Attitude Our Mission: Out of Bounds Magazine (OBM) is a quarterly publi- cation produced and distributed by prisoners, currently Jack Yu & Steve K., at William Head Institution. Its pur- Volume 34 Number 1 pose is mainly to provide an avenue for contributors to express their views, opinions and experiences about prison, Spring 2017 and to give prisoners a creative outlet to express their art. It is our hope that although our contributors may be physically confined, their ideas will transcend both time and space. Submissions: We welcome any original prisoner-generated writings and artwork. We also appreciate prison- related statistics, news, legislation, politics, stories, and opinions from community members. Particularly, we love to hear our contributors’ stories relating to volunteers, Prisoner Justice Day, and the Christmas holiday. Any and all rights to articles appearing in OBM remain solely with the authors unless otherwise stated. Permis- sion to reprint any article may be requested from the author in the care of Out of Bounds Magazine. Editorial decisions on matters of content are made by the magazine’s staff. In no way should this be deemed to mean that Correctional Service of Canada or any affiliated branch of the criminal justice system supports these decisions. Furthermore, publication of submissions and/or advertisements means OBM neither opposes nor en- dorses the opinions expressed, or the advertised products and services. The views expressed in the articles ap- pearing in OBM are those of the authors alone.

Submission Standard (for paper submission only) requires, written on the piece of paper that your submission is on, (i) contact info, (ii) date, (iii) whether you authorize us to edit and other publications to reprint, (iv) if your work has already been published, please detail the publication. If permission is not given (to reprint or to edit), please state how long you expect to be at the given address, so we can contact you, and (v) if you want us to print your full name, please explicitly state so on your submission. Furthermore, if you include a cover letter and you do not want us to print the entire letter, the entire page, or just the paragraph, please write Do Not Publish (or DNP) by the salutation, the top margin, or the paragraph respectively to signify such intention. Otherwise, you are giving us permission to print that letter. For more information on subscription, submission, and all other correspondence, please address to:

Out of Bounds Magazine, 6000 William Head Road, Victoria, B.C., V9C 0B5

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Subscribe: For people residing in Canada, a subscription to OBM is $18.00 per year or $32.00 for 2 years. An additional postage surcharge of $20.00 per year applies to anyone outside of Canada (If you have Internet access, I recommend reading this publication from www.penalpress.com). You can send your cheque or money order (include your name, address and postal code on a separate sheet of paper) to Out of Bounds Magazine via mail.

Contribute: If you are currently in prison and OBM chooses to publish your submission, we will send you the issue in which your work is published. Please note that our publication is now posted on Penalpress.com. By submitting your work to us, you are giving us permission to not only put it in this magazine, but also on the web-site. We will contact you at your last known address if permission is requested for reprint. If you do not respond or do not notify us when you move (or do not explicitly tell us not to give permission to reprint), you are giving permission to reprint.

One time promotion (OTP): If funding permits, a one time promotional issue may be sent to those who express interest. However, we strongly suggest that any interested party subscribe or contribute.

Cross Promotion: If your business is willing to promote this publication, to assist prisoners, or to encourage or recruit volunteers to assist prisoners, we will gladly put your business on our list. Better yet, e-mail us your business logo at [email protected] so we can put it in our magazine. We will also send a copy to those who advertise with us.

Out of Bounds Magazine, 2017. Printed and Bound in a Canadian prison. ISSN 1195-9142. Please feel free to copy and redistribute this magazine in its entirety within prison. The following poem was found in the chapel. Contents

Attitude By Charles Swindoll Editor’s Note------6 The longer I live, Readers’ Forum ------7 the more I realize the Office Journal ------11 impact of attitude on life. Word Games in the Big House ...... 11 Attitude to me, New Address ...... 12 is more important than the past, Opinion ------13 than education, Into the Forest: A Decolonizing Film Review ...... 13 than money, Prison Culture------15 than circumstances, Private Prisons: A Brief Overview ...... 15 than failures, How private prison companies increase recidivism .. 22 than success, An Ecstatic Parolee’s Border-Crossing Journey Home ...... 27 than what other people Inside American Prisons ...... 29 think, Or say, or do. Peace & Non-Violence ------33 Moving Forward ...... 33 It is more important Around the PENinsula ------37 than appearance, Vandalism ...... 37 giftedness, or skill. Breaking the Lock ...... 37 It will make or break an organization, Lighting Up ...... 38 Neverending Story (part II) ...... 38 a school, a home. Are you a plumber? Cause these pipes are burstin’ . 38 Where there’s smoke, there might not necessarily be fire The remarkable thing is ...... 38 we have a choice everyday Danger, Danger, High voltage ...... 39 regarding the attitude we Dimming the light ...... 40 Foraging for treasure ...... 41 will embrace for that day. OMG It’s a goddamn winter wonderland ...... 41

We cannot change our past... Non-fiction ------42 We cannot change the Farewell ...... 42 fact that people will Last words ------42 act in a certain way. Fiction ------43 We cannot change the inevitable. Grounded ...... 43 the only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, Poetry ------46 and that is our attitude... Who I am ...... 46 I am covinced that life is 10% Weak ...... 46 Prisoner ...... 46 what happens to me Stoned ...... 46 and 90% how I react to it. “Fickle” ...... 46 Prisoner of Love (Caught in a silken snare) ...... 47 And so it is with you... When I was born ...... 47 What’s Next? ------48 Editor’s Note Editor’s Note During the last WHoS production, I had the privilege of working in the green room with Chris. In between handling various props and sorting out makeup supplies, Chris and I started to talk. That sequence of conversations changed my perspective about doing time in Canada. Chris was recently transferred here after doing six years in vari- ous American prisons. Since his arrival at William Head, he dedi- cate himselves to WHoS. He regularly spent over 10 hours a day working for WHoS. From fixing costumes, doing cleanup, and checking inventory, his tireless presence was inspiring. Personally, after four years of William Head, I am jaded from all the shiny things of William Head. I long for a reminder of what makes William Head great. So, I drove our conversations toward the difference in prison systems.

“State’s prisons are nothing like this, bro.” “They readers. If you don’t feel like writing poetry, fic- don’t have all these girls running around you.” “They tion or an opinion piece, just throw some thoughts don’t let us roam around the prison.” “In some down on a page, send it out our way and we’ll throw states, we lived in a 300-man chicken coop We it in the magazine. Trying to drum up support for wouldn’t have our own rooms with our own keys. a cause? This is a perfect way to get your message It is great here.” “Then, there are all these gangs.” out. We want to establish a dialog with our read- “Down there, we of different races can’t even talk ers and we feel this is the best way to get’r done. privately. We each would have to bring a guy with We’ve also included a comic from one of our readers us to talk in a room, or we would have to talk in in Mission Institution. He’s just transferred out West the yard.” and has a hilarious take on the ‘beautiful’ BC weather he’s heard so much about. Some of Chris’s revelation reminded me of a time when I was at higher-security. Some of what While we’re on the topic of getting messages he said makes me wonder about America’s pur- out, we have an interview with Chris, discussing pose for their mass incarceration and their subse- his journey from the American prison system to quent treatment of prisoners. So, I did a little digging. William Head. In addition to highlighting his time in America, we discuss how he plans to stay out In this edition, we summed up (more like cut of jail in Canada. and paste) 400 pages of research materials to ex- plore how governments, especially the US government, Tying into this, for our Peace and Non-Violence have let the corporations take advantage of human segment, I tackle some of my childhood beliefs weakness and suffering. As a part of this segment, and share the lessons I have learned from two re- we also talk about how private prisons increase the cent encounters. rate of recidivism. It’s as the old adage says, if you’re So much information is packed in this edition not part of the solution, you’re part of the prob- that there is no room to insert graphics to break lem – and American private prisons are definitely the pages. I hope you are ready. Brace yourself not part of the solution. for some hard reading. We’re also pleased to reintroduce the reader forum. This feature has been missing for some time, but we felt it’s another great way to give voice to our Jack

6 Spring 2017 Readers’ Forum

Readers’ Forum [Dear OBM] Hello, I just was told about your magazine and I have enclosed a PJD issue we published two would love to receive information on how I could years ago. It does have some editing issues, but get it, please. I am currently serving time at [loca- the origin of PJD is there. tion withheld for privacy reason] and they have Prison is as good a place as any to define one’s me held on Sec. 18. I have lots of time on my priorities in life. When you have time, think about hands and I’m looking for ways to stay positive what you want in life and how to get it. It is not as and prepare for a healthier release. Thank you very easy as it sounds. Chip at it a little bit at a time. much. Revise it along the way. This way, you are going Gil where you planned to go. Anything else is just distraction. PS. My charge is assault. I was on remand Aug 10, 2015 when I saw an inmate not only ate Stay Strong. breakfast and lunch on Prisoner Justice Day but [ taunted us and challenged a fight. Dear Out of Bounds, I ended up taking my frustrations out on the disrespectful inmate resulting in a street charge. Thank you for making your publication avail- My original charges were all dropped but the in- able to me; also thanks for adding my name to your stitutional assault charge remained. I am serving mailing list. Here are my contributions. Please 2 years less for assault. L publish them with my name, reason being that I would like all to know it comes from me. It’s my way of reaching out. Plus letting people know they Hi Gil, are not alone and I have no shame. Nobody should. I care about a lot of things. Writing in Out of Bounds Sorry to hear that you have mingled with prison it’s healing, and warm. I felt a bit intimidated and politics. shy, which is why I have not written sooner. That I have personally seen the many different ways being said, if anyone feels the same, it’s okay. Give inmates observe Prisoner Justice Day (PJD). I don’t it a try. I would like to read it. I like everything. feel disrespected anymore if others don’t fast when As a matter of fact, last night I curled up in my I do. I treat it like any other fast I do that other blankets, huddled up with my teddy bear “Teddy”. people don’t. Maybe those who don’t fast on PJD I read all the articles in your magazine. I read some don’t find any significance in such a day. Many articles more than once. I would like to read more. may think that they are not prisoners. Many may Is there a way I can get older issues? I’d like to go not care for any fellow inmates. These people might back in time with Out of Bounds. I would love to be the type that don’t want to be remembered if read them all actually. It’s awesome to huddle with they die in prison. Maybe they are just not willing your magazine. Thank you. I will tell my friends to endure a day of hunger to empathize with those about it. I don’t know if one might find comfort who are not being fed in segregation. Who knows, as much as I have. We will find out. I am excited people might need to eat for health reasons. I have to see my own stuff published in your magazine. I no quarrel with anyone willing to make a stand. am both nervous and thrilled to come out and reach Besides, fear is not a good motivator to use in the out to you. Out of Bounds is epic. I would like long term. I hope you will see it the same way. others who want to reach out to do the same. I really appreciate the fact that I am not alone. The-

Out of Bounds Magazine 7 re is more I will share in the future. I have a lot at Regional Headquarters. That being said, we find more in the closet. So whoever is reading this, it best to err on the side of caution and avoid any thank you for taking the time to read my contribu- potential problems. With an inmate-run business tions. I read one article about the cemetery, the 7- such as this, we must take care to avoid creating foot ghost. In a way, that is comforting, to know issues with the CSC in order to continue to oper- that I am not the only one to have ghostly encoun- ate. While they do not actively censor us, we must ters. There are lots of walking shadows here at work within certain boundaries. FVI too. I got used to them. I sometimes think Thank you for your support. it’s the spirits of all prisoners just checking upon us. I will send this off now. Take care. [ MaryEllen Young Dear OBM, I hope this letter finds you well. Book/maga- zine/newspaper banning is still ongoing here at Surrey Dear Mary, Pre-Trial Services Centre (SPSC). Thank you for your appreciation. And thank you for your fearless contributions. We cherish I have gotten some good news from Prisoners’ your intimacy with our work, and we are glad to Legal services and I hope you can add it in your know that our work is valued. next issue of OBM. PLS has written a five-page letter, dated January 3, 2017, asking for this ban We are all unique in our own way; but we are to be stopped. Journal of Prisoners on Prisons (JPP) never alone, especially when we are actively reaching has written one as well asking for this book ban- out and sharing our stories. ning to be stopped immediately. We look forward to read your stories. May I ask that OBM write a letter as well about [ this book/magazine/newspaper banning. I have also written Tom Jackson at Class action News (CAN) Dear Sir/Madam [formerly known as Cell Count] asking for a let- Hi, my name is DH [name abbreviated for pri- ter to help stop this book banning. I have also written vacy reasons], I am interested in the Pen Pal sec- the Justice Exchange asking for her to send a let- tion of your magazine, actually the whole maga- ter to stop this book banning as well. zine. But to let you know I am incarcerated in Does OBM have any Societies it can call upon Bath Institution. Please send me info on how to to help stop this book/newspaper/magazine ban- apply or how to obtain. I am currently unable to ning that’s happened across British Columbia and pay for anything but I will [be] in the future. Thank will advocate to put pressure on Corrections to lift you for you time. this ban? Your Friend, Stephanie Macpherson is the person that all this mail needs to be sent to asking for our books back and this ban to be lifted. Maybe it needs to go to Dear DH Prisoners’ Legal Services so it can be recorded. Thank you for your interest in our magazine. Stephanie was the woman I ended up asking for Our magazine is available at the institutional li- help to be given a lot quicker treatment and she told brary. me to finish the complaint process again but this time at NFPC when I had already finished it once We do not offer a Pen Pal service. This topic at SPSC. When I finished at NFPC with the com- has come up several times, and while we do see plaint process I again was moved back to SPSC to the value in offering such a service, historically it start my blood work which I needed to start in the has caused issues with the administration here and beginning. I believe Stephanie gave “No” help in

