Dear Friends, Wow, December is almost here! We've been hard at work answering letters, phone calls, and emails from people in prison and the people who love them. Since April, we've answered more than 1,250 letters. That's a lot of mail. And, it would not be possible without all of the young folks below and more:
From L front to R: Nina, Elana, Matt, Jazlyn, and Kelsey
In this Newsletter, I draw your attention to the release of our revised Parole Readiness Booklet entitled "Getting through the Michigan Parole Process." Pete and Marissa spearheaded the revising process. They drew on personal experience and recent changes we have recognized due to our work with hundreds of men and women going through the preparation for the parole process. As Pete so eloquently reminds folks: "At some point in the future, you will look back upon the time you've spent in prison and you will either find it was a horrible waste of time or a productive experience. The choice is yours, and it is a choice you make every day." We've already sent in hundreds of copies of the revised booklet. In addition to the release of the parole booklet in this edition of our E-Newsletter, you will find some practical and simple tips from a woman serving time at Huron Valley Women's, Kelly Rose Brooks. She's boiled down doing good and life changing-time to a few solid and empowering bullet points. Also, our brother in the struggle, Buzz Alexander, recently released his book documenting the founding and development of the Prison Creative Arts Project. You can find the book for sale by clicking on this link: Is William Martinez Not Our Brother?: Twenty Years of the Prison Creative Arts Project.
And if you keep reading through this E-Newsletter, you will find an announcement for one of his upcoming readings from the book at Leopold's Books in Detroit on December 9. A few weeks back, I had the honor of being a responder on a panel, after one of Buzz's readings, and it was a profound and moving experience. I encourage you to come out to hear him. The message, after all, is hopefulness in otherwise trying and repressive times. As usual, there are links to MDOC issued policy directives and news along with some links to other criminal justice related news and information.
I'll continue with the Medical Advocacy tips in the next edition of the Newsletter.
Happy reading and Happy Holidays!
P.S. Natalie will be out of the office on family leave from November 30 until January 10, 2011. Please contact Pete Martel at 734-761-8283 ext.2 or pmartel@afsc.org and please be patient with AFSC in the coming weeks since we will be one staff down.
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Kelly Rose Brooks' Aggressive Self-Care While in Prison Manifesto
| Below you will find some brief tips for getting by in a healthy way while living in prison. After mentioning to AFSC that people have to be aggressive about their self-care while in prison, Kelly was gracious enough to put her ideas about what aggressive self-care means down in writing. If you or your loved one has more tips for how he/she gets by inside, I encourage you to share those ideas with AFSC in writing.
In documenting my "Aggressive Self-Care", I think I need to address a few key personal commitments I made to ensure a positive rehabilitation and continued redemption, when I first arrived in prison. Please note I was held for 311 days in Oakland County Jail - Maximum Unit before coming to Prison for Drunk Driving Causing Death and Involuntary Manslaughter w/ Vehicle - (7 years 2 mo - 15 years).
- Admitted to "what role I played in this situation"/ took responsibility
- Began consequential thinking
- Was I prepared for the consequences if:
a) I Fought and went to seg[regation]
b) I Had dangerous contraband in my room
c) I Refused a direct order
The answer was NO - instead I realized that:
a) I preferred to call home (daily)/drink coffee (daily) leave the room/and smoke (well use to)
b) Everything was a direct order
As to date, I have had no major/minor misconducts (77 months of incarceration - smile)
- I picked my battles - not everything is an injustice
- Found at least 1 staff advocate
- Tried not to burn any bridges
- Never forget how bad I want to go home - never
- Observe/Watch and Observe some more
AGGRESSIVE SELF CARE
Positive enforcements I did while incarcerated:
- Maintain a structured schedule
- For mothers - get up every morning (6:30 - 7:00) like you are getting your children ready for school - stay focused
- Exercise ½ hour to 1 hour a day (Currently we have - Fit TV (cable), Yard, Weights and Aerobic Volleyball, Skating, Baseball - All Prison run activities; Yoga and Ballet are run by inmates)
- Be persistent - keep kiting and then GO when you get on the call - out
- Read (Read the Bible)- learn something new; rarely do any individuals have the down time like we do to better ourselves
- Read - re-read - takes notes - I promise you missed something the first time
- Prison can be a lonely existence - learn to sit with yourself and be OKAY with just you!!!! It makes things so much easier.
- Eat your state portion and if possible just order small snacks. You will not starve here. [In prison] food is made to be a bargaining tool. Get healthy and get back to a comfortable weight. Helps with Self Esteem - Sleep and Bad Decision Making (owing others/2 for 1)
- Pray/meditate/ Get in a 12 Step Group even if you do not have a Substance Abuse Program - The 12 Steps work and it gives you a group atmosphere to "vent"
- Be okay with discomfort - this will only make you stronger. NOT PAIN - but discomfort
- Document/journal your successes - not failures
- Try to stay in contact with one STABLE individual from the outside. - not for money or manipulation - just for good conversation/empathy and current event discussion
Never stop dreaming!!!
