MIM(Prisons) is a cell of revolutionaries serving the oppressed masses inside U.$. prisons, guided by the communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
Under Lock & Key is a news service written by and for prisoners with a focus on what is going on behind bars throughout the United States. Under Lock & Key is available to U.S. prisoners for free through MIM(Prisons)'s Free Political Literature to Prisoners Program, by writing:
MIM(Prisons) PO Box 40799 San Francisco, CA 94140.
In early December of last year a hunger strike was called at Ely
State Prison, joined by at least 39 prisoners at the start and
fluctuating over the following weeks. A prison advocacy group, Return
Strong, represented the prisoners’ demands as follows:
End the continued and extended use of solitary confinement,
lockdowns, modified lockdowns, and de facto solitary confinement.
End correctional abuse.
End group punishment and administrative abuse.
Address due process interference and violation in the grievance
process.
Provide adequate and nutritious food.
Address health and safety concerns in all Nevada facilities and
provide resolution status to them.
In response, the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) ignored
several of the demands, calling them “false,” (2) but addressed some of
the concerns related to food and administrative handling of punishments.
Lower-level sanctions that result in loss of privileges will now run
concurrently instead of consecutively, and Aramark, the food vendor, is
being questioned about the portion sizes. Even the head of the local
prison guards union mentioned that they’d noticed the portions shrinking
recently.(1) Aramark has faced repeated legal challenges regarding its
poor food from prisons across the country (3), so the fact that it’s now
squeezing portion sizes in Nevada doesn’t come as too much of a
surprise.
Some of the more serious allegations NDOC ignored include food being
stolen from prisoners by staff, the existence of no-camera “beat-up
rooms,” collective punishment and indefinite 23-hour lockdowns excused
by laying the blame on “staffing issues,” and the de facto suspension of
programming for many prisoners.(4)
Prisoners at Ely State Prison voluntarily suspended the strike after
four weeks and the adjustment of some of the handling of administrative
sanctions were addressed.(5) We didn’t receive any info from inside or
outside coordinators about how/why the strike ended, just that it did.
If any of our readers can provide insight we’d appreciate it.
In prisons, there are venues for prisoners who have been abused or
treated unfairly or inhumanely. When things like this happen, a prisoner
has a right to sue, but only if he can get his case to court.
The problem is that because of PLRA, or Prison Litigation Reform Act,
it’s much more difficult for a prisoner, even if he is right, to get his
case to court. In essence, PLRA requires prisoners to first exhaust the
Administrative Remedy procedure… or a grievance procedure. In Federal
Prisons, it is known as a BP.
So quick scenario; a Black prisoner is being harassed by white
officers, who: constantly use racial slurs and trash his cell, taking
his family pictures and other valuables. The prisoner tries to file a BP
to get to court. Months pass, with no success, so he tries to take it
straight to court. The court shoots down his claim, because he did not
go through proper procedure of filing a grievance. So, even if the
prisoner is right, the courts won’t acknowledge his lawsuit because he
didn’t go by the rules.
But, is the prison going by them? Let’s talk about that, and how
prisons like USP Tucson are actually breaking the rules, making it very
difficult for prisoners to properly file a lawsuit, because the
Administrative Remedy procedure is horribly flawed.
To begin, let me pull up a statement from a case law, Woodford v.
Ngo 548 US 81, 126, S. Ct 2378, 165 L.Ed 2d 368 (2006). I want to
share with you an argument a prisoner had about the grievance procedure,
and what the argument against it was:
“Respondent contends that requiring proper exhaustion will lead
prison administrators to devise procedural requirements that are
designed to trap unwary prisoners and thus to defeat their claims.
Respondent does not contend, however, that anything like this occurred
in his case, and it is speculative that this will occur in the future.
Corrections officials concerned about maintaining order in their
institutions have a reason for creating and retaining grievance systems
that provide — and that are perceived by prisoners as providing - a
meaningful opportunity for prisoners to raise meritorious grievances.
And with respect to the possibility that prisons might create procedural
requirements for the purpose of tripping up all but the most skillful
prisoners, while Congress repealed the “plain, speedy, and effective”
standard, see 42 U. S. C. §1997e(a)(1) (1994 ed.) (repealed 1996), we
have no occasion here to decide how such situations might be addressed.”
- Justice Samuel Alito
In short, this argument claims that the prisoner was incorrect that
prisons could – and do – make it much harder for prisoners to file a
grievance. After all, if the prisoner can’t file the grievance, he can’t
get to court to sue the officers. In the above case, the Black prisoner
is trying to go through the procedure, meaning he has to exhaust the
grievance procedure, before he can go to the courts. This kinda makes
sense, because one intent of the PLRA is to prevent a lot of frivolous
lawsuits by prisoners.
