file - California Coalition for Women Prisoners

file - California Coalition for Women Prisoners

The Fire Inside
Newsletter of The California Coalition for Women Prisoners
1540 Market St., rm 490, San Francisco, CA 94102
www.womenprisoners.org
Issue Number 43, Summer/Fall 2010
Caring
Collectively
for
Women
Prisoners
Compañeras: Working With Immigrant Women
We dedicate this issue
of FI to Marilyn Buck,
former political prisoner,
sister, comrade, and
friend. After 25 years in
federal prison, Marilyn
was released on parole on
July 15, 2010. She died on
August 3, 2010. Marilyn
lived life to the fullest,
not defined or confined
by the prisons. Marilyn
was an elegant person- in
how she carried herself
physically, and how she
carried her spirit. She was
a generous person, with a
big laugh and a beautiful,
wide smile. For all of her
years of love and struggle
for the human rights of
her sisters inside and
all oppressed peoples,
we say with great love
and respect, thank you,
Marilyn. You were a gift,
and will be dearly missed.
Marilyn Buck, presente!
Compañeras is a legal advocacy program of California Coalition for Women Prisoners that focuses on issues faced by immigrants in women’s prisons.
Members inside are primarily represented by mono-lingual Spanish speakers,
who support each other and the immigrant community in a variety of ways.
CCWP member and legal representative, Xiomara Campos Cisne, herself a
native of Nicaragua, bridges support work and educational efforts from the
outside and has been visiting Valley State Prison for Women since 2007.
Fire Inside: Who are the Compañeras?
Xiomara: They are women of various backgrounds, ranging in age from 20’s to
60’s. Most have been in prison over 10 years. Many are serving life sentences.
Every other month our legal workshop meets at Valley State Prison for Women.
Many of these women’s worlds would never have crossed and now they’re
fighting the same system. We joke with each other a lot. Humor is healing.
FI: What about family connections?
X: Some people maintain connections and sometimes, family ties become
stronger. But there are many barriers: dealing with the system, documentation,
shame and money. The kids may be angry or don’t understand the separation.
Ties often collapse after a few years. One woman’s son killed her abusive
partner and they both went to prison. I wish I had the key to set her free. If
they have family back where they came from, they might try to reconnect.
One woman was released and deported to San Salvador. Another hopes to see
her family in Mexico. When one Compañera went in, she gave custody of her
child to her family. Sadly, the family can’t always follow through. How do
people incarcerated for 20 years deal with being deported to a country that
was their home, but no longer is? How do you survive? They ask me, “Do you
think I’m going to be released? I don’t know why my family doesn’t write
to me.” They come from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Cuba.
How can they go back? They may speak Spanish, but it’s a different world.
FI: Does incarcerating women break the bonds that hold communities together?
X: Yes. You lose the bone, the voice. The bone is gone and the house collapses. You incarcerate and screw the entire family. You call that rehabilitation?
A lot of people don’t know the dark side of the U.S. We hear it’s the land of
opportunity, but it’s also the land of institutional racism and suffering.
FI: How is language a barrier to accessing healthcare?
X: There are no translators for health care. Sometimes the Latino guards
won’t speak Spanish. The women are told, “Mi casa, no es su casa,” or, “We
(continued on pg. 9)
Legal Corner
US Immigrants, Deportation and the PIC
By Martha Escobar, Legal Representative for the Compañeras Team
In addition to serving their
prison sentence, migrants incarcerated in the U.S. for “aggravated felonies” face deportation
to their countries of origin. The
1996 Illegal Immigration Reform
and Immigrant Responsibility Act
(IIRIRA) ordered
immigration enforcement authorities to deport noncitizens convicted
of an aggravated
felony and expanded its definition. Actions that
carry a one year
sentence, including misdemeanors
such as shoplifting, are considered
“aggravated felonies” and are applied retroactively. This has resulted in an increase in the number of
people classified and deported as
“criminal aliens.” The retroactive
application of the re-definition of
what is considered an “aggravated
felony” transformed thousands of
migrants into “deportable criminal aliens,” and a “criminal alien
identification system” was developed to locate migrants with prior
convictions who were now deportable. This applies to legal residents
and undocumented migrants.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the government
agency responsible for immigration detention and “removal,”
places an immigration hold on migrants in state or federal prisons.
During migrants’ imprisonment,
ICE officials visit individuals and
ask them to sign a voluntary depage 2
parture, which means that the individual relinquishes their right
to legal help and an immigration
hearing. ICE has 48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays)
to pick up the person at the end of
their sentence.
While it is difficult for imprisoned
migrants to fight
their deportation,
people should consult an immigration
attorney to understand their options,
especially if they
had legal status
prior to their imprisonment and if
they have children
in the care of the
state. If a person
decides not to sign a voluntary departure and asks for a hearing with
an immigration judge, they can be
held indefinitely while the judge
determines whether they should
be allowed to stay in the U.S. If
the person signs a voluntary departure, they are usually picked up
by ICE, or, if ICE makes an agree-
ment with the holding facility, the
individual can be held at that facility and ICE assumes the costs of
paying for their detention.
The length of time a person
is held in immigration detention
varies greatly. One factor that
contributes to a person’s stay in
detention is the amount of time it
takes for ICE to obtain travel documents from their country of origin. Additionally, most people are
transported to their countries of
origin through the Justice Prisoner
and Alien Transportation System
(JPATS). The length of detention
of migrants is informed by the
number of detainees held for specific countries. Sometimes people
can wait up to several months before a flight is arranged for their
particular country of origin. Migrants of Mexican origin, because
the US is so near Mexico and there
are so many migrants from Mexico, are usually transported within
a few days after the end of their
sentence. As a general rule, the
government must deport detainees
within six months of being held in
immigration detention.
SB1070:
“Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act”
On April 23rd, 2010 Arizona passed SB1070, the strictest and most
overarching anti-immigrant measure in decades. Tens of thousands
protested the bill in Phoenix and over 60,000 in L.A. Acts of civil disobedience, direct actions across the country and a boycott of
Arizona continue. The law requires immigrants to carry immigration papers at all times. It includes draconian penalties for people
hiring, working with, housing and transporting so-called ‘illegal’
immigrants. It makes crossing the border illegally a felony. This
law is racist and further legalizes racial profiling. The federal Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Arizona,
and a preliminary injunction against parts of the bill was granted.
