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Beginning the day we enter prison, to the very day we are paroled, the process of our dehumanization by our keepers is consistent and deliberate. "Strip all your clothing off, stand in a line and face me. Raise your hands above your head. Run your fingers through your hair. First turn your head to the right and then to the left. Lift your penis, your scrotum. Turn around. Lift your feet and wiggle your toes; now bend over and spread your butt-cheeks. Now, do knee bends and cough loudly until I instruct you to stop." Nothing fell out. "Turn to your left and walk though the metal detector." An alarm goes off. The prisoner is taken to have an X-ray done of his anal cavity, and a knife is discovered. The other 19 inmates are told: "Get back into the cell [naked] and sit there until we bring you your clothing." There were 20 prisoners, 4 male guards, some female personnel in the immediate background acting as if they were not aware of what was going on before them, and dozens of other prisoners waiting their turn. After nearly 50 years of incarceration, during which I've suffered through thousands of these strip searches, I've never observed "contraband" being found by prison staff poking into their captives' cavities. Only when the process ends with the use of a metal detector are our keepers occasionally successful. So why not just use the detector and an X-ray machine? Answer: The "strip search" serves no other purpose than to embarrass, humiliate and begin the process of twisting a prisoner to obey the will of his keeper. I, as have thousands of other men, once experienced another form of rape when I was suspected of secreting drugs in my anal cavity. My wrists and ankles were bound in chains. I was taken to the prison infirmary where my pants were pulled down. I was forcibly bent over and held in that position by several prison guards while a male nurse inserted his finger into my rectum in search of drugs. No drugs were found, yet I was forced into a cell, strapped naked onto the bed and allowed to get up only to poop into a plastic bag placed on the cell floor as my guards watched. I had to do this three times over three days before they were satisfied that I had no drugs. A simple X-ray would have sufficed. They didn't need someone who was not a doctor driving a finger into my anal cavity. They didn't need to have me lying naked strapped to a bed for three days. But an X-ray would have meant treating me as a human being; it would have allowed me to retain my self-respect. Surely, there are many who would say, "They are criminals and deserve whatever they get." Fact is, a large number of men in prison enter redeemable, but they leave shamed, angry, emotionally unstable, psychologically damaged and determined they "will get back" for what has been done to them. Anyone who believes that the inhumane treatment that prisoners receive is but a consequence of their actions would do better to understand that there is more than one consequence -- when prisoners are released and these broken men victimize others. The strip search is known to produce only the breaking of wills and destruction of souls. Once "broken," a man will never again be normal. There will always be that memory of a society which did not care, of a system that raped him. Dwight Abbott, who is incarcerated at Salinas Valley State Prison, is a regular contributor to The Beat Within, a weekly magazine of writing from inside juvenile halls, published by PNS. His book, "I Cried, You Didn't Listen" tells of growing up inside the California Youth Authority. New America Media is a project of Pacific News Service |
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We are careful not to duplicate the efforts of other organizations, and as a grassroots coalition of prisoners and social reformers, our resources (time and money) are limited. The vast expertise and scope of the various drug reform organizations will enable you to stay informed on the ever-changing, many-faceted aspects of the movement. Our colleagues in reform also give the latest drug war news. Please check their websites often. |
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