MIM(Prisons) is a cell of revolutionaries serving the oppressed masses inside U.$. prisons, guided by the communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
www.prisoncensorship.info is a media institution run by the Maoist Internationalist Ministry of Prisons. Here we collect and publicize reports of conditions behind the bars in U.$. prisons. Information about these incidents rarely makes it out of the prison, and when it does it is extremely rare that the reports are taken seriously and published. This historical record is important for documenting patterns of abuse, and also for informing people on the streets about what goes on behind the bars.
I received the questions on reformatting the petitions. In my opinion,
yes, this should be applied to MIM (Prisons)’s already-written
grievance
petition. I say this because in my response to the grievance
petition I submitted to the NC Director of Division of Prisons, it was
mentioned that I had no specific complaint on why I filed the petition -
in which I resubmitted the petition and attached my complaint. This
helped change the grievance system at Foothills, where I was previously
housed at.
Also I noted a problem that would be difficult to resolve. In the
response to my petition, which I have sent to MIM(Prisons), they listed
all the grievances I had filed while on that unit at Foothills. The
grievances which were thrown away or didn’t get turned in to unit
managers weren’t listed. So it was difficult to prove I ever turned it
in without reviewing the cameras. It was still difficult to prove that
the papers I turned in were truly grievances.
This problem we had at Foothills changed how grievances were processed.
Now it has to be signed by the receiving officer in front of you and
your copy is returned right there. Also this “new” petition only regards
appeals and not actual grievance forms - which is the main problem. We
wouldn’t have to appeal if the regular grievance process was fixed.
I was transferred to Lansboro CI on May 27. Lansboro is said to be the
“most dangerous prison in North Carolina” and next on the list is
Scotland. Recently, on June 6, the Prison Emergency Rescue Team (PERT)
raided the prison 200-300 deep and ripped it apart. Their main purpose
was to find drugs, weapons and most of all cell phones. They really
wanted the cell phones to shut off any chances of communication from
prison to prison. Their goal was to eliminate any chance of a future
mass movement and current communication from top rank “gang” leaders.
In all, there were about 70-100 people who were nabbed. The PERT team
brought with them a sensor detector (an enhanced metal detector used at
airports) that they forced everyone to walk through. This detects drugs,
weapons or cell phones. The people who set the detector off were then
taken to “dry cell”, in which the prisoner had nothing in their cells
but their boxers, shower shoes and mattress. They were made to stay
there for 48 hours until they used the bathroom - in which the officers
would search the feces for contraband.
In their search for cell phones (which prisoners had hidden in their
rectum), they also put the entire prison on lockdown until all
contraband was confiscated. In the midst of the confusion, the PERT team
confiscated some of our hygiene, threw prisoners religious items on the
floor, personal pictures in the toilet and trash and even assaulted a
couple of my brothers - all just as harassment.
These 70-100 prisoners have been sitting in an empty cell with feces in
their toilets for 2-5 days; most of them have no contraband on them.
After they have defecated, they will be forced to go through an x-ray
machine, which the prison needs the prisoners’ signed permission for,
and they do not have it.
Our human rights have been violated by these oppressive prison officials
and it must be resolved by the prisoners first. We must take a stand
against this bullshit they think they can pull on us. Out of all 70-100
people they nabbed, they have only reported to have found 10-20 cell
phones and modicum amounts of drugs and weapons. Their lack of effort to
resolve the situation and get on with confiscating instead of leaving
prisoners in their cells with feces is not only inhumane, but a
prolonging of having the prison on lockdown. We have been on lockdown
since June 6.
Segregation pods are already overcrowded to the point where they have
prisoners on dry cell in the receiving area. They have to transfer
prisoners due to so many receiving long-term isolation sentences
(between 6 months and 1.5 years.) Prisoners here must turn our
frustration and anger against our oppressors instead of each other. But
I can say it is very difficult to do when you always have to watch your
back because someone may stab you or your brothers at any moment - which
is rampant here. It is possible, but it will take a hellava push by
tribe members, who control this prison! Let’s get to work!!!
