Saturday, May 25, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Jodi Arias, the Dangers of Manipulation
In my research of
this convicted murderer one word seems to come up a lot and without hesitation.
A word that says it all but is very often underestimated and often ignored
until it is too late to do anything about it and the damage has been done. The
goal is simple and easy to accomplish if you are good at it and use it wisely
and sparingly. This word is manipulation and it can cause deep fulfilling
authentic and realistic connections that allows a solid emotional and effective
foundation to abuse social relationships with a touch of delicacy that
resembles threading a needle in the darkness and getting it done.
So the word is
recognized to be a powerful tool of persuasion and can be used for good things
as well as bad things. The goal depends on the purpose designed and the device
provided to make something happen in your favor or give you the upper hand in a
conversation that is designed with a prearranged outcome to suit your needs.
Simply speaking is used to build relationships designed to allow you to acquire
things or actions that will enhance your opportunity to get something you
really want but are not supposed to have.
This kind of tool
is very seductive and if gender is used to back it up, it can be even more
effective if not lethal. The art of manipulation includes deceit. It is used to
gain power over others and can be most destructive as it influences other’s
mindset and decision making. After all, it is designed to make others do what
you want them to do.
People working
around manipulators must be aware at all times they are subject to being played
for a fool. Once they are hooked and lined up for the bait, all it takes is the
right time and place to initiate the desired outcome and take advantage of the
leverage given in this exact and deliberately deployed relationship.
Fundamentally speaking, manipulation is built on trust and respect. Since this
can be imitated or falsely played it is a main motivator for deceit.
Hence there lies a
danger of manipulation as it is always built on mutual trust and respect and is
formatted through lies and actions that are essentially used to cover up true
motives until the time is right to execute. Manipulation is short term but can
serve the purpose of deceit if used aptly and carefully. You are using the faux
relationship to establish intimacy and do it within a short time frame so you
can get the most out of the effort to get what you want.
I am of opinion
that Jodi Arias has learned how to influence people to do what she wants or to
seduce men or create a false impression she cares and fools others to allow
them to contribute to her needs but offer them nothing in return. Hence the
danger of such an act as it requires tactful demonstrations of emotion and not
physical force to attain compliance or cooperation.
I believe that if
Arias is observed and managed properly she will be discovered as a manipulator
and dealt with appropriately and administratively. She will attempt to
psychologically twist your arm to do something for her but you must be aware
that this is exactly how they work their mind games. Don’t give her a chance to
really know you for you will fall victim to the game.
Limit your
interactions and keep it short and professional. Even if you don’t have good
social skills you can control the direction of the conversation by controlling
topic or subject matter and keeping it short and impersonal. Most of all don’t
give up or in and don’t settle for a compromise for she will take you to the
bank and laugh all the way to wherever she wanted to go even inside a prison.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Jodi Arias’s Rose Colored Glasses
She will experience one or the other but they are in
actuality the same in this darkened environment where the public has no idea
what goes on. She will never see “programs I can start and people that I can
help and programs that I can participate in."
Her destiny after the trial, whether she gets put on death
row or serve a life sentence has been set. Fate will demand she will be
isolated and kept away from others for the rest of her life. She may manage to
cope but it is likely she will contemplate suicide like so many others in
Arizona prisons. Her changes are slim to survive this ordeal and it’s likely
she will be dead before her sentence is completed. Wearing ball and chain wherever she goes, she
will experience mental and physical pain. She will be tortured by her own
device and suffer at the hands of loneliness and despair. Those around her will
taunt her to no end and drive her crazy. It’s just that kind of world she is
going to and nothing can stop it.
She will leave her isolation cell for three or maybe four reasons. It depends how compliant she is with the officers that escort her. She will be stripped searched each time the cell door opens and either walked or put on a gurney to places she need to go with the exception of recreation, showers and maybe non-contact visits by attorney to work on her appeal.
Starting a book club will consist of a book club of one. If she recycles it will be her own recycle bin inside her cell but likely disposed of as contraband for she is not allowed much property while there. Reality will hit her sooner than never. Arias will have so much time to stare at the walls her mind will search for voices to talk to her when alone.
