Solitary
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reclassification officer, 192
Red Hat (cell block), 42–43, 88–89, 113
religion, as source of hope, 37
resistance, creating identity and unity by, 90, 99, 109, 115, 121, 286
revolution, Black Panther call for, 64, 141, 162, 238, 311
A Revolution in Kindness (Roddick), 283
Richey, Joseph, 84–85, 130–32, 134–35, 138, 144, 147–48, 226, 242–43, 247, 269–70, 273–74, 387, 397
Richmond, Cedric, 304, 313, 315, 341, 374, 382, 410
Ridgeway, James, 354
Rigo 23 (artist), 283, 287
Rikers Island (prison), 78–79, 396
Robertson, Bernard, 318
Robertson, Rheneisha, 318–19
Robinson, Larry, 139
“roboting,” 29
Rockefeller, Nelson, 89
Rocks, Mike, 266, 268, 271–72
Roddick, Anita, 279–80, 283, 286, 294–95, 342
Roddick, Gorron, 280, 294–95, 303, 402
Roddick, Samantha, 294
Rogers, J. A., 161
Rogers, Leontine (“Teenie”), 302–06, 313, 316, 369–70, 405–06
Ross, David, 203–04, 205
Rovner, Laura, 341
Roy (Camp J inmate), 286–87
Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative, 408–09
San Francisco Bay View (newspaper), 342
San Quentin Six, 238
sanity, protecting/struggle to maintain. See also mental illness, 220, 223, 297–300, 344, 351, 366, 372
Schafer, Harry (“Gi”), 126–27
Schafer, Jill, 126–27
Scheck, Barry, 303, 313
Scott, Robert (“Bobby”), 341, 355, 402
Seale, Robert George (“Bobby”), 67–69, 71, 91
Secure Housing Unit (SHU). See also solitary confinement, 343
segregation (solitary confinement), 79, 284, 343, 408–09
segregation, racial
Amnesty International report, 374
Angola prison population, 24, 84
Jim Crow, living in the world of, 7–9, 195
“reclass” board review, 191
sentencing practices, 411
Sessions, Jefferson Beauregard (“Jeff”), 412
shakedowns (searching a cell). See also strip searches, 116–17, 167, 189–94, 266, 278, 282
“shaking down” (shaking cell doors), 101, 116–18, 167, 178, 285
Shakur, Mutulu, 409
Shaw, Gail, 240
shoplifters (“boosters”), 5, 13, 44, 49, 195
“shot book,” 190–91
“shot callers,” 94
“shotgun houses,” 4
shrimping/schucking oysters, 16–17
sick call/malingering, 185–88, 232
Simino, Kathy Flynn, 256–57
Sinclair, Billy, 110, 129, 388, 392
Sinquefield, John, 128, 136–39, 227, 241–42, 302, 322
“sissies” (gal-boys), 26, 97, 391
6th Ward High Steppers, 14–16, 18–19, 24, 46
6th Amendment, U.S. Constitution, 214
slaves/slavery
Angola plantation origins, 24–25
Angola sexual/rape culture, 25–28
comparison to CCR conditions, 165
Reconstruction-era, 397
Slim (AW girlfriend), 48–49
Smith, Lazarus, 99
Smith, Tommie, 70–71
snitch. See ratting out/snitch
“snitcher gate,” 86, 96, 100
Soledad Brother (Jackson), 162
Soledad prison, 89
solitary confinement. See also Closed Cell Restricted cellblock; cruel and unusual punishment
15 years, surviving, 207
26 years, surviving, 236
28 years, surviving, 262
29 years, surviving, 305
30 years, surviving, 278–80, 283, 317–18
35 years, surviving, 326–27
36 years, surviving, 306
40 years, surviving, 344–51
41 years, surviving, 368–69
about AW placement in, 161, 384, 394
abuses, raising awareness of, 328
Amnesty International interest, 332, 344, 374
AW civil lawsuit against, 288–93, 315–16, 333, 348
AW offered plea deal for freedom, 397–402
claustrophobic attacks, 222–23
constitutional protection, violation, 36, 262–63, 293–94, 381–82
Conyers’ congressional briefing, 341
furloughs, 135, 223
Louisiana denial/justification, 307–09, 344, 349
Louisiana reducing use of, 408–09
Malcolm X as an inspiration, 250–51
Mandela as an inspiration, 213–14
prisoners as “crybabies,” 283
psychological evaluation, 298–301, 351
as retaliatory punishment, 138–39, 278
speaking out against, 276–77, 280, 286, 295, 373–74, 405, 409–11
Supreme Court rulings, 396
surviving/breaking down, 31, 168–69, 175–77, 208, 357
23 hour a day lockdown, xiii, 107, 172, 199, 230, 250, 253, 261–62, 312, 370–71, 413
United Nations statement, 343, 368
yard time/view of the outside, 182–83, 230–31
Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Act of 2014, 374
Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Act of 2018, 374
Solitary Watch (social media site), 412–13
Sothern, Billy, 289, 378, 385, 387, 397
Soul on Ice (Cleaver), 161
South Africa, 213, 287, 408
Southern University Law Center, 413
