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Lexington Control Unit for Women

The Lexington Control Unit was an experimental government prison built to house five women political prisoners. This collection contains materials related to the campaign to shut it down, its conditions and the women forced to live there.

Documents

Lexington Prison Interviews (1987) Lexington Prison Interviews (1987)
Date: 5/1/1987Call Number: PM 184AFormat: Cass AProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Political prisoners Alejandrina Torres, Silvia Baraldini, and Susan Rosenberg describe their living conditions at the control unit of the federal women’s prison in Lexington which opened in 1986: radical isolation, constant surveillance, sensory deprivation, no personal property, limited visits, etc. Defined by the government as the most dangerous women in prison for their political activities in various anti-war and liberation movements, Torres, Baraldini, and Rosenberg have been subjected to a sophisticated kind of psychological torture. According to them they have been used as examples of the consequences to be expected if one challenges the hegemony of US power. The interviews stress the importance of public pressure to have the unit closed.
Lexington Prison Interviews (1987) Lexington Prison Interviews (1987)
Date: 5/1/1987Call Number: PM 185AFormat: Cass AProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Same as PM 184 Political prisoners Alejandrina Torres, Silvia Baraldini, and Susan Rosenberg describe their living conditions at the control unit of the federal women’s prison in Lexington which opened in 1986: radical isolation, constant surveillance, sensory deprivation, no personal property, limited visits, etc. Defined by the government as the most dangerous women in prison for their political activities in various anti-war and liberation movements, Torres, Baraldini, and Rosenberg have been subjected to a sophisticated kind of psychological torture. According to them they have been used as examples of the consequences to be expected if one challenges the hegemony of US power. The interviews stress the importance of public pressure to have the unit closed.
The Shame of America - Psychological Torture: US Style- The Case of Alejandrina and Susan The Shame of America - Psychological Torture: US Style- The Case of Alejandrina and Susan
Publisher: National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of WarFormat: ArticleCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
In English and Spanish
Silvia Baraldini, et al. v. Richard L. Thornburgh, Attorney General, et. al. Silvia Baraldini, et al. v. Richard L. Thornburgh, Attorney General, et. al.
Publisher: United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia CircuitYear: 1989Format: Legal DocumentsCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Court opinion.
Special Incapacitation: The Emergence of a New Correctional Facility for Women Political Prisoners Special Incapacitation: The Emergence of a New Correctional Facility for Women Political Prisoners
Author: Gilda ZwermanPublisher: Social JusticeYear: 1988Volume Number: Vol. 15-1Format: ArticleCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Excerpt from Social Justice Vol. 15(1)
People's tribunal to expose the Crimes of the Marion & Lexington Control Units People's tribunal to expose the Crimes of the Marion & Lexington Control Units
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown; Committee to Shut Down the Lexington Control Unit; National committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of WarYear: 1987Format: FlyerCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Flyer for 10/24/1987 tribunal.
Brainwashing in America?: The Women of Lexington Prison Brainwashing in America?: The Women of Lexington Prison
Authors: William A. Ruben, Carlos NormanPublisher: The NationDate: 6/27/1988Volume Number: 27-JunFormat: ArticleCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Reproduction of article
A Living Tomb A Living Tomb
Publisher: National Campaign to Abolish the Lexington Women's Control UnitYear: 1988Format: FlyerCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Originally published in The Nation 3/26/1988
United States of America: The High Security Unit, Lexington Federal Prison, Kentucky United States of America: The High Security Unit, Lexington Federal Prison, Kentucky
Publisher: Amnesty InternationalDate: 8/1988Volume Number: AugustFormat: ReportCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Reproduction of full summary and report.
Women Political Prisoners in the US Ad Women Political Prisoners in the US Ad
Publisher: Gay Community NewsYear: 1988Format: ArticleCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Pages 5-6 of 6/26/1988 issue; Page 6 scanned. Full page ad prepared by Out of Control