8 Spring 2017 anyway and only hindered me solving my problems From Hep C advocacy to this book banning - with getting treatment with my Hep C which I only just like your excellence magazine and the found treatment after writing Dr. Brian Conway advocacy O.B.M. has given me. myself at Vancouver Infectious Disease Centre I have found this place that strictly deals with (VIDC). Stephanie Macpherson crushed me after freedom of speech. I believed she would help me get treatment. As far as I know, she only made it harder. PEN Canada at 425 Adelaide St. W., Suite 700. Positive Living Society has helped me the most Toronto, Ontario. M5V 3C1 with my health care. Leita and Wayne are the Prison T: 416-703-8448 pencanada.ca Outreach Workers and they have been there for me on so many different levels. From finding infor- I will mail out the first letter my friend got from mation for me, getting me ID for when I get re- their Society which explains who and what they leased, photocopying important documents and do. Clearly it looks like they do a lot. I believe that most of all being there to speak with. With their they maybe able to not only bring attention to this help, I will photocopy then mail this letter out be- “Freedom of Speech” stoppage but blow it wide cause I think this is one of the most important things open around the (PENinsula) J world. Which re- I’ve ever done in my life. Fighting for inmates’ ally will need to happen before this book banning rights makes me feel very proud. stops. My first issue of OBM I never Prisoners Legal Service (West laughed so hard. Reading Horror- Coast) has forwarded a pretty good scopes made me buy a 2 year sub- letter to Stephanie Macpherson, scription. And from that day on, OBM our Provincial Director, asking for has been so much more to me. Be- this ban to be lifted. But I have yond funny cartoons and good stories, really been put off by this banning it’s been a way I’ve been able to share is happening before my eyes. what’s going on in my life. Giving Because I found out how to get me a voice to tell others how to get Hepatitis C testing and treatment treatment with a disease, to now within Corrections and every book/ fighting for our Canadian Charter magazine/newspaper I’ve written of Rights and Freedoms. I would about how you can get this treat- like to thank OBM for giving me the chance to be ment. Bam! Corrections has banned that book/ more for myself and the others around me. Help- magazine/newspaper. [Spending] $70,000 [grand] ing me see that one inmate’s voice matters. for each person minimum to get these new treat- I give consent to publish my Prisoners’ Legal ments and every person being held by Corrections Services letter, Journal of Prisoners on Prisons letter, has a legal right to get this help. Looks like not giving and along with the letter OBM writes. bail to people will cost billions. Believe me, I would write “The Province News” but they will never publish Thank You again. anything I write them because they have written . some gross shit about me which is all untrue and I’ve beaten it all except for this last set of charges. Eleven days later, Mr. Bassett wrote us again. Between losing my fights with the “College of Dear OBM, Physicians and Sugeons of B.C.” (CPS File No: 1C Hello, my good man! Wow, have I ever been 2015-0572) and my “Human Rights Tribunal” (Case writing a lot, trying to find advocacy for being Number: 14364) and having Corrections doctors shut down on this book banning. Positive Living not give help until pressured for 2 years that I’ve Society has had my back from the beginning. found help and was cured of Hep C within 4 months

Out of Bounds Magazine 9 of seeing this one doctor. Goes to show everyone In the drive to be professional and courteous, who reads these articles, how easily help can be we simply sought or stated facts to dispute their given and should be. Leaves you thinking how and findings. Frankly, inferring from the materials you why Corrections has put forth this book/magazine/ have sent us, BC Corrections is just, to state it politely, newspaper banning as a last resort before it must showing forces. I remember those days when it actually have to give treatment on this life threat- used to say that subscriptions sent directly from any ening disease. Which will be almost abolished when publishers were allowed. Last year, they were saying the word gets out. only from “recognized publisher or retailer.” One problem with this limitation is that the word “rec- If you go to jail and don’t get bail, they need ognized” is up for debate, in another word, time- to treat your Hep C. Now that’s gotta hurt poor Terry consuming. Now they change their reasons to some Lake’s ears and Corrections pocket book. All be- security excuse. Typical corrections. And like many cause I felt crappy from eating a shitty diet of all corrections responses, they don’t care if people know processed meats. Steven Harper did it again! that their rationale is made up, fictitious, or imaginary. Write “PEN Canada” and the booklet that came John Cordeiro of BC Corrections, who most likely with this letter (I’m forwarding) has inspired me sent this without reading, sent out an email on to keep up the hardwork that you and your team December 7, 2016. It reads, “The Corrections Branch at OBM do all the time and don’t even realize it received a complaint from an inmate that Cell Count any more. I can honestly say OBM has given me Magazine, Out of Bounds Prison Magazine and a voice that I never thought I had. That voice it’s Journal of Prisoners on Prisoner Department of given me is soon going to cure many thousands of Criminology were determined to not be appropri- people who never knew that it was even possible. ate reading material. The complaint was discussed Hopefully your advocacy in helping people find at the monthly Deputy Wardens of Programs Com- and get proper testing and treatment from Corrections mittee meeting. The committee determined that will get you parole. J Nothing like a good cause these publications were not appropriate as one or to get you thrown out of jail, right? May even get more of the publications contained metal coil binding your newsletter some world recognition like what and the content of the publications contained in- Peter Collins did for HIV/AIDs in prison. formation on how to circumvent security measures”. That’s a lot of words for some non-sense. I’m doing this mostly because Corrections made me out to feel like a junkie who didn’t deserve help First, as I published in the last edition, all three or a healthier diet. Now, who’s going to get every of the publications of concerns have never, to my junkie a second, even maybe a third, chance at not knowledge, used metal coil binding. Unless someone, dying of liver cancer? Now it’s about doing the right e.g. the inmate in the care of BC Corrections, the thing and seeing it through till the end. authorities, were to perform some after-market modifications, they would be unable to find a copy Mad Respect, with a metal coil binding. I find it inappropriate William Bassett for this committee to have “determined” one or more of us use this binding method.

Dear Mr. Bassett, Second, John Cordeiro’s first sentence seems to suggest, if I understood it correctly, that an in- Wow! Thank you for the recognition. We are mate had read some content he/she found inap- flattered. propriate and complained. It sounds plausible, but By February 3, one day after we received both of your letters, we sent our letter of objection/clari- Continued on page 12 fication through Vibert Jack via email. Hopefully we will receive a response.

10 Spring 2017 Officeice Journal Office Journal Word Games in the Big House Every once in a while, inmates would stop by the office and ask us questions that we do not have an absolute answer to. When that happens, especially when questions are related to parole, we would write to the parole board with our letterhead. After all, unlike some departments within CSC, the parole board has consistently replied to our inquiries. What follows are our letter and their response. “To Whom It May Concern: I’m the editor of the Out of Bounds magazine. We recently heard from various individuals that their Institutional Parole Officer (IPO) and correctional staff had instructed them to write a release plan to their own country. However, they were later corrected by the Manager of Assessment and Intervention (MAI) that a release plan should be done for Canada. This is just one example of many conflicting in- structions we receive from CSC staff. Inmates are feeling increasingly frustrated and confused. We are hoping that you would shed some light on this issue. We have essentially two questions regarding release plan. 1. Which destination (i.e. foreign or domestic) would the parole board mem- bers prefer to review for cases where the applicants for day parole are facing a deportation order? What is the rationale behind this preference? 2. Regarding to the content in the release plan, would the parole board mem- bers focus on the ease of supervision (e.g. a detailed daily routine plan) or the viability of their relapse prevention plan (i.e. what inmates would do when they encounter a high risk situation)? We hope that your response will give us the confidence to properly answer one of the questions on the parole application. Thank you for taking your time to answer our questions.” In response, PBC wrote back on a reply, dated: January 16, 2017. It reads, “The Board will consider an offender’s submission regarding both his release plan to their own country as well as their Canadian release plan should deportation not take place immediately upon release. In response to your second inquiry, the Board will review and focus on both detailed plan and their relapse prevention plan. Your letter has been placed on file and will be given careful consideration by the Board members when reviewing your case. A copy of your letter along with this response have been forwarded to your pa- role officer for their information. [Salutation]” Amazingly, PBC was able to explain the need to write a release plan for Canada in one sentence. However, I am not sure why PBC would place the letter and the response on my file when neither am I

Out of Bounds Magazine 11 facing deportation nor have I written the inquiry for my own personal reason. Consequently, I will have to explain this irrelevant piece of information at my next parole board hearing. New Address Out of Bounds’ email address, [email protected], has finally been set up. Initially, we asked to use OBM instead of OutofBounds for our address. We even preamptively send out the OBM address on some of our letters. But now it is set up, we will take it! From this point forward, contribu- tors with internet access can send us materials via this address. [

Continued from page 10

unlikely. This particular inmate would somehow have to get his/her hands on all three publications and found all these publications offensive. Ri ght! I cannot say that OBM content has not been offensive. Maybe someone is offended by the tone or typos in some of our published work. Who knows? But Cell Count? It publishes inmate poetry and re-circulates news published from major news outlets. What’s there to be offended by? Was this person offended by the permissible editorial slant? Was this person offended by facts? Is that guy/girl offended by letters on paper? Did this person complain because his/ her work was not published by us? As to Journal of Prisoners on Prisons, not all the jails has it. In most cases, it only goes to the contributors. It, to my knowledge, does not defame any inmate. So, what’s there to be offended about?...Wait a second. According to the file named: PSS-2016-65121, titled: Program Committee Conference Call August 9, 2016, the third item on the agenda, “received query from inmate to receive ...” is the cause of the discussion. That inmate didn’t complain, he was just asking permission to receive our publication. Misquoting - another excellent example of typical corrections writing technique. To make Mr. Cordeiro’s logic sounds more ridiculous, the email claims that the committee has found “content of the publications contained information on how to circumvent security measures”. By “security measures”, I assume he meant cameras, locks, blind spots, and possibly hiding spots. If my assumption is correct, then Mr. Cordeiro is not talking about OBM. If we published such content, my supervisor would notify V&C. Subsequently, the staff will intercept, photocopy, and scrutinize all the correspondences. The administration would take both our paper and electronic records to see where this information comes from. If they can not find in it in the office, they will search the entire jail. Honestly, I doubt he is familiar with security protocols. Anyway, about this publication ban issue, if they want to play games, they will find another excuse. No amount of organization’s writing can stop them from doing that. Soon they will realize there is more work than worth and stop policing it. As to PEN Canada (pencanada.ca), thank you for giving me their contact information. I will write them and see what’s they are about. Lastly, I am glad to hear that you are physically much better. Thank you for spending your time on positively affecting all those who are doing time.

[

12 Spring 2017 Opinion Opinion Into the Forest: A Decolonizing Film Review

By Vernon Wilson Written and Directed by: Patricia Rozema Based on the novel by: Jean Hegland Starring: Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood

[Spoiler Alert! What follows is a summary of until their father has a chainsaw accident, bleed- the film’s main plotline followed by my observa- ing to death in the forest. The sisters run to his aid tions of the movie’s settler colonial content. Read only to hear his final words, “Love each other.” at your own decolonizing discretion.] The sisters then bury their patriarch in the bush The Plot and return to their home alone. Two men pay vis- Into the Forest (2016) follows the story of two its. The first, Eli, pursues Nelly and convinces her sisters—Nelly (Ellen Page) and Eva (Evan Rachel to set out on a trek to Boston where it is rumoured Wood)—who live with their widowed father in the there is power. Nelly only lasts a day on her trek thick of a lush forest situated near a small town. with Eli before returning home to her sister, re- We find the family comfortably living in a beauti- nouncing a heteronormative relationship for the ful glasshouse, enjoying the conveniences of tech- sake of sisterhood. However, the next visitor, the nology: the father scanning his iPhone while the paranoid storeowner who sold the jug of gasoline flat screen broadcasts the latest news; Nelly studying to their father, attacks Eva while Nelly is off pick- for her medical exams via a computer software ing blueberries. Eva becomes pregnant as a result program; and Eva dancing to surround sound mu- and Nelly goes pig hunting to nourish her sister’s sic in preparation for an audition. diet. Suddenly there’s a power outage. Dad cannot After giving birth to a baby boy in the forest, do business, Nelly cannot pursue her medical knowl- the trio return to their home only to burn it with edge, and Eva cannot perform, at least not on their the remaining gasoline supply. In the final scene, accustomed technological terms. Frustrated by their we find the sisters setting up a tarp in the forest as techno-deprivation, the trio then drive to town and an anarcho-feminist family unit. discover, in just a matter of days without power, E = Civility? the people are dovetailing into a lawless state of incivility. Looters pillaging businesses, storeowners Into the Forest (2016) raises some interesting carrying guns aimed at their customers. The fam- questions. Does energy sustain our civilization? ily quickly learns they are living in a state of inci- Do we need technology to make scientific and ar- vility where a jug of gasoline becomes a sacred tistic advances? Can we maintain social order and resource. civility without an energy supply? The film sug- gests we can. Before they burn down their house, After picking up essential supplies, the father Eva and Nelly support their decision by remind- informs his two daughters that they will not be re- ing themselves that while Homo sapiens have been turning to town until the power returns. The young around for 100,000 to 200,000 years, electricity ladies are naturally disgruntled. Eva can no longer has only been around for 200 years. The final scene, attend her audition and Nelly can no longer party capturing the two sisters fending for themselves and make-out with her boyfriend Eli. In any event, in the forest, suggests an anti-capitalist and anarcho- the young ladies resign themselves to country life feminist civilization is indeed possible. Out of Bounds Magazine 13 The Settler Fugue State Besides provoking such complex questions From an anti-colonial perspective, Into the For- about technology and civilization, Into the Forest est is a vivid lesson for Indigenous scholars and is also an interesting work of settler fantasy that activists working to dismantle the capitalist, seeks to re-frame the white settler relationship to heteropatriarchal, and racist structures of settler nature as a liberating anarcho-feminist project of colonialism. While we have potential allies in feminists, liberation. anarchists, and anti-capitalists, among others who are committed to dismantling these structures, we Throughout the film, for example, there is no must help our potential allies recognize and break mention of Indigenous peoples in America. There free from their inherited fugue state. Settler colo- is no mention of how the sisters’ house is located nialism makes Indigenous invisibility appear nor- on stolen Indigenous lands. Instead, we see the sis- mal. We must therefore decolonize this fugue state ters burying their own ancestor in the land, effec- if we wish our allies to help us energize Indigenous tively creating their own white patriarchal ances- nationhood movements on sovereign Indigenous lands. tral history to the land. We then see the sisters re- discovering the medicinal plants, berries, and ani- [ mals living on their inherited “private property.” Land-based harvesting practices be- come an empowering feminist project of survival. For good colo- nial measure, Nelly privileges West- ern knowledge of the natural order by referencing her medical textbooks as she discovers various plant life. Ironically enough, the film pro- vides its own metaphor for its era- Involving the Community in Criminal Justice since 1935 sure of Indigenous people and its amnesia of stolen Indigenous lands. John Howard Society of Victoria John Howard Society While Eli visits Nelly in their home, 2675 Bridge Street Manchester House they discuss the way in which the Victoria, BC 540 Manchester Road townspeople are carrying on with Phone: 250-386-3428 Victoria, BC their routines as though there was no power outage. “It’s like a fugue Offered Programs include: state,” Nelly tells Eli. After Eli ques- tions the medical term, Nelly ex- • BladeRunners Program, plains that a fugue state is a state • KidStart Mentoring Program, in which a person “forgets every- • thing that has happened before,” yet WHI Visitor Group Program, carries on as though “everything else • Community Justice Initiatives, is normal.” The fugue state suc- • Community Garden Program, cinctly captures settler colonial men- • Community Employment Program, talities that forget about violent dis- • Manchester House, possession of Indigenous lands and • Gelling Manor and Maxfield House. on-going settler colonial processes and systems like the film industry that renders Indigenous presence in- For more information. Please visit visible. www.johnhoward.victoria.bc.ca

