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Breaking Men's Minds:

BEHAVIOR CONTROL AND

HUMAN EXPERIMENTATION

AT THE FEDERAL PRISON

MARION, ILLINOIS

"Having spent a total of 2f years inthis experimental behavior laboratorytype fortress, I have witnessed atrocitiesthat are on the same par as Pinochet'sconcentration camps in Chile and that ofHitler's Auschwitz."

——Victor Bono, name plaintiffin class action suit toclose the Marion long-termcontrol unit.

INTRODUCTION

The use of behavior control and hu.an experimentation techniques asa.nstprxsoners^on t depri.the U.S. Indefinite solitary wi trol techniques---vation, forced drugging*.and mind control^ usedthese are the P^ic billy ciubs t stop their attemptsmore and more to break Prisoners an v prisons,to fight deteriorating conditions in .g. ^

The most ominous of ^hese P-o Federal Prisonterm control unit at the Marion. ™.U*D urity.-the replacement for Alcatraz as ^_ .^^ ^prison in America. Many men have been o corrmittedPthis unit. In the past five years, ni leased.suicide in the unit of Jusn/^er Dei isoners inBecause of this growing crisis, t e^ %the control unit h M ic against the U.S.precedent-setting class action b seeRs tQlureau of Prisons. Bonov^^, was tried in 1975close the control unit Permanently^ ^ ^^ ruledin the federal courts. In Aprii^ dosing thein favor of the Bureau.of Prisons. courtnotorious sensory ^privation boxcar c ^ ^allowed the control unlt " "mai unit with onecourt justified the use of the contr doctrines...theof the oldest, most repressive i g chis doctrine,doctrine of Preventive detention indefinitelyprisoners can be put £*?0£™ontrollers call "pre-on the basis of what behavior co „ dicC" that adictive behavior' --that is they v stoppage,etc .prisoner will join a hunger "riR , lg impor.

This decision is now being appealtant that the Marion Brothers win « £ .? will betern wins, other control units llKe imprisonedbuilt. Even political activists who £tes forbecause of their work will be primtheSeToniet-people know what that would ^an, one^of^iffi^has^:^^ £ SSTcSatro! unit. Here ishis story.

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Throughout the state and federal prison systemsthere are circulating stories and hearsay about theMarion, Illinois Federal Prison. These tales weavetheir way through the grapevine and, over a period oftime and distance, become mystique and legendary-especiallv among voung prisoners making their unfortunate debut into the system. It was not uncommon in1972 at Terre Haute Federal Prison, for example, tohear young prisoners unfold myths about an "Undergroundprison" called iMarion, where those who entered wouldnever see the sun again until their release. Otherswould claim the Control Unit at Marion was underground,and whoever was placed there would spend the rest oftheir sentence in it. No one really knew for surebecause up until then, no prisoner returned to TerreHaute from Marion. Real or unreal, a dread grew uparound the myths. Whatever existed behind the wallsof Marion generated apprehension of a legal form ofassassination.

Prison officials at other institutions cultivateand exploit these fears by threatening to send certainresistive prisoners to Marion. A man is told to conformto the institution or else he will be sent to Marion tohave his behavior "corrected". The thought of being"corrected" by unknown means has a chilling effect onthe senses and tends to sterilize any resistance whichmight exist in prison populations. Evidently, Marionwas a control mechanism for the prison system apenal cesspool wherein other institutions discardedtheir waste.

"I would like you to think of brainwashing, notin terms of politics, ethics and morals, but in_terms of the deliberate changing of human behaviorand attitudes by a group of men who have relativelycomplete control over the environment in which thecaptive populace lives."

Dr. Edgar Schein at a meeting ofU.S. wardens and social scientistsin 1962.

I was one of the so-called "incorrigibles" whohad come into conflict with Terre Haute officials andwas threatened with being sent to Marion. After receiving an injury in the prison machine shop where Inarrowly missed losing a finger, I was patched up,administered a painkiller, then sent back to work.There was almost a repeat of the same accident soonafterwards, so I decided to quit my work in themachine shop. I was immediately locked up in segregation for refusing to work, and for eight months, Icontinually refused to work until I was guaranteed ajob change. But the administration declared that theywould use me wherever they needed me. Prisoners do notcontrol their institution. My insistence about thework hazard led to my being shipped to Marion, nodoubt to have my obstinate behavior corrected.

A BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION LABORATORY

Upon first glance, Marion differed radically inits appearance from what one would believe from thehorrid myths. The ominous sword of Damocles over theprison system appeared to be no threat. But the humaneye can be deceived by what is contracted on thephenomenal level. A vague but bleak sensation

invades a man's being when he passes through the grilldoors into the prison's interior. Each electronicallycontrolled grill seems to alienate him more and morefrom his freedom even the hope of freedom. A senseof finality, of being buried alive, is raised to thesupra-level of his consciousness. He tries to suppressit, but the clanging of each door leaves an indelibleimprint on his psyche. This is the first evidence thatMarion is more than a physical star-chamber. It. is amodern "behavior modification laboratory".

Behavior modification at Marion consists of a

manifold of four techniques: 1) Dr. Edgar Schein'sbrainwashing methodology 2) Skinnerian operant conditioning 3) Dr. Levinson's sensory deprivation design (i.e. Control Unit) and 4) Chemotherapy or drugtherapy. And, as I will point out, the use of thesetechniques, the way they are disguised behind pseudonyms and under the philosophical rhetoric of correction, and even their modus operandi, violate the

Nuremburg Code, the United Nations' Standard orTreatment for Offenders, the Department or HealthEducation and Welfare's policy on human experimentation and the 1st, 6th and 8th Amendments of theU.S. Constitution.

The constructs of the prison are somewhatpeculiar. And some not so outstanding features_donot make the least economical sense, and are oftentotally out of physiological order. But thesefeatures, when viewed from a psychological angle,begin to take on new meaning. For example, theprison is minced into small sections and subsections, divided by a system of electronic andmechanical crrills and further reinforced by anumber of strategically locked steel doors. Conceivably, the population can be sectioned offQuickly in times of uprising. But even for thesake of security the prison is laced with toomany doors. Everv few feet a prisoner is confronted byone. So he must await permission to enter or exit atalmost every stop. A man becomes peeved. But this isaugmented by the constant clanging which bombards hisbrain so many times a day until his nervous systembecomes knotted. The persistent reverberation rendsto resurrect and reinforce the same sensation, the samebleak feeling which introduced the individual to theMarion environment. It is no coincidence. This systemis designed with conscious intent.

Every evening the "control movement" starts. Theloudspeakers, which are scattered around the prison,resonate the signal: "The movement is on. You have tenminutes to make vour move." The interior grill doorsare opened, but the latitudes and limits of a man smobility are sharply defined, narrowly constricted.His motion, the fluidity of his life, is compressedbetween time locks. There is a sense of urgency todo What prisoners usually do nothing. It is justa matter of time before the last remnants of a prisoner' s illusion will soon become obliterated.

"The control unit treatment program is long-termterm punishment under the guise of(what is, in fact,pseudo-scientific experimentation.

Congressman Ralph Metcalfe(D.-Ill.)

At the end of the ten-minute limit, the speakersblare out: "The movement is over. Clear the corridor."

The proceedings stop. Twenty minutes later the routineis repeated, and so on, until a man's psyche becomesconditioned to the movement/non-movement regimentation,and his nerves jingle with the rhythmic orchestrationof steel clanging steel. It is, in prisoners' words,"part of the program" part of a systematic processof reinforcing an unconditional fact of a prisoner'sexistence, i.e. that he has no control over the regulation and orientation of his own being. In behavioralpsychology, this process is called "learned helplessness" a derivative of Skinnerian operant condition

ing (which are commonly called "learning techniques").In essence, a prisoner is taught to be helpless,dependent on his overseer. He is taught to accept,without question, the overseer's power to controlhim. Such a notion rebels against human consciousness.So some prisoners seek some means of resistance.Others try to circumnavigate the omnipotent forcevia escape.