Summer/Fall 2010
The Fire Inside
Rincón Legal
Los Inmigrantes a Los EE.UU., La Deportación y El
Complejo Industrial de La Prisión (PIC)
por Martha Escobar
Además de servir su sentencia de prisión, los inmigrantes encarcelados en los EE.UU. por una “felonía
agravada” se enfrentan con la deportación a sus
países de origen. El Acta de Reforma de Inmigración
Ilegal y Responsabilidad del Inmigrante de 1996
(IIRIRA) ordenó a las autoridades de la ejecución de
la inmigración que deportaran a los condenados por
un felonía agravada que no fueran ciudadanos y ha
expandido su definición. Las acciones que llevan una
pena de un año, incluyendo delitos menores
como hurtos en tiendas,
se consideran “felonías
agravadas” y se aplican
con carácter retroactivo.
Esto ha resultado en un
aumento en el número
de personas clasificadas
y deportadas como los
“extranjeros criminales.”
La aplicación retroactiva
de la nueva definición de
lo que se considera una
“felonía agravada” ha
transformado miles de
inmigrantes a “delincuentes extranjeros deportables,”
y un “sistema de identificación del extranjero criminal” ha sido desarrollado para localizar los inmigrantes
con antecedentes penales que ahora califican para la
deportación. Esto se aplica a los residentes legales y a
los inmigrantes indocumentados.
La Agencia de la Ejecución de la Inmigración y
de Aduanas (ICE), la agencia gubernamental responsable por la detención y “expulsión” de inmigrantes,
les pone una retención de la inmigración a los emigrantes en prisiones estatales o federales. Durante el
encarcelamiento de los emigrantes, los funcionarios
del ICE visitan a los individuos y les piden firmar una
salida voluntaria, lo que significa que el individuo
renuncia su derecho a la ayuda legal y a una audiencia
de inmigración. El ICE tiene 48 horas (excepto fines
de semana y días festivos) para recoger a la persona al
final de su condena.
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
Mientras es difícil para los inmigrantes encarcelados luchar contra su deportación, la gente debe
consultar a un abogado de inmigración para entender
sus opciones, especialmente si tenían un estatus legal
antes de su encarcelamiento y si tienen hijos en el
cuidado del estado. Si una persona decide no firmar
una salida voluntaria y pide una audiencia con un juez
de inmigración, puede ser detenida indefinidamente
mientras el juez determina si debe ser autorizada a permanecer en los EE.UU. Si
la persona firma una salida
voluntaria, por lo general
es recogida por ICE, o, si
ICE hace un acuerdo con el
centro de detención, el individuo puede ser detenido
en esa instalación y ICE
asume los costos de pagar
por su detención.
La longitud de tiempo
que se mantiene a una
persona en la detención de
inmigrantes es muy variable. Un factor que contribuye al plazo de tiempo que una persona permanece
en la detención es la cantidad de tiempo que toma ICE
para obtener los documentos de viaje de su país de
origen. Además, la mayoría de la gente es transportada
a sus países de origen a través del Sistema de Transporte de la Justicia de Presos y Extranjeros (JPATS).
La duración de la detención de los emigrantes es
informada por el número de detenidos destinados por
países específicos. A veces estas personas pueden
esperar hasta varios meses antes de que un vuelo se arregle para su país de origen particular. Los emigrantes
de origen mexicano, porque los EE.UU. está tan cerca
de México y hay tantos emigrantes de México, generalmente se transportan en unos pocos días después del
final de su condena.
Como una regla general, el gobierno debe deportar
a los detenidos dentro de seis meses de haberse colocado en la detención de inmigración.
Summer/Fall 2010
page 3
Compañeras: Trabajando con Mujeres Inmigrantes
Compañeras es un programa
de apoyo legal de la Coalición para
las Mujeres Presas de California
(CCWP) que se enfoca en problemas
que enfrentan a los inmigrantes en las
cárceles de mujeres. Miembros en
el interior principalmente son representados por los hablantes españoles
monolingües que se apoyan mutuamente y la comunidad inmigrante en
una variedad de maneras. Miembro
del CCWP y representante legal, Xiomara Campos Cisne, ella misma una
nativa de Nicaragua, combina el trabajo de apoyo y los esfuerzos educativos desde el exterior y ha visitado la
Prisión Estatal de Mujeres del Valle
desde 2007.
Fire Inside: ¿Quiénes
son las Compañeras?
Xiomara: Son mujeres
de diferentes orígenes,
de edades comprendidas entre 20 a 60. La
mayoría han estado en
la prisión más de 10
años. Muchas están
condenadas a cadena
perpetua. Cada dos meses nuestro
taller jurídico se reúne en la Prisión
Estatal de Mujeres del Valle. Muchos
de los mundos de estas mujeres nunca se hubieran cruzado y ahora están
luchando contra del mismo sistema.
Bromeamos mucho una con la otra.
El humor es curativo.
FI: ¿Qué pasa con las relaciones
familiares?
X: Algunas personas sostienen las
conexiones y, a veces, los lazos familiares se hacen más fuertes. Pero
hay muchos obstáculos: tratar con
el sistema, la documentación, la
vergüenza y el dinero. Los niños
pueden estar enojados o no entienden la separación. Las relaciones se
page 4
derrumban después de unos años. El
hijo de una mujer mató a su pareja
abusiva y ambos fueron a la prisión.
Me gustaría tener la clave para liberarla. Si tienen familia allá de donde
vinieron, se podrían tratar de volver
a conectar. Una mujer fue liberada y
deportada a San Salvador. Otra tiene
la esperanza de ver a su familia en
México. Cuando una Compañera
entró, le dió la custodia de su hijo
a su familia. Lamentablemente, la
familia no siempre puede seguir adelante. ¿Cómo la gente en la prisión
por 20 años trata con ser deportados
a un país que era su hogar, pero ya
no es? ¿Cómo le hacen para sobre-
vivir? Me preguntan, “¿Crees que
voy a ser liberada? No sé por qué
mi familia no me escribe.” Vienen
de Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, México, Cuba. ¿Cómo pueden
regresar? Ellas pueden hablar español, pero es un mundo diferente.
