Garza East Unit - Federal

I’m currently incarcerated at the Garza East Transfer Facility. I’m writing this letter in regards to a subscription to Under Lock & Key. Also we’ve been without water for 48 hours now, and it’s to the point that I had to defecate in a chip bag. There are 54 men in a dorm, and 4 toilets.

What are our rights? Can we write to anybody? Hopefully by the time you receive this letter the problem will be fixed, because the whole unit Garza East and Garza West as well as the trusty camp are without water. Please help, send info to someone that we can write to, because this happens often.

I’m writing to inquire about the “grievance guide.” I received this address from the Education-Peer Ed. Instructor. There are times that an inmate or myself find a valid reason to draw up a grievance to bring notice to the matter in question. However the “grievance” department returns the form as “invalid.” So is there a specific format or particular details that need to be followed for the grievance to be valid and reach the appropriate authorities, to find a solution?

P.S. I’ve asked the Law Library Officer and she informed me that such “method” is confidential and not made available to inmates.

First of all, thank you for your work on the behalf of prisoners here in Texas, as well as everywhere.

I wanted to inform you of a trend I’ve noticed here in my unit of ignoring our rights when going through disciplinary procedures. When we are being charged with a violation, we are ordered to sign on the place to waive our rights to a 24-hour notice of our hearing. We are also not given an opportunity to circle an option to attend our hearing. Both of these are rights that are being ignored. The cases are then run with no opportunity for us to speak in our own defense. (See documentation.)

Furthermore, when a grievance is written, at both Steps 1 and 2, they are returned with no investigation done and a standard answer. (See documentation.) Note the X’s where I am ordered to sign, the absence of me circling that I did or did not want to attend my hearing, the almost word for word similarity of the Step 1 and 2 answers. Also, on the second report they circled no to show that I declined attending, but I did not circle “no.”

Just thought your readers might want to be aware of what they face. I would still like to receive a Texas Activist Pack as I am using a cellmate’s and he is leaving. Thank you.