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| Dallas,TX County Jail Facility |
Advocacy For The Rights and Humane Treatment Of Individuals Incarcerated In Texas.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
The Prisoner Reentry Institute | Back to School: A Guide to Continuing Your Education after Prison
The Prisoner Re-entry Institute | Back to School: A Guide to Continuing Your Education after Prison
This re-entry guide, funded and revised in 2010 by the U.S. Department of Education, is intended to assist people in state prison planning to pursue or continue their education after release. It walks readers through the process of planning for and accessing education programs, including adult basic, GED, vocational, and higher education; provides instructions for accessing community resources, financial assistance, and other services; and offers practical advice at each step along the way in the form of testimonials from formerly incarcerated individuals who have realized a diverse array of educational achievements. The guide is designed to assist the work of correctional and community-based reentry staff as well as inspire and support people leaving prison to take advantage of educational resources in their communities. The 2010 edition ofBack to School is available as a free publication upon request from the U.S. Department of Education’s materials distribution center. Please visit www.EDPubs.gov or call 1.877-4ED-PUBS and request item number ED005088P.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Prison System Oversight Needed in Texas Prisons
Report Supports Calls for Prison System Oversight Board
Citing potential cost savings to the state and a need to better protect the rights of inmates, a report released Tuesday is bolstering calls for an independent, external oversight board over the state’s prison system.
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, which authored the report, is pushing lawmakers to approve several bills that would increase supervision over the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which oversees the state’s prisons and has not been subject to oversight since 2002.
“It should not be a hard sell,” said Ana Yáñez-Correa, the coalition's executive director. “We want to make sure they [the department] have the tools to succeed, but with money comes responsibility.” The report explains that this oversight would help TDCJ identify issues in its facilities "before they lead to expensive litigation, media scandals, or other human and fiscal costs."
The coalition is asking lawmakers to pass House Bill 877 by state Rep. Alma Allen, D-Houston, which would develop an independent body with comprehensive oversight over TDCJ facilities. The group would regularly inspect facilities like prisons and state jails, and issue reports and policy recommendations.
Although TDCJ does not comment on pending legislation, the department's executive director, Brad Livingston, told Allen last month that they already have a large network of officers who oversee conditions, and that the best way to ensure safer and more secure conditions would be to increase officer pay.
The department is currently reviewed every 12 years by the Sunset Commission, a 12-member group consisting mostly of state legislators, and according to the report, the state earns $29 for every $1 spent on this review process. The report argues that more regular oversight would increase savings further. It also argues that the risk of abuse would drop with such oversight.
“Whether as a result of being housed far away from family members and other social support systems, of being viewed as inherently ‘undeserving,’ of having limited education, or of being disproportionately afflicted with mental illnesses," the report states, "individuals in our state prisons are more at risk of mistreatment and abuse than almost any other segment of the Texas population." The report notes that 56 percent of corrections officers surveyed by the department in 2011 and 2012 "believed their overall work environment to be unsafe."
The coalition is also pushing for HB 968,by state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, which calls for TDCJ to compile a yearly report on grievances filed by inmates, and HB 1543, also by Allen, which would allows the current independent ombudsman for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department — an official tasked with "investigating, evaluating and securing the rights" of incarcerated youths — to visit with youths who have been sent to adult secure facilities.
State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, said a new oversight body is not needed, and that it would duplicate the supervision already conducted by the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, which is appointed by the governor, as well as various committees in the Legislature, including the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, which Whitmire chairs.
More opposition will probably come as lawmakers consider the expense of such a new body, said Marc Levin, a policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank. "There's so much resistance to create another bureaucracy," he said. His organization has not taken a position on the bills, none of which yet have a "fiscal note" that would the costs of creating the oversight body.
At the first meeting of the House Corrections Committee last month, Allen asked TDCJ head Livingston about oversight, saying that she had received complaints from constituents with family members in prison about the conduct of correctional officers. Livingston said that the department has a large network of officials overseeing individual officers. “I’m very proud of the way we handle those issues,” he said, adding that the best thing the Legislature can do to ensure the department hires “people we can be proud of as recruits” would be to raise the salaries of correctional officers to encourage them to stay.
The Texas prison system operated without oversight until 1972, when an inmate named David Ruiz filed a lawsuit against the system alleging overcrowding, poor medical care and abuse of physical force by guards. The lawsuit became a class-action suit, Ruiz v. Estelle, and went to trial in 1978. Federal district Judge William Wayne Justice ruled that the conditions in Texas prisons violated the constitutional rights of inmates, leading to widespread reform, and his judgments found support from then-Comptroller Bob Bullock. The lawsuit exposed a "building tender" system in which some inmates were given the responsibilities of guards.
The court sent investigators to inspect prison facilities and look into inmates’ complaints about facility conditions, maintaining oversight until 2002, when Justice, prison officials and lawyers signed a compromise agreement in which the department promised to address concerns over solitary confinement and the use of force by guards.
