Cell Count #56 - Prison Free Press · ¤ DROP -IN Mond ays1 :30 30 (except holid ) ¤ ID R EPLAC M...

WINTER - 2009/10

CELL COUNT # 56

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WHAT WE DO … 1. SUPPORT SERVICES PASAN offers support services to prisoners, youth in custody and their families, as well as to other organizations working on issues of HIV/AIDS and/or prison.

These services include:

a) Individual support counseling, advo-cacy, pre-release planning and refer-rals for prisoners and young offenders living with HIV/AIDS, primarily in the Ontario region institutions. We can assist our clients in accessing proper medical care and sup-port while incarcerated, as well as help to arrange housing and medical/social support upon release. Much of this support is coor-dinated via telephone through collect calls, although we also do in-person support whenever possible. To date, PASAN has worked with more than 500 HIV positive prisoners and young offenders in over 30 different institutions (both federal and pro-vincial) in six different provinces. b) The only national AIDS Hotline spe-cifically for prisoners. We accept collect calls from prisoners across Canada at: 1-866-224-9978 or 416-920-9567 and can help you with your questions about HIV/AIDS, and help you get the support you need. c) We can help with replacement fees for birth certificates, S.I.N. cards and other necessary ID & release money (must be a client before release - twice a year maxi-mum). The availability of funds vary, and we require proof of HIV status & incarceration to access the fund.

PASAN is a community-based organiza-tions working to provide advocacy, edu-cation and support to prisoners and youth in custody on HIV/AIDS and re-lated issues. PASAN formed in 1991 as a grassroots response to the emerging AIDS crisis in the Canadian prison system. Today, PASAN is the only community-based organization in Canada exclu-sively providing HIV/AIDS prevention, education and support services to pris-oners, ex-prisoners, youth in custody and their families.

WHO WE ARE …

Prisoners’ HIV/AIDS Support Action Network

d) PASAN also provides ongoing support, networking, resources and training for AIDS services organizations (ASO's) and other community groups across Ontario. We assist ASO’s to set up their own prison out-reach and support projects, and act as a refer-ral ‘hub’ for HIV positive prisoners and youth in custody who are transferred from one re-gion to another, thereby helping to ensure a continuity of support.

II. OUTREACH & EDUCATION a) PASAN conducts HIV/Hep C preven-tion education programs in many adult and youth institutions in the southern Ontario re-gion. An integral part of this program is our Peer Educator’s Group, which is made up of ex-prisoners living with HIV/AIDS. Peer speakers accompany PASAN staff for work-shops in prisons, youth facilities, and other institutions. We have found that Peers are often able to get across HIV/AIDS information in these settings. b) PASAN produces CELL COUNT quar-terly. This publication, which is written and edited primarily by prisoners and ex–prisoners themselves, is the only newsletter in Canada providing an uncensored forum for prisoners

and youth in custody to explore and share their own experiences, and ideas about HIV/AIDS. PASAN distributes 6000 issues a year to prisoners, institutions, and agencies across the country. CELL COUNT is free for prisoners and people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. c) PASAN also conducts free organiza-tional and staff training for agencies and institutions working with prison affected, and drug using populations. We have experience in conducting training not only for commu-nity workers and ASO staff, but also for pro-bation/parole officers, youth custody staff, prison social workers and case management officers. III. NETWORKING & ADVOCACY Since our beginning in 1991, PASAN has al-ways maintained a focus on systemic advo-cacy on issues of HIV/AIDS and prisons. Our advocacy is based in recognition and defense of the fundamental human rights of prisoners, and our perspective derives from PASAN’s brief entitled HIV/AIDS In Prison Systems: A Comprehensive Strategy (June 1992). This document outlined 40 recommendations for implementing a comprehensive HIV/AIDS strategy in the Canadian prison system. In June 1996, PASAN released the follow-up document HIV/AIDS in Youth Custody Setting: A Comprehensive Strategy which specifically ad-dressed the needs of youth in custody. In May 1999, PASAN released HIV/AIDS in the Male-to-Female Transgendered Prison Population: A Comprehensive Strategy. In August 1995, PASAN organized the first National Workshop on HIV/AIDS in Prison in Kingston, Ontario. PASAN has made presentations on HIV/AIDS in prison at the XI International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver (July 1996) and has ap-peared before the Parliamentary Subcommittee on AIDS in Ottawa (November 1996) and the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS in Washington, DC (1998). PASAN maintains an Activist Committee which monitors and advocates on issues affecting prisoner and/or people living with HIV/AIDS on a local, provincial and national basis. This committee maintains working links with other prisoners’ rights groups, prison pro-jects, and ASO’s across Canada. We also maintain an ad-hoc Advocacy Committee of prisoners who assist us in identifying emerg-ing issues.

WINTER 2009/10 - CELL COUNT

- P A S A N -

PROVINCIAL (ON) CECC – Look for sign-up sheet or put in a request to the Social Work Dept. CNCC – Look for sign-up sheet or put in a request to the Social Work Dept. DON JAIL – The 2nd Wednesday of each month from 3:00-4:30. HWDC - One on One support - call PASAN MAPLEHURST – Put in a request to the Volunteer Coordinator. THE EAST – The 3rd Wednesday of the month from 1:30-3:30. THE WEST – The 3rd Thursday from 1:30-3:30 for group and one-to-one support. VCW – Monday & Tuesday of the 3rd week each month. FEDERAL (ON) GVI – The 2nd Tuesday of each month We try to visit each prison twice a year. We see people individually or in group settings and talk about HIV/AIDS, Hep C and Harm Reduction. If you wish to know more or have HIV please contact us to find out when we will be at your institution. We visit: Kingston Pen, Warkworth, Collins Bay, Bath, Frontenac, Millhaven, Fenbrook, Beavercreek and Pittsburgh. YOUTH (GTA) We visit different youth facilities throughout the City of Toronto on a regular basis. For more info call Trevor or Joan.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF THESE PROGRAMS CALL PASAN COLLECT AT: 416-920-9567

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In order to be a client & access these services you need to have confirmed HIV+ status.

♦ PHONE HOURS - Mon - Fri from 9-5, except Tuesday mornings

♦ DROP-IN - Mondays 1:30-3:30 (except holidays)

♦ ID REPLACEMENT - 2 pieces a year

♦ RELEASE FUNDS - $50 (twice a year max.)

♦ TTC TOKENS - 4 per week when available. (Toronto)

♦ NEEDLE EXCHANGE - Mon & Wed - Fri: 9-12 and 1:30-5

♦ SAFER CRACK USE KITS - Mon & Wed - Fri: 9-12 and 1:30-5

♦ CLOTHING - 3 items per month when available.

Sometimes we and the phones are very busy so … please keep trying !!!

- OUTREACH & SUPPORT SCHEDULE - - INSIDE THIS ISSUE -

- ABOUT CELL COUNT -

Cell Count is published 4x’s a year by PASAN and is sent out for FREE to Clients & Prisoners. If you are on the outside or part of an organization, please consider a subscription @ $15 per year or doing a Newsletter/Zine exchange to help out with our costs for the free subs & postage. Circulation: 1,500 Recirculation: ?,???,??? Editor: Jackson All original artwork, poems & writings are the sole property of the artist & author. Fair Dealing & the Canadian Copyright Act: Section 29.1: “Fair dealing for the purpose of criti-cism or review does not infringe copyright” Section 29.2: “Fair dealing for the purpose of news reporting does not infringe copyright”

- HIV+ CLIENT SERVICES - - ARTISTS IN THIS ISSUE -

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Cover: (Nish) Marvin Auguston

Page 4: Unknown

Page 6 & 9: Todd (Hyung-Rae) Tarselli

Page 8: Unknown

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PASAN Services/Schedule …………....….. 2-3 Bulletin Board ……...…………..……........… 4 News on the Block ….....………..……..… 5-9 Poems .………………………….…...… 10-11 Health & Harm Reduction ………..…... 12-14 PenPals ……………………....……………. 15 Resources ……………………....………… 16

CELL COUNT - WINTER 2009/10

IMPORTANT: Programs run on one Unit only per month. If you want to see a worker or attend a program put in a request to the Volunteer Coordinator or the Social Work Dept.

