REAL PEOPLE
ON DEATH ROW

Announcing PRISON LIFE s
Second Annual Art
Behind Bars Contest
PRIZES
1st Prize-$250 and two subscriptions to Prison Life
2nd Prize-$150 and two subscriptions to Prison Life
3rd Prize-$50 and two subscriptions to Prison Life
WRITING CATEGORIES
Fiction: short stories or excerpts from longer works, up to 15 pages
Nonfiction: essays or articles, up to 15 pages
Poetry: no more than two poems, up to 5 pages
Drama (1st place only): scenes, excerpts from plays or screenplays, up to 30 pages
VISUAL ARTS CATEGORIES
Paintings, drawings, collage, sculpture-any medium.
Contest Rules: Entries accepted only from incarcerated comestants. YOU MUST BE IN JAIL OR I PRISO TO
ENTER THIS CONTEST. Manuscripts must be typewritten or legibly handwritte n in English. Name, prison ID
number, name and address of institution must be on front page of all entries. Contestants may submit o n ly o ne
entry in each category. Enu·ies will not be returned un less accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped e nvelope.
Only unpublished manuscripts and art wi ll be considered, with the exception of pieces that have appeared in
prison publications. All entries become the property of Prison Life, and the winners will be published in Prison Life
magazine. Send e ntries to Art Behind Bars Contest, Prison Life magazine, 505 8th Avenue , New York, NY 10018.
Contest Deadline: O ctober 15, 1995.

®&[1 W&U§
@l§©&[?@ CPW®~
[?WO

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Legal advice that just might get you out of jail-free.
Medical and health tips that could save your life.
The voice of the convict-the only national magazine by
and for prisoners, fighting for prisoners' rights and striving to give convicts
and ex-cons the dignity all people deserve.
The best fiction, poetry and courageous journalism from
writers who've been there and know what they' re talking about.
Head from Bubba.
Inquiries from sex-starved pen pals who want to write
you erotic letters.
Profiles of fascinating convicts whose outstanding achievements have made
them Prison Life Cellmates of the Month.
The most complete listing of resources for cons and ex-cons.
Insiders' prison survival tips, hardcore work-out routines and delectable
in-cell recipes to make your bid more palatable.
And last but not least, escape the drab reality of prison life through
Prison Life's vivid photos and jailhouse art.

For 1 year0 Check or Money Order 0 Visa 0 MasterCard
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September-October 1995

FEATURES
24 MAXIMUM TRANSFERFrom Marion to Florence
America's " most dangerous" prisoners are
being shipped from Marion' s supermax to the
B.O.P.'s state-of-the-art torture chamber in Florence, Colorado. An exclusive account from inside
the "Aicatraz of the Rockies."

28 INSIDE THE
CAPITAL'S CAGE
"An inmate is sentenced to prison as punishment, no t for punishment. Why increase the discomfort level?" says Lo rton's rad ica l warden,
Vincent Gibbons. Meet the Man who' s keeping
the lid on the Capital's cage.

34 DEATH ROW PROJECT
There are over 3 ,000 people in Ameri ca who
know beforehand the exact mo ment when they will
be killed: the men and women of death row. Photogra pher Lou Jones puts a human face on soc iety's do rkest sta tistic.

Prison Life ISSN # 1065--0709 Scptc mht· r·OciObc·r J!l9!"•. Nu mht.>r ;,, Priso n Life· m agazilll' i~ publislwcl himonthl)' hy Joint Ven tu re ~tedia, 4 200 Wcs the imer, Suite 160, Housto n, TX 77027·
4426. Prison Life magv.inc is printed in the USA ami a ll rights arc rcsc"·cd. C> l995 b)•j oint Vent ure Med ia. In c. No part o f thi'\ bo ok m;\y he rcprod ucc<l o r trans mitted in any form or by any
means wi th m u wrincn pcnnis.sion of 1he publish e r'>. Unsolici ted manuscri pt..; and ph oto,.::r":'aph s arc t ht.> rc.spun sibility of th e scmlc.:rs . Allle uc rs scm 10 Prison Life nmga zin c: ,,•ill be Lreated as
un conditionall )' :\ssign ed fur p u bli cation or brochurr. ;tnd a rc ' uhj t·ct to l'riwn Life maff.l.rint" 's Ullf('Mrict cd righ t to cdit ;md commen t. Sin gle copic~ in the US $:\.9!J. Su bscrip tion rates o ne
)'Car in US. S23.70 for 6 i!.Suc·s: in Can ada. $3!J: an :ul d itio na l S12 c lscwhcn·: all parablt in US funds o n I)'· Plc;t')C tn:lil all :-ub~cTipt ion nnkrs 11nd ch anges to Prison Life magazin e. Subscriptio n Department , 4 200 WcMhcimcr, Su ite Hill. H ou~10n. TX 77027-4•126. POSTM.AST ER: !'lease fon\o:ml adclrc .I!S ch anges to Pri..nn Lift: Mag;w inc, 4200 Wcsth c im cr, Su ite 160. Ho uston, TX
77027-1426. Approval to mail ;u 2n d C:la~ JlOSt;lg<' r:ut· i~ pcndinJt ;u ll o uston. TX ;md additio nalnu iling oOicc.

4

PRISON LIFE

COVER STORY
44 The Resurrection of
Edward Bunker
From state-raised convict to premier prison
noveli st-Edward Bunker, author of suc h hardboiled classics as No Beast So Fierce and Animal
Factory, finally gets the recognition he deserves.
Prison Life pays tribute to the Hemingway of hard
time.

52 FICTION
The Poet's Game
In a new short story by Donnie Martin, author
of Committing Journalism and The Dishwasher, a
curious court reporter captures the cool jive rap of
a jailhouse toast.
Cover Photos by
Chris Cozzone

DEPARTMENTS
Voice of the Convict

6

Crimejacker

64

Contributors' Column

8

In-House Counsel:

67

Word

9

Writ Writing, p art III

Mail Call

10

Just In Case

75

Guest Editorial:

12

In-Cell Cooking

77

Ask Do Nurses

80

No Place for a Woman
Block Beat

15

Classifieds

83

Cal louts

18

Resources

84

Feedback

19

Pen Pals

86

Pri son Life R eaders R eact to

"Revising the Convict Code. "
Insider Outlook

20

Updates

22

Abu-Jamal's death warrant signed.
Smart Time

60

Gel Some Business
Bubba

63

PRISON LIFE 5

FAR FROM HOME?
NEED YOUR LOVED ONES?
If you are far from home, the Law
Offices of Benninghoff & Ramirez can
assist you in moving you closer to
your loved ones. We have been able
to accomplish this both in the fede ral
system and in various states.
We have found tha t the ch ance for
reh ab ilitation is grea tly improved
when there is proximity to family and
loved ones.
lf you find yourself far from your
family and loved ones, please wnte to
us. We will employ all of ou r years of
experience to help you. Our rates are
reasonable and we wi ll provide a
very prompt response.

INTERNATIONAL PRISONERS
Go HOME!
Not only do we have years of experience mov ing prisoners closer to
their families, but we're also able to
assist prisoners in returning to their
homelands to co m plete th eir sentences. We have been successful with
prisoners from the following countries:A ustria, Belgium, Ca nada,
Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany,
Greece, Iceland, Ireland , Italy, Luxembourg, Ma lta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden ,
Switzerla nd a nd the United Kingdom.

LIBERTAD TEMPRANA PARA
PRESOS HISPANOS
Los prisoneros Hispanos, especialmente en el sistema federal, pueden
ser transferidos bacia Mexico,
Espana, Bolivia, Peni y Panama para
recibir libertad temprana, y vivir
cerca de sus seres queridos atraves
de los servicios del Bufete de Benninghoff & Ramirez. Atraves de
nuestras oficinas hemos proveido Ia
transferencia a muchisimos prisoneros Hispanos.
Los prisoneros transferidos
podran recibir libertad immediata
bajo fianza, libertad temprana para
trabajar, y tiempo libre por buena
conducta. Tambien, hemos tenido
mucho exito con prisoneros a los
cuales se les ha negado la transferencia anteriormente.
Favor de escribir a Ia siguiente
direccion para que reciba un folleto
descriptivo prparado especialmente
para prisoneros Hispanos.

Write to (Escriba a):
BENNLNGHOFF & RAMIREZ

P.O. Box 1355
SAN
6

}UAN CAPISTRANO,

PRISON LIFE

CA 92675

T.D. Bingham, author of "Maximum Transler: From Marion to Florence," is locked up m ADXAdministrative Detention Maximum in
Florence, CO. He is currently writing
a novel about the hustles and hoods
of San Quentin in the '60s.

Mike Chavaux, our May Celly of
the Month, will be writing a business
column for Prison Life. From Michigan's Adrian Temporary Facility, he
runs a mail order service for fortune
hunters and wrote a book on buying
used cars.

Veronica Compton, author of
this month's guest eaitorial, "No Place
for a Woman," is going on her 16th
year of incarceration at the Washington Correctional Center for Women.

Stephen Conwa,r., the artist for
our guest editorial, No Place for a
Woman," is a freeworlder in New
York City. He has illustrated for The
New York Times, Bantam Books and
other publications.

Larry Fassler, jailhouse lawyer,
was recently released from prison in
Anthony, NM. He' ll continue to write
legal columns for Prison Life as a freeworlder.

Alex Friedmann, our Resource
Editor, has spent two years compiling
data on agencies and resources. He
continues his research at S.C.C.C. in
Clifton, TN.

TX. "The law and drugs I was involved
in stopped me from getting my degree
at San Antonio college," he writes,
"but it didn't stop me trom my efforts
in art."

Lou Tones, the photog rapher for

"The ~eath Row Project," is one of
Boston' s top commercial and art photographers. His cl ient list includes
National Geographic, Fortune magazine, Discover magazine, Nike and
Federal Express. Lou's work has been
shown at the Corcoran Gallery in
Washington, D.C., Polaroid Gallery,
Museum of Afro-American History in
Boston and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Dannie Martin, author of th is
month's fiction selection, "The Poet's
Game," is also the author of Committing Journalism: The Writings of Red
Hog and The Dishwasher, recently
puolished by W.W. Norton.

Peter Schmidt, formerly a

coq~o­

rate lawyer, writes a legal column for
Prison Life. Author of "Punch &
Jurists," a weekly summary of federa l
criminal cases, and the soon-to-be
published We the Sheef?le, w.hich will
be available through Pnson Ltfe.

Rob Sula and Marty Voelker,
artists for "Crime jac ker" are freeworlders from Chicago. Marty illustrates children' s books; Rob has
shown his work at various Chicago
fine art galleries.

Steve Gressak, the artist for "Get Ed Thompson, artist for Ask Do
Some Business," is a freelance illustrator in New York.

B.D. Hill, artist for both "The Poet's
Game" and "Maximum Transfer," is
serving a 30-year bid in Huntsville,

Nurses and rn-Cell Cooking, had his
own sign company before he got
locked up five years ago. He now
spends his time at the Delaware Correctional Center doing artwork and trying to reverse the decision in his case.

MAGAZINES * BOOKS
SPECIAL REQUEST
Send stamped, addressed envelope for complete offerings to:
Paper-Wings
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12 Super Hero Comic Books $6
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CoN JOB
by Richard Stratton
Editor & Publisher
h ave always said co nvicts a re a th ink of th e mselves as "vic tims" o f
ro ugh aud ie n ce. Ma ny a re b itter, c rime, as if c rim e were no t a plague
e motiona lly sca rred m e n and whi c h affec ts eve ryo n e. G uilty a nd
women , p r od ucts o f abusive o r love- innoce nt, we are all vic tims of crime;
less ch ildhoods. They can be sus pi- all society suffers from th e affli ctio n
cio u s to the poi nt o f paranoia , a nd the co rrupt cure-all kn own as the
disho nest with themselves and others, criminal justice system.
a nd p red atOJ)' because this is how they
This past year h as been o ne of th e
h ave lea rned to survive in a d og-eat- most de ma nding, stressful years of my
dog world. But they ca n also be pas- life , and I have not had a p lacid exissionate in the ir loya lty to th ose they te nce. I have begged , bo rrowed a nd
trust, to th e ir own kind.
squeezed m o ney from friends a nd
We've a ll see n the movies o r read loved o n es Eo keep th is magaz ine
the stories abo ut convicts dying rath er afloat. On Mothe r 's Day my wife
than betray the ir bro thers. Eddie re mind ed m e t h at on t h e previous
Bunke r, th e great American novelist I Mother's Day I extorted fifteen gra nd
inte rviewed for this edition, writes bet- fro m h er to get out a n issue of Prison
te r than anyone I have ever read about Life. The o th e r nig ht we we re talking
the complex, su·ong bonds
th at d evelop between some
of society's o u tcasts. For a
long time after 1 got out of
priso n I on ly felt comfortable in the com pan y of excon s. My partners in th e
magazine are either still in
prison o r recen tly off
parole. I ma rried a woman
who had done time.
1 everthe less, knowi ng
all th is, 1 was not prepared
fo r the shitstorm of abu se
h eaped on me by some
reade rs of Prison Life as a
resu lt of problems with the
magazine that, in the ove1·- Richard Stmtlon with cover man Eddie Bunlier.
al l sche me of th ings, can only
be seen as petty. In the last year, since I afte r putting an editio n to bed a nd we
took over as edi tor of Prison Life, I have agreed that although we love the magbeen called a fascist, a capitalist pig, a azi ne we do not love wha t it h as done
punk, a scam artist, a scumbag, a thief, to o ur lives. We u sed to make d ecent
a co n man and a c1·ook. I h ave bee n livings as nove lists a nd scree nwriters
d1reate ned, accused of exploiting poor, and had tim e fo r vacatio ns. Since takdown-trodclen prisoners and of not hav- ing over Prison Life, we work a lo t ha rding sufficient d ic k heft to take on th e e r a nd have go n e head over h eels in
various depa rtmen ts of coJTection d1at debt.
have censored this publication.
In most of th e bitch lette rs I get,
All this fro m men who call th e m- d1e writers assert th a t they do n o t like
se lves co nvic ts. (I don ' t get these sn ivelers. I don't like snive li ng either.
"bitc h " letters from wome n. ) 1 won't Whe n I was locked up I used to despise
go into the hate mail I get from venge- prisoners who ran to the Man \vid1 one
ful correctional types an d people wh o pe tty beef afte r a noth e r . But sin ce

I

some of you come snivel ing to me, let
me bitch back. The magazine you hold
in your han ds exists against great odds.
T h e reason we a re still aro u nd o n e
yea r later, an d t h at we kept ou r
promise to publish six issues, is because
the people who put out this magazine
care m ore a bo ut Prison Life th an they
do about eve1)'thing e lse in d1eir lives
with the exception of their families. At
one poi nt before I secured d1e funding
to kee p publishing this rag, when I was
struggling to get th e second issue out,
I ac tually considered quitti ng, an d I
have never quit anything exce pt Sunday school and some bad hab its. My
wife said to me, "But what about all
th ose p eo p le in th ere who h ave subscr ibed a nd who love th e
magaz ine? Yo u can't le t
the m d own." I hit h e r up
for anoth er ten grand.
Whe n I got in vo lved
with Prison Life und e r the
former owne rs it was go ing
unde r. J oe Strahl's publishers had pulled the plug a nd
th e magazine was in limbo
whil e J oe looked fo r new
backers. I put up some money I had made wri ting a
scree nplay. I convinced my
wife a nd a few gullible convict friends to give me their
money, and we relaun ched
t he magaz in e with a new
editorial mission. We agreed to
take ownersh ip of the tide Prison Life in
exchange fo r fulfil ling t h e paid subsc rip tio ns to th e old Prison Life a n d
anothe r magazine fo r co nvicts th at
went belly-up called Convictions.
From a business sta ndpo in t it was
not one of my smarter moves. O nce I
took over I quickly realized the magazine was in sh a mbles. There was no
magaz ine-si mply a na me, a lot of
debt, some disgruntled subscribers an d
b oxes full of un an swered m ai l. But I
didn 't care. I h ad a vision of wh at I
tl1ough t Prison Life magazine could be,
and I was determined to shape it into a
PRISON LIFE

7

forum wh e re priso n e rs a nd ex-con s
could expose the tr uth on importan t
issues. We re laun c h ed with the June
1994 issu e, put th e lege nd ary H e rby
Sp erling on the cover and proclaimed
ourselves the "Voice of the Convict. "
The response to the magazine h as
been extrao rdin ary. In tru th, th e letters I ge t fro m sn ive le rs a nd carp e rs
who a re pissed off because th eir subscriptio n got scr ewed up or we we re
slow in p aying m a ke u p a small p e rcentage of the m ail tha t co mes in to
the editorial and business o ffices. The
vast m aj ority o f read e rs praise th e
publicatio n, call it ho nest, well-writte n
and h ard hitting. So me eve n extol us
for having the courage to put out such
a magazine in th is vicio us to talitaria n
political climate.
Fro m the ou tse t I was warned tha t
if I mad e the magaz ine as real as I
wanted it to be we would h ave tro uble
with the censors. Censorship h as been
a nd continues to b e a proble m . But I
am n ot o ne to pull my punches, especially in wh at I see as a life-and-death
struggle. To those read e rs wh o co mplain whe n issues a re h eld up by th e
Thou ght Po lice , I wo uld ask: Do yo u
want us to shy away fro m subj ects we
th ink m ig ht upse t your kee p e rs?
The n what good are we? And h ow

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can we second-gu ess a bunch of p arano id prisoncrats? Liste n to this one: I
received a censorship form from one
fed eral pen th at claims we print coded
messages in our pe rsonal ads.
Nor am I backing do wn from th e
fight whe n I urge prisoner subscribers
to file th e n ecessary administrative
re medi es if th e ir First Ame ndme n t
r ig hts are vio la ted . We a re in this
toge ther. Prison L ife, with its a ttorneys
William Kunstler and Ronald Kuby, will
j o in in a ny well-pre pared suit brought
against prison autho rities who routinely ba n th e publica ti o n. We a re n o t
afraid to stand up for o ur Constitutional rights or we wou ld not be publishing
this magazine in th e first p lace. But I
know tha t, un less these actions are prep are d pro p e rly fro m within, which
means exh austing admin istrative remedies, they go n owhe re and can e nd up
making bad law. T he proof is that seve ral subsc ribe rs h ave petitio ned th e
authorities a t their prisons and are now
allowed to receive the magazine.
We've h ad a lo t of proble ms wi th
d elivery. Not o n ly h ave we b een subj ect to official censorsh ip, ban ned and
con fiscated , but a ny publicatio n with
the word "prison " o n the cover is subj ec t to uno ffi cial ce nso rsh ip as well:
Issues are "held for review" (a favorite

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P.O. Box 680030, Dept PL53
North Miami, FL 33168

Prism Optical has been selling prescrip tion eyeglasses to inmates across the
na tion for over 34 years. You may select from a full line of eyeglass frames for
men and women, including d esigner styles, metal frames, and sports glasses,
discounted 30-50%. You can have your prescription lenses ground by Prism
O ptical, and choose from a n umber of lens op tions, including photochromic
lenses, ultra-thin lenses, fashion tinting, and UV-filtering and scra tch-resistant
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Prism guarantees that the glasses w ill fi t correctly, and the catalog provid es
gu ides to gaugin g the correct size of the temple and bridge.
s PRISON Lin

of the Califo rnia Thought Po lice), o r
misplaced , discarded , sto le n . I h ave
personally mailed magazines to people
several times before they got through.
T he real surprise to some who've
watch ed this magazine grow over the
past year h as been how much support
we've had from the so-<alled freeworld.
My editorial vision for the magazine has
always been directed n ot on ly toward
the impriso n ed but also a t those who
care about the imprisoned and want to
h ear wh at they have to say. I see Prison
Life as a magazine writte n by convicts
and ex-cons, and certainly for readers
who are in prison, but also for those on
th e o u tsid e who susp ec t th ey are no t
getting the full story on crime and punish me m in Ame rica. Prison Life is fo r
freewo rld r ead e rs who want to know
what really goes on inside our j ails and
prisons, and wh o care about helping to
solve the social pro ble ms th a t cause
crime. Othe n vise, aren't we me r ely
preaching to the converted ? Prisoners
know what is h appe ning in the prisons
of this land; it is the rest of America that
n eeds educating.
My editorial mission for the magazine has always been to h ave it writte n
and ill ustra ted by me n a nd wo men
wh o a re eithe r in prison o r who have
spent time in prison and learned from
the experie nce. Whe n I was locked
up I used to te ll my frie nds tha t
whe n I go t out I was going to d o all
I could to get the word o u t, le t the
rest of th e world know how crime
a nd impriso nm e nt h ave b ecom e
big business in Am e rica a nd how
tho se wh o su ck fro m the c rimecontro l industry teat, (to p a raphrase Mumia Abu-Jama l) do n ' t
want their g ravy train upset. In my
writing in this magazine and elsewh ere, I have focused o n exposing
the criminal justice syste m for the
destructive sham it is.
It appears to b e working. The
rest of th e wo rl d is paying a tte ntio n to wh a t you co nvi cts have to
say. Witho ut the reve nue we g e t
fro m th e freeworld-the numbe r
o f subscriptio ns sold to non-prisoners, (consiste ntly, ou r new subs
co m e in a t a rate o f 60/ 40 n o n prison e r to priso n e r ), a nd n ewssta nd sales, whic h have incr eased
dra matically, and tl1e income from
TV d eals-Prison Life might h ave
died soon afte r it was reborn .
We are losing less mon ey with
each issue and, with mo re support
from convicts, we' ll break eve n by
the e nd of the year . We were able
(continued on page 74)

PRisoNLin:
September-October 1995

EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Richard Stratton
EXECUTIVE EDITOR & ART DIRECTOR
Chris Cozzone
EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Kim Wozencroft
MANAGING EDITOR
Jennifer Wynn
DESIGN & LAYOUT
Bobo Willkie w/ Mike Feldman
OFFICE MANAGER
Dorrell Vosper
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: BEHIND BARS
Anthony Bustillos, Henry Herz,
Bruce D. Hill, Ed Thompson
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: FREEWORLD
Steve Conway, Steve Gressok,
Rob Sulo, Marty Voelker
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Lou Jones
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
BEHIND BARS
Mumio Abu-Jamal, T.D. Bingham,
Mike Chovoux, Veronica Compton,
Thomas Foloter, Lorry Fassler[
Alex Friedmann, Sharon Lowe I,
John Narducci, Michael Pock,
Herby Sperling
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: FREEWORLD
Eddie Bunker, Sharon Goldfarb,
Donnie Martin, Pam Ryder, Peter Schmidt
PRISON LIFE EDITORIAL OFFICE
505 8th Ave
New York, NY 10018
Tel: (212)967-9760
Fox: (2 12)967-7101
CANADIAN SALES OFFICE
Robert Rowbotham,
Canadian Managing Director
Ken Bean, Assistant
253 College St., Suite 444
Toronto, ONT M5Tl R5
Tel: (905) 773-1746
Fox: (905) 773-8088

JOINT VENTURE
MEDIA, INC.
PRESIDENT & CIRCULATION MANAGER
Gory Tustison
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
A. Richard de Antoni

by Chris Cozzone, Executive Editor

PLM Hits the Internet
Why sh ould you care?
Compute r u se is a t an all-time
h ig h in th e freewo rld. "The We b,"
"Inte rn e t" a nd "Info rma tion Supe rhi g hway" a re h o use h o ld words. But
wh at good is th is to the one and a half
millio n b e hind ba rs? Most of you
are n ' t eve n a llowe d type write rs, let
a lo n e fas t compute rs with mod e ms.
No, the last thing the de partme n ts o f
co rrection and B.O.P. wa nt is fo r its
wa re ho used to co nnect and-g ulpinte ract with free so cie ty.
So wh a t th e h ell good is it th a t
Prison Life is o n the Inte rn et?
The Inte rne t, bros, is just anothe r
communicatio n med ium . Mill ions ar e
pl ugg in ' th e ir mod e ms on li n e, and
n ow they' ll be able to browse th e e t
a nd read P1'ison Life. They' ll b e reading youT stori es, see ing youT p ictures
a nd youT a rtwo rk. We'll also be posting eac h iss u e's p e n pal sec ti o n
online to in c rease yo ur cha n ces of
ma king th at "special" connection.
The ma n in charge of o ur "page"
( tha t's co mpute r li ngo fo r site ) is
Stan Dic ke ns. Sta n is no stra n ge r to
th e prison scene. He's do ne 20 cale nd a rs be twee n three bids in T exas '
wo rst. In th e six years he's bee n out,
h e's moved into th e computer co nsulting business. Stan is also director
o f o peratio n s a t No Mo re Vic tims,
Inc., a T exas-based o rganization d edica ted to h e lp ing ex-co n s stay o utta
prison .
"Prison Life o n th e We b,"
says Stan , "is our push to let the
world know we exist. Through
our web page, the world learns
the re really a re o th e r ways to
d eal with th e crime prob lem
and that th e pun ishme nt sys-

tem of justice does nothing. "
So te ll your famil y and frie nds in
the freeworld that they can access our
we b site at h ttp: / www.plmag.com/ m agaz ine . The re , th ey' ll be a ble to
read each issu e's m ain features a nd
d e pa rtm e nts, check out th e pe n pal
listing, even d own load digital images
featured in the magazin e: photos or
a rtwo rk d irec tly fro m th e inside. It's
eve n poss ib le to subsc ribe o nlin e .
Those with questions ca n e mail Stan
at: sdicke ns@ popmail.neosoft.com. If
yo u wa nt to contac t the editorial
offi ce onlin e, yo u ca n e m a il me a t:
cmzon e@pipeline.com .
So, th e message he re is that people are liste ning to you. This 'zine has
been fea tured in th e country's most
resp ec ted print media: The New Yorh
Times, Ne-wsweek, Time, Chi.cago TTibune,
Utne ReadeT, The Wall StTeet j oumal.
We've been o n a zillio n radio stations,
to ns of TV shows, a nd in January,
we' ll be wa tc h ed by HBO 's two mi llio n viewe rs. This is a magazine tha t
cann ot be ig nored.
On a smaller scale, you sho uld see
th e stares I ge t in New York when I
wear my Pdson Life T-Shirt. Some people sneer or shake th eir heads, so me
nod approvingly, most just stare incredulously, what the hell? on the ir mugs.
O ur time- your time- is coming.
T h a nks to yo ur support, th e days of
the silent prisoner are over.

ASSISTANT CIRCULATION MANAGER
Lewis Groce
OPERATIONS ASSISTANT
Janette Sherlock
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
& INQUIRIES
4200 Westheimer, Suite 160
Houston, TX 77027-4426

CAll: 1-800-207-2659

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PRISON LIFE

9

It's time to remembe r that we're not
here to ser.re the gangs, we' re here to
se1ve our time and get the fuck out ...
alive.
j oseph "Tamale" Lopez
Coffield Unit, Texas

GANG REACTIONS
I am a forme r ga ng membe r of the
Barrio Aztecas serving one 99-year a nd
two life se nte n ces co n secmive ly. All
three are murd e r co n vic ti o n s, two
fro m the freeworld a nd one while in
theTDCJ-ID.
The arti cle by Robe rt De lgado, the
former Texas Syndicate member (May
issue), really struck a nerve. All of his
conclusions are ones that I, too, h ave
come to.
Barrio Azteca was fo rmed in J a nua•1'
1987 by convicts fro m El Paso, T exas.
Th e gang was o rig ina lly restric ted to
Chi canos from El Paso but whe n th e
gang leaders saw th a t they didn ' t h ave
e no ugh members a t Coffi e ld Unit to
d efe nd th e mselves aga in st th e TS or
MM, they recrui ted everyone who didn ' t h ave a bad r eputation o r sni tc h
jacke t. As a res ul t, the BA spread a ll
ove r the system.
The BA easil y number over 2,000
n ow. The problem is that th ey are
badly orga ni zed , th e ir co mmand
stru c ture is built for d isas te r, th e ir
communication is a joke and their discipli ne is a lmost n o n exis te n t. To
ma ke ma tte rs worse, there is discrimination b etween BAs fro m El Paso and
those who a re n ot from th ere .
The Aztecas a•·e curre ntly at war with
the TS and MM, both confli cts having
o rigin ated in the El Paso Cou n ty J ail.
There are so many BAs th ere that the
ga ng thi n ks th ey ca n push around
every oth e r o rganization.
The BA is so big th a t no one kn ows
who a ll the me mbers are or who actually snuck in . A vast m aj o rity of me mbers

oPRISON LIFE

1

don ' t eve n know th e gan g ru lesexcept, of course, "You're in for life."
I realize now that the gang was created for no purpose . It h as no ca use,
an d as Robert De lgado puts it, "n o
mission. " Th e peo p le wh o fo und ed
th e BA h ave n ' l th e fain test idea of
how to organize it. Peo ple grabbed all
th e powe r th ey cou ld by claiming
ra nk-capo, tiniente, SC£rgento--th e n
th ey du g in a nd 1·esisted c h ang e o r
any efforts for gang reforma ti on.
And sti ll th ey keep recru iting .
All of tl1e Aztecas on the Michael Unit
go t tra nsfe rred to Coffie ld Unit in
October '94. They put 80 of us togetl1er
on a cell block so they could recreate us
in g ro ups o f te n. It's a ll pan o f some
new plan to manage gangs.
In J a nuary '95, I we nt back to court
fo r a n evidentiai1' hearing o n a writ of
habeas corpus for th e Gatesville murd er conviction. Wh e n I came back to
Coffield from th e h ea ring , I was n o
lo nger a me mbe r of the BA.
When you stand in fron t o f a judge,
fend in g off th e g ove n1m e nL, yo u
stand alone. Wh at use is your ga ng?
You ' re taking a h ell of a ga mbl e
wh e n yo u j oin a ga ng . You sta nd to
gain a bsolu tely nothing except a li fe
se nte n ce a nd a p a t o n th e back-or
ma ybe a d ea th se nte nce by a riva l
ga ng o r by the gove rnment. You cou ld
die a nd yo ur ga n g will n o t sh ed one
tear fo r yo u.
Now llive o n a cell block wi th all exgang me mbe rs, or peo ple wro ngfully
confirmed as gang me mbers: BA, TS,
MM, RU , yo u nam e it. We all ge t
a long fine n ow th a t we ' re n o t gan g
membe rs.

While I agree with Robert Delgado's
anti-gang position , I d isagree with the
way he is doing it. It sounds to me like
h e's o ut for some sort o f vengeance.
Mr. De lgado, you ' ll have a price
over your head fo r tl1e rest of your life
for you r FGM positio n . Don 't try to
take oth e rs to the grave with you. The
price for a major mistake is, of course,
death. You say th is is not tru e, but
yo u ' re in Ad Seg where it's extremely
ha rd to take so meone o u t. You thin k
you will live foreve r with this price o n
yo ur head ?
I am a ga n g m e mb e r for the H erman os d e Pistole ros Latinos. T hi s is
what I say to wou ld-be a nd c urre nt
ga n g me mbe r s: Don't b e fool s. You
vo luntarily gave your life to your organi zation , now live up to yo ur words.
Ra th e r th a n fi g ht o r a bandon yo ur
famil y organi za tion, unite and make
peace . T eac h our childre n what we
have learn ed the hard way: T o stay o ut
of gangs!
Gangs are n o t go od . Wo uld-b e
m embe rs sh o uld think about th e
responsibilities th ey'll h ave after being
recru ited. Un less o ne is willi ng to g ive
life and so ul, o n e should notj o in a
gang.
But also, don ' t underestima te a fa mily organization just because of what a
FGM h as to say, esp ecially o n e with a
price on his h ead . Wh a t e lse ca n h e
do but talk sh it?
Mmgmito Valenzuela
McConnell Unit, T exas

CRAPPIN' ON STRATI'ON
Mr. Stratton, I read th e article on
yo u in th e Chicago Tribune. I th ink
yo u ' re a phony! So you ' re a n ex-drug
d eale r wh o spen t e ig ht yea rs in the
slammer writin g a book. It must seem
logica l to you to oppose locki ng up
c rimin als. Now, if buildin g th e
required priso n s to do so is n o t the
a n swe r, what is? Do yo u h ave a n
answe r? I doubt very mu c h it h as
occurred to yo u lO wr ite a m agazine
called "T h e Voice ofthe Victim. " Has
it, Ric h a rd ? God for bid yo u sh o uld
beco me a murde r victim . How wo uld
you want th e rest of u s to trea t yo ur
kil ler?
Voice of the Victim
P.S. I e njoyed pu tting my hot coffee
mug on your scowly mug.

AIM LOW, I THINK I
SEE THEM DUCKING
I lo ve this m ag, I love th is mag, I
love th is m ag! I can 't believe this mag!
Go dd a mn , Prison Lif e! I m ea n , I ge t
excited wh e n I read wh a t yo u h ave
wroug ht.
This is good shit he re, pal. You kn ow
h ow ma ny prison rags I ' ve bu rn e d ?
Th ose b aby fuc ke r J esu s freakin '
mon thly oatmeal sucking, please I d idn 't' mean to say tha t, Ta mpax pape rs?
O h my God , bu t n ow th e re's this.
I am impressed .
I'm am azed!
Just lo o k at all this frie ndly fi re yo u
kee p putting o ut. Do n ' t loo k, yo u ' ll
sh oot your foot.
Good timi ng tho ug h , wi th so m a ny
in the D.O. C. now ta kin g our side of
things. God , how th ey must be sweating as th e future loo ms wit ho ut T V,
weigh ts, ma yb e toss in som e rubbe r
tires, a n o ld Samsoni te. I know a fe w
who wou ldn ' t know the d iffe re nce.
But I wi ll. I get o u t in fo ur months,
so I can laugh. He h. He h.
Keep shoo ti ng guys. Aim low, I thi n k
I see the m d ucking.
Bany "The BeaT" Hunwick
Baker C.!., Sanderson, FL

fi sca ted by th e ma il roo m. O n ly
thro ug h a lot of h ead ac h es, h assles
and a fa t d ose of luck was I fin ally able
to ge t th e issue back. I do n ' t need th at
kind of dra ma rig ht n ow, but on ce I
read this la test issu e I fe lt it had bee n
wo rth it. T he d e p th , powe r a nd honesty rea lly moved some th ing inside of
me. I can ' t reca ll th e last tim e I read
some tl1ing with tl1is much raw ene rgy.
If a nythi ng, I would h o pe that Priso n
Life lllrns up the volume.
I now ho pe some of my futu re issues
will be confiscated. It's go nna piss me
off a nd I'm n o t go ing to like it o n e
bit, but tl1at's so me thing that I'm willing to accept, because I know that the
issues th at get thro ug h wil l b e so me
ho nest, shoot-fro m-tl1e-hip journa lism
instead of a bun ch o f wate red d own
Pepsi genera tio n cra p.
Prison Life is stro ng b·ea tment fo r a
d iseased system. The bitter med icines
a re ofte n th e strongest.
You want so mething less risky? Subsc ribe to Vanity Fai1·. You wa n t so methin g less mach o ? Ge t a co py of
Women s Wear Daily.
j ed Miller
San Quentin, CA

PLM-STRONG TREATMENT
FOR DISEASED SYSTEM

CONVICTS ARE
COCKSUCKERS,TOO

Some of th e bro the rs an d siste rs o u t
th e re a r e co mpla ining a bo u t Prison
L if e be ing too risky, o r too mac ho .
T one it d own a li ttle, tl1ey say.
Wh a t th e fu c k fo r? Like it sa ys,
''Voice of tl1e Convict." o t 'W hat the

I read Richa rd Stratto n 's a rticle o n
Olive r Ston e (March Issu e) with g reat
inte rest. T he Ve te rans Hospital in the
Bro n x whi ch h e d e picted as a ho u se
of h orro rs in "Born o n th e

4th ofJuly" was the site of my crime. I
h e ld up th e e m e rgency roo m a n d
d e mand ed treatme nt, wh ich go t me
fed e ral time .
r was disturbed , however, at the sexism and homo pho bia re vealed in your
writin g, esp ec ia lly 1vhe n you u se th e
te rm "coc ksucke rs" to insult th ose
"con spirin g to m a n ipu late h isto ry."
Wo uld yo u ca ll th e m "n igge rs" o r
"sp ies"? No, bu t it's okay to pu t down
those who e ngage in a harml ess sexual
acti vity-proba b ly includ ing so me of
yo u r own g irlfri e n d s. I have to presu me yo u have n ever be nefitted fro m
oral sex, o r yo u wo uld not refe r to its
practi tioners like tha t.
I g u ess I e x p ec te d b e tte r of yo u.
Yo u ' re a n ed ito r , som eone wh o
we ig h s wo rd s ca refu lly a nd j u dges
their im pact.
Yo u need to pay more a tte ntio n to
the le tte r fro m La u ra Wh ite h o rn
prin ted in th e same issue. Othe rwise,
Prison Life wi II a p p ear to be n o t the
vo ice o f t he convic t, bu t the vo ice of
th e r u ling class (a mo n g priso n e rs
th e mselves) onl y. A lo t of co nvi c ts,
after all, are cocksuc ke rs, too.
Stephen Donaldson
New Yorlt, N Y

M)' political education continues.
Editor
(continued on fJage 79)

PRISON LIFE

11

by Veronica Compton

Washington State Correction Center
his October, I begin my sixeenth year in prison. For me,
freedom is on the horizon but
for other lifers here, prison remains
the darkest of nights with no daylight
in sight.
Mter over a decade of prison reform
advocacy and activism, I am putting up
th~ proverbial "out of business" sign.
As a jailhouse lawyer, activist, prison
writer, lobbyist and front-line-fighter
for human rights, I have grown tired of
the unending toil and subsequent
punishment. I now relate on a personal level to Sisyphus, whose neverending task is to roll a huge boulder up a
mountain only to watch it roll down.
Recently, I read the JulyI August issue
of Prison Lifo. The editors had asked me
to contribute to the magazine as a
prison correspondent, and I had
declined, saying I was due to be
released. But after reading the magazine, I realized there is a serious problem with Prison Life. The women's
voices are either token squeakS or simply nonexistent. I decided I would take
up the voice of the woman convict until
other women are ready to be heard.
Statistics say we women prisoners are.
mostly mothers in our 20s with histories of abuse and addiction, and function at about an eighth grade level.
Another common characteristic is our
lack of political strength and voice. We
are mostly nonviolent. Violence on the
part of women is usually in response to
abuse or it is self-directed.
I am angered most when I see the
loss of female identity that sometimes
occurs within the women's prison
population. Incarcerated women will
occasionally adapt by imitating men to
secure a sense of power. Lesbianism is
not the issue. Lesbianism is, ideally,
women loving women. What I oppose
are women who don't love women but
instead act as oppressive male figures
12 PBISOI LIFE

wielding control and power over others. This type of relationship does
exist here and often stems from a
woman having had years of forced
submission on the streets. She comes
to prison only to repeat her cycle of
victimization. What's especially tragic
is that she finds her misogynist in
other women inmates, not just staff.
This is an issue that all women prisoners need to look at. We should not
stone the female misogynist, but
address her as the lost and misguided
woman she is. Educate her, share and
forgive. If that is impossible, as it
sometimes is, then avoid her and try
to reach out to her victims and introduce them to ideas of self-leadership,
self-esteem and assertiveness.

~lftBn

livB in

fTit;t!JnBTt;

a t;~t;(Bift

c/e-;~B'c/ft!J

~t!JfB WifA lftBn 't;,
ntJf W!JiftBn' ~~
6eAavitJT~,
We women prisoners live in a system
designed to cope with men's-not
women 's-behaviors. When a man
molests a child at a prison visit, all institutions are affected. When a male prisoner kills his wife during a conjugal
visit, all prisoners are punished. When
a man goes on work release rapes
women, all prisoners are affected.
When a man leaves prison and stalks,
rapes and kills the woman who pressed
charges, all prisoners suffer. Each
time, women prisoners pay the penalty. Our ability to participate in work

camps, furloughs, pre-release, work
releases and paroles are discontinued
or restructured. Women who are
incarcerated do not leave prison to
rape, molest or reap revenge. Neither
do most male prisoners, but those few
who do give the bureaucrats ammunition to enforce more stringent and
punitive guidelines within all prisons.
I'm tired of hearing how women get
all the privileges and easy treatment
and la-dee-dah. It's a flagrant lie. I've
been fed rotten food crawling with
worms and contamination. I've been
thrown in dry cells and had cavity
probes. I've lost months being silentbeefed for rebellion and I've been
caged without daylight for an eightmonth stretch. I know how to pull the
years ofi.M. U. when people down the
breezeway die from medical negligence and suicide. I've lived through
years of freezing and illness and had
the clothes on my back literally begin
to rot off my body.
Women prisoners get fewer privileges and opportunities than men
prisoners because we passively accept
whatever "they" dish out. I have been
in facilities from California to Washington and what I see as a veteran of
prison is this: America's prison system
is decades behind the feminist movement of free American society. Where
we really need the movement is within the walls, but it's difficult to find
good leaders when most of us inside
are the least educated about how to
lead effectively on a political front.
Further, those of us who are active in
the battlegrounds of bureaucracy and
media reap oppression and punishment. My mail has been screened and
copied to the AG's office and Olympia
D.O.C. headquarters. My published
works have been banned and I've spent
most of my years in either maximum
security or the hole. I've been involved

in successful suits against the state. I've
helped change some state policies a nd
have seen triumphs fall away. l've been
locked down a nd h e ld in segregation
for "tank-bossing," "giving legal advice,"
"threate ning the o rde rly operations of
the institution ," etc. Wome n wiLh voices a re punishe d d a ily fo r acting
assertively, yet we seem to be too busy
fighting ba ttles or co nstructing solutions to write about iL
I want to encourage action and work
on be half of women priso n e rs by
incarcerate d women th e mselves.

