The recent news out of Washington state prison should be a wake up call for the Arizona legislature. They need to get involved and ensure that staff is appropriately protected by state statutes to ensure the criminals are convicted and will serve additional time if they touch an officer. The Associated Press reported before the homicide of Correctional Officer Jayme Biendl last week, there were two other serious assaults that should have raised a red flag on the issue of planning appropriate staffing patterns for the way prisons are being run today.
Union officials in Arizona should be asking the same questions they are asking in Washington State and determine if the staffing patterns for Arizona prisons are adequate and not endangering employees beyond the reasonable boundaries of working inside a prison where the potential of being harmed or injured is already perilous. Union members have long complained about radios not working with dead spots and dead batteries. They have shared their concerns to the administration about how staff is being pulled away from those areas where the number of inmates outnumber the staff by a 200 to 1 ration. Supervisors tell officers to conduct security rounds inside dormitories or buildings holding two hundred or more inmates at a time with no other officer to observe them for their safety and backup. Furloughs, added posts at the hospitals, escorts and transports take away from other areas and are often left with no one directly supervising the inmates creating more problems along he way. Searches for contraband suffer and conditions of confinement are not met in a timely manner creating tension, animosity and friction between staff and the respective inmate populations.
Arizona has a much bigger system than Washington. Monroe Complex, where Officer Biendl was murdered holds approximately 2,500 inmates. On February 4, 2011, there are approximately 5,173 inmates housed in ASPC Eyman, 4,514 inmates housed at Florence, 3442 inmates at Perryville, 5088 inmates at Lewis complex, 5,559 inmates at Tucson, and 34,823 at the Yuma complex. Arizona prison systems have smaller complexes such as Winslow, Douglas, Phoenix and Safford that have inmate populations under 2,000 inmates. Regardless, these issues of officer safety appear to be disregarded whenever the prison system, which currently holds 40, 129 inmates, experiences a smooth run for a few years and then, the system hits critical mass as staff are assaulted with an increased frequency, sending a red flag up for possible changes in staffing patterns and strategies of moving high risk inmates around to break up gangs, disruptive groups and problematic inmates. A process that should be ongoing at all times to ensure staff safety.
Arizona correctional officers are exposed to many risks and often forgotten, and because of the injuries of many in the past two years, inmate movement, programming, searches, and security practices should be reviewed and adjusted to meet the desired safety parameters that reflect good correctional practices at a time when austerity measures prioritize everything else on the agenda. A report of any findings should be forwarded to the legislature for recommendation to change states statutes or encourage more state charges filed when officers are touched unlawfully and prosecuted to the fullest extend under the law regardless of the cost involved in pursuing such a case in court.
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT -SHORT STORIES - NEWS AND OPINIONS - JUST PLAIN OLD STRAIGHT TALK ~~
Wasted Honor -
Carl R. ToersBijns is the author of the Wasted Honor Trilogy [Wasted Honor I,II and Gorilla Justice] and his newest book From the Womb to the Tomb, the Tony Lester Story, which is a reflection of his life and his experiences as a correctional officer and a correctional administrator retiring with the rank of deputy warden in the New Mexico and Arizona correctional systems.
Carl also wrote a book on his combat experience in the Kindle book titled - Combat Medic - Men with destiny - A red cross of Valor -
Carl is considered by many a rogue expert in the field of prison security systems since leaving the profession. Carl has been involved in the design of many pilot programs related to mental health treatment, security threat groups, suicide prevention, and maximum custody operational plans including double bunking max inmates and enhancing security for staff. He invites you to read his books so you can understand and grasp the cultural and political implications and influences of these prisons. He deals with the emotions, the stress and anxiety as well as the realities faced working inside a prison. He deals with the occupational risks while elaborating on the psychological impact of both prison worker and prisoner.
His most recent book, Gorilla Justice, is an un-edited raw fictional version of realistic prison experiences and events through the eyes of an anecdotal translation of the inmate’s plight and suffering while enduring the harsh and toxic prison environment including solitary confinement.
Carl has been interviewed by numerous news stations and newspapers in Phoenix regarding the escape from the Kingman prison and other high profile media cases related to wrongful deaths and suicides inside prisons. His insights have been solicited by the ACLU, Amnesty International, and various other legal firms representing solitary confinement cases in California and Arizona. He is currently working on the STG Step Down program at Pelican Bay and has offered his own experience insights with the Center of Constitutional Rights lawyers and interns to establish a core program at the SHU units. He has personally corresponded and written with SHU prisoners to assess the living conditions and how it impacts their long term placement inside these type of units that are similar to those in Arizona Florence Eyman special management unit where Carl was a unit deputy warden for almost two years before his promotion to Deputy Warden of Operations in Safford and Eyman.
He is a strong advocate for the mentally ill and is a board member of David's Hope Inc. a non-profit advocacy group in Phoenix and also serves as a senior advisor for Law Enforcement Officers Advocates Council in Chino, California As a subject matter expert and corrections consultant, Carl has provided interviews and spoken on national and international radio talk shows e.g. BBC CBC Lou Show & TV shows as well as the Associated Press.
I use sarcasm, satire, parodies and other means to make you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Carl also wrote a book on his combat experience in the Kindle book titled - Combat Medic - Men with destiny - A red cross of Valor -
Carl is considered by many a rogue expert in the field of prison security systems since leaving the profession. Carl has been involved in the design of many pilot programs related to mental health treatment, security threat groups, suicide prevention, and maximum custody operational plans including double bunking max inmates and enhancing security for staff. He invites you to read his books so you can understand and grasp the cultural and political implications and influences of these prisons. He deals with the emotions, the stress and anxiety as well as the realities faced working inside a prison. He deals with the occupational risks while elaborating on the psychological impact of both prison worker and prisoner.
His most recent book, Gorilla Justice, is an un-edited raw fictional version of realistic prison experiences and events through the eyes of an anecdotal translation of the inmate’s plight and suffering while enduring the harsh and toxic prison environment including solitary confinement.
Carl has been interviewed by numerous news stations and newspapers in Phoenix regarding the escape from the Kingman prison and other high profile media cases related to wrongful deaths and suicides inside prisons. His insights have been solicited by the ACLU, Amnesty International, and various other legal firms representing solitary confinement cases in California and Arizona. He is currently working on the STG Step Down program at Pelican Bay and has offered his own experience insights with the Center of Constitutional Rights lawyers and interns to establish a core program at the SHU units. He has personally corresponded and written with SHU prisoners to assess the living conditions and how it impacts their long term placement inside these type of units that are similar to those in Arizona Florence Eyman special management unit where Carl was a unit deputy warden for almost two years before his promotion to Deputy Warden of Operations in Safford and Eyman.
He is a strong advocate for the mentally ill and is a board member of David's Hope Inc. a non-profit advocacy group in Phoenix and also serves as a senior advisor for Law Enforcement Officers Advocates Council in Chino, California As a subject matter expert and corrections consultant, Carl has provided interviews and spoken on national and international radio talk shows e.g. BBC CBC Lou Show & TV shows as well as the Associated Press.
I use sarcasm, satire, parodies and other means to make you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment