Endless days and sleepless nights, I wonder aloud, “Is our current Judicial System Equipped as it should to; Establish and enforce, Guidelines and practices for persons with complex mental health disabilities?
On one hand, I am very much in favor of Reforming certain unjust aspects of our current unbalanced judicial system and redefining and voiding our nations unsavory practices of mass incarceration.
The thirteenth amendment is supposed to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude. “Except as punishment for a crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted.” There are thousands of individuals currently in this nations prison system who have been declared “SMI” (Seriously mentally ill) who have been wrongfully shuffled into prison. There are safeguards in our society set in place to prevent mayhem and constant wrong doing; those safe guards include consequences such as involuntary incarceration and in some cases the death penalty is imposed as a supposed tool of justice. In some cases, persons with disabilities are unjustly held to answer for crimes in which they should not have been sent to prison for and instead should’ve received mental health services as an alternative.
Judicial Punishments involving defendants facing the death penalty are supposed to be reserved for societies worst offenders. The flip side of the coin is that the clear majority of wrongfully imposed convictions involve Intellectually Disabled Defendants. Intellectually disabled defendants are extremely vulnerable to being wrongfully convicted. The U.S. Supreme court has acknowledged that such defendants may be less able to give meaningful assistance to their legal counsel. And often these individuals are railroaded by the prosecutor and in some cases when these defendants are financially disadvantaged and are unable to afford private counsel and are not able to obtain adequate legal defense teams and are forced to rely on court appointed counsel. In most cases these defense attorneys are over worked and are only looking to close out cases as fast as possible and not put forth a meaningful effort.
When individuals with mental disabilities enter the prison system they sometimes do not receive adequate mental health screenings and evaluations, and because of this do not receive adequate mental health care and rehabilitative services. While they are incarcerated and upon their release find themselves with no one to turn to who understands: The level of care required to help them stay afloat and away from troubling situations that may lead to their unjust re arrest. The U.S. system is a constant revolving door and many of the nation’s prison population does not receive adequate rehabilitative and transitional services. Once they are returned to the community often revert to criminal Behavioristic traits that lead to their unjust re arrest and incarceration.
If society is unable to abolish prisons then we must work at finding reasonable solutions that may help to facilitate adequate rehabilitative and transformative services for individuals with complex mental health disabilities by raising the following concerns with our elected state representatives and only those that have proven to be worthy of the communities’ trust.
- We must pin point correctly identify the deficiencies that concern the rehabilitative services offered to individuals incarcerated.
- Explore mental health treatment options that are available to the outside community and work to implement similar treatment options inside prisons.
- Examine local correctional mental health care services, i.e. Pre-Re-entry services
- Examine current practices in place concerning initial mental health evaluations along with transitional mental health care screening services.
The vast increase in our nations prison population was spurred by the 1994 violent crime control and law enforcement act signed by Former U.S. president Bill Clinton. Although he had good intentions the bill was abused by power hungry politicians looking to make a name for themselves along with corrupt prosecutors and bent cops.
Many power-hungry politicians are willing to make false promises to the public at large, just to gain a prized seat in congress and often join forces with other bent politicians looking to make a fast dollar by promoting bills that encourage mass warehousing and mass incarceration instead of Rehabilitative programs.
The practice of accepting the false gospel of individuals running for seats of power. Must be ended since the outlandish garbage spoken by power hungry politicians has always proven to lack true substance and actual nourishment for the people of the lower class.
The practice of incarcerating persons with mental disabilities and sending them off to prison is very much unconstitutional and judges along with prosecutors that choose to engage in such unjust practices should be publicly shamed.
We as American citizens are given the right to vote and it is up to us to find the shady politicians and run them out of office if they do not respect the people and serve the people to the best of their ability then; they should be thrown out and replaced. If you wish to help bring about a positive change in your community you must never let anyone silence your voice.
]]>Connor Stevens #57978-060
FCI McDowell
PO Box 1009
Welch, WV 24801
The tyranny of distance
A crowded desert
is still a desert
And out of touch
with you
is impossibly distant
My blood
runs wild and loose
and still
i cannot reach you.
i
would trade
every drop
to overcome this tyranny of distance.
Fire
There is more warmth
in the fire of your eyes
Than any soul can consume
in a lifetime.
There is more
heat
in the truth
than in a burning cop car.
There is more
truth
in a burning cop car
than in all
the news.
There is
a fire
in your chest!
The bathroom sink cries
As my cellmate washes up.
The day begins like dreaming
some nights are black
as mines.
I blink awake trying to shed some
light.
In the small room of my life,.
A door complains and screeches
As the cell opens.
I can’t put it off any longer
I must rise and clean.
The sun drives light into the dusty air.
It’s time to leave,
The sky has pulled itself together.
It is time… for chow.
Wolves
See, they return
with an awkward trot, from the hill.
No, not horses;
no curved moon in their brows,
even though stars roll under their feet,
like they rolled for their ancestor, the sun.
Higher! Faster! Hold it!
Murmurs of snow frightened off by the hounds,
the splintering twigs of air.