Southwick, Leslie, 374
spirituality, 6, 395
Spital, Sam, 289, 330, 346
St. Francisville, 100, 121, 215, 219, 229, 387, 397, 399–400
Stalder, Richard, 287
Sterling, Alton, 406
stickup artist (robbing with a gun), 46–51
Stop Solidarity campaigns, 409
strip searches. See also shakedowns, 108, 159, 165–69, 189, 210, 350–51, 356–57, 370–73, 380
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), 126–27
Stuff (pet rabbit), 34
suicide/hanging oneself, 254, 282–83, 284, 300, 396
Sullivan, Clarence, 139
Sullivan, Laura, 323
Sumell, Jackie, 328, 380
From “Superman” to Man (Rogers), 161
Supermax. See also solitary confinement, 343
survival of the fittest, 44
Swahili (language), 170
“sweating” the prisoner to plead guilty, 51
T. Ratty (AW Angola friend), 25, 27–28
Talamantez, Luis, 238, 240
Tanner, Thomas, 214, 227
tattoos, 37
Taylor, Dorothy Mae, 82–83, 99, 119–20, 151, 197
Theresa (Mother), 163
In These Times (Ridgeway and Quandt), 354
Thibodaux jail, 22–23
13th Amendment, U.S. Constitution, 123, 195, 348, 409, 412
“three stikes, you’re out” laws, 54–55
tier guards, 50, 101, 116–17, 193, 285
tobacco, cropping, 2
the Tombs (Manhattan House of Detention)
AW incarceration, 59–60, 78–79, 410
AW introduction to Black Panthers, 63–66
Black Panther presence, 91, 207
brutality toward prisoners described, 75–76
comparison to Angola, 59
creating/protecting a reputation, 60
prisoner riot, 74–76
Tony’s Green Room, robbery, 53–54, 376
Treatment Unit (TU, “mental ward”), 297
Trenticosta, Nick, 266, 272, 288–90, 298, 313, 317–18, 320, 322–23, 325–26, 332, 355
Trump, Donald, 408, 412
trust, importance/having one’s back, 91, 97, 114, 133, 198–99, 233, 251, 255
trustees, s
election/function, 26–27, 43, 59, 113, 122, 151, 179–80, 287, 329
Truth, Sojourner, 206
Tucker Caliban (fictional character), 64–65
“turned out” (raped at Angola), 25–29
Turner, Leonard (“Specs”), 130, 144–47, 244–46, 271–73, 322, 377, 382, 391
20th Judicial District Court, St. Francisville, 218, 384, 400–401
two-for-one (“good time” system), 44–45, 53
Tyler, Gary, 154–56
Tyson, Ralph, 348
United Nations conference, 411
United Nations statements/reports, 343, 368–69, 374
unity
as key to resistance, 90, 159, 261, 284, 311, 379
loss of Black Panther infrastructure, 104
raised fist as sign of, 70, 309, 403
teaching prisoners the power of, 119
U.S. Constitution
1st Amendment, 263
4th Amendment, 373
6th Amendment, 214
8th Amendment, 123–24, 186, 203–04, 262, 354
13th Amendment, 123, 195, 348, 409, 412
14th Amendment, 123–24, 203–04, 363
Black Panther principles, 73
cruel and unusual punishment guarantee, 203
“hands-off” doctrine on prisoner abuse, 123
justification of slavery, 348
Louisiana failure to comply, 324–25, 364–66
solitary confinement as violation, 262–63, 293–94
violation of Confrontation Clause, 292–93
U.S Court of Appeals, 275, 332–33, 366
U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 225
U.S. District Court(s), 293, 331, 348–49
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 69–70, 104, 127, 237, 267, 270, 306, 315, 322, 398
U.S. Fifth Circuit Court, 325, 346, 349, 372–78, 381–86, 393–94
U.S. House of Representatives, 315–16
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, 232
U.S. Justice Department, 412
U.S. Magistrate Judge(s), 278, 293, 316–17
U.S. Sentencing Commission, 411
U.S. Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, 374
vagrancy laws, 8, 197–98
Vanguard Army, 106, 109, 216, 377
Vera Institute of Justice, 408–09
Vietnam War, 71, 237
visual cavity search. See strip searches
VOTE (Voice of the Experienced), 409
wages, prisoner, 32, 412
Wall, Kurt, 383, 385
Wallace, Herman Joshua (“Hooks”)
as political prisoner, 192–93, 263
AW meeting for first time, 91–92
battling the administration, 115–19
beaten and placed in CCR, 104
Black Panthers, introduction to, 196
Black Panthers, recruitment, 92–95
Brent Miller, charged for murder of, 109–10
Brent Miller retrial, 218–19
Brent Miller trial, 142–49
death and burial, 367–69
habeas relief and release, 363–66
hunger strike, 157–58, 250–52
liver cancer, 352–67
psychiatric evaluation, 297–301
reading/becoming self-educated, 161
standing together with AW and King, 261–65
support from the outside, 280, 297
