Some people may say that I shouldn't be blogging about this. Some may say that it could put hubby at risk of intimidation or retaliation by the prison guards or administration. So let me start by saying two things very clearly:
1. Hubby has no intention of taking part in the planned inmate strike on 9 September 2016, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have an opinion on it or discuss it.
2. Intimidation and retaliation are just other words for bullying, and if there is one thing I detest more than people touching things that don't belong to them, it's bullies. They only have power if you let them, and by not talking about something like this, you give them power.
OK, now that's out of the way, lets get to the subject at hand: the proposed inmate strike on 9 September. This is a follow-up, and in some cases, ongoing action, from the April strikes that took place in at least 5 TDCJ prisons and several others across America. The reasons for the protest and action are many - when you have around 2 million people affected directly by something, you are unlikely to get a single number one issue. But Texas is unusual in that it does not pay its inmates any money at all for the work that they are obliged to do (don't turn up for your work detail in TDCJ, you'll catch a case and further punishment which can include being placed in Ad Seg, loss of other 'priviledges' such as the already limited recreation time, etc).
Now I do get the argument put forward by many in Texas that inmates get a number of things 'for free' while in prison that they would have to pay for in the freeworld. These include food, a roof over their head, a bed, clothes, running water (from the walls if not from a tap, and you probably wouldn't want to drink it anyway given the levels of arsenic in some areas). I also get that these are people who have been found guilty or plead guilty (two things that do not necessarily mean a person IS guilty by the way) and are in prison as punishment. But just as TDCJ is fast becoming the dumping ground for mentally ill individuals, the Texas public and lawmakers have a somewhat schizophrenic relationship with prisons and inmates (and their families).
First, there is absolutely no such thing as a free anything in Texas (or anywhere else). Just because the inmate does not pay directly in cash for the food, bed, roof, clothes, etc, doesn't make it free. Either the family pay by sending money that is then used to cover some of the medical costs or communication costs or food and other items from the commissary, or EVERYONE ELSE in Texas who pays taxes is paying for it all. And for many, that includes the inmate right up to the day they find themselves in jail.
In a state so adverse to paying personal income tax or any other kind of tax, doesn't it strike you as odd that very few Texans question the amount of their tax that contributes to the monster machine that is TDCJ with it's more than 100 prisons and around 140,000 inmates?
If TDCJ paid a dollar an hour - dammit, even a dollar a day - to inmates who worked, then the $100 annual medical charge (inmates who are indigent are not denied medical attention - I wont call it 'care') would be a little easier to swallow, because it would indeed be coming from the inmate's own funds. But given that inmates do not get paid, it is not the inmate who then pays for the medical charge: it's the friends and family of the inmate who are already paying through their taxes, and are then being told that they will pay TWICE through the money they send the inmate.
It's not just the money, or lack of, that is an issue in Texas. The convoluted and downright deliberate lack of will to assign many inmates any credit or 'good time' if they do behave themselves, is clogging up the system. It is causing (along with the dysfunctional BPP system) inmates to remain in prison long after they make that mind shift from reprobate to remorseful and wanting to give something back to society. The inability of the system to see beyond a crime to the inmate, to measure that inmate against them self rather than against an outdated perception of what an inmate should be, or to see prison as an undesirable millstone around the neck of a community has lead to certain parties within TDCJ and the TX legislature working tirelessly to keep as many inmates in prison as possible just to keep the prison machine going as it is.
Given the size of TDCJ, one possible reason for not paying inmates to work could be that there simply would not be enough 'jobs' to go round. It almost certainly suits some sections of the administration that so many TDCJ inmates are excused work because of 'medical' reasons - when these individuals could easily take part in computer-based occupations (no, not the Internet or unrestricted email), building and repairs, modern farming (rather than the plantation slavery that has men weeding fields on their knees with their hands in the TX summer) and any number of other things that would.... oh, I remember, we don't want the prison population to fall too low do we, otherwise some good ol' boys might have to be let go. Better to keep those inmates in prison until they are too old or sick to contribute as much as they would like to society, so that if by some miracle they do get paroled, it will only be a matter of time before they roll back through the picket gate again.
So will the planned strike change anything?
In short, no I don't think it will - beyond making life even more uncomfortable for any inmates not only involved, but also just in the same prisons as the action-takers. I understand the need to feel in control of ones destiny and to rise up against tyranny, but I really don't think this kind of action will achieve that.
What might go some way to achieving it is for the friends and families of the inmates to stop taking this laying down. Stop taking on the shame of your inmate's crime - let the inmate carry that, and walk in liberation with your head up to that polling booth and vote out the people who are standing in the way of change. Stand for local government yourself, then state government. TALK about this with people, don't let the bullies think they can do what they like and get away with it. Educate yourself, learn the law and use it, start blogs, newspapers, radio shows, join the TIFA, become active. Don't do your inmate's time for them, use the time to make the situation fairer for all now and all who come after. It can be done, you only have to look outside of the US to see that penal systems do not have to be run along the same lines as gulags.
Showing posts with label prison. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prison. Show all posts
Saturday, 20 August 2016
Monday, 5 May 2014
New forum for those involved with inmates in TDCJ
While TDCJ have improved their website recently, there is still a gap in the general information that many people seek when a loved one goes to prison in Texas, or for those who write to inmates in TDCJ units.
There is now a new forum that aims to provide as much information as possible on all aspects of TDCJ, uncluttered by too much chit-chat and references to what might be possible elsewhere but not relevant to TDCJ.
The new forum is here: Texas Prison Support
You will need to register to see the whole forum, and then you will need to activate your account in order to post.
So if you have any burning questions, don't be shy or think you will look stupid for asking - we were all new to this once!
There is now a new forum that aims to provide as much information as possible on all aspects of TDCJ, uncluttered by too much chit-chat and references to what might be possible elsewhere but not relevant to TDCJ.
The new forum is here: Texas Prison Support
You will need to register to see the whole forum, and then you will need to activate your account in order to post.
So if you have any burning questions, don't be shy or think you will look stupid for asking - we were all new to this once!
Saturday, 26 April 2014
This blog (and blogger) is here to help
Why do I blog?
I was asked that a few days ago, by someone who knew I did it but hadn't seen this blog or knew what the content is. It made me consider my reasons not only for blogging here, but for a few other things that I spent time online doing. My overall motivation is to help people.
In my day job, my work is a mix of helping different sets of often contradictory user groups in achieving similar aims. Conflict resolution and compromise are big parts of my daily mind set. It is often the case that to help one user group actually disadvantages the others, so a balance has to be found and sometimes the balance helps no one particularly well.
For as long as there are prisons and inmates, there will be an ever moving conveyor belt of people who want to write to them. I say "write", but more frequently these days emails and phone calls are also included in that scenario, and for some, also visits. All of these freeworld people have to start somewhere.
