5/30 STOPMAX Conference

[nattyreb]

American Friends Service Committee
National STOPMAX Conference
Student Activity Center, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
May 30-June 1, 2008

Contact nblack@afsc.org <mailto:nblack%40afsc.org> –
215-241-7137www.afsc.org/stopmax

Program Agenda
Friday, May 30, 2008

8:00 a.m. Registration opens
8:00-9:00 a.m. Breakfast

Human Rights Trainings
9:00 a.m. - noon Human Rights Training - Introduction 101 - US Human Rights
Network members will facilitate this workshop to provide participants with a
‘people’ centered perspective on the creation and evolution of the human
rights framework from the end of the Second World War to the present. The
workshop will also familiarize participants with the basic human rights
texts and will provide interactive examples of how they relate to and can
expand social justice work in the United States.

1:00- 3:30 p.m. - (2 sessions)
Human Rights Training for Youth -Youth trainers will incorporate media usage
and analysis to work with the youth in a hands on training to address the
most critical aspects of their personal and communal struggles. Human Rights
in Action -How can we take abstract human rights concepts and make them real
for individuals on the ground? By getting the language of the international
treaties incorporated into local or state law. Come engage in a discussion
with activists who are doing the difficult work of convincing local
legislators to bring international human rights into domestic legislation,
and learn about the reasons why it is worth the effort.

Friday Morning Workshops
9:00-10:15 a.m.
1. Jail the Oppressor, Free the Oppressed- learn about the Strategies that
the Chicano Mexicano Prison Project (CMPP) has utilized in collective,
organized struggle to fight the prison industrial complex as it impacts Raza
communities –Ernesto Bustillo, Monica Bernal, Cathy Espitia, Xristian
Carbajal (CMPP); and Francisco Romero, High
School Teacher, and Committee On Raza Rights. San Diego
2. Closing Prisons, Building + Fighting for Justice - overview of the
campaign to close down the Tallulah Correctional Center for Youth, from
parent’s perspective and the troubles and triumphs faced in the years since.
Learn about this ever-growing, multi-cultural grassroots organization of
families, friends and youth working to oppose the Prison Industrial Complex
and the school-to-prison-pipeline. Families and Friends of Louisiana’s
Incarcerated Children, Grace Bauer
3. Film -Unlock the Box- Lessons and Strategies in Fighting Isolation - sums
up the struggles and experiences of decades of work around the effort to
shut down control units in US prisons. Prisoners and former prisoners
discuss the conditions in control units and the effects of isolation on
mental health. Jay Summers, Maoist International Ministry of Prisons, S.F., CA
STOPMAX Conference10:30-noon
1. Self Advocacy/Getting Results for Prison Abuse, through speakers,
prisoner testimonies and the sharing of advocacy tools developed by Human
Rights Coalition, participants will become more empowered to advocate for
their loved ones in prison, Human Rights Coalition, Ham’Diya Mu, Luqman
Abdullah and Mrs. T. Williams
2. Impact of Death Penalty on Families, presenters will share their
experience of coping with the impact of the PA criminal justice system, and
capital punishment on families. This session will also offer an overview of
organizing skills for approaching and dialoguing with prison and elected
officials to gain support for prisoner and families rights, Reunification
Transportation, Peggy Sims, Pastor Dicie Carroll, and Rochelle Lilley
3. The Successful Overhaul of Mississippi's Supermax Prison – Learn about
flawed classification systems and how they contribute to overuse of supermax
units. Presenters will describe the strategies they used through litigation
and negotiations to overhaul Mississippi’s notoriously brutal Unit 32 at
Parchman Prison , Margaret Winter, ACLU; Steve Hanlon, Holland & Knight,
Community Services Team; Jim Austin, President, JFA Institute
4. Creative Writing for Survival in Solitary, Jimmy Santiago Baca

