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Angelone Abused Power

In response to Mr. Botkins and his admiration of Ron Angelone (Letters, June 
2), let me start with this quote from Dwight Clinton Jones: “The policies 
instituted under the Angelone regime we thought were less than fair to
families.”

Let us not forget that Ron Angelone worked closely with Lane McCotter, the 
individual being investigated for his structure of the prison in Iraq.

During Angelone’s tenure, Virginia joined Nevada and California as the only 
states where guards carried guns within prison perimeters. He used an array of 
stun devices to control prisoners and systematically tighten the screws on 
everything from mail to personal possessions to haircuts. Angelone took the 
outrageous step of transferring a small-time drug offender to supermax Red
Onion, 
merely because the man had rudely questioned the director about the 
climate-control system in the correctional facility that Angelone was touring.
Such 
unprofessional imperiousness in a post with authority over so many lives is 
unacceptable.

The single quote remembered the most from Jerry Kilgore that sticks out is 
his proclamation, “I am the law.” It is that attitude that allows the abuse
of 
the system and abuse of the prisoners to continue on a daily basis.

We have over 2.2 million people in prison today, more than any other country 
in the world. In federal prison we have 175,000 people, of which 85 percent 
are first-time nonviolent offenders suffering the same abuse as in Abu Ghraib. 
In my way of thinking, this is not something to be proud of nor something I 
would expect [Senior Contributing Editor] Laura LaFay or anyone else to pat 
someone on the back for.

Why don’t you take the time to educate yourself into the reality of prison 
and prison abuse along with the individuals running our prisons before making 
such assumptions that anyone is not interested in balance when it comes to 
criminal justice issues? It seems to me the very ones you praise are the ones
not 
interested in balance.

Judy Freyermuth
Riverdale, Ga.

http://www.styleweekly.com/search2.asp?keywords=Abu+Ghraib&Submit=Search+Style
+Weekly



-- 
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is a merge of State
and Corporate power." ---Benito Mussolini, the father of modern fascism.

CACI contractor denies any part of Iraqi prisoner abuse

By GARRY MITCHELL
Associated Press WriterJun 18, 2004


MOBILE, Ala. - A former Mobile County sheriff's chief deputy said Friday he 
worked as a civilian contractor screening incoming prisoners at Iraq's Abu 
Ghraib prison, but denied participating in any abuse of inmates by U.S.
soldiers.
James Mayo, 56, a one-time candidate for sheriff, discussed his Iraq job 
during a news conference where he accused unnamed political opponents in Mobile
of 
circulating one of the widely published photos of prisoner abuse and 
suggesting Mayo was in the photo.
"This was an ambush on me, for no other reason, just political. I don't want 
to go into it any further. . .. I'm going to leave it up to my attorneys and 
their investigators to get to the bottom of it," Mayo said.
He declined to name the opponents, but said eventually they will be "exposed 
as they should be."
Mayo said he's not shown in any photograph nor involved in any prisoner 
abuse. He criticized a local television news report that he said disclosed his
home 
address, placing his family "at risk."
Mayo said he had not told his family he worked at the prison and would not 
have publicly discussed his duties until asked about the photo.
"I'm not under any investigation for any acts of cruelty. . . .I'm not 
pictured in any photograph with any improper action with anyone," Mayo said.
Employed by Virginia-based CACI International Inc., Mayo said he went to Iraq 
in September, working in the prison's big "docket room," but he said no 
longer works at Abu Ghraib.
He said he was unaware of the abuse scandal until he was contacted by 
military investigators for questioning in late January after returning from
Christmas 
vacation in Mobile.
"They talked to everybody on the ground, asked a lot of questions," Mayo said.
He declined to comment on whether he witnessed any abuse.
"That I cannot discuss," he said. "All of the principal players in this 
investigation are known individuals. . ..They are now coming back posing new 
questions based on information they have."
Mayo said he believes the prisoner abuse was done by a "small group."
Mayo, who never guarded prisoners, lived at the prison alongside other 
employees.
"Most of these allegations they are looking into occurred at night. I was 
assigned to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., so I wasn't out there at night. Only the people 
working the night shift would have access to it. The camera that was used _ 
obviously they had to know there was a camera because there would be a flash.
"Thank God, somebody took pictures because it's something that needs to be 
dealt with."
Back in the United States, he met his family in Washington, D.C., for 
President Reagan's funeral but said his primary reason for returning was to
visit an 
ailing friend.
He returns to Iraq on Tuesday, with another year on his CACI contract.
Retired Mobile Police Lt. Kenny Powell, who also worked for CACI at Abu 
Ghraib, attended Mayo's news conference. Powell, 52, said he started work at
the 
prison in January after the abuse occurred and had no involvement in it. He
said 
he has resigned from CACI out of concern for his family.
Also an inmate screener, Powell said he reacted to the abuse "with disbelief."
Powell said he went to Iraq because of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
"I was outraged. Everybody wanted to do their part," Powell said.
http://www.discoverrichmond.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FR
TD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031776135231&path=%21news%21vaapwire&s=104585
5935241


-- 
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is a merge of State
and Corporate power." ---Benito Mussolini, the father of modern fascism.

Inmate says he warned corrections officials not to put him with child molester

Associated PressJun 17, 2004


RICHMOND, Va. - The inmate accused of killing one of Virginia's most 
notorious child molesters when they were forced to share a cell said he warned
a 
corrections official not to put them together, The Richmond Times-Dispatch
reported 
Friday.
Dewey Keith Venable, 24, told the newspaper in a letter this week that the 
officer he warned responded by telling him he would be put into isolation
unless 
he agreed to share a cell with Richard Alvin Ausley at Sussex I State Prison 
in Waverly.
Venable, indicted in May for capital murder in the Jan. 13 strangulation and 
beating of the 64-year-old Ausley, was the victim of a molester when he was a 
child.
The slaying came before Ausley was about to make parole, a development that 
prompted state legislators to pass a law allowing dangerous sexual predators to

be locked up indefinitely in treatment centers once they complete their 
prison sentence.
Venable also claimed in the letter that he has attempted to take his own life 
and has been on suicide watch several times since the slaying.
Prison officials declined to comment on why the men were put together in a 
two-man cell, what they knew about Venable's history or other details of their 
investigation.
Venable is serving an 18-year, nine-month sentence for felony convictions 
that include carjacking, abduction, robbery and illegal use of a firearm in 
Virginia Beach.
Norfolk Circuit Court records list Venable among the victims of Dennis L. 
Sewell, who pleaded guilty on May 31, 1988, to two counts of aggravated sexual 
battery.
Ausley abducted a 13-year-old boy, buried him in a box and sexually assaulted 
him repeatedly in 1973. The case received national news coverage and the 
victim, Paul Martin Andrews, led the fight for the state's new Sexually Violent

Predators Act.
Venable is to be arraigned on the murder charge Aug. 18 in Sussex Circuit 
Court.
http://www.discoverrichmond.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FR
TD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031776120966&path=%21news%21vaapwire&s=104585
5935241



-- 
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is a merge of State
and Corporate power." ---Benito Mussolini, the father of modern fascism.

Inmate resisted cell with Ausley
Alleged prison killer warned about being placed with molester

BY FRANK GREEN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERJun 18, 2004


The alleged killer of state inmate Richard Alvin Ausley says he warned a 
correctional officer that he did not want to share a cell with the infamous
child 
molester.
Dewey Keith Venable wrote that he was told by the officer that unless he 
agreed to the cell assignment, he would be put in isolation. Venable, 24, was
the 
victim of a molester when he was a child.
Venable responded to queries from The Times-Dispatch in a letter mailed 
Monday. He also said he has attempted to take his own life and has been on
suicide 
watch several times since the Jan. 13 slaying.
Ausley, 64, was strangled and beaten to death in his two-man cell at Sussex I 
State Prison between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. In May, Venable was indicted on a 
charge of capital murder.
  
At the time he was slain, Ausley was the most notorious child molester in 
Virginia. Largely because Ausley was about to make parole, a new state law was 
enacted allowing dangerous sexual predators to be locked up indefinitely in 
treatment centers once their prison sentences have been completed.
Prison officials would not comment on the cell assignment, what prison 
officials may or may not have known about Venable's background, or any other 
circumstance surrounding the investigation.
Venable wrote that after he attempted to hang himself, "all they did was 
strip me and strap me to a bead [sic] half naked with cold air blowing on me
for 
over 24 hours."
He also said that at one point he was kept shackled "half naked" with a chain 
around his waist, no shoes and socks and with excrement "all over the cell."
"I here [sic] voices and see shattos [sic]," he wrote.
Larry Traylor, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Corrections, said he 
could not comment on Venable's allegations or whether he has attempted to take 
his own life, because it involves a case now before the courts.
Sussex County Commonwealth's Attorney Lyndia Person Ramsey could not be 
reached for comment.
Venable is serving an 18-year, nine-month sentence for felony convictions in 
Virginia Beach, including carjacking, abduction, robbery and illegal use of a 
firearm.
Venable's lawyer, R. Clinton Clary of Lawrenceville, said Venable is 
scheduled to be arraigned in Sussex Circuit Court on Aug. 18. Pretrial motions
will 
also be made.
Norfolk Circuit Court records list Venable as one of the victims of Dennis L. 
Sewell, who pleaded guilty on May 31, 1988, to two counts of aggravated 
sexual battery.
Ausley abducted a 13-year-old boy, buried him in a box in what is now Suffolk 
and sexually assaulted him in 1973. The case received national news coverage. 
Paul Martin Andrews, the Portsmouth boy he abducted, led the fight for the 
state's new Sexually Violent Predators Act.