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Prison Culture 12345678901234567890123456789012 1234567890123456789012345678901 PRISON CULTURE 2

12345678901234567890123456789012 Private Prisons: A Brief Overview While Australia, Canada, and UK were toying with the concept of privatized prisons, the United States dove right in and turned private prisons into a billion dollar industry. By August of 2016 though, after three decades of contracting corporations to manage prisons, the US announced its plan to phase out private prisons. But what really is a private prison? How did it come to be? How did contracting prisons out to private company save taxpayers dollar? Can a privately run company do a better job at rehabilitating prisoners? In this segment, OBM will attempt to answer these questions. First, one must realize that “private prison” (aka “contract prison”) is a term which describes a prison that is managed in one of three ways: 1. A prison is built by the public sector and then the operating contract is put up for bid. 2. A prison that is financed, designed, built and run a new prison by corporation. 3. A prison already operated by the public sector prison service may be contracted out after a successful bid (”market testing”). With this definition in mind, let’s look at how this massive human internment evolved into the prison industrial complex. Evolution of private prison in the States Quite some time ago, when the criminal justice policies focused on fines and public humiliation (including the stockades and branding), local governments would reimburse private jailers who held people facing trial. State governments would pay jailers high rates for incarcerating prisoners with debts until these debts were paid in full. The private-public relationship changed with the creation of the first publicly run prison in 1790. With the notable exception of convict leasing for forced labor, the next century saw private business involvement in corrections was limited to providing contracted services; such as food preparation, medical care, and transportation. After the end of the Civil War, plantations and business- men needed to find replacements for the labour force once their slaves had been freed. Beginning in 1868, convict leases were issued to private parties to supplement their workforce. This system remained in place until the early 20th century. In the late 1960’s, the US began to expand the powers of law enforcement agencies around the country which, by the 1970’s, generated an unprecedented reliance on incarcera- tion to treat its social, political, economic, and mental health problems. The 1980s, though, ushered in a new era of prison privatization. With a burgeoning prison population resulting from the War on Drugs by the Reagan Administration, Bush Sr., and the increased use of incarceration, prison overcrowding and rising

Out of Bounds Magazine 15 costs became increasingly problematic for local, state, and federal governments. In response to this expanding criminal justice system, private business interests saw an opportunity for expansion, and consequently, private sector involvement in prisons moved from the simple con- tracting of services to contracting for the complete management and operation of entire prisons. The prison privatization reached its height in the 1990s under Bill Clinton, when Wall Street stocks were selling like hotcakes. Clinton’s program for cutting the federal workforce resulted in the Justice Departments contracting of private prison corporations for the incarceration of undocumented workers and high-security inmates. Clinton also signed a law in 1996 ending court supervision and decisions. With no legal oversight and profit-driven motives, overcrowding and violent, unsafe conditions in federal prisons became the norm. Private prison corporations in Texas were allowed to contact other states whose prisons were overcrowded, offering “rent-a- cell” services in the CCA prisons located in small towns in Texas. The IMPORTING AND commission for a rent-a-cell salesman is $2.50 to $5.50 per day per bed. EXPORTING The county gets $1.50 for each prisoner. Trafficking prisoners through INMATES state lines for profit became an acceptable business practice. Profits are so good that Between 1990 and 2000, the number now there is a new busi- of private facilities grew from five to ness: importing inmates 100, operated by nearly 20 private firms. with long sentences, mean- Over the same time period the stock ing the worst criminals. price of the industry leader, Corrections When a federal judge ruled that overcrowding in Texas Corporation of America (CCA), climbed prisons was cruel and un- from $8 a share to $30. According to usual punishment, the CCA journalist Matt Taibbi, major investors signed contracts with sheriffs in the prison industry include Wells in poor counties to build Fargo, Bank of America, Fidelity and run new jails and share Investments, General Electric and The the profits. According to Vanguard Group. A Bloomberg report a December 1998 Atlan- notes that in the past decade the number tic Monthly magazine ar- of inmates in for-profit prisons ticle, this program was throughout the U.S. rose 44 percent. backed by investors from Merrill-Lynch, Shearson- Profit over safety and rehabilitation Lehman, American Express and Allstate, and the op- Services and Safety eration was scattered all Advocates claim that privatization has worked in other industries with over rural Texas. That state’s equal, if not superior, quality of service and that the same is true for governor, Ann Richards, prisons. However, private companies face a challenge in attempting to followed the example of reduce costs while offering all the services necessary to maintaining safety Mario Cuomo in New York in prisons. The main reason for this is that personnel and programs, the and built so many state pris- two most expensive aspects of incarceration, are among the services that ons that the market became receive comparatively less funding in order to manage costs. This is par- flooded, cutting into pri- ticularly true for labor costs, which normally account for 60 to 70 per- vate prison profits. cent of annual operating budgets.

16 Spring 2017 Privately managed prisons attempt to control costs by regu- larly providing lower levels of staff benefits, salary, and salary advancement than publicly-run facilities (equal to about $5,327 less in annual salary for new recruits and $14,901 less in maxi- mum annual salaries). On average, private prison employees also receive 58 hours less training than their publicly employed counterparts. Consequently, there are higher employee turnover rates in pri- vate prisons than in publicly operated facilities. These dynamics may contribute to safety problems within prisons. Studies have found that assaults in private prisons can occur at double the rate found in public facilities. Researchers also find that public facilities tend to be safer than their private counter- parts and that “privately operated prisons appear to have sys- temic problems in maintaining secure facilities.” In Mississippi, a 2013 Bloomberg report states that assault rates in private facilities were three times higher on average than in their public counterparts. In 2012, the for-profit Walnut Grove Youth Correc- tional Facility was the most violent prison in the state, and had 27 assaults per 100 offenders. A federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of prisoners at the privately run East Mississippi Correctional Facility in 2013 claims the conditions there are “hyper-violent,” “barbaric” and “chaotic.” Gangs routinely beat and exploit mentally ill inmates who are denied medi- cal care by prison staff. A May 2012 riot in the Corrections Corporation of America-run Adams County Correctional Facility, also in Mississippi, left one corrections officer dead and dozens injured. Similar riots have occurred in privatized facilities in Idaho, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Florida, Califor- nia and Texas.

“You can begin to squeeze money out of the system. Maybe you can squeeze a half a percent out, who knows? But it’s not as if these systems are overfunded to begin with. And at some point, you start to lose quality. And because quality is very difficult to measure in prisons, I’m just worried that you’re getting in a race to the bottom.” - Former BOP Director of Research Gerry Gaes on the “McDonaldization” of private prisons.

Correspondence Research indicates that inmates who maintain contact with family and friends in the outside world are less likely to be convicted of further crimes and usually have an easier reintegration period back into society. Many institutions encourage friends and families to send letters, especially when they are unable to visit regularly. However, guidelines exist as to what constitutes acceptable mail, and these policies are strictly enforced. Mail sent to inmates in violation of prison policies can result in sanctions such as loss of imprison- ment time reduced for good behavior. Most Department of Corrections websites provide detailed infor- mation regarding mail policies. These rules can even vary within a single prison depending on which part of the prison an inmate is housed. For example, death row and maximum security inmates are usually under stricter mail guidelines for security reasons.

Out of Bounds Magazine 17 There have been several notable challenges to inmate correspondence services. The Missouri De- partment of Corrections (DOC) stated that effective June 1, 2007, inmates would be prohibited from using pen pal websites, citing concerns that inmates were using them to solicit money and defraud the public. Service providers such as WriteAPrisoner.com, together with the ACLU, plan to challenge the ban in Federal Court. Similar bans on an inmate’s rights or a website’s right to post such information has been ruled unconstitutional in other courts, citing First Amendment freedoms. Some faith-based initiatives promote the positive effects of correspondence on inmates, and some have made efforts to help ex-offenders reintegrate into society through job placement assistance. Inmates’ ability to mail letters to other inmates has been limited by the courts. Inmate correspondence with members of society is typically encouraged because of the positive impact it can have on inmates, albeit under the guide- lines of each institution and availability of letter writers. Employment About 18% of eligible prisoners held in federal prisons are em- ployed by UNICOR and are paid less than $1.25 an hour. Prisons have gradually become a source of low-wage labor for corporations seeking to outsource work to inmates. Corporations that utilize prison labor include Walmart, Eddie Bauer, Victoria’s Secret, Microsoft, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Nintendo, Chevron Corporation, Bank of America, Koch Industries, Boeing and Costco Wholesale. It is estimated that 1 in 9 state government employees works in corrections. As the overall U.S. prison population declined in 2010, states are closing prisons. For instance, Virginia has removed 11 prisons since 2009. Like other small towns, Boydton in Virginia has to contend with unemployment woes resulting from the closure of the Mecklenburg Correctional Center. Starting in September 2016, large, co-ordinated prison strikes are currently taking place in 11 states, with inmates claiming they are subjected to poor sanitary conditions and jobs that amount to forced labor. Organizers, which include the Industrial Workers of the World labor union, assert it is the largest prison strike in U.S. history. Conditions The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch claims that prisoners and detainees face “abusive, degrading and dangerous” conditions within local, state and federal facilities, including those operated by for-profit contractors. The organization also raised concerns with prisoner rape and medical care for inmates. In a survey of 1,788 male inmates in Midwestern prisons by Prison Journal, about 21% responded they had been coerced or pressured into sexual activity during their incarceration, and 7% that they had been raped in their current facility. In August 2003, a Harper’s article by Wil S. Hylton estimated that “somewhere between 20 and 40% of American prisoners are, at this very moment, infected with hepatitis C”. Prisons may outsource medical care to private companies such as Correctional Medical Services (now Corizon) that, according to Hylton’s research, try to minimize the amount of care given to prisoners in order to maxi- mize profits. After the privatization of healthcare in Arizona’s prisons, medical spending fell by 30 million dollars and staffing

18 Spring 2017 was greatly reduced. Some 50 prisoners died in custody in the first 8 months of Nurses at a private prison chain in Cali- 2013, compared to 37 for the two previous years combined. fornia threatened to strike over the inad- The poor quality of food provided to inmates has become an equate health care, Rat-infested issue, as over the last decade corrections officials looking to cut which one described food was served costs have been outsourcing food services to private, for-profit cor- as “unsafe,” and there to inmates by a have even been re- private vendor porations such as Aramark, A’Viands Food & Services Manage- ported incidents of in Michigan, and ment, and ABL Management. A prison riot in Kentucky was blamed patient abuse. other rotten or spoiled food on the low quality of food Aramark provided to inmates. items were served in that Another issue identified within the prison system is gang violence, because many state and else- gang members retain their gang identity and affiliations while imprisoned. Segregation where. The same of identified gang members from the general population of inmates, with different vendor report- edly underfed gangs being housed in separate units often results in the imprisonment of these gang Michigan in- members with their friends and criminal cohorts. Some feel this has the effect of turn- mates. ing prisons into “institutions of higher criminal learning.” Many prisons in the United States are overcrowded. For example, California’s 33 prisons have a total capacity of 100,000, but they hold 170,000 inmates. Many prisons in California and around the country are forced to turn old gymnasiums and classrooms into huge bunkhouses for inmates. They do this by placing hundreds of bunk beds next to one another, in these gyms, without any type of barriers to keep inmates separated. In California, the inadequate security engendered by this situation, coupled with insufficient staffing levels, have led to increased violence and a prison health system that causes one death a week. This situation has led the courts to order California to release 27% of the current prison population, citing the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The three-judge court considering requests by the Plata v. Schwarzenegger and Coleman v. Schwarzenegger courts found California’s prisons have become criminogenic as a result of prison overcrowding. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court case of Cutter v. Wilkinson established that prisons that received federal funds could not deny prisoners accommodations necessary for religious practices. According to a Supreme Court ruling issued on May 23, 2011, California — which has the highest overcrowding rate of any prison system in the country — must alleviate overcrowding in the state’s prisons, reducing the prisoner population by 30,000 over the next two years. Solitary confinement is widely used in US prisons, yet it is underreported by most states, while some don’t report it at all. Isolation of prisoners has been condemned by the UN in 2011 as a form of torture. At over 80,000 at any given time, the US has more prisoners confined in