But in doing this, there is a flaw, one prison has used a cheat in
the procedure. Let me explain:
To begin the BP, or grievance process, a prisoner must first have an
issue… ok, check. The prisoner claims discrimination against officers,
so he has a right to file a grievance. Well, step one, as I use USP
Tucson as an example, is to get what is called a BP-8. This is the
lowest form of the grievance, and it should be available upon
request.
Problem: Here at USP Tucson, it isn’t. The prison makes a policy that
ONLY the Counselor can hand out a BP-8. So, what if the Counselor isn’t
there? You have to wait to find the Counselor, because apparently no
other officer in the world can get that piece of paper. This is already
an obstacle of due process. In other states, you can get a grievance
form from any officer, especially the ones working in your dorm. It
makes sense, they are there all day, why not allow them to pass out the
grievances?
But, if you change the rules, you then regulate how often you pass
out the grievances. Now, you can’t get a BP unless there is a certain
officer there. And if he/she isn’t there, they don’t pass them out. So,
in theory, a Counselor can stiff-arm prisoners from getting a BP, by
making excuses of not being there, or “not having any”.
I say this from a LOT of experience… this happens a lot here at USP
Tucson. Many prisoners are frustrated with the Administrative Remedy
because for most, it simply does not work. The case law implies that all
prisons want to make the grievance procedure available for the
maintaining of order, this is not necessarily true at all.
Another technique for obstructing the grievance procedure is to
simply “lose” the grievance. If you manage to corner the Counselor and
get a BP-8 form, you then have to fill it out and hand it back to them.
Problem: The BP-8 is a single white piece of paper, and once you hand it
to the Counselor, you have NO copy. So how do you know they actually
processed it? In many cases, they don’t. They either “lose” it, or
simply trash it.
So, if you can get past the BP-8, there then is a formal BP-9, which
is on carbon paper. You have to fill out the form (if you’re lucky
enough to even get one), then turn it in to the Counselor (if you can
find “Waldo”), and wait for them to give you a carbon copy, if they
don’t lose it or trash it.
Additionally, the carbon paper on the BP-9 is so poor, you have to
have the strength of the Hulk to press down, to make the copy on the
second page, let alone the third or fourth. So, the BP-9 is almost
worthless after the first copy is torn off.
If you get no responses from the BP-9, then you have to go to the
BP-10, which goes over the heads of staff. But rinse and repeat on the
procedure. It is incredibly difficult to get the forms, when in
actuality, it should ALWAYS be available to any prisoner, at any time,
by most staff members. But staff plays keep away, from prisoners, to
prevent them from getting the BP’s, so they cannot timely file.
I say all this from experience. In February, I filed a BP-9 against
staff in my dorm because they refused to give us chemicals to clean the
showers during a lockdown. Over that period of time, an average of 30
prisoners used each shower cell, and not one drop of chemicals were used
to clean it. Think about that, how many of you would walk into a shower
after 30 other people had already used it? How about 10? Even 5? No one
here should have to do that, but staff knew about it, and did
nothing.
So, I wrote a BP-9 and the Case Manager took it and “turned it in” to
the Counselor, long story short, as of this date, 9 September 2022, I
have heard nothing, and they had only 30 days to respond. My guess, they
threw it away.
This is much like cheating at chess, where we have to match wits
against a facility that seems to be dead set on preventing prisoners
from properly (and legally) filing a grievance. Let us not lose the fact
that the grievance procedure is Constitutionally protected; no officer
or staff has the right to prevent prisoners from filing.
But, if you cannot complete the grievance, you cannot get to court,
because they will claim, as the case law showed, that the inmate didn’t
do the proper work, when in fact he did all he could do, but staff
aggressively prevented him from being able to file. The courts seem to
be blind, or naive, that prison officials would actually HONOR the
grievance system.
Think about that, why would they honor a system that holds their
staff accountable? Do you really think they are going to play fair if,
in the example I gave, a Black Prisoner is trying to sue racist
officers? Do you really think they are going to let the BP’s go through,
when they can block it at every turn?
It’s like cheating at chess, and it’s also why so many grievances
fail, because places like USP Tucson have figured out the loopholes and
are exploiting them to prevent prisoners from their constitutional
rights. It happens all the time, and nobody is doing anything about
it.
I mean, take out my queen, rooks and bishops, and yeah, it’s hard for
me to win too.
MIM(Prisons) adds: This is why comrades in United
Struggle from Within initiated the campaigns “We Demand Our Grievances
are Addressed.” Comrades developed petitions for many states as well as
the Feds to appeal these issues to higher and outside authorities to try
to bypass the problem described above. This campaign has included other
tactics like filing group grievances and even taking other group actions
when grievances are ignored. In many states comrades have called for an
outside review board to address these complaints. But ultimately, there
are no rights only power struggles, so leaving these issues in the hands
of the state will only do so much. The solution to the problem is coming
together as prisoners, as the oppressed and fighting for these rights
every step of the way. That is why we must build peace and unity among
prisoners to get grievances addressed.
The Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) is currently holding me
in Ad-Seg because of a bootlicking inmate’s claim that I am his enemy. I
have never had an enemy in my almost 20 years in prison. The real reason
is due to my current litigation against the NDOC due to their violations
to my civil rights.
Enclosed is a copy of a DOC-3012 form, I encourage you to print it in
the next ULK issue without censorship in an effort to expose
the responders for what they are! I’m also sending you a copy of a
“Snivel Kite” I was given after reporting the DOC-3012 response to
Correctional Officer Alfonso Alvarez. I encourage you to print it as
well.
For 2 years now they have been short of staff or so they claim. For
18 months they operated at 20% staff and for the last 6 months they
claim to be at 30% staff yet I’m certain an audit of certified payroll
would differ, especially salary or ranking positions.
Absolutely zero SOP (standard operating procedures) are adhered to.
Each rotation and every shift on every line is a freestyle depending on
how that officer chooses to conduct his/her daily routine. Count is the
only exception as all are constantly counting, especially when this
interferes/conflicts with prisoner movement and/or distributing meals
that regularly sit out for a long time (on occasion 4+ hours till next
shift has to deal with it) resulting in all meals served cold .
I spent the last 6 days under a blanket blowing my breath into the
space to try and keep warm. When I say cold I mean ice with the so
called temperature controlled (without any thermostat) Air conditioner
blowing.
Mental Health requests, telepsyche, 2nd day mental health related
issues take 9 months minimum if you ever see the telepsyche or for psych
meds while the self mutilation, smoke inhalation, and suicides are at an
all time high. The number of Ad-Seg prisoners going or gone crazy is
astounding. No, sad actually. Disturbing when witnessed first hand but
that is a problem. We are isolated from any and all civilization.
The weekly library actually drops off/ picks up books once every 6-8
weeks while we receive late notice disciplinaries for late books we
cannot return if they don’t pick up.
They do not run recreation or allow us our 1 hour out of cell ever.
On occasion, they will fill the 6 rec cages maybe once every 6 weeks but
there are over 60 prisoners for 6 cages and when they only run 1 shut,
they document they ran rec and we get fucked.
50% of all meals are Jonny Sacks. Always an excuse but never do we
get the diet as budgeted or as advertised. They steal all desserts so we
never get our once a week dessert. Jonny Sacks are a spoon of peanut
butter in a corner of two pieces of bread and 2 boiled eggs. We do not
get the drink called vitamin c drink (juice) but half the time and we
never get coffee + milk with breakfast like General Population.
When it comes time to review for getting out of Ad-Seg or program
eligible they write us bogus disciplinary charges and run fictitious
hearings resulting in automatic guilty verdict and restrictions
ineligible to get out of Ad-Seg or go to programs.
No phone calls no video visits, no tablets as advertised by TDCJ- no
effort or progress related to the tablets that are stored on site . Nor
do we get official word. No media access. No radio as they have faulty
wiring. No local papers. No echo TDCJ papers. No clue what’s happening
outside these walls just as they have no clue what’s happening inside.
They report they installed televisions. They mounted two TV’s where they
cannot be seen and the faulty cable wires mean no reception.
In protest fires burn daily on each of the Ad-Seg lines. Prisoners
burn any and all items that will burn. So many so often they don’t even
react or bother to put them out, consequently we have no mattresses.
Waiting list over 18 months to get a mattress. We sleep on steel and
concrete. There are no radios for sale on commissary. They send us books
then collect them as contraband. No cell cleaning disinfectant or
bleach.
We starve and eat crap. Spoiled rotten crap. Many actually eat their
own bodily waste and drink urine. Both hungry and mentally ill. Constant
screams. No crisis, suicide prevention, Chaplain, medical response etc.
For those in pain there is no medical relief. Suicides happen as
threats, and early warning signs are ignored. One must cut themselves
badly to be removed from cell. And we all do.
No windows, fresh air or sunshine, makes for a gaseous vapor in the
air that means pain. Scream all you want its music to their ears. Ad-Seg
B housing for confirmed family members labeled STG (security threat
group). I estimate nearly a quarter of the prisoners in Ad-Seg now have
empty cells with no personal property as it is constantly taken without
any due process at all. Often for standing up for one’s self or trying
to protect one’s rights or get what ones entitled to result in loss of
property with no formal procedure or due process. Regardless of religion
or affiliation they force christian music and preaching for 10 minutes
every Saturday. No other religious material is available for any
religion.
No barber in Ad-Seg no haircut for over 18 months now. We either
shave our heads with razors or grow long hair and beards. They put us on
bogus restrictions and limit how often we can buy stamps papers pen
envelopes etc to write out. Much of our outgoing and incoming mail
mysteriously does not reach its intended destination. Can’t prove who is
at fault.
