ashker

I was transferred to the Pelican Bay SHU on May 2, 1990, whereupon staff told me that I would be here until I paroled, died or debriefed. I’ve been here ever since.

In 2004 I was party to a group request for program opportunities in order to be able to meet parole board recommendations for parole suitability. Pelican Bay's written response was, ‘Denied. You are considered a terrorist and until you agree to fully assist the authorities with bringing down the gangs, you will remain in SHU with no program opportunities. In our opinion, you should never be deemed suitable for parole without assisting the authorities.’

 
 
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One of the first things gang unit staff ask a debriefer is, ‘Do you want to call your wife and family and tell them that you’re done and let them know they may be in danger?’ This threat is well established—many debriefers and their family members outside prison have been seriously assaulted and killed.

This attitude is in keeping with how prison staff view prisoners and their families. In 1992, my paraplegic mom traveled 400 miles to visit me. Visit staff told her she’d have to wheel herself to the SHU visiting area. Another visitor assisted her. The next day, staff hassled her for four hours before letting her in to visit. She never came back due to what happened. Over the years, I received two 10-minutes phone calls with her: one when my sister died in 1998 and one when my grandmother died in 2000. Pelican Bay staff told me many times that if I wanted to be transferred closer to my mom so I could see her, all I had to do was debrief. She has since passed away.