelt)' thi e,·es (b lac k
an d Pu e rto Rican ), the woman
th ey've r ipped o iT (black), two
p la incloth es men a nd a cr azy
u nd e rcove r cop (all wh ite) find
them e lves un able LO comm u nicate as a n y possibi lity of justice
d rifLs further and furtl1er away.
Wh e n Outragt'OIIS was published in 19 74, producer j ose ph
Pa pp wrote in the introduc tion,
"All dramatists of rea l value m ust
sooner or la ter con front what for
th e m is t r uly dan ge rou s, e ithe r
within them se lves o r in the o u tside world. Th a t we, the a udience, feel that da n ger a nd
understand so mething of what it
is abo ut , is often what makes a
p lay impo rt ant and d u rab le."
b ·en the most outrageous of
Pi1iero's work holds up to thi s
sta nda rd of dra ma tic val ue . The
issues and poetry feel as r eson a nt to us today as they did to
audiences then.

plw t" ' lrr

1/o/~·• t /. 11

PRISON LIFE

55

One role he could no t ha\'e p layed
was that of the n omi n a l cleric, wh o
read in a wooden pe rfun clOI) ' to ne, a
passage from th e sa m e o rdinary
farewe ll e ac h a n o nymous clie nt
received. to , Miky had fa r too m uch
life fo r that. See a ta pe o f a pe rforman ce o f "The Book o r Genesis
According to St. t\ l ig u clito" to ee a
Pi nero cleric.
He could have been the g ur p ic king
swea ty coo kie crumbs from his n eck
wh o, obse rvi ng a lunc h eo n e tte sig n
ad ve rti sin g "Giant H e ros,·· said , " I
kn ow wh y Mig ue l didn ' t want to be
buri ed in t his area-th e re arc mo re
people unde r the grou nd than a bo,·e
i l. ,

I don 'I wannabe b111ied iu Puerto Rico
I don 'I wauna be nea r the slabbing shooting
gmnblingjighting & unnatural dying
& IIPW birth Cl)'ing
so jJlPase whm I die.. .
don 'tlalie me Jar away
lwPjJ mP near by
lal/p my ashes and scalier II/PIII tltru out
lite Lower East Side...

He might have been th e
attcndanl of th e ove n . The h eave nly
bake r. weating in th e doon vay o f th is
dog day in .Jun e. His co mpl ex io n o f
b lanc h ed potato an d a look of
in evitabi lity a rri ved about him. The
ovens inside a blue cinde rbl oc k and
cemem flo or bui lding.
This roncrPir• lomb is my home
to br.fong to survive you go//a be strong
you mn't !Jp shy less wilhouiiWJIU'SI
someone will scaller )•Our ashes lhm
the Lower l~'ast Side.

th e ti pper co n tinued. "He wrote a nd
acted on 'Miami Vice."'
T he attenda n t ga\'e a ni cker of
recogn iti o n . The tipper said, "\Nhcn
yo u d o him ... give h im a good one.
Turn it up just a little. H e'd appreciate it. "
So let me sing ITI)' song tonight
lPI meJn.f onl ofsight
and let all eyes be d1y
when tlwy scal/Pr my ashes tlmt
the Lower East SirlP.

So Miguel G. Pinero
Miky cou ld have been the guy who j o ined Meye r La n sky, Francis "Two
ca m e a ro und back to look a t the Gun " C rowley, Go lda Ma ie r , an d
fina l roas ting place. Came a n d .J ames Cagn ey as no table g radua tes
as ked, "Is this wh ere it takes p lace?" of t h e Lowe r East Side schoo l of
Attenda nt n o d s his h e ad. "Whi c h h a rd kn oc ks. one so e loq u e n t in
o n e wi ll h e ge t?" Atte n da nt re plies: their p oe t ry o r d evotio n to the
" Pro bab ly n u mbe r o n e ." The g uy mig hty D.
says, "Good , th a t's what he d eserves.
An old friend of Mi ky's said in FebNumbe r o n e."
r um)', before h is death , "T hey say tha t
The c urio us guy left and re turn ed if people like tvliky make it thro ugh
qui c kly. He h e ld out fo ur d o llars to th e wime r, they' ll live ano th e r year."
the a tte nda nt. "He•-e, thi is for yo u." H e mad e it thro ugh th e tit-tig hte ning
H e was a wild ca t, but a beautiful pe r- cold of '87-88, but h e found a lin al
son. " The a tte ndan t said, "Th a nks." way to beat the heat in .Ju n e. Foo led
Kn owin g eve rybod }' likes a ce leb rity, 'em again , frie nd.
[IJ]

JAILHOUSE ROCK
Rap • country • Jazz • Reggae • Blues

Prison Life wants to hear from prisoner
musicians making music behind the walls.
send us your tapes with full details of your
musical accomplishments
ble recording.

Send to:
Jailhouse Rock
c/o Prison Life
200 Varick Street, Suite 901
New York, NY 10014
56 PRISON LIFE

IN·HOUSE COUNSEL

D

E

by Michael Montalvo

Michael Mo n talvo won a landmark
Jailhouse Lawyer
victory for convicts in his 1994 case,
U.S. v. $405, 089. Th e r uling held that a civil forfeiture of property is prohibited
by th e Double J eopardy Clause when the forfeiture is based on the same offense
already prosecuted in an earlier proceeding. Legal newspapers compared the
$405 victory to "tossing a grenade into every U.S. Attorney's office from Arizona
to Alaska." (See Prison Life magazine , Jan ./ Feb. 1996) . But while the ruling
remains the law of the land, few convicts are using it to their advantage. Jailhouse
lawyer Mich ael Montalvo returns in this issue to tell you what's going wrongand, more importantly, how to use $405 to set you free or get your assets back.

S

ince September 6, 1994, $405 has been lhe law o f the
inlh Circu it. Eve ryd ay, I search the legal o pinio n s
o f all circuits to collect a nd m onito r th e d ecisio n s
th a t re ly o n $ 405. U nfo rtunate ly, I' ve fo und th a t few
d efe nda nts are winnin g. In mo re than a year since §405
o pe n ed th e d oor, fewe r th a n ten cases out o f tho usands
have succeeded on th is claim. I wro te four o f the m.
Wha t's wrong?
Lawyers a nd prose litigan ts are losing because lhey face
gen e rally hostil e courts, prosecu tors with su perior hightech resources and h ot-lines to expe rts in d efea ting these
claims, and because the litiga nt or lawyer did not carefully
plead the facts, issues and law, a nd the n pro p e rly apply
these case facts to the a pplicable law for lhe re lief sought.
It's importa nt to kn ow up fro nt tha t the Do uble J eopa rdy C la use protec ts indi viduals fro m three a buses by
gove rnm e nt: pro te c tio n fro m re prosecu tio n fo r th e
sam e offe n se afte r acquittal; pro tection fro m re prosecutio n for t h e same offe n se afte r co nvictio n ; a nd pro tectio n fro m multiple punishme nts for th e sam e o ffe n se.
[Unit.ed Stales v. Halpe1·, 490 US 435 (1989 ) and DejJarlmenl of R evenue of M ontana v. Kurth Ranch, 5 I l US
(1994) .) The Supre me Court d e te rmin ed tha t statutory
in 1·em fo rfe itures for drug law vio latio ns, pursuant to 21
U.S.C. 88 1 (a ) (4 ) a n d (7) we r e ind eed punis hm e n t.
Austin v. United Stales, 509 US (l 993)and United Stales v.
§450,089.23, 33 F3 1210 (9 th C ir. 1994 ) h e ld that
88 1 (a ) (6) was also a punishm e nt sta tute . This is th e
bas is o f Do uble J eopardy/ Fo rfe iture Law.

HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR LEGAL POSITION

First of all, recognize that this is no t a gam e o f ch ance
whe re yo u just file a n a pplica ti o n fo r release. There are
many qu estio ns you must ask yo urself, a nd the a n swe rs
must be precise. The fac ts of eve nts in your case wi ll g ive
you a clear a nswe r of whi ch , if a ny, re lief yo u ' II receive:
re lease, re turn o f prope rty, b o th o r n eithe r. T h e exact
dates o f legal eve nts in yo ur civi l a nd c riminal case a re
criti cal. At this Lime, if yo u d id not file a tim e ly claim fo r
the property, you do n ot h ave a Do uble J eopard y claim ,
but you might h ave some oth er constitutional claim. (In
an upcoming a rticle I'll discuss the remedies you do have
if the law enforceme nt agency did not pe rsonally give you
n otice of th e seizure, or if yo u r atto rney to ld you no t to
claim it, or if your attorney failed to claim it whe n you to ld
h im or her to do so.)
So to de termin e if you have a claim, you sho uld d o exactly the same thing a n y good j ailho use lawyer o r atto rne y
would d o-getlhe en ti re record o f every d ocument filed in
both the civil a nd criminal case as if you we re pre paring fo r
a petitio n fo r the Great Wdt, or a post-convictio n mo tio n .
(For refe re nce, see ''Writ Writing : Ga th ering lhe File," by
Larry Fassler, Plison Life, May/ June 1995, p. 72.)
If you do no t have th e d ocume nts from the administrative fo rfe iture, you must use th e Freedo m of Information
Act/ Privacy Ac t (FOIA/ PA) , or T it le 5 U .S.C. 552 a nd
552a. Write a le tter req uesting the information you n eed
to the federal agen cy lhat seized yo ur pro perty. This is a
simple le tte r ; a nyo ne who ca n read a nd write can do it.
You can obtain lhe address o f eve ry fed eral age ncy in your
law library fro m a book e nti tled "American Jurisprude nce
2d, Desk Refe re nce Book." Whe n you a re requesting your
PRISON LIFE 57

Double Jeopardy Event Analysis Sheet
Th e first step in de te rmining if you have a Double j eopardy claim
IS lO comple te Lfie fo llowing info rma tion:
1. Da te of arrest
2. Date of indictment
For violatio ns of
3. Date ofjury swo rn in for trial
4. Da te of g uilty plea accep tan ce
For viola tio ns of
5. Date of conviction by jury
For counts of
6. Date of sentence
For viola tions of
7. Date of appeal
8. Date of appeal decision
Re mand or Reversed?
9. Date of petition for cen iorari
Result
J 0. Date of post-conviction motion
11. Date of decision of the motion
Re lie f obtained?
12. Date of appeal of such decision
13. Date of appeal decision
Relief obtained?
14. Date of petitio n for ceniorari
Re lie f o btained?
Administrative/ C ivil Forfeiture:
1. Date of seizure of prope rty
2. Type of propert)'
3. Seizi ng offi cials (state/ fed age ncy)
4. Date you received notice of seizure
Grounds fo r seizure?
5. Date you fil ed an official petition for remission or mitigation of seizu re
6. Date you received answer to your petitio n for remission
7. Date you fi led an official claim for the property
8. Date the civil forfe iwre in rem complaint was fil ed
9. Da te you received sum mons and civil complain t
10. Date you filed your claim for the property in compla int
11. Date you fi led your answe r to complain t allegations
12. Basis of complain t?
\t\'hat offenses?
13. Date of motion for summary judgment
Grounds
14. Date of your opposition to summa ry judgment
Grounds
15. Date of the court's orde r of fo rfe iwrc o f property
Ground
16. Date of your motion to reconsider
Grounds
17. Date of your notice of appeal
18. Date of the appeal decision
Result o r relief?
19. Date of pe titio n for certiorari
Result or re lief?

After collecting this informatio n, read the civil compla im and the criminal indictme nt to find a match
of vio lations for which the civil compla int is based. Read the Judg ment and Commitm ent Order of the
criminal sen tencing proceeding lO match it to the probable cause fo r forfe iture in the civil complain t.
Did you default? Fill this out as far as you can. For succes ive prosecution analysis, note the date of criminal jeopardy attaching. For multiple punishment a na ly is, note the dates of e ntry of judgments.
If you have any questions, ask me. Michael Montalvo, 87224-0 12, 3901 Klein Blvd. Lompoc, CA 93436

58 PRISON

LIFE

FOI A/ PA information, be sure to specifically identi fy
the seizure numbers (if yo u have th e m), as we ll as the
dates, and identify the evenL and prope rty take n . If you
have no papers o r n umbers, se nd a FOIA/ PA request to
th e usual culprits: the DEA., FBI, IRS, Customs a nd AIT.
Even if you did not make a c laim or con test the
adm inisu·ative forfeiture actio n by the agency, you
sh o u ld sti ll ge t your FOIA/ PA inform atio n beca use
th ere may be eviden ce incl ud ed tha t shows that the DEA
(or a ny agency) fai led to prope rly g ive n otice of th e
seizu re (i.e., notice ·ent to your em pty reside nce instead
of jail , or to an ex-spouse who did not tell you ). T his is
likely to be a due process vio la tion for which you have a n
action. There's a lo t more pre-fili ng legwork a nd legal
resea rch necessary before you know wha t kind o f re lief
yo u are e ntitled to-a new hearing, set aside o f default,
recovery or o th e r. Still , seuing aside the defau lt in
adm inistra t ive fo r feiture won't affect the prison sentence.
Once you have the records, make a copy o f th e following items to work with and replace th e o r ig inal in its
pro pe r place so yo u always have a co mple te fi le. From
yo ur civil fo rfe itu r e case, yo u n eed: th e do c ke t; the
notice o f seizure; the warrant for seizure and t h e affidavit; th e co mplaint; your claim; your answer; th e government's mo tio n for su mmary judgme nt; th e o rde r o f
judg ment o f fo rfei LUre; th e n o ti ce of appeal; and th e
appeal d ecisio n if yo u appealed. In yo ur crimi nal case,
you need: the docket; th e indictment you were tri ed on
or pled g uilty to, or the information; and the j udgmen t
and commitment order fro m sente ncing. Until you h ave
th ese documents, yo u can not sta n your analysis of the
eve n ts to see if yo u h ave a Double j eopardy or multiple
punishmenL constitutional violation that will re lease you
from priso n , preve nt trial o r return yo ur p rope rty.
Maybe you wo n ' t have a double jeo pardy claim. Maybe
you won ' t have anyth ing.
YOU MUST HAVE CONTESTED THE FORFEITURE

Make a list o f the da tes of eve n ts a nd th e documents
yo u re ceived in the m ai l or by ha nd de livery from the
cop s. Whe n you were a rrested , your perso nal pro pe rty
and vehi cles may h ave been seized , but that alone is not
a legal forfe iture-yet. It is merely a "dete ntion" of you
and your property. Say you were then sent to jail. La te r,
yo u received a "n o tice o f seizure" from the DEA, FBI ,
Cu stoms, IRS, a n oth er federa l agency, o r m aybe th e
state o r coun ty law e nfo r ceme nt offi ces . Your no tice
gave yo u the optio n of a pe titio n for rem is ion or m itigatio n , or to make a "claim ," which the n initia tes civil
proceedings for the property in court for a jud icial
dete rmin ation. At that point, you may have asked your
a u o rn ey wh at to do. Ge n e rally, a ll defense a u orneys,
un til $405 was published, to ld th e ir clien ts not to do a nything, o r not to make a claim for fear o f "self-incrimin ati on." T his was bad advice, but more o n that late r.
If you ignored your auorney's advice a nd filed a claim
within the ten- or twemy-day time limit on yo ur notice,
you d id the rig ht thing. If you r claim was "timely," th a t
stopped th e "ad mini strative forfe iture" by th e se izing
age n cy a nd preve n ted a "declaratio n of forfeiture" of
yo ur property. If you didn ' t make a tim ely claim , the n
you ' re out of luc k and the cops a re red-lining you r
Por ·che and pawning your jewelry. You will n ot have a
Double j eopardy issue unless you contested the administrative fo rfeiture-at least a t th e time of thi s writing in

a

d

COMMENTARY ON CRIME,
PUNISHMENT, RACE,
AND THE UNDERCLASS
BY A PRISON CONVICT
MANSFIELD

B.

FRAZIER

'I'•" Order,
see Be•ks •~ the B 1eek,
Inside Back Ce~er

PRISON LIFE 59

Don't serve the time,
let the time serve you.

The Prison Life Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization devoted to helping prisoners break free from the cycle of crime and incarceration
through education. The Foundation, together with Prison Life Educational
Services, Inc., sponsor fully-accredited GED, college and vocational courses through correspondence learning. If you are interested in learning more
about educational opportunities offered by the Prison Life Foundation,
write to us describing your educational background and future academic
goals. Send to: The Prison Life Foundation, 200 Yorick Street, St. 901, New
York, NY 10014.

