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Toxic Shock Syndrome: Ask PHN: Suboxone
Our Risks and Our Rights
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IN PRASON WA

T WiNG wm! A Lee semm;ivcé
S LEEN Ae’(KAN\A\’\C,

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Table of Contents

4 Toxic Shock Syndrome: Our

Risks and Our Rights
by Kwaneta Harris

Your Hemorrhoids May Be, in
Fact, a Fissure
by Suzy Subways

Martin Sostre Forged the Path

‘We Walk
A Book Excerpt

Ask PHN: Suboxone
by Leah Owen-Oliner

11 What Is PREA, the Prison
Rape Elimination Act?
by Jamila W Harris

13 The Board & Me

by Gene Paul Woodham

14 Resources & Support

Issue 62, Fall/Winter 2025

Edited By:

Alyssa Lynne-Joseph, Gracelynne West, Kirby
Sokolow, Leah Owen-Oliner, Lily H-A, Jamila W.
Harris, Madeline Behee, Max Farma, Mindy Lee
Thai, Navpreet Reehal, Savannah Woodrow, Seth
Lamming, and Suzy Subways

Design and Layout:
Tee Jay, Ridge Chin

Many thanks to the PHN Advisory Board for their
wisdom and insight: Kwaneta Harris, currently
incarcerated in Texas, Madusa Carter, Philadelphia,
Ignacio H. Carrillo, currently incarcerated in lliinois,
A. Maxwell Hanna, Oregon, Elisabeth Long, San
Francisco, Fatima Malika Shabazz, Los Angeles,
Lisa Strawn, San Francisco

HajiL uhnies Aq uy

Toxic Shock Syndrome: Our Risks

and Our Rights

By Kwaneta Harris

“watch them every month, huddled in the comers
Iuv their cells, meticulously rolling state-issued

pads into makeshift tampons. My friends know
it's risky, but what choice do they have? Texas pris-
ons issue a handful of pads and five tampons per
month. They don't provide instructional pamphlets,
because the state deems the images too sexually
explicit.

For women forced to work without pay, purchasing
additional supplies from the commissary is nearly
impossible, even now that they ve finally started
offering multi-packs instead of just super-sized
ones.

Texas isn't the only state failing to provide ade-
quate pads and tampons to incarcerated people.
While the First Step Act, signed into law in 2018,
requires federal prisons to provide free menstrual
(period-related) supplies, it does not apply to state
prisons or local jails. With women making up
roughly 10% of the U.S. prison and jail population,
DOC budgets primarily focus on men (and on cis-
gender men in particular). DOC directors and bud-
getary decision-makers, moreover, are often
men—men who I'd prefer to believe are simply
ignorant about the needs of women, transgender
men, and nonbinary people who menstruate.

4 Prison Health News
“You gotta roll it tight,” Jazz explains, demonstrat-
ing her technique. “Otherwise,” she continues, ‘it
falls apart inside you.” | want to tell her about the
dangers, but | know the alternative is bleeding
through her clothes while working, a humiliation
none of us should have to endure.

‘What my friends don't realize is that they're risk-
ing their lives. Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), a
rare but potentially fatal condiion, lurks in these
improvised solutions. Anything placed in the
vagina can create an ideal breeding ground for
bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (often
called “staph’), Streptococcus pyogenes, and
Clostridium sordellii. When these bacteria release
toxins into the bloodstream, they can cause TSS.
The risk increases when an item is left in too long
because, for example, you're waiting for a guard
to bring you more supplies.

Young menstruating people between 15 and 25
years old are at highest risk for menstrual TSS,
making our teenage population particularly vulner-
able. The CDC reports that while menstrual TSS
cases have decreased since the 1980s due to
changes in tampon manufacturing, regulations,
and awareness, mortality rates still hover around
59% 10 8%. In prison, where medical care is often
delayed or denied, these odds become even more
frightening.

