Arizona Dust Ducks

Just outside the fence is a strip of ground known as "Sand-Traps". A strip of soft sand/dirt used to detect tracks of fence-jumpers. A common security measure.

This morning awaiting breakfast, I stood next to the fence. Waddling up to the sand-trap leaving a small swath of webbed footprints were two ducks.

Like parameter-gaurds doing rounds, the Mallards marched comically, necks outstretched, an occasional quack. Male in the lead, female following in a dusty cloud.

Approaching where I stood, only a fence between us, the male faced me, quacked at me then resumed the dust march to who-knows-where, disappearing behind the cellblock. Minutes later, the peculiar pair were in flight rounding the cellblock. Landing on the small grassy area of the softball field they meandered in the sprinklers and relaxed.

These waterfowl are strangely abundant here at the prison in Tucson. Nearly 3 dozen hang out in a large muddy field just outside the complexes Education building where I attend Environmental Technology classes.

Most prisoners; and prison staff, simply don't notice or care about the wildlife here. To me, it's FREEDOM.

Minimum Security

For the very first time, I have been classified as a Minimum Security prisoner. I've been Super-max, Max, and Medium, but never Minimum. ADC, amazingly, felt that my years of good behavior warrented minimum security status. I should be moved within a month to minimum. Same unit and address, only different custody level yard.

Rapists Among Us

For a year at Arizona State Prison-Lewis in Buckeye, AZ, I was assigned as a Clerk/Aid to my unit's counselor (C.O. III). My first supervisor was brief, within months disappearing, never to return to work. He was a quiety caucasian in his 30's, whose laziness was evident in his messy, rodent infested office and disorganized files.

His replacement: "Kill-Whitey". A stocky black guy, I dubbed his nick-name jokingly because most other white prisoners swore he hated whites, which I knew was false, having worked for him daily. He simply hated anybody who made him work.

For months after K.W. became my supervisor, he wouldn't comment on where my former boss went or why. One day, I was told to throw away all of my former bosses property from the office. Fishing for more information, I was told that he was a guard (C.O. II) at ASPC-Perryville (Women's Unit). ADC administration learned he was having sex with female inmates. In true ADC bureacratic fashion, he was promoted to C.O. III, transferred and continued his employment.

Under pressures from outside ADC, he was suspended, charged criminally and finally fired from ADC. Many months later and only after outside sources applied pressure!

While cleaning out his filing cabinet, I discovered a page torn from a magazine taped to the back of a drawer. It was of two prebubescent girls. Where does ADC get these people from?

Arizona law and the Prison Rape Elminiation Act of 2003 (PREA) forbids sexual contact between prison personnel and inmates. The State and federal laws are clear that a person "in-custody" CANNOT consent to sex, therefore, a gaurd having sex with an inmate is a guard raping an inmate under state and federal law. Rape is rape is rape ...

The rape of a guard makes the news. The rape of an inmate doesn't usually make it off of the cellblock. If a prison system cannon preven ttheir own staff from raping, what chance does that leave for preventing inmates from raping? Slim to none ...

Some people might say, "You're in prison. Deal with it." We're here AS punishment, not FOR punishment. If prisoners myst just "deal with it" today, it's society who will have to just "deal with it" tomorrow. End Prison Rape!