Address:
Russell D. Smith papers, 1976-1989 (majority within 1976-1981)
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
- The collection is open for research.
Summary
- Abstract:
- Smith, a former juvenile and adult offender, became an activist for prisoners' rights, especially those of gay inmates, while incarcerated in federal penitentiaries across the country in the late 1970s. As a victim himself he was particularly interested in the problem of prison rape. After his release in 1980, he continued to advocate prison reform through POSRIP (People Organized to Stop Rape of Imprisoned Persons). The papers include an autobiography/chronology of Smith's experiences in and out of juvenile detention centers and prisons; extensive correspondence with friends in the International Committee to Free Russell Smith (ICFRS) concerning prison conditions, his personal safety, his transfers from prison to prison, his efforts to provide legal assistance to other inmates, and his plans for post-release activities; records of legal suits and complaints filed by Smith; and formal reports about Smith filed by prison officials. Copies of the POSRIP Newsletter (1980-1981) can be found with the Labadie's serial holdings.
- Extent:
- 1.5 Linear Feet (1 record center box and 1 manuscript box.)
- Language:
- English
- Authors:
- Sarah Keen
Background
- Scope and Content:
-
Comprise autobiography, personal correspondence, 1976-1980, and legal records, 1978-1980.
- Biographical / Historical:
-
Russell D. Smith was born on September 11, 1950 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he spent most of his childhood. At various times during grade school, he received psychiatric care for behavioral difficulties, which included fighting other classmates, running away from home, and stealing. In 1963 he was first remanded to a correctional facility, the Juvenile Diagnostic Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, at first for a brief time but he was sent back twice in later months. Until 1965 Smith resided at various juvenile detention centers and training schools, after which he attended junior high school for a few months until he was again detained at various jails, prison camps, and mental hospitals. In August 1973 Smith was sentenced to serve five years for motor vehicle theft. In 1977 Smith was released from prison only to be re-arrested for assaulting another prisoner who had assaulted him earlier that year. He was sentenced to serve three years and was ultimately released on May 30, 1980. Russell Smith was one of the original "Marion Brothers." This was a group of prisoners (including political prisoners such as Raphael Miranda, Leonard Peltier and Imari Obadele) in Marion Prison, in Southern Illinois. The prison was then the most secure in the country. Marion prisoners filed formal complaints against the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the State of Illinois, accusing the prison administration of using behavior modification programs against prisoners, subjecting prisoners to long terms in the Control Unit (solitary confinement in sensory deprivation cells), systematic beating of prisoners, and many other human rights abuses. A group called the National Committee to Support the Marion Brothers was formed to raise public awareness and to stop the abuses. During his later years in prison, Smith became more active in promoting prisoners' rights, especially those of gay prisoners, and working to stop prison rape and sexism in prisons. Smith himself had been raped more than 30 times during his years of incarceration, the first time in 1963 at the Juvenile Diagnostic Center where he was raped by another juvenile detainee. Smith avidly studied law and helped a number of prisoners with lawsuits in addition to acting on his own behalf. In 1976 Smith began administrative and legal proceedings in what was to be known as the "Gay Rights Case" (Smith v. Carlson, CV 77-4009 & CV 78-2301). The Federal Bureau of Prisons prohibited prisoners from receiving gay literature earlier that year and Smith filed his lawsuit in order to rescind the ban on these publications. The case was not settled until 1980 in part due to a stay sought by the defense claiming that a class action suit, Abbott et al. v. Richardson et al Civil No. 1047-73, encompassed the issue for which Smith sought remedy. Smith's case ultimately failed. During his time in prison, possibly beginning in late 1976 or 1977, Smith often corresponded with Barry Mehler, a professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis and a political activist. How or why the two began corresponding is not clear from the correspondence in the collection. However, Mehler's academic and personal interest in social biology, social psychology, and racism may have been a factor. Mehler, Judy Miller, and David Kopp formed the International Committee to Free Russell Smith (ICFRS), originally the Committee to Free Russell Smith, to assist Smith in his activist efforts and to expedite his release while providing moral support. The organization began in March 1979 (see March 26, 1979, letter from Mehler to Smith), but the first reference to it in Smith's correspondence was on January 1, 1979. Previously, Mehler, Miller, and Kopp had been writing articles for publication in the United States and Germany in order to raise awareness regarding Smith's situation and the rights of gay men in prison in general. After his release, Smith used the remaining resources of ICFRS to form People Organized to Stop Rape of Imprisoned Persons (POSRIP) and acted as its director. The purpose of the organization was to address the issues of "rape, sexual assault, nonconsensual sexual slavery, and forced prostitution in the prison context" ("People Organized to Stop Rape of Imprisoned Persons." Unnumbered – Writings – Articles and Manuscripts.) Later POSRIP became what is now called Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR). At some point in the 1980s Smith disappeared and Tom Cahill took over the operations of SPR.
