The 98% - Life After Prison
This podcast is dedicated to the 98% of people incarcerated in North Carolina who will eventually be released from prison back into their communities, often with few, if any resources. Through the voices of people in transition and those who support them, we explore hurdles and life long barriers many justice-involved people confront whether getting a drivers license, finding housing, or trying to find a job. We examine issues like substance use disorder and mental health that plague this population and ask what we as a society can do to support the formerly incarcerated and reduce recidivism.
In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from prison. Van Wyk is a producer and criminal justice advocate. April Barber received a life sentence when she was 15. After more than 31 years, she had her sentence commuted by Governor Cooper. She was released March 24, 2022.
ART WORK BY JOHN HARDIN
The 98% - Life After Prison
Voices from the Box: Stories of Solitary and the Campaign to End It
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The final episode of our season takes you deep inside the fight to end one of America's most disturbing prison practices: solitary confinement. When Craig Waleed spent 30 days in "the box," he began hallucinating and questioning his existence. Years later, he's working with Disability Rights North Carolina to ensure others don't suffer the same fate.
"Research shows that any amount of time exposed to solitary confinement is detrimental to one's psychological makeup," Craig explains. "It can cause atrophy to the brain to the point where parts of the brain will not recover." This reality is why the United Nations considers isolation beyond 15 days to be torture under the Mandela Rules – standards most US prisons ignore.
We also meet Dolores Canales, whose activism began when her son was placed in indefinite solitary confinement at California's Pelican Bay Prison. When prisoners launched hunger strikes to protest these conditions in 2011 and 2013, Dolores became a principal organizer, helping to form California Families Against Solitary Confinement and eventually co-founding the national Unlock the Box campaign.
In 2023, Judy Van Wyk and April Barber partnered to create a podcast about the many issues people face when transitioning from prison. Van Wyk is a longtime video producer and criminal justice advocate. April Barber received a life sentence when she was 15. After more than 31 years, she had her sentence commuted by Governor Cooper. She was released March 24, 2022.
Welcome back Episode 6, our final episode of the 98% Life After Prison, to the nearly 98% of incarcerated people in North Carolina who will eventually be released back into our communities, often with little more than a $45 gate check. I'm April Barber-Scales.
Speaker 2:And I'm Judy Van Wyk. Did you know that since 2016, 81 incarcerated people have died by suicide and that 60% of those deaths have occurred in solitary confinement? Last year alone, 13 people died in North Carolina's prisons. This at a time when a growing proportion of North Carolina's prison population have been diagnosed with mental illness. If you want to learn more about this public health crisis, check out Rachel Crumpler's latest article in North Carolina Health News. It's an online newspaper that's doing a stellar job of reporting on incarceration in this state.
Speaker 1:Today we're going to meet two people who are on a mission to end the practice of prolonged solitary confinement in our country's prisons. Craig Waleed is a project manager of the In Solitary Campaign for Disability Rights, north Carolina. He himself has spent time in solitary confinement, an experience he says caused him to hallucinate and question his very existence. He's fighting to save others from prolonged time in the box, a practice the United Nations considers torture. Here's his story.
Speaker 3:I'm a formerly incarcerated person. I survived solitary confinement twice, both 30-day sentences. I've been out of prison as of December 26th for 27 years, but one of the things I told myself while incarcerated is that I would dedicate my life to helping people who are incarcerated have a better quality of life. And so I was living here in North Carolina and I was working with a professor at UNC where we were doing research on the intersection of health and mass incarceration, and we met weekly with Disability Rights. North Carolina's criminal legal team and Disability Rights had a position opening up this position that I hold as the project manager, and they advertised it. I applied for it, interviewed one time, and the rest has been history.
Speaker 2:Tell me a little bit about your own experience with the carceral system.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So at the age of 19, I was sentenced to four to 12 years for violent assault. I spent eight years behind the wall and four years on parole. While incarcerated, I spent a lot of time reading, writing, contemplating my own life, the circumstances that led to me being incarcerated, but also thinking about what I wanted my life to be like post-incarceration. And so part of that reading and writing and studying also led me to a higher education program while incarcerated, program while incarcerated, and I ultimately walked out of prison with an associate's degree in liberal arts. But more so the degree and the studying and whatnot. It served almost as a mechanism that turns over the soil of my cognitive space, which made me much more receptive to new and different ideas that would help propel me in a totally different direction, away from the penitentiary that in some way, prison saved their life.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you feel that dramatically about it, but it sounds like it worked for you.
