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, December 6, 2012

A laundry list of prison failures ~ a letter to legislators

A laundry list of prison failures

By Carl R. ToersBijns, former deputy warden, ASPC Eyman, Florence, AZ

Ever notice how the director of the Arizona prison system always declines to appear on television to refute or deny any wrongdoings reported by the media in the last three years?

Do you think that this is a deliberate tactic to assassinate the public confidence in our prison system?

Knowing how arrogant and tenured this man is, I am surprised he has not taken advantage of his public image to respond to the number of failures occurring while under his watch. It almost appears as if he has waved the white flag of surrender or pushing the fact that he doesn’t care enough about these flaws to respond to them in a most constructive and competent way. As it is, he is the only man in Arizona that can actually tell all of us the truth and what is really being advertised as a failed prison system today.

That being said, you must be aware of the impact of such an apathetic attitude and how this is impacting his credibility and leadership qualities. His refusal to address all matters in a public forum is one of his basic calls as a public leader and explain the appropriate action is being taken to correct all these flaws.

Perhaps he is relying on the department’s actions to speak for itself, however, that would be a fatal mistake for the public perception and opinion of his leadership has been dwindling quickly over the years.

It is logical this era must end soon. It is also rational that mistakes have to be corrected and failures must be reversed into success stories. It seems today, everything is wrong with Arizona prison management as the list is too long to print and historical data is revealing failure after failure since 2009.

Subvertly, he has eluded that things are wrong but refuses to address them specifically and publically. Shifting his policies constantly to address these shortfalls, his reactive approach is being noticed by lawmakers and law breakers.

Today his challenge should be clear. Repair those issues on this lengthy laundry list that need fixing.

This is our challenge for the next two years he should focus on:

Controlling spending and stop private prison growth in Arizona

Reduce the prison population and make the officer to inmate ratio safe again pre-2007

Take proactive assessments to protect the public from escapes, disturbances, excessive liabilities and needless costs incurred because of negligence or poor performance

Focus on staff safety and public safety and make them priority one

Restore staffing patterns and correctional officer positions in maximum custody lost since he took over in February 2009

Cut the political power, intimidation and fear factors of his administrators and reduce the administrative size of his agency

Reduce prison deaths and suicides as well as natural deaths

Restore sound and practical medical and mental health care in practice and delivery of services

Reduce prison bed expansion growth and false bed space projections for more maximum custody beds in the future

Restore the classification system for inmates to be housed in their appropriate custody levels and limit overrides to accommodate bed space and eligible transfers to private prisons

Restore the promotional and disciplinary policies for all employees to allow career growth and opportunities

Restore the human resource policies that allows employees to remain classified under grade 20 and not uncovered making them subject to willful termination or dismissal for political reasons

Open up a respectful and meaningful relationship with the media and allow transparency to exist to demonstrate compliance with rule of law and departmental policies and procedures

Open up a respectful and mutual relationship with organized labor and allow input and feedback to be included in executive decision making

Expose detrimental practices that incur the loss of life, limb or danger to all that work or live inside a prison

There are other actions required to bring these failures to the front of the agenda. He must work with the legislature to develop and organize an independent oversight committee to track prison business and transactions as well as changing these corruptive policies in place today.

He must turn the tables on the politics and tacit approval that exists within this culture of death now infested inside this prison system and take the opportunities for these “lessons learned” and turn them around.

He can do all this and still turn loose the dogs and appropriate use of force on those that challenge his changes in every way possible. Eradicate the gang controls that exist today and make prisons safer than ever before.

December 6, 2012