MIM(Prisons) responds: We echo this prisoner’s call for unity
among the Lumpen Organizations (LOs) in prison. Many individuals and
organizations have signed on to the
United
Front for Peace in Prisons to move the struggle against the criminal
injustice system forward. The first principal of the UFPP is Peace: “We
organize to end the needless conflicts and violence within the U.$.
prison environment. The oppressors use divide and conquer strategies so
that we fight each other instead of them. We will stand together and
defend ourselves from oppression.”
Greetings from NC, I am writing to you to request that you send my
daughter your newsletter. She is confined in a Virginia prison in Troy,
VA. From what I hear there are men guards who regularly bully and
physically abuse women there. My daughter has communicated to me that on
one recent occasion, a male officer broke a female prisoner’s arm.
In one of my letters I tried to send her information and addresses for
resources in VA that could help them fight their oppression but due to
their overbearing censorship of mail, she never received that
information. Those women are on the verge of rioting to get justice for
all of the persecutions and afflictions that are being perpetuated upon
them by guards. All they need is a little push of inspiration to help
them along. They need to know that there are thousands of us similarly
situated who support them and who are comrades with shared agendas.
Please send her some literature to share with others and if possible to
let her know her father and his friends (you) are behind her en masse.
The last newsletter received from you was Under Lock and Key,
March 2012. We are finally off of lockdown here at Lanesboro prison and
Captain Covington has been fired as well as our superintendent for
destroying video footage of guards beating inmates.
If we all worked together and against the prison industrial complex as a
team, we could accomplish and acquire so many rewards.
Imagine being in the body of an animal who lives the zoo-life everyday
for long periods of time. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning I
see the same wall, same toilet and sink 8 feet from me; I feel the same
back ache from last week after another night of “sleep” on a metal bunk
with a 2 inch thick pissy mat. The food trap has been popped open with a
loud thud - time for breakfast. As I arise from that bunk, I notice the
darkness through the mesh metal covering my small window. As I stretch I
jam yet another finger because I can’t stretch my arms fully out.
Breakfast meals become predictable: eggs, bread and a 7 oz cup of
cereal. After eating my meal I go to brush my teeth and wash my face and
notice the 15 to 20 year old dirt ring around the sink and toilet. So
much for effective cleaning supplies. Here at Mountain View Correctional
Institution in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, we never get a fresh change
of clothes. Just a wash twice a week with no detergent, soap, or
anything of that matter. My white shirt matches the color of my brown
pants. They issue s state-ordered Black slip-on shoes despite the fact I
have my own shoes, which I’m not allowed to have in isolation. My 1 hour
recreation time only 5 times a week is hardly recreation in a 15x15
steel cage with no workout equipment.
The only thing to look forward to is mail (if you’re lucky enough to get
it) and showers (which are only 10 minutes), and food trays. Don’t
forget looking forward to the hundreds of ants and rodents you will have
to kill during the day that are living in your trash bag. As I talk to a
friend, I get told by authorities to keep the noise level down. My
friend is 5 doors down and everyone’s talking at the same time, which
will make this impossible. He closes a steel slider which has been
placed over my door window - which they say is for “noise control.”
Everyone is still talking at the same time so, again, quieting down is
impossible.
Finally mail call comes. They arrive at my door with a notice of
publication disapproval, yet again. This is the only mail I have coming
in, yet they deny this to me, always for the same reason - “may cause
violence or disorder or insurrection which is a threat to institutional
security.” Moreover, the department and constitutional rights and policy
violations are rampant. I sign away the only thing I depend on for
outside contact with the world, being that visitation and telephone
privileges have been restricted.
What am I to do? How about reading a book? The two I’m allowed have been
read several times. After studying some material for the 5th time today,
I sit and stare at the same white wall I wake up to every morning. I
look down at the rib cage bones that are showing now due to the
excessive weight loss from lack of adequate food. As my day winds down,
I go to brush my teeth in the same dirty sink and notice against that I
am forced to use state-issued hygiene when I have a tin of my own
hygiene I have ordered from canteen. State-issued toothpaste, soap,
deodorant that breaks my arm pits out. I see why they say the state is
going broke. Even the state-issued paper I write on is a puzzling thing
because I have two full 80 sheet notepads that they have denied me from
having.