Glan ce a t the conu·ibutors column of
Prison Life. See a ny women 's n a mes?
I'm no t talking abou t poetry. I'm talking a bout ideas. We have the m and we
need to share the m o n a regular basis.
I th ink "Ch a lle ng ing the Convic t
Cod e," by J o rge Re n aud, was a brilliant piece of work that we all n eed to
examine carefu lly. If we a re go ing to
make our socie ties within the walls civil ized a nd inte llige nt, we need to
m a ke changes from within . We may
be in priso n , but we don 't have to
be have without dignity or e thics. Vari-

o u s factio n s within the priso n s have
the ir sp iritual le ade rs. They cla im to
follow Martin Luther King, Jr. , Malcom X, Zapata, Great Grandfather,
J esus, Marx. They claim to honor their
cultural he roes, but many do not even
kn ow the fu ll philosophies and life
h istories of these m en. Note, too, th e
list has no women. Why? Where a re
they? Gloria Stein e m, Maya Ange lou,
Betty Friedan? Are they out there? Are
they accessible?
Try looking into th e mirror, sisterme, you might j u st fi n d your heroine.
PRISON LIFE 13

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NIKE AIR l.Aio'6ASTE-LOW-BLI<II\1IT·U . 54.95
NIKE COURT FORCE-1.1.0-MEN .... 39.95
"'KE DRIVING FORCE- MID-MEN .. 39.95
PUioiA SU€DE-lO\V-6lAOOBLUE'A'EO.M 39.95
PWA BASKET -lOW-1.\EN1'11IT W/NATVRALOR DU< SWOOSH . 35.95

~IKE

~IKE

~IKE

eDUtiD·MIQ.BL~'fiHT·M

75.~

REEBOK BASKETBALL

t:~ ~~~-8~\("~~~MEti..::: ~;:~

SAEAKAWAY- LOW- MEN ............. 44.95
l!llEAKAWAY-M D-8LACK-MEtl ... 48.95
BOIEMAWAYCANVAS-lOW·BUI.'IlLUE~ 41.9S
CROSSOVER II-MID-MEN ............ 49.95
ea • 600ULTR-MJD-BLKIWKT- M . 38.9S
ea 4600 Ul TRA-HJGH-~'EN ......... 39.95
SHAD HnAO INSTAPUMP-1.11D·M • 84.95
SHAD TIWNER-MID-IIEN .......... 68.95
RAFTER- 1.1'1>-MEN .............._. 59.95
I(AM KAZE-I.'JO-I.IEII .................. 59.95

~~~~~~t_~~-MEti~~-~ ~~~

.U.TIMETER-MD-MEN ................ 55.95
SKILLs-MID-BLACK- MEN ·----... 49 95
CHIU.-1.1l0-MEN .........- ........... 5695
TEAM VERTICAL- LOW-BLK- MEN S1.95
TEAM VE RT ICAL-1.410-BLK/WKT-M .. 55.95
TEAM VERT IC.U.- HIGH-BLK-I.IEN 59.95
;o.t:W Kt: .,;llO K T EAM S ilO~:
PL'T L~DI I' IDUA L PLA\'ERI UN BAl'K
-COLORto MARKERS INCLUDf.D _
5'1.1NCMAN-MID-MEN ................... 56 95
....

MON.- FRI. 9-5 • SATURDAY 9 - 3

C ONVERSF.

Sl'F.Cll\1.~!

RUN 11SLAM"'
0
RUN 11 SLAM ~t~6~.;~:;.~.{."i;ijiN. :::~
DE TRO
S
YEA-MID-MEN ................. 49.95
SKY RIDER·MID-BLACKIWIIITE·MEN . 49.95
SPEEDPULL·MID·BLK OR WHT·MEN . 39.95
TAR Mo\X- M"O- MEtl ........................ 39.95

RUGGED SH0 ES &
HIKINGIWORK BOOTS
I ''

ADI DAS EOU P ADVWTURE-HIGH-M 74.95
AOIDAS CRATOR·M D·Mi:N- SALE ... 39.95
DEXTERBLAZER·MIO.eLK1lm'TAtH Ui9.95
DEXTER KLONDIKE- MD-M'l ........ 59.95
DEXTER CARIBOLI-MID-UEtl ......... 64.95
HI-TEC ALPitiE·MID·MEII & LADIES .. 54.95
tfl.TEC V1STA- MID-1.1£N ...... ........ S4 95
tHEC IAIOtlnE BLACK-MID-MEN .... 50.95
tfl-TEC SIERRA LITE11-IIII>-8Rtll!U<·II .l9.95
HI·TEC LADY UTE 11-MID ............. 39.95
HI·TECNAVAJO- MID-MEN ............ 69.95
HI-TEC SHASTA 11-lo'Etl. • .... .. .29 95
HI·TECHUR01H0 1Q.WATERPROOF·~ 81.95
K-SWISS MUAALTO-HIGH- M€N .... 64.95
K-SW1SS POIITAI-.'0-HIGH-MEN ... 8-1.95
tiEVAOOS Y.1LOCAT-I.I,D-MEN . 26 95
IIEVAOOS TUt,ftlRA-1.111>-M'L ......... 29.9S
N£WBALAt.CEUH S16-II DO &EE·ME/1. 47.95
HIKE CALOERA-MID-ME~ILAOIES 40.95
NIKE AIR MAKALLI-/.411>-MEN ........ 49.95
REEBOK TElOS- HIGH-I.ItN ......... 58.95
REEBOK"iELOS ULTRA..HIGH·MEN 64.95
REEBOK CUFFHANGER-MID-IM. . 48.95
REEBOK BLUE RIDGE II- MID-MEN . 49.9S
REEBOK ZEN-HIGH-MEN .............. 19.95
ROCKPORT:
3051- CHCY'..OU.IE NU61..CK·MJO·M 69 9S
31SS....BROVIN- LOW-1.1EN ........: 69:95
5519-0ISCOVERY- MID- MEN ... 79.95
5529-0ISCOVCRY-LOYI· BRN·Iol .. 49.95
SKECHERS-BOOTS·
ROAD RANGER CANVAs-UNISEXNATURAL BLUE OR BlACK .... 29 95
ROCKIES CANVAS-GREEWTAN-!.13o4.9S
TRESIU WOii.<IIOOI ·NIOT:.t,T!ii(1Ht;.M 45.95
RESAR-LOW- To\11- IAEN .. . 43 95
RIPCIJH OW·EAO'Nt• VENIEVEN SII.£5! 40.95
RIPSAW~
fiBL BROV
· ~v K'
IN·I.IEN .. 35.9S
URtWI RIJlGHl • O!S!lEMfR-In5£X 35 95
BAFFINDUCK ~0 10 EAGtE·~IIEVEII) 49.95
!WAN OUCH 'ID HAWK·M (EVEI~ 43.9S
BAFFI!IIll.CY. 8' 1/J.'.ARAK·M(EVE/Ij 54.95
T111SERLAJID:
1006 1~ INCH-TAll- MEN ...... 89 95
10066-/liNCH BT-TAN-I.ICN .. 79.95
10069~ 1NC H-6LACK-MEN .... n .95
1 0~-6 ~~,!i;;-l~!:'; ~Tlf·~tSR ;·;- 87.•95
~ ~ ~""
~ 107 95
IIICH-lAti-MEN ....... 78.95
!10063- B INCH-l!LACK- MEN ..... 76.95
39001- UlTIW.TETREK·MID·M . 11995
!i0009-l-EVELET CLASSX: LUG·I.1 . 69.95
50053- CHUKAA·II.ID·BRO'NN·M .. 76.95
5005!1-CHUKKA·MID-BLACK·MEN 76 95
S903J-3 EYELET OXFORD·MEN 10!>.95
59093- 7 EY ELET CHUKKA·MIO·U 115.95
6605S.... TOPOZOIC HIKER- MEN . 84 95
69()oi4- 8US ti i iiKER·LOW·BAN·M 59.95
69()47- ausH H'KER·LCI'I·BLX·M 59.95
69056-BUSH HIKER·MID·BAN·M . 84 95

11 6
20081~

=

==~~~~ ~~~~i~-~~g:~;~N ~:~~

95053 - EURO tiiKER- MID- M ..... 58.95
95054-EURO ~JKER-MID-M ..... 1895
951!10- EURO HlKER·LEATHER·M 79.95
95103-EURO H KER-MID-MEr~ 79.95

REEBOK \VALKING

LEADER DMX- MEN & LADIES ........ 52.95
LEADER DC-MEN 4 LADIES ........... 46 95
mtll:SS WALKER LA.TRA-!IUWo11T·Iolt 3995
COMFORT ULTRA-!llK OR WHT·t.1 ... 39.9S

A VI A
!386-MII>-MEN ·-············-·············· 39 95
1391- LOW- MEN & LADIES .... ........ 42.95
1395-MID-MEN & LADIES .............. « .95
144G--MID-MEN .............................. 44 95
1475 ABYSS LOW MEN
, -:-IKF. .... ............. 55.95
"
AIR TRAIN MAX 2- MIIl-MEN ........... 9995
AIR TRAIN ACCEL- MID-Mt ........... 59.95
AIR TRAIN VENGEANCE-LOW-MEN ... 49.95
AIR T " "N VENGEA'~E "
~
~ ·~IQ.MEN . .. 52.95
AIR EOG€ 11-LOW- MEII .............. 54.95
AIR EDGE II-MID-MEN ................ 57.95
AIR SCREAAI LWP-MEN ................... 79.95
AIR DIAMOND FURY-MID-I.IEN ..... 71.95
REEliO K
BRUTUs-MID-RLACK-MEN ........ 60.95
SUPREME- LOW·BLK OR I'IIIT·MEN 49.9S
SUPREME-MIO·BLKOR WilT-MEN .. 52.9S
AUPDRA-LDYI- BLACK- IoEN ...... 44.95
STAM'NA- LOYI - MEtl& LADIES .... 4495
STAMaiA-MID-I.IEN& LADIES .... 43.95
SCR MMAGE-LOW-6LK OR WIIT·M .51.95
SCR MMAGE- MID-BU< OR YIKHI .. 5695
GRAPHLilE PRO-lOW-MEN ...... 74 95
ARSE11Al- LDW·BLK OR WilT-MEN . 51 .95
ARSEtiAL-~~0-BLK OR VIHT·MEN .. S9.9S
SATELUTE·LOW·BU< OR WilT-MEN . 45.95
SATELUTE-MIH.IEN .................. 49.95
EXOfiT- LOW- BLKOR WKT·MEN .. 43.95
EXOAT- MID-BLK OR WilT-MEN .. 44.95
EXOAT- HIGH·BLK OR 'MIT-MEN ... 46.95
WORKOUT- LOW·BLK OR WKT·M ... 40.95
INS TAPIJMP PAYDIRT·MID·IlUWIHT·M. 69.95
ADIDAS TOR RESPONSE XT R-LOW·I.l _45.95
ADIDAS TOR RESPONSE
ADIDAS TORSION
CONVERSE COURT MAASHAL·LO-M 44.95
CONVERSE COURT MARSHAL·MIO·M44 95

OLYMPIXJ~~~-

;m

CONVERSE PSYCHO TRAINER-M ..... 49.95

~~~~~~~ ~~~~~E·lO:Wl·:: ~:::;

HEAD ANATOlA RENEGADE-MID-~I .. 44 _95
HEAD RENEGADE u-~IID-MEN ...... 51 _95
NEWBALANCE CXT nS.WlDTHS-M .. 49 _95
NEWBALANCE MX 650{) & 4E·MEN . 47 _95
PUMA
...... 59.95

VENGEANCE-MID-~IEN

RUNNING SHOES
AD'DAS TORS RESPONSE·Mt ·NEVI 52.95
ADIOAS RESPONSE TRAIL-MEN .... 6U5
AD DAS Sl 96-MEN ..................... 60.95
AO.DAS ADVANCED-MEN ............. 45.95
AO'DAS TORSOON LEXICON-MEN .. 64.9S
AD DAS TORSION AUEGRA-Mt .. 49.95
AD-OAS EOUPMENT GUIOAIICE-M 69.95
AO'DAS EOUIPMEioiT CIJSIIION- M _ 74.95
AVIA 20SD-MEN & LADIES .............. l9.95
AVIA 2052-I.EN & LADIES .......... .. 56.95
AVIA 3030 DIMILD-MENILAOIES .... . 39.9S
N KE AIR MAX '9S-MEtl ................ 84.95
NIKEAIR MAX 2-MEN ................. 101.95
IIIKEAIR MAX 2LIGNT-MEN ......... 96.95
tiiKE AIR ROVER- MEN ................. 69.95
IIIKEAIR
...... 4395
IIEW BALANCE M665·MEN-SPECIAL39.95
IIEWBALANCE M700.WIDTHS·MEtl _55.95
NEWBALANCE t.1750·D & EE·MEN .... 63.95
IIEW BALANCE M679-VIIDTlfS·MEN .. 62.95
IIEW BALANCE M996·1'11DTHS·t.1EN .. 87.95
NEWBALANCE MISOOD & EE·MEN 120.95
NEW BALANCE ~IT55S....I.IEN ............. 51.95

ICARUS-~'ENII.AOIES

• PRI.'IC E •

SAL~:

ASCEio/T - MEN .............. ..... .
ASPIRE- LADIES ............................ .. 38.'5
'
COURT UGHT- LADI€S ···•···• . ....... 29.95
44 5
CS EXCEL LADIES
9
IGNilE MEN & LAO1
34.95
.................. · 3 ·
INTEGRITY-I.IEN ······•·· .................. · 9 95
LIGKT I - MEN & LADIES ............. 35.95
OPEN OR PROPEL- MEN ........ .29.95
RE SPONSE MEN
lJ 95
VELOCITY ~Ill-LADiES................ . .95
VELOCITY8A1DGE MID M ..............
. . ............... ~•
• A VIllAS •
NBTA- MEN-SPECIAL ............... 43.95
TORS RESPONSE·LOW·Wl -5PECIAL39.95
TORS!ON RESPONSE-~110-1.£11 ... 44.95
TORSION RESPONSE '55-LOW-MEN . 53.95
TORS•ON RESPONSE '9S·MID·ME11 .. 57.95
TOR&ON ATP TOUR 'JS- MEN ......... 63.95
TORSiON ATPTOUR ~ES .. 60.~
TORSION CHAMPION-MEN ........ 39.95
THREE STRIPE- MEN ....................... 37.95
CREST CLASSIC 2-I.IEN ............ 37.95
CIRCUIT OR CHAIAP LITE-MEN . . 42.~
SEQUENCE TECH MESH-MEN ....... 33.95
SCORE LITE LOW OR MID-MEN ..... 3H5
STAN SMITH OR LADY SMITH ... . 3B 5
ROO LAVER-1.1EN ........................... 41.95
EOUIPMENT TENNIS LITE-MEN ....... 33.;15
EOUIPMEio/T TENNIS BOOT·WIIT·M .. 42.;15
• C Ol" VERSt: •
TOUR SELECTHARD COURT- WI. .. 54.95
RUN N SEA E
C. EVERT
..
JACK PURCELL CLASS IC-~IEN ..... 22.95
29 5
J CONNORS CLASSIC ~lEN
.
..
· ........ ·9
* IIIAIIO RA •
ELITE ORIGINAL-I.IEN . . 40.95
INALE DA- MEN ............. ...... .......... 51.95
4
CAMIPORESE- MEII ........................ · 44
3.95
...... ·95
- LAO:ES .............. .. · 39 95
.............................. . 39.95
A '9S- LAOIES ........ .. .. . CALL
OURATECH ELITE DA- MEN - .
em
OURATECHELITE~W.EEVA- L
CALL
REBOUND ACE DA IVAIIISEVIC·M ..... CALL

ES......................

:~·95

C~~-~~~s·::: ~··:: ~:~

~RG

gg:.i~;H 65D-MEN-NEVI
~~:Me~EN

• Lt: CO(J •
PRO OS--MID-MEN- NEW ..... .. ·11 95
SUPERASHE--~IEN --............. .... 33 95
CYPRESS OR MONTEREY- t.I:N ..... 43.95
DELRAY CANVAS--I.IEN ............. 37.9S
BELAil-MEN ...............
. ...... 42 95
• NEW IIA I.ANO : •
CT 67>--MEN- SPEClAL .....- ....... 39.95
CT 680HG-l! D EE& •E MEN
3
CT 680-8 D.EE &4£-ME N
.
CT SIG--0, EE & 4E MEN ........... 55 95
.
........... .95
g................. ... .. .95>
. . ... 95
CT 545-MEN
....... 46 95
........ .............................. 47 95
51·95
WCT165-AA & B LAD"ES ...... .. 3 9
sos-AA. 8 &-1>-LADIEs..:· .. ·:· :: 9;
WCT 51G--M 8 & I>-LADIES ..... 47 95

~5 ~

g~: ~~-~: . . . . . . .;~

g~~~t~DTHS.::M ~·
~ ~it~ ~: t~g: ~~ . .....
wcr

~

:~~~ ~~~ ~~~OT
• LOTTO •
~F ADOIC;~;;:~E~·SALE ;~·~ FUTURA-~IEN .................... ·

HFXEMt ...... <8.95
BROOKS
...
BROOKS HF ELOORA00-1.\t ........ 39 95
BROOKS IIF CHEETAH-1.1EN .......... 49.95
DIAOORA DISTANCE DA-~\l ....... 49 95
ETONIC STABLE AIRV02-M- SALE .. 54 95
ETONIC STABLE AIR 42K-MEN ....... 59.95
FILA OOOGAE LEATHER- MEN ...... 4995
FILA EURO JOIGGER-I.IEN ........... 44 95
MIZUNO MOIIOO ELITE II·M'L·NEW .. 56 95
PUMA DISC SYSTEM TX-4()()().1.1EN _ 64.95

· 67 95
FUTURA AT LETA- · MID .. MEN ... ..... 67.95
CLASSICQ-MEN .... · .................. 44
48.95
LADYCLASSICO ............. · .. .. · 95
~lUSTER PRO-~IEN ........ ...... ......... 39.95
PRO tiAUTATlLOVA- LAO'ES ........ 44.95
I!O!liS BECKER PRO-MEN ..
53 95
• KAE PA •
I'OI'I"ER COURT - Io!EU - SPECW. .... 36.95
MOIITERY-LAOIEs-SPECIAl.
• 39.95

SUPR:Ioi£-&KfNKT~ 51.95 ~~ ~XREV-400-MENE ...... __ ...... 46
95
~~AA~~~ -~:::::.::::: :~:::::::··_. .·.. 34
gs
36..9S
REEDOK
RUNNING
lA
A'l-M N ................-. 40.95
•
PU~IAXS SP EED-MEN ............. 4995
• 1\I K F: •

OOW'OOTGtllE

TORCH LEATHER- BLK OR WHI-M • 44.95
CLASSIC LEATHER·BLK OR WHI-M- 44 95
AlTREK-~lEII& LADIES................. 51 95
PYRO- ~IEN & LADIES . ....... .... 39 95
BOSTON ROAD-~!Etl & LADIES ..... 45 95
VEioiT ILATOA-!.IEN ................... 5195
VENTILAT0i1 SUPREME-I.IEtL ...... 63 95
VENTILATOR PLUS- MEN ............... 59 95
~~;~~~T~:g~E~EN ..~.. :·:: :::·: ~;-~

5WINGMAN-H(;H-8iiLA~C~K-!IIM~E~N~ 5~9,.9,5!.l!!i~~~~~

SAUCOIIY GRID AMERICA-Mt ...... 7995
SAUCOIIY GRID SHADOW- WI. ...... 6195
SAUCOIIY VANG-MEN & LADIES... 64 95
SAUCOIIY Jloi1. T!WL- wt ............ 59 95
SAUCOIIY JAZ13000-t.tt • ... .... 39.95
SAUCONY JAZ141100-Mt - SALE .... 44 95
SAUCOIIY Jloi1. 5000-t.\'l .............. 51.95
SAUCOIIY SHADOW 600-M'L ..... 5795
SAUCOIIY GRID 9000 SD-!Nl·SALE .. 59 95
... ..........
...

GISLEATHER-I.I(N ...... .... ..
3a 95
GIS l E.AIHER- LAOIES ............. 33.95
GTS CoiJNAS- IAEN . . .
. . 29 95
PR E ~JERA MEN
C1 95
AIRVllESSE-Low:.:·LADIES·:~ ...... 59.95
AI R VIlESS E-~111>-LADIES ....... 63 95
AIR CH.U.LHIGELWP · BLKJI\ltT~A .76.95
AIR PLAYER REOUEST- LAOIES . . 46 95
6 95
AIR FLARE-MID-I.IEN ............. .. 7 •
ACE PLUs-LOW· MEN .............. 55.95

~~...~S~A~UC~OII
~YriPR~OC
~Y~OjN-~Mi~t;J~~~ ~46ij9~~
5 AI~R

PHASE I LEATHER- MEN ................. 43.9~
P~ASE 11-D & EE-~ItN ............. 43.9~
CEtiTRE COURT- MEII ..... .. . .
Sol ?!
STADIUM COURT-~ICN .................. .:J.l :
OPEN COURT- LOW-MEN .............. 39l!
DUEL-MEtl & LADIES . ...... •
49
NPC INSIGNIA- MEN & LADIES . ...... 3:.95
CLUB C- loOEN & LADIES .................. . 39 ~
III STAI't}1.•P MATCH- MID- MEN ...... 79•.S
INSTAPIJr.IP UPSET-MID-~IEN
S!'

*
*

* llf.AI> *
ADVANCE- LADIES ...............
. 4C ,~;
ADVA.'ICE- MEN
. ..
«~
CHALLENGE- LADIES .. .
.1$ ><
CHAUEMlE- MEN • ..... ..
52
ENOOROII-MEN _..
~-~
AIIAT~I VIES-MEN .. .
53 ;!;
RADIAL 500 LOW LI:ATHER-!.IEN • 3 ,1;
RADIAL 500 LOWLEATHER·LAOIES JB5
EDGE CLASSIC-~IEN
.
. 19 ;.;
PlAY(R-~I(N & LADIES ... ..
) I*
FLAIR 11-LAO.ES
. 2E
• K -SW JSS •
MHAU· LOW- I.IEti - SPECIAL ..... 39 ;r.
VY' VORT- MEN .......................... 5?35
TURA-!.0\Y- MEN.. .. .. . ..
5? ?5
CLASSIC BLACK- MEN .................. .. 3" 15
ONTREOA oi.ZCOZA- MEN .
;·
SURAVA- MEN & LADIES ....... ........ " l;
SURAVA KEVLAR - MHIUDIES ...... 55 ;r.
BREUA CANVAS- BLIWIHT - M ..... 19 ;r.
ARDEZ- MEII ..................... ............. . ~ , ;
CANVAS SURF TU RF-~IE'I\.A DI ES 15:.;
CLASSIC LEAHIER MEI'<\AOIES •. 3~ ~;
AGRES5UR-MEN & LADIES
<5 lS

*
*

*

VOlCC- MEN..-.......... ··"··-·· .. .

•9 3;

GSTAAO AGRESSUR- wt ... . . . <H5
Sl·18 TOURE-314- MEN .
. 66 ;J;
Sl·l8 TOURE-LOVI- MEN .
63 ,_
SI·IBMULTI COURTCLAY- Mi:N
!J;r.
SI-18 1.1ULII COURT GRASS .. IoiE~ 53 ;r.
SI·18 (PRE~11ER E)-k1Etl
63 ;r.
51·18 (PRE~' IERE)-3'4-M EN
6C li
51·1 8 IIITERNATIOIIAt- MEN ...... . . 63 35
Sl·18 VlnORIA-!.0\1'-MEN
63 ;r.
Sl-18 VInORIA-3'4 - ~'EN ...... 6< l;

•Wt LSOS•
DIRT MASTER- 1.\t -nEW . .. .
57 l i
ZONAL- MEN & LAOIES- IIEW ........ 49 , ;
HARD DRIVE- Ioi"..- NEW ................ 66 ~;
TETRAHARDCOURT44- IIEN ... ;.I ;r.
TEIRAtiAROCOURT- LOW- L ... S4 r.
TETRA INDOOR COURT- 3'4- M
S4
TETRA CLAY/GRASS COUAT-) 4-M ; , ;r.
PRO STAFF LEAIHER-~1'1. .......... J9?!
PRO STAFF LEATHERMESK-Mt
"" ;;
PRO STAFF LEATHER- 3'4 HI· M L • 5-1.3!
PRO STAFF TOUR- MEN
53;>;
PAD STAFF TOUR- 314-IoiEII
64
PRO STAFF ELITE-~1'1.-NEW .... 65 l i
EXACTA- LADIES . .. . .. .. ..
3' 9!
COURT EX- MEN & LADIES
3' 90
COURT TECH - MEN 1 LADIES .. . 2H!
SC ANDAL TENNIS SANDAL·MEN
41 ?!

*

*

AI.I.OTU t:k

\\II~~O'l

.. \A ll -\ BU:

· n t.A'
ITALIACANVAS- ~IEII ................... ~ l;
l ENNISIA- MEN .................... 5H;
PRECISION-I.IEN ..... .. .. .
4i;;
CLASSIC TENNIS-MEN ............... 4V;
ORIGINAL TENNIS (GUMSOlE) -MEN<! ?;

' A\" Io\*
742- LEATlfER-~ICN & LADIES
743 IEIIUISCOUR I S~IP-wt ....
750-LADIES SIZE 5. 6 & 6 1.~
761)-l(AIH( A-M(N & LADIES .
n G--LEA lttER-I.VO·~\t-SPECIAL .
785-LEATHER·~~D-MEN-SPECIAL

TENNI S SHOES

2l ;r.
30 ;>;
23 r.
31
3? ;r.

*

o? r.

*

ASICS GEL VINCITORE- IotEN •••• 5?
ASICS GCL PRO TOUR- Mt
' 5 r.
ASICS BRAO ENTON- Mt.. . . ..... 3f ;>;
ELLES5ET2· 11 5 0R T I-I 42- ME~

ELLESSE I ·T5-155-~1£N
ELLESSE 5-15· 100 · LADIES ....
KE DS CHAloiPION LEATHER- I ...
~CDS CHAA'P OXFORD CANVAS- L

"*

"All the News
You Can't
Coniine"

BLOCK BEAT

America's National Prison Newspaper

September-October 1995

----------------------------------------

Snitches Rule, Study Says
High ly paid government informants are gaining increasing control over
their handlers, and the laws to conu·ol the use of snitches are often flouted, a
new study says.
"Law enforcement"s reliance on informants h as grown to almost Orwellian
proportions as snitches exert g rowing control over agents and judges fai l to
impose any checks or balances," the National LawJournal concluded after a
nine-month investigation.
The report appears amid mounting publicity over the trial of a band of
alleged Muslim terrorists charged with p lanning to bomb U.S. landmarks and
assassin ate political leaders. A key witness will be government infonnant Em ad
Salem, who was paid $1 million by the government.
However, the Lawjoumat reports that most abuses by info rman ts and law
enforcement officials stem from the country's war o n drugs. New forfeiture
laws h ave made drug busts ·'a law enforcement prize, gen erating lo ts of cash
both to pay info rma nts and to increase their own ope ratin g budgets," the
paper says.
And mandatory sen tencing Jaws wi th steep prison terms have created powerful incentives for criminals to take any steps to avoid jail, it adds.
The study also found ';almost no independentjudicial oversight of the symbiotic relationship between agents and their high ly paid snitches."
Reuters

CALIFORNIA
D.O.e. GETS
DOWN 8c
DIRTY
The California D.O.C. appears to
be eagerly complyi n g with the
recently passed Senate Bill 1260,
which became effective .January 1,
1995. The bill a llows state facilities
to restrict a ran ge of prisoners'
rights, which California has decided
to aim mostly at publ ications. The
following text was excerpted from
the California D.O.C.'s Notice of
Change to Director's Rules:
Inmates shall not possess o1· have
unde-r thei-r cont-rol any matter
which in the judgment of staff contains o1· concerns any one or more of
the following:
0 Any matter of a chamcter tending to incite mtnde~·; arson; riot;
or any fonn ofviolence 01· physical
harm to any peers, or any ethnic,
gende1~ racial, retigious, or other
group.
0 Blackmail OT extortion.
0 Sending or receiving contmband.
0 Plans to dismptthe 01·cler or
breach the secwity ofany facility.
0 Plans for activities which violate the law, these 1·egulations or

(continued on page 17)

SUPREME COURT
MAKES IT HARDER
FOR PRISONERS
TO SUE
A July 1995 Supreme Cou rt ruling
will make it substantia lly more difficult
for priso ners to bring consti tuti o na l
lawsuits against prison manage ment.
Only actions by prison officials that
im pose "atypical and significant hardship on the inmate" should be treated

by federal judges as even potential violations of a n inma te's constitutional
rigi1L to due process of law, Chiefjustice William H. Rehnquist said in his
5-to-4 majority opinion.
Prisoner complaints that fall short
of that standa rd-which co uld ra nge
&·om bungled disciplinaq hearings to
temporary p laceme nt in solitary confu1ement-are gen erally n otJ1ing more
than comp lain ts about "the ordinary
incidents of p1;son life" and should not
be accorded con stitutional status by
federal judges, the Chief] ustice said.

He also noted th at a series of
Supreme Cou rt opinions that u·eated
such lawsuits as raising potential constitutiona l problems "has led to the
involve ment of federal courts in t h e
day-to-day management of prisons,
often sq uandering judicial resources
with little off-setting benefit to anyo ne." Instead, he said, j udges should
step aside and give prison officials the
"flexibility" they need "in the fine-tuning of th e ordinary in ciden ts of
p ri son life."
The New York Times
PRISON LIFE 15

····-·--·-i·•.,,••..•••••,,.•
-'.•

• ' ,•
';~..,

\·'•

PRETIY IN PINK
The latest from the state that
brought back cha1h gangs: hot-pink
uniforms for Alabama's male offenders who habitually expose themselv~s
to'female guards.
··
·
The Corrections Department has
, : Q~der,ed 50 of the garish outfits to be
'·: i ·worn by convict masturbators in.
attempt to shame them into behaving.
"We've even takeri. disposa~le cam~
eras and taken a. picture .of them and
told them we were going to send it to.
'· _their mothers. They don't care," s~cl
.:· Hohnart Prison sr>okesrti~u~. Charlie
BodUord.
·
Administrators are hoping the sex-._
uallyaggressive inmates;;;_known as
~ ~gunslingers"-will change their ways
once· fellow prisoners get a look at
., them-in pink pants and shirts~ ·
··

an .

· .Phoertix sbettff joe Arpaio is
known ·asih'e meaJ]:est ~slreriffjn
Amerio.~-:'-and·llt~,;l~v~s~i~·~ · · _- ·, ·.:. .

Arpaio's tent jail was 1bui~~ ·f~t. -

.

~80,000. A regW.a~,jilili~~~sj~mitli'e' ·-.

·l

~~·numb.et·.d:f'pr.ig(;)n,_ey8~~ttl;~~sn. ·,~·'·
"Iftheimnat~~:loveq:·me, 1-would- . tens-ofmillionSiraf(\ql~ . . . . . · · _.: ..
n't p·e .doi~g: ~y jO.b~" 'fi:e gloated. _·_ thesheriff, eleete.d~n·$~~gj,~~~r· ._(>: : !
Mp.ai·o~ ,{)2~-.h~s::J?:~~cQfil;e~~~m(?nsfor ... stops scheming:to,;tirt<t_new·~~~:!t~; ·:·~·:,;:··: · {
_try:illg\to:;!fl~ltept.i.s$l:q.~&:i'rQ:serable,· ·depriVe his prisQ_riets ah:dlsav~·,~(;)~~~ · ·
figuting. ifthey d~fi,'-tlilte the ·experiFirst he banned sm&~P:g: ID}}>¢nr · .
eito·e· 'of :.incart:;etation,.:mey w<>n 't · ~e took-.away pt>tnog:r.aplli~:,ma.g~~· ;.. :.:·":-'
want to a()me ba.c.{{.
.
· zines; then he cut movies.
. · · ··
·"I waiJ:~.all th~·:?~c;t:~ys tO·l~a:ve - . :He's· recently rein~odliQ~4:·:till"El-<:-:k·-_, •i

thi~. co$ty};to,.golba4 ,f~ N:ew York
. or Los .Angeles~; he said~- · · :' . ,
. :ArpaiQ·presid~;over ajail knpwn·
as_ "tent~city~'~an-~ona ·cfeset.tjailt:
where more ·tffan l,OOO. ilunates live
. in ·Army -~nplu~-~te~ts~Wit:hout ~it·
· coiJ:ditia~g. Qr':~filling';water,:,,ey~n:
NeitJ York Post in;tlle mi~~e ·of·~"e:r:~. when:temper:aturesspar ~ llO.degrees.

·.chain. gang, and;plans ·ta iban-'yit1l~~'tf:·:_. ·-;< :
TV shows such·~-:Ny,fJ1)JI~":B~·iteR13..~~ ·• ·]··. .ing. them With ~~pan, ~~-:'W~~~~r'· .:.>.
!
-:etrannel,-lQoaf:c·a:o·i~':;'trrtQ~d:~~js.,~~-· ·· _: _·i
county com·inisston ~ir~~i'qgs,:~(ll

Videos. ofHo~se. $peak¢t·N·e~f~io!"·.

g.rrch 's:consenrative;.mi~~d,li~~~~~·~: .;'/.:~: · ·
~en-ewing Amencan Ci.V:iliiiation~·~··. · ·. ·•·~ Arpaio says he'sgottenfo,oc:\:·~~$ ,

dQwn to 30 cents a mealby~at~~gta:P~ .... !
hc>t lunches and·semngm~~~'
.
discolored gre·en ·bologiiRI ~i1.!{1:!,ai,j ...· ...

· ·wj,t}i KoolO:Aid to Wtl.sQ.~Mil~Wi'r;, · ·-/.·.~:' ··.c ·•~ :·{ ·
He says the sWit¢n>to·;eo·b:i~ifo~tii ·
saved $41}(),000:ayear. Cof£e~ ~t!P.~i ··
nextto g~savittg $10Qj0~0~ : · ;·:'::' ·... -.·.:. ·
. Polls show ATpaio is :avet.wb:~Im~ _

.~glypopular~utsjdej~~L .~e·~i~~p;~
·. :well4iked·that politi'Cians~~~~~~I!l!':· •. ·;:>
another in their rush to-praiSe mm~. ,. ..
· One R:epubJ_\ea.n·;pr;esic,l~~ti~ke~~ _.. , ,.

didate, &en. -PlJ.I[:tGtam~::~~~l~¥ ~;.··'·:'/' :
recent NationaJ:Rifle ~ciati(:)fi,(b~~· · .;· ·
quet that h~:~ted,to;mal,ti,~~o; . , :
· , . the head·of:thefedetal~pf-i~an•r~t~ifl1: _., ;'.:,:.> .· · '
- . Apparently, 65 per,;.eiJ.t(~rt$:e_rg~: .·::. ·· ·
p~ers i~:¥paio·'s ·~'lFs~:~o~ty;j~s·. _,
.·.Clte . awai~ng trial, '1-.e-., ;t});~~lh-~Y~D_l'it ,: :;;.·> · ' ,.

'

rras AU Aeus1' ~MER AND~ 'ID ..
.-u::w A ao.c. 1bMAR 'llfti.PR~Sar..&.

,._. · · .:__ :-'.·.:·:'_ -,·is:?- ~-·;.,~/·_~·.::,
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~Riltlli,
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TherJi/'tiiiJ1Ff.lik1Pbsb ..,, _

Bot Jliifie,·faP--dir~· -- ·: 1 ~-~ :>;~•-·-.•
~e~lf-\~irn~:··'iielW.- , , ·.j ;:r·-,,~_: _::·
:·_. ~--'· ~-:-· .~-~-~ ~·~- .: :-.· _.•·...·;! ':·,,:~·

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If ISc:iam.AaiP &JtoiUSIIM.. RNa• .,.,.._ ~ · .

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1kt.-naAI..~~·FoA~~~-~~:.

~ Uf'S WHDI-niV'IKIIit..eouir ~' ·~::f~
:
!I,·
'

be·en;prov¢n:·guiltyofa~Gfi)ri~~:·

.

1

: . \Fo_.?:".·_$.-2-~-:;!)0 -a mi-~ute.·,1_.a_-~jt;.¥~ite·~--~.
-_J_1:_·~-~ !_ ·.-,_ :_.\-_: ~_:. ·.
' has· b,e¢ri $entenceclto pz;j~~i't1.¢ap;:~ 1.<·.; :
59_0~~ ?~~55.~1 'Td. g~t~ibe :f~U~~~ :. ',;: _-

.· ~l;~~fnt~mt:~f~· P~~!~! ~\~;)
'f~u-ch~t9ne aal'l~s ,¢an· piQ~·lftiq~-,~ :_. ·'
menu .of.~ev~Ii topics tlia:~.it!~i\lp1(41 i
~redti'Ging your sentencei W~a1r:t9;i~~gj
to prison and who-to see before·goihg.1 ·
The service was s~arte~~'byJimmj
· :Tayou.n, a form~t P·hilf\Cle~p]jJi¢.':Gtw;
councilman who :served -3\ :t/2\y~m·1tli ,· ·
federal_ prison. after pleading gull~-'~
1991 to ·racketeering, mait~al.!Hj 1 ~
evasi'on .artd ·obstrlictioli .of.jlisf.XseJ
While behind. bars, Tayoun,.~~.~~tej

.,·
'I·!

'

· · 16 PilSON LIFE

.a64-p~eguide·~GQiiig tt)~!ii~&Jt~!i.· .·I "~
.

.

. .

·: ... j

.

Cali Down & Dirty
(continued from page 15)
local procedU?·es.
0 Illustmlions, explanations
andjo1· descriptions of how to sabotage, disrufJt, build, modify or
repair computers, communications
or electronics.
0 Catalogs, advertisements,
brochures and material soliciting a
response from an inmate.
0 Markings on the envelope which
a-re obscene in nature as desc-ribed
in subsection ( 14).
( 14) Obscene material means that
material as defined in Penal Code
Section 3 1 1 and nw.y include, but is
not limited to, the following:
0 Depicts, displays or describes
penetration of the vagina o-r anus,
or contact between the mouth and
the gen.itals, and mail containing
information concer·ning whe-re,
how o-rfrom whom this matte?· may
be obtained.
0 Depicts, displays O'T describes bestiality, sadomasochism or an excretory function including urination,
defecation m· se?nen.
0 PO'rtrays conduct which appears
to be mmconsensuni behnvio1:
0 Po,-tmys conduct which is o·r
appeaTs to befon;efu4 threate?ting
m· violent.
0 Mate-rial that is r·easonably
dee?T~ed to be a threat /,Q legitimate
penalogical interests.
Senate Bill 1260, as amen d ed,
reads:
Existing law prohib its a state prisoner fro m being deprived of rights
other th an those necessary to provide for the reasonable securit"}' of
the institution a nd for the reaso nable protection of the public.
T h is bill , instead, wo uld provide
that a state prisoner may, dmi ng th.e
period of confi nement, be deprived
of su ch righ ts, and only such rights,
as is reasonable related to legitimate
penalogical interests.

THE CANADIAN SCENE
PRISONER JUSTICE DAY
August 10 maJ·ks th e a nnu al Prisone rs' J ustice Day in Can ada.
Since the fi rst anniversary of prisoner Eddie Nalon 's death on August
10, 1974 at Millhaven Penitentiary, Canadian prisoners and their su pporte rs commemorate th e day with a show of solidarity. For all of
those wh o have died u nnatu ral deaths in prison, Canadian offenders
join in fasting, worship and work stoppages, while su pporters in the
community hold vigils and demonstrations at local prisons.
Accordi ng to the Prisoners' Justice Day committee, there's been
a steady rise in the nu mber of events on and around August 10, such
as radio shows, theater, p ress confere nces and ralljes.
Some of th e p1isoners' and p ub lic's demands are:
•
Justice for women prisoners
•
An e n d to excessive sentences
•
Aboli tion of the death penalty everywhere
•
Education of the public on prisons
•
Public accountability of prison adm in istrators and staff.
The following groups have bee n hosting August 10 events in their
locales:
Prison Activist Resource Cen ter, P.O. Box 3201, Berkeley, CA
94703
A.B.C. Lo ndon , 121 Rajlton Rd., London SE 24, Englan d
Prisone rs' J ustice Day Committee: Edmonton Box 1, Egremon t,
Alberta, Canada, TOA OZO.
Books to PJisoners/ Joint Effort, 315 Cambie St., Vancouver , B.C.
Canada V6B 2N4
Prison News Service, Box 5052, Stn. A., Toron to, Ontario Canada
M5Wl W4.
For more information, contact: PJD Committee of Toron to, c/ o
A Space, 183 Bathurst St., To ronto, Ontario, Canad a, M5T 2R7.
( 416) 599-1524.
Compiled by Robert Rowbotham

The symbol 13
1/2 is a traditional tattoo
design popular
among prisoners. It means 12
jurors, 1 judge
and haifa
fuckin' chance.

TEXAS PRTSON RADlO SHOW
SEEKS MATERlAL
KPFT, known as "The Prison Show," is
looking for experiences and comments on
health care in prison institutions. What
works; what does n' t. HMOs, AIDS, TB
and common health care issues shared by
inmates and staff. Send information to:
Ray Hill, KPFf, P.O. Box 3624, Houston,
TX 77253-3624. Call (7 13)523-6969 or
fax (7 13)523-6968.
PRISON Lin 17

1995 PEN PRISON WRITING AWARD WINNERS
POETRY- 1st: Romeo Wm. Bartley, Marcy, NY, "In My Bedroom." 2nd:J.L. Wise, Jr., Mineral Point, MO, "No Brownstones,
Just Alleyways & Corner Pockets Full. " 3rd: William Eric Waters,
Marcy, NY, "Chronicling Sing Sing Prison ." Honorable Mentions: David Wood, Sanderson, FL, "The Zen ofRazorwire,"
Danny A. Witten, Huntsville, TX, "Me, Hitler and the Trail of
Tears," and Mark Read, Walla Walla, WA, "Over the Lounge on
First Avenue."
FICTION-Ist: Robert Kelsey, Marcy, NY, "Suicide: A Suitable
Fifty Dollar Myth." 2nd: Susan Rose nberg, Marianna, FL, "Positive Woman." 3rd: Paul St.John, Napanoch, NY, "Behind the
Mirror's Face." Honorable Mentions: O'Neil Stough , Florence,
AZ, "Delibe rate Indifference," Jackie Ruzas, Comstock, NY,
"Ryan 's Ruse, " and Jerry R. Mull iken, Jr., Connell, WA, "A
Moment in Time."
DRAMA- 1st: David Wood, Sanderson, FL, "Listen to the
Rive r. " 2nd: J eff Allenzy, Milwaukee, WI, "Another Way." 3rd:
Charles P. Norman, Avon Park, FL, "Hang, Man." Honorable
Mentions: Randolph Bass, Stormville, NY, "Bums," Stephen
Wayn e Anderson, San Que ntin, CA, "The Hearing," Stephen
Fraley, Attica, NY, "William," and Eric Waters, Marcy, NY, "The
Homecoming."
NONFICTION- 1st: Victor Hassine, Bellefonte, PA, "My Friend
Howard. " 2nd: Stuart Dawson,Jameston, CA, "Cowboys Don't
Really Die." 3rd: Russell T. Kinkade, Tehachapi, CA, "The Schizophrenic God." Best Memoir: Susan Rosenberg, Marianna, FL,
"The Airlift." Honorable Mentions: Charles P. Norman, Avon
Park, FL, "The National Urban League," Jon M. Taylor, Jefferson City, MO, 'Just Us," Vanessa Fletcher, Phoenix, AZ, "Inside
tl1e Heart and Mind," JanJoseph Porretto,Jackson, LA, "Confessions ofJohnny Caner," and Den nis]. Dechaine, Sinclair, ME,
"Prison As Ecotopia."
Deadline for the 1996 PEN Prison Writing Award Contest:
September 15, 1995. Send material to : PEN Prison Writing Contest, PEN American Center, 568 Broadway, Room 401,
New York, NY10012.

PERSONAL TRAINER BUSINESS HANDBOOK
If yo u ' re one of those muscle heads who spends all yo ur tim e a t
the iron pile , this might be the book fo r you . All that time pumping iron can finally pay off financially. If you think you're gonna
lea rn about exercise and fitness in th is book, forget it. This is a
handbook for guys wanting to e nter the personal training business after re lease. Topics include: getting certified, finding
clie nts, setting up shop, advertising and publicity. Available from
Willow Creek Publications for $24.95 plus $2.95 P&H. P.O. Box
86032-£03, Gaithersburg, MD 20886.
IS PRISON

LIFE

NYC PRISONERS: UNABLE TO
GET CERTAIN lAW MATERIALS? The Library Committee of the
NYC bar association is thinking about
starting a service to provide law materials
unavailable in prison libraries to prisoners interested in receiving them. Cost
will be minimal, or free. If you 're interested in this service, write to A. Lawrence
Washburn, Jr., Attorney, 405 West 23 St.,
Apt. 12C, NY, NY 10011.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER and
freedom comes only through education.
For prisoners who want to educate themselves and order books on every conceivable subject at very low prices wim a
flat-fee shipping rate, write to: Edward R.
Hamilton Booksellers Company, Falls
Village, CT 06031. Ask for a free catalog.

