You Are Going To Prison

196 Pages·1994·9.15 MB·English

by  Jim Hogshire

“A comprehensive book of advice and information, from the
initial contact with police to dealing with prison rape clear through
the execution protocol. This book contains information on many of
the dangers and scams that may be encountered along the way... As
excellent as it is disturbing.”
— San Quentin Newsletter
“Directed to people who are about to go to prison or who have a
loved one about to go to prison, this volume uses blunt, graphic
language to detail the offender’s experiences from the time of arrest
through incarceration and presents practical suggestions for coping
with prison life.”
— U.S. Department of Justice
“This is a disturbing book — one which just might scare you
straight. However, there is so much good information in this book,
that I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone... Prudence dictates
that you read You Are Going to Prison now — someday you might
not have a choice of reading material.”
— Jon Hanna, Psychedelic Resource List
“This was a fun book to read. Unless, of course, you are really
going to prison. Then it would be the scariest book you ever read.”
— Loren Christensen, The Rap Sheet
“Here’s the best book out there on the realities of going to
prison... Highly recommended for readers who presently break the
law and want to avoid having this happen to them. Mandatory for
anyone who’s gotten busted and served time.”
_ — Gray Areas
“Hope you never need this. But should you (or a loved one) be
able to do some advance research prior to a stay in the pokey, you
should certainly read this book... The tone is jocular, the writing
smart, and information comes out fast and furious. A lengthy
appendix of useful addresses makes this an excellent resource for
the long-time inmate or the new kid on the cell-block.”
— Kim Cooper, Scram
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Removed from
library collection
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Breakout Productions
Port Townsend, Washington
This book is sold for information purposes only. Neither the
author nor the publisher will be held accountable for the use or
misuse of the information contained in this book.
You Are Going To Prison
© 1994 by Loompanics Unlimited
© 1999 by Breakout Productions
Cover by Nick Bougas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
stored in any form whatsoever without the prior written
consent of the publisher. Reviews may quote brief passages
without the written consent of the publisher as long as proper
credit is given.
Published by:
Breakout Productions
PO Box 1643
Port Townsend, WA 98368
ISBN 1-893626-22-9
Library of Congress Card Catalog 99-60827
Contents
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Chapter 1
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The Criminal Justice Machine; Pain; The Loophole;
Flashing Red Lights; The Brain of a Cop; The Dilemma;
A Note on Sassing Cops; The Smashed Door; Calm
Down; Incriminating Evidence; In the Squad Car; The
Three Rules of Criminal Law; Ask Questions; The Pee
Wee Problem; Be a Good Citizen; Surrendering; What to
Wear; Money; Jail Life; How to Behave; No Exit; Your
Mouth; Fellow Prisoners; Bail; Jumping Bail; The
Interrogation
Chapter 2
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Arraignment; You Need a Lawyer; How to Pick a
Lawyer; The Hearing; The Prosecutor; A Three-Pronged
Fork; The Mind of the Prosecutor; Before the Trial; The
Plea; Mi£tigating and Aggravating Circumstances;
“Rolling Over”; On the Other Hand; You Need
Rehabilitating; The Bribe; Asset Forfeiture; Surveillance;
Probation; The Trial; Jury Tax; Don’t Look Back;
Mistrial; The Jury; FIJA; Escape; Extradition
Chapter 3
Prison
The Frying Pan; Getting Prepared; The Reception Center;
Arrival in Prison; The Fire; Prison Rape; The Nightmare;
Who’s A Target?; What If I Get Butt-Fucked Anyway?;
Rape and Race; A Way Out; Weapons; Sex in Prison;
Gangs; Jobs; Hustling; Drugs; Hustling the Outside
World; Phone Calls; Pets; Hobbies
Chapter 4
Jailhouse Justice
Isolation; Rules; Piss Tests; Segregation Units; Your
Rights; Marionization; Buried Alive; Grievances; Filing a
Lawsuit; The Paperwork
Chapter 5
Execution
The Death Penalty; Why You Got the Death Penalty;
Going to the Death Chamber; What You Can Do; Death
Row; The Last Hour, The Last Minutes; Last Requests;
Lethal Injection; Electrocution; The Gas Chamber;
Hanging; Firing Squad; Cheating the Hangman; Taking
Somebody With You
Chapter 6
An Afterword On Forethought