DoN'T INCARCERATE- EDUCATE .
An by Stephen Conway

all circui ts. Howeve r, a couple district courts have gra nted
relie f.
If yo u made th e tim e ly cla im, the prosecuto r filed a civil
suit against th e prope rty using a "co mpla int for fo rfe iture o f
pro pe rty i11 rem." This aCLion is a se para te civil actio n running a longside yo ur criminal case. Now, if you fi led a new
claim with in te n days, a nd a n answe r withi n twe nty d ays,
then yo ur Do uble J eopardy issue is still possible, but no t certai n . It is important to compare the date s o f cla im a nd
an swer to th e date o f your c rimin al case when th e ju ry was
en paneled (sworn in) , or whe n you p led gui lty, or your d ate
of sen te nce.
LIST THE EVENTS

List th ese eve nts in se parate nu mbered p a rag rap h s,
chron ologically, i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc. (Use the info rmation from
th e Dou ble J eopardy Event An alysis shee t provide d on page
58).
For your Double J eopardy issue of multiple jJI'osewtion,
th e first d a te o f "j eo pardy attach ing" was when you fil ed
yo ur time ly "an swer" to th e c ivil co mpla in t in rem (some
courts ho ld no jeopardy until fo rfe iture judgme nt}. In your
criminal case, 'jeopa rdy attached " when the jury was e npa ne le d , o r when the judge acce pted your guilty plea. The first
jeopard y makes th e second proceeding illegal.
Do not confuse 'jeopa rdy" o f prosecutio n with the "multip le pu n ishm e nt" pro hi bition p rong of th e Double J eopardy Cla use. Be aware th at yo u o r you r property were not
punished until th ere was an actua l cou rtjudgm e n t of senten ce o r forfeiture. The dete ntio n of you a nd yo ur pro pe rty
prio r to se nte n cing o r judgm e nt o f forfe iture is me rely the
sta te 's rig ht to deta in yo u an d p rotect the ir interest, so th ey
claim . Fro m the decisions that have come down since $405,
it is clear that ma ny judges and lawyers have fai led to separate and d istinguish a multipl e or successive p rosecution
jeopardy analysis from a multiple punishme nt a na lysis, a nd
th e d e fe ndants lose.
DO THE CRIMINAL AND CIVIL PROCEEDINGS
INVOLVE THE SAME OFFENSE?

The fo rfeiture must be based o n the same offense as the
cr imin a l case. This is a lso a cri ti cal e le m e nt of multiple
prosecutio n ana lysis. Do not re ly o n what you think, but on
th e actual vio la ti on underlying th e comp lai nt by th e d ocume n ts fro m the governme nt tha t state th e g ro unds or probab le ca use for th e forfe iture . A federa l forfeiture o f
pro pe rty for drug o ffe n ses, Title 21 U .S.C. &881 (a) ( 4) (6)
and (7) wo uld include o r be based o n crimina l cha rges of
21 U.S.C. 84 1, possessio n with inte nt to d istribute o r ma nufactu re; 846, co nsp iracy to viola te one o f the d rug statutes;
843, u se of a te le ph o n e to vio la te a d rug sta lllte; o r even
848, co n tinuing crim ina l e nte r pri se, are so me of the vio lations that could be overturne d o r d ism issed depending on
the affid avit supporting the 88 1 (a) fo rfe iture compla int.
Most states have si mi la r civil fo rfe iture sta tutes based o n violations o f H ealth a nd Safety state law.
It is simple to de te rmin e that both civil a nd crimina l proceedin gs a re t h e "same offe nse" wh e n th e gove rnm e n t's
docum e nts say so. For e xamp le, th e civil fo rfe iture co mp lain t a lleges th at you were co nvic ted for d rug co nspi racy
and distribution a nd the prope rty was used to facil ita te the
offense, as an instrume ntali ty of the offe nse, o r if yo u are in
th e Ninth Circuit, it was proceeds fro m the offe nse.
Double J eopa rdy will be impli cated in your proceed ings
o nly if the civil a nd criminal proceed ings involve the sa me

P1iso11 Life applauds the excellent work of' two cri minal
defe nse attorn eys: Cha rles F. Benninghoff Ill or Benninghofl' & Ramirez and .Jeff Stei nborn o r Stein bo rn &
Associates. Dedicated to expandi ng the limited options
available to most prisoners, both West Coast atto rn eys
have lo ng supported the needs of' Prison Life readers and
the missio n of the magazine.
Charles F. Be nn ingho fT Ill has over 20 years' ex perience in criminal defense li tigation. His firm , Benninghoff
& Ramirez, specializes in issues of' inte rest to Mexican
prisoners: transfers to Mex ican prisons, e li mination of
guilty pleas and criminal appeals and habeas corpus. BenninghofT & Ramirez serve convicted Mexicans by arguing
the un con tilllti onality o f' a ny und e rlying searc h and
seizure , voluntariness of any confessio n, the insufliciency
of eviden ce justifying a conviction and ine n·ective assista nce of counsel.
''Out· office is designed to better se rve the needs of
Mexi can priso ne rs," says Benning ho ff. "Practi ca ll y
everyone in th e office speaks Spanish and we recognize
o ur duty to re prese nt i'vlex ica ns with more di lige nce
simply beca use o f th e prej udi ce we 've see n over the
years."
J eff' Steinborn has almost three decades of legal expetience. Currenlly assisting jailhouse lawyer Michael Montalvo, who won th e land mark fo rfei ture case, U.S. $405,
089.23, Stei nborn handles crimin al defense, forfe iture,
appeals and post-convictio n relief', as well as civil li tigation including personal property and litigation. "I started
my career representing conscientio us objectors, both inse rvice and in the clrafL. As th e war o n d rugs escalated
and th e war in Vie tn am wo und down," says Steinbo rn ,
"my e mph asis shifted to represen ting d rug offe nd ers,
which I have clone e,·er since."

AGGRESSIVE
EXPERIENCED
EFFECTIVE
REPRESENTATION
'k FORFEITURE
* DOUBLEJ EOPARDY
* WRJTS OF HABEAS CORPUS
·'k APPEALS
·' k rNEFFECT/\1£ ASSISTA NCE
OF COUNSEL
* DD'ORTA T ION
* IMMIGRATiON

Serving the nee ds of inmates
and those accused of criminal
misconduct in federal and state
courts nationwide.

John Matteson
Attorney at Law
10 Park Place South
Suite 212
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 525-8802

PRISON LIFE

61

offense. This test asks whether each offense requires proof
of a fact o r e lement whic h the o ther does no t. If not, th e n
they are the "same offen se," and Double j eopardy bars the
successive prosecutio n or multiple p unishment.
DID THE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL CASES
CONSTITUTE "SEPARATE PROCEEDINGS?"

con victio n , wou ld ra th er ge t out of prison tha n ge t thei r
property back. But you cann ot do tha t by blindly charging
in on a mo tion relying o n $405 a nd demanding yo ur sente nce be vacated. Also, do no t ask for the property to be
r e turn ed o n a 2255 motion or simil a r pos t-co n victio n
m o tion becau se it is th e wro ng procedural ve hicl e-use
Rule 60 (b) Federal Rul e of Civil Procedure (or whatever
yo ur sta te civil code has th a t is equ al) to se t as ide a civil
judg me n t. But don ' t give up yet. Release is still possible.

The civil a nd criminal cases must be se para te doc kets.
Double J eo pardy occurs o nl y wh e n th e re is a successive
prosecution o r multiple pu nishme n t for the "same offe nse,"
STRATEGY CAN SHIFT PUNISHMENTS
which was d escribed a bove. You do not have a Double j eopardy claim if your indictme nt contained a count fo r crimiIf you dete rmin e th a t yo u now h ave a Double J eopardy
nal (not civil) forfeiture o f th e sa me prope rty th a t was issue, but the do uble punishme nt is th e forfeiture and no t
seized. The governme nt can lawfully seek and obtai n both th e c rimin al sen tence, wa it a mo m e nt before requesti ng
the civil penalty and the full ra nge of statutorily au thorized the return o f th e property. Loo k to see if you h ave a valid
crimin al pe nalties in the same proceedi ng. Howe ver, se pa- direct appeal or post-conviction issue on the crim inal conrate dockets indicate "separa te proceedings."
viction or sente nce that would reverse the convictio n or at
The Eleventh Circuit so far ho lds that separate civil for- least vacate th e sente n ce. An a ppe llate o r post-co nvic tion
feiture and crimin al dockets for th e same conduct are sim- reversal o f convictio n o r a n order vacating the sen te nce as
ply a "sing le, coordin ated prosecution," an d not "separate illegal or illegally imposed (exce pt a mo difi ca tion order)
proceedings" for Do uble j eo pardy purposes. So you lose in wo uld re nd er yo ur criminal sen te n ce ( the first punishthe Eleve nth Circuit. However, th a t ruling was made prior me nt) null a nd void, thus it would be without a preclusive
to KU1th Ranch in 1994 and is not likely to lasL
effect. lf the re were no preclusive effect to your first invalid
lfyou have a "separa te proceeding" for the "same offense," or illegal punishm ent, it wou ld see m that the civil fo rfe iwhich is first? The answer to tha t question depends on which ture would th e n become the first va lid, finalized and fully
prong of the Double j eopardy Clause you are pleading: suc- sa tisfied punishme nt you legally suffe red. The re wou ld be
cessive prosecutions or multiple punishme nt. As stated previ- n o powe r of th e court to impose a new cri minal se nte nce
ously, th e po in t at which 'j eo pa rdy attaches" is diffe ren t because it would be prohibited "multiple punishment."
depending on which prong of the Double j eopardy Clause is
This m ea ns yo u must have your p ost-convictio n direct
involved. Whe re one is claiming "successive prosecutions," appea l or 2255 motion done co rrectly. U nl ess you h ave
the j eopardy attaches once the criminal jury is e n paneled, or oth e r possibilities, do not rush into court with a post-conwh e n a d e fendant's guilty plea is accepted by the court. viction motion o r p etitio n for writ of habeas co rpus. Be
'J eopardy attaching" is a conce pt im portant to retrial after patient, and bring all your possible issues up so that you do
mistrial or a second criminal trial on the same charges.
no t get caught in a position la ter o f having "waived " any
In contrast, if o n e is claiming "multiple punishme nts," issue. Successive writ applications are hard to win because
Jeopardy is a confusing and inappropriate term. Nonethe- th e Supre me Court h as d ete rmined that it is an "abuse of
less, some couns use the word "j eopardy" concerning multi- writ" in most cases to bring a second application for postpunishme nt analysis, claiming that "punishme nt j eopardy" convictio n re lief. Thus, just b ecause yo u have th e Do ubl e
occurs in th e criminal case only when th e defe ndant h as J eo pa rd y iss u e, do n o t aba ndo n a co mpl e te a nal ys is of
the sente n ce imposed , if the d e fe ndant is incarcerated . eve ry issue you must raise.
Otherwise, it occurs when th e defenda nt starts serving the
I do not reco mm e nd cas u al filin g. Get a skilled j ailsentence. Fed eral Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(c) a nd ho use lawyer o r attorn ey wh o know how to do post-concase law h old that the re is no 'judgement" until sentence is viction work a nd kn ows forfe iture law. The re a r e on ly a
imposed. Tha t presupposes a legal and valid sentence.
few good ones, but lots o f bad ones. Keep in mind tha t
In a civil forfe iture case, a j udgme nt of forfeiture is a pun- legal writing is a n exact skill. You can learn it if yo u h ave
ishme nt according to the Supreme Court in Austin v. U.S., the tim e a nd d esire . It is notj ust looking up a bunch of
me ntioned earlier. If the separate civil forfe iture judgment, cases a nd quoting th e pa rts you like in supp o rt of wh a t
based o n th e same offen se, is e nte red before the criminal yo u think a bout your case. Use care. Also, man y atto rneys
trial, successive prosecution can be raised . But if civil judg- an d jailho use lawye rs can write pretty p apers th at m a ke
me nt is e nte red afte r nimin al trial but before se nte nce is you feel good , but won ' t ge t you o u t. You must invo lve
imposed , it would b e a proh ibi ted multiple punishment. yourself and ask questions to ge t the best results. Become
(Lawyers have lost this type of silllation by claiming a S1tcces- fam iliar with yo ur case facts a nd th e re leva n t laws and
sive jJrosecution instead of mu ltiple punishment ba r. ) Howev- d ecisions in o rder to assist yo ur legal wri ter. Appoi ntment
er, if your separate civil fo rfeiture j udgme nt, based on the of coun sel is possible, but rare , unl ess you make an adesame offense, is imposed after se nte n ce is imposed in the qua te showing o f n eed. In o ther words, yo u must prove
criminal case, you have a Fifth Ame ndm e nt right to have yo u h ave issues that e ntitle yo u to re lief.
the civil forfeiture actio n dismissed (or th e judgme nt se t
In the May/ June '96 issue, I'll discuss wha t can be don e if
aside) since it wou ld be the multiple punishme nt th at is you failed to make a tim ely claim or contest the forfeiture.
now unconsti tutional.
In the meantim e, if you h ave lost property, try to find out
If you have the civil forfe iture judgment as the second who took possessio n of it. In ma ny instances, a defendant's
punishment, the n you cannot expect to win a post-convic- ho me, ca rs or possessio ns were assigned or "sold" cheap to
tion a ttack o n your criminal sente n ce as a vio la tio n of the law enforcement people. Many expe nsive h o m es h ave
Double J eopardy Cla use. Several publish ed cases recently become 1·eside n ces o r investmen ts for prosecu to rs, marridiculed th e defe ndan t for such e rron eous logic. Obvious- sh als, agents a nd cops. Find out and le t Prison Life know the
ly, most read e rs wi th a situation such as this, with a civil for- accu ra te , doc um e nted , ve rifia ble de tails if cops no w own
feiture judgment base d on th e prior se pa ra te criminal your property.
[ll]
62 PRISON

LIFE

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APPEALS

KENNETH A. WEBB

THE WINNING DOUBLE JEOPARDYFORFEITURE DEFENSE STRATEGIES OF "$405"
Learn the method used to win the landmark case, U.S. v. S405,089.23, 33 F.3d 1210
(9th Cir. 1994) amended 56 F.3d 41 (1995), the most devastating victory against the
government in recent legal history. And learn it from the source. Order your set of the
S405 Supreme Court briefs complete with appendices of case history and law. This set
is over 400 pages and contains the government's Petition for Writ of Certiorari with the
highest ranking prosecutor's best arguments attempting to reverse the S405 victory (184
pages), and the Respondent's Opposition Brief (with reasons to grant certiorari, and
affirm $405) which details the proper form and facts, law, arguments, authorities, history and policy considerations showing why $405 Is a correct decision (228 pages). Learn
the method, thinking, style and argument to use in your double jeopardy-forfeiture
case. To order this 400 page set of briefs, send S1oo.oo plus S8.oo S&H to:

legal Briefs, Dept P
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Palm Springs, CA 92264
ALSO INCLUDED free are: 1) The Supreme Court Brief of amicus curiae, supporting the
federal prosecutor's petition written by the Attorney Generals of 41 states and two commonwealths, claiming that their state criminal law enforcement and asset forfeiture programs will be damaged; 2) the government's petition for rehearing In the Circuit Court,
written by nine prosecutors; and 3) the winning opposition brief by the respondents in
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Attorney at Law
30 Years' Experience in
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A complete list of published criminal appeals
in which Kenneth A Webb represented the
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3155 W. BIG BEAVER ROAD, SUITE 206
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PRISON LIFE 63

USE THE PRINCIPLES OF PROPER FORM
by Chris Cozzone & Sebastian B. Ventimiglia
Whether yo u ' re in a gym in the freeworld o r a gym in th e joint, you can always lind bad fo rm.
There's a lways som e idiot who thinks he's actually working his biceps to th e max when he rocks the
barbell to his chest Or some dumb-ass who thinks his chest wi ll get bigge r if he boun ces th e bar off
his chest o n th e bench press. The n th e re's the g uy who's convinced his taus won't g row unless he
yanks the cable to his torso using every available muscle g ro up.
"H.cavy we ig hts," th ey'll tell yo u. 'That's the key to mass."
I guess that depends o n yo ur de fini tio n of heavy weig hts.
An old time r a t Aui ca, a g uy with a massive chest and bulg ing biceps, summed it up. "Listen
kiddo,'· he said. "Ya gots to do each re p carefully. Ya go ts to feel the action o f yer muscles. Ya gots to
use pro pe r fo rm- 'fore ya kill ye rself. "
"Po ps" had a point lf your ta rgeted muscle g ro up cannot fee l the intensity and you e nd up with
an injury, h ow's that going to improve yo ur training?
We've all seen accide nts on the Iro n Pile . I reme mbe r this o ne do pe heacl who's form was so bad
o n th e bench press that he pulled his back o ut while doi ng a set with 315. He lost control of th e bar
an d it ended up in his mouth-busted his jaw and broke o n· a few teeth. o t a pretty ig ht.
One g uy wo uld yank his dead lifts o rr th e ground without ever really "feeling" the weig ht. The last
time I saw h im , he had pulled the bar up so fas t his biceps muscle po pped out from the bo ne a nd
rolled up like a window shade .
"Fuck th e fo rm , it's heavy weights that' ll get you big," he used to te ll me , frowning when I 'd take
a weight and control that mo the r way past failure . By the tim e I was fini shed wi th my set, my targeteel muscle g ro up wou ld be so pumped it would cramp.