There are several forums online related to inmates, and communications with those in prison. Some are big, some smaller, some focused on a specific group of inmates or type of correspondence. Each has their place and their uses, along with their egos and atmospheres. Think of them as pubs or bars along a small town high street. You can crawl from one to the next, slowly becoming intoxicated by the various flavours on offer. Some may have a doorman, or a dress code, and some may be the old style bear pits that regularly get raided every weekend. But these days you can also get your beer at the supermarket, and at small corner shops. And some people brew their own.
This blog is me brewing my own flavour of information for those who are in some way involved with an inmate. This blog is (hopefully) not a pretentious champagne or an overbearing red or a thick pint of stout. The concept is that by sharing some of the stuff that my husband and I go through on our journey, we might help others avoid future pitfalls or perhaps show that there is a different way of doing something.
With that in mind, I have discovered a small piece of helpful information that is now available on the TDCJ inmate locator pages. When you search for an inmate and get to their details, you will now also see whether they are eligible for visits. I think this is a really useful piece of information, though you should always call the unit before travelling to see an inmate because the TDCJ website is usually 24 hours behind real time.
But well done to TDCJ.
I was asked that a few days ago, by someone who knew I did it but hadn't seen this blog or knew what the content is. It made me consider my reasons not only for blogging here, but for a few other things that I spent time online doing. My overall motivation is to help people.
In my day job, my work is a mix of helping different sets of often contradictory user groups in achieving similar aims. Conflict resolution and compromise are big parts of my daily mind set. It is often the case that to help one user group actually disadvantages the others, so a balance has to be found and sometimes the balance helps no one particularly well.
For as long as there are prisons and inmates, there will be an ever moving conveyor belt of people who want to write to them. I say "write", but more frequently these days emails and phone calls are also included in that scenario, and for some, also visits. All of these freeworld people have to start somewhere.
There are several forums online related to inmates, and communications with those in prison. Some are big, some smaller, some focused on a specific group of inmates or type of correspondence. Each has their place and their uses, along with their egos and atmospheres. Think of them as pubs or bars along a small town high street. You can crawl from one to the next, slowly becoming intoxicated by the various flavours on offer. Some may have a doorman, or a dress code, and some may be the old style bear pits that regularly get raided every weekend. But these days you can also get your beer at the supermarket, and at small corner shops. And some people brew their own.
This blog is me brewing my own flavour of information for those who are in some way involved with an inmate. This blog is (hopefully) not a pretentious champagne or an overbearing red or a thick pint of stout. The concept is that by sharing some of the stuff that my husband and I go through on our journey, we might help others avoid future pitfalls or perhaps show that there is a different way of doing something.
With that in mind, I have discovered a small piece of helpful information that is now available on the TDCJ inmate locator pages. When you search for an inmate and get to their details, you will now also see whether they are eligible for visits. I think this is a really useful piece of information, though you should always call the unit before travelling to see an inmate because the TDCJ website is usually 24 hours behind real time.
But well done to TDCJ.
Monday, 27 January 2014
New year, same strangeness
Just when you think you've heard it all before, TDCJ come up with a new one.
Recently there was a power cut at hubby's unit, which in itself is not unusual. They normally have secondary generators, as you would expect for a prison, that kick in if the main supply is interrupted. Apparently the power cut, or possibly the cause of the cut, damaged the water treatment equipment. Hubby says that there were notices put up around the unit warning the inmates not to drink unboiled water until further notice.
A sensible precaution you would think. Except TDCJ inmates are prohibited from having any equipment that actually boils liquid (also a sensible precaution, before anyone thinks I am against it).
Now, I'm all for encouraging self-responsibility. I understand that this is an unusual and unplanned incident and that inmates have the choice whether to drink water provided in their cells or not. And it is not the middle of summer, thank goodness. But surely it would have been even more sensible to draft in supplies of bottled water until the treatment equipment had been fixed, just to reduce the risk of contamination-related illness? If TDCJ can stump up $4000 for each new recruit who makes it through training and works on a short-staffed unit, surely there is a bit of cash there for a few gallons of water that is safe to drink.
And stranger yet, the letter in which hubby was informing me of all this appeared to spend 7 days in the mailroom before making it out of the gate to be franked.
Recently there was a power cut at hubby's unit, which in itself is not unusual. They normally have secondary generators, as you would expect for a prison, that kick in if the main supply is interrupted. Apparently the power cut, or possibly the cause of the cut, damaged the water treatment equipment. Hubby says that there were notices put up around the unit warning the inmates not to drink unboiled water until further notice.
A sensible precaution you would think. Except TDCJ inmates are prohibited from having any equipment that actually boils liquid (also a sensible precaution, before anyone thinks I am against it).
Now, I'm all for encouraging self-responsibility. I understand that this is an unusual and unplanned incident and that inmates have the choice whether to drink water provided in their cells or not. And it is not the middle of summer, thank goodness. But surely it would have been even more sensible to draft in supplies of bottled water until the treatment equipment had been fixed, just to reduce the risk of contamination-related illness? If TDCJ can stump up $4000 for each new recruit who makes it through training and works on a short-staffed unit, surely there is a bit of cash there for a few gallons of water that is safe to drink.
And stranger yet, the letter in which hubby was informing me of all this appeared to spend 7 days in the mailroom before making it out of the gate to be franked.
Saturday, 12 October 2013
Using a sledgehammer to crack a peanut
TDCJ has outdone itself yet again when imposing new rules on inmate correspondence.
Two things have found their way to me this week relating to the new inmate correspondence rules for TDCJthat come into
effect next March.
The first is that apparently, from then on, the only place that friends and family can purchase stationary for inmates will be eComm Direct, the "new" online vendor for TDCJ. I predicted this would happen a few months ago, and now it has. I feel bad for the small businesses around Texas that had previously been approved by TDCJ to supply stationary like the Texas Prison Bookstore and Rosie's Graphics.
The other item is about things you cannot send to an inmate:
11. Contains an altered photo.
"Altered Photo” is an image with content in violation of this policy that has been edited, including, but not limited to, by removing or changing the contents of the image with a computer software program or other means
.
I don't think they realise how badly worded that statement is - or if they do, then it is a Draconian measure that could lead to the mailrooms denying all photos because they could not be sure if they had been "altered" or not. Altered must surely include cropping a photo, as well as adding text as I often to do the copies of our visit photos that my husband and I get, just to put the date and our names on the front so he can send them on to family and friends.
If they don't want people to send naked photos with stars or other shapes blocking out the naughty bits, then fine, say so. But this will affect a lot of people who innocently just want to tidy up a photo, and perhaps obscure someone's face (like a child) and then send it to the inmate. Equally, the "or other means" at the end would potentially also include cutting a photo with scissors or even writing the inmate's name and number on the back of it. Whoever came up with this new rule obviously has far too much time on their hands!
