ltem cor oem threatens % -ty creal vriften salel ) of prisons jvity concems amg s determined detrimental to the security) ion or if it might facilitate criminal a up apdsaneration of criminal schemes or how to avoid fiw;{f\‘ gonsibility for detecting such illegal activity \‘ emned, discolored. or emitting an odor a(un.s a threat to the < % u, interfe: white in ckers, re N substag ‘4 to reasona icate the pact Showing Love & Sol ooy oy Jeh At Running Down The Walls 2022 B 5K Marathon and Punk Show S o support Political Prisoners __% pe “Alan Powaar Welcome to the 2023 issue of our Community Zine! This collaboration is an effort to forge bridg: es of solidarity through their walls and razor wires. We work to undermine the systems cruel calculus of censorship and repression by sharing these con- tributions from incarcerated artists and authors and by sending books and other reading materials. “This isn't charity or service: we've been there, we know that the way their “justice” works, any one of us could be next. Our liberation is bound to- gether like a good book. We work towards the day that all of us will be free. Let' give it everything we got to make sure that day comes sooner than later. #FrecThemAll! CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ZINE! Accepting all submissions for the next one: art, poetry; essays, fiction, nonfiction, comedic comic strips or bitter rantings, whatever youre into and want to share with the world! Please specify if you would like your full name and address listed o if you would like to use an alias. Also send us ad dresses to any family or friends you would like us to send a copy when i’s printed. WORK WITH MIDWEST BOOKS! We are an all-volunteer organization always look: ing for help andideas We meet every single Sat urday at Noon to pack books and respond o re quests: wed love to see you there! Midswest Books to Prisoners s an al-volunteer 501 (¢) () not for profit organization based in Chicago. Since 2004 e have been accepting requests from any and all incarcerated people and mailing them reading material free of charge. If you or a loved one would like to request reading ‘material,you can contact us via snail mail at: Midwest Baoks to Prisoners 1321 N. Milwaukee Ave PMB #460 Chicago, IL 60622 orfind us on the net at: wiww MidwestBooks ToPrisoners.org Email: midwestb2p@gmail.com Twitter: @midwestbooks2p Instagram: @midwestbooks2p Facebook: facebook.com/mwb2p FUNDING: Since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of requests we receive has quadrupled. By donating just a few dollars, you can help pay for postage costs which allow us to continue to provide books and other print ‘media to incarcerated people free of charge. DONATING BOOKS: We accept fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels text. books, magazines,art books, ines, poetry, coloring books, or anything else. No spiral bound or leath er-covers. Must be “newish” (mailroom guards are ripping about sains and stickers). ‘The Lingering Mail Banning Threat At CCJ:: A Predatory Tool Of Surveillance and Profit that Must Be Stopped In recent months, Administrators at Cook County Jail have escalated their repressive cam: paign against free speech and due process rights by enforcing extreme limitations on the amounts of information and reading materials our commaunity members locked inside can have in their possession. Attorneys are now prohibited from bringing in any papers what soever during legal visits, denying people access to the evidence they need to fight their case. Guards are going cell o cellstealing people’ reading materials enforcing a harsh 3 book limit while cracking down in the mailroom with an increase of petty rejections for books with “stains’, “saturation’, “crinkled pages’ etc. There are no libraries at CC] and no budget for books or legal materials, but they re pumping millions into restrictive tablets with expensive “email” functionality. These alarm bells demonstrate how they re following the shameful nationwide trend of censorship, privatization and digitization. In February 2023, Sheriff Tom Dart worked with WGNS to release a five minute copa: ‘ganda video showing mail guards inspecting stacks of letters, blaming mail and books for the rise in overdose deaths. Beginning with the headline “its a new war on drugs inside Cook County Jal’,its more of the same failed fear and misinfo pushing criminalization and restrictions when what is actually needed is resources, treatment, and freedom. In the video, Tom Dart