Noon-1:00 p.m. Lunch

Friday Afternoon Workshops-Session 1
1:00-2:15 p.m.
1. How to Advocate for a Loved One in the Hole + Nurture Your Spirit-
Information will be shared on how to maneuver around staff obstacles and
strategies to help families handle the stresses of having a loved one in the
hole, Judith Trustone, Sagewriters: Patrick Middleton Phd, Prisoner SCI
Graterford
2. Film- Intolerable Burden- Education v. Incarceration- True story of a
black family in Mississippi who enrolled their kids in white schools. An
open discussion will follow the film on the work presenters have done and
continue to do around the Cradle to Prison Pipeline, Constance Curry and
Beneta Standly, ACLU GA
3. History of Supermax Litigation- David Fathi, Human Rights Watch: Paul
Wright, Prison Legal News: Angus Love, Institutional Law Project
4. 9x15 - Control Unit play – This short play exposes torture in a control
unit in prison. Session will involve participants in a reading of the play
and an examination of how to use various artistic tools to raise awareness
in our communities and take action, Molly Smollett, playwright

Friday Afternoon Workshops-Session 2
2:30-3:30 p.m.
1. From Isolation Cell Block to the City Block – Session will focus on the
impact of solitary confinement on the mental health of prisoners, their
families and the community through first hand testimony of prisoners and
family members. Barbara Fair, People Against Injustice: Ann Schwartzman; PA
Prison Society; Kathleen Creamer, Community Legal Services + others
2. Introduction to Families + Friends of the Emergency Response Network
(ERN) – Learn about the Emergency Response Network and the efforts to build
a proactive community of families and friends of prisoners. Gain access to
some simple and accessible tools and resources for combating the abuse of
prisoners and network with other advocates. Theresa Shoatz, Families and
Communities United: David Onion, Director of ERN
3. Film- Red Clay Country-The Milieu Will Kill You -Spoken Word Video
Documentary with discussion and Q +A , Kevin O’Neill, artist, poet, former
prisoner4.The Struggles for Native American Religious and Spiritual
Practices in the US Prison System - PowerPoint presentation and discussion
about the human rights and civil rights struggles of Native American
prisoners, including those on Death Row, and denial of their religious and
spiritual practices and beliefs. Lenny Foster, Navajo Nation Corrections
Project, Window Rock, AZ

4:30 -7:00 p.m. STOPMAX Kick-Off Event- Eastern State Penitentiary where
solitary confinement was first practiced in the United States, will feature:
Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter – featured speakerPress conferenceDanza Mexica –
traditional Aztec dancers with loved ones in the CA SHU’s Testimonials from
prisoners in solitary confinement.
8:00 -9:30 p.m. - Dinner/Interactive Theatre - A Thousand Kites Play

Saturday, May 31, 2006
8:00 a.m. - Registration opens
8:00-9:00 a.m. - Continental Breakfast
9:00-9:15 a.m. - Welcome
9:15-10:15 a.m. - STOPMAX Campaign Plenary- STOPMAX staff and partners give
overview of history of campaign work and future vision for a national movement
10:15-10:45 a.m. Featured Speaker - Jimmy Santiago Baca
11:00 - 12:30 - Survivors of Isolation Panel – hear the testimonies of
people who have endured solitary confinement and torture in US prisons
(Moderated by Dr. Terry Kupers)
12:30-1:30 Lunch

Saturday Afternoon Workshops - Session 1
1:30-2:30 p.m
1. Psychiatric Torture and Violence Against Prisoners: Human Rights and
Advocacy, Session will focus on exposing torture and documenting human
rights abuses for people with mental illness in solitary confinement through
first-hand experience sharing and oral histories of survivors. Mental
Patient’s Liberation Alliance, Inc, New York, Daniel Hazen
2. Film- Charisse Shumate: Fighting for Our Lives-Women and Human Rights-
This film documents the struggles of women prisoners and their advocates to
stop heath care abuse within the California prison system. Discussion will
follow on how advocates, former prisoners and family members can work with
women on the inside to change prison conditions. California Coalition for
Women Prisoners, Shawnna Demmons
3. Juvenile Life Without Parole (JLWOP): Human Rights Abuses and
International Law –Panel discussion to highlight the human rights abuses for
youth sentenced to JLWOP using International standards as a framework for
strategizing. created by prisoner Robert Saleem Holbrook, facilitated by
Anita Colon, Joan Holbrook, Dr. Geraldine Bonner and Joan Porter
4. Partnership, Perception and Power, This session will present ideas for
re-defining campaigns based on lessons learned focusing on media, language,
unlikely linkages and the voices of impacted families, Kimberly Haven,
Justice Maryland
5. Film-Re Righting Ourselves: Stories of Male Prisoners Activism for
Change, This DVD presentation is the result of a learning program at a
county jail. Poetry and prose selections motivate prisoners to revisit their
past, reflect, recreate and ‘reright’ themselves. The process of healing,
self-realization and wholeness of men who offered to have their experiences
videotaped and shared with youth as a community service project is the focus
of the film. Irene Baird, Penn State; Charles Stuart, National Incarcerated
Parents and Families Network6. Changing the Militaristic Model for Personal
and Social Change in a Gang Unit – Session will give an in-depth look at the
gang unit settings and will challenge the myths about gangs. A moderated
discussion will focus on identifying strategies for obtaining access to
monitor gang units and building coalitions of people in prison, formerly
imprisoned people, families, clinicians and activists to advocate for
change. Arch Angel , Almighty Latin Kings Queens Nation; Jean Ross, People’s
Organization for Progress