They took away and banned any pics of women that may cause arousal.
Religious medals and items have been out of stock in commissary for the
last 2 years. Chaplain offers no addresses or info for any but
christian. The law library here offers no help, only issues exactly what
document you request if you know exactly what to request. Grievances
100% denied with responses completely bogus and irrelevant to the issue
attached. Completely useless when the board works for TDCJ and they
review and devise on complaints against them.
We are not receiving the items budget for and paid for with tax
dollars. We do not get the beef we raise on the fields. We do not get
the pork we raise. We do not get the chickens we raise. We do not get
fresh vegetables from field squad. We do get eggs, where does the rest
go? I’ll tell you. They sell the choice cuts of meat for money and the
lesser gristle and refuse in return.
The conditions within these walls are far worse than I witnessed in
military POW camps. they call for nothing less than military action to
get inside and expose what is occurring and begin a healing process. Its
fucked.
There hasn’t been any light bulbs for 18 months. I only recently
received one light bulb. Sit in a dark cell with no light.
Roaches and mice are an infestation. ORK Pest control in Amarillo
Springs regularly comes but none die. I owned a pest management company
and can tell you its not copacetic.
What I’m running into is a denial of all grievances, refusing all due
process rights, and one-sided administration that makes rules they hold
us accountable for and completely ignore those punishing them. Lawsuits
are difficult with no assistance and I’m running into a cost issue of
not being able to produce documents necessary for TDCJ to prove pro se
or indigent.
Shake downs every 90 days and regular cell search result in losing
much of what they sell us as they just take it period and destroy our
cells in disarray tearing books etc.
Of the 20 to 30% staff, many are foreign working on indentured
servitude program receiving less or no wages. Purchased into slavery
from an African country and housed on site and bused around.
Nigerian/African prisoners, debts owed, criminals, and outcasts
purchased under flag of indentured servitude.
Majority have sold out and crossed over to become a part of the
problem as they were too weak or chose not to fight a battle they
couldn’t win alone and divided we are. The few of us who resist are
overwhelmingly outnumbered and now fight the administration less as we
first have to fight the layer of those who were once us and crossed
over. Fighting amongst ourselves and trying to interpret rules all by
design a smokescreen to hide the underlying more predominant fights. The
criminals who take us prisoner, abused and torture and neglect us, and
steal all the funding allocated for the “solution to the problem” the
failure of democracy, justice and Law in this entity.
I stand up for what I believe and will resist or fight ’til my last
dying breath; I call for help and assistance. I Need the methods I use
to help change things from what they currently are to closer to the
original intent which is reform and discipline and department of
“corrections” is necessary.
North Texas AIPS Adds: We assume many similar
reports have been censored by the state of Texa$ through direct or
indirect methods as this writer describes above in regards to materials
being taken away through cell searches and terrorism from the staff. The
few that do come through highlight the extensive problems regarding any
accountability the guards have to the Texa$ prisoner population and
continuing neglect and abuse. While reform can be a useful tool to
facilitate organizing and education, the original intent versus practice
for prisons in amerikkka has always been to further suppress organizing
among the oppressed masses. Fighting the conditions of Ad-Seg in this
state must be for the purpose of revolutionary organizing and education
if your goal is to end this long list of abuses.
The truth has finally out come from the darkness and into the light:
people housed within social isolation by the U.$. criminal justice
system are not considered persons protected by the U.$. Constitution,
international agreements against torture, or Human Rights. States across
the United $tates are actively deploying systems and protocols that
suspend persons held in custody, in social isolation from Amerikan
society, away from the protections of law, due process and order.
The criminal justice trend is to eliminate prisoners’ freedom to use
and access Postal Services. It’s like the U.$. Postal Service has
entered into a private agreement with the criminal justice system to
deny mailing services of the traditional sense from all imprisoned.
Correction departments across the U.$. have engaged in concerted acts
of sedition, substituting systems disguised as fun helpful tablet
gadgets and video visitation programs for actual social interactions.
Gone are the days of free assembly/press/congregation and religious
exercise. Now persons are free to shut up, and be retaliated against for
even hoping to benefit from the protections of the U.$ Constitution’s
freedom of speech.
Even the freedom to grieve against the state has been frozen. In
California it is being done under the departments decision to cease
classical mailing processes for email services made available by the Global
Tel Link security corporation. CDCR is planning to phase out all
traditional mailing services in exchange for heavily restricted online
access.
The move by CDCR involves outsourcing labour facilities and
redirecting institutional service agreements to security bonds
controlled by state agencies outside of the department’s jurisdiction,
for example, the Department of Health and Human Services. The moves are
being made under the cover of darkness, better yet the cover of claims
to public safety, and the Center for Disease Control acts as the
shelter. All in the name of mental health and hospitality for Amerikans
with disability? From prisoners of circumstance to residences of
outpatient facilities too doped out of their minds to even know the
value of a traditional letter.