CORRECTION S
In the May/June issue of Prison Life, we
ran a full-p age humor pi ece entitled
"Warning. " We credited James Machado
with writing it but he only gets me credit
for contributing it. We're not exactly
sure who wrote it; so far we've heard from
at least six people claiming they wrote it.

CORRECTIONS
In meJuly/ August issue of Prison Life, an
organization working very diligently to
seek justice in th e case of Mumia AbuIIJamal was inadvertently omitted from me
defe nse fund list. Contributions for
Mumia Abu:Jamal's defe nse fund may be
sent to Partisan Defe nse CommitteeMAJ , P.O. Box 99, Canal Street Station,
New York, NY 10013.

Hardcore cons have harsh words jo1· convict
code ·revisionists.
Last issue, we published two articles that challenged the Convict Code: one by a seasoned con;
the other by a renowned prisoner rights activist.
Both m·ticles called f or change in the unwritten
prison ethics manual known as the Convict Code.
Responses, f or the most par4 reflected disgust that
Prison L ife would publish "such trash. " Here are
aJe-w ofem·ly 1·esponses.

Herby Sperling
U.S.P. Lewisburg, PA
I was su rprised to see these a rticl es
in Prison Life magazine . Wi th a ll the ir
pro paga nd a , th ese p ieces be lo n g in
something like Law Enforceme-nt Weekly.
T h e a uth o rs must've been co n fused
beca use you can ' t revise a cod e. T h ey
m ust think th e Convict Code is like an
area code or a zip code .
Cod es are no t m ad e to b e alte r ed.
T hey are inflexib le. Rules, regula tio ns
a nd o pin io ns are another story. Ta ke a
look a t th e mi li tary code, the crim inal
code: codes prescribe a clear course of
cond uct. Yo u e ith e r h onor the code or
yo u di sh o n o r it. T h e re is n o inbe twee n , th e r e a re no exce ptio n s. A
ve ry d ear fr ie nd of min e always says,
"It's a ll just a matter of character. " You

eith e r h ave mo ra ls, p rin ci pals and
eth ics, o r yo u d o n ' t. You ' re either
pregn an t o r yo u 're n o t. Th e re is n o
"li ttle bi t. " These d ays, u nfortun ate ly,
too ma ny peop le wa nt only th e good,
t h e easy, th e c rea m off t h e top.
T hey' re soft, weak a nd scummy. T hey
tl1i nk it's clever to win a t an y cost.
Adh e ring to th e Cod e is no t always
conve nient a nd is so me times ve ry d iffic u lt. Bu t real m e n wo uldn ' t h ave it
any o th e r way. Life isn ' t easy and conve n ie nt. Does th a t m ean we sh o u ld
stop living?
The re sh o u ld ne ve r be a ny e x cep tions to d o ing th e righ t thin g. Eve ry
p unk, ra t and j oker I ever me t had a n
excuse fo r no t d o ing the right thing .
Their lo usy be havio r was always so me-

DEFENDING

CIIALLE:PtGI:PtG THE

on e e lse's fault. Bullshi t.
We all c hoo se this lifestyle for o n e
reaso n o r a no th e r . Maybe it's n eed,
circumstances, pover ty, ambitio n , lack
of educatio n , despe ra ti on , wh a teve r.
But we h ave e thi cal stan da rds-h igh
o n es, too- th at sh ould and must b e
me t a t a ll times. Anyone can manufacture hypo the tical situatio n s to justify
sc ummy be havio r, but no thing d o n e
to yo u , yo ur loved ones, o r a n y o n e
e lse warran ts o r justifies squeali ng.
If yo u can't live up t o it, c h oose a
diffe re nt lifestyle. J ust don ' t fool yourself, b ro th e rs. O nly sucke rs p u t u p a
sucke r's h oller.
John Narducci
N.C.I. Supermax
J o rge Re naud, the au tho r o f "Challe ng ing the Convict Code," is a coldblood ed , sold-out punk moth erfuc ke r.
H e says o ur "code h u rts mor e th a n it
does good. "
We ll, I've been in Ad Seg for over six
years because of cold-blooded rats and
I don ' t have ti me fo r any more o f 'e m,
including ol' J orge down in Texas.
T e lli ng th e man wh a t h e kn ows
about h is celly ge tting booked (ki lled )
is sni tching. With the Code, every man
ta kes h is own respo nsibili ty. If h e
doesn ' t, h e goes out fee t first.
J o rge p u ts for th hyp o th e tical situations in the article . I'll give you mine:
If I ge t j a mmed over my celly gettin g
booked , e ithe r I get word to th e kille r
to e ithe r bo ne u p o r go out dead cold
and toe-tagged. Sim ple. If I d on ' t ge t
to h im first, my Aryan brome rs \Viii.
Su re, if yo u ge t j a m med u p ove r
so me b od y else's shit, ta kin ' th e ti m e
ain ' t rig ht. But neith e r is advoca ting
snitching . All over th e co un try, these
young, punk-ass tough guys are do ing
j u st th at.
Sharon Lowell
Broward C.I., FL
I h ave to say it: You m e n a re d ogs!
No matte r h ow big an d bad you claim
to be, you ' re no bette r man m e weak-

est p u n k in yo u r bloc k if you d o n ' t
stand up for what's rig h t. I've b een
down fo r eig h t years o n life in a maxim u m security prison h ere in Miami,
and I have never seen a woman sit idly
by and let anomer be bea ten, rap ed or
abused out in me middle of the blo ck
like you men d o. We have some tough
women he re doing long and multiple
sente nces, bu t it's no t m e building you
sleep in m at m akes up m e kind of person you are insid e . We d on' t live by
your dog pack code he re. We are individuals wi m o ur own minds, an d we 'll
stand u p fo r wh a t we feel is r ig h t. We
women reali ze t h at it may be a
stra nge r cryin g fo r h elp tod ay, but
n ext year, it could be our friend, sister
or d a ug h te r. So, yo u b ig bad-asses,
h ang your h eads in sh a me . We know
who me real p ussies a re now!
Michael "Papa" Pack
Canon City, CO
I am appalled you 'd pr int such trash
as "Ch a lle ng ing th e Co nvic t Code ."
You claim to be the "voice of the convic t," yet you print the story of a commo n in mate who prostitutes his pride,
honor and d ign ity to th e ve ry people
who are his keepe rs!
I'm a three-time loser and I've been
d o in g ti m e, off a n d o n , sin ce 1980.
I've watched th e rapid d e te rio ration
o f o u r priso n syste ms beca u se o f
mo m erfuckers prostitu ti ng th e mselves
to th e syste m . T he re ain't n o r id in'
the fe n ce. You ' re e ither a re a ra t o r
you ' re n ot, Rena ud .
Le t's exp lo re t h e o ptio n s of yo ur
Scenario Number O ne.
I'm sta nding on t h e str eet cor ne r
a nd I witness a drive-by sh oo ti n g
where a four-year-old girl gets ki lled. I
get th e licen se plate n u mb e r. Choice
N um be r O n e: Ru n to th e co ps an d
te ll t h em what yo u kn ow. The n ge t
put on the witn ess sta nd so th at yo u
a n d your cred ib ility can go on trial.
Yo u being a n ex-con and all, yo u ' re

(continued on tJage 59)
PRISON LIFE

19

[t.nm••••r._

tliJ~

Exploit: to malie unethical use offor one's
own fJrofit.
Parasite: one who lives at others' expense
witlwut mailing any 11sejuf return.
I a m writin g thi s a ni c le fro m K
u n it, Cell # 104, Bunk B o f th e Ce ntral Arizona De te n tion Ce nte r in Florence, Arizona. Th is facility is owne d
a nd operated by the Co rrec ti o n a l
Corpo ra ti o n o f Ame ri ca, a n ime rnation a l priva te p r iso n industry. CCA
has venu es as fa r o ff as Fra nce, Pue rto Rico and Au stra lia.
1 a m o n e o f a co ntin ge nt o f 206
Alas ka sta te prisone rs se nt he re due
to overc rowded conditio n s existing,
o r purpo rte d to ex ist, in m y h o m e
sta te . Alaska has con tracted to p ay
CCA we ll over $2 mi ll ion fo r housing
us for just six mo nths. As pan o f the
conu·act, CCA retains a ll righ ts to a ny
reve nu es gen e ra ted by a nyth ing we
produce o r manufacture.
I n o th er wo rds: We h ave bee n
de livered into slave1y
But le t u s n o t speak of slave ry o r
prison e rs' rig hts just n ow. Let us
instead go right fo r th e jugu la r : I
wond e r if th e vic tims of o ur c rim es,
or the fa milies of th e victims, understand that th ese p riva te corpo ra tio ns
a re m ak ing millio ns fro m the ir person a l losses a nd su ffe rin g . Th ey a re
ma king mo re money from o ur crimes
than we cou ld ever imagine.
I can picture the warde n of this facility sitting in his breakfast nook reading
the mo rning pa pe r 's headl ines: FIVE
FELO NY ARRESTS MADE. I ca n
almost see his ear-to-ear grin.
1-l.N. Coffey

Cent.ml Arizona Detent.ion Centm·

·sconcen ra ·on
0 1' G uv'nor T o m Thompso n of
Wisco nsin ... Ordina ril y o n e might
lo o k a t th a t n a m e with a fl ee ting
image o f a plowboy "do ne good " cu m
gin-drinking po litico. Whethe r o r not
Tho mpso n was a plowboy wh o developed an affin ity for martin is is at th is
po in t irre leva n t, wh e n o n e und e rsta nds his fa r-reaching powe rs.
U nd ers ta nd tha t T h o mpso n h as
ga in ed n a ti o n a l a tten tio n for th e
"work force p o licy" th a t his sc ri p t

20 PRISON LIFE

writers a nd h e drafte d , whi ch le d to
h im being wooed by the Blightho use
a nd toute d as a d e ma gogue to th e
press. The re is now talk o f a vice-preside ntial candidacy.
We must realize t h a t c rim e is but
the inevita ble by-produc t of socioecon o mic oppressio n ma nifested by
th e master/ slave m e nta lity c lass
strugg le . T h e gove rnm e n t, those
n e fa ri o u s "public se rva nts" are not
go ing to hack away at the evil roots of
th a t tree upon wh ic h th e ir money
grows. He nce, th ey are not abo u t to
a dmit or address th e source of th e
c rime. Misd irection builds profitable
prisons a nd megalomania.
Recently th e state budge t comm ittee o kayed the Thompso n Club 's
p la n to bui ld a 1,000-plus sup e rdoo per hyp e r-deactivato r mega-max
prison in Wisconsin for th e "troublema ke rs." Outlawing te levisions was
also in th a t proposal, obviously to
assist in reh abilita ting those tro ublemake rs stuck in the box fo r 23 ho urs
a d ay.
But praise be Odin, th e state legislatu re shot down the idea. In lie u of
th e n ew prison, S4.3 mi ll ion was
fo rked ove r to add 200 beds to th e
Fox Lake "Korruprional" Facility a nd
150 beds to the j oint a t Oshkosh (the
"Sex Offende r U n iversity") .
An inte resting word, trouble m akers. Those who are diffe re nt from the
sta tus quo m ediocrity? Those with a
backbone, a sense of hono r, a wi ll ingn ess to stand and speak? All of th e
above and more.
Upo n hearing that announce me nt
on the radio, I was convinced th at the
m o n ste r factory wou ld indeed be
bu il t. Sure e nough, t he plan a ppa re ntly flew through th e legislature a t
th e sp eed of so und with a go ld star
stam p of approval.
Next time, who knows? It' ll be 23
how·s a day in cold storage without a
puppet box . Th e n ex t ste p by o ur
benevole nt spo nsors wi ll be to e liminate indige nt prose su its, whic h will
fl ood th e co urts. The strangulatio n
o f purported "righ ts" regarding prose
litigation is looming. "Yo u're g uilty.
Shut up a nd lie d ow n or we ' ll b ea t
you down !"
Who is go ing to convince the spe llbou nd c itizenry th a t as th e n oose

cho kes th e incarcerated, it a lso tightens a ro und th e throat of socie ty?
We' re b e in g force-fed a stew of
d eadl y bacterium by a poli tical
e mpire be nt on profit a nd braz en
misinforma tion d e live re d to the vote rs, wh o h e lp lessly fund th e who le
side show. And we have wh at appears
to be a progressive ly mo re powe rful
forum-Pn'son Life magazine- staffed
by those co nvin c in gly within reac h
a nd of h e a r tfe lt co n ce rn. The rag
sh o u ld be in eve ry h o m e a nd outh o use. Tell yo ur kin that th e rein
exists the word wh ich must be heard.
Or shut up and lie down.

Denni5 Lee "Mule" Marsh
Waupun Correctional Facility

e urn o
es
u e
I was e la te d last wee k to find the
following d e cla ratio n affi xed to the
door o f a subte rran ean office here at
Rike rs Isla nd. Th e sig n read : "As of
May 12, 1995, due to budge tary constra ints, th e lig ht a t th e We lfare Office has bee n exting uishe d."
That the budget wonks a t the mayo r 's offi ce h ad co rrecte d a n o th e r
ine ffi cie ncy gave me a wave of warm
fuzzies.
or·ma lly, d e pa rting prison e rs are
iss ued e m ergency welfa re c h ec ks of
$ 136. U nd e r th e n e w o rde r , a ll
inma tes fo r disc ha rge will be given a
o ne-tim e, tax-free, no-strings-attac he el payme nt of $3.75 a nd a bus token
to get th e m o n t h e subway to their
o ld ne ighbo rh oods, their new futures
and, I suspect, yours as we ll.
We a re a ll inde bted to New York
City Mayor Guilian i and his fat policy
peo ple for th e ir no d o ubt we llresearched discoveJ)' that $3. 75 is all it
takes to ki ck-start an ex-con alo ng the
straigh t and na rrow road to reform.
Do n ot be a la rm ed th is summer if
crim e statistics show a surge of arrests
arou nd ew York City. Rest assured: It
wi ll, no doubt, me rely be the resu lt of
th e humidity a nd a we ll-heralded
in crease in poli ce effi cie n cy rather
than any increase in inmate recidivism.

Anthony Wareham
Riliers fslarui

1'.

I'm doi ng a 10-year sen tence for
a nonvio le nt crime, and I've bee n
in lock-u p for live yea rs and two
mon ths. I' m going on my fift h
year without see in g the paro le
board : They won ' t sec me because
I'm in lock-up.
What is justice? Isj ust.ice making
peo ple ha te the world? People
who can't wait fo r a chance to get
revenge? T h e day I wa lk thro ug h
the front gate in to freedom, will I
truly be free o r will l be a wa lking
tim e bomb ready lO explode a t the
slig h test incid e n t? How wi ll I fo rget the physical and psychological
torm e nt I h ave endu red in this
dehum a n izing
e n viro n ment?
That's one thing I kn ow I' ll neve r
be able to forgive.
I'd su rel y like to see all my
op p ressors die a pa in fu l, slow
death. To most, that's the thi nking
of a sic k, demented individual, but
is it not society's fault, in part?
I sta rted th is number a t age 20.
Now I'm 26. How much more will
I have to end ure? I'm a ngry! I'll be
se t free with h atre d , rage a nd
revenge in mind. H e re's yolll· justice, peop le. Cong ratul ati o ns on a
j ob we ll do n e.
Gemge Slone
fowa Stale Pen

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are a
The Iowa tate Pen is not a prison.
It's a concenu·ation camp. It's a burial ground for torme n ted souls. Once
yo u ' re trap p ed h ere, the re is n o
escape.
I've often wondered if faci ng death
a t the ha nds of my oppressors would
be easie r than cop ing with the insaniti es of this con cen tra tio n camp. I've
la in in bed a t ni g h t h earing th e

scream s o f twisted , torme nted souls
and asked myse lf if t his could really
be h a ppe ning. How did I e nd u p in
this d ream la nd, wh ere the worst
ni ghtm ares h ave beco me rea lity?
There is never an an swe r-only th e
so und of my own voice vibrating off
the walls.
T he administration believes in subjectin g us to years o f unn ecessa ry
bac k-up tim e in ad seg-a pun ishme n t and brainwashing tactic used to
institution alize a prisoner into adapting into this unnatural enviro nme nt.

I a m writing t h i letter in Ad
Seg. I go t myse lf in so I co uld
spen d some time with my brother
a nd have since come upon a difficult issue.
My brothe r has bee n loc ked up
since h e was 17. H e's now 34. H e's
a cl ass ic case of parano id sc h izo
but the sta te of Ill ino is has p u t its
me nta l h ealth progra m on th e
back b urner a nd d oes not evaluate
anyone for men tal fitness.
My brothe r really needs he lp. H e's
spent the last seve n yea rs locked up
in a cell a nd can n o longe r relate to
the real world.
T h e D. O .C. has g ive n up on th e
me n tally ill. These people have been
put in to p opulatio n where they canno t function. They either ma ke a mistake th a t ge ts them kille d or they
become a vic ti m a nd slip deeper in to
their own world of madness. This is a
great wrong.

Lany Hanis
St a Leville, IL

PRISON LIFE 21

COil\lUiS
Death Row political prisoner Mumia Abu:Jamal, on the cover of the previous issue of
P1·ison Life m agazine , is down to the wire in the fight for his life. Governor Thomas
Ridge, who has signed nine d eath warrants and executed one prisoner since taking
office, has set August 17 as Abu:Jamal's execution date.
Attorney Leonard Weinglass immediately filed a petition for post-conviction relief
wh ich states, in part, that the "police coerced witnesses to testify against Mr. Jamal,
rewarded those who did, concealed exculpatory evidence of his innocence "; that the
prosecutor made "egregiously improper and unfair jury arguments at both the guilt and
p enal ty phases"; and that the trial court "forced an unpre pared, unwilling and incompetent stand-in attorney to serve as Mr. Jamal's counsel, and excluded Mr. Jamal from
key portions of the trial. "
Letters of protest can be sent to: Governor Thomas Ridge, Main Capitol building,
Room 225, H arrisburg, PA, 17120. Contributions for J amal's legal defense may be sent
to: Partisan Defen se Committee/ MAJ, P.O. Box 99, Canal Street Station, New York, NY
10013.
-Kim Wozencraft

•

Pictured: A 111a1·ch outside Penn Station in New Y01·k City occurred on june 5 to
protest the signed death wanant of Mttmia A bu-Jamal. Hundreds gathered for the
maTch and except f01· a minor scuffle with the caps (right), plenty of which were at
hand, the 2 1/2 hour protest ended fJeacefully. Phot.os by Chris Cozzone.

LIVE FROM DEATH ROW
THE ANTI-REVIEW
by Mumia Abu-Jamal
It's bee n seve ral month s n ow since the boo k Live
from Deetth R ow was released. Th e book, publish ed by
Addiso n-Wesley, is a pocket-sized compilatio n of my
prison writings. T o this d a te, with the exce ption of
Prison Life magazine, it has n ever been reviewed.
"You're wrong!" some 1vill thun der. "I saw it in th e
In quirer." "The Post," ano ther will claim.
But I wou ld calmly, pointedly disagree.
"Read it again ," I wo uld urge the disclaimers, a nd
th ey wo uld find th ey a re re-reading som ething e lse,
some thing called an anti-review.
Th ese a nti-reviews feature c h a rges a n d co unte rcharges from both sides of the controversy of my socalled "tr ial"-bu t nothing a bout the book.
This is no t by accide n t.
Th e forces in this coun try that publish big city newspapers a re those who la bor to shape public o pinio n;
th ey are corporate, big money backers of th e sta tus
quo. Every so o ften th ey take a poli tician to task fo r
be ing drunk in publi c o r for steali ng mon ey from
som e fund , bu t when was th e last time yo u read of
them cha lle ng ing not a poli tician but the political syste m? T hin k about it.
It ain't in their inte rest to challe nge a syste m from
wh ich th eir goodies flow.
But Live from Death Row d oes just that. It cha llenges
th e so-called justi ce system, the so-called correcting
syste m, th e va mpirish poli tical syste m-Th e Syste m,
a nd the refore the cash cow fro m which the big media
suck.

So, ra ther than challe nge the book, which is full of
truth, they attack the write r on a false premise: a criminal profi ting from crime!
A lie, if eve r th ere was o ne, but cold ly calculated to
sell ne wspap e rs- while ignoring the book.
I dare you to read this book.
Yo u will find that th e big me dia b latantly lied about
it, and yo u will have to wonder , "How come I n ever
read about this kind of stuff in my paper?" (Except fo r
those who do th is column.)
It ain't in the inte rest of the syste m.
For writing Live from Death R ow, I've been convic ted
by the prison system of "engaging in a business or profession o f journalism. " In a way, tha t's the ir review, I
guess.
Priso ne rs have always written. J oh n Bunyon wrote
Pilgrim's Progress; Oscar Wilde wrote Ballad of Reading
Gaol; Dr. Martin Lmher King, Jr. wrote L etters from a
Birmingham Jail; Alexande r Berkman wro te PTison
JY!emories of an Anarchist; Deatl1 Row's Caryl Chessman
wro te Cell 2455, D eath R ow; a nd Bobby Sands wrote
Shylark Sing YouT Lonely Song: An Anthology of Prison
Writings of Bobby Sands.

To my knowledge, non e of tl1ese guys eve r got convicted by a prison misconduct board of "being a journa list." I d id.
Makes you wonder, don ' t it?
Read Live from Death Row.
Find out why.

PRISON LIFE

23

Arl by B. D. Hill

24 PRISOM LifE

R
FROM MARION TO FLORENCE
by T.D. Bingham
Florence Supermax
Prisoner reparts from the new supermax in
Flarence, Colarado are not easy to come by. The facility is
designed to disorient its inhabitants and to sever their connection
with the outside warld in arder to farce them into a state of stunned submission. These are the convicts the Bureau of Prisons has labeled the most
dangerous prisoners in America. Prison Life has several readers and
contributors locked up in Flarence. life will continue to publish dispatches from this state-ofthe-art torture chamber. Here is an account of the
road trip from USP Marion to Florence ADX, and the first of
our insiders' reports on what has been dubbed the
"Alcatraz of the Rockies. "
11

Get up and get ready!"

is our wake-up call. It's 2:45 a. m. a nd
the guards are shouting and ratl.l ing the
bars throug ho ut Mario n 's Cell hou se
D. Though it 's ea rly, we n eed li ttl e
prodding to greet this lo ng-awaited day.
T oday we will leave Marion.
T he fi rst chain pulled fo r Colorado
ten weeks ago. Those left be hind
stewed, indignant a t n o t being t h e
first to go, as if th e ope nin g o f F lorence 's Admini stra ti ve Max was a
social event we hadn ' t bee n in vited to.
Some me n at Mar io n have grown up
here in th e h a rsh es t h o le eve r co nstructed. Deprived for so lo ng of a n orm a l existe n ce, o ur m eas ure of
self-wo rth is gauged by our capacity to
e ndure whatever phys ica l or psych ological torture is thrust upo n us. Me n
alo ng the tiers boast of surviving brutal
.-i o ts, o f runnin g ga untl e ts of clubwield ing gua rds, of be in g starved a nd
b ea te n in p laces like San Q u e ntin ,
Attica a nd Hun tsville. It is both a n
indi ctm e n t of soci e ty a nd a h uman
tragedy that th e state o f imprisonment

in America has bee n a llowed to d egene rate to this level.
I sLUmble up fro m my concre te bunk
in th e mo rn ing c h ill. Besides the
gua rds' ban tering, all I hear are toilets
flush ing and the noisy squ eal of sink
taps as me n wash hurrie d ly. Few of us
bother to eat the cold cereal le ft on ou r
tray slots. Most simply bolt down lukewarm coffee and stand by their doo rs.
"Yo, Ma tt," a n e ig hbo r calls to a
ne ighbo r, "you ready?"
"Man , I've bee n read y for a move
for 19 years," comes th e response.
And it's true. Matt's been in Mario n
a lm os t 20 years, 14 o f whi c h were
spe nt in Ma rio n 's co ntro l un it und e r
the most extrem e co nditi o ns of confin e m e n t thi s governm e nt h as
d evised- unti l now.
"Did they say you were going?"
"I be tte r be going. Suckers woke me
up. Why? T h ey tell you something?"
"Yeah, tha t ol' cage monster told me."
"Moth erfuckers d idn't te ll me sh it,"
an a ng ry vo ice ech oes so m e wh e re
a long th e ti er.

"Th a t d o n 't m ea n n o thing . They
woke th e wh o le goddamn build ing.
We're probably a ll going," a hope ful
prisone r yells.
The ti e r g rows silent. Everyone
re m e mbe rs th e h a ndfu l of m e n
moved to D Block from another building after the first chain pulled .
Twenty slow minutes pass. T he n the
g ri ll gate is flun g o p e n , its c rash in g
so und vibrating thro ug h th e cellho u se. Guards d ecked o ut in camo uflage bulle tproof vests and ri ot masks
sto mp down the range.
"Cuff up , cttff up!" they bellow.
Priso n ers turn th e ir bac ks to the
bars and ex te nd hands thro u gh tray
slo ts. The ra tch e ting of h a ndcuffs is
the o n ly sound n ow.
"On th e box!" th e guard in fron t of
my cell shou ts. "Cell I 2. One. Two."
"Cell 12, o n e-two," is th e t·ep e ate d
respo nse from the secure a rea where
th e cell d oo rs' loc king m ec ha nism is
ope rated. T h e d oo r opens with a
thundero us cl a ng ing a nd I back o ut
qu ickly.
PRISON LIFE 25

Once we're all out,
we are g uided along the tie r up a short
flig ht of stairs into the main conidor. A
lie ute nant co u n ts us again and compares ou r faces to mugsho ts as if he 'd
neve r seen us be fore . We' re t h e n
a ll owed to proceed throug h severa l
gates and d oors, b etween D Block a nd
the hospital baseme nt, to long, narrow
h olding cages. We re main h ere, handc uffed, whil e Receiving and Re lease
personnel pre pa re our de parture.
Fro m th e grill , I watc h a gua rd ,
kn own to us as "Sp ringfield Shorty,"
turn over a ca nvas sac k the size of a
ma n's to rso. Al l man ne r of restraints
spill o nto t h e co n c re te floor: h a ndcuffs, leg irons, black boxes, padlocks
and piles of chain.
T he black box, for those unfam iliar
with th e dev ice, is co mpr ised of two
4"x3" section s of plastic mo ld ed to fi t
over th e locking mechan isms of handcuffs. Although ha rm less looking, this
overkill contra ptio n preven ts all b ut
the bares t finge r a nd hand movemen ts. In add itio n to th e b lac k b ox,
we are also c inched tigh tly a round th e
waist by a le ngth o f c hain. Th e a n gle
of o ur harn essed arms, p lus the weight
of the chains, turn th e black box into
a n instrum e nt of torture . It is clear
that on ly th ose who e njoy pain wi ll be
comfortable on this j ourn ey.
O n e a t a time, we a re take n fro m
the cage to a sm a ll side room and
orde red to sta nd o n a n e leva ted p la tfo rm whe re th e handc uffs a re tempora rily re moved. T he process is slow:
40 men pe r in terval.
I su·ip. My body cavities are eyed and
a metal d etector passed ove r my flesh
in case I h ave stas h ed weapon s o r
instrume nts of escape in my ass. After
dressing, l a m take n to the hospital fo r
a bowel X-ray in case I' ve swallowed
some thing that m ight later liberate me.
Th e n I am taken to th e h ospita l's
top floor, p laced in a la rge, bar re n
roo m a nd to ld to sit o n th e cold ti le
fl oor . Hours pass. The roo m soo n
becomes full of me n , all ca mping on
th e fl oo r. The re is morb id j o kin g
about med ical proced ures fo r re moving he morrhoids. to one is p leased.
So me h ow, an e lde rl y b lack ma n
struggles to his feet. Th rough a pane l
of windows, g u ards threa ten th e
o ld man: "Sit bac k down! "
He co m p lains o f poor
circ u lation but obeys.
C h a in ed like do gs,
we feel his anger and
hum ilia tio n.
Sudden ly I ca n
stand it no longe r. I just
wa nt to stretch my legs, so

I struggle to ri se, a nd Oo unde r. A
young friend next to me leans his body
against mine so my feet won't slip and
I inch my way to a stan ding positio n .
The n I start shuffling across th e room ,
b ack a nd fo rth. Soon a doze n or so
m ore a re mi ll ing abo ut. Th e guard is
shouting, but we igno re him.
G ua rds strea m in to th e roo m and
instinctively everyone turns his back to
th e wall. But it's time to leave a nyway.
Dou ble lines fo rm and we're led in to
the main co rridor. Each ma n is sh adowed b y two trunc heon -wie ldin g
guards. At eac h of t h e fi ve ga tes e n
ro ute to Adm inistrati o n , th e lin e is
stopped a nd co un ted. We a re hig hly
pt·ized cattle he rded tl1ro ugh the fede ral stock chutes.
Outside, buses wa it. The e nti re foreg round of th e priso n is surrou nded by
a n arm y of sta te troopers, guards a nd
mi litary, all a rm ed with sco ped r ifles
and mach in e g u n s. T h ey sta nd in a
positio n of vig ilan ce, alte rnate ly facing outer and inn e r parame ters, as if
expecting a te rrorist a ttack.
Befo re boa rdin g t h e buses, we are
frisked again an d o ur restra ints are rech ecked. O u r names and n umbers are
asked , an d we a re aga in compared to
mug sho ts.

The scenery on the way
to Scott Air Fo rce b ase is ha rd ly pic-

turesque, but to eyes tha t h ave loo ked
for yea rs o n n o thing but Mario n 's
drab cell ho use walls, th e world loo ks
wondrous. I see sights that re mind me
of my north Texas youth: leafl ess
\Va te r fo liage, fallow fields, o il pump
j acks a nd tu mbl e do wn farm houses.
Distant u·ees look like charcoal sketches o n cloud gray canvas.
We pass a car. In th e rea r window, a
small c h il d waves wild ly. His ope n
innocence evokes faded me mories o f
so n s a n d d a ug hte rs. Wh a t I fee l is
refl ected in the face o f the man n ext
to me. I loo k at him, but he averts h is
eyes, a nd I do the same.
T he man seated beh ind me te lls me
his mo the r rece ived a letter from a
friend transferred o n th e first chain.
T he friend's re port from the new fed-

era! su pe rmax: T he food is n o t bad,
the commissary is fair, and do ubl edoor cells ensure silence.
The guards standing in a line in the
n arrow aisle betwee n o ur seats are
sweating beneath the ir cumbe rso m e
protective wea r. One laments h is decision to volu n teer as a n esco rt, two of
his comrades echo him. None of them
kn ew they wou ld be required to stand
t h ro ug h ou t th e fi rst 10-hour leg of
ou r journey.
A prisoner req uests wa te r. Th e
su pervisi n g lie utenan t, r idi ng safe ly
behind th e cage door next to tl1e driver, informs his su bo rd inate th at
water is not avai lable . Th is se ts off a
r o un d o f grumbling a mon g g u ards
and prisoners ali ke.
"Next thing you're going to tell us,"
a con jests, "is that yo u d id n' t b rin g
our lunch."
"You'll b e fe d o n th e pl ane," th e
lieutenan t calls back.
T he gu ards locked in with the prison ers excha n ge qu ic k g la n ces and
grip t11eir ri ot ba tons a little tighter as
a round of curses passes from prisone J·s' lips. The ir a pprehens ion is as
unnecessary as our futile ex pression s
of anger.
All are silent for mi les. Like t h ose
a round me, I try to sleep off th e bo red om, thirst an d growing hu nger. Every
time I shift in my c ramped seat, the
metal buried in my flesh takes a bi te.
Finally, we begin to slow down.
Th rough the breath-fogged window, I
see troopers o u tside halting inte rstate
traffic wh ile ou r sec urity procession
passes. We turn down a road and slow
even more. In the distance is Scott Ai rfi eld, where a cordo n of m ilitary pe rsonnel enci rcles a Boei ng 727. Th e
bus ro lls to a stop n ea r th e aircraft's
board ing steps.
O n ce aga in, ou r na mes a nd n umbers a re called and checked off againsl
mug shots. We are roughly frisked , o ur
restra in ts a re ch ecked , and we are
rushed onto t h e plane an d buckled
in to seats as quickly as we are capable
of moving with o ur chained an kles.
In t h e ai r , th e subjec t of food is
ra ised again. This time, we are to ld
that a ho lmeal awa its us in Flore nce.
Six-o un ce p lastic bottles o f water are
dispe n sed in stead. Withh old ing foo d is no
acciden t o r o ve rsight. Promised
food is a dang li ng ca r rot,
j u st as b e in g
roused early
an d forced to sit
in chains o n col d

It is both an indictment of
society and a human tragedy that the
state of imprisonment in America has
been allowed to degenerate to
this level.

26

PRISON LIFE

tile fo r hours is a strategy
to fatig ue bodies and
minds. Ot· maybe
I' m suffe ring a n
a ttac k o f pa ranoia.
Th e
flight
doesn 't see m to
ta ke a n y tim e at
all. Someon e ide ntifies Pike's Peak th rough the
clouds and minutes late r, we la nd.

scowls back. The n I a m prodd ed clown th e corrido r
in to a roo m where a
caseworke r asks me
the standard q uesti on s: "Do yo u
have
e n e mi es?
H ave yo u eve r been
a gove rnm e n t informa nt o r witn ess?" I a nS\ver n o to each qu esti o n a nd
he smiles, n o t realizing how offe n sive
suc h questio n s a re to men who have
wasted away year s in hol es because
they re tain the ir values. Or mayb e h e
d oes kn ow a nd th e ques ti o ns a re inte nded to be insulting.
Afte r th a t, I a m le d d own ano th e r
corridor, the n ano th er on e. There are
lots of corrido rs designed to disorient
incoming priso n ers, a nd th ey d o . I
h ave n o idea n ow wh e re th e e ntry to
th e garage actually is. We pass a solid
doo r and a g rill gate. Eve rythin g is
e lectro nically op e rated . The corrido r
wide n s a nd slopes g radua lly into the
priso n 's bowels. I p ass seve ra l doors
bearing lette rs ide ntifying cellhouses.
Elec tri c gril ls a re spaced a lo ng th e
corridor.
By th e time we a rrive a t m y n ew
ho me in F Bloc k, I' ve b ee n so busy
looking fo r a nything to use as a la ndmark I can't recall the number o f gates
nor an ything of sig nificance along the
way except doors and more gates.
F Block's solid d oor clicks o pe n . We
ste p into a vestibule facing yet an o the r
grill. The one behind me shuts, the one
in fro nt o pe n s. T hi rty feet away is
a no ther gate. Beyo nd th at is a wide
o pen floor dominated by a control cente r wi th large tinted windows latticed by
nvo-inch bars. The gate whirs o pe n and
I catch a glimpse of three do uble tiers
an gling off the central floor. Each tier is
comprised of 12 cells.
I a m m a rc h e d up a sh o rt flig ht of
sta irs to ano th e r g rill whi ch o p e ns,
fin all y, to my cell. Bo th inn e r a nd
o ute r d oors h ave bee n o p e n e d in
a nticipa tio n of my a rrival. My esco rts
leave, the gates close in their wake.
Alon e, I examine the 96 squa re feet
of m y cell-a fac t I p ic ked up fro m
U.S. A. Today. Minus the a r ea of th e
be d a nd th e sh owe r wed ged into a
corne r, the cell still has twice the pacing room of cells in Marion. A na rrow
window a t th e rea r lo oks o ut to a
walled courtyard. Tha t a nd the sky are
my only view.
Wea ry to th e bo n e, I lie d own . As
cells go , I assure myself, I've lived in
worse.

The entire foreground of the
prison is surrounded by an army of
state troopers, guards and military ...
as if expecting a terrorist attack.

The procedure doesn't
change. Afte r th e cu sto mary gro ping
and c urso ry loo ks a t o ur c h ains an d
locks, we boa rd a bus a nd move out,
led and fo llowed by a n assortme nt o f
a rmo red milita ry vehicles, including a
he licopte r so mewhe re overhead. Citizens' ca rs are stopped alo ng the twisting, cliffed road s. Bo th pa re nts a nd
children stand by their cars pointing a t
o ur bus like we' re a float in a pa rad e.
Some a re even taking pictures.
Fo r mi les, a ll we see a re sca rred
landscapes, worke rs digging tre nches,
bulldozers leveling virg in earth , an d
ho uses and build ings in va rious stages
of co nstruc tion. The eco no mic boo m
broug ht by the ope ning o f the n ewest
addition to Flore nce 's massive priso n
complex is appare nt.
We turn slowly o nto a n arrow blackto p ro ad a nd p ass Flo re n ce's mi n imum security camp. I d o n ' t recognize
it for wha t it is. To me, it looks like a n
industrial complex. Furthe r alo ng, the
F.C.I. and max facilities a re recogniza ble . No one can mistake th ese places
with the ir high fe nces a nd towe rs. At
the base of the hill is the facility tha t's
b een dubbed th e "Alcatraz of th e
Ro ckies. " Ce rtainly its facad e is
impressive: a squa t, brooding fortress
o f see ming ly win d owless red-bricked
buildings su rro unded by hu r ri can e
fences laced betwee n a nd a top with
g rea t ro lls o f co nce rtin a razo r wire .
Huge, o min o us towe rs peer ove r th e
valley li ke sen tri es.
We ro ll to a sto p. An e lec tronically
contro lled sally po rt gate slides ope n;
o ur bus ro lls in , leaving the armo red
d etail be hind. A sign o n the gate cites
a pe nal statute prohibiting th e car rying of firearms beyond th e next gate.
Caged g u a rd s in fro nt a nd bac k
o ffload and re linquish wea po ns. T h e
bus eases and turns d own a ce m en t
drive into an und e rg r o u nd parkin g
facility. More guards wait he re, should er-to-shou lder, lining each wall. T hey
a re so lad e n wi th ri o t gear th ey loo k
ha rd-pressed to move, much less q uell
a d isturbance. lt's all sh ow, to imp ress

us with th eir
stre ng th o f numbers a nd p re p are dn ess. But th e impressio n is lost o n
m e n too tired and hun gry to think
beyond a meal a nd a cell.
A sui ted administra to r board s, clip
boa rd in ha nd, a nd u n locks the ga te.
"Wh e n I ca ll yo ur n a m e," h e says,
"ste p to th e fro nt a nd a n swe r with
your numbe r. "
Outside th e bus, trios of gua rds surrou nd eac h m a n d esce ndin g th e
steps, frisking and ch ecking restrain ts
in case some slick soul has awaited this
mome nt to fl ee.
O nce inside, I a m escorted d own a
na rrow h all way to a la rge we ll-lit
roo m . Processing is sp eed y. We a re
mugshot a nd thumbprinted , a nd the n
the black box, chain and shackles are
re moved. I massage my swolle n ha nds
a nd wrists. Release from the pain contra pti o n le nds me n ew e n e rgy. The
roo m is crowd ed with g ua rd s but I
stand solid with prac ti ced sto icism; I
have been subj ec ted to the indig ni ty
o f h aving my b o dy o rifi ces og led by
stra ngers fo r a life time now. I peel off
my clo th es. A photographer squeezes
his way in b e twee n two guard s, eyes
my testicles, lookin g to pho tograph
m a rks, sca rs a nd ta ttoos, o f whi c h I
have ple n ty. Thinking he's finished , I
sta rt to sli p o n a pair of shor ts o ne of
the guards has handed me.
" eed a p ic ture o f th a t," h e sa ys
pointing to my groin area.
I loo k d own a t my shrunke n pe nis,
the o nly tell tale sign of my e mba rrassme nt, and regre t no t fo r the fi rst time
a you th fu l in dulge n ce. 1 stre tc h my
dick o ut, and the pho tograph e r snaps
a pictu re of a faded blue line that o nce
clearly stated the name of a true love.
As I dress, I n o ti ce a pre tty d a rkh aire d wo ma n o n th e frin ge o f th e
g u a rd s. Sh e, too, is a ttired in riot
gear. I resurvey the room. T h e re a re
seve ral wo m e n a nd my e mba rrassme nt inte nsifies.

Recuffed behind the back,
I move out. I glimp se a fr iend waiting
to be ogled a nd flash him a smile. He

[II]

PRISON LIFE

27

28 PRISON LIFE

By Jennifer Wynn
Yo! Who's that white guy in the yard wearin' a suit
and highfivin' it with the brothers? Slappin' them on
the bade lilce they're good ol' boys and lakin' notes on
a dipboard? He's got a porry tail andjolm Lennon sunglasses~must

be some hinda poet. Maybe a musician

from the '60s tryin' to make a comebadc ... no . . . I got
it . . . he's one a them new-age, let's-save-the-criminals,
get-in-touch-witho{)ur-inner{eelings dudes. I mean, the
way he's so friendly, actin' so conce111ed and all. But
look-everyone seems to know him.

