ATTICA CALLING – issue #2

ATTICA CALLING – issue #2

Women at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility suffer abuse and inhumane conditions

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility is the only maximum security New York State women’s prison. The women there have made numerous reports of mistreatment, including the following complaints, all of which have been ignored.

Arbitrary Lock-ins

Women have reported extended lock-ins that are imposed collectively, including upon those who have not been involved in any misconduct. These lock-ins restrict movement, access to programs, and basic daily functions. Correctional officers (COs) abuse this power to isolate inmates and create an atmosphere of punishment.

Indoor recreation eliminated/the removal of furniture from day rooms

All indoor recreation on housing units have been eliminated along with the removal of all furniture from day rooms. There are few communal spaces where inmates are able to gather and they are being deliberately withheld. The lack of safe, usable common areas increases tensions within housing units. It is humiliating and disgraceful to rid people of these small comforts and a clear effort to deteriorate morale.

“The women deserve safe, dignified living conditions, and it is clear that the prison is unwilling to provide that.”

Violence against incarcerated women

Several women reported aggressive staff members using excessive force during routine interactions or when women speak up about conditions. The physical abuse of and harassment of women is rampant in prisons. The depraved pigs responsible face no accountability despite numerous reports being filed. The women deserve safe, dignified living conditions, and it is clear that the prison is unwilling to provide that.

Lack of access to menstrual hygiene and sanitation

Women are reportedly being denied ample menstrual products, showers, and sanitation facilities. Some have said they are expected to clean themselves with buckets of water. Allowing this to continue will endanger people’s health and wellbeing. These conditions are degrading and unacceptable, the women at Bedford Hills must stand together to demand change.

Threats/retaliation for filing complaints

Women who express their grievances or report mistreatment said they have received threats from staff. The threat of retaliation creates an environment where vulnerable women cannot reliably and safely seek help. COs take it upon themselves to impose fear into women who have spoken up against the unjust conditions at the facility in order to maintain a cycle of harm towards inmates. The retaliation shows that speaking up alone cannot be enough to improve conditions for the women at Bedford Hills.

“These conditions are degrading and
unacceptable.

Barriers for visiting
Inmates and their loved ones have reported limited visiting hours, 5-hour waits, and inconvenient and embarrassing searches of visitors. This disrespect discourages family members from visiting, which further isolates and disrupts the lives of inmates. These women are being held hostage away from their closest relationships, including mothers and their children.

Inmates demand

• A prompt, independent review of the allegations and a reversal of any official or discretionary policy that has led to the current conditions, e.g. lock-ins; diminution of programming and recreation
• Immediate protections for the individuals who reported these concerns
• Restored access to sanitation, communal spaces, visitation, and programming
• Review of staff conduct, training, and accountability mechanisms
• Transparency regarding the results of any inquiry conducted

These abusive tactics are typical of the US prison system. The system neglects those they are tasked to look over, and when inmates voice their complaints, they are met with hostility and repression.

Women at Bedford have the right to stand up for themselves. The women who spoke out about conditions have bravely risked additional repression to get the word out. The system will never correct itself, and the courage of inmates who spoke out needs to be matched by people on the outside. These inhumane conditions can only be changed through mass action putting pressure on the facility.

Dare to Struggle stands with the women at Bedford Hills to demand improved conditions and fight to end the systemic violence, abuse, and neglect of women prisoners. Join us!

The last guard in Robert Brooks lynching to stand trial in January

43-year-old Robert Brooks was lynched at Marcy Correctional on December 9, 2024. Of the 18 COs and medical staff members responsible, who stood around watching and giggling as he was beaten to death, only 10 were charged.

4 took plea deals and the 6 remaining pigs were charged with second-degree murder, three with manslaughter, and one with evidence tampering in Brooks’ death, with a max sentence of 22 years in state prison. However, in the year since Robert Brooks’ murder and the highly publicized video footage, the DOC and NY state have tried to minimize sentencing. They shifted the focus to bullshit changes in legislature instead of locking up the butchers who killed Robert and getting justice for his family.

The light sentencing of killer pigs and acceptance of legislation as a satisfactory outcoming from this kind of incident is allowing the death machine of mass incarceration to carry on uninterrupted. This is the same routine the city runs in order to cover up the torture and abuses playing out behind bars. We cannot rely on this system to correct itself. Instead, we must turn to tactics that actually work and deliver real victories, not empty promises of change.

The reason why those 10 pigs were charged in the first place is that gangs on Rikers Island came out in support of Robert Brooks before the footage had been released. The unrest in Rikers and in the city following his horrific murder put pressure on Attorney General Letitia James to quickly fire the COs and later indict some of them. We need to amp up the pressure and make it clear that if inmates continue to be abused and their humanity be denied, there will be hell to pay from the people.

The last guard charged, Michael Fisher, is scheduled to stand trial in January on a second-degree manslaughter charge. He should be convicted and locked away for his crimes!

Message from a brokenhearted mother

The author of this piece is a mother whose daughter is currently locked up in Rikers Island. Her daughter suffers from mental illness and is awaiting transfer to a mental institution but there are currently no beds available.

