AZ Prison Watch (APR 12, 2013): PC Battles: Body and Soul

7/27/2019 AZ Prison Watch (APR 12, 2013): PC Battles: Body and Soul

1/4

AZ Prison Watch (April 12, 2013): AZ DOC Protective Custody Battles: Tend to both body ad soul

I've been hearing from a lot of guys lately who are about to go to prison with what are called "issues" -

reasons to request protective custody (also known as the 805 process, named after theDOC policy that

covers it). I hate to say it, but AZ has the reputation of being the worst place in the country to do time in

state prison. The DOC is facing a class action suitfor gross medical neglect, inappropriate use of solitar

confinement, and neglect and abuse of mentally ill prisoners.Race riots are erupting. The prisonsuicide

and homicide rates doubledwhen Jan Brewer too over four years ago, and have remained among the

highest in the nation. Assaults are out of control. And the officers are apparently as violent andcriminally-inclinedas the people they guard.

The prison yards across the state are being run by prisoners and gangs, not DOC staff, it's quite clear to

me now. When you land you have to show the "leader" (or someone who will report to him) your police

report - those are your "papers". By these you will be judged as a snitch (if you spilled the beans to the

cops on arrest), as a perpetrator of crime (ANY kind) against a woman or a child, or any number of othe

things they can use to justify telling you your papers are "no good" and that you either need to "clear

your name" by doing dirty work for them, risk gettingsmashed into a coma and airvac'ed, or PC up and

leave the yard. Not showing your papers is an indication that you have something to hide.

Prisoners are given no choice on this. If your police papers are good, get a copy so you can get cleared

quickly by the guys on the yard. If not, I wouldn't bring them in with you - they get stolen by porters and

used as evidence against you among your peers, who will be much harder on you than the courts were.

Have your family hold on to a copy of anything that can be shown to the DOC as evidence that you are a

risk, though - anything suggesting you cooperated with police or prosecutors, court papers of your

testimony, media articles about your crime or victim (even if your crime was pickpocketing, if your victim

was a woman or child, you could be at risk), etc. If you need to apply for PC, they will need to send that

material directly to Central Office to support your argument while making sure it doesn't get into the

hands of the prisoner population.

Once on the yard, if your paperwork is bad:

If you're given the chance to "clear your name" don't think you will ever be able to do so or be

guaranteed protection by hurting another prisoner, especially some guy who never did a thing to you

himself. The gangs will turn on you once you no longer meet their needs, and you'll be the next one they

put the green light on - and no other prisoner will respect you enough by then to have your back, so you'

have to tuck your tail between your legs and go scurrying to the guards for safety, anyway.

Paying extortion money (often demanded of gay prisoners to assure their safety) won't protect you for

long, either - sooner or later all you're going to do is lead those people home to threaten those who loveyou. Don't do it. And for god's sake, don't get into any debt - not drugs, not gambling, not a little advanc

on your store - nothing. All that does is put a green light on you - the okay to hurt or kill you - that can b

activated as soon as you default.

My advice is to do some real reflecting now so you know what you will and won't compromise in order to

assure your own safety. Realize that the most precious freedoms are often taken from us without a scratch- it's the freedom to choose who we are and how we live in whatever world we are confined to. What are

you willing to take a beating for, or even risk dying for? Is there anything - like the sanctity of human life

or the deepest part of your soul - that's worth putting yourself on the line for? If not, then you have some

more serious issues than those which got you into trouble with other prisoners.
http://www.azcorrections.gov/Policies/800/0805.pdfhttp://www.azcorrections.gov/Policies/800/0805.pdfhttp://www.azcorrections.gov/Policies/800/0805.pdfhttp://arizonaprisonwatch.blogspot.com/2013/03/aspc-tucsonwhetstone-race-riot-update.htmlhttp://arizonaprisonwatch.blogspot.com/2010/11/suicidehomicide-rates-skyrocket-at-az.htmlhttp://arizonaprisonwatch.blogspot.com/2010/11/suicidehomicide-rates-skyrocket-at-az.htmlhttp://arizonaprisonwatch.blogspot.com/2013/03/criminals-are-in-charge-at-az-doc.htmlhttp://arizonaprisonwatch.blogspot.com/2013/03/criminals-are-in-charge-at-az-doc.htmlhttp://azprisonsurvivors.blogspot.com/2012/06/aspc-lewis-and-ab-cowardly-assault-of.htmlhttps://docs.google.com/file/d/1D1u5K86ExkXFwhW5kx8JeCcT4i2973jRYkaLe0eEQivtXTWBgNDAkylj7ZOZ/edit?usp=sharinghttps://docs.google.com/file/d/1D1u5K86ExkXFwhW5kx8JeCcT4i2973jRYkaLe0eEQivtXTWBgNDAkylj7ZOZ/edit?usp=sharinghttp://www.azcorrections.gov/Policies/800/0805.pdfhttp://arizonaprisonwatch.blogspot.com/2013/03/aspc-tucsonwhetstone-race-riot-update.htmlhttp://arizonaprisonwatch.blogspot.com/2010/11/suicidehomicide-rates-skyrocket-at-az.htmlhttp://arizonaprisonwatch.blogspot.com/2010/11/suicidehomicide-rates-skyrocket-at-az.htmlhttp://arizonaprisonwatch.blogspot.com/2013/03/criminals-are-in-charge-at-az-doc.htmlhttp://arizonaprisonwatch.blogspot.com/2013/03/criminals-are-in-charge-at-az-doc.htmlhttp://azprisonsurvivors.blogspot.com/2012/06/aspc-lewis-and-ab-cowardly-assault-of.htmlhttps://docs.google.com/file/d/1D1u5K86ExkXFwhW5kx8JeCcT4i2973jRYkaLe0eEQivtXTWBgNDAkylj7ZOZ/edit?usp=sharinghttps://docs.google.com/file/d/1D1u5K86ExkXFwhW5kx8JeCcT4i2973jRYkaLe0eEQivtXTWBgNDAkylj7ZOZ/edit?usp=sharinghttp://www.azcorrections.gov/Policies/800/0805.pdfhttp://www.azcorrections.gov/Policies/800/0805.pdf


