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Scott Servis
Prison has taken from me as well as given to me, but it seems
that over the years prison has gone from a punishment to a political,
medial and monetary scare tactic to control the taxpayers, and
from a rehabilitative tool to a dumping ground for society to
hide all their "undesirables" that they either will
not, or don't know how to, deal with.
(from letter)
They've got a school library in general population, I'm in administrative
segregation (also called security detention) and am not eligible
to participate in general population programs. I'm confined to
this cell (5' x 9 ½') for 23 hours a day, with 1 hour in
an enclosed (15' x 15') recreation (HA!) yard. That's one of the
reasons I look forward to getting reading (and other) materials
from Books Through Bars.
Emperor Nightmare aka D.J. Still
The two envelopes that are before you were done by the Mr. Nightmare
to show the dark side of Texas prisons. The things people don't
see. Back in 1996, two of Mr. Nightmare's friends were killed
by the TDCJ guards. And was covered up by the unit officials.
Due to their not wanting anyone to know about what really took
place. The drawing of the lady of ""Sweet Dreams"
was a loved one of Mr. Nightmare's. She was a lawyer who killed
her lover behind another woman. She was to be released in 1998.
But due to her lawsuits against State officials she died at the
hands of TDCJ guards in retaliation for her litigation. The second
drawing of Bullethead was done by Mr. Nightmare for his friend
who also died by the hands of guards due to his litigation skills
and complaints filed against this evil system that we live in.
We all have no friends, family nor anyone to guide us, love us,
nor care for us in this place. Most people won't even write us.
And this place is a dead end hole for the one's who were once
on top of the world. But fell to the hell of prison
Wayne Edward Cole
Being incarcerated over sixteen (16) years for a non-violent offense
proves prisons are for ostracizing the poor.
Candy Anderson aka Diamond Childe
Barbed wire may keep one's body confined, but never the spirit.
It's easy to lose the positive parts of one's self in here. It's
up to each individual to cling to these parts and not give up
the dream.
Rehabilitation only comes from inside. The "justice system"
only promotes the concept of rehabilitation to tickle the public
ear. The reality is, that the system is geared toward punishment,
by means of deprivation, humiliation and cruelty. Everyday we
struggle not to become embittered. Most lose the struggle. Only
the strong survive, by keeping their dreams alive and not forgetting
who they are deep inside, rather than accepting negative labels
based on past mistakes or failures. The "crime" is not
the person!
Martin "Doc" Robertson
Influences
Robert Crumb and Franzetta, but also many others. I have been
drawing comics for about five years and I was fine tuned by Leonard
Rifas. He is a comic writer of Educomics in Seattle, Washington.
About this piece
The comic originated by an assignment that Leonard Rifas gave
me. He was helping me perfect my comic style and the assignment
was to draw how I felt at that moment.
About the prison system
Punishment is a necessary thing, but so is learning from our mistakes.
Texas provides nothing for us to learn a new way. We are new jobs
for Texas and correcting us is not what they want. They need us
to continue to break the law so there will always be a job for
them.
Sundiata Acoli
Profession
Political prisoner of war, imprisoned for the last 27 years.
About the prison system
The prison system is racist, it's used to control people of color
and the poor and the present prison expansion binge combined with
private corporations venture into the prison business (called
the Prison Industrial Complex, PIC) is the second coming of slavery
for people of color.
Steven Ray Lampley
I do hope y'all like this envelope. To me it represents all the
different feelings one feels when locked up. Prison can be and
is a place charged up with bad feelings, but it also is a place
of great loneliness. You can be around a thousand people and still
feel alone.
There are a lot of people here in the Texas prison system that
have a lot of redeeming qualities, a whole lot of artistic talent.
Y'all keep up the good work. We need you.
Flores aka Ren Osirpa
About the art
This style was inspired by fond memories (visions) during my LSD
days-but at that time I knew not of what these squiggly lines
rioted free. And finally, a few months back I meditated in old
memories and realized what, maybe, these lines stood for: chaos
is the nature of the world. It happens when it's not even happening…
And so I "accidentally" came upon these squiggles once
more in a piece of paper-and decided to put them to some use.
About the prison system
Since I've been locked up these past few years, I've realized
this prison system is the most pathetic. Pathetic in the sense
that I can't see how these men all around me fall victim to it.
"Institutionalized" is what they call it. The only thing
that makes this place somewhat "difficult" is the laziness
of the people who run it. "Prison Land" is very degrading
to the human spirit and soul.
