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By Kathy Kelly

April 28, 2004

Phil Berrigan, the renowned peace activist who died in December 2002, always urged people to talk back to the TV screen while the news was being spun by politicians and commentators. Phil would have approved of women who watch CNN early morning news here at the Pekin Federal Prison Camp. A few mornings ago, Soledad O’Brien interviewed John McCain about his recommendations regarding US troops presence in Iraq. McCain lamented the shortage of funding to pay for the plans he envisioned and then recommended that congress make courageous choices to cut back spending. Immediately, women prisoners pointed to themselves and shouted to McCain, “We’ll help you save money. Send us home!”

Each of the women are “first time offenders” with mandatory minimum sentences of five or more years for non-violent drug related crimes. With no possibility of parole and very few means of earning good time, the only way for them to achieve some kind of sentence reduction is to be “a snitch.”

It’s hard to think of a more difficult setting in which to try and organize legislative activism. Disappointment and feelings of isolation have been reinforced by the letdowns that come with “chain gang rumors” which turn out to be completely false. Yet an extremely capable and efficient team of women prisoners here has repeatedly managed to generate many hundreds of letters to relatives and friends, written by prisoners, in support of various prison reform bills that have actually been introduced into the US Congress.

Two weeks ago, Connie and Ruth, two “long termers” who’ve been who’ve been part of a core group of organizers here, came into the Nebraska unit with a manila packet carrying the text of House Resolution 4036. This resolution, introduced by Danny Davis, D- IL, on March 25, 2004, proposes to revive the system of parole for federal inmates. Before the weekend was over, the “team” had put in place a plan to copy and distribute 600 sample letters which prisoners could send to their family members and friends, urging support for the bill.