2/4

If someone tells you the only way you can survive is to compromise that which you've determined you

won't, tell them to fuck off - then brace yourself, and get to safety. Don't stand around and wait to be

smashed - PC up if you need to, and get a hold of me right away. I'm Peggy Plews at Arizona Prison

Watch / PO box 20494 / Phoenix, AZ 85036.

This comes up this morning because of a call I had with a prisoner's mom last night - her kid's a new

arrival, facing over 6 years for burglary. He's a little guy with asthma and some learning disabilities,

maybe a mental illness as well - he's scared to death. I wrote up this letter below for him, based on what lot of other guys have told me about surviving prison with one's integrity intact. It seems appropriate to

share here, for those of you about to hit the AZ DOC.

If you're heading in for a term yourself, spend a little time perusing this blog first, call me if you have an

questions, and make sure your family knows I'm an accessible resource for them and you - no charge.

This is my own little way of fighting back against both gang and state violence. I seek to "abolish" the

prisons of today by breaking through those walls and touching every person I can. I bring with me a

mirror by which people who have been told their lives are worth less than nothing can look into theirown souls to find what is worth loving and believing in again, and fighting for. And I try to give prisoner

the basic tools they need to resist the violence, despair, and oppression of incarceration. It's relativelyeasy for me - for anyone out there - to do. The real hard work - and the greatest risk - is on the prisoner.

Feel free to print up the letter below and send it in to anyone who may be hitting the DOC in similar

straits. Here, also, is the letter I wrote to all prisoners dealing with protective custody applications:

805 Valentine

and this is a guide to actually making an effective 805 argument, written by another priosner:

Navigating AZ's 805: A prisoner's guide

--------to a male prisoner in the AZ DOC assessment/intake process (APRIL 2013)------

Hey David -

I got your postcard and spoke with your mom tonight. Sorry to hear youre in such a jam. TheDOC has likely already told you they wont be placing you in protective custody - the PC yardsare all full and the detention cells across the state are spilling over with guys in your shoes, orworse, right now, so theyre going to hand you some BS to justify sending you into GP. Appealthe decision so they have to give you a denial in writing, but dont get your hopes up - my bet isthat youre heading for a 3 yard, and as soon as you hit theyll want your papers, which Iunderstand are the problem.

Once you land on a regular yard, PC up right away if it isnt feeling safe there, and get ahold ofme. - I need you to outline the argument youre making to the DOC for why the threat you face istatewide, etc. If you refuse to house, they may ticket you. Fight the ticket on the grounds thatgoing on the yard would endanger you - thats very important. Make them explicitly justifyputting you in harms way and punishing you for resisting, get copies of everything you can, ansend me all your documentation. Thats ammunition for your fight down the road.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/1pnJ3yvuDfuAD7FQRTXgn1iUMR2f4cZvFW1G511VtSuWoTlDXQ956Kil6vkM4/edit?usp=sharinghttps://docs.google.com/file/d/1IGgSg-WrFIPloQ2kXs7aMcZbtbcGp-4JKKddjQThHztNJu6ZKb4YQm0ujN8q/edit?usp=sharinghttps://docs.google.com/file/d/1IGgSg-WrFIPloQ2kXs7aMcZbtbcGp-4JKKddjQThHztNJu6ZKb4YQm0ujN8q/edit?usp=sharinghttps://docs.google.com/file/d/1pnJ3yvuDfuAD7FQRTXgn1iUMR2f4cZvFW1G511VtSuWoTlDXQ956Kil6vkM4/edit?usp=sharing


3/4

Your application will take longer - more denials and appeals - if you dont show that youveactually been threatened or assaulted on the yard they send you to, but I cant guarantee thatyou can survive the first attack, so I dont encourage guys to wait for it before they PC up. By lawyou dont have to be assaulted in order to prove your need for protective segregation. But inpractice, youll need to be able to build a stronger case for it than you have now to overcome allthe barriers to getting into PC these days.