Saturday Afternoon Workshops - Session 2
2:45-4:15 p.m.
1. Recognizing Families Role in Reentry/Pre-Post Incarceration Syndrome -
interactive workshop led by experienced family members and former prisoners
focused on empowering families to understand the Pre & Post Incarceration
Syndrome, and support the specific needs of prisoners returning from
solitary confinement. – Betty Inge, Wallace Kirby, Paulette Jeffries, Tehuti
Evans, Families of Prisoner Coaltion, Baltimore, MD
2. Women in Isolation – panel – Through first-hand stories and testimony
from women in prison this session will highlight the unique human rights
abuses suffered by women in isolation with opportunity for discussion help
generate energy for action. Fight for Lifers West, Donna Pfender and
others3. Native Person or Gang Member: The Struggle for Identity in the
Gulag - panel –This panel will address and discuss the unique situation that
Native people confront with the US Penal System and the profound impact that
Administrative Segregation has on these individuals and the interconnected
and interwoven Tribal Communities they return to. Len Foster, Dine Nation;
Michelle Tyon, Oglala Lakota Nation; Jamie Bissonnette, Abenaki Nation;
Sherri Mitchell, Penobscott Nation, Richard Iron Cloud; Newell Lewey;
Marletta Pacheco; Richard Silliboy, Micmac
4. Two Decades of Fighting Against Torture in US Prisons: Where We Came From
+ Where We’re Going –panel- Overview of history of and current conditions in
supermax facilities highlighting the devastating impact isolation has on
mental health of prisoners and public health for our communities. Corey
Weinstein, California Prison Focus; Dr. Terry Kupers, Wright Institute;
Bonnie Kerness, Coordinator AFSC Prisons Watch
(This Session will run 2:30 -4:30p.m.)
5. ImagAction - Hector Aristizabal
will offer an introduction to the use of Image theatre, forum theatre,
story-telling, consensus process and other tools in which a community can
explore conflicts and seek ways to transform it through actions. This
process could lead to the creation of images and short scenes related to the
main topics of the conference
6. Prisoners, Reporters, Lawyers and Activists Challenge a State Supermax -
This will be a panel discussion on how prisoners, reporters, lawyers, and
activists (including ex-prisoners and family members) can work together to
build a movement to challenge conditions and practices within a state
Supermax — ultimately, with the goal of shutting it down. former isolation
prisoners Ray Luc Levasseur and Randy Garland: Lance Tapley, freelance
investigative journalist for Portland Phoenix: Curtis Cooper, lawyer: Joseph
Steinberger, lawyer: David Bidler, Black Bird Collective, Maine