Speaker 3:In a sense I agree, and I've thought that over the years, in many regards prison did serve to preserve me, because the way I was living if I didn't go to prison, I probably would have either gotten a life sentence somewhere along the way or I probably would have gotten killed. Being in prison preserves my life, but at the same time prison left me with a lifetime of scars psychological and emotional scars, and, as I said in our opening, I've been out for 27 years but there's still just components of that prison experience that I just can't shake. It's like the ghosts are always there.
Speaker 2:Tell me about your time in solitary confinement.
Speaker 3:So I'll tell you. First, prison is such a loud and just chaotic environment that before I ever got sent to solitary, there were times that I would ask the sergeant can you put me in solitary for three days or something, because I wanted to just get away from the noise and the chaos. And they would always tell me we can't, you have to do something. And I refused to do something to get myself locked up. But once I was in solitary, the lack of stimulation, the dehumanization that I experienced at the hands of other corrections officers was very harmful, I think, and very calls me to really question my self-worth at times, you know, and just being a human being, part of our makeup is to engage with others.
Speaker 2:Can I ask what got you into solitary confinement?
Speaker 3:Yeah, and both times I shouldn't have been in solitary. Judy, that's the whole thing. One time it was the commemoration of the Attica riots, had no idea about it. So I'm like, oh okay, and I was walking with some guys and I run up to him hey, hey, this is what they're doing. And I repeated that whole thing about Attica and some officers were on the walkway and happened to hear me tell the guys that so we go on the walkway, I mean go in the cafeteria, and we do our thing, dump our food, walk out and as we're walking back past, the two officers grab me and arrest me and take me to solitary and tell me that I'm being put in solitary for inciting a riot. And then the second time I'll never forget this because I was traumatized I'm in a medium security and there's a dormitory type setting with bunks, like barracks in the military almost, and I'm standing at my bunk and there's the officer there we're talking about something I forgot and there's a couple other incarcerated people and this guy comes tearing into the day room, I mean out of the day room, into the barracks area, into the bunk area and behind him comes like three or four guys, maybe five, and they jump on him and they beat him, kick him, cut him, stab him, right there in front of us.
Speaker 3:Blood's everywhere. The officer pulls his emergency pin, everybody goes back to their separate bunks and the whole rescue squad comes in. I'm shook, the officer's shook. They take this guy out. I don't know if he lived or died. I do know he did live. But at that point the officer just started pointing out people who were involved. And he pointed me out and I think he just didn't remember. He just knew he was talking to me. But at that point I'm like well, why the hell do you point me out? I was just talking to you when this happened.
Speaker 3:But as a result, I ended up being sent to solitary and after about four weeks, the guy who got attacked.
Speaker 3:They had a hearing and they took me out of the cell and brought me into this dark room and had me strip search, like one piece of clothing at a time, and if I did it the wrong way, they had other officers in there with their gloves on their sticks and they're like we're going to beat you up if you don't take off your right shoe with your left hand. And after I strip searched appropriately and put my clothes back on the guy who got beat up. They had him in another room and they asked him point blank is this one of the people who jumped on you? And I guess they did that with everyone, but I was there and he said no, he had nothing to do with it. And they let me go. After like four or five weeks, the research shows that any amount of time exposed to solitary confinement is detrimental to one's psychological makeup, to one's psychological makeup. It can cause atrophy to the brain to the point where parts of the brain will not recover.
Speaker 2:What are the Mandela Rules?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so the Mandela Rules are essentially a set of rules or suggestions that have been passed down from the United Nations Special Rapporteur. I think is the title. There are suggestions for how people should be kept in isolation if they must be, and essential to that is that anything. If someone's left in solitary confinement over 15 days, it's considered torture. The North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections has not adopted the Mandela Rules. However, in some of their latest, I guess, memos or writings they are using language that reflects their understanding of the Mandela Rules, but I don't think they're applying anything.
