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“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

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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 <rime prevenion ol For exam
ple. Smarthumate can automatically monitor and sndisian noicatons when messages ontaning nves
Viatordeind eywords r namesave wansmited. or imates being shadoed under nvestgation send or
eceiv mssagesorconnect with a nw public user Futhermore, Smartimate musagesare flly keyword
searchabl. Keywords e ighlighed n the scarch esult o allow ivestiatos o quickly lcate content of
inteest. Smartimate ls cllcts ttistics, data and information on ublic sers inthe commnity that are
i commnication with imatcsat your agency. Information uch as connectd inmats, phone umbers,
IPaddveses, emal adesses, credit cad and bank information, GPS locations, devics sed and more”
GTLis also spying on peaple wha dare use their app to communicate with loved ones:

“Call Q application wil et you v email i a
peron e spcifc phraseor mentions a certain
{opic during a cal.. Calls withgreterluctuation
nsentiment o emtion can lad ivestigtors o

calls where th inmate o salled party shos igns
ofsress... Location 1Q uses powerful and accurate
Carrer Towsrand GPS locaton based sevies to
access acaledparty's locaton uing GPS,ofeing
ot lasitude/lonitude coordinates and proximity
1o hegivn ucily.. b

Rather than stopping the flow of contraband, these prison administrators are conspiring
with third party profiteers to monitor, censor, slow and obstruct the mail, narrowing the
form and content of communications allowed to only these dystopian corporate sandbox-
es. Instead of addressing the root causes of addiction, poverty and criminalization, they're
accusing the entire planet of being a criminal entity trying to smuggle drugs into prison,
blaming mail, books and everyone else except for the people profiting from the cycle of
incarceration. We'e not going for it! Sheriff Tom Dart, leave the mail alone!

Illinois Prison System Spent Less =—wen
Than $300 On Books Last Year

From: este. Maogie® <Maoge Makis@lloos ge:
To: “Maki Macoia” sMagoi Makie@ilocs g0
Subject: [Extema FOW REQUEST

st et 524652130 o eing stk s T s gl s o iy
e e o oy o e T 00 e B . e

For all the complaints we've received about the lack of books within Illinois DOC, we
were surprised to receive a FOIA response that claims IDOC spent $2.5 million on
‘material/books at prison libraries this year. A stunning reverxal of this downwords

trend - we are very skeptical that the money is actually going towards books!
Pretrial Fairness Act Paused Pending IL Supreme Court Ruling
Having passed the Pretrial Fairness Act in January 2021, Ilinos was set to become the

first state to abolish money bail and end wealth-based discrimination in bond consider-
ation. Implementation had two years to prepare and was about to go into effect January 1st
2023: many thousands of people being held pretrial simply for not being able to afford the
bail amount were abou to have a good chance at bond reconsideration - until prosecutors.
and sheriffsfiled fivolous lawsuits and i literally the lat week got Kankakee County
judge Thomas W. Cunningham to find the bill unconstitutional. Appeals have been filed,
oral arguments heard, and an Ilinois Supreme Court ruling is expected anytime.

Right-wing forces had waged a dirty copaganda disinfo campaign complete with millions
spent pumping out fake newspapers o spread lies about the PFA and scare people of

an imminent murderous “purge” to build astroturf momentum to stop the bill While it
shamefully succeeded in temporarily pausing the bills implementation - keeping thou-
sands of non-convicted people behind bars for the crime of not being able to afford bail

- their legal argument is considered a flimsy delay tactic, and it s expected that the IL
Supreme Court willlikely rule in favor of the constitutionality of the bill We may still get
a fair shake so stay tuned!

‘The appeals and amicus briefs present evidence, sound legal arguments and social science
research refuting the false premises underlying the Circuit Courts ruling. The passage
of the PFA was a years-long achievement by hundreds of organizations in a robust and
diverse movement. Despite what the reactionary police unions and right-wing billionaires
wwant you to believe, the people of Ilinois demand pretrial justice. End Money Bond Now!

Chicago Defeats Cop/Fascist/Billionaire-Backed Paul Vallas

Narrowly ducked a right wing coup - differing visions of the future of Chicago could not
have been more clear. Paul Vallas ran as a Democrat, but in actuality was aligned with
ight wing fascists, billionaires, and the reactionary police union. Like so many other who
don't even live in Chicago, Vallas played on people’ fears and prejudices by hyping nation-
al stereotypes about rampant crime in order to justify hardcore tough-on-crime pasitions.
Backed by the notorious Fraternal Order of Police and their racistJan er president John
Catanzara, he attacked the Pretrial Fairness Act (keeping people in jail for not having
enough bail money), defended police foot chase policies (which resulted in the CPD mur-
der of Adam Toledo in 2020), and otherwise promised to take the gloves off and unleash
the already notoriously murderous and brutal Chicago Police Department on the city.

Chicago's new mayor Brandon Johnson, the former Cook County Commissioner and a
former public school teacher, supported community-focused holistic approaches to public
safety by advocating for Treatment not Trauma and the Peace Book Ordinance while
pledging to close ShotSpotter and the red light cameras. Although many were disappoint-
ed to hear Brandon backirack on calls to Defund the Police (promising to hire 200 more
deectives), he brought up on the debate stage the names of those murdered by the CPD
and the horrific legacy of torture by Jon Burge and others. We know electoral politics
worit bring about the necessary abolition of these carceral systems. But as voting results
confirm, itis clear that Brandon Johnson's vision of public safety resonated with most
Chicagoans and in particular those who live in neighborhoods most afected by crime.
Books Before Bars: Vic Mensa's Cannabis Company 93 Boyz
Partners With Literacy Initiative For Prison Reform

Chicago-based rapper, actor and activist Vic Mensa and
his brand, 93 Boye, the first Black-owned and led canna-
bis company in Ilinois, have partnered with Books Before
Bars, a non-profit organization dedicated to supplying
books to underprivileged prison libraries in llinois. This
partnership aims to provide inmates with potentially
transformative resources, offering a chance for personal
‘growth and development.

