January/February/March 2010 www.jeffdicksmedical.

com Massachusetts Chapter

This first issue of 2010 is dedicated in memory of Chief Ray
Two Thunders Gauthier. Rest in peace Ray!
An Open Letter to Governor eva! "atric#
Carmen authier
$% have chosen this forum for a !etter
to the Governor as his own we&site
states any mai! to him is screened &y
his assistants and referred to the
appropriate department for response.
Which in Honest English means the
Governor would NEVER see my letter)
!ear o"ernor #atrick$
%et me introduce myself to you. & am
Carmen authier$ a '(i)h (onors*
)raduate with a bachelor+s de)ree in
social ser"ices. & am a ten year "eteran
of the ,e-as !epartment of Children+s
#rotecti"e .er"ices. & ha"e ne"er been
arrested not incarcerated in my life.
,hou)h & am a practicin) pa)an$ &
belie"e in and stri"e daily to practice the
Christians+ 'olden /ule.* & am also the
wife of the late$ /aymond authier$ con
number 012134.
5s a family member of a M5 !6C
inmate$ & am confused as to why & was
not issued a con number. 6b"iously this
was an o"ersi)ht by Commissioner
(arold Clarke$ for certainly$ durin) my
entire relationship with the M5 !6C$ &
was treated by M5 !6C personnel from
5ssistant !eputy Commissioner #aul
!i#aolo throu)h .uperintendent James
.aba all the way down to the
Correctional 6fficer )uardin) my
husband+s dead body 7so as to protect the
public from him8 as if & were in fact a
con"icted criminal.
5h9 & am corrected9 & see from the press
releases that you and M5 !6C are
indeed industriously workin) toward
"ery )oal with your #roposed :isitor
#rocedures and 5ttorney 5ccess
proposals.
o"ernor #atrick$ in all seriousness$
what happened; & remember the day that
you were elected as o"ernor of the
Commonwealth. ,here was so much
happiness and so much hope for a better
future for the lowliest of your citi<ens=
the inmates of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. >ou sir$ a person of
color$ who had to ha"e e-perienced at
least some of the i)norant bi)otry of
prejudice= you sir$ who not only was the
first in your family to attend colle)e$ but
attended (ar"ard. (ar"ard9 >ou sir$ who
ser"ed as a law clerk with the ?55C#
and became the 5ssistant 5ttorney
eneral for Ci"il /i)hts. >ou were my
hope and my husband+s hope$ as well as
all the family and friends and inmates
who suffered unjustly the cruelties and
whims of M5 !6C employees.
0e weren+t askin) for a .unday picnic
or tennis courts or )ourmet meals. 0hat
we were askin) for our lo"ed ones was
common$ human decency. For ade@uate
1
medical care. For fair treatment. For
clean facilities. For nutritious meals.
5nd what you )a"e us was (arold
Clarke.
(arold Clarke$ infamous .ecretary of
?ebraska !ept of Corrections$ durin)
the ?ebraska state 6mbudsman+s
6ffice+s 1AAA report which found the
prison health system wantin) in 'e"ery
aspect.* .ince Mr. Clarke has been
Commissioner$ & personally know of two
cases of M5 !6C medical malpractice
resultin) in deathsB Cdward ,a"ares and
my husband$ both incarcerated at ?CC&D
ardner. ?either of these men was
sentenced to death but both recei"ed the
death penalty.
My husband had been feelin) ill for$ not
days$ not weeks$ but for M6?,(..
,ime and time a)ain he was turned away
from recei"in) medical care by the nurse
at ardner. (is chronic care appointment
was unduly delayed. 5nd by the time he
was in so much pain that he couldn+t
stand or walk$ it was too late. (e had
.ta)e Four %un) Cancer which had
spread to his spine and li"er. (is back
bone was so riddled with cancer that one
of his "ertebra had crushed.
o"ernor #atrick$ you may not like the
idea$ but as head leader of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts$ you
are responsible for e"ery person in
prison or jail in Massachusetts as well as
the free people of the Commonwealth.
0hen you accepted the job of o"ernor$
you accepted responsibility for e"ery
citi<en of the state. 5nd you ha"e not
dele)ated authority wisely by appointin)
(arold Clarke as Commissioner.
0hether or not you were aware of his
history while workin) for ?ebraska
!6C$ you should be aware of the
"iolation of human ri)hts bein)
perpetrated within M5 !6C now. &t has
been brou)ht to your attention and
therefore it is incumbent upon you to
rectify the situation.
