Lifting the Political Fog over Prisons

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

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Lifting the Political Fog over Prisons

Today there is no doubt Arizona is suffering from political strangulation and is most certainly lacking compassionate conservatism in the manner the GOP controls their influence within the industrial prison complex that has grown exponentially under their regime since Governor Brewer took office. It appears that the party’s control has blurred the rule of law and the ideological lines considering the role of the criminal justice system and the incarceration of men and women inside our state. It is with a high degree of certainty that Arizonians are getting serious about politics and contrasting visions are on the horizon how to manage and finance our prisons as well as our suffering economy.

For too long the political right has demonstrated its willingness to spend extravagant amounts of taxpayers’ money on prison beds and expanding private prison’s role in future incarceration policies. The long-term vision is to eventually replace state prisons with private prisons and could spell disaster for all public employees working the public prisons and being left behind when the privates take over. The dawn has broken on hybrid governance and Arizona is being swamped by this ideology brought here by carpetbaggers from back East as far as Florida and Washington DC.

For the past five years emotional appeals have fallen on deaf ears and the usually faithful mainstream media has done all it could to control and contain any negativity about the prisons and its related events. Working hand in hand with the prison spokesmen, they have done all the heavy lifting and damage control to keep things quiet and in perspectives desired by those in power and profiting from the current set up of funding and growth of prisons beds inside Arizona. Republicans have long listened to policy makers on immigration, longer prison sentences, more prison bed and less transparency on the manner such business is conducted behind closed doors.

Little does the public know about prison affairs and much more important, little do they care. It is well known that Arizona is tough on criminals and anything less than current status would be perceived to be soft on crime and contrary to the message from the electorate that demands public safety at all costs even when that cost is extremely unreasonable and mismanaged. Promising public safety as well as border security has done well for the party that currently rules the legislative and executive branches of the state.

The problem with this kind of control is the eventual demise of its power and control when the prisons erupt and explode full of violence and other tragedies. This clouded picture will soon be crystal clear for many to see. Then the electorate masses will gather and point the finger of blame at those that has reassured them all these years that everything is under control. Soon the electorate will no longer be un-informed and helpless when it comes to prison business. As time passes the newly informed masses will decide new leadership and teach others that it is time for change and time for compassion as they propose to tighten the purse strings to the prison system and bring it back under control and prudent spending methods.

In return the Democrats will be winners and gather their own majority forces in the legislature as well as the executive office. They will squeak narrow victories in local districts and take over the governor’s office, the Attorney General’s office and they will in turn be the power to make the GOP political punching bags. They will break the partnership with CCA, MTC and other major electoral financial supporters and return the government back to the people. History repeats itself over and over as time and events cycle and re-cycle to the awaking of people that were once sheep and following blindly those that promised them strong public safety and a great economy that will never arrive until the power of control is reversed and good men and women come to the aid of the state and return it back to a state of affairs we can all be proud of again.