Prisoners and their families discuss control units, frame-ups

Fellow former Black Panther Assata Shakur talks about the 
importance of Mumia Abu Jamal

These stories and more

VOICE 1

Some people call them maximum security units. Some, special 
housing units. However, one thing is certain of Pennsylvania's 
Special Management Units (SMUs) - it's primary purpose is mental 
and behavioral manipulation with long term goals of injecting the 
violent aspect of same into minority neighborhoods.

Presently, my location, Greene SMU, is housed with a "great 
percentage" of minorities who are due to max out within two years. 
After subjecting anyone to the psychological and physical 
manipulation one experiences here at Greene SMU, for any health or 
psychiatric official to argue that the ramifications upon release 
do not include violence is purely hypocritical propaganda. No 
effort whatsoever is made to counsel those locked up in the SMUs. 
And the staff employed are anything but qualified to deal with an 
inmate who is locked down, long term, 23 hours a day, allowed only 
three showers a week and forced to exercise I an exercise cage 
literally no bigger than a dog kennel.

To use the word farce would be an understatement. Boredom is a 
regularity, and of course with boredom comes the need for mental 
stimulation and/or attention. It would appall an unseen observing 
psychiatric official to what great lengths some of these 'caged 
men' go to to receive some stimulation. Acts include inter alia: 
suicide, throwing fecal matter, smearing fecal matter on 
themselves, flooding, assaulting, kicking on the door and the list 
goes on. In the midst of all this, no psychiatric personnel is to 
be found and security turns a blind eye on it. Camp Hill's SMU is 
200 times worse. This, however, is exactly what is wanted for it 
is the goal of the DOC to release these men back into their 
neighborhoods, have them commit a crime against one of their own 
and return so as to keep the recidivism rate nice and high.

That was a Penn. Prisoner, 5 April 1999.

Music break

VOICE 2

I am writing to bring your attention to the new torture dungeon 
implemented by the Warden, Ronny Wiley, at the Federal 
Correctional Institution at Ray Brook, New York.

Inmates are often placed "under investigation" in the "Special 
Housing Unit" at FCI Ray Brook. The SHU consists of a 23 hour lock 
down which is designed for a maximum capacity of two persons per 
cell, yet the Warden has instructed his staff to place four 
inmates per room, with two sleeping on the floor. The food is 
served in trays without lids, and is often spoiled or cold. More 
importantly, the food is kept in a hot cart for hours, which 
causes it to become dehydrated.

As a grand finale, the Warden has made it impossible for inmates 
to flush their toilets. Rather, the inmates must wait for the 
guard to arrive every few hours. Thus, an inmate must sleep on the 
floor near a toilet which contains urine and feces.

Access to the law library is never granted despite repeated 
requests. Medical personnel arrive extremely early in the morning 
while the inmates are sleeping, and they are very quiet so inmates 
do not call them to receive medical attention.

The new unit is designed to harass and punish the inmates. The 
Warden continues to overcrowd the rooms despite repeated 
admonishment from the local court.

This is the new "tough on crime" punishment designed by the 
federal government.

Thank you,

--A PA prisoner February 9, 1999

[Mrs. Carmona Track 3 Drug War CD 2min]

VOICE 2

Mrs. Carmona was recorded by the November Coalition for a CD 
entitled "Voices of the Drug War." They can be reached at 
www.november.org

[Assata Track 2 Man is Bastard 3:20]

[War on Poor MAJ Track 4 3:25]


VOICE 1

A clenched fist salute to all my brothers who dare to fight in 
this war that is being fought to smash the color lines, end 
oppression, and give equal housing, medical care and education to 
all who desire. Once again, I have found a way to reach up out of 
the depths of that dungeon, my strength that breeds hope that I 
may get word back to my fellow comrades who know not of the danger 
they face down, down deep here in tha dungeon of the Ferguson Unit 
we all call "Administrative segregation."

Here in this pit called Ferguson, that is located in a small town 
called Midway, Texas, any officer wearing a gray and blue uniform 
is/are free to exercise any fantasy that their crooked minds and 
hearts can conjure up and fulfill them free from prosecution, or 
persecution. Inmates both here in seg. and in general population 
are assaulted here as regular as it takes the milk truck to arrive 
every other morning, bringing dairy products.

I myself am a seg. inmate and have been this way for almost 3 
years now. So I can't really speak of the horrors that go on in 
general population since I left in '96 (although I am still aware 
of them also) but I damn sure can tell you what's going on down 
here in tha dungeon.

Here in dungeon there is little or no hope of pursuing any further 
form of education, because TDCJ offers no in-cell school programs 
for us seg. inmates because they know that knowledge is power, and 
any man who has the power to utilize his or her thinking is a 
threat to tha corrupt system.

Some of these locked down soldiers who are confirmed gang members 
of various races and organizations will never have a chance to 
return to general population to obtain even a GED before they are 
released to the free world, if they are released. So what type of 
job is good for a man with no skills to hold it down? Some of 
these dudes been here seven and eight years behind these ad seg. 
doors obvious to tha fact that they will be here in this unchanged 
state until they discharge their sentences or alter their 
positions legally. So they have lost hope and all heart. They have 
allowed themselves to be defeated mentally and physically by these 
tactics they use to control us.

Leaving my brothers caught up in angry, hurt, and hopeless web of 
misdirection... they stay doped up on these psychological drugs 
these doctors prescribe them, they are so far gone from the 
affects of the drugs that they sleep for two and three days at a 
time, or use the restroom and then they are back to the sound 
escape of sleep. And these cops don't seem to have any compassion 
for these lost individuals. These hoes leave these mentally 
disturbed inmates over here when they know they need more help 
then they can give them here, yet they refuse to transfer these 
inmates to the units that are specially made for their special 
care.

These inmates cut themselves, lose control over their body fluids 
and waste and are greatly mistreated. They are left in their cells 
for weeks without showers or clean sheets or clothes. We are 
beaten because we want to go to recreation or showers, if we make 
these hoes work we are threatened that once we are handcuffed and 
taken out of our cells we will get this ruff treatment.

Rank has blind eyes and deaf ears to our pleas of help and 
outcries. The grievance procedure here which all inmates hope to 
find some type of justice in our complaints against these "peace 
officers" is a joke. Everybody I've seen or heard of (myself 
included) write a step one or two grievance, it is returned 
stating insufficient evidence was found to sustain our claim, so 
the grievances are always denied without any investigation- having 
never been conducted.

The cops are assaulting inmates over here and giving out more time 
to the ones they beat up, even though most of the time the inmates 
don't even get a chance to fight back. These hoes are getting away 
with it too. I've been on this unit since '95 and I can count on 
my hand how many times I've seen a warden. So his punk ass don't 
give a fuck.

These cops write bogus cases and put us on some shit even a hungry 
dog won't eat called "food loaf" and they take pleasure in knowing 
they can always give you that shit when you put them in check 
verbally for fuckin over somebody. They keep us under tha finger 
with this food loaf and level system. So it seems hopeless on 
trying to organize the masses because no one is willing to make 
any sacrifices for a whole, let alone a personal one. But I must 
admit there are some, but not nearly enough.

I received you papers still and I pass the words of hope on down 
the lines to the ones who are willing to learn and make a 
difference. Last but not least a call out to all you soldiers in 
tha struggle fallen and standing, keep tha dream and hope alive.

In tha Struggle,

-- A prisoner in Texas, 29 December 1998.