The ‘Fall Issue #55’ of Cell Count was banned from 7 buckets/joints in Canada. ‘Public Health Info’ & ‘Freedom of Speech’ are still: ‘Not Allowed in Canada’ !!! PenPals: Write ONLY to ads in the most recent issue, ALMOST all older ads are dead ends. All undeliverable mail is destroyed. Sorry folks, but this PenPal system ain’t workin’ out. I have ads from a year ago waiting to go in. When I put old ads in, they’re out w/ no addy so it’s a dead end. NOW, the 1st 60 that come in, go in the next issue. Pitch your ad when you get the CC. I’m trying very hard to do all of this on only 10 hrs/wk so ... Respect, keep the calls short !!!

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We get about 75 Cell Counts returned to us each mail-out due to ‘Not Here’. Please help us reduce our mailing expenses by letting us know of any address change, ASAP!

So, before you call your mom - let us know! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PASAN has been around for 15 years now and over the years our client population has increased dra-matically. As a result of this increase in workload, clients may not be able to spend as much time on the tele-phone with staff as we would like. The staff and volunteers are dedicated and committed and will continue to provide the best care possible.

Thanks for your patience and understanding! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Please let us know if you would like your work returned to you or sent on to someone else!) Artists: This publication is photocopied. That means B&W 'high-contrast printing'. Tonal pencil sketches get blown-away (don’t expect good re-sults). Black ballpoint or felt-tip penwork (tat-style) reproduces quite well. Try to work on paper with no lines & nothing on the backside (it shows through and degrades the image). Consider the final print size: column width is 2.5, 5 or 7.5”. Cover Art should be about 7”x 7". Artwork that is being reduced loses a lot of detail. Artwork cannot be enlarged (it gets really fuzzy & ugly). Cover Art should NOT have the Issue # on it be-cause if it is not used for that Issue, it would be really nice to use it on a future Issue! Writers: We get a lot of great work sent in that we are unable to use because of very limited space. Apologies. Please consider the column width & keep articles/ poems tight & to the point. Honestly, the first items to go in are the ones that fit nicely & leave space for others - quality & quantity!

PASAN CLIENTS

Mondays 1:30 - 3:30

See you then! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CIRCLE OF HOPE

Family Support Group

Meetings are every Thursday, 5:30 to 7:30 at: 314 Jarvis St, #100, Toronto, ON

Circle of Hope is a group for people who are currently supporting (or have in the past) a loved one in prison. We offer the opportunity to share our experiences, practical advice, information and resources. We encourage a spirit of self-care and self-empowerment in a safe and friendly atmosphere. Be part of a support network of people you can relate to and trust.

For more information:

Call Joan at 416-972-9992 A Partnership of: JustUs and Rittenhouse

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If you are in any federal prison please call using our

Toll Free # 1-866-224-9978

Using this number greatly reduces our phone costs. Thanks in advance!

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4 WINTER 2009/10 - CELL COUNT

- EDITOR’S NOTE -

- ARTISTS & WRITERS -

- DROP-IN -

- MOVING ? -

- FEDERAL SYSTEM -

- WORKLOAD -

SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS:

Over the past 5 years our subscription list has grown from 700 to 1500 and all costs have dou-bled during this period. We receive only a handful of paid subscriptions for Cell Count from various organizations all across Canada and now must pare-down our mailing list so we can get more copies inside where they are needed. We post Cell Count in PDF format on our website for download & printing. We urge you to help us out by using this method if you do not subscribe. If your org has paid for a sub, don’t worry, you are certainly still on our mailing list!

- SUPPORT GROUP -

- CELL COUNT SUBS -

Still On The Books !?! "There's got to be a couple dozen provisions that absolutely make no sense in the modern era." Alan Young, Osgoode Hall Law School From January 1999 to October 2009, 38 peo-ple in Ontario were charged under Section 365, which deals with fraudulently pretending to exercise witchcraft, sorcery, fortune telling or conjuration. Section 163 (1b) - It's illegal to print, pub-lish, distribute, sell or possess a crime comic – those popular 1940s comic books with graphic depictions of violence and illicit doings. Section 49 (a) - It's illegal to commit an act with "intent to alarm Her Majesty." This offence carries a prison sentence that can't exceed 14 years. Section 143 - Each time a victim of theft puts up a poster advertising a reward with "no questions asked" for the return of a stolen item, they are breaking a federal law. Section 339 (1) - Anyone found guilty of "fraudulently" taking driftwood found in a lake or stream can be imprisoned for up to five years. Sections 32-33 and 64-69 - These provi-sions require raucous groups to disperse within 30 minutes after being read the declaration commonly known as the Riot Act or else run the risk of facing life in prison.

- BELIEVE IT OR NOT -

5 CELL COUNT - WINTER 2009/10

Untitled

There is a lot of injustice in the world and many people who are now in prison are also victims of society’s injustice. I believe that many people now in prison are there because they never really had a chance. Opportunities do not extend to everyone, there are always those that are left out. Society does not have a mechanism to correct for this. It is a given that in these circumstances there will be those who will turn to crime rather than starve on the crumbs offered them. In Cell Count #55 appeared an article by Sue Bai-ley. This article warns about the increasing suicide rate among the mentally ill in prisons. Then there is the reference to the incident in which 19 yr old Ashley Smith was allowed to die while she was being watched by guards. They had been told not to intervene because it would reinforce her behav-iour. These orders were irresponsible and criminal. The textbooks on mental illness do not say not to intervene in such cases. In fact the medical, psycho-logical and psychiatric textbooks state that every threat or suicide attempt must be taken seriously. These people do not know what they are doing and the government is doing nothing toward correcting this. Many of these people should never have been in prison to begin with. They end up in prisons because of society’s failure to treat them before they get in trouble. Another significant article in the same Issue states that the parents of Ashley Smith are suing the system for their daughter’s death. In my opinion this is the only action that is going to create social change and force the system to take these issues seriously and look after these people properly. Also, parents can get together, seek legal advice and start class-action lawsuits which will have a much stronger impact. Actually, the healthcare system in the communities can also be held ac-countable in this way. At present when someone complains that a mentally ill person was not treated they just shrug their shoulders. I think it is long past time for them to be held ac-countable and they will only take notice if they are impacted financially. It just burns me that people who make decisions in healthcare can just blow-off the concerns of families who have lost loved ones through the negligence of people in the healthcare system. Burned and irate, George Tucker

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Penny-Ante Legal Aid System Creates Two Tiers of Justice

Lawyers' boycott has focused attention on chronic inequality in Ontario courts Ask Canadians how they see their justice system and most will say it is fair and balanced. They imagine a level playing field with a careful harmony between individual rights and state power. But the reality is dramatically different. Our justice system is in a state of dangerous imbalance. A crisis is here and no fix is on the horizon. For the last 20 years, law-and-order thinking has animated provincial and federal policies on justice issues. Tough on crime has translated into tough on criminals and the bleeding heart lawyers who de-fend them. Bucket loads of money were poured into investigating and prosecuting crimes, while legal aid programs for impoverished defendants were starved. In every region of the country, cases entering the system became bigger and more complex. Prosecu-tors routinely hired experts at double the money legal aid pays for defence experts. Little thought was given to the practical problem of funding only one side of a binary justice system. In this, Ontario shows where the rest of the country is headed. Since 1987, Ontario prosecutors have won salary increases in excess of 100 per cent. But, against an overall inflation rate of 75 per cent, the Ontario legal aid tariff increased by only 15 per cent. When lawyers complained about the disparity, the government replied that legal aid programs are even worse elsewhere in the country. When lawyers protested this was a silly argument, the government appointed fact-finders and law professors to study the issue. When their own advisers told the government to stop beggaring the program, it ignored them. When lawyers asked Ontario to negotiate or submit the matter to arbitration, it refused. And so, a boycott was born. Earlier this year, the Ontario Criminal Lawyers Association announced that senior lawyers in To-ronto would no longer accept legal aid certificates in homicides and prosecutions created by the Guns & Gangs Task Force. The movement spread quickly. Soon, hundreds of lawyers across the prov-ince joined the boycott. It is now province-wide. Senior criminal lawyers in Ontario have been refus-ing new serious legal aid cases for four months. I know what you're thinking. Lawyers on strike. Who's next? Dentists? Arbitrage traders? The image of pinstriped lawyers complaining about their pay does not intuitively evoke sympathy. But the reality is much different. The lawyers who ac-cept legal aid are practising poverty law, providing service to the poorest people in the province. They do not get the mind-boggling retainers that business lawyers demand. Instead, they agree to work for less than a quarter or more of what their top colleagues get in other branches of law. Law-yers doing this important work perform a service that makes the justice system fair. Although the criminal legal aid program fills a vital gap for people struggling with poverty or unemploy-