Contact Frank Green at (804) 649-6340 or fgreen@timesdispatch.com

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_
BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031776121603&path=%21news&s=1045855934842



-- 
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is a merge of State
and Corporate power." ---Benito Mussolini, the father of modern fascism.

White House Accused of Intimidating Media, Lawyers



By Gail Appleson
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A leading American lawyer accused the White House on 
Friday of intimidating reporters, attorneys and judges who question the Bush 
administration's "relentless pursuit of power."
The lawyer, Michael Tigar, made his comments during a pre-trial hearing 
involving his client Lynne Stewart, a civil rights lawyer charged in a
terrorism 
case. The hearing centered on arguments by news organizations hoping to quash 
government subpoenas aimed at forcing reporters to testify at the trial.
Giving his support to news organizations, Tigar said that even in the best of 
times, the "independent voice" of the media and lawyers was always in danger.
"But these are not the best of times. Under the Bush/Ashcroft/Rumsfeld 
administration, the independent press and the independent bar have been in 
particular danger," Tigar said in an impassioned voice.
"This administration has tried to intimidate, manipulate, harass, and if 
necessary punish any independent voice that questions its relentless pursuit of

power," he said.
Tigar is one of the nation's top defense lawyers and represented convicted 
Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols.
He said the administration also has not hesitated to attack "the sanctuary" 
of federal judges. His remarks were aimed at President Bush, U.S. Attorney 
General John Ashcroft and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
His client, New York lawyer Stewart, is accused of breaking the law by 
helping her imprisoned client Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, a radical Muslim cleric,

communicate with what prosecutors say are his terrorist followers.
Abdel-Rahman is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 1995 of 
urging followers to bomb U.S. landmarks.
Stewart's case has drawn attention from defense lawyers across the country 
who fear it is an attempt by the government to scare them away from
representing 
unpopular clients.
Jury selection in the case is expected to conclude on Monday with opening 
statements set to begin on Tuesday.
Prosecutors have subpoenaed staff reporters working for Reuters, the New York 
Times, Newsday and a freelance journalist who have written about Stewart.
Tigar said the subpoenas were an "effort to use the media as an instrument of 
prosecutorial policy." 

http://news.findlaw.com/politics/s/20040618/securitylawyerdc.html




-- 
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is a merge of State
and Corporate power." ---Benito Mussolini, the father of modern fascism.

"UNAMERICAN"
says Donald Rumsfeld

The abuse of the Iraqi prisoners by American military men and women is 
"UnAmerican", quote unquote by Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. 
I'd just like to know what America he's been living in??!!

Caught on tape mid-1990s, officers staging fights between inmate gang 
members, then shooting the inmates down in cold blood.

August 9, 1997, New York, officers stripped naked Abner Louima 
and "sodomized" "raped" him with a nightstick!! Louima suffered a torn 
bladder and intestine and required several surgeries to repair the damage.

Caught on tape 1996 in the Texas Dept. of Corrections (T.D.O.C.) 
where President George W. Bush was then Governor, videotape of nude inmates 
crawling over each other as officers kicked them in their testicles, beating 
them with nightsticks and had german shepherds attacking and biting inmates.  
Sounds all too familiar?  Kind of like a total re-enactment of the Iraqi abuse!
 
"D�j� vu all over again".

In 1999, Governor Jeb Bush brings in Michael Moore to become 
Secretary of the Florida Dept. of Corrections (F.D.O.C.).  Moore is the same 
man that ran the T.D.O.C. in the 90s for George W. Bush.

Just six months into his term, controversy arose at Florida State 
Prison (F.S.P.) under Warden James V. Crosby, Jr.  For on July 17, 1999 on 
Q-Wing, aka the notorious "X-Wing", officers were
assaulting a young kid when inmate Frank Valdez spoke up, "Leave
him alone!"  The officers then told Valdez to cuff up.  Valdez
complied.  Once he was cuffed behind his back, nine officers entered the cell 
of Frank Valdez and they kicked, beat and stomped him, breaking bones, 
crushing his ribs and leaving him to die of internal bleeding in that cell all
alone.

In 2003, Michael Moore finally stepped down as Secretary of the 
F.D.O.C.  Governor Jeb Bush made a move that would shock everyone. 
For he would place James V. Crosby, Jr. in charge of the entire 
F.D.O.C.  This was a man that was not capable of overseeing the 
safety and well-being of the one thousand inmates under his care at F.S.P. 
without the inmates being assaulted and murdered.  So the question I present
is, 
what was Governor Jeb Bush thinking when he placed such an unworthy man in 
charge of the care and safety of the approximately 77,000 inmates in the 
F.D.O.C.?!

So I say to Donald Rumsfeld and to the World that the Iraqi abuse is as 
American as baseball and apple pie.  So be not deceived by 
Rumsfeld's "UnAmerican" lies.  For the abuse in Iraq is,
"the American Way".

Written by Ronald W. Clark, Jr., #812974, June, 2004
Florida State Prison
7819 N.W. 228th Street
Raiford, FL  32026-1160


-- 
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is a merge of State
and Corporate power." ---Benito Mussolini, the father of modern fascism.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-pe.prison20jun20,0,2296334.s
tory?coll=bal-oped-headlines 
A growing need for reform
Prisons: As the U.S. inmate population swells and funding for rehabilitation 
programs runs dry, many advocates and experts seek change.



By Michael Hill
Sun Staff

June 20, 2004

The statistic is well-known -- the United States imprisons people at a rate 
far higher than any other industrialized country.

More than 2 million Americans are behind bars. According to the latest 
federal statistics, at midyear 2003, one in every 140 U.S. residents was behind

bars. The number of inmates has risen by a half million in the past decade.

Among men age 25 to 29, 12.8 percent of blacks were in prison or jail 
compared with about 1.6 percent of whites. In some African-American inner-city 
neighborhoods, more than a third of the young males are under the control of
the 
corrections system.

The country pays an estimated $40 billion -- about $1 billion in Maryland 
where 24,000 are jailed -- to keep these people locked up. Local communities
get 
employment from that. But, for the most part, the prisoners get little to do. 
Many argue that the failure to spend money on education and other 
rehabilitation programs might come with an even higher price tag.

"We use prison in the United States as a form of social control in the way 
that no other country in the world uses it," says Elizabeth Alexander, head of 
the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project. "If the 
population of people in prisons and jail were a city, it would be the
sixth-largest in 
the United States," she says. "If you add in parole and probation, you are 
talking about the fourth-largest city in the country."

When this huge population heads behind bars, it disappears from the 
consciousness of the majority of Americans.

"Most people think people behind bars are just getting their just desserts," 
says Jeffrey Ian Ross, a criminologist at the University of Baltimore.

Michael Millemann of the University of Maryland School of Law says the 
country's attitude toward inmates is evident in the jokes comics make about
rapes in 
prison which would not be tolerated if they were talking about attacks on 
women.

"The societal tolerance of an acceptance of forms of violence, including 
sexual violence, in prison is troublesome," he says.

The photographs and intense media focus on Iraqi prisoners means that most 
know more about prison conditions in Iraq than in the United States.

"We are warehousing people again," says Arnett Gaston, a psychologist in the 
criminology department at the University of Maryland who spent four decades in 
corrections before turning to academia. He decries the lack of programs aimed 
at helping inmates.

"I challenge anyone to show me any major prison system where the primary goal 
is rehabilitation rather than punishment," says Gaston who once ran the 
Rikers Island facility in New York and was head of corrections in Prince
George's 
County.

There are a variety of reasons for the high rate of incarceration in the 
United States. Many point to the effective use that the elder George Bush made
of 
Willie Horton -- who committed a rape while on furlough from a Massachusetts 
prison -- in his 1988 race for the presidency against Massachusetts Gov. 
Michael Dukakis as a watershed moment.

It made any candidate who was seen as soft on prisoners vulnerable to attack. 
Prison reform, an issue with little political constituency, disappeared from 
the litanies of liberal candidates.

The war on drugs, which intensified with the crack epidemic of the 1980s, 
flooded prisons with inmates -- especially those in the federal system.
Mandatory 
sentences became popular for drug offenses and then many other crimes. 
Three-strikes laws put chronic minor offenders behind bars for life. Parole was

eliminated for federal prisoners and became harder to get in many states.

This came in the midst of constant pressure on taxes and budgets. "Prisons ha
ve three basic goals," says Ross. "One is to punish, two is to protect the 
community and three is rehabilitation. When the budget gets slashed, it's 
rehabilitation that goes out the door."

It is hard politically to support spending money on education programs in 
prisons while school systems are getting their budgets cut.

"One of the effects of the huge increase in incarceration is that the 
percentage of people receiving treatment and services is going down," says the
ACLU's 
Alexander. "Between 1992 and 1997, which is the last period for which we have 
data, the percentage of people receiving drug treatment went down 
substantially, the percentage of people who are in education programs went
down.

"This mainly reflects just the expansion of the system, but to the extent it 
reflects anything else, it reflects both a political attitude of throwing away 
people's lives and a shortage of money for these programs at a time when many 
states are paying more money for correction than for higher education," she 
says.

