Inside Indiana:

The Politics of a Police State of Corruption

I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who is for or against it. I'm a human being first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole. '

~Malcolm X 1965

    The Indianapolis Star News released information on a probe done by a T.V. News personality named Richard Reeves of Eyewitness News WTHR (channel 13) on February 16,2001. This probe was done on the Indiana Department of Corrections on the ban of smoking products throughout the (IDOC) some years ago. The Department of Corrections claimed this ban would save money by reducing smoking related illnesses among inmates. Like anywhere in the world, once there's a ban or restrictions placed on various products, somewhere a black market develops, which replaces the previous system.

    This report stated that tobacco possession and trafficking are rampant in these State Prisons inside Indiana. They're claiming a large expense of internal investigations and staff discipline. The (IDOC) documents show they have conducted (412) internal investigations of trafficking or simple possession. The results were (44) staffers fired, (127) reprimanded, and (72) suspended. They claim the suspensions alone cost the (IDOC) (172) days of lost work. This report also said inmates have been found guilty of violating the ban more than 4,500 times. Taking away just one month of the inmates' good time in each case would add 375 extra years of prison time. Based on the $17,728 cost of housing an inmate annually, that's more than 6.6 million extra dollars the Indiana Department of Corrections puts in her pocket for housing cost. This seems to be the scam they've concocted by removing the smoking out of prison. It seems like they are making more money by keeping ones in prison. Then what was earned off the sells to prisoners from the prisons' commissaries. They had to anticipate the "black market" potential rise, and the casualties it would create.

    The commissioner Evelyn Ridley- Turner who's in control of the prisons statewide claimed that his numbers seemed too high, but failed to offer any of her own. So it must be an accurate account. She also said: "I haven't looked into that to see or make a comparison as to what we were spending before the ban was in place."

    The probe further stated; that if the maximum punish for alleged violations of the smoking ban, with no time earned back, the extra money the (IDOC) would be pocketing would nearly be 20 million doll.ars. The heads of this system are to blame for all the internal contradictions that now exist as the result of the ban of smoking.

    Eric Balaban, a lawyer with the (ACLU) National prison project, says prisoners become organized and they enforce their tobacco trade through violence and threats of violence. Prisons are a microcosm of the larger society, so there will be a variety of accessible products by way of such a ban. The Indiana Department of Corrections is criminal in the way they've used this ban and other things as control mechanisms.

    A hidden camera prison styled internal affairs sting at the Pendleton Correctional Facility in 2000 resulted in (6) prison employees being disciplined, (6) contract nurses were barred from working the (DOC) and (6) inmates were disciplined. One nurse named Jeraldine Hinson was one of those disciplined. She took a bold stance on the ban saying, "It hasn't worked, " shc said of the tobacco ban. "It's never worked from the beginning. And it's never going to work. " A metro state prison warden said, "I think when you restrict it totally, you create a black market, and you create a temptation for staff."

    Georgia's prison system banned tobacco in 1994 but later revised its policies after seeing increases in smuggling, staff turnover and inmate fighting. Now, smoking is allowed in designed areas. They said one of their best pacifiers is tobacco, right or wrong, that's a fact.

Guard to be fired in Alleged Smuggling Case

In a resent article released by the associated press an Indiana Department of Corrections guard named William E. Anderson, (48) years old of Linton, Indiana, who has been a correctional officer for seven years, working at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Southwestern Indiana.

    The news release stated that acting on information from prison internal affairs, officers stopped this guard on July 4th in the visitors processing area as he prepared to enter the prison. A search yielded plastic bags of tobacco in his booths, loose cigarettes in his socks and rolling papers inside his wallet
.
    Tobacco inside State Prisons is forbidden. The point to be made and understood here is that the (IDOC) knew what taking away smoking would do to these prisons. But they did it anyway. They are completely responsible for the huge problem they refuse to accept the blame for.

    On August 3rd 2003 in a separate incident at the Wabash Valley Correctional a guard was fired from the facility for allegedly giving prisoners socks. If this is the way it occurred, it will show the callousness of these prison officials inside Death Valley. Socks should be given to any inmate who needs them if they're available. This is the human thing to do. The guard who was fired was running a work crew of inmates; he gave them socks he bought after seeing holes in their socks. This again to me is the face of a Police State.

Indiana Police State of Corruption

    This is the State that gave birth to the Ku Klux Klan many years ago. Now for the first time in the history of the Indiana Parole Board, government officials move to stop a New Afrikan ("Black") prisoner from being released from prison, after his approval was granted and he was to walk free on august 12, 2003.

    Bro. Norman A. Woodford in 1976 was convicted in a case where an Indianapolis officer named Ronald Manley was killed. This man has spent many years in prison, having gained laundry list of educ.ational advancement as a show of transforming his life while in prison. I happen to know this brother personally, so to read about his situation it really upsets me.

    For many years, the dead officer's wife has been in contact with this man. Her and her family has sent him cards and letters supporting his release. But out of the blue, the widow has now changed her mind calling for the courts to stop his right to be released. Her change of mind came as a result of pressure from Racist Corrupt Indiana Police. Stephanie Manley and the fraternal order of Police lodge that represents Indianapolis Police officers filed a lawsuit which alleges the Parole Board failed to properly investigate Woodford before deciding to offer him parole.

    A local Hamilton Superior Court Judge Steven Nation said that he would be making the determination on whether to issue a preliminary injunction halting Norman A. Woodford's release. The Parole Board presented the letters written to him by this widow and her family. One Letter stated that she supported his release, but could not support him "publicly," because it would be a "slap in the face" to the Indianapolis Police Department. A clear point to be made here is she's been leaned on heavily by these Police that she completely abandoned her position. The State of Indiana is a Police State, full of corruption and racism. This change of mind is an open show of "White Solidarity" against the release of this New Afrikan "Black" prisoner. These racists have the nerve to .interfere with the release of this model prisoner that had nothing to do with this case at all. Former
Indianapolis Police Department Officer John Larkins and former ,Marion County Prosecutor's Office Investigator (Charlie Svihlik) testified that Woodford was the shooter. The Indiana Parole Board indicated it granted the man's parole in part because evidence showed it was the co-defendant who exchanged gunshots with the dead officer.

    The Parole Board weighed the testimony from Police, Prosecutors, and others before drawing its conclusion. The attorney from Indiana representing the Parole Board named (Caren Pollard) argued that the court should not intervene. "The Parole Board has absolute discretion, " she said. "We can't be overruled because someone doesn't like our decision." I've been in prison since (1987) and this has never happened. The fraternal order of Police is a very powerful and influential entity across this entire country. These actions are connected to a much larger movement to keep prisoners accused of killing Police or any Government officials, which includes prison guards. Even after most of these cases have been the result of those accused or convicted being exonerated. This is the face of Indiana's institutional racism. There is supposed to be an organization in place inside this State to champion cases such as this when it occurs. I am in complete solidarity with the release of this model prisoner Norman A. Woodford.

Free all Indiana Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War. Aluta Continua!

(Just telling the Truth)
Bro. Khalfani Malik Khaldun #874304
(Leonard McQuay) A2-201 S.H.U. A/S
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 1111
Carlisle, Indiana 47838
(www.prisonactivist.org/khalfani)