There are a handful of interviews with prisoners on Heathen World. These were done over the mail in the early 1990's. I traded zines for interviews. It worked out well. The prisoners got something fun in the mail, and I got a reader with plenty of time on his hands, and who probably lent his stuff to other guys who also had plenty of time on their hands. I figure if my stuff is entertains these guys, who are in such a grim place, it must be pretty good.

I didn't censor any of these guys. If you don't like what you read, then read something else.

Fort Leavenworth. The main prison building is called the castle. Inside the castle are 8 wings, adjoined circularly by the rotunda. (picture a wheel with 8 spokes sticking out; the hub is the rotunda). Four of the wings are living space for inmates (the 2 long ones on the left and right), 3 are for offices and the rear one is the mess hall, gym, and weight room. This prison is so fucking old! Bricks and shit sometimes fall from the ceiling! They’re supposed to be building a new one. As far as it being tough, this prison is only tough because it is a military one. We gotta keep our hair cut, shave every day, keep shit in order, and use military courtesy. Other than that, it reminds me of a fuckin’ summer camp.

Average sentence here is 14.5 years, but keep in mind that military sentences are about 3 times as harsh as normal civilian sentences.

High School diploma or equivalent, since you need it to join the army.

I’d say about 30. The oldest inmate is 67 and the youngest is 19. At one point, I was the youngest at 21. I’m 22 now.

25% to 30%

About 85% of all military offenders are first timers.

I’d say about 25% of the population have drug related offenses mostly distribution and possession.

Rehab and education are available, but they don’t mean shit. Education is on a pay for the shit yourself basis because of the crime bill, but we don’t make money here to pay for it. Rehab is a joke, everyone’s in denial, or so this place likes to think. The stuff just doesn’t work.

No, this place is in a state of reduction because of how fucked it is. They’re shipping people to the fed system because the new prison only holds 500 people and this place has 1000 right now.

Fuck you! This place is a racial battlefield. Christmas Day a white guy got jumped by 3 blacks. Merry fucking Christmas! Three races mainly populate this place. 60% black, 25% white, 10% Latino and the other 5% is a mixed bag. People tend to stay near their own races. It’s safer.

There really aren’t gangs, just the ethnic groups. They’re known as "Heavies". The heavy whites pretty much control the thefts and the blacks control the ass kicking.

They censor everything! I can’t even get my latest issue of KILLING TIMES (a cool little zine - editor) because some prick finds the material offensive and unsuitable.

Yeah, but it’s not as bad as other places. When it happens, the victim is usually asleep or vastly outnumbered.

Not any more because there are less gays. It used to be a regular occurrence.

Very. The gays are always banging away, plus some female guards have prostituted themselves. The fucked part is, get caught with a chick and they throw you in the hole for like a year, but if you’re caught smokin pole, you get maybe 2-4 weeks. Go figure?

A guy in one of the shops had a heart attack. 20 minutes later he is made to walk to the medical clinic. When they try to take him out of the walls to the hospital, they wouldn’t let him out without full restraints. He died before ever getting to the hospital.

No.

An AIDS infected homosexual black guy who loves little white boys.

Yeah. They just don’t give a fuck because they aint going anywhere anytime soon.

Yeah. There are 8 of them, but you never see them. they’re in the basement.

Not as bad as the Federal system, but it still sucks. We get $35 a month to buy necessities, but most of us blow it on smokes and chips and shit. What we don’t spend, we don’t keep.

It’s heated, but there’s no A/C. That leads to a lot of trouble in the summer. People get hot, get pissed, get hurt.

Medium custody is locked down at night and twice a day for count. Maximum is 23 hours a day. Minimum never unless a problem happens.

The cells are 6 x 10 x 6.5 (across x long x high), but with a bed, a small locker, and your toilet/sink, there’s not much room for anything.

In the summer we have outside recreation, but unless you’re minimum custody, have a job in another building, or have to go to classes, it could be a very long time before you breathe fresh air or see the sun.

Yeah, basic cable.

Every cell is equipped with headphone jacks preset to stations. You’ve gotta buy the headphones from this place, though. when you make minimum custody, you can get a tape deck and like 30 tapes.

I’m serving 9 years for selling LSD and altering a military I.D. card. I’m in because a piece of fuck narked me out to save his own ass.

Been here 1 year , 2 months and some change.

Yeah, I hate gays, I’m racist, I’m bitter, and I hate the military. It’s also mellowed me out somewhat. I keep to myself.

Yeah. It sucked compared to this. You couldn’t do shit there but eat, sleep, shit and piss.

Getting my head bashed in by a padlock while I’m asleep or getting jumped by a fuckload of people. But I’m pretty careful. When the heat’s on me, I sharpen my pencils and tie my foot to my cell door after it is closed. That way, as soon as it opens, I’m up and ready.

Read, write, look at pictures, masturbate, watch TV and workout 5 times a week.

Ofcourse. You can’t have cash cash, but cigarettes and stamps are just as good.

Yeah. Cigarettes and porn are easy. We are allowed generic smokes and some skin mags, but every now and again there’s name brand smokes and hardcore pornography available, if you’ve got the funds. No matter where you go, there’s gonna be drugs. For shit like that and women, you’ve gotta pay with money on the outside, say to a person’s account, before services are rendered.

On weekends, videos are played over the TV’s. This place has a band, of which I’m part of, that plays for the inmates sometimes, but mostly for officers and ceremonies and shit.

No, the guards just write shit up. The Disciplinary and Adjustment Board does the punishing. Even if you don’t do it, if a guard writes it up, you’re guilty, even if you can prove otherwise. They give extra duty, recreation restriction, disciplinary segregation, and take away good conduct time.

Yeah, I got thrown in for calling a nigger a nigger and then beat the dog piss out of him. When a black guard came to break it up, the nigger snitched and I got fuckin’ slammed. It was pure fucking hell! You’re only allowed out of your cell one hour if the guard remembers to let you, and they forget a lot. You’ve gotta stay awake from 3:30 in the morning to 9:30 at night, can’t sit on your bed, only on a chair, can’t read anything except the rule book and the Bible, and shower once every 3 days. It did more than break me, it made me psychotic! I had to see a shrink afterwards.

After I get out, I’m going back to New York, continuing with my music career, opening a body piercing shop, and making up for all the booze and sex I’ve missed out on.

Not too hard. I’ve already got a job cutting trees for $15 an hour and a place to live. I just gotta get out.