CDCR has began phasing out traditional mailing services using its
Inmate 602 Grievance Procedures, institutions have eliminated
traditional answering and mailing procedures for residence. Not only
does the department rely on a new SOMS computer scanning system that
forecloses any original writings and supporting information attached to
an Inmate grievance, but it is enforcing computer software coding, by
way of its Global-Tel Link tablet emails, that requires California
prisoners to email grievances. This last part connects to the criminal
justice system in the late requirements of U.S District Courts in
California for 1983 Civil complaints filed by prisoners be done via
email. If an individual can’t even write a simple complaint any longer,
it begs to question what is the U.$. standing in justice?
Technological advances are all good and all, but are the residence of
these penal institutions still citizens of the United Snakes of Amerika?
Or does their custody lie somewhere else?
It is important that the public be aware of this very serious dynamic
between themselves, the state and those in custody of state agencies
like CDCR. The state is allowing for those in the custody of CDCR to be
stripped of their civil rights and it all is being done in the name of
the people, under the color of law. Silence is not an answer to the
claims set forth against the people.
MIM(Prisons) adds:Prison Legal News (PLN)
just reported some interesting stats following the Florida Department of
Corrections completing its move to digitizing all regular
correspondence. They found that 1% of the contraband found by the
Florida DOC was through routine mail. Meanwhile, in July 2022, the
Legislative Finance Committee noted that after New Mexico shifted to
digitized mail there was zero effect on the amount of drug use in their
prisons.(1) These statistics back up what we’ve been reporting on
anectdotally for years – that mail restrictions and visitation shut
downs have had no impact on the influx of drugs into prisons across the
country.(2)
According to PLN prison systems and jails in 27 states have
switched to digitized mail. With California gearing up to follow suit,
it seems the tides have shifted in that direction.
Like body cams, some prisoners have asked for digital grievance
systems so the C.O. you submit it too can’t just drop it in the
trashcan. Otherwise, we agree with this comrade’s concerns. Social
isolation is a violation of basic humyn rights and humyn needs. Visits,
phone calls, letter, photos and cards are a must for any system that
hopes to rehabilitate.
Closing August 2022 with actions waged against the state of
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR’s)
deliberate and intentional acts of sedition, systematic race crime,
police gangs, mass insurance fraud, healthcare system abuse, etc.
Members of United Struggle from Within (USW), Prisoners Legal Clinic -
JLS, Lumpen Organizations Consolidated On 1 (LOCO1 United Front for
Peace in Prisons) and ABOSOL7 say, “We Charge Genocide!”
In response to CDCr appeal #000000243827 (Deliberately denied access
to CDCR 602 form (Rev. 03/20) in housing facility), the Department
grants the claims set forth that corruptions officers employed
at California State Prison - Los Angeles County (CSP-LAC) are involved
in a concerted scheme of withholding revised models of CDCr grievance
forms from the inmate population.
After being ignored at the institutional level where administrative
executives maintain a strict code of silence to officer misconduct, an
Associate Warden made a computer entry on a record affiliated with the
log number that the claims would be remanded for decision to an unknown
entity on an unknown date. Though the appeal on its face, if found true
would most definitely qualify under employee misconduct, that is a
candidate for a staff/citizens’ complaint.
As citizens’ complaints are reportable on direct appeal to any
federal county police agencies for public-civil prosecution, the issue
of intentional mis-handling of an appeal process was exhausted to the
state capitol by means of the Chief of Inmate Appeals, and favor has
been found for the freedom fighters.
Now we call on the struggle to burn strong.
We shall demand Senate hearing and investigations be held on the
subject of police gangs within the department promoting “don’t ask,
don’t tell” climates amongst the population, by way of withholding
access to the forms designed for speaking up and challenging abuse.
This is made known as a public service to the prison population to
wean itself off of depending on the court system as it is conditioned
into them to be. In order to not only relieve the stress on the local
courts but to increase the volume on the traffic between the cities and
their capitols. The Senate hearings are called hearing for a reason.
MIM(Prisons) adds: A comrade at Richard J. Donovan
Correctional Facility(RJDCF) recently wrote Governor Gavin Newsom
regarding the infamous gang structure that is running operations there
and denying prisoners the services the CDCR promises to offer them. The
comrade introduces the letter:
“While the Armstrong v. Newsom, 475 F. Supp. 3d 1038 (N.D. Cal.
2020) injunction requiring body cameras be worn by officers may
have subsided the wanton violent attacks on prisoners, nothing has been
done to address or rectify the criminally orientated structure which
dictates the overall daily operations of RJDCF. Such a failure renders
RJDCF incapable of providing adequate rehabilitative programs and
services to its prisoners.”