Out of Bounds Magazine 19 isolation than any other country in the world. In Louisiana, with 843 Privately-run prisons in Mississippi reportedly prisoners per 100,000 citizens, there have two to three times have been prisoners, such as the the rate of violent assault Angola Three, held for as long as as publicly run facilities. forty years in isolation. A private prison vendor has reportedly used juve- In 1999, the Supreme Court of nile offenders in Florida Norway refused to extradite to subdue other young prisoners. “It’s the Lord of American hashish-smuggler Henry the Flies,” said Broward Hendricksen, as they declared that County’s chief assistant US prisons do not meet their public defender. “The children are used by staff minimum humanitarian standards. members to inflict harm In 2011, some 885 people died while being held in local jails (not in on other children.” prisons after being convicted of a crime and sentenced) throughout the United States. As of September 2013, condoms for prisoners are only available in the U.S. State of Vermont (on September 17, 2013, the California Senate approved a bill for condom distribution inside the state’s prisons, but the bill was not yet law at the time of approval). In September 2016, a group of corrections officers at Holman Correctional Facility have gone on strike over safety concerns and overcrowding. Prisoners refer to the facility as a “slaughterhouse” as stabbings are a routine occurrence. Corporate Agenda Controversy has surrounded the privatization of prisons with the exposure of the genesis of the landmark Arizona SB 1070 law. This law was written by Arizona State Congressman Russell Pearce and the CCA at a meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. Both CCA and GEO Group, the two largest operators of private facilities, have been contributors to ALEC, which lobbies for policies that would increase incarceration, such as three-strike laws and “truth-in-sentencing” legislation. Truth-in-sentencing calls for all violent offenders to serve 85 percent of their sentences before being eligible for release; three strikes called for mandatory life imprisonment for a third felony conviction. Some prison officers unions in publicly run facilities such as California Correctional Peace Officers Association have, in the past, also supported measures such as three-strike laws. Such laws increase the prison population by sending repeat offenders to jail for longer periods of time. In addition to CCA and GEO Group, companies operating in the private prison business include Management and Training Corporation, and Community Education Centers. The GEO Group was formerly known as the Wackenhut Corrections division. It includes the former Correctional Services Corporation and Cornell Companies, which were purchased by GEO in 2005 and 2010. Such companies often sign contracts with states obliging them to fill prison beds or reimburse them for those that go unused.

20 Spring 2017 Private companies which provide services to prisons are a part of the American Correctional Association, a 501(c)3 which advocates legislation favorable to the industry. Such private companies comprise what has been termed the prison–industrial complex. An example of this phenomenon would be the Kids for cash scandal, in which two judges in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan, were receiving judicial kickbacks for sending youths, convicted of minor crimes, to a privatized, for-profit juvenile facility run by the Mid Atlantic Youth Service Corporation. The industry is aware of what reduced crime rates could mean to their bottom line. This from the CCA’s SEC report in 2010: Our growth depends on a number of factors we cannot control, including crime rates [R]eductions in crime rates could lead to reductions in arrests, convictions and sentences requiring incarceration at correctional facilities. Marie Gottschalk claims that while private prison companies and other economic interests were not the primary drivers of mass incarceration originally, they do much to sustain it today. The private prison industry has successfully lobbied for changes that increase the profit of their employers. They have opposed measures that would bring reduced sentencing or shorter prison terms. The private prison industry has been accused of being at least partly responsible for America’s high rates of incarceration.

In the past two decades CCA has seen its profits increase by more than 500 percent. The prison industry as a whole took in over $5 billion in revenue in 2011. Wedging the wheel In September 2015, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the “Justice Is Not for Sale” Act, which would prohibit the United States government at federal, state and local levels from contracting with private firms to provide and/or operate detention facilities within two years. An August 2016 report by the U.S. Department of Justice asserts that privately operated federal facilities are less safe, less secure and more punitive than other federal prisons. Shortly after this report was published, the DOJ announced it would stop using private prisons.

Sources cited: 1. Corrections: Prison Privatization and the prison boom 2. The Sentencing Project, www.sentencingproject.org 3. Emerging Issue on Private Prison 4. Wikipedia – private prison 5. Money Machine - http://www.globalresearch.ca/ theprisonindustryintheunitedstatesbigbusiness oranewformofslavery/8289 6. Incarceration in the United States 7. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/berniesanders/ wemustendforprofitpr_b_8180124.html 8. “Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Moni- toring of Contract Prisons” 2016-08. By U.S. De- Former US Deputy Attorney General partment of Justice file:e1606, heading “Private prison Sally Yates doesn’t work” [

Out of Bounds Magazine 21 In the previous article, we touched on the rise of the private prison system in American and a few aspects of its living condition. On February 24, the new Attorney General Jeff Sessions reversed the decision to phase out privatized prison practices in America. So, let’s examine how such practice endangers society. How private prison companies increase recidivism1

Academic research has found that incarcerating people in prisons operated by private companies, which have business models dependent on incarceration, increases the likelihood of those people re- cidivating. Evidence also suggests that prison telephone and video call companies make business deci- sions that increase the likelihood of recidivism among prisoners subjected to their services. Research shows that governments that outsource prison operations often fail to save money from the privatization deals. To reduce normal business risks around fluctuating prison populations, private prison companies add occupancy guarantee clauses to many contracts, which compel states and local governments to pay the companies for unused beds if the population drops below a certain threshold, typically around 90 percent of a facility’s capacity.

Key Point #1: Research studies show that people incarcerated in private prisons have higher rates of recidivism than people incarcerated in public prisons.

v A study of 3,532 Minnesota prisoners released between 2007 and 2009 found that incar- cerating a person in a private prison increased the chances of the person being rearrested by 13 percent, and increased the chances of the person being reconvicted by 22 percent. The study controlled for 20 characteristics including type of offense, length of imprison- ment, and age. The state’s public prisons, according to the study, “offered a greater variety of programming, some of which has been demonstrated to increase employment and lower recidivism.” Additionally, the authors surmised that the private prison’s remote location prohibited family and friends from visiting prisoners, which has been shown to increase the likelihood of recidivism.

v A study of 22,000 Oklahoma prisoners released between 1997 and 2001 found that incar- cerating people in private prisons increased the likelihood of recidivism by up to 17 per- cent. The study controlled for type of offense, length of imprisonment, age, and other variables. All eight models of the study found that people held in private prisons were more likely to recidivate than people held in public prisons. Results from six of the mod- els were statistically significant.

v A study of 27,000 Mississippi prisoners sentenced between 1996 and 2004 found that private prisons held people for an average of 60 to 90 days longer for similar offenses than did public prisons. However, prisoners incarcerated in private prisons were no less likely to recidivate. According to the author of the study, these results suggest that “either the marginal returns of incarceration are low, or private prisons increase recidivism risk.”

v A study of 8,400 Florida juvenile prisoners released between 1997 and 1999 found that incarcerating young people in public facilities instead of private facilities reduced the likelihood of them being charged with a criminal offense within one year of release be- tween 7.3 and 8.5 percent. It is worth noting however that another study of Florida juve- nile prisoners based on data from 2003 to 2006 found no correlation between recidivism rates and type of facility (public or private).

22 Spring 2017 Key Point #2: Private prisons are more violent than public prisons, which can lead to higher rates of recidivism. Multi-prison studies have found higher rates of violence in private prisons than in public prisons.

v According to an analysis by Bloomberg Business, in 2012, assaults were three times more frequent at Mississippi’s four private prisons than at the state’s public prisons.

v A 2008 study conducted by the Idaho Department of Correction found that prisoner-on- prisoner assaults were four times more frequent in the prison under CCA management than in the state’s seven other prisons combined.

v Between 2007 and 2009, CCA’s female Otter Creek Correctional Center in Kentucky experienced more than twice the number of fights and other violent incidents than the state-managed Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women. The high rate of violence contributed to CCA’s “unacceptable operational performance” according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections.

v A review of more than three-quarters of all prisoners by the University of South Alabama and the University of Tennessee found that in 1998, private prisons experienced an aver- age of 40 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults while public prisons experienced an average of 19 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults.

v The Bureau of Justice Assistance found that in the mid-1990s, prisoner-on-prisoner as- sault rates were 66 percent higher in private facilities than in public facilities. Prisoner- on-staff assaults were 49 percent higher.

The increased violence in private prisons is partially the result of private prison companies cutting corners on staffing, which reduces company operating costs, thereby increasing profits. For example:

v At the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, one of Mississippi’s private prisons that experienced high rates of violence as mentioned above, GEO Group employed as few as one correctional officer for every 120 prisoners. According to the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators, youth prisons typically provide more than 10 times as many correctional officers than were employed at this facility.

v At another private Mississippi prison, the East Mississippi Correctional Facility, the Oc- cupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that GEO Group did not employ a sufficient number of correctional officers to protect them from prisoner attacks. One of the prison’s housing units that required eight correctional officers was staffed by only three.

v A state investigation of the violent Idaho prison mentioned above found that CCA under- staffed the facility by as many as 26,000 hours in 2012 – equivalent to the time that would have been worked by 13 full-time correctional officers. A federal judge found CCA in contempt of court for hiding the falsified hours. Evidence shows that prisoners who experience violence while incarcerated are more likely to recidi- vate than prisoners who do not experience violence.

v A study of 1,613 Ohio prisoners released between 2006 and 2007 concluded that people who found prison to be violent, fearful, and threatening were more likely to recidivate than people who found prison to be less harsh.

Out of Bounds Magazine 23 v Results from a study of 20,000 people released from Florida prisons between 2000 and 2002 found that 54 percent of people who were violent in prison recidivated compared with 42 percent of people who were not violent.

v Pennsylvania officials credited the state’s decrease in its three-year recidivism rate – from 44 percent to 41 percent between 2007 and 2010 – to the prisons’ new violence-preven- tion programs, among other initiatives.

Key Point #3: To fill empty beds in facilities they own, private prison companies contract with states to incarcerate people in facilities that can be far away from those prisoners’ homes. As a result, prisoners lose contact with their families and communities, which increases recidivism. As of December 2015, approximately 7,300 state prisoners were incarcerated in private facilities outside their home states. While state departments of corrections may tout sending prisoners out of state as a short-term solution to alleviate overcrowding, often times states continue the practice for a decade or more, and delay addressing the root causes of overcrowding. The states that sent the largest numbers of prisoners to private prisons in other states were:

v California, which contracted with CCA to incarcerate approximately 5,200 prisoners in facilities in Arizona and Mississippi; and

v Hawaii, which contracted with CCA to incarcerate approximately 1,400 prisoners in a facility in Arizona.

Surveys find that people imprisoned far away from their homes receive fewer visits than people imprisoned close to their homes.

v According to a 2009-2010 survey conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice in New Mexico and Oklahoma, out of the 73 prisoners who had not received at least one visit, 55 percent cited distance as the main impediment to receiving visitors.

v According to a U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics survey from 2004, just one in seven people incarcerated between 501 and 1,000 miles from their homes received a visit within the previous month. Comparatively, one in two people incarcerated less than 50 miles from their homes received a visit in the previous month.

Studies find that prisoners who do not receive visits are more likely to recidivate than prisoners who receive visits. A study of 16,420 people released from Minnesota prisons between 2003 and 2007 found that any visit reduced the chance of the released prisoner committing a felony by 13 percent and reduced the chance of the released prisoner committing a technical violation by 25 percent. A study of 7,000 people released from Florida prisons between November 2001 and March 2002 calculated that prisoners who were visited were 31 percent less likely to recidivate than prisoners who were not visited.

24 Spring 2017 Key Point #4: Prison telephone companies charge high calling rates and fees and influence legislators to ban prisoner cell phones, which has the combined effect of reducing the contact between prisoners and their home communities, increasing recidivism. Until recently, prison phone companies often charged prisoners and their families between $10 and $17 for a 15-minute long distance call. Once the FCC limited the rates and fees in October 2015, prison phone companies filed a lawsuit to block the FCC’s order, and a federal court postponed full implementation of the lower rates. As of March 2016, prison phone companies could charge people in prison and their families between 21 and 25 cents per minute. The high rates can cause prisoners to communicate less with their families and friends in the outside world. Prison telephone companies have helped pass legislation to ban prisoners from possessing cell phones. For example, Securus Technologies, which provides telecommunication services to 2,200 correctional facilities in the U.S. and Canada, spent nearly $75,000 lobbying for the 2010 Cell Phone Contraband Act. While public officials have suggested that cell phones in the hands of prisoners would threaten security, little evidence supports this claim. In actuality, most prisoners use cell phones to contact their families. Regardless, the Cell Phone Contraband Act made prisoner cell phone possession punishable by up to an additional year in prison.

Out of Bounds Magazine 25 Prisoners who maintain phone contact with their home communities are less likely to recidivate than prisoners who do not maintain contact. A study of 255 former prisoners participating in six states’ re- entry programs between 2004 and 2007 assessed the impact of an array of factors on lowering recidi- vism and found that “familial telephone contact was most consistently associated with reductions in recidivism.” In its decision to rein in prison phone call costs, the FCC explained, “while contact be- tween inmates and their loved ones has been shown to reduce the rate of recidivism, high inmate calling rates have made that contact unaffordable for many families, who often live in poverty.”

