On Human Rights Day 1999, we draw attention to Amerika's violation 
of such rights in its prisons.

Michigan prisoners protest conditions.

VOICE ONE

On Humyn Rights Day, we draw attention to Amerika's violation of 
such rights in its prisons

December 10th marked the 51st anniversary of the Universal 
Declaration of Human  Rights, which was adopted without dissent in 
1948 by the General Assembly of  the United Nations. This document 
supposedly guarantees everyone in the world the right to freedom 
from oppression and torture, access to education, freedom of 
expression and the right to life and liberty. It also guarantees 
the right to private property and other bourgeois rights 
fundamental to capitalism that make it impossible to achieve 
equality for all people of the world. 

MIM highlights the following accomplishments of the united snakes 
to celebrate this anniversary -- and to demonstrate that the 
system of capitalism is incompatible with universal humyn rights.

*       By 1996, US spending on prisons had surpassed US spending 
on colleges.

*       As of early 1998, there were over 13,000 political 
detainees in US prisons seeking asylum.

*       The US is one of only five countries with the death 
penalty against juveniles.

*       There are 5.5 million US adults under control of the US 
prison system.

*       One out of nine US children has one or both parents in 
prison.

*       One out of three Black man age 18-35 is in prison, on 
parole or probation.

*       88% of those sentenced for crack cocaine are Black, only 
4% are white--even though more than half of crack users are white.

*       Black political leader, Mumia Abu-Jamal, was denied a new 
trial and faces state execution.


 VOICE THREE

In August,  Michigan prisoners protested conditions & organized a 
'Day  of Solidarity'

We air this information both to expose the conditions within 
Amerika's dungeons and to promote the growth of legal organization 
against oppression by prisoners and outside supporters. Following 
the peaceful protest, MIM learned that certain leaders have been 
transferred because of their legal political activities.

MIM provides support and leadership to prisoners, in part, by 
providing material for political education study groups. These 
study groups are essential aspects of the struggle to improve 
conditions and to end this system built upon slavery, repression 
and exploitation. We urge allies on the outside to step up their 
support for MIM's Serve the People Free Books for Prisoners 
Program. This program provides material necessary for prisoners to 
educate one another and to defend themselves against attacks by 
the state -- such as the separation of leaders from the general 
population of the prison or their comrades.

The announcement of the prisoners' Day of Solidarity was delayed 
in arriving in MIM's hands. Since then, an outside supporter 
informed MIM that the Day of Solidarity consisted primarily of 
prisoners peaceably educating one another, walking in the yard and 
refusing some activities as they demonstrated their unity. The 
statement of the Michigan prisoners follows.

VOICE FOUR

We, prisoners at Mound Correctional Facility, 17601 Mound Road, 
Detroit, Michigan, will be demonstrating a peaceful protest on 
August 3, 1999. This protest is against the administration and its 
failure to operate this institution in the standard and efficient 
manner that it is supposed to. ...

The imprisoning rate is at an all-time high and steadily 
increasing, it is not hard at this particular time to find many 
members in the community who have family, friends and loved ones 
in prison. Issues affecting the prison population are issues 
affecting the community as well. Anytime you have money being 
stolen from prisoners accounts, it is more than likely money sent 
from a family member, friend or loved one, all of which, are 
members of the community. 

When you have prisons where there's an absence of rehabilitation 
programs,  social development programs, and job marketable skills 
programs, you are looking  at a community problem because it is 
prisoners who are going to be returning to the communities from 
which they came. Prisoners unable to find decent employment to 
sustain themselves and provide their basic necessities (food, 
clothing and shelter) will be forced to find other means that are 
probably illegal. This is definitely a community issue because 
prisoners can either return as viable assets or dangerous 
liabilities.

In any event, we thank you for taking the time to review this 
missive and our outline of issues that we are demonstrating 
against.

VOICE THREE

The Michigan Prisoners explained their Prisoners' Day of 
Solidarity as follows,

VOICE FOUR

Prisoners' Day of Solidarity is a day that all prisoners in the 
Mound Correctional Facility will use to show and demonstrate unity 
amongst ourselves. And it is a collective stand against the 
repressive conditions, ineffective administration of programs, 
accounting and health care, and the overall failure to operate in 
a functional capacity to which an institution of this nature is 
supposed to.

There are a number of issues affecting the prison population at 
large, listed below are a few that have had a catastrophic affect, 
yet, as serious as these issues are, they can be rectified with 
little time and energy.

1. Health Care/Services:

Medical care at this facility is obsolete. Prisoners are denied 
pain relief medications for injuries whether internal or external 
and we are denied simple medications for seasonal cold and allergy 
symptoms. For examples, since the opening of this facility, the 
health care unit has distributed the same red and yellow pills 
(Pseudophedrine HCI 30mg and Chlorpheniramind Maleate 4mg) to 
inmates and officers regardless of the symptoms and we're told 
that these pills are multipurpose as if they're vitamins. Whenever 
someone has a cold, allergy, fever, sinus/nasal problem, sore 
throat, upset stomach, ear infection, hay fever, or swollen red 
eyes, the health care unit distributes these same pills! This is 
ignorant, inhumane and unacceptable and must stop immediately.

Any health care system should be adequately stocked with symptom 
curing medications and not just two generic ones.

We are denied thorough and adequate examinations for medical 
concerns. We are denied efficient emergency medical response when 
there is an emergency. We are denied the professional conduct they 
are supposed to give. Instead of diagnosing prisoners on an 
individual basis, the nurses erroneously assume that every 
prisoner that comes to health care is 'crying wolf', and they make 
no attempt to hide this belief while they belittle and attack 
patients in pain.