Basically, the violence in the state prisons is so out of control that more people are fleeing it tha

perpetrating it. No one is getting approved for PC who doesnt have a lawyer or some heavyartillery on their side. Your mom and I are going to work on the artillery since she cant swing alawyer, but that doesnt get you off the hook. You need to become a damn good advocate andexercise your power yourself, in a very short time. Youre the one the DOC needs to be afraid ofnot us, as only you can file a federal suit if your civil rights are violated. The DOC needs to knowthat youre smart enough and assertive enough to do so. Youre going to need to scare them evewhile youre sitting quietly in your shorts in the hole.

It should come as no surprise that the DOC isnt primarily concerned about the danger you guysare in - theyre concerned with the danger the institution may be in from any of you or your

families if you are hurt or killed. Thats how they appear to be prioritizing PC applications, sodont think that your life has been devalued any more than any other prisoners, or that theresanything youve said or done particularly wrong that means you deserve a worse time of it thanany other prisoner.

Youre just landing in the AZ DOC at this time in history, when things are especially rough. Ithink you can get through this and still come out a better man - not because of anything the DOdoes to help you, but because your mom believes you have it within you to transcend and growbeyond this experience. But youre going to have to fight for your life in there, and its the state,not the other prisoners, that is most likely to kill you if you arent on your toes. Between yourasthma, your vulnerability to assault, and your lack of political power, you are high risk and youcant count on the AZ DOC to care for or protect you - they are there to punish you, to make yousuffer. You need to build the best relationships you can with other prisoners, instead - and armyourself with civil rights law as if your life depended on it like water - it does.

If you screwed up on the streets or hurt someone bad, take responsibility for it and show othersthat youre a man of integrity now. The gangs give guys a chance to clear your name by doingbad things to others - dont hurt someone else even if it seems like the only way to surviveyourself. Develop a simple moral code you can easily explain and always fall back on when facewith dilemmas, one that gives you spiritual strength when people treat you as if you deserve todie.

If you learn all about prisoner rights and how to navigate the system in there, the other guys wibegin to respect and value you for who you are now; who you once were becomes less importanthen. Build a reputation of being someone who can be trusted to show good judgment and toknow how to fight back against state oppression - become that kind of warrior. You dont need tbecome some big jailhouse lawyer - keep it on the downlow, actually, if you do figure out theropes, so the DOC doesnt slap you down and try to cut you off from other guys who need thehelp. Become useful in there, but remain humble and discreet.


4/4

If you can do those things, they will protect you more in the long run than the DOC ever will,because all the DOC can do is put a wall between you and those who would hurt you - it doesntchange anyone thinking they have the right or need to hurt you, though, which will catch up toyou someday, when the walls are gone. You need to fix that now. Think of the detention cells anhardships youre about to face as giving you a period of spiritual and mental training, like a Jedknight being held as a prisoner of war in a dungeon full of lions. Its okay to fantasize silly thinglike that if they build your inner strength, The danger you face there is real and bigger than

normal life, and youll need to psych yourself up somehow, with superhuman powers, to getthrough it, because there will be times when youll just want to lie down and quietly die. Dont.Write to me or your mom instead.

Im enclosing a guide to fighting for your 805 that another prisoner helped us come up with,based on his experience. Im also enclosing a letter about the 805 process - its from February,but its all still good. Im also sending you a questionnaire to give me a better idea of how else Ican help; send that back when you land someplace. Keep your eyes and ears open for folks whomight hurt you, but keep your head up, too - dont let your shame tell anyone else its okay tohurt you. Make real amends where you can and take responsibility for what you feel bad about

instead, or thats the crap that will get you killed.

Hang in there and keep me posted on how things are going - I told your mom Im yours as longas you guys need me, for whatever its worth, until you land someplace you feel relatively safe.My arms arent long enough to wrap around you guys in there, though - I cant protect you. I caonly really support, encourage, pray for you and be witness to your struggle.

Let me know when you land on the next yard.

Take care -

Peg

peggy plews / arizona prison watch / po box 20494 / phoenix, arizona 85036

[email protected]

480-580-6807
mailto:[email protected]://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wvmGkWo0eG8/UWhEf-fKyBI/AAAAAAAAAvY/xICkMmLkSCM/s1600/donotdespair2.JPGmailto:[email protected]

Documents

AZ Prison Watch (APR 12, 2013): PC Battles: Body and Soul