Prisoners Report on Conditions in

Stiles Unit - Federal

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www.prisoncensorship.info is a media institution run by the Maoist Internationalist Ministry of Prisons. Here we collect and publicize reports of conditions behind the bars in U.$. prisons. Information about these incidents rarely makes it out of the prison, and when it does it is extremely rare that the reports are taken seriously and published. This historical record is important for documenting patterns of abuse, and also for informing people on the streets about what goes on behind the bars.

We hope this information will inspire people to take action and join the fight against the criminal injustice system. While we may not be able to immediately impact this particular instance of abuse, we can work to fundamentally change the system that permits and perpetuates it. The criminal injustice system is intimately tied up with imperialism, and serves as a tool of social control on the homeland, particularly targeting oppressed nations.

[Abuse] [Stiles Unit] [Texas]
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Prisoner Deaths, Mail Tampering at Stiles in Texas

It’s been a while since I’ve been in contact with you. I’ve been pretty busy trying to get help legal-wise and medical-wise over this bus wreck that I was involved in while I was riding in a TDCJ-ID bus. I’ve been trying to get a copy of the accident report from the Beaumont Sheriff’s Dept. Office. I keep getting the run-around by the Sheriff’s spokesman and sent to the Texas OIG Investigations Office. I’m now having surgeries on my neck, knees and back. I can’t get no attorney to accept my case against TDCJ.

The federal courts will not go against TDCJ here in Beaumont because the Mark W. Stiles Unit hires all the welfare and unemployment people here in Beaumont. Now the Stiles Unit is in violation of the Safe Prisons Act, Ruiz Suit and PREA because the Stiles Unit is 15% under-staffed. There are more illegal drugs being consumed here on this Unit than there are on the outside of those fences. There are offender deaths every week due to these drugs. The grievance system does not work. The Step 1 (I-127) and Step 2 (I-128) are being withheld and answered here on the Unit or thrown away.

I’ve written to several Civil Rights organizations and haven’t gotten any answers. I need to get an attorney that’s out-of-state to handle my bus wreck and get me the proper medical help that I need for my injuries. I write my family for help but they receive an envelope with no letter in it. The mail room supervisor Ms. Willis blames the Beaumont Post Master’s Office for my letter not being in the envelope. My envelopes are supposed to be sealed when leaving this Unit so the letter should be in the sealed envelope, which it is not. It won’t surprise me if you get an empty envelope also. I haven’t received any of your issues this year. I need an up-to-date Texas Pack if it’s possible and a list of pro bono attorneys in California that practice law in Texas. Please let me know if you received this letter.

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[Abuse] [Stiles Unit] [Texas]
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Beaten by pigs in Texas

I got jumped in some seg office. Yeah man, they fucked me up pretty bad. Shit, I woke up in the ER down in Huntsville. They beat the brakes off me while I was in handcuffs. There were five or six of em. All white! One of them fools was sitting on my back pony-style punching away at my head and face. The shit was so bad (I heard) that some sistas who saw that shit were crying rivers of tears. Many these people just grabbed me out of the hallway took me to an empty seg fofice and called me a nigger about a thousand times. After they did me bad, this one racist ass mutherfuckah came back over to me while I was laying there in handcuffs and put his knee on the side of my head and started crushing away. The whole time he was on my head with all of his weight, rocking back and forth like he was on some “Immah finish me a nigger off type shit.”

Like I said, I blacked out wit this fool on top of my head. The crazy part is that I have witnesses that saw this fool beat for me right out of the hallway. But anyway, they did the old assault on an officer case to try to cover for what they did. Man I aint’ never had no assault on an officer case. And I been coming to this place since 1985.

I been having real problems with headaches, nose bleeds, forgetting stuff and a lot more. They shipped me to this unit after they ran me through the ringger (court). I been dropping sick call request forms for three months now and they still ain’t seen me for injuries. Th handcuffs that they were dragging me around by, done fuck up the nerves in my wrist and hands. I cannot even sleep at night cause the pain is unbearable at times. I be thinking about moving on with my life but my shit ain’t right. So I got to file suit on they ass. Them fools almost killed me.

Comrade, man, I am 51 years old. And I was 50 when they done that stupid shit. I got a little over three years left on my ten year sentence. I had a few talks with some old heads that’s been on that unit Eastham and they all said the same thing, it’s a racist ass unit. And they just assault blacks just for the thrill of it.

I am writing y’all with an emergency stamp cause these folks be blocking my use of the indigent mail system for three months now. Making all types of bogus claims. I done filed three different grievances. It’s been a real struggle. But anyway imma get back with y’all on this stupid ass not cause this ain’t attorney client privileged. Whenever I do get indigent supplies I’ll hit you up with a real letter. They got me in Seg G5 status. This some crazy shit. For beating me the fuck up!