Key Point #5: Prison video call companies can cause high rates of recidivism by banning in-person visitation and then charging prisoners and their families prohibitive rates to make video calls. While prisoners who do not receive visits are more likely to recidivate than prisoners who receive visits, some prison video call companies ban in-person visitation when they contract with a facility. Up until May 2015, Securus Technology’s standard contract required the jail or prison to eliminate in-person visits. Ac- cording to a 2015 study by Prison Policy Initiative, 74 percent of county jails with video visitation have ended in-person visits. While video calls, in theory, increase communication between prisoners and their communities, in practice, video calls can have the opposite results.

v The exorbitant rates charged by video call companies prevent prisoners from contacting their family and friends, which increases recidivism. The DOJ has found that some of the “fees charged for video visiting may be unaffordable” for families. Securus often charges $20 for a 20-minute video session, plus fees and surcharges. At a jail in southern Wiscon- sin that ended in-person visitation, Telmate charged $7.50 for a 30-minute video call from the jail’s visitation room and $19.80 from a home computer.

v The DOJ has found that some prisoners’ families cannot use the video call software be- cause they lack the resources to do so. Many prisoners come from poor families that do not “own a computer and/or have an Internet connection,” according to the DOJ.

[ 1 From an 11 page research brief, titled “How private prison companies increase recidivism” dated June 2016, as part of the In the Public Interest’s Programs Not Profits campaign

26 Spring 2017 An Ecstatic Parolee’s Border-Crossing Journey Home After a $4.6-million ecstasy bust at the US-Canada border, convicted felon Chris talks about his journey through the American prison system, his deportation back to Canada, and his recently earned parole.

On June 11, 2011, on highway 395, just out- On April 1, 2016, Chris received news that the side of Grand Forks, British Columbia, Chris and newly elected Liberal Minister of Public Safety, his cousin were in the midst of importing 74 kilos John Goodale, had approved his treaty transfer to of ecstasy (MDMA) into the United States. They serve his sentence in the Canadian correctional system. had been hiking and camping for 2 days with five This began an immigration transfer process that duffle bags containing 300,000 pills of E. led Chris to Purump federal prison in Las Vegas Although Chris has experience in drug smug- and then flew to Seatac federal prison in Seattle. gling, on this night—just after midnight at 12:13 On June 10, 2016, Chris was one of five deported a.m.— Chris and his cousin were arrested on the Canadian prisoners escorted across the borders by Canadian side of the border by the Drug Enforce- US Marshals to the Regional Reception and As- ment Agency (DEA), Homeland Security, and sessment Centre (RRAC) in Abbotsford, British Border Patrol. They were loaded into a border pa- Columbia. trol truck and escorted from Canadian soil to the Assessed as a medium-security offender on his U.S. way to Pacific Institution, Chris received some more Chris pled guilty to three counts of drug im- good news. Warden Terry Hackett recommended portation, distribution, and conspiracy. He was Chris for a transfer to William Head Institution, a sentenced to three consecutive 10 year mandatory minimum-security prison located on Vancouver Island. minimums (120 months x 3 = 360 months, or 30 He arrived at William Head in September 2016. years). After the court proceedings, he was trans- After four months on the peninsula, Chris was ferred from Spokane county jail to Big Spring Texas, granted day parole to Nehgel Nebun, an Indigenous an immigration low-security prison located in west work camp in Prince George, British Columbia that Texas (an hour away from actor Matthew offers 120-day forestry camp that offers 23 recog- McCaughney’s ranch property). nized certifications. After spending a year and a half at Big Spring Before his conditional release, OBM had the Texas prison, Chris took the rap for a cell phone in chance to touch base with Chris and get the low- his living unit. He was transferred to a medium- down on this border-crossing journey home. high security prison in Victorville, California. Consequently, he spent about a year at Victorville OBM: Thanks for meeting with us, Chris. To start, before getting caught with two 21-foot ropes with how did Canadian politics play a role in grappling hooks on the end. The whole region was your treaty transfer application? on lockdown for three days while the FBI conducted C.S: It played a big role, bro! I applied for a an investigation that concluded Chris had been using treaty transfer in 2013. The Harper government them for making wine in the ventilation shafts. As never got back to me. When Harper’s Con- a result, the authorities sent Chris to solitary con- servatives were in power, very few Cana- finement for six months. Afterwards, he was transferred dian prisoners were deported home because Mendota Prison in November 2015, a medium- the government just sloughed off the ap- high security facility in California. Chris spent about plicants. There are over 2,000 Canadian a year in Mendota. prisoners serving time in American pris- ons. When Trudeau’s Liberal government

Out of Bounds Magazine 27 won the election in 2015, the new Public staying with a small group of friends who Safety Minister, John Goodale, approved look out for each other. 40 prisoners from Ontario and 5 from British OBM: When you were in the American prisons, Columbia. Liberals rock! did you have any opportunity to practice OBM: So there you were in the American prison your Indigenous spirituality? system, waiting for an answer from the Ca- C.S: Yes, in Victorville, I went to sweat lodge nadian government. What did you do for ceremonies with the Aztecs and New Mexico institutional work? Natives. C.S: First off, it’s hard to find much meaningful OBM: So the American prisons have contracted work. In all the prisons I did time in, the Elders and sweat lodge grounds on site? only work available was cleaning the units. I was paid $11.00 to $18.00 per month. C.S: They have a sweat lodge grounds on site, but they do not have contracted Elders from OBM: What were the population sizes for some the community. The people who do the cer- of the American prisons you did time in? emonies are the prisoners themselves. The C.S: Huge! Big Spring Texas – 5,800; Victorville Elders are considered those who have done prison - 3,800; Mendota prison – 3,200. the longest time. It was awesome to sweat with those brothers. OBM: What kind of accommodations did these prisons offer, single-cell? OBM: There are no Indigenous correctional pro- grams in the States? C.S: No way [laughs]. They were either double bunk or triple bunks cells. C.S: No, bro. OBM: So when you arrived at WHI, living in du- OBM: So how have the Indigenous resources at plex-style housing with your own room, it WHI helped you? must have felt pretty good? C.S: I’ve been able to talk to the Elders, Tho- C.S: It felt really good. Every morning, I looked mas George and Lloyd Harella, about some out at the ocean and just thought about where personal traumas, my father passing away, I came from and how lucky I am to be Ca- talk about what I dealt with in the United nadian. And how awesome Justin Trudeau States, disconnection from my family. The and the Liberals are! [Laughs]. Elders and ceremonies have helped moti- vate me and give me the strength to get OBM: Did you have family visits while in the educated and focus on my future. United States? OBM: Is the Canadian prison system better than C.S: Due to the long distance travel, I haven’t the American system? seen my family or friends in five years. It cost $5.75 (U.S) for 15 minutes to make C.S: Yes. There’s no comparison! The Ameri- long-distance phone calls. So it was diffi- can system is broken and the people are broken. cult to remain in touch with everyone, con- Prison is not just a punishment in the States. sidering how little I was making. It’s a lifestyle. OBM: As an outsider Canadian, how did you survive OBM: What do you mean by that? the gang and race conflicts in the Ameri- C.S: Once you’re convicted of a felon in the can prison system? United States, you will always be a felon C.S: I adapted by learning Spanish, acquainting and more than likely go back to prison. myself with gang lingo and language, watching OBM: What do you plan to do on parole and af- peoples’ body language like hand signals,

28 Spring 2017 terwards once you have your full freedom as a Canadian citizen? C.S: Right now, I am working on two apprenticeship programs in electrical and carpentry. Then I’m off to Prince George to a work camp to earn some more certificates. And then I plan to try to get into the film industry, helping with the generators or helping out as a crew member. Then once I have my life together, I want to give back to the community and help others understand the dangers of gang life and drugs. OBM: What have you learned from your border-crossing journey home? C.S: I’ve learned that it was selfish of me to import drugs for easy cash. In the end, all it did was hurt my family and multiple other families, and put me in prison to suffer for the past 5 years. I’ve also learned about how racially divided Americans are and how much hate there really is in the United States. OBM: What are your parting words to fellow convicts who are doing time in Canada? C.S: I’d say “Bros, try to take advantage of the opportunities available in the correctional system. It is not a perfect system but it’s better than what I’ve seen down south. When you think it’s bad, remember it could be worse. Get motivated, educated, and be proud to be Canadian. Americans think were “sissies” so prove them wrong!”

[ Inside American Prisons

By Jack Prisoners in Canada have it good compared to American prisoners. How good? Let’s take a look inside American prisons. Chris, who has served over five years in eleven facilities in America, shares some of his experiences about American prisons. Work and Pay Inmates work eight hours a day. In private prisons, inmates earn $11-18 per month; in federal prisons, $18-60. Roughly two out of the three thousand inmates can earn $60 per month working as a tutor (basically a program facilitator) in the Bureau of Prison (BOP) prisons. In BOP prisons, UNICOR (similar to CORCAN) hires inmates to outfit army Hummers. They perform tasks like welding, putting in lights, armor plating, and accessory installation. These inmates can make up to $200 a month, but there are only two hundred openings. There is a university program. Inmates participate by correspondence, doing coursework during their leisure time (meaning they still need to work in the daytime). Non- citizens (i.e. inmates without American citizenship) are put on a different list to enroll in school. However, they will most likely be transferred before they can attend. Chris finds that cleaning the showers (at $11 at private, $18 at federal) is the shittiest job. He mentioned the reasons, but I think it is best that we use our own imagination. In BOP, there is RDAP, um ., Chris thinks it stands for Residential Drugs Alcohol Participation. It is a Mandatory 1 program, which means everyone has to take it. It teaches about the causes and impacts of drugs, alcohol, and violence. There is another program, also called RDAP, for American citizens only. Participants get 10% off of their sentence for taking it and get paid $60 a month for the whole 6 months of the program. Rumor has it that the program trains people to rat on other criminals: “That’s their idea of rehabilitating you.” Compared to Canada, the only good thing is that, in federal, inmates can get two free stamps per month from counsellors. Out of Bounds Magazine 29 Personal Property sink, and shower is like the Hilton in that place: Personal property does exist in the American “That’s where you want to be.” Only Interstate federal system. Each inmate can buy shoes, a watch, and Airpark units have these types of cells. Each a radio, sweatpants, T-shirts, long sleeve shirts, of these cells have a 10 inch TV with no remote, ball caps, socks, and underwear through the commissary. courtesy of the prison. There is no camera in the There are two or three styles for each of the two cell, but there are cameras on the range. brands of shoe (yes, Nike is one of them), but there As an ICE detentee, Chris did not see a single is only one type of watch and radio. Inmate can cell. Everywhere is double-bunked. Even the hole spend up to $360 per month on commissary. If is double-bunked, and it has a shower in the cell. there is money being sent to you, you can spend In Mendota, California, he was in triple-bunked all the money on commissary. cell. Food Some prisons use what Chris refers to as a “chicken As for food, it is beans and rice every day. Once coop”. It’s a warehouse of sort holding 200-300 a week it might come with a soy patty. Once a men each. Inmates share 6-7 toilets and four 16” month, a chicken leg is served in addition to beans TVs. Some facilities have multiple warehouses and rice. Processed turkey and spinach (two oz stacked one on top of each other like a chicken scoop) are served twice a month with beans and coop. rice. Hot dogs are served on the holidays with beans and rice, a 1 oz scoop of peanut butter and Private prison corporations have also bought some ketchup packs. Sounds horrible. The worst old hotels and turned them into prisons. These part about it is that this “food” comes from food prisons, or units, hold ICE inmates (i.e. inmates recalls. Some inmates get sick or die from this with no American citizenship). Each cell holds “food.” six inmates, and it has a 16” TV and one washroom. So far, this description of American prisons has Regarding these“hotels,” here is an aside to ex- parallels in Canada. Let’s go on to the more unthinkable. plain a small part of the money-making scheme. I will start off with something that is easier to stomach. To secure funding to acquire or build a prison, corporations need money. First, they use their assets Communication as liens and they use the contract from the gov- In addition to the information provided by “In ernment (for managing inmates) to secure loans The Public Interest” article, Chris reveals that the from the banks. They also issue stocks and bonds email service costs $0.50 a minute, not per e-mail. for cash. At the same time, corporations sign contracts This is only at the federal level and not in the private with the government to set a rental fee for each prisons. In the private prisons, inmates use unauthorized cell. To miminize risk, the contracts also lock the cell phones: “Everybody has like two cell phones government in a certain occurpancy rate (some- each.” times at high as a 100%) and a time period. Now with another secured revenue stream, the corpo- Living Condition ration goes back to the market. This time bun- America holds millions of inmates in its prisons. dling its “rental units” into Real Estate Invest- Take Texas’ Big Spring for example, a private prison ment Trust (aka REIT). This money can then be ran by the GEO group Inc (GEO). It has the four used to lobby changes of law, like higher mini- separate prisons: Cedarhill, Interstate, Flightline, mum sentences, to increase the need for bed space, and Airpark, each has its own wardens and health thus the need for more prisons. Such increases in services department. Each unit, or prison as it is assets usually generate bonuses for staff members called, holds 3000-5000 inmates. That’s 12,000 of these types of corporations. to 20,000 inmates in one jail. Common sickness According to Chris, a six-man cell with a toilet, Worms in eyeballs and skin disease that causes

