Confiscating Toothbrushes Doesn't Make Prisoner Safe

Nine days ago this prison was put on lockdown. Four days later the warden said it was merely our usual quarterly lockdown. But we know he is full of shit. There are too many irregularities.

The “quarterly” lockdown was done last month. Quarterly lockdowns always begin on a Sunday evening; this one started Friday afternoon. During quarterly lockdowns no one nor anything is permitted out of the cells until the cells are searched, and support staff (school teachers, counselors, etc.) bring our meals to our cells. During this lockdown we’ve taken our trash and our laundry out, and we pick up our trays on the pod.

An officer told us the reason. A prisoner in another building had his throat cut. The pigs are trying to keep it secret, claiming it’s “gang related.”

But here are the facts. This prison has been open for two years without any major issues or incidents of violence. Then, in August Warden Walrath took over and every day new policies are enforced that do nothing more than aggravate and harass prisoners. Guards start ordering us to stop rolling up our pants legs even though the legs of the pants hang four to six inches past our feet. Our beards, fingernails, and hair length is checked. Tooth brushes are confiscated on the pretext these can be used as weapons. Parallel red lines 18 inches apart are painted down sidewalks, and we are forced to walk between them. If one prisoner steps outside, all 96 men are put on lockdown. Prisoners are marched to the gym with their hands on their heads. They are forced to stand in this humiliating and painful (for some) position for hours simply to amuse the pigs. Prisoners are told they can no longer wear thermal underwear except in their cells; no wearing it outside during cold weather. Three upper level employees - a Major, a Lieutenant, and a unit manager - each check every bed to see if it is made. Their combined annual salaries easily surpass $100,000.

But it appears no one was being paid to find shanks to keep one prisoners from nearly killing another. It is a lack of wisdom and leadership to enforce policies that only aggravates an already disturbed, desperate group of people. Within two months of Warden Walrath’s arrival and take over, a prisoner is nearly murdered. Apparently, confiscating toothbrushes doesn’t make prisoners safe.