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[Abuse] [Censorship] [Stiles Unit] [Texas]
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Censorship and Health Violations at Stiles Unit

On 11-1-18 i received a denial of publication, for Under Lock & Key #63. Stating that pages 1 and 5 advocate for prison disruption, however I appealed and was again denied. So I had it sent to my sister.I received Under Lock & Key #64 and was glad to see that it was not denied.

I’ve been fighting the system for years and have a few people behind me. The Stiles Unit has been in violation of a Health Code and Sanitation Violation. 8 building, where I’m being housed, is a building for the G-5/Close Custody and G4/Medium Custody Offenders, and this administration has set up a make shift kitchen, the food is always cold, the trays are not being sanitized because there is no dishwasher in the make shift kitchen. Offenders handle food without gloves on or hair nets. I’ve filed a Grievance about it along with 10 other comrades trying to make a change but the Grievance process is a joke. Sometimes they never answer grievances. Would you please send the grievance petition.

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[Censorship] [Abuse] [Stiles Unit] [Texas]
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Mail harrassment and censorship after reporting PREA failure

Here is a story of my seemingly solo fight. So, that said, I can describe that these bastards are out to kill me and no, I am not nutzo. No. There are “things” I am still very savvy to, that would get me killed. I’ve yet to disclose. The Stoke lied about what and why I did what I did.

Decades later the “Stoke” or federal officials came up with “PREA” (Prison Rape Elimination Act). To check it out, I, along with another, cried out. Lt. XX chewed me out. He screamed how easily he could place me in a certain sector of the Stiles Unit. What is this “certain sector”? A section where men can’t stop raping and masturbating, (killing as it is called), would be where they or he would place me. Therefore, “PREA” turns a person into shark bait and tossed into a shark tank. I may have misunderstood what “elimination” meant.

Well I wrote to several state and federal officials of the above event. Plus, I let them know how PREA is now a major joke that is shouted among both the officers (C.O.s ; S.O.s) and inmates alike. Suddenly, something strange began to happen. A letter was torn in half. It had the inside-flap-stamp to WARN the recipient that the letter had come from inside a prison camp, from a prisoner. This, alone, proves I was not the last person to touch this letter. If the one-half side was returned to me by the U.S. Postal System, the other went on to whom I had written.

Also, persons, organizations I’ve written to for years, if not decades, had the RTS (return to sender) tag upon them. On several occasions, I received an RTS, with a letter or package, from the people of the RTS-simultaneously.

Several bible study or other studies I do ask “Do you enjoy our studies; why have you stopped sending your correspondence studies?” I did NOT!

I was called to the mail room. At least 6 to maybe 10 times, my legal mail has been an error. This notice comes on a Friday night. So, I wonder what my legal response (to get out) will be; only to hear “there is no legal mail; sorry.” Then, once more, to the mail room. “I’m sorry, this letter is uninspectable.” How? Why? It was open. It was in the mail-lady’s hands. The letter was from a known girl friend that I have written for the past 8 years.

“I’m sorry this comes from Huntsville”. That is the main office admin. This is a 3 1/2 hour drive away. How did they see or determine a letter- the day before- become uninspectable. It was not a package. The letter was a letter of 2 pages.

“Let me see it.” The mail lady let me see front and back of each page. There was no shit, taped on poison, explosives, zero. It had: “I love you Pearl.” Uninspectable from Huntsville! “Ma’am, how long do I have to send this 2-page horrific, uninspectable, whatever it is, back to whoever sent it to me?” “Sixty days.”

So, that night I wrote a letter. “I will explain about this Dumb Ass Letter when you visit Saturday.” I placed 2 stamps on the envelope, I sent to the mail room, this envelope with a I-60 (an official document to an official to do something) to mail back this letter. At 5:05 a.m., an inmate awoke me and handed me something. It came from the other side (B-side) of this unit. “This inmate knows you. He got this letter by mistake.” I will give every reader 10 guesses what letter this was.

Then, on one night I received about 12 letters. Five were from the same person, over a 2 1/2 week’s amount of time. Every one was well over 3 weeks late. A turtle with a broke leg could have gotten one of the letters to me in a day.

I have all of what I’ve stated documented. I have that uninspectable and both sides of the torn-in-half letter and also the letters of “why don’t you write more?” letters.

