“(In a low, but assertive tone) Huh, Nigga you a bitch!” as I overheard two prisoners exchange harsh remarks prior to going into the cell and mixing it up (fighting). I wasn’t too much surprised by the hand to hand combat that ensued following the use of the “B-word,” because to not react violently after being addressed in such a way, would be against prison principle and would invite a host of greater flagrancies in the future. But, what was most concerning to me was the unabated use of the “N-word” that flowed so freely from the young man’s mouth for all other prisoners to hear. I resolved that I could not be too frustrated by such dissonance, being that newly committed prisoners coming through the system entered devoid of basic precepts (prison rules) garnered from the “Walpole” experience. At one point, it was almost mandatory all prisoners were aware of and adhered to such precepts in order to survive in Massachusetts DOC prison institutions.
Since the transformation of MCI Cedar Junction (Walpole) in 2009 into a classification facility, prison etiquette began to dissipate. Inmates who served time in Walpole were mindful not to use the N-word so freely or loosely, as they were ever aware of how incendiary the racial climate had been between whites and blacks. Walpole, could be a very violent place at times, but it was an environment that inculcated hard lessons among the prison population that allowed its residents to live amongst each other in an eerie sense of peace. I would emphasize eerie, primarily because the paradox of “peace in prison” is nonexistent from the perspective of the author. I believe one achieves true peace through being free from chaos and/or confusion which provides a sense of order. So, while order has traditionally been recognized as the sibling of peace, the most sublime order in prison does not equate to absolute peace within the depths of this hell-house. More revealing, peace can never be situated in our prisons when existing criminal justice policies usurp liberty, strain family ties, and scrape away at the humanity of the convicted. Although islets of peace and serenity do exist in the form of a good book, a riveting institutional film played on movie nights, or consecutive sets at the lone pull-up bar, true peace remains tentative and will stay as such until prisoners are restored liberty and allowed access to the political process. Visceral feelings from exclusion give birth to misery and hopelessness within Massachusetts prisons and fortify the steady rates of recidivism.
Pardon my slight digression, for it was necessary to illustrate the exclusive factors that cultivate a prison climate that discourages rehabilitation and reflection, but, I would like to stay focused on why Massachusetts DOC institutions foster such violence, insecurity, and the cynicism that likely caused the incident expressed in the opening of this slave narrative. So, to get straight to the point, my request to Mr. & Ms. Massachusetts Legislature is, why not work together to end this cycle of long term prison sentences and abject prison conditions by allowing incarcerated persons to regain their humanity? Let’s abolish LWOP, provide prisoners with access to the ballot box on election day, allow us to hug our children on holidays, and reinstate the furlough program to ensure successful transitions from the physical and psychological brand of inmate to an active citizen. The unnatural state of incarceration and exclusion manufactures a deviant psyche and does nothing to restore dignity or render true justice. Crime is a call for help! Criminal justice and prison reform should adequately answer calls from the 10,544 prisoners languishing in prisons throughout Massachusetts.
Let’s keep in mind that slavery is real. Our 13th Amendment actualizes this practice through long term, life, life without parole (LWOP) prison sentences, and incarceration in general. People, let’s continue to unify around our Emancipation Initiative to bring forth the change we want to see!
Derrick Washington