Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Chelsea Manning may face solitary confinement for having Jenner Vanity Fair issue

Ed Pilkington
Wednesday 12 August 2015 18.48 EDT

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/12/chelsea-manning-solitary-confinement-toothpaste-army

Chelsea Manning, the US army soldier serving a 35-year military prison sentence for leaking official secrets, has been threatened with indefinite solitary confinement for having an expired tube of toothpaste in her cell and being found in possession of the Caitlyn Jenner Vanity Fair issue, according to her lawyers and supporters.

If it is labeled contraband and she possessed it WAAAH! Not going to lose sleep over it. Inmates know what is allowed and what is not. To posses those items and get caught come with punishments. Now, let's move on to someone more newsworthy. :) :) :)

Quote from: Jessica Merriman on August 13, 2015, 05:05:10 AM
If it is labeled contraband and she possessed it WAAAH! Not going to lose sleep over it. Inmates know what is allowed and what is not. To posses those items and get caught come with punishments. Now, let's move on to someone more newsworthy. :) :) :)

It sounds like the pupose of prison is mental torture. Knives as contrband I can understand, not a womens magazine.

I cannot get my head around the idea that something like that could be labelled as contraband. Kinda hints that the US penitentiary system is not among the brigthest and progressive in the world...

Quote from: Jessica Merriman on August 13, 2015, 05:05:10 AM
If it is labeled contraband and she possessed it WAAAH! Not going to lose sleep over it. Inmates know what is allowed and what is not. To posses those items and get caught come with punishments. Now, let's move on to someone more newsworthy. :) :) :)

Hi Jessica,

When you consider that George Bush and Dick Cheney lied to start an illegal war in Iraq that probably resulted in a million people loosing their lives, countless more wounded and millions forced to flee Iraq.  When you consider the current ISIS crisis has a direct link to this  terrible misadventure, you might start to realize that persecuting Chelsea for shining a light on some of the horrible things the U.S. government was up to is just a tad bit unjust.  In my mind Chelsea is a hero.

Paige :)

Quote from: ♡ Emily ♡ on August 13, 2015, 08:03:14 AM

(https://obiouslytrue.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/49793684.jpg)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fgrabthepopcorn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Flifestyle%2Fimages%2Fgp_logo.png&hash=7cf1064c71b5bdc32deb22640c495e7cb358ea5f)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catchannel.com%2Fimages%2Fcatdance-cat-video-2014.jpg&hash=bb9fb8bfd586b648ac46e2f7f7711cfa78464436)

Thanks Emily, that was funny. :)  I guess I did rant a bit.

Paige :)

 :police:

I will ask that we not turn this thread into another discussion of whether Chelsea deserved to be imprisoned or not.

I'm not really sure there's much point to discussing this. Take away that she's trans and it was vanity fair and I expect its the usual story of ... whatever

Quote from: AnonyMs on August 13, 2015, 07:53:03 AM
It sounds like the pupose of prison is mental torture. Knives as contrband I can understand, not a womens magazine.

OK, here it goes. What you consider irrelevant materials is contraband for a reason. I worked 2 years in men's max and 1 year in women's max/death row. Toothpaste (especially expired) and magazines can make very realistic concrete or fake panels for escape. Toothpaste and magazines can be combined, dried and sharpened on a concrete floor to a razor finish. Toothpaste can be used and colored to match mortar which can aid in escape. Magazines can be used to jam locking devices in cell doors. Learn what you are talking about before commenting please. What we consider on the outside as innocuous is dangerous inside.

 :police:

please keep this conversation civil

So, the point at issue is tooth-paste (expired) or magazine? And if it's magazine, then is the point that is is "some" magazine (which can be used as a deadly weapon), or particular magazine - Vanity Fair featuring particular individual - Caytlin Jenner?

Quote from: Jessica Merriman on August 13, 2015, 12:39:24 PM
OK, here it goes. What you consider irrelevant materials is contraband for a reason. I worked 2 years in men's max and 1 year in women's max/death row. Toothpaste (especially expired) and magazines can make very realistic concrete or fake panels for escape. Toothpaste and magazines can be combined, dried and sharpened on a concrete floor to a razor finish. Toothpaste can be used and colored to match mortar which can aid in escape. Magazines can be used to jam locking devices in cell doors. Learn what you are talking about before commenting please. What we consider on the outside as innocuous is dangerous inside.

Hi Jessica, I didn't say that it was mental torture only that it sounds like it, which it does, and that I couldn't understand how a womens magazine could be contraband, which was literally true. I couldn't. Now I do.

If I were to properly research everything before posting, to the extent of what you just posted, I'd never get to post anything and it the site would become extremely boring. Anyway, knowing something of your background I thought you might respond.

I think most people would share my understanding, or lack of it, and I expect that was the main angle of the article. Its not terribly interesting otherwise. My writing is generally very precise, means exactly what is says, and preferably contains multiple layers of meanings. I feel you've misread it based on your own beliefs.

I hope you don't mind, but I quite enjoy arguing debating these things with you as I often find myself on the opposite side, and I hope one day to win you over on something. A bad habit perhaps.

I actually have no idea on the truth of this, but I'm quite prepared to believe the worst. I'm not prepared to spend the time to properly investigate it as it would likely take months or years.

It does just seam as though, the only reason this is an issue, is because of the jenna conection via magazine.
without that conection, would the punishment be the same? if so no problemb.

jessica, thank you for highlighting the dangers these two objects pose, exspecially when combined.

Quote from: ButterflyVickster on August 13, 2015, 03:52:21 PMjessica, thank you for highlighting the dangers these two objects pose, exspecially when combined.

Indeed, so! Now, should I ever find myself in the US prison... I will be aware of at least two means of escape  >:-)

Quote from: ♡ Emily ♡ on August 13, 2015, 03:56:40 PM
Indeed, so! Now, should I ever find myself in the US prison... I will be aware of at least two means of escape  >:-)

Feel free Em! I am retired. *giggles* :)

My understanding (recollection from a volunteer orientation about 20 years ago, for a NY State prison) is that "contraband" is anything that the prison administration has not specifically allowed a prisoner to have.

I was volunteering as a member of a religious group, and it was made clear to us that we should not bring anything in that hadn't been explicitly cleared beforehand.  Bibles, leaflets, letters, anything.  In our case, we usually went through the chaplain's office if we wanted to bring something in.

Another point that was made during the orientation was that prisoners are quite intelligent and have little else to do with their time but think up schemes for doing what they're not supposed to.  They're also good at convincing (or conning; or blackmailing) family, friends, attorneys, and even prison staff to help them in their schemes.  Prison administrations are always playing catch-up.  Understandably, their assumption is that anything the prisoners do is a scheme to cause some kind of trouble, at least until proven otherwise to their satisfaction.

I'm not saying that this was Chelsea's intent.  But for obvious reasons, prisons have to assume the worst about each and every prisoner.

My wild guess would be that if it was an electronic copy of the magazine (available somehow) that it wouldn't pose a problem. As Jessica stated, it's the physical material to be used as a means of escape and/or to endanger correctional officers. 

Prison is not summer camp. Hardened criminals will want to escape by any means necessary. Every CO I've known and worked with has suffered injury thanks to violent inmates. One of my best friends worked at Rahway state prison (now called East Jersey State Prison) and it was no picnic. He had to take disability because inmates assaulted him and busted his head. He suffered brain damage as a result.