Looking out: Update on a dispute
By Brandon Astor Jones
On March 23, 1994, I spoke with the temporary supervisor of G-Unit, Captain Freeman, and the head counsellor, Claude McCann. Among other things I asked what, if anything, had been done to correct the illegal mail-handling procedures here at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Centre. As I expected, not a lot was said. I cited, yet again, a long list of gross inadequacies that, due to substandard operating procedures, are inherent in the GDCC's mail system.
Counsellor McCann stated, "Now that you have made the problem in the system known, people are correcting it". I was tempted to laugh out loud, but I restrained myself. If taken at face value, his statement implies that before Green Left Weekly printed "Keepers and the kept" on February 2, the prison's administration did not know that the problems cited in that article existed. Nothing could be further from the truth: for several years now, in face-to-face interviews and in writing, I and others have complained of these problems to him and other officials, to no avail.
For the edification of readers, I will translate the response so that it can be more clearly understood. In prison administration-speak, the counsellor said: We have been able to ignore this and other problems because the public in general does not care one whit what we do in prison, or to prisoners; but we did not know that what we say and do will be published for the world to see in GLW. Henceforth, for that reason, and that reason alone, we might try to be a bit more responsible.
As many readers know, when I reported the GDCC's illegal mail-handling to you, the prison administration chose to retaliate by withholding my incoming and outgoing mail — especially those mailings bearing Australian postmarks or destinations.
After having had that chat with Captain Freeman and Counsellor McCann, I feel that perhaps the tactic of harassing me in the manner cited might stop. Since it is clear that they, and/or certain people in the administration, have become GLW readers too, I hope heed will be taken of the following:
I am, herewith, giving notice to all my correspondents that they should resume their correspondence with me in the normal manner by once again using my prison address, which appears at the end of this column. However, if I find cause to suspect that my mail is again being subject to more harassment, neglect and/or censure — without just or probable cause — the GDCC's administration can be absolutely certain I will find a way to expose even more of its past and present behaviour to the public.
Many thanks to all the Australian readers supporting those of us incarcerated here and elsewhere. I would also like to thank the surprising number of Americans who support us and access the GLW text via Internet and other worldwide computer systems. Surely with your continued and combined support, this column will continue to report the truth that too many other news sources shy away from. Together, we can change things. We must!
[The writer is a prisoner on death row in the United States. He is happy to receive letters commenting on his columns. He can be written to at: Brandon Astor Jones, EF-122216, G2-51, GD&CC, PO Box 3877, Jackson, GA 30233, USA.]