Offering more evidence for what we’ve been reporting about drugs in
prisons almost every issue, the comrade goes on to write,
“Long before in-person visits returned to prisoners, RJDCF has been,
and continues to be, peppered with the paper chemical substance known as
spice, and methamphetamine, both of which are eas[ily] accessible and
openly used outside of cell on surveillance cameras by various prisoners
in common public areas. In fact, it is easier to access any one of these
drugs here any day of the week than it is to establish or participate in
a self-help program or access rehabilitative services.”
Comrades in North Kern State Prison have also been struggling to get
their grievances heard:
“31 July 2022 – For the past month or two, us captives have been
getting fucked out of our recreation (dayroom, yard) even though the
orientation manual and Department Operational Manual acknowledges that
we are entitled to 1 hour of recreation (outside/outdoor recreation)
every day. These guards have been taking our yard and dayroom for the
most blandest of reasons, a supposed”shortage” of building staff, or for
a “one-on-one” or “two-on-one” fight amongst prisoners (fist fight),
fights that these guards are well-aware of before the incident even
happens. But still these guards shut down our whole program for any
small infraction just to have an excuse to not run yard. I have done a
“group” 602 grievance where 40 or so other prisoners have signed on to
add weight to our issues, the institution has denied this grievance due
to some trickery they employed. …These guards are lazy, they don’t want
to let us out of our cells for nothing.”
The RBGG Law Firm
reports the following outcome of Armstrong v. Newsom, 475 F.
Supp. 3d 1038 (N.D. Cal. 2020):
“As part of the remedial plans, CDCR must overhaul its staff
misconduct investigation and discipline process to better hold staff
accountable for violating the rights of incarcerated people with
disabilities. Those reforms will begin to be implemented at the six
prisons [including RJDCF, CSP-LAC, CSP-Corcoran, KVSP, CSATF, and CIW]
in June 2022 and will be implemented at all CDCR prisons by mid-2023.
CDCR must also produce to us and to the Court Expert staff misconduct
investigation files so that we can monitor if CDCR is complying with the
remedial plans and if the changes to the system will result in increased
transparency and accountability.”
We commend the comrades who are pushing for accountability around
these court-ordered reforms in the systematic abuse within the CDCR. But
as they both point out, criminal gangs are running these prisons, making
the attempts at reform superficial. So much more needs to be done. It
takes a lot of bravery to stand up to these gangs, and this type of
bravery is what is needed to mobilize the masses of prisoners to rally
to the cause for independent power.
We have a lot of issues at this facility, especially with mail
delivery delays (policy states the facility has 48 hours from arrival to
deliver mail and 72 hours for packages; both can take over a week) and
with unnecessary censorship. The Colorado Department of Corrections’
administrative regulations are clearly laid out regarding mail, but this
facility often misinterprets or outright ignores those policies.
BCCF is a private-owned (CoreCivic) prison, and despite having a
Private Prison Monitoring Unit (PPMU) assigned to monitor the facilities
compliance, they more regularly choose to cover for the administration,
for whatever reason, instead of holding them accountable in any way. In
fact, the former head of PPMU at this facility recently “retired” from
DOC and was hired by CoreCivic to a lucrative, high-ranking position
(Chief of Unit Management) at this very facility. No potential for
conflict of interest there, right?
The grievance procedure is a complete joke around here. Each step of
a grievance can take up to 2 months to receive a response, although
denying that any issues exist is hardly any sort of helpful response. By
the time a DOC employee becomes involved, several months have passed and
either they are lied to by facility staff, or they lie to the prisoner.
Either way, nothing is done about any real problems.
In my 8+ years at this prison, I have experienced a variety of
changes, including now having the third warden in that time frame. In
the past year – about the time the current Chief of Security and Warden,
and shortly thereafter, the PPMU/Chief of Unit Mgmt., arrived – the
level of violence here has skyrocketed. During most of my time here this
place had remained largely peaceful, if mismanaged to some degree,
however, now that new “security protocols” have been implemented (such
as creating two “compounds” from the one, making one dangerously
understaffed compound the “High-security” compound), drugs have flooded
this facility, despite all incoming mail being photocopied. We can’t
even get photos from family anymore. The rest of Colorado DOC facilities
are going through “normalization.” This private prison is only
normalizing drugs, anger, and violence. With no programs and very
limited rec, things will only get worse here.
I constantly encourage everyone around me who will listen to file
grievances and write letters to public officials. Even if they do not
solve issues in and of themselves, they create and build a record of the
abuses at a particular prison, or in a state’s system. “Keep your
copies!” Tell family and friends about all of the problems, change
public opinion of “us” by being responsible, educated citizens who
expect accountability from our government just like everyone else. When
something is broken, government just pours more of its stolen money into
the problem, never fixing anything (but getting more powerful in the
process). We need to expose to the public what a waste the prison system
is – in financial and human capital – and discourage anyone from
supporting the expansion of such a broken system.
