Thank you all for commenting! It really makes all the difference when folks speak up and say
something about what gets posted by prisoners here on BetweentheBars. You make us feel heard,
seen, and connected to the real world again. rc1 (any chance that's a Ricky Carmichael
reference? I guess not likely, since you'd likely have put "RC4" instead :)), yes, it's really
bad when prisoners get re-crowded after finally experiencing some small relief due to the release
of many guys who should've been let go years or decades earlier. But remember, the bigger problem
(or at least the bigger picture) is... once CA prisoners get crushed together again in 200% capacity
conditions just so the Gubner can look good as a closer-of-prisons (even though he still regularly
reverses parole board decisions to release people, playing both sides of the prison/crime game at the
same time), how long before we see the re-emergence of the unconstitutionally inadequate medical
and mental health care that started the push for inmate population reductions in the first place?
And, once everyone is sardine-canned again and the healthcare lawsuits start flying again, how
long before there's a call to build shiny new prisons - ooh, maybe even Norwegian style ones,
you know the "good" prisons all the reformers love to rave about? - thus reviving and energizing
the mass incarceration paradigm, maybe with a new "mission statement" and same different jargon
to make the whole people-caging process a little more palatable and prime-time ready?

If anyone would like to contact me directly, which will at least cut off a couple weeks from
the now-standard 2-3 month turnaround for comments through this blog (an insane delay caused almost
entirely by the incompetent and wholly unaccountable mailroom monkeys at Mule Creek State Prison,
especially Supervisor K. [Karen? Probably] Gibbs, who routinely hold mail for 30, 40, or even 70+
days before delivering it). So, if you write me here, it'll likely be slow (although sometimes it gets
to me on time), but it should at least be better. Also, feel free to contact and complain to to this mailroom
about their arrogant mishandling of the mail, including your comments to me and others.
[Dymitri Harszewski
Ac2622 C-Yard
P.O. Box 409060
Ione, CA 95640]