Speaker 3:And I say that because late in 2024, myself and one of my colleagues, we were at Granville Prison here in North Carolina in their H-CON unit, and H-CON is the highest security level of isolation or solitary confinement, what they'll call restrictive housing, but it's all the same thing, different euphemisms and the people in there were not allowed to come out of the cell. People were locked in 23 and one, 24 and one, so that other one hour that they came out it was like they were still in isolation, because they were like two cells that would face each other and then in between the cells was like a foyer that was also locked off, and so the men would explain to us that they were allowed to come out of the cell into the locked foyer, one at a time, but they're still locked. They're just not in that cell, but they're right in the locked little foyer, one at a time, but they're still locked. They're just not in that cell, but they're right in the locked little foyer right outside. Typically, you hear the system players say that well, we're not going to adopt the Mandela rules because of officer safety or security reasons, to keep the facility safe, et cetera, et cetera. However, research shows us that solitary confinement actually makes prisons less safe because of the impact that it has on people psychologically and emotionally, and many of them will come out of solitary confinement. Many of them will return to general population and if they have not been treated humanely, they're more likely to be engaged in inhumane behavior once they get back to the general population or the main population, which is in the world, the free world.
Speaker 3:But also, on another note, speaking about solitary confinement, I think that it's important to also take into account that people who are exposed to solitary are oftentimes at what I'll say hyper super increased rates of suicidality. Lots of suicides have happened in solitary confinement in North Carolina, but also post-solitary or post-incarceration high rates of suicide, drug overdose, homicide. But we also have to take into account that this is not just the people who are incarcerated, but also the people who work in these units also are at super hyper increased rates or at risk of developing very similar type of health consequences. But also it makes me think about my experiences in Norway. When I went to Norway we sat with corrections officials and they essentially explained that they provide the corrections staff almost two years of training. They learn social work skills, they learn psychological skills, psychology skills just a very in-depth training on how to work with people.
Speaker 3:And what I dig about the Norway model, though people say, well, they have smaller populations, this, that and the third, but we can still borrow from them. And one of the things that I dig that they do is this thing called dynamic security, where the staff are developing relationships with the incarcerated people. They're not chumming up with them, but they're showing them respect and they're treating them with respect. And then the systems are not harsh where people are so traumatized. The systems are providing people opportunities to habilitate themselves or rehabilitate themselves so that when they get out that they can be an asset to their communities. You know, whereas in our American society our officers are getting more training on weapons and you know other types of security measures to suppress people and the environments are harsh, and so people are not getting the opportunity to develop different thought, behavior, academic, vocational mechanisms to help them become assets to their communities.
Speaker 2:The other thing we haven't talked about but is a real problem is that prisons have become a dumping ground for people with mental health issues, and mental health and solitary confinement are like, not compatible.
Speaker 3:Not at all, judy. And as I said earlier, statistics will show that a disproportionate amount of people in prison have psychological or emotional disabilities disabilities. Solitary confinement in and of itself can either exacerbate some of those issues or it can create new issues where issues were not before. And then also, what we find is that, statistically again, we'll find that more people in solitary confinement have psychological disorders. So what that says to me is that those persons are more likely to be mistaken as maybe disobeying rules or causing a disruption, whereas indeed what's happening is they may be just having a psychological breakdown. Their disorder may just be coming to fruition because of the environment of prisons. It does nothing to help people be better. But also there's different components of solitary that they won't call solitary, such as protective custody. Someone is kept in isolation to protect them, to keep them safe.
Speaker 3:I say, okay, if we have to isolate people, we still have to treat them humanely. If we have to isolate people, we still have to let them out of these cells for more than an hour. They still need to have access to sunlight, fresh air, grass these things are part of what you know helps humans. Remember that we're human as a society, as a community. We really have to lean on them, for lack of a better term. Put some pressure on them, you know, let them know that you're using our tax dollars to torture our citizens. So what if they come from poor, disadvantaged backgrounds? They're still people, they're still citizens and they deserve humane treatment.