MIM(Prisons) responds: We agree with this comrade’s
strategy. We should not have false illusions about reforming the system
through grievances or exposure, but we also must come together and
practice diligence and build our skills in fighting abuses. By doing so
we can build towards real solutions.
In ULK 76 you printed an article by the Connally Committee
of Texas T.E.A.M. O.N.E. titled “Connally
Unit Denying Grievances & Retaliating”. I cannot vouch for the
retaliation from here in High Security, but as for not responding to
grievances and being chronically understaffed, I can vouch for.
I filed 2 grievances back in early April and have had zero response
to them. I found a good cite in Prison Legal News June 2022
edition. It says, “A prisoner’s administrative remedies are exhausted
when prison officials fail to timely respond to a properly filed
grievance.” (Haight v. Thompson 763 F. 3d 554 (6th Cir 2014))
According to this, if they do not respond to our grievances we can go on
to a §1983 Civil Action.
My suggestion to TEAM ONE here at Connally is to go ahead and file
§1983 Lawsuits with hand-written copies of your Step 1’s and try to file
a Step 2. But your remedies are exhausted when TDCJ fails to respond to
your grievances. They have 40 days to respond to a Step 1 or file an
extension. If it has been more than 40 days and you have no answer, your
administrative remedies are exhausted. I’m sending a handwritten copy of
my Step 1 into the District Court this week. They will file, stamp it
and assign it a document number and I’ll use it as evidence in my
case.
As far as being understaffed, I can certainly agree with the writers
of that article. Every end of the month into the first of the month this
place is a ghost town. We are locked in our cells and fed sack
lunches.
We did recently win a small victory as far as the grooming policy
goes. AD-03.83 & SM-06.16 (Rev5) were updated on 10 May 2022 to
allow male prisoners to grow long hair and wear pony tails. There were a
lot of §1983 lawsuits pending on this subject. I’m still not totally
satisfied with the updated policy because TDCJ reserves the right to
force cut our hair for disciplinary reasons and they do not do this to
the women. Growing our hair is a religious right, not a privilege to be
revoked so I still have it listed in my lawsuit.
Revolutionary greetings to u all! We hope everyone is prepping for
the upcoming action(s) of Juneteenth, and otherwise doing well. Comrade
FireWater posed a question, “How can i help Tx TeamOne with a class
action suit to have Our grievances heard or to get independent oversight
of the grievance system?” i’ve decided to share Our answer with all of
you as it may be helpful to the Tx lumpen populace at large.
In the past few months, Tx TeamOne’s founding committee has been
forming working relations with a few liberal and petty bourgeois groups
for progressive improvements within the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice (TDCJ). These groups include some elected officials, christian
sympathizers, lawyers, radio personalities, and policy groups.
One such group is Tx Prison Reform (TPR), with whom one of Our
founding committee members was able to conduct an extensive interview,
establishing the basis of Our and the prison masses possible working
relationship with this group. The interview will be published in their
monthly newsletter and We hope to share it with u all as well. TPR is
focused on the destruction of Restricted Housing Units (RHU), but is
also collecting grievances and other forms of documentation to showcase
the foul nature of TDCJ.
Many of u may be familiar with Tx CURE. If so you’ll know the Tx
branch has been M.I.A. for awhile, but now has been reorganized by a
recently released TDCJ ex-prisoner. This persyn was a leading figure
behind the RACK II air conditioning lawsuit. Ey hasn’t established an
actual mailing address but we have the help of a family law attorney
who’ll send mailings to the head of Tx CURE. Right now, We’re looking
for documented complaints regarding major issues in TDCJ. These
grievances will be read in front of and by the Tx legislator at the next
session. The persyn from Tx CURE will be persynally speaking on behalf
of Tx inmates.
The issue of the grievance process is not a new one to us nor the
state officials. The grievance system in Tx and in fact many prison
systems around the country were the direct result of the Ruiz Litigation
(Ruiz v. Johnson, 37 F. Supp. 2d 855 (S.D. Tex. 1999)), and
since it was instated the same issues have been present. Accompanied
with your grievances you should write an official statement which may
also be read for/by the legislators and others. This statement should
articulate the need for independent oversight of TDCJ grievance
system, and make specific reference to Representative Jarvis Johnson’s
2019 House Bill which called for said oversight but has never been heard
by the House. We want the 2019 House Bill 363 heard and approved by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Other key points of emphasis are the excessive censorship and mail
tampering and its socio-political nature. With the recent escape &
man hunt We’ve found that censorship due to supposed security threats
has picked up. MIM
materials have been the target of much excessive censorship.
