I met computer hacker/anarcho-activist Jeremy Hammond through a network of sketchy associations sometime in early 2006. A little more than a year later I got the news that he’d been busted by the FBI and was in federal prison.  That was in July 2007, part-way through his two-year prison sentence. At the time, I was writing for a short-lived online publication and decided to write him a letter with some interview questions. The following is the interview-via-mail I conducted with him.

What’s the good word Brando. I got your letter + questions. Can’t place names, they’re always changing around anyway, maybe it’s for the best. I’m typing this because my handwriting is terrible. This is a Swintec 7000 typewriter; there are a few computers here for the GED classes (of which I’m a teacher here) but they obviously won’t let me near them.

So here I am, in Federal Prison. Two things about it: for one, in this “career choice”, getting caught and locked up is a possible consequence, and we all knew this before we went down this road. Of course there are things you can do to educate and protect yourself, but you and I know the chances we take, and if caught you do your time like a warrior ‘cause that’s what it is. I know what I was up against, hell I been arrested dozens of times on bullshit state charges anyway. If you shake your fist up against the Man long enough, the Man will try to lock you up. That’s where I made a lot of my mistakes: I tried to do two things at once. Tried to do mainstream organizing, a spokesperson, a public relations thing for hackers, while at the same time doing more clandestine secret underground breaking and entering etc. Made me and obvious target for the feds. I am sure you can understand the advantage of being below the radar, becoming a ghost, never using the same name twice, etc. The second thing about is, prison is not the end of the struggle, you may be down but not out. I am making the most of this time training for when I get out: my mind, body + spirit. In many ways, I don’t think the Government realizes how imprisoning me will ultimately make me a stronger, more disciplined force against them.

Anyway, there’s a lot I have to say about the Prison Industrial Complex, and how to effectively use hacking to bring this government to its knees. I have learned a lot about how this system works, and ways around it. A lot of the questions you have asked, I am writing a guide on “hackers behind bars” which will describe: (1) An analysis of computer hackers and the legal system, with details about my particular case (including court transcripts, evidence from discovery, my mistakes + consequences, etc). (2) The realities of the prison system as a whole, clearing up misconceptions and showing the gross injustices of it all, and lastly (3) the role of hackers, and what must be done. How can we protect ourselves. How can we fight for the rights of those who get fucked by the government, and how can we bring an end to this once and for all. I’ll be typing all this up and will have people post it all around: I’ll be sure to send you a copy if you remind me.
I’ll be happy to answer these questions now, however. Feel free to post them around to whomever and wherever:

Q: Can you explain to the reader your background, what happened, and how you ended up in prison.

I’ve been teaching and organizing hacker groups to use their skills to fight for social justice, most popularly through websites like Hack This Site, and the zine and all that. I’ve also done my share of disrupting Establishment websites to spread the message that this “war on terrorism” is bogus, this government is corrupt, and we need a revolution.
Eventually I was raided, indicted, and convicted on charges related to breaking into the right-wing website ProtestWarrior.com. The feds charged me with grabbing customer databases and planning on making donations with all the [credit card] information to various humanitarian groups. I was charged with violating Title 18 §1030(a)(2)(c) of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, under “Accessing a Protected Computer and Obtaining Information” of which the max sentence is 5 years, and I received 2.

Q: What is prison actually like? How do all of the stories and rumors live up to the real thing?

There are many misconceptions about prison, that it is full of violent + fucked up people who unfit for society. The reality is that this country has more people locked up than any other country on Earth. Many people live regular lives until they are roped into the tragedy and injustice of the War on Drugs. Law enforcement really doesn’t care about drugs, or drug users, or “crime” in general. They care about locking people up so they can make money off cheap prison labor. And man, they are making a killing; any research into the privatization of prisons, UNICOR, or any prison labor programs will show they are not required to pay decent, or have basic health and safety requirements. The reality is the prison system in America is modern day slavery.

Certainly as a result of these injustices, there is a lot of negativity, and you have to keep on your toes. This is no joke, prison is full of people who’ves lives have been ruined + taken away. Our day is controlled by guards shaking people down, required employment, hourly inmate movements, and poverty. In many ways, prison is a reflection of society as a whole, only the lines are more clearly drawn. The power holders maintain control through fear, punishment. They keep us divided by race and send snitches to infiltrate + break up groups. But in the end, just like in the real world, we have the power; we maintain this place, we cook for everybody, we keep things moving. And through collective action, we can win our struggle for liberation.