>ou can not restore Ei) Cd to his family.
>ou can not restore my husband to me.
Eut you can correct a mistake by ha"in)
Commissioner (arold Clarke resi)n
immediately. &f you do not do this$ then
truly our hopes were misplaced and your
ancestors+ honor has been tarnished.
Termina!!y %!! "risoners
%uis !. #ere<
6ur own dead is indeed a "ery sensiti"e
subject$ but there is some "ery important
information that we all should know. ,he
family of terminally ill prisoners should
ha"e the appropriate medical consent for
release of information so that the family
of the patient can obtain an update of his
or her present medical condition. >our
lo"ed one must )o to the website and
ha"e access to the M!6C #olicy
0ebpa)e 10F !6C 4F0 and 10F !6C
420 for Medical #olicy and the
5ppendi- attached to those forms.
,he /ed ,ail 5lliance '/,5* had an
update of the medical condition of Chief
/aymond authier who was a terminally
ill patient. For me this has been a "ery
sad situation because & personally know
him and his family.
,he Chief was the founder of the /ed
,ail 5lliance. ,his or)ani<ation has
helped ?ati"e 5mericans inside and
outside the prison system. & was told by
his wife and the counsel of '/,5* that
the Chief had filed Commutation papers
under a compassionate release approach$
similar to the packa)e that was accepted
for our brother Eilly /oyce.
Chief authier wanted to die as a free
person and be buried in holy )rounds for
?ati"e 5mericans. ,wo ,hunders was
his nati"e name$ his stren)th and
2
spiritual power ha"e been moti"ated by
family and friends$ who encoura)ed him
to fi)ht as a true 0arrior of the people
and the ?ation of the /ed ,ail 5lliance.
(e personally told us all somethin)
special to carry with usB
'veryone ma#es mista#es in !ife( and
over the years many of us )rew up
away from those mista#es and &ecame
)ood human &ein)s( the *ud)es who
have &een ma#in) *ud)ment of those
mista#es( they themse!ves wi!! &e
*ud)ed &y a +uperior +pirit.
My personal e-perience in prison is that
decades can ha"e passed and no one is
reco)ni<ed by who we are today$ but
rather who we were 20 or 22 years a)o.
0e ha"e constantly been jud)ed by one
or two indi"iduals or by other people+s
&ehavior$ are what lead to mass
punishment in the name of justice.
,wo days before the Chief left for the
hospital$ he was workin) with me at the
law library$ he had back pain and was
"ery pale$ and suddenly he took a piece
of paper and read to me as a personal
messa)e$ now & understand the meanin).
,hat little piece of paper has a few lines
for the /,5 .piritual Circle and & will
write those words as he read to meB
a!!ow your inner !i)ht of our ancestors
to )uide you, don-t stand in someone
e!se-s shadow when it-s your
ancestor-s sun!i)ht that shou!d !ead
the way.. /O0A /'1!!
& finished this article at 10BF0 5M on
1/21/10 and after it was typed another
prisoner ran into me with a "ery sad face
and he )a"e me the bad news G
/aymond authier ',(C C(&CF* had
died. May the %ord ha"e mercy on his
soul$ you will be missed my old friend.
Letter to the Governor
%onnie ilchrist
!ear o"ernor #atrick$
0hy at the ma-imum security prison in
.hirley$ Ma. 7.ECC8 on .aturday$
January F0$ 2010 were the prison )uards
refusin) entry to "isitors wearin) boots
on a cold snowy day; Moreo"er$ many
"isitors had to tra"el a lon) distance to
reach the prison facility to "isit relati"es
or friends. ,his acti"ity is ine-cusable
and is another e-ample of prison
employees doin) thin)s to discoura)e
"isits.
My brother brou)ht my H2 year old
mother out to the prison to "isit me and
he was denied entry because he was
wearin) boots$ on a snowy cold day.
&s it not normal for people to wear boots
on a snowy cold day;
+2CC-s Tactica! Team
?ame withheld
,ake him down
,o)ether we+ll share his destruction$
.a"or the misery.
0e know he+ll endure.
,ake him down
/educe his life to despair.
,he i)norance and abuse
0ill reach him to reform.
,ake him down
Feed him nothin) to sustain$
Eoil and bake$ reduce him
,o an o"er cooked cabba)e. ,ake him down
,each him a lesson he won+t for)et.
F
,each him not to mess
0ith the boys dressed to protect.
,ake him down
Eeat him but don+t lea"e a mark.
%et him dance to our tune$
5ccept out abuse as ri)ht and just.