‘Atthe heart of 93 Boyzs mission is a commitment to
einvest in communities and individuals historically and

disproportionately impacted by outdated cannabis laws, prejudices, and assumptions
“This initative aims o elevate underserved communitis while also providing some of the
highest-quality cannabis products in the state.

Vi Mensa shared his thoughts on the development and launch of 93 Boyz, stating, “Sell-
ing weed was my first hustle. It taught me work ethic, entreprencurship, and funded all of
my first music projects... The war on drugs has had a devastating impact on my communi-
t and yet our representation in the cannabis industry is less than 2%. 93BOYZ s chang-
ing that narrative while combining high quality,tastemaker weed with socially conscious
initiatives”

In a move towards environmental sustainability, 93 Boyz has also teamed up with aero-
ponic cannabis cultivator aeriz to deliver eco-friendly products from plant to person. The
product line features premium flower eighths, premium prerolls, and strain-specific vape:
cartridges, offering a variety of options from sativa to indica and custom hybrid blends.

Furthermore, 93 Boyz was established in collaboration with SaveMoneySaveLife, a non-
profit organization founded by Mensa that secks to uplift and empower BIPOC individu-
als through experiences integrating contemporary cultural art, raditional knowledge, and
‘community service. With it specific focus on prison reform and equity in the cannabis
industry, 3 Boyz aims to make a meaningful impact.

‘The firt initiative, Books Before Bars, focuses on providing lierature to incarcerated
individuals. The programs book lst includestiles such as “The New Jim Crow; “The
Autobiography of Malcolm X;” A New Earth;” “The Power of Now! “Black Skin White
Masks” “Revolutionary Suicide;” and others intended to help inmates find relief and men-
tal freedom during their incarceration.

Mensa elaborated on the purpose of Books Before Bars: “The goal s to bring liberation
and freedom to people who are incarcerated through literature because I believe strongly
that when you change your inner realty, you begin to influence your external rality”

1 you have aloved one who is currently incarcerated, send their mailing info 10 BooksBefore
Bars@93boys.com and wel ship them a electon of books from a reading lst curated by 93 Boyz
Midwest Books to Prisoners Announces Free Customized
Newsletters Subscriptions and Legal Resources Service

“This new service free to incarcerated people is addressing the inhumanity that incarcer-
ated people simply do not have access to the way that most people access information on
this planet - the Internet. Shamefully, some accept as a matter-of-course that they should
be denied computers and smartphones, so they canit doomscroll with the rest of us. But it
ain't right that you have to fight, bang on doors and file a dozen grievances just to get a few.
hours a week on some electronic law library” that has basically nothing but the rulings
and s never updated. I getting worse: these past few years, mailroom cops are going
after books and physical mail.

‘Wee pushing back - with zines For months, we've been quietly esting out an internet
newsleter and legal resource service. Now it ready for public launch: help us forge a
paper-and-ink bridge through the walls and razor fences to share information that would
be otherwise unavailable!

Newsletters are individually customized based on subscriber’ interests or specific sources:
our system automatically etrieves content from websites, blogs, social media, producing
a nicely formatted personalized zine mailed out every few weeks. Common requests are
legal/prison news, tattoo, sports, politcs,tech, business, Its Going Down, specific Twitter
feeds, etc.

Legal resources are also available on request. We have a large collection of guides, pam.
phiet, excerpts from law books, and other materials on a wide varity of legal isues avail
able for free. Also available is legal updates zine with current information scraped from
multiple sources.

Incarcerated people can request these resources by writing to our PO Bos: alternatively,
people can make a request on behalf of their loved ones by submitting a form on our
website. If any other intrested prisoner support group i interested in tilizing these tools
weve buil, contact us.

Legal Resources

W will nd you kgl msteriae upon REQUEST BY
CHAPTER sadjor TOPIC. (s e ot ale o provide
Jega advice o eprsenaion). PLEASE REQUEST
S pririe -3 chapertopct t e, Chaptrs
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e an yous lcation and post fic pideigs.
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Columbia alhoust Lawyees Manual

Gl Fiow o st 0

G2 nenductont Ll Resarch

G 3 Your Rght o Learthe L & Go o Court
G o 0 Find a L

Ch - Choosing a Courtand a Lawait

& An nrodacton to Legal Documents

Ch 7 rtedom of Iformation

‘G5 Obtaining Information to Prpace Your CaesThe
Process of Ducoery

i Appesing Your Comiction o Sntence

G 16K Poivin for Re-Semtencig o Drog Offcnses
‘G 11 Ublog Pt Conviton DN tstin 0 Ack
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‘G 14 Th Piso Ligation Reform Act

G 15 s Grevance Procedurts

G 16 Usng 42 US.C.§ 1983 to Obtan Rl fom
Vichions f edersl Lo & Civl Rigts

17 The St Duty o Pt Yo i Your Proper
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15 our Rghts At Prison Discplinary Procescding
GO 15 Your Rght 0 Communict with the Outeide.
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‘G St Fibess Corpus:FLL NY &M

‘G 22 How o Challengt Administrative Decisions
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Ch 25 our Right to Adequse Medicl Cre

G2 Your Rght e o rom Al by Prisn
Gunde and OtherIncscersed Pople

‘G5 You Right bt o from Higal Body Sesrches
26 nectiousDieues: ALDS, Hopatts, Tuberclo
G 37 Relgous Frcdom in Prison

‘G 24 Rights o Incurcertd Feope it Disbilics
‘G 29: Spkcia T o ncrcerted Peope it
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i3 Spesia nforsation LGBTQR Pople

‘G 31 Skeurty Clsincaton and Gang Valdation
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35 et Out Easy: Condiionsi o Estly
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‘Ch 26 Specal ConsiderationsforSex Offeders

G 37 Rght Upon R

G 36 Right of Yot n Prison

‘G 39 Temporaey Relese Progtams

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Secion B Appendics

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13 Tril manual o delese Attorneys i Jvenile De-
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14 JuvenleFase Confesions
GEORGETOWN WRITING CENTER
15 Legal Analyis
16 Acvsing Lagal Auhority
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Blocbaok Cituion
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27,20 USC fders habeas corpus
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30 CPR complation of quotesand cits

31 HRDCv. Baster County Arkansas Bref Amici

Curise: sucsessuldees of posteandanly e fo legal.