•••

"Demonstratin g strength isn 't th e
sa me as buildin g it," says Ellington
Da rden, Ph.D., a respected a uthor o n
strength-training.
Pumping heavy weight in a fast, sloppy man n e r forces you to use muscles
you sh o uldn 't be using. Whe n you 're
doing h eavy barbell curls fo r bice ps,
you start rocking because you're e nlisting oth e r muscles g roups to do what
your bi ce ps aren't cap a ble of doing
alone. Before you know it, you 're not
only working your biceps but yo ur
shoulders, lower back and legs.
Bette r to isolate the muscle group
you ' re trying to target. If you' re hitting bice ps, th e n hit th e biceps. If
you're working your ch est, the n work
the chest. It's calle d co n centr ation
and it's done using prope r form.
Prope r form can be d efined as t he
most efficien t way to work a muscle
with a m in im um of lost motion and
wasted ene rgy. Eliminate unnecessary
motions and muscle contractions that
o nly tire you o ut. Consetve e nergy by
using the least a mount of overall energy, which is don e by using the greatest
amount of e n e rgy fo r your targe ted
muscle group.
Prop er form is body aware ness. One
way to get in touc h with your b ody is
by deve lo ping n e uromuscu lar proficiency, also known as kin esthetic pe rception (KP).
KP is th e a bility to fee l contraction
and re laxation, to know j ust what the
h ell a muscle is doing. It's a ha rmonious interplay o f mind and body, and
is developed by conscio usly feeli ng the
muscles you use a nd relax during a n
exe rcise. Rel axa ti o n do esn't mea n
kicking back or taking a nap. In KP, it
refers to the d egree of tension in the
muscul a ture. The relaxation of muscles depends upon the mental poise
a nd emotional co ntrol -te lling th e
muscles you shouldn 't be using to chill
so you can hit the muscles you're targe ting. For example, if you' re doing
crunches, you want to concentrate o n
relaxing the back a nd using o nly th e
abs to do the work.
Pro per fo rm ca n b e ac hieved
through KP, but it takes time, practice
a nd a willingness to train your mind.

•••

Wha t a re weights? We ights are
tools. When you g rab a barbell, cable
or dumbbell, you ' re grabbing a hamm e r , a pencil , or sewing n eedle.
Wh at matters is n ot h ow mu c h it
weig hs, but wh a t you're a ble to d o
with it. After a wh ile, you should get
to the p o in t wh e re yo u don't eve n
think of th e weig ht as existing, but

CISeS

USING THE P

OF PROPER FORM

Squats. Although this "king• of exercises works all the major muscles in the
upper legs and buttocks, it is not the most isolating for your quadriceps. Your
quads primarily work by extending t he knee (straightening the leg), which is
best done on a Leg Extension machine. Although squats simulate that motion,
they also incorporate several other movements. By the t ime you' re fatigued
with a set of squats, are your quads truly pumped? Try doing leg extensions
before squats so the quads will be the limiting factor during your squats. Also,
while doing squats, keep your back straight, your legs shoulder-width, and feet
pointed straight ahead. Without leaning forward or elevating your heels to keep
your balance, squat down unti l your thighs are almost parallel to th e floo r.
Return to the starting position. If you have a tendency to lean forward , use a
board to elevate your heels in order to maintain balance.
Bench Press. Grasp the barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart. With
your back flat on the bench, lift the barbell off the rack and lower until your
upper arm s are parallel to t he floor. Now press the weight straight up until
your arms are straight. Don't lock your elbows or pause at the top but keep
in constant, slow motion. Keep a natural arch in your back but do not lift your
butt off the bench.
One-Arm Dumbbell Rows . Rest yo ur right hand and knee on the weight
bench and bend forwa rd until your back is parallel to the floor. Keep your
back arched and stationary during the exercise. Pull the dumbbell straight up
to your s ide, until your upper arm is just above parallel to the floor, then
lower it. Don't jerk the weight up. Repeat exercise on other side .
Lat Front Pulldowns. With your feet planted firmly on the ground and your
knees tight under the pads, take a shoulder-width grip on the bar. Keep your
back arched and do not lean back. Pull the bar down to your chest, or until
your elbows are at your sides. Lower stack unt il your upper arms are just
above parallel to the ground. Repeat.
Rotating Dumbbell Shoulder Press. Grasp a pair of dumbbells and raise
t hem shoulder height. With your elbows pointing downward and your palms
facing in , slowly press the weights overhead while simultaneously rotating
your palms forward. The we ights should be shoulder-width apart, palms facing away from the body at the top of the movement. Don't lock your elbows.
Now lower the weights back to t he starting position, rotating your wrists once
again so your palms are faci ng you.
Shoulder Side Raise. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your arms
straight or s light ly bent at yo ur sides, pal ms facing in. With your back
straight, slowly raise your arms out from your sides until they are parallel with
the floor. Slightly rotate your wrists forward at the top of t he movement, as if
you were pouring two pitchers of water. Hold for a second or two, then slowly
lower your arms back into the starting position.

PRISON LIFE

65

I3ASIC EXERCISES
Bent-Over Shoulder Raise. Hold a dumbbell in each
hand, arms at your side, and sit at the end of a weight
bench. With your legs and feet together in front of you,
lean forward until your chest reaches your knees. Keep
your back straight, head facing down to the floor. This
is the starting position. Now, with your chest glued to
your knees, slowly raise your arm s straight out from
your sides unti l they are nearly parallel to the floor.
Hold for a moment, then return to the starting position.
Trapezius Shoulder Shrug. Grasp a dumbbell in each
hand. Your arms should be hanging down at your sides,
palms facing each other. Now, slowly drop your shoulders until they are "square. · Then raise them as far as
possible, as if you were trying to touch your shoulders
to your ears . Don 't rotate the shoulders.
Biceps wide-grip barbell curl. Your grip and stance
should be shoulder-width . Keeping your elbows tucked,
slowly curl the bar upward to chest level, making sure
your shoulders stay stationary. Don't bend or swing the
weight up-curl it!
Biceps Incline Dumbbell Curl. Hold a dumbbell in
each hand, sit on an incline bench and rest you r back
on the bench with your arms hanging straight down at
your sides, palms facing forward. Now curl both dumbbells up to the sides of the chest in a sem icircular
motion, keeping your elbows at your sides. Lower your
weights back to the starting position.
Barbell Incline Triceps Curl. Lie on an incline bench,
and rest your head and back on the bench. With your
hands no more than six inches apart, press the bar up
to arm's length, making sure that your palms are facing
up, and the bar is directly overhead. Bend your elbows,
lowering the bar in a semicircular motion to the top of
your head . Be sure to keep your shoulders and upper
arms stationary. Press the weight up to return to the
starting position.
Trlcep Pushdown. Stand facing a straight or slightlybent bar on the cable. Start pressing at chest level and
slowly straighten your arms. Keep your weight distributed slightly over the bar but do not use momentum to
jerk weight down.

rather the moveme n ts yo u arc performing th at require
max imum contractio n. Think of t he weight as an extensio n o f your body.
This is where prope r fo rm gets impo rtant.
The joints in your body are desig ned to move in sp ecific,
pre-defi n ed ways. Althou gh increased fl exibility ca n
improve yow· j o ints' range of motion, it cannot change the
angle or actions defined by the design of your tendons, ligaments and musculalUre. T hus, your biceps muscle p•·imarily works to fl ex the elbow j oi nt. So if you 're going to u·ain
biceps, why wou ld you incorporate oth er movements into
your exercise? If you are doing anything othe r than a strict
elbow joint flex, you are working other muscle groups and
taki ng away from your targe ted muscle.
There is a best way to lift iron. You learn proper fo rm by
getting to know body movements, also known as kinesiology. For example, if you know that the chest primarily works
in a horizontal shou ld e r flexion, you ' re not goi ng to want
to c heat on your be n ch by raising you r hips. If you know
your latts a re worked best with shoulder flexio n , you're not
go ing to ch eat o n your pulldowns by adding extra e lbow
move ments, li ke e nlisting the aid of your biceps.
Following a re a few o f the principles of proper form :
• Warming-up. Briefl y contract, stretch and loosen up
the target muscles prio r to any vigoro us exercise. Cold
muscles don't perfo rm worth sh it, and you ' II run the
•·isk of an inj ury.
• Breath ing. Syn c h ronized move m e nt of oxygen
in / o ut of the lungs for muscle g r owth is ne cessa ry
during eac h and ever)' rep. Kee p it rhythmic; breathe
o ut do ing a lift, breath e in while you lower the weight
(the negative).
• Positioning. How equipm e nt is positioned in relatio n to the body is importa nt. Yow· joints should line
u p to cams and leve rs on mach in es. Your posi tio ning
sho uld be natural for you r body.
• Grip. Kee p you r g rips sho ul de r width on presses,
rows and pu lldowns. Wid e-grips d o n ot make you
wider-they just limit your range of motion.
• Control. Maintain balance of the weight being used
to prevent injury. Concentrate! This is best done by
using a weight you can h andle without c heati ng.
• Balance. Whether you ' re squatting, pressing or curling, balance is vital to good fo rm. Without bala n ce,
you ' re go ing to lose e n e rgy from the begin ning of a
se t. Susta ining your p ower th rough o u t a set requi res
leverage and perfect timing.
• Mome ntum. Mome ntum is the monster. Reduce to
a minimum . If yo u h ave to e mp loy momentum in
order lO com plete your reps, you ' re going too heavy.
Maste rin g proper form wi ll not come overn ight or with
a sin gle wo rko ut, but th e good n ews is that anyone ca n
learn it. All it takes is pa tience and motivation, and turning
away when someone in the gym says you have to th row on
the weight to get big.
It's going to be harder to learn for those who've been
using im p rope r fo rm fo r yea rs. It co uld take several
mo nths of re learn ing, a nd ca reful, concen trated effort.
Altho ugh yo ur ego mi g ht suffer as yo u scale down th e
weight, your reward may be a growth phase by traini ng the
ri~t~~

66 PRISON

LIFE

~

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PRISON LIFE

67

ANIMAL FACTORY

The colonel was on duty, trimly military at his desk, and
Big Rand was d isappearing toward the front gate. As Earl
stepped in the way, the black lieutenant known as Captain
Midnight was o n duty. Seeman, Earl recalled, had taken
(conlinuul from fJage 31)
the night off to drive h is daugh ter to the airport. Cap ta in
Midn ig h t had a reputation for being a b lack racist, a n d
d own me first, a nd then T J. and Bad Eye will-"
"Oh , man, I do n ' t want to get you in to trouble."
whether it was deserved or not, the man was a hateful sono"Fuck all that."
fa bitc h-and h e th o rough ly d isli ke Earl Cope n . Earl
"Yeah , okay. I don 't want to kill him ... or rather I do n 't believed that the man resented an y in telligen t convic t a nd
want the penalties fo r it. "
despised all ig n o rant ones. Earl knew he wou ld have to
"Let's c h eck him ou t. Le t me see if I recognize him. watch himself with both Captain Midnight and the colonel.
He though t about how lO ha ndle the situation with Buck
Then we'll plan. We'll go to the libra ry and you point him
Rowan in the East cell ho use. T J. and Baby Boy lived on th e
ou t th rough the window when school lets o u t."
As th ey c rossed the ya rd and went o ut th e ga te, Ro n fifth tie r and a te first. H e wou ld h ave to ge t to th e ya rd
grabbed Earl's elbow. "Loo k, motherfucker, promise me .. quic kly and ca tc h th em before they locked up. They we re
. if it comes to trouble, don't take over for me. Don 't go get n ecessa ry in case Buck Rowan n eeded to be stomped
T J. an d d o something withou t me. I'd ha te you if you d id th rough the ce ment. Paul and Vito would be sweeping and
hosing th e ya rd. H e wanted th em there, too, for a show of
that. I've learned h ow to ho ld up my end. Pro mise ...?"
stre ng th. And if any o f t h e Bro the rhoo d were available,
"I promise. I ca n d ig it."
they co u ld also stand on the sideli nes looking m ean. If
th e libra ry th ey waited nea r a h e'd been plan nin g a killing, Ea rl would have asked on e
fro nt window until th e sch oo l man to come along to help and a second for lookout, but a
bell rang and a h orde of convicts killing was what he wanted to avoid.
The sh adows o f twi light deepened-and the count was
burst fro m th e Education building, many ca rrying schoolbooks. A minute later th e literacy trainin g class came fro m ve l)' la te in clearing. The colo ne l called con trol. Nobody
the ann ex. Buck Rowan stood o ut and he was alone, canying was missing; th e LOtal was right but some bodies were in the
his books. He had a clodhoppe r su·ide, anns hanging sua ight wrong places. One tier had an extra prisone r while ano thd own, feet ste ppi ng high-a if he were pulling them from er had o ne too few, a fa irly commo n e rror, but one that
he ld back the supper unlock until corrected.
ploughed dirt.
vVhe n th e bell fin ally ra ng, and Earl swung his fee t o ff
"I've see n that fool a round," Earl said. "He catc hes th e
the typewriter stand, Captain Midnight came from the rear
eye. But I h ave n 't seen him with anybody's who's trouble."
"He cells o n the botto m ti e r in th e East block, close o ffice with two pieces of yellow legal tablet in han d. "Here,
Copen , make a n original a nd two copies."
custody."
"Can I go eat first? "
Earl' s eyes narrowed to sli ts a nd the mu des twitched"Do it before you eat. Have it ready when I get back."
bu t the thinking about what to do took less than a minute.
Earl g la nced a t the crabbed, n early illegi ble handwrit"O kay, don ' t go bac k to the cell b lock after ch ow. Hang
back o n the yard with the clean-up crew. Paul and Vito will ing.
"Don 't ma ke any c ha nges," Cap tain Midnight said. "I'm
be th e re. When TJ. comes by, te ll him to wait, but don't
tell him what's hap pening or he's liable to go ta ke care of hip to you. "
"Wh atever yo u say, boss man. I' ll eve n leave the misit himself. I'll meet you, and we' ll catch him ' •he n he goes
back to the block. He won ' t ex pect us then, a nd we'll have spe lled words if you want."
The black lie u tena n t froze for a second . 'Just do your
a ll the ed ge." Earl neglected to add his feeling th a t the
proble m could be ha ndled without mu rder. He'd go with job, convict. And be careful. I'm after your ass."
"Oh , I kn ow that. .. and I'm so care fu l wh e n yo u ' re
his allies, and if Buck 's respo n se was unsatisfactory, they
would kick him within a n inc h of his li fe-but Earl was around. "
"If I catch you down wrong, they' ll have to pipe air into
confident Buck wou ld back down when he saw what he was
up against. o man alone, no matte r how LOugh, coul d win you. l know about you and your gang." He started to add
something more, but clicked his teeth togethe r and though t
against fifteen killers.
A m inute behind th e co nvic ts leaving sc h ool came the better of it. "Have th at memo done when I get back."
"Okay, boss."
eve ning watch gua rds carrying lunchpails, hurrying toward
Typing t h e memo took longer than u sual because th e
the cellhouses to h e lp with the main coun t.
"Wait a couple m inutes before you go to the yard," Earl handwriting was hard to decipher. In addition, he was pressed
said. "Wh e n you hear th e li neup whistle, go straight in to because he was in a hu rry, a nd therefore made mo1·e errors
the block. The mooch migh t be waiting. I've got to go to than usual. When h e finish ed , the automatic lights of th e
prison had gone o n . He put the me mo on th e lie u te nan t's
the yard office."
Ron n odded without enthusiasm. "Da mn , I'm tired o f d esk and rushed out "Gonna get some chow, boss," he said.
"Best hurry, lad. It's n early time for t h e mess hall to
this c rap. j ust. .. ruck it,"
"Oh no, we can h andle this. It's routi ne shit." Earl cuffed close. "
The las t tie r-Buck Rowan's tier-had long since
h im on the arm.
e nte red the mess hall, an d men were straggling back across
"Yo u have to act like an a nimal to get respect in he re."
"Coo l it. It's go nna be o kay. Quit snive lin '. You've h ad t h e ya rd to the East cel lh o u se fr o m the exit d oor. Th e
o rth ce llh o u se d oo rs we re loc ked, th oug h th ey wo uld
the red carpet. I was six years you nger th an you and d idn't
smile for two year . It took me a d ecade to make the North o pen after the meal for night school and other activities.
block and go to nig ht movies. An d you've go t as much ti me H e circled in th at direction, looking for Ron- but Ron
left as a mosquito has p ric k, un less you fuck it up. I need wasn 't there. At the far end of the yard, in the overhang of
you out th ere to look after me."
the canteen roof, stood several figures silhouetted against
Ron head ed toward the yard and Earl we nt to the o ffi ce. the ca nteen lights. The night yard crew, a mong the m Paul