pledged that “we will never gt rid of mail altogether’, but they are a ready doing way too much: it bad enough you already can't et newspapers or hardcover books, and the petty rejections are only increasing, In many jails and prisons where tablets are introduced with alternative electronic messaging and visits, prison systems end up terminating physical mail and visits: but this is Chicago, and we aren't going for that here without a fight. Action needs to be taken to defend this ongoing destraction of rights, and prevent CC] from a blanket ban on physical mail or books. “3 Book Rule “and Massive Book Shakedowns: After the Kroger v. Dart lawsuit chal lenging the 3-book rule was denied by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals last April, CCJ administrators wasted no time in enforcing this draconian limit by going cell to cell to steal “extra” books. Many legal books have been confiscated or destroyed, as well a other personal possessions such as family photos and artwork. Supposediy religious books arenit counted towards the imit,and people in DIVision 6 arrouron au vowuass mcustoor were told legal books don't count as well. But thisis *xarve somn 79 2072 s may all subject tothe personal whims of whatever guard " guyy ave T rom ! wwants to enforce and interpret the rules, with no safeguards protecting legal books and no due Process | o oo it cuorton to appeal the confiscation or to send the materials COMMASIARY SHOES. THEY MUSTNE W home. The Koger lawsuit was not just a challenge of THEIR ORIGINAL FORM; NO MARKINGS the 3-book limitation itslf,but also the handling of ATA, i the confiscated books: guards tossed Koger’sbooks 2. ANKLE SOCKS; NO LONG S0CKS without options to send home or choose which books 3. 3 READING MATERIALS INANY f took. CC] intentionally repeated this disrespect ~ COMBNATION (800KS OR they took. CCJ ntentionally repested this distespect SoMPMATONBOGSOR during the recent shakedowns. Part o the punish- U MATERIALS ment is psychological - they want people to feel the fearand uncertainy that st any given moment,books A THEUEIIN or anything else you might have can be arbitrarily SeT hOME OR THEY WILLBE Stolen. But it also is preventing people who often CONSCATED, Sy spend months or years in pretrial confinement from preparing a legal defense against one of the most corrupt police and court systems in the country. How does taking away one’s eading materials contribute to the *safety and security” or “legitimate penological interests'? Cook County Sherif says forget what you heard about education and rehabilitation : they argued in Court that that books “can be used fo set Jires,as weapons or makeshift body armor; hide contraband, send coded messages between inmates,jam cell doors or locks, cover windows,clog toilets and ventilation systems, clutter- ing and iripping hazards, and cause disputes between inmates over books”. ‘These restrictions violate constitutional rights, have no reasonable penologica interest, and fail basic standards of common sense and human decency, Nevertheless,the Courts always seem to find a way to twist legal interpretations when it suits the ends of the prison system. The four factor test of Turner v.Safley, 482 US. 78 (1987) to determine whether a prison restriction should be allowed to override consttutional rights: Wt e i st oncion” e he et s et e st s oty 5 Wty r ket o he e o xre e s . T ipac o e dsved ot il e o s e st and o s Tk o hence o ey skt where he rsnce o rady s ke e il ot o ool il he bence ke o ikl e e el s CCJ did not ban religious materials because that would be an infringement on a per- son's religious rights, fought in cases like Cooper v Pate, 378 ULS. 546 (1964), Cruz . Beto, 405 US. 319 (1972), and Sostre v. McGinnis. A prison regulation that infringes on inmates’ consttutional rights therefore i valid onlyifit is ‘reasonably related to legitimate ‘penological interests.” Turner, 482 USS. at 88, 107 5.Ct. 2254. (4] regulation cannot be sustained where the logical connection between the regulation and the asserted goal i so remote asto render the policy arbitrary or rrational * Id. at 89, 107 5.Ct. 2254. Whatis the valid rationality of the book policy when religious books can be unlimited but other materials are severely constricted? Do we have to declare a new religion that worships the Iaw so individuals can have materials to prepare their cases? P b o e GOS0 o Bt e o e feriloriordie 2022 Al bl ibrasy books/reading mateials were sl provided via eyt oy donations. ettty 2022 - To my knowledgethere s g purchased aw ibray books, e - Pl ot by e i o e Bt concrsquesins bied | | Vnisonith s e it o bt i . FOIA OfcrLege Deprment: e P —— Are there alternative means to receive enough reading materials in CCJ? Absolutely not Our recent FOIA request shows that there was $0 spending on library and law library reading materials at Cook County Jail i the year 2022. All books were sent in "by dona- tion", 50 from family members and groups like ours. As o access to the “law library” you have to il out a request form specifying your query, and hope that a few weeks later the five pages of printouts you get back will be enough to prepare your case. ‘The irrational stripping away of the possessions of community members locked up has caused a huge divide amongst guards and the people they harm. Reading materials encourage a healthier environment and book programs like Midwest Books To Prisoners give indigent people inside the ability to obtain reading materials free of charge, removing Some financial burden put on the individuals detained in CCJ as well as the burden put on their families who are trying to help maintain the mental health of people iving in uninhabitable living conditions. ‘The Digitization Creep: After just a few months of CCJ distributing over 3000 tablets,they enabled the GTL. “Telmate Getting Out” app with electronic “email” func- tionality. When these prison profiteers come around, often ‘physical mail and viits are phased out and replaced with these heavil restricted, and expensive texting services. Smart Communications,Securus, TextBehind, Pigeonly. Global Tel-Link and more: the lucrative business of mail scanning is spreading rampantly often without constitu- e fo Logw CEO fSrart Comrc several federal prisons, and hundreds of loca ails. e CANDALLE RETURN TO SENDZR NOT SC/ NIRRT Authorities claim these outsourced mail security services are necessary to prevent drugs from being sent n, but are unable to show evidence it works (i reports after five years of SmartCommunications digitizing the entire PA DOC’ mal, drugs il proliferate). ‘While people need unrestricted access to technology and the internet, this ain't it. All Kinds of problems with these tablets replacing physical mail. The costs: they re nickel and diming the incarcerated for basic text and phone services that would otherwise be nearly free i it werenit run by profiteering contractors. The quality is trash: margins clipped, pag- es out of order,limits on quantity or sizes,etc. Unlike physical mail if you ever get trans- ferred to another institution you may lose all your mail stored on the tablets. Availabilty s also an issue, equipment breaks, is often unavailable during lockdowns, and access can be revoked for discipline as if communication s a privilege not a right. Expanding the Panopticon: There are other selling points that make it attractive to pris- on administrators: surveillance and data collection - not only storing all communications in searchable databases for police, but they also spy on contacts they correspond with - expanding the carceral panopticon not only to those captive in their dungeons, but to the restof us i the so-called free world! CIDNET, a"communications company’ similar to Securus, Smart Communications, and GTL, describes themselves as "a social platform, an investigative monitoring tool, and a communications infrastructure, depending on who you are”. In CIDNETs 2021 catalog, they advertise their "features” for staf as revenue and monitoring; “Mail cuesare montized by many ofour lents and theycan b signiicant sourc of additional funding fo you facilt. Monioring fols: The Cnt Inteligence Suie i a sasure noveof ool that helpfuilties save more cases and prevent futur crimes. Thes tool are designed to Contintously monito arge amounts o mate communications daa, 50 Comecions taffdont have t. i previously spent randomly moni- loring mate commnications will tansition o time spent analyzing actionable ntllgencethat he system provides Smart Communications highlighting their surveillance capabiltes: “autharized saffwithth abilt o monitor and rvie alclectronic messages and attachments snt through e sysem, exceptthose its tht re decmed priieged under law 1. attorney/lient confidentility) We will maintan record of al electronic message sent though the S Inmate sstem for period of seven years rom the ime the mssage was set. Smartamat has many bl investigative featuresthat make e systm an nvaluable nteliencegatherng, crime slving and powerful