TLLINOIS SPECIFIC CASES

Office of the Sste Appellae Defender CrininalLaw

Handbook by Chapir Th Hlinos Handbook of Crim-

deciion. The Handbook s organized by topc, and

D 1o i pag count one Par, count s chapler.

CH O Accounibily

CH 02 Appead

CH 03 Armed Vilenee

CH 04 Anon

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‘G 08 By and Resdenil Busgary

CH09 Collien Remedies

CH 10 Confessons

CH 1 Conspiracyand Slictarion

CH 12 Contemptof Count

CH 15 Controlled Substanees

Ch 14 Counsel Part A. (Right 0 Counsel, Waier of

‘Counsel Attoney Fees nd Cots. Efctive Assstance

of Counid)

Ch 14 Counsel PatB: (Reasonable Assance nd

Other Standards,Conflict of terest, Where Lawyer’s

Competney s Challnged)

G Bischue

G 16 Diondey scap,Resstiog &

Obstructng Offeses

‘CH17 Double Jopardy

CH 18 Entrapmeny

Ch 19 EVIDENCE. Part A: (Right o Presnt Eidence

Relevant Evidence, Limiied and Curstve Admissbiy

Diretand Circumtantal Evdence, Demonsrae

and Physica (Resh Evidence, Re-opening Evidnce,

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Evidence of Characer, Evdence of Ecape, Figh,

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‘Consisten Statcments Prio Sttements of et

on Testimony From Prio Proceedings Sttements

Agaimt Pena ntret, Saemients Concerning e of

Mind.Stements o Teaing Physicans)

‘ChI9 EVIDENCE, PartC: (e Notiee Opinion

Testimony, Other Crimes Evidence)

‘Ch19 EVIDENCE, PartD: (Photogeaphs, Privleged

‘Communicatons, Scentifc Evidence, Wrings)

CH 20 Extradiion

CH 21 Fitnen o Sand Tria

CH 22 Foncible Feloies

i 25 o

i1 2 Gl Plss

G 25 Homi Tvasion

i 2 Honicde

i 27 demicaton

G 2 Tty

o 29 Indictments, Informaton,

Complins
TR ity ey - o

G udge

32 U Part A (Rightto Jury T, Nberof
Jaroe namanons Vet Wabe oy Jury Se-
Iecon, Ipartih oy, Communicaon sy, ory
Y52 JURY. Part . (equestration offry Inseuctions
o7y, Polling o Jury,

S et Peocenlings

i 34 Kidnappiog, sl Resteint & Related
Ofemses

et Ee—

i 36 Durle, Pandons and Prisoners Rights

G137 Perury

JEE S ——
G139 robaion. Peiode
Dischrge and Sperviion
of the Nonchiens Exttertrisl Constiuion
Gt Prosecior

G 41 Resonsble Doubt

Gt iz Robhery

43 SEARCH AND SEIZURE. PART A: (Gencral
FrincplsScarches)

Ch i3 SEARCH AND SEIZURE. PART B Sci-

e Probsble Coe - Facors)

i3 SEARCH AND SELZURE PART C. (Warrans -
Tesuanc ad Exceution, Motoe Vehice Sesrches)
i3 SEARCH AND SELZURE, PART D (Searches
ind earogs,Prctetus Stps and sasches)

Chad SENTENCING Pat . (Consiruction snd
ValdiyofSatues, Chang n Sestencing Povsons
KithHchon, o Heo Senning
Fuftoc Propes and Imprope, Dbt Enhancemen
Factoe lnheret i the s, Stement o Resons
or e Sentnce

Chid SENTENCING Par B (Rstiaion, Ascsments,
nd Forftures, D Abise Teament, Consutne
Sentence, Othee Types f Ehanced o Extended
Scntences, Delay in ExecutionofSnience, M
oo Smence by T g, Missprehension
o Range Unsuihoied Sentencc, Voul N okdble,
Guedin, Truth i Sestencing. Rsemencin, Apploe
Conce Gencraly)

'S Sox Oy

Gt i Spesty Tl

Jebthind

G 38 e A Othe Poperty Offenss CH 49
e Ofcnes

I 50 T Jondee And Severance

G 51 Tl Procedancs

G 52 Venue and rdiction

G52 Verdir

G 54 Waier - Plan v - Hares Eror

G 53 Weapons

Jetiatnay

Nl Crimina L Diest

e of the S Appellos Deender The moitly
s reviewin courts nd the UnitedSsesSuprime
Court foreach ot organaed by topic. Newet
ey o Moy et
bl g o th monhs of Augis 20211 108
Cimentdtt Regues by month.

onment, Condional

4/15/25; Fulton
County, GA: Lashawn
Thompson “Eaten
Alive by Insects”

in Lice and Bed Bug
Infested Cell

: Henrico

l County, VA: Irvo
Otieno murdered by
large group of guards
and medical staff

2031: Jackson County, IN: Joshua McLemore
‘murdered by guards who kept him naked and
‘malnourished in solitary for weeks

Guards murdered Anthony Don Mitchell
by holding him in the kitchen freezer

Government Can't Say How
Many People Die in US. Jails
and Prisons

8/29/23: Gindad
Juirez, Mexico: 39
People Murdered By
Fleeing Guards Who
Kept Them Caged
‘As Immigration Jail
Burns Down