•d

I n Sl e

68 PRISON

LIFE

a nd Vito, Earl moved quickly in that d irection , unabl e to
run because it was against the rules and the rifle ma n would
b las t h is whistle. Pau l and Vito we re both lea n in g o n
broom ha ndles.
"Whe re's Superhonky?" Earl asked.
"Him and Baby Boy went in. They're bo th drunk," Paul
said.
"I was gonna try and fu ck him wh ile he was ou t," Vito
said, "but the big mothe rfucke r might wake up."
"Shit!" Earl said. "I n eed e d him to stand a round a nd
look mean. I gotta drive on some fool. "
"vVh o is it?" Vito asked .
"Some lo p fuckin ' with Ron. "
"Ron just went in the East b lock," Paul said.
"I to ld h im- " Earl began; th en wh eeled
a nd nearly ran toward th e square of yellow lig h t fi lling t h e open doo r. Vito
a nd Pa ul threw d own th e ir brooms
and h u rried afte r.
The vast cellhouse h umm ed
with the accumula ted voice of
trapped m e n. The ti e rs were
pac ked with inmates waiting
for lockup, a nd around the
doo r were m e n jammed
waiting fo r night un locks
to begin. Earl p ush ed
through , turned around
th e corn e r a nd put a n
arm up besid e his face
as h e passed the
se rgea nt 's office. The
rifl e m an was on th e
o th e r side of t h e cellh o u se. The crowd was
mu c h th in ner o n th e
bo uom becau se th e
space was much larger,
going all the way to th e
cellhouse wall.
Earl imm ed iate ly saw
Ron a nd Buck facing each
o ther halfway down th e tie r.
He in c reased his pace. Paul .,
a n d Vi to were twe nty feet
be hind h im, moving more slowly a nd trying to a ppea r u n conce rn ed. Earl \Vas both pro ud of
Ron's courage a nd a ngry at his foo lishn ess. I' ll le t hi m ha nd le it as long as
h e can , Earl th o ught whe n he was te n fee t
away, but that th oug ht was in sta ntly e rased
wh e n Buc k saw him over Ron 's should er a nd said,
"He re 's your d add y." H e sneered. "Or maybe h e's a sissy,
too. Or a rat. "
obod y had eve r b ee n so disresp ec t fu l. Earl's mind
r eele d with th e burst of fu ry. H e lea p ed past Ro n a nd
swung-but his rage made hi m start the pu n ch fro m too
fa r away, wi th too mu c h warn ing. Buck evaded the blow
and Earl 's momentum sent h im crash ing into the big ma n .
H e insta ntly saw th at Buck was too big a n d too strong ,
clumsy but quick, his hands swinging like a bea r swatting
bees. Ea rl was sla mmed bac k as th ey went aro un d . Buck
drove h im back under th e tier, into th e cell bars with suc h
force th a t Earl 's wind was kn oc ked o u t. H e co uldn't ge t
leve r age to pun ch . Buck' s h ands we nt around h im ,
g rabbed th e cell ba rs a n d tri e d to c ru sh hi m . T h e big

)(

man's check was next to Earl's face. He grabbed th e h ead,
sunk his teeth into the top of Buck's right ear and bit it off,
the blood running instantly.
Surprised , Pa ul and Vito were secon d s la te- for Ro n
had pulled the kni fe from his waistband and come forward
with the qui ck steps o f a matador. Without h esitatio n , he
struck with a ll h is strength, burying fourteen inches of steel
in the wide back. "Die, you mothe rfucker!"
The big man collapsed instantly, fa lling straight down
like a dynamited building. The spinal cord was severed . He
nearly pulled Ea rl down on top of h im un til Vito's brogan
thudded into his face. The n he screamed , a te rri ble, b e llowin g sou nd th a t cu t th roug h th e cellh ouse hum a nd
brought a sudde n h us h as hun dreds of eyes
looked for signs of another murd e r.
"Cut his throa t," Vito said , "so h e
can't snitc h ." And he reached for th e
kn ife when Ro n hesitated.
;L__
I l
A police whistle sh rilled alarm.
"Split! " Pa u l said . 'T h e g un
~
bull 's coming."
Th e wh istle came aga in .
The guard was rushi ng
down the catwalk, levering
a cartridge into the rifle's
firin g c h am b er. H e
couldn ' t see und e r t h e
bottom tie r. Earl shoved
Ro n and t hey started
r u n nin g towa rd th e
r ea r of the building,
kee ping unde r the tier
so only tl1eir feet were
visi ble . Paul and Vito
were be hind th em.
The ce ll h o use bu lls
wo uld co me from th e
front.
When
th ey
reach ed the back stairs,
Earl a n d Ro n we n t up ,
d isappear ing before th e
rifl e ma n co uld co m e
aro und on the catwalk.
Paul a nd Vito stayed o n the
bo u o m, circling th e cellblock. T he whistle still bleated,
but it was falli ng behind.
Ron still had the sh iv. Convicts
on the tie r fe ll back from them, giving them passage.
"Throw it," Earl said.
Ron r eac h ed thro ug h a cell's bars a nd
dro pped the weapon . Someone wou ld get rid of it.
T hey pushed along tl1e third tier, h eadi ng toward the front
stairs.
"The y' ll loc k th a t door in a min u te," Ead said . "We 've
gotta get o u t of h e re before th at."
No g u a rds we re in front. They' d rush ed towa rd th e
sce ne o f the stabbing . Ron a nd Ead leaped down the steel
stairs three at a bou nd, and in seconds were throug h th e
rotunda a nd in the dark yard. A hundred yards ahead o f
th em Pau l and Vi to were already turning into the mess hall
whe re tl1 e nigh t ya rd crew was allowed to drink coffee. To
th e rig ht, convic ts were stream ing o ut of th e orth cellhouse o n evening unlocks.
"Co to Education," Earl said. "We might be okay. It was
un der th e tier a nd n o t many saw it. Maybe we won't ge t

)(

]c_

PRISON LIFE 69

snitched on."
"I neve r thought I could do that- and it was easy. It just
wen t in."
Ea rl dra ped an ann aro und Ro n 's shoulder. "If a n asshole ever got his issue, it was that one."
Ron nodded, sudden ly unable to spea k, beginning to
feel the squeezing finge rs o f fear in his stomac h. If th e act
had been easy, the possible re percussions were not.
When th ey n eared th e gate, Earl patted him o n t h e
b ack a nd sto pped. "Keep going. The colonel wi ll see us
together if we go much farther. "
While Ron hurried o n, turning through th e lig hted
door into the school building, Earl loitered unde r the gate.
Then he saw Captain Midnight and t he third watch
sergeant hurrying toward him down th e road, e n route to
the East cellhouse stabbing . Earl sauntered toward the m ,
passed with a nod to the sergeant, ign oring th e lie utenant.
He we nt into th e ya rd offi ce, g lad to b e hidde n by d arkn ess, for he was tr embling from nervo us te nsio n . The
colone l sat in th e sh adows. "Another stabbing in the East
block," h e said.
"Who was it?"
"Do n ' t h ave his name yet. But it's a good one."
"Is he d ead ?"
"H e was on a gurney when I got the call. .. so h e's still
alive."
Earl grumed , no t wa nting to a ppear too interested. He
sat in his own chair, looking out at the prison night, wo ndering if they would ge t by. Five minutes la ter a cadaverous-faced d octor hurried across the plaza from the fro nt
gate, going to the hospital. He was a legend amo ng co nvicts, esp ecially with knife wounds. H e' d saved me n
stabbed in the h eart.
Earl stood up, too te nse to sit still. He wanted to go
somewhere, see Ron .
"Better hang around," the colonel said. 'There'll probably be some re ports to type wh e n th e li e utenant ge ts
back."
"That won't be fo r h alf an hour. I'm going to the cell
for some cigarettes. Call over there if you need me."
'Just so we know whe re you are," the colonel said.
"I ca n ' t go too far," Ea rl said, stepping out into th e
night.
eared the doorway of th e
education building, h e met
n o lde r con vic t comi n g
the o th e r way. Red Malo ne was a friend, though they seldom saw each o the r. Red worked o utside th e walls in th e
employee snack ba r as a night cook and lived in th e elite
West cellho use. Red stopped as Earl approac hed , obviously wanting to talk, a nd although Earl 's mind raced on oth er
things, he stopped a nd gri nned. Then, as Red stuck o ut his
h a nd, Earl re me mbe red th at th e man was go ing homeafter a dozen calendars b ehind the walls.
"When is it, Red?"

As E arE
" Ma1iana."

"Good luck, brother."
"I 'm sca red shi tl ess. I' ve gotta make it. I can ' t sta nd
anoth er jolt. My tee th are gone and my hair is going."
"You'll be okay. just keep your shit toge ther."
"We're getting o ld ."
"We 're younger tha n spring time, sucke r." H e sla pped
Red affectiona tely on the back and clenched his hand.
Whe n Red was go ne, Earl stu ck his head through the
doorway to Educati on. H a lf a d oze n cle rks were be hind
their desks around th e room. Three teachers were picking
70 PRISON

LIFE

up th e ir ro ll ca ll sh ee ts. Ron was in th e g lass-e nclosed
o ffice of the supe n>isor of education, sitting on th e edge of
th e desk talkin g to J an th e Actress. Mr. H arrell was also
there-and Ea rl wondered if the ma n eve r wen t home. It
was best not to go in . They might provide Ro n with a partial alibi if they though t h e'd been th e re five minutes earlie r tha n he was. H e wanted to tell Ron not to say a word if
he was picked up-not eve n a lie. He d ecided Ro n p robab ly kne w that; silence canno t be impeach ed, wh ereas a lie
can some times be refuted .
Earl co n tin ued to the yard . T h e mess-hall doors we re
locked a nd h e didn ' t know if Vito a nd Pa ul we re inside.
Th e years of priso n to ld Earl that it was like ly he' d b e
picked up fo r the assau lt. Someone wou ld fink private ly,
th ough it was most un likely th a t he wou ld testify. It was a
good idea to get ready for the ho le. He headed toward th e
North cellho use, ducking through th e doorjust befo re th e
guard locked it after the nigh t unlocks had finish ed.
Buzzard had the cell key for the fifth tie r . Earl found
him working on a leather purse in his cell. "U nlock my cell,
Buzz, a nd keep a wa tch o n the door downstairs. I think the
pigs might b e coming for me."
They went qu ickly, a nd as Buzzard inserted th e key, he
said he' d h eard som e thin g a bout a stabbin g in the East
cellhouse. H e didn 't punctuate th e state me nt with a sign ificant loo k; the words were enough. Earl didn't rep ly, but
too k off the pillowslip a nd began filling it with property
th a t he co uld have in "B" Sec ti o n-cigarettes, to ile tri es,
p a perback books. H e took three twe nty-do lla r bills from
the hiding place in the gallo n can, ro lled th em up o n e a t a
time, and inse rted each in a LUbe of shaving cream thro ugh
the top. The guards ch ecked the botto m o f tubes fo r tampe ring, but n ot the ho le. It go t messy to squirt eve rything
o ut, a nd th e co nvict who h ad n othin g co u ld co mpl ain
loud ly about it. H e loo ked a t his cell furniwre, the o il
painting shu tters, the la mpshade, th e glass-to pped d esk.
"Give it all to T.J. ," h e said; th en h a nded Buzzard the pillowslip. "If they slam me, give th e sack to Lieutenam Seeman. He'll see that I get it. "
''Wha t about those cigarettes I'm ho lding for you in my
cell?"
"Consider th em a present. "
Ea rl g la n ced over the ti e r a nd saw Captain Mid nig ht
a nd two oth e r guards come through t h e door, ca rrying
nightsticks. Earl mo mentarily tho ught of hurrying to o ne
of the two hundred and fifty cells and hiding. They wouldn't find him until th e last lockup, o r la ter th a n that if h e
wa nted to risk a charge of attempted escape. Instead , h e
went to th e stairs and started down, feigning surprise wh en
th ey ganged around him. ''Wha t's the trouble?" h e asked.
Surprised , they hesita ted , h efting the clubs ne rvously,
and the n Captain Midnight had him turn a nd lean against
th e wall for a weapons frisk. Then they j a mm ed him close
a nd th e group went down th e stairs whe re the cellhouse
g uard had the door open for them. O n e of the gua rds, an
old-timer and a favorite of Lie utenan t Seeman's, wrinkled
up his face to show h e was doing something distasteful in
arresting Earl. T h e co nvict n early smiled, thinking th at
afte r e nough years in prison, everybody's va lues we re distoned. The o ld g uard didn ' t care about the stabbing; he
was sorry to pick up a convict he liked .
The colo nel's face was hidde n in the darkness behind
the window wh en the quartet we nt by; the old Army man
didn ' t move his head. As th ey passed th e c ha p el, n earing
the custody office, Earl heard d1 e voices of the cho ir. It had
to be a tour, for the lig hts we re also on unde r the fountain .
Captain Midnight ope ned the door and Earl went in a head

of the two escorts. The large room with half-glass offices
along its walls was deserted except for two convict clerks
and the sergeant in the control booth; and Ron was on a
bench outside the associate warden's office, a young guard
beside him.
Captain Midnight motioned Earl to keep going, wanting him as far across the room from Ron as possible. Earl
stopped and the guards nearly bumped into him. "What's
happening?" Earl asked.
"They won't tell me," Ron said.
"Keep moving and be quiet," Captain Midnight said,
reaching for Earl's sleeve. Earl jerked away.
"Keep your hands off me, chump." He turned to Ron.
"If it's serious, demand to see a lawyer."
"Knock it offi" the lieutenant said, raising a can of mace
with his thumb on the button.
"Man, fuck you! What're you gonna do? Kick my ass?
Assholes have been doing that ever since I can remember.
You can't kill me ... and if you do, you can't eat me ... it's
against the law." He threw his head back, the personification of defiance, and everyone froze for half a dozen seconds. ''You ain't nothing," Earl said.
They sat in silence except for the clicking of the clerks'
typewriters. Earl sllloked and tried not to think about the
future. Finally the warden came in, a big man almost never
seen inside the walls. Now he wore slacks, sweater, and a
ten-gallon hat, an unlit cigar between his teeth. He glanced
at the two convicts and went into the associate warden's
office, followed by the black lieutenant. Ten minutes later
Captain Midnight leaned out and beckoned Earl. The
guards stayed with him until he reached the door, and the
lieutenant told them to wait outside.
The warden was behind the wide desk, his hat off and
one cowboy-booted leg propped across the corner. He had
a cup of coffee. His face was droopy at the jowls and his
eyes were big behind his glasses.

