Oppression at NY SHUs

I'd like to convey a message to comrades of the struggle in reference to the past & present inhumane conditions we here in NY SHUs are subjected to. I'd like to start off with the violations of the medical confidentiality laws, our situation is as follows: in order for anyone to see a P/A [Physicians Assistant?], we must first discuss our medical issues on the gates in the galleries, not only to the nurses aid, but in front of correctional officers. In effect, our medical issues are open business to other convicts as well as correctional officers. I find this unreasonable & unsatisfactory due to the fact that in each building there is a P/A and nurses aid's office and exam room. Furthermore, when and if we are examined in these exam rooms, the doors are left open with the COs standing right outside. Mind you, in this exam room we are cuffed & shackled so we can't possibly be a threat, to no one. Furthermore, proper medical treatment & attention is often denied, basically Tylenol, ibuprofen is the answer to all medical problems here in these SHUs or so they seem to think so. There are convicts with serious medical conditions, HIV/AIDS, etc. who are underweight and are on the average denied supplements, vitamins.

Furthermore, here in NY SHUs, everything is done given to you on the cell slot, which is where you receive your food, blood tests, TB tests, injections are all done in these cell slots. Cleaning supplies, brooms, etc. are given to you via these slots. Mail is given, packages and this is the slot thru which we are given our (chow) food. This is inhumane and unhygienic.

Okay, moving along to other forms of oppression we face daily. We are continuously underfed; the food portions are so little it seems impossible for anyone to maintain a healthy weight. The IGRC [Inmate Grievance Resolution Committee], wow now there's a topic, the IGRC is there for the administration sort of like puppets. All grievances are generally resolved in the administration's favor, unless of course if it's a minor facility technicality. Only then will IGRC allow for a minor victory, and even then issues are only temporarily dealt with. And for sure, 2 to 4 weeks later they continue with the same oppressive tactics. Another thing the IGRC at times don't even bother to answer or address your grievances, this I tell you from experience. I've been in SHU for 13 months now. The administration scrutinizes my mail, cell and person and use any reason to justify disciplinary action. They use the excuse of suspicion to open & intercept outgoing mail and of course they regularly read incoming mail. They are always on the prowl to take disciplinary action. It's real easy to do the math on all of this. They must after all meet their quota in order to keep these SHUs open. And the victims of these politics are we the convicts.

I see a very large amount of convicts in these SHUs for minor issues such as verbal harassment, drug urines, unauthorized property, refusing a direct order, or smoking a cigarette. I mean these types of rule violations were once upon a time dealt with via keep lock and loss of rec, packages, or commissary. Today they are dealt with by being put in SHUs. If we look back on why these SHUs/S-Blocks were open for in the first place, they were supposed to be for violent incidents & rule violations and, as DOC proudly claimed, gang related rule & facility violations.

When it was found out that the violence level among convicts was not high enough to meet the quota & fill these SHUs they then resorted to stereotyping, falsely accusing convicts of being affiliated with one organization or another, basically targeting people who in truth are not even affiliated. Other forms of oppressions are that they regularly violate their own rules. Here in these SHUs simple necessities are not met. For failure of the facility being consistent in announcing when rounds are being made to do laundry pick up, hair cuts. Don't they realize we are in a cell. Are we supposed to stand in front of our cells for hours & guess when they will pick up our white laundry or green laundry? Are we supposed to wait in front of our cells to see if a hair cut list is being brought to the gallery by the officers!

I will conclude this brief article by saying I am voicing my pain and experience on these inhumane conditions & oppression because it's real & it exists. Had these conditions not existed I would not be writing about it, because I am one whom is a strong believer in freedom of speech & mind. I am constantly scrutinized in every way by the oppressors. Never the less, I stand firm & strong in my beliefs in cause & struggle. And no matter what disciplinary actions are taken against me, I will always stand up & voice that. Although I am a convict, I am a human being and in prison or anywhere I have the right to be treated as a human being, and so do all convicts in SHUs. We are in prison already sentenced for prior crimes, so why as we are serving our time, are we continuously subjected to all forms of additional oppression by the very same government who deemed it necessary in their eyes that we be sent to prison. It is in truth oppression on top of oppression, sort of like double jeopardy.

Peace & Love to all comrades of the struggle MIM,
- Comrade Viejo Candado, September 2005