Senseless Abuse & Lack of Recourse at Suwannee C.I.
Usually we would be writing you via JPay tablet, but here at Suwannee Correctional Institution, the content of our emails regarding prison conditions would get us censored, deleted, and bring retaliation against us in one way or another.
We are writing with the intent of informing you of prison conditions here:
1. Overseer abuse and brutality of prisoners; for example:
22 November 2023, there was the death, possible murder of prisoner Germaine French in confinement, P-dorm. Overseers are saying that he hung himself from the cell water sprinkler, but such is impossible, whereas, the cell water sprinklers do not extend out of the wall enough to tie anything, especially not the hanging of a body.
12 December 2023, Sgt. Finney gassed (pepper sprayed) a prisoner, with an expired canister, then beat em outside of N-dorm. This prisoner was informed that Sgt. Finney had been terminated, however, on 1 January 2024, Sgt. Finney pepper sprayed a mentally ill prisoner in the chow hall in the middle of dinner meals. Sgt. Finney pepper sprayed this prisoner to impress Female Sgt. Aldridge, who stood by laughing while prisoners coughed and gagged trying to hurry out of the chow hall leaving our food untouched. Sgt. Finney is still here threatening to gas and beat prisoners and using profanity and abusive language toward prisoners.
2. Food Service
All the trays are caked up with brown and black scum and mold from not being properly washed or scrubbed.
Prisoners working in food service are being threatened with confinement if caught putting too much food on the trays.
Food portions are so exiguous, prisoners are risking confinement and brutality doubling back, sneaking back in line trying to avoid hunger.
3. WiFi:
Overseers are controlling the WiFi, cutting WiFi on and off, high and low, preventing prisoners from listening to or watching podcast and/or movies.
4. Deleting outgoing emails:
STG (Security Threat Group) and mail room personnel are unconstitutionally censoring, withholding/delaying and/or deleting outgoing emails in retaliation where emails are about prison conditions, overseer abuse, brutality and even murder of prisoners in handcuffs or in secure cells, not being a threat to anyone.
5. Collective punishment
The entire O-dormitory was placed on lockdown (28 December 2023) from after dinner till breakfast, due to one or a few prisoners not walking in single file line to and/or from dinner, creating and perpetuating a hostile environment, leading to prisoner-on-prisoner conflicts, arguments, fighting and/or stabbings, based on the orders of Captain Demouro.
On 16 November 2023, Captain Demouro conducted a shake down (mass search) in O-I dormitory in retaliation, all due to one prisoner checking in. Captain Demouro entered the wing and had his overseers toss every prisoner’s personal property all over the cell. Again, all in the means of creating and perpetuating a hostile environment, resulting in prisoner-on-prisoner violence. Divide and rule, while referring to prisoners as “fuck boy” and “fuck face”, etc.
6. Medical
Sick call being submitted via drop box rather than in person wherein which prisoners can obtain signed carbon copy for record keeping. By conducting sick call request via drop box, prisoners sick call request come up missing, no matter how sick they may be, they may not be seen.
7. Body Cams
Majority of overseers here are wearing body cams, which only get turned on when convenient for overseers and FDOC. Society will never see or hear the reality and brutality. Body cams are only for show, they’re not continually recording.
8. Surveillance Video
No surveillance videos on dormitory sally ports, a blind spot where overseers abuse and brutalize handcuffed prisoners, rendering the sally ports the most dangerous spaces at Suwannee C.I.
Captain Demouro leads the way in use of abusive and threatening language and profanity. Threatening to gas and beat prisoners who write him up.
O-dormitory overseers keeping prisoners on lockdown way after count clears. O-dormitory prisoners are still on lockdown while every other dorm is out attending callouts (prison appointments), recreation, etc. O-dormitory prisoners are being treated as if in confinement. Same apply to legal mail access.
One overseer, Linblade, has been working in O-dorm since 2012, despite policy that overseers can only work the same post for 18 months.
12. Trashing submitted grievances
Grievances placed in drop box by prisoners are not being processed, logged, or returned. Grievance Coordinator is throwing grievances in the trash, denying prisoners First Amendment rights, with no video surveillance at drop box and no carbon copies on grievance forms, prisoners cannot prove they submitted grievances, or obtain copies for record keeping. Discouraging and hindering the grievance process, which makes prisoners feel hopeless and in fear of intimidation and retaliation.
We bring these issues to your attention, whereas, it is a known fact that public opinion is the most effective tool and means of bringing any kind of relief or betterment on the inside. We are voiceless without you on the outside and we ask that you speak for us. The rules apply only to and against us, prisoners.
13. Air Circulation
Please note that as of current, the entire O-dormitory at Suwannee C.I. has no exhaust fan, no air circulation in all 4 quads, prisoners (myself included) are sick, sniffing, coughing, sneezing. Upon entering any of the wings, you can smell nothing but human bodies and sweat, as if in the belly of a slave ship.
The exhaust fans has been broken over a year now, prior to my arriving here. In November 2023, several prisoners and I submitted grievances, those grievances never returned. They were thrown in the trash by the grievance coordinator. We have also complained verbally to dormitory inspectors, white shirts, warden, etc, all to no avail. There are no windows in this building, O-dormitory.
This document is being sent out to any and all outside support people and organizations, we are trying to get as many people outside to at least call or send as many emails as possible (and spread the word) to FDOC Secretary, Ricky Dixon, Region II regional director, John Palmer, and Suwannee C.I. warden, Michael Lane, regarding the issues mentioned above. We need all the outside support we can possibly get.
Please and thank you, in egalitarian solidarity and struggle.