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[Abuse] [Stiles Unit] [Texas]
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Texas messing with property

I am writing you in regards to treatment on this unit. I have put a restraining order on administration and his staff/employees. I’ve been through the proper procedures that the adminstration and the ranking officer told me to go through which is the proper procedures which is the Step 1 and Step 2. I haven’t gotten a response.

Every time I talked to the Major Rockella L. Neal she keep telling me that she don’t know what they want to do and that she did her part. I talked to Malcolm J Hawkins, a seargent, and he said that he doesn’t have anything to do with it. Officer Ciera M. Narcisse Co III is the one who messed up my property and didn’t want to give me an inventory slip. Officer Yessica L Medinamartinez Co III told me that she don’t know what property that I’m talking about. I know they giving me a run around about my property and every time I address a ranking officer they tell me to get the fuck on and go back to my assigned building and this what comes down to me getting a restraining order on the administration in his employees.

They gone cover their back and look out for each other so I have to cover mines just case anything happen to me by getting this restraining order against the administration and his employees. I would like to file theft charges on the administration for messing with my property. Please can you let me know what assistance you can provide.

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[Abuse] [Censorship] [Stiles Unit] [Texas]
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Texas harassing jailhouse lawyers

I am writing to send you back the unconfirmed mail form showing that I have not received any of the letters/documents on these dates in the mail. My mail from you and other places like your organization is not coming to me because the information is very much useful to me due to the upcoming civil suit so if the mail isn’t legal then I may not get it just like the dates you sent my mail and I did not receive.

I’m a jailhouse lawyer for National Lawyer Guild out of New York so you can pretty much see why I’m having problems getting indigent supplies so I can send out legal and regular mail. This unit is harassing/retaliating against me for complaints and grievances against the unit administration. I was placed in 11 bldg transient being treated like I committed a crime and was handcuffed everywhere the officers took me and took all my recreating inside/outside, chapel services, law library sessions, medical appointments, and kept me in a cell for 24 hrs for 33 days. I’m still being denied to see a medical provider since April 2016.

This unit is overcrowded in violation of Ruiz v. Estelle court order/ final judgment and has reached our 100% capacity. I’ll be very lucky if you get this letter and mail form that you sent me.

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[Medical Care] [Stiles Unit] [Texas]
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Medical Neglect in Texas

Over a year ago I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, a chronic liver disease. At one time I started treatment for Hepatitis B, something I didn’t have. I told them I never requested this. Medical responded that it was for my protection. Medical care here is horrible. I keep complaining about my treatment, but the medical staff says there are people sicker than me. They have a new treatment but it costs a lot. However I am looking for some legal assistance in this matter. I have found out the pill they bring me is for asthma, an allergic disease. I don’t have asthma, or no allergies and I know it has caused some liver damage. I started having some bad abdominal pains. I stopped taking the pill. And did my own research and found out this pill was not for my treatment. Can you assist me in finding a lawyer in this matter?

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[Rhymes/Poetry] [Stiles Unit] [Texas]
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A lie ain't nothing for the state of Texas to Tell


Sitting in a Texas Pen
Fed like it’s 1908
For we are given skimpy trays
So we have to lick the plate

They try to say we are well fed
I tell you that’s a lie
Tortillas to hide our scrambled eggs
Make grown men want to cry

One hot dog on our largest part
Slot two slices of bread
The last three slots will stop your heart
So you might just wake up dead

I’ve eaten better homeless
And I’m not too proud to say
I’ve had more food out of dumpsters
Then what Stiles puts on your tray

I came here weighing 222
I now weigh 151
The only way that I’ll get more food
Annie get your gun

No these are not my greatest words
But I’m about the starve to death
I’ve seen people feed more to birds
But in Texas, I’m out of breath

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[Censorship] [Stiles Unit] [Texas] [ULK Issue 44]
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Texas Denies Prisoners All Access to Paper and Envelopes

I’m writing because here in Texas the legislature or some “committee” got the bright idea to forbid prisoners the ability to purchase stationary materials (writing paper, typing paper, envelopes of all kinds, and carbon paper) from outside vendors. This really is felt by those who do legal work and those who refuse to support this state. We are now obligated to further support it by purchasing stationary from commissary.

Before this rule was adopted and enforced, one could purchase stationary items from the outside. This was especially good while on a unit lockdown when one needed paper (especially in litigation), because one could do an outside purchase and still get the paper. On a unit lockdown all movement comes to a halt! No commissary, nothing. So no commissary, no paper.