“It’s long overdue that someone outside of TDCJ keeps a routine, watchful eye over the way business is run,” Yáñez-Correa said. “Given what taxpayers are spending on corrections, they deserve the accountability and transparency that come with real oversight.”
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2013/03/05/report-calls-prison-oversight/.
Bob Ray Sanders - Talking about the Fan Project for inmates a TDCJ
http://www.gofundme.com/TEXAS-PRISONERS-NEED-FANS
BY BOB RAY SANDERS
In the days following bone-chilling temperatures — accompanied by snow and ice — across much of Texas, it’s easy not to focus on the summer months in the Lone Star State when the mercury often lingers above the 100-degree mark.
But this is exactly the time to be thinking about those summer temperatures, and particularly about a group of people who perhaps suffer the most in the sweltering heat: inmates in state prisons.
Although there are still individuals who wrongly believe that prisoners sit around in air-conditioned comfort all day watching cable television, the truth is that most of the 152,000 inmates in Texas penitentiaries suffer in non-air-conditioned facilities where temperatures have been known to reach 130 degrees.
Of the state’s 109 prison units, only 19 (medical units and special-needs lockups) have climate control.
At least 14 inmates have died of heat-related causes since 2007, prompting several families to file wrongful death lawsuits against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
In an ironic twist last year, a union representing correctional officers, who work in the same conditions the inmates live with every day, joined in a class action suit to get air-conditioning for state prisons.
Lance Lowry, president of the Huntsville-based local of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, pointed out a cruel irony in an opinion piece published in November in The New York Times.
“In August, right around the time when the Texas summer heat was its brutal worst, the state’s prison system finalized a bid to replace its aging swine-production facilities with six new climate-controlled modular barns, at a cost of $750,000,” Lowry wrote.
In other words, hogs being raised for slaughter to help feed inmates were being treated better than the humans in the system.
While the court cases may eventually bring some relief to those behind bars, it will be a long while before any judicial decisions come down, and even longer before the Texas Legislature gets around to appropriating the estimated $55 million needed to air-condition facilities.
In the meantime, most prisoners will continue to suffer, especially if they can’t afford to purchase a $20 fan from the prison commissary. And there are thousands who have nowhere near that amount of money on their books.
Due to the efforts of a nonprofit organization, with the help from some of our readers and other caring individuals, many indigent (as certified by TDCJ) inmates are provided fans.
Since 2002, Texas Citizens for the Rehabilitation of Errants (TX-CURE), has raised money specifically for this project. During the past 12 years more than 7,000 fans have been distributed to Texas prisoners.
Every year the demand has exceeded the resources available, meaning that of the 1,000 or so who request a fan each year, 200 to 300 likely won’t receive one.
This is a project I’ve supported since it started, and I’ve watched the contributions grow, allowing for more fan purchases every year.
Michael Jewell, president of TX-CURE, said the organization began accepting inmates’ requests last month and, he notes, the prison system has made it a little easier for them to apply.
TDCJ will verify those who are indigent and send a list of those eligible to TX-CURE, and the group then sends a check to the Inmate Trust Fund to cover what costs it can.
The project is operated by volunteers, so every dollar collected goes directly for the purchase of fans.
It would be great if we could honor every request. We could, of course, with your help.
To assist, send a check or money order to: TX-CURE Fan Project, P. O. Box 38381, Dallas, TX 75238-0381.
Inmate Appreciation
Texas CURE makes a difference with inmates one person at a time. The following is an example.
Victor Aguirre #752111
1098 S. Hwy. 2037
Lynaugh Unit
Ft. Stockton, TX 79735
Re: Your letter dated 12/15/13
Dear Mr. Jewell,
Seasons Greetings. I write to thank you for your help and assistance in getting a disciplinary case overturned. Without your assistance I would have not been able to obtain the results you helped me obtain. Thank you.
Your organization is truly respected and appreciated behind these walls and, without it, inmates' lives would be more difficult (especially without your Fan Project for indigent inmates).
I would love to become a member of your organization and qualify to receive your newsletter. Enclosed is a $20.00 (twenty dollar) donation. Again, thank you for the great work you do on behalf of us here. It will be an honor to be a member of your organization. God bless.
My thanks to Joan, Michael, and Niko [our Shiba Inu dog] for their funny greeting card.
Respectfully,
Victor Aguirre
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Texas Prisoners Need Fans
TEXAS CURE FAN PROGRAM
To prisoners within the Texas Department of Corrections owning, or not owning, a fan can mean the difference between life or death. In 2011 eleven prisoners died from heat related causes. In June of 2012 Scott Medlock and the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the prison system on behalf of the family of Larry Gene McCollum, who died of a heatstroke at the Hutchins State Jail. What began as a one year jail sentence became the death penalty. When McCollum entered the jail, Medlock said, officers welcomed him with the phrase “Welcome to hell,” an ominous metaphor that proved to become a virtual truth.
