Indybay Journalist in “The Hole” for Writing Article about Prison Conditions : Indybay

Boston Woodard, a prisoner/journalist who is a frequent contributor to Indybay, has been put in solitary confinement in retaliation for an article he wrote about conditions at Solano State Prison. Woodard, in a letter sent from Solano, stated “ I was placed in Administrative Segregation [‘The Hole’] on July 9, 2009. I was NOT given any disciplinary action and there is NO charges/violations leveled against me. The official ‘lock-up order’ (CDC-114-D) states I was being removed from the general population because I am a ‘security problem’ and pose a ‘threat’ to the safety and security of this institution, because of my writing.”

In June, Indybay published Rogue Prison Staff: Breaking all the Rules, in which Boston described in detail the threats and intimidation taking place at Solano - the filing of false disciplinary charges, mail tampering, verbal threats, etc. After reading that article, representatives from the California Department of Corrections (CDC) held what Woodard described as a Kangaroo Court. According to Woodard, “CSP-Solano’s warden John W. Haviland told me that I am being transferred to another prison (possibly Folsom) because of my journalistic activities. They even put that in writing.”

On Monday, August 3 David Newdorf, Woodard’s legal counsel, filed a lawsuit against warden John W. Haviland and those responsible for the violation of his clients free speech and civil rights. The lawsuit states that “State prisoner Robert ‘Boston’ Woodard, a jailhouse journalist, was placed in administrative segregation (‘ad seg’), denied visitation and telephone calls, and separated from his property (including typewriter and legal papers), because California jail officials did not like what he wrote about their prison for an outside audience. Officials also retaliated against him when he filed grievances complaining about the harassment and retaliation by correctional officers for his writing.”

The lawsuit demands Woodard’s immediate release from “The Hole” and “for court orders granting immediate, interim and permanent injunctive relief preventing the retaliatory transfer of Woodard from occurring.” It is now believed that the warden is trying to transfer Woodard to the remote High Desert State Prison (220 miles north of Sacramento) as further punishment and retaliation for his writing.

In addition to publishing articles about prison conditions on Indybay, Woodard writes for the Community Alliance newspaper in Fresno California. The Alliance has established a Legal Defense Fund to pay for Woodard’s defense. Contributions can be sent to the Community Alliance, PO Box 5077, Fresno Ca 93755. Note that the contribution is for the Boston Woodard Legal Defense Fund.

###

You can read Boston’s articles here:

Zip Gun II
Tuesday Jun 16th, 2009
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/16/18602027.php

A Snow Job Is No Job!: What’s in a Report?
Tuesday Jun 16th, 2009 8:32 PM
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/16/18602020.php

Rogue Prison Staff: Breaking All The Rules
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/04/16/18589746.php

Don’t Pick up the Soap!
Saturday Aug 30th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/30/18531160.php

It Ain’t So Funny When the Rabbit Has the Gun
Wednesday Aug 13th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/13/18526131.php

Arts in Corrections
Tuesday Jul 1st, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/07/01/18512524.php

Appealing the Impossible
Sunday May 18th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/18/18500099.php

Shake-Down
published: Wednesday Apr 23rd, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/04/23/18494693.php

Zip Gun
Published: Friday Apr 11th, 2008 2:37 PM
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/04/11/18492221.php

The Shell Game
Published: Thursday Mar 27th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/03/27/18488993.php

Medical Snafu, Ongoing Prison Problem
Published: Thursday Feb 14th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/02/14/18479245.php

Parole Board Pillory
Published: Sunday Dec 16th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/12/16/18467346.php

Hog-Tied (The Transferring of Sophanareth Sok)
Published: Thursday Oct 4th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/10/04/18451787.php

Foreign National Prisoners, Targeted For Out-Of-State Transfers
Published: Saturday Sep 1st, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/01/18445270.php

" H 0 R R I F I E D "
Published: Sunday Aug 19th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/08/19/18441509.php

"Unacceptable Material"
Published: Friday Jun 8th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/06/08/18426088.php

The Parole Conundrum
Published: Monday Dec 18th, 2006
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/12/18/18338477.php

Indybay Journalist in “The Hole” for Writing Article about Prison Conditions

Donate

Get Involved

Publish