But the omnipotent is also omnipresent. Nothingescapes Marion's elaborate network of "eyes". Betweent.v. monitors, prisoner spies, and collaborators, andprison officals, every crevice of the prison isoverlaid by a constant watch. Front-line officers,specially trained in the cold, calculated art ofobservation, watch prisoners' movements with aparticular meticulousness, scrutinizing little details in behavior patterns, then recording them inthe Log Book. This data provides the staff with keyson how to manipulate certain individuals' behavior.It is feasible to calculate a prisoner's level ofsensitivity from the information; so his vulnerabilitycan be tested with a degree of precision. Some BehaviorModification experts call these tests "Stress Assessment"; prisoners call it harrassment. In some cases,selected prisoners are singled out for one or severalof these "differential treatment" tactics. He couldhave his mail turned back or "accidently" mutilated.He could become the object of regular searches, or evenhis visitors could be "stripped searched". These andmore tactics are consistent with those propogated byone Dr. Edgar Schein.

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HISTO^ OF THIS BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION LABORATORYin 1962 at a meeting in Washington D.C-between

social scientists and prison "»?*»•'Dr.Edgar Scheipre=ented his ideas on brainwashing Addressing toetonic of "Man Against Man: Brainwashing ,he said Inorder ?o oroduce marked changes of behavior and/or

ZZ-l al H- <<s necessarv to weaken, undermine, orattitude, it is necessary t Datterns of behavior'T^e'old^tt^tuaes Because most of these supportsfro the face^to-face confirmation of present behaviorand attitudes, which are provided by .hose withclose emotional ties exist, it is often necessa^

any communication with those whom he «res about, or

ted." Dr. Schein then provided the group with a listof specific examples:

»ass raL&s-ss s smt^s*'close emotional ties.

2) Segregation of all natural lea^e";3 Use of cooperative prisoners as leaders.4) Prohibition of group activities not in line with

brainwashing objectives. r,rivate5) Spying on prisoners and reporting back private6) ticking-men into written statements which are7, StationVojportunists and informers.

in Svstematic witholding of mail.II Preventing contact with anyone non-sympathetic

to the method of treatment and regimen of theraDtive populace.13) Disorganization of all group standards amongprisoners.

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Rn-ildina a qroup conviction among the prisoners?hat they hive been abandoned by and totally isolated from their social oraer.Undermining of all emotional supportsPreventing prisoners from writing home or tofriends in ?he community regarding the conaitionsof their confinement.Making available and permitting access to onlythose publications and books that contain materials which are neutral to or supportive or thedesired new attitudes.Placing individuals into new and ambiguous situations for which the standards are kept deliberately unclear and then putting pressure on him toconform to what is desired in order to win favorand a reprieve from the pressure.Placing individuals whose willpower has beenseverely weakened or eroded into a living situation with several others who are more advancedin their thouqht-reform whose 30b it is to furtherundermine the individual's emotional supports.Using techniaues of character invalidation, i.e.humiliations; revilements, shouting, to inducefeelings of guilt, fear, and suggestibility,coupled with sleeplessness, an exacting prisonregimen and periodic interrogational interviews.Meeting all insincere attempts to comply withcellmates pressures with renewed hostility.Repeated pointing out to the prisoner by cellmates of where he has in the past, or is in thepresent, not even living up to his own standardsor values. . .Rewarding of submission and subserviency to theattitudes encompassing the brainwashing objective with a lifting of pressure and acceptanceas a human being.Providing social and emotional supports whichreinforce the new attitudes.

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Following Dr. Schein's address, then-director ofthe U.S. Bureau of Prisons, James V. Bennett, commented,"...one of the things we must do is more re-search. It was indicated that we have a large organization with some 24,00Omen in it now and that we have

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a tremendous opportunity here no carry on some of theexperimenting to which the various panelists have alluded. We can manipulate our environment and culture.We can perhaps undertake some of the techniques Dr.Schien discussed. Do things on your own.^Undertake a^little experiment with what you can do with the Muslims.There's a lot of research to do. Do it as individuals.Do it as groups and let us know the results."

