A place where you go to bed early, even when you're not tired, you
walk in circles, even though you have no where to go, and you pull
the covers over your head, even though you're not cold.
A place where escape is possible, but only through reading, dreaming
or just plane going mad.
A place where a kind word and affectionate touches are only dim
memories.
A place where basic humanity is ignored, discarded and eventually
forgotten.
A place where men are stripped of their clothes as well as their
dignity and herded like the beasts society believes them to be.
A place where what shred of human dignity you have left is totally
taken away when you run out of toilet paper three days before you get
your weekly roll.
A place where you're encouraged to your prison neighbors so that your
keepers can further punish you for their amusement.
A place where you write letters but can't think of anything to say.
A place where you wait for letters that come less and less often
A place where you've lost respect for the law because you see it raw,
twisted, bent, ignored and blown out of proportion to suit the people
who enforce it.
A place where you learn nobody needs you, you are the forgotten man
and the world goes on without you.
A place where you discover that all of the talents and abilities you
have are worthless for you are the man in blue.
A place that doesn't exist in the minds or friends for the cannot put
it on an envelope, nor can they find it in a car.
A place that only exists in a time warp, for you are only remembered
in the past tense, and that is probably appropriate for you can see
no future.
A place where you wait for a visit that doesn't happen and although
you know the real reason, you have to accept the lies.
A place where days blend into weeks, months merge into years and ions
pass without feeling the touch of a human hand unless it is raised in
anger.
A place where the value of human life can be determined by pressing
the wrong button on the remote control television.
A place where MCI somehow has a deal with CDC not to let you call
you're loved ones, but does give your loved ones and friends a good
excuse not to accept your collect calls.
A place where the language spoken has its own meanings, where your
mouth is your grill, your chest is your hood and the people you're
seen with is your car.
Can a man survive prison and resume a useful life? If he can overcome
the degradation this is heaped upon him, society will continue to
remind him that he is tainted. Does he deserve what he got? Of
Course, and smug society can be assured that it has done the proper
thing, until circumstances, errors, accidents or a mistake in the
judicial system flips the table and they find themselves in the same
shoes of the man in the cell next door!!!
Dave
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Letter To Roderick Hickman, Secretary Dept of Corrections, California
Roderick Q. Hickman, Secretary
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Dear Mr. Hickman;
Since you are the secretary of the CDCR, you are the one person most responsible for our prison system and its current dysfunction. This dysfunction is at every level within every prison and every department therein. The problems at hand can only be remedied by you in conjunction with your staff. The overcrowding, the medical neglect issues that have resulted in needless deaths, the abuses by your staff upon the inmates- make me ask you- the person in charge and the overseer- "What is really going on inside our prison system?" The families and loved ones of the inmates know, first hand. And yet when we try to bring about change or awareness to the situations-nothing happens! Why? Judge Henderson has placed the California Prison system medical into federal receivership-was that not a serious enough wake up call? YOU are the one that MUST be held accountable- the buck stops with you, Secretary Hickman, you hold the cards and have the power. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING? WHAT IS NEXT IN YOUR GAME PLAN?
How many more inmates must die because of incompetence, neglect, guard set ups, and careless housing before something is really done? It is time, past time, Secretary Hickman to make the much and sorely needed changes in our prison system. You must start answering the public, the taxpayers, the mothers, fathers, wives and children of the inmates that are SUFFERING. Take action. We as concerned citizens are taking action-organizing, briefing the media and spreading the word. Changes are imminent- we will not be silenced.
Regards,
Carol Leonard
Inmate Activists
"When the people lead, their leaders will follow."
Carol Leonard
Rehabilitation-Not Incarceration
When the people lead, their leaders will follow ~ Ghandi http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/Inmate-Activists
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Dear Mr. Hickman;
Since you are the secretary of the CDCR, you are the one person most responsible for our prison system and its current dysfunction. This dysfunction is at every level within every prison and every department therein. The problems at hand can only be remedied by you in conjunction with your staff. The overcrowding, the medical neglect issues that have resulted in needless deaths, the abuses by your staff upon the inmates- make me ask you- the person in charge and the overseer- "What is really going on inside our prison system?" The families and loved ones of the inmates know, first hand. And yet when we try to bring about change or awareness to the situations-nothing happens! Why? Judge Henderson has placed the California Prison system medical into federal receivership-was that not a serious enough wake up call? YOU are the one that MUST be held accountable- the buck stops with you, Secretary Hickman, you hold the cards and have the power. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING? WHAT IS NEXT IN YOUR GAME PLAN?