FI: ¿Encarcelar a las mujeres
rompe los enlaces que mantienen
unidad en las comunidades?
X: Sí. Se pierde el hueso, la voz. El
hueso se va y la casa se derrumba.
Usted encarcela y friega a toda la familia. ¿Usted le llama a eso la rehabilitación? Mucha gente no conoce el
lado oscuro de los EE.UU. Nos han
dicho que es la tierra de las oportunidades, pero también es la tierra de racSummer/Fall 2010
ismo institucional y del sufrimiento.
FI: ¿Cómo es el idioma una barrera
para el acceso al cuidado de la salud?
X: No hay traductores para el cuidado de la salud. A veces los guardias latinos no hablan español. Les
dicen a las mujeres, “Mi casa no es
su casa,” o, “ Tenemos un problema
aquí. Usted no habla inglés, yo no
hablo español. No le puedo ayudar.” Simplemente dan el Tylenol
para todo. Una Compañera tiene
problemas con su hígado, pero ella
no confía en los médicos, ya que
le dieron una pastilla que le paralizó la parte de debajo de su cara.
Otra amiga estaba enferma y fue al
doctor. Ella nunca regresó.
FI: ¿Hay otras formas
en que el lenguaje es
una barrera?
X: Hay muchos obstáculos. A veces el
español de la presa es
limitado. Una Compañera dijo: “Yo no
quiero ir a la escuela
porque me siguen dando críticas. Yo
no aprendo suficientemente rápido.”
Las más jóvenes a menudo han tenido cierto grado de escuela y aprenden
con mayor rapidez. Es más difícil
para los mayores de edad. “Me siento
como un perro porque siempre me
gritan y se ríen cuando no sé a dónde
ir. Nomás me voy con el rabo entre
las piernas, siguiendo el régimen.” El
escenario de la corte es muy intimidante. Alguien que sólo fue al segundo grado se pierde pero tiene miedo
de decirlo. Les preguntan, “¿Entiende
usted?” Nadie se atreve a ser la única en decir, “No, yo no entiendo.” A
medida que envejecemos y hablamos
unas con las otras nos damos cuenta
The Fire Inside
Editorial
Compañeras Resistiendo/Resisting
CCWP Fire Inside Collective
nity. In 2010, the Compañeras Project helped Latinas UniFive years ago, we dedicated FI #30 to immigrants in
das, a group at VSPW, publish a bilingual booklet, Realidad
prison and detention centers, honoring their ability to surde Inmigrantes en Prision.
vive, maintain relationships with family, and their native
We have also heard about a newly proposed “private”
language and culture in the face of racism and discriminawomen’s prison in California to
tion of the PIC. In 2005,
be run by GEO Group, who has
CCWP was just starting
been in the business of buildour Compañeras Project to
ing and running state prisons
support immigrant women
and ICE (U.S. Immigration and
prisoners and make their
Customs Enforcement) Detenvoices heard in the struggle
tion Centers since 1988. GEO
for human rights.
has been accused of gross civil
Here we are in 2010,
rights violations at its Northwest
once again dedicating FI to
Detention Center in Tacoma,
issues affecting immigrant
Washington (including unlawprisoners. There is a new
ful interrogations and coercing
wave of anti-immigrant
SB 1070 Protestors in LA
inmates to sign paperwork), and
laws, including SB 1070
at prisons in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Texas.
in Arizona [see box on p.2] and a legal opinion issued by
Perhaps as frightening as the outrageous human rights
Virginia’s State Attorney General that allows law enforceviolations in privatized prisons is the role these corporament to check immigration status of anyone they stop for
tions play-GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of
any reason. Immigrants face constant threats of human
America (CCA is the largest US private prison corporarights abuse, incarceration and deportation. Once caught up
tion)–in writing and supporting the passage of SB 1070
in the PIC this abuse continues.
and other bills affecting immigration and labor. These bills
In the face of these new laws and the continued crimiare intended to ensure that GEO & CCA will profit. These
nalization of immigrants throughout the US, communities
same groups were involved in the passage of 3 strikes
are organizing and resisting. Resistance to SB 1070 (as of
laws in the ‘90s. The web connecting GEO, CCA and
August 2010 the law is only partially in effect and is being
others to the PIC, lawmakers, and human rights abuses is
fought in the courts) and other attacks on immigrants is
complicated and disgusting.
growing. Protests against SB 1070 painted a powerful
We each can decide to re-commit ourselves to the
picture of immigrant communities and the richness of
struggle for human rights and say “NO!” to SB 1070 and
their resistance.
all laws and policies that promote racial profiling and atCCWP’s Compañeras Project has continued to grow
tacks on people of color.
and provide group support, affirming the humanity of immigrant prisoners. With regular visits from the outside, we
Correction: In the “Barbwire Rose” story in the last issue we miscome together, connect with each other and build commuidentified the drummer. Joy Wiseman is the current drummer.
Compañeras: Trabajando con Mujeres Inmigrantes
continued from p. 4
que podríamos haber luchado estas
cosas. Una Compañera es una organizadora - fuerte y firme. Otra aprendió el inglés y se convirtió en una
defensora de las demás. Estas mujeres son los nuevos modelos para la
latina. No tenemos que vivir con el
abuso que hemos aprendido a aceptar. Incluso en la prisión no debe ser
uno el objeto de abuso. Esto es difícil
para las mujeres inmigrantes. No estamos acostumbradas a defendernos.
Incluso si hay algo que quiero decir y
sé que está correcto, estoy nerviosa.
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
Siempre animo a las Compañeras:
“¡Hay que hablar!”
Hicimos un boletín en el 2010 y
tenemos planes de hacer otro. Mis
hermanas en el interior me inspiran.
Admiro su esperanza. ¡La esperanza
siempre vive!
Summer/Fall 2010
page 5
Locked up in Israeli-Occupied Palestine
By Kelly Bornschlegel
It has been over 5 years
since I was imprisoned in an
Israeli immigration prison, but
my memories of the time remain
vivid. I was held for a month
then deported to New York,
leaving my partner and friends
behind in Palestine. I was arrested participating in a demonstration against the apartheid
wall in Bil’in, a small village in Palestine. Residents
of Bil’in have been resisting the building of a wall
that would steal their land
and turn their village into a
virtual prison. At the time
of my arrest I was filming
two Israeli soldiers brutally
beating a Palestinian boy.