EXPERIMENTATION IN ACTION

That was 15 years ago. Since then "the results"have been compiled and evaluated many times over; andall but one of Dr. Schein's suggested techniques havebeen left intact at Marion along with the additionof a few new features.

According to the Bureau of Prisons' policystatement(Oct. 31, 1967) which, after a test period,finally sanctioned experimentation on prisoners, thebenefit from any experiments must be "clear in termsof the mission and collateral objectives of the Bureauof Prisons" and "for the advancement of knowledge".In other words, prisoners are expected to feel inspired at the thought of "advancing knowledge" tobenefit science and corrections. But what prisonerknows that he is aiding and abetting the developmentof Behavior Modification techniques to be used incontrolling and manipulating not only other prisoners,but also segments of the public? Besides other_things,he is denied knowledge of what he is involved in—orrather forced into. The truth of Behavior Modification is that it is applied to prisoners secretly andsometimes remotely(via manipulation of the environment) .

At Marion these techniques are applied forpunitive purposes, and only one subsection of theprison population is allowed any relief. First, aman's emotional and family ties are broken by removinghim to the remote area of southern Illinois and byenforcing a rule whereby he can't correspond withcommunitv people within a 50 mile radius. Sometimesthe rule"slackens, but when the correspondence expresses ideological perspectives it is enforcedmore strictly. Families of prisoners who move intothe area are often discriminated against and harrassedby government agencies. Visitors complain of being

intimidated by prison officials, especially whenthe visits are interracial. Children are repressed ^in the visiting room. And on three occasions, a man swife who had travelled from Puerto Rico was strippedand searched. This inaident caused great concernamong prisoners because it could happen to any oneof their wives, mothers or children. Another tacticused to break a prisoner down is to punish him byremoving family and friends from his visiting list,or by placing him on restrictive visits. These typesof visits are conducted in an isolated, partitioned_booth across a telephone. Such restrictions often discourage families from visiting, especially when theyhave to travel long distances to visit. Officially,close family ties are encouraged; practically, theyare being severed. And more often than not, a man'sfamily is looked upon and treated with the same disdain as a "criminal".

Another method of separating prisoners from friendsand outside supporters is the two-faced campaign wagedby the prison administration. On the one side prisonersare told they have been totally rejected by society^and that even those who "pretend" to be interested inprisoners are "only using prisoners for their ownselfish benefit". By this a prisoner is_supposed tobelieve he was never a part of a community or ofsociety in general, that his ties among the people_were never legitimate and that their interest in himis a fraud. On the other side, a brutish, bestial,and "sociopathic" image of prisoners is presented tothe public. The horror image further alienates the^people from the captive and sometimes causes a familyto fear their own loved ones. This further isolates theprisoner and makes him more dependent on the prisonauthorities.

But discernment into this sophisticatedsystem is the furthest thing from a prisoner's imagination, or even his comprehension. It is impossiblefor him to conceive the total essence of his being,his human worth and dignity being reduced in the eyesight of humanity to the level of an amoeba and placedunder a microscope. He can't understand why he feelsthe stange sensation of being watched; why it seemsthat "eyes" follow him around everywhere. He fears his

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sanity is in jeopardy, that paranoia is taking hold ofhim. It shows: the tension in his face, the wide-eyedapprehensive stares and spastic body movements. Amongthe general population, paranoia tends to spread likewildfire from man to man. Everyone knows that theparanoiac is a walking state of danger. His moon iswrong, and it throws everything and everyone elseout of equilibrium. The small world cannot containthe imbalance. A general alarm is sent out in hopesthat someone can reach the individual before thechain-reaction ends with disaster. Sometimes theattempt is successful, sometimes not. In any case,the induced state of paranoia is the primary causeof the violence which has occurred throughout Marion shistory.