Speaker 2:Tell us about your work with disability rights.
Speaker 3:So we're part of the Unlock the Box movement or campaign, which is a national campaign to end solitary in the country. And so here in North Carolina, unlock the Box is known as End Solitary NC and we have been on a campaign to educate the public about the harms of solitary confinement, and we've done that through public speaking events. We've done that through just passing out flyers events. We've done that through just passing out flyers. We've done that most recently through bringing our life-size replica solitary confinement cell to different venues.
Speaker 2:From your perspective, what would it take for the carceral system not to include solitary confinement?
Speaker 3:That's a great question, but I think one thing is to think about people through a humane lens, to look at people as human beings who are deserving of respect and care. But the system is such a large beast of sorts that I think it would be very difficult to get it to change. But I think, yeah, we have to start by humanizing the people who live there and work there, and I think part of that change has to be less security-oriented and more rehabilitative or habilitative-oriented, where people are getting the type of attention and treatment that they need, are getting the type of attention and treatment that they need.
Speaker 2:Is there anything else that you think that we have overlooked, or anything else you want to say?
Speaker 3:I don't think we've overlooked anything. If the folks on the inside hear this, I just want to encourage you to keep doing things to improve yourself. Do the best that you can do, no matter where you are, so that when the opportunity comes to do better, you're ready. You know Life don't stop just because you're in prison. Your life's still going. You just happen to be in prison, but you can still improve your life. You can still impact the community inside prison. And if you think you're getting out of prison, that's even more reason to continue to work on yourself. Even if you've got to spend decades behind the wall, you're getting out. Keep working on making yourself the best that you can be.
Speaker 2:You know, craig said a lot more about the Mandela Rules that I didn't include. Basically, the Mandela Rules are an internationally recognized blueprint for the humane treatment of prisoners. In addition to prolonged solitary confinement, the rules prohibit the confined isolation of people with mental or physical disabilities, minors or pregnant women. Still, very few states even attempt to follow any of the Mandela rules. April, you were pregnant while you went to prison. How did they treat you?
Speaker 1:I was locked in an isolation room, a sort of solitary confinement, but not like a SIG, so there wasn't anyone to talk to or anyone to communicate with except me and my unborn child and an occasional staff member. But I do have a story along the lines of solitary confinement. I think this might shock you, judy, but it brought something to mind. There was a husband and wife team that worked there two ends of the prison. The wife worked in segregation, which is where solitary confinement is, and the husband worked on the yard and sometimes on my unit. So I was closer. I was close to both, but closer to him because he was one that had the key to the yard. So I was closer. I was close to both, but closer to him because he was one that had the key to the yard. So I had to make him my friend so I could get all of my yard time.
Speaker 1:Well, there was an incident of suicide on solitary confinement on this lady's watch who was super sweet, very nice lady, and she said to me afterwards she was. She told me. She said April, I'm the one that got her down. So this lady began to uh, you know she wasn't showing up for her shifts and stuff. And so I asked the um, the husband, how she was, says she's, you know she's taking this pretty hard. So she took some time off. He told me that they would go places. She was getting ready to go to the gym at her home and she couldn't get out of the car Like she was just physically frozen so fast forward.
Speaker 1:The lady never came back to work. She eventually started drawing disability for PTSD. So imagine what the person in the cell who talked to the person that she cut down because it was hanging that, and so imagine that how the person in the cell felt talking to this person for days, months on end, and then the person wasn't there. So if the lady had to retire, if someone who made a career and a job of this for years she wasn't a new employee and a job of this for years, she wasn't a new employee, she had been there for years. And so if she had to quit because of her mental health issues, imagine how the person left in the box felt that no longer talked to the cellmate.
Speaker 1:Just point to ponder.
