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Title
4 year old nephew travels across the state to visit, but is denied by prison staff
Author
Bell, Shane
Date
2017-08-25
Pages
3 pages
Text (TR_WF)
4 year old nephew travels across the state to visit, but is denied by prison staff About a month or so ago I made arrangements with my family about when they would visit me. I was excited to meet my 4-year old nephew named Carter for the first time ever, as well as my 6 year old nephew Keegan. I needed to get my 4-year old nephew Carter on my visit list so my parents, who were traveling across the state of South Dakota to visit me with him could get in to see me. I contacted the Unit Coordina...
PID
apw:12350889
Date Uploaded
2018-03-16T16:49:57.87Z
Title
A bag of rags please, governor
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
A Bag of Rags Please, Governor In this time of the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping our country and the prisons in it, I find that it goes against common sense to clean less and take away cleaning rags in which prisoners use to clean their cells and help prevent the spread of Covid-19. I work in the Mauve section of the Jameson Annex of the South Dakota State Penitentiary. The bottom tier is all A&O inmates, new inmates brought in from the outside and most likely to bring in the Coronavirus,...
PID
apw:12363242
Date Uploaded
2021-06-10T15:44:48.7Z
Title
Beginning of a change
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
Beginning of a Change... "In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a brave and scarce man, hated and scorned. When the cause succeeds, however, the timid join him...for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot." That is a quote I often think of by Mark Twain when doing my life sentence and actually trying to enforce my Constitutional rights and promote change here. People don't like change and it can be a difficult and dangerous thing to do at a prison, especially alone as I a...
PID
apw:12361611
Date Uploaded
2021-02-03T16:06:19.592Z
Title
Bigotry at Jameson Annex
Author
Bell, Shane
Date
2020-03-12
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
3/12/2020 Bigotry at Jameson Annex The defination of a bigot according to the American Heritage Dictionary is: n. One who is intolerant esp. in matters of religion, race, or politics. Myself being white or I guess to politically correct term, Caucasian and a Zen Buddhist who practices meditation and runs the small Buddhist Group here at the Jameson Annex of the South Dakota State Penitentiary, I can tell you I have experienced bigotry here in it's many forms. My personal view is that it ...
PID
apw:12361470
Date Uploaded
2021-02-03T16:02:54.648Z
Title
Cell restriction for writing a phone kite in blue ink
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
3 pages
Text (TR_WF)
Cell Restriction for Writing a phone kite in blue ink. It never ceases to amaze me at how petty correctional officers can be when they want to write somebody up or how unit staff use such petty write-ups to punish prisoners, often retaliation. On September 12th, 2017 while I was working in the South Dakota State Penitentiary, Jameson Annex Kitchen I was called over by a correctional officer. This correctional officer had a bunch of minor write-ups in his hand. He asked me "Do you know yo...
PID
apw:12349890
Date Uploaded
2018-03-15T21:23:30.755Z
Title
Empty room Buddhist group
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
Empty Room Buddhist Group The Jameson Buddhist Group has been using the old chapel room for years on Tuesdays when we have are service. We have our religious locker there in that room with all of our religious materials, such as books, candles, videos, blankets to meditate on, etc. Since the religious groups have been allowed to have services again, the Jameson Buddhist Group has been moved to a smaller room away from our Buddhist locker that creates an undo burden on our Buddhist practice. T...
PID
apw:12363245
Date Uploaded
2021-06-10T15:44:51.282Z
Title
Enjoy your spoiled salad
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
Enjoy Your Spoiled Salad I have been working in the kitchen here at the South Dakota State Penitentiary, Jameson Annex for about 5 months. One of the things I see on a regular basis is salad that is past its use by date on the bag still being served to prisoners. On friday September 29th I took out some cases of salad from the refridgerated cooler. I made sure all of the bags were good and that they were not past the best by date printed on the package. Two cases were past their best used by ...
PID
apw:12349887
Date Uploaded
2018-03-15T21:23:30.37Z
Title
Essay on poor food served at the South Dakota State Penitentiary and its effects
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
4 pages
Text (TR_WF)
Essay on poor food served at the South Dakota State Penitentiary and its effects. The food served to prisoners at the South Dakota State Penitentiary is not very nutritious, of poor quality, and usually does not taste very good. In the years I have been locked up the food continues to get worse and the quality and nutrition continues to be poor. The prison contractor named CBM provides not only the food that is served in the chowhall on trays but also runs the prison commissary. This to me se...