It could however, be more insidious than that. It could be that someone in TDCJ thinks that women should not pose naked for photographs - even if the crucial bits are obscured - even if they are sending them to their husbands. It could be that TDCJ are trying to change the behaviour of people who are otherwise outside its control. Or it could just be that someone has put a CO's wife's head on the body of someone else in a compromising position and caused a major fight somewhere.
But the most useful piece of information they could have included is not there at all - what exactly constitutes a "package" as far as TDCJ is concerned?
Two things have found their way to me this week relating to the new inmate correspondence rules for TDCJ
The first is that apparently, from then on, the only place that friends and family can purchase stationary for inmates will be eComm Direct, the "new" online vendor for TDCJ. I predicted this would happen a few months ago, and now it has. I feel bad for the small businesses around Texas that had previously been approved by TDCJ to supply stationary like the Texas Prison Bookstore and Rosie's Graphics.
The other item is about things you cannot send to an inmate:
11. Contains an altered photo.
"Altered Photo” is an image with content in violation of this policy that has been edited, including, but not limited to, by removing or changing the contents of the image with a computer software program or other means
.
I don't think they realise how badly worded that statement is - or if they do, then it is a Draconian measure that could lead to the mailrooms denying all photos because they could not be sure if they had been "altered" or not. Altered must surely include cropping a photo, as well as adding text as I often to do the copies of our visit photos that my husband and I get, just to put the date and our names on the front so he can send them on to family and friends.
If they don't want people to send naked photos with stars or other shapes blocking out the naughty bits, then fine, say so. But this will affect a lot of people who innocently just want to tidy up a photo, and perhaps obscure someone's face (like a child) and then send it to the inmate. Equally, the "or other means" at the end would potentially also include cutting a photo with scissors or even writing the inmate's name and number on the back of it. Whoever came up with this new rule obviously has far too much time on their hands!
image from: Google
But the most useful piece of information they could have included is not there at all - what exactly constitutes a "package" as far as TDCJ is concerned?
Friday, 26 April 2013
Ironic conservatism
I used to submit articles to an online site called Helium, and before they dramatically changed their submission rules a couple of years ago, I was making decent pocket money from it (enough to cover what I send my husband each month and contribute to the flight costs). Then in 2011 they changed their rules and decided that they only wanted articles written in passive 3rd person tense. I find that really difficult to read - it's like an instruction manual from 1930 - and equally difficult to write because it's not a natural style. They also now demand a 1-year exclusivity agreement on all new submissions and editied older submissions, which I am not prepared to agree to because it's my work, not theirs. So I stopped submitting, and now just enough to keep the page view earnings open to me.
Today Helium deleted an article of mine that has been on there since around 2009, with the explanation that is it a knowledge article written in the first person. I'm actually quite pleased, because Helium wont let contributors delete their own work. Given the subject matter of the article, I do wonder if there is some other conservative bias at work, but it doesn't matter. I'm going to post it below, see what you think.
How to make the world a better place using just $100
Though I'm sure many people will be writing from a prospective or hypothetical viewpoint on this topic, this year I have already spent a little over the equivalent of $100 and if just one cent of that goes towards making the world a better place then it will all have been worth the time and effort I have given to it. However, I doubt that I will ever personally see a return on my investment. That's OK with me, just as long as someone somewhere does.
This year I decided that instead of just sending Christmas cards to people I know, both here in the UK and overseas, I would reach out to some people I don't personally know as well. It is an extension of something I took part in last year, a Christmas card circle organised by a lady in Germany, that collects and distributes the names and addresses of American inmates, mostly on Death Row, for those with compassion to send cards to. You can submit and accept as many names as you feel able to deal with. Last year I offered to send 10 postcards to assorted inmates; after writing my name and address (most Department of Corrections don't accept mail without a return address on it somewhere, although you can use a post office box) along with their details on the cards, there really wasn't room for more than a couple of sentences on the cards, so I just put that someone was thinking of them across the miles and that I hoped their holiday season was peaceful.
To my surprise, I received 6 replies. As I already have incarcerated penpals, I had to think hard about the consequences of taking on any more. I made the decision to look up their crimes, which ruled out a couple of them from my own boundaries of people I will correspond with. After some deep thought, I ended up with just one name, who over the past year has turned into a real character and I have no regrets at all about continuing to write to him. It turned out that just before I sent the card, he had been moved off Death Row, and in the past year has managed to make it into the Honour Dorm at his prison. I don't know if I have had any influence in that, directly or indirectly in his behaviour, but we have come to be friends and I know from experience that mail call and dependable correspondence is a useful tool in encouraging an offender to make better decisions.
So this year, I reached out on my own. I offered to send Christmas cards, and also Yule cards to those who do not observe Christmas, to the incarcerated loved ones of several women that I talk to regularly on a web forum. This takes a certain amount of trust on the part of the ladies; to give out the details of their loved ones means that in Texas at least I would be able to look up their crimes as well, and also as a woman myself, there is a worry that a new female writing to a loved one may trigger some romantic interest on the part of the inmate. I understand those worries, because my husband is also incarcerated and I too am wary about giving out his full name and number. But I put the offer out there, and received a good response, amassing some 20 names. To this I added the names of some of the inmates my husband has mentioned over the past year as guys he works with or gets along with, and of course my existing penpals.
I bought cards, none too religious in sentiment or picture, and wrote a few words of encouragement in each. I signed them from both myself and my husband, so there would be no room for misinterpretation of my intentions. The postage came to around the equivalent of $50, so with the cost of the cards on top and the extra small gifts for my penpals, I have spent approximately $100 on making other people's holiday season just a little more personal and brighter.
But it could go deeper than that. Just as dropping a stone into a pool creates ripples, so does the act of giving and passing on a kind thought. If just one of those cards find an inmate on a day when they are feeling forgotten by society, their friends and family at a time of year when traditionally people get together, that card may be enough to keep them from sinking into a depression, giving in to feelings of hopelessness, or attempting to end it all. If one of those cards touches the heart of an otherwise cold man, and is enough to stop him lashing out at a guard for just one day, then perhaps that guard can return to their family at the end of their shift and enjoy Christmas without doing so from a hospital bed. If one of those cards renews enough hope in an inmate to try one more time to contact their own family, or build or mend bridges that appeared to be long gone, then perhaps next Christmas that family will be closer and stronger than before.
The ripples don't end there of course; in a very small but no less important way, those cards have kept people in employment. The artists, manufacturers, paper mill workers, shop assistants, postal workers and mail room staff at the prisons all depend on people buying and sending those cards throughout the year, but in the current economic climate, good sales figures this Christmas may be the make or break point.
So those little cards, this year I hope, will help show the world that someone cares enough to make it a better place.
