Search results matching tag 'inmate'

Re: Anyone know anything about HIGH DESERT STATE PRISON???

lenny2009 — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:28:36 GMT

hello i can feel for you if you need some one to talk to just email me at leonarddupont16@yahoo.com and i can get you through this hard times moment

YOU Can Help Be The Difference!

PrisonBlues — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:55:33 GMT

WE ARE NOW NATIONWIDE!!!!

http://time-awareness.ning.com/

T.I.M.E.©
Treating Inmates Morally & Ethically©

If you hate the way prisons are being run today; if you want to help make changes to a CORRUPT and UNJUST system; if you want to make your loved ones life a little better....

Come join and become PRO-ACTIVE in fighting for change within our prison systems!

YOU may have the knowledge to help others in the fight; YOU may have information that may be able to assist in making changes for our incarcerated loved ones!

We work FOR our inmates!!

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!

http://time-awareness.ning.com/

T.I.M.E.© is seeking dedicated, committed, hard-working members! We are selective and want those who are tired of "just talking"and are now ready to step up to the challenge!!

Become a part of the change!

I'm New

cellpals — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:20:12 GMT

Hey, Treana........I saw where you would like to start a chat. Have you done any thing with this idea? I'd love to be involved, as

am in love with a California inmate......

alice

Re: how can i get a relative a message to call me collect?

arhunt — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:54:08 GMT

Hi,

The best way to reach your relative is to call the prison/jail and get the visitation schedule. If you cannot visit, call and get the information on how to write him. The letter can take up to two weeks to reach him.

Prison Wives: The Forgotten Women In Our Society

arhunt — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:08:40 GMT

Having a husband in prison is a stigma in our society. However it is possible to cope and get through this difficult time in your life. Let me help you along the way and give you a few tips.

I myself am a "Prison Wife." My husband has been in the prison system for the past 22 months. He was first in a minimum security unit, a place called "THE FARM, " with open doors, and no barbed wire. Now, he is in a half-way house, hoping to come back home the summer of 2005.

The "Prison Wife" is the forgotten one, as she waits at home for her husband. Our society takes care of the sick, the dyimg, the homeless, but the prisoner's wife is alone and forgotten.

She is faced with insurmountable problems....financial,emotional, psychological, social, stigmatization, health problems to face alone, children to take care of. She keeps the household "together," until her husband comes home. She works, pays the bills, pays the mortgage or rent, the car payments, insurances. She takes care of the children, repairs for the house, and just about everything else under the sun. Holidays and birthdays come and go. She is alone and lonely, most often faced with depression. Most find it difficult to even face another day. She lives in hiding because she is afraid the neighbors may find out. So she lies and says he is on a "business" trip, to protect herself...after all, the neighbors would be shocked to know a criminal's wife lives next door to them. And, what does she tell the children? No one wants to let their child play with a criminal's child.

When her husband leaves for prison, the wife goes through a period of "grieving." She goes through the same "grieving process" that a widow goes through. The only difference is that the widow can eventually move on, while the prison wife cannot. The Prison Wife is a "wife," without a husband. She cannot go out and socialize, and it is difficult to make new friends, as she feels she is being "unfaithful" to her husband.

After a certain amount of time (months or even years), it is acceptable in our socity for the widow to step out, and start dating and even re-marry. The Prison Wife who is faithful and dedicated to her husband does not have this option....some women wait years for their man to return...10 , even 20 or more years.

There are close to 2 million prisoners in our country....that makes me wonder just how many wives and loved ones are left behind and forgotten. We think about the prisoner, but never, ever, think about those left behind.....the wives, the children, the mothers, the girlfriends, to name a few. Those loved ones, who did not commit a crime, except the crime of "loving a criminal." They did not commit a crime, and yet they are punished.

When their husband goes to prison, they are not notified by the prison system where their husbamnd is. I believe there should be some notification system in this country. The wife must sit and wait, until her husband is able to place a collect call to her.

There should be support systems in this country for prison wives. There should be follow-up programs for families of the incarcerated, to see how they are coping.

I will now give you some tips on how to get through this period of your life. It is from my own personal experience, and I hope it can help you...........after all, just remember, you are not alone..........there are so many of us out there experiencing the same feelings and emotions...the same problems.

"Ways To Cope"

1. Take one day at a time........Do not think too far in advance. Try to get "through one more day."

2. Plan small projects for each day, and try to reach a goal. For instance, I put all our photos in photo albums, during the first few weeks of my husband's incarceration. When that project was complete, I started cleaning out drawers and closets.

3. Organize tour life............I re-organized bills and mail, using folders and envelopes, and I kept logs, writing everything down.

4. Keep pictures of your husband around the house....I had pictures in every room. I even had one posted on the refridgerator door.

5. Join a church group. I started baking cakes for the monthly cake sale. I enjoyed doing it, and felt I was contributing something to society.

6. Get involved...acquire hobbies. Knitting, needle-point, gardening, writing, keeping a diary....anything. just do something, even if you force yourself to do it. As time goes on, it will get easier, and you will begin to enjoy it. I planted an "Angel Garden," outside in the yard, with angel statues, and flowers. I also began writing poetry, stories and letters to the editor. I also began writing a journal, which became a very important part of my life.

7. Keep in close contact with your husband....Accept phone calls (if you can afford it, as prison phone calls are extrememly expensive), send your husband letters, cards,magazine and newspaper clippings, and computer print-outs of thingd that interest him. Send him pictures (old and new)...Men in prison love to look at pictures from home. It helps them from becoming homesick. My husband has almost 100 pictures that he keeps in photo albums, and loves to share with the inmates, and show them our family and home. If I change something around in the household,or buy anything new, iI take a picture and send it to him, so he always feels connected to our home. I also tkae pictures of the pets, the garden, and the cars.

8. Keep a notebook near the phone at all times. Jot down things you want to discuss with your husband when he calls. Remember, those are 15 minute calls, and there is a lot to say in a short period of time, so get organized beforehand.

9. Cry when you have to, but also try to stay focused. Do not be torn apart by the prison system. You are still a person, and a wife...and you need to be supportive to your husband.

10. Try to stay healthy. Eat right, avoid junk food and alcohol. Exercise. Try walking. After all, you want to be physically fit when your husband comes home!

I hope this article will be of some help to the wives and loved ones of prisoners, as they await their loved one while he is in prison.

My name is Frances Russo,RN,BSN,MA. I am a retired Registered Nurse,who is now legally- blind , and does free-lance writing, as a hobby. I enjoy writing short stories for magazines and poetry. During my life, I enjoyed education, and international travel, having travelled to 28 countries. I've lived in Manhattan, California, Las Vegas, and New Jersey. My husband is currently within the prison system, and I enjoy writing a journal, which has become quite popular. It is called "Reflections Of A Prison Wife.

Your 'Man' or Your 'Loved One'

arhunt — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:58:15 GMT

Your "man" and your "loved one"

Your “man” and “loved one”: the difference.

Ok, let’s set some limitations right off the start. If you have a “loved one” in prison, this post is for you. If you have a “man” in prison, this post is not for you.

“Is there a difference?”

Damn right there is, and that is something I am going to address here on my blog. I have written tons of blogs and posts, and I try to cover as many different subjects as possible, based on my experience from being in prison. I touch on a lot of different groups and have been emailed or pmed by grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sons, aunts, pen pals, wives and girlfriends. The latter two is one I want to talk about.

Is there a difference between “your man” and “your loved one”. I say there is. And I am making this argument on the basis of people looking (or supposedly looking for) support with someone in prison.

And I know, this is very likely to tick a LOT of people off, but hey, such is life.

In the most basic of terms, we are talking about men, so in essence, “your man” and “your loved one”, are basically the same thing. We are talking about men in prison. Yet the actual term is defined in different ways.