PID
apw:12350440
Date Uploaded
2018-03-16T13:43:36.954Z
Title
Essay on the need for education and job training for prisoners to help keep them from returning to prison
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
To: The American Prison Writing Archive From Shane Bell, South Dakota State Penitentiary Re: Essay on the need for education and job training for prisoners to help keep them from returning to prison. There is a real need to have education and job training opportunities available to prisoners. Warehousing prisoners and then letting them out of prison with no education or job training is a recipe to recidivism back to prison. I have seen it time and time again. A prisoner gets out of prison whe...
PID
apw:12350437
Date Uploaded
2018-03-16T13:43:36.553Z
Title
Expired donut refund, your fired!
Author
Bell, Shane
Date
2020-08-01
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
Expired Donut Refund, Your Fired! 8/1/2020 I am a prisoner at the Jameson Annex of the South Dakota State Penitentiary and I cannot believe I got fired for something as petty as asking for a refund on 3 packages of chocolate donuts that were sold to me that were one week past the sell by date. I have been working one day a week helping hand out commissary to prisoners for about a year. I enjoyed the job and the $10 to $12.50 every month helped me out. I never got into trouble or had any probl...
PID
apw:12362857
Date Uploaded
2021-06-10T15:37:52.702Z
Title
Go ahead, I won't tell
Author
Bell, Shane
Date
2020-03-17
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
3/17/2020 "Go ahead, I won't Tell" I have been in prison for over 10 years now on a life sentence for murder. I do my own time, practice and lead the Jameson Buddhist Group, and am keeping the vow I made to live peacefully and renounce all forms of violence. Since I have been incarcerated I have done 2 lawsuits against the prison officials here. The second one is case: Shane Bell v. Darin Young et al. eiv. 16-4046 (8th Cir. 2016). The civil rights lawsuit has to do with violati...
PID
apw:12361527
Date Uploaded
2021-02-03T16:04:20.477Z
Title
If you take a shower, your going to the hole
Author
Bell, Shane
Date
2017-08-25
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
8/25/2017 If you take a shower, your going to the hole! The prisoners at South Dakota State Penitentiary, Jameson Annex will be given a major write-up and sent to SHU (segregated housing unit or the hole) if they are caught showering on their unit without authorization, such as workers or medical. I think this is stupid and is just another example of a useless and needless rule. A rule made to justify taking a prisoner to the SHU for simply taking a shower. In the blue section where I live th...
PID
apw:12350886
Date Uploaded
2018-03-16T16:49:57.601Z
Title
In mind you are free
Author
Bell, Shane
Date
2020-08-01
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
8/1/2020 In Mind you are Free. The great philosopher Plato once said, "One cannot make a slave of a free person, for a free person is free even in a prison." I have this tatooed on the inside of my right forearm to always remind me that I may be doing a life sentence (There is no life with parole in the state of South Dakota) in a state where life actually means life, but I am still free in my mind. I have been doing meditation for years and am also the leader of the Jameson Buddhis...
PID
apw:12362860
Date Uploaded
2021-06-10T15:37:55.634Z
Title
Legal journal taken
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
Legal Journal Taken I am what is called a jailhouse lawyer because I do legal research and have filed civil rights lawsuits in federal court, which the prison officials don't like. Yesterday my cell was shaken down for about 50 minutes while I was strip searched and handcuffed, placed in a holding cell. By contrast the cell next to me was searched before mine in which if the correctional officer about 10-15 minutes and the two inmates were free to stand around or sit on stairs in section...
PID
apw:12362854
Date Uploaded
2021-06-10T15:37:50.187Z
Title
Lock us in for 10 minutes together
Author
Bell, Shane
Date
2020-03-18
Pages
3 pages
Text (TR_WF)
3/18/2020 "Lock us in for 10 minutes together" Yesterday morning was quite interesting when an inmate named Hamilton verbally requested to floor Officer Boul that she shut and lock the cleaning supplies room door for 10 minutes. The intention was obvious as I saw smiles on both inmate Hamilton face and correctional Officer Boul face. Officer Col. Boul thought it over for about 30 seconds while she stood in the doorway and inmate Hamilton stood to my left waiting for her reply. I was...