Speaker 2:It's very disturbing Not shocking, I'm afraid to say, but disturbing and it really points to the real impact that working, that it's not easy to be a correctional officer, and I think it's really easy for people to demonize the correctional officers, where it's the system that is just really messed up. Yeah, oh my, that's a horrible story.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's really sad.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. The second person we're going to meet today is Dolores Canales, who is instrumental in the formation of Unlock the Box, a national campaign whose stated mission is to end solitary confinement in all US prisons, jails, detention facilities and juvenile facilities. The goal of Unlock the Box is to bring the United States in full compliance with the UN Mandela rules for the treatment of prisoners.
Speaker 1:Dolores began her journey in 2011 during a prison-led hunger strike at Pelican Bay Prison in California. The strike was a protest against the inhumane conditions of solitary confinement, including indefinite sentences. Desperate to save her son, who was striking, Dolores protested from the outside In 2013,. When a second hunger strike erupted, she joined other families in becoming a principal organizer in the protest. This time, 29,000 prisoners refused to eat, with a core of men who maintained a hunger strike for 60 days. Men who maintain a hunger strike for 60 days. Dolores' advocacy led to the formation of California families against solitary confinement and helped end indefinite solitary confinement in California.
Speaker 2:Welcome to our show, Dolores. I really enjoyed meeting you at the screening of the strike in Durham. That's the documentary that tells the story about the Pelican Bay hunger strike. Speaking of Pelican Bay, can you tell us what it means to receive an indefinite sentence in solitary confinement, what that meant on the ground?
Speaker 4:Right, well, the indefinite. It was referred to as an indefinite shoe term. A shoe is what was? You know? It's called a security housing unit and the indefinite shoe term here in California, the way it was being used at the time.
Speaker 4:You did not have to commit an actual rules violation, you didn't have to have any misbehavior at all. They did it. They practiced it more on an assumption-based practice and arbitrary measures, such as if you had a note from somebody else, or if somebody else had a note and had your name in it, or, um, you know, if you had a book the solid dad brothers, uh, different things, pictures, they, they use different things they would then label you as a gang validation. They had this whole process where they would label you as an associate of a gang or a gang member, and and so therefore, they would put you in security housing unit indefinitely and you get a review every six years, and so the only way out at that time would be if you chose to. They had this system called the debriefing process, where you had to provide them information on other people and they would have no misconduct as far as actual documentation of write-ups. It was just these 1030 chronos, which a 1030 chrono is a confidential chrono and it's noted in your central file where somebody else is saying things about you, but there doesn't even have to be an actual investigation into the acts that you're being accused of. So therefore a 115 never comes into play.
Speaker 4:A 115 is a serious rules violation report. Somebody else can say all these things about you. You'll never get a rules violation report for the things that are being said about you, so it'll never be cooperated with an actual misconduct for them. So it's based on gossip. Disclose to you who is saying this. So it's a rather complicated process that California Department of Corrections still utilizes to this day. They still have these 1030 Kronos. And one thing we did find out in the Ashford versus Brown lawsuit that you know the hunger strikes it was all revolved around was that oftentimes these confidential chronos, they're just fabricated. They're either fabricated or they were written by COs themselves, and that was admitted in court, but their justification for doing it was they've done this long before the Ashker lawsuit. So therefore it has nothing to do with the Ashher settlement in itself.
Speaker 2:That sounds like a police state. No, it sounds like East Berlin or a story out of there. It doesn't sound like the United States.
Speaker 4:Right, right. Well, you know it's complicated because CDC oversees themselves, the legislators are supposed to oversee them, and our governor, of course, but the CCPOA, which is the Union for the Prison Guards? They donate millions to our Democratic Party here in California, can you?
Speaker 2:briefly describe the changes that came about in California as a result of the Pelican Bay strike that came about in California as a result of the Pelican Bay strike.
Speaker 4:Yes, well, you know, once that hunger strike took place, it really like woke people up to what we were doing, just with mass incarceration, with incarceration in itself. So, cdc, they ended the use of indefinite solitary confinement because at that, that time, we had people in isolation, you know, 10 years to 40 years, literally on indefinite terms and with arbitrary use of of the isolation, of the placement of isolation, and so what ended up happening was they ended the use of indefinite solitary confinement. People could still get shoe terms, but they're stipulated Like, for instance, you know, for murder you get like a five-year shoe term or escape. I mean, there's still shoe terms still exist, but it's a definite shoe term of how long you'll be placed in solitary confinement. They also allow programming. They're supposed to allow programming while you're in SHU so that you could have some sort of program, although that's why we've been working on the Mandela Bill in California, because we're finding that they are still using.