Today Helium deleted an article of mine that has been on there since around 2009, with the explanation that is it a knowledge article written in the first person. I'm actually quite pleased, because Helium wont let contributors delete their own work. Given the subject matter of the article, I do wonder if there is some other conservative bias at work, but it doesn't matter. I'm going to post it below, see what you think.
How to make the world a better place using just $100
Though I'm sure many people will be writing from a prospective or hypothetical viewpoint on this topic, this year I have already spent a little over the equivalent of $100 and if just one cent of that goes towards making the world a better place then it will all have been worth the time and effort I have given to it. However, I doubt that I will ever personally see a return on my investment. That's OK with me, just as long as someone somewhere does.
This year I decided that instead of just sending Christmas cards to people I know, both here in the UK and overseas, I would reach out to some people I don't personally know as well. It is an extension of something I took part in last year, a Christmas card circle organised by a lady in Germany, that collects and distributes the names and addresses of American inmates, mostly on Death Row, for those with compassion to send cards to. You can submit and accept as many names as you feel able to deal with. Last year I offered to send 10 postcards to assorted inmates; after writing my name and address (most Department of Corrections don't accept mail without a return address on it somewhere, although you can use a post office box) along with their details on the cards, there really wasn't room for more than a couple of sentences on the cards, so I just put that someone was thinking of them across the miles and that I hoped their holiday season was peaceful.
To my surprise, I received 6 replies. As I already have incarcerated penpals, I had to think hard about the consequences of taking on any more. I made the decision to look up their crimes, which ruled out a couple of them from my own boundaries of people I will correspond with. After some deep thought, I ended up with just one name, who over the past year has turned into a real character and I have no regrets at all about continuing to write to him. It turned out that just before I sent the card, he had been moved off Death Row, and in the past year has managed to make it into the Honour Dorm at his prison. I don't know if I have had any influence in that, directly or indirectly in his behaviour, but we have come to be friends and I know from experience that mail call and dependable correspondence is a useful tool in encouraging an offender to make better decisions.
So this year, I reached out on my own. I offered to send Christmas cards, and also Yule cards to those who do not observe Christmas, to the incarcerated loved ones of several women that I talk to regularly on a web forum. This takes a certain amount of trust on the part of the ladies; to give out the details of their loved ones means that in Texas at least I would be able to look up their crimes as well, and also as a woman myself, there is a worry that a new female writing to a loved one may trigger some romantic interest on the part of the inmate. I understand those worries, because my husband is also incarcerated and I too am wary about giving out his full name and number. But I put the offer out there, and received a good response, amassing some 20 names. To this I added the names of some of the inmates my husband has mentioned over the past year as guys he works with or gets along with, and of course my existing penpals.
I bought cards, none too religious in sentiment or picture, and wrote a few words of encouragement in each. I signed them from both myself and my husband, so there would be no room for misinterpretation of my intentions. The postage came to around the equivalent of $50, so with the cost of the cards on top and the extra small gifts for my penpals, I have spent approximately $100 on making other people's holiday season just a little more personal and brighter.
But it could go deeper than that. Just as dropping a stone into a pool creates ripples, so does the act of giving and passing on a kind thought. If just one of those cards find an inmate on a day when they are feeling forgotten by society, their friends and family at a time of year when traditionally people get together, that card may be enough to keep them from sinking into a depression, giving in to feelings of hopelessness, or attempting to end it all. If one of those cards touches the heart of an otherwise cold man, and is enough to stop him lashing out at a guard for just one day, then perhaps that guard can return to their family at the end of their shift and enjoy Christmas without doing so from a hospital bed. If one of those cards renews enough hope in an inmate to try one more time to contact their own family, or build or mend bridges that appeared to be long gone, then perhaps next Christmas that family will be closer and stronger than before.
The ripples don't end there of course; in a very small but no less important way, those cards have kept people in employment. The artists, manufacturers, paper mill workers, shop assistants, postal workers and mail room staff at the prisons all depend on people buying and sending those cards throughout the year, but in the current economic climate, good sales figures this Christmas may be the make or break point.
So those little cards, this year I hope, will help show the world that someone cares enough to make it a better place.
Monday, 3 December 2012
Security lockdown procedure
Some readers may find the following useful in understanding how a full security lockdown can operate in a TDCJ prison.
Week one: You will receive showers and necessities three times weekly and you will only receive sack lunches. Visitation privileges may be suspended. You will not be permitted dayroom privileges. If your behaviour is acceptable you will progress to week two.
Week two: You will receive showers and necessities three times weekly. You will receive commissary privileges one day. Hygiene items, one of each, and correspondence supplies, at a limit of $10, will be allowed with one spend for a total of $20 every two weeks. You will receive a hot lunch one time during the week if unit design allows and sack lunches for all other meals. Visitation privileges may be suspended. You will not be permitted dayroom privileges. If your behaviour is acceptable, you will progress to week three.
Week three: You will receive showers and necessities three times weekly. You will receive commissary privileges one day. Hygiene items, one of each, and correspondence supplies, at a limit of $10 will be allowed with one spend for a total of $20 every two weeks. You will receive a hot lunch and supper three days if unit design allows and sack lunches for all other meals. Visitation privileges will be reinstated if suspended. You will be permitted limited dayroom privileges as appropriate for your custody designation. If your behaviour is acceptable you will progress to week four.
Week four: You will receive showers and necessities three times weekly. You will receive regular commissary purchase privileges one day as appropriate for your custody designation. Daily hot lunches and supper privileges will be retunred and visitation privileges will continue. You will be permitted limited dayroom privileges as appropriate for your custody designation. You may be allowed to return to work at the Warden's discretion. Upon approval by the Warden, lockdown will be lifted.
Generally, all meals will be delivered via use of the food tray slot. If your cell does not have a food tray slot, to receive a meal while on lockdown status you must go to the rear of your cell, face the wall, kneel down and place both hands behind your back. When you have followed these procedures, your meal will be placed inside the cell door.
If at any period during these four weeks there is a recurrence of disruptive behaviour, the unit or portion involved may be returned to week one of the lockdown schedule.
NOTICE TO OFFENDERS
You have been placed on a lockdown status because of disruptive behaviour or security reasons. This status has been imposed and will continue to be imposed until such time as this disruptive behaviour is eliminated or the security reasons no longer exist. To ensure you understand the conditions and process of your return to normal activities, the progressive release schedule is explained below.Week one: You will receive showers and necessities three times weekly and you will only receive sack lunches. Visitation privileges may be suspended. You will not be permitted dayroom privileges. If your behaviour is acceptable you will progress to week two.
Week two: You will receive showers and necessities three times weekly. You will receive commissary privileges one day. Hygiene items, one of each, and correspondence supplies, at a limit of $10, will be allowed with one spend for a total of $20 every two weeks. You will receive a hot lunch one time during the week if unit design allows and sack lunches for all other meals. Visitation privileges may be suspended. You will not be permitted dayroom privileges. If your behaviour is acceptable, you will progress to week three.