They’re here! The Wolves!
They who terrify the moon!
And now they’re pursued by darkness
and my voice, yet thin and hoarse.
The darkness hides itself
in its tender unwoven arms,
transforming into a new kind darkness.
Rejected Stone
Reject stone, I used to roll alone
Through his creation, his love is shown,
His love’s for sure, planted in living water
scriptures feed my spirit as I grow,
on hills I stand, through his love I glow
Illuminating paths for those lost below,
Peace and forgiveness were expensive,
I was once a foe
Drowning in sin, covered from head to toe
Blood ripped not sweat,
If it’s your will, I’ll go
All poems by
Thomas J Combs #280904
Cimarron Unit
Prisoner letter writing night at community run bike shop, BICAS, during women,trans*,femme night: BICAS WTF Women, Transgender, Femme Workshop. This event is for WTF folks only, thanks! We’ll provide writing materials and snacks, come fix a bike and write a letter!
BICAS is @ 44 W 6th St, Tucson, AZ
630pm-830pm
Facebook event
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Jaan Laaman, Currently in Solitary Confinement
Jaan K. Laaman, long-time anti-imperialist political prisoner, is currently solitary confinement (“the hole”). Jaan has been in solitary confinement since his birthday on March 21, 2017 simply for issuing two political statements, a clear violation of free speech and human rights. [More details below.]
How you can support Jaan:
Write to Jaan and let him know he’s in our hearts and on our minds.
Jaan has no access to news and almost no access to phone calls. It’s important we send him some letters r
ight now. Send him articles, so that he gets some world news.
Jaan Karl Laaman #10372-016
USP Tucson
P.O. Box 24550
Tucson, AZ 85734
Write and call the Warden and ask him to end the repression against Jaan.
Please write and call the Warden at USP Tucson and ask that Jaan be released from solitary confinement and that he not be punished for expressing his support for women’s rights and for writing a statement mourning the passing of his friend, Lynne Stewart. Remind the Warden that Jaan is an elder prisoner, and you’re concerned about his health in solitary confinement and you would be concerned about his safety if he is moved to another prison.
Warden
United States Penitentiary – Tucson
9300 South Wilmot Road
Tucson, AZ 85756
Email: TCP/[email protected]
Phone: 520-663-5000
Fax: 520-663-5024
You can also contact:
Mary M. Mitchell, Regional Director
BOP Regional Office
7338 Shoreline Dr
Stockton, CA 95219
Regional email: wxro/[email protected]
Thomas R. Kane, Director
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Central Office HQ
320 First Street, NW
Washington, DC 20534
Background Information
Jaan is imprisoned at United States Penitentiary (USP) Tucson in Arizona, and is one of the last two remaining Ohio-7 political prisoners still locked up. The Ohio-7 were convicted in 1986 of direct actions to protest U.S. support for the white-supremacist apartheid regime in South Africa, illegal U.S. attacks on Nicaragua, and repression against advocates for Puerto Rican self-determination.
Jaan was placed into solitary confinement because of two short messages: one in support of the “Day Without a Woman Strike” (International Women’s Day, March 8, 2017) which was printed in the NYC Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) update, and his “Farewell Thoughts to My Friend, Lynne Stewart” which was broadcast on Prison Radio. Lynne Stewart, revolutionary peoples’ lawyer passed away on March 8, 2017. When the NYC ABC magazine arrived by mail to the prison, Jaan was promptly placed in solitary confinement. Prison officials charged Jaan with “threatening the security of the prison” because of these First Amendment protected statements.
No one should be punished for exercising their First Amendment Rights. The United States District Court in Pennsylvania recently ruled in a case involving efforts to censure Mumia Abu-Jamal: “A past criminal offense does not extinguish a person’s constitutional right to free expression. The First Amendment does not disappear at the prison gate.”
Pattern of Increasing Repression
Being placed in solitary confinement is the latest act of repression by the prison administration, following increasing actions against Jaan. Over a year ago, the prison shut down Jaan’s access to email, and they have been censoring him in various ways since then, including withholding his mail and limiting access to his lawyer.
Jaan was placed in solitary confinement on his birthday and has been there ever since. There is a growing consensus as to the psychological harm caused by solitary confinement. In 2011 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture concluded that solitary confinement for more than 15 days constitutes torture and can cause irreversible harmful psychological effects.
Jaan previously wrote about the increasing censorship he has been facing, here. Jaan has been writing reflections about global events since he was first captured in 1984, so this level of censorship is certainly something new and different.
This update was written by friends of Jaan Laaman. Reach us at [email protected]. On Facebook: Free Jaan Laaman; Twitter: @4StruggleMag.
]]>So, here’s a revised version of the resource list we put out last year, with great tactical guides, thoughts on staying safe, and some more up-to-date writings on movements against police violence across the country. Versions for both reading and printing are provided when available. So, check them out, spread them around, and if you really want to get the word out, we can get free hard copies of zines and posters (including in larger quantities) to people in the Tucson area. Send us an email at [email protected] if you’re interested in that.
