Even the Feds know suicides are $$$$$$ ~~

NM inmates pulled from jail due to suicides3 suicides a concern to U.S. marshals
Rozanna M. Martinez

Albuquerque Journal  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The U.S. Marshals Service is pulling all inmates who are being held on federal charges at the Sandoval County Detention Center out of the jail, citing concerns related to suicides at the jail. Three suicides have occurred at the jail since December. Two of the deaths involved inmates being held on federal charges.

An email from Michael Ferstl, chief deputy U.S. marshal for New Mexico, said after two suicides at the jail in December, it was determined that the action plan for suicide prevention and emergency response at the Sandoval County jail is not compatible with Marshals Service requirements. These findings in combination with a third suicide at the jail on Sunday resulted in the decision to remove federal prisoners from the jail to ensure their proper care while in custody.

Ferstl added that federal prisoners will remain out of the jail until policy changes are implemented to "adequately address" the agency's concerns. According to a Marshals Service news release, the department on Wednesday began transporting all 190 federal prisoners out of the Sandoval County jail. The prisoners are being taken to other detention facilities throughout the state.

"The United States Marshals Service in coordination with the Department of Justice and the Office of Federal Detention Trustee is currently reviewing policies, practices and procedures of the Sandoval County Detention Center and upon the outcome of that review a decision will be rendered as to any future consideration of returning prisoners to that facility," U.S. Marshal Conrad Candelaria stated in the news release.

On Sunday, Dario Panteh, 19, of Zuni Pueblo hanged himself inside his cell using a bedsheet, according to the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office. Panteh was taken to a local medical center where he later died from his injuries. Panteh was being held on federal aggravated battery charges. The Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident. Jail officials and Sandoval County officials are waiting for the investigation to be completed to decide if more changes to the jail's current policies and procedures need to be made, according to county spokesman Sidney Hill.

The jail recently made changes to its intake policies and procedures - particularly regarding shoelaces - as a result of an internal investigation into two suicides in December. On Dec. 6, 2011, Kenneth Traiger, 22, hanged himself from a torn sheet in the shower area of the jail. Traiger was taken to a hospital, put on a ventilator and never regained consciousness. He was taken off life support on Dec. 11. Traiger had been booked into SCDC on a federal bank robbery charge.

Two days after Traiger hanged himself, Stephen Vincent, 52, used his shoelaces to hang himself from a jail cell vent. He had been booked on a warrant charging him with criminal sexual penetration of a minor

http://www.correctionsone.com/jail-management/articles/5237232-NM-inmates-pulled-from-jail-due-to-suicides/

Quiet Power

I know that in Arizona, there are many people who can offer a lot to the present political state of affairs in the area of prison abuse and medical / mental health neglect.

I know that even though you are the quiet citizen you are watching and hesitating to “leap” into the discussion so close to your heart but fear to break your introvert cycle of shyness and speak out loud.

You don’t like publicity and you don’t act spontaneous for it has been shown you act and speak better once you have the time to think and ponder about the matter at hand before you enter the controversy or challenge before you.

However, time is not on your side and many people will die before you make up your minds.

Good decision making is expected from our governor and legislature. Good decision making required input from citizens and constituents that have a stake at the problem at hand. Good decision making comes with confidence and knowledge. It is likely you have both but are hesitant to jump into the discussion for reasons only known to yourself.

You don’t have to be an expert to express your opinion. You don’t have to know anything about what you talk about except for the passion and love of taking care of mankind and those with disabilities.  Your quiet power is most impressive when you come to the point where you realize you can do more for change than clamming up or keeping your mouth shut. Your opinions, feelings, thoughts and passion are just as important as the others and something to brag about when the time allows you to do so in public.

Stand tall and take your quiet power to the limit. Realize that your input matters and that if you had spoken out things might have been different that they are now or have been in the past. The future is yours if you choose to ride along with others and help make decisions that matters. Your thoughtfulness and passion is appreciated and welcomed even though it may be met with stillness.

So don’t let yourself down. Say what you want to say and do what you need to do in efforts to improve your state down and speak out what troubles your heart or your mind.

Governor Brewer?? remember Tony Lester??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOwmyGESJvU

THIRD AMENDED CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT FOR INJUNCTIVE AND DECLARATORY RELIEF

http://www.azcentral.com/video/#/News/ACLU%20files%20class%20action%20lawsuit%20against%20Arizona%20department%20of%20corrections/40280768001/35150280001/1492653309001

THIRD AMENDED CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT FOR INJUNCTIVE AND DECLARATORY RELIEF

-73-

PRAYER FOR RELIEF

150. Plaintiffs and the classes they represent have no adequate remedy at law to redress the wrongs suffered as set forth in this complaint. Plaintiffs have suffered and will continue to suffer irreparable injury as a result of the unlawful acts, omissions, policies, and practices of Defendants Ryan and Pratt, as alleged herein, unless Plaintiffs and the classes they represent are granted the relief they request. The need for relief is critical because the rights at issue are paramount under the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States.

