Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't
by Manson Direct

Have you ever considered writing to a prison inmate, maybe even Manson, out of an honest feeling of charitable goodwill? If so, don't bother writing to the inmates in the 4A4R section of Corcoran State Prison in California. Some employees at the infamous prison have taken it upon themselves invent false claims about some people who try to write to inmates.

Some employees apparently feel that if you write to an inmate around Manson, or (heaven forbid) to Manson himself, you must be involved in some vague unspecified business enterprise, sand you must be trying to obtain memorabilia for profit.

Inside the walls of the brutal Corcoran State Prison (see links to stories about Corcoran on our help page) some employees can make up false claims out of their head, for any reason or no reason, and there is no one they must answer to.

In a story reported to Manson Direct, which allegedly occurred in February 2003, an employee was accused of verbally assaulting an inmate with profanity, then that same employee was given the task of removing certain of the inmate's property, during which time the employee improperly took the inmate's address book and threw it in the trash. When another inmate was seen observing this improper and unprofessional behavior, the employee allegedly told him "You didn't see anything", an implied threat.

At a hearing on the alleged verbal assault, it was the inmate's word against the employee's word. The witness was too afraid to tell what he heard or saw. The employee denied he used profanity against the inmate, and denied he stole and destroyed the address book. So the inmate's meager property, his address book, was gone without recourse.

Likewise, certain employees appear unable to comprehend that anyone would want to write to some inmates or to Manson. They seem unable to fathom that there are people in the world who might wish to extend a hand of kindness and charitable goodwill to anyone at Corcoran. Apparently unable to understand normal, decent behavior, possibly because they are surrounded by negativity every day in the course of the jobs they choose, they accuse people who write to inmates of being involved in some kind of business activities with the inmates. No proof is needed, they appear able to make any wild claim they wish with no oversight.

Manson Direct challenges the Governor and People of California to establish a citizen's and activist's oversight committee at Corcoran State Prison.

Manson bears a substantial brunt of the willy-nilly application of rules, some of which seem invented to apply only to him. But many other inmates suffer improperly as well, at the hands of a few certain employees who seem able to do as they please, behind the closed door of the prison.

Men in that prison, especially in the 4A section, are serving their debt to society. It is wrong that they should be subjected to additional degration by employees without oversight.