Speaker 4:They found a different way. Oh well, we'll put you in administrative segregation, which is isolation, and we'll call it pending investigation, and they can leave you there for a year or two years, you know, with their whole pending investigation, and we also found that a lot of people were just being stagnant in isolation with no access to programming and another thing. So now, so the governor now stepped in and said SHU no longer exists in California, now we have RU. So now it's called Restrictive Housing Unit and we have RU and the whole focus is supposed to be to process you out, to give you access to programs. So there's like a whole 200-page implementation report on it programs. There's like a whole 200 page implementation report on it. And you know, so we're we're looking at that and seeing how it's going so far.
Speaker 2:So you started to protest in 2011. And then that grew in the 2013 strike and you formed California Families Against Solitary Confinement. So how is that state organization affiliated with Unlock the Box? Did it lead to the beginning of Unlock the Box?
Speaker 4:You know, actually it did, and I have all that in writing. Amy Fatig, who was with the ACLU at the time, you know, says she had never, you know, working on prison policy on a national level. She says she has never seen what transpired in California anywhere, not even on a global level. And so what ended up happening is she, they brought some of us together from various organizations, and I was the local, I was the only local representative for California, but the rest were like NERC, national Religious Campaign Against Torture, solitary Watch Of course he works on around nationally and the ACLU, and we met with some funders to really to bring in a position, just one centralized position that would be able to work with everybody on a national level.
Speaker 4:And so the funders agreed and then we created the job description and everything together and we went through hundreds of resumes, and so I am a co-founder of Unlock the Box, I was part of the interview team, and so we did end up hiring Jessica Sandoval, and which she's really moved the needle forward on a national level, you know. And so it's been really amazing to see. You know there's over 20 states now working on campaigns the Mandela Bill, you know just to see what's transpired from that work and how this is. This is now a conversational topic. I mean, you hear about it on the news now you know people being kept in isolation, people being kept in solitary confinement is referred to as torture, and so, yeah, it's been incredible.
Speaker 2:Wow, that is amazing. It's got a long ways to go. You know, I know just from the. You know the one episode that I did on Solitary. I have had so many people say to me I had no idea. People don't know.
Speaker 4:Right, yeah, well, and that's what I found during the hunger strikes. You know, I mean I'm in the strike and I say there's a part where I talk about this. We're literally just here in California. I used to walk around with a folder to have the pictures of what the cells actually looked like and people could not believe that we did this in America. I mean, there was shock. There was like that's things you hear about in the third world country, we don't do this in America. And then, of course, even more shock with you know, certainly we would never do this in California. California is just too.
Speaker 4:You know, and I'll never forget, when the hunger strike strikes first started, there was this Betty White commercial, right, and it would say what do I love about California? And it would pull back the screen and it would have people doing yoga on the beach or it would have people jet, you know, snow skiing in Big Bear and have you want to know the truth about California? And show like one of the Pelican Bay cells with no windows. I mean, the architectural design in itself is inhumane. The minds that sat there and created those cells for human beings to be placed in have to be a bit deranged and they have to live with themselves every day knowing that people are in those cells, going mad, being tortured. You know cells that they created, that they designed and that they became millionaires off of.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 4:We could talk about this for hours we could talk about this for hours, but yeah, of course I know people sometimes. Somebody just said the other day they talked about it as work, right, and I said you don't understand. Like this is, this is my life, like I talk about this every single day. I talk about like how are we treating people? You know, what are we doing to people, how are we making things better, and so it's just yeah.
Speaker 2:I understand that, in addition to the work that you do on the steering committee for Unlock the Box, you also do a lot of outreach with the families of people in solitary confinement. Can you tell us about that?
Speaker 4:Yes, yes, I do, and you know, and I'm very- honest with the families.