151. WHEREFORE, the named plaintiffs and the classes they represent request that this Court grant them the following relief:

A. Declare that the suit is maintainable as a class action pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(a) and 23(b)(1) and (2);

B. Adjudge and declare that the acts, omissions, policies, and practices of Defendants, and their agents, employees, officials, and all persons acting in concert with them under color of state law or otherwise, described herein are in violation of the rights of prisoner Plaintiffs and the classes they represent under the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause of the Eighth Amendment, which grants constitutional protection to the Plaintiffs and the class they represent;

C. Preliminarily and permanently enjoin Defendants, their agents, employees, officials, and all persons acting in concert with them under color of state law, from

Case 2:10-cv-02070-JWS--MEA Document 31 Filed 03/06/12 Page 73 of 78
THIRD AMENDED CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT FOR INJUNCTIVE AND DECLARATORY RELIEF

subjecting prisoner Plaintiffs and the Plaintiff Class to the illegal and unconstitutional conditions, acts, omissions, policies, and practices set forth above.

D. Order Defendants and their agents, employees, officials, and all persons acting in concert with them under color of state law, to develop and implement, as soon as practical, a plan to eliminate the substantial risk of serious harm that prisoner Plaintiffs and members of the Plaintiff Class suffer due to Defendants’ inadequate medical, mental health, and dental care, and due to Defendants’ isolation policies. Defendants’ plan shall include at a minimum the following:

1. Staffing: Staffing shall be sufficient to provide prisoner Plaintiffs and the Plaintiff Class with timely access to qualified and competent clinicians who can provide routine, urgent, emergent, and specialty health care;

2. Access: Policies and practices that provide timely access to health care;

3. Screening: Policies and practices that reliably screen for medical, dental, and mental health conditions that need treatment;

4. Emergency Response: Timely and competent responses to health care emergencies;

5. Medication and Supplies: Timely prescription and distribution of medications and supplies necessary for medically adequate care;

6. Chronic Care: Timely access to competent care for chronic diseases;

7. Environmental Conditions: Basic sanitary conditions that do not promote the spread or exacerbation of diseases or infections, including but not limited to a smoke-free environment;

8. Mental Health Treatment: Timely access to necessary treatment for serious mental illness, including

THIRD AMENDED CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT FOR INJUNCTIVE AND DECLARATORY RELIEF

9. Quality Assurance: A regular assessment of health care staff, services, procedures, and activities designed to improve outcomes, and to identify and correct errors or systemic deficiencies;

10. Isolation: Prohibition of confinement of prisoner Plaintiffs and the Isolation Subclass under conditions of social isolation and sensory deprivation that put prisoners at substantial risk of serious physical and mental harm. Providing prisoner Plaintiffs and the Isolation Subclass with necessary nutrition and regular outdoor exercise to preserve their physical and mental health.

E. Award Plaintiffs the costs of this suit, and reasonable attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1988, and other applicable law;

F. Retain jurisdiction of this case until Defendants have fully complied with the orders of this Court, and there is a reasonable assurance that Defendants will continue to comply in the future absent continuing jurisdiction; and

G. Award such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.

Dated: March 6, 2012

ACLU FOUNDATION OF ARIZONAhttp://www.azcentral.com/video/#/News/ACLU%20files%20class%20action%20lawsuit%20against%20Arizona%20department%20of%20corrections/40280768001/35150280001/1492653309001

Private Prison Quality Control

MONDAY, 05 MARCH 2012 18:35 RAYMOND V. WHELAN • TRIBUNE STAFF




AUSTIN — The Burnet County Jail has flunked a state inspection that found design flaws in the wake of an escape March 1 by an inmate who chiseled a hole in the wall.

The state report says the private-public jail, which opened with 587 beds in April 2009 at a cost of $23 million, is "non-compliant" with security standards. "It means something iswrong," County Judge Donna Klaeger said March 5. The Burnet County Sheriff's Office supervises the jail, which is operated by the private firm LaSalle Southwest Corrections. Texas Commission on Jail Standards inspectors recently found "deficiencies" in the network of concrete blocks and reinforcement bars that support walls near cells for handicapped inmates, Executive Director Adan Munoz said.

It is in one of the handicapped cells that Johnny Angel Ybarra, 40, removed a rail by a toilet and chiseled away at cinder blocks under a sink until he created an escape route, investigators said. He hid his handiwork by hanging towels to dry over the sink and replacing the rail before guards noticed it was missing, they added.