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Is William Martinez Not Our Brother?
20 years of the Prison Creative Arts Project--Buzz Alexander Reading at Leopold's Books: Thursday, December 9th at 7:00pm |
You're invited to a reading and book release celebration at Leopold's!
Join University of Michigan professor and Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) founder Buzz Alexander and Detroit artists and activists for an evening of storytelling and community dialogue bearing witness to the human costs of mass incarceration in Michigan.
Responding panel:
Ron Scott, Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality
Natalie Holbrook, American Friends Service Committee Criminal Justice Program
Mary Heinen, Prison Creative Arts Project
Ana Lyra Sis, Community Artist and PCAP Participant
Thursday, December 9th at 7:00pm
Leopold's Books
The Park Shelton
15 E Kirby St.
Detroit MI, 48202
Leopold's Books
313-875-4677
Prisons are an invisible, but dominant, part of American society: the United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world, with 25 percent of the world's prisoners currently held within its borders. Is William Martinez Not Our Brother? describes the Prison Creative Arts Project and its work giving incarcerated
individuals an opportunity to participate in the arts, enabling them to withstand and often overcome the conditions and culture of prison, the policies of an incarcerating state, and the consequences of mass incarceration. |
Criminal Justice Related News, Issues, and Articles
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Check out the excellent work of our colleagues in Arizona as documented on the Cell-Out AZ blog: Cell-Out AZCell-Out Arizona is a blog for and by the Arizona office of the American Friends Service Committee. The goal of this blog is to provide a public forum for critical analysis of issues pertaining to incarceration, prison privatization, sentencing reform, and occasionally all things criminal justice related in Arizona.
Also of interest to people tuned in to criminal justice related information is the newly released publication from The Sentencing Project by Valerie Wright, Ph.D. entitled Deterrence in Criminal Justice: Evaluating Certainty versus Severity of Punishment
Marc Mauer, Executive Director of TSP, states, "the report concludes: - Enhancing the certainty of punishment is far more likely to produce deterrent effects than increasing the severity of punishment.
- Particularly at high levels of incarceration, there is no significant public safety benefit to increasing the severity of sentences by imposing longer prison terms.
- Policies such as "three strikes and you're out" and mandatory minimum sentences only burden state budgets without increasing public safety.
- Evidence-based approaches would require increasing the certainty of punishment by improving the likelihood of detection."
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| MDOC Policy Directive Changes and Other MDOC-Issued Information |  Below is a list of recently revised or issued Michigan Department of Corrections' Policy Directives (PDs) and Director's Office Memorandums (DOMs). You can find the Policy Directives and DOMs at the following link MDOC Policy Directives. All DOMS are at the very bottom of the page.
Revised PDs:PD 03.03.105 "Prisoner Discipline"
PD 04.01.150 "Prisoner Housing Unit Representatives/Warden's Forum"
PD 04.04.110 "Search and Arrest in Correctional Facilities"
PD 04.04.113 "Security Threat Groups"
PD 05.01.100 "Prisoner Program Classification"
PD 05.01.130 "Prisoner Security Classification"
PD 05.03.110 "Institutional Library Services"
PD 05.03.115 "Law Libraries" Click on the link below to read a pdf of MDOC's F.Y.I. October and November issues:
FYI 10-14-2010
FYI 10-29-2010
FYI 11-19-2010
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If you have questions or concerns, please email or call. For Natalie: nholbrook@afsc.org or 734-761-8283 ext. 5
For Pete: pmartel@afsc.org or 734-761-8283 ext.2
In Peace,
Natalie Holbrook, Program Director
American Friends Service Committee
Michigan Criminal Justice Program
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New Release: Updated Parole Readiness Booklet
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You can download a PDF of the new booklet by clicking on the following: Getting through the Michigan Parole Process--4th Edition
A major aspect of our work involves helping prisoners prepare for release. In addition to offering advice to reduce security level, stay ticket free, and take advantage of any programming available, we offer a "parole packet" of written materials. The "parole packet" includes a parole planning worksheet, a pamphlet called Thoughts on Getting Out, a packet called Preparing for Your Freedom, and several other helpful sheets on addressing anger and emotional issues, the parole interview process, and more. The crux of the packet, though, is a booklet co-authored by Penny Ryder and Kay Perry called Getting through the Michigan Parole Process. Things have evolved since the 3rd edition was published in 2000, so we have updated the booklet with current information and advice. We emphasize the significance of the Parole Eligibility Report (PER), the Parole Guideline Score Sheet Grid, public hearing proceedings, and most importantly, the best way for the prisoner to spend his or her time up to the parole date. The booklet features a great section by Pete on what to focus on leading up to parole that gets to the heart of "corrections"; using the time to work on yourself. He goes beyond the process and gives frank suggestions on how best to spend the years, months, and days inside becoming the best person possible. There is also a helpful section on how family and friends can offer support to their loved one throughout incarceration and the parole process.
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Newsletter #4
