To whom it needs to concern. I am writing to you as a concerned citizen, and I ask that you hear my concerns. I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that Texas is leading the nation as one of the highest populated prison systems. If you will hear me out, I want to discuss a few things in the letter that I hope will not fall on deaf ears. The TDCJ has a classification system which classifies people based on suspected/ validated gang affiliation. These people are referred to as STG offenders. While housed in the TDC these men are housed in solitary conditions. They are not permitted to have any contact with another human being and as time grows less and less contact with guards and medical staff. I'm certain you are aware that the TDCJ is suffering from severe staff shortages. Due to these staff shortages the TDC is not functioning per their own policy and plan put in place to rehabilitate offenders but are causing them severe and lasting harm which will be reflected in rising crime & recidivism rates upon release. The conditions of the STG offenders' housing are worsening more and more as time goes on. If you allow me, I will go over a few examples, reasons and proposed solutions to these issues.
The men according to the TDCJ plan are to be confined to 22 hours or more a day with time out of cell for recreation and showers. However, these men have recently gone weeks without any chance to leave their cell, the cited and consistent reason being staff shortages. In many cases the men suffer anxiety attacks when they are finally removed for recreation and non-contact visits. Many are not even aware of the symptoms being related to a mental illness and simply feel weak as a result of the physiological reaction. They are resistant to speak about mental illness and symptoms they experience because they are asked about their mental health within earshot of other inmates. They lose their ability to communicate due to the lack of interaction with others this can lead to anger and miscommunication with staff and other inmates. The TDCJ requires the men to disclose gang activity and other information in order to get a chance to return to the general population. This means they have to put their lives and the lives of loved ones in danger to get their GED or to walk in the yard. These men are not placed in this housing for a violation/ incident that has occurred but for those that may pose a future risk. If you review TDCJ restrictive housing plan a vast majority of men placed in this housing have gone longer than 90 days without a disciplinary infraction obtaining a level one status which does not in any way help them return to general population aid in earning good time. Some men currently housed in restrictive housing have been there for 23 years with no violations occurring within the last 5-10 years. There is no incentive to remain disciplinary free, no added time out of cell, no contact visits with loved ones and in no way affords them the rights to attend or participate in rehabilitative programming, religious services or educational programs. I must ask why is a possible future risk enough to condemn men to harmful solitary conditions which has been shown through numerous studies to inflict lasting psychological harm when in all honesty these men should be the focus of more intensive rehabilitative efforts then others housed within the general population. One of the most effective ways to reduce gang violence would be to use rehabilitative programming to show incentive for good behavior thus reducing the security risk to all involved and more importantly the community upon release. Studies have also shown that learning basic life skills and being afforded such programs like anger management classes would greatly reduce the risk of recidivism thus reducing the number of gang members active in criminal acts within the community.
Furthermore, I find it appalling that these men are denied access to obtain their GED based on events that may occur when obtaining their GED would give them a better chance at finding gainful employment upon release reducing the risk to the community. While we know that solitary conditions inflict lasting harm and yet nothing is being done to ensure they are given the chance to ease back into society. Many of the men describe issues with simply maintaining eye contact after not having the opportunity to for years. How would that impact their ability to get a job if they are unable to maintain eye contact during a job interview. These men shy away from physical contact when finally given the opportunity to be embraced by a family member upon release after their sentence is served. They can suffer panic attacks in such settings as a grocery store, or family events such as a holiday gathering. This very reaction and the confusion/ frustration about their reactions further negatively impacts their mental health.
We have all been witness to the horrifying effects of untreated mental illness in the news but what are we doing to reduce the risk of these events while these men are in a more safe and secure setting. We as the public have seen what soldiers with PTSD are capable of committing acts of violence yet men with the same mental illness are left to learn negative coping skills such as self-harm, drug abuse, lashing out in anger because they lost their ability to effectively convey emotion in a healthy manner but are placed directly into the community. I feel the corrections department is failing the very people whose behavior can be corrected and the public who will live and work with these people.
Next, I want to address the staff shortages. It is my belief that through reducing the number of men in this type of housing it would also reduce the amount of staff shortages. The staff are often stretched so thin that one guard is left to monitor one or two pods. I find this to be an equal and in many cases a more severe risk to inmates and staff. These correction offices are subjected to the same extreme heat inside of the units, excessive overtime and low morale that leads to exhaustion and hinders their ability to perform their job duties thus harming the men in their care by consistently denying the men access to recreation/ out of cell time. The prison system is meant to offer structure however when meals are served four hours late and they cannot depend on access to showers or phone calls they become frustrated and this has led to greater security risks. Many of these guards are left with no option but to consistently deny these men the basic human/ civil rights which also leads to dangerously reduced morale of guards and inmates. How many suicides' must they both witness while seeing these men deteriorate in front of them knowing they have no chance of escaping this housing in a safe and secure manner. Thank you for your time,- Troublemaker@ Texas Prison Reform
