I'm incarcerated in a maximum security prison. I am in my cell 23 hours a day, 7 days a week. My only permitted luxury is books. We're allowed to purchase them from outside bookstores. But I have no income to do so. The library here supplies books, but only novels, which I derive no pleasure from. I prefer books that have intellectual value such as philosophy and other classical literature. Unfortunately they are in absence in the library here so this brings me to you in hopes that you can help me out with a few books.
-- a prisoner in California, November 2002
I'm writing to let you know I've been placed in Administrative Segregation Unit (ASU for allegedly being a member of a gang. The Institution Gang Investigator (IGI) came to my cell on 10-28-02 and took all my property (with no explanation at all). I kept asking all officers on all shifts about my property. They stated that IGI had the power to do these things. I also asked if I could get a receipt for my property. I was told it's up to IGI. Two days later I was rolled up and placed in ASU. Now I await charges that could possibly lock me down for years. I have been doing time since 1997 and have never been involved in any gang activities and until 1999 had not had any writeup. In 11-1-99 I was attacked by a confessed gang, that told the corrections officers that they wanted to rollup so they attacked Blacks. Since 2001 I've been on this yard with no write-ups. This prison has a history of falsifying papers to place any outspoken individual in lockup. And now I've fell victim to these claims.
-- a prisoner in California, November 2002
By December of this year, or as late as January, they will have
finished constructing the SHU at High Desert State Prison. This means
no one will be getting transfers, which just escalates the already high
tension around here. You would think that due to the way we are all
being treated (Black, Red, Brown, white, yellow) that we would come
together against our captors – it's just the opposite. There is too
much tribalism and asinine politics, ideologies that conflict.
These people have achieved results from their nefarious plan to keep us locked mentally and fighting each other. Our captors are the only ones who gain from any dissension among us. Until we overstand this we will remain in this pit of oppression.
-- a prisoner in California, October 2002
Conditions here have gone from bad to worse. We are being systematically denied exercise yard periods. The federal mandates are ten hours weekly, we probably receive that in a month! In February of 2002 they started work on water-cannons/pepper spray hybrid robotic controlled weapons that they have installed in the concrete SHU yards to control and repress. This is not to mention the 347 MM block, gun and AK10 that are in plain view while inmates exercise, socialize or practice their religious freedoms under the scrutiny of the Department of Corrections.
During installation of the water/pepper spray cannons no contingency plan was put in place in order to accommodate inmates exercise yard privileges. We were just shut up in our cells for months while overpaid state flunkies installed this massive weapon system with attached camera to intimidate, degrade and shock our consciences. Needless to say the water cannon/pepper sprayer received demonstrations by staff and other flunkies as to this weapons efficiency, and we continue to sit in our cells suffering daily denials of yard due to last minute adjustments to the water cannon. So life goes on in the SHU.
-- a prisoner at Corcoran, November 2002
These prisoncrats are about to implement another repressive policy: effective Jan 1, 2003 all incoming mail must be written on 81/2 x 11 inch paper, on one side only and incoming letters cannot be longer than 4 pages in length. Handwriting or printing must be legible so the fascist censor can screen all the incoming mail plus we will be able to receive only five letters per week. This bullchet policy will be introduced for "security reasons." Yea right. Like all other Pelican Bay policies this one is pure crap. This policy is simply another vehicle of oppression and social control.
-- a prisoner in CA, November 2002
MIM responds:
California currently has Control Units, known as Security Housing Units (SHU) in five
prisons in the state. There prisoners are locked up 23 hours a day, in isolation conditions
without access to education or other programs. These conditions, described in the letters
above, cause many prisoners to go crazy. Further, the prisoners are confined to the SHU
after secret gang membership hearings based on false evidence targeting prisoners who
are organizing politically, as is described in the second letter above. And limiting their
one outside stimulation, mail, just furthers the oppression in these institutions. MIM calls
these SHU prisons for what they are: torture. And we have a campaign going on in
California to abolish the SHU. Look for stories in this and future issues of MIM Notes
about how to get involved or check out our web page:
http://www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext/agitation/prisons
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |