SOLITARY CONFINEMENT -SHORT STORIES - NEWS AND OPINIONS - JUST PLAIN OLD STRAIGHT TALK ~~
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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, August 30, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
Living a Principle
Living
a Principle by Carl ToersBijns -
Life is good and we live it to the
fullest – Part of that living is making choices and although life is complex at
times we like to keep it simple, sensible and authentic. In other words we like
to keep it real and stay away from superiority complexes or personalities,
superficiality looks or fake smiles. We like to keep it honest and real.
Doug Ducey has shown me how fake,
superficial and dishonest he is but the Republicans voted him as their
candidate. I think this selection was a ridiculous choice – not the best choice
for sure and I care about you and what you need for your stability, your future
and your happiness. Read this blog -
http://blogforarizona.net/dicey-ducey-ducking-debates/
http://blogforarizona.net/dicey-ducey-ducking-debates/
I don’t waste money as I have little to
give or spent. I don’t buy flashy things but I do like to do things worthy or
worthwhile the effort to make things rewarding for self and others. It could be
a lot of fun doing this together with people I care for and know.
Today, I am a registered Republican
announcing my support for Democrat Fred Duval for Governor of Arizona. He is
the better choice for all of Arizona. You can agree or disagree but the party
has let me down in their manner to put up six candidates for governor when they
very well knew ahead of time, this would split the vote so that Doug Ducey
would win with his dark money. Their in-bred fighting caused good men (and a
woman) their chance to become legitimate leaders.
However, it’s not the money that upset
me, it’s this division amongst Republicans who are willing to attack each other
for their own self-gain. In the end, we all lost as Republicans for the man
chosen is not the right man for the job. He will destroy Arizona and further
the malevolent policies of those who run Arizona today through their proxies
including Governor Brewer.
I have a friend who is now working for
Fred Duval’s campaign as a law enforcement liaison. Many of you will remember
him to be Tixoc Munoz, executive director of Arizona Peace Officers
Association. He called me today and asked me to join him to help Fred Duval win
– I said yes, yes I will help him.
This is not a hypocrisy – this is staying
true to the basic principles I fought for when supporting Ken Bennett who
supported law enforcement. There are no two faced lies here or a change of
viewpoints as they remain the same using a different vehicle or mechanism. The only
pretense and falseness is now on the other side where the GOP candidate bought
his way to an election he cannot win and should not win.
Honor, Code, Loyalty and Duty has no
party – has no single man – Consequently, the man who carries Honor, Code,
Loyalty and Duty for the right reasons is the man to support.
An Open Letter to Fred Duval
An Open Letter to Fred Duval
August 29, 2014
Presently
the Arizona Department of Corrections has a fractured structure for all matters
that falls under the umbrella of intelligence and or common sense. There
is NOT a funnel that captures all the data and formulates probability
assessments of future issues on a macro or micro scale. The objective is
to find out as much as one can after an event to place it into context.
Actionable
intelligence scenarios are nearly nonexistent beyond the unit level. The same
can be said about the absence of common sense and practical situational
awareness assessments. Rarely is the information shared with shift personnel
doing the day to day business. The art of acquiring human assets has diminished
and is sorely lacking. What mostly exists are lists of known high profile
inmates who will go through a process after an issue and pull influential
inmates out to play "catch up“ and discern the cause of whatever effect.
The current
system would focus on the dope users and be satisfied capturing dirty inmates
during a UA as opposed to shutting down the venue by which narcotics are
introduced. An active method of drug interdiction is non-existent at all prison
complexes. The way this has been conducted seems backwards; Intel should
indicate the smuggler not the user is the focus of the intelligence effort.
To be most
effective an intelligence chief using counter insurgency techniques akin to the
military effort and this chief would need hard soft and electronic assets for
the chief. This priority is severely lacking. The process would subsume
all Intel efforts from STG, CIU, and all efforts they control; tracking the hot
spots at units trending where they will pop up, assess instigator and
provide written report to DD for actions.
Lessons
unlearned.......shifting direction in ADC
There are 3
primary areas of generational concepts that have been underutilized and have
contributed to unsafe working conditions within the ADC. Sadly during
unprecedented time when intakes have dropped and the department was able to
close prisons due to a lack of need. However the managing concepts have
stayed in a generational mode when similarities to current conditions existed.
The model of ADC is a retreading of the 1990s concepts without the same
conditions existing.
During that
time frame we had severe overcrowding which required expansion of the physical
locations and a new complex being added. Additionally the concepts of
classification were taking root along with the erosion of the standalone
complex.
These
conditions plus a drastic change in the workforce created a division between
Central Office, the individual complexes and their leadership and largely lost
the support of the rank and file. To say the system is fractured is a gross
understatement.
Presently
there is a push at this writing to give a veneer of professionalization of the
workforce through nearly mandated education enhancements for promotions without
any focus on the issues facing the largest government body in AZ. It is a
gross fabrication ignoring the temperance experience gives the profession.
The greatest
issues that reoccur for the rank & file are safety and a sense of worth.
It is a given that prisons by virtue of their clientele (which will never
change) are expected to be challenging but not unsafe. The present
culture expects hazardous conditions to be a part of the job risks and
therefore left at a very low attentive level for corrective actions and
precautionary tactics.
To address
these core issues and grievances 3 critical areas that need to be considered
are a complete retooling of the department intelligence community (with an
emphasis on future casting and being proactive as opposed to reactive) ,
a new standard in human resources with the emphasis on employees first with
personnel reform at the forefront having all disciplinary matters coordinated
in this body, lastly a civilian review committee connecting the Governor with
the Department via a secondary prism taking autonomy away from a single individual
and allowing true transparency along with varying view points for the Governor
to consider.
These three
areas will begin the process of professionalization of the department and
rebuild the disconnect between the officers and management and unlearn lessons
better identified for a generational workforce which does not reflect the
current workforce.
The
workforce presently requires a para-professional concept with elements of
para-military but only in the linear delineation of rank for structure and
emergency situations requiring the straight forward design.
But beyond
that the para-military comparison needs to end. A more collegiate and
technology based environment needs be established to best develop this work
force. The department is unique it works for the executive branch
curtailing rights of citizens who violate laws as established by legislature
imposed by the judicial with the; with a higher requirement to the mandates of
the U.S. constitution.
In a sense
beholding to all simultaneously. But while there's a military appearance
and a law enforcement perception the profession is drastically different but
has taken on the aspect of these institutions.
This
perception needs to be laid rest and the department needs internal
professionalization to be accepted by itself and other agencies as a
respectable organization. This has not been attempted in AZ and very few
models available but with the largest workforce and commensurate budget it
should be a mandate and standard befitting the responsibility. To do so
it needs to unlearn lessons and leap into the forefront of its profession and
its place in AZ.
Respectfully,
Richard A.
Bock – retired warden
Carl R.
ToersBijns – retired deputy warden
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