Thanksgiving is behind us and many of us will soon be sending cards to friends and family. Please consider sending cards to one or more prisoners as well. It means a great deal to those behind bars, especially for those who are innocent.

Here are some addresses: http://bobchatelle.net/please-write-to-a-prisoner

If you see errors in this list, please let me know and I will correct ASAP.

-Bob Chatelle

Mr. Gary Lanigan, Commissioner
Department of Corrections
POB 863
Trenton NJ 08625

Dear Commissioner Lanigan,

The National Center for Reason and Justice (NCRJ) is a 501 (c)(3) organization that fights for justice and due process of law. Our focus is those who have been falsely accused or wrongfully convicted of crimes against children.

Recently, one of our supporters sent us a copy of a disturbing letter he had received from an inmate at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center (ADTC) in Avenel, New Jersey.

We are very concerned. Outraged, would be a better word. The letter describes an institutional shakedown on November 3^rd by the Special Operations Group (SOG). The letter details needless destruction of property and cruel and unlawful physical assault and battery, as well as various forms of gross psychological abuse inflicted by those in positions of power upon those powerless to redress the abuse. We understand that the abuses were documented in many grievances and incident reports filed by inmates, therapists, and custody staff.

We also understand that SOG complained about the policy of the ADTC that permits participants of the Hobby and Music programs to keep music and art supplies in their housing areas. Confining these materials to the Art and Music rooms would effectively kill these valuable therapeutic programs, because the Art and Music rooms lack the space and time slots to accommodate all of the participating inmates. We hope that you will not alter the current polices.

Our primary concern, however, is the violent and unlawful behavior of SOG staff. A full and fair investigation of the events of November 3^rd is in order. We urge your office to take action to assure that such atrocities do not recur, at ADTC or elsewhere within the New Jersey Correctional System. Apologies must be issued and restitution must be afforded. We also demand an investigation into the history and suitability of some of your staff members to hold positions of public trust and responsibility.

Sincerely,

Robert B. Chatelle
Executive Director, National Center for Reason and Justice

Those of you with strong stomachs may wish to read the letter from the inmate.

http://www.pushinglimits.i941.net/audio/2011.07.12robinwilson.sex.offender.treatment.wav

First of all, my apoloigies to those who received two or more copies of my previous post. As most of you know, my sites were hacked two weeks ago and it took me a long while to get everything back up and running. I had difficulty getting this list running again, and in trying to fix it I created a multiple mailing. I hope everyone receives just one copy this time.

Thanksgiving is behind us and many of us will soon be sending cards to friends and family. Please consider sending cards to one or more prisoners as well. It means a great deal to those behind bars, especially for those who are innocent.

Here are some addresses: http://bobchatelle.net/please-write-to-a-prisoner

If you see errors in this list, please let me know and I will correct ASAP.

-Bob Chatelle

I recommend this article in the current Boston Phoenix.

-Bob Chatelle

I just came upon this post at the Real Cost of Prisons blog: http://realcostofprisons.org/blog/archives/2010/05/ma_house_passes.html

The Massachusetts House has passed a bill to authorize a charge of up to $5 a day for Massachusetts prisoners.

Even the few prisoners lucky enough to have jobs don’t make as much as $5 a day. The burden would fall on the family and friends of prisoners, most of whom could ill afford to pay such an outrageous fee. If I had to pay $5 a day for every prisoner I’m supporting I’d have to give up eating.

This bill has not yet become law. I hope Massachusetts residents will complain to the idiots who voted for this. Members of the Senate and Governor Patrick need to be contacted as well.

-Bob Chatelle

I have been a regular visitor to Massachusetts prisons for over a dozen years. I believe nothing is more important to a prisoner and nothing more improves a prisoner’s chances of success in society than support and contact, especially face-to-face contact, with those of us fortunate enough to live beyond the walls.

Currently there are too many, not too few, restrictions. Measures such as those proposed serve no purpose other than permitting law-and-order posturing on the part of the governor and other elected officials. We must not fall for it.

Therefore, I would be grateful to those who will sign and forward this petition.

