Wasted Honor -- - Say What you Need To Say......: Corrections – A Hard Odyssey

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, February 1, 2014

Corrections – A Hard Odyssey - Walking among Snakes

As a correctional officer you have surely by now learned of the many evils that lurk around you. Working inside a prison is no greater evil as it is likened as working in Hell. You are cooped up all day inside a dark cave and surrounded by evil forces and violence but it is your courage, intelligence and survival skills that allow you to escape these evil walls each day and go home. In this arena, going home is a win.

Realistically there are no leaders to applaud you on or cheer you up; you are reminded you have persevered through the worse but the reality is it doesn’t sound much like a motivational speech nor does it inspire you. Being stuck inside that darkened cave with the mass population of homicidal prisoners and enemies makes you day just that much more badly.

The inspiration has to come from within and remind you of your ability to be resilient and hard as your force is greater than the others but you are worn and in dire need of sleep. Restless, you don’t want to let your companions down so while fatigued you stand your watch creating an attitude that you are made of iron and steel.

Sometimes when you sweat or bleed you are reminded you are human. Not God-like but not like normal humans as you endure and cope with this hellish heat that bears down on you in a furious glow ball of fire. Sometimes you are sucked down under water but somehow you always find the strength and energy to reach up and out so high above you and come up for air that is in the clouds.

Daily you brace your feet and stretch your arms beyond the normal limits of your body and strain to get the work done. Your roots are those around you as you promise to take the six so they are safer than before but not out of reach of perils. In the darkness you find feces, urine and vomit and refuse to keel backwards at the foul smell around you.

You long for peace but find hate; you yearn for kindness but you only find a harsh and toxic inhumane conditions that cause you to rise your alert levels so that you do not walk into a pit of poisonous spirits that surround you daily.

The law is on your side but it does not matter – the arrogance and bedlam around you dominate the environments moods and actions. You are judged and your presence brings you many disputes and ill feelings by young and old wearing chains but claiming innocence of their crimes. You try to laugh as you see at the irony how they act with infected state of minds, unknown to their families and lawyers.

Surrounded by all creatures you have to breathe the polluted air and walk among the demons. These castaways are society’s rejects but to you they are the ones you have sworn to protect from each other. Inside you is the courage granted by the God above you while your knees suffer the endless pounding of the concrete below your feet.

Some days you are blessed and other days you are cursed. You never know what will encounter you nor do you have the knowledge of their will. On a good day, karma and your loving God bestows you blessings and allows you to walk away and go home just to go back to this Hell hole and do it all over again. So you suffer physically and mentally but with perseverance you learn to endure with the endless enduring spirit bestowed upon you not by authority or position but by the courage you demonstrate as you walk these darkened caves one more time.