,ake him down
,each him to jump a hoop
5nd do what we say
5nd when he )ets out lets pray
(e+s fool enou)h to accept
,he batterin) of the mind.
G!o&a! Te!3Lin#
!aniel (olland I eor)e Ma)rath
,% is a reseller that leases line ser"ices
and billin) ser"ices from local and lon)
distance companies. &f you recei"e your
,% bill as part of your :eri<on bill$
then :eri<on is actin) as a billin) a)ent
for them. &f any phone company other
than ,% is includin) ,% char)es$ then
they are actin) as a billin) a)ent for
,%. &f your bill comes directly from
,% then they are their own billin)
a)ent. &f you ha"e a @uestion about any
char)es on a bill$ and are seekin) a
credit$ you must be)in with the billin)
a)ent.
&t is important that when callin) anyone
re)ardin) telephone ser"ice$ or
complaints$ you keep a record of who
you spoke to$ i.e. Company called$
!epartment called$ name of person$ title$
the date and time of the call. ,his will be
crucial to filin) a report with the FCC$ or
!,C$ if needed.
Credit4
,here are two types of credit you are
entitled to if you are disconnected
1. &f the call is disconnected before
you be)in a con"ersation and you
ha"e been char)ed with a
connection fee$ you are entitled
to a credit of the entire fee.
2. &f you are disconnected in the
middle of the call you are entitled
to a proDrated credit of the
connection fee. &f you are
disconnected after 10 minutes of
a 20 minute call$ you would be
entitled to a refund of J1.00$ or
10 cents for each minute of the
call you were able to complete.
2!oc#s4
,here are two types of blocks
commonly used by Eillin) 5)ents
and #ro"iders.
1. ,he billin) a)ent can place what
is referred to as 'toll cap* on
your line. Easically$ this means
that when your bill reaches a
predetermined amount$ your lon)
distance$ and collect callin)
capability is blocked. ,he billin)
a)ent usually sets this amount at
J200.00 when a customer
establishes a new ser"ice and the
a)ent has a problem "erifyin)
customer pro"ided information.
6r$ when a customer refuses to
submit information such as a
.ocial .ecurity ?umber.
&f you find that a billin) a)ent has
placed a block on your line you can
ne)otiate its remo"al. ,he primary
reason for placin) a block are$ 7a8 the
a)ent cannot "erify identification
information$ 7b8 poor credit reference
report. or 7c8 a history of fraud at the
customer address. ,he billin) a)ent
may re@uest that you )o to one of
their local offices with proof if
identification to remo"e the block or
that you pay a deposit until you ha"e
established your credit.
2. ,he #ro"ider can place a block
re@uirin) the customer to set up a
1
preDpaid account for all calls
throu)h its ser"ice.
&f ,% placed a block on your line$ you
will ha"e to call them to either remo"e
the block$ or increase the amount
allowed to be billed before the block
acti"ates. ,here are se"eral ar)uments
that you may use to )et ,% to rescind
the block$ or increase the amount
accrued before acti"atin) the block$ 7a8
you can e-plain that you ha"e been a
customer of the phone company for K
amount of years and ha"e ne"er been
late payin) a bill 7b8 you ha"e ne"er
been disconnected for failure to pay a
bill or$ 7c8 you ha"e been recei"in)
collect calls at the present number or
past numbers for many years and ha"e
always paid the bill.
&f either the Eillin) 5)ent or the
#ro"ider refuses to remo"e the block$ or
increase the amount accrued before the
block acti"ates$ you may then file a
complaint with the !,C and/or FCC.
,he lon)er you ha"e established phone
ser"ice$ the better your chances of
pre"ailin) with these a)encies re)ardin)
blocks.
Ca!!in) 2i!!in) A)ents and "roviders4
5s noted$ it is important to ask for the
department$ the name and title of the
person you are speakin) to$ as well as
notin) the date and time of your call for
future reference. 0hen callin) re)ardin)
credits or blocks always try to resol"e
the issue with the department that first
takes the call$ usually Customer .er"ice.
&f they say they are unable to help you$
ask to speak to their super"isor.
Customer ser"ice representati"es will
sometimes try to pass the buck as they
are normally under strict time constraints
to complete calls$ and will try to
complete the call as @uickly as possible.
.uper"isors are trained to resol"e
problems brou)ht by more a))ressi"e
customers.