The symptoms of TSS appear suddenly and dra-
matically. They include:

+ High fever (102°F or higher)
+ Sunburn-like rash

+ Muscle aches

+ Vomiting and/or diarrhea

+ Confusion

- Seizures

+ Low blood pressure

Without immediate medical attention, TSS can
progress to organ failure within 24 to 48 hours.
Treatment requires hospitalization, intensive
antibiotics, and supportive care for affected
organs. Even with proper treatment, some sur-
vivors face long-term health complications.

The cruel irony? This risk is preventable by using
proper menstrual supplies according to health
quidelines and by changing them frequently. Tam-
pons that come with safety instructions and ade-
quate pads should be a basic human right, not a
luxury. Instead, state policies force people who
have periods to choose between dignity and
safety.

The National Commission on Correctional Health-
care and other organizations such as the ACLU
have repeatedly called for prisons to provide free
and adequate menstrual supplies, citing both
health and human-rights concerns. Yet, here we
are, watching as people are endangered by the
simple act of managing their periods.

We need change, and it starts with awareness.
Share this information. Write to your legislators
and support organizations fighting for the health
Tights of incarcerated women, trans people, and
nonbinary people. No one should risk death
simply because they can't access basic menstrual
supplies.

Remember: Every makeshift tampon is a potential
tragedy waiting to happen. We deserve beter.
Our lives depend on it

Test Your Knowledge
(Fill in the blank)

1. Period-related TSS most commonly affects
menstruating people aged ___to__.

2. The mortality rate for menstrual-related TSS is
approximately ___%.

3. Afever of ___ or higher can be a warning sign
of TSS.

4.7TSS requires immediate treatment
5. bacteria can cause TSS.

apios wnipLsol) pue ‘seush
-0Ad sn00000idens (.ydess, ) snaine $noo000ydeIS '
Jeudsor

42048

%801%5 2

szoisi 't

isiomsuy

*®

Issue 62, Fall/Winter 2025 5
Your Hemorrhoids May Be, in

Fact, a Fissure
By Suzy Subways

s a co-editor of Prison Health News for 15
years, I've written the occasional article,
but never before have | shared my own

tales of woe and triumph. | hope my story helps
many.

Do you have a real pain in the ass that won't let
up? Is taking a poop blindingly excruciating? Have
you been told this is caused by hemorrhoids? It
may be, but it could also be an anal fissure, a
condition that is frequently misdiagnosed.

For more than 10 years, | had rear-end pain that
came and went. “My hemorrhoids are acting up,” |
would tell friends when sitting hurt too much. By
2022, the pain, when it came, was almost unbear-
able. Then, that summer, | had a flare-up that
didn't stop.

The first doctor | went to said, “Oh, if you have
hemorrhoids, there’s nothing | can do to help.” |
changed primary care doctors. The new doc
examined me (which can be a painful and inva-
sive experience) and said, “Yeah, you have really
bad hemorrhoids.”

| had to wait two months to see a colorectal sur-
geon. My butthole had two balloon-like red
swollen bits sticking out of it. | was sure the col-
orectal surgeon, a specialist at the best teaching
hospital in Philadelphia, would help.

By the time | saw the colorectal surgeon, | was
unable to sit at all. Even standing at my desk was
too painful. | worked lying down in my bed, on my
side, with my laptop next to me. I'm lucky to be a
freelance editor and work from home.

The colorectal surgeon, after a miserable exarmi-
nation that felt lie demons were burrowing into

my soul from behind, ended our quick visit by pro-
nouncing: “Your hemorthoids are tiny! You're fine!”

Many months of misery followed. Meanwhile, |
made an appointment for a colonoscopy, where
they use a tube with a camera to look inside the
rectum and colon—too bad | would have to wait a
year. Why didn't | see another colorectal surgeon
for a second opinion? For a reason I'm sure you
can all relate to—having a doctor minimize or
deny your pain is humiliating. And | was trauma-
tized. But avoiding the invasive exams only hurt
me more.

Finally, | asked my primary care doc to get me the
colonoscopy more quickly by requesting a diag-
nostic colonoscopy. This is different from a
screening colonoscopy, which they are supposed
to do for everyone between 45 and 75 to see if we
have colorectal cancer. They do a diagnostic
colonoscopy because something is wrong and we
need to find out what the hell it is.

