Professional Documents
Culture Documents
RESTRICTIONS
Testimonies from people imprisoned in New
York State Maximum Security Prisons
03
09
JOHN THE BUDDHIST DENNIS, GREEN HAVEN
Ive gotten married, and I see my wife To maximum-security
every week, and my parents every few
weeks, they come from NYC on their prisoners every waking
days off mid-week. The weekends are hour behind bars can be a
terrible, very overcrowded. I rely on reminder of our
mid-week visits. Seeing my loved ones hopelessness. Some of us
regularly keeps me sane and positive,
gives me an incentive to live and work are in isolation 23-hours a
toward the future. When I was 350 day with life sentences.
miles from NYC, it was too expensive For us, any opportunity to
and time consuming for my family to
visit more than once or twice a year. I
connect with family, loved
was very depressed, enraged, I would ones, or friends matters
feel hopeless, that I have nothing to dearly, and limiting our
live for, I wanted to die, I would get into visiting days will just
fights and arguments often, I was
alone.
impose more undue
hardships.
MAXIMILIAN, CLINTON
We are already being ELIOT, GREEN HAVEN
What happens if your visitor comes to
punished enough and to visit you with your kids after an 8-10
limit visiting days is only hour drive only to be told you cannot
going to cause more have a visitor because the visiting
unnecessary pain and room is full to capacity. You know how
hard it is seeing your family leave, your
suffering for prisoners and kids especially in this environment,
their families. A child how much work and effort I had to put
wanting to see his father in to raise a son and daughter from
will not understand why behind these walls? Is it difficult talking
to them but it would be more difficult
he or she cant. seeing them much less. If this policy
takes affect, its going to change many
THEODORE, GREAT MEADOW lives. I have been incarcerated for
It creates more of a threat to prisoners almost 25 years, I am well aware of
from staff whereas theyll be able to pin what occurred in Attica in the 70s, now
point timing of their abuse and when everything is starting to take a step
family will have access to see their back once again, many things are
loved ones. Visits give us a sense of being eliminated, taken from us.
hope, belonging, peace, and love. Any
time out of this prison life spent with a
loved one is a great and beautiful time.
Visits help me remain firm to withstand
the nonsense permeating itself within
these walls.
04
09
Why is it important for you to share your
perspective or experience?
LUKE, EASTERN NY JOHN, UPSTATE
It is important to share my perspective If I dont speak, and others
as an example to new and younger
prisoners who are trapped in these dont speak, well revert
cities of hell and are subjected to the back to 1970s conditions
injustices that I have persevered like before the Attica
through for twenty years of
incarceration. There needs to be true
riots. Slowly, DOCCS has
solidarity. People at liberty need to been stripping away
back prisoners and encourage everything those people,
prisoners to stand-up to the powers- green and blue, died for.
at-be. As long as we accept these
injustices, DOCCS will happily dole ANDRE, EASTERN NY
them out! Its what they do! Visiting
I know it is important for me, a prisoner
doesnt jeopardize the safety and in a maximum security prison to share
security of prisons. Correction officers my perspective because of two
do! reasons: Men in Attica died for the
visits; men who are not and who never
Miguel, Wende served prison time are making
Me being in prison all these decisions not knowing the importance
years, I know first hand of visits. To illustrate the essential role
whats behind the curtain. visitation has had on my road to
becoming non criminalized, I will share
my experience. When I started my
VOICE OF FREEDOM sentence, I had a 20 to life sentence,
The cuts are nothing less than an being 23 years old at the time my life
extension of the indisputable genocide seemed over. However I was just
that is mass incarceration. This is entering a phase of awareness. My
contrary to creating humane conditions family visited me frequently, giving me
and the ability to assist individuals with self-esteem, self-respect, and hope. I
reentry. I know how vital it is to share sought to make them proud. On the
my perspectives because there has visit floor I would see visitors come in
never been a narrative sufficiently and dream of the day I would be free to
mindful of the absolute moral authority start my own family. If visits are taken
we prisoners possess in denouncing away from maximum security prisons,
these depravities, and pursuing prisoners will depend on the prison to
economic, political and public relations enrich our humanity, the very prison
strategies to end them. that needs us locked away separated
from society.