The pervasive "eyes" at Marion are not withoutthe complement of "ears". Besides officers' eavesdropping and the inside spies trying to collectenough intelligence to make parole, there are alsolistening devices out of view. The loudspeakers, forexample, are also receivers, capable of picking uploose conversations in the hallways, cellblocks andmess hall. Recently a strange device which someonecalled a "Parabolic mike" was found. It is hard tofigure out exactly how many more such devices arescattered around the prison, embedded in the wall orsituated behind cells. The administration is notedfor collecting an enormous amount of informatio non prisoners, some of v/hich could only be gatheredfrom such eavesdropping methods.

Sometimes a prisoner is confronted with theinformation in order to arouse suspicion about the

people he has talked with. At other times, the information is kept secret among officials, and traps areset.

"...the protagonists of the practice of humanexperimentation justify their views on thebasis that such experiments yield results forthe good of society that are un procurable byother mthods or means of study. All agree,however, that certain basic principles must beobserved in order to satisfy moral, ethicaland legal concepts."

-—The Nuremburg Code

IIMost sacred of all is a man's ideas. It is a

standing rule among the prisoners: Never let the enemyknow what you are thinking. A man's ideas, his privatethoughts are his most vulnerable point of entry. AtMarion, a man is labelled by his ideas, and his "differential treatment" is plotted accordingly. Thus, ifa man's expressed ideas are at variance with the ideasand perception of the prison administration, BehaviorModification is used on him to reconcile the difference

What life boils down to is an essay in psychological warfare. An unsuspecting, unequipped prisoner—a prisoner unable to adjust and readjust psychologically and evelop adequate defense mechanisms can betaken off stride and wind up as another one of Marion'sstatistics. Prison officials and employees come wellprepared, well trained, pre-conditioned, and wellaware of the fact that a war is being waged behind thewalls.

3EHAVI0R MODIFICATION AND THE

MISUSE OF THERAPY TECHNIQUES

A new phenomenon is taking shape within the prisonconfines, and an age-old myth is being dispelled. Nolonger can prisoners be characterized as mindlessimbeciles needing someone(on a superior level) todefine right and wrong for them or to chaperone themso they won't kill each other off. The old theoryof socio-pathology(supposedly prisoners' mode ofaction) is carrying the behavioral school of pscholo-gy to ruins. The school is based on the premise thatthe empirical world determines man's course of action,that man is only capable of reacting to the stimuliof his environment; and since he is only a higherform of animal and, essentially, there is no qualitative difference between the two, he is like a sheepfollowing his animalistic instincts; and that overa period of time of reacting in the same way to thesame stimuli all the time, his behavior becomeshabitual and sociopathic. This would be true if manwere not a thinking, cognitive being. However,through his cognition and rationalization, he cannot only transform his environment into somethingnew, but also transform himself into something new,into a different social being. Prisoners are makingthis transformation.

12This situation has led to a reverse in social

polarity between prisoners and prison authority. Thedisorder and perversions which do exist at Marion arelargely spawned by the abnormal conditions in theprison system are are, ironically, nurtured by it.This reinforces the need for paternal authority. Inessence, it legitimizes it. On the other hand, the"clandestine" socialistic influences in the prison,

which advocate a change away from the perversionsand abnormalities, are deemed a threat to the existingorder. So they are repressed and/or modified intoconformity. How does this take place?

There is a small, elite group in the prisonpopulation which is looked upon by the administrationwith great favor because the group shares the samebasic ideals with the administration. The group'smembers see the prison authority as a "parent". Theythink of themselves as "residents" rather than

prisoners or captives because to change the word isto change the reality. And they believe that the program in which they are being trained will make them"qualified therapeutic technicians" and help themsecure a change in residency.

At Marion, this program is called Asklepieion—which literally means nothing. The prisoners call thegroup "groders" or "groder's gorillas", named afterthe psychologist who implemented Dr. Schein's brainwashing program.

The "groders" live in a special cellblock which,by prison standards, is plush. They are allowedluxuries and privileges which regular prisoners can'treceive. They, however, are convinced that they "earn"these things because they are trying to do somethingto "better themselves". Generally, they look on otherconvicts with contempt. When confronted with evidence

that they are a brainwash group, they reject the proofand accuse other prisoners of being envious.

