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The True Meaning of Corrections |
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by Anthony Bennett via Brian Dolinar
Email: briandolinar (nospam) gmail.com (unverified!) |
26 Jul 2006
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This is an article submitted for publication at the IMC from Anthony Bennett who is currently in prison. He submitted it through Books to Prisoners, a working group of the IMC that mails books to prisoners based on their requests and publishes the writing and art of prisoners: http://books2prisoners.org/. |
“The True Meaning of Corrections”
By Anthony Bennett
There lies a small “fortress” within the walls of Menard Correctional Center where the inhabitants are subjected to conditions beyond the scope of unusual punishment. The segregation unit of Menard C.C. is the leading point in the system of “corrections” where the paradigm is to purposely implement any methods that completely inflict emotional, physical, and psychological distress under the falsehood of security. The goal is to strip away all means of human decency one may possess in order to rehabilitate them by the elimination of independence, self-worth, and self-respect in exchange for compliance, fear, and control. Any individual that will easily accept whatever “correctional programming” is handed out is looked upon favorably in the eyes of the correctional personnel.
As an inmate in the segregation unit, you will be placed in a tiny, decrepit, steel cage barely big enough for one person for 24 hours a day. Most cells have a solid steel door with pinpoint holes drilled at the bottom for “air” (for there are no windows in the cells). These cells become unbearable during hot weather and are used as a punishment to gain compliance and decrease emotional and physical distress as well as limit contact with staff and other inmates. The plain white walls in your cell are extremely filthy from years of bacteria and fungus build up, for the walls never get a chance to get properly cleaned because the officers do not distribute cleaning supplies. The majority of the time you will have to use your own soap and towels purchased from commissary to “clean” your cell.
In this cell is where all your time will be spent eating, drinking, bathing, reading writing, and sleeping. The only time you will leave your cell is once a week for yard and a shower (which is even dirtier than your cell). Whenever you do get a chance to leave your cell, you are escorted handcuffed by an officer who walks with you with a metal chain connected to the handcuffs like a dog leash.
Once you are assigned to a cell, you are given 2 bars of state-issued soap (similar to those given out free at hotels) which must last you for a week, one roll of toilet paper, an utterly filthy mattress and pillow, 2 sheets, a very small toothbrush, toothpaste, and one blanket. You are not given any of your personal property such as underwear, T-shirt, letters, legal materials, pictures, etc. for approximately 10 days. You are given a tan-colored jumpsuit, which if you’re lucky isn’t torn or ripped.
Within a few days, you are given a cellmate. The two of you will remain in a less than 5 feet by 10 feet cell for every waking moment until you get out of segregation. The two of you must endure the painstakingly stark conditions of a “two-man” cell, which the administration intentionally inflicts for the purpose of making you less human. In these “two-man” cells, you and your “celly” must struggle to move about in the cell, a virtually impossible task since the bunk bed, toilet, sink, and desk occupy nearly all of the floor space. And without adequate ventilation, the air has an acrid smell. You are locked away in the cell with a complete stranger for 24 hours a day with no prior knowledge of this person. The officer will not try to move you if conflict arises, unless violence occurs.
Without support from your family, it is hard to break the monotony of life in Menard segregation, for there is no access to reading material without breaking the rules and receiving a disciplinary ticket, furthering your days in segregation. There is no access to educational programs, neither through the institution or from the outside. You cannot have a TV or radio unless you had one before you came to segregation and are qualified to get it (which many people aren’t). By not having any means to entertain yourself, one tends to break down mentally, which is exactly what the administration wants.
Maintaining a peace of mind, despite the circumstances, is often difficult. Not only do you have to deal with the constant, brazen noise of yelling, stomping, screaming, and banging on beds, doors, walls, sinks, and toilets, but also the fear of being harassed – not by inmates, but by the police, whose duty is to serve and protect. Many officers blatantly beat on inmates without no cause. You are in a constant risk of being “shaken down” and having your property destroyed, your water turned off, or your lights constantly turned on; of being placed in a cell with another inmate who is known to have psychiatric problems or is a known homosexual; or being denied food, shower, yard, medical attention, or mail – especially if you have taken legal action against the institution.
This is briefly what the Menard segregation experience is like. A dull, filthy, restrictive environment is where you will reside if the administration feels you are the slightest threat to their operation. I have been in segregation for a total of 18 and one half months and have witnessed things that no human should be subjected to, no matter what the reason may be. Myself and others have been left completely nude in a cell with no water or property and been mercilessly beaten by officers. I have participated in many forms of non-violent resistance, many to no avail. I’ve come to the realization that no matter what methods are used to defeat it, the truth can never be conquered. I have taken steps to build myself as my own person by reading and meditating. By doing this, I can become mentally strong enough to tear down the strongholds placed before me, not only by the prison system, but society as well. I refuse to let life’s interferences deter me from developing myself into a positive and productive individual. I will not be entrapped! |
This work is in the public domain |