A Few Recommended Books; Rape Materials; Criminal
Justice Publications; Penpals; Books, Etc.; Legal
Information/Self-Help Resources; Prisoner Support; Safer
Sex and Drug Use Guidelines; News/News Analysis;
Journals of Stories, Poems, Essays
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Introduction 1
Introduction
Been breaking any laws lately? It's not too hard anymore. For
years now, our society has been treating any social problem by
making something illegal — or increasing government powers to
control you. ;
Think your kid's not smart enough? Well, blame it on TV, then let
the FCC have more control over the airwaves.
Scared of crime? Blame it on drugs. Blame it on guns. Blame it on
foreigners, religious "freaks," communists, Arabs. Make 'em all
illegal.
Of course, to enforce all this it's imperative to equip our police
and militaries with the latest in lethal gizmos. To make sure they
won't hesitate to use them, we've had to do away with constitutional
protections (they're just loopholes for Arabs anyway) while
broadening the scope of the government's "interest."
Still think you'll never be a "criminal"?
OK, how about "hate crimes," "conspiracy of one," mandatory
sentences, pre-trial detention ... hell, write three bad checks, let the
courts declare you a "habitual criminal" and put you away forever!
In case you don't like someone and you see them once too often,
don't forget your recourse to the crime of "stalking." Or maybe
somebody's tired of your face.
But you're an innocent man .... OK, how about this law now in
force in Wisconsin (and 19 other states) — mandatory arrest any
time cops are called to a domestic dispute. If the cops get called to:
your place because an anonymous tip says you and your spouse are
2 You Are Going To Prison
fighting, somebody's going to jail, or the cop loses his job. Once
you're in jail, you're a criminal, pal, and you get no help.
Dig it, once this concept of mandatory arrest is fully accepted it'll
be a cinch to expand it to everything else and then maybe we can
get mandatory life for conspiracy to stalk with a mandatory death
penalty if the plan was motivated by "hate" or occurred within 1,000
feet of a school! Imagine what they might do to someone who
conspired such a thing three times ... while owning a firearm. Yikes!
The latest federal "anti-crime" bills being bandied around all
contain upwards of fifty new capital offenses, including some that
don't even involve killing anybody. Destroying government
property by arson, for example, can get you the death sentence.
If breaking the law is easy, going to jail is even easier. The United
‘States now holds more people in cages than any other country on
earth. Both in terms of percentage of population and in terms of
absolute numbers, nobody beats America. If your goal is to do time,
you've come to the right country.
America now has more than one million, two hundred thousand
people locked up in federal and state prisons. Another eight to ten
million people each year pass through our jail systems. The
magnitude of this is almost impossible to appreciate. The "War on
Drugs" alone has earmarked $7.5 billion for new prisons and prison
construction. Just for drugs. And just at the federal level.
A million people.
A half dozen people die each day in U.S. prisons. Another one
hundred are seriously injured. Savagery and viciousness rule our
prisons. Torture by prison guards is routine.
And if women feel the problems of rape and violent assault have
reached intolerable proportions in the free world, consider the
problems in U.S. prisons where sexual assault is a virtual certainty
for anyone. For you.
You, the prisoner. One ina million.
Fucked up the ass, locked in a cell and eating fatback with hair
growing out of it. Your friends will forget you, your wife will leave
you, your mama can't help you and you will live by the law of the
jungle whether you like it or not. That's prison. Hell on earth. And it
is not a country club.
No prison is a country club. There are only two prisons in
America that could be described as "not horrible." Both are federal
prisons — one in Allenwood, PA, and another in Eglin, FL. There is
no chance you'll be going there. And if you do, you will still get the
Introduction 3
shit kicked out of you if your sentence is any longer than 30 days —
assuming you can keep on your toes for 30 days.
But mostly you'll be there for years. And prison will be in you for
the rest of your life.
Let's party!
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