Carrot and Stick in TDCJ
I am doing time and slave labor on the Wynne Unit in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). This is an industry unit. Millions of dollars worth of commodities are mass produced by prisoners who receive no type of worthwhile compensation. These items consist of vehicle registration stickers, license plates, mattresses that range from Sealy Posturepedic to college dorm and prisoner beds. Signs are produced for a wide range of functions, and there’s a computer recovery warehouse that refurbishes used and discarded units to be sent to high schools and hospitals.
It goes without saying that if everyone decided to lay it down the powers that be would have a serious problem. Yet sadly enough out of the 2,200 prisoners housed here, the number would more than likely be in the double digits only. You have those who don’t want to lose their clerk job where they might get a few perks every now and then. Some in the craft shop would put the craft shop first. I do understand why people want to protect their “jobs,” but how much longer are we going to stand by and be forced to witness the constant abuse of power?
I have been locked up in segregation unjustly. I’ve seen my brothers lose their lives which may have been prevented if the COs acted as if they gave a damn. Although we all know they don’t. So, we rise early every morning, we are told to work “or else”, and god forbid you try to utilize the option to go to school because you are expected to be at work before sunrise even if you are trying to educate your mind and work on your attitude.
It’s no secret that the TDCJ’s main concern all the way around is money. Ironically our “great state’s” prison system is in the negative on funds but will not hesitate to lock someone up over a bullshit parole violation or something nonviolent like theft. And we are being punished daily by the COs and administration who use their position as an opportunity to abuse other human beings and get away with it. Our so-called grievance system is a laugh-out-loud joke, just like TDCJ’s good time and work time fiascos.
The reality is that if just one third of our prison population would spend some of those phone minutes on educating our outside support rather than crying about more money for holiday packs and new shoes every 6 months, we might see some difference. Let people know how they can help, without making TDCJ’s commissary richer. I like candy and sodas as much as the next guy. What I don’t like is getting treated like dog shit just because I’m trying to resolve a problem. The indigent mail issue, the medical copay, the good time, work time and assaults on inmates by guards are but a few of our long list of issues that are not just going to disappear. We will not go quietly into that good night, and we will not back down without a fight.
