Camp Hell
By: F. Gullwhistle Frank
The state prison at Harrisburg, the "unfriendly City," capital of Pennsylvania
is the crowning jewel of the Commonwealth's prison system. It is the example,
the standard, the model for the other 26 gulags in the state.
The prison is located just across the river from the capital city at Camp Hill in Cumberland County. It's in easy commuting distance where legislators and state authorities can admire their grim policies at work. To all the prisoners in the system, the place is reviled as Camp Hell! It is perhaps one of the most cruel, brutal and oppressive prisons in the country, but no worse than the hell-hole at Frackville. Recently, incriminating revelations have been smuggled out of Camp Hell. Two prisoners are preparing blood-chilling reports on the shameful place. In the meantime we can offer only a few general facts - viewer discretion is advised. Many authorities incorrectly believe that the State "Correctional" Institution in Greene County Pennsylvania is the most barbaric prison in the state. In many ways Camp Hell is even worse. More young and black men die in Camp Hell than in SCI-Greene and far more serious injuries are inflicted on prisoners. The executive officers of the Department of Corrections (in reality, the Department of "Imprisonment," no "correction" goes on) are located at SCI-Camp Hill. That includes the thrones of Martin Horn ( widely known as "Himmler Horn" after his role-model) and of the current prison boss, Jeffrey Beard widely known as "Lush Beard," a man who obviously scheamed to kill our cofounder. The prison faithfully reflects the viciousness of Mr. Horn and Mr. Beard. It's a testament to extremism and repression; a regression to a former age of pointless brutality. The place can truly be said to be evil in obedience to the people who manage it! Once Camp Hell was called "White Hill." Then it imprisoned only children, mostly unwanted black boys. In those days it was terrible, but it's worse today. Now it houses about 4000 convicts. Some of them are no doubt guilty. It would be illegal to treat animals in the ways that men and boys are treated at Camp-Hell. The "camp*" includes a very large and notoriously violent prison "hole." The hole guards (with approval of their administrators) habitually and routinely beat and even cripple prisoners. In addition, there is a so-called "Special Management Unit" ("SMU") in the prison. It's a kind of de-humanizing dungeon of institutionalized torture and torment. Ordinary men are turned into deadly dangerous, snarling menaces. The sole purpose of the SMU is to make men into monsters. Often, unpopular prisoners are sent there to be killed or maimed. We urge Amnesty International (3601 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-387-9331) to investigate Camp Hell to expose some of its worst abuses. A civilized country should not tolerate places like Camp Hell or administrators like Martin Horn or Jeffrey Beard. |
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