Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1993 14:21:18 EST 
 From: CuD Moderators  
 Subject: File 3--How to Contact Phiber Optik
     _________________________________________________________________

   Emmanuel  Goldstein's sensitive description of Phiber Optik's last day
   of  freedom  underscores  the  need  to  rethink  contemporary  prison
   philosophy:  The  punitive  ethos emphasizing the "lock-'em-up" agenda
   has failed. One of its nasty consequences includes incarcerating those
   for  whom  prison  time  serves  little  purpose,  costs the taxpayers
   unnecessary money, and has no significant impact on crime rates.

   Phiber  will  likely spend less than 10 months in prison, much less if
   placed  in  an  alternative  program  such  as  community corrections.
   However,  prison time--especially short time--is unpleasant. The daily
   monotony,  boredom,  restrictions  on freedom, and deprivation of even
   the  most  common things that most of us take for granted, erode one's
   psyche.

   Schuylkill  (pronounced  "school-kill") FCI is in Minersville, PA in a
   mountainous,  rural-agricultural  area.  The  central prison is fairly
   large,  about  1,000.  There  is  also  a Level One (minimum security)
   satellite camp of about 290 residents where Mark will do his time.

   According  to  a  prison  spokesperson, Mark will live in a two-person
   cubicle.  The  prisoners in the camp were categorized as "non-violent,
   first-term  offenders,"  and  instances  of  violence,  assaults,  and
   attacks were described as "extremely rare." The spokesperson said that
   all camp prisoners were assigned a prison job.

   Those  wishing  to correspond with Mark or to send him packages should
   note the following:

   1)  He may, in general, receive PAPERBACK BOOKS, soft-cover magazines,
   newspapers, and conventional letters.

   2) HARDCOVER BOOKS must be sent DIRECTLY from the publisher.

   3)  He  MAY  NOT  receive in the mail clothes, food, money, stamps, or
   anything else. No exceptions.

   4)  There  are  no  explicit  restrictions  on  the  types of books or
   periodicals  he  may  receive. These are done on a case-by-case basis.
   With  the  exception  of  legal  correspondence,  all incoming mail is
   subject to screening by prison staff.

   The  prison  spokesperson  indicated that there is no set limit on the
   number  of  books  that  Mark  may receive, but emphasized that people
   should  use  common  sense.  A  prisoner's  personal area, he said, is
   rather  small.  Sending  more  than  one  or two books at a time could
   quickly become a storage problem.

   Emmanuel Goldstein of 2600 Magazine will be coordinating Mark's needs.
   Those   who   wish   to   send   books   should  contact  Emmanuel  at
   emmanuel@well.sf.ca.us and see what kinds of books or papers should be
   sent.

   Mark's address:

Mark Abene  (32109-054)
Schuylkill FCI
Minersville, PA 17954