Afternoon Workshops - Session 3
4:30-5:45 p.m.
1. Waiting to Die in Solitude: A Look at Death Row Prisoners &Their
Conditions -This workshop/panel will explore the conditions that death row
prisoners face. It will give a realistic depiction from the actual
descriptions of death row prisoners. Participants will engage in an
exploration of the roles litigation, legislative strategies and activism
play in bringing about change. There will also be discussion about how to
engage families of death row prisoners as a pivotal part of the struggle for
better conditions. Tonya McClary, Louisiana Capital Assistance Center, Tonya
McClary, Louisiana Capital Assistance Center
2. Film - Up The Ridge: During the session, we will present Up the Ridge, a
one-hour documentary that offers an in-depth look at the United States
prison industry and the social impact of moving hundreds of thousands of
inner-city minority prisoners to distant rural outposts. The film explores
competing political agendas that align government policy with human rights
violations, and political expediencies that bring communities into racial
and cultural conflict with tragic consequences. After the film, we will
present Thousand Kites, a national dialogue project addressing the criminal
justice system. Participants will learn how Thousand Kites has been used in
communities all over the United States and how they can become involved with
Kites in their communities and become part of a national movement to use the
power of art to reform our criminal justice system and to talk about human
rights in the United States, nick szurberla, Appalshop
3. Youth in Adult Prisons – This workshop will seek to raise participant’s
awareness of the conditions faced by young people in adult jails and prisons
(including lengthy stays in solitary confinement, increased likelihood of
being sexually or physically assaulted, and other forms of torture), engage
participants in dialogue about the effects that locking young people up in
adult facilities has on the broader community, and work with participants to
brainstorm alternative ways of addressing violence and crime. The workshop
will also locate the practice of trying youth as adults within the context
of the cradle-to-prison pipeline, and seek to broaden participants’
understanding of how and why the pipeline traps and criminalizes so many
young people. We will end the workshop with an update about relevant
national and local legislative efforts, and information for participants
about how they can engage in building a movement to challenge incarcerating
young people in adult prisons. We will also touch on several international
human rights treaties that the U.S. violates in its treatment of young
people within the adult prison system. Youth Arts and Self Empowerment
Project, Sarah Morris and Victor Saez, Phila
4. Film -The Legacy of Torture-
The War Against the Black Liberation Movement,– After screening the 28
minute video, presenters will discuss the conspiracy and murder charges
against former black panthers based on confessions extracted under torture.
COINTELPRO and its’ use of torture to quell political dissent will also be
examined. Soffiyah Elijah and Francisco Torres, Committee for the Defense of
Human Rights5. Counter Abuse Strategies for Supermax Prisons – panel- This
panel brings together several groups that have been working to challenge
conditions in supermax prisons to share the experiences, barriers, and
successes of their efforts. The goal is for participants to gain a range of
examples of approaches to advocacy and fighting for change with time for Q
+A and discussion. Etta Cetera, HRC/FedUP: Caylor Roling: Partnership for
Safety and Abuse: Barbara Fair, People Against Injustice: Bonnie Kerness,
AFSC Prison Watch: Laurie Jo Reynolds, Tamms Year 10 Campaign: Matt Lowen,
STOPMAX Campaign, AFSC Arizona6. Art as a Means of Struggle and Survival
–Presentation of visual art and creative writing to bring the voices of
Michigan’s incarcerated artists to this important conference. Depending on
the submissions we receive, we will perform a theatre, creative writing,
poetry, slam poetry and/or dance piece created as a collaborative effort
between PCAP members and Michigan prisoners. Prison Creative Arts Project
(PCAP), Rachel Hudack and Airea Dee Matthews

6:00- 7:30 p.m.- Dinner/ Speaker -Laura Whitehorn -Laura who is 63 yrs old
served 14 years in federal prison, including several years in a control unit
for women near Tallahassee, Florida. Since her release in 1999, she has
lived in New York City, working as an editor at POZ magazine, a national
publication for people affected by HIV.
8:00- 10:00 - Evening Event
Danza Mexica Cuahntamehoc
The Welfare Poets

Sunday, June 1st, 2008
8:00 -9:00 a.m. - Breakfast
9:00-10:30 - Regional Strategic Planning Meetings- This is a critical
opportunity for people to gather by state or region to lay the foundation
for regional campaign efforts post-conference.
10:45-noon- Strategic Planning report out
Noon - 1:00 p.m. Closing Session
ImagAction- Hector Aristizabal will use story telling as a way to create a
symbolic map for the work done. Using image theater to both process
conference work as well as create images of the work that people feel
inspired to do after the event. We will use some collective singing and
dancing to send us back into life fully energized honoring those who are
incarcerated and their families. 1:00 p.m. Boxed