"Mr. Gibbons! You're lookin' fine today."
" Hey Mr. Gibbons! How's it goin?"
" Over here, Mr. Gibbons."
"Yo, Mr. Warden ... I nee d to talk to ya."
That's the warden?

fresh fish in the Washing to n , D.C. prison
in Lo rto n , VA is like ly to be confused.
Wa rde n Vincent Gibbons looks an d talks
so unlike your typical prison cra t it's a lmost disconcerting to liste n to him. The sig n o n the d esk
says he's the wa rde n, but he's so in tune witJl m e
convicts you 'd swear h e h ad been a prisoner in a
past life .
"These a re good guys," he says, re fe rrin g to
th e priso n e rs, 98 pe rce n t o f who m are b lac k.
"They' re frie ndly, o utgo in g, a rti cula te, in te llige nt, alive to a lo t o f wo rld issues, a joy to hang

A

PRISON LIFE

29

aro und a nd talk with . We h ave really
good , stim ula ting conversations."
Sounds like h e's talking about h is
biker b uddies. Yes- the warden rides
a motorcycle, a 1974 BMW he plan s to
cru ise aro und Euro p e o n wh e n h e
re tires. "It's my own form of therapy,"
he says.
ibbo n s h as bee n th e Man of th e
Capital's cage fo r two yea rs. He
G
crawled up the ladd er fro m
a job

C.O.,
he took in 1976 to get into the field of
co rrecti o n s. In trig u ed by hum a n
natu re-in particu lar ma n 's capac ity
for change- he wen t o n to becom e a
psychologist, th en the chief of Menlal
Services, the n a d eputy ward en .
"I ' ll te ll yo u straigh t up ," h e says.
''I'm a n idealist. I couldn ' t d o th is ifl
wasn't. I'd go drive a truck a nd get o ut
of he re. Because this is a terrib ly, terribly depressing occup atio n.
"With human beings, you work and
you work and you work a nd you think
yo u 're getting som ewh ere an d th en
the g uy goes o ut a nd does som e th ing
a bsolu te ly o pposite of wh a t yo u
th o u g ht h e was m oving toward . H e
throws it a ll out the window a nd comes
back to j ail with ano ther 5 to 15."
Wh ich leads to the perennial questio n: n ature o r nurture? Vincent Gibbo n s a rg u es for the la tte r. H e n o tes
the similarities in the backgrou n ds of
the D.C. prison ers.
All of th em are city resid e nts
(Was h ing to n D.C. is th e o nly city in
America th a t sen te nces a nd houses its
own felons), who come from the same
ravage d D.C. n eighbo rh ood s a nd
ho usin g proj ects. Th e m aj ority a r e
high-sc h ool drop-o uts with n o vocatio n a l ski lls o r e mployme n t experie nce. At the point of arrest, 72 percent
are on drugs other tha n alcohol.
Gibbo ns po ints o u t a n o th e r co mm o nali ty: T he vast maj o ri ty fun cti o n
at ave rage rates of intelligence. "Wh en
I worked in the d iagnostic and rece ptio n units a n d we' d evalu a te th e
inmates as they e ntered, th e startling
th in g we saw was h ow few su ffe r·ed
fro m in te llectual d efi ciencies. So th e
fa ilu res we a re seeing he re a re n ' t a
con seque n ce of in te llectual or physical impa irment. We h ave to look at
a n othe r cau se, a nd th e o th e r cau se
has a lot to do with e nvironment.
"If we we r e to go fo r a r ide a nd
look at the a reas whe re most of these
in m a tes co m e fro m," h e says, "you 'd
find playgrou nd areas bereft of equipme nt, broken bo ttles, lawn s tha t a re
torn up-a n ove rall lack of quali ty of
life. T h ese guys h ave bee n subj ected
to syste ms in o ur society th a t do n 't

30 PRISON

LIFE

work. Health-care systems a re not p resent in their communities, the schools
a r e d ysfu n ctional, a n d c hurc h es,
libraries and all the su p port mech anisms that a re so n ecessary to make a
comm un ity viable a re non existent.
"As a resu lt," h e says, "th ese me n
a nd wome n have come into the world
with a lowe r se nse of self-worth. They
feel that if society cared about them, it
would provide sch ools, h osp itals a n d
p laygro unds. But it doesn 't, so t h ey
figu re they must be of no value."
H e th rows in a qu o te f rom J a nis
J o plin: "Ifyo u h ave noth ing, you have
n othing to lose."
Ever the psycho logist, Gibbon s theo rizes that th is d eep-seated se nse of
d espair causes crimin als to e n dange r
the ir lives thro ug h reckless be havio r,
d rug a nd alco hol abuse.
"So h ow ca n you expec t th e m to
value your existe nce?" he asks. "Th at's
just inco mpre h e n sib le, a nd it's wh y
it's that m uch easier for them to comm it a crime against us."
But it is n o t whi te Ame ri can s who
a re the victi ms of typical Lorton p riso n ers.

ibbo n s calls t he D. C. p riso n sysG
tem a "disti llation of th e a ll th e
negative ele me n ts in society," wardenspea k for "this is th e b iggest he llho le
o n earth ." For several years, in fact,
Lorton has been ope rating under two
cou rt orders. Beca use o f th is, a nd th e
uniformly d isadvan taged pop ulation,
th e warde n feels his p rison demands a
mo re program-inte nsive agen da than
o th e r instituti ons. Th us, Lorto n h as
programs u p the yin yang: 20 self-h e lp
groups, Special Ed ucation , G.E.D. and
College Prep, Associate and Bach elor
of Arts degree programs, 18 vocational progra ms, an in-pa tie n t Substa nce
Abuse p rogram and a n an ti-viole n ce
progra m, in add ition to staff psycho log ists, caseworkers a n d social worke rs
whose offices a r·e located among t he
dorms. T h at way, th ey' re o n h and to
respond to prisoners' com plaints and
needs.
"Let's say a g uy gets t ragic n ews
fro m home," Gib bo ns hyp o th esizes,
"or so m eo ne stops wri t ing to him. It
hu rts wo rse in h ere tha n if you're living in th e commu ni ty. But th ere's
so m eon e here to pu ll th e guy as ide

"I'm a warden. I'm supposed to be a big
shot. But I go out in society and people
don't care who I am. I've had people ask
me if I'm a dog warden."
"The crim es th ey co mmit," says
Gibbon s, "are u sua ll y aga in st eac h
other."
e walk into a d orm lin ed wit h
cots. Each man 's living area consists of a bed, a sm all table and a locke r . Skin m ags a re ke pt to a
min imum-basically Playboy a nd Penthouse. Pin-u ps ca n be fo un d p osted
inside th e loc kers o n ly. Because of
Lorto n 's fema le staff, Gibbo n s fee ls
th at displaying n a ked wom e n "is just
plain disrespectful."
T h e me n sit qu ie tly o n their bed s,
reading, playing soli taire, staring in to
space.
"He 's a nice guy, that Mr. Gibbons,"
says Ro b ert Mays, wh o ' s bee n here
e ig ht years. "H e's do ing a lot for us
and we a ppreciate tha t He e ncourages
ed ucation, a nything that wo uld bring
abo ut the betterme nt of self. There's a
big d iffere n ce be tween him a n d th e
last warden ."

W

a nd talk to h im so he won 't do someth ing stup id like see the dope man or
d rin k a j ar of hooch. "If a g uy doesn 't
h ea r from t h e pa ro le boa rd, he can
ta lk to a case m a n ager to ge t it
stra ig h t. T h e guys understand we're
here to work with them, not to make it
harder on th e m , n o t to ca u se th e m
furth er pain. The p ain is gettin g
locked up. "

A ccord ing to Warden Gibbons, the
.L\..staff at Lorton-from the c.o.'s to
th e social workers to the nu rses a n d
doctors- take part in the p rogra ms,
e ithe r as attendees, as in t he conflic t
red u ctio n class, o r as coord in ators.
The staff m ust p ut in extra hours at
no pay because f01· the last 15 years,
no add itional funds have bee n allocated to th e D.C. co rrections b udge t.
Meanwhi le, the prison population has
more th an d o u bled since 1985: from
4,800 to 11 ,200.
Expressing a rath er u n settlin g
th ough t, th e wa rde n worries if h is
effo rts to make t he Capi tal 's cage a

m od e l pen might so m e how be co ntributing to recidivism. "What th ey've
learn ed could be a crippling thing,"
he suggests, stroking his bea rd and
swatting his pony tail over his shoulder. "H e re, they h ave an academ ic
progra m, a vocatio nal program, their
own personal social worker, their perso nal d e ntist a nd d octor, in addition
to th e ir own police for ce and th e ir
mayor. But back in socie ty, th ey'd be
lu cky to see a doctor in less than a
month. If they had a problem with the
city, they'd never see anybody exce pt
th e deputy dep u ty o f a city co un cil
me mbe r. The bottom line: They just
don't get th e support a nd feedback
out in society tha t they get in here ."
At Lorton, pri so n e rs can also
ac hi eve status, which again, m ay o r
may n o t be a good thing beca use it
some times e nds up luri ng them back.
Accord ing to Gibbo n s, "A guy ca n
beco m e a big shot in h e re with a
G. E.D. a nd a vocatio n al skill or by
becom ing a h ead m a n in th e dorm.
But in society, achieving status is a helluva lot more diffi cu lt. I mean , I ' m a
\Varden. I'm supposed to be a big shot
he re. But I go out in society a nd people don ' t care who I a m. I've h ad people ask me if f'm a dog warden. "
Gibbons' perso n al philosoph y is
th a t an inmate is se nte n ced to prison
as pun ishm e nt, n o t for punishment.

"Wh y increase th e discomfort leve l?"
h e asks.
Instead, he tries to e nsure that the
prison experience is one of personal
growth and ach ieveme nt, so that the
same broke n souls who entered d o
not return to society in the sam e, o r
worse, condition.
One of Lorton 's most creative programs is calle d th e Alliance o f Co ncerned Men. H ead ed by the deputy
warden, i t brings th e male offe nd e r
back into the family re la ti o nship by
including his wife and childre n in the
program. The goal is to h e lp him
understand h is responsibilities as h usband, fathe r, provid e r a nd nurture r.
The wives and chi ldre n le t the prisone r kn ow the loss h e's ca used th e m .
Offe nd ers learn to work thro ug h
issues with their significan t othe rs for
the benefit of their children.
''We tell the guys tha t this time, ge ntleme n , it's not you we're focusing on ,
it's yo ur c hildre n. The re a re e n t ire
gene rations who wi ll continue coming
th is way until we do so me thing very
crea tive. And I think the wh o le co ncept of getting away from the crimin al
justice syste m as a panacea for the ills
of society is one way."
Gibbons feels society h as what he
calls a "Cops" a nd "Am erica's Most
Wanted " mentality," wh ich is crippling
th e econo m y a nd doin g n o thing to

address the root causes of crim e a nd
c riminal behavior. "People feel th ere
are preda tors out the re who n eed to
be swept off th e street, an d if we kee p
workin g with bigger and bigger
brooms , eventua ll y we' re go in g to
clean our streets.
"Qu ite h onestly, if we conti n ue to
go in th e direction we' re going, the
c ri m inal justice system wi ll ban krupt
our gove rnment and our society. If we
think that locking p eople up is going
to solve the problem, we've got anothe r t h ing co ming, because for every
d rug d ealer o n th e streets who ge ts
busted, there are three or four waiti ng
to take his place."
A maj or ca use of criminal behavior, Gibbons surm ises, is drugs. Like
mos t peop le who h ave m ore t h a n a
superficial knowledge of law e nforcement and criminal ju stice issues, Gibbons be lieves th a t if th e government
really wanted to stop the drug trade, it
wou ld . "] think it's ve ry te ll ing that
when t he Dr ug Enforce ment Agency
was given carte bla nc he to determine
where th e d rugs were co m ing from
and to se t up a pla n to in terd ic t th e
d rug operatio n s, th e t hread s led
directly to m aj or governm ents in Central a n d So u th Am e r ica. And when
the tl1 reads were fo llowed far enough ,
and th e age n cy investigators got to a
certain point, people at t h e hig hest
PRISON LIFE

31

32

PRISON LIFE

levels of those gove rnme n ts went to
th e state department and th ey we re
o rd e red to back off. So we kn ow
wh ere th e drugs are comin g from. If
we really wanted to do so m e thin g
about the drug pro ble m, we could."
So wh at, th e n , is th e solution to
recidivism?
Th e warden wou ld like to see a
kind of h alfway h o use program in
lieu o f a parole syste m. He also advocates a continuance of the same prog ra m s Lorton offe rs inside o n th e
o u tside , esp ecia ll y substance a buse
counse ling, vio le n ce t·eduction and
family therapy. H e lping t h e exo ffe nde r find housing and j o bs is a n
equa lly importa nt part of th e equ ation.
But what happe ns wh en socie ty
ste ps in and starts whining?
"Nin e times o u t of
ten," says Gibbo ns,
"th ese resources simply
-~
don ' t exist in the co mmunity. So the citizen is
taking a ve11' valid position: Why in hell are we
giving all these programs to convic ted fe lo ns when my son,
d aughter or I can't find
those sam e services in
society? What are you
telling m e, I have to
commit a crime to receive treatment? We're
sendin g a ve ry strange
message.
"We sh ould provide
these services to o ur citizens, numbe r on e, and number two,
recognize that if we don ' t provide
them fo r inmates to h elp them turn
the corne r a nd become prod uc tive
citizens, then we pay for them on the
streets-for the po lice, the h ospital
costs a nd the vio le nce t h ey perpeu·ate o n society.
"It costs $22,000 a year to incar cerate o ne inmate. If there was some way
we could divert a sam ple of the population into an educatio n a nd traini ng
progra m a nd keep the perso n working, then we'd have the opportunity to
keep the fa mily together and pick up
some tax revenues at the same time."

A s 1ve passed through the yard on
.Ll.our tour, one brave soul sh outed
som e thing to th e warde n abo ut th e
food.
"The food h e re is n o different
th an what I ate in college," Gibbons
said . "We h ave a li ce n sed d ie ticia n
who checks out th e food for nutri-

tiona! value and quality, a nd I eat in
the mess hall myself on occasio n. "
A whi le back, Gibbo ns thought it
wou ld be nice to offer the prisoners
Sunday brunch. "On wee ke nds, the
guys don ' t like to get out of bed at
5:00a.m. fo r breakfast, so we though t
we ' d co mbine the breakfast and
lunc h m eals a nd h ave various items
on the table so guys could take a little
o f eac h ." After a few tri es, th e conce pt was nixe d. The monito ring
board fe lt the warden was shortchanging the prison ers one meal.
Two weeks after this interview with
Gibbons, t11e Lorton prisoners went on
a work strike. Escapes, riots and strikes
are a warden's worst nightma re-in
tha t o rder. Word h ad it tl1e prisoners
we re protesting the food (sources outside the prison said they were being

ers, m eaning th ey'd be shipped to
pe ns all over tl1e coun~.
Pauline Sulliva n , co-founde r o f
th e Washington, D.C.-based CURE
(Citize n s United for the Rehabil itation of Errants) , is lo bbying aga inst
th e fed eral takeover. "If th e prisone rs' famil y me mbers are having trouble findin g the $3.00 it costs to get
from d owntown D.C. to th e priso n ,
how in the world will they be able to
afford a trip to Texas or Pennsylvania
to see th eir loved ones?"
But maybe losing his job wou ldn't
be the wo rst thing mat could happe n
to Gibbons.
"I would like to get out of the gove rnmental arena. I would like to re tire
and set up some sort of company that
would d raw from private industry
money a nd community resources to
provide a sort o f h alfway back program for
ex-offenders. It would
offer tax incentives for
businesses that hire excons a nd provide services to the inne r-city
communities. My pla n
is to establish the organizatio n and then
grow out of th e position so someon e else
could ste p in ."
efore this issue
went to press, we
received wo rd that
things a t Lorto n h ad
quieted down. The
priso n ers have gone
back to work and n egotia tio ns are under way. Warden Gibbo n s worked
around the clock for a week, m eeting
with prison e rs, staff, correction s a nd
city officials to keep m e situation from
getting ugly.
"It's really rad1e r unprecede nted
tl1at 1,300 inma tes would stick together for fi ve days and ge t th e ir point
across in a peaceful, n onviole nt way,"
said Rozie r "Roach" Brown, an excon from Lorton who now h eads up
Mayor Marion S. Barry's Coalition of
Ex-Offenders and who worked closely
with Gibbons durin g the strike as a
kind of pro-prisone r intermediary.
Brown , who's as. suspicious of prisoncrats as any ex-con , had this to say of
Warden Gibbons' performance during th e strike: "H e cam e through
phe nomen ally. It's rare to find th at
kind of compassio n in anyo ne. This
guy is really conce rn ed about saving
people's lives."

B

fed old K-Rations from Desert Storm) ;
medical care that's so poor it's o n me
verge of being monito red by a n outside agency; and harassment of famil y
members dwing visits.
Our public affairs escort laugh ed ,
"What d o th ey ex p ec t? They' re in
prison. "
n add ition to the priso n e r strike
ID.C.and
the dire fina ncial straits of the
De pt. of Corrections, Wa rden
Gibbons faces the possible loss of his
priso n . Earlier this year , a bill was
introduced in Con g ress th a t wo uld
close the Distri ct's facility and transfe r th e prisoners into me federal syste m . This would be a boon to
Virginia la nd developers, who are hot
to ge t th e ir hands o n the 3,000 acres
of prime pro p e rty. Four th o usand
co rrec ti o n s e mployees wou ld lose
their j obs, including Warden G ibbons, a nd th e D.C. prison e rs would
automatically become federal prison-

PRISON LIFE 33

jACK O UTIEN

Mul ti-Purpose Criminal justice Facili ty, Wilmington, DE
Photographed in December 1993

Convicted of murdering a man du1ing a robbery.

"I knew the death penalty was happening, but it
never entered my mind . 1always thought,

I'm not going to be in anv situation . ..
so 1never thought about it urrtil it hit me."

TEXT

& PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

lou JONES

There are over 3,000 people in America
who will know before hand the exact
moment when they are going to be killed.
As a society, we are largely unaware of a subculture
our laws created: the men and women who dwell on
Death Row. We define these people by the acts that
brought them to the row and consider them less than
human, beyond hope. It's easier to kill someone you
don 't know, someone who's just a number.
Five years ago, I started the Death Row Project with the goal
of putting a human face on society's darkest statistic. The idea
came to me after seeing magazine articles and newspaper clippings of death row prisoners. All the photos were postage
stamp-sized images of impassive faces. In most cases, the storyline told only of heinous crimes.
I have photographed 27 men and 2 women on 14 death rows in 10
states. Because the lawyers, institutions and iron bars do not allow for
my spending much time with the prisoners, my statements had to be
formed in a matter of hours.
It is my hope that if you look into the eyes of the condemned and
hear their voices-if you know them-you will not be able to sanction
their state-sponsored murder, regardless of their crime.

DANIEl. WEB!!

Somers CoiTCClional Institution, cr
PhoLograph~d

in july. 1994

ConvictPrl of kidnapping anrl murde~ing
a mhitP, 37-year~old femalP.

"The media portrayed
me as a monster. It's
unrealistic for anyone
to think that
people or prospective
jurors don't look at
television.
That's crazy . . .
You're only seeing one
side-the State
Attorney's side.
You don't see the
defense side."

M1 rCIIELL \VILLOUCHBY

Kentuckv St.ate Penitential)',
Eddyville, KY
PhoLographcd in 1992

Convicted of thrJanuwy 1983
mu rrler oj two mn1 and a woman
in a drug-related incident.

"I like myself and
1know plenty
of people who
can't say that.
1have accepted
death since we
all have to die
someday.
Only the living
make a big
deal out of it."

WALTER CARUTHERS

Riverbcnd Maximum Security Institution, Nashville, TN
Photographed in December 1992
ComJicted of the mjJI' and murdm· of a woman who was
ltitrhhikinR with Jwr brother h1 1980.

"It's how you adjust your mind. You can adjust your mind
to anything .. . I'm content. Now that may sound crazy
but 1can deal with this day-to-day .. .
1know exactly what's going to take place.
I know what 1got to do."

PAMELA PERILLO

Moun Lain View Un it, Gatesville , TX
Photographed in Novemher 1993

Convicted of !tilling lwo men j<Jr money.

"Our victims aren't the only victims. our families
are the victims and our children are the victims.
They go through this, too. so that, you know,
we have not only hurt our victims· families,
but we-we're hurting our own ... "

Du 'CAN McKENZIE
Montana State Prison,
Deer Lodge, Montana
Phowgraphed in May 1995
Convicted ofhidnajJping, torluring and murdering
schoolteacher Lana Harding,
daughter of Stale Senator
Ethel H arding.

"If they
think that
my execution,
should it come
off, is going to
end anything,
1think they're
in for a real
surprise. "

GARY GRt\HA.\J

Ellis I U nit , Hun tsville, T X
Photograph ed in May 1993
Convicted of /tilling a man dw ing a
robbPIJ in 1981.

"We have a lot
of people in the
public today who
are really not aware
of the underlying
reality of the death
penalty ... we have
to find a better way
of dealing with the
problem of crime
without destroying
one another as
human beings."

--:-·-

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;7

D AVID PmvELL

Ellis I U nit, Huntsville, TX
Photographed in june, 1993

Convicted of lhe machine gun killing of a police officer.

"You ask me what 1feel about execution, 1have no idea.
Execution is very hard to accept. But this place is t he kind of
environment that makes you not fear death. It's a different
concept all together_ Nobody [has escaped1 being executed
thus far __ _When it comes time for t hem to be executed,
they're grateful to get out of here. It's that harsh."

NICHOlAS YARRJS

Pennsylvania Department of
Corrections, H untingdon, PA
Photographed in January 1994

Convicted ofraping and
murdering a woman in 1981.

"What 1hope is
that what people
get from seeing
faces is that no
matter where
you put someone, you can't
take away their
human value."

LESLEY GOSCH

Ellis I Unit, Huntsville, TX
Photographed injune 1993

Convicted for the Decembi!T 1985
murder of a bank officer's wife in
an e.v:tortion attempt.

"It's easier for a jury
to give a death sentence to a name and
number than it is to
a human being.
1think if the public
knew something
about the people
that they were
wanting to execute,
they might not
want so many
people dead."

f

j

1
I

l

Bunker transformed himself
from a chronic criminal and
penitentiary habitue into
America's preeminent convict writer.

F

ew wo uld h ave g ive n Bunke r
mo re th a n a coupl e of years o n
the bricks befo re he'd be back in
the joint. The cha nces of a sta te-raised
convict making it in the world are piss
poo r, a nd Eddi e h ad n o rea o n to
believe that he had unde rgone the kind
of sea c ha nge in a ttitude th a t might
enable him to ma ke it on the streets.
But Bunke r 's life h ad c h a nged ,
th o ugh h e did n ' t re a li ze it a t th e
tim e-it was all still u ru ea l. Bunke r
was not leaving priso n as just a n o th e r
e x-con o n paro le, li ke Max De mbo,
h e ro o f No Beast So Fierce, Bunker's
firs t published n ovel. De mbo raises
fro m San Que min wea ring ill-fitting
dress sh oes, with a bus ticke t a n d 65
b ucks in his poc ket a nd n o fa mily o r
job waiting fo r him. Bunke r had beate n tre me ndous odds an d transfo rmed
himself fro m a c h ro nic crimin al and
pe nite ntia ry h a b iw e into Ame rica's
preemine m convict write r.
No Beast So Fierce was publis h ed
whi le Eddie was sti ll in prison. Dustin
H offma n bought the film righ ts to the
boo k and th e movie was set to go in to
produ cti o n. Bunke r had writte n the
sc ree np lay durin g le n gthy sessions
4 6 PRISON LIFE

with Hoffma n in th e visiting roo m a t
T erm in a l Islan d, a nd n ow th e acto r
wam ed to hire Eddie to work as techn ical adviso r o n th e movie se t. But
Bunker was sti ll locked up.
He was also a j ailhouse lawyer. "I got
a guy out once who was do ing a 15-year
se nte n ce," h e to ld me. "Got m y best
frie nd o ut, too- who's dead now. He
was a good conn ection , se nt me a n
ounce ofju nk eve ry montJ1. I was God!"
Eddie mad e a mo ti o n to th e court
to r ece ive cr ed it for six mo nths j ail
time h e'd bee n d e nied by the Bureau
o f Prisons. "The judge issu ed a nunc
fJro tunc o rde r. ow for th e n, it means.
So I go t credit fo r th e j ail tim e a nd
tha t was it. T hey had to le t me out.
"I was in the fuckin ' h ole, D Block,
a nd this is th e truth ,'" Ed di e re me mbered o f his last day in the pe n. "I was
doing two se nte n ces, a nickel fo r the
ba nk ro bbe ry a nd six yea rs o n th e
drug case. I had a bo ut six mo nths left
a nd th ey wa nte d to ship me o u t to
LeavenwortJ1 . Bu t I got a federal court
o rde r n o t to move me . They we re so
mad , th ey ke pt me tJ1e re in the ho le."
The co nvicts were going wild in D
Block, setting trash o n fire a nd throw-

ing it o u t o n to th e tie rs, floodi ng
cells, screaming a nd yelling-a typical d ay in th e h o le. "I burned , I
sweated," Eddie said. ''Trash in front
o f th e cell, th e smo ke a nd th e
wate r-whe n they came to ge t me I
waded out, just kind'a stepped over
all the u-ash and waded o ut through
the shit and the water. I got my street
clo th es. Dustin se nt a li mousine for
me and th e bulls we re all coming to
work in th e mo rning whe n tha t big
limo pulled up in the fuckin' parking
lo t. The co nvicts are all a t th e \vind ows and th e guards a re coming in
\\~ Ul their lunch pails. I walk out and
ge t imo this lo n g limo usin e. They
rolled back the moo n roof, I stood
up on the seat and r-aised both hands
in the clench ed fist salute. We drove
a ro un d th e pa rking lo t a couple of
times and th e convicts we re yelling,
ch ee ring . I was waving back. After
that, th ey coulda dumped me in the
bay for all I cared."
N o Beast So Fierce is the only one of
Bunke r's three publish ed novels still
in print in th e dumb-a n d-dumbe r
U nited Sta tes. I had to get th e real
d eal on Bunker's wo rk from a
Fre n ch edito r, Fra ncois Gu e riff, who
kn ows mo re a b o ut Ame ri can crim e
writing than most ew York literati. I'd
h eard a bo ut Bu nke r, read ab out h im
in H . Bruce Franklin's seminal study of
Ame rican convict wr ite rs, Prison Literatu1·e in America: The Victim as Criminal
and A rtist, a nd I'd see n Straight Time,
the movie H offman mad e based on No
Beast So Fierc~just happe ned to pluck
it o ff the rack at Blockbuster on e night
a nd loved it. The re is a n unforgettable
sce ne in the movie where Hoffman, as
Max De mbo, hUacks his twisted paro le
o fficer, handcuffs him to the di~de r in
the middle of the freeway and yanks h is
pan ts down around his a nkles in wha t
has got to be the ultimate pa role ~o la­
tio n. Bu t it took a Fre nchman to educate me on my own liter-ary he r·itage.
"Yo u must read Bunke r ," Francois
sa id wh e n I sh owed him a co py of
Prison Life. H e was shocked . "You edit
a priso n magaz in e a nd you don ' t
know Bun ke r? H e is the best!"
Bunke r 's novels, No Beast So Fierce,
(W.W. o n on, 1973), AnimalFactory,
(Viking, 1977 ), se t in Sa n Que ntin,
and the ex traord ina ri ly moving, au tobiographi cal L ittle Boy Blue (Viking,

1982), all do we ll in England a nd in
France, yet here he is vi rn.ally unknown.
It is indi cative of h ow out of touch the
publishin g establishment is with quality
wr iti n g that o nl y No Beast So Fierce,
recently rep ri n ted in th e Vintage Black
Lizard Crim e series, is availab le. I had to
get in to uch wi th Bunke r's age nt, have
him send me p ho tocopies of the English
editions of Animal Factory a nd Little Boy
Blue, a nd a co py o f th e manu scr ipt of
Bunke r 's new book, Men Who Prey, in
order to read Ame ri ca's g reatest living
convict writer.
Once I got the books I se ttled in for
two weeks of th e kind of co n ce ntrated
reading I o n ly d o whe n I d iscover a
writer whose work I truly admire. I read
Bunke r with the same kind of excitement
I'd felt whe n I read Dostoyevsky, Melville,
H enry Miller, Norm a n Mai le r a nd a
h andful of o th er write rs whose work
seemed to possess th e powe r to c ha nge
my perce pti o ns. First I read No Beast So
Fierce, a n a bsolutely b rillia nt po rtrayal of
a n alie nated convict whose se nsibilities,
mu ch li ke Bunker's, have bee n imbued
and tainted with th e madness and vi o le n ce of a ch ildh ood in th e Californ ia
Yo uth Au thority at such places as Whittier and Presto n , th e n forged in the an imal factory itse lf, San Quentin , a nd
fin a lly te mpered in to h ard stee l li ke a
shank plunged into the indiffe re nt world
he encounters upon release.
The novel o pe ns with Max Dembo polishing his "hideous, bulb-toed" dressout
sh oes o n the night before he is to raise
from San Quentin after a n e ight-yea r
stretc h. Against a backdrop of mind less
racial hatred and vio le n ce, De mbo co ntemplates freedom. Max has every inte ntion of going straight this time. He's done
enough time in j oints like San Q ue ntin to
kn ow h e h ates priso n a nd wo uld rath e r
die tha n continue to live th e convict's life
of bitte r lone lin ess in a ba rbaric world
crowded with desperate me n.

Word had come to the prison tlzal the new
jail was wone than the old,....that brutality was more freely dispensed- and I remembered beingjifteen years old in the other one and having a fight with another
juvenile. Three deputies handcuffed me to
a drainpipe and took turns punching me
in the body. After brealiing three 1·ibs they
threw me in the hole, a steel box on wheels.
It was utterly darh; l couldn't see my hand
an inch fi·om my face or know if it was
noon or midnight. A quart of water and
three slices of bread weTe the daily food ra-

THE
HULLYWDDD
PROWLER
by Edward Bunker
I was free and sha rp as I could be. Five years o f San
Q ue nti n had provided a un iq ue education. I'd seen murders-and sat with murdere rs the nigh t before th ey we n t
to the gas chamber. I could take bets on sports and horses, run a ha ndbook, deal from the bottom of the deck,
switch dice, punch, peel o r burn a safe-and I was afraid
of veil' few men, or much that walked the earth. At the
same time, eve1l' week I went to the library a nd took four
or five books. Being in a cell from 4:30 p.m . to 8:30a.m.
p rovided time to read. T ha n k God they had no TVs in
th e cell back the n. At ftrsU read best selle rs-Fran k
Yerby, H arold Roboins and Taylor Caldwell-but Louise
Fazenda W His sent a subscription to the Sunday ew
York Till) s, and the Book Reviev1 memio ned othe r writers and;iliscussed b ooks, and soon I was looking o n the
libral)l shelves [or Dostoevsk')' and Dreiser. A review of
William Styron mentioned Faulkner and Tho as Wolfe,
and the next week I found Light in August and You Can't
Co H()me Again. Over f<>ur years I devoured books, fiction
and 'lon-fiction , essays, hi§.t ories and belles lettre,~.l even
FaU of
read i two volume ve rsion ,of Gibbon's Deali
the Roman Empire, and studied Machiavelli,
lj s, Locke
'Reism !s Lonely
unnar Myrdal. Wh at
Cr< Have to me? Or Em'
..WI s NapoleQn? l often
rea br.fght coming'" ·('5ugh the bars. I studied psych ology ~~~se I wanted to know why I was society's o~tside r.
T hex rud that ibsight equalled salvation. My insigh'ts said
that I was
conscience; I had an id-pe1~eated ego.
(In
I had enough sense t6'aJi1)ply U1e need
for
a woman wiif a Supqe&o
1 '~a ~ ·man al e. I
searc
relig101)S'ref ah~ that I
could
gold of lJ'uth; J'fO\ind
the
I•w •n n,II1 ''1P<arn tha t you
brass of
thro ugh the
of being.
but viscera l
I came fro m S3l~\(~~lrwt~t'Qial6ll·vw~:>o•tlJat
dent that I was
Then I met a
and wine;
tJ1en she took me to her
turned on green
ligh ts-and fucked me into a ecstatic daze. She moved her
pelvis in motions that kneaded my penis. She worked the
muscles of h er vagina with the dexterity of a hand. ever
before or since has it been that good: the fuck of a life time.
I was crazed about her. NotJ1ing else mattered. She
belo nged to me. Case closed. It was bizarre, to say tJ1e least.
Being herself crazy, the wh ore dramatized the comedy. She had a great time p laying scared. It was another
story to add to tales of h er adve n turous life-how the
wi ld man had carried he r off, just like the cowboy carried
Marilyn in "Bus Stop."

(continued on page 49)

PRIIOI LIFE

47

tion. Eve1)' three da)\5 they brought a paper plate with a gruel of oatmeal sprinklell with misim. Kneeling in the darhness, J lapped it ufJ like a dog. Nineteen
days later they tooll me back to the reform school (it was when I was captured
on the escafJe) and rcollapsed. rhad
pneumonia. And even if !'d now
changed my life, I hadn't changed rny
loathing for such places and those who
mn them.
We fo llow Dembo on a sentimental
bus ride down the coast to Los Angeles,
to H ollywood, where he, a nd his creator
Bunke r, we re born. Max dutifu lly calls
his pa ro le officer, a pudgy bu reaucrat
name d Rose nthal who wi ll prove to be
his ne mesis-and, in a sense, his tibet-ator from a life of humdrum ass-kissin g.
De mbo does his best to sati sfy Rosenthal's stupid and mea n-spirited adherence to n.tles devised to insure that co nvicts will violate parole a nd go back to
prison . Th e n Rosen th a l busts Max on
suspicion of usingjunk. AJthough Max's
urin e test comes back clean, the parole
officer leaves him in the county jail for
three weeks whi le h e goes off on vacatio n.

I stejJped into the cell. Steel cmshed
agaimt steel. r was locked in. TheJamilim· sight ofbun It, lidless toilet, pushbutton washbowl and graffiti caroed into the paint ("If you can't do I he time,
don't fuch with crime") combined into a
blow that shattered my shell of detachment. Imagine the hu1Ticane of emotions
in a man who has served eight yea'/'S in
p1'ison, has been free less than a weell,
and who finds himselfagain imjJrisoned
without having committed a crime. A
swiTl of loneliness, r-age, and despai1·
washed me into a tea1jul, blinded madness. I fJleaded silently, "Oh, fJlease help
me." 77w plea was to FoTtune, Fate,
Gael, a nameless powe1; a fJlea that is
torn from eve1y man sometime during a
lifetime.

golf and bridge and attending football
games were enough excitement joT any
noTma/jJenon.
"That's good, NIT. Rosenthal. I 'm
glad you 1'e hapjJy. You know what r?'Cally lilte?"
"1 can imagine. "
"Speed. Goingfast. I've always wanted to be a grand p1·ix dTiver-vmom,
vroom. Ever thought about doing that?"
"Taking unnecessmy 'l'ish.s with yow·
life is immatum. "
"Didn't you lilie hot mds when you
we;;e young?",
NotTeally.
"Man, you should see what it's like. "
1'd been sliding closer to him. Sudden!)'
I slamfJed ?n)' left foot agaimt his right
toe, fJressing the gas pedal to thejlo01·.
The automobile jeTked and leaped jo'l'wanl.
"Hey! What!"
1 locked my leg stmight out as he
stmggled to pull his foot away. The ca1·
was weaving-but gatheTing momentum. We WPTe going eighly.
"You 'Te lh?'ough, " he thTeatened.
"Maybe both ofus m·e."
The speedometeT Tolled acToss ninety.
"Please, "he said, face ashen.
"Fuck yow· motheT. "
He Teached joT the ignition liey. I
grabbed his thumb and viciously
wrenched it bach; then bacldwnded him
across the nose. We swen;ed over the divider line. A hom bleated in tn-otesl,
and there was a sc-reech of b-rakes.
My heart pounded. I was afmid-but

it was insignifuant compm·ed to his te?·We boTe down on !he rea1· of a bus.
He swe1ved away just in time. He was
whimpering. The sound delighted me.

1'01'.

1

What impressed me most in Bunker's poru·ayal of Max Dcmbo was how
he was able to c rea te a hero wh o has
all the no rma l huma n feelings, including lo nel iness, love, despair, fea r, guilt
and even pi ty for h is victims, yet whose
e mo ti o ns have bee n so steeled by th e
brutal conditi o ns he has been fo rced
to e nd u re in o rder to su rvive tha t he is
un ab le to bow before a du ll a nd
oppressive mentality that seeks to stifle his spirit. In esse nce, Dem bo is th e
e m bodime nt of th e convict code: You
m ay rul e my body but yo u wi ll neve r
d om ina te my character.
On th e lam, Max De mbo is th o ro ug hly u·ansformed.
1 missed Allison inlemely. I wished
I 'd liept her with me- even being hated
is better tlwn being lonely.
But I shook off the longing, and by
the time l stejJjJed outside into the icy af
tf!1"1Won I had the stoicism of accepted
hopelessness, even glorying in it. The
wind was needles agaimt my cheelts,
and 1 thrust my hands deejJ into the
mackinaw, one clutching the pisto~ my
magic wand. The hungerfor chaos, j'o1·
my life as it was, swelled to swallow
loneliness. 1 wallled the dismal st1·eet
awaTe of my freedom, a leopm·d among
domesticated housecats. I felt contempt

Wh e n Rose nthal, still sunburn e d
pink, shows up to ge t Max a nd deliver
him to a h alfway house, De mbo is a
whole new a nima l, though he's crafty
eno ugh to keep the beast under wraps
until he a nd the paro le office r a re in
Rose nthal's car headed fo r the freeway.

We we1·e shooting up a mmp onto the
jTeeway. Tmffic was seventy miles an
houT. He pmttled on, explaining the
fullness of his own life in subuTbia-

Edward Bunher's firs! two fn'isonmugshots, talten in 1952 (lejl) and 1966 (right).

f or the hunched, bundled creatures, aft
gray and colodess, hmrying desj;eralely
towanl warmth and safety.
T he rest of the novel is a N ietzsch ia n hymn to th e will lO powe r , a n
ex pe rtly p lo tte d a nd c ra fte d crim e
sto ry th at d oes n o t re le nt, n o r sh ow
re mo rse, up to the fina l words: 'They
might get me this time.
"Fuck it!"

THE BEAST CAGED
Animal Facto1y, Bunk e r 's seco n d
book and the consumma te Ame rica n
priso n n ove l, was \vrilte n d uri ng
Bunke r's fi nal soj o urn withi n the wa lls
a t a time wh e n hi s writi ng car ee r
showed promise of salvatio n . ot o nly
h ad No Beast So Fierce bee n acce p te d
for pu blication by a respected publishe r , a n essay, "War Be h ind Wa lls," a
con troversia l a nd u nflin c hing in side r's account of the senseless race wars
rag in g in Califo rni a's p ri so n s, h ad
a ppea re d in Ha1pe1·'s. Bunke r h a d a
p iece on ca pita l punishmen t, "Rem e m be rin g De a th Row" in t h e San
Fmncisco Chmnicle, as we ll as articl es in
othe r wide ly read publicatio ns.
Th is was at a tim e whe n freeworld
Ame r ica n s see me d to wa n t to h ear
wh at the ir imp riso n ed b re thre n h ad
to say. ''Yeah ," Bun ker said whe n I told
h im- in answe r to his questio n how
Prison Life was d o ing- th a t th e magazine was still struggling. "Nobody gives
a shit abo ut co nvicts anymo re. ln th e
'60s whe n yo u we nt by in th e p riso n
bus th ey gave you the V sign fo r victory. Now th ey give you the fi nger. "
Bun ker, wh o d ivid es his t ime
between Paris, New York a nd the West
Coast, was in Los Angeles in early June
wo rk in g o n th e new Mic h ae l Ma n n
fi lm , Heat, with his close friend fro m
Sa n Q uen tin , the ac to r Da nny T rejo.
We me t a t t h e Ho lid ay I n n in Ho ll ywood . "I li ke Ho liday Inns. T hey' re a ll
the same," Eddie told me. "Kind of like
prison ce lls." Bun ker had o nce bee n
bu ste d at this pa rtic u lar Ho li day Inn
whe n he went the1·e to d o a dope deal
wi th Squeaky Fromm of Manson Fa mily fa me . 'T h e co ps le t Squ eaky go,"
Eddie chu ckled.
He is a mesme rizing j ailho use raconteur, anima ted , with his constan t cigar
d a ng li ng fro m his m o u th o r wavin g
from his hand like a cond uctor's baton
as he o rchestrates h is ta les. He is gentle ma n ly, a lmost co u rtly in ma nn e r,

It took a few days before l came LO myself. A look at her
under the sun rathe r than green light was cdtical to sanity. The
decade of heroin and Scotch had taken their toll. She would
kill herself th ree years hence. By th e n I was long gone. For a
mome nt, however, she had me hooked like a mountain trout.
I wasn ' t the only one. She had a bartender on the line who
was out of his mind over her-and she e njoyed tormenting
him at evel)' opportun ity. He was an Ita lian stallion in love
with a whore and hating it. T he phon e wou ld ring, she would
take the call a nd ma ke th e date in he r sexiest voice. When she
fi n ished with the tele pho ne, she wou ld turn on Michael and
te ll him tha t he had to leave. It would d rive h im crazy-and
she de lig hte d in what she caused. She was a tan gled soul, no
doubt of it. I'd read studies on prostitu tes and pimps. It had
been difficult for me to u nderstand how you ng women, most
of the m attractive, wou ld sell the ir bodies a nd give the money
to a man , who often was stupid a nd crue l and invariably beat
an d kicked them at least now a nd then. Nor d id the men
unde rsta nd th3-fsythologiC'al dynamic going on. They knew
' the game,'_; h at if they did th is or tha t, the response would be
as expe~etl. They were comparable to a race car driver who
knows ~mw to drive the <;:ar without any .idea o f what is going
on in }he engin e.) quickly realized tha t the ~n u·o l was not
sexual. Prostitutes a re usually undersexed-$un h pleasu re as
t.hey flo ge t comes from cunnilingu s- and mlbs say that
women go down '';i th~reate r skill because they know wha t
because
feels best to anoU1er wo man . No, the con trol
the \\ 1ores want a. crue l fiiher (ma ny we re
as ch ild re n } whowiU punish them.
re ation,ship is we ird to
li t
hard mil~s
body.
l
ly, I'
ings th ro~rg):J t;h prism of
Ad 't~
int I . M •Id came u nder conu·ol.
Fl'ip . reside'l\te was a n apa rtme n t building that sti ll overlopktJaramountstudios. She ha<:i a th ird fl
apartmem
with
bedroom o n
.flg o r·. A door
le d
to th.e

had given
window at twi'll2"h'\t>.
DeMille gate
T his was in
give n the sobriq
throug h screen doors and
dcred a nu rse in th e Ho llywood H Is. It was be fo re seri al
ki lle rs were ho useho ld words; his de pred atio ns, while common by today's mad ness, were e noug h for headlines back
then.
Abou t 1:00 a.m. of a n ea rly summe r night, I was awa ke ne d
by the ringi ng te lephone. It was Flip. "Eddie . . . I want to see
you. I need you ... " T he slurred voice a nnoun ced he r inebri atio n .
'Take it easy, baby. I'll see you in the morn ing."
" o ... Now . . . "
"I n the mon1ing."
o sooner was the receiver in its uad le tha n the phone
ra ng again. I picked it up. "He llo."
"I'll kill myself ifyo u don ' t come."
Although I dou bted he r veracity in that regard , he r nickna me o f 'Fli p' had a founda tio n in bizarre be havior, plus I
had given h er my pistol to stash in he r apartm e nt. It was best

(continued 01'1 page 51)

"I decided I'd write a book
totally from a criminal's viewpoint
and make it as honest, no bullshit
a story as I could make it.
So 1 wrote JVo Beast S o Fierce."

and he hi ts all the righ t notes in sto •-ies
he' played before some of the toughest audiences. Convicts kn ow bullshit
whe n they see it, since many a re such
good bullshitters themselves.
"All the shit I've ever done in my life
I've never tried to min imize the !acts or
alte r the facts to make a point," Bunker
said whe n I asked him if he th ought of
himself as a co nvict writer. I'm not
re ferring to the narrow se nse of the
wo rds, but to Bruce Fra nklin's defi nition of the prison er writer as the c reator of the true u-adi ti o n of Ameri can
lite ra LUre, charac terized by rea li sm ,
pace a nd plot, a nd a ki nd o f bloody
fa ithfuln ess to an o utl aw mora lity at
odds with the sanctimonious and hypocritical mass mentality. '" I really h ave
brought an extreme amou nt of imegrity to my work. I've never told a lie. I've
ex pe rienced th e truth of the stories 1
write and I\·e never distorted anything.
1o precon cepti ons. It's always been as
so PRISON LIFE

true as I can get it, you know?"
Bunker is now stalldng through the
end of his fifth d ecade a nd the bea tings are taking their to ll. Thoug h he
still has a boyish elan and a marvelo us
twi n kle in hi s eye th a t belies twenty
years of citize nship, his habits a re so
stee pe d in priso n life that he sprawls
on th e bed in th e hote l roo m and
props his head a nd shoulders aga inst
the bare wal l exactly as though he were
in a prison cell slum ped on th e bunk
with his back to the concrete. Wh en we
were th rea tened with a traffi c j a m
wh ile ou t for a ri de in Trejo's Caddy,
Eddie a nd Dann y pan icked a t the
though t of be ing stuck in a line a nd
drove all over L.A. on backroacls. "I' d
rather go arou nd in circles than tand
still," they both said at different. times.
Re membering my own release from
prison five yea rs ago ( l a lso h a d a
nove l acce pted fo r publication whi le
still locked up) I brought Eddie back

to that time over 20 years ago when
t h e li fe -lo ng c rimi nal n ow faced t h e
possibil ity of profound c ha nge.
"The writing gave m e h o p e. I ha d
ho pe, that was th e diffe ren ce. I'd writte n like six novels in seventee n years.
I'd been o ut a couple of times, and I'd
goue n into a little shit in the joint, but
I ha dn 't really done anything. othing published. I decided I'd
write a boo k totally from a
c rimin a l's viewpo in t a nd
make it as h ones t, no bullshit a stoJ)' as I could make
it. So I wrote No Beasl So
FiercP. I t was for th em, th e
co n victs, m y brothers. If it
h adn't been published , I
mig ht have quit. I'd bee n at
it a long lime. I d idn 't write
on the outside. When l got
o ut, be twee n t h ose jo lts, I
go t shacked up , stole and
carried o n. But wh e n l went
back Lo t.h e joint, l ' djump
on my typ ewrite r. O th e r
guys do leath er," h e
shrugged, smiled. "I started
with no e du cation, n o forma l education at a ll.
"J started writi ng because
of Ch essman, Ca ryl Ch essm a n , who wrote wh ile o n
death row. I was in th e hol e
in San Que ntin. The h o le
used to be be hin d d ea t h
row. I kinda kne w Ch essman , m el h im in jail, so I
ta lked with him. He se nt around a n
AJgVS)' magazine that had p ubli heel a n
exce rpt from th e first ch a pter of his
book, Cell 2455, Death Row, a nd it
astounded me, it.jus Lastou nd e d me
th at. th is co n vic t h ad his n a m e on a
book th at had been pu blished. T ha t 's
wh e n I said, if this mo therfu cker can
do it a nd h e's on the row, wha t 's to
stop me?"
I thin k of Eddie duri ng tha t pe riod
in San Quentin as much like Ea rl
Copen , one of two main cha racters in
Animal Far/or)'· Earl is a vetera n convict
in his 30s with a shaved head, a savvy
power broke r who rel uc ta n tly takes a
young, good-loo king white fish unde r
his win g. The "youngster," Ron Decker, is a middle class dope dealer who's
been se n t. to Quentin for a yea r by a
judge who wa nts to see sig ns of rehabilitation before he' ll consider reducing Decker's se n tence . The novel
ex plo res th e friend ship a nd se nse of

loyalty t.hat develop be tween the two men
aga inst th e elrama of life and clea t.h in
San Q uent.in.