I could have argued the term of “your man” and “your husband”, but that would not be accurate. There are lots of women out there with a man they really, REALLY love, who is in prison. There are lots of women that have a man they want to marry, but he is in prison. So to me, the term “loved one” is accurate because it is talking about a many they really love. It does not matter whether you are married to him or not, the fact is that if you COULD marry him, you would.

But there is another term, that of “your man”. To me, this sounds more… juvenile.

“Now wait a minute…”

No, YOU wait. This is an argument to determine the length, breadth, and width of a human being you love. When I say, “loved one”, I am not talking about some casual boyfriend that is really cute. I am talking about a MAN, whom you love to the bottom of your heart because he not only has a beautiful appearance OUTSIDE, but also inside.

A “loved” one is someone that you can relate to, someone whom you wish to spend the rest of your LIFE with, not just some hot steamy night in a hotel.

Oh, that offended some of you… sorry about that.

Now, let me go further on that apology. By no means am trying to insult your boyfriend, but I did say that this blog was not for people who have a “man”. The difference I have seen in these two groups is that one side looks at the superficial, the other looks at the internal.

For example, how many posts are that about “your man’s tatz” or “your man’s pictures” or “when was the last time you had sex with your man” and the like? Am I saying there is no place for this, of course not. I mean, these people are just as human as anyone else, and I am sure they miss their “man”.

And it is apparent that a LOT of people feel the same way, so what it’s worth, I seem to be in the minority. But when I sit down in front of my computer to write about prison, I look for people who need help understanding what prison is about, and how to bring hope.

Hope, folks, is internal. Not superficial.

Hope is wondering if your “loved one” will really be ok.

Hope is being worried about his well being.

Hope is missing your best friend in the world.

Hope is praying that God looks over your loved one.

Not your “man” but a loved one.

There is a maturity with those with “loved ones” and that is not saying that these people are all over 40 years old. You can be 20 years old and have a loved one, just as you can be 50 years old, and talking about “would you have sex with your man in the prison cell”.

Is either wrong…I can’t say that it is, after all, we are all human, right. I mean, I would be foolish if I said I wasn’t interested if a model walked up to me and wanted to have a night on the town….

(he said, blushing)

But I think there is clearly a difference in what people see as either a “loved one” and “their man”. I have noticed in about 5 years of writing on prison issues, if I got 5000 emails or pms or comments (and that is a low number) I think at LEAST 99% of them have been from people with “loved ones” in prison.

Not people with “men” in prison.

Why? Why is there such a wide difference? Well, to me it seems to show the commitment to the relationship. Again, you don’t have to be married to have a “loved one” in prison, you just have to deeply love that man to the bottom of your heart. And if that “man” is embedded that deeply, you are truly in love with him, not casually because he got tatz or has a hot body or something superficial. You love him because you feel that God blessed you with this person, who although is not perfect, is indeed perfect to you.

How many of you feel that way about your “man”? Love goes much further than a tattoo, a picture, or the sex you can’t have with him now. Much further. And when it does, you know that he is not just “your man” he is your “loved one”.

“So what the hell does that have to do with sites? Are you saying I am wrong to talk about my man? I miss him too!”

No, I am not arguing whether you miss him, because I do believe you do. But listen to me, and understand what I am saying… the PAIN for a loved one is much deeper than the pain of casual love.

Some posts talk about whether you should date other men while your “man” is in prison…well, then he was never your “loved one” was he?

When you are looking for real support, you first have to determine if the man you are worried about is REALLY a man you love. If not, then you aren’t really looking for SUPPORT, are you? It is more like a fetish. Again, is this wrong? No. We all have fetishes. Some more innocent than others.

The word “fetish” is defined as “anything in which foolishly excessive respect or devotion is given”…

OUCH, just stepped on some toes there.

Is it wrong to talk about “you man’s tatz”? Well, I don’t think so. If it keeps you remembering him, that is fine. Is it wrong to share pictures of “your man” on sites? Well, I guess not, because if you like him so much, what is the harm in sharing that?