0hen askin) for a credit from a Eillin)
5)ent$ it is not unusual to be told that
you will ha"e to call the #ro"ider. 5ot
true! >ou simply ha"e to point out that
as Eillin) 5)ent for the #ro"ider they
can remo"e the char)e and bill it back to
the #ro"ider $GTL6. &f they are
unwillin) to resol"e the dispute at this
point$ simply as to be connected to the
company+s #resident$ or ask for the
telephone number and/or mailin)
address of the T' and 7CC. 6ne of
the thin)s companies do not want to
hear is that you are )oin) to file a
complaint with either a)ency.
7i!in) a comp!aint with the T'
and8or 7CC4
>ou can file a complaint with either of
these a)encies for a number of reasons
7a8 poor ser"ice$ 7b8 poor reception$ 7c8
crossed lines. 7d8 cross talk$ etc. Eut the
most common reason is for billin)
problems. >ou must first try to resol"e
your complaint with the company you
are ha"in) the dispute with. &f the
company does not resol"e the issue in
the way you are entitled then you may
file a complaint.
>ou can contact the T' and/or 7CC
and ask for their complaint form with
instructions for filin)$ as well as a list of
your ri)hts. 6r$ you can submit your
complaint in letterform. &t is important to
include in your letter/complaint the
names of all the people you talked to$
alon) with their department$ their titles$
the dates contacted$ etc.
,he T' and/or 7CC will forward the
complaint with all the information$ and
the re@uested remedy to the Corporate
2
6ffice of the company. ,hese two
a)encies ha"e the same effect on phone
companies that the &/. has on people.
,hey ha"e no problem le"elin) fines to
make companies do what they are
re@uired to do.
T'
6ffice of Consumer 5ffairs and Eusiness
/e)ulations
C-ecuti"e 6ffice of Cconomic
!e"elopment
1 .outh .tation$ 2
nd
Floor
Eoston$ Ma. 02110
74138F02DF200
www.M5...)o"/dte
7CC
?ew Cn)land !istrict 6ffice
1 Eatterymarch #ark
Luincy$ Ma. 0214AD31A2
7HHH8222D2F22
www.FCC.)o"
Cmail fccinfoMfcc.)o"
A "roposa! to The 9A OC To
':pand 'arned Good Time $c.12; ++
12<6 for 9inimum +ecurity
"risoners "erformin) +ervice on
Community =or# Crews
0ayne 5le-ander
"refatory +tatement
6n June 13$ 2002 a !6C 5d"isory
Council instituted by o"ernor /omney
and chaired by former 5ttorney eneral
.cott (arshbar)er made a number of
recommendations concernin) the
M5!6C and in particular
/ecommendation NA readB ,he
!epartment should hold inmates more
accountable for participation in
producti"e acti"ities desi)ned to reduce
the likelihood that they will reDoffend.
,he preliminary report was
unambi)uous about the !6C+s
intentions and responsibilities.
',he !6C reco)ni<es the necessity of
communicatin) incenti"es and clear
lon)Dterm )oals for participation in
producti"e acti"ities to inmates from the
be)innin) of their time of
commitmentO ,he !epartment has
created a work)roup under the direction
of the 5ssistant !eputy Commissioner to
in"esti)ate best practices that encoura)e
and reward pro)ram participation by
inmates. ,he !6C is also conductin) a
comprehensi"e re"iew to determine
whether earned )ood time is an effecti"e
moti"ational tool for offenders. ,he
!6C is also considerin) e-pandin) the
criteria under which pro)rams can be
considered for earned )ood time by
re"iewin) best practicesO*
!6C 5d"isory Council$ Preliminary
Report$ June 13$ 2002 M pp. 2HD2A.
6n 5pril 20$ 2003$ a 'status update* of
the implementation of the major
recommendations of the o"ernor+s
Commission on Corrections /eform was
published by the !6C. /e)rettably
nothin) was discussed or re"iewed about
why the !6C had seemed to abandon
their 'necessity of communicatin)
incenti"es.*
#roposal to C-pand ood ,ime January
20$ 2010
,he current Commissioner$ (arold
Clarke$ has talked e-tensi"ely about the
necessity for successful reDentry=
howe"er none of that talk e-tends to new
and inno"ati"e methods for the
e-pansion and application of earned
)ood time credits for prisoners who are
4
most in need of clearly communicated
incenti"es.
,his proposal addresses one aspect of
earned )ood time e-pansion but with
some thou)ht and effort on the part of
inno"ati"e !6C staffers$ other areas
could be addressed as well to afford the
inmates increased opportunity to earn
)ood time.
Community Work Crew
,he term 'community work crew* is
found in !6C policy 710F !6C 1218.