:

"The boxcar cells are only the tip of the iceberg.The prison's special control unit, an Orwellian approach to behavior control, ought to be abolishedalong with the boxcars that helped carry out itsmission."

St. Louis Post Dispatch Editorial,April 25, 1978.

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But the reality speaks for itself. The programemploys a number of noted therapeutic techniques, e.g.Transactional Analysis, Synanon Attack-therapy, psycho-drama, Primal therapy, and Encounter Group MarathonSensitivity sessions. The administration's favoriteis T.A. Essentially T.A. propagates the theory thatpeople communicate on three different levels: parent,child and adult. These become character roles. Itis up to the corresponding party to figure out whichrole the first party is playing, then communicate withthe person on the proper counter-part level.

What this technique actually does is create anartifical dichotomy between people,each straining tofit into the proper character role. Thus, communicationbecomes artificial, stilted and utterly meaningless inits content. Everyone sounds like a pseudo-intellectualUltimately, it propagates the idea that the authoritiesalways fit the role of a "parent" and the prisonersmust submit to the role of a "child". Although some"groders" pretend this practice is a fakeout on "theman", it still is a real social practice. Changingthe words to describe it doesn't change the reality.

Other techniques include Dr. Schein's "characterinvalidation". These techniques are incorporated underthe auspices of "Game Sessions"(Synanon Attack Therapy)and "Marathons" (Encounter group sensitivity sessions") .In "Game Sessions", members of the group accuse aperson of playing games, not being truthful with thegroup, lying; or he is accused of some misdeed orshortcoming. Before he is allowed a chance to explain(which is considered as only more lying), he is bar-raged by dirty-name calling until he confesses or"owns up" to his shortcomings. He is then accused ofmaking the group go through a lot of trouble inhaving to pry the truth out of him. So, for this crimehe is forced to apologize.

"Marathons" are all-night versions of literallythe same, except that they include local communitypeople who come into the prison to be "trained" in thetechniques. After so many hours of being verballyattacked and denied sleep, a person "owns up" toanything and accepts everything he's told. Afterbeing humiliated, he is encouraged to cry. The groupthen shows its compassion by hugging him and tellinghim that they love him.

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"The purpose of the Marion control unit is tocontrol revolutionary attitudes in the prisonsystem and in the society at large."

former Marion warden Ralph Aron

These techniques exploit the basic weaknessesin human(aggregative) nature, especially those weaknesses produced by an alienating society,e.e. theneed to be loved, cared about, accepted by otherpeople, and the need to be free. In turn, they aretransmuted into "submission and subserviency", thetype of behavior conducive to the prison officials'goal of control and manipulation. The "groders" willnot resist or complain. Nor will they go on a striketo seek redress of prisoners' grievances. They arealienated from their environment, and their emotionalinterdependency welds and insulates them into acrippled cohesion(of the weak bearing the weak).They aren't permitted to discuss these techniquesoutside the group because one of the pre-conditionsfor admittance is a bond to secrecy. Yet almostanyone can spot a "groder" because the light hasgone out in his eyes. He literally wears the lookof humiliation.

Some years ago, the prison population wantedto do them bodily harm because they allowed themselves to be used as guinea pigs, and because the

techniques developed would be used on other prisonersand other people in the outside world. In their lustfor freedom, they would sell out an entire generation.Today, they are generally looked upon as mental enemiesSo prisoners just leave them alone. Nevertheless, thebrainwashing techniques are still finding their wayinto commu-ities in the outside world under a numberof pseudonyms other than Asklepieion. And the "groders"still have hopes of joining these programs when theyare sufficiently spread. They will become "therapeutictechnicians". This is what Dr. Groder laid out in his"Master Plan", the utilizing of prisoners as couriersof the technique back into the community. It is alsowhat former warden Ralph Aron meant when he testified

—,

15

at the 1975 Bono vs. Saxbe trial(to close the ControlUnit) that "the purpose of the Marion control unit isto control revolutionary attitudes in the prison system and in the society at large".