30 Spring 2017 the skin to rot are common. According to Chris, Sex offenders are segregated on the West Coast. these illnesses are most likely caused by sharing Sex offendersare considered to be the highest public the same showers that hundreds of people use daily. safety risk. Sex offenders cannot go to camp (a These showers are supposed to be cleaned once a prison without fences), but they can go to “low” day, but the jail does not provide proper cleaning (meaning the chicken coop, 2000-3000 inmates chemicals to sanitize them properly. managed by the BOP). Hepatitis C is also common. And it is left untreated. Administrative “Problem-Solving” There are also a lot of mentally ill inmates both Stabbings, killings, and suicides occur weekly in ICE and prison. People not knowing why they inside American prisons. The administration does are in prison and self-harming are the norm. not report or declare dying inmates as a death in prison. Since dead or dying inmates are transported Prison Politics to the hospital outside, they are reported as dying In the western regions (e.g. Arizona, Nevada, on route. The death toll is then counted at the hospital California, Oregon, New Mexico, etc.), the inmate instead of the prison. population is racially divided. Inmates of different Inmates are routinely put in segregation for 6 to races cannot talk privately in a room, unlike how 24 months for bad paperwork, owing money, gang Chris (Metis) and I (Asian) conducted this interview. war, incompatibility, mentally ill, etc. Once you If we do want to talk for whatever reason, we will are in seg, your movement out of the range would have to talk in a public area where everyone can be cuffed (belly chain, hands cuffed behind the back, see. Race wars or discipline by our own kind may and leg shackles). result from breaking this practice. On the East Coast, population is divided by gang affiliation Staff are mostly ex-military, often with PTSD. rather than by race (in prison, the slang for race is They are often physically abusive, especially during car). extraction (meansing removing someone from an area, where it is a cell, courtyard, or general population). This kind of rule is very structured. For example, If inmates complained about them, they are likely if someone rubbernecked another man’s cell, the to rough inmates up. For example, like kneeing owner of the cell would tell their shot-caller (the inmates in the back, pulling on their arms when person who calls the shot) about the issue. The they are cuffed behind their back, and the overuse shot caller is either nominated, an OG (Original of pepper spray and tear gas. Gangster), or self-proclaimed (meaning he accepts one-on-one barehanded or armed challenges for State and County supremacy). The shot-caller would tell the shot If a crime does not involve crossing a state line, caller of the other race to make sure the same the prisoner goes to the State or County prison system. situation will not occur. And if that man’s cell In State pen, there is more gang violence, but mostly got tossed later on, the shot-caller would insist the between local gangs. It is, according to Chris, “way other shot caller “deal with” the rubber-necker (i.e. sweeter than federal.” It has pen pack (ie. new hurting this individual until either he dies or checks intakes are allowed to send in their belongings at into protective custody) or prepare for a race war. the start of his/her sentence), “just like here.” There In America, bitch and punk are fighting words: are no jarheads working there. There are work- “If you don’t engage with someone who has used releases and community service activities that inmates these words on you, your people would turn on can participate in. you.” These things happen because one’s actions The county jail system is similar to the pre-trial/ reflect on the rest of the people in one’s car. And remand system in Canada. People are placed there if one doesn’t fight, he is saying that his whole race or gang wouldn’t engage. Continued on page 45

Out of Bounds Magazine 31

PEACE & NON-VIOLENCE

Peace & Non-Violence Moving Forward

By Jack From what I have experienced in prison so far, not a single self-help book can challenge my mom’s adage, “I point out your errors because I care. I criticize because I want you to do better. Those who applaud your skills or efforts are trying to use you.” On a daily basis, I see first- hand, how true my mom’s saying can be. The people light my inadequacy. Stop playing with my feel- who care and want me to do better list out the things ings. I am not buying what you are selling.” I have to work on. Yet, people who manipulate, And from refusing to play along with common whether they are managers, facilitators, gangsters, pleasantries, I lacked the practice to be nice when or range-mates, use various degrees of flattery. When it counts. I pointed out facts like Oh! You got a staff members want inmates to withdraw a complaint haircut. Twice, I even said: Oh! Looks like you’ve or an application to avoid work, most of them throw gained weight. I was stuck thinking that compli- in, “you are doing great” somewhere in their per- ments equate to flirting and that people would suasion. Other times, people would act like you. appreciate the attention given the situation. In You know, mimicry is the best flattery. So, you will certain situations, when I gave praise, I was told subliminally like them because they are like you. my compliments sounded borderline gay. A few Those who fall prey to flattery and being enslaved friends of mine have had to remind me: Remem- by the good feelings unknowingly become subjects ber! It’s nice pants, not nice ass. (That’s another of the compliment givers. Over the years, my mom’s story for another day.) Needless to say, the way I teachings have been buried deep in my core. Gradu- talk alienated some people and brought on some ally, I had come to prefer criticism over praise. I teasing. became wary of compliments and I hated people directing them at me. Adding to my confusion, most people seem to care more about their feelings than their achieve- One reason behind such animosity was that I ments. When people do things that I find ineffi- didn’t know how to react properly. I used to grimace cient or inadequate, they seem to want to hear what when people flattered me. Then, in trying to be more a great job they did instead of hearing how they sociable for the sake of reintegration, I attended more can do better. They seem to want people to praise social functions. People would hand out, in my and admire them even when they actively steal, lie, opinion, meaningless compliments, like nice jacket, and cheat. When I ran into these types of people, cool shoes, etc. In response to such compliments, I silently blame those teachers/mentors who had I would often point out the flaws, like Yeah, but it ever said nice try when they made a mistake. Fur- is old. See these patches here or Oh, I bought this thermore, the need to praise someone while they because it was cheap. Such reactions became so are doing things wrong eludes me. Applauding their automatic that I couldn’t stop these words coming actions when I know that they are making anyone out of my mouth, even after I learned about the in- doing time in the future suffer the consequence just appropriateness of these retorts. Thinking back, I doesn’t seem right. Yet observing from the more guess that was my way of saying, “Stop what you tactful inmates, praising would make the are doing. What you are doing is just going to high-

Out of Bounds Magazine 33 complimentee feel good, and it would further However, my long-winded corrections and apolo- complimenter’s self-interests. Even staff members gies published in OBM brought on debates with and volunteers would often overlook rude behav- a well-meaning proofreader. “Don’t point out those iors and praise these individuals’ other qualities. mistakes. Such corrections and apologies make Though I understand that a person’s actions do not OBM look unprofessional.” Although somewhat necessarily reflect the individual, I just can’t bring critical, it was a well-intended remark. Though I myself to cheer him on. So I pondered. Perhaps know business communication texts agree with his the proper technique is to be nice about it and find point of view, morally, to make mistakes without the appropriate timing to guide them once the nicety acknowledging them does not sit right with me. has opened them up. I argued that OBM should be a forum for people Personally, I would prefer if people skip the who had made mistakes to try something different. social rituals and offer some help. However, when We should encourage each other to be fearless in I persistently asked people to correct my shortcom- writing, especially with expressing our thoughts and ings, people would be “nice” and reassure me that telling our stories. And if our contributors real- I am not that bad at pleasantries, that I am over- ize that we, the OBM staff, make mistakes too, they worrying, and so on and on. That’s not fucking may not be as fearful to send us their writing. As helpful. Worse, some “nice” people would say “Just such, declaring our mistakes might help them to be yourself,” “I like the way you talk.” Shut the be more willing to share, thus enticing more con- fuck up. My mom’s adage solidifies its hold. These tributions. people don’t care about you. They care more about To strengthen my argument, I threw in a few their relationship with you. The anger against these rhetorical questions. Wouldn’t clarifying our pub- “nice” people motivated me to find answers in lication mistakes help those readers who had spent books. I tried different techniques. I pictured their precious time reading our work finally under- “nicety” as an enemy and came up with a solution stand what we intended to say? Don’t we owe them from another of my mom’s teaching, “If you can’t our clarification? And for those readers who did beat them, join them.” However, it is easier said not realize we had made a grammatical error, than done. wouldn’t our declaration help them learn proper En- During my term as an editor, I have had plenty glish grammar usage? Most importantly, if we made of opportunities to practice nicety. Yet I struggle, typographical errors when we published our con- especially when being nice doesn’t seem right. tributors’ work, don’t we owe them an apology? Furthermore, I believe my actions represent not only Though I stand for what I have said, I left a few me but also the company. When I received mis- deeper personal reasons unsaid. First, I was taught guided opinions or opinionated contributions that to admit my own mistakes. No matter if the mis- are based on erroneous information, I felt that it takes were caused by my carelessness or the lack is my duty to clarify. I questioned their factual bases. of adequate knowledge, my mistakes are my mis- I refused to jump on their hate wagons. I tried to takes. I have no problem taking full responsibil- be nice about it, providing the facts that I have and ity. Especially, I don’t want my co-worker to share asked if my information is dated. the shame of an imperfect product; I don’t want to Eventually though, people stop voicing their put my co-worker into a position where he might opinions. have to point out my failings. Second, as I men- tioned earlier, I have problem accepting compli- Around the same period, I started apologizing, ments. Whenever I received a general compliment mostly on account of OBM’s numerous editorial of what great work I have done, I can’t help but errors. At the time, I thought that our contributors think about some misleading errors of the past. Two no longer thought that we were worthy of their con- errors came to mind. One was that I printed “mo- tributions. I was hoping that an apology would help. ment” when I intended to print “movement”. Sec-

34 Spring 2017 ond was that I misprinted the year of when a cer- tape job on certain pipes, he showed me at least tain incident occurred. Thankfully, I was able to four spots before I stopped counting. At that pre- correct these errors in the electronic version of cise moment, I had an epiphany. That’s must have OBM. However, I cannot change the negative feel- been how people felt when I pointed out my own ings of our contributors when they found my mis- flaws. From his remark, I realized the difficulty takes in their work. Publishing the corrections in in gauging whether one should entertain the con- a following edition helped lessen my sense of guilt. cerns or give reassurances. Um that’s why people Deep down, publishing corrections is more for me minimized my concerns. No wonder the book ad- than for them. The third reason to expose my faults vises, in replying to compliments, to say, “Thank is another selfish one. I want to know the type of you.” “Thank you for noticing.” “Thank you for people that are reading my work. I want to know saying so.” It would be so much easier if he would who would possess enough altruism to offer their have just followed the script. help. Fourth, I want to be as honest as I can even “Paintjob” helped me understand the truth be- though I know, as an editor, I should act more pro- hind praise. People praise for many reasons. They fessionally. I want to challenge the common mis- praise because that’s the way they were taught, conception that criminals are all liars and con men because they choose to focus on the beauty, or be- – they will say whatever to create a good impres- cause they want to acknowledge the hard work that sion. I don’t want our readers to question the cred- has been put into a project. When that happens, ibility of our words. I don’t want anyone to treat even though flaws do exist, it is better to appreci- our remorse, reflection, or recounting of our suf- ate the complimenter’s time and effort, share a fering as fiction. Ultimately, I want to set OBM moment with him/her to admire the beauty, or ap- as a trustworthy source of inmate reports and lit- preciate the fact that one’s hard work did not go erature. I want our readers to believe, without any unnoticed. doubt, the inmate accounts we publish. I want our readers to see our side of the story. An equally enlightening incident occurred, this time in the laundry room where I ran into a more This struggle went on for some time. Eventu- bitter person. Most days I share, to a lesser degree, ally, two incidents help me see why I shouldn’t his anger and bitterness. This day, as he pulled his always focus on criticism, both toward myself and clothes out of the dryer, he pointed out, “This door toward others. These incidents happened within is poorly designed. Clothes just fall onto the lint the last four months. trap and pick up lint when it opens.” As he cleaned One such incident occurred in the office across the lint trap and picked out the lint from his clothes, the hall from the OBM office. The artist of our I studied the door. It has a slotted sloping surface last cover had taken control of the Peer Education at the bottom covering the lint trap when the door Counseling (PEC) office. He got maintenance to is close. When the dryer stops spinning, some fork over some paint and repainted the office. A clothes, especially when it is over a quarter full, day later, I went over and checked out the result would sit on this slope. When that happens, the of his labour. By now, even though I struggle in- dried, cleaned clothes would inevitably fall and pick ternally, I am relatively proficient at spotting some- up some lint when the door is opened. Unlike my thing praise-worthy and saying something nice. usual self where I would advise him to load the dryer Two steps into the office, I said, “It is very bright just above its rim of the inner casing, I said, “It and clean in here.” One more step and I said, “Nice would have been better if the lint trap is on top.” paint job.” That’s all I got. I waited for some mean- He ranted a little more as he left. Then I was all ingless reply and I was planning to head back to by myself, loading the wet clothes into the dryer, work. Surprisingly, he started disagreeing with me. picking and loading my clothes a handful at a time. He started to point out all the flaws in the paintjob. As I closed the door I noticed the dryer was half- From the way the corners were cut to the missed full. I routinely stood up and reached for the switch.