There are thousands of Texas prisoners who have no money in their Trust Fund accounts. These inmates are referred to as “Indigents.” Prisoners who do have money are allowed to go to the commissary once per week and purchase toiletries, foodstuffs, ice cream and soda pop, etc. Indigents never enjoy a bite of ice cream or a sip of soda pop, unless a buddy with funds shares with them. Prisoners with funds may also buy electric fans.
Because of the murderously hot Texas summers, fans are one of the most prized possessions a prisoner can own. At most of the 107 prison units it is common for summer temperatures to reach 102-105 degrees, causing inside temperatures to soar to as high as 130 degrees. Citizens only hear of the heat problem when prisoners die from heat-related causes, but CURE members who correspond with prisoners on a regular basis hear the “rest of the story.”
Even prisoners who have fans do not always find respite from the relentless heat. One prisoner wrote, “When I return to the dorm after work and turn on my fan, it’s so hot it’s like sitting in front of a hairdryer.” Those who suffer the most are prisoners with medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems. A diabetic prisoner wrote, “When I go to bed at night I feel like a chicken roasting in an oven…I fall to seep sweating and wake up drenched. I’m so weak it’s all I can do to get up and pee.”
It’s always heartwarming to hear from indigent inmates who have just received their free Texas CURE fans.
“Man, I can’t begin to tell ya’ll how good it feels to have this new fan! I haven’t felt this happy since I received my first bicycle for xmas when I was 9 years old. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Just a quick note to share with you guys what I just saw. Ol’ man Johnson, the guy I helped put in his request for a CURE fan, just came back from the store [commissary] with his new fan. You should have seen the smile on his face! When he got to his cubicle [dormitory space where prisoners are housed] he lifted the fan over his head for all to see and turned in a full circle, as if to say, “Hey, ya’ll, look what I got!” I’m 46 years old, and sort of hate to confess this, but the scene brought tears to my eyes.”
You can help bring joy to an indigent prisoner by donating $20.00, the price of a fan, to the Texas CURE Fan Program today. Money donated on this page is used only for fans. Texas CURE is a 501 (C3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible. Since our inception we have purchased 6000 fans for indigent Texas prisoners, 570 last year. Our goal for 2013 is 1000 fans. Please help.
Michael W. Jewell
Executive director
Texas C.U.R.E.
To prisoners within the Texas Department of Corrections owning, or not owning, a fan can mean the difference between life or death. In 2011 eleven prisoners died from heat related causes. In June of 2012 Scott Medlock and the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the prison system on behalf of the family of Larry Gene McCollum, who died of a heatstroke at the Hutchins State Jail. What began as a one year jail sentence became the death penalty. When McCollum entered the jail, Medlock said, officers welcomed him with the phrase “Welcome to hell,” an ominous metaphor that proved to become a virtual truth.
There are thousands of Texas prisoners who have no money in their Trust Fund accounts. These inmates are referred to as “Indigents.” Prisoners who do have money are allowed to go to the commissary once per week and purchase toiletries, foodstuffs, ice cream and soda pop, etc. Indigents never enjoy a bite of ice cream or a sip of soda pop, unless a buddy with funds shares with them. Prisoners with funds may also buy electric fans.
Because of the murderously hot Texas summers, fans are one of the most prized possessions a prisoner can own. At most of the 107 prison units it is common for summer temperatures to reach 102-105 degrees, causing inside temperatures to soar to as high as 130 degrees. Citizens only hear of the heat problem when prisoners die from heat-related causes, but CURE members who correspond with prisoners on a regular basis hear the “rest of the story.”
Even prisoners who have fans do not always find respite from the relentless heat. One prisoner wrote, “When I return to the dorm after work and turn on my fan, it’s so hot it’s like sitting in front of a hairdryer.” Those who suffer the most are prisoners with medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems. A diabetic prisoner wrote, “When I go to bed at night I feel like a chicken roasting in an oven…I fall to seep sweating and wake up drenched. I’m so weak it’s all I can do to get up and pee.”
It’s always heartwarming to hear from indigent inmates who have just received their free Texas CURE fans.
“Man, I can’t begin to tell ya’ll how good it feels to have this new fan! I haven’t felt this happy since I received my first bicycle for xmas when I was 9 years old. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Just a quick note to share with you guys what I just saw. Ol’ man Johnson, the guy I helped put in his request for a CURE fan, just came back from the store [commissary] with his new fan. You should have seen the smile on his face! When he got to his cubicle [dormitory space where prisoners are housed] he lifted the fan over his head for all to see and turned in a full circle, as if to say, “Hey, ya’ll, look what I got!” I’m 46 years old, and sort of hate to confess this, but the scene brought tears to my eyes.”
You can help bring joy to an indigent prisoner by donating $20.00, the price of a fan, to the Texas CURE Fan Program today. Money donated on this page is used only for fans. Texas CURE is a 501 (C3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible. Since our inception we have purchased 6000 fans for indigent Texas prisoners, 570 last year. Our goal for 2013 is 1000 fans. Please help.
Michael W. Jewell
Executive director
Texas C.U.R.E.
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