Maryland reflects these trends. "Maryland is basically in the middle," says 
Ross. "It might be a little more progressive."

Gaston agrees. "But I would stress that while there might be some negatives 
in Maryland, it is not due to the prison administration, it only has to do with

the holders of the purse strings," he says. "It basically boils down to 
money."

Millemann says that Maryland has followed the national pattern politically as 
much of the rise in prison population came under a Democratic administration, 
that of Gov. Parris N. Glendening.

"Glendening followed the moderate Southern governor's approach like [Bob] 
Graham in Florida or [Bill] Clinton in Arkansas," Millemann says. "You are 
liberal on schools and the environment and you get your conservative spurs on 
criminal justice, the death penalty and corrections."

Glendening, for instance, refused to approve paroles for anyone sentenced to 
life. His lieutenant governor, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, oversaw the boot 

camps system for juvenile offenders.

On a national level, the Prison Litigation Reform Act was signed into law in 
1995 by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat. It restricts prisoners' access to 
federal courts.

"One small part of that law says you can't get damage for emotional or mental 
injuries in the absence of physical injuries," says Alexander. "So all of the 
abuse in the Abu Ghraib pictures, with the exception of the dog bites, are 
pictures of things the law bars American prisoners getting recompense for."

Says Millemann: "That law said to corrections folks, 'Do what you want.' It 
removed federal oversight, it removed the threat of enforcing the Constitution,

it removed the Bill of Rights."

Politically, Millemann says, prison reform might be an issue only Republicans 
can deal with. "It's like Nixon going to China."

He points to the different tack taken by the Republican administration of 
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

"I really am impressed by Mary Ann Saar's approach," he says of Ehrlich's 
secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. "We are

hearing talk about rehabilitation programs we have not heard in a decade."

"It's a harder conversation to have than it was 30 years ago because I think 
we have had a decade really of rhetorical non-leadership on it," Millemann 
says. "People are dug in. It's going to take a while to start digging people
back 
out."

The turning point three decades ago was the 1971 riot at the Attica prison in 
upstate New York that left 43 dead including 10 correctional officials taken 
as hostages.

"The Attica riot focused attention on a number of problems," Ross says. "It 
spurred on a number of reforms in American prisons."

Millemann says that voters then realized those reforms were better than the 
brutal warehousing of the past. "The notion of rehabilitation is cyclical," he 
says. "In the late '60s and early '70s, we were riding a wave of the public 
realizing that rehabilitation was in their self-interest because these guys are

coming out one day."

Ross and others argue that the return to warehousing in the last decade has 
not been worth the money saved by eliminating rehabilitation programs.

"The main problem prisoners face is boredom," says Ross, who has co-authored 
a book on how to survive in prison. Warehoused prisoners learn to keep their 
heads down, to do as little as possible and attract no notice. The result, Ross

says, is a population that is taught to have little ambition and no interest 
in becoming engaged citizens.

"If they do get out and get a job, all they do is go back to their home, sit 
around and watch TV," he says.

Advocates of a rehabilitation approach say these types of blanket punitive 
measures guarantee a high rate of recidivism. In Maryland, half of those 
released are back in jail within three years.

"Understand, there is nothing wrong with punishment, I believe, as long as it 
has a purpose and that purpose must be to protect society," Gaston says. "If 
we are not doing that ... we are placing society at a greater risk."



Copyright � 2004, The Baltimore Sun 

-- 
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is a merge of State
and Corporate power." ---Benito Mussolini, the father of modern fascism.

Kathy Kelly: Dying to See Their Kids 


Sunday, June 20 2004 @ 01:20 PM EDT

"Shortly after I arrived here, Ana supplied me with used but quite usable gym 
shoes, a tote bag, and sweatpants. Several other women.." 

By Kathy Kelly 
The Palestine Chronicle 

Pekin Federal Prison. Peoria, IL: “It’s going to get worse before it gets 
better,” said the Pekin Federal Prison Camp (FPC) administrator, commenting 
about overcrowding. “We have about 40 more transports in the pipeline.” 

To alleviate overcrowding, the administrator asked 12 women to voluntarily 
relocate to Victorville, CA, where an FPC is being enlarged to handle more 
prisoners. 

Only women facing three or more years of imprisonment are eligible. 

Yesterday, three Hispanic women stuffed belongings they’re allowed to take 
with them into white net laundry bags, gave final goodbye hugs to friends here,

and headed out to California where they will help build a larger prison. 

Most of the dozen women who volunteered for relocation to Victorville, CA did 
so because it will place them closer to their children. “I just hope I can 
see my kids,” said Ana, a young mother whose children live in Arizona.
“It’s 
been too expensive for them to come here. I really needs to see my kids. I
think 
about them all the time, and it’s so hard to cope with being away so long. 
That’s why I’m out on the track running so much. I just try to run and
pray.” 

Shortly after I arrived here, Ana supplied me with used but quite usable gym 
shoes, a tote bag, and sweatpants. Several other women recalled her kindness 
and joined me in hoping she’ll be similarly welcomed in Victorville. 

I had presumed that the Bureau of Prisons would use “Con Air” or a prison 
bus to take women to Victorville. Remembering prison air and bus travel 15
years 
ago, I still shudder. In a weeklong trip, zig-zagging all over the country, 
we were locked up in different county jails each night. Our wrists and ankles 
were shackled as we boarded; on the tarmac, armed guards with their guns raised

encircled the planes. Prisoners often arrive at their destination 
sleep-deprived, hungry, disoriented, and scared. 

What a relief, then, to know that furloughs were granted for Ana and the 
others who have set out in groups of three over the past several weeks. Each
woman 
is given $50 and a bus ticket. But, hang on, --if these women can be trusted 
to travel cross-country, carrying cash, on a public bus, and if they’re 
trusted to turn up for self-surrender at a federal prison, why can’t they be
paroled 
to home confinement and probation? Why can’t US taxpayers be relieved of 
expenses to imprison them and, in many cases, to provide guardianship for their

children? 

Deneise, who lives in the cubicle next to me, works as the librarian during 
several evening and weekend shifts. She also teaches yoga, helps coordinate 
photo opportunities for women in the visiting room, shares her expertise in 
ceramics, and sings in the gospel choir. “You with your 13 jobs,” joked one

friend, “how is anyone ever supposed to find five minutes to talk with
you?” I 
smiled, knowing she barely gets five minutes to herself on many days as a
steady 
stream of women find her, seeking advice, a favor, or a word of comfort. 
Prisoners and guards alike share regard for Deneise. 

One Sunday evening, in the library, just before closing time, Deneise asked 
if I had time to watch a 7 minute video. “It’s my favorite possession
here,” 
she said. “We made it the night before I self-surrended.” Filmed in her 
hometown chapel, the video shows her 7 year old son, Joshua, delivering Martin 
Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. The child’s fine diction and
timing plus 
his obvious appreciation for the words he’d memorized evoked growing pride
and 
affection in the audience. When his voice rose at the end of the speech, 
promising freedom, the congregation erupted in applause that must have infused
the 
youngster with pride and hope. 

“Deneise,” I asked, “was that Joshua with whom I saw you, earlier today,
in 
the visiting room?” “Yes,” she said softly, “that was my Joshua.” Now
a 12 
year old boy, he was resting his head on her shoulder as his plump arm 
encircled her waist. Joshua will be 25 when Deneise is released. She was
convicted of 
money laundering and sentenced to 18.5 years. 

“Connie cried herself to sleep last night,” said Ruth. “I was praying for

her at midnight and she was still crying.” Connie has been here for five
years 
and has nine more to go. All of the new prisoners know her because she helps to

lead an orientation designed to help newcomers adjust. Connie presents a 
session about “long termers” and “short termers.” Over 1/4 of the women
here 
face eight or more years in prison. 82% are first time nonviolent
“offenders”—
virtually everyone hopes for new laws that would allow for early release.
“Don’
t get your hopes up, and don’t call your family with rumors about everybody 
getting out. You set yourselves up for disappointment that way,” Connie 
counseled, “and you don’t want to do that to your kids.” But even Connie
had begun to 
think the combination of budget cuts and prison overcrowding might offer some 
hope. It’s a setback to learn that the BOP will cope by enlarging and opening

new prisons. Connie’s two sons are a foot taller each time she sees them. The

younger boy, a high schooler, vows that he’ll enroll in a university near 
Pekin so that he can be closer to his mom. A petite athlete, Connie is a pillar

of nerve and strength here. “Bad days happen,” said Carol, another 
long-termer. “Happens to all of us.” 

“Connie was so down last night,” said Ruth, “that she said might as well 
volunteer for Victorville and move out of her sons lives, make it easier for 
them, let them go on without trying to include her, --she says she’s not
really 
part of what’s going on in their lives now anyway.” Ruth, Carol and others
saw 
Connie through the hard slump. Her spirits were revived after a few days. 

