Classification in California

They are only allowing us to have one book in our cell at a time. In order to receive another one we have to exchange it, donate it, or send it home. They just recently opened up this new administrative segregation (ad-seg) building called Z-unit and they moved a lot of us from D6, D7 and D8 to fill it. We are in a little cell with only a skylight that is located on top of the ceiling to give us a look of the outside world. We do go to the yard 3 times a week in a dog like kennel. Three hours each time. We do not see much out there. This is no place for a human to do his time. No TV, radio or any electronic devices in or outside of our cells.

At intake the CDC system puts a label on you. Northern or Southern [Mexican]. They put that down on your c-file and once you are in the system all they need is 3 points: 1030s from other people saying you belong to a gang and they can and will validate you, whether you have done something wrong or not. Once this happens they put you back in the ad-seg and give you an indeterminate SHU sentence. That means that you will never see the outside of these ad-segs or hit a mainline unless you tell on someone else. Which is how they received info/1030s to put on another person and use that against them.

However the few that are strong must stay back here and fight it. It will take years but all we have is time and people like MIM to help get us through these rough times. We do 602 (file a grievance) these. In many cases, almost all, they are denied and we must go through Sacramento to fight it. If not our last chance is to file a habeas corpus and go through the court systems. These so-called gangs are not violent. They just use the debriefing system for the weak and cowards who can not handle the hard times and will give up whatever it takes. They will even tell lies against another prisoner to get out of the hole.

- a California prisoner at High Desert State Prison, July 2004