YT
}1 ‘When Force-Feeding I Tortare & NYCjails oversight
rejects plan to ban mail and
) packages at Rikers

\

Police Appear to Have Executed a
CopCity Protesterin Cold Blood

weh prece on
it and packages

N s
Afexas Prison Guard P
Punishes a Woman for Talking
About Abortion

wanes. prsonersspek ot agalntsoltary

Despite 5 years of mail
scanning to keep drugs from
| Pa. prisons, problems remain

Good Neighbors

Witten by Carl, an anonymous USP Thomson survivor

I've been incarcerated since 1988, and have
witnessed many cultural changes in the staffing
of these federal penitentiaries. When I entered
the system, a level of human dignity existed
behind these walls. The old school “bulls’
recognized our punishment was the loss of
liberty for a period of time, not our humanity.
Around 2008 the shift towards a tyrannical
regime became obvious to many of us around
then, and only grew worse over the years. I
had nearly forgotten what human dignity was.

Staff have been trained to hate us much like
the psychological conditioning the military
stills upon soldiers o prepare them for war
where the objective is to destroy the enemy.
both psychologically and physically. The
dehumanization of the enemy makes it casier
for soldiers to carry out their amoral duties on
the battlefield. In 2008, soldiers were leaving
the war in the Middle East and finding good
paying jobs within corrections, both state and
federal. While filling these jobs, us prisoners
became the enemy: They took away our jobs;
the quality of our food, contact with our fam
ily and friends; recreational programs; hobby
crafts; and freedom of movement within the
facilities. They pushed us into our cells where

in these USPs we spend more than haf the
year locked in our cells 24 hours a day behind
bogus security concerns.

‘Then the BOP implemented the Special
Management Unit (SMU) program where men

were confined in cages 24 hours a day for years

in mind-numbing conditions of confinement

‘This systematic dehumanization infected the

psyche of us felons. The “convict code” (ie

respect o respect) was lost. Respect for our

geopolitical difference, property, and even

human lie diminished. We et these tyrants pit

us against one another. Things like honor, inegrity and duty have been washed out. And
not surprisingly the incidents of violence actually increase: as there is safety in numbers,
prisoners embraced the collective bargaining system the ganglife provides. Today, the
most influential prison gang s the “independent car”
Many prisonersin today’s BOP and especially the USPs are struggling with severe PTSD.
“This isnit simply the result of living in an environment where fellow prisoners attack one
another without warning. Excessive force by staff has become commonplace. Staff wear

it as a badge of honor - “running team” on a defenseless person. So men find themselves
in an unpredictable environment, unable to trust anyone, and nowhere to retreat to. For
female prisonersits even worse - as Congressional hearings revealed vast incidents of staff
systematically raping these defenseless woman through coercion and threats. It will take
many years and teams of therapists to treat those impacted, both male and female

So, last year when I heard the new BOP director Colette Peters say at her swearing-in cere-
mony, “ourjob is not to make good inmates,is to make good neighbors’, I viewed her as
a joke. I completely dismissed any hopes that she would succeed in fulfilling her promises
to *humanize and normalize” lfe in prison. From years of experience, I didn' believe
there were any staffeftin the BOP who had even a scintilla of respect for a prisoner’s hu-
manity: Vet this year two things transpired that gives me hope that the pendulum might
be swinging back towards lessestrictive and oppressive conditions of confinement

In February, Colette Peters terminated the SMU program - the faled program where
conditions were so extreme it drove men insane, resulting in suicidal and homicidal
behavior. The mortalty rate in the SMU program quickly exceeded anything the BOP had
experienced previously;yet it continued the program for over a decade. In single week,
allof us at USP Thomson were put on buses and transferred out to other facilities around
the country. We did stop at various truck stops and rest areas so the guards could use the
restrooms, get food and drinks and stretch their legs, but or us, we had no food, water, o
restroom breaks. The 18 hour bus ride, in full restraints, was hell - but every man toughed.
it out with a smile on their face.

‘The week we arrived, the faclity had just begun the process of returning to normal oper-
ations with rumors floating around that the Director had warned the administration to
get up and running or she would bring others in to do it (the deuces have been hit nearly
every day since, and we are still up). The staff here for the most part aren't coming to work
looking to put the boots on the back of our necks. Now don' get me wrong - the condi-
tions here are deplorable. The facilty is in utter disrepair. There's no jobs for 85% of the
inmate population. The facilty is 30% understaffed, resulting in us being locked in our
cells on the weekend. The food, for what small portions we do get, are served cold to us
daily at our cellsin styrofoam clamshells, and is unpalatable despite the cooks best efforts.
‘These new mattresses (without pillows) are no better to sleep on than yoga mats. We only.
hit commissary once a month. Recreation and hobbycraft programs haven come online
yet.

s still hard times. But a litle humanity goes a long way in repairing broken spirits and
building bridges of communication. This practice of humanity is contagious: I've no-
ticed that inmates (or as the new director refers to us a, “adults in custody”) have been
reciprocating this behavior. havent seen or heard of staff “runing team” on 2 man yet
since I arrived. What a concept: treating people with humanity leads to people acting like
humans. Crazy, right?
Censorship in the IDOC
by Dennis Rogers Jr

In the twenty years that I have been a captive of the IDOC, the corrupt administration
pretty much censors any literature that they know could have beneficial effect on the
way we think or act. The policiesthey use to enforce these censorships are so vague, it is
impossible to combat them.

Anything that promotes unity, free thinking, personal development, or non-mainsiream
literature can easily be turned around by them simply saying there is a marker or high-
lighter mark in i, it has a sticker or tape on i, there i a white-out on it or a many o the
other fabricated excuse they want

In the American prison system we captives are equally oppressed. They view all
‘open-minded, like-minded free thinkers as a threat to their crushing grip of control. It
may not seem like it but thats only because the numbers vary so much on the amount

of blacks, whit, asian, and latinos incarcerated. A book about Bruce Lee can be denied
because it speaks of his fighting style. A book about Nelson Mandela because he stood up.
for what was right. A book abou the cartels in Mexico or even a WWII history book can
be denied for any reason real or fake.