"Those cells are unpopulated now," Klaeger said.

Hale Mills Construction built the jail at 900 County Lane three years ago. County Commissioner Bill Neve said he plans to meet Hale Mills builders March 6 at the jail, along with Sheriff W.T. Smith and LaSalle officials. "We are going to talk about construction issues related to the jail," Neve added. Also, the commissioners plan to hear a jail security update during the meeting March 13, Klaeger said.

Neither Smith nor LaSalle officials could be reached for comment March 5. On Feb. 14, Ybarra pleaded guilty to three felony charges including burglary with the intent to commit a sexual offense, burglary of a habitation with intent to commit another felony and assault-family member/impeding breath or circulation, according to court records. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. While awaiting transfer to a state prison, he made his escape, officials said.

According to investigators, after tearing a hole in the wall beneath the sink in his cell, Ybarra climbed to the roof and completed his escape by crawling through razor wire. Law enforcement officials recaptured Ybarra in Burnet about three hours after his escape. He has since been transferred to a state facility. Ybarra was the second escapee from the jail in more than two years. Nuana Antonio Fuentes-Sanchez, a 25-year-old Salvadoran national, escaped from the jail in August 2009. He was recaptured in San Antonio last summer.

He is awaiting trial in a home invasion and rape case.



raymond@thepicayune.com

Prison Reforms in Ohio ~~ Arizona heed the change

MARION - Marion Correctional Institution's work camp will become a reintegration camp under a three-tier managed prison system being implemented by the state.


Gary Mohr, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, visited MCI on Monday to talk to staff of the prison on Marion-Williamsport Road and other prisons about the state's plan for prison reform. "Our mission statement could be classified as a novel," Mohr said, drawing a few chuckles from prison personnel in the prison's chapel. He said with a mission statement narrowed to reducing crime and the number of instances of repeat offenses "we'd be a lot better off."

By implementing a three-tier system, ODRC officials plan to weed out inmates who disrupt operations of prisons from general population facilities and into controlled environments. Without disruptive offenders, safer and more secure prisons allow prison operators to provide general population and reintegration prisons with resources needed to foster rehabilitation.

The most disruptive inmates will be in control units, which are not disciplinary environments but are intended to control inmate movement and access to other inmates. Demonstration of proper conduct will allow these inmates to move back into the general population. Mohr noted a statewide recidivism rate of 31.2 percent based on inmates released in 2008, that is down from 34.3 percent based on 2007 inmate releases. He said while he wants the figure to be lower, he praised Ohio prison staffs for a recidivism rate that's less than a national average of about 50 percent.

Making prisons safer for staff and inmates must occur for the rest of the prison reform to occur, he said, listing safety, stability and order, service delivery, self-development, and personal and society wellness as the five elements of the reform plan. A steady increase in the rate of acts of violence involving four or more inmates was one factor demonstrating the need for reform, Mohr said.

"Till we get this safety thing together, we're not going to do anything," he said.

Inmate-on-inmate assaults and inmate-on-staff assaults processed by the Rules Infraction Board decreased in recent months: by 12.9 percent from 139 per month from June through August 2011 to 121 per month from September through November 2011; and by 17.2 percent from 93 per month in summer 2011 to 77 per month in fall 2011, according to the Bureau of Research, said JoEllen Smith, ODRC spokeswoman.
Assaults are defined as not only physical assaults such as hitting or kicking, but also can include throwing of body fluid or actions such as spitting, Smith said.

Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville and Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown will have a primary mission as control facilities. MCI will have general population inmates and its reintegration camp. North Central Correctional Institution operated by Management and Training Corp. next door will be a general population facility.

"We're dealing with the offenders in a holistic approach," Bun-ting said. "It's not just jobs, it's your integrity, all those qualities and morals, all those things that go along with being a decent human being."

The three-tier program began Feb. 2 and will take about one year to complete the transition from the current system, said Todd Ishee, ODRC operations chief.



Reporter John Jarvis: 740-375-5154, jjarvis@marionstar.com or Twitter @jmwjarvis

http://www.marionstar.com/article/20120306/NEWS01/203060308/Prison-director-details-reform-plan

YouTube Video Intro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQwBYzWX0-I

Public Prisons, Private Menace

Public Prisons, Private Menace

Opinion
March 3, 2012 - 6:40pm
J.W. Sutton, Jr.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections' website, the mission of the DOC is to “protect the public through the constructive management of offenders placed in its charge.” Listed methods to achieve this include: Developing individualized correctional strategies based on the uniqueness of each offender; providing opportunities for the development of constructive offender skills and the modification of thought processes related to criminal behavior and victimization; and providing and managing resources to promote successful offender integration within the community.

