The following is verbatim Citizens For Justice Newsletter dated
May, 1995.  All rights reserved.
 
                       CITIZENS FOR JUSTICE
 
                       Bellingham, Washington
 
                               May, 1995
 
       MEETING TIME
Citizens For Justice will meet Monday, May 15 and again June 19,
7:30 p.m. at 2201 Henry Street.  Mark these dates on your
calendar *now*, as we will not be sending a Newsletter in June.
 
       HOW ARE WE DOING?
Citizens for Justice was organized in March of 1983 by a group of people
who had witnessed a grave injustice in the outcome of a trial in
Whatcom County.  Steve Carey was wrongfully convicted of arson and
aggravated murder in connection with a trailer fire in which his wife
and child died.  Experts disagreed as to the cause of the fire, and
Steve received a sentence of life imprisonment with no parole.  It
seemed to us at the time that if this could happen once it just might
occur more frequently than we could imagine.  Our research and
correspondence since then has shown this to be true.  And we have
learned how extremely difficult it is to right such an injustice.
Once a person in convicted, rughtly or wrongly, everything is stacked
against him.
During this time we have tried to help Steve as he worked on his appeals.
It is an extremely slow process (especially for the indigent, who usually
ends up learning all he can in the prison law library and writing his
own brief).  Steve's appeals were handled by the Washington Appellate
Defenders, but that route has now been exhausted.
About three years ago we paid a retaining fee to [attorney] James Lobsenz
of Seattle.  However, after waiting patiently for something to happen, we
have recently received a letter from Mr. Lobsenz stating that he has no
hope of getting to Steve's case for another several months and suggesting
that we find someone else.  This is frustrating, of course, and we
understand a little more fully what others have gone through in their
struggles for vindication.  (Also, we can't help thinking about the
interest that retainer could have been accumulating in three years had
we kept it in a savings account!)  However, we are not giving up.  It
often seems as though the wheels of *injustice* turn much more rapidly
than the wheels of *justice*.  Perhaps it's too much trouble to search
for the truth!
 
       PRISON A PIECE OF CAKE?
We confess to being more than a little irritated by those who stand up in
"talk" shows or wherever or write articles indicating that prison is a
secure haven where one can collect his three meals a day and lodging and
in general lead the good life.  This idea is used to justify revoking
almost all privileges, such as Extended Family Visits, recreation of any
sort, access to computers or T.V. and so on.
Recently we received a long letter from Michael, who was wrongfully
convicted in 1986 at the age of 19.  It seems he had the misfortune of
staying in a small town overnight on the same night that a murder was
committed.  He has prof of his innocence, even confession of the true
murderer, but so far has been unable to obtain his freedom.
He entitles his article, Life Behind Bars, A View from the Inside
Looking Out.  It is much too long to use in its entirety, but we would
like to take the liberty of using a few excerpts.
----
He states that prison is only a warehouse, where criminals can learn what
they did wrong and educate themselves so they will not make the mistake of
being caught again.  Then the prisoner learns about true Prejudice.
He points out that you have to learn the Prejudices and be sure you hang
out with the right group.  Which group you can hang with will have
something to do with race and also the offense that got you there.  One
of the most dangerous things in prison is to become a "Snitch." 
       'You rapidly learn to distrust everyone.  You learn who were your
real friends on the outside.  Being on the inside you are lost and forgotten,
and this is also true of your family.  They may come and visit at first and
may accept your calls, but in time they fade away.' 
       'Don't worry though.  You'll meet your adopted family real soon.
Your new identity is your Prisoner Identification Number, which is yours for
life.  You can start off being the new tough guy if you want.  However,
there is always someone tougher.' 
       "Many try to challenge the system.  Nobody has won yet.  Each
morning when you get up from your solid steel or concrete shelf called
a bed, your door opens electronically.  You follow a herd of approximately
250 cranky inmates down a noisy hallway to what is believed to be breakfast.
Do not attempt to sit in the wrong seat.  It is not the guards you must
worry about.  You find an acceptable seat when the light is red and get
up when it turns green.' 
       'After breakfast you go back to your 6 X 9 foot concrete box, having
first passed through a large metal detector which may protect you from an
attack from a convict who doesn't like you.' 
       'Sometimes you can get a job, though it is hard to come by.  Starting
pay is 40 cents an hour.  If you do not have a job you'll be locked in your
cell until 10 p.m.  It is permissible to go to school instead of work if
you can find an opening in the limited selection of courses.' 
       'Things to avoid on arrival:  Don't stare at anyone, don't talk too
much, don't brag or tell anyone why you came to prison, stay away from
guards; if you have any questions ask a prisoner.  Keep your mouth shut,
stay out of secluded areas, don't borrow anything or lend anything to anyone,
don't ask for a cigareette, don't hold onto anything for anyone, don't
gamble, stay away from drugs.  Mainly, don't believe anything you hear.' 
       'Many young inmates may be raped.  If a prisoner uses another
inmate for sexual purposes, he takes care of him by providing protection,
cigarettes, drugs, or whatever and calls this person his 'kid' or his
'punk'.  If the kid won't do as he is told he will be hurt.'
Our question:  Would *anyone* from the "free world" like to *trade places*
with Michael?
 
       A RAGE TO PUNISH
In the last issue of "Inside Outside", a publication of South Carolina
CURE (Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants) appeared a review
by Kenya C. Montgomery of the book, "A Rage to Punish."  This book is by
Lois G Forer, a highly respected former Pennsylvania judge.  She has
written several books on the legal system, and in this she explains
convincingly that America's obsession with "punishing" law violators by
imprisonment has resulted in massive prison overcrowding, an ever-
increasing burden to tax-payers and incredible hardship to offenders and
their families. 
       'Forer's attack on the death penalty is sensible and harsh, what she
calls 'the ugliest manifestation of the rage to punish.'  Her argument
against the death penalty is that it is excessively costly to tax-payers,
does not deter crime, is not racially neutral, brutalizes a civilized
society and is 'no less abhorrent than any homicide.'  She reminds us that
the United States is the only Western nation where capital punishment is
still used.  'The history of errors in trials and executions and the continu-
ing possibility, indeed, probability of error should be an irrefutable
argument against the death penalty,' says Forer.  Following the reinstate-
ment of capital punishment in her state, she refused to hear death penalty
cases.' 
       'As Forer argues, discretion in sentencing must be put back into the
hands of sentencing judges who are often better equipped to determine the
appropriate range of sentence to be imposed  ...Today, because of current
sentencing policy laws, offenders often receive sentences that are excessive
and grossly disproportionate to the crime.  This overly extended period of
imprisonment that judges are impelled to impose on offenders is likely to
destroy the likelihood of offenders rehabilitating themselves.  Better
education and social programs to deal with drugs, poverty, unemployment,
inferior education, homelessness and other social ills are what billions
of dollars should be spent on, not squandered on more prisons.' 
       'Despite their apparent ineffectiveness and futility, prisons continue
to be put forth as the best solution to solving America's crime problem.
Why?  Forer explains that prison construction often has a motive different
from incarcerating dangerous and repeat offenders.  Prisons have a history
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