D.(name changed to provide anonymity);

I have been watching this thread with some interest. I am the mother of a VERY long time, very much outlaw "non-violent' felon. My son has spent the better portion of his 35 years of life in institutions from the time he was 11 years old.

I am from a middle-class, no-one-ever-went-to-prison-in-my-family background. I, too, have not had as much as a speeding ticket. My stepfather was an LEO; my father, as well. Background of family; goodness of family; security of family; has nothing to do with all of the criminal behaviors in this world; though they *can* be a contributing factor. (A discussion we could carry on, ad nauseum.)

marijuana at eleven; his first hit of heroin at the grand old age of 14. He is now trying to dig himself out of the paranoia and hallucinations brought about by the continued use of methamphetamine (speed, meth, crystal). Of all the drugs I have seen him under the influence of, this has been the most horrendous and most soul-destroying one. (I have seen LSD, pcp, heroin, etc.etc.) He has, finally, hit bottom.

He has lost his wife, his children and his ability to be within the 'criminal world' because of its use. He is now under trial for a violent felony; a potential second strike in our state of three-strike laws. He has been ostracized by his 'brothers' in the outlaw biker group he rode with as national sergeant at arms; not exactly a "non-violent, good citizen, follow the rules" office.

Yes, though all his offenses were 'non-violent' that he went to prison for, he was not, and is not, a non-violent person.

I have been around this type of person, through talking with and being with his friends, for over a quarter century now. I have worked with gang members at the very start of their careers, and now write to a couple who are inside control-unit prisons; others are dead. I have lost a son-in-law to gang retaliation and had a daughter wounded. I had viewed the world of violence and crime my son lived in as an aberration in society. It can no longer be viewed as that.

Yes, prisons are inhumane places. They are places where men and women (PLEASE do not forget that women are incarcerated) are treated as, and in some cases turned into, animals. People who are the supervisors will tell you that it is a necessary action when dealing with the incredible numbers and press of humanity and the types and consciouness' they must deal with on a daily basis. To most extent, this is true.

It is up to US on the outside to help those on the inside maintain their humanity.

The best way to help your son is to BE there. To be his voice on the outside. To take his place in the outside world and do the fighting that YOU can, as full-fledged, full-rights bearing citizen can do FOR him. YOU have not had YOUR rights taken away. Learn the rules and regulations of your State Department of Corrections, thoroughly. As thoroughly as the system knows its' own. USE your knowledge to help your son. Despite your idea that you will do more harm than good by working for him on the outside of the walls and your watching what is happening, he becomes HIGH PROFILE to the inside. High profile will protect him, not harm him.

But do so realistically. Do not assume yourself, that all of those on the inside are good, and that all of the CO's and law enforcement officers are the bad guys. I speak from my own experience. At some point, you may find that those are the most sympathetic, most humane, and most valuable resources you have available to your cause ... and your son.

Only when men and women on the inside have lost voices to call out their names from the outside, to they become more victimized by their own ways of looking at their situations, and the system itself. Note that I say they become victims at their own hands, as well.

The rules and regulations on the inside are not as simple as you might think. Prisons are like prisoner-of-war camps. There are the rules of the 'keepers' and the rules of the 'kept'. Your son is a puppet whose strings are being pulled not by one but by two, or more, puppeteers. The system of citizen-imposed laws and regulations; and those being instituted by the inmates themselves.

It is the latter that is the most hateful, most destroying, and most demanding of who your on is ... to the very fiber of his innermost being. Study how the prisons are run by the convicts ... and learn the difference between convict and inmate. Learn about the 'inner' workings of the prisons. The pressure does not come from one side, only.

I wish both you and your son, well. This kind of knowledge of the realities of incarceration and the treatment of men and women by other men and women is heartrending and soul-burning. But, the realization can be used to help people who continue the cycle of fear on the outside to come to some understanding of what they are fearful of ... it will, however, take time. The pendulums' swing is slow and its' pathway long and broad.