The Three Forbidden Acts in Arizona Prisons

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, April 8, 2014

The Three Forbidden Acts in Arizona Prisons

On March 27, 2014, Director Charles L. Ryan implemented a new director’s Instruction memo tagged as DI 236 that handles maximum custody inmates in conjunction with other department orders already written and followed. In this directive he added his own “three strikes and you are out” rule only you don’t need three events for it to apply but rather, just one of these forbidden acts will land you in maximum custody according the outline.

Generally speaking this means that if you were to commit all three of the forbidden acts, your chances of being in maximum custody are good that you will serve your remaining time there as well as released from these special housing units designed for behavioral modification treatment and mental health care.

The directive defines the Three Forbidden Acts – Serious assaults on staff, serious inmate on inmate assaults with a weapon and multiple inmates assaulting an inmate with serious injury.” The purpose as written shows the Arizona Department of Corrections employees are being directed to adhere to a new maximum custody management system that was implemented to facilitate a process that requires inmates in maximum custody to work through a program utilizing a step system providing the opportunity to participate in jobs, programs and other out of cell activities.

Based on behavior and programming, inmates may progress from controlled based housing to open privilege base housing where movement outside a cell is without restraint equipment. This modifies the concept of programming maximum custody inmates involved in commission of one the Forbidden Three Acts (see definition) and the Guiding Principles (see definition) developed by the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA).

The guiding principles are:

1. Provide a process, a separate review for decisions to place an inmate in maximum custody;

2. Provide periodic classification reviews of inmates in maximum custody every 180 days or less;

3. Provide in-person mental health assessments, by trained personnel within 72 hours of an inmate being placed in maximum custody and periodic mental health assessments thereafter including an appropriate mental health treatment plan;

4. Provide structured and progressive levels that include increased privileges as an incentive for positive behavior and/or program participation;

5. Determine an inmate’s length of stay in maximum custody on the nature and level of threat to the safe and orderly operation of general population as well as program participation, rule compliance and the recommendation of the person(s) assigned to conduct the classification review as opposed to strictly held time periods;

6. Provide appropriate access to medical and Mental Health staff and services;

7. Provide access to visiting opportunities;

8. Provide appropriate exercise opportunities;

9. Provide the ability to maintain proper hygiene;

10. Provide program opportunities appropriate to support transition back to a general population setting or to the community;

11. Collect sufficient data to assess the effectiveness of implementation of these guiding principles;

12. Conduct an objective review of all inmates in maximum custody by persons independent of the placement authority to determine the inmates’ need for continued placement in maximum custody;

13. Require all staff assigned to work in maximum custody units receive appropriate training in managing inmates on maximum custody status.