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"Have a seat," he said, waving expansively toward a chair
across the desk. Captain Midnight stayed behind Earl's
right shoulder, moving as the convict moved.
"No, I don't think I'll be here that long."
"Want some coffee?" the warden asked.
Earl shook his head, smiled softly.
"Boy, you shore got a mess of trouble," the warden said
laconically. "That ol' boy Rowan says you stuck him ... an'
he's willin' to go on the witness stand ... from a wheelchair, I might add."
"Who's Rowan?"
The warden flushed momentarily; then regained his fellowship. "Oh, he's a sorry ol' thing... and you know him.
He probably had it coming."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I really didn't think you did. You're an ol' smartass...
don't even know how to help yourself... tell your side of
the story."
"I'd have to talk to my lawyer before I make any statement. Besides, you didn't warn me about my constitutional
rights."
"Might as well put him away in the shitcan," the warden
said, still not displaying anger-certain of his power.
When Captain Midnight ushered him to the door and
opened it, the lieutenant said to the guard, "Make sure
he's in a boxcar. Bring his clothes back to see if there's any
blood samples on them, especially his shoes."
Earl looked at Ron seated outside the door. The young
man was pale and drawn, but his eyes radiated strength.
''You weren't in there long," Ron said.
"I dido 't have anything to say. They think I stabbed
some guy."
''They better watch what they're smoking."
A guard nudged Earl and the trio went out. He sucked
deep on the clean air, looked up at the dome of night cluttered with stars, knowing he might never again be outdoors

led

INEFFECTIVE
ASSISTANCE
OF. COUNSEL
**
WINNING CASES
IN THE FEDERAL
CoURTS
GOOD case law to back up your
ineffective assistance arguments,
you know how difficult that can
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done for you. Every case in this
book Is briefly summarized, with
emphasl~ on specific facts which

to

the

finding

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Ineffective Assistance of
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hearing? You'll find the case
law you need to support your
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71

at night-even in prison. Certainly not for a long time.
When they crossed the yard they stopped while the
keys to the South cellhouse rotunda were passed down
from No. 2 Wall Post. At night the keys were taken from
the cellhouses so it would do the convicts inside no good
to overpower their keepers. Moments later they opened
the door to "B" Section and the bedlam of the damned
rolled forth. The yelling voices were an unbroken roar in
the shadows of the honeycomb. Trash was ankle deep the
entire length of the floor, and the stench of excrement
and urine was overpowering. The cells broken up nearly
a year before had still not been repaired. Earl looked up
at the fence that sheeted the outside of the tiers. Two "B"
Section guards were waiting for him, apparently having
been called by Control.
'We want his clothes," an escort said.
Earl stood against the wall and stripped, handing over
his clothes and going through the poses of a skin search.
When he finished, they returned his shorts and motioned
him to walk to the rear of the cellhouse. He kept far out
from the tier and walked softly, carefully avoiding the
shards of glass from jars discarded over the tiers. He
could see shadowed faces behind the bars.
"Hey, Bad Eye!" someone yelled. "Earl Copen just
came in!" The voice had to rise above the uproar, but
Bad Eye heard, for in seconds an arm came through bars
on the third tier and Bad Eye yelled, "They finally got
your slick ass!''
"They think sol" Earl yelled back, still pussyfooting
·
along, slowly.
''What they say you done did?"
"Some fool got stabbed!"
"I know you're innocent!"
They reached the "boxcars," five cells at the rear.
They'd begun as regular cells but then concrete blocks
had been extended between each out to the walkway
above. A solid door was added, and when it was closed, a
man screaming inside the cell was just a squeak outside of
it. A tiny light, dimmed by the wire over it, Was in a niche
in the ceiling between the cell gate and the door.
Earl stepped into the cell, noting that the cast aluminum toilet and washbowl were still in place. Apparently, the occupant during the strike hadn't been able to
break them. A grimy mattress and two blankets were on
the floor. Wadding a blanket into a pillow, Earl flopped
down. The smell was bad, like mildew. Water was leaking
somewhere, perhaps in the service alley, maybe from the
seal on the toilet. The floor under his bare feet was both
gritty and sticky. "Just lik~ home," he muttered. "I love it."
He was still keyed up, his mind jumping and unable to
focus. He knew from other situations that eventually the
despair would eat through in to consciousness. Hope
would become an uncertain flicker, the candle wax melted, the wick bare. He'd know that suicide was really the
one answer to the miserable futility of his existence, but
he'd lack the courage of his knowledge. He worried
about Ron, hoped the younger man would not feel obliged to confess to take Earl off the hook-and he wished he
knew precisely what Buck Rowan had said. It would be
.very bad if he testified, especially from a wheelchair. Vito
had been right: the fool should have had his throat cut. It
certainly would have been no loss to the world.
The musings were broken by a rhythmic thumping
through the concrete ceiling. He was wanted on the "telephone." He signaled back by standing on the toilet and

72 PBISOR

LIFE

pounding with the heel of his hand.
Quickly he folded both blankets into squares, put
them over the mouth of the seatless toilet, sat down and
began jumping-forcing the water out. He scooped the
last of it into the sink and kneeled at the toilet, his face in
the bowl. "Hello!" he yelled. ''Who's on the phone?"
"It's Rube Samuel. .. your man! The old ass sure
looked smooth when you went by."
"Only 'cause it was dark. It's all wrinkled and hairy."
Earl liked Rube, the half-Mexican who'd served twelve of
fifteen years in the hole at both San Quentin and Folsom.
Rube had come to prison for mistakenly entering the
wrong apartment, while drunk, but when accosted by the
irate resident, Rube had beat him up. The charge was
first-degree burglary. Rube had then picked up new convictions for a stabbing and an escape and seemed to be
getting wilder and more frenzied as the years went by.
Earl liked Rube, even though they seldom saw each
other. "Where's Bad Eye?" Earl asked.
"Too far away. You could probably hear each other if
you blew your voices, but I'll relay messages."
"Are you above me?"
"I'm on the third tier, a couple cells from Bad Eye.
That's Wayne, T J.'s home boy, above you. He just came
from Soledad."
"I heard about him."
"What's with you? I thought you were too slick to get
busted."
"They say something about a sticking in the East
block." Earl was aware that others could have their toilets
empty and be listening. "Did they bring my partner in?"
"Who's that?"
'That youngster I fuck with."
"I heard about him. They say he's pretty."
"Nothin' happenin' there, sucker."
"You sure you ain't eatin' him up? You know how you
old convicts are."
"You've been here a long time yourself. I ain't got
caught if I am, so you'll never know ifyou should be jealous."
"How bad is the dude hurt?"
"He's paralyzed... everything but his mouth."
"Snitchin', huh?"
"Does a dog have fleas?"
''Who is he?"
"Some hillbilly fish. Been here a couple months and
wanted to be a bully."
"Hold it! I'm signin' off. Bad Eye's calling me, these
fools are screaming... I'll talk to you in the morning."
"Send some smokes and something to read."
"Got you covered."
"If you can send word out, tell our friends about how
that fool is snitch in'."
'
"We'll send word first thing in the morning. I'll see
you if they let you out to exercise."
"Right on!"
When Earl flopped back on the mattress, he expected
to spend the night turning things over and over in his
mind. He called it "squirrel-caging," the compulsive repetition of thoughts without conclusions. He felt the gritted
dirt imbedded in the mattress and was chilled because he
wore noT-shirt. He pulled the second blanket over him.
In three minutes he fell asleep, both because he was
utterly drained and because his unconscious said sleep
was a means to escape reality.

Decker was in a more mo de rn cell-in the adjustme m
ce nter. It, too, was at t.h e very rear, but on a solid floor
rathe r tha n a ti e r, a nd instead of a toilet there was a
hole in the floor beside the ma uress. It was the floor where mi litant ·revolutionari es were usually kept, n early all of th e m black, and wh e n Ron had
walked by with th e guard they had stared o ut with sile nt, hostile faces. He
could hear the sounds of vo ices beyond th e do ubl e doors but co uld not
deciph e r the words. He re he was doubly a n alien , and h e wish ed they'd put
him in "B" Section wh ere he might co mmunicate with Earl. Buck Rowan
appare nlly believed tha t Ea rl had stabbed him in the melee, and Ro n was
bei ng to rn apart by t.he siLUation. He was astounded that he felt so indiffe re nt. to Buck Rowan 's condition ; it was the death of something in himself, or
perh aps the begin ning o f some L11ing new. But. h e was also crucified by gu ilt
th at Earl was in trouble because of him when he was basically innocent. Ron
had gone into the building alone to avoid just such a siLUation. The warde n
had promised that he, Ron , wou ld get favorable action from the judge if h e
LUrned on Earl. It was an insulting offer and h e'd sneered, refusing to make
any sta te m en t whatsoever without an attorney-but it also raised h o pe.
Maybe they needed co rro bora ti o n. Whateve r h a ppe n ed , h e wouldn't le t
Ea rl be convicted o f the assault-fuck what Earl said. Ye t his own freed o m,
which had b ee n firmly in h and, was in danger of oozing between his finge rs.
Eithe r Earl or himself convicted of the crime wo uld face a life sente nce o r
t.he death penalty, depe nding on what the jury decided. Even without that,
if t.h e judge in Los Ange les found out, h e wou ld deny sentence m odificati on, which wo uld mea n five lo ng, bitter yea rs before h e was eligible for
parole, a nd the chances of getting it would be small even then. He'd already
seen too many me n psychologically maimed by Lh e indefinite senten ces o f
California. If one year made him capable o f plunging a knife into a man 's
back, what would a decade do?
AcLUally, the re was not.hing for him to d ecide, n ot ye t. H e wou ld simply
wait. until things b ecam e clea re r. M.aybe both of th e m would skate byunlikely as it now seemed. He could take a few weeks in a bare cell. When it
gets too tough fo r the average moth e rfu c ke r, it ge ts the way I like it, he
thought, grinning at one of Ea rl 's expressio ns.
[II]

R0 n

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LIFE ON DEATH ROW
Prison Life Is planning a
SPECIAL ISSUE on DEATH
ROW and the DEATH
PENALTY IN AMERICA
We want to hear from condemned prisoners: poets,
essayists and fiction writers.
Tell us your stories. How you
wound up on DEATH ROW;
how you feel about the death
penalty; how you face day-to·
day existence knowing you are
to be put to death. DEATH
ROW ARTISTS. Send us your
work for possible inclusion in
this SPECIAL DEATH ROW
EDlTION of Prison Life.

Address all replies to:
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PRISON LIFE 73

COLLEC,.OR'S I,.EMS-PRISON LIFE BACK
ISSUES ARE 'F.)pLIIIUiu.rAS,.!
OCTOBER'94
Form er DEA Ag ent Michael Levine
Debunks the " Phony" War on
Drugs ; Snitch ' n' Bitch: Confessions of a Government Rat ; 3
Strikes, You' re In-For Life!; Prison
Fiction: Lee's Time by Susan Rosenberg.

JANUARY '95
PLM's First Cover Woman , Karen
White- One woman's triumph over
18 years in hell; Ground-breaking
journalism exposes the scam on UNICOR : Th e Economics of Imprisonment; Ju lie Stewart, founder of
FAMM .

MARCH '95

Gangland USA : A Inside Look at
Prison Gangs; John Gatti's
yer
Bruce
\ J'[,
ds
Wan
SOl.\) 0
·
On
Ame
1chard Stratton; Liberating Prisoners With Kindness: Bo
Lozoff.

to swift back issue sales,
.......... rov are sold out. If you move
can still score our latest
packe d with prison surviv
~o~,..... f-:omes and hard-hitting storie~

JULY-AUGUST '!15--illRifi]}IY
Novelist Kim Wozencraft on the Controve rsial Case Of Mumia AbuJamai-Convicted of killing a cop,
this outspoken journalist may have
been framed; Revising the Convict
Code; Prison Life Reveals the Truth
About So-Called " Resort" Prisons;
Prize-Winning Ex-Con Poet Jimmy
Santiago Baca.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '95
America's Greatest Living Convict
Writer Eddie Bunk
· ard
Stra
S()ll) 0\J'[!
th
Row
'
e lcatraz
of the ockies; Inside the Capital's
Cage; plus fiction by Dannie Martin.

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER '95
An inside look at Alabama Chain
Gangs; A CURE for Crim e; Gettin '
Out & Goin' for the Green ... Legally! 3 ideas for starting your own business; plus Animal Factory- fiction
by Eddie Bunker.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY '96
Special HBO issue! Prisoners of
the War on Drugs: King Rat by
Michael Levine; Junk in the Joint;
Women Casualties of the Drug War.

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PRISON PAPERS

FEDERAL
SENTENCING
EXPERTS
* Plea agreements
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* Guideline analysis
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--

RONALD

E.

SCHWARTZ

Attorney At Law

Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America

Edited by Herb Boyd and Robert L. Allen
Ballantine Books, $19.95
Review by John Mack

8060 Montgomery Road,
Suite 202
Cincinatti, OH 45236
(513) 792-0606
Fax 792-0606

PRE-TRIAL &
POST-CONVICTION

ve ry experie nce that defin es what it mea ns to be a black male in America is ex plore d in Brolherman, an a nth o logy e dited by He rb Boyd and
Ro be n L. Alle n .
Whe n th e Africa n sla,·e first set foot o n this co ntinent there was a total
smashin g o f every psyc hic co nstellation by whi ch the African live d and survived within his own culture a nd community. H e had to make a n ew adjustme nt to a ne w and a li e n language, a n a li e n r e ligio n , a n d a soc ial a nd
economic world that placed him o n par with horses and cattle. Whatever d efinition h e had wit hin his Afri can community was obli terated. The consequences have bee n a consta nt sea rch fo r defin ition , for identity. Wh o are we?
What is our language, o ur true rel igion? Who are our real ancestors? Where
is o ur village?
The re has been so much sexual intermingling be tween blacks a nd whites,
betwee n blacks an d Ind ian s for so many generations tha t it is unde rstandable
why o ur search for identity has bee n riddled with confusion. We h ave gon e
from "colo red " lO "Negro" to "Afro-Am e rican " to "Black" to "Afri ca n-Ame rica n " an d with a m ove me nt a m o n g som e n eo-conservatives to go back to
"Negro."
If la nguage and accultura tio n are essen tial ing redients in d efining who we
are, th e re is n o way b lack men in Am e ri ca ca n esca pe the fact that we a re
Weste rnized black m e n : We a ll speak a nd th ink in English , a Western la nguage, and our education is grou nded in Western culture a nd ideas. We are
hybrids. And as much as we try to claim the contra q r, t11e re is no way we can
escape the fo rces that h ave mad e us what we are.
And ye t o ur ex pe rie n ces in America have mad e us differe nt, and it is this
diffe re nce th at makes Brolhl'rman such a fascinating and cha lle nging anthology-an a nthology which is indispensable to a nyone who wants to know what
it has been like for black males in America. Altho ug h it is difficu lt to buy in to
th e fi ction that the pro ble m of ide ntity a nd the condition of black me n are
unique in comparison to those faced by black women , Brotherman m akes a
convi ncing argume nt tha t they a1·e by including only the voices of black men.
T h e a n th o logy is divided into six p a rts, beginning with a sea rch for our
forefathers and co ncludin g with the myth ical bird from the Akan c ulture of
West Africa- th e Sanko fa, a bird which "faces forwa rd and looks backward."
And between th e fo refath ers and the Sanko fa, we hear the voices of wha t the

E

PRISON LIFE

75

poe t Sterling Brown referred to as
"strong m en getting stro nge r," recreating their experie nces as son s "in the
family" a nd in relationship to women,
and th e ir survival und e r rac ism, a nd
th e magic o f th e ir art, th e ir so ngs,
their poetry, th e ir n ovels an d plays,
their music and sports.
Ma ny of the pi eces a nd voices a re
fami liar, so fam il iar th at th ey have
become tim eworn and clich ed a nd
added very little if a nything to understa ndin g what the j o urn ey o f b lac k
me n in Ame rican h as mea nt. Boo ker
T . Washington 's Up From Slave1y, th a t
g lorio us hymn to the virtues of Un cle
T om a nd Missy Anne, has grown stale
a nd trite. Its only co ntri bution is to
r e mind u s of the exten t to whi c h
black men have h ad to debase a nd
humilia te th e mselves in o rde r to survive.
But the vo ice o f W.E .B. DuBo is is
the starting point for every black person who h as wrestl ed with th e proble m of id entity: "One eve r feels his
twoness- an Am e rican , a egro; two
souls, two tho ugh ts, two unreconciled
strivin gs; two wa rrin g idea ls in o n e
dark body ... " The voice of DuBois, as
well as those of Ralph Ellison , Rich ard
Wright, C la ud e McKay, Langs ton
Hug h es and J a mes Baldwin neve r
grow weak regardless of h ow ma ny
times we hear the m.
And then there are new vo ices,
some fro m whom we h ear a lo t of gibb eris h . C h eck ou t Icc T and The Ice
Opinion, in whi ch we a re presented
with th e m eanin g of rap music, or
what h e calls "the art of shit tal kin "'

76

PRISON LIFE

a nd h ow it re fl ects his life a nd the
world he g rew u p in an d how it spea ks
to a n d fo r the "hip-hop ge n e ra ti o n .··
One finds little to cele brate, however.
Ice T's world and th e "music" tha t glorifi es it a re eve rythin g that a sane
b lack p e rso n is trying desperate ly to
get away from.
There a re voices h e re who re mind
us tha t the forces of Western acculturation have had such a n overwhelming
impac t that it has left a profound d istrust a m ong so me of us fo r o ur own
p eo ple. Sh e lby Steele has mad e the
re ma rkable d iscovery tha t his positio n
in academia has had everything to do
with "the co nte nt o f hi c h a racte r "
and n othing to do with his inordinate
a n d peculiar predilectio n to massage
the egos of th e likes o f David Duke,
whom St eele co mp ares Ma lco lm X.
Alth ough Stee le ma kes a good
atte mpt to cover a conscien ce steeped
in "bad fa ith ," his liking for police
wh o murd er black suspects a nd his
excuse fo r yo un g white thugs wh o
murde r b lack people m e re ly because
they made the mistake of walking into
a white n eig hborh ood make it all too
obvious on what side of the fence he's
standing o n.
I a lso fa il to see wh a t Stan ley
Cro u c h co n tributes to th e ideas
e mbodied in th e edito r 's con ce pt o f
Bmllterman other tha n h is readiness to
le nd his mind a nd talent to a ny p e rso n or idea d esigned to d emean his
own people, as he did so splendidly in
his piece defending Mic hae l j ackso n 's
p a th o logica l rage to be whi te. But
th e n , every black co n se rvati ve, fro m