Week three: You will receive showers and necessities three times weekly. You will receive commissary privileges one day. Hygiene items, one of each, and correspondence supplies, at a limit of $10 will be allowed with one spend for a total of $20 every two weeks. You will receive a hot lunch and supper three days if unit design allows and sack lunches for all other meals. Visitation privileges will be reinstated if suspended. You will be permitted limited dayroom privileges as appropriate for your custody designation. If your behaviour is acceptable you will progress to week four.
Week four: You will receive showers and necessities three times weekly. You will receive regular commissary purchase privileges one day as appropriate for your custody designation. Daily hot lunches and supper privileges will be retunred and visitation privileges will continue. You will be permitted limited dayroom privileges as appropriate for your custody designation. You may be allowed to return to work at the Warden's discretion. Upon approval by the Warden, lockdown will be lifted.
Generally, all meals will be delivered via use of the food tray slot. If your cell does not have a food tray slot, to receive a meal while on lockdown status you must go to the rear of your cell, face the wall, kneel down and place both hands behind your back. When you have followed these procedures, your meal will be placed inside the cell door.
If at any period during these four weeks there is a recurrence of disruptive behaviour, the unit or portion involved may be returned to week one of the lockdown schedule.
Saturday, 10 November 2012
TDCJ online commissary system by eCommDirect
TDCJ have finally rolled out their new inmate "care package" system that allows friends and family (F&F) to purchase items online from the unit commissary to be delivered to the inmate. Inmates are also allowed to purchase packs of items, such as a hygiene pack or a snack pack, through the usual commissary window. You have to give them points for trying I suppose.If you want to use the service, the URL is https://tdcj-ecommdirect.portal.texas.gov/ but it is only available between 4am and 9pm Texas time.
The charge for F&F purchases is $3.75 for each transaction. Each inmate can receive up to $50 worth of outside purchases per quarter. F&F can also deposit funds into the inmate's trust fund account, for a lower fee per transaction than Jpay charges.
Hubby and I talked about this new system at our visit last weekend. He doesn't like it that I send him money, he would rather be able to earn his own. He enjoys the books I send but has limited space so I try not to send too many. He said he has seen some of the packs and other items that other inmates have bought themselves, and he feels that they are not worth the money. In the snack pack, the only item he said was worth it were some smoked almonds, and he can always acquire those from someone else if he wants some.
So we agreed to watch and wait for now. I'm wary of giving my bank details directly to Texas.gov, and as with all new systems, there will be teething troubles until it all beds down. We may use the money transfer section in the future simply because it is cheaper, but I'm happy enough with Jpay for now.
Of course if F&F could send items through this service that are not available to inmates through commissary, then it might be more attractive. Other states manage to accommodate that. Or if F&F could purchase postage stamps of course because those are the things hubby runs out of most frequently. But TDCJ are obsessed with the idea that inmates would gamble all of their stamps away if they were allowed an unlimited number (as if they don't gamble with everything else they own, and plenty of stuff they don't own too) so I can't see that happening.
I realise that I'm a minority in all of this, but this care package system really isn't much use to us.
The charge for F&F purchases is $3.75 for each transaction. Each inmate can receive up to $50 worth of outside purchases per quarter. F&F can also deposit funds into the inmate's trust fund account, for a lower fee per transaction than Jpay charges.
Hubby and I talked about this new system at our visit last weekend. He doesn't like it that I send him money, he would rather be able to earn his own. He enjoys the books I send but has limited space so I try not to send too many. He said he has seen some of the packs and other items that other inmates have bought themselves, and he feels that they are not worth the money. In the snack pack, the only item he said was worth it were some smoked almonds, and he can always acquire those from someone else if he wants some.
So we agreed to watch and wait for now. I'm wary of giving my bank details directly to Texas.gov, and as with all new systems, there will be teething troubles until it all beds down. We may use the money transfer section in the future simply because it is cheaper, but I'm happy enough with Jpay for now.
Of course if F&F could send items through this service that are not available to inmates through commissary, then it might be more attractive. Other states manage to accommodate that. Or if F&F could purchase postage stamps of course because those are the things hubby runs out of most frequently. But TDCJ are obsessed with the idea that inmates would gamble all of their stamps away if they were allowed an unlimited number (as if they don't gamble with everything else they own, and plenty of stuff they don't own too) so I can't see that happening.
I realise that I'm a minority in all of this, but this care package system really isn't much use to us.
Sunday, 20 May 2012
What a difference a few hours can make
This morning I was happy and posting about the new dolls I'm making.
Now, just a few hours later, I am in tears because one of my penpals has died.
My friend, Jon, took his own life 3 weeks ago. He was in his 70s and would never have walked out of prison alive. He had the last word, true to form.
Regardless of what Jon did 46 years ago, in the 5 years I had been corresponding with him he had been a spirited, alert, intelligent and stimulating friend. We shared our hip ailments, and our criticisms of the political systems we both lived under. He wrote 2 letters to every one of mine, and loved to learn about British words and phrases and their meanings.
I will miss him, and my sympathies are with his family.
Now, just a few hours later, I am in tears because one of my penpals has died.
My friend, Jon, took his own life 3 weeks ago. He was in his 70s and would never have walked out of prison alive. He had the last word, true to form.
Regardless of what Jon did 46 years ago, in the 5 years I had been corresponding with him he had been a spirited, alert, intelligent and stimulating friend. We shared our hip ailments, and our criticisms of the political systems we both lived under. He wrote 2 letters to every one of mine, and loved to learn about British words and phrases and their meanings.
I will miss him, and my sympathies are with his family.
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Humbled
As I've mentioned before, I have several penpals who are in prison in various states on the US. My pals and I have a steady and uncomplicated arrangement with our writing. We don't talk on the phone, as many people seem to want with their penpals. Even if I did want to, it would not be right for me while I cannot talk to my husband in that way. I also don't visit my penpals; the guys would definitely be off-limits while my husband is in prison, and while the girls would probably welcome a visit, I can only stretch myself so far when I'm over there. So we just write, once every 4-6 weeks or so, and talk about wtuff I do and stuff that they are all interested in.
Recently I have been discussing the pros and cons of some of the US states as places to live in with my older guy in Pennsylvania. I had mentioned that Idaho looked as if it had a lot of the things I was looking for, and he said that he enjoyed the fishing there.
A few days ago I received a surprise package in the mail from my PA pal. It was a book, a National Geographic photo book about the natural history of Idaho. It cost him over $10 to send and I was totally humbled that he had sent it. He gets paid a tiny amount for the work he does in prison, and is a very proud guy who will not allow me to send stationary or money to cover any. And yet he wanted to give me something that would cost him more than 2 or 3 weeks to pay for.
I write to inmates because I am interested in people and I like getting mail. I don't really have any other altruistic motives, or a desire to "save" anyone. I've never received anything like this from a penpal before and I am both humbled and also really happy for Jon that he could do something that made him feel good too.
Recently I have been discussing the pros and cons of some of the US states as places to live in with my older guy in Pennsylvania. I had mentioned that Idaho looked as if it had a lot of the things I was looking for, and he said that he enjoyed the fishing there.
A few days ago I received a surprise package in the mail from my PA pal. It was a book, a National Geographic photo book about the natural history of Idaho. It cost him over $10 to send and I was totally humbled that he had sent it. He gets paid a tiny amount for the work he does in prison, and is a very proud guy who will not allow me to send stationary or money to cover any. And yet he wanted to give me something that would cost him more than 2 or 3 weeks to pay for.
I write to inmates because I am interested in people and I like getting mail. I don't really have any other altruistic motives, or a desire to "save" anyone. I've never received anything like this from a penpal before and I am both humbled and also really happy for Jon that he could do something that made him feel good too.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Could you live without friends? (WAP petition)
I've been away for a few days and been busy as it's been my birthday, but I need to post a link to a petition that has been set up by the folks at the Write A Prisoner website.
To sign it, click HERE and please add it to your Facebook, Twitter, etc
The rationale behind it is as follows.....
"We are WriteAPrisoner.com, a website that posts the following types of profiles for inmates: Educational, Employment, Housing, Legal, and our most popular, Pen-Pal. Members of the public choose to write the inmates posted on our website via postal mail. We do not give inmates access to the Internet in any way. In 2003 the Florida Department of Corrections proposed a rule to ban inmates from seeking pen-pals. This rule bans inmates from participating in all of our programs. We attended the State’s public hearing on the proposed rule in Tallahassee, Florida, as did representatives from many other organizations that oppose the rule, including the ACLU, the Catholic Church, members of the public, ministers, and others. Not one person showed up to support the rule! Still, in 2004, the rule was implemented by former Florida Department of Corrections’ Secretary, James Crosby. (Incidentally, Mr. Crosby, who implemented this rule, has since been imprisoned himself on corruption charges.) In 2009, along with Freedom Through Christ Prison Ministry (one of the oldest prison ministries in this country), we challenged this rule in Federal Court, represented by a highly competent team of lawyers from the Florida Justice Institute. Presenting NO EVIDENCE of wrongdoing by pen-pals or WriteAPrisoner.com of any kind, the district court arbitrarily ruled against us (and the inmates).
We appealed to a panel of judges on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in hopes that justice would prevail. Again, presenting not a single piece of evidence of wrongdoing, a panel of three judges ruled against us in yet another stunningly arbitrary decision. While we pursue the appeals process, we are hopeful that you will sign this petition asking Governor Scott of the State of Florida to repeal this senseless and destructive rule.
Research overwhelmingly shows that inmates having access to contacts outside of prison has a highly positive and effective impact on rehabilitation. Still, the State of Florida has cut them completely off without even so much as a single documented problem. Numerous studies show us the State’s position is counterproductive to helping these people turn their lives around and returning to us as well adjusted citizens: http://writeaprisoner.com/why-write-a-prisoner/default.aspx
Since the adoption of this ban in Florida, two other states have followed suit and adopted almost verbatim language of the Florida Department of Corrections’ rule that bans our mail. They are Governor Nixon from Missouri and Governor Daniels from Indiana. We intend to send this petition to all three governors. Please support what little is left of a First Amendment for prisoners or those seeking to help them turn their lives around, and sign this petition today. Thank you!"
To sign it, click HERE and please add it to your Facebook, Twitter, etc
The rationale behind it is as follows.....
"We are WriteAPrisoner.com, a website that posts the following types of profiles for inmates: Educational, Employment, Housing, Legal, and our most popular, Pen-Pal. Members of the public choose to write the inmates posted on our website via postal mail. We do not give inmates access to the Internet in any way. In 2003 the Florida Department of Corrections proposed a rule to ban inmates from seeking pen-pals. This rule bans inmates from participating in all of our programs. We attended the State’s public hearing on the proposed rule in Tallahassee, Florida, as did representatives from many other organizations that oppose the rule, including the ACLU, the Catholic Church, members of the public, ministers, and others. Not one person showed up to support the rule! Still, in 2004, the rule was implemented by former Florida Department of Corrections’ Secretary, James Crosby. (Incidentally, Mr. Crosby, who implemented this rule, has since been imprisoned himself on corruption charges.) In 2009, along with Freedom Through Christ Prison Ministry (one of the oldest prison ministries in this country), we challenged this rule in Federal Court, represented by a highly competent team of lawyers from the Florida Justice Institute. Presenting NO EVIDENCE of wrongdoing by pen-pals or WriteAPrisoner.com of any kind, the district court arbitrarily ruled against us (and the inmates).
We appealed to a panel of judges on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in hopes that justice would prevail. Again, presenting not a single piece of evidence of wrongdoing, a panel of three judges ruled against us in yet another stunningly arbitrary decision. While we pursue the appeals process, we are hopeful that you will sign this petition asking Governor Scott of the State of Florida to repeal this senseless and destructive rule.
Research overwhelmingly shows that inmates having access to contacts outside of prison has a highly positive and effective impact on rehabilitation. Still, the State of Florida has cut them completely off without even so much as a single documented problem. Numerous studies show us the State’s position is counterproductive to helping these people turn their lives around and returning to us as well adjusted citizens: http://writeaprisoner.com/why-write-a-prisoner/default.aspx
Since the adoption of this ban in Florida, two other states have followed suit and adopted almost verbatim language of the Florida Department of Corrections’ rule that bans our mail. They are Governor Nixon from Missouri and Governor Daniels from Indiana. We intend to send this petition to all three governors. Please support what little is left of a First Amendment for prisoners or those seeking to help them turn their lives around, and sign this petition today. Thank you!"
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Major case
I pick and choose what I blog about TDCJ, mainly because I don't want this to be *just another inmate wife blog* but also because sometimes there are things that don't need to be in the public domain at the same time that they are happening.
I've been thinking about the rehabilitation side of TDCJ recently, or lack of any meaningful rehabilitation or re-entry planning or programmes. In the latest letter I have from my husband, it would appear that he may have picked up a major case for doing something that most of us in the free world take for granted and certainly wouldn't think twice about doing.
When someone in the office where I work has a headache, it is very common for them to ask in general if anyone has any headache pills. This usually results in 5 or 6 people waving the little plastic and foil strips as an offering, along with disclaimers such as "you should probably only take one as you're small" or "don't worry, they're not prescription ones". I would put money on this scene being repeated across the globe as people generally want to help others who are feeling a bit ill or in discomfort.
In TDCJ, inmates are not permitted to share anything, even if it would help out someone else. This is a security measure which I do understand, but it also goes against the fundamental basics of communal living - the greater good of the whole depends on people getting along and being nice to each other.
