A letter to Arizona Legislators

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

Saturday, June 15, 2013

A letter to Arizona Legislators

No Solitary Confinement in Arizona Prison

When asked a question by a legislative panel member the director of Arizona prisons commented that there are no solitary confinement cells inside Arizona prisons. It was a response well expected and represents the usual upside down like thinking and rhetoric of the Arizona Department of Corrections.

The director did not have a choice in answering the question in the content and context presented. After all, there is ongoing litigation that will determine if solitary confinement conditions exist within the ADOC and a premature self-admit would be detrimental to their defense. It would have exposed the soft warm underbelly of the agency and its multiple fiascos and critical problems to the press and other politicians counting on this man to protect and serve their needs.

The director had no choice to not tell the truth as this was neither the time or place to turn a bad situation into a pre-determined future “show and tell” session inside a courtroom. He is a cold, unforgiving boss and he does know how to play the game or better yet, the blame game.

It is unlikely the director will discuss some of the things that have been revealed by internal investigations, lawsuits and other means related to discovery and disclosure of public business. He has chosen to protect those that have failed him and that is expected under the circumstances. However, he is failing to notice that he is being set up by the same bosses that have protected him as they lead him to the ultimate sacrifice once the truth is revealed.

For sure, many things have gone south for him including the control of general population yards to gangs, high deaths related to suicides and homicides and other factors that I can’t recall from the top of my head. By now frustration and enmity must be starting to set in. The director must be thinking of retirement and leaving as people are starting to wonder “what’s going on here?”

In the meantime, the press is doing fact-checking and once completed they will carry the message to the people to show what has been hidden and what has been told. What follows is usually a legislative inquiry with a series of questions tracing certain patterns that we ask ourselves every day while this crisis is going on. Sadly, nobody is trying to figure out what the problem is. I guess it’s only human for us to engage into this type of dialogue when faced with problem solving in these political and social implications and situations.