Thinking of women headed to California in hopes of keeping their families 
together while enduring long prison sentences, I dipped into John Steinbeck’s

novel, The Grapes of Wrath. In the wrenching tale of migrant families, called
“
Okies”, who headed toward California in search of food, shelter and work, Tom

Joad, a main character, kills a man in self-defense. Tom had become involved 
with a preacher, Casy, who tried to convince the migrant families to band 
together when greedy landowners cheated and abused them. The landowners hire 
paramilitaries to hunt Casy down and kill him, in retaliation for organizing a
labor 
strike. The thuggish guards go after Tom Joad next. He suffers a severe blow to

his head, then attacks his assailant and flees, unsure whether or not he 
murdered the man. Realizing that he’s now a liability to his family, Tom
hides 
out, but his mother knows where he is and drops off daily food for him. One 
evening, “Ma” waits for him to fetch the meal. Warning him that he’s no
longer 
safe in his wilderness hideout, she urges him to disappear into a big city. 

Tom has been thinking about Casy, the preacher. “We talked a lot” said Tom;
“
Used to bother me. But now I been thinkin’ what he said, an’ I can remember
–
all of it. Says one time he went out in the wilderness to find his own soul, 
an’ he foun’ he didn’ have no soul that was his’n. Says he foun’ he
jus’ 
got a little piece of a great big soul. Says a wilderness ain’t no good,
cause 
his little piece of a soul wasn’t no good ‘less it was with the rest, an’
was 
whole. Funny how I remember. Didn’ think I was even listenin’. But I know
now 
a fella ain’t no good alone.” (Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 28). 

Ma Joad didn’t want her family to “crack up,” but ultimately she learns
that 
her family is strongest when they can share their meager resources, even with 
strangers. And she must find courage to accept her beloved son’s 
self-sacrifice on behalf of others. 


Within US prisons, a host of contemporary Ma Joad and Tom Joad protagonists 
passionately appreciate family values and yearn for ways to strengthen the 
fabric of society by embracing needy people. The absurdly long sentences
imposed 
on hundreds of thousands of the 2 million people imprisoned in the US are every

bit as dehumanizing and cruel as the measures taken against migrant workers 
who were and still are often regarded as less than human. 

I find some comfort in knowing that English literature teachers and students 
explore themes in The Grapes of Wrath in classrooms coast to coast. If they 
need to draw comparisons with comparable hero figures desperate to nurture 
families and community in the midst of calamity and loss, I’d recommend Ana, 
Deneise, Connie and trios of women prisoners heading to Victorville, dying to
see 
their kids. 

-Kathy Kelly, three-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize and co-founder of 
Voices in the Wilderness, is serving a three-month sentence at Pekin Federal 
Prison for crossing the line at the School of the Americas/WHISC in Ft. 
Benning, Georgia. She can be reached at: Kathy@vitw.org. 


http://www.palestinechronicle.com/story.php?sid=20040620132036143


-- 
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is a merge of State
and Corporate power." ---Benito Mussolini, the father of modern fascism.

Mayo denies involvement in abuse of prisoners while working in Iraq
Saturday, June 19, 2004 
By MAX SMITH 
Staff Reporter 
James Mayo, a former police officer and Mobile County chief deputy, denied 
Friday that he had observed or had any role in prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu 
Ghraib prison, where he worked as a civilian contractor. 
Mayo was responding to a report on WPMI-TV Channel 15 news earlier this week, 
citing high-ranking sources on Capitol Hill, that Mayo may have witnessed 
prisoner abuse. According to the same report, investigators said it appears
Mayo 
can be seen standing over a group of naked prisoners in a photograph from Abu 
Ghraib. 
I am here today to clear my name, Mayo said Friday at a news conference. I 
tell you I am not in any way involved in these acts nor am I in any photographs

that were shown. 
I am not under investigation for any acts of cruelty, he said. I have not 
been in any way connected to any such acts. 
WPMI news director Joe Raia said the station stands by its story. 
Mayo, 56, works for CACI International Inc., an Arlington, Va.-based company 
that employed contract interrogators at Abu Ghraib, which is on the western 
outskirts of Baghdad. He arrived at the prison in September 2003 and worked as
a 
screener of the detainees, trying to determine how much pertinent information 
they had, he said. 
He was transferred to the U.S. Army's 1st Calvary Division in April to work 
as an interrogator in Baghdad. 
The figure in the photograph purported to be Mayo is wearing clothes issued 
only to military; Mayo said he doesn't have such clothes. The man is also 
wearing glasses and a hat, and Mayo said he wears glasses only to read and that
his 
head is too big for any hat. That is clearly not me. 
Mayo spent 28 years with the Mobile Police Department before becoming Sheriff 
Jack Tillman's chief deputy in mid-1998. He resigned in October 2001 to run 
unsuccessfully for Tillman's job. 
Mayo said he thinks the accusations against him were politically motivated. 
Things will be brought out ... to show that this was an ambush on me for no 
other reason, just political, Mayo said. I'm going to leave it up to my 
attorneys and their investigators to get to the bottom of it. 
Mayo had been vacationing in Washington, D.C., with his family, but had 
returned to Mobile to visit a seriously ill friend. Mayo became visibly shaken
when 
he mentioned his friend's health situation. 
Mayo said he has been interviewed by government and military investigators 
about the prisoner abuse scandal. 
He was first questioned when he returned to Iraq in January from a vacation 
in Mobile. 
I was made aware by the military that there were photographs of some criminal 
acts and or cruel acts in the prison, he said. That was the first time I knew 
such actions had occurred personally. 
Mayo has come under scrutiny for his behavior before, when he was a Mobile 
police officer: 
In 1972, Mayo was chasing two men who had stolen a car. He got into a fight 
with one of the men under a house when the man picked up a brick and tried to 
hit him. Mayo shot the man and killed him, according to news accounts. 
In 1977, Mayo was chasing a man who had robbed a downtown bus station. Mayo 
said the man shot at him several times when he was in his cruiser, and again 
while on foot. Mayo shot back and killed the man. He was cleared of wrongdoing 
in each of those cases. 
In 1978, Mayo and another officer were frisking a man outside a club when the 
man threw a foil package to another man. Mayo chased that man and, according 
to court testimony, saw the man reach into his pocket, apparently for a gun. 
Mayo shot the man in the back and paralyzed him. 
The Police Department also cleared him in the last shooting, but a federal 
grand jury indicted him on accusations of violating the victim's civil rights.
A 
jury later acquitted Mayo. 
The former chief deputy said he was especially upset with WPMI's report and 
its video footage, which showed his name and home address on a package sitting 
on his front porch. 
This type of reporting is irresponsible and without care and consideration of 
my family, he said. I am working 8,000 miles away and I am aware of the 
hostile surroundings in which I live and work, but now I must be concerned for
my 
wife and child in Mobile. 
Raia, WPMI's news director, said Mayo's complaint about the video footage is 
a moot point. 
If anyone wants to find Mr. Mayo, all they have to do is look in a phone book 
and find his phone number and address, Raia said. What he's doing is 
directing the spotlight off him and putting it on us, which is unfortunate. 
CACI will provide security for Mayo's family, while neighbors and friends 
will also keep an eye out, Mayo said. Despite his concerns, he said he plans on

returning to Iraq on Tuesday and working until September 2005. He signed on 
with CACI for two years and is being paid about $98,000 a year, he said. 
I'm obligated to the people of the United States to do my mission; what we're 
doing there is keeping soldiers alive, Mayo said. I'm going to hang in there 
and do my mission. 
Former Mobile police Lt. Kenneth Powell, who also worked for CACI as a 
civilian screening prisoners at Abu Ghraib, attended Mayo's news conference.
Powell 
said he arrived at the prison in January and left in May when he began working 
with the 1st Calvary Division. 
Powell resigned from CACI two weeks ago over concerns about the safety of my 
family. 
He said he was also questioned by the government in its prisoner abuse 
inquiry, but was asked few questions since he had arrived after the abuse was 
uncovered at Abu Ghraib. 
It's my personal belief that it was just a few people, Powell said when asked 
how many personnel were involved in the abuse. He said he doesn't have any 
immediate plans to return to Iraq. 
Mayo also said he thinks the investigation will reveal the abuse was 
conducted by a small group of offenders. 
It was very distasteful, Mayo said. It was not something that anyone I talked 
with dealt with on a regular basis. 
The former chief deputy thinks the investigation will last for at least 
several more months. Thank God somebody took pictures because it's something
that 
needed to be dealt with. 

http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/108763665187390.xml



-- 
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism, as it is a merge of State
and Corporate power." ---Benito Mussolini, the father of modern fascism.

Blank



England fan claims he was victim of police brutality

DAN MCDOUGALL

http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=714392004>

A man deported from Portugal last week after hundreds of English football fans
rioted through an Algarve resort has spoken out for the first time on his arrest.

Gary Mann, a 46-year-old firefighter from Faversham, Kent, claimed he had
been a victim of police brutality and that the two-year jail sentence handed to
him by a Portuguese court was illegal.

Mr Mann, who was among dozens of fans deported from Portugal over the
weekend, last night revealed his determination to appeal against his conviction
by a Portuguese court for his role in what the authorities in the Algarve labelled
as "football-related violence" in Albufeira.

Last week a total of 48 English football supporters were deported from
Portugal after hundreds of fans rampaged through the resort during a
series of clashes with heavily armed riot police.

On Sunday the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, broke ministerial protocol
to speak of his outrage after Mr Mann, a father of two - the only detained fan
to be handed a prison sentence for his role in events - was mistakenly allowed
to walk free from prison in the Algarve.