Itis nearly impossible to combat these oppressive rules from the inside. Our voices are
not loud enough and as soon as we yell we are beaten, abused, locked away from everyone
else or transfered. Any right we had to free-thinking was stripped from us the moment we
entered these walls. They know the pen is mightier than the sword. Even though they hold
the sword to our neck, our eyes are opened as we read books about our past, our heros,
our future.

Iwould personally ike to thank everyone in stopping this unjust censorship and all who
provide books and other literature to the oppressed prison populations.

Survey and Zine Project Against Prison Censorship

Miduwest Books to Prisoners part of an abolitionist coalition against prison censorship
and book banning. One of our first projects is zine and survey, sharing what we know,
publish submissions from those on the front lines, and asking for survey responses to help
understand the situation and develop.

strategies. Midwest Booksto Prisoners

Sent 1200 znes and surveys to everyone|

who had writen us in thi last er. e

Combined with the responses that o

breaking perspective of the problem.

Ithas It a fire in our souls, reminding

us of the urgency and importance of

this campaign. A larger project isin the

works, but in the meantime, we'e shar

ing a few responses we received.

AUSP Thomson SMU Shut Down, Survivors Share Stories

USP Thomson, the federal prison northwest of Chicago, has closed its notorious “Special
Management Unit” amidst multiple deaths and revelations of rampant torture and abuse.
After the Marshall Project expose “How the Newest Federal Prison Became One of

the Deadliest’ members of Congress announced investigations: despite IL Senator Dick
Durbin's visit to shake hands with the warden while calling it “ reasonable situation’, the
Bureau of Prisons abruptly closed the SMU and transferred hundreds of people to other
SHUs and USPs across the country. Although it transferred via miserable day-long fully
restrained bus rides with no food, water or bathroom breaks, only to arrive at soltary con
finement units at other maximum security prisons, we'e hearing that everyone was super
excited to get up out of there.

‘We have been corresponding with over
50 people, answering book requests and
hearing about the horrific conditions. We
focused on the lack of educational mate
ials in a prison defined by double-celled
solitary confinement for a minimum of
two years (and most do much more due
to program setbacks st up for failure).
‘We were constantly told that we were

the only way that they were able to get And we must rise up!”
anything atall to read (especially books

in Spanish). We tried sending everyone
copies of The Marshall Project’ investi
gation of the prison, but, unsuprisingly,
they were all rejected (purportedly for
pictures of the prison which they claim
could faciliate escape). We're currently
awaiting response to our appeals and
FOIA request demanding proof of
their claims lat year where mailroom
guards faked fentanyl overdoses in
blatant attempts to replace physical mail
with privatized digitization services like
SmartCommunications.

“The act of confiscating the [Marshall
Project magazine] without letting me read
it was part of the punishment. I became
distraught, depressed, and I started hav-
ing anxiety attacks, which [ am diagnosed
with. No one should control anybody's
literacy: this thing about controlling the
people’s reading is a serious injustice.

Anonymous USP Thomson survior in cemsorship

Survey response

Remember: the BOP had high hopes for
this new supermax joint purchased from
linos for $165 million just four years

ago. The efforts of those locked up there

who never gave up who put pen to paper
to get the truth out o journalists,law.
Yers,and activiss, fighting together to
successfully put enough pressure to shut
it down. Remember Tamms? Letcher

County? They CAN be beat!
“Prisons censor the materials we can get as
aform of control and punishment to keep us “Censorship policies
uninformed and ignorant. The less we know, are vague, not properly
the more they can manipulate us and abuse us” [ applicd, or applied by

ymous, Cook County the whim of whoever

is looking at the items.
There are no proper
standards across the
board. Education is
poor. There are not
enough activities to
keep busy” - Anony
mous, Cook County Jail

“Itis a form of control, manipulation, and humilia
tion. If you're uneducated you cannot fight against
them legally, and they can do what they want with
you - you don't know any better?” - John Carr, IN

On Scanned or Capied mail
“All mail is scanned including

“We don't gt to have books from the low | Pictures and greeting cards so
library. We fill out a form to geta copy of i You only receive B/W copies.
what she wants us to have on whatever we They are never scanned in page

§ order, they are upside down
request. So ifit's 30 pages, she might give us ; they are ups
o b o and double sided, you cannot

52" - Anonymous, Cook County DOC
- CockCounty DOC follow what you're reading”

“The reading materials on our tablets are from the Mid-50s
and back. All outdated materials. GTL is the service provider
and itis no good. * - Dennis Rogers,Jr., Pinckneyville IDOC

“Iam an avid reader, so I've had several dozen books and other materials
blocked or confiscated. Most recently, I had a graphic novel blocked: I
grieved it and won, but never received the book. Denying me my book
after the Director approved me to have it felt like they wanted to send me
a message, that no matter what, Menard can do as they please, they can
break the law and get away with it - Anonyimous, Menard IDOC

“I've filed a grievance for withheld
investigation & intelligence officers harass me! They never listed a reason. But
during multiple interviews, the stories changed from stains, powder substance,
not sent from publisher, ‘you name it”. - Anonymous, Indiana State Penitentiary

“Ihave not for one simple reason. The spitefulness
of the people in our mail room. If you file a griev
ance against them, it will and does make it harder
on you in the future to get mail? - Anonymous,
Miami Correctional Facility, Indiana

there 30 minutes. And go once a week by
Andalot of time they are out of toner so
can't make copies? - Anonymous, Indiana

apass.
you
poc

ty isled to believe we do - reading materials, health

care, legal access, and just respect as hu

mans. Jails & prisons get away with

“The censorship s off the chain here at PCF. The mailroom has done just

about anything they can to harm me

and retaliate against me. Our emails

are also monitored and forwarded to Internal Investigations so they can
censor them. What are you going to do when the Warden condones the
‘mailroom Chambers behavior and actions? Just keep fighting them to

stop the abuse!” - Larry Warren, Pend

dleton Correctional Facility

“I'm writing my 7th chapter

“Reading is my method of expanding my of my book, but they wo't

knowledge and wisdom in order to grow

let me make copies so I can

mentally, emotionally, physically, and spir- send out” - Anonymous, Cook

itually. T also use reading for recreation, a

County Jail

way to relax and escape into another world.
Iread everyday at various points through.