My colonoscopy revealed a fissure, which is a
tear in the lining of the anus. It can cause bleed-
ing, although mine didn’t. My new colorectal sur-
geon said the red balloon-like bits sticking out of
my ass were atelltale sign of fissure that many
doctors miss.

Most fissures go away by themselves within a few
weeks. Mine was chronic. | eventually had two

surgical procedures:

= Botox injection to relax the anal sphincter
muscle. The anus is often too tight because of the
pain, S0 when pooping, the fissure can be torn

6 Prison Health News
open again. The Botox lasts for about three to six
months, relaxing the anus enough to give the fis-
sure time to heal.

= Sphincterotomy. My colorectal surgeon
(named Dr. Butcher, although he was quite gentle
and skilled!) offered to do the Botox injection again
after it didn't help me at all, but | opted for sphinc-
terotomy. He made a tiny cut in the anal sphincter
muscle to relax it a lttle bit permanently. Sphinc-
terotomy has a 90% success rate but a risk of leak-
age (tiny amounts of poop seeping out when you
least expect i), which is usually temporary but can
be permanent. As crappy as that sounds, | couldn’t
wait to end my pain. My fissure healed over the next
few months, and | didn't have any leakage beyond
afew times when | had to change my underwear.

Here's what helped my worst pain (and lot of
these steps can help prevent a fissure from forming
in the first place):

+ Relaxing the pelvic floor muscles (everyone has
them!) while doing a wide “child's pose,” a yoga
position. This is especially helpful after pooping.

= Child’s pose: On your hands and knees,
lower your chest to the mattress or floor and
widen your knees, lowering your rear end to rest
between your feet.

= Relax the pelvic floor: Locate your anal
muscles by imagining that you are stopping the
flow of gas. Breathe deeply into your belly as
you focus on relaxing and lengthening the
muscle. Picture the anus as a flower opening to
bloom (trust me!). As you exhale, imagine the
flower becoming a small bud again. This can
also be done throughout the day, even when
you're not in child's pose.

+ Drinking lots of water.

+ Trying to eat a high fiber diet: vegetables and
fruit (especially leafy greens and berries), beans,
plain rolled oats and other whole grains. Con-
sider a religious or vegetarian diet. However, try
to add more of these foods to your diet

gradually; a quick change from a low-fiber to a
high-fiber diet can actually worsen
constipation.

Taking fiber supplements, if you can get
them. Take them in the morning or afternoon,
with lots of water, and according to dosage
instructions to prevent constipation. If you
need more help preventing constipation, try a
stool softener like Colace (generic name:
docusate).

Never strain or push when pooping. Breathe
slowly and deeply to relax the anal muscles.
Know when to give up and cut your losses.
Wet the toilet paper with spit and gently pat,
don't rub.

used a Squatty Potty, a stool to raise your
feet 7 to 9 inches so your knees are higher
than your hips when pooping. This makes the
flow easier. You may be able to rig something
up or just squat over the toilet.

Asitting cushion with a cutout right under the
anus. When | didn't have it, | arranged cloth-
ing or a jacket in a U shape as a substitute
cushion.

Sitz baths (a warm shallow bath) and regular
baths; try a hot shower. The warm water helps
relax your anal sphincter.

1 used coconut oil suppositories | made myself
and kept in the freezer, like little popsicles. Try
to find A&D ointment or petroleurn jelly (or
vegetable ol if you can't find those) and apply
it o the painful area before pooping.

Dr. Butcher prescribed nifedipine ointment
(some prescribe nitroglycerin ointment, but it
can cause headaches)

Lidocaine ointment to put inside the anus
helps kil the pain for a lot of people.