Yesterday Mr Mann, who was convicted of orchestrating violence along
Albufeira�s bar-strip, said that despite his release from custody he was
determined to clear his name. The accused fireman also claimed that his
brother and friend had both provided evidence during the court hearing to
confirm his alibi and claimed that CCTV footage which could have cleared
his name had been destroyed.

He also said that English translators in the court had struggled, leaving
him unable to follow the proceedings properly and that he was still seeking
clarification of his exact sentence.

He said: "I feel thoroughly victimised by a wholly unfair trial. I hope this
matter is resolved swiftly, as me and my family are devastated by these
events and all the media coverage."

On Sunday Mr Blunkett said he was already investigating ways to transfer
the sentence to a UK jail after it emerged that Mr Mann�s two-year prison
sentence in Portugal couldn�t be automatically transferred.

He said: "I am working very hard on this because I haven�t given up on
the idea that we are going to be able to nail this individual."

Despite Mr Blunkett�s comments, Stephen Jakobi from Fair Trials Abroad,
which works to overturn miscarriages of justice, yesterday announced his
backing for Mr Mann, expressing serious concerns about the handling of
the case.

Mr Jakobi said a new appeal against Mr Mann�s conviction is to be lodged
with a higher court in Portugal and that, if necessary, the organisation will take
their action to the European Court of Human Rights. He said: "A Portuguese
lawyer has been instructed and if the domestic remedies are exhausted, we
will go to the European court, where I cannot see us losing. The whole thing
was unfair because it wasn�t conducted properly in court. This was a judge
who runs grossly unfair trials."

See all stories on this topic:



From: "_ G O D _" 

Newsgroups: alt.prisons,alt.thebird.copwatch,nyc.general,alt.military,alt.true-crime,talk.rape,talk.politics.guns,alt.law-enforcement,talk.politics.drugs

Subject: Activists Protest After Police Taser Gun Incident



Blank
Activists Protest After Police Taser Gun Incident
Protester Plans To Ask For Police Chief's Resignation

http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/3444072/detail.html
KANSAS CITY, MO.
A group of community activists held a rally on Monday over an incident in
which a police officer shocked a 68-year-old woman with his Taser gun,
KMBC's Maria Antonia reported.
Louise Jones says the officer came to her house to give her a ticket for
improperly honking her horn. A scuffle ensued, and Jones said the officer
shot her twice in her chest with the Taser gun.
On Monday, community activists and some of Jones' relatives gathered
downtown at the Jackson County Courthouse to voice concern over what
they call "police brutality."

"We have to do this to get justice for our community," activist Alonzo
Washington said. "We're not going to wait for them to bamboozle us
again."
The officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative duty
while the Police Department conducts an internal investigation. At least
one activist said he holds the chief of police responsible.
"I'm going to look him face to face and say, 'You need to resign; we've
had nothing but police brutality in our community,'" Ron Hunt said.
Hunt said he plans to make that demand at Tuesday's police board
meeting.
Protesters also handed out fliers complaining about the handling of a
Lee's Summit case in which juveniles confessed to leaving a stuffed
animal outside a black family's home, Antonia reported. The couple
who live in the home said they believe the stuffed monkey left on their
porch was meant to intimidate them, considering it had a noose tied
around its neck.
"We just want to let (Jackson County Prosecutor) Mike Sanders know
that we're concerned about these cases," Washington said.
Sanders' office is not involved in the Lee's Summit case, Antonia reported.
The investigation into the Taser gun incident is ongoing, but police said they
are still waiting for a statement from Jones. Officers are trying to coordinate
that through the family's attorney, but have not yet been able to do so.

-- 


_____________________________________________________


I intend to last long enough to put out of business all COck-suckers
and other employees of all institutions of the incarceration industry.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- 

"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility."   ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
___________________________________________________
--





From: "Joe" 

Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Al Gore is right!  "ex" dogshit



I'd take Gore over Kerry - or Bush right now. Too bad they did'nt run him
again. I bet he would have won.

Also, felons would not have swung the vote as much as the dangling chad
analysts did.

Our voting practices are not exactly ISO 9000. There's plenty of wiggle
room, even after the ballots are cast.




> > So, Al Gore is "snivelling"..
> >
> > I guess all the other lies Bush's Administration told and got caught
over,
> > so far, mean he couldn't have rigged the election.
>
> Al Gore is a lying sack of shit. And proud of it.
> >
> > And, NO, I'm not a Democrat.
> >
> >
> I'm not a republican either.
>
> -*MORT*-
>
>





From: "Joe" 

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Stop Loss



> Those who joined the military during ww2 were expected to serve FOR THE
> DURATION OF THE WAR.
> This is just a guess, but, I think that the concept of "rotating out"
started
> with Vietnam.
> This Iraq mess is starting to look like a "Vietnam in the desert".
> I suspect that there might be, and, maybe already is, morale problems in
Iraq
> when the troops realize that our reasons for going there weren't that
good,
> and, that the end result of the war isn't going to be that good.
> I was in favor of the war when we went in, but, now that more information
is
> out, I am against the war there.
> Many other people may be drawing the same conclusion.


Second that motion. We disgraced ourselves via the Abu Gahraib prison
torture scandal. Then we disgraced ourselves yet again by punishing the
whistleblowers who went public with that information. We have disgraced
ourselves and must end this thing as quickly as possible, and then spank the
military with budget cuts because they are the agents of Satan.





From: "rl" 

Newsgroups: alt.prisons,alt.prisons.officer

Subject: Re: Care and confinement in a Norwegian prison



I've got a better idea.

Let's all pay homage to the Great and Venerable Europeans who are smarter,
better educated, smell better, are more wonderful, drive better cars, live
longer, have better marriages, paint better, invent better, eat better food,
are more tolerant, have the good sense to make drugs legal, are more wise,
and are  better than anything in
America.

We can all tell things are better in Europe because of the mass exodus of
Americans emigrating there.

I guess when the day comes that I think things are better there, I'll be
moving to....but that day hasn't happened for me yet.

You see I lived there for two years.

And while I loved all the beautiful, wonderful things I saw and loved all
the wonderful people (except for the fucked up French) I met....to me, it
couldn't compare to the USA.

So I guess I'll just have resign myself to the fact that I'm going to be
scoffed at, ridiculed, be the object of hatred, harassed, kidnapped,
beheaded, etc. etc. if I'm going to continue to live in the most prosperous,
powerful nation the world has ever known.

I guess I'll just live with it.


