I strive to be a ?peace warrior.? I?ve come to recognize this as a state of being rather than just a state of mind. It is a hard path to walk — but I trudge it with joy and gratitude because today I am able to be where many of my ?sisters in the struggle against domestic terrorism? cannot be — in the here and now.
–Debi Zuver, survivor incarcerated at CCWF from the Vision Statement for Our Voices Within: Out of the Shadows.
On Saturday, October 21st, Free Battered Women held its fourth Our Voices Within event celebrating the lives, struggles, victories, hopes, and dreams of incarcerated survivors of domestic violence. This year?s event honored the freedom of twelve survivors since the last Our Voices Within in 2004, a stupendous accomplishment which Free Battered Women helped to bring about! Happily, many of the released women and their families were able to come to the program along with their family members. They shared stories of joy and stories of continued struggle against discrimination, which they unfortunately have encountered from institutions and communities since their release.
Released survivors participated in the event?s inspiring program by speaking about their experiences, reading poetry, and dancing. There was also a silent auction of powerful visual art pieces created by incarcerated survivors. Each person who attended the event received a beautiful book of survivors? writings and drawings. Together these artistic expressions reminded everyone present of the resilience and creativity which is the motivating force behind Our Voices Within as well as the ongoing work of Free Battered Women to win justice and freedom for all incarcerated survivors of domestic violence. If you are in prison and would like a copy of the Our Voices Within event book, please write to Free Battered Women at 1540 Market Street, Suite 490, San Francisco, CA 94102 to request a copy. Books are free to people in prison; others can get copies for a suggested donation of $15 (including postage and handling).
Category: Issue 34 – Fall 2006/Winter 2007
by Pam Fadem
In Fall 2006, CCWP was contacted by a person who had worked on contract at Valley State Prison for Women (not as an employee of the CDRC) as a medical assistant for a few weeks in the Spring of 2006. This person?whom we will call Barbara?contacted CCWP because she was concerned with the inhumane treatment of women who were housed in the infirmary under suicide watch, and with the bad treatment she herself had received from correctional officers (CO?s) until she was dismissed.
Barbara was employed as a medical assistant by KT Staffing (a company contracted to provide services to the CDRC). She was assigned to chart activities every 15 minutes of women being held under a suicide watch at the infirmary at VSPW.
Barbara immediately experienced hostility from CO?s in the unit. She learned that CO?s and other CDRC staff had previously done this work, earning substantial overtime pay. Staff was hostile because they were no longer able to earn this overtime pay. As well, Barbara soon saw a disturbing level of cruel and inhumane treatment towards women prisoners by CO?s. Barbara told CCWP members, ?I encountered a lot of hostility directed to inmates by staff, and then to myself. I can?t speak for what other medical assistants experienced.?
Some CO?s deliberately provoked women who were ill. Barbara told CCWP about how an older woman?who appeared to be suffering from a severe case of dementia?was continually taunted and harassed by staff members who then laughed at the inmate as she became more and more agitated. In another case, Barbara was observing one woman who requested to be escorted to the restroom (there were no toilet facilities in the suicide watch cells). Barbara relayed this request to a CO (the MTA in charge). The CO said she ?would be right back.? Thirty minutes passed, with the woman prisoner pacing her cell, ?her skin becoming clammy,? as she clearly suffered trying to hold her bowels. The prisoner finally could wait no longer and was forced to relieve her bowels in her cell, with no materials to clean herself up. When the CO finally returned, she was angry about the odor and the mess, and then taunted and laughed at the prisoner who became very angry. The CO then told the woman she ?would have to live with the mess until you calm down.?
Barbara said, ?I found this very degrading and very unnecessary. I was also told by more than one inmate that you could get privileges (such as extra towels) for trading sexual favors.?
Less than a month later Barbara was dismissed from her job. While she was told it was because she had not done her job well, Barbara firmly believes that she was let go because she talked kindly to women prisoners, and refused to treat women in a degrading manner. As one CO said to Barbara in a very threatening and aggressive way, ?You have nothing to say to the inmates, do you understand??
Barbara lost her job, but she maintained her dignity and respected the dignity of the prisoners she was hired to serve. CCWP has heard stories about taunting and other inhumane treatment like this from women before, and we know that unfortunately this isn’t an aberration. What is so important in this story is that someone working inside the prison had the courage and humanity to speak out about what was going on and took the time to contact us. We hope this encourages others to do the same.
“Baby”, 25 years old, a lifer, committed suicide in CCWF on October 1, 2006. She was a diagnosed schizophrenic though friends said they “didn’t see it coming.” She was very smart, quiet, liked to help people and liked to draw. She was raised by her grandmother who had recently fallen sick. It saddened her as “her grandmother was her world.” A friend described her as “a person who changed my life” and that she made her “see things differently, appreciate life more.” She’s going to be missed.
by Jodie Lawston
In September 2006, a 26-year old woman died in the Vista Detention Center in Vista, California. The circumstances for her detainment are still unclear, as are the circumstances of her death. As much as we can now make clear, she died of an asthma attack, which is both preventable and treatable. This woman, like so many of our sisters inside, is a mother: she has a 5-year old daughter. This is not the first time that a woman has died in custody, nor will it be the last given the atrocious ?healthcare? system of California?s jails and prisons.
This death was brought to the attention of two activist professors (Jodie Lawston and Sharon Elise, both in the sociology department) at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM). In response, these professors and many concerned and angry students at the university organized a vigil for her and the other women who have died due to medical neglect inside of California?s prisons and jails. The vigil was held on December 2, 2006. There was a good turnout, with a formerly incarcerated woman who courageously spoke to the crowd about her experiences with medical neglect and abuse. We focused on outreach to family members who were going to visit their loved ones. One woman was visiting her granddaughter, and she stopped to tell us about her granddaughter?s horrendous experiences inside, such as not being given simple necessities like toilet paper.
As a group at CSUSM, we are going to continue our fight and begin to make contacts with women at CIW and Vista. CSUSM has a large body of students who have family in prison, know people in prison, or have been in prison themselves. Following the wonderful and crucial work that CCWP has done in the Bay Area, both students and several members of the faculty feel that it is imperative, being near both CIW and Vista, to have activist presence in these areas. We are in the beginning stages of our work but we plan to have visiting committees going to both CIW and Vista, as well as an educational committee. The December 2 vigil for outreach and justice is just the beginning of our work.
Precious Releases?
Sadly, we have no precious releases to report at this time. We hope that we will have some good parole news in our next issue!
Outrageous Denials?
On July 25th, 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger denied parole to Linda Lee Smith, despite the fact that this was the 7th time that the parole board had granted her parole! Linda has served over 26 years in prison. All of the victim’s next-of-kin, including the victim’s birth father and her sister (who witnessed the incident) support Linda’s release.
On November 13th, 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger reversed Maureen Carroll?s 2008 parole release date which the Parole Board granted her in 2006. Maureen Carroll has served 22 years of a 25-to-life sentence and is 53 years old.
Thanks in part to Free Battered Women for the information on releases and denials of incarcerated survivors and to the women prisoners for the information we received about their own cases.
WE INVITE OUR READERS TO SEND US INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR OWN RELEASE DATES OR DENIALS!