Six soldiers tackled me and
dragged me up a muddy hill
to an army jeep. I was taken to
an abandoned school where I
was stripped searched twice in
front of groups of soldiers.
The friends I made in prison,
migrants from Eastern Europe,
Southeast Asia and northern
Africa are untraceable. Most
of them came to Israel looking
for work—the Israeli economy
relies on this cheap and precarious labor. Israel has a ‘revolving
door’ policy that limits migrant’s
stays in Israel to 63 months, constantly bringing in new workers
to ensure that people don’t settle.
Israel also prohibits the marriage
of migrant workers to Israelis
and deports women if they give
birth in Israel.
Many gave the authorities
fake names and refused to say
where they were from in hopes
they could delay being sent
page 6
back, even if it meant remaining
incarcerated. Some wanted to
return but remained waiting for
their families back home to raise
money for their flight. Many
had partners and families inside
Israel they were leaving behind.
Many were mourning the loss of
their families in addition to their
imprisonment.
This differs from Israeli
prisons for Palestinian prisoners, which are mainly tents in the
desert. Palestinians are systematically tortured and given multiple life sentences, or are held
indefinitely under administrative detention. Many Palestinian
women are held in regular Israeli
jail where they have reported assault, discrimination and rape.
The first prison I was taken to
was near a big city. Friends were
able to smuggle in food, cigarettes, and books. On the second
day I was given a deportation
order that I refused to sign, and
was taken before a judge who
spoke to me in Hebrew, a language I could not understand.
During the first week I was
moved 3 times and interrogated
without a lawyer countless more.
I repeatedly asked about my
Summer/Fall 2010
charges, demanded my rights,
access to a lawyer and a phone
call. Each time I was met with a
blank stare.
The final move brought me to
a prison far out in the desert, the
conditions starkly worse than the
previous one. There the guards
seemed to work with complete
impunity, the geographical isolation giving them a sense
of freedom from scrutiny.
Every mundane detail of our
lives was controlled by the
all-male guards.
The other incarcerated
women were from all over
the world including Nigeria,
Uganda, Latvia, Russia and
Vietnam. Many of the women were extremely vulnerable: they didn’t speak Hebrew, were far from their homes
and hadn’t been able to contact
families or lawyers. The prison
administration turned a blind eye
to widespread abuse.
The kindness and strength of
the women I met in the prison
system stunned and strengthened
me. In a situation of dehumanization—where we were called
‘Mongolia’, ‘China’ or ‘USA’
instead of our names, where
food and cigarettes could be
traded for sex, where we were
transferred if the guards noticed
any friendships forming—each
woman went out of her way to
help the others cope and survive.
The injustices I experienced and
observed and the strength and
resilience of these women were
the catalysts that began my activism against the prison industrial
complex.
The Fire Inside
Maria Suarez Speaks on Trafficking and the Prison Industrial Complex
By Kit Rutter and Maria Suarez
Art by Andrea Mims, CCWF
Many people are shocked to
hear that slavery still exists. But in
reality, the transaction of human
beings as commodities occurs in
most countries. It is called human
trafficking and is defined by the
U.S. government in part as the
transportation, transfer, harboring
or receipt of persons through the
use of coercion, abuse of power or
taking advantage of positions of
vulnerability.
It is difficult to imagine the
pain experienced by people who
are treated as chattel. For example,
Maria Suarez was imprisoned for
28 years, first by her sexually and
psychologically abusive captor,
and then by the California state
prison system. At age 15, shortly
after emigrating to the United
States from Mexico, Maria was
tricked into slavery and sold to
a man in his late 60’s, Anselmo
Covarrubias. He claimed to be a
witch and had a history of enslaving young women and girls from
Mexico. Maria’s captor isolated
her and manipulated her through
fear and violence. He told her regularly that he could read her mind
and that he might kill her family if
she didn’t do what she was told.
value the lives of people of color
Covarrubias rented a back
and perpetuate violence against
house to a young couple. He atwomen. Maria explained some of
tempted to pursue the wife and
the parallels between
was eventually killed
her experiences as a
by the husband in an
trafficked slave and as
altercation over her.
a prisoner:
Maria was asked to
“When trafficked,
hide the weapon. She
you are not in control
was frightened and
of your body emotionhid the weapon under
ally, mentally, physithe house, having
grown accustomed to
cally, sexually, and
Maria Suarez
in other ways. When
following commands
you go to prison you still are
after years of manipulation and
under someone else’s control. You
abuse. Maria was charged with
aiding and abetting the murder and
come from one type of ‘closed
sentenced to 25 years to life. She
environment/prison’ to another.
was released 22 years later after a
In both situations it is woven
around you—it is chains around
judge ruled that the level of abuse
she endured was sufficient eviyour brain that you cannot break
dence to lessen her sentence.
through. I couldn’t have a mind of
Maria’s story sheds light on
my own. It was always wanting to
the ways that immigrant women
but never able to do it.”
are used as slaves, as workers, as
Maria was able to come out of
bodies to be bought and sold. The
prison with an amazing spirit of
strength. She is now working as a
United Nations Office on Drugs
counselor for abused women and
and Crime estimates that around
educating others to fight against
2.5 million people are bought and
abuse and slavery, including that
sold around the world at any given
which occurs in the prison system.
time. Approximately 80 percent
She is currently organizing a projare women and girls, and about
ect that would allow her to return
50 percent are children under 18.
to towns in Mexico to educate
Nearly all are people of color from
people about human trafficking.
poor countries. The
There is little awareness about the
fact that immigrant
realities of human trafficking in
women of color
poor countries, especially in rural
make up the largest
areas, and traffickers often target
group among trafthese areas. People in these areas
ficked people illusexperience food shortage, medical
trates the continuing
problems and other vulnerabiliviolence against
ties that make them more willing
women in the global
to take risks to immigrate. Maria
community.
hopes to tell them what to expect,
Prisons in
and spare more people from the
the United States
horrors she experienced.
similarly under-
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
Summer/Fall 2010
page 7
We Are All Legals in the Lord’s Eyes
By Anna Bell Chapa (CCWF)
The U.S. has been
considered a melting pot
of cultures throughout
our country’s history.