out the day.” - Anonymous, Cook Coun

EREN Fear. They want to keep us from
[ being cducated. s easier to

write,listen to the same m:
watch the same “programs’, wear
the same clothes, etc. The most
dangerous prisoners are the
readers & writers. - Anonyin,
Centralia llinois DOC

Wiy do you

“Staff just took everything

from my room. All of my

books, all of my legal work,
property.

I have too much
even though it was orderly
stored?” - Anonymous, USP
Mari

“Their game is to create monopoly,
from Securus for kickbacks, to control
us, to keep us miserable, to keep us
from learning and fighting back the
injustice” - Anonymaus, Clement;

ook County Jail rejecting a Call
of Duty book for éweapons”. Game
‘Informers are explicitly banned

ILLNOIS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
NOTIFICATION OF UNAUTHORIZED ITEMS

WA RETUR SuP
anard Corctinal Cote

A st s e o et ‘Pinckneyvile Comectional Center

[& cores
5 The ndiual s noTonget s oty

5 contin abscani iy or el = 7oA
0w it o dscres rocedures o th ot o 5o weapons, amimuniion; b, o nceniary evices:

) b Weekly Wrap-up

o Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution
= Warden Jon Noble

== Deputy Warden Michacl Gierach
= April 30, 2021

Population: 1110

Strange Fac

Most lephants weigh ss than th tor

A memo from the Warden begins
with a Harriet Tubman quote
‘and ends with a blanket ban on
all books sent from us

B advised, Go Vial Volume #6 s not allwed i accordance wih DAI 09.00.50 Pomography ~Nudty i
‘Commercialy Publshed Mateial. AS of 47721 the DAI Secusty i as rviowed 1 fem and he materl
s how denid and has been piaced on h DAI Dered Pubicalon Lt whih s posied 1 the Ibrry Be
aduised s st s ove changing and al tems receved ae subjct o roview:

Now: Ective immediaal. pa the DAI Securty Chie,we wil notbe acceping books rom Midwest Bocks fo
Preoners
s s

Books o Pricners Basic Wiring & Plumbing Book [
e s Banned from Indiana DOC SERg

Probibited fem 2 Books: Basi Wiring & Basc Plumbing ot allowed perpolc.
et s o o s — | T

T P ez
S = e e
ry— MaTeoon B

[P éveals Suvervson K

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF Justice

101 Sohn A"t o
anphis, T 35154

Tracrer e

S15 at FCI Memphis ban the censorship
zine and survey for “information that

- OKA Bro contains violent extremism type behavior”

RE: Midwest Books o Prisonrs - Campaign Aganst Prison Censorship and Book Banning.

Dear Midwest Books o Prisoners:

Doy —
s Do orecons o e s e o Ml Offcir b
D o Ve et et e n e s s
e et o i el i e om0

o o e you e et n e A

AP AR RAL S 71 and survey also mass rejected at Potosi
B T bab MODOC: can be used to instill violence ar

[ bt Tt hatred. Jason Lewis similarly rejected our
e last Community Zine several times

DA Dirctor
Deparment of Corections
2729 Plaza Drive

POBox 236
Seteson iy, MO 65102
FAX Namber (573 $26-4254

SERIES] VOLUME NUMBER
Sincecy.

Campaign Against Prison
o Censorship and Book
k Banning

DRTE
March 23,2023

¥

Jeremy W. Winsor
Duwight Quigley
Openinvite t0 al Incarcerated artsts yewesteook o Proners
of all levels to contribute to the ey Papers
Midwest Funny Papers!!! Send B K weckas Mve.

of any topic to: Chicago . 60622

The Ongoing Misadventures of Lieutenant Loafer and Officer Trivial

An invitation to contribute to an experimental writing project: add to ongoing story
involving two “fictional” characters “Lieutenant Loafer” and “Officer Trivial” (any re-
semblance is purely coincidental), who embody the maliciousness, the negligence, the
pettiness, or whatever other sick stuff be going through these screws heads - but keep it
‘comedy! Share your stories dealing with the BS of the system - but in the form of short
fiction, art, poetry, or comic srip.
Excerpt “Finest Hour” by Wayne Bell, freewaynebell.com

As the Judge was reading off the law, Marshall could see where this was going, so she said
“Your Honor, if it may please the Court, I would like to go on record and say that I'm
going to file a motion asking the Court to hold my client Mr. Hunter’s case in abeyance
until we see what they're doing to do with United States v. Taylor pending right now. The
Supreme Court s being asked a very important question.”

“Which is?” the Judge asked.

Marshall Ringwald shufiled around a couple papers ke she was looking for something,
but she already knew what she was about to say. "Ahh- here we go. The Supreme Court is
wondering whether 18 ULS.C. 924(c)(3)(A)’s definition of a Crime of Violence excludes
attempted Hobbes Act robberies in violation of 18 US.C. 1951(a).

‘The Judge, afer considering what she had just said, granted her wish. “Okay, Ms. Ring-
wald, I'm going to allow you to file your motion.”

‘The D.A. Mr. Blackburn had been sitting over there all quietly enjoying himself because
Marshalls Compassionate Release motion had somehow been sabotaged. But now, the
Judge was granting her permission to file a motion of abeyance for her client this lte in
the game.