Cruel and unusual it may be to many but in Arizona prisons the standards are one hundred years old. There aren’t any accommodations for compassion or empathy. She will be housed in the same area where Marcia Powell died in the heat of the Arizona weather while kept in an outdoor enclosure that now has shade and water but nevertheless a cage.
It is likely Jodi Arias will realize that what she had done
will never out do her sentence. Whether life without parole or a death
sentence, Arias has already began the journey to the walking dead as she enters
the Perryville prison completely unaware what is in store for her and how cruel
it will be to her sanity, her health and her existence on earth.
Source: http://www.azfamily.com/news/The-truth-behind-Jodi-Arias-grand-plans-for-prison-208611471.html
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Inmates Peacekeepers inside Prisons
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-
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.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Insight on Suicides in Arizona Prisons
Looking at the high fatality rate inside Arizona prisons has
got to be disturbing to those families impacted by the sudden deaths of their
loved ones. The fact is today, with one of the highest suicide rates in the
country, Arizona officials have not dedicated sufficient attention to this most
critical problem inside their prisons. A
closer look at the individuals committing suicides no longer suggests that
suicides are committed due to their initial crisis of incarceration but rather,
an isolated problem or sign of an inmate’s inability to do time under
conditions imposed by the Department of Corrections rather than their length of
sentence. Hence it is suspect that conditions of confinement are the driving
forces in this disproportional higher rate of suicides being committed inside
the more restrictive custody units than general population.
It must be clear that there is little research related to
this theory that more suicides are successful in the higher custody levels than
general population however looking at the press releases delivered whenever
such a death notice is prepared, there is a distinct pattern of behavior and
incidents at the higher custody levels than in general populations. This must
support my theory that conditions of confinement inside level 4 and level 5
units offer little hope or relief that gives the prisoner a sense of doing time
and returning back to general population to finish out their sentences.
It is with high hopes that this document will encourage the
Governor, Director and other prisons staff to conduct research, training and
development of comprehensive prevention policies that include environmental
impact statements on the psychological state of mind as well as the
physiological impacts on the human body and wellness. Of course there is my own theory about
suicidal behaviors among Arizona prisoners housed in Level 4 and 5 custody
units. It is my belief that suicidal behaviors are abnormal results within a
solitary confinement setting and are orchestrated, manipulated or even
deliberate wrongful attempts to gain attention and fulfill some desire to
excite or create sympathy from staff to obtain some sort of favor in return for
not doing such an act again.
This would make an assumption that the individual has the
mental capacity to perform such manipulated acts or willful self-harm and not
mentally impaired or otherwise under such psychological state of mind that he
or she can’t execute or plan such deliberate attempts to gain the attention
desired. It would also make the assumption that staff assigned make routine or mandated
unit checks within time frames that could in fact abort such a deliberate
attempt to hang or cut themselves with the staff arriving and treating the
injuries within time frames that makes the act survivable and successful as a
manipulated attempt to control the environment by negative behaviors.
Individuals depending on staff making their rounds on time
for a successful discovery and intervention is a high risk factor with staffing
patterns sparse and sometimes critically low to begin with on each shift. Their
desperate desire to have contact, human contact, interaction and perhaps even
an confrontation, fulfills their desire to be getting the attention wanted and
the physical chastisement that comes from these pernicious practices of
attempting suicides for the purpose of being recognized and treated as a person
in need and not a person neglected.
However, my theory is completely flawed and subject to harsh
criticism when the individual possess a mental impairment or is medicated so
heavily that they cannot design or device such a deliberate plan for attention
and actually experience real suicidal ideations that are based on current
psychosis experiences due to diagnostic conditions left untreated or neglected
for numerous reasons explained later on in this document.
It is my own opinion that many suicide attempts or
successful acts are based on a form of concentrated anxiety and inability to
cope with the environment and the conditions of confinement imposed by either
policy designed to restrain the individuals in chemical or mechanical
restraints every time there is human contact justified for either an escort to
the shower, recreation or a visit or appointment out of their cell. It is
likely the relatively condoned routine of keeping them inside a small 8 x 10
cell for 22 hours a day is enough to trigger their psychosis and belief that
there is no hope for change and this is how they are going to life for the rest
of their lives or are so disconnected from reality they are in another state of
mind and become unreasonable in behavior.
