Demand of Prisoners of Red Onion & Wallens Ridge State Prisons

This was written in the winter of 2005

1.                   That there be a racial balance between the prisoners housed at these prisons and their staff bodies.

2.                   That beatings of prisoners cease, particularly of nonwhite segregation prisoners and while restrained and during ‘cell extractions’.

3.                   That a nutritious diet, with variety and balance of foods, 3 hot meals every day including holidays and weekends (instead of only two meals on weekends and holidays, and cold cuts for lunch on weekdays), fresh instead of rotten and unripe fruits and vegetables, more grains and fibers (which are largely nonexistent in the present diet), and meals served at appropriate temperatures be provided.

4.                   That meals cease to be served in unsanitary manners, e.g. using metal boxes which are often not cleaned and are passed consecutively from cell to cell with prisoners placing their hands and arms into the boxes to retrieve their meal trays and beverages.

5.                   Adequate medical care without doctors and nurses working in complicity with guards to use denied care and minimizing serious injuries and conditions to retaliate against prisoners or cover up guard-inflicted injuries and abuses.

6.                   That guards stop using denial of meals, showers, outside exercise and mail as summary retaliation, punishment, and abuses.

7.                   That prisoners assigned to segregation for extended periods be provided actual outside recreational activities instead of periods of idly standing in one man dog pens.

8.                   That indoor exercise and recreational facilities be provided for segregation prisoners during day on which the outside weather is inclement.

9.                   That guards cease using shakedowns and destruction of prisoners’ property as summary punishment, retaliation, and abuse.

10.               That guards cease stealing prisoners’ televisions, magazines, etc. under false pretexts of their being “altered”, “impermissible”, or “unauthorized” property, and subsequently using these stolen items as bartering tools given to other prisoners as ‘good behavior’ incentives, rewards for snitching on other prisoners or assaulting disliked prisoners, etc.

11.               That staff cease using the disciplinary process as a measure to trump up and fabricate reports and procure bogus ‘convictions’ based solely upon bias in favor of anything staff say.

12.               That staff cease verbally abusing prisoners, using racist innuendoes, and name calling, etc.

13.               That we be allowed to receive media of all political persuasions and not merely that which prison officials find acceptable to their own political views.

14.               That the practice cease of granting staff favoritism and protectionism in disciplinary investigation, complaint and grievance processes; particularly the trend of accepting anything a staff person says as unrebuttably true and anything a prisoner say to be unrebuttably untrue.

15.               That threats, intimidation and violence cease being used as tools of attitude/behavior modification.

16.               That segregation prisoners be allowed radios with which to access broadcasted media, and to purchase food items from the prison commissary.

17.               That unit surveillance camera tapes cease being erased.

18.               That medical and mental health staff make all routine checks of segregation prisoners as required by prison policy.