Anna Lucia Gelabert
Because of my political views and pro prison rights activities
(extensive litigation), in 16 years the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice (TDCJ) has given me over 300 disciplinary violations,
easily an all time record in TDCJ women's units, although I am
not at all a disruptive prisoner, all the opposite. As result,
I have (0) days of "good time" at all after 16 years!!
David Martinez
Yes, here in prison, prison officials unfortunately applaud the
sufferings of human kind and there are no emergency dental visits,
and as I made this piece I'd be suffering a tooth ache since the
12th of March. The ear aching sore throat can't sleep at night
type tooth ache. However, the good news is that when I received
my notice on March 15th to start my art piece from Books Through
Bars my tooth ache went away. As I am making this art piece took
my mind off the toothache.
He requests that we put the following with his work:
"If you happen to have any ideas you'd like to share with
me feel free to contact me at this address: CDC #E 38193 D8225L,
PO Box 3030 400, Standish, CA 96130. All letters will be answered!.
Ed Chaparro
I tune my mind's eye to freeze on images of incredible wonder,
images that get their origin from living life as it filters through
my central nervous system, and then stare at that image with a
trained, sensitive and suffering eye, to bring that image, kicking
and screaming, into our socially agreed upon reality.
Prisons are full of people who have received long prison sentences
but the crime rate has continued to be out of control. Prisons
are ineffective as a deterrent to crime and the punishment that
society screams for has only succeeded in manufacturing human
monsters.
Steven King Ainsworth
Everything is up in the air around here. They suspended our contact
visits and we may never get them back and I'm not sure this is
the end of their actions against us… Umph!
I seriously doubt if I will be around at the end of 2002 so I'm
going to donate the five pieces of art to the "collector"
and hope they are always put to good use.
Lou Urbino
Music is an art and goes hand in hand with drawing, which is why
I chose to learn to draw when I came to prison. I was deprived
of my art and talent, however, I express my culture and messages
thru drawings since I cannot do so thru music.
The penal system is a profitable monetary modern day slave plantation
designed to oppress and suppress the prisoner. Prison is a concentration
trains camp designed to build up hatred, anger, rebellion. It
does not rehabilitate a criminal or better a criminal. It constantly
abuses, degrades, and humiliates all prisoners verbally, spiritually
and physically. Therefore, when a prisoner is released to society
from the "belly of the beast," the prisoner has so much
hatred and bitterness in his heart towards authority, that when
he's in society all that's in his heart is vengeance and a heated
vendetta towards authority.
Jose Machado
Prison is not doing any good long wise. They lock people up for
many years and when their time is up they kick em out to the street
with little money or nothing at all and expect em to survive.
You get (no longer) the education (like college) in prisons anymore.
There's people who do need to be in prison cause of the things
they do in society. But the war on drugs is a hoax, locking people
up for long periods of time for smoking pot. Prison ain't for
creating a better society, it's all about money. The more prison
the more money they can get.
Life in prison is hard. You don't get paid for the labor you do
yet prisons sell all the products you (convicts) make for a profit.
So someone is pocketing the money cause conditions in prison are
bad and they only get worse.
Kevin Marinelli
I used to draw when I was young, but after a piece of my art was
rejected in a contest in the 7th grade I stopped drawing 'til
I came to prison. Drawing is my "escape" from prison
life. Main influence were two prison artists Mike Ramer and Tom
Bunch.
The piece is meant to convey that many prisoners turn apathetic
when they come to jail. My heart was barred, even though it was
a good heart; we all have good hearts, just haven't broken the
bars that imprison it. I have the courage, through the teaching
of Jesus, to unbar my heart.
I once felt negatively toward people just because they were different
than myself. Through much reading I've removed the veil of ignorance
that causes prejudice. I would beg all to educate themselves on
different races, religions, cultures and customs. Through understanding
harmony will ensue.
All people make mistakes, some bigger ones than others. Nobody
should be judged enmass for his mistakes, for each situation is
unique in its own tragic way. The Department of Corrections throws
away its broken toys instead of fixing them, and its irony is
that the judicial system made those same broken toys through failed
laws and government programs. Give those toys an overhaul, as
well as a second chance. Mercy and compassion is the mother of
all humanity!
Melvin Vogt
I do not know about other prisons but Texas is not very much different
than a concentration camp really. 90% of the TDCJ-ID employees
(both men and women) are sadistic bullys. The Texas prison system
creates so much hostility in its inmates that by the time a man/woman
leave the prison system they are walking human time-bombs just
ticking away in society waiting for something or someone to set
them off. If an inmate is not violent when he come in, 8 out of
10 times he is violent by the time he leaves the Texas prison
system.
Images
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Through Bars
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