Grandmother Exposes Prisoner Abuse

    /24-7PressRelease/ - Glendale, CA, June 08, 2005 - Most Americans have heard the troubling prisoner abuse stories from Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. Far away places in a time of war. But many would be shocked to discover these abuses are happening inside the United States. Female prisoners, particularly the elderly, are most vulnerable.

US prisons hold over 100,000 women, most of them convicted of non-violent crimes. Women who pose the least threat are often sent to federal facilities such as Alderson Prison, the notorious "Camp Cupcake", where Martha Stewart served her sentence. If you are picturing a country club with gourmet food and maid service, think again.

Clare Hanrahan is a dedicated a social activist who marched in peaceful protests with Martin Sheen and Susan Sarandon. One of these marches landed her a six month sentence in Alderson Federal Prison. Inside these supposedly safe walls, Clare witnessed many incidents of prisoner abuse. Her life was changed forever. Now a staunch advocate of prison reform, this plucky grandmother has written a revealing book about her painful and inspiring experiences inside "Camp Cupcake".

"Conscience and Consequence", available at http://www.PrisonMemoir.com, is Clare Hanrahan's eye-opening tour of Alderson Prison. Clare spares no detail as she reveals the psychological and physical abuses inflicted on the female prisoners...

Excerpts from the book:

-The officer in question has a weekend shift where I sleep. Many times I have observed his stalking, leering and intruding on the already minimal privacy of the young women captives...Two women were helping the guard move some chairs. They went into a staff bathroom together and the guard followed them and locked the door.-

The book reveals the guard's criminal actions, and why an FBI forensics team was called to the scene.

The prison soon discovered that Clare Hanrahan is not a woman who will tolerate abuse. Her book tells of her confrontation with authorities...

-The regional representative and the Captain of Security flank the Warden. I take a deep breath as I step forward. I introduce myself to the regional man. "If Bureau of Prison rules state that we are imprisoned 'as punishment', not 'for punishment', why are we no longer allowed the simple dignity of a chair to sit upon in our concrete stall?" I ask.-

The man's answer will surprise you.

Clare Hanrahan's book reveals many other secrets of the prison world. This brave grandmother is on a mission to expose the dark side of "Camp Cupcake", a nickname that carries a cruel irony. Clare makes it very clear that she and Martha Stewart were not imprisoned in a country club. If these abuses happen at the best of our prisons, what can we expect from the worst of them?

http://www.PrisonMemoir.com distributes "Conscience and Consequence: a Prison Memoir", written by Clare Hanrahan (241 pgs. ISBN 0-9758846-2-X). This book details the shocking true story of Clare's life inside Alderson Federal Prison, the notorious Camp Cupcake. Clare holds nothing back as she reveals the inner secrets of the prison that once held Martha Stewart.

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