I lay down without brushing my hair nor combing it because I’m denied
those things as well. I can expect a ton of lint to be in my head due to
me being denied a wave cap to cover my head. I lay! I think! Lay on the
same sheets I’ve had for months. The same blanket I’ve had for months. I
think of what the morning holds. I can expect the captain to come
attempt to pacify me for the grievance I just wrote on foul conditions.
On the notification the secretary of divisions of prisons received about
these foul conditions. What will be brought up is the numerous food
strikes that have occurred. The numerous occasions where the facility’s
“swat” team was brought in to “Rodney King” me. The property
confiscation, mail stoppage. It’s always been a “reminder.”
I could very well expect to be told to pack my things to be moved to
another facility after just being moved from unit to unit to unit. Could
it be better anywhere else? Will things change? I guess I’ll see in the
morning in this cage. You have no “freedom.” You have no “rights.” There
is no “rehabilitation.” No “correction” by the Department of
Corrections. Only control, repression, depression, suicide, violence,
problems. You do what they tell you to do or resist and face crucial and
sometimes deadly consequences. Welcome to the zoo-life - and this is
just the isolation unit of more vulnerable zoo-life. Where the morning
is unwanted and the night is hell. But when the morning comes, we’ll do
it all again.
MIM(Prisons) adds: These conditions, and the punishment prisoners
face when fighting for their rights, are pushing forward the campaign to
demand our
grievances be addressed. In reality much of the horrible conditions
faced daily by prisoners is considered legal and so can’t be fought
through the grievance system. No surprise in a country where we let mass
murderers run the government while locking up Blacks and Latinos at
astronomical rates. This is why the grievance battle is part of a larger
struggle against imperialism. We won’t be able to reform away this
injustice, in the end only revolution will allow us to make real and
lasting change in the interests of the people.
In early February we received a report from a family member that
Scotland Correctional Institution had been on lockdown for over 2 weeks.
All the time prisoners were getting out of their cells was 5 minutes to
shower with handcuffs. They were not allowed to use the phone to call
family, so mail has been the only form of communication.
On February 21 a North Carolina prisoner reports:
I’m on lock down for something that happened on January 19, 2012 which I
had nothing to do with. The prison placed us on an institution-wide lock
down for a small gang riot, which was handled and shut down quickly.
They still got us locked down, just trying to break our spirits.
They’ve not given any religious service, no school, no visits, no sick
calls. I placed a sick call 2 weeks ago and they still haven’t called me
in.
Grievances are not being addressed. I’m so tired of being oppressed. I
want to overcome this oppression and I know it’s a struggle.
On February 16 ULK correspondent Wolf reported:
Other closed custody facilities went back to regular operation after
Prison Emergency Response Teams (PERT) searched and stayed on each unit
for about 2 weeks. But the oppressive Karen Stanback and her assistant
Capt. Covington has continued the oppressive conditions at Scotland.
Details of this oppression include:
On 20 January 2012 we were searched by PERT at 6:30 AM. No shower,
recreation, TV, phone calls, religious services, canteen, etc. that day.
Taken to the shower on 23 January 2012 in handcuffs and made to shower
with handcuffs on. Only had 10 minutes to shower escorted by 2 COs in
handcuffs, one inmate at a time in a block of 48 people. PERT searched
us again on 25 January 2012.
After grievances and receiving complaints from family members and other
outside sources, we received 2 hours in the dayroom, 24 prisoners at a
time. During this period we must shower, make phone calls, or try to
cook or prepare a meal using 1 hot water sink in the dorm. Prisoners
must become bootlickers or snitches or their jobs are being given away
to medical custody.