ment, its recipients are not influential or popular. Their lawyers, caricatured as moral relativists, are regarded with equal disdain. Glib opinion-leaders like to lump defendants, their crime and the law-yers who defend them into a single "untouchable" category. For the last two decades Canadian legal aid programs have been strangled into ineffective-ness. How do we get out of this mess? A little less cyni-cism would be a good start. Senior politicians have long calculated that antipathy toward lawyers makes ignoring legal aid a tolerable political risk. Before the boycott began, insiders warned us that blowing the whistle on underfunding would be a public relations disaster. But they were wrong. Members of the popular media like defence law-yers. They understand we are indispensable to the credibility of the justice system and insurance against wrongful convictions. Apart from a few disgruntled bloggers, public support overwhelmingly favours equality. Elected politicians have to declare themselves on access to justice for the poor. Governments that genuinely support equality must provide stable, long-term funding for legal aid programs. No waffling, half-measures or hedging will do. Legal aid is modern social justice at its best. It is a triumph of equality when good lawyers accept such cases. It means that no matter how poor a person or how disorganized their life, a talented lawyer will speak for them. In the legal system, at least, poverty takes a back seat. This beautiful ideal shows the rest of the world how we define justice. It's time to restore its sheen. Frank Addario Toronto Star Sep 28, 2009

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prison Numbers

Provincial custody In remand: 12,888 Serving sentences: 9,750 Federal custody Serving sentences: 13,304

Incarceration rates - 2007/08 Canada: 117 people in custody for every 100,000 (including youth) United States: 762 in custody per 100,000 (not including youth)

Annual budget for prison infrastructure 2005-06 $88.6-million 2007-08 $103.1-million 2008-09 $151-million 2009-10 $195.1-million 2010-11 $211.6-million 2011-12 $163.2-million 2012-13 $113.1-million

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- NEWS ON THE BLOCK -


Solitary Confinement 'Not Safe, Nor is it Humane'

The use of solitary confinement in federal peniten-tiaries has spiralled out of control, threatening the rights and well-being of thousands of inmates, a prison ombudsman has found. Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers found that more than 7,600 convicts were thrown into solitary-confinement cells last year - including an unknown number who suffer from mental illness. "It is a classic Catch-22 scenario," Mr. Sapers said in his 2008-09 annual report. "The practice of confining offenders with mental disorders to pro-longed periods of isolation and deprivation must end. It is not safe, nor is it humane." Mr. Sapers said that the use of isolation as a tool to manage the 13,000 inmates under the control of Correctional Services Canada, "is contrary to law and practice. It is not good correctional practice." The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Criminal Lawyers' Association said yesterday that they intend to use Mr. Sapers's findings to force a reduction in the use of solitary confinement and the creation of an independent oversight body. "A law-and-order agenda must have law in it - not just order," said CCLA general counsel Nathalie Des Rosiers. Lawyers association president Frank Addario said the groups may resort to legal action to end the "torture" of thousands of inmates in solitary-confinement cells. "No judge that I know of has ever sentenced some-one to torture in Canada," Mr. Addario said. "One doesn't have to be in favour of mollycoddling pris-oners to say that they are entitled to basic rights, which include being free from torture and infliction of cruel and unusual punishment as part of their sentence." In his report, Mr. Sapers found that the total num-ber of inmates in solitary confinement jumped by more than 400 over 2004-2005. The length of time they spent in isolation has also grown. In 1997, seven per cent spent more than 60 days in solitary confinement. Last year, almost 37 per cent of those in solitary confinement spent more than 60 days there. On a particular day that Mr. Sapers chose to study, April 12, 177 inmates had spent more than 120 days in solitary confinement. Psychiatric studies have repeatedly found that in-mates become increasingly unhinged under condi-tions of isolation. They have trouble concentrating and frequently experience hallucinations, distorted perception and panic. "Ultimately, a complete lack of social contact makes it difficult to distinguish what is real from what is not, or what is external from what is inter-nal," said an article in a 2008 edition of the Inter-national Journal of Offender Therapy and Com-parative Criminology. The article said that inmates feel a sense of intoler-able frustration, anger and rage, which may lead to fantasies involving violent revenge against their jailors. "Psychosis, suicidal behaviour and self-mutilation are commonly seen among prisoners in long-term solitary confinement," it said. The ombudsman's report depicted mentally ill in-

mates deprived of human company as suffering from illogical thinking, delusions or paranoia. He said that their irrational, compulsive behaviour frequently sparks confrontations with staff or other inmates, causing them to being kept in isolation even longer. He said that Correctional Services Canada has adopted euphemisms - such as "transitional units" or "enhanced living units" - in an attempt to dis-guise its excessive use of solitary confinement. In the case of some isolation units, Mr. Sapers said that no written documentation is required to ex-plain why inmates are placed there. Nor, are in-mates told what they must do to earn their return to the general prison population. Christa McGregor, a CSC spokeswoman, said yes-terday that the notion of solitary confinement "can conjure up images that are not an accurate por-trayal of what segregation is in our system. It is essentially to remove them from the general inmate population for their own safety or for the general good of the institution." Isolation cells are not used as punishment, Ms. McGregor said: "We see it as a tool to help us ensure the safety of staff and inmates and security of the institution. We see it as a tool to maintain the security of the institution." In a 1996 report on a violent incident at Kingston's Prison for Women, inquiry commissioner Louise Arbour urged the use of external oversight of soli-tary confinement. Ms. Arbour, later a Supreme Court of Canada justice, called the use of solitary confinement "a profound failure" of the correctional system. Solitary Snapshot A snapshot of a single day in the federal prison system this year - April 12, 2009 - shows the num-ber of offenders that were in some form of "administrative segregation" and the length of time they were to stay there. Days segregated Prisoners Fewer than 30 341 30-60 196 61-90 92 91-120 42 More than 120 177 Kirk Makin Justice Reporter Globe and Mail - Nov. 19, 2009

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Ombudsman Slams Prison Mental Health Services

Canada's ombudsman for prisons has found an "immediate and troubling" shortfall in mental-health-care services for offenders and predicts the problem will get worse as the prison population grows. In his annual report released Monday, Howard Sapers said there are gaps in capacity, quality and standards when it comes to helping mentally ill prisoners. "Criminalizing and then warehousing the mentally ill burdens our justice system and does nothing to improve public safety," Sapers wrote in the highly critical report. Ten to 12 per cent of offenders entering the fed-eral prison system have a significant mental health problem. He also found the gap between the number of aboriginal and non-aboriginal offenders is widening, with the aboriginal rate of imprisonment nine times the national average. One in five offenders is of aboriginal ancestry and one-third of the female prison population is aborigi-nal. Sapers said in an interview he expects the prison population to increase by about 10 per cent — or as many as 1,300 people — in coming years be-cause of legislative changes to toughen sentencing and limit early release. "We're going to see this manifested in some trou-bling ways," he said. The prison service already has only about 50 per cent of the acute psychiatric beds it requires, he said. "So any increase in the number of offenders incar-cerated will lead to an increased demand in that area," Sapers said. "It will require new resources, and it will require a continued commitment from the service." In a written response to his report, Corrections Canada outlined the steps being taken to address the issues but noted more money is needed. Craig Jones, head of the John Howard Society of Canada, said federal prisons have become the dumping grounds for those who are mentally ill. "Many of them should not be in prison because the system is not equipped for it, and it just worsens the environment for everyone," Jones told CBC News. Observers said overcrowded prisons have also re-sulted in a shortage of jobs for inmates inside and a lack of rehabilitation programs. This has led to tempers flaring, more violence and a growing number of lockdowns, such as the one in July at Warkworth Institution in Campbellford, Ont., about 70 kilometres southeast of Peterborough. One man died and 13 others were sent to hospital after more than 200 inmates rioted. "When you start squeezing people, they're going to push back," said Rick Sauve of Lifeline, a group that works with prisoners who are serving life sen-tences. "It's the pressure cooker that keeps building and building and building. It gets one little leak and, poof, it goes off, and my fear is that may start happening." CBC - Nov 2, 2009