Out of Bounds Magazine 35 At that moment, I thought to myself, Um my Stuff. Ironically, my concern was incorrectly para- clothes are going to pick up some lint. Why don’t phrasing Weatherproofing. As I flipped through I just use two dryers? Why did they design a wash- the pages, the title Make Peace with Imperfection ing machine that can hold more than its dryer? caught my eyes. What I read explains the need not Um maybe it was designed for people to air dry to be overly critical. their clothes. But why would the engineer design “ Rather than being content and grateful the dryer to take twice as long to get the job done for what we have, we are focused on what’s as the washer? This train of thought went on. It wrong with something and our need to fix went onto corporate greed and to the invention of it. When we are zeroed in on what’s wrong, the washing machine. It went everywhere but no- it implies that we are dissatisfied, where close to a solution. When I left the laun- discontent .the very act of focusing on dry room, I was still thinking about it. As I went imperfection pulls us away from our goal outside, my focus briefly turned to traffic before I of being kind and gentle. This strategy has returned to the engineering of the dryer. I had to nothing to do with ceasing to do your very tell myself. It’s just some lint from my own clean best but with being overly attached and focused clothes. I didn’t care before. Why start now? Is on what’s wrong with life. It’s about realizing this problem that important? Don’t I have anything that while there’s always a better way to better to think about? Once again, my priorities do something, this doesn’t mean that you were being dominated by my need of improving can’t enjoy and appreciate the way things things, to be a fixer. CSC might have a point. I already are .In the absence of your judgement, do have power and control issues. everything would be fine. As you begin to eliminate your need for perfection in all areas I have fallen once again into, what Don’t Sweat of your life, you’ll begin to discover the the Small Stuff calls, Weatherproofing. This con- perfection in life itself.” cept is that one should not dwell on the flaws and neglect the enjoyment of the entire house. Actu- When I read this book years ago, it brought so- ally, let me just quote Richard Carlson, PhD. He lace to my life for a while. Then I was busy deal- writes, ing with various aspects of prison life and my old habits crept back in. It has taken my present state “ Just as we can weatherproof a home for of mind, chance encounters with like-minded in- the winter by looking for cracks, leaks, and dividuals, and numerous supports to truly appre- imperfections, we can also weatherproof ciate the lessons I once learned decades ago. our relationships, even our lives, by doing the very same thing. Essentially, In writing this article, I finally realize that the- weatherproofing means that you are on the re is nothing wrong with being insufficient, unpro- careful lookout for what needs to be fixed fessional, or inadequate. My writing can be filled or repaired. It’s finding the cracks and flaws with grammar mistakes, broad topic sentences, of life, and either trying to fix them, or at typos, and whatever else I am ashamed of. The truth least point them out to others .Rather than is, my writing is my words, it reflects the person I appreciating our relationships and our lives, am at this moment. weatherproofing encourages us to end up thinking that life isn’t all it’s cracked up to Besides, the more I ponder, the more I realize be . As the habit creeps into your thinking, there is nothing that is wrong per se. It’s all a matter catch yourself and seal your lips. The less of attitude. My mom wasn’t wrong to say things often you weatherproof your partner or your that lead me to improve on myself and to be wary friends, the more you’ll notice how super of others. She just has her own way of saying, “Be your life really is.” strong, be independent, and be careful.” As to the While I did my third draft on this article, I went Continued on page 45 to the library and checked out Don’t Sweat the Small

36 Spring 2017 Around the PENinsula Vandalism

The librarian’s window was vandalized sometime between November 11 th and 12th. A circular hole, roughly one foot in diameter, was cut from one of the librarian’s office windows. Palm sized pieces of broken glass were left on the ground outside. Nothing was reported missing. As a consequence, the library was closed for two weeks while Administration did their investigation and repaired the window. All glass-cutting tools, like those which can be bought through the hobby shop, have now become controlled items. Inmates who previously purchased these type of tools were asked to return their tools in order for them to be secured by the Social Program Officer (SPO). From now on, inmates will need to sign out these tools if they want to use them. Administration has not been able to identify the culprit or the reason behind his action.

Breaking the Lock Passive-aggressive actions were taken against the band room. Someone jammed the lock on the week of January 16th. The locksmith was contacted and administration burdened the cost. Apparently, this is the second time within a short period that the locksmith needed to be called for this lock. Secu- rity Intelligence Officer (SIO) told the inmate responsible for the band room that if this behaviour continues, the entire upper G-Tier will be closed off. To make matter worse, the same lock was jammed on February 24th. The assistant warden then enlisted the inmate committee to relay their message on the 27th. The committee was told that we have one more chance. Subsequently, memo went to every house informing the population of the serious- ness. One committee member even talked personally to the majority of the population. Yet, on March 1st, one keeper came back from his break and ordered the closure of G-Tier. When questioned, he replied that he did not know about the arrangement on the 27th. By March 8th, the officer forgot to open the G-Tier for the entire morning. If the lock is jammed again, G-Tier will be locked for two weeks. We appologize for the delay in the delivery of this edition. If we miss our deadline again, now you know why.

Out of Bounds Magazine 37 Lighting Up According to our Inmate Committee, the privilege of barbecuing is allowed once again. After Ad- ministration rounded up all the customized or altered BBQs from living areas, Administration ap- peared to have a change of heart. The use of the propane-powered BBQ for the outdoor Family Visiting Event is also allowed. The inmate Committee is waiting for additional information on the changes and logistics. “We will have to look at a different way to light up the barbecue,” said one committee member.

Neverending Story (part II)

Infrastructure upgrades and maintenance continue. The roofing on the G-Tier (FYI, where the OBM office is located) and Building 108 are being redone. Old tiles/tar were being replaced. Heavy boot steps and the sound of blow torches can be heard daily from the office. In addition, underground wires are being re-pulled between utility access hatches all across the peninsula. These projects have been going on for roughly two months.

Are you a plumber? Cause these pipes are burstin’ Exciting times at William Head. In late January, when I returned to my house, I discovered a brand new water feature outside. It was amazing, seeing a river flowing outside my house. Of course, once Administration discovered this, they immediately shut the water off to the whole unit. Several hours of digging later, they discovered the problem – an exploded pipe. This is not the first time this has happened. Last time the pipe near the back of one house, outside the kitchen window, exploded. Back then, they had enough spare houses to relocate residents while they performed the repairs. As usual, government contractors took days to do a job. Even a time before, another pipe burst underneath someone’s patio. They moved the guys out to one of the spare houses, dug up the whole front lawn and the cement patio. That time, the repair took over a week. As I stated, government contractors. This time around, we don’t have that luxury. With 8 houses affected, that’s roughly 35 – 40 guys. There isn’t enough spare rooms to be able to move everyone somewhere else while the repairs are being completed. They rushed a repair. The glue didn’t set properly. Several hours after they ‘fixed’ the pipe, it burst once more. I feel sorry for the guys who’re living downhill from the pipe, as they had their patios flooded. Another 12 hours later, the pipe was presumably “fixed” again. Long story short, I hope they manage to repair it quickly or next time I fry some eggs, I won’t need to use any oil, I’ll just harvest some grease from my hair.

Where there’s smoke, there might not necessarily be fire Sensitive smoke detectors have been an ongoing issue throughout the institution. As one would imagine, all the houses are fitted with several smoke detectors. There is one in each room, one in the upstairs hallway and another in the downstairs living room. This is fine and dandy, but one ongoing

38 Spring 2017 issue is how sensitive they are. Now, I understanding it is important to have a certain level of sensitivity, as what’s the point of a smoke alarm if it’s not going to warn you that your house is about to burn down. But they are overly sensitive. On one occasion, I was cleaning our showers and the water vapour from the shower set the alarm off. It was kind of funny because everyone blamed the guy who was cooking, not the guy who was cleaning the shower (me). I strongly suspect this is not the first time this has happened either. I’ve also heard stories from people who have been boiling water and the vapour from that has set off the fire alarm. Heck, I even know of a guy who put a note on the overhead vent telling people to always turn the fan on, just to prevent such a thing from happening. Now, Administration is doing something about it. Over the past few weeks, electricians have been pulling wire from the houses to access panels in the middle of the unit, then to the unit bubble. No one was really sure what was going on, but everyone was pissed off by having electricians climbing around on the ceiling, pulling wire, and other noisy activities at eight in the morning. Well, the cat is finally out of the bag. I spoke with one of the guys whose house was visited by the electricians. As it turns out, they are installing manual pull switches in all the house, just inside the door. As well, they are tweaking the sensitivity of the upstairs smoke detector in an attempt to reduce the number of false positives. I understand the need to reduce the amount of false alarms, but this reporter wonders if this is the right solution. I don’t want to call anyone specifically childish, but in my mind, a manual pull station in each house is just asking for trouble. I would like to think that we’re all adults and this wouldn’t be abused, but I get the gut feeling that I’m giving too much credit. There are a few choice characters that come to mind who I could see abusing this system. One thing I didn’t get clarification on, is if the pull switches will simply set off the fire alarm, or if it will actually activate the sprinklers. I guess I’ll just pack a makeshift umbrella around until we find out one way or another.

Danger, Danger, High voltage Learning opportunities for high school graduates continue to expand as the program department capitalizes on various resources. Roughly 15 years ago, CSC stopped funding vocational training (e.g. carpentry, automotive, autobody, welding, etc.). After that, one-day courses like the forklift training and the WHMIS certification were made available periodically. Around six years ago, with the projection for a high need of trade workers in BC for various constructions projects (e.g. pipelines, mines, roads, etc.), the provincial government started handing out subsidies for trade schools. Once someone in corrections found out that inmates could qualify for this money, programs like core construction, First Aid level 1 and H2S (some kind of pipe fitting program) were introduced in BC prisons. After that, First Aid level III was offered in certain minimum-security prisons. Last year, William Head experimented with a pre-welding course. The school brought in its own high tech equipment so students here can do exercises and practice in virtual reality. This year, a 12-week Electrician Apprenticeship program from Camosun College was introduced. Out of the 12 enrollees, two dropped out in the first week. One inmate, who signed up but wasn’t

Out of Bounds Magazine 39 allowed in due to the class size, was allowed to jump in. On the second week, one dropped out and two brave souls were eager to take their place. Unfortunately for them, they were not allowed in. By the third week, another participant dropped out. Some people started to blame the selection process, suggesting that a screening test should be re- quired instead of simply looking at the release date and high school diploma. While that would solve the education requirements, what about the motivation component? When I first arrived at William Head, I was eager to sign my name for any program offered, without actually putting any consideration into whether or not I would actually like to do it. I know of many guys coming from higher securities have the same mindset, not realizing what they are signing up for, or not having any expectation of being in the institution when the program runs. As well, most of these programs have sev- eral month waiting lists, so this, combined with the fact that this is a releasing institution, I can imagine most guys leave before the program start date even arrives. That begs the question, with this kind of track record, will this course ever be coming back? It is anybody’s guess at this point.

Dimming the light A magical day materialized as inmates and visitors alike put on costumes for the William Head Christmas Family Visiting Event (FVE). This year, the WhoS costume designer Rob chan- nelled his artistic vision to transform our gym- nasium into a winter wonderland. Rob and numerous inmate volunteers spent a whole week tirelessly decorating the gym. Hundreds of paper snowflakes were cut. Supplies were pulled out of the WhoS storage. Costumes were rented. Special lighting equipment was ordered. The feather drop apparatus was revamped to drop fake snow and balloons for the kids. On the stage, there was a Santa chair, a floor to ceiling naughty list, even a life sized gingerbread house was built in the last minutes before the event. I thought past years’ decoration were already over the top in a jail setting. This year, with Rob’s vision, the decorations reached a new pinnacle. The photographs cap- tured by an analogue camera hardly give it any justice. Aside from the decorations, Earl, a festively plump individual, put on the Santa suit. Johnny wore an elf outfit. Hayden put on a full-body snowman suit. Kathleen and Jeni (from WhoS) dressed as Santa’s helpers. Numerous Santa hats and headpieces were passed around for anyone who wished to embrace the Christmas spirit. All these were just icing for my personal favourite – gift giving to the kids. It was heart warming to

40 Spring 2017 see the kids running back to their parent with their toys. Witnessing those precious moments of won- derment and excitement as they tore open the packaging, eager to touch the toys they received, was the best gift of Christmas.

Foraging for treasure A military-green box with a geocaching.com label was found on one of our beaches in January. The writing on the exterior label is faded. “Code: Rosie” was found written on the inside of the lid. Whoever wants this box can come to prison and experience the challenges we face in acquiring information.

OMG It’s a goddamn winter wonderland A raging storm system pummelled the Island and Lower Mainland. It started with a rainy Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning revealed a light dusting of snow, hardly worth even noting. Sometime Sunday night, the real system started to move in. Monday (February 6th) morning, we were treated with about 5cm of snow, but it kept on falling. It’s almost like Old Man Winter was trying to give it his all. As Monday afternoon rolled around, we were looking at around 10cm of snow and no end in sight. While the snow kept piling up, something shocking and amazing happened. The jail went into a lockdown. I’ve heard of weather-related lockdowns. It’s usually when there’s too much fog, or snow is literally whiting out the sky. This wasn’t either of those things. This was a picturesque winter scene. Imagine it. Huge fluffy snow flakes, lightly falling to the ground. A bit of a breeze is coming off the ocean. The neigh- bourhood kids having a snowball fight. It’s like something out of a goddamn movie. But of course, since most of the staff are Islanders who aren’t used to any kind of snowfall, let alone something like this, it’s full on panic mode. Maybe I’m being too critical. Maybe I’m just too Canadian, but in my opinion, a snow day is something where you literally can’t leave your house because of the snow. Less than a foot of snow isn’t anything to panic about. Hell, even a foot of snow isn’t anything worth troubling over. Suffice to say, on Tuesday afternoon, the snow stopped falling and the aftermath remained. Life slowly returned to normal, although we were still in a quasi-weekend routine. If there’s any- thing I’ve learned this weekend, it’s that Insti- tutional shoes make decent snow boots. [