But when I write for support, I know that the people most likely to read my stuff are people who LOVE their men. This does not mean that they won’t be tested to the breaking point, because many people with loved ones in prison are at the crossroads. But that’s why they are looking for help, or SUPPORT. By no means am I a marriage counselor, and I am also no lawyer, but what I do know a little bit about is the prison life, and how my emotions and feeling are not totally unique to just me.

That means that what little I share is usually shunned by those with “men” in prison, because what I share is often not superficial. I try to open up my heart and mind to try to share what other guys in prison might feel, because most times they are not going to tell you. A man has GOT to be a man while in prison, so it is often incredibly hard for them to share their feelings with you. Now, some do, and that is great. But many don’t, which is why women with “loved ones” read prison blogs or go to prison sites. They need support.

This actually is a good test for some people, to sit down and determine if the man they post or talk about is really their “man” or their “loved one”. The difference is maturity and commitment. If he’s your “man” then it is likely that you are interested in the carnal desires, like his appearance, his tattoos, the sex you had with him and whether you are really committed to him or not.

If he is your “loved one”, then you want to know what you can do to HELP him, not just talk about how nice he looks. You want to understand his feelings, so you can be of some encouragement to him. Your soul aches because you and he are one, and you feel split apart.

It’s either love or lust.

And I know I have written several things about “your man”, but I didn’t write that for the curious. I knew they would not read it anyway, or put much weight on it. I wrote it for those who are really concerned for someone they really care about.

So let me say again, is it wrong to talk about “your man”? Of course not. But when you are looking for real support, you have to determine if that human being is just a “man” or your “loved one”. There is a huge difference. And if you are going to be of a help to him, you need to make your choice. Because there is a man in prison that needs to know if his “woman” or “loved one” really cares about him.

Now understand, we are not talking about models of society; we are talking about inmates. And for many people, the separation might be something that they cannot overcome. But for what it is worth, these people are trying to find answers. They don’t want to give up on someone that took a piece of their heart. So they look for help, for support, to get through these tough times, and maybe encourage their loved ones.

So, is there a difference? Absolutely. Does that make one side wrong and the other right…no. And the funny thing is that no matter how it is said, someone is going to take this out of context. But from everything I have written, there clearly is a difference between “your man” and “your loved one”. But one thing cannot be argued…

Some “man” in prison is missing you. Is he your “loved one”?

To Those with Loved Ones in Prison

arhunt — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:29:00 GMT

To those with loved ones in prison

When your loved one goes to prison.

How do you deal with the idea of a loved one going to prison? Most people would never think about it because that kinda problem always happens to “those other” people.

You know, the broken families in poor neighborhoods…isn’t that what we think?

I know…I used to feel the same way. But life has taught me different. The moment you think that the problems of the world are only assigned to a certain group of people is the moment you become ignorant of the world around you.

I have been writing on prison issues for about 5 years, and after writing hundreds and hundreds of blogs, I am no longer amazed at people who, maybe a year ago, would never, ever consider reading my kind of writing on prison issues.

That is…until someone they love falls in jail or prison.

I try to stress many times that in no way am I trying to ignore the innocent, so don’t read my writing thinking I am here to glorify prison or support some form of anarchy…that isn’t why I write.

I write about issues that may help a mother who just lost her only son to a 10 year bid in prison.

I write about issues that may help a wife and kid who lost their loved one to a life sentence.

I write about issues for those who have a loved on in prison.

And that is a hard thing to consider, because the novice or purist would convict me for daring to insinuate such compassion. But let us remember that nobody is perfect, and the prison system is filled with people that are still human.

You can turn your back on it if you want to, but it will always be an issue that is right in your face. So how do you help a person who just lost a loved one to prison?

When I get emails on this, it is easy for me to grab a post I wrote months ago or years ago, and share it with them. But if someone was reading this right now, I mean RIGHT now, then I need to say something that might help.

And if so, then this is what I should say to them…don’t lose heart.

I say again, Don’t Lose Heart.

A much harder task I know, but I didn’t say that as an immediate cure all. One thing I believe when it comes to issues like this is that you simply have to let human nature take its course. That means grieving over your loved one.

“Everybody does that”

Well yeah, but when do you stop?