Issue 62, Fall/Winter 2025 7
Martin Sostre
Forged the
Path We Walk

A Book Excerpt

rtin Sostre was a legendary jailhouse

Mlaawyer who, in the early 1960s, led the

way in ending the *hands-off doctrine”
that meant judges wouldn't stop prison adminis-
trations from abusing incarcerated peaple. He
shared his self-taught legal skills with others and
came up with the idea to use Section 1983, which
allows individuals to sue officials for violating their
constitutional rights. Since his example, countless
others, including many Prison Health News read-
ers, have used this strategy to fight for access to
quality health care in prison. But Sostre saw law-
suits as just one tool in the activist's toolbox. More
important was to be part of a larger movement
and organize together for liberation. Garrett Fel-
ber’s new book, A Continuous Struggle: The Rev-
olutionary Life of Martin Sostre, explores a trove
of examples for how to resist dehumanization.
The following excerpt is from the book's foreword
by renowned Black historian Robin D. G. Kelley.

A Continuous Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of
Martin Sostre brings to light the other radical
Martin whose impact on postwar liberation move-
ments is immeasurable. A contemporary of King
and Malcolm, Martin Ramirez Sostre was
arguably more revolutionary than both men. His
ought to be a household name in the US, espe-
cially for students of social movements and bud-
ding abolitionists. This Harlem-born, working-class
Black Puerto Rican with a tenth-grade education
had earned a reputation as an outstanding jail-
house lawyer before the other Martin delivered his
1963 “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on
Washington. While serving a twelve-year prison
sentence in New York, Sostre successfully argued

A Continuous Struggle
The Revolutionary Life of
Martin Sostre

SS81d) i J0 ASepn0o abew)

Foreword by
Robin D. G. Kelley

Garrett Felber

for the right of imprisoned Black Muslims to have
access to the Holy Qur'an, and that prison condi-
tions and the punitive treatment meted out to
Muslims violated the Fourteenth Amendment.
Upon his release in 1964, Sostre settled in Buf-
falo, opened three radical bookstores that became
hubs of Black political activity, and in the wake of
the city's 1967 rebellion was arrested on manufac-
tured drug charges and sentenced to forty years
in prison.

Renowned for his eloquence and sharp wit,
Sostre nevertheless believed actions spoke
louder than words. And he was a man of bold
actions. For Buffalo’s Black community, his Afro-
Asian Bookshop functioned more as a community
center, a gathering space for youth (especially

8 Prison Health News
after Sostre added a tumtable, loudspeakers, and
afew crates of hip records), and an informal
school for political education. The Afro-Asian
Bookshop resembled Lewis Michaux’s African
National Memorial Bookstore and Una Mulzac's
Liberation Bookstore, both in Harlem. In other
words, Sostre was not an entrepreneur but, above
all, an organizer. The state knew it and thought
that locking him up would silence him—a devas-
tating miscalculation. He simply organized inside,
becoming one of the most effective prison orga-
nizers in history. In 1968, while incarcerated at
Green Haven Prison, he was held for thirteen
months in solitary confinement for *practicing law
without a license” because he was using his con-
siderable skills to help fellow prisoners. In August
1969, he was transferred to Wallkill State Prison,
where he led efforts to organize a prisoners’ labor
union. Three years later, he was sent to Auburn
State Prison, where he organized a strike of work-
ers in the license plate shop and was put in soli-
tary for refusing to shave his beard. He was
transferred yet again in December 1972 to Clinton
Correctional Facility and held in solitary for refus-
ing to shave his beard and submit to rectal exams
[ostensibly looking for contraband], for which the
guards beat and raped him nearly a dozen times.

Sostre’s story is central to understanding the
genealogy of the modern [prison] abolition move-
ment and its direct links to the eighteenth- and
nineteenth-century anti-slavery movement. Radi-
cal Black abolition is rooted not in pacifism or sen-
timentality but in the rebellions of the enslaved,
including mutinies on the floating dungeons used
to transport captured Africans across the Atlantic.
In other words, abolition was a militant and mili-
tary response to what John Brown called “a most
barbarous, unprovoked, and unjustifiable war of
one portion of its citizens upon another portion.”
Anthropologist Orisanmi Burton brilliantly captures
the continuum in his assertion that prisons are

“sites of counter-war, a term that reflects the fact
that captive rebels were responding to an antago-
nism they did not initiate.”

To order A Continuous Struggle: The Revolution-
ary Life of Martin Sostre by Garrett Felber, write to
/;K Press, 370 Ryan Ave. #100, Chico, CA 95973

Ask PHN:
Suboxone

by Leah Owen-Oliner

Dear Prison Health News,

Can you provide me medical fact sheets on
Suboxone?

