New Stories published in the Spring 2002 issue of The Razor Wire.
Follow their links to - The WALL

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James Lee Shaw - 20 years 'Meth Conspiracy' James' story is told by his father, Lydell. "We are not speakers or writers, and we are not radical, crazy people. But at this time we are a very torn-up, desperate family and, until recently, thought we were the only ones. Our prayers go out daily to all who have been unjustly affected by these drug war laws."

Lynn Surrat shares her friend Darlous' letters from Prison " . . . Now, all I can do is more dead time waiting for them to come and get me and take me to a place not much better than this. The place I'm going to won't let me have a Bible; I can only write my immediate family, and I can only call my immediate family once a week for six minutes. But I will be able to see my kids once a month. That's the only thing that keeps me going. They say a lot of people don't make it through there because someone's always up in your face screaming. But, if I walk out, I have to come back here for 11 months and 29 days.

Dan Rosen - 15 Years 8 months - Pseudoephedrine conspiracy  My wife, Bette, and I owned a wholesale distributing company in Redding, California for 16 years. In 1996 we had the opportunity to become a distributor for several manufacturers of Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine products. These are chemical compounds used in making over-the-counter amphetamine and methamphetamine. We distributed these products along with approximately 2,000 other items to stores throughout Northern California and Southern Oregon.

Wesley Harris, Prisoner of the drug war This is a very sad day for me. My son Wesley Harris is locked up behind bars in prison. My youngest son died Jan 15, l979. He would have been 23 years old today, just 1 1/2 years younger than Wesley.

Willie Edwards, Jr. - 27 Years, Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substance My uncle's ex-wife sold drugs for years and only received a sentence of 5 years probation. She may not even know that her lies put me away for 27 years.

James Calhoun - 18 years, 6 months - marijuana conspiracy In January of 1988 I was asked by some people about the possibility of using my fishing boat to import marijuana. As time passed and plans were discussed, my tension, fear, guilt and worries mounted. Finally, in early May 1988, I wanted out of the discussions, period. I had changed my mind after being initially tempted. I took back my boat before any marijuana could be loaded aboard.

Hassan Henderson - 17 1/2 Years, crack conspiracy I've been incarcerated for six months and cannot see how the government sees this in any way as rehabilitation. This place offers nothing to prepare me for release. I think that in some cases people deserve to get a second chance to prove they can be law-abiding citizens.

War on drugs: The human cost - Man appealing mandatory sentence. Leonard Lied is serving12 years in La Tuna federal prison on drug conspiracy charges. His wife Deitra pictured here, is an active November Coalition regional leader.

Belton Lamont Platt - 24 years, 2 months - Crack Conspiracy There was only one witness during my trial who testified that I sold him drugs; and he was the once wired informant who said I sold him two ounces of powder, not crack cocaine on two different occasions. Which was another lie - I never in my life sold him drugs!

Yes, prison is punishment, by Randall Austin Sherrard "It is the small things in life that give existence its truly special moments whose memory is all that's real for me now. I remember the surprise on a child's face after hitting a baseball or eating that first homemade cookie. I go on to remembering how it was to admire the lawn after cutting it, the smell of fresh cut grass, swimming, making a simple call to a loved one, putting on a pair of pants that fit."