Mr. Blackburn jumped out his seat like someone had just threw a pot of hot water on him
“Objection, your Honor! Come on, what, she’s looking into a erystal ball or something?
‘What, s there going to be a magical case about to take place here? I believe she' trying to
thwart the Court here, ir -

‘The Judge stopped Mr. Blackburn in mid-sentence and said “Yes, Mr. Blackburn, 'm going
o allow Ms. Ringwald to file her motion because its true that the United States v. Taylor
case is very fluent throughout the system right now. So as | was saying before I was so
rudely interrupted... Let the record reflct that Ms. Ringwald has motioned the court to
file a motion of abeyance for a later review pending the Taylor outcome. So duly noted,
and with that;” banging the gavel, “this court is adjourned!”

AllT know is that: i Mr. Blackburn was a cartoon character he would have been the star.
‘The D.A. Mr. Blackburn is over there at the prosecutor’ desk about to pulling the lastfew.
strands of hair out of his head with those horned fro glasses on. They were so thick he
could probably see on the planet Mars. That’s why Marshall coldrit understand why he
couldnitsee this coming. This is her playing feld: she don't lose here, and Mr. Blackburn
should know that by now.

Marshall knows that he' ired of geting beat and whipped by a girl but this isttjust any
girl It Marshall Ringwald of all people. Mr. Blackburn, after having second thoughts
about being beaten by a girl, had to hand it to her. She was tough and very poised under
pressure. S0 he didnit feel too bad, because, one thing for sure and two things for certain,
Marshall Ringwald would give any D.A. or top dog lawyer around the country the blues
Ivana Hoffman - 1995-2014, from Germany,
where she protested against Nazis at 14, joined
a revolutionary group “Young Struggle” at 16,
and was part of hunger strikes and organized
events and rallis.

A 19 she went to Rojava to join the womenis
revolution in the fight against ISIS. She fought
in battles continuously for 6 months, The night
of March 7-8th, International Women's Day,
ISIS attacked the village of Tel Tamer, where
Ivana was based with other YPG revolution-
aries. She killed dozens of ISIS mercenaries
before she ran out of ammo and was shot and
Killed.

Ivana was the firs internationalist woman to
die in the Rojava revolution. She was a proud
defiant lesbian revolutionary, and she did not
hesitate to join the fight. We should learn from
her. Shahid Namrin! The Martyrs never die!

by Danil Baker

Menticidal Thoughts
By Andre Winters

From prison traumatic solitary dis-ease in which separates the mind from thou body as
if my soul never really existed. A walking corpse of a strained fitness for conversation
without substance is meaningless and a head without the brain i thoughtless while arms
without reach remain pointless; therefore a body without it soul is hollow. So if this s not
‘common sensed then you'e senseless to the abyss of doing “life” upon a sin-tense called
menticide in which ones thinking is dead while the body alive. It like wating to live only
to die but in their mind is alled doing time. So if thoughts are useless then what does
time mean? Or can this even seem or pictured as the wildest of thine?? Sincerely yours,
the rose that bloom from a penitentiary of gloom.
Smoke and Fire
Written In Support of the Heroic Cop City Rebels
By Sean Swain

‘The world stares in paralyzed bewilderment
unable to discern the meaning of a powerful message
written in the medium of smoke and fire.

R0 one can seem to grasp it

such messages written in smoke and fire

50 often etched upon the bodies and lives

of the powerless

composed by police and soldiers

presidents and corporate executives.

this language of smoke and fire seems foreign

when uttered by the rabble, the forgotten,

the invisible,

those struggling to be free.

What a strange occurrence
this language of power so eloquently sung
by the poverless.

‘Those in pover burned the past
put blazing torches to the world of the First Peoples
to drive them o their doom

‘Those in power burn the future

doused in gasoline

But today, the world watches, unblinking,

our faces painted orange by the beautiful conflagration
staring back from the screens,

and we witness an idol of the powerful turned to ashes

‘We see the death machine,

So confident and glorious just yesterday,

smolder a it begins to grind to a sad, belching, blackened halt.

Not all of us are deaf to the rebel warriors’declarations
‘We hear their song of smoke and fire

as clearly as those in power can hear it

and while the powerful cry tears of rage and indignation,
the rabble, the forgotten, the invisible,

those struggling to be free-

we cry tears ofjoy.

in knowing that a new world has arrived.

Fate says to our rebel warrior,
“A great and deadly firestorm is coming”

Our rebel warrior says o Fate,

“I AM the firestorm.”

Children, lders, loved ones,

everyone struggling to be free

Turge you, Timplore you,

Tbeg you- be the firestorm.

B the firestorm.
-

v

=

~

.
e

N4
Ascend Me
By Rachael Christina Hilyard

‘Things don't really matter anymore.
‘They weigh on a Planck scale

Spinning patterns in webs

In this spaceltime vortex called life
Manifesting our own strife.

P've sucked myself down into the abyss
No accommodations made here
Acclimate yourself

While the accordion of life

Plays on

Activate my brain back up

Its been down for a while

‘These people are on repeat, these people are on repeat
‘Their brains are like commodes

Pim convinced, Im in suspense

‘What will they flush next down the hole
Flush that shit just like a dead pet fish
Mindfulness

Just fallsstraight through like a black hole
She strives to change

She reaches for the ring

She studies loop theory

Sliding down the pole.

Of her memory

Humor me, lie to me, tel me your eyes are opening
Tell me you really see

“Tell me I can be what I want to be

“Tell me L will manifest my dreams

Il be easier than it seems and

Itis really happening

Maybe just maybe it really

Really is happening

s this the sense:

She's been trying to make?

Inch by excruciating inch

She ascends
Have You
By Buddy Smith

Have you ever seen your momma cry?
Have your ever seen your momma with
Ablack eye, take a beating from a

Real bad guy?

Have you?

I havel!
Have you ever seen your momma struggle
“To stay on her feet?

Have you ever seen your momma go hungry
So you can eat?

Have you?

