INDY BAY prisoner journalist thrown in the 'hole' for writing an article about conditions in Solano
Wed. Aug 5th, 2009 9:05 AM
Boston Woodard, a frequent contributor to
Indybay, is in solitary confinement because of an article he wrote,
which displeased the staff and warden at Solano State Prison.
boston-06.jpg
Boston Woodard, a prisoner/journalist who is a
frequent contributor to Indybay, has been put in solitary confinement
in retaliation for an article he wrote about conditions at Solano State
Prison. Woodard, in a letter sent from Solano, stated “ I was placed in
Administrative Segregation [‘The Hole’] on July 9, 2009. I was NOT
given any disciplinary action and there is NO charges/violations
leveled against me. The official ‘lock-up order’ (CDC-114-D) states I
was being removed from the general population because I am a ‘security
problem’ and pose a ‘threat’ to the safety and security of this
institution, because of my writing.”
In June, Indybay
published Rogue Prison Staff: Breaking all the Rules, in which Boston
described in detail the threats and intimidation taking place at Solano
- the filing of false disciplinary charges, mail tampering, verbal
threats, etc. After reading that article, representatives from the
California Department of Corrections (CDC) held what Woodard described
as a Kangaroo Court. According to Woodard, “CSP-Solano’s warden John W.
Haviland told me that I am being transferred to another prison
(possibly Folsom) because of my journalistic activities. They even put
that in writing.”
On Monday, August 3 David Newdorf,
Woodard’s legal counsel, filed a lawsuit against warden John W.
Haviland and those responsible for the violation of his clients free
speech and civil rights. The lawsuit states that “State prisoner Robert
‘Boston’ Woodard, a jailhouse journalist, was placed in administrative
segregation (‘ad seg’), denied visitation and telephone calls, and
separated from his property (including typewriter and legal papers),
because California jail officials did not like what he wrote about
their prison for an outside audience. Officials also retaliated against
him when he filed grievances complaining about the harassment and
retaliation by correctional officers for his writing.”
The
lawsuit demands Woodard’s immediate release from “The Hole” and “for
court orders granting immediate, interim and permanent injunctive
relief preventing the retaliatory transfer of Woodard from occurring.”
It is now believed that the warden is trying to transfer Woodard to the
remote High Desert State Prison (220 miles north of Sacramento) as
further punishment and retaliation for his writing.
In
addition to publishing articles about prison conditions on Indybay,
Woodard writes for the Community Alliance newspaper in Fresno
California. The Alliance has established a Legal Defense Fund to pay
for Woodard’s defense. Contributions can be sent to the Community
Alliance, PO Box 5077, Fresno Ca 93755. Note that the contribution is
for the Boston Woodard Legal Defense Fund.
###
You can read Boston’s articles here:
Zip Gun II
Tuesday Jun 16th, 2009
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/16/18602027.php
A Snow Job Is No Job!: What’s in a Report?
Tuesday Jun 16th, 2009 8:32 PM
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/16/18602020.php
Rogue Prison Staff: Breaking All The Rules
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/04/16/18589746.php
Don’t Pick up the Soap!
Saturday Aug 30th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/30/18531160.php
It Ain’t So Funny When the Rabbit Has the Gun
Wednesday Aug 13th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/13/18526131.php
Arts in Corrections
Tuesday Jul 1st, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/07/01/18512524.php
Appealing the Impossible
Sunday May 18th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/18/18500099.php
Shake-Down
published: Wednesday Apr 23rd, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/04/23/18494693.php
Zip Gun
Published: Friday Apr 11th, 2008 2:37 PM
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/04/11/18492221.php
The Shell Game
Published: Thursday Mar 27th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/03/27/18488993.php
Medical Snafu, Ongoing Prison Problem
Published: Thursday Feb 14th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/02/14/18479245.php
Parole Board Pillory
Published: Sunday Dec 16th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/12/16/18467346.php
Hog-Tied (The Transferring of Sophanareth Sok)
Published: Thursday Oct 4th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/10/04/18451787.php
Foreign National Prisoners, Targeted For Out-Of-State Transfers
Published: Saturday Sep 1st, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/01/18445270.php
" H 0 R R I F I E D "
Published: Sunday Aug 19th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/08/19/18441509.php
"Unacceptable Material"
Published: Friday Jun 8th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/06/08/18426088.php
The Parole Conundrum
Published: Monday Dec 18th, 2006
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/12/18/18338477.php
http://www.fresnoalliance.com