-J.W.

Dear J.W.,

Thank you for your question about such an
important topic! Many people are curious about
Suboxone and whether it can help them. Subox-
one is one of the main medicines used to treat
opioid use disorder (OUD). When someone has
OUD, it means they are struggling to stop opi-
oids, even when it is harming their health, rela-
tionships, and future. One major reason quitting
is so difficult is the withdrawal period that hap-
pens when opioids are stopped suddenly. With-
drawal can be very unpleasant, often involving
nausea, diarrhea, runny nose, shaking, anxiety,
and muscle aches. Suboxone helps ease these
withdrawal symptoms and decrease opioid
cravings.

How opioids work

To understand Suboxone, we first need to
understand how opioids work. Opioids like
heroin, fentanyl, and morphine attach to special
spots in the brain called opioid receptors. You
can think of the opioid as a key and the receptor
as a lock. When the *key” fits into the “lock,” it
causes the strong pleasurable feeling that
makes opioids addictive.

How Suboxone works

Suboxone is a combination of two medicines:
buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine is

Issue 62, Fall/Winter 2025 9
considered a weak opioid. It attaches to the
same *locks” in the brain as heroin, for example,
but cannot fully trigger the same response. This
gentler activation of the lock is enough to calm
cravings and withdrawal without creating the
addictive *high.”

Naloxone i an opioid blocker included in Sub-
oxone as a safety guard. If someone tries to
misuse Suboxone by injecting it or snorting t,
naloxone will cause immediate withdrawal.
However, if you take Suboxone under the
tongue o in the cheek as prescribed, the nalox-
one will not affect you.

Starting Suboxone

Suboxone is a prescription medication that
should be managed by a trained medical pro-
fessional such as a doctor. Usually you need to
wait 1224 hours after using an opioid before
starting Suboxone, unless you are slowly
adding very low doses of Suboxone while you're
still using opioids. If you take a full dose of Sub-
oxone too soon, it can make the withdrawal
symptoms worse. Doctors usually begin with a
low dose and may increase the dose slowly until
you feel your cravings and withdrawal are man-
ageable. Suboxone comes in a thin papery film
that dissolves under the tongue or against the
cheek. Most people take Suboxone 1-3 times
per day; your doctor or nurse will help you find
the right dose and schedule.

Side effects

Fortunately, most Suboxone side effects are
mild and resolve quickly. At first, some people
notice temporary drowsiness, constipation,
headache, dry mouth, and trouble sleeping.
Serious side effects like breathing problems are
rare, but they are more likely if you are also
using substances like alcohol, Xanax, or other
sedating drugs. Therefore, it is important to
always tell your provider what else you take in
case it interacts with Suboxone.

Long-term treatment options

Once you feel stable on Suboxone, you and
your provider can work together to choose next
steps. Some people decide to continue Subox-
one in the long term in order to maintain sobri-
ety. Others switch to a monthly shot of
buprenorphine given by a doctor. Stil others,
often those who are well into recovery, may
gradually taper off of Suboxone once they are
ready. Everyone’s path looks different and there
is no “right” answer!

Afew details specific to prison

Not every prison offers Suboxone, so you may
want to ask medical staff if “medication-assisted
treatment” for OUD is available where you are.
If Suboxone is not possible, you might inquire
about additional support. For example, some
facilities might have other helpful medications
(like methadone) or non-medication resources
like counseling and peer groups.

One big benefit of taking Suboxone is that it
lowers your risk of overdose, especially if you
return to using opioids like heroin or fentanyl
once back in the community. Overdose risk is
highest right after leaving prison, and staying
connected to Suboxone treatment can be life-
saving. Some people may say Suboxone is *just
another drug”, but that is not true — when taken
as prescribed, it does not cause a high. Doctors
and health experts recognize it as a real, effec-
tive treatment for OUD.