Now, of course, this system has a rule where after seven days on a lockdown one can use the state’s “indigent” process, even having funds in one’s account. But what the rule states, and what the indigent supply supervisor (usually the law library supervisor) does, are two different things. Let’s say it’s a four week lockdown. So the first week is “free” or s/he doesn’t have to worry about filling out stationary requests. Then week two comes along and all those requests come in. Now the supervisor claims that there’s “too many” requests and can’t get around to sending the requester their “assigned” indigent supply envelope (ISE). There goes week two, with no paper. Now, each building has their “assigned” request day so this wise ass stupid-visor knows which day is the building’s request day. S/he then sends the ISE on the day that the requests are to be made – there goes week three. Week four, you finally make your request, but you come off lockdown, with no supplies sent, and you haven’t written in a whole month. Then you have to wait to go to the store.

By the time any grievance is heard the stupid-visor now has his goons kicking down your door searching all your “legal work” under the guise of “probable cause” of written contraband, but really it’s retaliation. After all your shit has been ransacked and possibly stolen, in the end you’ve been fucked good with no claim upon which relief can be granted.

eCommDirect usually allows people on the outside to purchase commissary items for prisoners, but they are not allowed during a lockdown. And if you’re in a custody level of what’s known in Texas as a G-4 or closed custody there are no eComms allowed any time anyway.

So what does the system do to stop you if you’re a writ writer? Make you a G-4 or closed custody. And you can be disciplined for anything! The way the rule reads, an open bag of chips is “contraband” cause it’s not as you bought it! Everyone with a little sense will know that the prison system disciplinary process is only a means of control.


MIM(Prisons adds: Beyond just the disciplinary process inside prisons, the entire prison system, from denial of writing materials, to long-term isolation, is set up for social control. There’s nothing rehabilitative or corrective about the Amerikan criminal injustice system. Denial of paper and envelopes is a clever way for Texas to try to stop people from using the grievance and legal system to address injustices. It is no surprise that many prisoners turn to physical violence when all other avenues are cut off. But in the face of this increased repression we call on all prisoners to come together, build unity and peace and join a broader movement to fight both these specific injustices and the broader imperialist system. United we can have an impact and build for revolutionary change!

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[Abuse] [Gender] [Bill Clements Unit] [Connally Unit] [Stiles Unit] [Texas]
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Oppressive Conditions and Sexual Assaults Widespread in Texas Prisons

Recently a report was released by the U.$. Department of Justice - Civil Rights Division. The report concerned a survey conducted relating to sexual assaults and abuse taking place in Amerikan prisons and jails. The state of Texas was at the very top in terms of sexual assaults and abuse reported by prisoners. In fact, the Bill Clements unit located in Amarillo, Texas and the Mark Stiles unit located in Beaumont, Texas rated high in prison rape cases as well as sexual assaults. There has been no evidence to suggest the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is overly concerned about the persynal welfare and safety of the humyn beings held captive in their modern day gulags. Recent evidence shows the blatant disregard for humyn life in Texas prisons.

In Kennedy, Texas where the Connally Unit is located. A drought has caused 2 of the 10 water wells servicing the area to dry up. In a sign of extreme stupidity the warden of Connally Unit offered the water wells servicing the prison to the civilian population in Kennedy!

Some viewed this as an admirable gesture of good will. Although no one stopped to think about the prisoners housed at Connally. In Mid-August there have been reports of no-showers, no-toilet flushes, no-water being offered to prisoners on the unit. What the hell was the warden thinking? That’s the point comrades, the oppressors down here don’t think. A prisoner in Texas is less than humyn, a barn animal, cattle, chattel, dog or cat but far from being viewed as humyn.

This is why political and legal education is so very important for the lumpen underclass housed in Texas state prison. We cannot organize against these oppressors if we don’t embrace the stage we are in. Cutting edge revolutionary scientific analysis tells us we are at the stage of A) Educate B) Raise awareness and consciousness and C) Garner public support for our struggle!

If the U.$. Department of Justice knows Texas allows the abuse of prisoners, what do they intend to do about it? A fancy report doesn’t do jack to solve the problem. We need tangible realistic solutions. We must lobby hard for these oppressors to be held accountable. This executive director Brad Livingston?! Out! This Prison Rape Elimnation Act Ombudsman Ralph Bales?! Out! This Warden on Connally Unit who has ignored the basic needs of the humyn beings in her/his care? Out! And add some civil rights violations and criminal charges to their resume and perchance they will take their job more seriously.

As always I encourage all comrades in Texas and beyond to join USW in order to learn how to remove the boot of the oppressor from your neck!

Notes:
1. Texas Observer, August 2013. By Emily Deprang - DOJ report on Sexual Assaults.
2. The Prison Show! KPFT 90.1 FM. August 9th 2013 - Report on Water Shortage on Connaly Unit - Kennedy, Texas

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