Arizona's Private Prisons: A Bad Bargain

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Arizona's Private Prisons: A Bad Bargain

Arizona's Private Prisons: A Bad Bargain

Sasha Abramsky

Arizona’s privatization schemes have become wackier in the face of recession budget woes. Legislators have sold off and then leased back the State Capitol building and pushed for the wholesale privatization of the prison system. The industry, however, is not interested. Private prisons profit only when they can cherry-pick the inmates—setting the conditions for those they’ll accept and rejecting violent or seriously ill inmates—and can make the state cover the hidden costs of running a prison, such as training drug-sniffing dogs and processing release paperwork. 

http://www.thenation.com/article/167216/arizonas-private-prisons-bad-bargainClaims about the cost-effectiveness of private prisons are an illusion. As the AFSC report makes clear, private prisons cost as much as, if not more than, state-run facilities; they endanger public safety; and they result in a worrying level of inmate-on-inmate and inmate-staff violence. Instead of privatizing basic public services in an attempt to maintain incarceration rates without the tax base to support them, states like Arizona should have a sensible discussion about how best to reduce their stunningly high inmate population. It would be the fiscally prudent approach. It would also be the most ethical solution to America’s incarceration problem. Take Action! Tell our legislative leaders WE WANT THE FACTS!

Ask them to repeal the language in the FY2013 Criminal Justice budget reconciliation bills (HB2860/SB1531) that would eliminate the requirement to review the cost and quality of private prisons. CALL TODAY!

House Speaker, Andy Tobin, atobin@azleg.gov; (602) 926-5172

Senate President, Steve Pierce; spierce@azleg.gov, (620) 926-5584Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. John Kavanagh, jkavanagh@azleg.gov; (602) 926-5170

Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Don Shooter; dshooter@azleg.gov ; (602) 926-4139

Private Prisons in Arizona Need Oversight and Accountability Because:

•Arizona taxpayers are shelling out millions for private prisons every year. We deserve to know what kind of return we’re getting on our investment.•Private prisons are performing a core government function and doing it on the taxpayer’s dime.

•Prisons are fundamentally about public safety. Our communities should be assured that these facilities are safe, and the public should be notified when there are incidents like escapes or riots.

**If you can blind copy or cc us, we will have a better idea how effective this initiative is. If you receive responses, even boiler-plate ones, please forward those to us, if possible.

Caroline Isaacs,

Program Director,

American Friends Service Committee, Arizona Area Program

103 N. Park Ave., Ste. 111

Tucson, AZ 85719

520.623.9141

www.afsc.org/tucson