LIST 18 8 Handmade Prison Objects

1

hanger

In order to keep prison garb looking nice, a prisoner named Angelo—author of Prisoners' Inventions—says that inmates will roll up a newspaper until its fairly stiff, then run a thin strip of bedsheet through the hollow center. Tying the ends together with plenty of extra length creates a triangle with the paper as the sturdy base. The contraption is then hung on an improvised hook made out of a paperclip and a wooden domino glued to the wall with contact cement.

2

immersion heater

Familiar to many campers, the immersion heater has a metal projection that gets hot and is used to warm up beverages. It's used this way in prison, where it's called a “stinger,” though it's also handy for branding, either for purposes of voluntary body modification or torture. One way prisoners make their own is to use metal tabs from paper binders attached to handles of toothbrushes. The two tabs at one end are inserted into a wall socket, heating the tabs at the other end, which are lowered into the drink.

3

condom

Presumably to prevent catching diseases, some jailhouse Romeos fashion condoms out of plastic wrap or sandwich bags fastened in place with thread or a rubberband.

4

muff bag

If you'd rather not have to worry about diseases at all, you can whip up a homemade blow-up doll of sorts. Although known as a muff bag, this contraption simulates a bountiful booty. According to Angelo, you tie together the corners of two plastic bags used to line small wastebaskets, fill with water, and tie off the openings. “Add rolled-up blankets to simulate the torso and legs and supply support, and you're ready to slip it to her.”

5

toilet paper maché

Wet toilet paper can me molded into almost any shape, which it retains after drying. Because of this, toilet paper maché has been made into dice, dominos, chess pieces, cups (lined with Saran wrap), and even sculpted works of art.

6

tattoo gun

Tattoos are common among inmates, but how do you get one behind bars? With devices made from a sharpened piece of wire, guitar string, pens, paperclips, rubber bands, and a motor from a portable cassette player (i.e., a Walkman), a slot car, an electric razor, etc.

7

pruno

Pruno, also called cellblock wine, is alcohol “brewed” in prison. The basic idea is to crudely ferment anything containing sugar by mashing it up with water in a bag, letting the contents stew for around a week while occasionally heating the concoction by running warm water over the bag. Pruno has been made from oranges, raisins, tabletop sugar, yams, Jello, honey, candy, cake frosting, ketchup, or combinations thereof. The guys behind the webzine Black Table made their own pruno as an experiment: “For lack of a better metaphor, pruno tastes like a bile flavored wine cooler. It tastes so bad, in fact, that it could very well be poisonous or psychedelic, which might explain the violence it induces in prisoners.”

8

shank

Also known as a shiv, a shank is anything that can be used to slash or stab. Trying to get a knife smuggled into prison is riskier than simply making one yourself out of available material within the prison. Shanks can be created from plastic, Plexiglas, wood, metal scraps, toothbrushes, pens, nails and bolts, spoons, screwdrivers, bed springs, and pretty much any other material or object you can imagine. images

Judge Lambasts Police for Abuse of Protesters

Circuit Court Judge Richard Margolius took to the street to observe demonstrations during the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit in Miami on November 20-21, 2003. While presiding over the case against two protestors who had been arrested, he declared that he witnessed “no less than 20 felonies committed by police officers.” He also said: “Pretty disgraceful what I saw with my own eyes. And I have always supported the police during my entire career. This was a real eye-opener. A disgrace for the community.”

He also engaged in the following exchange with an assistant state attorney:

Judge: “How many police officers have been charged by the State Attorney so far for what happened out there during the FTAA?”

Assistant state attorney: “None.”

Judge: “None? Pretty sad commentary. At least from what I saw.”