.pecifically$ at ..121.01 718$ a
community work crew 7C0C8 can be
utili<ed to pro"ide )eneral$ unskilled
labor and/or ser"ices to local cities and
towns$ counties$ state a)encies and nonD
profit or)ani<ations that$ if not pro"ided
by these crews$ 7e.).$ litter pickDup$
cemetery cleanDup$ )eneral paintin)$
public work projects$ etc$8 those tasks
would not )et done. Community work
crews pro"ide ser"ices and opportunities
that encoura)e offenders to take
responsibility for their actions.
Community work assi)nments shall not
include projects that re@uire special
licensin) and/or certification 7e.).
asbestos remo"al$ lead paint remo"al$
etc.8 unless such certification and/or
licensin) is pro"ided$ and shall not be
conducted without the specific written
appro"al of the Commissioner.
Earned Good Time By DOC Policy
5ccordin) to 10F Code of Mass. /e)s.
7CM/8111.0A7188a8 '5n inmate may
recei"e a ma-imum o 3.2 days a month
deduction from sentence for satisfactory
performance in an appro"ed
employment$ educational or "ocational
trainin) pro)ram or appro"ed acti"ity.*
,he earned )ood time re)ulation was
created pursuant to the pro"isions of the
Massachusetts eneral %aw at Chapter
123 .ection 12A!.
Pnder a recent federal case titled
Jackson v Russo!1A2 F. .upp.2d 222 at
footnote 4$ one pro)ram can be
classified as both a pro)ram and a work
assi)nment. &n fact$ the ?C5!.
pro)ram at #ond"ille Correctional
Center is considered both an
employment position and a pro)ram
position. ,he commissioner has wide
discretion to appro"e a sin)le pro)ram
for the ma-imum amount of earned )ood
time. For e-ample$ the Correctional
/eco"ery 5cademy #ro)ram permits an
inmate to earn )ood time at 3.2 days per
month for each month of satisfactory
performance in that pro)ram.
Rational "or Proposed E#pansion o"
Earned Good Time "or CWC$s
,he heart of this proposal asks the
!6C+s Commissioner to increase the
amount of )ood time to be earned from
2.2 days per month to 2 days per month
because C0C pro"ides inmates with the
opportunity to be of ser"ice to the state
and the community$ accept increased
responsibility in a community settin)$
enhanced the de"elopment of personal
work habits and skills needed to perform
assi)ned tasks$ and it is an opportunity to
culti"ate trust between inmates$ their
super"isors and the institutional
administration that appro"es them to
work in a community settin).
Cach work e-perience )ained by the
inmate prepares him for both a preD
release employment position and
encoura)es )ood beha"ior and specified
producti"ity. Cach work e-perience in a
community settin) is an incenti"e for
future )ood beha"ior. 5ccordin) to
%averty v Commissioner o" Correction
110 Mass. 1$A 7200F8$ 'earned )ood time
credits should 'make incarceration a
3
more personally rewardin) e-perience
and impro"e prisoners+ li"es outside of
prisons.* ,he "ery purpose of permittin)
inmates to participate in C0C is to
encoura)e inmates to take responsibility
for their actions and reDestablish their
relationship to the community as a
producti"e worker and a potential
citi<en. .atisfactory performance on a
C0C is an important and necessary step
toward rehabilitation thereby makin) a
prisoner+s reDentry into society a success.
',his is also consistent with the
le)islati"e policy behind M% c. 121 ..
121 718 7e8$ which authori<es the
commissioner to create pro)rams to
rehabilitate inmates thereby makin) reD
entry into society more likely to
succeed.*
%averty v Commissioner! 110 Mass.
MA.
5t #ond"ille Correctional Center$ and
presumably at other minimum facilities$
one special C0C is on call 21 hours a
day$ 3 days a week for any number of
tasks. .uperior performance and
e-actin) standards are an inte)ral part of
the re)imen for this crew. C-ceptional
conduct by crew members is an on)oin)
re@uirement. (i)h standards and
e-pectations hold C0C inmates more
accountable for participation in
producti"e acti"ities than any other crew.
Cach acti"ity or task is desi)ned to
reduce the likelihood that these C0C
inmates will reDoffend.
,he clear lon)Dterm )oal is a smoother
transition from minimum custody to preD
release status$ and in turn better workers
are produced and culti"ated to perform
jobs on work release.