-Bob Chatelle

I became involved in criminal-justice issues back in 1995, because of my concern for the falsely accused and wrongfully convicted. But over the years, my concerns have broadened. For one thing, I came to know people who weren’t 100 percent innocent who had still been wronged by the system — such as the friend who I’ve been calling “Kevin” on this blog.

I also have met some who have never denied their crimes, have taken full responsibility for them, and who have worked hard to rehabilitate themselves.

One such person, who I will call “William,” was a very close friend of Bernard Baran’s in prison. His friendship and support did much to help Bee survive all of those years when his case seemed hopeless. Bee thought “William” and I should become friends, partly because we are both recovering alcoholics.

“William” committed his crimes when he was drunk and stoned. He was 18 at the time. He doesn’t even remember committing his more serious crime. But he has always taken responsibility for his crimes. An alcoholic serious about recovery never excuses unexcusable behavior by saying, “I was drunk” or “I was in a blackout.” But those of us in  recovery also know that we would never have done the terrible things we did, had we been in our right minds.

Our “true” nature does not reveal itself when we are drunk or high. Our true nature only reveals itself after a (sometimes long) period of recovery.

I believe, and most recovering alcoholics and addicts would agree, that no one is hopeless, “no matter how far done the scale they have gone.” I believe — based on my own personal experience — in recovery, rehabilitation, redemption.

“William” is now in his 40s, having spent the last quarter of a century behind bars. He has worked very hard on himself. Five years ago, he asked a jury to look at his progress and to declare him not sexually dangerous. I attended his trial and testified for him. The jury was out about half an hour and came back in his favor.

Since then, he has hopefully gone before the parole board every year. And every year he had been denied. I got to dread those phone calls after his hearings, because I know how high his hope had been. But he knew he could not afford the luxury of self-pity.

This year he called me in jubilation. His parole had been granted! He was told he had to find housing and have a phone installed. He would be coming out under intensive parole, which meant wearing a monitoring bracelet, strict curfews, frequent check-ins with his paole officer, and many onerous restrictions. But it meant leaving prison and “William” was anxious to prove himself.

I hope you don’t think it is easy to find an apartment for someone who has been convicted of a sex offense. But we did it. (The landlord willing to give him the break is a former police officer.) His family and friends found him furniture and stocked his refrigerator. Jim and I bought him a bed. His parole officer approved the apartment. He found someone to pick him up at the prison. He was told that it would only be a couple more days.

And then, two days ago, they called him in and said, “April fool!”

The Massachusetts Department of Correction had somehow forgotten that his release needed the sign-off of the District Attorney of Dukes County. Even though he was declared non-dangerous by a jury, the DA has the right to try to get another jury to recommit him.

Given his record, it’s highly unlikely that a DA could get him recommitted. But the DA can just sit on the request and do nothing. He has until September 5th to decide one way or another.

“William’s” family is far from wealthy. They were able to scrape up one month’s rent and the security deposit. We have personally pledged to pay his May rent, but we can’t really afford to do much more than that.

But we will deal with this situation a day at a time.

It is unfortunate that the credo of American politicians is, “Millions for prison and puncishment, but not one penny for rehabilitation.” The prison-industrial complex is based on the premise that rehabilitation doesn’t work. America has five percent of the world’s population and twenty-five percent of its prisoners. The cost of maintaining these prisons is enormous. Even greater is the cost to society when these mistreated men and women and sent out into society without any resources. The prison-industrial complex needs them to fail. And far too often, that is exactly what happens.

After all of these years battling our dysfunctional criminal-justice system, I have lost most of my capacity for outrage.

But I have not lost my capacity for pain. And the pain has been intense today.

-Bob Chatelle

Please consider sending a card to one or more prisoners. If you don’t know any, you may consult this list. If you spot errors in the list, email me and I will make the correction. You may also inform me of the correction with a comment.

I have also posted a page about my home town, Aitkin, Minnesota. If you have some time to kill and are curious about my roots, I invite you to read it.

Happy Holidays!

-Bob