The sun had bumed off the freezing
momingjog, and although the lower recreation yaTd was still crisfJ, it was dazzlingly
bright. Earl sal shirtle.~5 on the wom bleachers along thi1·d base line, finishing a joint
in the nea·reslthing to solitude the prison
allowed. A Ted bandanna was tied amund
his jOTehead to /ieep the sweat from his eyes,
though it had dtied len minutes ajler he lifl
the handball cow·t. A still soalied glove fay
limp beside him, and his feg1· ached from
the han! houT ofexercise. He played poorly
Inti loved the game. He couldn't bring himself to jog or do calisthenics, because he quit
the moment he began breathing hanf, but
when there was competition he liejJI going
until his body screamed in protest and he
had to bend a/ the waist to dr-aw a good
breath. Winte1· closed the handbaff courts
for months at a time, so he jJlayPd whenever they were open for a Jew h01m. 1-Je
sue/ted on the joint, muttering "dynamite
shit" inanely, and the achPs went away. He
was reluctant to malie the long trek to the
big yard, and then five Iiers lo his cell to get
a towel to shower with. "Too beautiful a
day to be locked ufJ, "he mu/leTed, liking the
bittersweet ache of fongingjorj1·eedom.. It
told hirn that he was still human, still
yearned for something mm·e than being a
convict. He still hoped . ..
He'd decided to follow Seeman's advice
and avoid /.rouble by avoiding situations.
He was lleejJing to his cell during the day,
reading a lot, and when sonu'lhing hapjJened, it was ove1· before he heaTd about it.
One ofthe BTOlherhood had killed a man in
the East cellhouse, and the next day clwing
the lunch houT two Chicanos had am!ntshed a lhiTd and cut him ufJ prelly bad.
lf he'd died, it would have lied the record of
thirty-six murders in a year; the 1·ecordfor
stabbings, one hundred and seven, had already been broilen. ?~f. and Bad Eye worked
in the gym, and he saw thf'm only at the
night m(JUie when the Brolherhoodjiffed two
rows of reserved benches. E(a/ wo11fd have
come out during the day if heroin was on
the )'a1'cl, bu.tthf' jJ1i5on had bepn chy si·nce
he'd golf en an ounce three wee/is earlier.
But Earl, and Ron , a rc drawn ine xorably in LO the vonex of priso n vio le nce
as lone psychopa t.hs a nd packs or predatory men of all colo r a nd st.ripc vic for
dominanc e or mere ly st.rike out. to
defe nd t.h e mselves a nd band toge th e r for
muLUa l pro t.ec t.ion. I won't. go into t.h c

Logo ge t it, not take c hances. "Okay, prettic r'n most., I'm o n
my way. "
lL took a bout twenty m inut.es Lo get. d ressed an d drive my
XK l 40 J aguar roadster from the Miracle Mi le district., where I
lived, to Me lrose nea r Gower Gulc h , where Flip resided.
Right aft.er 2:00a.m. the st.reets had a spun of trafTic , vehicular a nd pedestrian, as the bars closed.
I parked across the street from the apartme n t. bui lding.
Th at side of the street. was a d in parking lot. [or a liquor store
on Melrose; now it is t.he wall of expanded Paramoun t. Th e
a pa rUllent build ing was four stories plus green gables o n top.
Ringing Flip's apartment a roused no respo nse. Could she
have iced he rself. O h no, don ' t. even thin k that. Still, I had to
c heck it. out.
The from door had a n extensio n of steel over t.he fro m , so
it was impossible to ' loicl it. I started walking arou nd the outside of the bui ld ing. Often an apartment buildi ng had a n
unlocked side or baseme nt entra nce.
Not so this tim . Ho~ver, a econcl floo r hallway window
was open. lL \ ra~ pe rhaps fifteen feet above th e alley where I
st.oocl- an beside it. was a pipe co ming clown t.he side of the
building. twas cool to the touch and would su pport my
weigh t.~ wore canvas shoes with crepe soles and went. quickly
up the pipe a nd th rough the window.
Along th e second floor, c repe soles silent. I moved fas t. up
the stairs and along t.h e.third floor corridor to th e last door a t.
the front.
T kn &cked. Again.
r
No 'VHwer.
A lit..tle harder- but n ot too hard. It wa ~e.ry late an d l
had no wish to see other doontopen a,ncl h ea,d s proLrucle.
T e window at the e d-c5f ·th.e hallway opened ontb a fire
escap that extended across Flip's breakfast nook window. I
op en ed it and climbed out. The window was locked. Looking
in , I eould see the glow of green light from the living room,
visible th rough an arch .
I climbed b · into the hallway and hufrit;d dqwnstairs
and o ut the fro door, this time p opping it open with a
folded newspap r. When I went back in ide, I had a short.
crO\vbar, called 'j • my bar" in SOJ11 C world .
Up th e stairs, Lo he fire escape overlooking ~1 DeMille
Gate, ·tick the ba in t e window fr.unc and op g e th e
weasel.
I climbed inside, . tep t~ ontQ a ki_tch
hair, and headeel straigh t for the -6 -lig\ tedliving room 1 could hear
lo ud snores before I ssed through the a rc
Fli p was zonked o ut. on the fa. She wore one spikeheeled shoe and brassie re, but o panties. At least she hadn ' t.
committed suicide. I shoo k her into semi-co nsciousness.
''Wh ere's my gu n?"
"Don ' hun Michae l," was her slurred response.
Michael! What. the ru ck ... ? I looked around . Sure
enough, Lhere he was, curled up and passed out. at th e foot of
the stairway to the second floor bedroom. "Nobody's gonna
hurL Michael. \>\'here's my piece?"
She managed o ne more "don 'L hun Michael" and fel l back
in Lo d runke n slumber. l would have LO fi nd the pistol by myself.
I began by leaning ove r Fli p and runni ng my hand clown
int.o the back of t.h e sofa. I Louc hed something and pulled it
ou t.: a big bladed butcher kn ife. l carri ed it into t.he kit.chen
and put it on a counter Lop. The n I began to search.
The snub-nose d .38 was in a broile r pan in t.h e ove n ,
wra pped in t.he straps o f t he shoulder h olster. I took it and

(continued on page 73

PRISON LIFE

51

absorbing plot of Animal Factory, as we
pla n to se ri alize the nove l in future
issues as a Prison Life Classics feature.
Besides displaying Bunke r's genius
for storytelling, th e novel depicts dayto-day li fe in a large maximum securi ty
prison wit h a n insight and ve racity
only a season ed convict strivi ng to find
the truth could bring to the page. I've
never bee n to San Q u entin , never
done time in a state j o int, but 1 spent a
few days in the L.A. City Jail (th e infamous Glass House, worstjail I've ever
encountered) . I was he ld for lo ng periods in transit at T e rmin al Isla nd a n d
Lewisburg, a nd I did time in other
ma.x imum secUJ-ity fed eral joints where
I heard war stories from men wh o had
bee n transferred into the feels to break
up powe rful prison ga ngs that
e me rged during the '60s and '70s in
the Califo rnia priso n system. Priso n
life at all levels and in all prisons bears
certain simi larities: loneli ness in the
face of crowds, th e humiliatio n a n d
constant testing of characte r, and th e
life of the mind tha t takes ho ld o nce
the intelligent prisoner realize it is all
a matter of attitude. Bunker gives us all
this in additio n to the marrow of life in
Quentin, the complexities of symbiotic
rela ti onshi ps between priso n e rs a nd
be tween co nvi c ts and good and bad
cops. He shows how sma rt convicts 1vill
ultimately ma nipula te th e rules to suit
themse lves, Lhe full-time residems of
the pe nite ntiary. And he takes us into
the ultima te isola tio n of the ho le.
Now he propped a folded blanket as a
head1·est and webbed his fingers behind
his nech, waiting fo1· whatever might
!tapfJen next. A lifetime ofconditioning
to bare, dirt)' cells !tad giuen him the
ability to endure without felting his
mind scream in silent futility at the
walls. Such conllttct as that was the
path to mental brealulonm. f-Ie didn't
care about that eithe1~ excefJt that i t
would giue the enemy too much satisfaction. f-Ie /mew how to be still within
his own being.

"In the o ld days, wh e n I first got
there, San Quentin wasn't as vio lent as
it is n ow," Bunker ·a id wh e n I asked
him a b o ut those years in Quentin.
"The re wasn't a ll th e racial trouble,
which started with the Muslims. Late
'50s. In a nswer to t h e Muslims cam e
th e Nazis. In the '60s they started getting it on, just between themselves.
Then , all of a sudden , George J ac kso n-th e n a m e George Ja ckso n , I
re me mber that plain as day, ma n , him
a nd maybe six o r seve n o th ers, th ey
ran d own a ti e r a nd sta rted stabbing
52

PRISON LIFE

white guys just because th ey were
whi te. T he guys they cut were fish,just
ar ri ved off th e bus. They were just
sta ndin g th e re a nd these guys cam e
on 'em and started stabbing. That was
th e firs t time , that's wh en it started.
Since then , it's been like a war behind
walls. And the war still goes on.
"In the '60s the administration started bending ove r backwards for the m
co nvic ts, ma n. l saw so m a n y funny
things in that inte rlude. They had half
the j o int o n fu c kin' pill lines. They
had fuckin ' li nes across the middl e of
the yard , a hundred yards lo ng, givin '
them m ed ica tion , eve rybody ge ttin '
loaded. They h ad g uys stagge rin g
around. They go t more li beral a nd
tried to pacif)' these convicts, but then
they started killing guards. When they
started killin g g uards-MAN! ow
th ey've gotte n so fu c kin ' repressive
that it's happening all over again.
"Society's a ttiwde toward crimi nals
c h ange d . I remember Elea n or Roosevelt came to San Quentin and gave a
speech. If the Preside nt's wife we nt to
a prison a nd gave a speech to the convicts now, society would scream about
it. They'd try to im peach him. It's a
who le different thing. Bac k in 1939
a nd 1940, they had a broadcast from
San Quentin , coast to coast, Sun day
eve ning, San Quen tin was o n the air.
There was a whole differe nt social attitude towards crime and criminals.
"The proble m is t ha t a lot more
people h ave been affec ted by crime.
Prisons have beco me more vio le nt,
much more racia ll y c h a rged, a nd
th ere's much more vio le n ce in thi s
society. When l was a child, when I was
ten yea rs o ld , l could go a nywhere in
this fuckin' city on a street car or a bus.
Now, middl e class child ren do not go
o ut alo ne. They go to play dates.
"Look, th e)' can ' t sto p c rim e by
re pressio n , just by putting p eo ple in
j ail, unl ess th ey crea te a total poli ce
state. But, they bui ld more priso n s,
th e re's more busin ess fo r the co nstru ctio n com pani es, m o re promotions, m o re captains-th e re are big
ves ted inte rests in all that. It' s the
prison industry. And the drug laws are
insa ne. I wrote a lo ng a rticle tha t was
in The Nation ove r twen ty yea rs ago
when ixon declared his war, mainly
about how stupid the whole idea was."
his is o n e of th e m a ny g ro undb reaking themes in Animal Factory h ow, because of th e
insa nity of the drug laws, a fairly normal kid li ke Ron Decke r ca n become
transformed into a committed ene my
of th e society that seeks to re ha bilitate

T

him by confining him in a n e nvironment where h e must either kill or b e
preyed upo n .
Th e wm·den had pmmised that he,
Ron, wouh/ get favorable action from
the judge if he ttwned on Earl. 1t was
an insulting offe1· and he 'd sneered,
refusing to mahe any statement whatsoeue1· without an attm·ney-but it also
raised hope. M aybP they needed corroboration. Whatever hapfJened, he wouldn't let Em·l be convicted of the
assault-fuch what Em·l said. Yet his
own freedom, which had been firmly in
hand, was in danger of oozing between
his fingers. Either Earl or himself convicted of the e1·ime would face a life sentence or the death penalty, depending
on what the jmy decided. Even without
that, if the judge iu Los Angeles fonnd
out, he would deny sentence modification, which would mean flue long, bitter years before he was eligible fo1·
pm·ole, and the chances of getting it
woukl be small even then. He'd already
seen too many men psyclwlogically
maimed b)' the indefinite sentences of
Califomi.a. fJ one yem·made him capable of fJlunging n knife into a man 's
bach, what would a decade do?

"I h ad sta bbed a g u a rd in reform
sc h oo l," Bu nke r went o n. "Th ey
brought me o ut to uy me in L.A. county, and they put me in the L.A. County
J ail. I was still a kid , fifteen years old. 1
got a famous lawyer to take the case, a
g uy n amed AI Matthews who was
Chessman 's appeal lawyer a nd sat with
him in the courtroom as his adviserCh essman defe n ded himself. Matthews was great, he put the corrections
offi cials on u·ial a nd proved that they
h ad kicked my ass a nd stomped m e,
he brought up all th e beatings th ey
h ad g ive n me , tear gas in the face,
kicking me like a clog, bla h , blah, you
kn ow. Mea nwhil e, th e g ua rd wasn't
hurt very bad. Talkin ' a b o ut h ow I
stabbed a guard. Be lieve me, he wasn't
hurt too bad . He was nicked , yo u
know? Gouged him in the leg, mainly,
'cuz he fell on me. I went to stab him
a nd stuck him in the leg."
"What was goi ng o n?" I asked.
"I'd escaped from the ho le. They
chased me around the prison. Strange
shit. They took me out of the hole for
a d isci p lin a ry court lin e-ya' kn ow
h ow yo u sta nd in the line? And the
bull turn s his head, so I h ooked it. I
was loose in the prison a nd they were
looki n ' all over the joint for me. Anyway, they put me on trial. That's whe n
I first met C h essm a n . They boo ke d
(continued on page 69)

June '94
Herby Sperling: A Legend In His
Own Time: Reputed mobster and
convicted drug k ingpin on doing
lite without parole at USP Lewisburg; Kim Wozencraft on The
Mark of the Convict; Fiction: The
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Bubba's Debut! . .. and morel

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Prison Fiction: Lee 's Time by
Susan Rosenberg.

January '95
PLM's First Cover Woman, Karen
White-One woman's triumph over
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UNICOR: The Economics of Imprisonment; Julie Stewart, founder of
FAMM.

first six issues of Prison Life are
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May-June '95
Gangland USA: Part II of PLM's Inside Look at Prison Gangs. Learn
the shady history of Texas prison
gangs from an O.G.; John Gatti's
Lawyer Bruce Cutler Tells Why
the Feds Want Him In Jail; Contract On America by Richard Stratton; Liberating Prisoners With Kindness: Jennifer Wynn on Bo Lozoff.

July-August '95
Novelist Kim Wozencraft on the
Controversial Case Of Mumia
Abu-Jamai- Convicted of killing .a
cop, this outspoken journalist may
have been framed; Revising the
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the Truth About So-Called " Resort" Prisons; Prize-Winning ExCon Poet Jimmy Santiago Baca.

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Send to: Prison Life, 4200 Westheimer,

IIIIIDIIIID

by Da.nrue Martin
A court stenographer took his little machine from the federal court house in San FranciSco over to a nearby coffee shop at
the end of the day.
He got his usual double cappuccino and sat there reloading
paper into the deVice. Everyone called him Pete The Cat. There
was no feline grace about the rotund little fellow \1\Tith hiS Sears
pastel sport coat and painted tie. But he was curious. Not busybody nosey. but consumed by a general curiosity.
Now and then he'd even ask a witness fresh off the stand
something like. "Are you a vet? Where did you attend high
school? " Innocuous stuff. but not to him The worst trouble it
ever got him mto was the time he asked old judge Vu.Jlr...alin. an
alcoholic curmudgeon ego-stroked. mean. federal judge if he
still fucked hiS \1\Tife.
The clerk told him right after the shit storm. "Goddamn.
Pete. You could at least have said intercourse! "
"What the fuck iS the difference? If he don't fuck his wife he
can fuck hiSself. I was tired of working hiS drunken half-assed
courtroom anyway. "
The other judges gave Pete plenty of work Even patiently
explained to him what a writ of mandamus was if he asked
about it. which he did.
In the coffee shop. Pete was thinJ:Jng about what a criminal
might be lilte. HiS 12-year-old boy had asked him a few months
back what a criminal was. The kid was a chip off the old block
and Pete had an easy answer for him. At least he thought he
did.
54

PRISON LIFE

/

An by B.D. Hill, Humsvillc, TX

PRISON LIFE 55

But if he found himself stullering so
h e fobbed th e boy off wi th a clic h e
a bou t anyone caugh t brea king th e law.
T he kid was too mu ch like Pe te to go
fo r that a nd asked , "Eve n a traflic law?"
So P e te went into a m o n o log u e
abou t d egrees of c riminality, wh ic h
le ft the boy more bewildere d and curiou s th an ever.
Since the n he'd been prowlin g the
court house daily fo r two months asking eve ryone h e me t, "What is a criminal?" and ge ttin g a diffe rem answe r
from almost evef)' person. A wonderf·u l
u·iallawyer and somewhat of a semantic
genius gave Pete an excelle nt summary
of the root of th e word itself and took a
half-hearted sho t a t d e fini ng it. Still ,
they never quite got to the nub o f th e
matter and when h e turned to leave th e
lawyer said to Pe te, "Wh y don ' t you go
on over th e re to Vu lkali n 's courtroom
and ask him if he's ever fucked or been
fucked by a criminal."
An inte resting idea, but Pete wasn ' t
quite willing to go that fat· to sa tisfy a
12-year-old 's curiosity. But he was still
g ra pplin g wit h it. H e'd sat in co urt
h ouses most of his life at crimin a l trials. H ell, he'd recorded the n ightstalke r 's tri a l. H e' d a lways ass um e d h e
knew wh at a c rim ina l was. H e now
kn ew fo r sure tha t he did n ' t a nd was
beginn ing to wonder if anyone did.

leave and Pe te ra n out be h ind th em
to ask th e n arrator, "Pa rdon m e , sir,
but I wonde r if yo u a r e by c h a n ce a
poe t?"
The two me n stoppe d , turned an d
sc rutinize d Pete ca re fully. It was a
slow, patie nt assessm e nt a nd whil e
they sized him up he n oticed a barely
discernibl e feral cast to th e ir eye .
"Ma n , I don ' t know h ow yo u
guessed it, but yes, I was a poet and a
good o n e but m y an form di ed and
was buried , so I don ' t write the m a nymo re."
Of course that reply raised two hundred qu estio n s in P e te's min d. His
eyeballs jumped around in a n e ffort to
ask th e m os t important one befo re
th ese two exotic birds Oew away. The
Poe t se nsed Pete's curiosity, a nd Pe te
saw in the poet a kind of h)'per awaren ess that Pe te had obsetved in spiritua l and holy peop le. But th e re was
n o thin g ho ly a bou t thi s raconteur,
who co n tinu ed, "I was a jail hou se
poet. In the clays of no-frills jails whe n
I bega n a croo k 's ca reer we did n ' t
h ave rad ios or TVs in jai ls. We'd be
maybe thirty o r forty in a fe lo ny ta nk
with o nly eac h o the r for compa ny. A
few o r us-a ve ry few- wrote th ese
long poe ms, so me o f whi c h wen t o n
fo r a n hour or mo re . Afte r lights-out
we would rec ite th e m fo r ente rtai n-

J

lie ~d been

ust th e n , Pe te picked u p on two
crimina ls in earn est co nve rsatio n at the very n ext table. Like
the judge said about porn, he co uldn ' t defi n e it bu t he kn ew it wh e n h e
saw it.
H e gla nced over at two whi te me n.
Th e o ne doing a ll the ta lking looked
to be in his mid-fifties. A bit seed y,
perhaps, b u t clea n. A look more of
poverty th a n neglect. Pete could see
track ma rks fro m syringes a nd fade d
refo rm sc h ool tattoos o n his a rms.
The man was a rti culate and obviously
inte llige nt. The o n e Pe te came to
thi n k of as "Homes" or "Homebo y"
was a n ave rage, m iddl e -aged fe llow
and a good listen e r.
There th ey sa t like two complacent
ducks o n a pond, not e ven parano id ,
shifty-eyed or dangerous-looking.
But th ey couldn ' t h ave been a nyth ing bu t pu re dyed-in-t.he-wool crimina ls. Ye t Pe te still had to wond e r. H e
bega n to record th e ir co nversa ti o n .
H e n oticed t h a t a lo t of th e man 's
prose rhymed. T he sto ry he told was a
recountin g of a ch a nce mee ting with
a n o ld fla me.
\1\/hen they fini shed their conve rsation , donuts and coffee, they go t up to
56 PRISON LIFE

"O h , I c h a n ced to h ea r bits an d
pi eces o f yo u r co n versation a nd it
see m ed to rh yme," Pete said rath e r
lame ly.
The Poet a n d th e o th e r man ,
Homes, loo ked a t eac h o th er and
smi led. Then the Poet's smi le grew.
"Man , yo u ' re a co urt t·epone r
a re n ' t you?" he aske d Pete.
"Why, yes. H ow d id yo u kn ow?"
Pe te asked.
"Ah, that little gismo you carry with
the h o ley p a p e r tips me off b u t I've
see n yo u b efo re . Yo u reco rd ed m y
ba nk ro bbe ry tri a l in front of that
drunke njudge Vulkalin 15 years ago.
T he intoxicated fool gave me 30 years
a nd reco mm e nd e d I n ever ge t o ut.
I ' m g lad th e parole boa rd kn ew h e
was a fucking idio t. "
"!-don ' t recall," Pe te re plied . The
man 's smil e kep t g rowin g wide r a nd
he said to Pe te, "You little fucker. You
recorded my e ntire conve rsation , didn ' t yo u ? Ve rbatim. Wo rd for wo rd ,
d idn ' t you?"
Pete p an ic ke d , eve n th ough th e
man was smilin g huge ly. Legal te rms
such as "invasio n of privacy," "th eft of
in fo rm ation ," "clandestin e eavesdropping" came to mi nd. Shi t , h e may
h ave co mmiued a fe lo n y h e re. But
th e most worriso me pa rt was tha t they
would force him to destroy tl1e notes,

pro1F~ling

tbta

courthouse d&ily. for two
ma·n tbs asking evecrryone he
met. 'IWbat is a ortmtnaJl? ~
ment a nd moral va lue. They trave led
th e world b y co n vic ts m e m o ri zing
th e m a nd p assin g the m a long. T h ey
we re never publish ed but so m e o f
th e m wo uld g ive Robe rt Service o r
Edna St. Vincen t Mi llay a ru n for th e
mo ney.
"Aroun d 1970 TVs and rad ios
became standa rd fare in j a ils and th e
n o ise th ey mak e drowned o ut t h e
poets a nd we shut u p, rolle d over and
die d li ke all true poe ts whose time has
co me. I h ave n ' t writte n one sin ce
1976. That was about Pike Street Li t, a
whore who beca m e a h eroin addi ct
and kille d h er pimp up in Seaulc. But
wh a t m ade yo u kn oc k m e orr as a
poe t? l certain ly d on ' t look th e pa n ."

and he need ed tl1 e m despe rate ly. H e
needed to tra n sc ribe them fo r his
b oy . H e stee led himself fo r th e
in evitab le . H e was p re pare d to p ay
t hese crooks fo r tha t story. He decide d h e'd sta rt at twen ty and go to a
hundred bucks.
''Yes, yes, I recorded it all. I had to,"
he a nswered truthfully.
Both m e n bega n la ug hin g so h a rd
and lo u d that th ey sta rtl e d nea rby
panhandle rs.
The Poet la ughed himself weak and
sat down gasping on the curb. Ho mes
wa lked over a nd bega n sla pping him
o n the back.
"He recorde d that!" T hey bo th kept
repeating and laughing.

"Wh a teve r fo r ?" The Poe t fin a ll y
aske d Pete.
"I've been trying to find out wha t a
crimina l is and you two a re crimina ls.
Yo ur di a logue is eve n ill egal," Pe te
a nswered .
"We ll fuck, we ain' t the only two in
the world. The re's three o r fo ur mo re
besides us," the Poet said a n d th ey
began la ughing again . Pe te began to
really e njoy himself now.
"We ll, was it poetry?" Pete aske d.
"Nope, yo u go t it ri g ht th e first
tim e . I t 's c rimin a l j a rgo n sh o t with
priso n yard meta phor, a nd tou c h e d
by m y own style o f rh ymin g prose
where it's co nvenie nt. It he lps kee p a
listene r 's atte ntio n and I love to talk,"
the Poet informed h im .
"May I keep it, th e n?" Pete aske d.
"Sure, it's o ur g ift to yo u , fr ie n d.
Some thing from a paralle l but unseen
world to help decorate your pove rtystricken existen ce," the Poe t said as h e
stood up, brushing his slacks, sudde nly scowlin g as h e r e m e mbe r e d h ow
stree t fo lks u rinate a nd d e feca te on
San Fra ncisco sid ewalks. Th e n h e
looked a t his wa tch .
"We got to brea k ca mp pa rdn er.
We ' re icky and need a sho t of heroin .
T h e dope d eale rs h e re n ow days a re
illegal alie ns who do n 't use themselves.
T h ey sen d all the money back to Mex ico. They close up shop around six. Can
you imagine that? A fuckin ' dope pushe r wo rkin g o n ba nke r 's h o urs? They
d o n ' t eve n unde rstand an add ict can
get sick at midnigh t. I don 't know what
this new underworld is coming to. But
yo u take care a nd goo d lu ck to you ,"
he told Pe te as they turned and headed
fo r the intersection .
Th e word ' unde rworld ' had t riggered som e thing in Pete's mind, and
o nce again he ran after the pair. T h ey
turned a nd stood patie ntly wai ting fo r
his curiosity to ve rba lize itself.
"What is a crimin al? l kn ow you can
te ll me," Pete asked the Poet.
Both me n re ma in ed sil e n t fo r a
good while the n they bo th stud ied the
ground fo r a mome nt.
"Sh o uld we te ll him ?" T h e Poe t
asked Ho mes.
"He ll , why n ot?" H o m es re p lied ,
looking fo ndly at Pe te. "It h as nothing
to d o with u sing h e ro in ," h e add ed,
the n said to the Poe t, "You d o th e
hono rs, m an . You define things bette r
tha n m e . H e ll , I can ' t even read o r
write.
The Poet ru min a te d sil e ntly fo r a
long mom e nt be fore he a nswere d th e
q uestion.
"A c ri m ina l be lo ngs to a tribe of
people who travel in pa rata.xis bu t no t

ass still looked just like &
vale tin
urn
upstd
down, Som thlng tn my heart
~\Her

went bipprty bop &n my nuts
~ lt like 1:warm s ot, "'
in ta nde m d own throug h th e ages
besid e civilization, preying on all types
of socie ty, much as a wo lf pac k fo llows
re indee r . T h ey h ave th e ir own custo ms, language, etiq u e tte and values.
T h ey des p ise o rde r a nd thri ve o n
chaos. They've been he re longer than
c ivili za ti o n . H e a n d I be long to th a t
tr ibe. O ur su p port syste m is se t u p
ri g ht in yo ur midst but in visib le to
your senses. You need la bels to identify co n ce p ts. O ur p eo ple d eal in
un iden tifiable reali ty. We 've got to go,
pa l. Be cool."
"We ll , wh ere in th e he ll d id t ha t
first tribe co me from?" Pe te ye lled at
th eir ra pi dly retrea ting backs. T h e
Poe t stopped o n ce again an d ye lled
back at Pete from across Polk Street.
"Ou r e lders a rgue a lot a bo ut tha t.
But I Lake th e position th at we evolved
in a li nearly-from cann iba ls. Eating
people was in vogue then like vegetaria n ism is to day. We stopped eatin g
p eo ple wh e n they began growing
food. We steal the ir food now an d eat
that. It proba bly even tastes be tte r."
The n they van ished into th e churning maw of th e c ity. Pete loo ked
arou nd at bystand e rs and was a m <~ze cl
th a t n one of th e m h ad paid m uc h
atte nti o n even th o ug h th e Poet h a d
yelled that last bizarre theory. But this
was San Fran cisco.
As Pete trudged home <1 thousand
more q u es ti o n s h e'd wish ed h e'd
asked en te red h is mind. It wou ld be
n ice to kn ow h ow m e m be rs o f thi s
tri be ide ntified o ne a n o ther if eve•-ythin g abo ut th em rem<~ i ne cl sec ret
and invisible.
If the Poet 's theory was correct the n
society had in ve n ted the word "criminal" as a catch-all la be l to ide n tify varia nt forms of be havio r. Certainly th e re
were actions th at a re evil in one perso n 's eyes an d goo d a n d nob le in
anoth e r 's. Pe rhaps c r imi na lity was a
pure ly subj ective concep t tha t we prete nd to unde rstand .
Pete began to wo n der if a ll language were counte rfe it, the m illio ns
of words he'd recorded over th e years
no mo re th <~ n sill y putty used by fools
to co nstr uct pe rso n al symbols a n d

co n ce pts. Pe rh a p s th at's why th e
judge got so irate over the word "fuck"
an d wo uld n't have mind ed "inte rco urse," eve n th ough th ey mean t th e
same thing. O r did they?
O ne thing was ce rta in a bou t th ese
cri m ina ls he' d met. They would keep
his mind busy fo r some time to come.
He really loo ked fo rward to tran scribing the Poet's mo no logue. It came off
th e m ach in e fin e . He re's wh a t th e
Poet recoun ted :
"You kn ow, Homey, seems like on ly
yesterd ay I loved to ma te h e r th e n I
woke u p twe n ty years later. She 'd marri e d a ba nke r a n d I 'd beco m e a
stra nge r. It loo ked li ke n ew hou ses
had a te up a ll th e land. Rip Va n Winkle ain ' t even got a place to lay clown
no mo re.
"Today T passed h e r o n th e stree t.
Sh e'd age d like goo d wine an d th e
fog h o rn so und. He r ass sti ll loo ke d
just li ke a va le ntin e turn ed upside
d ow n . Som ethin g in my h ea rt we nt
bippity bop a nd my m1ts fe lt like warm
sno t.
"H a n k Willi a m s O.D .' d o n m o rphin e before he was bo rn a nd Satchmo wiped h is h ead a nd blew his ho rn
like a ho rnblower should. Man, he was
good .
"So I became a pi m p th e n go t to
shootin ' elope a nd fu ckin ' with bum
payers till I lost all hope of becomin g a
player. My game, li ke unwash ed pussy,
turn ed rank. Tha nk God th ey still had
ba n ks, so I robbe d a co upl e wh e n I
ru n outta ho pe. Ma n can ' t spe nd hoe
mo ney o n do pe. Not a clime, n ot two
b its, I'm way too cool fo r tha t shit. Be
a bo ut as low as spend in ' h oe m oney
on pussy a nd nothin ' rhymes with that.
Too low class to even think abo u t a nd
even a do pe fi end can d o with o ut
when n itty ca n ' t fi n d gritty a nd even
his d reams sme ll shitty.
"But th ere she was. Like she'd ke p t
cool and milky white in the shade. But
when tha t girl walked by it was a fucking parade. Squa res lined up to watch
h er pass. And wh e n sh e we nt o n by
tl1ere was still that ass. It was pure ly top
shelf. I mea n it clo n e eve rythin g bu t
inu·oduce itself.
PRISON LIFE

57

"But like I said before she prospered out there, chasin' that bag. But you clown in the stands, and General Patalong with the bank and I wound up know that's my style and probably ton didn't have no finer eye for a
tanker than when she set her sights on
slammin' crank. I'd lost the hook even what lit up her smile.
"Homey, in the old school where I that banker.
if I'd ever had any bait. So the lady
"Scooped him up like real fast.
gave me a look as if to say 'It's way too give her the game I told her things
stay the same, don't no thin' ever Then kicked back and hired little kids
late.'
"Then she turned around and change. Even when it looks like to mow her grass. I'm as proud of her
checked to see if I had my eye on the recently invented fun you got to right now as I was the day long ago
valentine. I did, she smiled, and for understand there's nothin' new under when she told ajudge, 'If you won't
lower his bail, I'll go find a million
one enchanted moment the world the sun.
"You can be forgiven for a lot of the fucking dollars!'
turned fine. Her smile gently bathes
"He lowered it and apologized for
me in refulgence and light I can't little stuff and maybe drive around a
hardly stand. Even better now days called-for why. But tell one good lie, putting that kind of stress on her. And
what with the banker and the dental suck one dick, rat on one person, and to this day she's never called him sir
plan. You still with me here, bro? I'll you are a lying dick sucking rat till the or your honor, or even judge. All she
ever did was interrupt and yell, 'Hold
get to the point but I may be slow. day you die.
"So here's where it gets strange to a it right there! This shit ain't fair.' He
There's no advantage to speed or
pullin' up too soon unless it's the kind fool, by that I mean a chump who never dreamed of putting her in connever went to the old school, like her tempt, in that area she was totally
you put in the silver spoon.
exempt. Homey, she would cross
"She loved me once you know. She and I did.
"Homey she knows for sure that I them legs under a short dress and give
even loved the stuff I never showed
that she weaseled out of me at four in still love her and the banker don't and him such a hard-on he'd call a recess.
"No shit, Man, if I'm lyin' I'm dyin'
the mornin' when my brain was tired never did. He keeps his heart in a calculator and I keep mine in an incuba- and King Tut never had no tomb.
and dreams were abomin.'
"In those days we sold that ass at a tor without a lid. She's either with me That broad could make a Republican
good price before she found out one or she ain't and the twenty years in judge jack off in the bathroom. Spun
him like a yo-yo and had him saying
steady banker is just as nice as maybe between is like a dead faint.
But that's one subject she'll never yes when he meant no.
forty pimps and all the dope fiends
"I beat a kidnap, two robberies and
you can scare out of a McDonalds' crack because she knows for sure I
won't take her back. When they I think a sodomy with explosives. It
bathroom with no lock on the door.
"You better be out of there in thirty break all the way out of my life I put was all her doing. She took me to
seconds, Maurice, or I'm callin' the mortar in the cracks. She couldn't fresh air freedom from a sentence
fuckin' police. That's for customers find a road back to my heart and that was sure to be life. The judge
only, and you ain't bought a Big Mac wouldn't get on her knees beseech- went home from my trial and fucked
since they invented heroin and ing me hopelessly to take her part. his wife while thinking about mine.
Homey, I never gave it up. She took it Finished in two minutes like a true
baloney."
"Yeah, she made me for what all off in a carry sack. I can't put Republican and said, "Honey, I've
looked like a leprechaun mixed up none of it back. The love never never seen such a bunch of goddamn
with an elf packin' a brain that boiled changed and not a molecule of it thugs in one place at one time!" But I
like stew. The kind of fool who would died. But that old solid trust now glit- was free and he was referring to witrun a big con on hisself if he had ters like fool's gold from the bed of a nesses she'd rounded up for me.
river that I cried. It's gone Adios They scared the jury so bad the foreno thin' else to do.
'The girl was right, she never dissed motherfucker. You don't revisit trust. man went into eternal therapy. She
me. Just kind of pissed me on out and Take it off in the sack and it won't subpoenaed three of my witnesses
set me free. Course I never felt that come back. But love stays right there, from death row which gave about
way. I was living in Folsom prison that you can't take it nowhere. If it moves four hundred off-duty cops a full-time
same fucking day. Cop hands me a let- it's like that heroin money we steal. job. Then had them get up there and
ter, one with none of her perfume. So It's a piece of paper we trade for say they were friends of the guy I
I knew it was bad news. Dear John, I dope. It ain't even real.
robbed. She had more moves than a
"But Homeboy I swear I felt her three-dimensional chess board. She
brought your saddle home. The lady
was tired of being used and abused. It reach out and touch me today. As sure was a pedigreed whore.
wasn't just that I packed a cold deck. as I've felt a red ball of fire touch the
"In closing, Homey, I hope you can
Things got too bad, I'd make her sea and the looks hit our eyeballs and forgive me for taking a lot of credit
write hot checks. Then when the jury bounced back. I read them clean as here but man I got it comin. I built
finally took away all hope, I'd holler, the banker reads a fax. They spoke that hoe from the clay in mother
"Hey, momma, bring the dope!" A volumes.
earth. Taught her to play and worked
"Her eyes said, 'You old desperado, her from last to first.
balloon or two is all a sucker needs
you look tired. But you also look alert
when he can't get freed.
"Singlehandedly laid in the good
"She walked right by me today, for things still to be desired.' My com- solid frame, then decorated her with a
Homeboy, after all them years and my panionship jerked her soul, it was still brand new name. You know, Homes,
silent tears. Still lookin' good like as young as we were old, and her near- there's some remorse in the remempure class would, keen, sharp and fit. ness pleased me.
brance. But when we looked at one
And I looked like a blood vein with
"I lost her fairly, she got away barely another today there was no shame.
two eyeballs on the end of it. Feelin' and, Homey, that kind of woman She never learned it because it wasn't
icky, emanating tricky, busted, disgust- rarely walks this bitter earth. She was a in my game."
ed, and couldn't be trusted; pant cuffs racehorse man. Even when she
lookin like walked-on, faded rags. Still jumped the track and left a red-faced
ss PRISON LIFE

Defending the Convict Code
(con I i 11 ued from page 19)
dud e n ow h as paperwork on you.
ow, let's say you ruck up somewhere
down the road and you' re h eaded
back to th e joint.
O nl y now everyo ne knows yo u ' re a
ra t a nd your life a in ' t worth a pl ug
n ickel. Well, there's always th at partner
of yo urs selling dope; you co ul d g ive
h im up. ll e ll. bene r h im th an you,
right? Wh ere docs it stop?
Choice um ber Two: You go find
th e g uy who did th e sh oo t a n d yo u
make sure h e n eve r h urts or kills
ano th e r kid aga in. You hunt him
clown a nd cap the mothe rfucke r-j uslicc is sen •ed!
Re n a ud' s Scena rio N um ber Two:
My celliej ust got killed an d I've been
blamed. I a m innocent. Wh at do I do?
According to the Code. the re is only
one way to go: Ride the beef an d hope
your panne rs will ha ndle the business.
I would ra th er spend the rest of my
li fe in prison with my h ead he ld h igh
th a n spend it kn owing I gave my
h o n o r away to the ve ry p eo ple J've
spent m)' life lighting. Ilo nor is a gift a
ma n g ives to h imself. A man wi t hout
h o n o r is a man with no se lf-resp ect,
p r id e or d ignity. A m a n who g ives
1

himself to th e system is submissive an d
weak; no t a man a t a ll.
Here's a sce nari o of my own : A man
an d his four-year-old nephew sto p into
a bar & gr ill to g ra b a b urge r. T h e
n ep h ew is in th e poolroo m ro ll ing
balls a ro und th e table. Th e n he ru ns
in an d tells his uncle that a dude just
pu t his han ds down his pan ts. You're
th e uncle, wh a t do you d o? Ca ll th e
cops o r ha nd le your business?
Surprise! You stab the mo therfucke r ! Yo ur p ri de 's in tac t and th e prick
will n eve r to uc h a noth e r kid aga in .
But.Jorge, I' m q u ite sure you'd hm·e
called th e law so th a t he cou ld fu c k
with more childre n, righ t?

Chris Hynes
Shawangun.k C.F., New York
It's a rticl es like "Cha llenging t he
Convict Code" tha t justify wh at th ose
finger-pointing, note-dropping, cheeseea ting pieces o f sh it ra Ls get away with.
\\'h en a person, ma n o r wo man,
decides to live o n th e "wrong side" of
the law, that pe rson is subject to th e
Code. Call it wha t you like: "Honor
Among T hieves," "Omena," the "Code,"
wha teve r-we a ll know wha t it is. You
do n' t rat, you stay loyal to your people.
I be t this iss ue had n o trouble ge tt in g th ro ug h Big Bro t he r 's Censo r-

ship Com mittee. I ca n see th e supe rintend e n t o r wa rd e n hand in g o ut
co p ies. te llin g eve ryo n e it's o kay to
'" te ll wh a t yo u know , no more, no
less," because Prison Life sanctions it.
But it's actua lly good tha t you primeel tha t bu llshit. It lets the real sta ndup prisone r see how bad it is in 1995. I
don ' t believe people sanctio n that propaganda. If so, Richard tratton wo uld
not have appea led his se m c nce, wh ich
was e nh a n ced fo r h is re fusa l to ro ll
ove r. lie wou ld have to ld wh a t h e
kn ew: "no more, no less!"
I do n ' t blam e cops, prosecuto rs o r
prison ofli cia ls fo r usi ng info rma nts.
People do not become rats. T hey were
bo m that way and were just wailing for
th e rig ht o ppo rtunity. Sa mmy "the
Ca na ry" G rava no was a ra t from Day
One. He just didn 't cat cheese until the
Feels put it on a ham sandwich. He waited until the chips " ·ere down and played
his trump card, double or nothing.
Artic les like these, a nd interviews
with people like Do na ld Frankos (Oct.
"94) serve only o ne purpose: to expose
rats for what th ey arc a n d to demo nstra te how ra ts are tossed aside once
the ir usefu ln ess is n o longe r neede d.
Oh , a nd one othe r purpose: to en tertain real prisoners.

)
/

qr
lllu,tr:uion by llcnry l lcrt.

