Victorian prisoner harassed over articles

By Lisa Macdonald Prison officers at Castlemaine's Loddon prison have begun a campaign of harassment and intimidation against a socialist inmate who has been writing articles for Green Left Weekly which are critical of prison services and the profit motive within the prison system. The prisoner, Ben Alterman, who is serving a five year sentence, has previously been threatened with violence by prison officers who found out about his socialist beliefs. These officers, and others acting on their behalf, have now begun withholding Alterman's mail, on one occasion returning it to the sender under the pretence of prison regulations. Alterman discovered his mail was being withheld when he noticed a photocopy of his published article "Prison profiteers" (GLW #214) at the prison but had not yet received his own, long overdue, copy of Green Left. When Alterman raised the matter with a prison official, the latter claimed ignorance about the missing publication but then proceeded to draw Alterman into a discussion about the motives behind the article which he had supposedly never seen. Later, Alterman was subjected to an angry verbal barrage and more lies about his missing mail from the same officer. Alterman says this behaviour is another example of the highly discriminatory treatment that is regularly dished out to inmates who are gay, or from an ethnic minority, or have left-wing political leanings. The most effective way to put a halt to this repression is to let the people in charge of the system know that there are people outside who are aware of what is happening and are not happy about it. If you want to help stop the discrimination against Alterman, you can send a letter of protest to Pat McNamara, Minister of Emergency Services, 452 Flinders St, Melbourne Vic 3000; John Griffin, Director of Prisons (address as above); and/or Governor Greenshields c/ Loddon Prison, Castlemaine Vic 3450. Messages of solidarity to Ben Alterman would also be very welcome and can be sent to Ben A. Alterman 102650, Loddon Prison, Locked Bag 3, Castlemaine Vic 3450.