Superjail for Youth Raises Troubling Questions

It was supposed to be a state-of-the-art facility, helping troubled youth turn away from a life of crime. But complaints from inside paint a darker picture Troubled teens promised cutting-edge treatment at Ontario's new $93 million superjail for youth have instead been deprived of food, denied programming and subjected to questionable body cavity searches, according to a review by a senior provincial official. Irwin Elman, Ontario's advocate for children and youth, is investigating cases of excessive force used by some staff at Roy McMurtry Youth Centre in Brampton, which holds 102 male and female youths, 90 of whom are still awaiting trial. Police are looking into at least one of these incidents, he said. What's more, despite the centre's much-publicized commitment to "state-of-the-art" pro-gramming – a proven tool in preventing young people from becoming repeat offenders – it simply doesn't exist, he said. "If it's because of lack of staff or lack of good plan-ning, I don't know," Elman said. "But whatever ... it's not there." From the outside, with its gleaming exterior and manicured yards set on nearly 80 acres of land, the government-funded centre seems to embody the model of positive change its foundation was built on. Inside, though, it's a much different story. Elman recounts a particularly disturbing incident. "They talked to me about a lockdown," he said. "They were telling me that there was a strip search because there was a DVD missing. There had been a strip search and full-cavity search for the DVD." Staff made the youths "bend over to see if the DVD was in their rear ends," he said. "That's punish-ment," Elman said. "To be in that situation, for a young person especially, is punishment." Elman's findings follow a Toronto Star investigation probing problems in detention centres that house youths. One story focused on the life and death of Ashley Smith, who was jailed at age 14 for throw-ing crabapples at a postal worker in Moncton, N.B. Smith suffered from mental health issues that were never treated and as a result spent nearly four years in segregated isolation – provincial and fed-eral – for bad behaviour. At 18, not long after she was transferred to the adult prison system, she strangled herself with a cloth ligature. Around the time of Smith's death, academics and politicians in Ontario were debating the finer points of building a more effective model to deal with youths in custody – one where staff treat young detainees like humans, not worthless criminals. It's a system that requires a shift in mind-set – a willingness to "see youth as having a prob-lem, not being one," as former chief justice Roy McMurtry noted in the 2008 report on the roots of youth violence he co-authored with former Liberal cabinet minister Alvin Curling. The point and promise of the Roy McMurtry Youth Centre was to put these principles in action. "These programs are crucial because they offer opportunities for young people to learn new skills,

develop their minds and bodies and become pro-ductive members of our society," said Deb Mat-thews, minister of children and youth services at the time. The first sign of problems came by phone. In August, Elman's office began receiving an alarm-ing number of calls from youths detained at the centre. As the province's first independent child advocate, Elman delivered a chilling report shortly after his appointment last summer on the deaths of 90 children and teenagers who were involved in Ontario's child welfare system. He's met thousands of youth during the 20 years he spent building and running the Pape Adolescent Resource Centre, a kind of community hub for Crown wards and foster kids that prepares them for independence. Elman knows real trouble. When the complaint calls about the Roy McMurtry centre escalated to nearly 20 a week, he and his staff arranged regular visits to meet with inmates, officers and managers. The centre employs 166 full-time youth services officers. Though initial estimates predicted the 22,000-square-foot facility would need closer to 200 permanent ground-level employees working directly with youth, budget cutbacks forced a new scenario, said Bruce England, a staffer at The Roy and president of OPSEU Local 290, which repre-sents jail workers. Raising further questions about the centre's com-mitment to providing a positive, rehabilitative envi-ronment, family visits have been cancelled at the last minute or moved into "secure" rooms where parents and their detained children are separated by glass and must communicate by phone. Since the centre opened in May, staff have re-sponded to more than 100 "code blue" emergen-cies, which are often related to violence in the facil-ity. Complaints to the youth advocate have "run the gamut of everything from portions of food or not having food available; to the sleeping conditions are too cold; to young people fearing for their safety," Elman said. A portion of the facility is dedicated to a multi-faith centre run by a chaplain. It's supposed to offer a variety of programs around Muslim, aboriginal, Catholic, Buddhist and non-denominational faiths. "The multi-faith building isn't being used because we can't get the kids there because we don't have the staff to run multi-faith religion programs," Eng-land said. Laurel Broten, Minister of Children and Youth Ser-vices, visited the centre shortly after taking over the portfolio last month. She said the ministry, which oversees youth justice services, is looking into con-cerns raised by Elman and echoed by staff at the facility. "I'm very committed to making the Roy McMurtry Youth Centre something that we can all be proud of," she told the Star. "I'm not in a position to speak to any of the specif-ics with respect to any of the investigations that are ongoing, suffice to say that I take every incident and allegation very seriously." Elman said he worries that opportunities to change young lives will be wasted in the time in takes to turn things around. "I think that there is a bit of a vacuum in terms of leadership."

Three weeks ago, the regional director of the minis-try of children and youth services replaced the facility's top boss with a new administrator and added a deputy of operations. Broten said she could not comment on the reasons behind the changes. The teenagers, meanwhile, vegetate, Elman said. On a recent visit, he asked them what they want to be when they grow up. There was a lawyer, an administrative assistant, a recreations programmer, a plumber, a construction worker ... "That's who's sitting there," Elman said. "If you think about it that way, the promise of doing things differently than they've been done before makes so much sense. We cannot turn our backs on those kids." Diana Zlomislic Toronto Star - Nov 09, 2009

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inmate Deaths from

Unnatural Causes Rise The number of inmates who died of unnatural causes in Canadian prisons increased 70 per cent this year, according to new figures obtained by CBC News. This increase occurred despite a concerted effort by federal officials to try to reduce the number of people who kill themselves or die violently while incarcerated. John Chafe has seen riots and standoffs during his more than 25 years as an inmate in Canada's prison system. What's happening now is creating feelings of hope-lessness among inmates, Chafe told CBC News. "There's no release mechanism for the guys inside anymore," he said. "There are no programs. There's no work. There's no money." In 2009 so far, 17 inmates have died from suicide and other unnatural causes, up from 10 such deaths the previous year. In total, 560 inmates were assaulted, many of them sustaining serious injuries. Officials with the Correctional Service have stated that reducing inmate deaths and assaults was a top priority in the wake of the death of Ashley Smith. The 19-year-old died on Oct. 19, 2007, at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ont. She killed herself while guards stood outside her cell door. Three former guards and a supervisor were charged with criminal negligence in her death. Correctional officials also promised to boost health services to deal with the increasing problem of mental illness. However, new figures show the system spent $178 million less than budgeted on basic services such as food, clothing and health care. "We're seeing an increase in spending on security to keep people inside rather than on therapeutic interventions," said Kim Pate who heads the Eliza-beth Fry Societies in Canada. Meanwhile, Canada's ombudsman for prisons is due to release his quarterly report on deaths in custody in Ottawa tomorrow. CBC - Dec 17, 2009

No Family Visits to New Jail Inmates will have to use video to talk with spouses at remote site Family and friends will not be allowed to visit in-mates at the new $620-million Edmonton Remand Centre when it opens in early 2012. Instead, all contact with loved ones will be con-ducted via video from an off-site location--a first for any jail in Canada. The province says the switch will be more efficient, eliminating screening for visitors and allowing as many as 1,400 more contacts with prisoners each day. But those close to inmates are decrying the change, fearful the setup will rob visits of real emotional connection. "It wouldn't be the same. At least (in person) they'd get to see your face, but over a screen it's not real. I wouldn't find it to be real," says Carrie, whose husband recently finished a two-month stint in the current downtown remand centre. Under the new system, visitors will travel to a yet-to-be built off-site centre equipped with video booths linked to kiosks set up in the inmates' living area. At a prearranged time, the two sides will sit down at their respective booths and talk electronically. Visitors must now show up at remand 15 minutes early and go through security screening. They are then escorted to a row of 12 booths, where they are separated from the inmate by glass and speak through a phone. It was a process Carrie, who asked not to have her last name used, and her husband did at least once a week, something she calls critical to their wellbe-ing and doesn't think can be replicated on video. "I don't think there would be that satisfaction of having that one-on-one. A video screen is not that person in front of you. A video screen is just TV. The feeling wouldn't be there. I think it would cause too much emotion and stress on inmates, because there's not that eye contact." Defence lawyers are shocked by the new arrange-ment. "The biggest concern for the inmates is going to be the lack of human contact with their family," says Brian Hurley, past president of Edmonton's Crimi-nal Trial Lawyers Association. Lawyers will be able to use a separate, secure court video system to talk to their clients, or go in person to the remand centre, where there will be space for them, says Kevin O'Brien, programming director for the new facility. Friends or family would only be allowed to use that same space in extreme circumstances, such as a death in the family, he says. Maureen Collins, executive director of the Edmon-ton John Howard Society, a charity that works with prisoners and their families, says visits are vital for inmates. "The connection to family and friends and people in the community is incredibly important," she says. "We know for a fact if people feel socially isolated, or there isn't the opportunity to stay connected, that it's very difficult when people come back to society." The average stay in remand, which primarily

