Life inside
prisons has been pictured to be horrific and violent and chances are that much
of what has been depicted on television shows such as Lockdown or Prison Break
are an exaggerated adaptation of how real daily life is. However, some of these
model episodes reflect six degrees of the truth that is unconscionable and
perceived to be a violation of rule of law because that’s not how running
prisons were structured by legislative bodies or criminal justice models. The
fact is, prisons are governed by inmates and the more budget cuts are made, the
less boots are on the ground to keep the place safe and secure by vigilance as
the environment is seriously compromised and unbalanced.
Inside
these Arizona prisons and behind high walls and razor wire fences only the
strong survive and even that is questionable today as there are gang beatings
that are often six on one with knuckles and feet targeting the head and body
with vicious blows most often done in well known blind spots of surveillance
cameras or because of lack of staffing presence and thus unaware by those officers
working and not revealed until the injuries are visible and requiring medical
attention if the beating was not fatal. This system of peacekeepers is more
prevalent on lower custody yards but all the orders to control and enforce come
from the lockdown units in various locations around the state.
There are
many red flags that bring this radical predatory behavior and attitude to the
administration but often, the admin chooses to allow inmates run their prisons
contrary to sound correctional practices and standards. Under seize by these
gang beatings the weak have to submit or perish from the general population
yards asking for protective custody [segregation] and driving up the need for
more segregation beds that are expensive and staff intense to manage. Therefore,
it is a common practice to lock up the victim for their own protection rather
than locking up and removing the assailants.
Inmates
having control over one another is unlawful and cruel punishment for those
imprisoned. Using inmates to maintain
order is a practice centuries old. It is often the preferred method used by
“old school” penologist and prison officials. It is a harsh way to do time as
there is little that can be done to stop this method of madness where inmates
run the asylum. It also causes a by-product identified by creating high rates
of death by natural or violent means and suicides as there is no protection and
“nowhere to run” in such models. The stress kills the elderly and the mentally
ill feels boxed in and commit suicide.
Both are frequent victims of sexual abuse or assault and with no
governance in place for their protections, desperation sets in and hope fades
quickly for them to believe things will be safe again or change.
The
downside of allowing inmates to be the peacekeeper is the chaos it creates but
is not appropriately managed or picked up by management as it turns a blind eye
to such issues. This kind of disruptive behavior is easy to downplay and
controlled via the press releases and minimizing the significance of such acts
as individual misconduct, racial tension or blatant gang rivalry. Basically,
inmate peacekeepers are allowed to develop the necessary logistics for
successful introduction of drugs, weapons, cellphones and orders of inmate
assaults, high rent to stay on the yard, theft and gambling as well as other
crimes. It serves a means to keep the
population calm by giving those drugs and other items that are smuggled in and
sold at a premium rate to other inmates. Overdoses are often discovered and
called either a suicide or death by natural causes when in fact a homicide
might have been committed but not considered by investigative means.
It causes more inmates to check into for protective segregation and trumps disciplinary charges by the use of inmate confidential informants by investigators using this style to find staff violations as well as population infractions. In addition, they often serve as witnesses against staff misconduct cases and rarely get punished for committing a crime inside as their value as informants supersedes the need to segregate them and take them out of the control loop. Allowing leaders of rival gangs to dictate recreation space, use of utilities and phones, also plays into the increased violence where some might have been targeted for harm or death because they refused to go along with this vigilante style of enforcement on the yards or lockdown units.
Inmate peacekeepers do not just assault or “hit” other inmates. They are also the cause for the high rate of inmate on staff assaults as they target officers doing their job and unwilling to bend the rules for these predators. Peacekeepers have their own chain of command and this is usually linked to someone that fronts for a gang or disruptive group known to be as far away and secluded inside a maximum custody cell but communicating gang business on cell phones and other means that gets the message loud and clear who needs to be “hit” and to what extent the damage is to be done. It has been documented to go as far as the “outside” and target employees or family in the community rather than inside the prison yards.
Hence the phrase “only the strong survive” has now been adapted to “only the strongest group survives” as individuals are in danger of harm or violence if they do not submit to these peacekeepers’’ control mechanisms. The enlistment of favored inmates by individual administrators and officers causes friction and conflict daily. These peacekeepers are well versed in moving messages throughout the prison and control much of the behaviors with coercion and intimidation tools unleashed through passive enforcement by officers under the supervision of management that endorses such practices. Although there may be exceptions to the rule, the use of peacekeepers is most common and highly denied by any administrator employed to allow such a practice to flourish and exist.
Source:
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2006/01/22/843/66538/inmatesandprisons/FBI-Investigates-CA-s-Use-of-Prisoners-As-Peacekeepers-
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