My husband gets acid reflux regularly, and has Zantac from the pharmacist at his unit. Many other inmates also have Zantac on prescription there. It is available over the counter outside TDCJ and is not a controlled substance in any way. While he was working in the dining hall a couple of weeks ago, another guy mentioned that he had just got his prescription. He gave my husband a pill because he was experiencing heartburn at the time. A guard saw them.
Now, I am NOT criticising the guard at all. He did not know what changed hands and he was absolutely correct in pulling both my husband and the other inmate out and searching them thoroughly etc. But I also find it difficult to criticise my husband or the other inmate in this instance, for doing what so many other people do every day - including I suspect a good number of corrections officers.
At his time of writing, my husband was fairly certain he was going to catch a major case because of this, though it had been a couple of days since the incident and no notification had yet been received by him. I would hope that the Major or Warden, on reviewing the evidence and circumstances, would decide on a minor case for both inmates. Why go for a more serious charge when the pills were not narcotics - where does that leave the punishment scale if the next time the pills are narcotic? It also does not appear to have been a planned transaction; rather it was a short discussion between 2 guys who both know the other takes the same medication.
Where does this leave rehabilitation? By punishing inmates for behaving in a social and community-minded way, what exactly is TDCJ promoting? Often one of the reasons that the Board of Pardons and Parole gives when denying an inmate parole is that they have become institutionalised. And yet this is precisely the behaviour that TDCJ itself encourages, and inmates who do not become institutionalised get punished for displaying that.
There is no clear plan or directive for rehabilitation in TDCJ. It is the only state criminal department of corrections that does not have "corrections" in its name (Texas Department for Criminal Justice). I have always thought that speaks far more about the attitudes of Texan legislators than it does about the inmates it holds.
I've been thinking about the rehabilitation side of TDCJ recently, or lack of any meaningful rehabilitation or re-entry planning or programmes. In the latest letter I have from my husband, it would appear that he may have picked up a major case for doing something that most of us in the free world take for granted and certainly wouldn't think twice about doing.
When someone in the office where I work has a headache, it is very common for them to ask in general if anyone has any headache pills. This usually results in 5 or 6 people waving the little plastic and foil strips as an offering, along with disclaimers such as "you should probably only take one as you're small" or "don't worry, they're not prescription ones". I would put money on this scene being repeated across the globe as people generally want to help others who are feeling a bit ill or in discomfort.
In TDCJ, inmates are not permitted to share anything, even if it would help out someone else. This is a security measure which I do understand, but it also goes against the fundamental basics of communal living - the greater good of the whole depends on people getting along and being nice to each other.
My husband gets acid reflux regularly, and has Zantac from the pharmacist at his unit. Many other inmates also have Zantac on prescription there. It is available over the counter outside TDCJ and is not a controlled substance in any way. While he was working in the dining hall a couple of weeks ago, another guy mentioned that he had just got his prescription. He gave my husband a pill because he was experiencing heartburn at the time. A guard saw them.
Now, I am NOT criticising the guard at all. He did not know what changed hands and he was absolutely correct in pulling both my husband and the other inmate out and searching them thoroughly etc. But I also find it difficult to criticise my husband or the other inmate in this instance, for doing what so many other people do every day - including I suspect a good number of corrections officers.
At his time of writing, my husband was fairly certain he was going to catch a major case because of this, though it had been a couple of days since the incident and no notification had yet been received by him. I would hope that the Major or Warden, on reviewing the evidence and circumstances, would decide on a minor case for both inmates. Why go for a more serious charge when the pills were not narcotics - where does that leave the punishment scale if the next time the pills are narcotic? It also does not appear to have been a planned transaction; rather it was a short discussion between 2 guys who both know the other takes the same medication.
Where does this leave rehabilitation? By punishing inmates for behaving in a social and community-minded way, what exactly is TDCJ promoting? Often one of the reasons that the Board of Pardons and Parole gives when denying an inmate parole is that they have become institutionalised. And yet this is precisely the behaviour that TDCJ itself encourages, and inmates who do not become institutionalised get punished for displaying that.
There is no clear plan or directive for rehabilitation in TDCJ. It is the only state criminal department of corrections that does not have "corrections" in its name (Texas Department for Criminal Justice). I have always thought that speaks far more about the attitudes of Texan legislators than it does about the inmates it holds.
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Resolana's November 2011 Newsletter
Just a link really, so that you can read more about all the fabulous work this charity is doing with the women in Dallas County Jail, Tx:
Newsletter pdf
Newsletter pdf
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Reminder - the Sunset Commissions needs YOUR views on TDCJ!
I could write a really involved and long post about this, but the fabulous and informed Grits For Breakfast blog has already done the job. Go there, grab the surveys for individuals outside of TDCJ and also the one for current inmates, fill them in and return them to have your voice heard!
Saturday, 22 October 2011
Knitting in Prison - New Zealand
Another rehabilitation-led programme that matches prison inmates with the benefits of knitting.
In New Zealand, the Prisoner's Aid and Rehabilitation Society works across the country to help inmates and their families through the stressed of incarceration. At the prison in New Plymouth, inmates have been knitting for the past 9 months, under the direction of PARS director Barbara Sarjeant. As with other such groups, the inmates have been making beanie hats and other items, and these are donated to a local women's refuge.
See full article at Taranaki Daily News
In New Zealand, the Prisoner's Aid and Rehabilitation Society works across the country to help inmates and their families through the stressed of incarceration. At the prison in New Plymouth, inmates have been knitting for the past 9 months, under the direction of PARS director Barbara Sarjeant. As with other such groups, the inmates have been making beanie hats and other items, and these are donated to a local women's refuge.
See full article at Taranaki Daily News
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Doll therapy
I've never been into Barbie or Cindy dolls, or really any plastic dolls at all. But rag dolls are different.
I found myself slipping into depression-like behaviour a couple of weeks ago. I was withdrawing, slowing down, tired all the time yet unable to sleep well, and not wanting to talk to anyone on more than a superficial level. I recognise these signs because I've lived with them for most of my life with my dad and myself, and I don't want to become the person depression makes me. It takes a lot of disciplin not to slip further into it, not something I have in buckets really, but this time I decided to try and focus on a project and see if that would be enough to see me through.
So, meet Dawn.....
Though I've been lacking in enthusiasm for many things lately, the Good Girl/Bad Girl dolls made by Resolana and the women in Dallas County jail kept itching at my brain. I want to make a couple to auction off and raise a bit of cash for the charity, but before I can do that I needed to make a prototype, just to get the dimensions and styling right. Dawn is the result, and in making Dawn I have more ideas for other girls and boys now too. I'll introduce them as they emerge.
End note: Resolana are also having a music festival in Dallas Texas on September 24th 2011 - ticket details here!