In conclusion:

Suboxone is a medicine that empowers many
people with OUD to reclaim control of their lives
by reducing opioid cravings, decreasing with-
drawal symptoms, and lowering overdose risk.
Combined with support like counseling, therapy,
peer groups, or other medications, Suboxone is
a powerful tool for recovery! If you are inter-
ested in Suboxone, ask your health provider if it
is the right option for you. %

10 Prison Health News
messoy 191qeD Sued Aq py

What Is PREA, the Prison Rape

Elimination Act?
by Jamila W. Harris

he Prison Rape Elimination Act, also known
Tas PREA, s a law that Congress passed

unanimously in 2003 after prison rape sur-
vivors organized to demand protections. It sought
to protect the incarcerated population from sexual
assault and sexual harassment. PREA estab-
lishes a zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of
sexual abuse and sexual harassment in each
facilty.

What Does PREA Cover?

The law aims to protect all individuals in custody,
including those in prisons, jails, juvenile detention

centers, and immigration detention centers, whether
these are state, federal, or local facilities, including
privately owned facilties.

It defines sexual harassment as repeated and unwel-
come attempts, threats, gestures, derogatory com-
ments, or requests of a sexual nature by an inmate to
another inmate or by a staff member, contractor, or
volunteer.

PREA defines sexual assault as sexual intercourse or
any sexual contact, including by hand, finger, mouth,
other body parts, or objects, by another inmate, staff,

Issue 62, Fall/Winter 2025 1
contractor, or volunteer, that is coerced overtly or
implied by threats or gestures, when the victim was
unable to refuse or did not consent. This can
include intentional touching of a sexual nature,
directly or through clothing

The law also covers voyeurism by a staff member,
contractor, or volunteer. Voyeurism includes peek-
ing at an inmate who is using the toilet in their cell,
requiring an inmate to expose any private or sexual
body part, or taking images of all or part of an
inmate’s naked body or of an inmate performing
bodily functions such as showering.

PREA also makes cross-gender strip searches and
cross-gender body-cavity searches illegal except in
exigent circumstances or when performed by a
medical professional. The law recommends train-
ing security staff on conducting cross-gender pat-
down searches, including those of transgender and
intersex individuals, in a professional, respectful,
and less intrusive manner.

PREA mandates that a facility should not search or
physically examine a transgender or intersex
inmate for the sole purpose of determining sexual
genitalia status. If the status is unknown, then it
should be determined during a conversation with
the individual, a medical records review, or through
a broader examination in private by a medical
practitioner.

How To Report an Incident or Seek Help

Sexual assault can be a violation of the Eighth
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Custodial
faciliies have an obligation to investigate reports of
sexual harassment or sexual assault. The agency
must provide several internal ways for inmates to
privately report incidents, retaliation by other
inmates or staff for reporting them, and staff
neglect or violation of responsibilities that may
have contributed to such incidents. The agency
shall also provide at least one way for inmates to
report abuse or harassment to a public or private
entity or office that is not part of the agency.

Staff must report all incidents, retaliation, neglect or
violations of responsibilties that may have

contributed to an incident or retaliation. They are
also required to protect the confidentiality of sur-
vivors who seek support.

To report a PREA violation, an incarcerated individ-
ual can do the following:

+ Callthe PREA Reporting Hotline at 1-855-855-
0611.

+ Inform a family member, friend, or support
person on the outside.

+ Refer to the institution’s manual for reporting

sexual harassment or sexual assault.

File a grievance with your institution.

Use the PREA incident reporting form.

Write to the PREA Coordinator in your state.

Document everything, and keep all evidence.

Ask a local rape crisis center for counseling

and support.

ve e e

Make sure that the incident report includes the
date, time, location, and descriptive details about
the incident, the suspect, and the victim.

PREA allows third-party reporting. This means that
family members or friends can report an incident
for the incarcerated individual.

PREA Enforcement Is at Risk

In April 2025, Donald Trump's Department of Jus-
tice eliminated funding for the National PREA
Resource Center, the only mechanism set up to
hold prisons accountable for sexual assaults and
prevent them in the future. It was established in
2010 to provide training and guidance to all pris-
ons, jails, and detention centers to ensure that
PREA standards are met. It also tracked the results
of PREA investigations, worked on audits of facili-
ties, taught imprisoned people about their rights,
and provided resources to sexual assault survivors
who are currently incarcerated.

