A Practical Guide from an Indiana SHU

Priority List
1. Secure Outside Contacts
2. Reconnaissance
3. Physical Maintenance
4. Mental Maintenance
5. Time Management

Basically the above list represents areas that a Control Unit prisoner should emphasize to be equipped with the necessary coping skills for survival. They do not represent the foundation of any monolithic concept, nor are they set in stone. Others should particularize. What they do represent is systematic referencing of ideals that have been ingrained in me through diligent study of revolutionary science, human psychology, sociology and years of uncut prison struggle:

Secure Outside Contacts

My suggestion to secure outside contacts originates from an overstanding that prison in and of itself is designed to isolate prisoners from society. Thus the concept of Control Units takes this reality to another level. Isolation from society and fellow prisoners is a basic component in the prisoncrats' attempt to weaken the resolve of those that have been tagged "unmanageable."

Once inside a Control Unit, if not before, one should immediately try to cement familial contacts as the months and years of isolation coupled with lack of visit and phone calls weaken, if not destroy, fragile families. Hearing from loved ones and sharing with them the many-sided assaults on their humanity helps to keep one focused. Implicit in this should be the overstanding that Control Unit Prisoners' priority should be to preserve family contact and relations as opposed to forcing new ideological concepts on them. If one is politically conscious and aware, then they should be clear on the level of backwardness or assimilationist tendencies found in most folks. Plant your seeds of growth, but be aware that they need as much nurturing as do we, if not more.

In addition to familial contact, it should be a priority of Control Unit prisoners to reach out to progressive groups, associations, etc. This would be to secure open lines of communication, printed literature, and a balanced historical foundation of Control Units and their use. I think that viewing the assignment to a Control Unit from a collective sense enables a prisoner to free himself or begin the process of freeing himself from individualism. Which hopefully will foster an overstanding for the need to collectively organize one's efforts. Also this securing of dialogue, papers, etc., opens one's eyes to how various others have dealt with and continue to deal with the oppression of 21st century penological science. In conclusion, exchanging and sharing information on the various units enables the struggle to proceed with clarity.

Reconnaissance

As defined by Webster's dictionary the term Reconnaissance is "an observation of the territory of the enemy." I incorporate this as a priority for Control Unit prisoners in that it's a must for us to learn our environment as quickly as possible in order to negate as much unnecessary static as possible. Inherent in learning one's environment is the task of concealing one's self to a certain degree. One thing that I have found is that Control Units are also used to isolate psychotic prisoners, safe keepers (disguised as disciplinary problems), snitches, etc. And because of this I recommend that upon entry Cadre-Revolutionaries, Anti-Authoritarians, Anarchists, etc. exercise secure communication and act as though anyone that you don't know or have been out of contact with for any length of time as potential threats, suspects, or what have you.

Because of the realization that the dialectical process of analyzation shows us that everything is in a constant state of change, it is our duty to incorporate that fact into how we approach being thrown into a Control Unit. The behavioral/psychological implications of these units exposes itself in the personalization and individualistic attitudes of many here. This is not limited to the obviously psychotic a lot of once stand-up prisoners wilt under the strain of isolation and other sensory deprivations. So do your homework, before you initiate, embrace or lend your reputation and efforts to someone or something.