Gotcha there, didn’t I?

You see, one problem a lot of moms and wives and girlfriends have is that they continue to grieve, never taking control of their lives again. The sentence of a loved one becomes a sentence for them as well, and instead of one person going to prison, it’s more like one person with a chained link to 1, 2 or more people.

When your loved one goes to prison, YOU have to still live your life. Nobody said it would be better or easier, and we also know you may not get a lot of sympathy from the purists who believe every person in prison should be ignored and treated like animals.

I can understand how some might feel about that, but until you actually do some time, it is only a one sided argument.

How many emails have I received from a person that said, “a year ago I would have never read your writings, but now I need to understand what my loved one is going through”.

How many mothers are out there broken because their son, or daughter, has been sent to prison? How many have lost sleep worrying about their child? If there is anybody out there that is going to care, it is going to be them.

And what of the wives and girlfriends? How many of them, like the mothers, may be praying to God for understanding to why their loved one ended up this way. All the plans made, now shattered across life’s floor. What do they do?

Society does not really have plans for those left behind, we kinda like to sweep them under the rug like all our other problems and act like it does not exist. But they do, and those people need help to get through a tough time.

In times like this, a shoulder to lean on or cry on will indeed be few and far between, because most times we tend to link the inmate directly to the loved one, as if they were working together, and must be guilty in some form or fashion.

That folks, is unfair to those who are left behind.

But it makes life for them difficult, and in that there are not a lot of options for help. Granted there are some resources, but not very many at all. But regardless of what is available, you have to first come to terms with yourself, and make a resolution to what has happened.

You’ve got to move on.

And that does not mean to leave your son or husband, it means you have to eventually take control of YOUR life, and become a candle of encouragement to that loved one in prison. Regardless of what he has done, you must help him understand that we all make mistakes, and if he is willing to change, he can still be important to this world we live in.

Nobody is worthless, at least in God’s eyes. Your job is to convince your loved one in prison this simple fact.

You’re the only person who can.

Check out my booksite at
http://theprisoncellbook.embarqspace.com/

When Do We Forgive

arhunt — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:33:51 GMT

When do we forgive?

When do we really forgive?

You know, I sometimes wonder about the burden that ex felons have to carry, and one of the greatest burdens is that of forgiveness. I think we as a people are absolutely terrible in that, because we don’t forgive like we say we do.

Perfect example being inmates, or ex felons. Society is just not ready to accept the fact that a person can change, but will not lift a finger to help them, while still expecting them to walk on water.

Today I am reminded that from a guy I know, who came by the house today. A few years ago, I invited a guy I met in prison to come by the house. It’s a much longer story, and if you have been following my reading over the last few years, you know a little bit about it. This was a kid who was 16 in jail, and I befriended him.

Fast forward to me doing my time, and getting out in 2001.

He had been getting in trouble, and was in and out of jail. NOT PRISON, jail. When he found out I was out, he was glad to hear from me. We talked many times on the phone while he was in jail, and when he finally got out, I invited him over to the house to visit. It would be our first time ever meeting outside of jail. And so he came over…

And stole $600 from the living room.

Let me pause and let that sink in to some of you.

The money was my brothers, who always felt comfortable leaving it on a table in the living room, I mean, no one ever stole from our house before. But now we have a problem, and I had to call the police on my “friend” because he was the only likely person.

The picked him up and he admitted that he did. We went through all the court proceedings and since he was in jail for a few months on that charge, they gave him another month.

Fast forward a couple of years to recently.

My mom said to me that she can see why my brother was very upset, but she never understood why I was not so upset. After all, he stole from me too, after the trust I gave him, and all the things I did for him while we were both in jail, and after I did my time.

I did a hell of a lot for that kid. Way too much to mention here.

And yes I was upset at him, but what else was I supposed to do to him? Beat the crap out of him? That was never me, and I still felt sorry for him.

But mom kinda developed an issue against him, and after we made peace, I knew he was not welcome around the house. But now that puts me in a particular situation. If I want to be of some kinda positive influence to a kid that has had a very rough life, how am I going to show that if he is not welcome at the house?