2. Business Office/Accounting:

Here at the Mound Correctional Facility, money has been stolen and 
misappropriated by poor management on more than one occasion, 
which has resulted in the Prisoners' Benefit Fund being in debt by 
tens of thousands of dollars. Because of this unchecked robbery 
and mismanagement, the PBF was and is expected to be corrected -- 
at the prisoners' expense. This is done by raising the already too 
high store prices, which forces us, because there is no other  way 
to get needed products, to buy into our own exploitation. Not only 
are the prisoner store prices too high, many of the products are 
useless.  The pens for example, are unable to spit enough ink out 
to write a one page letter and the televisions are lucky to last 
six months.

There are also a number of cases in which money has come up 
missing from prisoners' accounts. There is never any certainty 
that when making orders, the money will actually been taken out of 
the accounts and be sent to the intended destination. In fact, 
this is the only facility in the  Michigan Department of 
Corrections (MDOC) that takes at least three months to receive 
ordered items.

This also happens to be the only facility in the Michigan 
Department  of Corrections where the Prisoners' Benefit Fund 
doesn't have the necessary  finances to purchase microphones, 
speakers and other necessary instruments for  programs put on by 
prisoners or done by outside volunteers and guests.

3. Food Service:

Recently, the bowls and plates have been exchange with a serving 
tray that has served the purpose of cutting the rations of food 
down considerably. ...

Sanitation is another factor here. On most occasions, because of 
the shape of the trays, they are difficult to clean properly. At 
any other facility where these particular trays are used, they are 
used with inserts just to secure sanitation. There must be an end 
to the usage of these trays or at very least, slot inserts must be 
provided for trays.

Over the last couple of months, there have been major 
inconsistencies in the running of the chow lines. Either the units 
are called too close to one another and it gets overcrowded and 
have to wait outside, or the units are called too far apart, 
cutting into prisoners' yard time. This too has to be rectified.

4. Programs:

It is estimated that 72% of all prisoners that are released from 
prison will return to prison within three years as a result of a 
new charge or parole violation. When looking at the Mound 
Correctional Facility, you can see exactly why the recidivism rate 
is so high. Here, there are no rehabilitation or habilitation 
programs, there are no social development programs, and there are 
no job-marketable-skills programs. 

On a number of occasions, there have been attempts to have male 
responsibility programs  but all were denied using the excuse of 
not having a qualified teacher (which means someone with a 
teachers certificate, even though they don't provide us the means 
to attain a teachers certificate.) Outside volunteers have 
attempted to do alternative ministries and non- Islamic or 
Christian centered ones are turned away. Volunteers who have 
attempted to come in and teach drug rehab and other programs and 
were denied.

There are no job marketable skilled programs here that will state-
certify (not MDOC certify)  a prisoner, enabling him to 
successfully enter into the job market in society with the skills 
necessary to meet whatever the requirements are in common labor 
markets. Without these skills that are necessary to secure decent 
jobs, there is no doubt that released prisoners who are super- 
exploited, will more than likely return to crime or extra-legal 
means to not only support themselves, but in many cases, support 
their family who depend on them.

We must have some real, concrete programs, much stronger than the 
inadequate ones provided in the past,  that will encourage our 
development and rehabilitation and will increase our chances of 
surviving legally after release.

What we want

1. We want the negligence at the health care unit to end. We want 
thorough examinations and appropriate medications for the many 
different illnesses and sicknesses that we encounter during our 
incarceration. We also want the health care unit personnel to 
carry and conduct themselves in a professional manner regardless 
of how they feel or what they think, this isn't personal and 
shouldn't be taken as such.

2. We want the business office to run more efficiently and to be 
held accountable. The failure to manage the Prisoners' Benefit 
Fund and prisoners' accounts has to stop. We want for the 
prisoners' orders to vendors, publications, et cetera, to be 
processed in a much more timely manner.

The store prices must come down to be reasonable. Old products can 
no longer be sold to prisoners and must be discarded. And the 
visits to the store must work on a rotating schedule to ensure 
fairness. ...

3. We want for the food service lines to run more effectively, 
there is no reason for prisoners to be lined up outside of the 
chow hall waiting for their meals, nor should meals run into yard 
time and yard activities. We want for the unsanitary serving trays 
to be discarded and the standard bowls and plates to go back into 
usage or, at very least, implement the usage of sanitary inserts 
into the serving trays.

4. We want social development programs, programs that are designed 
to empower individuals with healthy values and views that are 
essential in productive human beings; programs that will instill a 
sense of responsibility while providing the impetus to make a 
positive change and betterment of our lives.

We want one or more job marketable skilled programs that will 
prepare prisoners for employment... We must have something that 
will prepare us for employment.

This is a protest against the above stated issues. We have tried 
to deal with these issues by way of the Warden's Forum, only to no 
avail. This Warden's Forum is no longer effective in representing 
us on this matter; this is a demonstration of the collective will 
of the entire prison population. This is a peaceful protest.  
However, if what we want is ruled out as being unacceptable, then 
the collective will of the entire prison population will see to it 
that these above stated objectives are reached.

-- A Michigan prisoner, July 1999.

VOICE THREE

The Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM) encourages prisoners to  
continue writing to MIM and work with us to expose prison 
conditions. Getting your words out to educate and convince more 
people to become internationalist is essential. The gains of 
previous prisoner rebellions are often lost over time. This will 
continue as long as Amerika is the imperialist war-mongering 
country that it is. The system of imperialism, national oppression 
and prisons for profit and social control must be abolished. We 
can achieve some improvements by standing up and putting forward 
demands, but the imperialist pigs will continue to reinstate their 
means of control at the next opportunity. Our work must be toward 
ending imperialism in its entirety.