How many more inmates must die because of incompetence, neglect, guard set ups, and careless housing before something is really done? It is time, past time, Secretary Hickman to make the much and sorely needed changes in our prison system. You must start answering the public, the taxpayers, the mothers, fathers, wives and children of the inmates that are SUFFERING. Take action. We as concerned citizens are taking action-organizing, briefing the media and spreading the word. Changes are imminent- we will not be silenced.
Regards,
Carol Leonard
Inmate Activists
"When the people lead, their leaders will follow."
Carol Leonard
Rehabilitation-Not Incarceration
When the people lead, their leaders will follow ~ Ghandi http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/Inmate-Activists
A Ray of Freedom
A ray of freedom
Since 1989, children with disabilities have relied on the inmates in the Folsom Project for the Visually Impaired to gain access to books they might otherwise have to skip. Tuesday one of those children repaid them.
By Laurel Rosenhall -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Murderers, kidnappers, robbers and drug runners serving time in Folsom State Prison heard an unusual message Tuesday when 18-year-old Amelia Diaz came to visit.
"I want to say thank you," Diaz said to the 15 men dressed in prison blues who were assembled in the visitors room. "You guys have really done a lot for me."
Diaz is blind. Since she was a little girl, inmates in a job-training program at the prison have been turning her school books into audio recordings and pages of Braille.
Now that she is 18, Diaz, of Anaheim, was allowed inside the prison for the first time. The occasion drew media and public officials to the old prison ringed with granite walls, where inmates demonstrated the program and Diaz sang words of thanks.
The program creates an odd partnership between society's most vulnerable and some of its most vicious - and brings benefits to them all, prison officials say. Children with disabilities gain access to books and videos they might otherwise have to skip. Hardened criminals learn job skills and develop compassion by doing good for others.
For nearly 10 years, Diaz has relied on the inmates in the Folsom Project for the Visually Impaired to help her read everything from storybooks to advanced French texts to the autobiography of her favorite singer, Celine Dion. Now she goes to California State University, Fullerton, and the Folsom inmates have made her a Braille version of the campus map to help her find her way around.
To thank them, Diaz sang a Dion song on Tuesday - "These Are the Special Days" - under the bright lights of the visitor's room. It was an emotional moment for some of the inmates. Some smiled, some cast their eyes down, and some rocked their heads to the slow beat of the music.
"When I do something good here and it reaches out and touches other people, it's something I'm proud of," said Lyale Shellman, 55, who said he's been in prison for 26 years for crimes including murder, kidnapping and drug running.
"I was a bad guy. I hurt people from coast to coast," he said. "I can't take back what I've done, but now I can give back."
Shellman said he is counting the days until his May parole date - and then he plans to launch a business making media accessible to people with disabilities. In the Folsom prison program, Shellman has learned to make Braille books, closed-caption videos and books on tape. He said he's already lined up a contract to make Braille books after he's on parole.
The good feeling from helping others, combined with the practical job-skills training, make the program popular among inmates, said correctional officer Bob Schmitz.
"Now they're paying back, and that's part of the rehabilitation process," Schmitz said.
The program serves 18 inmates and has a waiting list of others who hope to get in, he said. Only inmates who can pass an English test, behave well and show eagerness to work and cooperate can be admitted to the program, Schmitz said. No sex offenders are allowed.
Developed in 1989, the Folsom Project for the Visually Impaired has created 1,000 books on tape for K-12 schools and community colleges up and down California. It also produces closed-caption videos for the hearing-impaired and converts government documents into Braille and audio formats.
Prison officials say the program has a zero recidivism rate - those who participate never end up back in jail. It's supported by grants from corporations and social groups.
Inmate Marty Allen, 36, said he appreciates the opportunity to do meaningful work while serving his life sentence for second-degree murder.
"The whole prison experience has made me realize how stupid I was acting," Allen said. "It really makes you stop and think about the consequences of what you're doing."
And it helps the years pass more quickly, said inmate Mark Dorn, who is serving a life sentence for kidnapping and armed robbery.
"Not only does it break up the monotony, but the time flies by. ... There's always something new to learn," Dorn said. "We have guys who would otherwise be sitting in the yard with absolutely nothing to do and getting into who knows what."