PID
apw:12361523
Date Uploaded
2021-02-03T16:04:16.025Z
Title
Lost Buddha prisoner
Author
Bell, Shane
Date
2017-10-26
Pages
3 pages
Text (TR_WF)
10/26/2017 Lost Buddha Prisoner Have you ever been lost, I mean truely lost, confused, and surrounded by people who want to do you harm, destroy your name and reputation with a smile? I have. That has been my daily life for over about a year. Here at the South Dakota State Penitentiary, Jameson Annex. There is absolutely no respect, unity or alot of times, common sense. Alot of the mentality here is that of immature teenagers who love to gossip. The state of South Dakota wanted to execute me ...
PID
apw:12351158
Date Uploaded
2018-03-16T17:50:47.86Z
Title
Maggots on prison food serving line
Author
Bell, Shane
Date
2017-07-25
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
7/25/2017 Essay #1: Maggots on Prison Food Serving Line I have worked in the kitchen at the South Dakota State Penitentiary, Jameson Annex for close to 3 months and found live maggots on the food serving line. Food had collected in the gaps between the steel on the line and the decaying food matter attracted flies, which in turn laid eggs and the maggots were born. When the maggots were found on the serving line a correctional officer was notified. She then notified Unit Manager Sam Badure wh...
PID
apw:12350699
Date Uploaded
2018-03-16T15:41:31.517Z
Title
No more buddhist group services
Author
Bell, Shane
Date
2017-07-25
Pages
3 pages
Text (TR_WF)
Essay #2 No more Buddhist Group Services I am a Zen Buddhist who has been the leader of the Buddhist Group religious services here at the Jameson Annex of the South Dakota State Penitentiary for the past few years. Buddhists practice peace and seek wisdom. Buddhism teaches us to not discriminate against anyone, to practice compassion and love for all beings and non-violence. It is a very positive way of life. Why is it that I was told by the cultural coordinator Tammy Mertens-Jones that the B...
PID
apw:12350702
Date Uploaded
2018-03-16T15:41:31.838Z
Title
No more paralegal, library, or legal library
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
No More Paralegal, Library or Legal Library I got a notice from the paralegal Mark Binde here at the Jameson Annex of the South Dakota State Penitentiary that as of October 1st, 2017 there is no longer a paralegal here to help us with legal work. The notice stated his office is being defunded by DOC because prisoners now have tablets with Lexis Nexis on it that can help with legal work. There also is a posted notice that states the law library is no longer being updated with legal materials b...
PID
apw:12349884
Date Uploaded
2018-03-15T21:23:30.009Z
Title
Nosey people
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
3 pages
Text (TR_WF)
10/22/2017 Nosey People I have been locked up since 2009 in the South Dakota State Penitentiary and at the Maximum Security Jameson Annex since 2013 and it surprises me just how nosey people are. This prison is boring and relatively safe compared to most other prisons. Both inmates and prisoners have nothing else to do then be nosey and gossip about nothing and everything. This prison doesn't allow us to seal our out-going mail so any prison staff can and do read our letters and gossip a...
PID
apw:12351127
Date Uploaded
2018-03-16T17:50:45.389Z
Title
Retaliation for exercising rights
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
Retaliation for Exercising Rights I have been a prisoners rights advocate for years, being sentenced to life imprisonment for my first and only felony, I have found exercising my legal rights difficult and opens myself up to retaliation from both prison staff and their inmate minions. I have learned about legal practices and have been studying my legal rights here in prison. I have done grievances in order to promote change and be able to exercise my rights in court. I have filed 2 lawsuits s...
PID
apw:12361467
Date Uploaded
2021-02-03T16:02:50.638Z
Title
Retaliation for exercising rights
Author
Bell, Shane
Pages
2 pages
Text (TR_WF)
Retaliation for Exercising Rights The First Amendment prohibits prison officials from retaliating against prisoners who report complaints, file grievances, or file lawsuits. I have done all those things to exercise my legal rights and I am dealing with retaliation constantly here. There are many forms of retaliating against a prisoner such as reading or interfering with a prisoners legal papers, putting a prisoner into segregation on a false charge or threatening to do so, transferring a pris...
PID
apw:12361614
Date Uploaded
2021-02-03T16:06:23.249Z