September/October 2008 Massachusetts Chapter

September/October 2008 Massachusetts Chapter

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Untitled

Dr. Brian Sirois

Wake-up people! Why is our country so far in debt? If everything in the U.S. were sold, it would pay off not quite half of the national debt. If everything were sold twice, there would still be some national debt left over, and yet this country was founded with the principle that Congress would reserve the right to mint and coin money, and set the value thereof. But Congress turned over its rights and obligation to the Federal Reserve Bank, back in 1913 to write “bank notes”.

A bank note would be something like a coupon of script that was used before the turn of the century, where people owed their soul to the company store that said, “This may be redeemed at our local company stores”. The Federal Reserve Bank is a privately owned bank that says it is good for paying debts, and it is true, as long as everyone agrees to use these notes across the country.

A Federal Reserve note is not however, the bona fide currency of this country, according to the U.S. Constitution. The bona fide currency of this country is the dollar bill, and the dollar bill is worth a dollar in silver or gold, and can be evaluated according to that which is set by Congress. Our dollar used to be backed by gold, until President Nixon declared is not, back in 1974. As of today, the dollar is not backed by as much as one ounce of silver, or any other precious metal. When Congress allowed the Federal Reserve Bank to write these bogus notes in lieu of the dollar, this privately owned bank took over the flow of currency, throughout this nation, and began charging us for it.

These Federal Reserve notes are equivalent or are valued by the Federal Reserve, and by people as being worth a dollar, when in fact, they are only as valuable as people perceive them to be, and they have no actual backing by the Constitution of the U.S., and by law, are not of any value, other than as given by the new corporation, known as the U.S.A., which is based on statutory law and exists more in the realm of a bogus country that does not fully operate under the Admiralty Law! It cost more to print a five dollar bill than what it is actually worth. The Federal Reserve note is a maritime, Martial Law script being used in this country, which is now being ruled by Admiralty Law or Martial Law.

This is no longer the Republic that the founding fathers of this country created with the U.S. Constitution, because it has been turned over to the privately owned company who is printing bogus notes, which has created our national deficit. People are being told that they are free. People are still being led to believe that the U.S. Constitution rules, but when you go into the Court of Law and start quoting the U.S. Constitution, the courts will simply tell you, “If you speak of Constitution once more, I’ll hold you in contempt!”

Sadly, this is how I learned that you cannot plead Constitutional rights in a Court of Law that is based on Admiralty Law, which is the case for the U.S.A., as the people are lulled to sleep by their government, so they can continue to take away all the rest of our rights.

Alone

Ron Noel

Alone in the world where only ours can be referred to as only a house-hold name. It seems like we, and only we are more isolated from reality than anyone else around us. As we look out the window into the vast world we can only try to weigh our future, but it seems very dark when we are branded and turned against by society. No matter where we go it is a battle to gain respect and dignity for ourselves. It seems it’s lost even before it begins.

As we, the branded can never seem to escape, or move anywhere in the world and try to start over again because it looks impossible to us, and others with the statute society put on us, and so easy for the system to track us. We ask ourselves what other avenues are out there for us to look at, and lead a peaceful life and not be haunted forever.

Each one of us has a number inscribed into us by the system, its called quality control. This way any defect or slip up can be traced back to it’s creator to be corrected or punished. Once the system hears about one that goes astray, they haul us right in and vanish us again. What about human rights? Or honor? As for the system of judgment one buys the other, to the judicial system we are traders to them and their society, and don’t fit in period. Every time one strays and is caught they’re thrown in jail, forgotten or lost. Wives and girlfriends leave, or divorce them, leaving behind fatherless children who in return grow up and forget. All the time spent in jail, new laws and rules overlap one another. When will it stop? Those that love us and are on the outside tell us they have not given up and they are still searching for a way to get their love ones home so they themselves can teach them.

As the branded ask of them, “Please search a little harder.” Use the corrupted judicial system to shame the public into what is wrong and fix it before it’s too late. Destroy the old rule and make it simple for all to understand. It seems like there is no choice in the matter for the brander already has someone doing the choosing for them. The system has gotten so carried away from the laws and rules that now they do not know how to handle the situation. As all inmates still inside it sounds like maybe we do have a choice. One! We can keep on searchingortwo; we can just hold up and pray.