houses people awaiting trial, is slightly more than 18 days, according to the Solicitor General's office. However, there are cases where people are held for years before their charges are dealt with, Collins says. "There's a lot of tension inherent inside the remand centre situation because nobody knows what their circumstance is," she says. "There is a comfort about seeing a person in per-son, even though there's glass, and that's the loss (with video)." While she imagines there will be a lot of resistance to video visitation at first from inmates and their families, she also sees a lot of benefits to the new system. For one thing, the centre's remote location at 18415 127th St. means many people can't get there because it is not on a bus route. The province is looking for about 450 square me-tres of space served by transit for the video centre, O'Brien says. Visitors will undergo less scrutiny there than they do now. Collins hopes there will be access to informa-tion and services for family and friends who go to the video centre. As well, O'Brien says the new system will make many more visits possible. "We're looking at having 60 kiosks, and if we're running visits every half-hour, we're looking at the ability of having 1,600 visits a day." Although the new remand centre will be the first in Canada to have such video visiting, O'Brien says that as other correctional institutions introduce similar systems, it will be possible to harmonize them, so visitors could go to the video centre near-est them and talk to an inmate anywhere in the province. Collins says that would be a real benefit, but it isn't in the cards right away. Ultimately, the system will have to be judged once users decide how well it mimics seeing a loved one in the flesh, she says. "It's the family and those who are visiting who will have the real answer." Laura Drake Edmonton Journal - Oct 19, 2009

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Quebec Prisoners Fighting Smoking Ban

Nineteen Quebec inmates are fighting a smoking ban inside prisons, saying it infringes on their qual-ity of life and threatens the safety of other inmates. The federal prisoners, which include a number of high profile biker gang members as well as an infamous drug kingpin, say that the ban violates their charter rights. "The sentence in a penitentiary or in a prison is in itself a terrible, terrible punishment that is hard to bear and is very difficult for a person to go through, and there's no reason to make it worse," said prominent Montreal human rights lawyer Julius Grey, who helped the inmates launch their lawsuit Wednesday. They say the smoking ban makes them stressed, angry and aggressive, and that if all prisoners are not allowed to smoke, it could make life dangerous for everyone inside. Former inmate Clement Proulx, who is now a drug counsellor, says tobacco behind bars should not be considered a luxury item. "The first unwritten rule about prison is anything that calms them down keeps them from aggression on the civilians, on the guards," he said. "Take something away from them under a stressful envi-ronment like that, it's going to create a lot of prob-lems." The prisoners who launched the suit include notori-ous drug trafficker Gerald Matticks, biker gang member Benoit Guimond, and Daniel Patry, who killed well-loved children's TV puppeteer Pierre Regimbald. Federal prisons banned smoking inside and outside while on prison property in 2008. The prisoners launching the federal lawsuit say the rule was instituted by Quebec prison authorities and is not a federal law so they should be allowed to smoke in the yards, just like the prison guards. The Quebec government at first had banned pris-oners from smoking inside and outside provincially-run prisons as well, but backtracked, allowing in-mates to smoke in the yards after a riot at provin-cially-run Orsainville prison near Quebec City only a few days after the rule was implemented in Febru-ary 2008. The riot was presumably sparked by the ban. The union that represents 6,000 prison guards says tensions have decreased since the ban was put into place. "In the year and a half since the tobacco has been in place we have not seen one single incident that can be attributed to the ban on tobacco," said Lyle Stewart of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers. At the time of the ban in Quebec, prisoners' rights groups told CTV Montreal that up to 80 per cent of inmates smoke, and warned that forcing them to suddenly quit could lead to violence. Eight provinces enforce their own bans. When the ban was first announced, the Quebec government said it would cover the costs of nicotine patches to help the prisoners butt out. CTV News Staff - Oct 14 2009 With a report by Stephane Giroux

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Canada's Prison System Failing Aboriginals, Report Says

OTTAWA — The Correctional Service of Canada has failed to take measures to reduce the number of aboriginals in Canada's prisons and to ensure they don't reoffend, according to a report from the independent ombudsman for federal offenders released Friday. While CSC has identified numerous problems fac-ing aboriginal offenders, it hasn't actually done anything to lower the current and rising number of 2,500 to 2,700 aboriginal federal inmates, said Howard Sapers, the Correctional Investigator of Canada. "We see the outcomes of aboriginal offenders actually getting worse, and not better," said Sapers in a report called Good Intentions, Disappointing Results. It points to some glaring inequalities between abo-riginal and non-aboriginal federal inmates, most notably that aboriginals make up four per cent of Canada's population, but 20 per cent of its incar-cerated population. Aboriginal women represent one third of female federal inmates. In addition to higher incarceration rates, the report said aboriginal inmates are released later in their sentences; are over-represented in solitary confine-ment; are more likely to have previous sentences; are classified as higher risk and are more likely to reoffend. While the report, written by lawyer Michelle Mann, notes that poverty, substance abuse and discrimina-tion all contribute to incarceration, it says that CSC has not done enough to ensure that aboriginal offenders are given sufficient access to culturally sensitive programming and services — which may reduce incarceration or recidivism rates. Specifically, it found there have been delays in the national implementation of aboriginal program-ming, a shortage of links to the aboriginal commu-nity upon release, a shortage of aboriginal elders within the prison system and a shortage of staff to deliver programming. "These problems are well known to the Correc-tional Service and I think it's foolhardy of them to believe that things are going to be different or bet-ter if they simply maintain the status quo," said Sapers. Sapers said he has asked Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan to name a deputy commissioner whose job would strictly be to oversee federal abo-riginal inmates. A spokeswoman for CSC said aboriginal corrections remains a "very complex" and difficult issue. "We acknowledge that more needs to be done to address the specific needs of First Nations, Metis and Inuit offenders. We do however believe we've made significant strides in aboriginal corrections in recent years," said spokeswoman Christa McGregor. She added the department will invest $10 million over the next three years to strengthen aboriginal corrections, including the addition of 50 elders as counsellors to institutions by 2011. In regards to a deputy commissioner, she said a top deputy already oversees the demographic, with a team of 18 people, and another position would "add unnecessary bureaucracy and cost."

In a statement, Van Loan agreed that appointing a deputy commissioner would not solve the problem. "The government agrees, in general, that factors that lead to incarceration can often go beyond the scope of what the Correctional Service can address on its own. Appointing a different commissioner is not going to solve the problem. What's going to solve the problem are changes in approach. We, as a society, have a lot to do," it read. NDP MP Pat Martin, whose Winnipeg riding is 20 per cent aboriginal, said the 66 per cent aboriginal incarceration rate in Manitoba is approaching a "social tragedy." "It's like they're trying to lock up a whole genera-tion of young aboriginal people," said Martin, who said a majority of his province's aboriginal inmates are under 30. "The alarming thing is not just the rate of incarceration, but we now find aboriginal people serve harder time." The Sisters in Spirit/Native Women's Association of Canada said the report's findings — especially the rise in women offenders — point to the persistent lack of support for aboriginal people in the justice system and in their communities. "The alarm bell is ringing and we must take action. With a growing population of young people we need to be aware of the environment and risks aboriginal youth face as they grow up, particularly young women," said association president Jeannette Corbiere Lavell. Laura Stone Canwest News Service Nov 13, 2009

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Why We Should All Be Concerned About Bill C-43

In June 2009, the Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety, introduced Bill C-43: An Act to Amend the CCRA and the Criminal Code. The Bill was touted as a legislative means of in-creasing public safety and “prisoner accountabil-ity.” In reality, the bill is extremely problematic, as it gives more power to CSC, while further eroding the already limited rights of prisoners. Among other things, the bill proposes to: • Narrow the purpose of the correctional sys-

tem to say: “that the protection of society be the paramount consideration in the correc-tions process”; and remove any mention of the rehabilitation and reintegration of prison-ers that currently exists in the CCRA.

