Maximum Risks

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

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Maximum Risks

Dear Rep. Campbell,

For the past several years there have been calls for the prison director’s resignation which has led to hundreds of suicides and a no confidence vote by the correctional officers’ union. It appears the director’s record of delivering sound medical / mental health services along with a booming institutional death rate is far from being acceptable according to national healthcare standards of care. Arizona ranks about sixth in the nation on suicides and nobody seems to be too concerned about this matter. In fact, Governor Brewer has praised the director several times saying she thought he was doing a very good job and impressed with his handling and understanding of the Arizona prison system. To this day, the director has only admitted superficial flaws exist and that he is working on reducing his conditions of confinement from maximum risk to changes that will lower those risks. So far, his plan is not working very well.

It is with some certainty he is reorganizing the healthcare services as he terminated one contractor and hired another in mid contract due to contractual deficiencies that delayed the delivery of medical care and sound healthcare practices inside prisons. However, he has failed to reduce the maximum risks that are currently impacting the current rate of deaths inside the prisons that are routinely written off as natural deaths, suicides or homicides.

The fact remains these numbers have not been reduced to any significant level and continue to exist while burdening the correctional officers with the laborious tasks of maintain a status quo with less resources and staffing than ever before inside the lockdown units. In this matter, these correctional officers are tasked to do the impossible as there is a shortage of staff at those critical positions that are legally and morally responsible for sound correctional practices.

It is highly recommended the Arizona legislature conduct an review of the whole system through independent impact statements related to staffing deployment plans of medical/mental health staff, custodial employees and other resources dedicated to handle treatment and programs of the high risk offenders susceptible to committing suicides or become victims in a violent assault or death by predatory gangs or individuals housed with the severely mentally ill in general population and lockdown units. Many of these offenders are unable to cope with this risk of being harmed on an open yard and are asking for protection in the lockdowns where the suicide rate is the highest.

This oversight and interview process should focus on conditions of confinement and the quality of care, training and communication with special needs offenders that are dying at an alarming rate weekly. It should also focus on leadership capabilities within the agency and the administrative oversight of medical, mental health and other specialized needs to ensure compliance with constitutional rights for fair treatment and quality services.

It is suspected that there are a variety of reasons for this deficiency, not because of people doing bad things but rather systems not in proper working in order to accomplish better delivery of services rendered by either the private medical contractor or custodial staff. There needs to be better accountability for the high number of deaths and putting his hands up and saying that is part of being incarcerated inside a penitentiary is not a suitable response. A plan needs to be devised to ensure the numbers are reduced and suicide intervention methods are active and working. I pray you will offer a solution to this problem as you have researched this matter as well.

While the legislative oversight committee is researching causes for the above mentioned concerns, it might also want to review standards of care and practices to concerns related to AIDS / HIV, Hepatitis, MRSA, Staph infections and other communicable disease concerns that poison the community upon the offender’s release. It should also review the care of the elderly and the medical costs associated with such incarceration care and review alternatives for those eligible for early release and non-violent offenders in crime committed and institutional adjustment history.