5 CCC work e-perience established a
firm ne-us between the inmate and the
community because he is out there in
that community performin) labor that
sa"es the community money and
impro"es the land or buildin)s to be
worked on. 5s the inmate becomes used
to workin)$ o"er time he de"elops a
work ethic that prepares him to become
a future ta-payer. &nmates who beha"e
appropriately and respectfully with each
work e-perience and then recei"e
positi"e reinforcement$ they are more
likely to adopt these beha"iors in preD
release situations and e"entually out in
the community on parole or on outri)ht
release from custody.
Conclusion
&n li)ht of the abo"e rationale for
e-pandin) earned )ood time for
minimum prisoners performin) ser"ice
on C0C+s$ and in reco)nition of the
on)oin) potential for rehabilitation$ the
Commissioner of Correction is
re@uested$ within his statutory discretion
to do so$ to permit all inmates in
minimum custody or below to work on
C0C+s to recei"e earned )ood time
credits for both employment and an
appro"ed pro)ram acti"ity. :irtually no
bud)et impact is anticipated because the
action re@uested is purely a decisional
process. 5ny allowance of )ood time
credit would take effect from the date of
the Commissioner or his desi)nee
appro"ed this proposal. .ince all earned
)ood time must actually be earned$ no
inmate could claim the earned )ood time
retroacti"ely.
,he power to influence human beha"ior
throu)h clearly communicated
incenti"es whether they are bonuses or
compensation in the free world or "ia
earned )ood time in the prison
en"ironment$ the !6C can utili<e such
incenti"es more freely in lower custody
while remainin) true to its o"erall
mission of reducin) recidi"ism and
protectin) the public safety.
H
Thou)ht Crime "revention 2i!!
!r. Erian .irois
5s of March 200H$ the P... (ouse of
/epresentati"es passed (/ 1A22 titled$
',he "iolent /adicali<ation and
(ome)rown ,errorism #re"ention 5ct of
2003. ,his bill is one of the most blatant
attacks a)ainst the P... Constitution yet$
and actually defines thou)ht crimes as
home)rown terrorism. &f passed into law$
it will also establish a commission and a
Center of C-cellence to study and defeat
so called thou)ht criminals.
Pnlike pre"ious antiDterror le)islation$
this bill specifically tar)ets the ci"ilian
population of the P.$ and uses
e-tremely "a)ue lan)ua)e to define
home)rown terrorism. ,he definition of
"iolent radicali<ation is defined as the
promotin) of any belief system that the
)o"ernment considers to be an e-tremist
a)enda. .ince the bill does not
specifically define what an e-tremist
belief system is$ it is entirely up to the
sole interpretation of the federal
)o"ernment corporation.
,he term "iolent radicali<ation means
the process of adoptin) or promotin) an
e-tremist belief system for the purpose
of facilitatin) ideolo)ically based
"iolence to ad"ance political$ reli)ious$
or social chan)e. ,he definition of
home)rown terrorism uses e@ually "a)ue
lan)ua)e to further define thou)ht crime.
,he bill includes the planned use of
force or "iolence as home)rown
terrorism which could be interpreted as
thinkin) about usin) force or "iolence.
?ot only that$ but the definition is so
"a)uely defined$ that petty crimes could
e"en fall into the cate)ory of
home)rown terrorism. 5s the bill
outlines in .ections HAA5 and HAAE$
.ection HAAC calls for a Commission on
the pre"ention of "iolent radicali<ation
and ideolo)ically based "iolence$
consistin) of ten members to deal with
thou)ht criminals in the P..
.ection HAAC of the bill discusses how
the federal )o"ernment corporation is
)oin) to defeat "iolent radicali<ation and
home)rown terrorism throu)h
international cooperation$ by seekin) the
ad"ice of other countries on how they
subdue their thou)ht crime problems.
,he most ridiculous section of the bill is
.ection HAAF$ which states how they
plan on protectin) ci"il ri)hts and ci"il
liberties$ while pre"entin) ideolo)ically
based "iolence and home)rown
terrorism$ by turnin) o"er all power to
the !epartment of (omeland .ecurity to
defeat thou)ht crime. ,his section means
that the !(. does not ha"e to abide by
the P. Constitution$ in their attempts to
pre"ent so called home)rown terrorism.
,his bill literally allows the federal
)o"ernment corporation to define any
and all crimes$ includin) thou)ht crime$
as "iolent radicali<ation and home)rown
terrorism9 0hat is e"en worse is that
101 representati"es "oted in fa"or of this
bill$ 4 opposed.