As a mother of a daughter in Rikers Island, I’m very concerned for her safety. According to her, the situation there is very chaotic—there’s stabbing, slashing, and fighting all the time, and she fears for her life. I don’t call it a jail, because it’s a jungle: kill or be killed. The COs there are the worst—they don’t follow protocol and they don’t protect the inmates. They bring drugs in. My daughter is abused mentally and physically, and one time she was abused sexually. When she calls me she says “Mami, I’m afraid that I’m gonna get killed, I’m afraid that they’re gonna rape me, I’m afraid that they’re gonna do something worse than this to me.” One incident she told me about was that the COs opened the inmates’ cells so they would go and fight with the other inmates, which is ridiculous. I would like to go to that jungle and tell them—why are you behaving like that? And why are you bringing drugs to my daughter?

I’ve been there to visit her. The visiting room was noisy and all messed up, with people screaming like animals. And they don’t even let you hold your child’s hands. I was treated like a criminal. I felt violated by the COs and the way they were touching me. But when it was time for me to report them, my daughter said not to do it because they would take it out on her. According to her, they retaliate when you make a complaint against any COs. The COs’ badge is supposedly a symbol of protection, but it’s a double edged sword. The reality is that most of them use the badge to abuse people. As a mother, I feel powerless because as you know the system is completely corrupted—from the president to the mayor. I don’t understand why this powerful nation accepts people being violated over and over and over.

“As a mother, I feel powerless because as you know the system is completely corrupted—from the president to the mayor.

I’m not saying that my daughter is a saint, but the conditions in that jungle are not good for any human being—not even for an animal. My daughter has mental problems. She deserves a hospital with doctors who can take care of her. Being incarcerated is not a solution, it’s the problem. No matter the crime that a person committed, they don’t deserve to be treated like that. They have feelings. They have the right to be treated well.

I’m talking as a mom with a broken heart, but it’s not only me—thousands of people are in that jungle. And I don’t see only my daughter there. I see all those ladies as my daughters, and all the boys like my sons—no matter their race or religion, no matter the crime they committed. They deserve better. They deserve to be with their families, especially for these holidays. It’s really painful when you’re eating and you don’t know what your child is eating over there.

There’s a lot of things that we can do. The problem is that people say “let’s do it!” and then they don’t do it. For example, if five people from my building have people in the Rikers Island Jungle—let’s go, and we can do a protest to ask for better conditions. They can’t arrest all of us. And the same way that the people inside get together to fight, they have to get together to talk and make demands. Say, “okay I’m here, I’m paying for my crime, but treat me like a human.” They deserve better living conditions, better food, and more visiting time. Because one or two times a week is not enough when you can’t be with your child 365 days. Put them in training programs, put them in school. And they deserve better medical treatment and to be taken to the hospital if they’re sick instead of having to call 311 all the time. Right now the only way the COs listen to them is when they call 311 to make a complaint. They deserve more. And the COs need to start behaving and stop abusing people.

The situation at Rikers Island has to end. No more jungle! I’d like to use my daughter’s situation as an awakening for the other family members to empower their children, mothers, and fathers, to know that they have rights. We need people to do this, but people are really afraid to speak up. But they don’t really have more power than us—we let them have the power. We can take it away the same way.

Cook County Jail Inmates Stand Up Against Police Brutality

On October 22, the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality, inmates inside Cook County Jail in Chicago took up the call to demand justice for the lives stolen by law enforcement and justice for all people—including themselves—who have been brutalized by the pigs. Just like in Rikers Island and in other jails and prisons across New York, inmates in CCJ live under inhospitable conditions and face daily abuse at the hands of brutal COs. Just like in New York, multiple people have died at the hands of killer COs and neglectful medical staff.

Despite the risk of repression, around 20 people inside Division 9 at CCJ held a protest inside the day room. Inmates held it down, shouting chants for justice and demanding that Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart be held accountable for the inhumane negligence and brutality that inmates endure inside CCJ. The stories of Alteriq Pleasant and Cory Ulmer were read out, two out of the hundreds of lives stolen inside CCJ. Protestors also shared the stories of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi, who were brutally murdered inside New York correctional facilities. Correctional officers responded to the protest by spraying inmates with mace and threatening to use tasers.

One inmate who reported back said, “the very thing that got us to this point is exactly what they continue to do.” A group of protestors shared the following message:

“My brothers and I recognize that police brutality is in a national state of emergency and has become a systematized form of oppression and racism. We all have experienced police brutality by Chicago Police Department, but no formal accountability has been deployed. Criminal law and reformative law may punish and in some instances deter police brutality, but it cannot of itself force fundamental change in how a department runs, supervises, leads, and holds itself accountable. We want accountability for police brutality. Many of the officer-involved shootings and police prosecutions result in either a hung jury or a not guilty verdict…criminal prosecution of police officers is an unreliable tool. That must be changed. Police brutality should not and cannot and will not be tolerated anymore!”

We commend the brave people of Division 9 for answering the call on O22 and fighting back against their oppressors. We take inspiration from their courage and willingness to stand up even in the face of brutal repression. All of us, especially those of us on the outside, should be asking ourselves—if they can do it, why can’t we?

Attica Calling is a newsletter that exposes the torture, murder, and mistreatment inmates face on the daily across NY state correctional facilities. Incarcerated people exposing the horrors behind bars to the rest of the country is crucial in order to challenge the system.