Prisoners Reach Out

I AM WHO WE ARE By Kamau T.Z. Damali (originally written: June 20th, 2001) I AM WHO WE ARE; I am our nappy heads,  Our broad noses & full lips, I  am our beautiful smiles And our angry frowns I am the tears rolling down Our faces inflicted by Injustice, hardship and suffering I AM WHO WE ARE: I am Alkehulan’s (Afrika) Glory and her failure, Her happiness and her misery. Her beauty and her ugliness, Her triump and her tragedy, Her tenacity and her docility, Her  rage and her serenity. her satiety and her hunger, Her Perfection and imperfection  AM WHO WE ARE: I am that Alkebu-lanium king Who fought against the other                           Alkebu-laniankings that helped  The Europeans steal our people  Arid packed them onto ships  Like sardines ...

Forum For Understanding Prisons (FFUP) a 501c3 non profit James Greer, Director DOC health Services PO Box 7925, Madison, WI 53707 Senator Lena Taylor PO Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707 Report on Conditions in CCI segregation Units and Prisoners’ suggestions for improvement September 5, 2010 Hello, Since the beginning of my work with prisoners I have had a special place in my heart for the mentally ill in our system, many who find themselves perpetually in segregation, and now count among the people I most admire, those prisoners who have been able to gain enough insight into themselves and their situation to get out and stay out of the “hole.” Over the years I have kept an open mailbox for prisoners in trouble and had brief spurts of actual FFUP programs for them, but I am now getting too many desperate cries for help and have no more to offer them. I am writing to ask for your help. After one restless night I came up with the idea of eliciting from several of the...

This man wrote me first when he was desperate and in seg hell. this below looks like his first letter. I did advocate for him and we have been friends ever since. This is a description of what life is like for many prisoners. He is now in general population and doing well. August 17, 2006 My name is X , and I am an inmate here in Waupun Correctional Institution, where I am currently being held in a Segregation Cell. At the age of 17, I began to have "more"severe psychotic episodes, in which I had to be hospitalized for more than once. I was put on the medication called Haldol. I would hallucinations and delusional thinking that would lead to violent acts. I was arrested for PTAC of first-degree intentional homicide, and once in prison I continued to have these psychotic episodes. I would go through periods with no episodes, and then it was like someone snatched the rug from under me. I had numerous disciplinary actions taken against me, more so since being in Waupun Corr...

This complaint is still  relevant for learning even though it was written in 2010. The writing below paints an incredible picture of some of our state's segregation units- It complies with what we have been hearing since we stated this work, but I have never read a more complete and well written description. It is very hard reading. Lawsuit Complaint: Edited with defendants names removed Inmate A STATEMENT OF FACTS Suicidal history(A) Inmate A has an extensive mental health history that has been documented within the vast records of his PSU file which defendants through have access to and direct knowledge of inmate’s extensive self injurious behavior which goes back to the year of 1999 when he took an overdose of pills and cut himself in Waupun Correctional Institution/ his extreme suicidal behavior was deemed as so severe that Honorable Judge Barbara Crabb saw it fit to remove him from the conditions of confinement at Boscobel and to never be returned .There after Inmate A ...