Boo ker T. Was hin g ton to Cla re n ce
Thomas, kn ows instin ctive ly th a t
there 's gold "in them the re hi lls."
Of parti cular interest are th e p ieces
a bout priso n a nd th e pri son ex perie n ce, main ly beca use prison and th e
crimin al justice syste m h ave beco m e
the defining me ta phors for black males
in the inner city. Reading these pieces
is like rubbing salt into a raw wound,
especially the exceJ-pt from j oh n Edgar
Wide man 's Brother and Keepers.
I fo un d Dho ruba Bin Wahad disappointing, however. There's some thing
painful and no t a little pathetic about
brothe rs like Dhoruba Bin Wah ad ,
who are still locked into th e mind-se t
of th e six ties, who still think abo u t
"revolution, " about the "movement, "
and who still believe tha t there's a big,
sweet, juicy pie in the sky. Given the
inevita ble drift of th e computerized,
hypnotic world we' re living in, a world
of "virtua l r eality," of sublimin a l
media contro l a nd manipulatio n , one
is sadde ned by what prison does to so
many good minds.
I started this book with th e idea tha t
I would read the introduction a nd
skim th e text. Altho ugh I was disappointed in n o t finding t h e n a mes of
Robe rt Hayd e n , Da vid Brad ley or
Eth e rage Kni g h t, I go t h oo ked a nd
e nd ed up read ing a ll 878 pages of a
book I'm cenai n I wi ll be drawn back
to as lo ng as I ca n hold onto a passion
and a co n ce rn fo r th e joys an d sorrows of all people, as well as my own.

un

Al

GUAGELEGAL

~MIL

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78 PRISON

LIFE

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L-------------------------------J
PRISON LIFE 79

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MEDIA
WRITER DOING RESEARCH FOR
BOOK. Looking for people convicted of fraud, embezzlement,
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For more information please write
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ARE YOU SERVING A LONGTERM SENTENCE AND WOULD
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on the inside. Write me, I'll write
back. PO Box 873, Pleasanton,
CA 94566.
Tired of doing time you do not
deserve? Have you given up on
all possibility of any justice
since your confinement? Please
write: Freedom Press, Prisoner
Support Division, P.O. Box 4458,
Leesburg, VA 22075. Include a
narrative and copies of your sentencing documents. Phone:
703/491-8725. Collect calls are
accepted on Saturday and Sunday only.

FREE CATALOG. Absolute lowest
prices on subscriptions to 850
magazines. Examples; Newsweek
1 yr $23.95; Esquire 1 yr $7.95;
Motor Trend lyr $9.95; Penthouse
$19.95; FREE LIST -Magazine
Warehouse, 1243-48th Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11219. (800) SAVESAVe.

_OTHER STUFF
For God So Loved The World That
He Gave His Only Begotten Son
That Whosoever Believeth In Him
Shall Not Perish But Have Everlasting Life . John 3:16. Jesus
Loves You.
TIRED OF THE SAME OLD
FACES? Join my pen-pal service
and meet new people. For free
information write to: M&D's Internationals, P.O. Box 361,Duncansville, PA 16635-0361.

CLASSIFIED RATES: $75 for
35 words. Additional words are
S1 each. Prepayment required.
Send to: PRISON LIFE Classified
Ads, 1436 West Gray, Suite 531,
Houston, TX 77019. 1-800-2072659 or (713) 840-7801.

PEN PALS
One Angry Motherfucker looking to kill everyone
on the staff of Prison Life magazine. He is "sick of
us running a game on him like he's some kind of
bitch," concerning his pen pal ad. Of course, if he
had his original ad, we'd run it. Please write to this
guy. As long as you're not working for PLM, he'll be
nice to you. Write to: David Grillette, #114695,
Camp j Shark 3/L #7, Louisiana State Prison, Angola, !.A 70712.
White, 54, Blond hair, blue eyes. Likes to write
poems, essays. Been down for 13 years, still have 12
to go. Need any and all pen pals to keep sane in
here. Will answer all. Kenneth Gardner, #092244,
DeSoto C.I., P.O. Drawer 1072, M.N. 212, Arcadia,
FL33821.
SWM, 44, 6'1 ", 275#, solid, brown hair & eyes, into a
lot ofweightlifting & shaping. Can do just about
everything. Seeking women for pen pals or possible
relationship. I'm lonely and need of correspondence, age/looks unimportant. Will answer all letters. Doug Orville, #03287-090, P.O. Box 1000,
Oxford, WI 53952.
Not interested in pretentious, fantasy romance been there, done that. Too many over the years and
they don't last or they hurt too much. I need something real, something that will last. Looking for sincere, mature, intelligent women who want a good
friend in a man they can write to share thoughts,
feelings with. I'm a BM, 45, handsome, 6', 200#,
vegetarian, sincere 7& intelligent. Been in prison 25
years. Bennie Demps, #030970, Box 221, A-1, 452216, Raiford, FL 32083.
I'm in prison on a burglary and D.U.I. charge and
I've learned my lesson. I'm 6', 180#, 27, hazel green
&: gray eyes, pleasant, easy-going & lonely. Born in
jackson, Mississippi. Seeking pen friends to help
ease the loneliness of prison. Race, sex, religion,
taste and choices unimportant. Ronathan Adams,
Unit 32-B, #82472, Parchman, MS 38738.
WM, 195#, 5'11 ", hazel eyes, auburn hair Christian.
Would like to have a good Christian woman for
friendship and to share the Word with. Will answer
all letters. God bless. Kenneth Newby, #839257, D202U, Okaloosa C.I., 3189 Little Silver Rd.,
Crestview, FL 32539.
Black youngsta from Colorado, in search of a cool
female who is willing to work through hard times.
Outside females preferably but will respond to all
letters, in or out. Mr. Shane Davis, #84152, C.S.P.
D2/23, P.O. Box 777, Canon City, CO 81215.
SWM, 40, seeking someone to write, to help ease
the loneliness of being a convict. Serving 15 years
in this federal concentration camp. Hope to be
released by 2002. Looking for honesty, sincerity,
caring, trust, open-mindedness, understanding: a
person for friendship or possible serious relationship. Will answer all letters. No prisoners. Will
exchange photos. Kenneth E. Sherry, #03328-027,
FCI Pekin, P.O. Box 5000, Iowa 2, Pekin, IL 615555000.
SWM, 22, brown hair, hazel eyes, 6'1", 175#. Seeks
friendship and possible love. Interests: reading,
sports, movies, learning &: everything that will allow
me to have fun. Down since '93, min. date Jan.,
2000. Photo for photo. Anthony Hartman, #CB6931, S.C.I. Huntingdon, 1100 Pike Street, Huntingdon, PA 16654.
Death Row Correspondence: I'm looking for
women, free to visit, for friendship, fun &: excitement. Age &: race unimportant, but must be over
18. A little knowledge of criminal law would help a
heck of a lot, too. Must write so please do so soon.
Henry Omar Brisbon; A-01072, Box 99, Pontiac, IL
61764.
SWM, looking for pen pals to write to . I'm into
weightlifting and staying healthy. I love the outdoors and poetry, and people with a good sense of
humor. Roger M. Chambers, #42-444, Ely State
Prison, P.O. Box 1989, Ely, NV 89301.
Puerto Rican/Black, 5'11 ", 200#, 30, TX guy doin'
time in NE. Seeking open-minded female correspondence. I enjoy reading, bodybuilding, writing,
communication with others. ISO someone who is
honest, intimate and sensitive. Race unimportant.
No inmates, please. Robert E. McHanny, #47033,
P.O. Box 2500, Lincoln, NE 68542.

82 PRISON LIFB

SWF, 41, 5'4", 130, brown hair, green eyes. Looking
for friendship and possible companionship. I'm
from Southern CA, out this year! Virginia Robinson,
#W55103, CCWF C512-12-4 up, P.O. Box 1508,
Chowchilla, CA 93610-1508.
WM, 35, kind, intelligent, accomplished author,
financially secure sincere, ex-white collar criminal,
ex-Wall Street wiz. Seeks special person to correspond with (maybe more). No gigolos, games or
bullshit please. Smiles guaranteed. R. DiRose,
#85C0773, Box 700, Wallkill, NY 12589.
BM, 41, doing a 16-year bit. Been down 4 years, another 6-7 to go. Would love to exchange thoughts and
ideas with someone who is beautiful as well as openminded. For M, it doesn't matter. Anthony Rancher,
#18841, P.O. Box 900, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
Seeking Helen ofTroy. DHM, 45, 6', 200#, brown
eyes & hair. Seeks honest, sincere lady, 25-38. Enjoys
life to fullest: romance, music, dancing, sports&:
doing those special things. I offer honesty, loyalty
and much more. john (Ringo) Castillo, #520514,
Connally Unit, HC. 67, Box 115, Kenedy, TX 78119.
I'm a white boy lookin' for letters. I'm 23, 5'8",
140#, brown eyes&: long hair. If you can help me
out, let me know. I have piggyback capabilities if
your institution doesn't allow inter-institutional writing. See ya on the flip side. Ronald Barnum,
#89523, ASPCPerryville, Santa Cruz, P.O. Box 3200,
Goodyear, AZ 85338.
Peckenvood looking for featherwood to exchange
letters, good times, friendship and more with the
right lady. Brian Neilsen, Solano County Jail, 500
·
Union Ave, Fairfield, CA 94533.
SBM, 44, 6", 165. Seeks lively communication with
sensitive female of any race, 30-45.J.H. Readus, H05714/Rm.5256, P.O. Box 8101, San Luis Obispo,
CA934~101.

Healthy, handsome NYC/SWM-Polish American.
Never married, college-educated, blue eyes, 5'8",
160#, 50 (but look 30), somewhat financially stable,
1st time in prison, fighting to prove innocence. 3
years to parole, non-violent, non-smoker, non-druggie-just a rare glass of wine or cocktail. Loves jazz,
classical, Cat Stevens, jogging, camping, theater, writing, poetry (Maya Angelou), politics. Seeking tender, caring, loyal and emotional supportive Italian,
Hispanic, or Afro-Amer. mature female over 21. I'm
not a hard-nosed gangster, I'm a soft-nosed sensitive
prankster. Would also like to write to any LiberalDemocrats (if any are left!), students, teachers, anyone who smiles, laughs and stops to smell the flowers
while sipping cappuccino. Sam Solen, Jr. #85A4082,
Box 2001, Dannemora, NY 12929-2001.
Love needs to communicate and mine is reaching out
in spirit. Released soon. Californian, 35, adventurous
&: romantic desiring decent and caring women of any
age. Could it be you? Contact Jorge Gutierrez,
#477999, Stiles Unit, Beaumont, TX 77705.
BM, 33, 6'0", 205#, solid. Seeks women with sense of
humor, intelligent and sincere about corresponding
with a true brother. Will respond to all. Russell Dew,
#085288, Liberty C.l., P.O. Box 999 (Dl-46L), Bristol, FL 32321. *Outta here 12/961
WM, imprisoned 15 yrs, 39, weightlifter, college graduate. Desiring correspondence with fellow LaVey,
Satanists. Interested in conversing about different rituals &: expanding relationships with fellow Satanists,
and Churches of Satan on the streets. Would like to
discuss humanistic, psychological vs. mystic, religious
beliefs and concepts. At this moment, I have no
belief in any personified God or entity. David
Heaton, #14937, Box 400, Rawlins, NY82301.
An unconditional friend. BM, 25, 6'2", 180#, very athletic with black eyes and dark complexion. Very understanding with a great sense of humor with H.S. diploma
& half a semester of college. Very affectionate to one's
needs, wants & desires. Seeking female, 22-32, who's
very sensitive and loves to watch sports who is political,
spiritual & social-minded. Love to write, sing, dance,
read, play basketball, ride horses &: motorcycles.
Michael Bee, #893613, U/32 E, Parchman, MS 38738.
Will answer all letters from those who were kind
enough to read this ad. SWM, 42, 6'3", tall, 220#, lt.
brown hair with blue-green eyes. Thank you very
much. Kevin john Whisenhunt, #15787, Ely State
Prison, P.O. Box 1989, Ely, NV 89301.

SWM, Italian, 39, 5'9", 165#, salt-n-pepper hair, w/
brown eyes. Looking for an honest lady, open-minded, uninhibited, naughty-but-nice lady to share correspondence, fantasies & maybe more. I love
children and have a 5-year-old son. Love rock 'n'
roll & fast cars. Write to: L.K.. Papalia, #884491, B254-L, Okaloosa C.l., 3189 Little Silver Rd.,
Crestview, FL 32539-6708.
SWM, 28, 6'1", 205#, muscular, brown hair, green
eyes. Seeking correspondence with anyone. Kevin
Porth, #40656, P.O. Box 1989, Ely, NV 89301.
BM, 38, 6'5", tall, dark, handsome, sincere with
open mind to whatever comes my way. Caught up in
the system with 3 1/2 years left. Seeking a good
woman, 30-45, with a positive outlook on life who
can cope until this good man is freed. Looking to
fill my lonely nights writing to you. Will answer all
letters, photos, etc. immediately! Any race, just be
real. Gerald Shelton, #AP-8949, P.O. Box 99901,
Pittsburgh, PA 15233.
My second ad. First ad was a very big success. Free
world dude, 46, white, single, seeking correspondence with inmates from across this land full of
"Hell's Kitchens." Ladies especially welcome to write.
I answer all letters. Again, no fags! No games, no
solicitation of any kind. I am not a preacher, I just
care about my brothers and sisters who are locked
down! Square business! Make 1996 a better year by
receiving male for a change. Write: Gary R. Lee,
2418 Bayou Drive, League City, TX 77573-2702.
BM, 37, 6'1", brown eyes, black hair, light-skin,
195#. Seeking women, 30-55, but would write all
women back who write to me. Very serious and honest and truthful. No games. Only 2 1/2 years before
I'm out. Please hurry. Love kids. Jeremiah N.
Brazile, #E885652, D-205, Okaloosa C.I., 3189 Little
Silver Rd, Crestview, FL 32539.
SWM, 40. Looking for Christians to pen pal with.
It's my second ad. Had great response to the first.
Will answer all. I will not answer requests for sex
letters. Write to: B. Neal Francis, Twin Rivers Correction Center, P.O. Box 888 (C-518), Monroe,
WA 98272-0888. (Dianna D. in TX, please write
again. Include your TDC #. I've gotten all letters
back.)
Aquarius, 42, 5' 11", 21 0# of sleek, chick medium
built madness, black hair & beard or goatee, brown
cat eyes, very bow-legged. Professional musician,
Master's degree in percussion, music theory and
compositions. Enjoys exercise, self-defense, reading,
writing, jazz, Gospel, R &: B music. A true romantic
seeking a professional sincere, loyal, dependable,
strong, music-loving women. All are welcome if sincere. Photos please. Age 21-75. Race unimportant.
We're all God's children. Ronald C. Searcy,
#210284, Marquette Branch Prison, P.O. Box 779,
Marquette, MI 49855.
SWM, 35-65, no fat, cowboy seeking female, 30-45,
who's honest, sincere and disease-free for friendship,
possible relationship who enjoys dancing, swimming,
movies, sports, long walks at night, fairs, country
music&: the outdoors. Bobby Davis,jr., #954637,
P.O. Box 601, 15B4A, Pendleton, IN 46064.
SWM, 21, 5'8", brown eyes&: hair. Looking for a
female pen pal of any race. Brian McFadden, W54990, MCI Norfolk, Box 43, Norfolk, MA 02056.
Certainly sincerely ... BM, 33, 6'1 ", 215#, light skin,
brown eyes, looking to make a heart smile. All races.
james Coney, #387453, Okaloosa C.I., 3189 Little
Silver Rd, Crestview, FL 32539-6708. D-225.
SWM, 35, blond hair, green eyes, 6'1 ", 240#, heavily-tattooed, attractive & well-built man. Seeking
true friendship with for real, stand-up white gals
with stout heart &: soul. I've been down 9 yrs. on
this 45 agg. and have a ways to go-1 need something real! I'm into health&: wealth, rock 'n' roll,
blues, jazz, Harley-Davidson's, guns&: I love sex!!!
Photo for photo, will answer all. Curtis R. Nolen,
#474467, Robertson Unit, 12071 FM 3522,Abilene,
TX 79601.
Open-minded male desperately seeks real friend.
I'm on Death Row and my life is very lonely. I need
a true friendship and perhaps, more. So, if you're
heart is full of love, please share some with me. Gary
Hart, #2-518, 7-D-11, Holman 3700, Atmore, AL
36503.