As time goes on we as humans are trying to convince each other that sooner or later it’s about to change. The ruins of our thoughts, ideas and wishes have been buried, or will be buried for a long time, not in anyway forgotten, just lost.

Justice for All in Question

Luis Perez

The Mass. Legislature declined to hear and debate the bills that are connected to the CORI-LAW and the Drug Mandatory Sentence. Instead the time was dedicated to the passing of law that would permit out-of-state gays to marry. Which means another year of overcrowding and warehousing people in prison and more crime by ex-offenders that can’t find jobs and housing.

After I read the legal history of the mandatory Drug Sentence Law M.G.L. Chapter 94C, I was able to confirm that the reconstruction of that law began in 1987 and has had a series of changes that lasted until 1993.

Originally, it was designed to apprehend drug king pins so that the epidemic of drug abuse could be reduced. But the reality has been a stark contrast to what was projected. Principally, it has been lower level street dealers and users who have been prosecuted.

On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the corner drug user/seller and 10 being the leader or dealers with the main resource of drug trafficking ring. The 1-3 always get between 3-5 years and 10-15 years mandatory sentence. 4-6 informs on higher ups in exchange for lighter sentences and in many cases the 15 years mandatory is coming to play. 7-10 never get arrested, while on the other hand when one of the top people drug trafficking get caught by State or Federal agents, the District Attorney’s Office will make a deal with this person(s) in exchange for confiscation of property, money and bank accounts. However, the majority of drug offenders in prison are indeed members of the low level of this scale.

In Mass. you have politician and members of the media that think that the people in this state are tough on crime and that the “criminal justice system” is in compliance with the law. It is very sad to see the difference, when we are seeing cases of corruption and law enforcement people constantly violating the laws, it makes me feel that I have been held in prison by a bunch of crooks.

Just to mention the last few events that was flashed on the news. A Senator from the city of Lowell got caught violating the sex-offender laws, the same kind of bills that he has signed over the years. In fact two weeks later, another elected official acting as the Registrar for a probate court got caught on camera stealing money from the safe. These particular incidents took place right in the same courthouse that sentenced me to life in prison in the early 1970’s and I can’t even have a parole hearing because of the system of law that we so proudly have in this state.

My friends from the Northeast, I sincerely hope that one day the citizens of this state push their politicians to check on themselves and further review their own administration of justice.

NCCI Gardner

A Prison or a????

I received a letter from a prisoner from this facility. The following is what he sent to me. I also would like to mention that he cc’d the CDC, DPH, MCLS, Harvard PLAP, Harold Clarke, Gary Roden, Barry Feinstein & James Sokolove. (The last 2 people don’t care about anyone unless they can make money off of them).

Dear Mr. Anderson,

I am submitting this letter to you in the hopes of bringing to your attention several health code violations set forth by the MGL.c.111, 5-20, and 21; c.270, 21 and 22; and St. 1987, c.759, 4. It is also listed as 105 CMR 451,000. I will quote and explain several violations in this institution that will show beyond a doubt that the Superintendent is turning a blind eye to these violations that have been reported to him on several occasions.

451.111; Toilet Supplies

At all times each toilet shall be supplied with toilet paper and each hand washing sink shall be supplied with soap and disposable towels. Adequate waste receptacles shall be conveniently located near all hand washing facilities.

This has been grossly violated as it is not followed at all and furthermore, inmates are allotted a “hotel” bar of soap weekly along with one roll of toilet paper which if expires, inmates are told to find some from another inmate.

451.114: Shared Toilet and Hand washing Facilities in Existing Facilities;

Each facility, where toilet and hand wash facilities are not required for each individual by CMR 451.113 and where the inmate has continuous access without assistance, shall have at least one working toilet and one working hand washing sink for every 8 male inmates and one working toilet and one working hand washing sink for every 8 female inmates. Urinals may constitute up to one of the number of men’s toilets required, but every bathroom shall contain at least one full toilet.

The building I live in is a two-sided dorm, one is a 34 man dorm and the other is a 30 man dorm. On my side, the 34 man dorm, we have 3 toilets and 2 urinals; one urinal does not flush and has been that way for several months. By law, the man per toilet ratio is in violation by adding in excess of 10 inmates to these facilities. The Superintendent has just cut the dayroom area in half to introduce 8 more bunk beds to my floor, another 16 inmates, with no expansion to the bathroom facilities. Because of the threat of disease and several other health risks that will surely be introduced now, I am forwarding this letter to attorneys as well. As I’m sure you’re aware, the deadly stash infection MRSA has already been running rampant in the Dept. of Corrections due to poor health standards set forth by the administrators, not to mention the threat of TB and Hepatitis B & C.