- Acquisition Information:
- Gift of Russell D. Smith and Barry Mehler.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Sarah Keen in May 2002 as part of the Labadie Collection.
- Arrangement:
-
The Russell D. Smith papers are divided into 2 main series – Numbered and Unnumbered. The first folder, Index of Personal Papers, contains an itemized listing of the documents in the numbered series. The Numbered series contains documents whose pages were organized and numbered by an individual, although there is no mention of who carried out this task. The order of the original numbering has been maintained. The first set of documents contains autobiographical information and a chronology of Smith's life and times in prison. The next subseries, Correspondence, spans from October 13, 1976 to June 3, 1980 and is arranged by date. Most of the correspondence is between Smith and Barry Mehler, a professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, although Smith also often corresponded with Sister Evelyn Ancilla (often addressed as "Grandmother"), of the Convent of the Transfiguration, Cincinnati, OH. Other correspondents are: Shari R. Rhode, Judy Miller, McKinley Robinson, David Kopp, David Saxner, Frank Feldman, Mary Rivers (Torch Magazine), Noné Redmond, Page F. Grubb, Paul D. Brown, Ronnie Habich, Carl Harp (see also Carl Harp Papers, Labadie Collection), Peter Thomas Judge, Dr. Russell Compton, Jack Joppa, Willy Snoek, Mac McCann, Gavin Young, Robin Duff, Sue Lepus, Rachel Hamburger, Willem Van Leenhoff, R.P. Clark, Freda Groffy, Molly McKitterick, V.V. Roe, Carrie Courtens, Robert Baskin ("Brown Boy"), Gloria Owens, Diana E. Forrest, Ray Lake, Y. T. Montoya ("Lefty"), Jaap van Gondoever, Tony Workman, Jessie Cook, Ken Johnson, Claire Culhane, Bob and Kay Horton, Janet L. Bond, and Christopher J. Maloney. The subseries Legal Records consists of original and copied legal documents relating to Smith's years in prison. An attempt has been made to put groupings of documents relating to a particular court case in individual folders while maintaining the original numbering and this separation has been noted on the folder with the name and number of the court case. The groupings are in part based on the groupings presented in the Index to Personal Papers and in order to best identify documents in folders without specific names one should refer to the Index. Of particular note are the materials relating to Smith v. Carlson, CV 77-4009 & CV 78-2301, the case beginning in 1976 in which Smith petitioned Norman Carlson, Director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, to rescind the policy and order that banned gay literature in prisons. Additional documents relating to this and other court cases can be found in the Unnumbered section. The last folder in this series consists of affidavits from Russell Smith and other prisoners in regard to various prison matters. The Letters group contains correspondence among ICFRS members and Smith's supporters as well as correspondence to prison and legal officials regarding Smith's incarceration. The group also includes letters from inmates regarding Smith. The Articles group contains drafts of articles by Mehler and copies of articles from various publications. The topics include prison rape, Russell Smith, gay prisoners, and POSRIP. An itemized list can be found in the Index. The Miscellaneous group includes a petition for the use of gay literature and papers relating to Smith's mental abilities, group therapy, prison sentences, and release from prison. Again a full listing can be found in the Index. The Unnumbered series complements the first series but contains documents that were not included in the original numbering and documents that Smith created after he was released from prison. The first subseries is Correspondence II and it spans the dates July 1978 to August 1981. This grouping includes a lengthy letter to David Whitesell (Library Assistant at the U-M Special Collections, Labadie Collection) detailing a history of Smith's incarceration from July 1976 to December 1979; communications with the American Friends Service Committee and application materials for a job opening there; and correspondence to and from Sister Evelyn Ancilla. The next subseries is Legal Records II and contains records held by Berry Mehler and donated to the Library after the initial accessions. Again the records have been grouped by court case when applicable with the case names noted. Some folders are related to cases present in the subseries Legal Records I. The Writings subseries contains works that Smith produced mainly after his release from prison. The grouping contains unpublished stories and poetry written by Smith. The second grouping contains articles and manuscripts written by Smith and other collaborators on various issues of political activism. Of note is a 32-page transcript of interviews conducted with coal miners in Galatia, Illinois, by Smith and Mary Fechner. The interviews were material for an article published in the Fall 1981 issue of Workers' Democracy (Vol. 1, no.4) under Fechner's name. The final subseries Miscellaneous Articles contains an article by Cindy Stein on the gay publications in prisons issue.
- Rules or Conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Contents
Using These Materials
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
The collection is open for research.
- USE & PERMISSIONS:
-
Copyright has not been transferred to the Regents of the University of Michigan. Permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s).
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Russell D. Smith papers, University of Michigan Library (Special Collections Research Center, Joseph A. Labadie Collection)