What the "groders" fail to realize is that evenas "therapists" they will remain under observationlong after their release from prison under what iseuphemistically called "post-release follow-through".And what Dr. Groder fails to realize is that be camouflaging Dr. Schein's techniques under pseudonyms, whereby prisoners who volunteer for the program cannotrecognize its real meaning and objectives, extensiveviolations of the Nuremburg Code have taken place.

Even the implication of freedom as an induce

ment for volunteers is considered a means of coercionby the Code's standards. The Code states:"...theprotagonists of the practice of human experimentationjustify their views on the basis that such experimentsyield results for the good of society that are unprocurable by other methods or means of study. Allagree, however, that certain basic principles mustbe observed in order to satisfy moral, ethical, andlegal concepts." The first principle in the Codeproclaims, "...voluntary consent of the human subjectis absolutely essential. This means that the personinvolved should have legal capacity to give consent;should be situated as to be able to exercise free

power of choice, without the intervention of anyelement of force, fraud, deceit, duress, overreachingor other ulterior form of constraint or coercion; andshould have sufficient knowledge and comprehension ofthe elements of the subject matter involved as toenable him to make an understanding and en-ighteneddecision...Before the acceptance of an affirmativedecision by the experimental subject, there shouldbe made known to him the nature, duration and purposeof the experiment..." There is much that is not explained or accounted for at Marion. Prisoners areleft to discover it all on their own via studying

the prison and the prison system's history. In light ofmost of the surprise discoveries one makes when learningthis history, it should come as no surprise that someaspects of Marion are at variance with the NuremburgCode.

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CHEMOTHERAPY: THE MISUSE OF DRUGS

Chemotherapy is conducted four times daily atMarion. The loudspeaker announces: "Control medicationin the hospital...pill line." Valium, librium, thorazineand other "chemical billy-clubs" are handed out likegumdrops. Sometimes the drugs mysteriously make theirway into the food. For example, the strange month ofDecember, 1974 recorded five unrelated, inexplicablestabbings. During the same time, eight prisonerssuffered from hallucinations in the "hole" and had tobe treated(with thorazine injections). Drugs are oftenprescribed for minor ailments and are commonly suggested to prisoners as a panacea for all the psychological ill-effects of incarceration. Some drugs suchas prolixin make prisoners want to commit suicide.Some attempp it; some succeed.

THE END OF THE LINE: THE LONG-TERM CONTROL UNIT

Segregation is the punitive aspect of the BehaviorModification program. It is euphemistically referredto as "aversive conditioning". In short, prisonersare conditioned to avoid solitary confinement, and todo this(avoid solitary that is) requires some degreeof conformity and cooperation. But the "hole" remainsopen for what prison authorities and Dr. Schein call"natural leaders". These prisoners can be pulled frompopulation on "investigation" and held in solitary

confinement until the so-called investigation is over.During the whole ordeal, he is not not told what theinquiry is about unless he is finally charged withan infraction of the rules. If the prison authoritiesthink that the Behavior Modification techniques willeventually work on the prisoner, he is sent to short-term segregation. If not, they use the last legalweapon in the federal prison system: the long-termcontrol unit.

The long-term control unit is the "end of theline" in the federal prison system. Since there isno place lower throughout all of society, it is theend of the line for society also. Just as the threatof imprisonment controls society, so is Marion thecontrol mechanism for the prison systems; ultimately,the long-term control unit controls Marion. Prisonersin the unit can feel the heaviness of this burden,

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knowing that it is a long way back to the top.

Usually a prisoner doesn't know specifically whyhe has been sent to the Control Unit, other than thathis ideological beliefs or his personal attitudetoward prison authority is somehow "wrong". And heusually doesn't know how long he will be in the controlunit. A prisoner is told he is being placed on 30-dayobservation and that he has the right to appeal thedecision if he wishes. Until recently, most prisonerssimply waived the appeal because they were given theimpression that they would be getting out soon. Oneparticular prisoner was told by the Control Unit Committee that he would be getting out of the controlunit after the observation period because they "neededthe room". Later, he was given an indefinite periodin the unit-which is the case with most prisoners.

