[Bookstoprisoners] Prison article

[Brian Dolinar]

Hey all.

Here's a recent submission from a BTP contact.

BD

"The True Meaning of Corrections"
By Anthony Bennett, #R25820

There lies a small "fortress" within the walls of Menard Correctional
Center where the inhabitants are subjected to conditions beyond the
scope of unusual punishment.  The segregation unit of Menard C.C. is
the leading point in the system of "corrections" where the paradigm is
to purposely implement any methods that completely inflict emotional,
physical, and psychological distress under the falsehood of security.
The goal is to strip away all means of human decency one may possess
in order to rehabilitate them by the elimination of independence,
self-worth, and self-respect in exchange for compliance, fear, and
control.  Any individual that will easily accept whatever
"correctional programming" is handed out is looked upon favorably in
the eyes of the correctional personnel.

As an inmate in the segregation unit, you will be placed in a tiny,
decrepit, steel cage barely big enough for one person for 24 hours a
day.  Most cells have a solid steel door with pinpoint holes drilled
at the bottom for "air" (for there are no windows in the cells).
These cells become unbearable during hot weather and are used as a
punishment to gain compliance and decrease emotional and physical
distress as well as limit contact with staff and other inmates.  The
plain white walls in your cell are extremely filthy from years of
bacteria and fungus build up, for the walls never get a chance to get
properly cleaned because the officers do not distribute cleaning
supplies.  The majority of the time you will have to use your own soap
and towels purchased from commissary to "clean" your cell.

In this cell is where all your time will be spent eating, drinking,
bathing, reading writing, and sleeping.  The only time you will leave
your cell is once a week for yard and a shower (which is even dirtier
than your cell).  Whenever you do get a chance to leave your cell, you
are escorted handcuffed by an officer who walks with you with a metal
chain connected to the handcuffs like a dog leash.

Once you are assigned to a cell, you are given 2 bars of state-issued
soap (similar to those given out free at hotels) which must last you
for a week, one roll of toilet paper, an utterly filthy mattress and
pillow, 2 sheets, a very small toothbrush, toothpaste, and one
blanket.  You are not given any of your personal property such as
underwear, T-shirt, letters, legal materials, pictures, etc. for
approximately 10 days.  You are given a tan-colored jumpsuit, which if
you're lucky isn't torn or ripped.

Within a few days, you are given a cellmate.  The two of you will
remain in a less than 5 feet by 10 feet cell for every waking moment
until you get out of segregation.  The two of you must endure the
painstakingly stark conditions of a "two-man" cell, which the
administration intentionally inflicts for the purpose of making you
less human.  In these "two-man" cells, you and your "celly" must
struggle to move about in the cell, a virtually impossible task since
the bunk bed, toilet, sink, and desk occupy nearly all of the floor
space.  And without adequate ventilation, the air has an acrid smell.
You are locked away in the cell with a complete stranger for 24 hours
a day with no prior knowledge of this person.  The officer will not
try to move you if conflict arises, unless violence occurs.

Without support from your family, it is hard to break the monotony of
life in Menard segregation, for there is no access to reading material
without breaking the rules and receiving a disciplinary ticket,
furthering your days in segregation.  There is no access to
educational programs, neither through the institution or from the
outside.  You cannot have a TV or radio unless you had one before you
came to segregation and are qualified to get it (which many people
aren't).  By not having any means to entertain yourself, one tends to
break down mentally, which is exactly what the administration wants.

Maintaining a peace of mind, despite the circumstances, is often
difficult.  Not only do you have to deal with the constant, brazen
noise of yelling, stomping, screaming, and banging on beds, doors,
walls, sinks, and toilets, but also the fear of being harassed – not
by inmates, but by the police, whose duty is to serve and protect.
Many officers blatantly beat on inmates without no cause.  You are in
a constant risk of being "shaken down" and having your property
destroyed, your water turned off, or your lights constantly turned on;
of being placed in a cell with another inmate who is known to have
psychiatric problems or is a known homosexual; or being denied food,
shower, yard, medical attention, or mail – especially if you have
taken legal action against the institution.

This is briefly what the Menard segregation experience is like.  A
dull, filthy, restrictive environment is where you will reside if the
administration feels you are the slightest threat to their operation.
I have been in segregation for a total of 18 and one half months and
have witnessed things that no human should be subjected to, no matter
what the reason may be.  Myself and others have been left completely
nude in a cell with no water or property and been mercilessly beaten
by officers.  I have participated in many forms of non-violent
resistance, many to no avail.  I've come to the realization that no
matter what methods are used to defeat it, the truth can never be
conquered.  I have taken steps to build myself as my own person by
reading and meditating.  By doing this, I can become mentally strong
enough to tear down the strongholds placed before me, not only by the
prison system, but society as well.  I refuse to let life's
interferences deter me from developing myself into a positive and
productive individual.  I will not be entrapped!




-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
204 S. Lynn St.
Champaign, IL 61820
briandolinar at gmail.com