For those who don’t know the demographics are slowly but surely
shifting. Due to national gentrification, the thriving industries in the
state, and no state income tax, among other things, Texas is becoming
younger, darker, richer, and slightly more progressive, particularly
among youthful citizens. An essential contradiction in Tx is that of the
rural vs. urban population and the culture wars, and fight for resources
this intensifies. Urban populations tend to be darker, more
liberal/progressive (not revolutionary though) and lean left of center
on prison issues among others. Bernie Sanders’ organization “Our
Revolution” has been pushing campaigns by petty bourgeois, Democratic
Socialist elements around the country for the last several years and now
this present election cycle they have several candidates who’re
challenging the districts of the old guard Democratic Party
establishment. These districts are in both rural and urban areas but
mostly rural, which if successful will shift state electoral bourgeois
politics for the next decade or so.
A key point of emphasis for these so-called New Left Democrats is
Prison Reform. This will open organizing doors for revolutionaries
within the walls and those who support us.
i share all this because elements from the New Left Democrats and
some from a more moderate approach have championed and made possible a
new committee to ‘Study Tx Criminal Justice Issues.’ They’re excepting
documentary information from now until October on a wide range of issues
covering initial interaction with police, to jail policies &
conditions, Grand Jury issues, sentencing, and finally prison
conditions. Below i will include their addresses along with those of the
lawyer, and the groups i mentioned have been establishing working
relationships with.
p.s. We’re also happy to announce the present development of a Tx
TEAMONE committee in Smith Unit.
Jerney Coe Law Office/423 S. Spring Ave/ Tyler,
TX 75702
Tx Prison Reform/ Box #671/ Kaukana, WI 54130
Fairchanges/2407 S. Congress Ave, Ste E-434/ Austin, TX 78704 (send
reports on current conditions, at least 3 recommendations for change,
deadline 7/4/2022)
RealLife Ministries/ Box #328/ Forney, TX 75126 (also does RealLife
Radio, write to find out where you can tune in)
Dist. 141 - Senfronia Thompson/ 10527 Homestead Rd/ Houston, TX 77016
(Interim Study Committee on Criminal Justice reform ahead of
legislation)
i hope this information is useful.
MIM(Prisons) responds: We agree with Triumphant that
a shift in demographics and elected officials could create more space
for prison organizing. In theory an independent review board
could create space for organizing as well. However, there is no
historical example of such in the United $tates. Police review boards
have never been effective nor independent. How could they be? The point
of the criminal injustice system is to leverage the force of the state
against those that pose a threat to the bourgeoisie’s and the state’s
interests. This is a bourgeois dictatorship afterall, just like the rest
of the world today.
Revolutionaries should campaign on the issues. If petty bourgeois
reformers are willing to do the work to set up review boards and
oversight and change rules, good for them. We should support them in
doing so by campaigning on the issues that matter to us. As Triumphant
mentioned, censorship and torture units (RHU) are among these issues. If
we can campaign on these issues in ways that align with and support the
bourgeois reformers that is a good thing. If revolutionaries take up the
mantle of electoral politics and bourgeois reform, that is a very bad
thing that leads to a never-ending cycle of oppression.
For many years, MIM Distributors has been providing legal resources
to prisoners in Texas, including the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice(TDCJ)’s own Grievance Operations Manual. In 2010, USW launched
the grievance campaign in Texas, developing petitions to notify
regulatory bodies when the TDCJ was violating its own grievance process.
Four years later a comrade reported that on 30 September 2014 the TDCJ
removed the Grievance Operations Manual, which lays out the TDCJ’s
relevant code and policies, from all prison libraries(1) where it
used to be available for prisoners to reference. Soon after, MIM
Distributors began offering this document to comrades who were trying to
fight grievances they had against the TDCJ.
Turns out, they have continued to step things up a notch to keep this
public information out of the hands of prisoners. On 12 January 2022,
MIM Distributors was notified by the staff that the TDCJ Grievance
Operation Manual was censored at McConnell Unit on 10 December 2021 for
the following reason:
“in contradiction with BP-03.91, Uniform Offender Correspondence
Rules”
That was all the detail given. And we have not determined any portion
of BP-03.91 that could possibly be applied to TDCJ’s own public
policies. These types of cases should be easy wins for us.
Unfortunately, we do not have the support we used to have to deal with
prison administrators and hold them accountable. Outside supporters, get
in touch to help us rebuild our capacity to fight these blatant
injustices. Comrades inside that are falling victim to this repression,
keep filing paperwork and provide us with all the info you can on what
is going on.
notes: 1. A Texas Prisoner, November 2014, Texas Hides
Grievance Manual from Prisoners, Under Lock & Key 42. 2. A Texas
Prisoner, May 2019, Texas Confiscating Offender’s Grievance Operations
Manual.