Q: Now that you are actually in prison, how do you feel about your politics? And how do you feel about hacking and technology in general?

My attitudes + outlook towards overthrowing the government has been reinforced + expanded, but my attitudes towards technology have changed.

I still believe we need to do everything we can to stop this war and topple this government. Before I knew this from a third person perspective: I understood intellectually how it was wrong to lock someone up for personal use of drugs; I understood it was wrong to carpet bomb third world countries for some rich corporations to become even more rich. But having been here, I can see how very real this shit it. There are real people never going home. There are real friends, family members, and innocent people dying in Iraq. There is real torture, real poverty, real slavery. And there are real robber barons who run this system who are laughing and profiting off our misery while they rape the Earth.

When it comes to technology + computers, my opinions have changed. I must have been seduced by it when I was on the streets, but now the spell has worn off and I can see clearly how our dependence on technology has taken over our lives. Cell phones, myspace, television. All this does is allow those in power to either brainwash us, or monitor us, and otherwise keep their control over us. At the same time, technology + industrialism as a whole is used either to manufacture useless computer products, or weapons of war + destruction. In general, the direction of industrialized/domesticates civilization reduces us to zombies while they profit and the Earth is ravaged. What happens when the plug is pulled? Could we live without portable MP3 players or power plants? We sure better figure it out, cause our current civilization is unsustainable; we are coming upon an energy crisis, a clean water crisis, a climate crisis, and time is running out.

As far as I can see, our only useful purpose with computers and hacking is to reverse engineer and attack their systems to bring it to its knees. It’s our duty as hackers to shut down and sabotage these systems: in defense of the Earth, for the freedom of those incarcerated or enslaved, and for the lives of those suffering in war. Anything else, you’re just playing with yourself. We need to use the master’s tools to dismantle the master’s house. Disrupt their stock markets, expose the communications of the corrupt, set everybody back to zero. As you know, it only takes 1 person to cause a lot of disruption.

Q: Have you communicated with many people since you went to prison? How about any other people from the hacking scene?

People have written me, mailed me reading materials, etc. Although most have been local activists + friends I have known personally, very few “internet people”.

There is a tendency to forget people who have been locked up and put behind bars, especially former “partners in crime”. A lot on the outside is taken for granted, even something as simple as reading about current events, basic research. So all the newspapers, pamphlets, zines, anything, is generally shared amongst other inmates.

So I welcome people to mail me stuff: internet printouts (indymedia.org, zinelibrary, etc), zines (h0n0, phrack, ATI, text files), or any other scraps of information lying around is very appreciated. Jeremy Hammond #18729-424 / FCI Greenville / PO Box 5000 / Greenville, IL 62246

Q: How are you coping with the remaining time you’re going to have to spend in prison? What do your release conditions look like and what are your future plans?

It ain’t painful at all, but it isn’t going to be easy. The feds do not like people go + want to lock people back up on probation violations. About a third of people here are on violation now. I have some special supervised release conditions as well: I’m allowed to use computers, but I’m not allowed to associate with certain groups and “civil disobedience” organizations; a very vague and possible unconstitutional release condition. So my immediate plans are to lay low + fly below the radar. Obviously I cannot involve myself in direct action or other questionable activities. Regardless, there is still a lot of above ground work that needs to be done: setting up public computer labs to teach + organize hackers, writing/publishing/distributing zines + pamphlets, organize + attend protests, conferences, gatherings in the forests, etc. I am also going to communicate with the outside to let people hear the voices of the voiceless.

Q: Is there anything else you want to say to whomever may be reading?

A drug dealer makes 100 deals and gets caught once. The same goes for hackers. I am sure people might get discourages by me ending up in prison. Two things about it: me being here is a direct result of mistakes I’ve made (particularly trusting someone I thought I knew, turns out it was some coward on the internet, imagine that!) Anyone who knows me personally + some of my other actions already knew at some point I was probably headed to prison. The second thing, prison is not the worst thing that can happen to someone. It’s certainly not the end, and in my case, I spend each day training so when I get out, I am a more disciplined weapon ready to join the struggle.

So don’t give up, educate yourself to fight back. The numbers are on our side, and everything is going to plan. Unite and fight!

(Editor’s Note: After 2007, things went into disarray and this interview never saw the light of day. That is why I am publishing this now, almost exactly three years after the fact. As far as I know, “Hackers Behind Bars” never came out, the political aspect of the HTS scene disintegrated, and Hammond & Co. are currently awaiting another trial for destroying a pro-Chicago 2016 Olympics banner.)