Diaz came to Folsom on Tuesday with her mother, Rosa Diaz, and family friend Linda Claire. When the formal program was done, the women mingled with the prisoners and noshed on sandwiches. They said they were grateful that a program so helpful to Diaz could also help the inmates turn their lives around.
"It doesn't really matter why they're there," Diaz said. "They've helped people, and it's made a difference to me."
About the writer:
The Bee's Laurel Rosenhall can be reached at (916) 321-1083 or lrosenhall@sacbee.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since 1989, children with disabilities have relied on the inmates in the Folsom Project for the Visually Impaired to gain access to books they might otherwise have to skip. Tuesday one of those children repaid them.
By Laurel Rosenhall -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Murderers, kidnappers, robbers and drug runners serving time in Folsom State Prison heard an unusual message Tuesday when 18-year-old Amelia Diaz came to visit.
"I want to say thank you," Diaz said to the 15 men dressed in prison blues who were assembled in the visitors room. "You guys have really done a lot for me."
Diaz is blind. Since she was a little girl, inmates in a job-training program at the prison have been turning her school books into audio recordings and pages of Braille.
Now that she is 18, Diaz, of Anaheim, was allowed inside the prison for the first time. The occasion drew media and public officials to the old prison ringed with granite walls, where inmates demonstrated the program and Diaz sang words of thanks.
The program creates an odd partnership between society's most vulnerable and some of its most vicious - and brings benefits to them all, prison officials say. Children with disabilities gain access to books and videos they might otherwise have to skip. Hardened criminals learn job skills and develop compassion by doing good for others.
For nearly 10 years, Diaz has relied on the inmates in the Folsom Project for the Visually Impaired to help her read everything from storybooks to advanced French texts to the autobiography of her favorite singer, Celine Dion. Now she goes to California State University, Fullerton, and the Folsom inmates have made her a Braille version of the campus map to help her find her way around.
To thank them, Diaz sang a Dion song on Tuesday - "These Are the Special Days" - under the bright lights of the visitor's room. It was an emotional moment for some of the inmates. Some smiled, some cast their eyes down, and some rocked their heads to the slow beat of the music.
"When I do something good here and it reaches out and touches other people, it's something I'm proud of," said Lyale Shellman, 55, who said he's been in prison for 26 years for crimes including murder, kidnapping and drug running.
"I was a bad guy. I hurt people from coast to coast," he said. "I can't take back what I've done, but now I can give back."
Shellman said he is counting the days until his May parole date - and then he plans to launch a business making media accessible to people with disabilities. In the Folsom prison program, Shellman has learned to make Braille books, closed-caption videos and books on tape. He said he's already lined up a contract to make Braille books after he's on parole.
The good feeling from helping others, combined with the practical job-skills training, make the program popular among inmates, said correctional officer Bob Schmitz.
"Now they're paying back, and that's part of the rehabilitation process," Schmitz said.
The program serves 18 inmates and has a waiting list of others who hope to get in, he said. Only inmates who can pass an English test, behave well and show eagerness to work and cooperate can be admitted to the program, Schmitz said. No sex offenders are allowed.
Developed in 1989, the Folsom Project for the Visually Impaired has created 1,000 books on tape for K-12 schools and community colleges up and down California. It also produces closed-caption videos for the hearing-impaired and converts government documents into Braille and audio formats.
Prison officials say the program has a zero recidivism rate - those who participate never end up back in jail. It's supported by grants from corporations and social groups.
Inmate Marty Allen, 36, said he appreciates the opportunity to do meaningful work while serving his life sentence for second-degree murder.
"The whole prison experience has made me realize how stupid I was acting," Allen said. "It really makes you stop and think about the consequences of what you're doing."
And it helps the years pass more quickly, said inmate Mark Dorn, who is serving a life sentence for kidnapping and armed robbery.
"Not only does it break up the monotony, but the time flies by. ... There's always something new to learn," Dorn said. "We have guys who would otherwise be sitting in the yard with absolutely nothing to do and getting into who knows what."
Diaz came to Folsom on Tuesday with her mother, Rosa Diaz, and family friend Linda Claire. When the formal program was done, the women mingled with the prisoners and noshed on sandwiches. They said they were grateful that a program so helpful to Diaz could also help the inmates turn their lives around.
"It doesn't really matter why they're there," Diaz said. "They've helped people, and it's made a difference to me."
About the writer:
The Bee's Laurel Rosenhall can be reached at (916) 321-1083 or lrosenhall@sacbee.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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