IN·CELL COOKING
Chef's Special of the Month:

Texas Frito Pie
1 can Roast Beef
2 cans Chili with Beans
2-4 Jalapeno peppers
1 pickle
Corn chips
Cheese
Hot sauce
1 teaspoon mustard
Salt and Pepper

The Big House Pasta-To Go
10 cans V-8 Juice
1 garlic bulb
1 medium onion
1 green pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. parsley
3 tsp. olive oil
3 cans Tuna (or squid, octopus, sardines)

Put corn chips in bowl. H eat roast beef
a nd c hili, the n mix in chopped up pickle and J alapei1os. Add a little hot sauce,
th e teaspoon of musta rd a nd salt a nd
pepper. Put o n top of corn chips. Top it
a ll off with cheese. Feeds two people or
one Bubba.
Thomas Weathers
Tenn. Colony, Texas

Brown garlic and onions in o live o il. Add
V-8 ju ice, parsley and o rega n o. Salt and
p ep per to taste. Add g ree n p e ppe r a nd
simmer for 2 hours. Ad d lllna, sq uid, octopus or sardines 15 minutes prio r to serving. Serve over p asta o r Ramen Nood les.
Serves 4.
Pete Huf
Lewisburg, PA

The Slop Sever
1 container (10 oz) Salsa
1 can Jalapenos, drained
1 Hot Pickle, drained
1/2 container (4 oz) Cheese Spread (optional)
1 packet or single serving Ranch Dressing
Cu tup J alapenos, o n io ns and carrots from can , and hot
p ickle. Mix with the salsa. Mix in c heese a nd ranch dressing. Shake it, stir it, whateve r, but use it on anyth ing you
want to make the slop edible a nd h e lp to keep yo u from
barking at the moon! Stays fres h around three days without refrigera tion. Enjoy.
The M1'S. Bu.ggs Badman
Utah State Prison

23-yearo(}ld, 5'8". 18!># Chicano from Calif:lS who got
c:naghtup in tlae Rocky ~foun tains. I h:l\'e 2 years le ft
on Ill)' sentence and I'm looking for a down·to-carth
female to write to. J osh Medina, #8 1437, CSP C.7-21,
P.O. Box 7i7, c.,n on Cit , CO 8 121 5.
SWM, 30, 5'9 ", 200#:blond h air and bitch in' blue
eyes. Teutonic beliefs. Likes: progress, iauclligence,
true justice, and indep endence. Dislikes: two·digit
IQs, authority. political scum and religion. Looking
for likc·mindccl females to stir up the cslahlishmcnt
with. ;:md possibly. romance. if the ingredients mix
compatibl)'· Will answer all responsible inrpairies. no
exceptions. ~ l ario Gambino, #610527. Coffield Un it.
S-<106. Rt. I Box 150, Tennessee Colon , T X 75884.
SWM, 40, 5'T, 200#, eligible for parole Christian
Lifer. Rclocatable, drug/ disease-free . honest. compassionate, unique style seeking sincere. dedicated
WF or Italian/ Latina lad)• for friendship/ relationship, age/ weight/ handicap unimpo rtant. Send
pho to. Pen pals of all race s/ sex welcome. All
a nswered . Send SASE to H.M. Byrne, #X56453.
~IDOC Unit#24-A. Parchman. MS 38738.
Artist. 6'. 175#, green eyes, long brown hair. free
spirit. Would like to hear from warm, imell igcnt
women. 28·up. Tom Connolly, B38619, Box 99,
Pontiac. IL 61764.
n.:..:g"'u""y-n-e""c'd's_a_p_e_n_ p'al'. -;c
l , an 32, 5' I 0",
Black/ l nd ic"a..:.
230#, easy goin g and o pen-minded. Hobbies
include reading, wri ting and mu sic. Write to: j o hn
Garrell, CA Men's Colony, H-397110 6389, P.O.
Box 8 101. San Luis Obispo, CA 93409·8101.

Wanted: In-Cell Cooking Recipes.
Are you a convict cook? Creative with commissary cuisine? Got something you want to
share with your down brothers & sisters?
Send us your recipe!
How to get a Pen Pal ad: You get one
free ad with your subscription.
After that, they're $9.95 a pop.
If you want to include a picture
of yourself, they're $19.95.
Prison Life Magazine, Editorial Office
200 Varick St., Ste. 901
New York, NY 10014

Special Bulletin ! Pen pals wanted! I'm an inmate.
I'm a BM. 160#, 5'11", and I'd like to make yo u
smile an d laugh. Write me. I'll answer all. Carlton
Smith , #7 10354, Union Correctional Instit ution,
1'.0. Box 221.{11 1, Raiford. FL 32083.
SWM, 43, 6', 280#. Been down 4 yrs. got 13 to go.
Lookin g for fe male p en pals . Will answer all le tters, r ace/age unimportant. Isaac L. Strope,
#06618-067. L.S.C. I. Alle n wood, P.O. Box 1000.
White Deer. PA 17887.
DWM, 37. b rown hair, hazel eyes, !!8", 160#. Looking for sincere friendship, honesty very important.
Please, no games! Age not an issue: ho nes ty is.
Fe males only! Photo for photo. if yo u desire. Will
answer all. Mark Estes, #6 14 108. 9601 N.E. 24th A\·e.
(Clements), Amarillo, TX 79107.
Strangers arc friends. ~1c:j ust turned 37. 6', 190#,
open-minded, confined fo r the past 12 years with
two more to go. Enjoy meetin g new people, reading (mostly law) and wrili ng. ISO woma n who's

in telligent but wi lling to learn, seeking a friendship that's justthat. Promise to answer any/ all who
write. Send photo for quick respon se. but not
needed fo r response. Bruce Gayn or, # 1863 12, 9 0 I
Correction s Way, 6 2-423, (arr.an, VA 23870.9614.
Death Row Correspondence: I'm looking for women,
free to \'isit for friendsh ip, fun and exciteme nt. Age
and race not important, but must be o\·cr 18 years old

and ha\'e a liule knowledge in criminal law would help
a heck of a lot. Must write so plc:ISC do so soon. Henry
Omar Blisbon, A.QI072, Box 99. Pontiac, IL~

Attracti\'e SW~I seeks a sultry fema le with a great
sense of humor. I'm 34 a nd full of passion. I'd like
to meet someone be fore I see the parole board tlais
year. Write to: Craig Robi n son, #3414 1. PO Box
311. El Domdo. KS 67042.
ra:..c""ti"",.e-·,- e-n-ergetic, tenderSBM, 33. 6'<1". 174#, att"'
h earted & s trong-will ed. Seekin g beau tifu l
p rincess, well-cduc:u cd, stable, physically fit, SCX)' &
passionate; o ne with se lf-esteem , soulful eyes. a
classic nose & sensuous voice; who's not afraid of
com mitment and building real dreams togeth er .
J\tust be marriage-minded, roman tic. faithful.
k now how to

II'C:lt

a m:tn and love children. Age

and race un important. Raymond Picke t t. #C21520. PO Box 7500, Rm. Bl-2 14l., Crescent City.
CA 9553 1.
SWM, 40. looking for Ch ristians to pen pal wit h.
It's my second ad. I lad great re ponsc to th e first.
\Viii an swer all. I will not answer reques ts fo •· sex
lc n ers. Write to: B. Neal Francis, Twin Ri vers Cor-

rection Ce n tca·, PO Box 888, C.5 18, Monroe. WA
98272-0888. • Dianna D. in Texas: Please write
again! Include your TDC n umber. I have gonen all
letters back.

NOTE: All Federal and some
state prisons prohibit correspondence between prisoners.
All such mall will not go
through .
PRISON LIFE

83

RESOURCES

by Alex Friedmann; Resource Editor; SOCCI TN

The nonjJrofit and voltm tee1~run agencies
in this list are all w01i1ing to helfl tiS, lluttlu!)'
can 't helfl us without your help. If you. wan/
to contact one or more of thesP 01ganizations
f or information, selfh elp materials or for
their newsletters, then do the right thingenclose some loose stamjJs or an SASE. Beller
yet, send them some money (that's right, some
of your hard-earned, hard-time prison
money.) 1:-ven one dollar can helfJ.
SOCIAL SUPPORT AGENCIES
• American Friends Service Committee, 150 1 Cherry
Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215/241-7130}: A
0-Joker organization that works for peace and equality. Their criminal justice branch con provide literature
on a vor!ety _of prison issues. There ore six regional
AFSC offoces 1n the U.S. : CA, Ml, NJ, MA, OH and NY.
• Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies,
251 Bonk Street #600, Ottowa, Ontario, Canada
K2PIX3 (613/ 238-2422}: Provides services and programs for women in Canadian prisons, through 19
local offices.
• John Howard Association, 67 E. Madison # 1416,
Chicago, ll 60603 (312/263-190 1}: This organization is mostly involved with prison reform and criminal
justice issues in Illinois, but they con provide materials
of interest to a ll prisoners. There is a separate JHA
branch in Canada.
• Notional Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP}, Criminal Justice Prison Program, 4805 Mount Hope Drive, Baltimore, MD
21215-3297 (41 0/358-8900}: Offers referrals and
advisory services for prisoners who wont to break the
cycle of recidivism-especially among minorities.
These projects operate through regional offices and
ore not available in every area. Write for local conloci addresses.
• Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR}, 301 Pork
Drive, Severna Pork, MD 21146 (410/ 647-3806}:
Provides post-release assistance for prisoners in lA,
MD, NJ, PA and VA, through 12 1ocol offices.
ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS
• CURE, P.O . Box 2310, Notional Capitol Station,
Washington, DC 20013-2310 (202/789-2126} :
Organization for prison reform, with stole chapters
and special groups for veterans, lifers, sex offenders
and federal prisons.
• Citizens for a Sole America, 635 Sloters lone G100, Alexandria, VA 22314 (703/684-0373}: Works
for a more progressive and human crime policy.
• Campaign for on Effective Crime Policy, 91 B F St.
NW #505, Washington, DC 20004 (202/ 6281903}: This agency works for effective criminal justice
reform. Ask your worden to join.
• Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM},
1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, #200, Washington,
DC 20004 (202/d57-5790}: Works for the repeal of
federal mandatory minimum sentencing lows.
• Justice Watch, 932 Dayton Street, Cincinnati, OH
45214 (513/241-0490}: Works to eliminate dossism
and racism from prisons.
PUBUCATIONS & MAGAZINES
• Fortune News , ATIN: Inmate Subscriptions, 39
West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011 {212/ 2067070}: A publication of Fortune Society.
• Inside Journal, c/ o Prison Fellowship, P.O. Box
16429, Washington, DC 20041 -6429 (703/ 47801 00}: A publication of Prison Fellowship.
• Notional Prison Proiect Journal, ACLU Notional
Prison Project, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW #41 0,
Washington, DC 20009 (202/234-4830}: $2/yeor
for prisoners.
• Outlook on Justice, AFSC, 2161 Mossochusells
Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140 (617/ 661 -6130}: A
newsletter of the American Friends Service Commitlee; $2/ year for prisoners.
• Prison Life Magazine, 200 Yorick Street, Suite 901 ,
New York, NY 10014 (800/ 207-2659}: A notional
magazine by and for prisoners ($19.95/year}.

84

PRISON LIFE

BOOK AND READING PROJEaS
• Books Beyond Bars, P.O . Box 4865, Hialeah, Fl
33014 (305/ 444-0 120): A for-profit company that
offers a book-ordering service for prisoners.
• Books for Prisoners, clo Left Bonk Bookstore, 92
Pike St., Box A, Seattle, WA 98101 : This volunteer
program provides up to three books a t a time.
• Prison Book Program, Redbook Store, 92 Green
Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130: No books con be
sent to prisoners in KS, NE, lA, Ml, OR or CA.
• Prison library Project, 976 W. Foothill Blvd #128,
Claremont, CA 91711 .
• Prisoner literature Project, c/ o Bound Together
Books, 1369 Haight Street, Son Fra ncisco, CA
94117: Free books for prisoners.
• Prison Reading Project, Paz Press, P.O. Box 3 146,
Fayetteville, AR 72702: Free books for women prisoners.
PAROLE & PRE-RELEASE INFORMATION
• American Correctional Association, Publications
Dept, 8025 laurel lakes Court, laurel, MD 207075075 (301 / 206-5059 or 800/ 825-2665): Publishes
a parole planning guide, •As Free as on Eagle; and
sells other self-help books.
• Interstate Publishers, 510 North Vermillion Street,
P.O .Box 50, Danville, IL 61834-0050 (217/ 4460500 or 800/ 843-4774): Sells a parole planning
manual, "From the Inside Out."
• OPEN, Inc . (Offender Preparation and Education
Network}, P.O . Box 566025, Dallas, TX 75356-6025
(214/271 -1971}: Sells "99 Days & a Get-up," "Man,
I need o Job I" and other great pre-release guidesfor $4.95 each.
• Manatee Publishing, 4835 North O ' Conner St.
#134435, Irving, TX 75062: Sells "Getting Out and
Staying Out," a porole·Jllonning manual, for $22.45.
• CEGA Services, Offender Referrals, P.O. Box
B1826, lincoln, NE 68501-1 826 (402/464-0602}:
CEGA offers pre-release referrals far prisoners for the
area they will be paroled to (such as housing, employment and substance abuse treatment programs.) S 15
fee fo r each city. CEGA also sells the "Survival
Sourcebook" and "The Job Hunter's Workbook."
• Vietnam Veterans of America, Veterans Incarcerated liaison, 1224 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20005
{202/ 628-2700): Publishes "From Felon to Freedom;
a pre-release guide for imprisoned veterans.
PRISON AJDS RESOURCES
• Correctional Association AIDS in Prison Project,
135 E. 15th Street, New York, NY 10003 (2 12/6740800): Offers resource information concerning AIDS
in prison, especially for inmates in New York.
• HIV Prison Project, NYC Commission on Human
Rights, 40 Rector St., New York, NY 10006
(2 12/233-5560}.
• Notional Prison Hospice Association, P.O. Box 58,
Boulder, CO B0306-005B: Helps develop hospice
programs for terminally ill prisoners.
• Notional ACLU Prison Project, AIDS Education Project, 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW 410, Washington, DC 20009 (202/234-4830}.
• Oasis Project, c/o Susan K. Meadows, Prison Program Director, 923 S. E. Boy Blvd, Newport, OR
97365: Provides a peer outreach support network for
those infected with HIV or diagnosed with AIDS.
• "One Doy at a Time," c/ o Richard H. Rhodes #0535301 B, U.S.P. Leavenworth, P.O. Box 1000, Leavenworth,
KS 66048: An AIDS newsletter lor prisoners.
• People With AIDS Gxilifion of New York, Inc. (PWAC·
NY}, 50 West 17th Street, Bth Floor, New York, NY
100 11 (212/ 647-1415): Publishes Newsline, a monthly
magazine by and for people with AIDS, in which they
provide o space for prisoners living with AIDS.
• Prison AIDS Pro ject, Goy Community News, 62
Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 021 16 (Notional AIDS
Goy Task Force: B00/221-704d).
• Prison AIDS Resource Center, P.O. Box 2 155,
Vacaville, CA 95696-2155; or 926 J. Street, #801,
Sacramento, CA 95814.
• Prisoners with AIDS/ Rights Advocacy Group, P.O.
Box 2161 , Jonesboro, GA 30237 (404/ 946-9346):
Offers support, educational materials, referrals and
political lobbying for prisoners with AIDS/ HIV.
MISCELLANEOUS RESOURCES
• Families in Action for Incarceration Reforms (FAIR},
309 Mamaroneck Ave., Suite 293, White Plains, NY