PRISON LIFE 59

By Michael Chavaux

Adrian, MI
eme mber me? Cell mate o f th e Mo nth in Prison Life's
May issue? Yo u know, th e lo n g-ha ired , me t.alh ead
g ui ta ri s t wh o loo ks lik e h e overd ose d o n
Megadeath? Ye ah, that's me. With one exceptio n. I also got
an ove rdose of time. Bu t instead o f giving up , I turn e d it
in to a pro fita b le ex perie n ce. I've le arn e d ho w to m a ke
things happen now instead of waiting unt.ill get o ut to start
all over again.
Most co nvic ts do n ' t realize how much th ey ca n acco mplish in prison witho u t any h e lp fro m th e De pa rtm en t of
Corrections. Le t's start with the most obvious. Wha t kind of
ta le nts d o you h ave? Ca n yo u draw? Pa in t? Write? Make
lea th e r p ro d ucts, j ewelry boxes, stu ffe d a nim a ls, ca rds?
Whatever your tale n ts are, yo u can profit fro m th em while
still in prison , and I'm ta lking abou t showing a profit o n a
steady basis.
Wh e n prison e r Ma rk Ch a p ma n go t tire d of tradin g his
greeting cards fo r cigarettes, he contacted gree ting card
co mpa nies a nd se nt the m samples o f his wo rk. T his is h ow
h e created a steady cash flow th at's perfectly legal.
Card publishe rs buy art, poetry a nd wo rds. O ne of my first
u·ies, I sold lO wo rds to lnnovisions, a greeting card publ isher, fo r $75.00. That comes to $7.50 a word. Not bad whe n you
conside r most inmates do n ' t make that much in a mo nth.
Some card companies pay in royalties, meaning that the artist
or write r gets a percentage of evei)' card sold. Publishe rs a lso
p urchase catchy slogans to put on buttons and bumper sticke rs. T hese publish ing compa nies can be fo un d in a book
called 77ze Writer's Mar/tel. But d on 'l stop the re.
If you can 't m a ke a nyth in g th at's ma rketa ble, you can
pro fit fro m those wh o ca n. Ex-con 1Vla tt Ste fa nson did n 't
kn ow a nyth ing a bo u t leather work, but h e co uld wri te on e
he ll o f a le tte r. So he drafte d a convincing sales pitc h while
still in p rison and se nt it to a re ta il leathe r store. His idea
was to turn o rdin al)' leath e r products into a so rt of novelty. They were to be adve rtised as made by prisoners an d
each leath er good ca me wi th a mug sh o t of th e ma n who
mad e it. Th e busin ess own e r loved th e idea a nd m ad e
roo m for a d isplay case in his store. Afte r tha t, it was pre tty easy fo r Ma tt to act as th e middl e ma n betwee n the sto re
own e r a nd the priso ne rs. T h a t way, the leath e r cra fters
had a steady marke t.
Fo r those of yo u wh o do n 't have any ma rke table tale n ts,

R

60

PRISON LIFE

a ll is n o t lost. Just loo k a round . Find somethi ng th at has
profit p otentia l, come up with a pla n and follow it th rough.
I don ' t know anything about pain ti ng, but Lan)', who locked
next to me, did. He wasn ' t very good at painting people, but
he did a n excelle nt j o b with a nimals a nd la ndscapes. He
could pa int anything from looking at a photograph . I got a
picture of some of his work and made a flie r o ut of it. Since
animals were his specialty, I advertised "Pe t Po ru·aits" in the
flier. I started th e marketi ng procedure by having a pet poru·aitmad e for my g irlfrie nd. Along with the painting, I sent
h er th e fli ers. Sh e sh owed the whole pac kage a ro und to
frie nds and coworkers and the o rders poured in.
The a rtist wan ted $15 each . I charged an extra $15 for a
to ta l of $30. My g irl fri e nd (the freewo r ld sa l es p er~on )
adde d an extra $30 onto that fo r a to tal of $60, a nd they sti ll
sold like crazy.
·
Ano the r good example of a successful business ven ture is
a va n se rvice I sta rte d . 1 had a h a rd time ge ttin g visits
because o f the great d istance be twee n the institution and
the city. I looke d around for a va n service but fo un d no n e.
Plagu e d with th e p rosp ec t of gettin g n o visits, I wa lked
aroun d th e yard loo king fo r o th e r con victs who had the
same proble m. Ma ny did. T ha t's whe n I began my exte nsive
marke ting resea rc h .
I didn ' t have access to a va n o r any mo ney, but if I could
convin ce someo ne on th e outside tha t th ere was mo ney to
be made he re, they could do the things I was unable to, a nd
I could do the things th ey co uldn 't-like posti ng adve rtisements in the uni ts a nd finding n ew custome rs. T he n I could
solve bo th my visit and money proble ms a t the same tim e.
I d idn 't have a typewriter , so I paid someo ne to typ e up
what I had writte n . It was a business plan, sales pitch in one.
The first pe rso n I con tacted li ke d the idea so much he got
a loan o n his house to buy the van and "Fa mily T ies Tra nsit
Syste m" was born.
If yo u' re in terested in starting a van service in you r institu tio n , first ma ke sure the re's a need fo r it. Do n ' t be discouraged if some ki nd of service a lready exists. You 'll just
need to ma ke your o ffe r better.
The biggest obstacle you' ll have to overco me in th e u·anspo rtat.ion business is last minute cancellations.Visitors can
be ready a nd reari ng to go the night be fore, but anything
can ha ppe n overnigh t. Always give your custo me rs a wa ke-

up call th e morning of the trip. This will e nsure th ey' re
ready by th e Lime you get th e re and wi ll save you a potentially wasted trip.
Set a sch edu le fo r th e in stitution you ' re going to. You
don't want to bring one pe rson every other day. It ma kes
better business se nse to bring several people once a week.
I've found tha t customers prefer a van with windows and air
conditioning, a nd extras like coffee and free newspa p ers
will o n ly make your e rvice more desirable.
Advertising is one o f th e biggest expenses fo r an average
business, but your ad ve rtising budget is virtually n onexistent. Adve rtise by word of mouth and in prison newspa pe rs
and keep flie rs posted in unit bulle tin boards. Offer incentives, discou n ts a nd coupo ns.

A

savvy busi n essma n is always looking to ex pa nd his
service o r produ ct lin e in order to in c r ease h is
wealth. He re's h o w yo u might turn some of th e
ideas I 've a lready mentioned into greater pro fit-making
ventures. The writer o f greeti ng ca rds, for example, could
also try his ha nd at newspaper or magazine articles, sho rt
stories, books, reports, songs, resumes, etc. The artist cou ld
make tattoo a nd T-shirt pauern s. Matt, the lea th er good s
middle ma n, cou ld contact other leathe r sho ps. H e could
encourage the leather crafte rs to offer a wider selectio n of
goods to increase sales and place their own ads in newspape rs a nd magazines. The pet portraits cou ld be advertised
in Pet Lavers magazine; cards and flie rs could be sent to vete rinary hospitals, pe t grooming salons a nd pet food sto res.
Deals cou ld be mad e be twee n the supplier and the retaile r
wh ereby th e su pplier has free ponraits done for the store

in excha nge for making h is sales li terature available to the
store's custome rs. T h e van service cou ld be expanded to
othe r institutio ns.
Finally, if for some reason you have too many obstacles
preventing you fro m accomplishing any of these th ings, all
is not lost. You can read trade magazines and write to organ izatio ns suc h as the Small Business Administration for
more info rmation. Answer business opportunity ad s in the
back of magazines. Trash the stu ff th at's questionable and
keep anyth ing 1.ha1. sounds promising. Make your own notes
and observations.
Many businesses offer free information in order to get a
greater response from the ir ads. T hose thai. don ' !. may be
co nvin ced to sen d yo u the in formation a nyway. Explain
your sil.uation and ask if th ey will accepl postage stamps
instead of a c h eck or money order. O n ce you order any
kind o f business information, whe ther i1.'s free or not, you
wi ll be p laced on a mai ling list and you wi ll receive all kinds
of business lite rature in the mail every d ay.
Even if you neve r use a ny of the information you accumulate fo r yo urse lf, you ca n still make a profit from il.
Re ports on su bjects ranging from n eedlewo rk 1.0 starting
your own busin ess sell for a round five do lla rs each. You
cou ld sell what you learn in the form o f business reports to
other opportu n ity seeke rs. I will get into this business ve nture in more de tail in a future issue.
Do n't listen to the rumors or even to your own negative
thoughts whe n i1. comes to starting a business and maki ng
money the legal way. Do n't believe people who say it will
n ever work. They o n ly say it will n ever work because it's
never worked for the m. And the reason it's n ever worked

PRISON LIFE 61

Listen in on SASSY SORORITY GIRLS
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tease you.
CHEERLEADER
CONFESSIONS
"Eavesdrop" on this very
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tell you what turns
them on the most.
BACHELORmE
PARTY
Find out what
happens to the
only male stripper
at an all-girls'
bachelorette
party.

~4

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Private Yacht Party I Horny Hitchhikers
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Rub·a·Oub in the Tub I A Tale of Two Tirties
Female Bonding I Pearl Necklace

2

Alabama Alice 1 Drugstore Cowgirl
Jenny & Suzi / Too Big for Brenda
Kneepad Nancy 1 Knob Gobblers

4

Bacltelorerre Party I Secretariallnterwew
Tammy & Tm aI Cheerleader Confessions
Backstage Visitors I Stewardess on Flight 69

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62

PRISON LIFE

for th e m is b eca use th ey've
neve r tried it, or they tried a nd
g ave up to o quick ly. Thi s
a pproach will get you nowhere.
I d o n ' t know who may have
sa id it be fore, b ut Ae rosmith
just summ ed it up pre tty well
in a so ng I heard on the radio
while I was writi ng th is arLicle:
"1f yo u d o wh a t you 've always
done, yo u ' ll always ge t what
you've always got. "
Life is li ke a gam e. You may
ge t se t back, you may h ave to
pay the pri ce, but you' ll never
move o n without a nothe r roll
of th e dice . My advice is: Roll
the di ce no w. Today. o o ne
ever won a game of Mo nopoly
by watching everyone else play,
a nd you ' re neve r going to win
a t th e ga me of life unless you
p lay it to o , n o ma tte r wh e re
you a rc.
Have a n y ques tio ns or comm e nts? Wr i te to : Mi c h ae l
Chavaux, # 1693 78, P.O . Box
1888, Adrian, Ml 49221. ITI1

POST CONVICTION

ADVOCATES
Federal and New Jersey
State Appeals, Habeas
Petitions, Parole
Revocation Hearings,
Sentencing Memoranda,
Forfeitures.

Dedicated, competent,
experienced staff.
Electronic Research.
Cassandra Savoy, Esq.
141 South Harrison Street
East Orange, New Jersey 07018
(201) 678-1515

BUBBA: A REAL AMERICAN
Dem· Bubba,
Only Priso n Life is so fuelled up
that they would give a foo llille you your
own column. What a croc/1 ofshit! I've
been 1·eacling this gm·bage since the magazine began and I'm hapfJY to say that
once 1 saw your stufJid looking mug and
read the cmp you write, I figured anybody dumb enough to print the idiotic
ditherings of Bubba won't last long in
this man's woTld.
Imagine my su,-prise at still being
subjected to your puss one year late1·.
What 1 want to /mow is, how have you
managed to continue producing this slop
at a time when 1·eal Americans recognize
swrn lil1e you for the sewage you m-e ancl
flush this page after they wipe?!
Defecatingly yours,
A Proud Member ~! the Moral Majority
Dear Shit-for-Brains,
Le t's try to elevate this dialogue
out of the crapper. The thing I love
abou t you conservatives is that you
don't h ave t h e nerve to ide ntify
yourse lves. Everybody kn ows wh o I
am. I don ' t U}' to hide the fac t tha t

I ' m a jail b ird. You, o n th e o th e r
hand, te ll us nothing abo ut yourself
exce pt th at yo u ha te me. You defin e
yourself as what you ha te.
My g uess is th a t you a re a cop.
Maybe a hack wo rkin g in a co unty
j ail a nd stealing some sucker's Prison
Life from th e mailroom. T h en yo u
sneak o ff to th e to ile t to pore over
what is wri tte n here so you can wh ip
u p yo ur fury a t us co ns before yo u
head out o nto the cellblock to make
life even more miserable fo r mo therfuckers doing Lime.
But yo u asked m e a question,
a nd I ai m to a nswer it. I get a lo t of
h a te ma il. Almost everybod y wh o
writes to me begins by te lling m e
wh at a n ugly, good-for-nothi ng, stupid slo b I am. T h ey' re trying to be
funn y, trying to ma ke me la ug h so
I'll write back and se nd t.he m a free
sub - at least yo u didn ' t ask fo r
that; you' ll just go on stealing Prison
Life.
Le t's be serio us he re fo r a
minu te. Prison Life is fucked u p.
T hey not o nly g ive me this page, but
th ey actually pay me-n ever o n

time, and not enough to buy stamps
to write back to all the women who
se nd me love lette rs, but th ey do
come up with a few pesos every n ow
and the n. Whe n I first saw this rag, I
figured no way it'll ever survive. Peop le like yo u sn ee r a t Prison Life;
straig h t peop le, citize n s la ug h a t
P1·ison Life. Bu t th ey read it. Yo u
read it. You hate it-you hate meand yet you can ' t sto p yourself from
rea d ing this magazin e because
Prison Life is about wha t is happe ning h ere in America. That's why this
magazine is still around, because it's
abo u t som ethin g im po rta nt. It's
a bout an aspect o f Ame ri can life
that affects mo re a nd mo re people
every day. Check it o ut. Do you sec
th e gove rnme nt spendin g billion s
of dol la rs to bui ld n e w sc hools?
H ell, no. Fro m my cell window all l
ca n see is a g ia nt p riso n co mplex
th a t h as grown h e re like a fung us
since I've bee n down o n th is last
bid. It's Gulag Ame rica. We' re loc king up mo re and mo re people for
lo nge r and longe r. Peo ple like yo u
think that's the a nswe r. I'm h e re to
tell you it ain' t go nn a do a fucking
bit of good. All it's go nn a d o is
make the people who build and run
these j oin ts riche r and more powerful. Oh, and o n e oth e r thing-it's
gonn a mean more people are going
to read Prison Life. So, if you really
ha te me a nd this magazine, the way
to ge t ri d o f it is fo r a ll yo u r eal
Americans to ge t real and h elp turn
thi s co untry back in to what it was
imended to be in the first place: th e
la nd of the free , a nd the h ome of
the brave. Not some cowardly po lice
state run by a bunch of closet nazis
who d efine the mselves by wh at they
hate.
And if t h at's too comp lica ted
for your constipated mi nd, U}' this:
Prison Life continues to exist because
asswipes like you need toi let pa per.

Btlbbaas real an American as ever there was

PRISON LIFE

63

XN HIS FiVE-YEAR S1lNT AS A GOVERNMENT-FUNDED ~UP£RHERO. 'RIMfJAOOR WAS lllE MOST RENOWNED WEAPON IN AMERICA'S WAR AGAINST
CRIME. THEN, HE FEll. BUSTED FOR (ONSPIRA(Y, HE WAS SENTENCED TO 20 CALENDARS IN lllE STATE JOINT. ~OME SAY HE WAS SET UP FY lllE
FEDS WHO FEGAN TO DISTRUST lllEIR SUP£R-STEROID-INDUC£D CREA1lON. ~TRIPPtD OF HIS POWERS, NEIL POLITAN, A.K.A. 'RIMfJACKER, ENTERED
~TONEKILL MAX PENITENnARY AS ONE OF lllE "(OMMON CRIMINAl SCUM.. HE ONCE TOOK PRIDE IN pUT1)NG FEHIND FARS.

PRISON LIFE

65

M. TIJl\illCIQ~ IPIL.AillRJ ~(aU GE LEGAL
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IIIDIIIJIIIIIIIIIIDIID
NAR
TH!
by Larry Fassler, Jailhouse Lawyer
Part I of W rit Writing dealt with drafting a petition f or a writ of habeas cmpus. i n Part l l, we
emphasized the importance of assembling complete files btifore writing your pleadings. This installment will help you identify and select the issues best suited f or your petition.
It is important to n ote that m ost prisoners refer to the papers they submit to court as a "writ. ,.
This is in correct, even though everyone knows what is meant. T echnically, a writ if the ordeT issued
b-y the couTt at the end of your litigation . The correct term f or the pajJers you.'lt be sending to the
court is a petition, or a m otion, for a writ of habeas corpus.
The mean ing of the term "habeas corpus" varies from stale to state. Tn the federal courts it is
known as a "2254" or "225 5" motion. In most states it will be known b-y the n u mbeT l?f the statutes
which enable an in carcerated petitioner to gel his or hl>r case bacll into co·ur·t.
f you followed the suggestio ns in Part I, you sho u ld now
have come up with several possible issues fo r use in your
mo tion . Ide ntify each o ne o f these issues by number or,
b etter ye t, list eac h issue on a se para te shee t of paper . As
you proceed, you may find yourself creating categories for
sub-issues or eve n mu ltiple primary issues. This is n ormal.
The fo llowing ste ps sho uld be followed for each issue. As
an example, I wi ll refe r to "Issue X," but the same procedure should be followed with each issue you 're conside ring
fo r your pe tition.
Le t's say tha t Issu e X is a claim of ineffective assistance
of counsel. Yo ur lawye r con vin ced you to plead guilty by
promising yo u a sente n ce o f 36 m o nths or less. But th e
judge saw fit to give you 108 mon ths-th ree times what you
were promised.
O n th e pa p er assign ed to Issu e X, m ake n o tes of anything in your tra nscripts a nd case fi les tha t support your
a rgum e nt of ineffective assistan ce of counsel. Make sure
your references are easy to unde rstand because you ' ll need
to refer back to the m late r. Ide ntify documen ts, page numbers a nd lines.
I have devised my own code for documenting references.
A typical refe rence m ight loo k like this: TT342/2-5. "TT"
refers to the d ocume nt, the trial tran script in this case; the
numbe rs "342" signify the page number; and "2-5" refe rs to
the lines o n th e page. You sh ou ld also copy or excerpt particula rly impo rtant or stro ng refere nces.
Let's say page 12 of your plea hearing transcript, wh e n
you made your guilty plea, reads like this:

I

5

CO URT: Has anybody made any promises to you about the

6

sen tence you will receive?

7

DEFENDANT SMIT H: Yes sir, Mr. j ones told me tha t. ..

8

MR. .JONES (defe nse attorney): Your Honor , I explained

9

to the defendan t that this court has th e fin al say as to the

10 sen tence to be imposed.

I I COU RT: Is thatco•-rect, Mr. Smith?
12 DEFENDANT SMIT H: Yes sir, but he also told me ...
13 MR. J ONES: I also told M.-. Smi th that he is s u l~jec t

to

a

14 statutory sente ncing range of I to I 0 years.
15 COU RT: Al l right then, I fi nd tha t the plea is in tell igently
16 a nd knowingly made, and I will accept the defe nda111 's plea
I 7 of guilty.

You realize that th ese lines support the claim that your
lawyer misled you, because they sh ow how he preve nted you
fro m te lling th e judge wh a t yo u 'd bee n pro mised . So you
ma ke a refere nce to th em on the sheet you have assig ned
to Issue X: ST12/ 5-17. ("ST" for Sente ncing T ranscript; 12
for page 12; and 5-17 fo r lines 5 through 17.)
As you search thro ug h your case file, you will also fi nd
ma te rial a prosecuto r mig ht use to o ppose your a rgume nts.
Write down refe ren ces to th is materi al, also. (I use a d iffe re nt color pe n fo r adverse refe re nces.) Be as thoroug h as
possible whe n listing these refere n ces.
Some tim es you ' ll d iscove r th at a pa rtic ula r issue is no t
supported by the record. The re may be two reasons fo r Lhis:
Fi rst, the issue may n ot be valid. It may be some thing yo u
thought had ha ppe ned during you r p rosecution , but whe n
you loo k fo r it in the records an d transcripts, you find tha t
yo u misu n d e rstood wh a t was actually tra nspiring a t th e
time . This h appens to almosL everyo ne who goes th rough a
criminal trial. T he seco nd possi bility is that wha t happened
was not recorded in the fi les and Lra n scri pts. T his, too, is
commo n. It is th is type o f issue a habeas corpus p leading is
d esigned to redress. (As a ge ne ral ru le, issues supported on
the record a re to be presented o n direct a ppeal. If you fail
to ra ise th e m in d irec t a ppea l, yo u a re n o rm a ll y ba rred
from raising the m in future pe titions. T his is called a "p rocedural bar." In a habeas action, you a re a llowed to presen L
evide nce tha t wasn ' t presented at trial or d u ring othe r proceedings. Fo r instance, you ca n in fo rm the court abo ut circ um sta n ces b etwee n yo u a nd you r a tto r ney, o r a b o ut

Marcia G. Shein,

M.s.

Attorney and Author of

"Sentencing Defense Manual"
Clark Boardman, Callahan, Ltd., New York

• Plea Agre ements Resulting in
Sentencing Guideline Mitigation and
Alternatives to Incarceration
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o~~r

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witn esses yo ur atto rn ey refused to
prese nt.)
But even whe n this seco nd ex planatio n is the reason fo r a n absen ce
of supportive mate rial, you 'll probably still be ab le to lind evid e nce in
the reco rd th a t will sup port yo ur
arguments or that might be useful in
re futing a rguments th e prosecutor
may raise.
Maybe you h ave a le tter you wro te
to your lawyer telling hi m you d idn ' t
wa nt to p lead g uil ty i f yo u we re
go i ng to re ce ive mor e than 36
mo n ths. Or maybe th e re was an earli e r h ea ring at wh ic h you were
ex pected to plead gu il ty, but th e n
d ecided not to because you an d the
p rosec u to r co uld n ' t agree to t h e
terms. Eithe r of th ese items wo uld
su pport yo ur a rg um e n t that you r
lawyer misled you.
Ma ke reference to eveJ)'th ing you
co m e across that mi g h t ( 1) prove
yo tu· arg um e nt, (2) disprove yo ur
a rgu ment, o r (3) refute a rg uments
th e prosecutor m ig ht bring against
you.
The next step is to wri te down refere nces to all case law you can fi nd in
support of your issue. Once again, it's
critical to see both sides of the issue.
So wh e n yo u come across un favo rable case law, as you inevitably will,
refer back to it. In researching Issue
X, you will fi nd a plethora of cases in
whic h th e courts have den ied relief
because the prisone r could not prove
that h is lawyer misled him. It's importan t th at you unde rstand what courts
will r eq ui re as su fficie n t pro o f to
grant your pe tition.
If you find a lega l d ecision in
which the facts appear to be close to
the facts in you r O\Vn case, yo u ' ll
wan t to include key phrases from
that d ecision in yo u r n o tes. (Such
case ar e commo nly refe rred to as
be ing "on po int," or "on a ll fours, "
with your own case.) But eve n if a
case is on poi nt, it can still go aga inst
you. By swdyi ng the many d ecisio ns
in which courts have denied Issue X
arguments raised by other prisone rs,
you ' ll get a good idea of the kind of
supporting evide nce necesSaJ)' to win
you r case.
I n a la ter in sta llm e nt, I wi ll
describe how to research your issues
a nd locate r e l eva nt case law.
Research ing case law is a con tinuous
process. For now, just take whateve r
case law cites you find as th ey come.
Next, write down all evidence you
can tl1ink of in support or yow· a rgument for Issue X. Iden tify any docum en ts o r othe r tangible ite ms that

support your ve rsion of the facts. List
all witnesses, a nd precisely how they
ca n he lp prove yo ur a rg ument. For
exa mp le, say you a re claim ing i n
Issue X th at yo ur lawye r convinced
you to plead gui lty by prom ising 36
months, but the judge gave yo u 108.
List the n a m es of a nyone e lse the
lawye r told about his prom ised 36mon th se ntence. If th e lawyer d idn' t
tal k to anyone else, did you? Perhaps
you told your wife you were going to
pl ea d g u il ty becaus e the lawye r
promised you a 36-molllh deal. In
that event, your wife could bear witness to your state of mind when you
entered the g ui lty plea. Write down
h er name a n d what h er testimony
will be. If you r law)'er came to see
you in j ail, was anyone else present?
If you went to his offi ce, d id you go
a lone? Did an yone else speak with
h im over the te le p h o n e rega rding
your plea agreement?
Repeat th e procedure described
above for each issue u nder consideratio n fo r your petition, as well as for
any new po tential issues di scove red
along th e way. If you do this hon estly and co nscie ntiously, you ' ll begin
to form intelligent estimates of their
relative strengths.
The most dif!icult part of appealing you r own case is form ing obj ective opinio ns about the strength or
weaknesses of your a~·gume n ts. T here
may have been some thing about you r
case that was unfair, but which has no
legal merit when applied to a habeas
corpus. By the same token, th e re may
be a technical issue tha t you were not
aware of whe n it arose duri ng the
proceedings, but is a terrific issue fo r
a habeas relief. Be ing o bjective abou t
the facts and issues is d ifficult, but it
is critical to success.
Do no t ma ke a ny fi na l decision s
about your issues until you've comp le ted you r legal resea rch . By the
end of t his process, you should be
able to identify the issues that me rit
the most additional research, as well
as those that a re n 't so prom ising.
There will be cha n ges as yo u
p rogress- you r n um ber one issue
today may become numbe r 6 a nd
numb e r 4 may become number 1
the d ay after. As you co n tinue to
work, you 'II form a n o bjective list of
the stre ngths a nd weaknesses of your
proposed issues an d that wi ll help to
targe t yo ur legal resea rch. Yo u will
also be deve loping inval uable notes
and til es that you ' II need whe n yo u
sit down an d wr ite a petition that
ju s t mi g h t get yo u b ac k on t h e
streets.
lii1

Edward Bunker

Bun ke r stayed out about two years
th a t t im e. At 16, h e was selli ng pot
and sh oplifting. He got busted afLer a
me in violation of Cali fo rnia Pe nal hig h-speed chase through th e streets
Code, Sec tion 4500. We ll, Section of L.A. Th e judge se nt him to th e
4500 is for inmates se rving life se n- coun ty ja il, a nd h e escaped. A year
te n ces and an assault co nvic ti o n car- later, at 17, h e fi rst walked th e yard a t
ries the dea th pe nalty. I wasn ' t subject San Que min.
to that because I wasn' t doing life. But
It was du 1·ing th at fo ur-an d-a-h alf
wh en the sh e ri ffs saw I was booked yea r b id that Bunke r stan ce! writing.
wit h that charge, they th ough t I was Louise Wallis sent the young convict a
facing the death pe n alty, so they pu t Royal po rtab le typewri te r a nd a subm e in hig h powe r sec urity in th e scription to th e Sunday New Yorll Times
county j ail. I'm fifteen yea rs old. Half B ooll Review. In spired by Ch ess man 's
th e motherfucke rs th e re we re unde r success, Eddie began th e long appre nd eath sente nces.
ticeshi p o f the priso n nove list.
"Man, th e re was th is guy with one
"My frie nds Paul Al le n a nd j immy
eye, fa mous case, h e threw a wh o le Poste n, the th ree of us wanted to write.
fa mi ly down a wel l. Th ey mad e a I always thoughtjimmy had th e most
movi e about it. T h e guy's eye was talen t. He and Paul are botJ1 dead now.
fucked up, wouldn ' t close, so when he I too k a co rresponde nce co urse in
kidnapped people they d idn ' t know if grammar so I cou ld learn how to punche was asleep or not. Anyway, he had tu a te. Malcolm Braley (a uth o r o f On
ki lled a fa m ily in Missouri a nd threw the Ym·d and False Stm·ts) was a nothe r
the m d own a well. H e was murderi ng o ne. He publish ed a couple o f paperpeople all across the states. Hitc h-h ik- back books, Go ld Medal o ri g inals,
ing, stealing cars. Crazy sh it. And there which I tho ught was wondrous the n. I
was Chessman and all these othe r way- was in to fuckin ' up , low-riding, ga ngo ut cases. I 1·eme mber some guy com- banging and getting drugs. The n I'd
m itted a kidn a p-robbery a nd th e go to loc kup a nd for years n o o n e
broad ide ntifi ed him by his eyes. H e knew tha t I wrote. Whe n I got powerful
h ad a m as k on durin g t h e robbery, j obs in the pen ite ntiary, a nd wh e n I
right? So th e lawye r said th e bitc h staned with the drugs, everyone was my
co uldn ' t possibly recognize t h is g uy frie nd. Braley was like a son to me, just
just by his eyes. He put he r on the \\~ t­ a kid whe n he came in , and by then I
n ess sta n d a nd bro ught fi ve guys in was a vetera n and a legend. The re was
wi th th e sam e hoods on a nd all a tim e in San Quentin wh en they only
dressed alike. Sh e pointed o ut th e called me with major incide m s-1 was
right guy, screa med a nd fainted. The the Major Incidents Cle rk. Un less it
was a murder or an escape, they left me
jury was out for about five minutes.
"So, I was in th e cage with all these alone and I had the run of tJ1e j oim.
"During t he first j o lt, I cou ld 'a
guys. The lawyer got me o ut. Whe n I hit
the streets, I didn ' t h ave a nybody, no killed somebody. I clid n ' t give a fuck.
people, n owhere to go. This lawyer had But after I me t Louise, tJ1en la te r wh en
de fended a fri e nd of Louise Fazenda I go t o u t on paro le th e first time, I
Wallis, wife of the producer, Hal Wallis. realized there was a whole othe r life. I
She had bee n a sile nt fi lm star. Whe n stayed o ut about three yea rs. I had it
sh e di ed , in h er obituary in th e L.A. good, some of the best years o f my life,
Times, th ey called h e r t he "angel of mid to-late '50s. Whe n I went back to
Ho llywood" because she always he lped priso n afte r th a t, I wo u ld never cross
people. She didn ' t do it with a camera, that line. I was aware o f th e possibility
sh e d id it one-on-one. She'd go find of ge ttin g out. The worst thing th ey
people and he lp the m privately. She'd can d o to you is take away tha t h ope.
"Lo ui se ta ug ht me a lot, man. She
get somebody that was pregnant-and
in those days, ya' know? Lo uise would ta ught m e tha t yo u ge t ou t of yo u1·
pay for the woman to have the baby, get own pro blems by he lping o the r peoth e kid adopted by som e film star o r p le. Sh e ta ug ht m e that be ing co ndirector. AI Matthews cut me in to her cerned with o th e r people is good for
a n d she took a n inte res t in me a nd your own co nce rn s, lesse ns yo ur sell:.
liked me. That's how it started. I didn 't focus a nd increases your self-estee m."
realize what I had. I'd go see her in the
Th is was Bunke r 's longest te rm o f
d aytime and sh e' d take me around to imprisonme n t. He had bee n convicted
m ee t people like Ma ri o n Davies, a nd o f fo rge1)' and running a ch eck-cashWilliam Randolph H ea rst. This guy ing sch e me, bu t that is just t h e bare
started wars. He ra n the world. He was bo nes o f a c rimin a l career th a t can
in his e ighties a nd h ad a coup le of o n l)' be d escribed as wild and inspired
witJ1 a kind of edge-o f-th e-abyss convict
su·okes by then."
(con tinued from page 52)

h umor, li ke his fiction. One of the reasons Eddie had difficul ty getting down
to write whe n he was on th e stree ts is
because he was too busy living the fast
life. This ti me he received an inde te rmin ate senten ce of 6 m o n ths-to -14
years and d id 7 straight befo re being
released on paro le in the early '70 .
H e was 35. H e'd had e n o u g h o f
pr ison life, proved to hi mself he could
survive the worst th ey had to o ffe r. He
wanted to go straight, wanted more of
th e li fe he had only gli mpsed durin g
h is first pa ro le. Before his re lease h e
wro te ove r two h undred le tters a n d
sent them o ut in ho pes of securi ng a
legitimate job. o one responded.
THE MAKING OF THE BEAST

Alex Hammond, the child protagonist o f Bunker's third novel, Lillie Boy
Blue, h asjus t b een loc ked up in th e
isolatio n unit at j uvenile Hall fo r fig h ting with h is on ly frie nd u n ti l th e n, a
mu latto kid na med Cheste r. He's put
in a bare cell with a su·ipped mattress
on th e Ooor a nd told he 'll be g iven a
blanket later. Chester is across the hall.
"Say, Mis te1~ "Alex said. "Can I get
this window closed? it 's cold in here. "
"I !tavm 't got the lwy. "
"Wrll, don 'I fo,gr•ithe blarll1et."
"Don 't wony. "
"I need one too, " Chester added, as
his cell door was closed and loclled.
"I said don't W0/1)', " the man said irritably. "This ain't a hotel. "
The Mrm slammed and loclled the
door; the clirll of the loch soundrd emjJiwtir.
jive-ass molhnjud1er~" Chester said,
the sail)' wonts incongruous in his jJijJing child's voice. "Ah best get me some
blanhets or ain 't nobod)' sleejJin' in this
buildin' tonight. \1',1/wt you bet?" His
bravado sounded thin.
T he slamming door had been lihe n
slap, and Alex also seethed. ThP blrmhets wPre the focus of a wider indignation. It was slow/)' being etrhed into his
young mind that those with authority
didu 't rart' about1ight and wrong, good
aud evil-only about Sllbsn1lit'llce.
Fmm somnuherP in the city's night beyond the wall rame the sound of a sim1
rising and falling, a lament for human
mise1y. From somewhne els1• came a
teTse screerh of brahes followed by the
bleat of a11 automobile hom, ·rejlr•cting
the driver's anguish. The sou·n ds were
sh(llp in the stillnrss, raJTied on the
CI)'Stalline night air. Alex hooi1NI his
jingrrs on thr wire mesh and stared out
at the gronnds ofjuvrn ile H all. The
glm·r of the floodlights-not mere!)'
bright but other-worldly- blear/ted out
PRISON LIFE 69

colors so that the trees and bushes were
in stark silhoueUe, casting impenetrable
black shadows, a surreal landscape. Inwardly Alexfelt quiet, cleansed, as if the
fight had sweated out angers and
drained away bad things that he'd felt
vaguely without realizing them. His father's death already seemed to have happened long ago, the heavy pain slowly
melting. Clem had been the most important person in his life, and yet Alex had
been conditioned to live without a father. Seldom had he seen Clem more
than a couple ofhours a week, and even
then a barrier had existed between them,
so they talked little. It wasn't as ifsomething.fundamental to his daily existence
had been taken. His anguish was less
for a lost reality than for a lost hope.
Clem had been his one chance to get
away from this, and now Alex had no
idea what his future would be. Right
now things were unraveling too quickly to do more than deal with the moment, but whenever he had a premonition of his tomorrows, it was bleak. He
wasn't going home, no matter what;
home had no place, even in a dream.
An eleven-year-old could see that much.
Bunker's autobiographical novel of
growing up state-raised in California
was the first book the prisoner writer
would compose as a free man. Like
Bunker, Alex Hammond is cast adrift
in a harsh, loveless world at age four
when his parents divorced.
"My mother was a dancer," Eddie
said when I asked him about his childhood. "She danced as a chorus girl in
the Busby Berkely movies, and would
go flying down to Rio, that kind of
shit. My father was a grip and a stagehand with the legitimate theater.
Then they divorced and I went from
being a pampered only child right
into foster homes. A war zone."

He remembered being in a courtroom
but nothing about what happened.
Then his mother was gone, never seen
again, never mentioned. After that began the foster homes and military
schools. He couldn't even remember the
first one, except that he'd been caught
trying to run away on a rainy Sunday
morning. His memory images grew clearer concerning later places,· he remembered other runaways, one lasting six
days, and fights and temper tantrums.
He'd been to so many different places because each one threw him out.
At first his rebellion had been blind, a
reflex response to pain-the pain of loneliness and no love, though he had no
names for these things, not even now.
Something in him went out of kilter
70

PRISON LIFB

when he confronted authority, and he
was prone to violent tantrums on slight
provocation. Favored boys, especially in
military schoo~ looked down on him
and provoked the rages, which brought
punishment that caused him to run
away. One by one the boy's homes and
military schools told his father that the
boy would have to go. Some people
thought he was epileptic or psychotic,
but an electroencephalogram proved
negative, and a psychiatrist doing volunteer work for the Community Chest
found him normal. Whenever he was
thrown out of a place, he got to stay in
his father's furnished room for a few
days or a week, sleeping on aJoldup cot.
He was happy during these interludes.
Rebellion and chaos seroed a purposethey got him away from torment. The
time between arrival and explosion got
shorter and shorter.
Little Boy Blue is in many ways
Bunker's best book. The prose is
understated, proud and poignant in its
lack of hyperbole in describing the
pain and emotional trauma of a little
boy who, like all of us, merely wants to
love and be loved. And it is his most
accessible novel. Just about anyone can
sympathize with a kid who gets in trouble because he misses his dad and
won •t stand for being threatened or
picked on by other kids and beaten by
reform school guards. By the time that
kid matures into a Max Dembo or an
Earl Copen, however, he is too real
and scary for the typical American
best-seller buyer.
Perhaps this accounts for why
Bunker's novels have not received the
wide readership they deserve. He is a
cult writer, having found his niche with
the reader who wants the truest and
edgiest of hard-boiled crime fiction.
Bunker is unable to compromise his
craft to write novels that are more commercially acceptable. "I tried to write
some kind of sexy potboiler, but I
couldn't do it," Eddie said when I
asked him why he felt his books are not
well-known in this country. "Mter Little
Boy Blue came out and didn't do too
well, I said I'll try to write it commercial, but I couldn't do it. It came out
shit. Garbage. I didn't have it in me."
The fact that Bunker's brilliant and
still timely novels have been allowed
to go out of print also has to do with
poor marketing. H a novelist's editor
and publisher don't get behind the
author's work, promote it and nurture
the writer through several books while
growing the readership through
aggressive marketing, the books will
die on the shelf. But big corporate-

owned publishing houses spend a fortune promoting and marketing books
that don't need it. Viking, for
instance, Bunker's publisher for Little
Boy Blue, is now pushing Stephen
King. Yet they won't put out money
on an unknown with obvious talent.
Bunker's dialogue is as real and
beautifully rendered as the best street
blues. There is less plot to Little Bo,y
Blue and even more attention to emotional truth. Alex Hammond goes
from juvenile Hall to the state hospital
at Camarillo for a ninety-day observation period. There, the young white
boy is introduced to a couple of black
hustlers, First Choice Floyd and his
partner, Red Barzo, who instruct him
in the finer points of becoming a
career criminal.

"Boy, "Red said when he was ready to
go, "ain' no doubt you headin' dead for
San Quentin, 'cause you got the devil
in you. A in' no stoppin' it, so it's good
youJuckin' with me 'n Floyd 'n gettin'
schooled. You gotta decide ifyou wanna
be a pimp, a player, or a gangster. "
"What's the difference?"
"One's slick and the other's tough."
"I think I'd like to be a little ofboth.,
The two black men burst out laughing. Alex couldn't help another blush,
but his embarrassment was mixed with
pleasure.
Later, Red Barzo sees Alex throwing stones at a demented patient who
stands in the yard masturbating every
day and has upset the kid with lewd
gestures.

... the black con man-junky admonished him: "Best freeze on that shit, boy.
White folks runnin' this camp wiU get in
your young ass if they catch you teasin'
that nutty motheifucker. Ain't no money in it, anyway. You can' go wrong in
life, un 'erstan ~ if before you do
somepin ~ un 'erstan ~you say, 'any money made here?' That ain't no bullshit.
That's the best way to look at thefast life,
can you dig it?" The frequently interjected question wasn't really a question
but a rhetorical pause. Yet the advice
was intended seriously, and the sincere
tone impressed the content on Alex. He
would always remember and quote it,
even ifhe didn't always follow it.
Alex escapes, Alex always escapes,
just as Eddie Bunker was always escaping from one joint or another and getting arrested again, usually after a
high-speed chase and the resultant
beating by the cops. "What they did to
Rodney King," Eddie cracks, "that was

just yo ur standard ass-wh ooping for
tak in ' 'e m on a chase." When Alex is
arrested again, they take him to Pacific
Colony, a California Yo uth Authority
institution a nd his first reform school.
There the cycle is r e peated: fights,
beatings, the hole-escape. The "code"
is thoroughly imprinted in the boy's
survival strategies: rats are the scum of
the earth; might makes right; strength
of character will get you through when
all else fai ls. From Pacific Colony Alex
goes to Whittier, and finally to th e
dreaded Preston School oflndustry.

Despite the momentary twinge offear
when he heard about Preston, his mood
was jovial. Without being conscious of
i~ he'd learned to derive pleasure from
what was available, and at the moment
it was his first ride up the California
coast, or at least partly up the coast before turning inland. He didn 't probe or
try to dissect his unlikely good mood. If
as/ted, he would have replied that it
came from getting out of the di1ty jail.
I asked Bunker if it had bee n difficu lt for him to disciplin e himself to
write once he was out of the can. "No.
I 'd never d o n e it b efore when I was
out, but it wasn't hard."
"Did you get depressed ?"
"Nah . I never got d e pressed even in
the j oint."
"H e didn't know he was th e r e,"
Eddie's friend Danny Trejo said. ''I'd
go to his cell to get him, Eddie would
walk out and say, ' Eve ry day is a n ew
adventure.'"
APOTHEOSIS

Hungry man, reach for the book:
it is a weapon. - Be noit Brecht
Try as he might, Eddie Bunke r was
still not quite ready to give up c rime.
He had written No Beast So Fierce, his
essays were gaining him serious attention as a wtiter, but he still hadn't had
e nough of life on the edge. H e quickly got bac k into the dope business, this
time selling Mexican brown heroin to
wh o res in San Fra n cisco. He also
pla nned and executed th e occasional
robb e ry with some o f his homeboys
fro m Quentin. H e was surviving by his
wi ts but no t doing much writing.
"The cops were all ove r me," Eddie
reme mbe red . "I got busted for so me
d o pe, made a deal to get th e connection, but then, as soon as t hey let me
o u t, I split, went d own to Mexico. We
had this beautiful set-up. All you h ad
to d o was call a numbe r in San Diego
a nd te ll 'em, 'I want a kilo o f heroin.'