A Department of Justice spokesperson told The
Appeal, a nonprofit news organization, that pre-
venting rape of people in prison is not a priority for
Trump’s administration. Corene Kendrick, deputy
director of the ACLU's National Prison Project, told
The Appeal, “The actions by the Department of

12 Prison Health News
Justice to immediately zero out all funding of PREA
investigations and audits will tragically make it even
more challenging to hold prison and ail officials
responsible for the sexual assaults of the people
who they have locked up.”

Unfortunately, the cuts took effect immediately. The
American Jail Association reports that the PREA
Management Office (PMO) has taken over PREA
audits, but it's unclear how this will work.

According to the National Institute for Jail Opera-
tions, PREA's legal requirements are still enforce-
able. Based on case law, people who survive
sexual assault while incarcerated can use several
arguments to pursue their legal rights: the facilty
has a duty to protect those in its custody, and offi-
cials can be held accountable for deliberate indif-
ference, failure to train staff, and failure to
supervise.

Even without the PREA Resource Center, there are
still resources available for incarcerated survivors
of sexual abuse. Prison Health News editors called
the PREA Reporting Hotline (1-855-855-0611) in
August, and it is still taking calls 24 hours a day.

Just Detention International (JDI) is a health and
human rights organization that aims to end sexual
abuse in all forms of detention. JDI offers a Sur-
vivor Packet for survivors who are incarcerated and
seeking counseling, legal support, or confidential
rape crisis services in their local area. Unfortu-
nately, JDI itself is not able to provide legal repre-
sentation or counseling services.

Incarcerated people may write to JDI via confiden-
tial, legal mail at the following address:

Cynthia Totten, Attorney at Law
CAAttorney Reg. #199266
3250 Wilshire Bivd., Suite 1630
Los Angeles, CA 90010

If you have experienced sexual harassment or
assault in prison, we at Prison Health News are so
sorry that happened to you. We hope that you find
support, justice, and healing. %

The Board &« Me

I'm brought before a committee of men

Their irony, complete falseness, the words they defend
Smiling in my face, as they destroy my soul

As more misery and loneliness take their toll
Announcing an unjust decision with attitudes so high
Their abuse of power they flaunt makes me cry

Living this depression, doomed in this cage

More frustration, disguised as anger, ugly in rage

live in a fate worse than death

You may ask the meaning, | failed that test

My days are nightmares, and more terror as | sleep
Anon-existence seems to be my fate so complete

My oppressors masked faceless in my soul
Inspiring to nothing more, until I'm cold
Surrendering in a lfe, not living, not dead

No one has, will, or can show me a simpler way

Never a coward to give in, conflicted to die
Maybe a lone tear, yet | cannot cry

Trying to feel a touch, a breath, just as the best
I'see and know my end's rest.

—By Gene Paul Woodham
#C67944, California Health Care Facility, Stockton

from feelings on 1/16/25 parole hearing

Issue 62, Fall/Winter 2025 13
Information &

Support Resources

Center for Health Justice
900 Avila Street #301

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Prison Hotline: 213-229-0985

Free health (including HIV and mental health) hotline
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those being
released to Los Angeles County can get help with
health care and insurance.

Prison Yoga Project
PO.Box 415

Bolinas, CA 94924

Write to ask for a free copy of one of the following
books: Yoga: A Path for Healing and Recovery, Yoga:
un Camino para La Sanacion y la Recuperacion, or
the prison yoga book for women, Freedom from the
Inside.

POZ Magazine

Attn: Circulation Department
157 Columbus Ave, Suite 525
New York, NY 10023

Magazine for people living with HIV/AIDS. Give your
full name and address, and state that you are HIV
positive and cannot afford a subscription.

Black and Pink National
Inside Member Mail

2406 Fowler Ave, Suite 316
Omaha, NE 68111

Black & Pink distributes a free national newsletter to
incarcerated LGBTQIA2S+ members and incarcerated
members living with HIV/AIDS around the country.
Each issue includes pieces submitted by incarcerated
members, relevant news, history, opinions from our
non-incarcerated community, and a calendar.

