A Prisoner Voice
Native American spiritual practices violated
Date:
March, 2005
Location of Prisoner:
California
Dear PARC,
I am not a lawyer or a para-legal or even an inmate prison lawyer, but I know when my religious rights are being violated.
Here is a quick summary:
1. I had in May, 04 filed an inmate appeal to receive my Spiritual package from Kinnikinnick, Twist (tobacco products, non-cigarette/pipe) for American Indian religious purposes. Appeal was granted in June 04 and I did receive it.
2. May 11th, five days after the above appeal, CMF officials wrote a Memorandum stipulating one had to be a member of the Native American Spiritual Circle and have an approved card to be able to possess these religious items.
3. July 04, I filed an inmate appeal because CMF officials would not allow me to practice my daily prayers, offerings, and otehr ceremonies on the institutions yard.
4. Aug. 4, I filed an inmate appeal to those stipulations made in that memo. The appeals coordinator has stamped this appeal as a duplicate and has rejected to lgo and process this appeal four times to this current date.
The products in the package are not used exclusively for just Sweat Lodge Ceremony smoking purposes but also in prayers, offerings, and other cerenmonies.
The Americana Indians have not had a Spiritual Leader here in the 8 years that I've been here. All the other Faiths, have either a full time, a part time, or at least a volunteer for their spiritual leaders. I can you any and all the help you can give for me to fight this violation.
Sincerely,
xxxx
Frustration over facilities
Date:
January, 2009
Location of Prisoner:
Montana
Dear PARC,
I'm writing get some things straight.
Who's the comedian who sent the "standard minimum rules for treatment of Prisoners" ? Had to be a comedian because thats a joke.
1.Accommodations?
Seen 3 in a 6 by 9?
2. Medical?
You're fucked. Chronic Hep C patients get dogged.
They can only give you 2 blister packs of Ibuprofin 800 twice a year for "acute" injuries.
My partner had a compound fracture, was sent back because he wasn't dressed properly.
3. Discipline?
Lets not go there.
In short, I was tortured for 90 days, put in cells in winter, in a freezing cell, naked with nothing but a blanket. I was dehydrated, given one bologna sandwich a day. My room was never cleaned. There was my own feces, blood and urine there for days.I was beaten badly, lost 33 lbs, denied medical help, and made to defecate in a foot basin 46 times in two days under a camera.
I just wanted you to know that I didn't even scratch the surface on the way things happen here.