Speaker 4:I said I let them know. You know, some of the things that I think are so important is, for one, does your loved one want you to get involved? And another is, if you're going to get involved, you have to be prepared to stay involved. It is not a journey for the faint of heart and just a lot of support sometimes. That's just what it is. I wish I had all the answers sometimes, but I let them know I'm a family member, just like you are, and two always run everything past their incarcerated loved one.
Speaker 4:I don't ever give advice of what someone should do. If I do give advice, I'll say ask your incarcerated loved one what they think of this, because I see a lot of people you know have some amazing ideas and I think the most important voice and the most important consideration is the one that is still inside that might have to endure retaliation. Is there a network of support if you begin to get involved? Is there a network of support for you if that person, if your son or your daughter, starts facing retaliation? To where you're going to have a team that will be ready to hit the phone lines and call the prison, call your local legislators, you know, connect the activism to the retaliation and the timing. You know just different things like that and so you know it's not like I let people know.
Speaker 4:I'm a family member, just like you are, and I wish I had all the answers, but you know we're finding them all out together. But you know, definitely, if you're going to get involved, just be prepared to stay involved until your loved one is home. Another thing is is all the different state campaigns like, for instance, a lot of the unlock the box, states have been showing the strike, which the strike is, the, you know the documentary of the hunger strikes that took place in the state of California, and so a lot of the states have been showing the strike and sometimes they will have us, some of the protagonists, out to go be part of their panel with their local organizers, part of their panel with their local organizers, and that's been really beautiful and to be a part of and to just be embraced by community and your own son.
Speaker 2:how is he doing?
Speaker 4:Well, yeah, it's been a journey. It's been quite a journey, and now I can see all the retaliation. I mean I have so much documentation connecting all the docs, but I mean he's holding in there. He has been filed some new charges and he has been filed with federal charges. Now he got his original case dismissed to a misdemeanor after 30 years, after 30 years and he kept fighting and kept fighting. I was sitting in the courtroom where the judge said out loud to the district attorney that still did not want him to be resentenced. Might I remind you, not only was he never involved, he was standing on the other end with his back turned.
Speaker 2:My, that's quite a story. We have just one minute left. What would you like to say in closing?
Speaker 4:You know I thank you for having this podcast. Thank you for having me on this podcast. What I'd really like to say is I'd like to urge the audience if you're listening right now, please pass this podcast on. Encourage others to listen, encourage others to get involved with your local state campaigns and to look into how you can make a difference. And, believe me, it often does not take much. Sometimes it's something as simple as a phone call or a letter, you know, and so I would really encourage people to get involved. You can go on unlocktheboxcampaignorg as well and see all the states that are now working on changing these horrific conditions of confinement. And I want to thank you and Dr Craig Waleed. He's been amazing also.
Speaker 2:I love Dr Craig Waleed and thank you, Dolores. This means so much to me that you were willing to talk to us.
Speaker 4:Absolutely, judy, and it's been amazing connecting with you. This means so much to me that you were willing to talk to us. Absolutely, judy, and it's been amazing connecting with you. Thank you so much for having me and if you're listening right now, please share this podcast and ask the people that you share it with to keep on sharing it, all right? Thank you so much. You have a wonderful day.
Speaker 2:For everyone listening. I urge you to see the Strike, the documentary about the men of Pelican Bay Supermax Prison in California who went on the largest hunger strike in US history and sparked a campaign to end the indeterminate use of solitary confinement. You'll learn the role Dolores Canales played in both the strike and the legislation that followed. The documentary is currently streaming on PBS's show Independent Lens and you can also find it on YouTube.
Speaker 1:Well, that's our show for today, and it's the last show of the season. We're going to take a short break before we begin preparing for our next season. In the meantime, take a listen to some of our previous episodes and check us out on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to reach out to us, you can email us at 98percentlifeafter at gmailcom.
Speaker 2:At the end of June I'm going to have another shoulder replacement, so I'll be out of commission for a while, but before then I plan to post a special episode featuring a couple of residents of Oren Correctional Center who train therapy dogs for people with a variety of disabilities. Stay tuned to the 98%. Life After Prison, a show dedicated to all the people who are incarcerated and coming home.