The vision statement on the same page leads the DOC to also: Hold offenders accountable by requiring them to contribute to the recovery of victims and the community; work with the community to engage offenders and prevent them from becoming anonymous; and promote the integration of offenders into the community so that they become valued and contributing members. These all seem like positive and worthwhile goals. Individualized treatment, counseling to avoid future criminal acts, and vocational training with the community integration necessary to put it to work are all strategies that can reduce the number of re-offenders and keep Wisconsin growing stronger while reducing crime rates. The successful implementation of these plans adds value to communities in our state and our nation.

But there is a group that sees no value in reducing recidivism. There is a group that desires greater incarceration rates, not lesser. There is a group that sees individual plans and rehabilitation training as wastes of precious money. There is a group who has no desire to make communities safer or more stable.

Who is it whose interests are so counter to our own? The corporations that run for-profit prisons.

One of the largest operators of private prison is Corrections Corporation of America. On their website they say, “CCA designs, builds, manages and operates correctional facilities and detention centers on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the United States Marshals Service, nearly half of all states and nearly a dozen counties across the country.” And they are looking to expand. An article in the Capital Times on Feb. 23 reported that CCA had sent letters to 48 states, offering to buy and run their existing public prisons.

Private prison corporations like CCA (a for-profit, publicly traded corporation) cite the benefits to state budgets that this would provide. In addition to the one-time infusion of cash this would bring, private prisons typically cost less per prisoner than publicly-operated ones. The prisons would also pay property and sales taxes. States looking to plug budget holes and save money on future corrections expenses see this as a win-win opportunity.

The problem is that money isn't everything, and counting on per-inmate savings may not be the panacea it seems. CCA recently bought the Lake Erie Correctional Facility from the state of Ohio. While the $72.7 million purchase price helped eliminate red ink in the budget, Ohio is obligated to keep the prison filled to at least 90 percent capacity for the duration of the 20-year contract. What happens if Ohio loses a large amount of its population? What happens if the crime rate drops precipitously? CCA profits most when its prisons are full. What keeps prisons full? Harsh penalties and habitual offenders. CCA has the penalties portion covered by its constant lobbying efforts. The Capital Times noted that as “a prominent member of the American Legislative Exchange Council, aka ALEC, Corrections Corporation of America crafted Arizona's immigration law into a model bill, parts of which showed up last summer in a Wisconsin Assembly proposal...” They've spent millions of dollars convincing legislators to get tougher on crime and criminals.

And what increases recidivism rates? Many things, including a lack of family contact while in prison, a lack of vocational training, poor medical and psychiatric care, and inhumane conditions within the prisons themselves. A BBC article from December 2010 reported on a video of CCA guards watching one inmate beat another, doing nothing to intervene. It turns out the FBI already “had been investigating whether guards at the Idaho Correctional Center violated the civil rights of inmates.” Additionally, “prisoners have filed a number of lawsuits against the prison in the past, saying the facility covers up [similar] attacks by denying the prisoners medical treatment.” Prisoners unused to civil treatment will have a much harder time readjusting to society when they are released. This increases the odds that they will soon return to the tender mercies of the Corrections Corporation of America.

Wisconsin already has a burgeoning prison population. It has more than doubled since the year 2000, from about 10,000 to about 22,000. This explosion has led to the 11x15 Campaign for Justice, an effort to reduce our state's prison population to 11,000 inmates by 2015. The project was begun by WISDOM, “a grassroots organization, comprised mostly of religious congregations of many denominations, which works to have a common voice on issues of social justice.” Citing systemic problems with the criminal justice system itself, 11x15 hopes to install more effective and less expensive options for dealing with offenders.

If Wisconsin sells its prisons to CCA, that could never happen. Keeping our prisons full would be a contractual obligation. The good of communities and individuals wouldn't matter. For-profit prisons should have no place in Wisconsin's criminal justice system. They should have no place in America, at all.

http://www.ashlandcurrent.com/opinion/12/03/03/public-prisons-private-menaceJ.W. Sutton, Jr.

J.W. Sutton, Jr. lives, works, and writes in Ashland, Wis. He earned a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Bloomsburg University. He is married and has three children. J.W. can be reached at jwsuttonjr@yahoo.com.



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Arizona Prison revealed on the Lou Show

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20885997/highlight/246562

video property of the Lou Show ~~ Carl ToersBijns


The Lou Show interview with Carl ToersBijns, retired Deputy Warden with the Arizona Department of Corrections, reveals what goes on inside the Prison Industry: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/20885997/highlight/246562