People from everywhere
in the world come to
America with hopes of
a better life, a life with
expanded opportunity, of
Anna Bell Chapa
more possibilities than
their own countries could
allow. With Mexico right next to the U.S., many
men, women and even children who are desperate
enough, risk their savings, criminal charges and
even their lives for hope of a better life. These men
and women are people our society already relies
on. They work as a large force of immigrant workers in our farming communities. They work in our
restaurants on many levels where employee turn
over is high. We employ these people in trusted
positions, inviting them into our homes as nannies,
housekeepers, babysitters and in gardening, home
improvement, construction, maintenance – the positions currently held by “illegals” are endless.
What about our Governor? Did they forget
when he came to our country he was an immigrant
with only $20.00?! Let’s look at all the sweatshops
where they make the clothing we wear. When we go
to buy food, clothes, and appliances we don’t ever
ask if it was made by an illegal. We are just going
for what makes us comfortable, not thinking where
or who made it.
President Obama is always saying that family is
his priority. Why can’t he do something fast so that
immigrant families don’t get separated? It is 2010.
Let’s stop the harassment. Let’s all get along, let’s
not look for a document, let’s look at our hearts.
WE ARE ALL HUMANS!!!
Voices from Inside Speaking out on Immigration
The Arizona immigration law is unjust and immoral. Deportations break up families. When undocumented parents are deported, how are the children to survive? Do they go into the foster system and suffer?
In the foster system siblings get separated, further fracturing the family. Such children grow up feeling
unwanted and angry at society, more likely to end up in Juvenile Hall then “graduate” to prison. They are
at risk of becoming institutionalized. This increases crime rather than security. Why are people forced to
flee their own country and forced to make a living somewhere else, where they are subjected to exploitation, mistreatment, low pay with no health insurance, no retirement benefits? The solution is for all people
to thrive where they are. —V. Juarez
Some police will take advantage of this law and people will get hurt. There is a lot of prejudice in this society. The system is crooked and I don’t see a way to fix it. It needs to be all torn
down and we need to start from scratch. —T. P.
My friend is looking at 5 years in federal prison just for crossing the border. She already spent a year in San
Diego jail. And she didn’t committ any crime! It used to be at most 90 days for crossing; she doesn’t understand why it is so harsh now. When she was deported over a year ago, she was escorted to Tiujana with no
money, no list of resources to help her, nothing. She has no family there. There are no shelters there, no help
for the homeless, no services. There was no way for her to either make a living there or move anywhere else.
It made her desperate. Since there are many other desperate people there, it is not safe. So she walked back
across the border and got picked up again. This is cruel: sending people out with no way to live!
—V. Cardinal
Compañeras: Working With Immigrant Women
continued from p. 1
have a problem here. You don’t
speak English, I don’t speak
Spanish. I can’t help you.”
They just give Tylenol for everything.
One Compañera has problems with her liver, but she
doesn’t trust the doctors since
they gave her a pill that paralyzed her lower face. Another
friend was sick and went to the
doctor. She never came back.
FI: Are there other ways that
language is a barrier?
X: There are many obstacles.
Sometimes their Spanish is
limited. One Compañera said,
“I don’t want to go to school
because I keep getting writeups. I don’t learn fast enough.”
The younger ones have often
had some schooling and learn
more quickly. It’s harder for
the older ones. “I feel like
a dog because they always
scream at me and laugh when
I don’t know where to go. I
just go around with my tail
between my legs, following
the regimen.” The court setting
is very intimidating. Someone who only went to second
grade is lost but afraid to say
so. They’re asked, “Do you
understand?” No one dares to
be the only one to say “No,
I don’t understand.” As we
get older and talk to one another we realize that we could
have fought these things. One
Compañera is an organizer;
strong and assertive. Another
learned English and became
an advocate for others. These
are new models for the Latina.
We don’t have to live with the
abuse have learned to accept.
Even in prison you should not
be abused. This is hard for
immigrant women. We’re not
used to standing up. Even if
I want to say it and know it’s
right, I’m nervous. I always
encourage the Compañeras:
“You have to speak up!”
We did a newsletter in 2010
and plan to do another one. My
sisters inside inspire me. I admire their hope. La esperanza
siempre vive!
Voices from Inside Speaking out on Immigration
Once a person has entered America and worked
here, they should be able to become citizens.
America was built by immigrant labor. Some
came in chains as slaves, some to escape poverty. All contributed their blood, sweat and tears
to build this country. Whether they came on a
slave ship, through Ellis Island in NY, through
Angel Island in SF, or over the border from
Mexico, all came with dreams of freedom.
They worked long tiresome hours that benefited the economy and their families. Perhaps
once upon a time “give me your tired, your
poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free”
meant something. We still have a task of bulding togetherness and creating a unified people
that will take care of generations to come. We
can’t discard the moral value of this group of
people. —Chi Chi Locci
We are all immigrants. We all come from
elsewhere. The Arizona law serves as a platform for racism. —S. N.
The Arizona law is not right. Anyone who is not white
is now under suspicion of being illegal. I may parole to
Arizona. When I do I will have no I.D., I will have just
left prison. If I get stopped without an I.D., that is a violation of parole, and a violation of this law. The law plays
into racial stereotypes: anyone who looks Hispanic is
assumed to be illegal. This law violates human rights, it
belittles people. —C. A.
Art by Andrea Mims, CCWF
“Without a vision, you can’t go forward”
Marilyn Buck, Dec. 13 1947 to August 3, 2010
Marilyn Buck first went to prison
in 1973, serving 4 years of a 10 year
sentence. When she went back to prison in 1985 she wrote, “For prisoners,
writing is a life raft to save one from
drowning in a prison swamp. I turned
to poetry, an art of speaking sparely
but flagrantly.” She was awarded three
PEN Prison Writing Program prizes,
including first prize for poetry in 2001.