All the guys who participated in the actions that occurred that night
are on segregation or were sent to long-term lockup. Still these
conditions continue to be enforced on us. Brothers don’t realize they’re
used as pawns in a dirty chess game played by this administration to
finally have a reason to bury us alive in these cemeteries. However,
Resistance Number 1, aka Wolf has entered the fight against the
oppressive imperialistic system of justice and joins MIM. We the
Resistance Number 1 realized our fight is hard and difficult, but
someone must speak out against the laboratory of injustice here at
Scotland CI.
by a North Carolina prisoner February 2012 permalink
I have spent the last 60 days in the hole for writing an administrative
remedy on the superintendent. He turns around and has me placed in
segregation and charges me with an offense due to my political activism.
I am what they call a trouble maker because I teach others with our
knowledge. But that’s what I do. I was taught by the old heads to do
what I do.
MIM(Prisons) responds: This response to prisoner’s fighting for
their legal rights against repression is all too common. It is one of
the driving forces behind our expanding campaign
demanding
grievances be addressed. While we organize and educate for broader
anti-imperialist change, we can use this campaign to fight for greater
freedom to carry out political organizing behind bars. Write to us for a
copy of the grievance petition for your state, or to help expand the
campaign to your state by customizing the generic petition to your local
conditions.
by a North Carolina prisoner November 2011 permalink
I would like to notify you all that the comrades and myself (about 10 or
15 of us) are going on an indefinite food strike until our demands are
met. It will begin on December 1 and the demands are based on conditions
at the institution that are unequal to others, inhumane and macabre.
Some of the major demands are:
Being able to recreate (on exercise hour) without full restraints
Removal of the metal covering from all segregation windows
Placement of desk, chair and hygiene shelf back in the rooms
Adequate food and full portions on food trays
End of censorship, bans and/or dis-approvals of reading/study material
which do not violate prison rules
Most of our demand are for segregated prisoners who suffer greatly
in the facility. We have also organized a call-in and letter writing
campaign on December 1 and after in response to these conditions we’re
fighting. Our parents, friends and comrades will be participating. We
are learning from our
Pelican
Bay and Georgia comrades, even though our strike is on a smaller
scale. We still need to learn from the experiences of our comrades to
eliminate mistakes.
The information for calling in and letter writing is below.
Superintendent Lance Corponing Assistant Superintendent Larry
Williams Phone: 828-438-5585 Address: Foothills CI - 3720 5150
Western Ave. Morganton, NC 28655
by a North Carolina prisoner November 2011 permalink
This is a cry out for help from the brothers in the struggle at the
confinement of Scotland Correctional Institution located in Laurinburg,
NC under the ruler and dictatorship of Karen Stanback, Asst.
Superintendent of Security. It grieves my heart to know and witness an
African American woman, apply rules of oppression to camp populated by
80% minority races. Actions of oppression ordered by K. Stanback are:
To ban all Under Lock & Key publications
No state or local newspapers
No shirt jackets worn in the dinner hall, school, or any religious
programs (no matter what the temp is)
No showering from 6pm until 9pm (with a population of 1500
prisoners)
No jobs for close custody prisoners once they lose their assigned job.
(All jobs are then referred to medium custody prisoners)
Confining over 145 prisoners in one unit called Green D,E,F or
“Gangland”. This is where all the gangs are housed at, mixed together,
and not giving any opportunity for regular programs or employment like
the regular population.
Only 1 hour of recreation. Without proper exercise, fresh air, and
movement an individual develops a mentality like a caged in animal.
She and the admins here have created a very hostile environment and seem
to enjoy it.
Brothers and sisters please! This is our cry for relief the hammer of
oppression being applied to us at Scotland CI under the watch of K.
Stanback. Please contact the appropriate resources to aid us in our
struggle.