This is a problem with “troubled kids”. Nobody wants to do anything about it, and are too busy blaming the world’s problems on them. But when the problem is right at your doorstep, we slam the door.

I just could not do that to him, when maybe my patience could be what keeps him positive. Somebody has to try, right? We can’t assume that somebody else will do it.

Well, fast forward to today.

Today I am playing my Xbox and hanging out, when somebody rings the doorbell. It’s him. Today has been cloudy with cold rain, and he is standing out there with a hooded sweatshirt because he needs some help.

His car lost a tire, and he almost ran off the road about two blocks from where I live. He asked if we had a phone, and I went and grabbed my cell phone. As I gave it to him (while outside) I knew my mom and brother, who was home, might be curious. When my mom asked who it was, I told her and it was like she deflated of any positive energy. I could tell she was not happy.

Mom went back to her room while I went back outside to the guy. He described the situation and needed to call somebody to give him some help. I quickly went back inside and got some warmer clothes on, and went back out. I wanted to ask him in, but I knew my mom was already poking her lips at the situation.

I resigned myself to help this guy if I could, so I put on a coat, and told him we needed to get back to his car, and I carried the cell with me. I could tell when I told mom what I was doing that she didn’t approve.

I walk with this guy a couple of blocks to the car, and he told me he was taking classes at the technical college, trying to improve himself, but he was having the hardest times with conjunctions. I joked with him saying, “haven’t you seen Schoolhouse Rock”?

He said he did, but it was just so hard for him to get. English he is having trouble with, but all the other courses is no problem…even math. Anyway, we get the car, about 100 yards or so away and found his tire, that rolled off when it came off the car, and landed in a nearby ditch. We picked that up, crossed the busy street and found the hubcap, which was broken, and went to the car.

Throughout the time, he kept mentioning how his shoulder was hurting, with some throbbing pain. Not like a toothache, as I joked, and he agreed, but nagging nevertheless. In the cold light rain we decided that he needed to call somebody, so I let him use my cell to call his girlfriend, who arrived with her mom. The first thing her mom did was check the guy out to make sure he was ok, just like a mom.

Once that was resolved, there was an issue of getting someone to tow the car. It took longer than we thought, and my cell phone came in handy to call whomever they needed. They were nice folks and they let me know that they really, REALLY appreciated me helping the guy.

We spent about an hour or so waiting for a tow truck, some of that spent going over some of his math problems. An interesting equation of exponents and complicated formulas. 2 to the 7th power divided by 2 to the 5th power times 2 to the 4th power divided by 2 to the 4th power, or something like that.

He told me that the answer was 1, but could not figure out why it was. So we went over that, in the cold rain. Now don’t quote me on the equation, I can’t remember it directly, but we did look in his book at it.

My understanding from talking to him was he was trying, and that has to be worth something. I might be a sucker for some things, but I do have some understanding for some things. This guy was trying to do right, and as he was coming to my house to ask about a math problem, his tire came off and he likely injured his shoulder in the accident. I was likely the only person he could walk to for help.

So we get everything resolved, and I was thanked by his girlfriend’s mom for helping. I walked home, believing that I did something good today. I didn’t change the world or nothing, but I think I did something good.

But I just felt that mom didn’t fully understand the situation. I got back home and asked mom if she knew of that lady, because she said she knows my mom. My mom could not really remember, but I lightly explained what happened. But it just did not seem that she really absorbed what happened. It just seemed that she didn’t approve of me helping him.

And I love my mom., but I strongly disagree with her. That guy never did anything to her, his beef would, and should be with me. I hold nothing against him, but I am cautious with him, even though he is trying. But mom seems to have just turned a cold shoulder on him. After I explained the short synopsis to her, I felt that she really didn’t care. And that does not sit well with me.

We just are not a very forgiving people, and in my mom’s case, she has no reason to hold anything against that guy. He didn’t steal from her, he stole from me and my brother. I spent several months paying my brother back little by little, while working at a Christian radio station who paid me less than minimum wage, and my brother told me that he didn’t want me paying him anymore for that. He felt that what is done is done.