Fluent in Spanish, Marilyn helped
Spanish–speaking prisoners, supporting them in protecting their human
rights. She also taught English as a SecThirteen Springs
By Marilyn Buck (1997)
had you planted a tree
to fill in the deep well
of my absence
that tree
would be
thirteen springs high
high enough to relieve
the relentless sun of incarceration
strong enough to bear
the weight of children
who might have been born
had i not been seized
acid washed crypt
of perpetual loss
and high-wired vigilance
but there is no tree
that stands in my place
to harbor birds
and changing winds
perhaps someone will plant a willow
a eucalyptus
or even a redwood
any tree that will
from your life and plunged into
this
in thirteen years more
bear fruit
and provide
shelter
page 10
ond Language to help people advocate
for themselves. Marilyn was incarcerated for 15 years in California at FCI
Dublin. Below we share words from
dear friends who did time with her:
Hamdiya Cooks (Admin. Dir. LSPC,
former Dir. Of CCWP):
Marilyn is already missed. She
supported all freedom struggles. I was
in prison many years with Marilyn
starting from 1994. I will always hold
her dear as a friend in my mind and
heart. I remember all the times we
spent working, playing and even crying together. I remember once I went
to Marilyn crying, saying I could not
do 1 more day. By the time we ended
our talk, I could do another day. We
played racket ball, did yoga, did poClockwise from top left: Marilyn, Hameetry together, we collaborated helping
dah, Linda, Hamdiya, Laura
people get their GEDs. We worked
well together to be there for each other
Linda Evans (Former political
and for others. I will always love her.
prisoner, All of Us or None organizer)
Laura Whitehorn (Former political
If Marilyn were with us now,
prisoner)
she’d be telling us not to make a
I missed Marilyn every day of
fuss over her, to support the other
the 11 years after I left her in prison
political prisoners and get on with
in Dublin, despite our phone calls and
the struggle! I admire and love and
letters. Marilyn’s courage was not
miss so much about her. She always
only her willingness to put her body
found ways to help and support othon the line in solidarity with national
er women inside. Under unimaginliberation movements. It was also in
ably difficult conditions, Marilyn
her willingness to face head on the
contributed to liberation through
endless, deep and almost invisible
her writing, solidarity statements,
ways racism affects every second of
visits, and correspondence. Her
our lives, and the privilege we white
creativity and open-mindedness
people inherit for being white. Nothabout ways she could be an activist
ing about Marilyn’s politics was auinside are an example for all of us.
tomatic. Every position was thought
Moving forward in the struggle, esout, fought for, studied, held up to
calating our resistance, and caring
inspection. She leaves us bereft of
for each other in the process, are
her presence, but enriched by her exways we can keep Marilyn’s spirit
ample: the fearlessness of a woman
alive. Dare to struggle, dare to win!
unafraid to admit that she felt fear.
Marilyn Buck, presente!
Summer/Fall 2010
The Fire Inside
CCWP UPDATES: Saying Goodbye
Zoe was moved to write about her
Three wonderful women worked struggles of our members inside, they
with CCWP for the past 6-9 months. embraced the work of CCWP with a experience working with CCWP:
“I am Program Assistant for
Christine Coggins, Nia Skyes and sense of deep purpose and commitZoe Wigfall have been an indispens- ment. Their caring and compassion CCWP. I have been with CCWP for
able addition to the CCWP family for those behind walls was an inspi- only a short time, since Feb.2010.
I have had my share of injustices
as full-time staff. Many of you have ration to all our members and staff.
with the legal system and only
probably received a letter or a
by God’s grace have I been devisit from them!
livered from them. Once I got
Their salaries were paid
myself together, my passion was
through the JOBS NOW! SF
to help the next person, someone
program, which provides Federal
who couldn’t fend for themselves
stimulus funds for local busipresently, preferably women
nesses to hire–benefiting all hurt
or women with children. I was
by the recession. To date, more
blessed to be given the best job
than 1,000 employers are particiI’ve ever had, and I’ve had many
pating in the program, and more
jobs. My visit is as important to
than 3,600 people are now emFrom
left:
Christine,
Zoe
and
Nia
at
the
CCWP
me as it is to you. When I leave I
ployed through JOBS NOW!
Working as Program Assistants, feel warm inside because I share my
Unfortunately, this funding will
discontinue after September and they Nia, Zoe and Christine answer al- heart and am the voice for you on
will need to transition to other oppor- most all of our correspondence with the outside. It warms my heart and
tunities. It would be a wonderful thing members and others inside both the makes me joyous inside when I can
for the funding to continue and we men’s and women’ prisons around meet your needs or requests. I make
the country, visit people in the SF it my priority to fulfill them because
support its continuation.
Zoe, Christine and Nia each County Jail, participate on visiting of the love I have for you and I know
bring their own unique style and pas- teams to the prisons, bring wisdom how it feels not to be able to do for
sion to work. Being single mothers to community presentations and yourself. God has given me the gift
themselves and having life experi- learned many valuable skills both of service and I do it with pleasure.
God Bless you and much love.”
ences that give them insight to the administrative and interpersonal.
Debbie Peagler-Always In Our Hearts
by Mary Campbell
Debbie Peagler passed away
June 8, 2010, after an 18-month
bout with lung cancer and after enjoying approximately 10
months of hard-earned freedom.
She was 50 years old, and was at
home with family and had many
friends nearby.
I met Debbie Peagler while I
was at CCWF. She was a member
of the choir at the Main Yard chapel where I worked as a clerk. I
observed Debbie interacting with
the ladies at the church and singing with the choir. She had a quiet, powerful, supportive presence.
I knew she had experienced years
of pain, but she was not hardened
by it. It just strengthened her faith
in God and the Holy Spirit.
Her death is that much more
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
painful because of the travesty of
her case. We grieve deeply, and
our sympathies are with her loved
ones. For me, Debbie’s life serves
as a model of how to never lose
faith in the future, to never lose
hope and to always remember and
trust that you are loved and never
forgotten. Debbie, I say to you,
thank you for being that shining example of love and an open
heart.
Rest in Peace Debbie.