• Add new institutional charges including: “is disrespectful toward a person in a manner that is likely to provoke them to be violent or toward a staff member in a manner that could undermine their authority; is abusive toward a person or intimidates them by threats that violence or other injury will be done to, or punishment inflicted on, them; knowingly makes a false claim for compensa-tion from the Crown; or throws a bodily sub-stance towards another person;”

• On top of segregation, potentially take away family visits from prisoners who have commit-ted a “serious disciplinary offence.”

• Create security “sub-classifications” within maximum and medium classifications, which could be assigned to prisoners by the Commis-sioner.

• Give powers to CSC and the parole board which should only be given to the sentencing judge. For example, the CSC would be allowed to make decisions about someone’s treatment inside based on “the nature and gravity of the offence, the degree of responsibility of the offender.”

These are only some of the troubling amendments proposed in this bill. Not only does Bill C-43 bring up many human rights concerns, but it also could potentially cause people to stay in prison longer, and in fact increase the number of people who are incarcerated in this country. Because Stephen Harper has prorogued parliament in a startling display of anti-democratic arrogance, this bill will remain stagnant until parliament starts up again in March. This does not, however, mean that this bill is dead in the water, and we need to stay vigilant to make sure it doesn’t get passed.

Joan Ruzsa

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Time What is it we remember in those wee hours Between dusk and dawn? Is it the memories we crave for Is it the memories we yearn for Are they soft like a feather Or do they hit like a brick Are these memories of a life Worthwhile for us to hold dear To cherish in our mind’s eye When we speak the words As seen through our vision Do they mean the same to them As they do to us? Joseph Harland

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Attitude

I’m street but not concrete to walk on Or attach bars to, last thing I want to do Is be the last few of a dying breed Fightin’ for freedom like the legends do Something like Geronimo, instinct like an animal Always like a wolf You can keep me caged for so long Before I’m jumpin’ at your throat The rage is so strong it could happen soon Just don’t be the one to poke Regardless of the hardship I choose to move forward Step out the dark, got the heart of a warrior (Nish) Marvin Auguston

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Just a Thought

My thoughts, quiet space, good place Calm and serine Behind this door MLK Jr, Malcolm X I have a dream But is it the riches I seek? I really don’t know Can I get a peek? I wanna know... But I wanna know that you know that I know… You get me A letter to myself from my inner self… Take time with yourself Put yourself on a pedestal frequently… Do I not have a heart? Let me wonder…. Has the American dream taken over? I wanna be able to leave my kids a legacy But coke & guns isn’t a treasury Been around the world and seen somethings… Took my kids to Disney World through them things, But can my kids brag about it… No I feel I’m grown But at times I can hear my inner child… When are we really grown? When you own a house? A car? Deep down inside I still wanna play… But the street lights are on, time to go inside Because when you think about it You’re still someone child. Trini aka StarBwoy

Untitled Every artist was first an amateur Every teacher a student To become a great leader you must learn to follow You must first understand to overstand You must master it before you transcend, surpass or revise You must experience experiences to become wise Knowledge is power & wisdom is strength When you look within you will never be without Once you begin there will be no doubt What you conceive you can achieve But first you must believe If the truth sets you free a lie could be prison Everything you see all came from a vision To succeed we fail When we slip we slide To get discouraged and quit Would admit it died There is only to do or do not There is no try (Inspired from the quote, “Every artist was first an amateur” by Ralph Waldo Emerson) CANE-RSR-IIXI

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Steppin’ Stone

Every man got 2 walk on his own 2 feet Call it a steppin’ stone While my comrades were chasin’ dreams I was chipin’ stones Never left da burner home I was tokin’ homies Ur daddy’s one of a kind coulda never clone See this life man ain’t nothing 2 me Got mo jewels, mo tools, mo money, mo honeys Then them haters tried take it from me C I was a “G” They tried 2 assassinate me on Yonge Street Heard them shots Run I couldn’t even try On da ground I lied Blood from my back ran down 2 my side Woke up at St. Mike’s Doc said 2 more inches woulda left me paralyzed Thought that changed my mind Nah cuz still loadin’ burners an getting high Movin’ way 2 wild Until I was one of those statistics of bein’ incarcer-ated or those that died Got 2 change my life Got 2 get out these streets n find my home I’m tryin’ to rise my own 2 many black families Where daddies ain’t at home Listen 2 me son this your steppin’ stone M.W.H.

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Low Alone, invisible, empty Waiting for the devil to tempt me I wonder why it’s him that I envy And I know why my parents resent me From the beginning until the end Not only were you my girl You were also my best friend How did I let this again Broken promises and hurt feelings I lay awake at night and stare at the ceiling Thinking about the Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth And it seems like god’s only making shit worse Maybe because I was a sinner at birth And religion means nothing to me so I’m cursed And I try to remember that last time I felt blessed And I fail every time that put to the test I blame no one else I created this mess So until I get free All I want is someone to hear me. Don Smith

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Untitled

In the grasp of a flawed system Empty eyes & hollow souls are rife Left to rot, scorned & ignored I cry for help, but my pleas fall on deaf ears How can I repair my life When the only thing I’m being taught Is how to be a better criminal This system swallows me Gag pigs Jeb-Da-Hutt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Criminal

They say that I’m a criminal I’ve been here for a minute And for what? All I did, was put money in my pocket And food on the table I didn’t lie, I didn’t cheat, I didn’t steal To get that next meal And all I did, was sell a bunch of little things All it was Was just a whole bunch of different coloured Little pills But how was I to know, them pills that I had My city called them “GRADE A” My city said “them things is bad” But in the end they could never, never Live the life that I had Windsor

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11

Untitled

A beautiful disaster Wanting to be healed Deep below the surface An ugliness revealed Running from the pain And never looking back A long and lonely road That led to using crack In a world with no direction Lost & without hope Seemingly her only friend A glass pipe filled with dope But it too would betray her And leave her wanting more Alone on streets of darkness Looking for a score The lengths that she would go to To see that friend again Would be her final downfall But she didn’t know it then Suddenly across the sky Lights flashing red & blue Nowhere left to run or hide And nothing she could do Cops with loaded weapons Forced her to the ground Inside her mind was screaming But she didn’t make a sound They’ve locked her up in prison And thrown away the key But this beautiful disaster Was never really free Tracie Cheesman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dangerous

Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous I tear my hair out & scream I had hopes & dreams Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous I wanted to fight for the right Now I’ll kill for a slight Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous The blues push me to duel It adds fire with fuel Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous I was too nice & naïve Let this be my reprieve Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous Nothing stands in my way Anything’s on the play Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous You have to take what you want Take from me & you’ll get shot Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous Constructed as society’s ill Now I destroy & kill Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous Steele

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I Thank You I was hungry And you formed a humanities club To discuss my hunger. I thank you. I was imprisoned And you crept off quietly To your chapel in the cellar And prayed for my release. I thank you. I was naked And in your mind You debated the morality of my appearance. I thank you. I was sick And you knelt and thanked God For your health. That’s good. I was lonely And you left me alone To pray for me. I thank you. I was homeless And you preached to me Of the spiritual shelter of the love of God. I thank you. But I’m still very hungry and sick and lonely, And still cold. Timothy Covington

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ruff Copy

I am now having fun Fun in the sun like a bun And having lots of guns Like the soldier boy & his drum Your turn, my turn, the roller spun Around & around, again & again Yes, that is what it is like deep in the pen Sometimes you never find a friend You are in as far as you can get in Repeatedly always, you twist & spin This paper blows away in the wind We’re like the soldier made of tin Throughout this tale, we remained just men The ice you’re on is getting rather thin It all will crack in your vein That picture should be framed We continue along black lane As we walk into the flames Remember, it is all just a game For the fallen & forgotten slain Sweet Pete Saul