!ue to the !epartment of Corruption+s
alle)ed '!irecti"e* that supersedes and
o"er rides 10F CM/ 10F et se@$ and 10F
CM/ 1H1 et se@$ 7property and mail
re)ulations respecti"ely8 that ille)ally
limits the number of pa)es per incomin)
en"elope here at .ECC to a ma-imum of
fi"e 728$ that they refuse to pro"ide me a
copy of$ & ha"e not been able to follow
this insane bill into the P. .enate for it+s
status. Most likely$ it will be passed$ or
has been passed by now$ and will ha"e
been si)ned into law by inept #resident$
eor)e 0. Eush$ Jr.
Considerin) that le)islation like the
#atriot 5ct and the Military
A
Commissions 5ct ha"e already been
passed$ there seems little @uestion that
this absurd one will )et passed as well$
unless '0e the #eople* do somethin)
about it. &n this case$ thinkin) about it
won+t )et it stopped9 Eut thinkin) about
committin) a crime could )et you life in
prison9
9ora! >a!ues( Are They Gone?
!a"id ,roncoso
%ife9 &t+s funny how thin)s just chan)e.
(ow people chan)e. (ow people are not
who they use to be. &t seems that no one
really cares about moral "alues these
days$ or possesses them. &f parents
ne)lect to teach the children about the
importance of ha"in) )ood moral "alues$
then our society will suffer and decay.
0hat it boils down to is 'we* 7the
parents8 allow our children to )row up
only to become a bunch of adolescents
with no respect or consideration for
themsel"es or others$ and that is sad. 5s
parents we are the )reatest and most
immediate influence on our children+s
7moral0 de"elopment. ,hat is not a
responsibility we should take li)htly.
6ur children are the future. .o if we
e-pect them to help make this world a
better place for all$ we must instill in
them those @ualities that are conduci"e
to a healthy and at once positi"e outlook
on life. 5lso$ we must show them by
e-ample. 6ne )ood/positi"e e-ample
can )o a lon) way with an
impressionable child9
% idn-t Care @nti!
/obert %e.a)e
0hen & was a child & didn+t care if &
li"ed or died$ because & felt no one else
cared$
& belie"ed that & was the only one who
cared about me e"en when & was prayin)
to od upon my knees.
5s & )rew older$ & felt a draw toward
Jesus
& didn+t understand why & wanted to be
(is$
but there was this yearnin) inside to )et
to know (im e"en thou)h & was still
steeped in filthy sin.
& rejected this desire to know (im and &
ran away not reali<in) that & would call
out to (im someday$
meanwhile & ruined many li"es brin)in)
(im to tears
yes$ & tried a"oidin) Jesus for many a
year.
& remembered stories of how (e came to
earth and how (e had been born throu)h
"ir)in birth$
& heard of the miracles$ and how (e was
whipped for me
yes$ and how Jesus shed (is precious
lifeD)i"in) blood for me.
(owe"er$ none of this really penetrated
into my head as & chose to let my
worldly lustful flesh )uide me instead$
then in jail & awoke to a "ision that )a"e
me a fri)ht
& saw the floor open up and the room lit
by fire li)ht.
Creatures so )rotes@ue ne"er seen
before$ e"en in comic books were
climbin) out of the hole$ claws like
sharp hooks.
each fi)htin) the other with shrieks
earsplittin)
blood and flames e"erywhere and &
obser"ed e"erythin).
,hen in a battle for my own life and soul
& heard a "oice
'Come up here my friend= see & )i"e you
another choice*
10
in a corner a spiral staircase which led
hea"enward with a final thrust & threw
my opponent backward.
& ran to the stairs )rasped at the rail and
found a hand
lookin) upward a %&(, shined and &
be)an to understand$
there was Jesus liftin) me out of that
fireDlit pit and that same ni)ht$
Jesus shared with me (is (oly .pirit.
%ookin) downward & saw what appeared
to be a red runner co"erin) each stair &
had climbed and & wondered$
why red and why did the creatures run
away from it
and Jesus said ',hat+s my blood shed for
your spirit.*
The Giant 2!in#ed!
A 2i) +hout Out to Our 7riends
2ehind and 2eyond the =a!!
Massi"e opposition to the !6C+s
proposed amendments to its :isitin)
#rocedures$ 10F CM/ 1HF.00$ caused
the #atrick 5dministration to cancel the
#ublic (earin) it had scheduled for
February 1
th
. ,he scope of the
restrictions set forth in the amendments
was stunnin) and constituted a further
incursion of the !epartment into the
li"es of those who ha"e friends and
relati"es incarcerated in Massachusetts.