Summer/Fall 2010
page 11
Fast 4 Freedom Day of Action
ers, ending the death penalty and
and moving poetry which includOn August 6, 2010, prisoneducation not incarceration.
ed many beautiful poems from
ers and their loved ones initiated
prisoners. Participants also visited
a statewide day of fasting and
In San Francisco, the day’s
the offices of Mark Leno, Sensolidarity actions–a FAST4FREE- events were sponsored by the
ate Public Safety ComDOM. The goal of the day
mittee, Tom Ammiano,
of action was to spread
Assembly Public Safety
awareness about the extreme
Committee, and Fiona
injustices faced by prisoners,
their families and their comMa, Assemblywoman,
bringing their attention
munities. Rallies were held
to pending legislation
in front of legislative offices
such as SB399, which,
in Fresno, Indio, Los Anif it had passed, would
geles, Sacramento and San
have reformed Juvenile
Francisco. Prisoners fasted
Life Without Parole senaround the state, including at
tences. The day’s events
CCWF and VSPW and dozSupporters at the federal building in San Francisco
made more visible some
ens fasted outside in solidarof the fundamental problems with
CURB Alliance. A spirited rally
ity. Demands included reducing
California’s prison system and
was held with over 50 particithe prison population, ending
allowed prisoners, loved ones and
three strikes, releasing prisoners
pants including former prisoners,
advocates to forge stronger bonds
eligible for parole, releasing sick,
family members of prisoners and
across the walls.
advocates from a variety of orgaaged and terminally ill prisonnizations. There was drumming
ers, family visits for all prison-
Lori Berenson Released on Parole in Peru
By Diana Block
On May 26, 2010, political prisoner Lori Berenson, an American citizen, was released on parole, or conditional liberty as it is called in Peru,
after serving 15 years of a 20 year sentence. Sadly, the prosecutor appealed the judge’s decision
to release Lori and her parole was rescinded on
a procedural issue, sending her back to prison on
August 18th. Currently, her parole is being negotiated and there is even a possibility that the president of Peru will commute her sentence. Lori was
arrested in November 1995 and found guilty of
assisting a militant leftist group, the MRTA. She
didn’t have a trial but was convicted by a secret,
hooded military tribunal. In reality, she was supporting the struggles of Peruvians for economic
justice and human rights against a government
that is extremely repressive and unjust.
While in prison, Lori married and a year ago
page 12
she had a son who has been able to live with her
inside prison according to Peruvian policies for
women prisoners. Over the years, CCWP has
supported Lori and when she had her baby and we
sent her a card congratulating her on Salvador’s
birth. We are hopeful that justice will finally be
achieved and Lori and Salvador will be released
from prison very soon.
Summer/Fall 2010
The Fire Inside
PAROLE BEAT
Precious Releases . . . .
Frankie Williams, was released March 4th,
2010, has a loving extended family who are thrilled
to have her home after 31 years of incarceration.
Ivy Martin, on August 9th, 2010 Ivy was released from prison. She leaves with an Associates
Degree, deep understanding of childhood trauma and
addiction and many other accomplishments. She will
no doubt be of great help to others on the outside as
she has been while incarcerated.
Linda Lee Smith, incarcerated over 30 years,
was released August 10th, 2010 after 20 years of
being found suitable and reversed by multiple governors. Linda will be a great asset to any community.
Beatrice Smith-Dyer is free! The courts upheld a
writ appealing the reversal of her 2009 parole decision. The prison was ordered to release her even
though the governor has challenged this decision.
Meanwhile, her 2010 suitability finding is on the
governor’s desk as of this writing. Bea has been
embraced by family and friends and has already been
schedule to do presentations with CCWP!
wrote letters to the Board expressing their firm belief
Ms. Johnson was not a danger and should receive a
parole date. Nevertheless, Governor Schwarzenegger
blocked her release.
Marisol Garcia is a survivor of horrifying abuse,
is the chairperson of Convicted Women Against
Abuse, and does volunteer work for the community
through Mexican American Resource Association
and Sharing our Stitches both of which provide assistance to disadvantaged families, homeless children,
hospitals and churches. Her parole suitability finding
was reversed on July 9th, 2010.
Norma Cumpian who has worked as a peer
counselor in the mental health department and served
as Chairperson of Convicted Women Against Abuse
from 2000-2004, was found suitable for a second
time and reversed a second time on July 11, 2010.
We are hopeful about a positive outcome in the appeal of her first reversal.
Check our website for sample letters of support
www.womenprisoners.org
Email the governor directly: http://gov.ca.gov/interact
Fax the governor’s office with your own letter: 916558-3160
Outrageous Denials . . .
Molly Kilgore having served 31 years on a
seven-to-life sentence was found suitable for parole
on December 30. The governor reversed her parole
on May 29, 2010. Molly has not stopped fighting.
CCWP and other community members are behind her
in challenging this reversal and advocating for her
again at the next board hearing.
Cynthia Feagin has spent over 17 years at the
Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW) for a 15years-to-life sentence. Despite the fact that the
mother of the victim publicly supports Cynthia’s
release, the governor reversed the decision.
Patricia Joellen Johnson now 66, has been
imprisoned since 1991 on an 18-to-life sentence.
Many of the jurors in a new trial she was granted,
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
Deportation Follows Parole
Rosie Sanchez was released from CIW on
March 18, 2010 after serving 23 years in prison.
Despite the efforts of her USC law team, she was
immediately deported. Before she was arrested
in 1987, she had been approved for a green card
but never received it. Now, because of her felony
conviction she was not allowed to remain in the
U.S. even though prison officials had told her that
she would be released to her daughter who lives in
Anaheim. The USC law students who helped Sanchez to win her parole are working on a request for
a pardon from Governor Schwarzenegger. Only
with a pardon can she come to the United States
to visit her family members whom she has been
separated from for so many years.
Summer/Fall 2010
page 13
It’s Your Health
Receiver Update
By Pam Fadem
On Aug 26, 2010 the Calif. State Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a report evaluating the
status of the court mandated improvements in state
prison health care. The report was NOT a cheery one.
Out of 17 prisons that were included in the evaluation, only 2 had a minimum passing score. CCWF and
CIW were part of this survey, and CCWF was one of
the 2 prisons that had an overall passing score-but just
barely (78%, just 3 points over the minimum 75% ).
The report noted 2 main problems:
1. 16 of the 17 prisons are not merely failing to
document that inmates received their medications,
they are also failing to provide the medications to the
inmates. Both types of failure denote noncompliance
and poor performance. This includes “alarmingly low
scores in tuberculosis treatment, which affects the
health of inmates and staff alike.” [p. 3].