10605 (914/ 946-2734}: A volunteer group tha t
assists prisoners with the following: locating a nonlegal aid lawyer, reaching the media and finding pen
pals. They a lso provide how-to books below cost and
legal items a nd gihs at cost.
• Infinity Lifers Group, c/ o Julie Travers, Chairperson,
P.O. Box 772, Station B, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 5P9: A
volunteer prisoner's rights ond political advocacy group.
• International legal Defense Counsel, Packard Building, 24th Fl., 111 South 15th St. , Philadelphia , PA
19102 (2 15/ 977 -9982): An advocacy agency lor
American citizens incarcerated overseas.
• league lor lesbian and Goy Prisoners, 1202 East
Pike St. , #1044, Seattle, WA 98122: A project of
Goy Community Social Services.
• James Markunas Society, 245 Harriet Street, Son
Francisco, CA 94103 (415/ 775-5445}. A resource
for lesbian, goy and bisexual prisoners.
• Mothers Opposed to Maltreatment of Service Members (MOMS), 8285 Block How Court, Frederick, MD
21701 : Advocates for prisoners in military prisons
and disciplinary barracks. Con provide a pre-release
booklet entitled "New Beginnings.•
• The Prison Chess Program, P.O . Box 444 19, Washington, DC 20026 {301 / 530-4841.)
• Native American Indian Inmate Support Project, B
Dallas Dr., Grantville, PA 17028: A Native American
group that supports the introduction of Indian religious ceremonies and programs in p risons.
• Native American Prisoners' Rehabilitation Research
Project, 2848 Paddock lone, Villa Hills, KY 41017:
Offers many services for Native American prisoners,
including legal and spiritual support, tribal and cultural
programs and direct contact with prison administrators.
• Packages from Home, P.O. Box 905, Forestville, CA
95436: Sells moil-order food packages for prisoners,
at around $20/ pkge.
• PEN, Writing Program for Prisoners, 568 Broodway, New York, NY 10012 (212/ 334-1660}: Offe rs
a great resource booklet for prison writers. Also sponsors on annual writing contest for prisoners.
• Prisoners of Conscience Project, 2120 lincoln St.,
Evanston, ll 6020 1 (708/ 328-1543}: A religiousbased agency that works fo r the release of prisoners
of conscience/ political prisoners in the United Stoles.
• Prisoner Visitation and Support, 1501 Cherry
Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215/ 241-7 117}:
Provides institutional visits to prisoners in federal and
military prisons nationwide.
• Project for Older Prisoners (POPS}, c/ o Jonathon
Turley, Director, The Notional low Center, 2000 H
Street NW, Washington, DC 20052.
• The Safer Society, Shoreha m Depot Rood, RR 1,
Box 24-B, Orwell, VT 05760-9756 (802/ 897-754 1):
Self-help materiels lor sex offenders.
• Stop Prisoner Rope, Inc., PO Box 2713, Monhottonville Station, New York, NY 10027 (212/ 6635562); e-mail : sprdon@ix.netcom.com; Web:
http:// www.igc.opc.org/ spr/. Information and advocacy on sexual abuse and exploitation of prisoners;
support a nd advice for victims and targets of both sexes
including info on psychological and health consequences, legal action and survivors' options.
• The Poetry Wall, Cathedral of St. John, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025: Displays
poetry written by prisoners.
CHILD & FAMILY RESOURCES
Thn-r nrr "''"')' organiwtions that htlp Jl1isowm who
hm•r rhildrm. '111tJt agmcitJ prouidt littraturr, infonnation, tulviu aru/ support 011 how to r.opr with family prol>kms whilt i ll fniSOII. Dirtrt twisttmct is usually availablt
o11ly i11 tht loml nmiS thntthtst progrtmiS sen~.
• Aid to Imprisoned Mothers (AIM}, 599 Mitchell St.,
SW, Atlanta, GA 30314 (404/ 221-0092}: An advocacy group for incarcerated mothers. Although social
services ore only provided in the Atlanta area, AIM
con provide he lpful information for all women in
prison who hove children.
• Center for the Children of Incarcerated Parents,
Pacific Oaks College, 714 W. California Blvd,
Pasadena , CA 9 11 05 (818/ 397-1300): Provides
free educational material for incarcerated parents
and their children.
• Family and Corrections Network, Jane Adams Center
M/ C 309, 1040 West Harrison St. #4010, Chicago, ll

60607-7134 (312/996-3219): Provides information
about programs serving families of prisoners.
• Fathers Behind Bars, P.O. Box 86, Niles, Ml 49120
(616/ 684-5715): A by-prisoners, for-prisoners
agency that helps to set up institutional parent groups
for incarcerated fathers. Only the serious need apply!
• legal Services fo r Prisoners wi th Children, 47 4
Valencia St., #230, Son Francisco, CA 94103
(4 15/255-7036): l egal services ore p rovided in California only, but some general information is available.
• Notional Institute of Corrections, Information Center, 1860 Industrial Circle, Suite A, l ongmont, CA
80501 (303/682-02 13): Provides the "Directooy of
Programs Serving Families of Adult Offenders."
• Notional Resource Center for Family Support Programs, Family Resource Coalition, 200 S. Michigan
Ave. , # 1520, Chicago, ll60604 (312/341-0900):
Provides information about family programs, including prison projects.
• Parent Resource Association, 213 Fernbrook
Avenue, Wyncote, PA 19095 (215/576-7961): Support for ch ild/parenting programs in prison; offers
referrals and information to incarcerated parents.
• Prison Family Foundation, P.O. Box 1150, Auburn,
Al 36831 (205/821- 1 150): Works to support family
education progra ms in prison. Sells pre- and postrelease books and other publications; works with
prison administrations to form institutional family support groups.
LEGAL RESOURCE5-FEDERAL/ NATIONAL
Tlwn• an• Jllfut_\' agrncits thai Jnrmhlr IPgal ~rn1iCI''i for
Jni,,onn:\; mo,\1 of lltPSf' o~rmi:.atiou., r/i,,JH'IW' information
or ojfrr rrfrrPurr matninl. XotP thai tltr ,,. flJ!f'llcit·~ tfo not
uwally luuullf' jJerjonnllPJ!fll St'l11irr' .l t~ rh rn filing
afljJrn/s, jJmt-rmwirtions or law.wits- witlt thr rxrttJtion r{
for-Jnuflt cowfJallil's (uotli.Jtnllum•) that rhnr-,:r lm;...rrJn~f.

Federal
• U.S. Deportment of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section, Washington, DC 20530
(202/ 51 4 -6255): Enforces the "Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act" through lawsuits against stole or
local prison officials who deprive prisoners of their constitutional rights or who practice racial discrimination.
• U.S. Supreme Court, Public Information Office,
Washington, DC 20543-000 I (202/ 479-3211 ): Con
provide up to five Supreme Court decisions per term.
Supreme Court slip opinions ore available through the
Government Printing Office. Contact: The Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Printing Office, Washington,
DC 20402 (202/ 783-3238).
National
• ACLU Notional Prison Project, 1875 Connecticut
Ave., NW #41 0, Washington, DC 20009 (202/2344830): A branch of the notional ACLU that works on
prison legal issues. Sells resource directories, criminal
justice statistic books end legal aid manuals; also
offers o prison newsleHer for $2 per year and sells the
"Rights of Prisoners" handbook for $5. Doesn't han d le individual cases; they only litigate large-scale stole
or notional prison reform legal actions.
• Americans for Effective Low Enforcement, 5519 N.
Cumberland Ave# 1008, Chicago, IL 60656-1498
(312/763-2800): Sells monthly legal update publicolions, including the "Jail and Prisoner Low Bulletin ."
Although this bulletin is meant for corrections officials,
it includes excellent resource material on the latest
prison-related court cases nationwide . Annual costs
ore S 168; perhaps your low librooy con subscribe.
Other bulletins include the "Liability Reporter" and
"Security Legal Update."
• Columbia Human Rights Low Review, 435 West
1 16th Street, Box B-25, New York, NY 1002 7
(212/663-8701 ): Sells the "Jailhouse Lawyer Manua l" (JLMJ for $30 o copy ($13 for prisoners).
• Correctional Low Reporter, Civic Research Institute,
4490 Route 27, Box 585, Kingston, NJ 08528: Case
low newsleHer; $ 125/yeor.
• Georgetown University Low Center, Criminal Procedure Pro ject, 600 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington,
DC 2000 1. (202/662-9468): Publishes the Georgetown Low Journal, the annual "Criminal Procedure"
issue costs $30.
• Freedom Press, P.O. Box 4458, Leesburg, VA 22075
(703/866-1446) or: (800/370-7052): A prison project run by volunteer porolegols. They offer legal services at reduced roles, sometimes on monthly payment
plans; they also offer ministry and counseling services.

• Inside/ Out Press, P.O. Box 188131, Sacramento,
CA 95818: Publishes self-help legal guides. Inside/Out
is the moil-order business for the Prisoners' Rights
Union, which focuses on California prison issues.
• Lewisburg Prison Project, P.O. Box 128, Lewisburg,
PA 17837-0128 (717 / 523-1104): Sells low-cost literature regarding constitutional rights, due process
and other legal issues of interest to prisoners.
• Notional Lawyers Guild , Prison Low Project, 558
Cop Street, Son Francisco, CA 94 11 0 (415/2855067): A notional legal agency with o n interest in
helping jailhouse lawyers.
• Notional Legal Services, 710 Lake View Ave. NE,
Atlanta, GA 30308 (404/874-9553): Post-conviction
specialists; fees for service.
• Oceano Press, 7 5 Main Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY
10522 (914/ 693-81 00): Sells prison-related legal
books, including "The Prisoner's Self-Help Litigation
Manual" (S30) and "Post-Conviction Remedies" ($20).
• Paralegal Associates, 209 S. Broadway #246, Balti more, MD 2123 1: Offers a case-lows summary
news service; S30 annual subscription.
• Prisoner Legal News, P.O. Box 1684, Lake Worth,
FL 33460: A magazine published by p risoners in
Washington that covers nationwide prison legal
issues . Subscrip tion roles ore around $12 per
yeor/12 issues.
• Storlite, P.O. Box 20004, St. Petersburg, FL 33742
(813/392-2929 or 800/577-2929): Sells the CITEBOOK, which is o collection of positive federal and
slate case low, both criminal and civil. The CITEBOOK
is updated quarterly and costs $28 ($112 annually).
Although this is fairly expensive, perhaps your low
librooy con subscribe; this company also sells other
books regarding business, consumer and legal issues.
• West Publishing Company, 610 Opperman Drive,
Saint Paul, MN 55123- 1340 (800/328-9352): Publishes "Corrections and Prisoners Rights in o Nutshell"
and "Criminal Procedures in o Nutshell," a t $17 each.
PARALEGAL PROGRAMS
• Blackstone School of Low, P.O. Box 701449, Dallas, TX 75370 (800/826-9228): Offers o well-known
correspondence program.
• Southern Career Institute, 164 West Royal Palm Rd,
Boca Rolon, FL 33432 (800/ 669-2555 or 407/3682522): Offers o complete paralegal course that costs
S1595 to S 1977; monthly payment plans available.
This school is accredited by the D.E.T.C.
• The Porolegol Institute , 3602 W est Thomas Rood
# 9, Drawer 11408, Phoenix, AZ 85061 - 1408
(602/272-1855): Offers paralegal courses for fees
ranging between $1290 and $2750. Monthly payment plans and on Associate degree program available. Accredited by the D.E.T.C.
MINISTRIES & BIBLE STUDIES
• A/G Prison Ministoy, 1445 Boonville, Springfield,
MO 65802: Offers Christian ministering programs.
• Emmaus Bible Correspondence School, 2570
Asbuoy Rd, Dubuque, lA 52001 (319I 588-8000):
Offers free Bible courses for prisoners.
• The Notional Convocation of Jail end Prison Ministry, 1357 East Capitol St. SE , Washington , DC
20003: A national agency far prison chaplains.
• Good News Mission, 1036 Highland Street, Arlington, VA 22204 (703/979-2200): A Christian organization that provides support, witnessing and spiritual
counseling to inmates in 110 prisons a cross 14 stoles.
• Guideposts, 39 Seminary Hill Rood, Carmel, NY
10512 (914/ 225-3681 ): A Christian organization that
publishes Guidepost magazine. Also sponsors the FIND
information network, which provides information referrals: FIND Network, P.O. Box 855, Carmel, NY I0512.
• Hope Aglow Prison Ministries, P.O. Box 3057 ,
Lynchburg, VA 24503: A nationwide religious organization that offers Bible study courses.
• International Prison Min istoy, P.O. Box 63, Dallas,
TX 75221.
• Liberty Prison Ministries, P.O . Box 8998,
Waukegan, IL 60079: This Christian ministoy publishes the Liberator newsleHer.
• Liberty Prison Outreach, 701 Thomas Rood, Lynchburg, VA 24514 (804/239-9281 ): Provides religious
assistance to prisoners, mostly in central Virginia;
Bible correspondence courses available.
• Prison Fellowship, P.O. Box 17500, Washington,
DC 20041 (703/ 478-01 00): A nationwide ministoy
that sponsors spiritual activities in prison.

• Prison Ministry of Yokefellows Inte rnational, The
Yokefellow Center, P.O . Box 482, Rising Sun, MD
219 1 1 (41 0 / 658-2661) : A religious organization
that offers information and literature to prisoners.
• Prison Project, c/o Tom Toomey, SYDA Foundation,
371 Brickman Road , Hurleyville, NY 12747-53 13.
Offers o correspondence course in meditatio n upon
request.
• Set Free Prison Ministries, P.O. Box 5440, Riverside, CA 92517-9961 (909/787-9907): Provides on
extensive Bible study course.
·
• Southern Prison Ministoy, 910 Ponce de Leon Ave.
NE, Atlanta, GA 30306.
• U.S. Mennonite Central CommiHee, Office of Criminal Justice, P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501-0500
(7 17 /859-3889): Offers many publications concerning crime and religion-most o re free to prisoners.
ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS
• Islamic Prison Foundation, 121 2 New York Avenue
NW #400, Washington, DC 20005: Mostly works
with Muslims in federal p risons.
• The Notionol lncorceroted Muslim Network, c/o
Maurice Taylor, #476837, Rou te 3, Box 59, Rosha ron, TX 77583: A p rison-based organization that
networks with incarcerated Muslims for support and
educational purposes.
JUDAISM ORGANIZATIONS
• Aleph Institute, P.O. Box 546564, Surfside, FL
33154 (305/864-5553): A full -service Jewish advocacy agency with regional offices.
• International Coalition for Jewish Prisoners Services,
1640 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20036-3278 (202/857-6582): Offers support, referra ls, guidance, educational and religious p rograms,
and pen pols.
BUDDHIST/ MEDITATION GROUPS
• Human Kindness Foundation, Prison Ashram Project, Route I , Box 201-N, Durham, NC 27705: Provides reading materiel for spiritual living.
• lskcon Prison Ministries, 2936 Esplanade Ave.,
New Orleans, LA 70 119.
• Prison Dharma Network, P.O. Box 9 12 , Astor Station, Boston, MA 02123-0912: Offers Buddhist meditation literature.
DEATH PENALTY RESOURCES
• American Civil Liberties Union, Capitol Punishment
Project, 122 Mooylond Avenue NE, Washington, DC
20002 (202/675-23 19): A branch of the ACLU that
d eals with death penalty issues.
• American Friends Service CommiHee, 1501 Cheroy
Street, Philadelphia, PA 19 102 (215/ 241-7 130): A
Quaker peace organization that works to bon the
death penalty as one of their Cri minal Justice projects.
• Amnesty International, Pro ject to Abolish the Death
Penalty, 322 8th Ave., New York, NY 10001-4808
(212/807-8400): Works to abolish the death penalty
through public leHer-writing campaigns.
• Capitol Punishment Research Project, P.O. Box 277,
Headland, AL 36345 (205/693-5225).
• Catholics Against Capitol Punishment, P.O. Box
3125, Arlington, VA 22203 (703/ 522-5014): A religious organization against the death penalty.
• Death Penalty Information Center, 1606 20th Street
NW, Washington, DC 20009 (202/347-2531 ).
• Death Row Support Project, P.O. Box 600, Liberty
Mills, IN 46946 (219/ 982-7480) : Offers pen-pol
services to death row inmates.
• Endeavor Project, P.O. Box 235 1 I, Houston, TX
77228-3511: A magazine produced by and for prisoners on death row.
• Friends CommiHee to Abolish the Death Penalty,
c/o Charles Obler, 802 West 3rd Street, Farmville,
VA 2390 1: Publishes the Quaker Abolitio nist; subscriptions $6/yr for prisoners.
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund , 99 Hudson Street,
16th Floor, New York, NY 100 13 (212/219- 1900):
A legal b ranch of the NAACP that supports minority
rights; also has on anti-death penalty pro ject.
• Notional Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, 918
F St. NW #60 1, Washington, DC 20004 (202/ 347241 1): Works to abolish the death penalty. Also provides o booklet listing anti-death penalty resources in
each stole ("The Abolitionisr s Directooy," $2).

Cha nges, additions and new information should be
sent to: Prison Life Magazine, Resources Deporlmenl,
200 Vorick 51, Suite 90 1, New York, NY 100 14.

PRISON LIFE 85

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