For a world without police, prisons, or borders,
Tucson Anarchist Black Cross
—————
Tactics
What Is Security Culture? (Print Version)
Reading version available here.
Blocs, Black and Otherwise (Print Version)
Reading versions of the articles inside are here and here.
Banner Drops, Stencils, Wheatpaste & Distributing Information
Let One Hundred Flowerpots Bloom
10 Points on the Black Bloc
This zine is a rough transcript of Harsha Walia’s defense of black bloc tactics during a debate following actions against the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Video of her half of the debate can be seen here.
Writings from Recent Anti-Police Struggles
Dispatches from Minneapolis, Vol. 1
We generally recommend the site where this was published for updates and analysis regarding what’s going on in Minneapolis: Conflict MN.
Dispatches from Minneapolis, Vol. 2
Dispatches from Ferguson, Vol. 1 (Print Version)
Reading versions of the articles in this zine can be found at antistatestl.noblogs.org.
Another Word for White Ally Is Coward (Print Version)
Reading version here.
Revolutionary Solidarity: A Critical Reader for Accomplices
(Print and Read)
From Ferguson to Oakland: 17 Days of Riots and Revolt in the Bay Area
What They Mean When They Say Peace & The Making of Outside Agitators (Print Version)
Reading version of What They Mean When They Say Peace here.
Reading Version of The Making of Outside Agitators here.
The Thin Blue Line Is a Burning Fuse: Why Every Struggle Is Now a Struggle Against the Police (Print and Read)
CARS, GUNS, AUTONOMY: A Discussion on Anti-Police Struggles in the Bay Area and Ferguson (Print and Read)
ONE FOUR SEVEN: some notes on tactics and strategy from Durham’s recent anti-police marches (Print and Read)
Unforgiving and Inconsolable (Durham, 2013 – 2014)
The Flatbush Rebellion (New York, 2013)
Don’t Die Wondering: Atlanta Against the Police (2011 – 2012)
Denver Fights Back (2010 – 2011)
Burning the Bridges They Are Building: Anarchist Strategies Against the Police (Seattle, 2011)
Unfinished Acts (Oakland, 2009)
Historical Moments in Policing, Violence, and Resistance Series
The zines below are borrowed from http://project-nia.org/resources.php. There, you can also find tons more resources on policing, incarceration, and alternatives.
The Police Execution of Oscar Grant
by Olivia Perlow and Lakeesha J. Harris
Chicago’s Red Summer of 1919
by Elizabeth Dadabo
An (Abridged) History of Resisting Police Violence in Harlem
by Mariame Kaba
“We Don’t Want this to Look Like a Massacre”: The Danziger Bridge Shootings
by Mariame Kaba
Other Related and Reccomended Reading
Against Innocence: Race, Gender, and the Politics of Safety (Print Version)
Reading version here.
Anarchy Works: Crime
Reading version of this text (and the entire book it’s excerpted from) here.
Why Riot?
Reading version here.
Posters
Too Many Cops, Too Little Justice
FTP, Find Each Other, Fight Back
To help with expenses, we did a run of these shirts which we’re selling for $20 including shipping, all the proceeds of which will go directly towards printing and mailing zines to prisoners!
And for anyone who has friends, family, or anyone else currently doing time, feel free to either print our catalog and send it in to them, or get in touch and we can get one to them. We’re also really interested in working with anyone who has people inside to organize concurrently out here, so we can talk about that as well!
**Update: May 2017. This Campaign is currently over**
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To Change Everything: The Promise of Anarchism
An International Panel Discussion
November 3rd, 6:30PM
at Revolutionary Grounds Books & Coffee, 606 N. 4th Ave.
This panel brings together organizers from Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and North America to discuss the significance of anarchist ideas and tactics in the 21st century.
The participants will compare experiences from the wave of protests and uprisings that has swept the world since 2010—exploring the role of demand-based politics in both catalyzing and limiting movements, examining a variety of forms of repression, and critically evaluating experiments with direct democracy. They will conclude by assessing the prospects of contemporary struggles for self-determination in an era of globalized capitalism and state control.
All of the presenters are contributors to a recent outreach and dialogue project, To Change Everything, which appeared earlier this year in over twenty languages.
Local organizations will be tabling this event.
More info on the To Change Everything tour at:
crimethinc.com
tochangeeverything.com
Facebook event
Prisoner Letter Writing Night
November 5th, 7PM
at Casa Mariposa, 127 N. Palomas Ave.
Join us for our next letter writing night to support those on the inside. Writing letters to prisoners can help break the isolation imposed by prisons, and strengthen relationships of resistance between those inside and out!
As usual, writing and mailing supplies will be provided, as well as addresses for prisoners throughout Arizona and beyond.
If you’re new to writing to prisoners, see this primer by NYC Anarchist Black Cross: http://nycabc.wordpress.com/write-a-letter/
Until every cage is empty!
Jessie will have court at 8:30am tomorrow instead of in the afternoon, same place.
She might take the awful plea bargain they’ve offered, 10-12 years.
Carpool meetup at 5:30am Mansfield Park.
We need cars! Get in touch!
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