My son Adam Michael Kendallis incarcerated for nearly 9 years for his first only criminal conviction. Anyone that knows the law facts or my son knows his sentence is oppressive. Durning his incarceration Adam has risked life and liberty in pursuit of legal knowledge, and to defend civil rights against relentless and withering constitutional and state law violations perpetrated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Regime. These include assault ,denial of medical care, retaliation for participation in constitutionally protected conduct and various due process violations. I have watched my son suffer tremendously for doing the right thing in an impossible situation. We have done our best to provide Adam with the requisite law books he needs to complete his legal studies and defend civil rights.
Adam has achieved his Paralegal certification with honors, and continued his legal studies completing multiple legal works, these include: Legal Reasoning and Writing, Richard K. Newman jr.8th ed.; Contracts, E. Allen Farnsworth 2017 4th ed.; Cases and Material on Civil Procedure, David Crump 2017 7th ed.; California Legal Research, Aimee Dudobitz 2017 4th ed.; Cases and Materials on Discovery practice in Federal Courts Steve Donweder 2016 3rd ed.; Skills and Values: Discovery Practice, David I.C.Thompson 2017 3rd ed.,; Studies in American Tort Law, Vincent R. Johnson 2022 7th ed.; Federal Habeas Corpus Practice and Procedure,Randy A. Hertz 2015; Prisoners Self-Help Litigation Manual, John Bosron and Daniel E. Manvil 2010 4th ed. These books are thousands of dollars, but integral to Adams studies.
On June 5,2025 Adam went for a Settlement Conference where he was offered penny’s by the CDCR Regimeto settle a case where prison guards violated his eighth and fourth amendment rights, the case is: Adam Michael Kendall v. Galindo et al., case no.5:23-cv-02709-EKL. Adam refused to settle this case because it included no accountability for the prison guards who violated his civil rights and that of others as well. Before leaving the Settlement Conference Adam told Judge Illman how important civil rights are to him and asked him to recommend an important book for that cause, he told Judge Illman all he has already studied, Judge Illman said he would have recommended every book on his list but in addition he recommended Federal Rights and Civil Liberties Litigation:The Law of Section 1983, 2024-2025 ed. Sheldon H.Nahmod. This book is extraordinarily expensive ($1836), however this book is integral to continue his legal studies and his defense of civil rights.
Some people have the impression that prisoners should or deserve to endure any violation that occurs while serving a prison sentence, and no one should care what the state does to them. I am understanding of people’s perception that prisoners deserve every mistreatment durning a prison term. Admittedly, at times this was my perception also, however when you become the mother of a son who is attacked, abused and denied those rights sacred to all Americans , even those of us that have made mistakes your perception changes. When you become the mother of a son who has been the victim of a flawed criminal justice system, it is impossible to convey what it is like to be a mother , to witness and go through these types of abuses with your son, so I will not try. I will say that civil rights are the rights that protect all Americans freedom of speech, due process, equal protection , that right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment.
Civil Rights in the prison context is not some war in a distant land, it is at your doorstep because because the denial or erosion of these rights anywhere is a threat to civil rights anywhere. We should foster where we can those who are willing to defend these rights, no matter their station.
Thank you for taking time from your busy day to read what I had to say. I could go on and on.