I found myself slipping into depression-like behaviour a couple of weeks ago. I was withdrawing, slowing down, tired all the time yet unable to sleep well, and not wanting to talk to anyone on more than a superficial level. I recognise these signs because I've lived with them for most of my life with my dad and myself, and I don't want to become the person depression makes me. It takes a lot of disciplin not to slip further into it, not something I have in buckets really, but this time I decided to try and focus on a project and see if that would be enough to see me through.
So, meet Dawn.....
Though I've been lacking in enthusiasm for many things lately, the Good Girl/Bad Girl dolls made by Resolana and the women in Dallas County jail kept itching at my brain. I want to make a couple to auction off and raise a bit of cash for the charity, but before I can do that I needed to make a prototype, just to get the dimensions and styling right. Dawn is the result, and in making Dawn I have more ideas for other girls and boys now too. I'll introduce them as they emerge.
End note: Resolana are also having a music festival in Dallas Texas on September 24th 2011 - ticket details here!
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
TDCJ inmate medical tax - update info
I know, 2 posts in a single day, but some things are important to talk about.
I previously blogged about the new law in Texas that allows TDCJ to charge inmates a fee (or TAX, seeing as inmate families are the ones who generally put the money into the inmate trust fund accounts) of $100 every year, for medical care. This fee is to be taken directly from the inmate's trust fund as soon as the inmate initiates a medical call. If the inmate does not have $100 in their account, TDCJ will take 50% of every deposit into the inmate's account until the $100 has been paid for that year.
TDCJ have posted notices in units across the state to inform inmates of the change. You can read the poster information HERE in English and if you prefer Spanish or want to download and print for someone who does, then the Spanish version is here.
I'd be interested to hear how others are planning to make the payments - in a single sum or by allowing TDCJ to take half of any deposit made? Does your inmate intend to make more visits to medical now that they will have to pay so much more?
I previously blogged about the new law in Texas that allows TDCJ to charge inmates a fee (or TAX, seeing as inmate families are the ones who generally put the money into the inmate trust fund accounts) of $100 every year, for medical care. This fee is to be taken directly from the inmate's trust fund as soon as the inmate initiates a medical call. If the inmate does not have $100 in their account, TDCJ will take 50% of every deposit into the inmate's account until the $100 has been paid for that year.
TDCJ have posted notices in units across the state to inform inmates of the change. You can read the poster information HERE in English and if you prefer Spanish or want to download and print for someone who does, then the Spanish version is here.
I'd be interested to hear how others are planning to make the payments - in a single sum or by allowing TDCJ to take half of any deposit made? Does your inmate intend to make more visits to medical now that they will have to pay so much more?
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
More benefits of knitting (and other arts)
Some may think that prisons and knitting make strange bedfellows when it comes to interests or associations. I've posted before about the volunteer group in Maryland called Knitting Behind Bars who run knitting sessions inside men's prisons in the state. A couple of days ago I became aware of another group who use knitting along with other arts and crafts, to offer groups of female inmates in Texas a way of expressing themselves safely and learning social and life skills to help them stay out of jail in the future.
Resolana are the group, a not-for-profit organisation who work mainly in Dallas County Jail and Dawson State Jail in Texas. Take a look at their programmes and also at the gallery of art work by some of the women that Resolana have helped. I particularly love the Good Girl, Bad Girl dolls!
Resolana are the group, a not-for-profit organisation who work mainly in Dallas County Jail and Dawson State Jail in Texas. Take a look at their programmes and also at the gallery of art work by some of the women that Resolana have helped. I particularly love the Good Girl, Bad Girl dolls!
Thursday, 24 March 2011
So many people touched by the justice system in Texas
It is hard for those not living in Texas, or even America, to fully comprehend the way that law and justice is interwoven with daily life there. America is a big country, but it also has over 2 million people incarcerated. That doesn't include the huge numbers of people who are on parole, probation or some other supervisory programme. Are Americans really that bad as people? Are they less tollerant? My friends and family over there insist that they are neither of those things, yet their answer to much "wrong-doing" is to lock people up.
This can happen even when the individual is not guilty of the charges brought against them. American justice, and in particular Texan justice, is nothing like we are used to in the UK. Our belief here that if you have done nothing wrong then you will be OK in the end, would not last long when faced with the prospect of being arrested for something you did not do in Texas. For a portion of the Texan incarcerated population - large enough not to ignore - being wrongfully convicted and spending time in prison when you are innocent is a very real occurrence which can (and does) leave social, mental and physical scars long after any conviction is overturned. That's if it is overturned at all.
I am not someone who thinks all inmates are innocent lambs sent to the slaughter. Far from it - most inmates have committed the crime they are convicted of and should spend at least some time behind bars, my husband included. But it concerns me that more and more people are being found not guilty after their sentencing, sometimes years after, by new DNA testing (which could have been carried out sooner) or by witnesses recanting their testimony and a new investigation taking place. If Texas were not so keen to secure a conviction at any costs in most cases, perhaps these miscarriages of justice would happen less frequently.
There are numerous individuals and stories on the web that are still fighting to clear their names and claw back some semblance of the lives they had before their wrongful convictions. One such lady, Audrey, has her own blog here, which is well worth reading if you have some spare time.
Do not think it could never happen to you or your loved ones. In Texas, it can happen to anyone.
This can happen even when the individual is not guilty of the charges brought against them. American justice, and in particular Texan justice, is nothing like we are used to in the UK. Our belief here that if you have done nothing wrong then you will be OK in the end, would not last long when faced with the prospect of being arrested for something you did not do in Texas. For a portion of the Texan incarcerated population - large enough not to ignore - being wrongfully convicted and spending time in prison when you are innocent is a very real occurrence which can (and does) leave social, mental and physical scars long after any conviction is overturned. That's if it is overturned at all.
I am not someone who thinks all inmates are innocent lambs sent to the slaughter. Far from it - most inmates have committed the crime they are convicted of and should spend at least some time behind bars, my husband included. But it concerns me that more and more people are being found not guilty after their sentencing, sometimes years after, by new DNA testing (which could have been carried out sooner) or by witnesses recanting their testimony and a new investigation taking place. If Texas were not so keen to secure a conviction at any costs in most cases, perhaps these miscarriages of justice would happen less frequently.
There are numerous individuals and stories on the web that are still fighting to clear their names and claw back some semblance of the lives they had before their wrongful convictions. One such lady, Audrey, has her own blog here, which is well worth reading if you have some spare time.
Do not think it could never happen to you or your loved ones. In Texas, it can happen to anyone.
Saturday, 19 February 2011
Knitting Behind Bars
A great idea in Maryland where inmates are encouraged to learn to knit and then produce small dolls. These are distributed to children in the local community who have been abused or neglected.
On Ravelry
Blogspot
Etsy shop
Article in The Sentinel, 2 July 2010
On Ravelry
Blogspot
Etsy shop
Article in The Sentinel, 2 July 2010
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