Profit Driven Kentucky Transition Unit Program Fails to Meet Rehabilitation of Lumpen

In 2016 I remember the transition unit program starting out as a voluntary program as I briefly mentioned before in previous letters. It began as prisoners in seg who have a lot of seg time and what it does is it’s a program (24 weeks) broken down into 4 phases (6 weeks) a piece of classes for 1 hour a day of which you’re brought out of your cell (you and 5 other prisoners in your class of 6) and you’re chained and handcuffed to a desk for 1 hour a day for 4 times a week. You’re instructed by a facilitator and do journaling in class, then do homework (where it’s mandatory that you fill in every single line in every book of you’ll be considered “unexcused,” and won’t graduate for missing one “single” line!). This is a little “draconian” when you see the books; because most of which are long and some prisoners are illiterate (or won’t speak English) or simply just have mental deficiencies and are being kicked out unjustly and discriminated against. There was only a few prisoners starting out in the transition program as they asked me if I wanted to participate in the program while I was serving A.C. (Administrative-Control Status time!) in seg.

I told them “no,” why would I want to do a 24 work program when all I had to do was a 90 day A.C. cycle (term-period!) and get out of seg?! Being that it started out as a “voluntary program,” they accepted my answer and I was released from seg after 90 days! As the years went by and violence in KY D.O.C. rose, I noticed that “The Supply and Demand” concept went into effect within the prison industry of Kentucky. When the administration started making it “mandatory” for all acts of violence to have to do the transition unit program, I learned from my unit administrator at the old prison I was at K.S.P. that “Frankfort, KY” (the capital of Kentucky) told the D.O.C. that they “must” start showing that they have filled all their bed space in their transition unit program or the program is to be discontinued. With the program being voluntary they couldn’t achieve this so they went ruthless style and made it mandatory. Pretty soon it wasn’t just only violence that made the cut for the program, but also drug offenses. Too many disciplinary reports in a year, etc. etc. To where now, at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, they have an entire dorm of people who are waiting to do the program! The need for bed space was made. Mandatory programming produced “The Demand” and the violence, drug offenses, too many disciplinaries etc., produced “The Supply.”

I later viewed a document from a fellow comrade showing all the contracts (a public records printout from internet) that the KY D.O.C. rereceives over $500,000 a year to fund the program at our specific prison! Now I’ve graduated the program twice at 2 different prisons and at no point does anything in the program or altogether (staff and all) cost that much! The only thing they pay for is old (MP3 players or radios) and they give you T.V.’s (which is most of the time, if you’re not using your personal one, they’ll give you one out of the program. But really, it’s not from the program it’s borrowed from the property room. Everyone in the program pays for and buys their own canteen (commissary) every week so there is nothing being paid for by this large sum of grant money. So who’s pockets is this money going to? Or where is it going to?! Because it’s definitely not being spent on the program! Okay so there is a “long waiting list”