05
09
FRANK, EASTERN NY THEODORE, GREAT MEADOW
It must be kept in mind that many Its important to share my
prisoners serving time in maximum
security facilities are serving long perspective with yall
terms of incarceration. Cutting their ties because otherwise we
or limiting their visit time is cruel and dont really have a voice
inhumane, as their family/friends may in the matters that
be the only source of love and support
that they have. We are suffering in
control and dictate our
here and we may complain amongst lives, and thats not a
each other, but our perspectives and good position to be in.
experiences are not being shared
enough with people who care about
changing this oppressive corrupt
MAXIMILIAN, CLINTON
system. Maybe if enough perspectives My perspective is important
or experiences are shared meaningful because I live in prison 24
change can come about. hours a day and I know
Stephan, Attica how this environment
You need to know how it functions. The negative
affects me and my family. impact on New York prisons
A visit lets me know Im will have a ripple effect in
not forgotten and am still the worst way imaginable.
loved by my family. Getting Prisoners mental health
a visit means the will suffer.
administration knows they MICHAEL, ATTICA
cant abuse you and get It is important for me to not only share
away with it. You cant go my perspective with Critical Resistance
on the visit floor all but also to share it with the community
from whence I come, as it to said
bruised up. community that I hope and look
forward to returning to. The world
Anthony, Attica needs to know whats going on in
You all may not feel the these prisons across the nation.
effects out there, but we
do.
06
09
WHY is maintaining visiting hours
important for us as we keep building
toward a new york that doesnt rely on
imprisonment and policing?
IYANLA, BEDFORD HILLS DARRYL, UPSTATE
I oppose these proposed cuts in visits IF THE GOVERNOR TRULY
as an answer to budgetary issues,
because it is not a solution. The WANTS TO SAVE MONEY HE
solution is to release aging persons in CAN CLOSE SOME PRISONS.
prison who have served 20 years of
their minimum mandatory sentence. MICHAEL, ATTICA
Clearly it is evident that warehousing To rely on imprisoning people, and
too many people for too long is the boosting up the way police are out in
budgetary problem. Lessen the prison society does nothing more than make
population and you need less money to the governed believe that its perfectly
run prisons and there would be no normal to live in a police-occupied-
need to attempt to try to justify in our state. Such a thing is horrifying, for as
hearts the unconscionable deprivation we know: police states are often
of contact with visits with prisoners and relative to the ways of fascism.
their families.
JOHN, UPSTATE
John, Clinton
Why not cut executive salary bonuses? There are so many other
Why not stop the brutality, abuse and areas in maximum security
corruption that cause billions of dollars prisons where even more
in lawsuits? All of these would be could be saved. Stopping
better alternatives than slashing the
budget of visitation that helps to the abuse and beating of
promote peace and a content prisoners would save
happiness amongst those who visit untold millions in overtime,
with their relatives and loved ones. medical, and lawsuit
MALCOLM, EASTERN NY
payments.
Our governor should be
suggesting ideas for how to Andre, Eastern NY
make visitation at medium Imprisonment and policing
security facilities align dont solve problems.
more closely with maximum problems are solved by
security facilities; not understanding and love.
vice-versa. 07
09
MIGUEL, WENDE Luke, Eastern NY
Governor Cuomo states that reducing There needs to be a call to
the visit days in New York State max-
prisons will help save taxpayers billions action from all prisoners
of dollars, this is absolutely false! For state-wide concerning New
our taxpayers dont pay for peoples York to simply lock-in their
loved ones to come see them and they cells, sit down, read a
dont pay for transportation, gas, or
food that prisoners loved ones buy
book and let doccs
from the vending machines, everything employees do all the work
is paid for by the prisoners loved ones. until they realize prisons
What taxpayers are paying for is are run by prisoners.
paying to keep us locked and fed so
that the government could rack up the
money. The prison complex generates FRANK, EASTERN NY
revenue on the sweat, blood, and tears Id like to expound on one more thing,
of prisoners and their loved ones. and that is the expanded use of video
Politicians always make the claim that conferencing. This is something that
it will save taxpayers millions but what should only be used to supplement
the government dont tell them is that regular visits. The usage of video
in return the government makes conferencing as a substitute for regular
billions and billions of dollars. Where visits is unacceptable. By themselves,
then is all that money going? Its they are impersonal, and nothing
definitely not going to better our compares to being able to physically
schools or neighborhoods, or to help touch your loved ones and show
people get health insurance. I would affection to the people that matter most
like to make a note to all the readers; to you in this world.
we need to come together in full force
to bring this bull down by the horns.
08
09
GET INVOLVED WITH CR-NYC
We are a member-led organization with volunteer members and supporters across
the country. Our mission is to fight against the interlocking systems of policing,
imprisonment and surveillance that make up the prison industrial complex (PIC).
Write to us
Critical Resistance New York City
PO Box 2282
New York, NY 10163
crnyc@criticalresistance.org
09
09