"Joe"  wrote in message
news:rbKBc.91122$0y.34996@attbi_s03...
> Thanks for the info. European's are geniuses. But you're wasting you're
> breath in here, because mostly it's all people from the US, we've got
> 2,000,000 cows in the barn and the only one getting milked is John Q
> Taxpayer.
>
> Our approach toward inmates is similar to our approach toward the
indigenous
> people who once lived here - "The only good inmate is a dead inmate". Now,
> while that may seem cruel, and perhaps it is, it might just make a damn
fine
> movie one day so lets just leave it alone and see how this thing plays
out.
>
> Shall we ?
>
>
> > Care and confinement     (By Trond Johannesen)
> > http://www.straffet.com/eng/index.htm
> > Prison Officer since I left Norwegian Correctional Service Staff Academy
> in
> > 1988. I work in Bergen Prison the Oster�y unit. Total prison capacity in
> > Norway is less than 3000 and all prisons are financed and administered
by
> > the State.
> >
> > Norwegian Correctional Service Staff Academy (www.krus.no) has some 200
> > officers under training at any given time. The training lasts for two
> years,
> > consisting both periods of lectures and studies as well as of practical
> > working experience at establishments in the Correctional Service. I
guess
> > this is the longest education for prison officers in the world. Both
males
> > and females are encouraged to apply. The Academy gives training in
> > professional conduct, and development of character and personality is
> > emphasized.
> >
> > Bergen Prison (www.bergenfengsel.no) is a high security prison (closed
> > prison). It has 227 inmates in every category of security; included are
62
> > in low security. It is a modern, dynamic, interactive prison regarding
> > treatment of prisoners and use of methods. Material conditions are of
high
> > standard and the majority of the inmates can participate in a range of
> > activities.
> >
> > The inmates have a diversity of different personal resources and
> > qualification. Bergen Prison is build for differentiation and
progression
> in
> > serving a sentence. This structure can give the inmate a possibility to
> > serve in up to fem steps. From the A unit were inmates mostly are
remanded
> > in custody, to the B unit were inmates are serving their sentence, and
> than
> > proceeded to the C unit. The C unit is a contract section. Serving on
> > contract is a "Mutual Agreement Programming", and an alternative way of
> > serving a sentence. The inmates agree with the prison management to stay
> > away from drugs while they are serving their sentence. The aim of
contract
> > serving is to keep the inmates drug-free while they are serving their
> > sentence. From the C unit further to the Oster�y Unit a low security
unit.
> > And at the end the inmates are serving in the day-release unit, the D
> unit,
> > the day-release unit is a low security unit where inmates work or go to
> > school outside the prison during the day. In the afternoon and evening
> they
> > must be in the unit. Our goal is to have the right inmate in the right
> unit
> > at the right time.
> >
> > I work in a low security unit in the Prison, where the threshold to
> society
> > are very low. Bergen Prison Oster�y unit is an open institution, with
> > minimum security.  A prison without-bars. In the unit we have 27 male
and
> 4
> > female inmates. Inmates, who want to serve their sentence in The Oster�y
> > unit, have to apply. Application for transfer to The Oster�y unit is
done
> > from the prison, where the inmate has started serving his or her
sentence.
> > Inmates with long sentences are given priority. Today the average length
> of
> > sentence of our inmates are 4,5 years. The unit is located on an island,
> > Ulvsnes�y in one of Norway's many fjords. Ulvsnes�y has been a closed
> > society ever since the government established a center for delinquents
> here
> > in 1882. To relieve the prison system, it was converted into a gaol in
> 1980,
> > and since it's been largely inaccessible to most right-minded citizens.
> The
> > only way you can see the natural splendour of the Island in its entirety
> is
> > if you've broken the law.
> >
> > Inmates move about freely and live in wooden houses. Only the animals
ever
> > spend time behind bars at Ulvsnes�y. Instead they move about in the open
> > from 7 AM till 11 PM, tending to their chores. The inmates are obligated
> to
> > work or get an education. On the island there are many old buildings,
> where
> > the inmates are doing the maintenance. We also have a small farm with
> sheep,
> > pigs, fowl and one horse. Inmates who are not working are getting an
> > education. Division Oster�y offers primary and lower secondary school
> > education. Some are also taking general subjects. My experience is that
> the
> > more education received, the less likely an individual is to be
> re-arrested
> > or re-imprisoned.
> >
> > They live in small wooden houses equipped with 4 - 6 bedrooms, a
bathroom,
> a
> > kitchen and a living room. Each place is a home where doors are never
> > locked. Inmate at our unit is better behaved and less likely to engage
in
> > violence.
> > Unlike a closed prison an open prison like The Oster�y unit is designed
> > primarily to reward good behaviour with greater trust and meaningful
work.
> > Here inmates have signed a contract to stay away from drugs and they've
> > agreed to random urine tests and breathalysers or alcohol tests any time
> of
> > day, and if the test should show positive, they're back in the high
> security
> > unit. In return they receive more generous visiting rights, longer leave
> and
> > greater personal freedom.
> >
> > Oster�y unit give the inmate a possibility to serve in an environment
free
> > from narcotics. Meaningful serving of the sentence in an active,
positive
> > and drug-free environment is emphasised as one of the most important
> > advantages of this form of serving. Inmates also have an obligation to
> > contribute to a good environment in the unit and a clear obligation for
> good
> > behaviour.  Many inmates find these obligations to be advantages rather
> than
> > "duties". Our aim is to increase the inmate's ability to manage a life
> > without drugs and crime after they have been released. We want to give
the
> > inmates an education and give them a more positive view on life and
> society.
> >
> > To resist and not succumb to drugs is very difficult. Still it is clear
> that
> > we have achieved an exemplary model of prisoner confinement. The whole
> > system in the unit is aimed at the possibility of rehabilitation, of
> > returning to normal life. And here we involuntarily believe that it
truly
> is
> > rehabilitation, and not punishment. Inmates need the maximum adjustment
to
> > normal life before leaving prison, I believe, and this is not at all
easy
> > after a long term. That is why the Oster�y unit have such a free regime.
> It
> > is in society's interest to get back a full-fledged citizen. It's better
> to
> > have that kind of neighbour than someone who spent many years in a
cellar
> > and wants revenge on society.
> >
> > Many of the inmates also participate in the "Program activity" were the
> aim
> > are crime prevention. Oster�y unit offers tree courses, "New Start",
which
> > is based on "Cognitive Skills Training Program" after a Canadian model.
> The
> > program includes 36 sessions, each 2 hours. The purpose is to teach
every
> > single participant to show a more conscious attitude regarding his own
> > future, through focus on what shapes life, namely the decisions we make.
> We
> > also have a Canadian substance drug program and an English Anger
> management
> > program. These courses are the prison officer's responsibility.
> >
> > The unit have 28 employees. A principal officer is the leader of the
> > division. Oster�y unit also has a welfare officer, a leader of leisure
> > activities, working foreman and Prison officers. An essential part of
the
> > job of a Prison officer is to support and motivate inmates to use their
> > period of incarceration constructively. This includes positive use of
the
> > period in prison and post-release plans, which the inmate and the prison
> > will actively follow up. I believe that the only rehabilitation that
could
> > work properly would be individual treatment. Inmates do respond to
> > rehabilitative efforts aimed at personal and individual correction or
> > behaviour modification. I supervise inmates and do a lot of
environmental
> > work. Like all Prison Officers, I carry no sidearm, baton or other
> > accoutrements of power. The only thing I have in my belt is a key and a
> > cell-phone. I do not ware uniform. To work close together with other
> people
> > are demanding, but also rewarding. I believe that prisons are a
reflection
> > of the society.
> > The ethical foundation says that penal reactions are to be humanely
> enforced
> > in ways that ensure both the well-being and the safety of society. The
> > inmates are to be protected against unfair and arbitrary reactions. The
> > enforcement of sentence or order is to be based on the needs and the
total
> > life situation of the inmate and is aimed at giving full support to his
or
> > her efforts to live a law-abiding life and based on humanity, legal
> > protection and equality before the law.
> >
> >
> > Trond Johannesen       http://www.straffet.com
> >
> >
>
>





From: "Joe" 

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Title III eavesdropping at Lansing




> > > A confidential and illegal trick that "they've" done...
> > >
> > > Secretly, "we" ran two telephone pairs...
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > So, Joe, which is it?  They, or we?
> >
> >
> >
> > Watch your back very carefully. Sometimes when shit blows open, people
> start
> > panicing and they are more likely to do something stupid.
>
> Watch MY back?  Please explain.


Suck my dick Chris - I was talking to LawsuitJoe. It should be obvious that
the man works at a place where everyone owns guns, has money and power, and
could snuff his ass easily. Personally, I think that it's more frightening
prospect to be an employee of a prison than a resident simply because your
co-workers are asses.

Kapeesh ?











From: "Morton Davis" 

Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Al Gore is right!  "ex" dogshit



> > > So, Al Gore is "snivelling"..
> > >
> > > I guess all the other lies Bush's Administration told and got caught
> over,
> > > so far, mean he couldn't have rigged the election.
> >
> > Al Gore is a lying sack of shit. And proud of it.
> > >
> > > And, NO, I'm not a Democrat.
> > >
> > >
> > I'm not a republican either.
> >
> > -*MORT*-
> >
> >
>
>
"Joe"  wrote in message
news:eQMBc.72723$Hg2.53010@attbi_s04...
> I'd take Gore over Kerry - or Bush right now. Too bad they did'nt run him
> again. I bet he would have won.
>

NOPE. He would lose again. There's been a shift in things since 2000 two
predominately democratic, anti-gun, states that went for Gore in 2000 have
passed shall-issue CCW.

-*MORT*-





From: "Napalm Heart" 

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Stop Loss




"Joe"  wrote in message
news:YUMBc.156840$Ly.61661@attbi_s01...
> > Those who joined the military during ww2 were expected to serve
FOR THE
> > DURATION OF THE WAR.
> > This is just a guess, but, I think that the concept of "rotating
out"
> started
> > with Vietnam.
> > This Iraq mess is starting to look like a "Vietnam in the desert".
> > I suspect that there might be, and, maybe already is, morale
problems in
> Iraq
> > when the troops realize that our reasons for going there weren't
that
> good,
> > and, that the end result of the war isn't going to be that good.
> > I was in favor of the war when we went in, but, now that more
information
> is
> > out, I am against the war there.
> > Many other people may be drawing the same conclusion.
>
>
> Second that motion. We disgraced ourselves via the Abu Gahraib
prison
> torture scandal. Then we disgraced ourselves yet again by punishing
the
> whistleblowers who went public with that information. We have
disgraced
> ourselves and must end this thing as quickly as possible, and then
spank the
> military with budget cuts because they are the agents of Satan.
>
>

The Islamic terrorists are the agents of Satan.





From: lawsuitjoe@aol.com (LawsuitJoe)

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Here's a picture of the prison management in the dark



Look familiar?

http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/prison2.html



From: sippycup0207@webtv.net (Angie)

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Stop Loss



Amen!!

 
Re: Stop Loss   
 
Group: alt.prisons Date: Tue, Jun 22, 2004, 2:43am (CDT+1) From:
olsonfam*nospam*@iserv.net (Napalm=A0Heart) 
"Joe"  wrote in message
news:YUMBc.156840$Ly.61661@attbi_s01... 
Those who joined the military during ww2 were expected to serve FOR THE
DURATION OF THE WAR. 
This is just a guess, but, I think that the concept of "rotating out" 
started 
with Vietnam. 
This Iraq mess is starting to look like a "Vietnam in the desert". I
suspect that there might be, and, maybe already is, morale problems in 
Iraq 
when the troops realize that our reasons for going there weren't that 
good, 
and, that the end result of the war isn't going to be that good. I was
in favor of the war when we went in, but, now that more information 
is 
out, I am against the war there. 
Many other people may be drawing the same conclusion. 
Second that motion. We disgraced ourselves via the Abu Gahraib prison
torture scandal. Then we disgraced ourselves yet again by punishing the
whistleblowers who went public with that information. We have disgraced
ourselves and must end this thing as quickly as possible, and then spank
the military with budget cuts because they are the agents of Satan. 
The Islamic terrorists are the agents of Satan.




