Prison “reform” or abolition work takes many forms, few of which are welcomed. In the wake of yet another attempt to block efforts to work with the mass incarcerated Marshall “Eddie” Conway offers this defense of the Friend of a Friend program that has recently suffered another expulsion of its members from Maryland state prisons. The program is extremely valuable in maintaining important links with those forcibly held by the State and in helping those within prison walls organize, educate and train themselves. We invite as many as possible to read this message from Conway and follow up with the suggested follow-up actions, including contacting Ben Woods about this and his work with Students Against Mass Incarceration (SAMI).
Marshall “Eddie” Conway: Why We Must Save A Friend of a Friend
The Friend of a Friend (FOF) program was started by a group of concerned men at the Maryland Correctional Training Center and the staff of the American Friends Service Committee in 2006. Several of us men had come together to address the violence between various street organizations and because of we were concerned about the increasingly young prison population. I had worked with the American Friends Service Committee for several years prior to the closure of the Maryland House of Corrections, and knew they were willing to continue their work with prisoners. Collectively we created the foundation for what would eventually become a system-wide program serving five Maryland prisons.
Over the years the FOF has worked with several hundred prisoners and reached thousands of other prisoners through our outreach programs that include theater productions and guest lecturers from Howard University and Morgan State University. FOF has earned the respect of the Maryland prison population by setting a positive example for others to follow. The real impact of the program is that it has saved many prisoners from engaging in conflicts that could have led to the loss of life and/or additional time spent in prison. Saving lives is the most important task of the FOF program, and members incorporate methods that help younger prisoners gain the skills to negotiate the prison environment and the community beyond the walls.
FOF has been successful at bringing prisoners together from all walks of life; many of whom have differing philosophical and/or political ideologies. This is unique in the prison environment where people tend to segregate according to their specific political, religious or gang/street organization affiliation. Coming together like this allows us to get to know one another and bond during the weekly sessions. This is important because it allows prisoners from these backgrounds to get to know each other, and these relationships allow the FOF to negotiate disputes between members of these different groups. This leads to dialogue rather than violent conflict, and many of these prisoners return to the outside community and work with children and youth, and organizations such as AFSC. There is a broader sense of community and camaraderie among prisoners because the program exists throughout the system.
In this program we help prisoners, (78% are of African descent in the system in Maryland) understand their culture and history as well as their individual impact on their community. They are encouraged to accept responsibility and to create change in those communities. I believe for these reasons alone it is viewed by some Public Safety officials as a threat to the growth of the Prison Industrial Complex. While prison officials claim to have the best interest of the community at heart, their real interest is in their paychecks and positions of power. Programs like FOF break the cycle of re-incarceration and help prisoners to successfully re-enter the community. While FOF has worked to increase the peace in the prison system and the community beyond, other forces have continually attacked the program and worked to prevent unity among prisoners. Now, once again we have to defend our program from these attempts to get rid of it, and we need the help of everyone concerned with peace and justice so that we might keep up this work that has benefitted so many people. WE MUST SAVE A FRIEND OF A FRIEND!
Please join our supporters around the country on November 15th and 16th for a call-in to Maryland Secretary of Public Safety, Gary Maynard. The number is 410-339-5005. Insist that this program be reinstated. Please feel free to email Gary Maynard at gmaynard@dpscs.state.md.us as well.
For further information please contact Benjamin Woods at 607-339-8188.
The Friend of a Friend program, while temporarily suspended at the Roxbury Correctional Institution, is still ongoing at other institutions within the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. It is not true that the program has been cancelled.
Two individuals associated with Friend of a Friend program violated entrance security procedures a few weeks ago when arriving at Roxbury for the program’s meeting. One individual attempted to bring in materials which by institutional procedure needed to be cleared by the prison’s administration. She did not previously ask for permission to bring this material inside the institution so it was confiscated.
Another individual there for the same program meeting attempted to bring in two DVDs without prior authorization from RCI’s administration, another security violation. DVDs themselves are not necessarily a security violation. There are procedures in place to clear video material shown to inmates through volunteer programs, but again in this particular case, they were not followed.
Because of these two incidents, the program was suspended until it can be reviewed. The Friend of a Friend program has been in the DPSCS system for quite a long while now. All parties involved in the program have a full understanding of the security requirements inside our prisons. The Department has reached out to Ms. Stevenson to discuss the matter in an attempt to resolve the situation. To date, we have not heard back from her.
Another incident with the Friend of a Friend program happened earlier this year at a prison in Jessup. In this case a visitor to the program attempted to introduce contraband narcotics into the institution. The program was suspended while the incident was investigated. Once the investigation was complete, and the prison administration thought it was appropriate, the Friends of a Friend program was reinstated. It is currently meeting there on a regular basis.
The Friend of a Friend program, while temporarily suspended at the Roxbury Correctional Institution, is still ongoing at other institutions within the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. It is not true that the program has been cancelled.
Two individuals associated with Friend of a Friend program violated entrance security procedures a few weeks ago when arriving at Roxbury for the program’s meeting. One individual attempted to bring in materials which by institutional procedure needed to be cleared by the prison’s administration. This person did not previously ask for permission to bring this material inside the institution so it was confiscated.
Another individual there for the same program meeting attempted to bring in two DVDs without prior authorization from RCI’s administration, another security violation. DVDs themselves are not necessarily a security violation. There are procedures in place to clear video material shown to inmates through volunteer programs, but again in this particular case, they were not followed.
Because of these two incidents, the program was suspended until it can be reviewed. The Friend of a Friend program has been in the DPSCS system for quite a long while now. All parties involved in the program have a full understanding of the security requirements inside our prisons. The Department has reached out these representatives to discuss the matter in an attempt to resolve the situation. To date, we have not heard back.
Another incident with the Friend of a Friend program happened earlier this year at a prison in Jessup. In this case a visitor to the program attempted to introduce contraband narcotics into the institution. The program was suspended while the incident was investigated. Once the investigation was complete, and the prison administration thought it was appropriate, the Friends of a Friend program was reinstated. It is currently meeting there on a regular basis.
The incident at Jessup Correctional Institution had nothing to do with any of our Friend of a Friend staff or volunteers. The fact that DPSCS mentions it is just an attempt to justify their extreme action – suspending the program in all five institutions by banning the outside guests. I admitted to erroneously taking the disk into the lobby of Roxbury Correctional Institution. Neither Ben Woods or Bashi Rose possessed the disk but they were also banned. We left one DVD with the ass. warden, Morgan to review and determine if we could show it, now they are making it seem as if this is an incident as well. The above statement is fraught with half truth and absolute lies. I had no reason to smuggle a floppy disk into the prison, I could’ve taken printed materials in. This is just the latest in what seems to be extreme reaction to our program anytime something goes down even if it is on DPSCS as in the case of the incident at JCI. We support our people behind the walls and we will continue to do so. Reinstate A Friend of a Friend!
Impressive comments by Ms. Stevenson today especially her views about the over kill of intellectuals who pen endless books and narratives and nothing else of value with regard to the issues surrounding the prison systems in our nation.
Of course the endless chatter and impotent noise of Black intellectuals has always been an issue yet few in the struggle like myself and Ms. Stevenson speak on it.
Action always trumps words!