Out of Control: A Fifteen-Year Battle Against Control Unit Prisons
USP Marion was "horror on steroids" the nightmare that various prison rights and community activists, attorneys, law offices and other concerned people sought to end. --Sundiata AcoliThe work of the Committee to End the Marion Lockdown (CEML) consistently confronted human rights abuses in U.S. prisons for 15 years. CEML represents several important features of the movement for social justice. First, CEML represents a continuation of the politics of anti-racist politics of the 1960s movements for social change. Second, the CEML efforts were at the center of the fight against the criminalization and mass incarceration of Black and Latino youth decades before it became a national discussion. Finally, CEML brought critical attention to the inhumane nature of the control units of Marion Federal Prison in Illinois, which became the model for maximum-security incarceration in the U.S. Marion s sensory deprivation and isolation methods have been reproduced around the U.S. empire and characterize one of the major human rights abuses of our time. This narrative is a must for all desiring to challenge mass incarceration and to those of us seeking examples of active organizing to resistance to the genocidal elements of the U.S. prison system. --Akinyele Umoja, Associate Professor and Chair, African-American Studies, Georgia State UniversityCEML was a beacon of hope for most of the prisoners who were in Marion and ADX while i was there. Whenever CEML brought a demonstration to the gates of Marion, inside we would enjoy celebratory moments. Because we knew we had not been forgotten and that there was the possibility the barbarous and dehumanizing dungeon could be closed. What we didn't know was the amount of work, the enormous challenges and the great sacrifices Nancy, Steve, et al., faced to keep-up the good work of CEML. i suggest the best way to have a good appreciation of their wonderful endeavors is by reading Nancy's book. For it is a treasure-trove of information. Thank you Nancy and Steve from the bottom of my heart. En resistencia y lucha, Oscar Lopez Rivera --Oscar Lopez RiveraThe work of the Committee to End the Marion Lockdown (CEML) consistently confronted human rights abuses in U.S. prisons for 15 years. CEML represents several important features of the movement for social justice. First, CEML represents a continuation of the politics of anti-racist politics of the 1960s movements for social change. Second, the CEML efforts were at the center of the fight against the criminalization and mass incarceration of Black and Latino youth decades before it became a national discussion. Finally, CEML brought critical attention to the inhumane nature of the control units of Marion Federal Prison in Illinois, which became the model for maximum-security incarceration in the U.S. Marion s sensory deprivation and isolation methods have been reproduced around the U.S. empire and characterize one of the major human rights abuses of our time. This narrative is a must for all desiring to challenge mass incarceration and to those of us seeking examples of active organizing to resistance to the genocidal elements of the U.S. prison system. --Akinyele Umoja, Associate Professor and Chair, African-American Studies, Georgia State UniversityCEML was a beacon of hope for most of the prisoners who were in Marion and ADX while i was there. Whenever CEML brought a demonstration to the gates of Marion, inside we would enjoy celebratory moments. Because we knew we had not been forgotten and that there was the possibility the barbarous and dehumanizing dungeon could be closed. What we didn't know was the amount of work, the enormous challenges and the great sacrifices Nancy, Steve, et al., faced to keep-up the good work of CEML. i suggest the best way to have a good appreciation of their wonderful endeavors is by reading Nancy's book. For it is a treasure-trove of information. Thank you Nancy and Steve from the bottom of my heart. En resistencia y lucha, Oscar Lopez Rivera --Oscar Lopez Rivera