MIM(Prisons) responds: We support this comrade’s call for
prisoners to stand up against oppression. This prisoner and others are
leading the struggle at Scotland and they provide an example to
prisoners across the the criminal injustice system who are facing
similar conditions.
by a North Carolina prisoner November 2011 permalink
On October 17 I received
Under Lock & Key
22 even though I was not supposed to. It was a mistake made by an
officer who was passing out mail. Attached to the publication was a
notice to prisoners of statewide disapproval of the publication; this
particular issue has been banned statewide. I was supposed to sign this
notice to verify I’ve been informed but luckily the officer was
distracted by his duty of distributing mail and instead of having me
sign the notice attached to ULK 22, he just slid them both
under my door.
When I realized what the notice was for, I grew kind of excited. The
kind of excitement one has when you feel you just got over on someone in
power. This made me even more interested in the ULK
publication. First, because I’m thinking I’m the only one statewide who
has one. And second I know this publication has material and information
the state doesn’t want me to know; why else would they ban it statewide?
Before I began to read the ULK, I read over the notice to find
out exactly why this particular publication was banned. The notice said:
“The publication/material violates Division of Prisons Policy at Section
D.O 109 and is disapproved for the reason listed ‘violence, disorder,
insurrection or terrorist/gang activities against individuals, groups,
organizations, the government or any of its institutions.’” With that my
excitement grew even more, thinking I obtained material of such nature.
The notice went on to say that this “violence, disorder, insurrection…”
was on page 4 of the publication.
I immediately thumbed to page 4 and found the headline “Time for
Peaceful Revolution” written boldly atop the article. I began to read. I
was confused. I retrieved the Notice to Inmate of Statewide Disapproved
Publication once again to make sure I read it correctly, and I had. I
was so confused that I had to go over the article once more because
maybe I misread!
I was confused by the reasons given for banning this material. It was
banned because it was supposedly promoting violence, disorder and so
forth against individuals, groups, organizations, the government or any
of its institutions. But really, one hundred percent honest, the article
was speaking of a peaceful revolution. In none of its lines through the
article did it speak of violence against anyone. It spoke of unity
amongst the many LOs and a little history of Kingism.
It was then that I really and truly realized the power we have amongst
us if only we could just unite as one and struggle together. I realized
it’s not us as individuals who they are afraid of, it’s we as a people
who they fear. Why else would they ban an article speaking of a peaceful
revolution and that urges others to come together as one? And also, it’s
not necessarily violence that they avoid, it’s a revolution, period!
It’s not how we go about the revolution that frightens them, whether its
violently or peacefully, it’s simply the thought of a revolution, an end
to their domination over us, that unsettles them.
And they will do what they have to do in order to maintain control,
whether it’s murder, imprison or, in our case, censor mail. If the
officer hadn’t mistakenly given me the ULK 22 I would have
actually thought that maybe MIM(Prisons) was influencing violence. But
now the truth is out and it has me in question about the other
publications that were banned. Were they really banned because of the
reason these prison administrators told you they were? I don’t think so.
Our rights are being trashed! We must, I repeat, we must, stand up for
our rights. Fight censorship!
by a North Carolina prisoner November 2010 permalink
I am a prisoner at Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg,
North Carolina. I am writing to you because of the fact that the legal
mail that you sent out to several prisoners here [containing a letter
MIM(Prisons) sent to the Director of Prisons regarding ongoing
censorship at Scotland CI] was opened by the mailroom staff and treated
as regular mail.
Even though the mail had “Legal Mail” stamped on it, the mailroom staff
still opened it. By DOC policy I have to witness them opening my legal
mail, and I have to sign for legal mail. By them opening this legal
mail, they violated DOC policy and broke Federal law.
This requires some sort of action. I am filing a grievance on this
matter and when I receive a response I will send it to you.
MIM(Prisons) adds: This letter is just one example of the long
history of mailroom staff at Scotland CI unjustly censoring, banning,
and trashing mail from MIM(Prisons), with the collusion of Assistant
Superintendent Karen Stanback. While this comrade is filing grievances
and organizing other prisoners around the issue, another comrade in
North Carolina is working on bringing a case against the NC DOC to
hopefully reformat the whole censorship and grievance system. If you
want to get involved, or support this case, get in touch. Both methods
are correct and necessary if we want to combat censorship.