In the control unit a prisoner does only twothings recreate and shower. Only one range of men(18 out of 72) is allowed to work. Although everyonerecognizes that the work is exploitative, it isgenerally considered a privilege. The rest of thecontrol unit prisoners spend 23^ hours a day lockedin their cells(which are smaller than the average dogkennel). According to what state the man's mind is in,he may read or write. He sees the Control Unit committee for about 30 seconds once a month to receivea decision on his "adjustment rating". He may see acaseworker to get papers notarized, the counselor toget an administrative remedy(complaint) form and aphone call authorization(on a "maybe" basis). He maysee the educational supervisor for books. Other thanthat, he deteriorates.

The cell itself contains a

flat steel slab jutting from the wall. Overlaying theslab is a one-inch piece of foam wrapped in coarseplastic. This is supposed to be a bed. Yet it cutsso deeply into the body when one lays on it that thebody literally reeks with pain. After a few days, youare totally numb. There is no longer intercommunicationbetween sense organs and the brain. The nervous systemhas carried so many pain impulses to the brain untilobviously the brain refuses to accept any more signals.Feelings become indistinct, emotions unpredictable.

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The monotony makes thoughts hard to separate andcapsulate. The eys grow weary of the scene, and shadows appear around the periphery, causing sudden reflexive action. Essentially, the content of a man'smind is the only means of defense in terms of hissanity.

Besides these methods of torture(which is whatthey are), there is also extreme cold conditioning inthe winter and lack of ventilation in the summer. Hotand cold water manipulation is carried out in theshowers. Shock waves are administered to the brainwhen guards bang a rubber mallett against the steelbars. Then there is outright brutality, mainly in theform of beatings. The suicide rate in the Control Unitis five times the rate in general population at Marion.

At the root of the Control Unit's Behavior Modification Program, though, is indefinite confinement .This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of theControl Unit to communicate to the public. Yet atestament to this policy was a man named Hiller "Red"Hayes. After 13 years in solitary confinement(nearlysix in the control unit), he became the "boogie man"of the prison system the living/dying example ofwhat can happen to any prisoner. The more he deteriorated in his own skeleton, the more prisoners couldexpect to wane in his likeness. He died in the unitin August, 1977.

In essence, the Unit is a Death Row for the livingAnd the silent implications of Behavior Modificationspeak their sharpest and clearest ultimatum: CONFORMOR DIE.

"In several instances (the control unit) has beenused to silence prison critics. It has been used tosilence religious leaders. It has been used to silenceeconomic and philosophical dissidents."

Federal Judge James Foreman, U.S. DistrictCourt, E. St. Louis, Illinois.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

L. Write letters calling for open, full-scale Congressional hearings on the control unit and U.S. Bureauof Prisons control unit policies. Write your ownrepresentative. Also write: Robert Kastenmeier,George Danielson and Thomas Railsback(all with prisonrelated subcommittee), John Conyers and Ron Dellums(Congressional Black Caucus) and Don Edwards andRobert Drinan(House Judiciary Committee), all at U.S.House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515.

2 Write letters supporting the Bono vs. Saxbe caseagainst the control unit. Write: 7th U.S. Circuit Courtof Appeals, 219 S. Dearborn, Chicago, Illinois 60604 .Send copies to Judge James Foreman, U.S. DistrictCourt, 750 Missouri Avenue, E. St. Louis, 111. 62202.

3. Help distribute the documentary film "Marion: APrison Inside a Prison", a 23 minute 8 mm. sound film,rents for $25 plus mailing and insurance and thispamphlet by Eddie Griffin(60c each-bulk rates arealso available) .

4. Set up speaking for committee organizers, ex-prisoners, lawyers and Daniel Berrigan, who has donespeaking for 'the NCSMB for three years now.

5. Send a contribution. Your donation helps pay -forpostage, phone, office expenses, printing, transportation, etc. Send conrequests to :

tributions and information

ort the Marion BrothersNational C ommit tee to Supp<

455 6a Oakl and

St . Louis, Missouri 63110

314-533-2234