And they'd tell you wh ere to wire the
money in Mexico. They d idn ' t ca re,
man , these people did not care. You
cou ld call up and say, 'My n a me is
Harry Anslinger,' and they'd say, ' Do
you have the money?' We used answering services. The connection wou ld
call back after they got the money and
leave a message: 'Your shit's in th e
ba throom a t the train station unde r
the sink.' It was so easy. They cha nged
the law because of this, made it illegal
to wire more than ten thousand . What
they eventually began doing was flooding the area. Brought down all kinds
of local and federal task force heat.
"When I got back in the coun try, I
called the numbe r again in San Diego.
It was a n a nswering se rvice , and th e
guy I was dealing with, the connection,
I told him, 'Man, I do n ' t want to call
th is numbe r,' and he said, 'Look, it's
an answering service, and I own half of
it. If they go th ere, I'll find o ut ab out
it.' They h ad already bee n th e re. The
manager was cooperating on h e r own
in this thing . I didn ' t think of that. I
didn't know h ow th ey got me-both
times-until I got in th e co urtroom.
They put one of those bumpe r bee pers, o n e of th ose tracking devices in
my car. They we re fo llowing me,
thought I was gon n a lead 'e m to the
load of dope. They thought I was
goin g to do a drug d eal, meanwhile I
was on my way to do a robbery."
Bunke r had decided to augment his
stake by sticking up a plum Beverly
Hills bank. Unbeknownst to him, h e
had seve ral cars full of fed e ral age nts
and a helicopter following him through
th e streets o f Los Ange les. Whe n he
made his move, he couldn ' t unde rstand how the cops got the re so fast.
"The chase was on-from Beverly
Hills, Orchard Boulevard, all the way
to Farme r 's Market. It was a long
chase. I couldn't lose them. I' m going
thro ugh shopping centers, hitting
them bumps, them speed bumps,
flyin ', hittin ' my h ead on the fuckin '
roof. I'd turn in another block, an d
the re they'd be! I said , 'Man, what the
fuck?' So I go down Fa irfax again.
There's an alley at the e nd, I swung in,
did a j o hn Wayne, hoping they'd keep
going. As soo n as I get down the re, to
the p a rking place behind this small
building, !jumped out, ra n through
the building, and hit the doo r on the
wrong side. I probably would have gotten away, but the door opened in and
I hit it straight o n. I see this guy, h e
sees me, this maniac who runs in with
a pistol. I said , 'Lemme outta he re! ' I
loo ke d out a window and they were
just going by, the agents, all carrying

sh o tg un s. I climbed out the window
and ran down th e al ley, but there were
more of 'e m waitin ' there. I couldn ' t
get away. I ducked back into a doorway. It was a sta nd-off. One of them
comes around th e corne r with a gun,
a nd a n oth er o n e comes around th e
corner fro m the oth er e nd. I'm dead, I
know it. So I said, 'Woa,' and dropped
the gun. I dropped the gun, man. You
know, put it d own and kind of slid it
o ut with my toe. Al l my friends said,
'Oh, you punk, you gave the gun up.'
"But l was aware of the possibility of
getting o ut And I got out I did an article on the L.A. County j ail for the Sunday magazine, called it 'The Human
Zoo. ' I had a lot o f suppor t. This was
before Abbott and all those guys fucked
up. I had about two hundred le tters for
the j udge. This guy's been rehabilitated , blah, blah. And it happened to be a
federa l judge th a t I kn ew. l fough t a
state prisoner's habeas cmtnlS, conducted
a nine-day evide ntiary hearing once in
front o f this judge o n a 2255. So h e
kn ew me from that thing . Fo ur or five
years later I'm back o n this bank robbery. The judge a ppo imed a young
p ubli c defender to represen t me. I
re me mbe r he told this guy, 'Pay a ttenti on. You may lea rn some thing from
Mr. Bunker.' No Beast So Fierce was
accepted while I was on trial."
The limousine th at Dustin Hoffman
sent to pick Eddie Bunker up at Terminal Island a few years la te r delivered
him to an en tire ly di fferen t li fe. H e
we nt to work on the set of Straight Time,
where h e picked up a regul a r pay
c h eck of $750 eve ry Wednesd ay a nd
was intro duced to a whole new kind of
action- ma kin g movies. I re me mbe r
when I was ge tting ready to leave
pt·ison after eight years I used to wot·ry
about what I could do tha t wo uld give
me the same rush I go t from smuggling ma rijua na. vVhen f was hired t.o
work on a docume n tary a bo ut Mike
Tyso n, l kn ew I'd found the answer.
Da nn y Trejo kn ew it too, the first
tim e he heard a director say: Action!
Trejo had bee n out of prison for nearly a decade and was working as a drug
co un selor wh en h e got a call from a
coke addict who said he was afraid he
was going to relapse. When he went to
see th e g uy a t his j o b, Da nn y found
himse lf o n the se t o f Runaway Train.
There he ran into Eddie Bunke r, who
quickly got his old plison pal a job on
th e movie. T rejo, a weltenveig ht boxing champ at San Quentin, was hired
to coach Eric Ro berts in the fight
scenes. But as soon as Russian director
An drei Ko n c h alovsky got a look a t
Da nny's mug, h e wanted th e ex-co n in

Law Offices

STEINBORN

1996
Catalog

&

ASSOCIATES
(U.S. r·. M cCttSiill: U.S. r•. -105.098.23)

• Crimina l D efense
• Forfeiture Double Jeopardy
• Recovery of Seized Assets

Represe11ting the A rmsed since 1968
Steinborn & Associates
30th Floor, Smith Tower
506 Second Ave.
Seattle, Wash ingto n 98104
206-622-5 1 17
fa..x: 622-3848
Internet: SURLA W @AOL.com
Available for representation,
or consultation with your attorney.

the m O\~ e. Trejo hasn't stopped working in movies since.
The 1985 film , based o n a scre enplay by Akira Kurosawa, foll ows two
co nvi c ts wh o esca pe fro m a maxim um -security p r iso n in Alaska a nd
co mmandee r a train th at is soon ou t
o f control. Bunker was hired to work
o n the dialogu e, give it more America n co nvict navo r. He rewrote the
c lllire script and h e lpe d craft a film
most buffs agree is a first rate prison
e ·cape/ ac tio n-ad venture movie tha t
tran sce nd s th e ge nre to becom e a
symboli c, multi-d imensio na l drama
about surviva l a nd charac te r.
Bunke r a lso a c ted in th e movie
and coach ed j o n Vo ight in his magnifi cem re nditio n o f a convict who is
so feared a a n escape r isk-and so
respected by th e o the r co ns as th e
to ugh est ma n in a rough joint- th at
the warden , in an e ffort to b rea k th e
co n vic t 's will , has h ad him we ld e d
into h is ce ll in th e h o le fo r th ree
years until forced by a court order to
rel ease him to gen e ral popu la ti on.
The e arly prison sce nes, scripted by
Bunke r and in whi c h h e p lays an
o lde r Earl Cope n ch a racter righ t
clown to the shaved head, arc some of
th e most realistic Hollywood has ever
produced in its long ro man ce with
72

PRISON LIFE

Aflcr ~ ~ ious considcrntion i111o ttw why's
and wherefore's of prisoners being SCJ'3tch cd,
em an cJ beaten during forced lnO\'CS, the pri50n
admini.str'al.ion took :sction: Tile bell buckle..'

deliuitdy had to go.

the pe nite ntiary setting. Bunke r also
wro te a ll th e di a logue betwee n th e
two co nvicts on the u·ain , a fin e expositio n o f th e co nvict code: nroergive
ufJ, as stated a n d e mbodi e d by th e
Vo ig ht c haracte r. Fro m th e first
fra m e to th e las t, Runaway TTain is
spe ll binding, as inte nse, grippi ng a nd
auth entic as Bunker's fi ctio n. Bunker
played Mr. Blue in Que ntin Tara nt.ino's Resn voir Dogs, and whe n we met
h e was back in H o llywood ye t again
working o n ano the r movie.
Bu n ker's life has co me full circle.
For most of th e twenty years since h is
re lease from priso n, Eddie h as bee n
ma rri e d to t h e woman wh o was h is
co unselor in the ha lf-way h ouse. H e
an d his wi fe, j e nnife r, now have a little boy o f th eir own , 17-molllh-o ld
Brendan Bunke r. Bunker works hard,
writes every day. "I wish I'd worked as
ha rd whe n I was in the j o int," he told
me. "I'd have a lo t more do ne."
In th e pre face to t h e Fren c h a nd
Black Li zard e d ition s o f No Bras/ So
Fierrr th e n ovelist Wi ll iam Styro n
wro te, "Edward Bunker is o n e of a
sm a ll h a n dfu l of Am e ri ca n write rs
who have create d auth en tic lite rature
ou t of the ir expe rie nces as crimina ls
a nd prisone rs ... whose work possesses imegricy, craftsman ship, a nd mo ral

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passion in suffic ien t measu re to claim
o ur se ri o us at tention." H . Bruce
Fra nklin called No Beast So Fim·e, "one
o f the finest ac hi evemen ts of pri so n
litera ture, a nd , indeed, of tha t much
larger body of literature abo ut crim inals."
Bunker's n ew novel, J\llen Who Prey,
h as th e precisio n p lo tting a nd hard
core realism do\\·n cold. A c hilling,
remorseless tale of ex-cons on a crime
spree , the sto ry never falters. neve r
g ives a n inc h. The c harac ters are
beyond th e pa le o f m o ral co mpun ctio n, the kind o f men our an imal facto ries produce.
Eddie Bu n ke r is not jus t a g r eat
convic t writer. His adherence to th e
ca non tha t di stinguish es th e best lite rature-devo tio n to truth-places
Bunker firml y among t h e pa ntheo n
o f g reat wri te r , incl uding Mel vill e
and J ack Lon don, whose a rti sti c co nscie nce was ga lva nized by the p riso n
ex pe r ie nce . In th ese t im es, wh e n
priso n and crime h ave beco me the
m ost po litic ally c h a rged dom estic
issue , Bunke r's work is a ll the mo re
re levan t , a ll th e mo re impo rtan t.
America fa il to recogn ize this most
eloq uelll a n d inspire d voice a t its
[Ill
own peril.

Hollywood Prowler
(con tinued from fJage 51)
went out, passing thro ug h th e living
room to the h allway door.
As I went back to bed, th e hint of
early dawn was visible o n the easte rn
horizon. I slept th e easy sleep of vigorous youth and clear conscience.
It was early afternoon whe n I woke
up , made a cup of coffee an d
retrieved the H erald-Exfness fro m the
front porch. Bac k in th e kitchen, I
made a piece of raisin bread toast and
coated it with butte r and peanut butte r. T he n I opened the newspaper.
The banner headlines read: PROWLER'S FINGERPRINTS FOUND.
Beneath the head lines was a photo
o f the wide-bladed butcher knife I'd
left o n the counter top. The headlined
fi n gerpri n ts were min e. Aeee i!
Whaaaooo!
The story text ran: Actress-model
Yvonne Re nee Dillo n , 29, the lates t
vic tim of the Holl ywood "Prowler,"
to ld Police that sh e was a ttacked in
her Hollywood apanm em, sometime
after midnig h t, by a knife wie ldi ng
intrude r. And so forth.
I was a twenty-th ree year o ld ex-convict, out of San Que ntin less than a
year. They mig ht not look any fart her
tha n me. I had to get away fro m here
to think it over.
Ten minutes later, I was in my Jag
roadste r , headin g west o n Olympic
Boulevard toward the Pacific Coast
hig hway, the ro ute to Northern Californi a.
As I rolle d along the coast, I thought
th at it seemed li ke som e thin g from a
J a m es M. Cain nove l. I a lso realized
that it might take a while for the police
to ide ntify the fingerprints. In order to
send them through the mass of fingerprint records, they needed ten fingers.
Otherwise they had to do it laborio usly
by hand, pulling out all known rapists,
o r peeping toms, or whatever. Pretty
qui ck they would look a t recent white
parolees in the area. in some meatba ll
burglary they wouldn't go to that kind
of trouble, but this was so me sucke r
ra ping a n d killing wh ite fo lks in the ir
beds. vVheweee, that sure got top a ttentio n. T h ey'd be checking th e files day
and night under that kind of pressure.
In a very short time they wou ld kn ow
the fingerprints on the butc he r knife
be longed to Eddie Bunker.
From an Atlanti c-Richfield gas stati on in Santa Barbara, I te le phoned
Lo uise Faze nda Wa lli s, star comedie nn e o f silent film , wife of movie
mogul Hal B. Wallis, and my personal
fa iry godm othe r.

It was a hil a rious co nve rsatio n in a
way. I think sh e t h o ug h t I must be
guilty-whe n I told her abou t my fingerprints-and sh e wanted me to turn
myse lf in right away. She pro mised to
stand by me. She wou ld get the mo ney
to hire Jerry Geisler, the n the re igning
ch am pion of crimina l law, heir o f Earl
Roge rs, who defended Clarence Da rrow. Geisle r represented Errol Flynn
and Chap lin a nd others. He was the
m a n they wanted whe n t h e shit go t
dee p. Me, too.
But 1 wasn't go in g to g ive m yse lf
up. T h at was agai n st m y prin c ipl es,
guilty or innocent.
At twi li g h t, I stopp e d at a stea khouse in Pismo Beac h . o m a n er
what my t rou bles a t twe nty-three,
nothing botl1ered my a ppe tite. When
I wemto the me n 's room , 1 passed a
pay teleph o ne and fo r th e first time I
thou g ht o f callin g Flip. That so mething so o bvious should take so lo ng
was embarrassing.
With e no ugh cha nge for lo ng di sta n ce, I m ade the call. I don ' t kn ow
wha t I expected, but cer tainly not her
first words: "It's your dime!"
"It's me," I said.
"Eddi e! Oh Wow! Wh y' d you take
so lo ng to call?"
"No, n o you tell me what the fuc k
hap pened. Am I gonna go to the gas
chamber o n some bullshit?"
Fli p thought it was fun ny. She burst
into braying, who rish laughter. "Tee,
hee, bitch," I s.1.id-but despite myself I
had to smile, the horrible absurdity of
the situa ti o n did have humo r in it. If
som e convict h ad to ld me thi s ta le o n
tJ1e yard a t Quentin , I'd have tJ10ught it
was en tertaining bullshit-which is better than boring truth but still bullshit.
"So wh a t happe ned ?" I dema nded.
"What the fu ck m ade you te ll th e m
tl1a t story?"
So she told the tale: in th e morning,
lvhen she a nd Michae l woke up with
hangovers and bad tempe rs, he started
slapping he r because she was a who re
a nd he was in love with her. Whereupon, to get ou t from under his a buse
sh e said, "Michael! Michaell I gave
myself to save your life." She led him to
tlle broken window from kitchen to fire
escape. He found the butcher knife.
"Michael called th e cops," she said.
"What cou ld I d o?"
"You do n ' t kn ow?" It was the classic
case of a lie ge tti ng its own momentum.
"I to ld tl1 em it wasn 't you."
"vVhat? Who?"
"Th e homicide detec tive, Da nn y
Hernandez. H e called a couple hours
ago. He wants w talk to you."
"H e wants to talk to me- Edd ie

Bunker-by name?"
"Uh huh . H e said to have yo u call
him . I've got h is numbe r he re. Lie utena nt Hernandez."
"Oh yeah ? Well . .. give it to me."
She recited th e phone numbe r. It
refused to stick in my bra in . Too many
otl1er tJ10ugh ts were whizzing through
to d istract me. I had to borrow a pencil from the bartender. I put the number on a matchbook.
Before making the call, I had a coup le of double sh ots of J ack Da nie ls.
erve medicine. Whe n it had me feeling
tough aga in, I called the numbe r and
asked for Lieutenam He rnandez. O ne
thing for sure, I wasn't going to talk long
enough for tJ1e call to be traced.
"Central hom icide," a id the voice
that answered.
"Lieutenant Hernandez."
''I'll sec if he's he re."
I waite d wh ile watching th e swee p
hand o n my wri stwatc h go h a lfway
a round th e face. "He rn andez h ere,"
said the voice.
"Yvonne Dillon told me to call you."
"Oh yea h , Edward Bunker, that
parolee o u t of San Quentin. You
know for a minute you were in a lou.a
trouble? "
"Oh yeah ?"
"Yes indeed. U ntil I ra n a make o n
Miss Dill o n . He r ra p sh ee t has fo ur
prostitutio n arrests, two drug arrests, a
co n viction for p e1j u ry and a dru g
treatment co mmitme nt to Camarill o.
We d id n 't think it was th e prowler
after tha t.
"Neverth e less," he co ntinu ed , "you
gotta te ll me what tJ1e hell happened."
So I told him t he truth , or most of
it. I n eglected to mention th e snubnosed .38. He th o ug ht it was fu nn y.
The L.A.P.D. had a more h u mo ro u s
a ttitude back then.
"Do I have anythi n g to worry
about?" I asked.
"You're as clean as far as we' re conce rne d."
T he L.A. P.D . had a more h umorous
a ttitude back then.
[II]

APPEALS
KENNETH A. WEBB
Attorney of Law
30 Years' Experience in
Criminal Appeals
A complete list of published criminal appeals
in which Kenneth A. Webb represented the
appellant, together with the disposition mode
by the court in each appeal, is ovoiloble for
your review by writing to Kenneth A. Webb
at the address below.

3155 W. BIG BEAVER ROAD, SUITE 206
TROY, MICHIGAN 48084

PRISON LIFE

73

EXPER!
LEGAL HELP
IS AVAILABLE
AND THE POST CONVICTION LEGAL
GROUP MAKES IT EASY TO SECURE.
We are in the process of forming a cooperative association of the
best and most experienced criminal defense attorneys in the country.
One phone call will provide you with the name and full particulars
of the attorney that best suits the specifics of your case. Our members
are responsive. They have demonstrated their skills in the criminal courts
and earned the respect of their clients.
If you are an attorney, your participation is invited.
If you are in need of legal representation , your calls or letters are invited.

Calll-800-207-2659 for further information.
Post Conviction Legal Group, 4200 Westheimer, Suite 160, Houston, TX 77027.

Voice of the Conviet

(continued from fmge 7)

to ma ke a d eal with 1-IBO fo r a se ri es o f TV d ocum e ntary
film s base d o n specia l iss ues of th e magaz in e. T h e first
sh ow, Prison Life Presents: Prisoners of the War on Drugs, wi ll
air in .Ja nua ry. It was sh o t in several priso ns in differ e nt
pa rts of the cou nul' and gives viewers a real insider 's loo k
at this ex pe nsive debacle as seen throug h the eyes of drug
war POWs. So for a ll you cons in the TV roo m swilling soda
a nd stuffing }'Ou r faces with junk food while you bitch you
can ' t affo rd $19.95 fo r a magazine subscriptio n , n ow yo u
can see us o n TV.
The m ainstrea m media is fascin ated by Prison L ife.
We've been on na tion al even ing news d ebu nking th e myth
o f the so-called "resort" prison. 60 Minutes, Donahue, CNN,
Canadian Bmadcasting a nd a ny numbe r of radio talk shows
fr o m coas t to coast h ave had us o n to ta lk a bout priso n
issues, to air th e co nvict's poin t o f view on crime and punishme nt and what is wro ng with the syste m. We consistently
a rgue fo r r adi cal c h a nge in th e Jaws, fo r abo lishin g th e
d ea th p e n alty a n d mini m um m a n da to ry se nte n ces, fo r
deregula ting co ntro lled substances a nd putting an e nd to
th e "sn itch " syste m of justice, for prisoner's righ ts and fo r
u·uth in re porting on these subjects.
At t he same tim e we a re ge tting closer to our goal of
being a magazin e tl1at is co nceived and la rgely created by
prisoners a nd ex-prisoners. Recently I got a le u e r fro m on e
of o ur imp riso ned contri b u tors, j o n Ma rc T aylor, urging
m e LO a ttend th e Fifth a ti o n al CU RE Conve nti o n in
Washin gto n, D.C. CU RE , (Citizen s Uni ted for Re habili tation of Errants) is "a nation al organ izati on to reduce crime
th roug h the refo rm of th e crimin al justice sys tem (especially prison reform).'' Th e conven tion began over Fathe r 's
74

PRISON LIFE

Day wee ke nd, and I wou ld have p referred to stay at ho me
with my fa mily. But I respect .Jon, a nd this is exactly h ow I
e nvisio n the m agazine workin g : A p r iso n e r reaches o ut
throug h us; the prisone r helps to sha pe our edito rial conte nt a nd direct our ad vocacy efforts whi le we in tu rn
e mpowe r th e prisone r by acti ng as his o r her rep resentative in tl1e outside world.
I went to Washin gton for th e fi rst two days of the convention , j e nnifer vVyn n was there to cover the last two days,
a nd we will publish a full rep o rt on the re ma rka ble fo ur
days' eve n ts a nd the d edicated peop le we me t in our n ext
issue. The CURE convention gave me renewed hope. T here
are a lo t of peo ple o u t h e re who unde rstan d that the n et
effect of America's crime-control bonanza is tha t a few pro fit from th e misetl' of many a nd it must stop or our sociely
will p erish . T he people of CURE, like the peop le at Prison
Life magazine, a re dedicated to u-ying to bring abou t change
in the syste m t11at imprisons you and threatens all of us.
But tl1 e people who run th is cou nul' h ave got anothe r
agenda. Powe rfu l forces are at work to make sure this boom
in th e crime a nd punish men t business con tinues. I thin k
back to th e early d ays of th e a n ti-Vietnam war movem e n t
and remember how I was called a commie pin ko and a coward fo r refusing to swallow gove rnm ent pro paga n da a nd
sign up to kill people who \vished me no harm bu t me re ly
wa nted to oust a corrupt gove rnment in t11eir own la nd.
Call me whatever you want, b ut sup po rt th is magazine.
It is your o nly vo ice, an d it is up to you convic ts to prove
that yo u a re no t th e scum those botto msu ckers who feed
off th is costly civil wa r wa n t taxpaye rs to believe you are.
For those of yo u sn ivelers wh o are still stuck in the poo r
explo ited me mo de, get a life. Be tter yet, get P1ison Life.

[II]

A Summary of Recent Federal Criminal Cases
by Peter G. Schmidt
(Editor's Note: Starting with this issue,Just in Case will become a
regular feature of Prison Life. It is written by Peter G. Schmidt, a
former lawyer and an ex-con. just in Case is compiled from Mr.
Schmidt's summary of all significant Federal criminal cases published each week in the Federal Reporter and th e Federal Supplem e nt. That summary is publishe d under th e title "Pun ch and
Jurists"®, and is available on a subscription basis through Prison
Life magazine. In addition, Mr. Schmidt is writing a book about
the American CriminalJustice System, entitled ''We the Sheeple:
American Justice Gone Awry" ©. That book will also be available
through Prison Life this fall.

Boyd v. Wood, 52 F.3d 820 (9th Cir. 1995)
This case is all a bout the tende ncy of th e courts to tap
dance through the muck of their own procedural quagmires in order to rationalize any decision th at supports the
Government. A Kansas inmate is se nt to the State ofWashington to se rve his se nte n ce, under the auth ority of the
Interstate Corrections Compact. The Washington prisons
d on't maintain Kansas legal materials in their law libraries.
So the inma te sues th e Washington prison officials, arguing that under the con ce pt of "access to th e courts" they
were required to get him the legal materials h e needed. In
a brilliant display of logic and wisdom, the court says th at
th e inmate sued the wrong parties since Kan sas officialsnot Washington officials- were req uired to give him the
needed books. The Co urt also conclud ed th at, becau se
the inmate had no way of effecti ng service of process o n
th e Kansas officials, the lawsu it should be dismissed with
prejudice. It seems to us that when the Washington officials accepted him to serve out his Kansas senten ce, they
becam e agents of the Kansas officials- or are we missing
something?

United States v. Duke, 50 F.3d 571 (8th Cir. 1995)
This is one of those wonde rful cases involving total judicial de liriu m . A defendant's convictio n is affirmed eve n
though th e prosecution used d elibe rate ly false information about th e allegedly impeccable credentials of its chief
informant. In his op ening statement, the AUSA stated that
th e Government's infor mant h ad "never b ee n arrested ,
[had] neve r been co nvic ted of a crime, ... d oesn't use
drugs [and] doesn't even d rink." Turns o ut that the informanl not o nly h ad been arrested a number of times, h e
also had been con victed. In previo us trials he had lied
about h is c riminal record. All that's irrelevant, says this
court, because "it is not reasonably like ly that the informant's false testimo ny would have affected the judgment
of the jury." Wow, now the judges can even te ll what was
important in the minds of a ll twelve members of the jury.

Askew v. Fairman, 880 F.Supp. 557 (N.D.III. 1995)
Martin v. Debruyn, 880 F.Supp. 610 (N.D.III. 1995)
Here are two prison cases that ought to make you proud
to be an American. In Ashew, the cou rt holds that a pretrial
d etainee (who is not supposed to be punished before conviction) , who had to sleep o n a prison floo r "infested with
mice, roaches and other vermin," d idn't have any basis for
a civil lawsuit. The good judge ru les that whi le the conditio ns d escribed were "jJerhafJS unsanitary a nd uncomforta ble," th ey were not cru el a nd unusual punishm ent
because they d idn ' t deprive the victim of "the minimal civilized m easu re of life's necessities." Do you th ink he
should h ave alleged that th e rats had AIDS?
In Martin, the court deals with a state prison policy that
makes in mates pay for th e ir medical care. In that case, the
prisoner h ad a bad case of ulcers. Th e prison doctors
wrote a p rescriptio n saying tha t Martin must get the medicine "as soon as possible." But Martin didn't have e nough
money in his commissary account, so he was denied the
medication. Sorry, says the Court, you've go t no right to
free medi cin e because th e prison's list of serious medical
ailments didn ' t happen to include ulcers. And o f course,
the geniuses who make th.ose lists are always tight.

Women Prisoners v. District of Columbia,
877 F.Supp. 634 (D.D.C. 1994)
A sick case that tells a lot about the plight of women in
j a il. This is a class action brought o n behalf o f the female
prisoners in the District of Columbia, alleging a ll kinds of
violations of their Constillltional righ ts, including sexual
harassment, lack of med ical care, absurd living con d itio ns,
and enormous dispari ty in general conditions compared
with male prisone rs. T hey win a lot of points, but one parti c u la r statement of th e court n ot on ly d efies be lief, it
sh ows the false sympathy and ridiculous toke nism shown
to women prisoners. The Court sa n ctimon io usly holds
that "the ma nn er in which the d efe ndants shackle p regnant wom e n prisoners in th e third trimester of pregnancy
PRISON LIFE

75

a nd immediate ly after delivery poses a risk so se rious th at
it viola tes contemporary sta nda rds o f decency." Not th e
Jacl of shackling- just the ma nner. In oth er word s, if they
shackl e th e wome n gently, it would probably mee t the
"conte mporary standards o f decen cy."

United States v. Scott, 48 F.3d 1389 (5th Cir. 1995)
A defen d ant asks for a d e lay in his tria l d ate o n the
grounds that his appointed cou nsel never had a ch ance to
prepare the case for trial. The request for a con tinuance is
den ied, but you h ave to read the co nc urring o pinion by
Judge Berri ga n to a ppreciate th e lunacy o f this d ecision
and to get a p icture of a defe nda n t's "right to counsel" in
the 5th C ircuit. The Co urt approved th e a ppo intme nt of
co un sel o n Ap ril 13, 1993, but that o rd e r was not eve n
lodged in the clerk's office until April 22. Counsel agreed
to the a ppointme nt on April 30, a nd trial was set for May
24. U nfortunate ly, th e defen d a n t was incarcerated in
another jurisdiction , a nd because he "got lost" in tra nsit
(probabl y with a he lpful assist fro m the BOP's policy of
d iese l thera py), h e didn 't eve n m ee t with co un sel unti l
i'vlay I 8, six d ays befo re trial. The majority refuses to ove rrule the district cou rt's "discretio nary" ruli ng that no delay
was n eeded on the grounds th at counsel had "three and a
half weeks or so" o f preparation Lime, a nd that was "sufficie nt time" to p re pare for a "fairly simple drug case." (We
always thougln it's kind of h ard to prepare a case without
meeting the defe nd a nt. ) But wa it, it's no t ove r. The last
laugh is that the District Court also refused to a pprove the
payment o f any fees an d expenses to counsel for the work
sh e did o n thi s case, statin g that "mo ney was 'tig ht' and
other lawyers would have ha nd led th e case" for less. That's
called judicial payback to the uppity lawyer fo r daring to
questi o n the Co urt's o mn ipotent ruling about how much
tim e is needed to prepare a defense! Ah , sweet justice in
Mississippi.

United States v. Jones,
876 F.Supp. 395 (N.D.N.Y. 1995)
Th e d eath p e nalty fo r wire fra ud? Leave it to Judge
Howa rd Munso n o f the No rth e rn District of New York
(one of Am e ri ca's meanestj uclges ), and he' ll show how

. ,_

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I

_l

I

easy it is. H e re, defe ndan t "Captain Davy J ones" is indicted
for wire fraud. The court admits thatJ o nes is "an obese 76year-old male who suffers from severe coro nary artery d isease a nd di a betes." Jo n es see ks a co n t in uance on the
grounds th at he is physically incompe te m to stand trial at
th is time. A coun-appoim ed doctor finds that J o nes is at
"substantially increased risk of sudden death ." Tough shit,
says Judge Munson; J o nes must stand u·ial now. After all, it
is like ly that th e "defendan t's health will continue to deterio rate" a nd we can 't le t him cheat the hangma n. H e ll ,
Judge, wh y even prolo ng it wi th a trial? Why not just kill
the bastard now and forget the presumption of innocence?

United States v. Beasley, 48 F.3d 262 (7th Cir. 1995)
He re's a case that says it all about the Co nstitu tiona llymandated require ment that a d efe ndant is enti tl ed to a n
impa rtial jury. O n e of the j urors adm iued d uring questioning th a t (a) h er son was a po lice officer; (b) her brothe r was a C hi ef of Po lice; a nd (c) h er husband was a
dispatc he r for th e State po lice. When th e defendant asked
th e co urt to rem ove her as a j uror for cause, the co urt
refused , mostly because th e prospec tive j u ror said that he r
conn ectio ns to law e nfo rceme nt wou ld not affect her ability to be fair and impartia l.

Jackson v. Nicoletti, 87 5 F.Supp. 11 07 (E.D.Pa. 1994)
Want to see h ow easy it is fo r a Dis trict Cou r t judge to
ch ange a lon g-established Supreme Court rule? Here's a
good example. Since Houslonv. Lack, 487 U.S. 266 (1988),
it h as bee n held th a t a pm se p risoner is d ee med to have
"filed " his court documents at th e Lime he delivers them to
"prison a utho rities." T he Court he re admi ts that the Houston ru le was based on a "palpable disu·ust of prison officia ls" a n d a co n cern th a t th e p risoner wo uld face huge
obstacles if he had to prove that prison officials deliberately delayed sending h is documents to Lhe Courts. But don ' t
forge t, this is Pennsylvan ia, whe re the p rison business is
probably the largest (and certainly the fastes t growing and
best paying) inc! us t ry. To sup po rt t h a t industry, Jud ge
Dalze ll simply rules that the H o uston ma il box rule does
not apply to prose p riso ner complaints; it o nly a pplies to
limited prisoner appeals. Slimey, and very sic k.

~

j_

J _ ~!Y ~Di\~~~! _LI_~ r_

part ~our cJmmitment t!o you pul)lishing this mag is the dEltermination
1 tOA large
prOVIde aCCeSS th rOUgh OUr advertiserS tO the
and SerViCeS that'll help
in

prOdU~ts

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prove ~he quality Of-yOttF-Iife,wft:ile,yeult-e-ao~Lt.flne. Whatever1y-our needs,
edu_£ational, legal, r~cr~tiQn~r~ an~ vari~~he~of, we h~e to del ver foryou.

Let us k now- wh~Lyou need-widhin rtbson ! of cdurse.Land we.' ll fin,d the
advertiser to provide it.
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76

PRISON LIFE

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~

Chef's Special of the Month:
Sharks' Feeding Frenzy
2 7-oz. bags white rice
1 lb. elbow macaroni
2-3 lbs. meat (anything you like: tuna, chicken, beef)
1 large onion or 2 small ones
2 packets Nacho cheese powder
1/2 bottle squeeze cheese (if you want, add the whole thing)
Cook elbows un til desired texture. Drain, rinse, put aside. Mix meat and o nion with
cheese and cook 5 minutes on hig h in microwave o r until cooked on hotpot. Make the
two bags of rice. Mix everythin g togeth er. Cook ano ther 5 to 10 mi nutes. Serve with
salsa or pica nte sa uce if d esired. Makes eno ugh to feed 6 to 7 hung ry convicts.
Jeff "Sharli " Spaeni
F. C.!. Oxford, Wisconsin

'?rnrl~
Jail House Jalapeno Cheese Dip

1 package Velveeta cheese
1I 4 package X-sharp or sharp cheese
1/ 2 packa ge cream cheese
5 finel y-chopped ja lapeno peppers
1 finely-chopped beef sausage or pepperoni stick
12 teaspoons jalapeno juice
12 teaspoons water
Melt, mi x, cool and chow. Enjoy.
Doug Rose, N f-ISP

SHU Puff
1 serving butter
1 pk. Kooi-Aid (any flavor)
Bread
Put butter and Kool-Aid in cup and add drops of
wa ter. Whip with spoon handle until creamy and
grainless. Add more wa ter as need ed. Remove the
tasteless, cholestero lic meat from your typical mess
hall sandwich (Oush it down the john). Scrape sogg iness fro m bread and spread cream mixture over
it. Party.
Lofofora "Amazon" Contreras, Pelican Bay SH U, CA
PRISON LIFE 77

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Mail Call
(continued from fJage 11)._ __

CANADIAN CON
CONGRATULATES
Altho ugh I' m years in to a Minnesota life se ntence, I was extrad ited
to Canada over two years ago to face
old c harges. Two years later, I a m
stil l sitting in a small town j a il wond e ring if I'll eve r go to trial. Twiligh t
zone, Canadian style.
I a m h o no r ed to h ave bee n
selected as the first place win n e r for
n on-fiction in Prison Life's 1994 Art
Bind Bars Co ntest. My essay, "Th e
Prison Toile t," has raised mo re than
a few eyebrows. The m ost common
respo n se I received is, "I wi ll never
look at a to ilet the same 'vay aga in. "
Th is com es fro m both citize ns a nd
priso ne rs. There has been the occasional question of "How can human
be ings live li ke this?" My na tural
response to that is, "How can people
force othe r people to live like this?"
Never h aving read an issu e of
Prison Life befo re (th e publica tion
h adn ' t m ad e it th is far n o rth ), I
m ade a blind su b mission.Whe n I
saw the March 1995 issu e, I was
moved beyond adequate expression .
T h e insp ira ti on was so ime n se it
moved me to tears- ofjoy, rage and
the realiza tio n that we finally have a
vo ice. After 17 yea rs of my own
de humanizatio n I a m acutely aware
of the cen turies or suffe rin g that
have passed befo re us. I feel that it is
m y moral obliga ti o n to help thi s
publicati o n succeed in any manner
tha t I can. Prison Life is the real deal,
the raw deal, th e only deal.
I take this opportunity to
e n co urage oth ers to ge t o ff th e ir
pe nite ntiary soap boxes and to pick
u p the ir ink pe ns a nd dust o ff the ir
typewriters. Th ere's no point in having a vo ice unl ess we use it. Scream
lo ud and ha rd , brothe rs and siste rs.
Eve n deaf people can feel vibrations.
I h ave spe nt m a ny
yea rs spreading th e
word of trust, ho no r, co mm o n se nse
and integrity to
yo unger prison e rs. I
h ave tri ed to he lp
th e m n o t ma ke th e
sa me tragic mista kes
with their lives that I
have made with min e.
Now that I see the oppo rtuni ty for a n ation al
-and eve n international- fo rma t, my nos-

trils a re Oaring li ke a bull readying
to c harge. I can smell it. I can taste
it. I love it! Thank you for rem inding
me that I a m alive.
Yours in th e struggle.
Gregm)' j. l\llcMaster
North Bay Dislticl Jail, Onlmio, Canada

ANY TAKERS?
Bravo o n th e Priso n Reso rts
story. As long as socie ty is being misled , I, for o ne, a m go ing to try a nd
make th e b es t o f it. So, for tho se
who really be lieve th is pl ace is a
"resort," I am will ing to re nt out my
bun k on the "time sh a re" Program.
Any takers?
That's what I though t.
David Dwayne Smith
Florida State Prison, Raiford, Flotida

MORE CENSORSHIP
It see ms tha t the magazine is not
being received h e re in Ca li fo rn ia
anymore for some reason .
In Dece mbe r , I received a me m o
fro m the d e puty d irector o f co rrections sta ti ng th a t the October 1994
issue was bei ng confiscated because
o f a n article that me nti oned escape.
I t is amazing to me th a t a huge,
secu re prison syste m wou ld go to so
muc h trouble as to fax me mos to all
the prisons a nd co nfiscate a magazine because of one article allegedly
about escape. If a prisone r wa n ted
to esca p e, h e or sh e wou ld sure ly
not base such a decisio n on a magazine a rti cle.
It is obvious th at th e C. O. C. h as
stre tc h ed th e CA code of regu latio ns, Section #3136 (d ) , whi c h
reads: "Inmates may not receive corresponde n ce whi ch co n ce rn s plans
to escape or assist in an escape from
lawful custody." This rul e has been
stretch ed an d used as an e xcuse not
on ly to co nfi scate wha t's in o n e
issue bu t a lso

-

to ban the magazi ne completely.
It should also be noted t hat as of
January, 1995, all sex ua lly e xp licit
boo ks a nd magazin es h ave b ee n
ba nned here in California.
And agai n , this year the state legislature and C. D. C. are attempting
to bring an e nd to the fam ily visiting
program (conjugal visits}. Such progra ms shou ld be nationwide.
As val uable a nd re habi litative as
reading lite rarure of one's choice and
fam ily togetherness are, the prison
system an d the government are making it perfectly clear that they do not
care about what he lps make p risoners bette r equ ipped for reenU)' into
society. All th at matters in the '90s is
political correctness and Re publican
moral m~ ority values.
Issues of censorship, sex publicatio ns a nd visitation were a ll litigated
and fough t over in t h e '60s a nd
ea rl y '70s. Many prisoners and
C. D.C. staff di e d o r were hurt
before the a uthorities realized the re
was a better way to treat inca rce rated me n a nd women. However, Attica, New Me x ico and Cali fo rni a
priso n vio le n ce has app are ntly all
been forgotten or ig no red.
We live in a time when all America ns' rights and liberties are b eing
severely limi ted . Eve n th e state and
U.S. Co n stit u tions a re be ing
chipped away at and ch anged. Such
restrictio n s in priso n a nd in free
socie ty are not m a kin g America
sa fe r or bette r. Th ey a re ma king
Am ericans a ngr ie r. The end resul t
is yet to be seen. Until th e n , t h e
en d less laws ui ts, h a tred , vio lence
and crime will continue.
Eric Mm·tin
Pelican Bay Stale Ptison

PRISON LIFE

79

c
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Dear Nurses,
I am an asthmatic with allergies to dust
and fJollen. I stopped having asthma trouble around age 14. About 6 yem·s ago I
quit smoking cigarettes; about 2 yean ago I
stopped smoking marijuana.
Problem: now, at age 30, the asthma is
returning, primarily triggered by (even
light) exercise. What can I do to improve
my ability to exercise without triggering an
asthma attack?
I'm asking because the Doc here-who
incidentally had four seTious malfJractice
suites on the streets and can now practice
nowhere except in a prison where his
employers aren't very scrupulous-p1·escribed theophylline 300 mg twice daily
with an inhale1~ which is ohay but doesn't
allow me to exercise. When I complain, he
tells me it's "in my head, " and to quit
smoking. (I quit 6 years ago!)
H elp!
Troy
Pendelton, Indiana

Dear Troy:
Let's just review what asthma is. Asthma is difficul ty breathing when th ere is
airway obstruction or narrowing. This
roughly means your lungs close up and
get filled with mucus. An asthma a ttack
may correct itself spontaneously o r a n
asthma a ttac k m ay n eed treatment.
so PRISON LIFE

Th e symptoms of asthma a re shortness
of breath, wh eezing, coug h ing and
tightness in the chest.
This means that yo ur airways react
abnormally to d iffe rent th ings. An asthma attack may be trigge red by pollutan ts (ciga re tte sm o ke- good thing
you quit), allergens (dust, po llen, a nim al fur, mo lds), irri tan ts (gas fumes,
paint smells, noxious od ors), emo tional stress, respira tory infections, changes
in tem perature, ta king aspirin o r suifires (a preservative found in wine and
many foods), o r exe rcising. It is believed that substances n ormally fou nd
in th e blood stream cau se increased
production of mucu s and make the airways of th e lungs (bronc hi ) consu·ict,
wh ich is what causes the wh eezing
so un d during a n attac k. An asthm a
attack can be so seve re that no wheezing is h eard because no air is moving at
all. Asthma attacks are graded as mild
(sligh t shortness of breath ), moderate
a nd severe ( turning b lu e, beco ming
lethargic and confused, with severe respiratory distress).
More people a re developing asth ma,
and m o re people a re dying from it
than eve r- pro bably due to t h e
increase in e nvironmental po ll utants.
It is a d isease to be take n se rio usly,
r equiring med ical sup e rvision and
treatment as a n inflamm atory disease .

An inflam matory d isease requires antiinflammatory drugs. Theoph ylline is
not a n an ti-inflammato ry drug, but the
corticosteroid s are. T h ese d rugs are
successful in treating mild to moderate
asthma and preventing a n attack in
the first place. Inhaled corticosteroids
are safe and effective a nd are th e firstli n e medication for mode rate and
severe asthm atics. Some of the corticoste roids
drugs
are:
beclom eth asone (Be d oven t, Vanceril),
fl unisolide (AeroBid) , triamcinolone
(Aristocort, Kenacort).
Some people are scared of ste roids,
but these drugs work differently than
the metabolic steroids. The metabolic
steroids that body builders abuse and
evemually die from are diiTerent from
the asthm a med icatio n b ecause th e
inhaled medications are taken in very
small amoun ts and are sent direc tly to
the lungs.
The next g ro up o f d rugs used wi th
the inha led corti cos te roid s are t h e
beta-adrene rgic inhalers- wh ich a re
the treatment of choice for acute asthma attacks a nd exercise-induced asthma. Troy- you did not say what kind
of inhale r you use- but so me of th ese
drugs are albuterol (Prove n ti l, Ventol in ), pirbuterol (Maxair) , and terbutaline su lfate (B rea th a ire). Th ese
re lax the airway m uscles, a nd in this

way are effective, but they can be
overused. If you are on one of these
medications, and find you have to
pump more frequently, this means
your asthma is no longer well controlled, and the medication is not
working as it should. You need to seek
medical help promptly. Theophylline
works much like these medications,
the only problem is that theophylline
can cause many side effects (stomach
upset, nausea, restlessness, insomnia),
and, because it circulates through the
body and does not just go directly to
the lungs, patients who are on theophylline need to have blood levels
checked.
The last drug we will mention that
is commonly and effectively used is
cromolyn sodium (In tal). This inhaled drug is very good in preventing
an attack because it stops the airway
narrowing caused by allergens. It has
few side effects. Cromolyn has no
value, however, when used during an
asthma attack and it must be inhaled
four times daily to be helpful.
Asthma inhalers are sometimes misused to enhance the effects of crack
cocaine; some crack cocaine smokers
believe that the inhaler opens the airway and allows the crack to get deeper
into the lungs. Actually, crack can
cause sudden tightening of airways
(bronchospasm) and an asthma-like
attack even in people who have never
had asthma. It certainly worsens existing asthma. Let's not forget that smoking crack cocaine allows you to inhale
cocaine (a poison or a toxin) and a
number of street contaminants (also
poisons) heated to several hundred
degrees, obviously not too healthy for
your lungs. But the damage does not
stop there. Crack is absorbed into the
blood stream through the lungs. Once
in your body, crack makes the blood
stickier and causes tiny clots (emboli)
that can go anywhere. If the clot lands
in the brain, you'll have a stroke; in
the heart, a heart attack, in the gut,
dead gut.
So Troy, back to your asthma question. Exercise-induced asthma is common. You start running, lifting or
shooting baskets, and the attack
comes on: wheezing, coughing, chest
tightening. These measures can help:
1. Be well hydrated before you
begin your exercise. This means
drink plenty of water so the
mucus in the airways is thin (not
sticky), and therefore less likely to
clog your lungs and more easily
coughed up.
2. Use your inhaler before you

exercise, even if you have been
breathing without difficulty up
until then. And keep your inhaler
handy during your workout.
3. Avoid exercising in very cold
places. But if you must, for example, run on a wintery day, wear a
mask that covers your mouth, and
breath through it so the air you
inhale is somewhat warmed.
4. Avoid exercising when you have
an upper respiratory infection
(URI or a "cold"). And try to prevent colds in the first place by
avoiding contact with folks who
have colds, getting plenty of rest,
eating well, keeping your hands
away from your nose and eyes
(the way cold viruses can enter
your body), keeping your hands
clean (viruses love dirty hands),
and taking adequate amounts of
vitamin C.
Troy, you've got to remember: Ultimately, you, not your doctor, are most
responsible for your care. So keep up
with the latest info on your specific
problem. And for more information,
you might contact the _American Lung
Association at I-800-58f?-4872.
Breathe easy man,
Da Nurses

Dear. Nurses:
I am writing to procure information,
and/or written data, on the various chronic foot-related conditions. Would you send
me information on the most common forms
of chronic foot disorders? Thank you.
Very.truly yours,

James E.
Amarillo, Texas
Hello James E.:
Hallux valgus. Flat feet. Ingrown
toenails. Hammer toes. Corns. Calluses. Plantar warts. Neurotrophic ulcers.
Funny smells. There, are plenty of
podiatric perils to pick from, Mr.
Brown.
Feet take a lot of abuse: stuffed into
sweaty sneakers, pounded into the
pavement with full body weight for
hours, squeezed into stiletto heels (we
think some women may be reading
this), picked at, blister-popped and
then ignored-poor feet! The abuse
feet take is a problem especially if you
are a diabetic. When you have sugar
diabetes you must keep your feet
clean and dry, examine them daily for
reddened or problem areas, and take
good care of all cuts and sores. If you
don't do this, eventually ifs toot, toot,

tootsie-goodbye. (We aren't kidding. Many diabetics have one· or both
feet and or legs amputated.)
So, Mr. james E., since you didn't
pick the problem (or, hopefully, your
feet) we will pick one of the most
common problems (and if we haven't
answered your question please feel
free to write us again)- Tinea pedis,
which is better known as athlete's
foot. This troublesome condition is
caused by fungus. Fungi (plural) like
to live in dark, wet, warm areas. So the
spaces between your toes make a perfect habitat, especially during these
warm summer months. What does
Tinea pedis look like? Like this: red,
scaly, skin-cracked, skin-peeling patches, sometimes with thickened toe-nails
if the fungus spreads to the nail. Prevent this problem by:
1. Wearing rubber thongs in the
shower, if you can get them, or try
to use a shower with a clean floor
and no stagnant pools ofwater;
2. Keeping your feet clean and dry,
washing them daily with soap and
water and drying well between
each toe;
·
3. Changing your socks every day;
wearing clean white cotton socks
is best;
·
4. Selecting shoes that allow perspiration to escape: leather, canvas,
sandals. Avoid plastic or vinyl
shoes.