From a former deputy
warden and layman’s viewpoint, this
enough to drive any human being crazy and if that mindset has already been
established in the past or history, it is easier to be pushed over the edge
whether they want to or not, it is a last resort to express their humanity.
Hence we need to look at precipitating factors and zero in
on cause and effect of these two categories of human beings locked away inside
level 4 and 5 custody units. Since one is more on the behavioral scale and the
other on the mentally impaired scale, it should be prioritized to address the
two separately to ensure all conditions are met related to risks, tolerant
levels, individual coping skills and predictability. Secondary, we need to
establish therapeutic environments for both categories of behavioral and
severely mentally ill to ensure there
are no cross- over treatment / program elements that can taint the treatment
process and cause a negative impact on those severely ill housed with the
behavioral prisoners that may in fact taunt the mentally impaired to commit
suicide.
It is highly probable that the conditions of confinement are
primary causes for prison suicides. Other than the initial crisis of facing
long prison terms, there are other risks associated with this perspective of
“doing time” that involve factors ranging from protection from predatory or
gang associated individuals, ridicule or abuse [physical and sexual] by other prisoners
and harassment or misunderstandings with staff assigned to supervisor them and
ill trained to comprehend or manage severe mentally impaired behaviors causing
conflicts and misunderstandings that often result in aggression or altercation
justifying their placement in a higher custody level with or without treatment
intervention from mental health providers aware of the misconduct. This is an abbreviated list of coping
problems but the point is clear and should be addressed in thorough training
and awareness of those signs related to the mentally ill.
Another perspective from a prisoner’s viewpoint is the
unquestioned lack of trust between the prisoner and the administration or
correctional officers. Already dealing with their own crisis of being incarcerated
and losing control of their freedoms, decision making and apparent control of
daily activities and programs, they are also isolated or abandoned by family
and significant others.
Hence their custodial requirements are squarely based on
what is perceived to be a total authoritarian environment unresponsive to their
own needs or desires as well as necessities and treatment needs.
Focusing on the dependence on an authoritarian environment
or correctional officers working around them, the need to communicate is often
impaired and ineffective. It has been my experience that it is these are the exact
barriers that offer the prisoner a chance of survival or hope if removed and
replaced with a culture that is unresponsive to their medical / psychological
treatment and their practical incarcerated needs. In many cases, a prisoner may
have told someone he or she had been thinking of suicide but the message is
never clearly understood hampering intervention methods. Whether this was
triggered by “bad news” or other instances, there are significant references
that demonstrate the predictability of behaviors when such a risk or event
triggers their depressed behavior that also includes shame and remorse
regarding their crime when it hits them all at once.
Since this is the first link in communicating risks or
changes in behaviors or thoughts, there is a distinct operational factor that
plays into the formula for disaster as there are predetermined logistical and
other support mechanisms absent in the higher custody units where these
suicides are more prevalent and occurring at an alarming rate or frequency. “They often suggest such behavior be ignored
and not reinforced through intervention. In fact, it is not unusual for mental
health professionals to resort to labeling, with inmates engaging in
“deliberate self-harm” termed “manipulative” or “attention seeking,” and “truly
suicidal” inmates seen as “serious” and “crying for help.” (Haycock, 1989a)
Source:
National Institute of Corrections -Prison Suicide: An
Overview and Guide to Prevention By Lindsay M. Hayes Project Director National
Center on Institutions and Alternatives Mansfield, Massachusetts June 1995
Correctional Officer’s Closing Thoughts
Being a correctional officer is stressful all by itself.
Making things more complicated than they already are makes it a tough job to
do. Dealing with the negative impulses or impacts that surround them while on
the job and giving them little peace of mind off the job. Thus they carry it
with them 24 /7 without much relief or satisfaction resulting in early
retirement, resignations or corruptive thinking. Corruption becomes a dirty
word. It is everywhere you look whether you are inside of prison or outside.
The politics related to these kind of corruptible behaviors trickles down from
the top to the bottom and often results in working with assholes as supervisors
or managers. It’s just the reality of the abusive environment but keeping it in
the proper context is the most important decision you can make. It doesn’t have
to be that way and you can change your own environment by not buying into the
concept and staying on course to do your job.