2. Poor access to medical providers and services.
No prisons met the 75 % minimum score that the
court set for moderate adherence on access to providers and services, while seven prisons scored 60 % or
less.
inside, from record keeping, to access to care, to
quality of health care providers. The State has fought
against compliance at every step, mostly decrying the
cost of providing care to prisoners while the rest of
the State was in a huge budget crunch.
NONE OF US denies that Calif. is strapped for
money, that health care, education, public transportation, housing and all necessary social services are
being cut. But the answer is not in denying basic,
humane, constitutionally mandated care and services
to people who are locked up and have no ability to get
care anywhere else.
So what do you think? How do you evaluate the
care that you now receive at CCWF, VSPW or CIW?
What changes, for the better or for the worse, do you
experience?
Artwork by Tania Vargas called “Breath” 2006
Here are some of the other measures:
• From 2006-2008 the overall prisoner death rate decreased from 249 per 100,000 to 216.
• The number of deaths medical reviewers deemed
“likely preventable” deaths dropped from 18 in 2006
to 5 in 2008.
• The rate of “possibly preventable” deaths increased
from 48 to 61. The receiver says that part of the
reason for this may be that the receiver’s office raised
the threshold for a death to be deemed “non–preventable.”
The OIG report and the receiver, Clark Kelso, say
that the quality of health care providers now working
in the prisons has also improved greatly. But numbers
are just numbers. And even if a prison has a score that
meets the minimum score- like CCWF- it does not
mean that the prison has met the “constitutional standards”—this can only be decided by the courts.
The Receiver was mandated to make a comprehensive plan to improve every aspect of health care
page 14
Summer/Fall 2010
The Fire Inside
Another World is Possible, Another US is Necessary
By Diana Block and Mary Heinen
From June 22nd-26th, around
Living on the Outside: Reflections
15,000 people from all over the US
on the US Social Forum June 2010
came together to attend the secondBy Mary Heinen (aka Glover)
ever US Social Forum, held in Detroit,
The only time in my life I
Michigan. The economic and social
marched was out to the yard single
crisis hit the city severely, impacting
file for an emergency count, fire
the majority African-American popula- drill or unit raid, sometimes freeztion. Industry is gutted, hundreds of
ing in my pajamas in the middle of
thousands of jobs are lost, thousands
the night ankle deep in snow under
of homes are vacant or demolished,
the moonlight. I witnessed a sea of
schools have a 70-80% drop-out rate
humanity marching in the streets
and the city’s population has decreased for social justice, moving like a
drastically. At the same
time, many grassroots organizations are mobilizing to create change and
challenge police brutality
and mass incarceration.
CCWP co-sponsored a workshop,
“Community, Art and
Transformative Justice:
Healing and Resistance
with Women and TransWorkshop participants at the US Social Forum
gender Prisoners,” and
helped plan an Anti-Prison Movemulti-colored ribbon in the sky,
ment Assembly which brought toweaving and bobbing to the beat of
gether former prisoners and activists Freedom! Peace! Solidarity! Sisterwho work on prison issues around
hood! Brotherhood! JOBS! LIFE!
the country. Below is an article by
It was one of the greatest things!
former prisoner Mary Heinen of the
There were over 1,000 workMichigan-based Prison Creative Arts shops and nearly 50 People’s
Project about her impressions of the
Movement Assemblies. A workSocial Forum.
shop given by Natalie Holbrook
and Pete Martel from the American Friends Service Committee in
Ann Arbor, described their work
in Michigan. Another workshop
was held collaboratively by Prison
Creative Arts Project, CCWP,
The National Clearinghouse for
the Defense of Battered Women,
and Transgendered Activists. 150
people assembled and we began
to dialogue and share stories and
experiences. This was one of the
most amazing workshops of my life. People
came from all over the
US and internationally
to participate and learn.
We offered information,
skill-building, hope and
love for each other and
those we serve.
The picnic for former
prisoners turned out to
be the best ever. Homeless men who live on the
river helped us set up grills and haul
supplies and we were able to feed
them. Some appeared to be starving.
People came from every direction. We
had speeches, laughed, ate together,
enjoyed the view and the sun, and
welcomed each other home from
coast to coast. Coming together free is
a miraculous experience.
California Coalition for Women Prisoners invites and encourages all women and transgender people who have been or are on the inside to send us your writing, letters, art
work, or poetry.
The next issue will be devoted to parole. Send us your thoughts, experiences, lessons you’d like to share.
We will not use your name unless you check the box below
I want my name to appear in the newsletter
Name:
Mail to:
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
Summer/Fall 2010
page 15
C
C
W
P
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
A Project of Network on Women in Prison
1540 Market St., rm 490
San Francisco, CA 94102
Come work with us!
California Coalition for Women Prisoners meetings on the
1st & 3rd Wednesday of every month at 6pm
1540 Market St., rm 490, San Francisco
Write to us or call us (415) 255-7036 x4
www.womenprisoners.org
fax: (415) 552-3150
email: [email protected]
Address Service Requested
Non profit
U.S. Postage
PAID
San Francisco, Ca.
Permit #404
CCWP Mission: CCWP is a grassroots social
justice organization, with members inside and
outside prison, that challenges the institutional
violence imposed on women, transgender people,
and communities of color by the prison industrial
complex (PIC). We see the struggle for racial and
gender justice as central to dismantling the PIC
and we prioritize the leadership of the people,
families, and communities most impacted in building this movement.
Funded in part by Women’s Foundation, Abelard West, Lef Foundation, Omnia Foundation, Dolphin Foundation, Van Lobe nsels/RembeRock, Funding Exchange,
Solidago Foundation, Lorraine Honig Foundation, and Doris Foster Foundation.
Yes, I want to subscribe to The Fire Inside!
Enclosed is $25 for a subscription. This supports prisoner subscriptions.
The newsletter is free for all people in prisons, jails, and detention centers.
I would like to be contacted about getting involved
Name:
If donating with a credit card:
Address:
Exp. Date:
Phone/email:
Please make checks payable to: CCWP/LSPC
Card #
3 # security code
Name as it appears on card
Billing address (if different than mailing)