But mom has not let go of it, and I can tell it makes her bitter. I could have sat there and tried to explain more, but when she is in that mode, I just leave her be. She’s gonna notice sooner or later because when I get upset, I don’t talk. So now I just have to bide my time until she gets out of that zone and tries to ask me about the accident. When she does, I will keep it extremely short because that will prompt her to ask me why I was giving her short answers.

That gives me the room to explain to her that I feel that she does not care about the situation anyway, and let her know that her being bitter to that guy isn’t fair to a guy trying to change. He isn’t perfect, but HELLO, neither am I. He is going to school, trying to do the right thing, and people are holding on to something he did years ago, and paid the price for. He did his time, he served his time, he paid his debt to society. So let it go.

I wanted to challenge mom and asked whether she would have approved if he had limped to the front door, bleeding from his head from a very serious accident. She didn’t know how bad it was, and neither did I. But it was like she turned cold the moment I mentioned his name. That isn’t fair to him.

And I love my mom, and we get along in many things, but this has to change. It’s not like he comes by every day, heck I have not seen him since late November. I just have to try to get mom to understand what part she plays in the unforgiving of inmates and ex felons.

And ironically, she ought to know this, I live it EVERYDAY.

Well, I am not upset at it, just indifferent. Something me and mom have to discuss. I think if I explain it, she will understand. I just need her to understand that just as she treats that guy, don’t be surprised if I am treated the same way.

Prison Art

arhunt — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:53:02 GMT

Chicano Prison Art

by insideprison, May 6, 2006

Aztec Warriors

A prominent form of Chicano prison art is called "panos" illustration, a variation of envelope art that grew out of the Chicano barrios and Southwest prisons of the early 20th Century. Designed with ball-point pens on white handkerchiefs, "panos" can actually afford a great deal of detail and complexity, telling a story of a prisoner that cannot be expressed through words alone.

The tradition of the Chicanos' panos-illustration dates back to the 1930s and 1940s, however some curators insist that it may be as old as the French occupational prison system imposed on Mexico following the revolution of 1910. During the middle of the 20th Century, most prisons only permitted Whites to own pens and pencils to send messages to their families outside of prison. Because many Hispanics, Chicanos, and African-Americans within the prison system at that time could not read or write, they found an expressive substitute in elaborate illustration.

Panos is rooted in defiance and Chicano cultural pride, growing explosively during the 1960s and 1970s with the rise of Cesar Chavez's struggle to gain rights for migrant workers in the southwest United States. According to curator Martha Henry, quoted in the Chicago Tribune, the Mexican culture is a "visual culture," and has historically handed down its tradition through images.

Panos prison art is passed down from prisoner to prisoner, one generation to the next, and possesses its own unique styles and techniques. Prisoners record panos by maintaining files of images drawn from calendars, magazines, and tattoos, all traced onto the handkerchief and colored in with pen, colored pencils, wax crayons, coffee, shoe polish or felt-tip markers. Prisoners send out artwork to families and loved ones, or within the prison to fellow convicts and friends, sometimes commissioning the art in exchange for goods from the prison store.

Panos have been collected and studied from several California prisons, such as the county jail in San Antonio, but panos also flow out of prisons across Texas, Georgia, and New Mexico. In the California prison system, linen handkerchiefs are provided to many prisons for artistic purposes, the closest thing to real canvases many prisoners will every get. However, with recent security-crackdowns on coded-messages being sent by prison gangs into and out of prisons, prison officials hesitate to supply generous quantities of linens to all prisoners. In adaptation, prisoners have used their bedsheets and pillowcases.