surviving/resisting breaking, 195, 198–200
trial testimony, 146–49
tribute on death of, 368
Washington Post, 407
Weber, Timothy, 156
Welch, Jewel (“Duke”), 316
Wennerstrom, Ashley, 366–67
West, E. Gordon, 124
West Feliciana jail, 140, 377–80, 395–96
West Feliciana Parish, 122, 139, 169, 217, 268, 271, 331, 346, 349, 363, 366, 383–84, 387
White, Bruce, 236–37
Whitmore, Kenny (aka Zulu Heshima), 170, 250, 286
Wilkerson, Robert King. See King, Robert Hilary
Williams, Brie, 352–54
Williams, Carine, 289, 330, 341, 346, 352–53, 358, 362–66, 369, 382–83, 398–99
Williams, Hayes, 98, 124, 160, 191, 204
Williams, Herbert (“Fess”), 137–39
Woodfox, Albert (aka Shaka Zulu, Cinque, Q)
as political prisoner, 192–93, 263
building a life beyond Angola, 405–14
claustrophobic attacks, xiii, 114, 222, 300, 338, 378, 406
lawsuits, 124–25, 374–75
learning/self-education, 161
psychiatric evaluation, 297–301
standing together with King and Hooks, 261–65
studying law, 122–23
support from the outside, 280, 297, 305
surviving/resisting breaking, 121, 150–252, 195, 198–200, 213, 220–24, 250, 414
welcome/acceptance by community, 402–03
Woodfox, Albert, childhood and growing up
birth in New Orleans, 1
church and belief in God, 5–6
education/schools, 8, 19
girlfriends/marriage, 20
living with “Daddy,” 1–4
living with grandparents, 2–3
meeting birth father, 16
nicknamed “Fox,” 13–15, 43, 91, 163–64
parking cars hustle, 18–19
Woodfox, Albert, incarceration
April 2012 marking 40 years in CCR, 344
Angola, arrival for first time, 23, 25–38
Angola, arrival for second time, 84–85
Angola, parole, release on, 38–41
Angola, parole violation/return to, 41, 45
Angola discharge first time, 45–46
Angola discharge second time, 89
awaiting the day of release, xiii
battling the administration, 115–19, 121–24, 165–68
Brent Miller, accused of murder of, 99–102
Brent Miller, first trial, 126–41, 214
Brent Miller, second trial, 375–86
Brent Miller, third trial, plea deal, 397–402
creating/protecting a reputation, 26, 29, 36, 43–44, 49–50
habeas relief and release, 381–86
habeas relief, setting aside, 393–96
held at New Queens, 76–78
held at the Tombs, 58–60, 78–79, 410
held at Thibodeaux jail, 21–23
lack of evidence on charges, 52–55
moved to Amite City jail, 219, 228, 230–35, 238, 326
moved to West Feliciana jail, 140, 377–80, 395–96
Orleans Parish Prison, 41, 47, 49, 52, 56, 80–83, 97, 113, 119, 196–98, 236, 360, 376
walking out the door at Angola, 402–03
Woodfox, Albert, intervals between incarceration
arrest for Tony’s Green Room robbery, 52–55
assault and robbery to support lifestyle, 49–52
becoming a junkie, 47–49
charged as habitual offender, 54–55
charged with rape, 52–53
escape and flight to New York City, 56–58
extradition back to New Orleans, 79
Woodfox, Barbara, 20
Woodfox, Brenda, 20
Woodfox, Leroy, 16
Woodfox board, 408–09
“word” (doing what you say you will do), 179
workers’ strike (“buck”), 96, 107, 132–33, 135
Workers World (newspaper), 263
Workers World Party, 236, 237
Wright, Richard, 170, 208
“Write for Rights” (Amnesty campaign), 347
“write-ups” (disciplinary reports), 132, 166–69, 178, 187, 190, 192, 194, 197, 252–53, 261, 307–08
yard time/yard days, 32, 34, 37, 86, 88, 92, 98, 108, 124, 154–55, 177, 183, 201–04, 253–55, 315, 317, 332, 334, 347, 349–50
Yesho, Anita, 236–37
Young Lords, 68
Young Patriots Organization, 68
Zimmerman, George, 356
About the Author
ALBERT WOODFOX was born in 1947 in New Orleans. A committed activist while in prison, he remains so today, speaking to a wide array of organizations, including the Innocence Project, Harvard, Yale, and other universities, the National Lawyers Guild, and at Amnesty International events in London, Paris, Denmark, Sweden, and Belgium. He lives in New Orleans.
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Copyright
Solitary
Copyright © 2019 by Albert Woodfox.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, by arrangement with Grove Atlantic.
Cover design by Becca Fox Design
Cover photographs © Mark Hartman
First Canadian edition
EPub Edition: March 2019 EPub ISBN: 978-1-4434-5836-8
Version 02112019
Print ISBN: 978-1-4434-5835-1
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