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Untitled

Cryin’ children, they’re all crazy kids Blotches of black dots in their brains The criminally insane is what it is … So it says, the system, get rid of ‘em kids Foster them, a get rich quick Feed ‘em to the pigs Kiss me loverboy, be my first, I love you He kissed me, I fucked him & forgot his name It’s a new day again LSD, weed, rails of speed Spinning in a sparkly spiral 13 years old, so full of greed The need to feed the need I hate black licorish It leaves a nasty seed in my teeth Here I am, in a 8x10 at 27 No reverend can save me 2 for 1, serving a 10, Club Fed 7 left to my wed I’m just a girl in the world Sophisticatedly twisted is what I is I ain’t missin’ a thing, my mind is free I don’t walk, I can see Don’t speak, can’t sing An unsolved mystery, intrigued I fancy him indeed, muah! Chantel Patterson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Untitled

I stay awake, looking How long have I been thinking It keeps coming back for more And it’s making my eyes quite sore Is it going to be that many years Am I going to shed more tears Seems like it’s only started But years are already wasted Going moment by moment My mind is in torment I am in great pain My soul has a stain I’ve tried to make it white Nothing seems to make it right Jeremiah

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Injustice

You take me prisoner, charge me with lies Separate me from loved ones & society’s ties You watch my health deteriorate, immensely for years Without any conscience or compassion for tears Then you realize the truth you refused to see You had no reason ‘in reality’ to incarcerate me Yet you cannot change the damage already done So you try to find against me, another injustice to run Steven Gareau



SAFE TATTOOING Tattooing is a popular art form that many men and women in prison participate in. If the work is done safely, by a skilled artist who values both their art and the health of their customers, tattooing is an activity that can give a lot of happiness and pride to the artist and customer alike. However, if proper precautions are not followed, tat-tooing can be a high risk for the spread of diseases like Hepatitis C and HIV.

CHOOSING AN ARTIST Everyone likes to get tattoos in prison, and that's good because a lot of the best artists are in prison - artists that take pride in their work, and do mega-detail! When you're entering a prison, take your time before getting tattooed. Too many people want to hurry, hurry, hurry. Well, don't rush, because the people who do only end up later looking for a good artist to cover up the hurry, hurry crap. The artist should make sure that the art work the person wants is what they will get. If you're getting a tattoo, make sure you check out as much of the artist's work as possi-ble to make sure he or she knows what they're doing. Take your time when looking for a tattoo, and in picking an artist to do it for you. If you can, try to see the artist in action first, and watch what he or she does. This can really help you make good decisions.

SAFE TOOLS In here it's very hard to ensure that the equipment (needles, shaft, ink) is clean. The only way to be sure is to have the tattoo artist make the new needle in front of you. When doing a tattoo, everything the artist uses should be brand new. To make sure of this, the artist that you choose should be able to make up everything in front of you - the needle, shaft for the ink, and tip for the needle. For this, the tattoo artist needs to be adept at making the equipment fast. If the artist can't make the needle in front of you, tell him or her to drift. Even these precautions cannot guaran-tee a safe tattoo. A simple pen or lighter can be used for a tip and shaft. A pack of guitar strings can make endless needles for the price of a few dollars. An easy way

to sharpen them is with a small piece of sandpaper stuck to your fan, or by hand using slow pull-away and turn motions. The needle should be razor sharp - the shorter the point, the longer the needle will stay sharp. The artist should also wear latex gloves. If you have to boil your equipment, do so for 15 minutes, with bleach if you have it. The best sys-tem I have found is to make everything brand new each time and boil it, and afterwards clean it with alcohol and let the person who got the work done keep the works. By making the customer responsi-ble for their own personal works, they can get more work done later (if the piece isn't finished yet) and be positive that no one else has used them.

SAFE INKS You trust your life on the ink you use. Just because someone tells you the ink they're using is brand new doesn't mean anything, because you can't see the HIV virus or Hep C virus. You can't tell by looking if the ink is clean or not. Getting ink is a big problem within prison. CSC banned ink in their efforts to curb tattooing prac-tices. This makes it hard to get. You can make your own ink by burning paper and mixing it with water to make a thick paste - then away you go! The artist should mix the ink in front of you, so you know it's disease free. The standard practice for the serious tattoo artist is to obtain a sealed bottle of ink from somewhere (use your imagination!) and use that. Reusing or sharing ink is very high risk for disease transmission (Hep C and HIV)!

SAFE WORK When using a home-made prison tattoo gun, make sure that the area you're working on is flat and that you're holding the gun straight on. This will make the ink flow to the spot you're working on and stay there until you wipe it off. Never hold your gun on a tilt. This causes blotching and infec-

tion, and it doesn't do a lot of good for the tattoo either. Make sure that a new toothpaste cap is used, or styrofoam cup or whatever, and that it's cleaned with alcohol. The tattooist should not break through all the lay-ers of skin. If they do it can result in infection and heavy scarring. There will always be a little scarring - remember, you're punching millions of holes to make a piece, but the ink will cover that. The heavy scarring I'm talking about - which seems to be abundant in prison - is the deep, rutted scarring. You can run your finger lightly over it and feel the indentations left from some butcher calling them-selves a tattoo artist. Any butcher can follow a bunch of lines stencilled on someone's skin - the art

comes from the shading, and every tattoo artist has a unique shade. That's the ad-diction. Because of this, once you've been around a while and seen a lot of work, you should be able to tell who did it - and that's without a signature! Be aware of cross contamination. This means that anything that comes into con-tact with a used needle, dirty rag, blood, etc., is contaminated. For example, if the tattoo gun cord comes into contact with blood during a tattoo it is considered con-taminated. This could be a risk to the next client receiving a tattoo if it comes into contact with their open tattoo sores. As much as possible the tattooist should pro-tect against cross contamination by using non-microwaveable plastic wrap to cover equipment and working surfaces.

SAFE DISPOSAL After you've finished a tattoo, you have medical waste. After the job is done, everything you used is waste and should be treated as such. The needle, tube or shaft that the needle goes in, the ink, the ink cap, the gloves, and the new towel that you had at the start which is now black, should be disposed of. Don't ever re-use any of the stuff. You can't take it to health care, so you have to throw it in the garbage. Make sure you cut the point off the needle and bend it up before you throw it or flush it. This will make sure the garbage person or whoever won't accidentally get stuck by it. This way you know for sure that you're not spreading any diseases. The gloves and rags should also be tossed or flushed and never reused.

Written by Wm. Danks Art by Tim Felfoldi

Joyceville Inst, Kingston, ON (1998)

T A T T O O I N G & Y O U : the safeguards within prisons

BLEACH DOES NOT

KILL HEP C

13

Be kind to your veins, they’re the only ones you’ve got! Veins become leaky, infected and will eventually collapse if they don’t have time to heal between injections. You can tell a vein has collapsed when it seems to have disappeared or you can’t draw blood from it. To help prevent your veins from becoming damaged: ♦ try to use a different injection site for each time you shoot up ♦ learn how to inject in a number of places and with either hand so you’ll be able to use the other side if one side needs a rest ♦ save the “easy” spots for when you know you don’t have time ♦ shoot in the direction of your heart with the hole of the needle facing upwards ♦ taking oral vitamin C may help your veins repair themselves

To make sure your vein is full of blood and easier to hit, try: ♦ clenching and relaxing your fist ♦ gently rubbing or slapping the skin over the vein ♦ soak your arm in warm water ♦ squeeze your bicep with your hand ♦ Push-ups, pull-ups or wrist curls ♦ use a tourniquet (belt, string, rubber bands, shoelaces, etc.)

REMEMBER THAT INFECTIONS ARE HARD TO HEAL, IT IS BETTER TO PREVENT INFECTIONS

WHERE TO SHOOT Always shoot in a vein, never an artery. To be sure you’re in the vein, pull back the plunger, if slow moving dark red blood comes into the syringe, YOU’RE IN A VEIN. If the blood is bright red and frothy or if the plunger is forced back by the pressure of blood, YOU’RE IN AN ARTERY – GET OUT! Untie, pull needle out, raise the limb above your head if possible and apply pressure for 10 minutes. Also: ♦ areas that are furthest away from the heart heal the slowest and have the worst circulation (eg: feet) ♦ areas that are closest to the heart have veins that are near major arteries and nerves which can

cause serious damage if hit ♦ the veins in your arms are the safest places to shoot ♦ never inject where you feel a pulse (an artery) ♦ try to hit surface veins instead of deeper ones ♦ shoot in the direction of your heart

GOOD PLACES TO SHOOT The veins in your upper arms and forearms are as safe as any!