,he hearin) was canceled while the
!6C 're"isits* the draconian restrictions
it planned to implement re)ardin)
mandatory C.6./.&. checks of all lo"ed
ones= bannin) of interaction between
"isitors and other prisoners= limitin)
"isitors to one person in the entire
system= denial of "isitation without
e-planation= slashin) "isitin) days and
hours G and more.
6ur work in January had a profound
effect on Qthe iant+ which is the !6C.
(undreds of 'free world* people si)ned
the petition to oppose the restrictions.
%etters and calls went out. 0e ha"e been
an annoyance and caused 'the iant*
political embarrassment$ so they
withdrew their proposals. ,heir action is
tactical and we belie"e they+ll be back at
it a)ain soon.
,he o"ernor was placed in an
uncomfortable position because while he
was publicly championin) C.6./.&.
/eform his own administration was
plannin) an e-pansion of C.6./.&. aimed
at thousands of family members and
friends. 6n January11th$ Commissioner
Clarke took ad"anta)e of the situation to
issue a bi<arre memo further restrictin)
"olunteers from supportin) parole$
probation and employment on your
behalf. 7%et us hope that "olunteers will
now be mo"ed to or)ani<e as well.8
5ll of 1O@ who spread the word and
wrote wonderful letters are to be
con)ratulated. 0e won a skirmish in a
hu)e battle. ?ow is the time to push for
more "isitin) days and hours$ to restore
"isitation to more than one person in
e"ery joint= and to stop the routine
harassment in the trap$ the lobby and the
"isitin) room9 .uch chan)es can be a
start toward holdin) the !6C
accountable for )ross incompetence$
deliberate indifference and abuse.
#lease share the )ood news with your
inside and outside folks. .tay in touch
with one another. (a"e your friends
watch for updates at
www.massdecarcerate.or) and in
newsletters such as the M#:.
,hank you$
&n solidarity$ .usan M.
7rom +ue-s es#
5fter all the )reat articles that were sent
in$ & don+t really ha"e a lot to report.
11
& )ot a letter from 5n)el. (e wanted me
to pass this info alon) to all of you.
,here is a radio station. &t+s A1.2FM on
.unday ni)hts at 11BF0#M that reads
prison letters on different topics. .o if
any of you ha"e )ripes$ poems or
whate"er$ send it alon) to them. (e
didn+t send in an address but if you tune
in you can )et that.
6n another note$ & ha"e been informed
that some of our .tate .enators and
/eps. were to meet for the first
%e)islati"e 5wareness .eminar this past
week. & hope to hear only positi"e thin)s
about this meetin). &t has been a lon)
time comin).
5nother thin) & wish to speak on.
Compassionate release9 ,here is an
o"erwhelmin) need for the state to start
implementin) this. ,o keep someone in
prison who needs to be in a hospice
settin) or nursin) home is just insane
and cruel. & am )ettin) more and more
letters about elderly prisoners bein)
mistreated or not treated at all by prison
employees. ,hese people$ many of
whom most likely ha"e dementia would
not know enou)h to seek help. ,hey are
as helpless as children. &f they ha"e no
family to fi)ht for them$ then they are in
serious trouble. .o those of you that are
readin) this newsletter$ you will most
likely ha"e to contact me to inter"ene for
these people. & don+t ha"e a problem in
doin) that either. ,hat kind of stuff just
doesn+t cut it in the free world and it
shouldn+t in there either. 5ctually$ & think
that anyone who would treat another
person like that should be horse
whipped. & am not a passi"e person.
5ctually$ the first article of this
newsletter is a confirmation for the )reat
need for a Compassionate /elease
pro)ram. %et+s face it= health care in the
!6C is a joke and not a funny one
either. &t+s a dis)race. 0hen one of you
write to me and tell me 'don+t worry &+m
)oin) to the .hattuck (ospital for a
procedure*$ that does not )i"e me a
warm and fu<<y feelin). &t worries the
hell out of me because & remember what
they did to my son at the .hattuck
(ospital. & remember the pain$ the filth$
the incompetence and the indifference he
was shown by them. ,he 'medical staff*
at the prisons is a joke as well. ,hey
couldn+t make it workin) on the outside
with the indifference and incompetence
they ha"e. & belie"e that+s why they work
there. %ike they say$ water seeks its own
le"el.
&n closin)$ & want to say take care of you
and remember
=' AR' '>'R1=/'R'!!!
Mass #rison :oice
#6 Eo- 111FF2
12
.omer"ille$ Ma$ 02111
1F