In all cases, however, much of the imagery of Chicano prison art includes barbed wire, serpents, bannered names of girlfriends, and roses. Aztec imagery and Mexican gods are also popular among the younger generations, as well as pre-Columbian symbols, colonial religious icons, and Mexican historical and revolutionary figures. Depending on who the recipient is, the image will change. For mothers and grandmothers, images are usually religious, and depict images of Christ with a crown of thorns or the Virgin of Guadeloupe, the symbol of motherhood. For children, one illustration portrayed a father teaching his son how to ride a tricycle. For lovers, there are often roses and ribbons. For sexual fantasy, there are images of buxom, long-haired, large-breasted women with wasp waists and seducing eyes, as well as vintage cars and heavily-muscled men in old, sometimes 1950s-era clothing. Depictions of prison life include skulls, candles, prison bars, and gun-towers. Other examples include Aztec warriors, tattooed gang members, saints, pinup girls, motorcycles, teddy bears and cartoon characters, such as Minne Mouse and Mickey Mouse.

the rose, typical on panos given lovers

Vatos, motorcyclists from San Antonio, sport tattooed imagery similar to Chicano prison art that is both varied and sometimes bizarre: keyholes with the words Shuttered Dreams written above likely tell the story of life stolen by jail-time, while wrist-shackles and images of the Mi Vida Loca, the motto of life on the "left side" of the law, both convey a sense of rebellion, defiance, and pride.

At the "Hourglass Prison Art Collection Show" that displayed at the South Broadway Cultural Center in Albuquerque in 2002 the public tasted several forms of prison art that previously gone unknown. One particularly memorable piece was entitled "Aztec Death," by C. Hernandez, a black-on-white portrayal of an ax-wielding skeleton in a feathered headdress. Another one, "La Virgen E MI Vida Loca," depicted a lowrider car, the Virgin of Guadalupe, Jesus Christ, various flowers, a woman wearing two masks, a bird of paradise, two cherubs and doves, and a man aiming a revolver at the viewer. Another black-on-white pano, "Freedom from Evil," a wizard encapsulated by flaming skulls accompanied a fire-breathing dragon, both of which foreshadowed in the distant background a castle. Makeshift picture frames are sometimes made from folded and woven cigarette packages.

There are also landscapes of the Mexican countryside, peacocks as symbols of masculinity, roses of beauty, and images of barrio life and gang affiliation, the hourglass and Aztec motifs. Also included are hypnotic, sometimes hallucinogenic expressions of dripping eyeballs, hypodermic needles, and dragons. Religious themes are also popular, most of which seek to express themes of sin and salvation many common to prison life.

The Atlanta Journal reported on inmate Calvin Zenga, who writes and illustrates children's stories and who recently wrote to the paper from his home at Walker State Prison in Rock Spring. One such tale of his Zenga calls "It's a Fuzzy World," which depicts creatures called "Fur-landers," described by the author as "little balls of fur about a foot tall" who live on a galactic utopia where the threat of war or violence is absent.

In California prisons, the Los Angeles Times reported that inmate-artists have melted chess pieces together, have used toothbrushes to apply tint to the envelopes, and have even dribbled Kool-Aid over their artwork to colour the background in shades of pink. However, most work is black and white, in contrast to the particularly vibrant variation of Chicano street graffiti, which often resembles in content its monochrome counterpart in prison.

Chicano prison art, or Panos, has captured the interest of even the more conservative of art-lovers, and has gained enormous exposure following its recent display across national galleries across the US. It has also captured the imagination of youth, acting as a warning sign for those at risk of entering a life of crime. The Albuquerque Journal cites one boy, who said: "These pictures really show it like it is...These guys go in (prison) one way, and they're not going to come out the same way."

Being in a Prison - Poem

arhunt — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:34:26 GMT

Being In A Prison
I am confined to everyday routine
Same time, same place, same people

Being In A Prison
I have to do what is asked of me
If I do not
Trouble comes my way

Being In A Prison
Confined to everyday conflict
Pressured and shown the everyday foulness
Breathing down on me, choking me, restricting me

Being In A Prison

They never understand what's going on
They fall into the trade
Pressured and forced the their ways

Being In A Prison
A single mind lashes out
But is beaten
A single mind trying to break out

Being In A Prison
Being controlled, restricted
What we take so long to achieve
Is taken away
Away and into their hands