Officers exposed to this negativity never feel comfortable
and take up a defensive position that is often called paranoia. Every day is a
challenge not to let the environment poison them. It doesn’t suit many hence
the high turnover in this particular criminal justice field. It’s just a
reality that prison work is not for everybody and some should think about
getting out before it is too late and something bad happens to them. Those that
can deal with negativity and stress will overcome these barriers and become
good officers.
Learning the ropes at the Academy can be very frustrating.
There are often two different messages told to you while learning the basics of
corrections. There are instructors that tell you how to handle this job by the
book and there are supervisors coming in to guest lecture and tell you to
forget the book and do it another way. This mixed signal often created
confusion and distorts the truth of how to really do your job as a correctional
officer. The truth is when you graduate, the only skill you picked up at the
Academy was to document and cover your ass [CYA] yourself as you will fear being
criticized or ostracized for expressing or performing tasks contrary to
expectations of supervisors and managers set on doing the job their way or the
highway.
The moment you hit the line you find out that teamwork is
just a word. The reality strikes you like a lock in a sock to the head and
makes you realize that officers don’t stick together like it was preached at
the Academy. Getting help is rare and being ridiculed is another way to crush
your spirit as you focus on doing your job right but are hampered by those
wanting you to do it their way. Some will say “get over it” and adjust your
coping skills to get the job done.
Working with prisoners is a dangerous job and it must be
recognized that this beat is one of the toughest in the criminal justice
system. It would be better and safer if there were real team building concepts
in place to ensure better staff safety and environmental concerns. Inmates
would rather hurt themselves than strike out at a correctional officer but the
same can’t be said of a fellow officer or supervisor taking care of business on
a different level or motive.
Because of this
conflict, it is hard not to be disheartened as morale often strikes you down
when there is no one there to pick you up. Don’t take this journey alone and
find support with others that share you plight and remain positive in a most
negative world.
Over the next few months you will experience two things for
certain. You will begin to see if you are fit to work in such an environment
and you will be witness to troubled occurrences where you will see or sense
fellow officers bringing in contraband for the prisoners in those cases where
they have been compromised by their behaviors or ethics. Watching cell phones,
tobacco, drugs and other things come in will frustrate you and alienate you
with some of the officers. You will need to find someone that works on your
level and shares ethical and comparable performance levels that you take pride
in and excel each time you do your job. It’s a survival tool you must engage in
order to refrain from quitting.
Showing up for work will become harder as each day passes.
You will work with individuals that abuse sick leave and show up for work under
the influence of alcohol or not show up at all. You will also see the other
side of some bad supervisors as they look the other way for their friends and
stay away from the line where they could contribute and help but rather sit in
their office and surf the internet as they chat or find columns that resemble
Facebook or Twitter and do everything but work their eight as required. The
good thing is not all supervisors are bad people and will help if you ask them.
You won’t feel safe and you will feel nobody will listen to
your concerns as time whittles away your sleep and robs you of the energy
needed to do a good job. Fatigue and complacency are your two worst enemies.
This is exponentially complicated by stress and anxiety that won’t leave you
alone. It leads you to finding cures in your own way and often results in abuse
of alcohol, prescription drugs or other stimulants or downers not designed to
keep your head clear for good decision making. You must always watched your back
and the back of others because deep down inside you know some of your coworkers were sleeping or playing on their
cell phone or PlayStation smuggled in for personal entertainment. The good news is that these misfits written
about here are the minority and often put on “Shy” status meaning they are no
longer part of the team and with time, they get fired for doing a poor job or
breaking the law.
You will find pleasant redemption in the fact that
approximately ten percent are lousy officers and assholes on the job but many
of the ninety per cent are good and helpful correctional officers that will
take the time to support your efforts while on shift and make the job easier. You
just have to learn to keep things in perspective and apply your own morality
and character to the environment to make it work for you.
The less you worry about those things you can’t change, the
better you do your job and focus on those things that matter and keep you and
others safe. Learning how to adapt, improvise and overcome will strengthen your
character and make you an excellent correctional officer that in time will help
others or mentor those in need for the same support you experienced when you
came on board. Be Safe~
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