BAD PLACES TO SHOOT DO NOT fix into your eyes, face, armpits, penis or breasts, these veins are so fragile and hard to find that they’re not worth the risk. The same goes for veins near your belly button and inner thigh, they are too deep!

PLACES TO SHOOT ONLY IF YOU HAVE TO Veins in the hands and feet are fragile and will hurt, inject slowly into these areas. Inject slowly into the veins behind your knees also and be careful of the artery that runs next to the vein.

IF YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR JUGULAR (in the neck) Hits into your jugular are very dangerous. Chunks and clots can go quickly to your brain or heart and cause a stroke or heart attack. Your best bet is not to shoot here at all. If you must, clean the area first with alcohol, then shoot towards the heart and come in at the smallest angle possible - 35 degrees or less. Flag it to make sure you’re in. Go as slow as possible and don’t stand up too fast. There is no 100% safe way to shoot in your jugular.

GERMS Germs cause abscesses including spit germs, skin germs and other people’s germs. To avoid germs getting into your body while you’re fixing: ♦ don’t lick the bubble off the top of the point ♦ don’t lick the site before or after fixing ♦ don’t use a dirty mix like toilet water or spit (if you have to use toilet water, use the water in the

tank, not the bowl) ♦ don’t touch the filters too much ♦ avoid sharing spoons, water, filters and rigs with other people ♦ clean the site before fixing if you can with soap or alcohol

ABSCESSES Abscesses (infected boils) begin with red-ness, swelling and tenderness at the injection site and develop into an infection with a hard, pus-filled center. They are caused by tiny germs getting pushed under the skin by the rig. If you notice a hard warm lump de-veloping and can’t see a doctor, put a warm compress on it at least 3 times a day, this will bring blood to the area and will make it go away or it will soften and fill up with pus. Also keep the abscess clean with soap and water. It may drain by itself but if you choose to drain it yourself, ONLY USE A CLEAN NEEDLE to poke it with. The pus should come out easily, never squeeze it because it will spread the infection. If you are able to, put a dry bandage over it and keep it clean. If you get a fever, chills, ex-treme fatigue or pain (especially in the groin or armpits) that is related to the abscess, you may have a blood infection - you proba-bly need medical attention for this. Some infections need antibiotics to be cleared up. COTTON FEVER (“The Bends”) Cotton fever happens when a piece of the filter gets sucked into the syringe and in-jected into your blood. Within hours, you develop a fever and get really sick, your bones ache, you feel hot and cold at the same time and you shake. The best thing to do is to rest, eat something and cover up with a blanket. Cotton fever usually gets better after an hour. CHALK LUNG Chalk Lung is caused by injecting something that won’t mix with water. These pieces can include talc, chalk and cornstarch (many pills have these pieces.) Your lungs may scar making it hard to breathe. Chalk Lung can be prevented by filtering carefully every time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- BE KIND TO YOUR VEINS -

- KEEPING FIT -



- HEPATITIS C INFO -

Prison Visit (Part 1) Ludwig Bemelmans

Atop one of the foothills of Pichincha, high above the city of Quito, bathed in sunlight, stands a white building with a cupola. It is the Panoptico, and it has an evil name. Don Juan Palacios in Guayaquil had recited its horrors to me, and wherever I asked permission to visit the prison I was told with politeness and much regret that this one wish could not be granted. Diplomats in cautious conversation told me again that its cells were subterranean and wet, that the prisoners were chained to the walls, underfed, without proper clothing. Bony, feverish victims of political miscalculation, who died slowly, without consolation, and stank to high heaven. Lucky were they who were sent to exile in the Galapagos Islands or marched into the jungles of the Oriente; there death was quick and in the daylight. The magnificent name of the prison and its story drew me up the hill, which I climbed in short stages of thirty paces at a time. For a while, when you return from the low lands, it is difficult to breathe in Quito, and you proceed by resting on a street corner, advancing thirty paces, leaning against a house and then a tree. Thus I arrived at the Panoptico. Outside, propped against the building, were two sentries in khaki uniforms, with legs crossed, resting their hands on the barrels of their guns. They were talking and laughing; one turned, when the other pointed at me, and raised his eyebrows. 'I would like to see the Director of the prison.' Ah, he said, but that was not so easy; there had to be arrangements made for this ahead of time, a letter, an introduction, a pass, or else one had to arrive in the company of an official of the Government, or at least of a policeman. I told him that I knew all that, but that my visit was an exception, that I was a prison official myself, from the United States of North America, that I was the secretary of the warden of a prison. The soldier's eyes grew respectful and obedient, he leaned away from the building, saluted, and dragging his gun behind him he almost ran up the portico to the door, where he told the story to the man who sat on guard there. The guard stood up and said: 'But certainly, come in, come in, the Director will be happy to see you.' Door after door opened. By the time I arrived in the reception room of the Director's apartment I had shaken hands with several officials and rapidly answered questions. What prison? A prison in the State of New York. Ahhh! A man motioned to a red leather couch in the comfortably furnished room. There were white curtains, a few cages with birds singing in them, and under my feet a green carpet. Much light came in at a high window. A small man entered. He wore a long, tightly-buttoned black coat. One of his hands was in a black glove; he held this hand behind him. He had a small white spade beard, a distinguished face. He stood away about ten feet from me, and bowed. I got up. He said, `Sing Sing?' I answered, `Sing Sing.' The door opened again and a young man was shown in. The little old man turned to him and said with raised eyebrows: 'Warden Lawes, Sing Sing.' The Director bowed deeply. He was followed by a retinue of secretaries and assistants and guards. As he sat down on the couch beside me and pumped my hand, he repeated 'Sing Sing' as if it were the name of his first love. He picked a stray hair off the collar of my coat, and then, standing up, I was introduced to the staff, and someone was quickly sent for something to drink. An order was given for luncheon, and then from a drawer of his desk the Director slipped a worn Colt .25 into his pocket and said: 'Permit me,' and went ahead. 'I will go ahead,' he said. 'You do not know the way.' He was athletic, of good bearing; I think partly Indian. His clothes were simple; he used his chest and lips at times as Mussolini does, the body swaying with both hands at the hips, the lower lip rolled out as in pouting. We passed two heavy gates, went through a long tunnel, turned to the right, and entered one of the cell blocks in the star-shaped building. 'Our population in this prison is five hundred and five men, and twenty-four women. Most of them are here for crimes of passion. The population of Ecuador is about three million.' (Part 2: Spring Issue #57)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey everyone! A shout out to all of you I’ve had the pleasure of meeting face to face these past months, thanks for your questions and conversa-tion. A prisoner asked me a question about Hep C last month and I thought I would share it with you all: Question: I’m doing a tattoo inside and I’ve obtained new needles and my own ink to use to get my tat done. Am I at any risk of contracting Hep C or anything else this way? Hep C Mama’s answer: The answer is no, you are not at risk of contract-ing Hep C, HIV or Hep B this way because you are not sharing equipment or ink therefore you are not exposing yourself to someone else’s blood. An important precautionary measure to take though is to always ensure that you put a cap on the needle when not in use to prevent from needle stick injuries. You can cover the needle with cardboard or a plastic sheath. Also, even though your works are new you still should keep everything clean, rinse your needle under cold water, soak in a glass of full-strength bleach for 2 minutes and rinse again with cold water. If using a gun, mix 1 part bleach 9 parts water and use that to wipe down or rinse the gun. Of course since a tat is an open wound on your skin there is always a chance it can get infected if not taken care of properly. Use Polysporin on the tat / or Vaseline, as prisoners have told us that Polysporin tends to pull out some of the ink from the tat. Keep your tat covered up while it heals so no bacteria comes in contact with the open wound. Hope that’s helpful and remember no question is a stupid question. When you call to speak to me or when I see you in the joint feel free to ask me anything around Hep C or your health and I will do my best to answer it. Keep asking Hep C Mama those questions, keep your head up everyone and take care of yourselves. Claudia A.K.A Hep C Mama

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- DEAR HEP C MAMA - - A Short Story -

15

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CELL COUNT

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WINTER 09/10

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