California Coalition for Women Prisoners
4400 Market St., Oakland, CA 94608

Organizes with members inside and outside prison to
challenge the institutional violence imposed on
women, trans and GNC people, and communities of
color by the prison industrial complex (PIC). They
send The Fire Inside newsletter.

National Prisoner Resource Directory
Prison Activist Resource Center

PO Box 70447

Oakland, CA 94612

Free 26-page national resource guide for people in
prison. It contains contact information for other
organizations that can provide free books and
information on finding legal help, publications,
resources for women and LGBT people, and more.

SERO Project
P.O. Box 1233
Milford, PA 18337

Anetwork of people living with HIV working to end HIV
criminalization, mass incarceration, racism and social
injustice and to improve policy outcomes, advance
human rights and promote healing justice.

Just Detention International
3250 Wilshire Bivd. Suite 1630
Los Angeles, CA 90010

If you have experienced sexual harm in custody, write
to ask for their Survivor Packet, which includes a self-
help guide for survivors and info on prisoners’ rights
and how to get help via mail and phone. Survivors can
write via confidential, legal mail to Cynthia Totten,
Attorney at Law, CA Attorney Reg. #199266 at the
above address. Please note that they do not provide
legal representation or counseling services.

14 Prison Health News
Hepatitis Education Project
1621 South Jackson Street, Suite 201
Seattle, WA 98144

Write to request info about viral hepatitis, harm
reduction, and how you can advocate for yourself to
get the treatment you need.

Jailhouse Lawyers’ Handbook
National Lawyers Guild - Prison Law Project
PO Box 1266

New York, NY 10009-8941

Write them to ask for a free copy.

Bridge Project
Philosophy Department
Loyola University Maryland
4501 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21210

Ask for a free copy of "The Power of Meditation:
Finding the Freedom Within," a 2-page brochure with
tools to help you start meditating.

Prison Legal News
P.0. Box 1151 Lake Worth, FL 33460

Monthly 72-page magazine on the rights of people in
prison and recent court rulings. Sample issue: $5.
Subscription: $36/year.

Protecting Your Health & Safety: A Litiga.
tion Guide for Inmates
PLN, P.O. Box 1151 Lake Worth, FL 33460

325-page manual explains legal rights to health and
safety in prison, and how to advocate for those rights
when they are violated. A publication of the Southern
Poverty Law Center. Make a $16 check or money
order out to Prison Legal News.

ameelio.org
If you have loved ones on the outside, they can use

this nonprofit phone app to send you letters and
photos for free.

National Resource Center on Children and
Families of the Incarcerated

856-225-2718

https://nrecfi.camden. rutgers.edu/resources/

This i a resource for those with family members on
the outside. They do not respond to mail, but your
loved ones can find their resources on their website.
They have fact sheets and a directory of programs that
offer services for children and families of the
incarcerated.

Transgender Law Center

PO Box 70976

Oakland, CA 94612

Collect line for people in prison: 510.380.8229

Connects transgender and gender-nonconforming
people with advocacy information. They cannot take
on legal cases or direct advocacy, but provide access
to resources.

Fair Shake Re-Entry Center
P.O. Box 63, Westby, Wi 54667

Send them a donation of $5 or more for reentry
packet to help you plan for your release. They can
also send free offline software that allows you to find
resources without using the internet.

Issue 62, Fall/Winter 2025 15
Prison Health News

Write to Prison Health News at

4722 Baltimore Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19143

and we will do our best to answer your
health questions. Here is information
to consider when writing to us for
health information—

For a subscription of 4 free issues a year,
please write to us!

Here’s what we CAN do:

+ Provide medical factsheets

+ Send information about medications

« Offer information about options for
testing and treatment

+ Send general information about
specific conditions

Here’s what we CANNOT do:

+ Answer more than 2 questions in one letter (please
allow up to 8 weeks 1o receive a response).
Interpret health test results

Suggest a diagnosis for your symptoms

Provide analysis for complex cases

Provide legal advocacy

Send books

Offer pen pal referrals

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