451.121: Privacy

Each toilet and shower stall shall be divided from every other toilet and or shower stall by a partition which provides privacy. The Program Director may grant a waiver to this requirement if he/she finds that in the area affected, inmates must be closely supervised for security reasons. (B) Separate toilet and shower rooms shall be provided for men and women, The doors on the stall of the toilets have been removed and the showers have been redesigned to offer no privacy, no partitions, and I will include that there is no threat of security as these facilities are located behind closed doors that access the facilities and are not monitored by correctional staff. Adding another 16 inmates to an already grossly populated facility will only increase the risk of security violations and further violate the existing law governing this issue.

451.322: Dormitories in new or renovated facilities.

Each dormitory in a new facility or a part of a facility constructed after the effective date of 105 CMR 451.000 should contain a minimum of 60 square feet for each occupant. Floor space shall be calculated on the basis of total habitable room area which does not include areas where the floor to ceiling height is less than eight feet.

The allotted space per inmate is in gross violation in the existing dormitories in the buildings, not to include the several violations that will occur when the new bunks are put into the dayroom areas.

These are just a few of the existing violations that are occurring in this facility and I assure you that there are several more. The disturbing part of this is that this week, May 5-9 2008, the DOC is undergoing one of it’s 2 annual audits which conveniently is performed by the Dock’s own officials who give all of the institutions advanced notice so that things such as food preparation, living quarters, etc… can be “brought up to code” in time for the inspection, however even with this advanced notice, there are all of these violations going on right in front of the auditors who still somehow pass the institution. I am submitting this letter to various organizations in the hopes that someone in the state government will heed this as a cry for help by the inmates due to the concerns of health and disease that we are forced to live in daily and the fact that all attempts made to make the officials in charge aware of these concerns continue to fall on deaf ears. I am asking you for your help to bring these matters to the proper authorities who will hold the facilitators responsible to adhere to the laws stated in this letter.

Lives Thru

Angel

That’s it! I’ve had it! I’m tired of this place. It’s the same thing every day. Some little punk telling me what to do. Most of them younger than me. This is not where I dreamed to be when I was growing up. I should have taken school more seriously. Now I’m cooped up in this little space all the time. I hear that damn bell in my head, even when I sleep. I have to wear the same outfit as everyone else around me. And the food oh my God the food, I’m so sick of the same old meals all the time. One day I’m going to break out of this hell hole and live the good life. Sometimes I wonder how I ended up here and go way back to my childhood to see where I went wrong. I can see it on the face of every “outsider”, they look down on me. I swear if one more pimple faced kid tells me what to do, I’m going to…. (bell rings)…Damn. “Welcome to McDonalds, can I take your order?”

Education & Recidivism

The Massachusetts Prison System

Restoration versus Retribution

John Feroli

Between 1970 and the late 1980’s Mass. had one of the most progressive correctional systems in the nation. Its primary focus was rehabilitation with an emphasis on education and community-based reintegration programs. With the implementation of Chapter 777 and the Correctional Reform Act of 1972, which called for the establishment of correctional programs that enabled a graduated reintegration of offenders, the Mass. prison system became a model of restorative justice.

From 1970 until the early 1990’s the DOC would conduct numerous studies related to the rate of recidivism for released offenders. One year prior to the enforcement of the Correctional Reform Act of 1972 the recidivism rate in Ma. was 25%. By 1973 and one year after the enactment of Chapter 777 the rate if recidivism dropped to 19%. By 1977 the rate at which inmates returned to prison was just 15%. Between 1979 and 1981 that percentage rose to 26%, but dropped again to 21%.

In June of 1986 came the notorious Willie Horton debacle and by 1988 and just one year after the beginning of the end of educational and community-based programs the rate of recidivism rose to a 20 year high of 31%. Now, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics the rate at which prisoners reoffend is; 39% for inmates released from minimum security or community-based facilities;50% for those prisoners released from medium security; and 61% of offenders released directly to the community from a maximum security will be convicted of new crimes within 3 years.