From: lawsuitjoe@aol.com (LawsuitJoe)

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Here's pictures of the prison command in the dark




http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/lcf1.html
http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/lcf2.html
http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/prison1.html
http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/Prison2.html



From: excop42198@aol.com (Excop42198)

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Re: LANSING:  get a life



>> really
>>
>>
>> Helpful hint:  Follow the officer's orders and you won't run the risk of
>> getting hurt.
>>
>> "Brotherhood?  What Brotherhood," said the long time Administrator.
>
>
>What if they tell me who to vote for ? Must I listen ?
>
>

Sure.  I mean, voting means shit anyway. . .


Helpful hint:  Follow the officer's orders and you won't run the risk of
getting hurt.

"Brotherhood?  What Brotherhood," said the long time Administrator.






From: excop42198@aol.com (Excop42198)

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Here's pictures of the prison command in the dark



Not only does his screenname show he's an asshole but his posts prove it.  


Helpful hint:  Follow the officer's orders and you won't run the risk of
getting hurt.

"Brotherhood?  What Brotherhood," said the long time Administrator.






From: lawsuitjoe@aol.com (LawsuitJoe)

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Female officer terrified



Warden terrifies female officer:

 http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/Roberta.html 
 http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/lcf1.html
 http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/lcf2.html
 http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/prison1.html
 http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/Prison2.html 




From: "My Friend Who Is" 

Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Al Gore is right!  "ex" dogshit




"Chris"  wrote in message
news:DnABc.99333$w34.4672380@twister.tampabay.rr.com...
> So, Al Gore is "snivelling"..
>
> I guess all the other lies Bush's Administration told and got caught over,
> so far, mean he couldn't have rigged the election.
>
> And, NO, I'm not a Democrat.
>
>

Guess if he rigged before, he can rig it again. Democrats might as well just
stay home this Nov. 2nd.





From: "Herb Martin" 

Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Al Gore is right!  "ex" dogshit



"My Friend Who Is"  wrote in message
news:fe%Bc.585$mW6.113@bignews2.bellsouth.net...
> Guess if he rigged before, he can rig it again. Democrats might as well
just
> stay home this Nov. 2nd.


You have to just chuckle at the perfidy and complete lack
of self-respect by the left:

First Gore tries to overturn the Florida election results;
then he loses at every turn while Democrats constantly
and forever claim that someone else stole the election.

What liars leftists are when they blame their opponents
for their own offenses.

Remember that they didn't want the military votes to count?





From: "Joe" 

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Here's pictures of the prison command in the dark



> Not only does his screenname show he's an asshole but his posts prove it.
>
>
> Helpful hint:  Follow the officer's orders and you won't run the risk of
> getting hurt.
>
> "Brotherhood?  What Brotherhood," said the long time Administrator.


Keep up the good work Joe, sue their asses off. Document everything you ever
saw, heard, or suspected. They'll be doing the same thing to you.











From: "Russell Keller" 

Newsgroups: alt.politics.gw-bush,alt.politics.usa,alt.prisons,alt.politics.usa.constitution

Subject: Re: Once again, U.S. Fascists 2, U.S. People 0!



You make it sound like the people are not begging for this.

The people are the Fascists! It's Democracy in Action!  And now that the
Constitution has been gutted and case law has been made more relevant than
the constitution itself, any argument for anything is justifiable, if it is
'politically' acceptable.


"Dermot Donovan"  wrote in message
news:IJKBc.21786$Y3.9007@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
>
> "Dermot Donovan"  wrote in message
> news:%iHBc.21653$Y3.16250@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> > U.S. Supreme Court ruled that exercising your constitutional rights
under
> > Fourth and Fifth Amendments is crime.
> >
> > Also, HMOs, not doctors will be deciding what treatment you or your
loved
> > ones will get, and who can live, who must die.
> >
> > http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/06/21/scotus.police.id.ap/index.html
> >
> > DD
> >
>
> Here's another link on the same subject:
>
> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/14/supremecourt/main622870.shtml
>
>





From: "My Friend Who Is" 

Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Al Gore is right!  "ex" dogshit




"Herb Martin"  wrote in message
news:Dy%Bc.14805$M96.7343@fe2.texas.rr.com...
> "My Friend Who Is"  wrote in message
> news:fe%Bc.585$mW6.113@bignews2.bellsouth.net...
> > Guess if he rigged before, he can rig it again. Democrats might as well
> just
> > stay home this Nov. 2nd.
>
>
> You have to just chuckle at the perfidy and complete lack
> of self-respect by the left:
>
> First Gore tries to overturn the Florida election results;
> then he loses at every turn while Democrats constantly
> and forever claim that someone else stole the election.
>
> What liars leftists are when they blame their opponents
> for their own offenses.
>
> Remember that they didn't want the military votes to count?
>

They want to change the system from electoral to popular when it's
convenient for them. It's the way they play ball, make it up as you go.
And they didn't want to count ALL the counties in FL., just the Democrat
strongholds, as well as be allowed to determine which vote was good or bad
according to no particular rule but their own.
Oh well. We'll do it all over again if they really want to in '04. So they
may as well just stay home and watch the results in between segments of
"That 70's Show".





From: "Herb Martin" 

Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Al Gore is right!  "ex" dogshit



> They want to change the system from electoral to popular when it's
> convenient for them. It's the way they play ball, make it up as you go.
> And they didn't want to count ALL the counties in FL., just the Democrat
> strongholds, as well as be allowed to determine which vote was good or bad
> according to no particular rule but their own.
> Oh well. We'll do it all over again if they really want to in '04. So they
> may as well just stay home and watch the results in between segments of
> "That 70's Show".

Or that "We can guess who you meant to vote for even though
you didn't pick ANYONE, or punched TWO."

Why should should votes count more than the guy who stayed
HOME (didn't vote) or the woman who NEVER REGISTERED?

And then they have the gall to claim that the opponent is stealing
an election when they FAIL TO STEAL IT.

Like a burglar breaking into your house accusing you of "theft"
when you catch him on the way out and take your stuff back.

Shameless whores they are.

-- 
Herb Martin


"My Friend Who Is"  wrote in message
news:Gg5Cc.4233$td.3752@bignews4.bellsouth.net...
>
> "Herb Martin"  wrote in message
> news:Dy%Bc.14805$M96.7343@fe2.texas.rr.com...
> > "My Friend Who Is"  wrote in message
> > news:fe%Bc.585$mW6.113@bignews2.bellsouth.net...
> > > Guess if he rigged before, he can rig it again. Democrats might as
well
> > just
> > > stay home this Nov. 2nd.
> >
> >
> > You have to just chuckle at the perfidy and complete lack
> > of self-respect by the left:
> >
> > First Gore tries to overturn the Florida election results;
> > then he loses at every turn while Democrats constantly
> > and forever claim that someone else stole the election.
> >
> > What liars leftists are when they blame their opponents
> > for their own offenses.
> >
> > Remember that they didn't want the military votes to count?
> >
>
> They want to change the system from electoral to popular when it's
> convenient for them. It's the way they play ball, make it up as you go.
> And they didn't want to count ALL the counties in FL., just the Democrat
> strongholds, as well as be allowed to determine which vote was good or bad
> according to no particular rule but their own.
> Oh well. We'll do it all over again if they really want to in '04. So they
> may as well just stay home and watch the results in between segments of
> "That 70's Show".
>
>





From: "My Friend Who Is" 

Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Al Gore is right!  "ex" dogshit




"Herb Martin"  wrote in message
news:lY8Cc.14889$M96.3426@fe2.texas.rr.com...
> > They want to change the system from electoral to popular when it's
> > convenient for them. It's the way they play ball, make it up as you go.
> > And they didn't want to count ALL the counties in FL., just the Democrat
> > strongholds, as well as be allowed to determine which vote was good or
bad
> > according to no particular rule but their own.
> > Oh well. We'll do it all over again if they really want to in '04. So
they
> > may as well just stay home and watch the results in between segments of
> > "That 70's Show".
>
> Or that "We can guess who you meant to vote for even though
> you didn't pick ANYONE, or punched TWO."
>
> Why should should votes count more than the guy who stayed
> HOME (didn't vote) or the woman who NEVER REGISTERED?
>
> And then they have the gall to claim that the opponent is stealing
> an election when they FAIL TO STEAL IT.
>
> Like a burglar breaking into your house accusing you of "theft"
> when you catch him on the way out and take your stuff back.
>
> Shameless whores they are.
>
> --
> Herb Martin
>
Remember Terry McAuliffe making the comment about Gore stealing the election
about middle way of the campaign, "If Gore steals the election, he'll do it
fair and square."

Well then, turn about should be fair play. If W "stole" the election, he
stole it "fair and square."