Out of Bounds Magazine 41 Non-fiction Non-Fiction Farewell Crystal Meth, I wish I’d never touched you. I lived for you, I would have died for you. I breathed for you, I would have done anything for you. You completed me, without you, I was nothing. I gave my kids up for you, left boyfriends, even stole boyfriends, stole identities, took people’s possessions for you, even took their livelihoods and vehicles for you. I took anything that wasn’t bolted to the ground just so I could be closer to you. (I even) shot off guns for you, most of all, I ruined lives for you. You stripped me for my health, my respect, my self-dignity and for everything I had and held so dearly to my heart. You were my life. If I would have been married, It would have been to no one else but you. At one point, I couldn’t bare to wake up without you. You were there for me when I didn’t want to feel any pain, which in exchange I didn’t’ feel any emotions, not even a simple smile would do. I lurked in the shadows and finally tried to hide from you. I became so thin that if I turned sideways, all you would do is stare, for I was no longer there. You took my family and traded them for handcuffs and bars. You would have taken my last final breath if I had let you. You took my freedom and I loved you with all my heart. But now, I would never return to you, never to touch you. This is the end of us, this is my good-bye letter to you. Amanda Schmitz [ Last Words: Last words Though food quality and health care services are declining in Canadian prisons, our living condi- tions are still better than the States’. It is difficult, but let’s look at the bright side. Food wise, yes there are a lot of stew type meals in our meal plan these days. But beans and rice everyday? We are not there yet. Cable TV access? True, the Canadian prison infrastructure is dated, and signal interruptions are frequent. It is still better than sharing access and not being able to control what you want to watch. Health care? Well, it would be nice if Corrections would actually fix inmates, both physically and mentally. But according to the administration, the health care system in Canada, including in the community, is declining due to the availability of professionals. I guess the good thing is that at least the administration in Canada admits there is a problem. Yes, gangs do exist inside prison, and they do bring “street beef” inside. Most of the time, I guess depending on which region you are in, gang members target other gang members. Over the last twenty years, I was never asked to join a gang because of the color of my skin. I didn’t have to stab anyone I had no quarrel with. From what I have experienced, other than some minor treacheries, noise level, personality conflicts, and various childish behaviours, inmates in Canada get along quite well. Cana- dian prisons can still be a place for inmates to find themselves, if they so choose. It is still a place for inmates to set goals and priorities not just for their survival in prison but for their future. Despite a few setbacks, there is much to be grateful for. [

42 Spring 2017 Fiction Fiction Grounded

By Jim Wishinski Day Two: It’s day two of my time in solitary. we monkey around/ but we’re too busy singing/ I’m not sure that I’ll be able to finish this sentence to put anybody down.” off before it finishes me. I should have known better. After my last caper I had vowed to stay clean. Now that I am stomping back and forth I start Trouble has a way of finding me though. blowing on my recorder. The whistling isn’t in tune with the music but I am committed to my A few days ago my sister Polly and I “liberated” performance. I almost got through the whole song a bicycle from the local playground. We went riding when my door burst open. Seconds later my pants around the neighbourhood and then ditched the bike were around my ankles and my bum was in the in the bushes. Our parents were not impressed air. Good grief! The spanking didn’t hurt as much when the police showed up at our doorstep. I played as the blow to my pride. It seemed like a solid it cool as usual but my sister broke under plan. questioning. She actually broke on the first question that was asked. Day Three: After my spanking yesterday I decided I should play it cool. After a boring day “Do you know anything about a stolen bicycle?” at school, I spent the rest of the evening organizing She started bawling and said that I made her my toys. do it. The kid was not made for this life of crime. Day Four: I got into trouble today at school. I could only talk her into a few more capers before I’m not sure what the fuss was all about. I was she called it quits for good. Now here I am doing merely voicing my concern about my teacher’s two weeks in solitary and I’m only in day two of health. I suggested that it was in her best interest my grounding. to lose a few pounds. In retrospect it was probably Perhaps instead of being passive and taking my not a good decision to sing the “fatty, fatty, two punishment, I should go on the offensive. I could by four” song. I almost got more time added to possibly get out of this early for “bad behaviour”. my sentence for that. I’ve decided to enter into a If they get sick of me then maybe they will commute vow of silence to keep myself out of trouble. my sentence to “time served” and release me. It Day Six: I almost got through yesterday without might just work. speaking. I snapped though just after supper. I Okay, everything is ready. I have my Monkees threw open my window and began shouting, album loaded on the record player; I’m wearing “freedom!” my cowboy boots; my recorder is put together and Today I am starting my workout routine. I’m ready for whistling. Okay, here we go! I lower going to do push-ups and box with my Bobo the the needle onto the record and turn up the volume clown blow-up doll. I’ll get out of this looking all the way. The Monkees come through the buff. They’ll think twice next time they try to spank speakers singing the theme song to their television me. Where’s Bobo? show. “Here they come/walking down the street!” “Are you looking at me Bobo?” I begin stomping across my bedroom floor in my cowboy boots and sing at the top of my lungs “What?” to the chorus. “Oh, so you’re a tough guy are you?” “Hey, hey we’re the Monkees/and people think Pow! ...ä

Out of Bounds Magazine 43 “Take that Bobo.” my Sunday evening bath soon. I’m thinking of making a break for it after my bath. I haven’t “Oh yeah?” laid out a solid plan yet but I may just run around Pow! naked for awhile. That’s freedom baby, real freedom. “How does that feel tough guy?” Day Ten: Spanking hurts more when your butt “Stay down Bobo.” is wet. I tried to make my break last night but I “Stay down.” wiped out in the kitchen. My feet were all wet and when I hit the linoleum floor I slid and crashed Day Seven: I had a visitor today. It was my sister into the back of my mother who was at the sink Polly. I think she feels guilty for informing on me. washing dishes. It wasn’t that bad of a crash and She brought me some peanut butter cookies and a all she did was shake her head at me. What got Barbie doll. What the heck am I supposed to do me into trouble was hollering, “Kiss my wet shiny with a doll? Let’s see I wonder what she’s wearing butt you oppressors!” as I streaked through the under that skirt? living room. I could hear my sisters laughing but Day Eight: It’s the weekend again. The weekends I swear my step-father growled. are the worst. There is no school to break up the I almost got into a fight today at school. I saw time. I can hear my siblings playing out in the yard. this kid eating some corn chips over by the swings My sisters are pretending to be ballerinas. My little at lunch time. I ran by him and grabbed his bag brother is babbling away in some kind of infant of chips while singing that song from the Frito language. I want to tell him to speak English so Lays commercial. “Eye yi, yi yiiiii, I am a Frito that we can communicate. He’s farting and laughing bandito!” He chased me around for a bit and I to himself. Silly baby. gave his chips back after he promised not to hit Our neighbours are outside today as well. I want me. to call them over but my sisters will probably rat Day Eleven: Oh boy, only a few more days to me out. One of the neighbour boys is my friend go. If I can keep it together I’ll be free by Friday. Lorne. We’ve gone on some great adventures There’s not much for me to do right now because together. Ted, his younger brother is my nemesis. I have already finished my homework. The only I sometimes hide in the hedge that separates our yard good thing about this whole situation is my grades and wait for him to emerge from his house. I then are improving. It’s bittersweet though as everyone run at him full blast and try to take him to the ground. will be expecting more from me now. To his credit Ted doesn’t run back into the house, even on those times that I let out my warrior’s yell. Day Twelve: I’m being released early! I can’t One of the reasons he doesn’t run is because he is believe it. I have a baseball game today so my much bigger than me. Actually I think that’s the parents said that if I behave myself, I can stay out only reason. One of these days I will be able to take with my friends after the game. Yahoo! It’s over! him down. I made it! It’s embarrassing when he catches me in his arms and carries me into the back yard. Most of the time Day One: Good grief. This sucks. It was going I just bounce off of him and then run to the safety great yesterday. I was free, we won our baseball of our back yard. When he catches me though, I game and I was hanging out with my friends. There know that I’m going to get roughed up a bit. I can are some apple trees in front of our neighbour’s usually squirm my way out of his grip without getting house and we were eating apples and climbing much damage done to me. Still, it’s not a proud the trees. I was so happy laughing with my friends. moment for me. I threw the apple that I was eating high into the Day Nine: I just finished working out and air and it seemed to almost touch the stars it went roughing up Bobo. I’ll be let out of my room for ...ä 44 Spring 2017 so high. Then it came down. We all watched it together. Lorne, my best friend, saw what was going to happen before the rest of us. “Uh oh,” he said. It was as if I had thrown the apple up into space and now with the zero gravity it came down in slow motion., At the exact same time a car came driving down the road. Yep, that’s right. Apple hits car in the windshield; Jimmy’s bum is in the air; and here we are once again; building time, just building time. Thirteen days to go. I hope I can make it.

[

Continued from page 31 Continued from page 36 before their conviction. County jails are the worst. individuals in both the “paintjob” and the “lint” You get only three hours out of your cell per week, parables, they have every right to point out the facts normally Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for around them. They want everything to be perfect a shower and phone call. but don’t want to do the work to fix them? That’s their prerogative. When it comes to people, it is The A&E TV show, 60 Days In, shows the not the “rights” that bind. Unity and co-operation minimum-security pod of a county jail. Inmates come from tolerance, forgiveness, laughter, under- in there are low risk/minimum offenders. “It is a standing, acceptance, empathy, common goals, that privileged place.” How is 4-men cell, no door, people kind of stuff. sleeping on the range privileged? Chris says, “Most of the county pods have no door on the cells or the Maybe, it is time for me to let go - let go of my showers anyway. Minimum pod has TV on the range, beliefs. Maybe it is time to enjoy life a little. and you are allowed to buy e-cigarettes. If you don’t But wait, writing in broken English and expect behave though, you can end up in 24 hours lock readers to understand or appreciate doesn’t seem down, with no books, mail, or phone privileges, wearing right. Argh...this is so complicated. only a jumpsuit and a pair of underwear.” On the day of the interview, I have just had a The Canadian Friends Service Committee, also haircut. So, I asked him, “How does one get a known as the Quakers, sponsors this regularly haircut down there?” “You can only get a haircut featured column. Contributors are invited to write on from a barber of the same race. It costs $2.00. That issues of Peace, Non-Violence, Forgiveness and price is the same everywhere.” Finally, I learned Reconciliation. [ one thing that is common across the chaotic spectrum of American prisons. [ Special Thanks: We appreciate volunteer Tasha Diamant for dedicating her time to strengthen our writing in the Prison Culture, Peace & Non-Violence, and Around the Peninsula segments. Thank you.

Out of Bounds Magazine 45 Poetry Poetry by MaryEllen Young Poetry Who I am I am safe, still striving for positive healthy change salvaging any type of options I may have left I am not in agreement with becoming another waste I will become what is truly right for me I am somebody loved, important, wanted, needed, honorable, respected and greeted Weak I see the anger painfully coming out of your eyes Blood shot Pierced with anger Stressful breath comes out of your mouth which is filled with harm I feel weak of any type of hope I process it all in Aware hopeless confused frustrated We are both aware of your anger, pain and hatefulness But also aware of my hopelessness and confused state we are equally weak in our own sad way Prisoner “Fickle”

People have forgotten us By Tangent Rarely do people remember us The places we go I myself have forgotten me Alone in our dreams Suddenly I am released Beguiled On my way out trying to believe it’s real Reviled Nowhere to go but back to my old ways Apart at the seams Eventually realizing this is my reality Reliving another nightmare The things we may know Adrift on these streams Stoned Controlled Life is like a country road Unfold Never straight but always stoned To shatter our themes Life in my country weed is legal never will I be straight The life we will show but always stoned like a country road When nothing redeems Attached Dispatched Like Internet memes

46 Spring 2017 Prisoner of Love (Caught in a silken snare)

By Adam Lloyd Cook Those ice cold blue eyes Of endless and forbidden mysteries, Our unspoken always unforgivable Personal histories.

The unique, sublime, sharing Of thoughts inside damaged minds, Exploring our lost souls Trying to find explicit kinds. When I was born Exquisitely soft, warm and inviting, Luxuriously sweet lips, By Brent Derion Mesmerized and hypnotized, I was born into this world By the grinding gyrations of her dancing hips. With a cord around my neck Knowin that shit I will never outlive the strength Musta had my mom stressed Of my lust and desire, I was being choked out Caught in a velvet trap, Before my first breath Forever locked in the physical mire. And you wonder why I feel so close to death So supple and soft was the feel of her skin, That fucker really wants me How would she ever lose, And he just won’t rest When I could never win. He keeps on comin But he ain’t got me yet Twelve oh two On my birthday came An eight pound baby Ready to cause lotsa pain They cut my mom open And when I crawled out I was laughing and chokin In the grips of death In this life of mine It surely ain’t blessed Cuz growing up healthy Was life’s first test I was the man of the house Cuz the last one left My family tried to help They all did their best But there was no way out Of this disastrous mess

Out of Bounds Magazine 47 What’s Next?

A little bit of this and a little bit of that. ‘Nuff said. However, in all seriousness, next issue is going to be huge. Not huge size wise, but huge as in, quoting President Trump, “It’s going to be great.” More so than normal, if I do say so myself. In a continuation of our Prison Culture features, we’ll be reviewing the legal slavery known as Corcan. If you’re unfortunate enough to work in one of these departments across Canada, we’ve stumbled on some interesting numbers on how they do business and how they’ve managed to stay afloat for all these years. Also, if you’re interested in how not to run a business, there’ll be some good tips courtesy of Corcan. Besides that, we’ll have some mind-blowing fiction. Since this issue was a little light in fiction, we’ll be sure to overstuff the next issue with everything that should’ve been in this issue. I have a couple of good pieces on the go, and hopefully they’ll make the next deadline. Speaking of deadlines, mine is coming up. Even though I’ve only been here for a short time, it’s time for me to make my escape. It’s been an interesting journey working with Jack and taking over from E.D. Wolf has been rather difficult. Suf- fice it to say that E.D. has spoiled Jack with his work ethic. Not a week goes by where his name doesn’t come up. Hope- fully I’ve reset Jack’s expectations with all the slacking I’ve done, so the next guy to fill this seat will be an even balance between E.D and myself. We’ll be continuing our reader forum as well. So if you have anything on your mind, drop it in a letter and send it our way. It’d be nice to get some feedback from all you lovely folks. But I guess, as they say, no news is good news. Well, that’s all for now. Stay outta trouble, —Steve

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48 Spring 2017