Ihavel!

Have you ever seen your momma take

A razor to her wrist not wanting to survive,
Hating God she was alive?

Have you?

Ihavel

Have you always loved your momma?

Have you?

Ihavel!

Worthy Tears
By Dejon Yearling

Ihave not given up
As time goes by,

It seems others haven too,

Letter by letter

Book by book

Sending money to my account,

Ished a tear

thought I was forgotten,

Iread the ltters,

Tove the books

Its money well spent.

Texpect more and I'm given less

Icanit say I'm not blessed

People give me their best

Istruggle with being grateful

Istruggle with patience

I struggle with love,

Tim stuck in a hard place

But I keep saying 'm tough.

Ifght my tears

‘When I should let them flow:

Are they worthy?

T guess we will never know.

Being tough does not mean holding things in
“True strength is knowledge and letting things flow
Be strong and let your tears go

Pim closed in with so much fear

Tied to myself, my worthy tears
Free Me
by Raheer Rahman

Locked down, held down, pain now
Heart about to bust

Lovelost, heart constrained.

Foundation crumbled to dust.

Minutes gone, time wasted

Siill the situation is the same.

Money’ tight, things arentright

‘Guess who gets the blame.

Mouths to feed, people in need

Nobody to pick up the slack.

Losing all hope, sense of direction

Brains about to crack.

Can'tcatch a break, no matter what' at stake
Siill end up losing ground.

Canftfind an out, no matter the route

Itall ends up going down.

Irregardless of the cost, I'm tired of the lost
Need something to set me free.

Hand me a map, place a key on my lap
Dear God, please release me.

From life struggles, heartaches

Prison and pain

From pandemic, poverty, ignorance

And the mentally insane.

Check out Raheem Rahman's new book
“The Caged Guerrilla” and his podcasts!

CONTRIBUTORS

Shoutout o all who sent us their works and made this
zine possible! Please show them some love - reach out,
write aleter, send some money, and share with others
how their contributions moved you!

Cam Eash 1156115
POBOX 1989
Ely NV 89301

Danie Baker
25765509

ECI Memphis
PO BOX 1550

Memphis, TN 38154

Adrian Petis
02102028

27005 California
Chicago IL 60608

Raheem Rahan 302551
L4100 Meullen Huy
Cumberland, MD 21502

Jacob Gines #81973-065
ECISheridan

PO BOX 3000

Sheridan, OR 97378

Dt Quigey
eli7ss

Jameson Annex

1600 North Drive
Sious Fall D 57117

RachselChriting Hilyad
12414

BISS.E Rice Roud
Topeka, KS 66607

Andre Winters 80705
ElyStae Prison

PO, Box 1989

Ely NV 89301

Buddy Smith
2531064

PO BOX 21550
Tucson, AZ 85734

Jeremy W Winsor K23928
Shawnee Correctionsl Center
6665 Stte Route 46
Vienna, 1L 62995

Rodrigo Ramirez
st ey
2700 Calfornia Ave
Chicago IL 60608

Edin Seve Suarez

Abmecd Fowler
0211120092
27005 Calfornia Ave
Chicago IL.60608

Jeremy W Winsor R23928
Shawnee Correcionsl Center
6665 Stte Route 146
Vieana, 1162995

Rodrigo Ramiez
earinasin
27005 Calfornia Ave
Chicago 1160608

Dejon Yesrling 7922
JRr

830 Sabalu Rosd.

Fort Lesvenworth, KS 6602

‘Wayne Bell 15119:075
FCI Pollck

PO Box 050

Pollck, LA 71467

Sean Swain #A242205
OSP Youngtown.

78 ot Hubbard R
Youngstown, OF 44505

Michael Owlicther
Gorbey 33405.013
USP Colemsn |

PO BOX 1033
Coleman, FL 33521

Dennis Rogers J R41290
Pinckney CC.

5835 Stae R 154
Pinckaeyuille IL 62274

Alan Pivowsr #17453-027
FClJesup

2680201 South

Jesup, GA 31599

Levar Willisms 20200115020
2700 Calfornia Ave
Chicago IL.60608

Jose Landa V56577
PO Box 999
Canton, 161520

THE [TEM IS NOT PERMITTED. PLEASE RESPOND WITHIN 30 DAYS B

YOUR ISE. IF NO RESPONSE IN 30 DAYS CONTRABAND WiILL BE

The inmate has failed to obtain an authorized
DESTROYED. Bp-331,AuthorizationtoReceive Package or Prope
apublieation contains material that a reasonable person would construe a8\

the purpose of communicating information designed to achieve a breakdow
through offender disruption such as strikes, riots or security threat group ac

The above-named.publication has been%re
Publications" The Warden may reject a t
detrimental to the security, good order
it might facilitate criminal activity.
magazine and it is consider.d security, ris
A publication may be rejected only/df it
good order, ‘or discipline of the institut
activity.Apublication contains material on the sadtin
detection of criminal schemes by lawful authorities_ il
The mentioned confiscated parcels of mail were either saturates
Mail Privileges between the above individuals haye been s nded.
contains information which can be used to jnstill violenge or

hatred among the offender population Inaserostite ocmide ptufes.

bittures uith nappropriate gestures
ALl incoming general correspondence,’eny

rejected if it is anything other than ]
lipstick, fragrance, tape, markers, cra
teaches or advocates llegal activity, disruption, or behavic

is determined by the Warden/Superintendent; to interfere 1
is determined bythe Warden/Supenntendent, for any reas
s

relates ta coniract that e offénder is aske

if & publication is danisd, youimay submit a writtg
2ppeal to the Wardan/Subérintender

‘withia 10 days of the decisior. .-

items with marker, crayon. hiehlightts.,
matallicink, glue, Whiteout, stickers

'DISPOSITION OF NON-DELIVERED ITEMIS)
ST

G,

orn & ftncer's recuest for IGE reviow,

SIGN AND RE Q 5