From: "Morton Davis" 

Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Al Gore is right!  "ex" dogshit




"My Friend Who Is"  wrote in message
news:WUeCc.119$2o.46@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
>
> "Herb Martin"  wrote in message
> news:lY8Cc.14889$M96.3426@fe2.texas.rr.com...
> > > They want to change the system from electoral to popular when it's
> > > convenient for them. It's the way they play ball, make it up as you
go.
> > > And they didn't want to count ALL the counties in FL., just the
Democrat
> > > strongholds, as well as be allowed to determine which vote was good or
> bad
> > > according to no particular rule but their own.
> > > Oh well. We'll do it all over again if they really want to in '04. So
> they
> > > may as well just stay home and watch the results in between segments
of
> > > "That 70's Show".
> >
> > Or that "We can guess who you meant to vote for even though
> > you didn't pick ANYONE, or punched TWO."
> >
> > Why should should votes count more than the guy who stayed
> > HOME (didn't vote) or the woman who NEVER REGISTERED?
> >
> > And then they have the gall to claim that the opponent is stealing
> > an election when they FAIL TO STEAL IT.
> >
> > Like a burglar breaking into your house accusing you of "theft"
> > when you catch him on the way out and take your stuff back.
> >
> > Shameless whores they are.
> >
> > --
> > Herb Martin
> >
> Remember Terry McAuliffe making the comment about Gore stealing the
election
> about middle way of the campaign, "If Gore steals the election, he'll do
it
> fair and square."
>
> Well then, turn about should be fair play. If W "stole" the election, he
> stole it "fair and square."
>
>
EXCEPT, George Walker Bush won the election fair and square. Anyone catching
Clinton's latest act on the talk show circuit? He got involved with Monika
because he was pissed off at the vast "right wing conspiracy" for
investigating his questionable business activities.

-*MORT*-





From: "Chris" 

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Here's pictures of the prison command in the dark




"Joe"  wrote in message
news:nS3Cc.77321$Hg2.62331@attbi_s04...
> > Not only does his screenname show he's an asshole but his posts prove
it.
> >
> >
> > Helpful hint:  Follow the officer's orders and you won't run the risk of
> > getting hurt.
> >
> > "Brotherhood?  What Brotherhood," said the long time Administrator.
>
>
> Keep up the good work Joe, sue their asses off. Document everything you
ever
> saw, heard, or suspected. They'll be doing the same thing to you.

I agree, sue them.  That will make your statements here in newsgroups public
information, and they can use any contradictions you may have made against
you in court.  Loser usually pays court costs.

Besides, I think they've got a head-start on him, if his claims that they've
been documenting his words and actions are truthful.

Plus, you can't successfully sue someone for asking you to violate the law.
Ultimately, you could have simply said "my job doesn't cover it", and walk
away.  The judge will think that, and so will everyone else.  Expert
witnesses may even be called to testify to how unlikely it is that you
wouldn't realize what you were doing violated the law.

Go ahead, sue.  I'll enjoy hearing about that.





From: "Chris" 

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Female officer terrified



Then why isn't the Warden in prison?  Posting these stories doesn't serve
any good.  Actions speak louder than words.





From: "Chris" 

Newsgroups: alt.prisons

Subject: Re: Here's pictures of the prison command in the dark




"LawsuitJoe"  wrote in message
news:20040622112941.04247.00000311@mb-m26.aol.com...
>
> http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/lcf1.html
> http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/lcf2.html
> http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/prison1.html
> http://hometown.aol.com/lawsuitjoe/Prison2.html

So, dickless, does that make you feel important?





From: "_ G O D _" 

Newsgroups: alt.prisons,alt.thebird.copwatch,nyc.general,alt.military,alt.true-crime,talk.rape,talk.politics.guns,alt.law-enforcement,talk.politics.drugs

Subject: Dames on 'suspect' shootings, illegal guns, witness protection 



Blank
Dames on 'suspect' shootings, illegal guns, witness protection
By LaKEISHA McSWEENEY

http://www.thenassauguardian.com/national_local/280812413726636.php

Central Detective Unit head Marvin Dames addressed a number
of controversial issues on Tuesday while a guest on the Immediate
Response talk show on ZNS.
Chief Superintendent Dames, Officer-in-charge of Crime, at times
engaged in heated debates with host Darrold Miller and callers as
he discussed the challenges of policing in the 21st century.
Among the hotly-debated topics were: police brutality, police
corruption, weapons smuggling and public frustration with the
justice system.

Police brutality, corruption

Topping the list of hot topics was that of recent police shootings
of civilians and police beatings.
Mr. Dames was candid about recent police shootings. He said
unequivocally that anytime an officer removes his service firearm
from the holster, that officer has to realize that the end result could
be death.
"Because you don't shoot to say you are going to shoot a finger off,
a leg or an arm, you're shooting because you feel that it could be
death for you," he said.
Dames also admitted that police brutality and corruption existed
within the Force and said there was recourse for these actions.
"This Commissioner, this team here that is in place we are totally
against the abuse of police officers," said Mr. Dames, "we don't
take stuff like that lightly."
He said in matters where police officers shoot people and the
people die the case would be turned over to the Coroner's Court,
an extension of the investigative process, where there is jury and
a coroner to preside over the case.
"Each of the officers who were involved in shootings will have to
face the courts to defend themselves and their actions," he said.
He said in cases where officers were found guilty of their abuse
of power, they were reprimanded with some being dismissed from
the Force.
"We launched the Complaints and Corruption Unit and we are very
serious about officers who take advantage of innocent civilians,"
he said, "so there is no organized plan to shove these matters
aside - to the contrary."
He said although some matters take longer to resolve than others,
police have seen "tremendous inroads in the investigations of
complaints against police officers."
Mr. Dames said all complaints against officers should first be made
with the divisional commanders.
He added, however, that if there is no recourse the complainant
should proceed to file an official complaint with the Complaints and
Corruption Unit, and if still not satisfied, to proceed to speak to the
Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Caller takes exception
A woman caller from Grand Bahama took great exception to this
suggestion, saying that while she could understand police firing on
civilians with guns, she could not find any justification for police
firing on unarmed civilians.
"There is something wrong; you cannot go past it and to tell me
that all matters will be investigated by the Deputy Commissioner,"
she argued. "I am sorry sir, that is unacceptable.
"The general public is aware of the loyalty phenomena in the police
department," she said, "You cannot have the police policing the police."
Mr. Dames replied that the system of police policing themselves
is in place and has to be allowed to work.
The female caller also wanted the issue of retraining within the RBPF
to be addressed by Mr. Dames as it relates to police beatings.
Mr. Dames said an aggressive programme of retraining headed by
the Commandant of the Police College was taking place within the
organisation.
He said the matters of alleged beatings are taken seriously within
the Force - so seriously in fact that representatives from Amnesty
International in recent times have met with the local constabulary.
Callers addressing the concern of police brutality also highly
commended the RBPF.
"Y'all doing a good job," the female caller said, "We have to have
more compassion for the police force."
Criminal justice system
"How much do the other arms of the justice system frustrate you?"
asked host Mr. Miller after he gave Mr. Dames the scenario of a
suspect being charged with a crime but released on bail and
within days committing another crime.
In response, Mr. Dames said the justice system needed immediate
attention, as
"It is overburdened, it needs fixing and I think it is going to require
a collective effort to try and do it."
Mr. Dames admitted that a lot of officers are "totally frustrated by
that but we understand too that it is a part of the system."
A female caller also voiced her concern about the justice system
as it relates to police officers not attending court and "you let a
criminal go free."
Mr. Dames answered by stating the efforts expended to arrest a
suspect and subsequently to bring that suspect to court could not
be taken lightly.
He said on any given day many of his officers have to prepare
themselves to attend court following a night shift (12 a.m. - 8 a.m.)
He agreed that some officers do not attend court but he said the
magistrate had the power to issue a warrant of arrest for continuous
non-appearance.
To remedy the situation however, he said, the CDU has introduced
a court Inspectorate, namely a police Inspector whose job details
includes visiting the courts to see if officers are attending and
how many matters each officer has to attend in a given court.
The problems of the legal system, he said, needed to be addressed
"so that we can deal effectively and efficiently with these persons
who are out there wreaking havoc on our community."
Gun control
Commenting on the control of illegal arms entering the country,
Mr. Dames said that most of the weapons are imported from the
United States, primarily Florida and Atlanta, Georgia.
"It is a viable business and unfortunately you would be surprised
to know who are engaging in the purchasing of the weapons,"
said Mr. Dames.
He said corruption of some officials at airports also adds to the
ease of the illegal arms reaching the street.
He said the weapons are entering the country hidden in freight,
household appliances, tires, car engines and on board private
vessels.
Mr. Dames said authorities have also retrieved weapons from a
courier company.
Despite this, he said, the local constabulary in collaboration with
United States counterparts is making significant process in putting
a dent in these illegal activities.
"And the only way we are going to beat this is through intelligence,"
he said.
Witness protection
Responding to a question from a caller for the need to have
witnesses protected, particularly in murder trials, the CDU chief
said that authorities are presently in discussion stages about a t
ype of witness protection programme from a regional standpoint.
Although a programme of this nature - that is very costly and would
require a lot of work - exists in Jamaica and Trinidad, he said, it
has to be specifically formulated to meet the needs of the populace.
Welcomes constructive criticism
Chief Superintendent Dames said constructive criticism is
welcomed by police.
He said the Research and Planning unit fields the comments and
suggestions from members of the public, "look at it and see how
we can impart it on our officers to make them better officers and
to make the organization a better place."
"We are all about moving forward and we continue to look at ways
to do just that," the police official said.

-- 


_____________________________________________________


I intend to last long enough to put out of business all COck-suckers
and other employees of all institutions of the incarceration industry.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- 

"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive
Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or
high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism
does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It
undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts
sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it
helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it
reminds them of their responsibility."   ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~
___________________________________________________
--