Why are rogue prison officials allowed to falsify prison misconduct reports? misconduct reports that are manipulated to ensure that an inmate receives punishment by being lied about. Prison punishments include beatings, but more commonly, so-called cell-restrictions or confinement in the "RHU" (Restricted Housing Unit), better known as the hole. Other punishments include loss of prison employment, so-called "idle-pay" (the few penny stipend given to pay for such necessities as shampoo and toothpaste), lose of phone privileges, commissary and recreational privileges. Is the treatment harsh? That depends on the type of lies the prison official concocts. Abuses include beatings. They are usually inflicted by gangs of guards1 while the prisoner is confined out of sight in the hole.2 A prisoner nicknamed "Hillhead" at the state Correctional Institution at Frackville, who is somewhat mentally disturbed and, perhaps deficient, was recently subjected to a vicious beating by a gang headed by a guard lieutenant. Hillhead is a man who loves to sing and dance, kind of like a cellblock clown. He's from the Diamond Street section of Philadelphia and is well-liked by other inmates throughout Pennsylvania. He certainly didn't deserve to be beaten on. I understand his jaw was broken in the assault. Even though inmates and prison officials are at odds all the time, that's not reason enough for supposedly professional state employees to resort to inappropriate physical abuse. Many of the Frackville prison guards are abusive due to their lack of common sense and ordinary coping skills. Some of them brazenly admit that they fabricate misconduct reports - why? because they so easily get away with it. They know that no one, least of all prison administrators, actually cares what's done "to prisoners. And the prison grievance is like waste flushed down the toilet. The prison superintendent3 has threatened me personally. He told me that I would never receive his recommendation for parole since I'm vociferous in my opposition to wrongful abuses. The proof will be what happens when I'm up for parole next September. To stifle complaints from prisoners, prison administrators have started offering more variety in the prison commissary. They know that foolish inmates will forget the abuses of the grievance system as long as they are placated by being allowed to purchase food that they haven't enjoyed in years.4 Most food must be bought by prisoners in the commissary. It's sad. Racism is alive and well in the Frackville state prison. Officials not only ignore it, they tolerate it. It's not properly controlled; rather accommodated with scraps to feed a dog. In December I had a guard call me "haji," the dark-skinned character from the children's cartoon Johney Quest. His5 excuse for the name-calling was my wearing a prison-issued kitchen worker's cap. What gives this guard the impression that I'm fair game to be toyed with or demeaned? A couple months ago I was on my way to meal-line. A guard said to me: "those two guys right there are gay."6 So what! What does that have to do with me? Why does a prison guard think that it's okay to relate another man's sexuality to me? I'm not a homosexual and don't know why that guard felt the need to tell me about another inmate, all the while snickering as if he found something funny. I found no humor in it. Had I grieved this incident, it would have been ignored and deemed a "frivolous" filing. The superintendent can never say that racism isn't rampant in the Frackville prison. Before I revealed that I was a black-Jew, I had to endure countless racist jokes by the staff against the Jews. I found it very offensive. The staff would never say such jokes to other Caucasians. They wouldn't know if he was a Jew or not. Around black inmates, some of the staff say a lot because their ignorance has kept them from knowing about black/Jews. For those who visit me on the web, I thank you for doing so. If you have questions or comments, or just want to write, I may be contacted at the address above. Editor's Footnote 1The guards attack in packs because most of them are individually cowards. 2Most beatings of prisoners take place in the hole so that other prisoners won't see and know what goes on. That way, they can't complain, testify or notify authorities. 3The present prison superintendent is a man recognized to be vindictive and dishonest, petty and inept. During the winter when a man complained that he was cold and asked to have the heat adjusted, the superintendent threatened to put him in the hole. Threats by the guards and staff are everyday occurrences. 4The food and conditions in the prison messhall are a travesty. Most men must buy much of their own food from the commissary. SSome of the prison guards are obsessed with cartoons and smut. They have adolescent mentalities. One mentioned here, forces prisoners to share their girly books with him. At the same time, he debases and ridicules some of the sex offenders. 6Homosexuality is becoming much more common in prison since the men have fewer heterosexual outlets. At the same time, more and more guards are also homosexual or bisexual. At the Frackville prison a number of guards are peeping toms who arouse themselves by looking at the men using the toilet. "I, too am American" Langston Hughes 1925 You are welcome to use or republish any of our material. 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