And if athlete's foot does develop:
I. Do all the above
2. Use an antifungal powder or
cream specially formulated to kill
this type of fungus, such as clotrimazole (Lotrimin, Mycelex), tolnaftate (Tinactin), or nystatin
(Mycostatin). This medicine can
take a few weeks to work and in
some cases stronger oral medication may be needed.

Stay footloose and fancy free,
DaNurses

Da Nurses are both Registered Nurses
and Certified Nurse Practitioners. We caution that information in this column is
offered as general advice only and we recommend that anyone with health problems
seek professional medical care. Although
problems presented here may bear similarity
to yours, each requires personal and individual attention. We welcome your letters,
questions, and comments. Thank you for
Asking Da Nurses.

PilSON LIPI 81

Don't
serve the
time,
let the
time serve
you
THE
PRISON LIFE
FOUNDATION
D on ' t incar cerate;
e ducat e.

e

Personal Transform ation
through Education
e Fully-accredited GED, College
and Vocational Degrees
e Scholarships and Funding for
Prison Educational Projects
e Courses and Study Materials
Delivered Directl y to the
Prisoner/Student

Please tell us your educational interests.
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The Prison Life Foundat ion.
Inc. is a not-for-profit organization
devoted to helping prisoners break
free from the cycle of crime and
incarceration through educati on.
The Found at ion, togethe r with
Prison Life Educational Services.
Inc., sponsor fully-accredited GED,
co llege and vocati onal courses
through correspondence learning.
If you are interested in learn ing
more about educational opportuniti es o ffered by the Pri son Life
Fo und ati o n, please fi ll out and
return the attached questionnaire to
The Prison Life Fou ndation. 350
Fifth Ave nue, Su ite 1905 , New
York, NY 10 11 8.

IIIEIIIIDIIIIII
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LE
_GAL
PARALEGALGRADED CURRICULUM BY BlACKSTONE SCHOOL
OF lAW. Approved ho me stud ies
legal training since 1890. Affo rda ble a nd compre hensive. Free catalog: 1-800-826-9228 or write
Blackstone School of Law, P.O. Box
701 449 Dept. PL, Dallas, TX 75370.
APPEALS, HABEAS CORPUS.
Au o rn ey, Califo rni a (fed e ral &
sta te) ba rs, U .S. Supre me Court,
Abogado, Califomia (federal y estata)
abogacia, Corte Supremo E. U. Pa ul
McCarth y, 1 Ka ise r Plaza 1750,
O akla nd , CA 94612.5 10-836-0100,
fax 510-832-3690.
FEDERAL INMATES: Ass ista nc e
in tra nsfe rs and ma u e rs relating to
Fed e ral Bureau o f Priso ns Po licy
a nd Procedures. H .R. Cox, M.S.
Fed era l Burea u of Priso n s,
Re tire d , 106 Lake Fo res t Ct. ,
Weath e rford, TX 7608 7.

BOOKS & MAGS
FREE CATALOG, a bsolute lowest
p rices on subscrip tio ns to 850 magazines. Examples; Newsweek I yr
$23.95; CQ 1 yr $7.95; Vanity Fairl
yr $9.95; Penthouse l yr $19.95; Penthouse Letters $17.95; FREE LISTMagaz ine Wa re h o use, 1243-48 th
Street, Brooklyn, NY 11 219, (800)
SAVE-SAVe.

"When lhe gods 11wde man, thP)' made a
weaj1011. O rde r Th e O din Brotherhood ($ 11.00 pos tpa id) fro m
Wo rld T ree Publicati o ns, P .O. Bo x
961, Payson, AZ 85547.
H

The Art of H olding Together Your
Relationship While Doing Time in
Prison. T his boo k is way oveJ-du e .
A real manual th a t d eals with ,-eaJ
issues a nd creative ways in keeping
th e o n e yo u love o r a re in love
with while you se rve yo ur tim e .
T his ma nu a l is hi g h ly reco mme n de d fo r eve ry m a n a nd
wo ma n in Ame rica who is c urre ntly se rving tim e in juve nile, co unty
j ail, work-release, work ca mp, sta te
o r federal prison . This boo k is so
real, eve n OJ . Simpso n h as a
copy. So, o r de r yo ur b ook n o w!
Send $ 10 . M.O. o nl y, plus $2.5 0
sh ip ping to: WARD Pub lish e rs,
P .O . Box 1 288, Spoka n e, WA
99210.

HEAVEN IS REAL. Your hunger for
goodn ess, h app iness, kn owl edge,
achi eveme nt and pe rfecti o n is d estin ed to be fulfill ed to th e utm ost
degree. Discover wha t kind of place
is the he reafter. T here is no reincarn a tio n . onsectari a n spi r it world
essays a nd recomme nded book list
ava ilable for $12.50. Prison ers pay
$12.00. Re mit to: Eli Susma n, P.O.
Box 2897, Boston, MA 0210 1-2897.
Satisfaction gua ranteed. Th e re a re
twenty-two essays, a list o f seven in
print boo ks p lus a colo r co py o f a
book cover. Natio nal Resource List
for Priso n e rs, upda ted May 1995,
included with order. Name th e publica tion in which th is ad was placed.

MAIL ORDER
Say H a ppy Mothe r 's Day, H a ppy
Birthday, I'm Sorry, I Love You, with
pe rfume, candy o r flowe rs. Se rving
prison ers exclusively. Free brochure.
MAIL ORDER BLUES, 2767 So.
Parke r Road, Suite 188, Aurora, Colorado 80014. Tele pho ne: 303/ 91 43955.
Fantastic Brand Name and Amway
Products and Food. Co m petitive
prices. Price of 226-p age, full-colo r
catalog ($4.50) re funded wi th first
purc hase . Call 415/ 33 1-8428 o r
write : 358 Da nfo rth Ave ., P.O .B .
65032, To ron to, Onta ri o, Ca n ad a
M4K1MO.

&press your love to family & friends.
Custom d esigned gift baskets
sh ipped nationwide a nd
to foreign countries.
Gift Baskets By Mail
296 Bird Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126.
FREE COLOR PHOTO & BROCIIURE.
Call or write today. (408) 254-4134.

RADIOS AND OTHER GOODS.
Serving th e prison popula tio n since
1984-We are the Conaid Compa ny,
Inc. We o ffer a variety of radi os a nd
o the r good s sp ecifica lly fo r th e
priso n populati o n. Free Catalog.
Write to: The Co n aid Co mpa n y,
In c., 2302 230th Stree t, Pasade n a,
MD 211 22.

MEDIA
Authors seeking stories on Solitary
Confinement: me ntal & ph ysical
effects, conditions, treatment, coping
me thods. Write to: Mad Zone, 86-33
89th St., Woodhave n, NY 11421.

Tired of doing time yo u do n ot
dese rve? Have you give n u p o n all
pos ibi lity of any justice since your
con fi nemen t? Pl ease wri te: Freedom Press, Priso ner Support Divisio n, P.O. Box 4458, Leesbmg, VA
22075. Incl u de a narrative, and
co p ies of yo u r sentenc ing do c umen ts. Phone: 703/ 866-1<146. Collect calls Hre accepted on Saturday
and Sunday only.
WRITER DOING RESEARCH
FOR BOOK. Looking for peop le
convicted of' n on-viole n t c rimes .
Especiall y in te rested in fraud ,
embezzlement, con games, scams,
e tc. Wou ld like to hea r yo ur sto ry;
com pensatio n for all stories p u blish ed . For more informa tion
p lease wri te to: B. Ph ilbrick, 853
Van d e rbi lt Bea c h Rd., Su ite 2 12,
Naples, FL 33963.

OTHER STUFF
For God So Loved Th e World Tha t
He Gave H is On ly Begouen Son
Tha t Whosoeve r Beli eveth In Him
Shall Not Perish But Have Eve rlasting Li fe.j o/m 3: /6. J esus Loves You.
What's the re to look at once your
head's outta your ass? Try the Sky!
T h at's r igh t- the Sky. The sky is
the "dail)' bread of the eyes.,. Most
o f us have yet to ge t even a c rumb.
Don't blame th e sky. It's o ne of the
few things t h ey can't ta ke away
fro m you. But you take it away from
yo urself whe n yo u fai l to look at the
sky. To he lp you rmlly see the sky,
ord e r th e Clo ud Ch a r t. J us t 8.95
ppd. Co mes ro lled in a wbe-t he
mai lroom will be surprised 10 learn
it's no t a p ipe bom b. Clo ud Chan,
Dep t. PL , 54 Webb St. , P.O. Box
191, Lexingto n, MA 02 173.

CLASSIFIED RATES
$75 for 35 words.
Additional words are $1 each.
Prepayment required.
Send to:
PRISON LIFE Classified Ads
4200 Westheimer, Suite 160
Houston, TX 77027-4426
Call 1-800-207-2659
or (713) 840-7801

PRISON LIFE 83

11111111111
by Alex F riedmann, Resource Editor,

SCCC, TN

The no11projit and volunteer-run agencies in this list are all worhing to heljJ us,
/!111/hey mn 't heljJ us without your help. If
you want to contact one or more of these
organizations f or info rmrrtion, St'/f-hPijJ
materials orfor tlu•ir newslellns, thm do
thP rightthing-m rlnse some loose stamjJs
or a11 S.ti.S.E. Beller yet. SPnrl them some
IIW111')' (that 's right, some ofyour harrlr•amwl, /l(frr/-timr• prison 1110111')'-) Evm onr•
dollar mn help. 'l'f1erp art' ovPr a milliou
jJrisonn-s in the U. 5i. and if PUf'IJ one of us
sent just a bu rl! each mo11th to a worthy
musP fi /((' C. U. IU~. , F.ti.M.M. or thP
ti.F.S.C. , then thosP 01gani:w tions would
be collPcling ouPr $ 12 million a year.
That 's somPlhi ng to thi nil about. If wr•
PXjJI'CijrPP-WOrfd mganizaliOil.\ ( O f! p[jJ liS,
then wPhaue to hPijJ tlwm. ThPboll om fi nt•:
\Vha/ got'S (ll'{)llnd CO/liPS aro1111rf.

BOOKS AND READING PROJECTS.
• Books lor Prisoners, c/o Left Bonk Bookstore, 92
Pike St. , Box A, Seattle, WA 98101 : This volunteer
program provides up to three books of a time.
• Books Through Bars Program, New Society Pub·
lishers, A527 Springfield Ave, Philadelphia, PA
19143: Provides free books lor prisoners.
• Prison Book Program, Redbook Store, 92 Green
Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130: No books con be
sent to prisoners in KS, NE, lA, Ml, OR or CA.
• Prison Library Project, 976 W. Foothill Blvd #128,
Claremont, CA 91711.
• Prisoner Literature Project, c/o Bound Together
Books, 1369 Haight Street, Son Francisco, CA
9A 117: Free books lor prisoners.
• Prison Reading Project, Paz Press, P.O. Box 3146,
FoyeHeville, AR 72702: Free books lor women prisoners.
PAROLE/ PRERELEASE INFORMATION:
• American Correctional Association, Publications
Dept, 8025 Laurel Lakes Court, Laurel, MD 20707·
5075 (301 / 206·5059 or 800/825·2665): Publishes
a parole planning guide, • As Free os on Eagle; and
sells other sell-help books.
• Interstate Publishers, 510 North Vermillion Street,
P.O .Box 50, Danville, IL 6 183A·0050 (217 / AA6·
0500 or 800/ 8A3·A77Al: Sells a parole planning
monuol, "From the Inside Out."
SUPPORT AGENCIE5-NATIONAL:
• OPEN, Inc. (Offender Preparation and Education
• American Friends Service Commi»ee, 1501 Cher·
Network), P.O. Box 566025, Dollas, TX 75356·6025
ry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215/2A 1·7130): (21A/ 271 · 1971 ): Sells "99 Days & a Get·up; "Man,
A Quaker organization that works lor peace and
I need a Job!" and other great pre· release guidesequality. Their criminal justice branch con provide l~t·
lor $A.95 each.
eroture on o variety of prison issues. There ore sox
• Manatee Publishing, 4835 North O'Conner St.
regional AFSC offices in the U.S.: CA, Ml, NJ, MA,
# 13AA35, Irving, TX 75062: Sells "Getting Out and
OH and NY.
Staying Out; a porole· plonn ing manual, lor
• John Howard Association, 67 E. Madison # 1A 16,
$22.A5.
Chicago, IL 60603 (312/263· 190 11: This organize·
• CEGA Services, Offender Referra ls, P.O. Box
lion is mostly involved with prison reform and criminal
81826, Lincoln, NE 68501-1 826 (A02/A64·0602l:
justice issues in Illinois, but they con provide materials CEGA offers pre· release referrals lor prisoners lor the
of interest to all prisoners. There is a separate JHA area they will be paroled to (such os housing, employ·
branch in Canada.
ment ond substance abuse treatment programs.) $15
• Notional Association lor the Advancement of Col· lee lor each city. CEGA also sells the "Survival
ored People (NAACP). Criminal Justice Prison Pro·
Sourcebook" and "The Job Hunter's Workbook."
gram, A805 Mount Hope Drive, Baltimore, MD
OTHER-PRISON AIDS PROJECTS:
21215·3297 (A 10/ 358·8900): Offers referrals and
• American Civil Liberties Union, 1616 P Street NW,
advisory services lor prisoners who wont to break the
cycle of recidivism-especially among minorities. Washington, DC 20036 (202/ 23A·A830l: Operates
These projects operate through regional offices and on • AIDS in Prison" information project.
• Correctional Association AIDS in Prison Project,
ore not available in every area. Write lor local con·
135 E. 15th Street, New York, NY 10003 (212/674·
tact addresses.
• Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR), 301 Pork 0800): Offers resource information concerning AIDS
Drive, Severna Pork, MD 211A6 (A1 0/6A7·380 6l: in prison, especially lor inmates in New York.
• HIV Prison Project, NYC Commission on Human
Provides post· release assistance lor prisoners in lA,
Rights, AO Rector St., New York, NY 10006
MD, NJ, PA and VA, through 121ocol offices.
(212/233·5560).
ADVOCACY AGENCIES- NATIONAL
• Notional Prison Hospice Association, P.O. Box 58,
• CURE, P.O. Box 2310, Notional Capitol Station,
Boulder, CO 80306·0058: Helps develop hospice
Washington, DC 20013·2310 (202/ 789·2126): programs lor terminally ill prisoners.
Organization lor prison reform, with stole chapters • Notional ACLU Prison Project, AIDS Education Pro·
and special groups lor veterans, lifers, sex offenders
ject, 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW A 10, Washing·
and federal prisons.
ton, DC 20009 (202/234-4830).
• Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMMl.
• "One Day at o Time; c/o Richard H. Rhodes
1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, #200, Washington, #05353·018, U.S.P. Leavenworth, P.O. Box 1000,
DC 2000A (202/ 457·5790): Works lor the repeal of Leavenworth, KS 66048: An AIDS newsleHer lor pris·
federal ma ndatory minimum sentencing lows.
oners.
• Justice Watch, 932 Dayton Street, Cincinnati, OH
• Prison AIDS Project, Goy Community News, 62
A5214 (513/ 2A 1·0490): Works to eliminate clossism Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116 (Notional AIDS
and racism from prisons.
Goy Task Force: 800/221 ·704A).
• Prison AIDS Resource Center, P.O . Box 2155,
PUBUCATIONS & MAGAZINES
• Fortune News, ATIN: Inmate Subscriptions, 39 Va caville, CA 95696·2155; or 926 J. Street, #801 ,
West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011 (21 2/206· Sacramento, CA 95814.
• Prisoners with AIDS/ Rights Advocacy Group, P.O.
7070): A publication of Fortune Society.
• Inside Journal, c/o Prison Fellowship, P.O . Box Box 21 61, Jonesboron, GA 30327 (40A/ 946·93A6):
16429, Washington, DC 2004 1·6429 (703/ A78· O ffers support, educational materials, referrals and
political lobbying lor prisoners with AIDS/ HIV.
01 00): A publication of Prison Fellowship.
OTHER-SPECIAL AGENCIES:
• Outlook on Justice, AFSC, 2161 Massachusetts
Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140 (617/ 661 ·6130): A
• League lor Lesbian and Goy Prisoners, 1202 East
newsletter of the American Friends Service Commit·
Pike St. , # 1OAA, Seattle, WA 98122: A project of
tee.
Goy Community Social Services.
• Prison Life Mosozine, 505 8th Avenue, New York,
• James Markunas Society, 2A5 Harriet Street, Son
NY 1001 8 (800/207 · 2659): A notional magazine Francisco, CA 9A 103 (A 15/775·5A45). A resource
by and lor prisoners ($19.95/ yeor) .
lor lesbian, goy and bisexual prisoners.
• The Pri son Chess Program, P.O . Box AA4 19,
84

PRISON LIFE

Washington, DC 20026 (30 1/ 530·A841 .
• Native American Indian Inmate Support Project, 8
Dollos Dr., Grantville, PA 17028: A Native American
group that supports the introduction of Indian reli·
gious ceremonies and programs in prisons.
• Native American Prisoners' Rehabilitation
Research Project, 28A8 Paddock Lone, Villa Hills, KY
A 1017: Offers many services lor Native American
prisoners, including legal and spiritual support, tribal
and cultural programs and direct contract with prison
administrators.
• Packages from Home, P.O. Box 905, Forestville,
CA 95A36: Sells moil·order food packages lor pris·
oners, of around $20/pkge.
• PEN, Writing Program lor Prisoners, 568 Brood·
way, New York, NY 10012 (212/ 334· 1660): Offers
a great resource booklet lor prison writers.
• Prisoners of Conscience Project, 2120 Lincoln St.,
Evanston, IL 60201 (708/ 328· 1543): A religious·
based agency that works lor the release of prisoners
of conscience/ political prisoners in the United Stoles.
• Prisoner Visitation and Support, 1501 Cherry
Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215/2A 1·7117):
Provides institutional visits to prisoners in federal and
military prisons nationwide.
• Project for Older Prisoners (POPS), c/ o Jonathon
Turley, Director, The Notional Low Center, 2000 H
Street NW, Washington, DC 20052.
• The Soler Society, Shoreham Depot Rood, RR 1,
Box 2A·B, Orwell, VT 05760·9756 (802/ 897·75A 1):
Sell·help materials lor sex offenders.
• Stop Prisoner Rope, P.O . Box 632, Fort Bragg, CA
95A37 (707 / 964·0820); or P.O. Box 2713, Man·
hoHonville Station, New York, NY 10027 (212/663·
5562): Provides support lor victims of institutiona l
rope.
• The Poetry Wall, Cathedral of St. John, 1OA7
Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025: Displays
inmate poetry seeking submissions.
PRISONER RESOURCE5-FAMILY
'f11trt orr IIIIIIIJ orgrmi:ntiom tlwl llfi/J pri<nlltTl with
/wvt thililrtll. Thf<t agmrirs Jnotddr liltmlurr, i>ifor·

mat ion, arluict' anrllti/J/JOII (JII how to roJH' with fa mil)'
problrms wh i lr i11 pri1011. f)irrrt assi<lflllrf i s usually
flvai/ab/1 un(\' in thr lornlttrtns tlwt lhr\r jJrograms
strUt.

• Aid to Imprisoned Mothers (AIM), 599 Mitchell St.,
SW, Atlanta, GA 3031 A (AOA/221 ·0092): An odvo·
cocy group lor incarcerated mothers. Although social
services ore only provided in the Atlanta area, AIM
con provide helpful information lor all women in
prison who hove children.
• Center lor the Children of Incarcerated Parents,
Pacific Oa ks College, 7 1A W. California Blvd,
Pasadena, CA 91105 (818/ 397· 1300): Provides
free educational material lor incarcerated parents
and their children.
• Fami ly and Corrections Network, Jane Adams
Center M/ C 309, 10AO West Harrison St. #4010 ,
Chicago, IL 60607·7134 (312/ 996·3219): Provides
information about programs serving families of pris·
oners.

• Fathers Behind Bars, P.O . Box 86, Niles, Ml
49120 (616/ 684·5715): A by-prisoners, lor·prison·
ers agency that helps to set up institutional parent
groups lor incarcerated lathers. Only the serious need
opply!
• Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, A7 4
Valencia St., #230, Son Francisco, CA 9A 103
(A 15/255·7036): Legal services ore provided in Col·
ilornio only, but some genera l information is avail·
able .
• Notional Institute of Corrections, Information Cen·
fer, 1860 Industrial Circle, Suite A, Longmont, CA
80501 (303/ 682·0213): Provides the "Directory of
Programs Serving Families of Adult Offenders."
• Notional Resource Center lor Family Support Pro·
grams, Family Resource Coalition, 200 S. Michigan
Ave., # 1520, Chicago, IL 6060A (312/ 341 ·0900):
Provides information about family programs, includ·
ing prison projects.
• Parent Resource Association , 2 13 Fernbrook

Avenue, Wyncote, PA 19095 (2 15/576·7961 ): Sup·
port for child/ parenting programs in prison; offers
referrals and information to incarcera ted parents.
• Prison Family Foundation, P.O . Box 1150,
Auburn, AL 36831 (205/ 821·11 50): Works to sup·
port fami ly education programs in prison. Sells pre·
and post-release books and other publications; works
with prison administrations to form institutional fam ily
support groups.
PRISONER RESOURCE5-LEGAL
Th t!rt art uumy ageucies that prorddP lrgnl \rn 1ia ' for
prisotltrs; most oftlttst orgtm i:atimn "''fu•tttiP mform a
lion or off" rqrrtnu matnial. Nolt thatllr f'V aw•ncii''IO rio
not usually ha11dlt pnsonallrgal ~rn•icr< wrh '" filill[!,
afJflfalJ. posl<orwiction.s or /awsurt<-u•rtlt tlrt tx(tptiorr
offor-f~rofit componir.< (notlisttd hrrr) that rlrargr largt
4

Jus.

Federal:
• U.S. Deportment of Justice, Civil Rights Division,
Special Litigation Section, Washington, DC 20530
(202/ 514·6255): Enforces the "Civil Rights of lnstitu·
tionolized Persons Ad' through lawsuits against state
or local prison officials who deprive prisoners of their
constitutional rights or who practice racial discrimino·
lion.
• U.S. Supreme Court, Public Information Office,
Washington, DC 20543·0001 (202/479·3211): Con
provide up to five Supreme Court decisions per term.
Supreme Court slip opinions ore available through the
Government Printing Office. Contact: The Superinten·
dent of Documents, U.S. Printing O ffice, Washington,
DC 20402 (202/783·3238).
National:
• ACLU Notional Prison Project, 187 5 Connecticut
Ave., NW #41 0, Washington, DC 20009 (202/ 234·
4830): A branch of the notional ACLU that works on
prison legal issues. Sells resource directories, criminal
justice statistic books and legal a id manuals; also
offers a prison newsleHer for 52 per year a nd sells the
"Rights of Prisoners" handbook for $5. Doesn't han·
die individual cases; they only litigate lorge·scole state
or notional prison reform legal a ctions.
• Americans for Effective Low Enforcement, 551 9 N.
Cumberland Ave # 1008, Chicago, IL 60656· 1498
(312/ 763· 2800): Sells monthly legal update publico·
lions, including the "Jail a nd Prisoner Low Bulletin."
Although this bulletin is meant for corrections officials,
it includes excellent resource material on the latest
prison-related court cases nationwide. Annua l costs
ore $ 168; perhaps your low library con subscribe.
Other bulletins include the "Lia bility Reporter" a nd
"Security Legal Update."
• Columbia Human Rights Low Review, 435 West
! 16th Street, Sox B-25, New York, NY 10027
(212/ 663·8701): Sells the "Jailhouse Lawyer Manu·
ol" (JLM) far $30 a copy ($13 for prisoners).
• Criminal Procedure Project, 600 New Jersey Ave.,
NW, Washington, DC 20001 : Provides law·cost legal
materials and publications.
• Freedom Press, 525K E. Market St. , #1 7 1, Lees·
burg, VA 22075 (703/771·4699 or 703/ 391·
8604): A prison project run by paralegals. They offer
legal services at a reduced rate, sometimes on month·
ly payment plans; they also offer photocopying ser·
vices and pre-release/parole pla nning.
• Inside/ Out Press, P.O. Box 18813 1, Sacramento,
CA 95818 : Publishes se lf-help legal guides.
Inside/ Out is the mail-order business for the Prison·
ers' Rights Union, which focuses on California prison
issues.
• Lewisburg Prison Project, P.O. Box 128, Lewis·
burg, PA 17837·0 128 (7 17/523· 11 04) : Sells low·
cost literature regarding constitutional rights, due
process and other legal issues of interest to prisoners.
• Notional Lawyers Guild, Notional O ffice, 55
Avenue of the America s, New York, NY 100 13· 1698
(212/ 966·5000): A notional legal agency that has on
interest in criminal justice and jailhouse lawyers.
• Oceano Press, 75 Main Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY
10522 (914/ 693·81 00): Sells prison-related legal
books, including "The Prisoner' s Self-Help Litigation
Manual" ($20) and "Post·Convidion Remedies• (520).
• Prisoner Legal News, P.O. Box 1684, Lake Worth,
FL 33460: A magazine published by prisoners in
Washington tha t covers nationwide prison legal issues.
Subscription rates ore around $12 per yearI 12 issues.
• Southern Illinois University Press, P.O. Box 3697,

Carbondale, IL 62902 ·3697: Con provide "The
Rights of Prisoners" brochure at no cost.
• Storlite, P.O. Box 20004, St. Petersburg, FL 33742
(81 3/392·2929 or 800/ 577·2929): Sells the CITE·
BOOK, which is a collection of positive federal and
sta te case low, both criminal and civil. The CITEBOOK
is updated quarterly and costs $28 (S 112 annually).
Although this is fa irly expensive, perhaps your law
library con subscribe; this company also sells other
books regarding business, consumer and legal issues.
• West Publishing Company, 61 0 Opperman Drive,
Saint Paul, MN 55123· 1340: Publishes "Corrections
and Prisoners Rights in a Nutshell" and "Criminal Pro·
cedures in a Nutshell," at S 17 each.
PARALEGAL
CORRESPONDENCE PROGRAMS
• Blackstone School of Low, P.O. Box 70 1449, Dol·
los, TX 75370 (800/826·9228): Offers a well-known
correspondence progra m.
• Southe rn Career Institute, 164 West Roya l Pa lm
Rd , Boca Ra ton, FL 334 32 (800/ 669·2555 or
407 / 368·2522): Offers a complete paralegal course
tha t costs S 1595 to S 1977; monthly payment plans
availa ble. This school is accredited by the National
Home Study Council.
• The Paralegal Institute, 3602 West Thomas Rood
#9, Drawer 11 408, Phoenix, AZ 85061 · 1408
(602/272· 1855): Offers paralega l courses for fees
ra nging between S 1290 and S2750 . Monthly pay·
ment plans and on Associate degree program avail·
able. Accredited by National Home Study Council.
MINISTRIES & BIBLE STUDIES
• Emmaus Bible Correspondence School, 2570
Asbury Rd, Dubuque, lA 52001 (319/ 588· 8000):
Offers free Bible courses for prisoners.
• Good News Mission, 1036 Highland Street,
Arlington, VA 22204 (703/ 979·2200): A Christian
orga nization that provides support, witnessing a nd
spiritual counseling to inmates in 110 prisons across
14 states.
• Guideposts, 39 Seminary Hill Rood, Carmel, NY
105 12 (91 4/225·368 1): A Christian organization
that publishes Guideposl magazine. Also sponsors the
FIND information network, which provides informo·
lion referrals: FIND Network, P.O. Box 855, Carmel,
NY 105 12.
• Hope Aglow Prison Ministries, P.O. Box 3057,
Lynchburg, VA 24503: A nationwide religious argo·
nizotion that offers Bible study courses.
• International Prison Ministry, P.O. Box 63, Dallas,
TX 75221.
• Liberty Prison Ministries, P.O . Box 8998,
Waukegan, IL60079: This Christian ministry publish·
es the Liberator newsleHer.
• Liberty Prison Outreach, 701 Thomas Rood, Lynch·
burg, VA 24514 (804/239·9281 ): Provides religious
a ssista nce to prisoners, mostly in central Vi rginia;
Bible correspondence courses available.
• Prison Fellowship, P.O . Box 17500, Washington,
DC 20041 (70 3/ 478·0 100): A nationwide ministry
that sponsors spiritual activities in prison.
• Prison Ministry of Yokefellows International, The
Yokefellow Center, P.O . Box 482, Rising Sun, MD
2191 1 (4 10/ 658· 2661 ): a religious organization
that offers information and literature to prisoners.
• Set Free Prison Ministries, P.O . Box 5440, River·
side, CA 92517·9961 (909/ 787·9907): Provides on
extensive Bible study course.
• Southern Prison Ministry, 910 Ponce de Leon Ave.
NE, Atlanta, GA 30306.
• U.S. Mennonite Central CommiHee, Office of Crimi·
no I Justice, P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 1750 1·0 500
(717/ 859·3889): O ffers many publications concerning
crime a nd religion-most ore free to prisoners.
ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS
• Islamic Prison Foundation, 121 2 New York
Avenue NW #400, Washington, DC 20005: Mostly
works with Muslims in federal prisons.
• The Notional Incarcerated Muslim Network, c/o
Maurice Taylor, #476837, Route 3, Box 59,
Rosharon, TX 77583: A prison·bosed organization
that networks with incarcerated Muslims for support
and educa tional purposes.
JUDAISM ORGANIZATIONS
• Ale ph Institute, P.O . Box 546564, Surfside, FL
33 154 (305/864·5553): A full-service Jewish odvo·

cocy agency with regional offices.
• International Coalition for Jewish Prisoners Ser·
vices, 1640 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20036·3278 (202/857·6582): Offers support,
referrals, guidance, educational a nd religious pro·
grams, and pen pols.
BUDDHIST/ MEDITATION GROUPS
• Human Kindness Foundation, Prison Ashram Pro·
ject, Route 1, Box 20 1-N, Durha m, NC 27705: Pro·
vides reading material for spiritual living.
• lskcon Prison Ministries, 2936 Esplanade Ave.,
New Orleans, LA 701 19.
• Prison Dharma Network, P.O . Box 9 12, Astor Sto·
lion, Boston, MA 02123·0912: Offers Buddhist medi·
lotion literature.
PRISONER RESOURCEsDEATH PENALTY
• American Civil Liberties Union, Capitol Punishment
Project, 122 Maryland Avenue NE, Washington, DC
20002 (202/ 675·231 9): A branch of the ACLU that
deals with death penalty issues.
• American Friends Service CommiHee, 1501 Cher·
ry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 (2 15/ 241·7130):
a Q uaker peace organization that works to bon the
death pena lty as one of their Criminal Justice projects.
• Amnesty International, Project to Abolish the Death
Penalty, 322 8th Ave., New York, NY 1000 1·4808
(212/ 807 ·8400): Works to abolish the death penalty
through public leHer·writing campaigns.
• Capitol Punishment Research Project, P.O . Box
277, Headland, AL 36345 (205/693·5225).
• Catholics Against Capitol Punishment, P.O . Box
31 25, Arlington, VA 22203 (703/522·5014): A reli·
gious organization against the death penalty.
• Death Penalty Information Center, 1606 20th Street
NW, Washington, DC 20009 (202/ 347·2531).
• Death Row Support Project, P.O . Box 600, Liberty
Mills, IN 46946 (2 19/ 982·7480): O ffers pen·pol
services to death row inmates.
• Endeavor Project, P.O. Box 23511 , Houston, TX
77228·3511 : A magazine produced by and for pris·
oners on death row.
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund, 99 Hudson Street,
16th Floor, New York, NY 10013 (212/2 19· 1900):
A legal branch of the NAACP that supports minority
rights; also has on anti-death penalty project.
• Notional Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty,
1325 G Street NW, Lower Level B, Washington, DC
20005 (202/347·2411 ): Works to a bolish the death
penalty; provides a stote·by·state listing of agencies
against the death penalty ("The Abolitionisrs Directo·
ry,• 52).
OBSOLETE PRISONER AGENCIES
T hr fol/owi "g atltlrrHr\ , ,,. rw lnngn· rll n't•n/. Thrfr
hrnw moun/, gn ur out nj lnHitl f'H or simply rNd
rw t writr lmrh wlwu we cn lllar tr d thrm:

ugrnrir \

Askofuk Notiona l Committee in DE
Committee to Abolish Slavery in DC
CVLP NewsleHer in AZ
5·Stor Press in NY
Inmate Assistance Project in TX
Legal Advice to Inmate Program in TX
Legal Associa tes West in CA
Liberation of Ex-Offenders through Employ. in TX
NIJ, U.S. Dept. of Justice in CO
NTL Low Center in DC
Prison Families Anonymous in NY
Prisoners' Aid Society in TN
Prisoner' s Personal Aid in TX
People with AIDS Prison Project in CO
Sentencing Project in DC
Southern Coalition on Prisons and Jails in TN
Tower Press Publishers in PA
Women' s Prison Survival News in Ontario

Changes, additions and new
information should be sent to:
Prison Life Magazine
Resources Department
505 8th Avenue
New York, NY 10018

PRISON LIFE 85

liEIIDiiEIIIII
S BM , 27, seeks a n und e rs ta ndin g
woma n o f a n y race to b e a goo d
fri e nd. Enjoys \\Tili n g, re adin g a nd
romance n ove ls . 5' I 0 ", 185# an d
looks ni ce . Will an swer all le tte rs .
Aaro n Co llin s, # D-30738, P.O . Box
290066, Rc pressa , CA 95671. FA-6 120.
Dea th Ro w pr iso n e r seek in g co rres pondence with a two n e, a n vwh e t·e.
Ge ra ld\\'. Bi vin s, #922004 , P.O. Box
4 I, l"vli chigan City, IN 46360.
T r yi n ' to s urvive th e war. f" m 5 ' 6",
180#, and a blac k ma le looking fo r a
fr iend to co rrespo nd with . Alb e n
~ lcG ec, # X705 34, 29- 7 , MS DO C,
Parc hman , MS 38738.

I" m just a 23-yr-old young brotha from
So. Ca l. wh o go t caug ht up o u t h e re
in th e Roc ky .\lou ntain s. ~ l y name
and h oo k up: Angelo Anto in e Ce lestin e, #65138, CS P d 2-22, P. O. Box 777,
Ca ti o n City, CO 8 121 5-0777.
Loc ke d down in C o lo rad o . Long
brwn h a ir, g rn eyes, lo ts o f tattoos.
Very a rtisti c (see my e m ·clopc in i\ la il
Call th is m o mh ) . Wo uld like to h ear
fro m so m e lad ies. J a m es W. G r ee n ,
# 63976, CS P d2-21 , P.O.Box 777 ,
Can o n C ity, CO 8 12 15-0777.
WM , 38, 6', been inja il4 1/ 2 yrs. 9
mon ths le ft. Re wrning to t M upo n
release. Will corresp o nd witlt fe males
fro m a nywhe re , preferably AZ o r 1 M.
T o contact ho nest, hardworking man
doing ti me o n minor drug o ffe n se,
wri te j am e Co nn #86602 , AZ State
Pr iso n -Came roon nit, I 0000 outh
Wilmot, Tucson, AZ 85777.
SWM , 40, very upbea t guy. C hristian
inte rested in o th e rs wh o arc into the
pirit. 13 yea rs to go. Was g ay fo r 3 1
yea rs-n ow co mpl e te ly s tra ig h t fo r
th e Lo r d. Interes te d in a lov in g
wo m an o r just a p e n-pal. B. Neal
Fra n ci s #265751 , WA Sta te Pe n ,
P.O.Box 520, Walla Walla, 'v\'A 99362.
\\' l\1, 4 1, 5' 11 ·· 185#, sea rc h ing fo r
s p ec ia l o th e r ha lf. 3 years left. It' s
ha rd b e in g alone-wri te and let's
s h a re so m e s mil es a n d happine ss .
Down-to-ea rth with bi g h ea rt. I love
coumry m usic. Seeking the qu ie t simpl e thin gs in life. r\ge, we ig ht, looks
unim p onant; " ·h a t 's in }'Our h eart
co unts. Will a n swe r a n vo ne. Ro b en
l lan sman A-6'11 633-f-3- 1.2b , Columbia
Corr. lns t. Ro m e 7, PO Box 3 76. Lake
City, FL 32055.
Loo kin g for wi ld s ide ! In or o u t o f
th e close t. Yo ur key is saf'c with m e .
Looki ng for h o m o/ bisex ual m ales to
co rres p ond wit h . SWi\·1, 3 1 yr. o ld,
86 PRISON LIFE

g r ee n eyes, LT. Bro wn H a ir . .J oseph
Carino #5 7<190<1, Easth a m , PO B 16,
Lovelady, TX 7585 1. lo Ga m es.
Free-s piri ted, 6', 170#, 43, lo n g ha irdo , g r ee n eye d artist w/ e asy-go in g
n a t ure. Wou ld lik e to h ea r fr o m
inte lligen t wo man , a n y age, with
e n se o f hum or. to s h are tho ug h ts.
Tom Con no lly, B3 6 19, P.O Box ~)9 .
Pomiac I L 6 176-1.
5 '11 ", 190#, musc ular. Att ra c ti ve
insid e, wh ite o lllside. Freed o m co ming. See king write r , publish e r, friends
a nd attrac ti ve, in te lligen t l'e mal e to
re bui ld life with. Not a ga m e! Do n 't
watll mone}'· I love Harleys, c hildre n ,
o utdoors, animals , music a nd d o wnto-earth , ime llige nt peop le. Paul\\'.
cou ,#0716 15, P.O Box 22, H-E nit,
Death Row, Raiford, FL 3209 1.

fri en d hip, maybe m o re. Was in jail 4
years. ou t la te '95. No fakes, pho nies
o r wan n abes! Roxer llulsre r #53637,
T cf8 15SE Rice Rd . T o peka KS 66607.
Ve ry whi te sin g le bik er, 6' 1," 195#.
Blu e eyes a nd wai s t le n g th bl o nd e
hair. In to 1-larl eys & drivin g iro n.
See k eas,·-on-th e-eves ve rv mu c h
fe m ale co,u nterp a n ' fot: fri e;1 d s hip ,
possibly more . All a n swe rs a n d phoIOS get sam e . No bas ket cases p lease.
i\olark Brown 2 0413-086,3 7910 N.
4!'i th . Ave, De pt.l 700, Ph oe ni x AZ
85027-7055.
5' 10", 4 2 , WM , 220#, bro wn ha ir &
eyes. Bee n in jail 12 I / 2 yea rs, w/ 12
I / 2 more to go. \IVo ul d like to correspo nd wi th a woman who likes to wal k
through the ra in , ride horses through
t he woods and take pictures. I paint,
read lots o f books and play
c h ess. Pa ul O' Daniel , AI 0870, Box 1200, Di xon , IL
61021.
Down fo r th e cou nt, su·ong

& solid\\' I, 27. brown hair,
very blue e}'es, 6", 170 #,well
built w/ tattoos. Very honest
& loyal, no g<unes or bull hit.
Seeks fe ma le compa nio nship , so meo n e special to
grow close to ..Jack Blackwell,
# 212552, Baraga Max C. F.,
Rt I , Box 555, 30 I Vlaclaga
Rd. , Baraga, M l 49908.
\\'\1 , 32. (j 4", 2 15 #, b lk
hair, brn eyes. Seeking letters from all ladies (inside rs
o r o ut) . I've been lon cl}' for
too lo n g. So co m e o n ladi es, li ft a bro's spiri ts. Will
answer a ll. Send leuers to:
Ray Gabbert, # 151364,
130 1 E. 12 th treet, WilmAn by Virgil Barfield. 13caumom. TX
ing ton, DE 19809.
"1' I , 98
- · 1 J" • 160# . bl on c1 11011· r .
S\\'\ 1, 34 )~-sold , 6'0", 160 #,blond hair
_
,
:J
\'
and b lue ere . Looking for a wom a n I
blue eyes. Loo king for serio us, o p e ncan lore alwars. I'm a ha rd worker and
mind ed , open-h earted woman , 18 to
will b e o u t O ct '95. Willi am Bo bo, #
35 . Will trad e !li c ks a nd a n swer all.
852202,
ISF, 1500 West US 40, Green.Joe Mon e tti # n-68 109, P .O. Box 400,
castle, I ' 46 135-9275.
Vienna, IL 62995.
Ar yan wo lven warr ior hunts vixe n
Africa n Am e r ican , 29, 6' 1 ", 2 15#, Leo.
Val kyr ie free th inker. Only th e stro n g
I like hi p h op, R & Band to h ea r from
n eed apply. Send foto and resum e fo r
any dmnHo-<:an h young lady from my
sa
m e of m e in . Sage Adv i sor/ ~ l as ter
race. \I a uri ce Al ex and e r , 5921 I.
Debato r/ D r . Lus t-the h onorable
C. M. C-east, Rm . 8362, P.O Box 8 10 1,
De nn is Lee Marsh, P.O .B. 35 1,
a n Luis Obispo, CA 93409-8 10 I.
Waupu n k, Wiskonsi n n ed 53963.
SWF Beau ty, 26, 5'5 ., long ha ir & blue
eyes. Intellige nt, adve nwro us, rig ht- NOTE: Ads are $10 jJer issue. Subscribers get oue
e ous an d real. Into scoote rs & body- ad free with a paid submiptiou. Also: Allfee/em/
b u ildin g . See ks Indian o r w hite aud mauy slate prisous jJrohibit conYJSjJOIIdeuce
ri g hteo u s, loya l & rea l bros. Fo r beh ueeuju·isouers. All such mail w ill110t go thmugh.

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