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
































































































































Sunday, July 26, 2015

An Open Letter to Governor Ducey - a perfect storm




Open Letter to Governor Doug Ducey – A Gathering Storm


There is a lot of furor out there. It may have little to do with our own personal lives but in all practical pretext, aren’t we all just innocent or uninvolved bystanders. Not really. We are all aware of the seething anger out there. Keeping silent about it is not helping matters either. When it is all said and done, people feel they are under attack by government and other socio-political groups. I know you can feel it too.

It appears our personal identities, culture, heritage, religion and our basic values are all being mocked or criticized, even made immoral or criminal. In the meantime, we are dealing with leaders at all levels, state, local and national, who appear to be arrogant, or demanding changes that may not be in our best interest.

For example, on the matter of private prisons, you, our governor remains cloistered, smug and firm on not providing alternatives to our expensive prison system. I think you are wrong in closing that door to reforms. What you don’t seem to realize is that what is happening on the outside of prisons is also happening inside of prison.

After all, these two societies are connected and linked a lot more than you may realize. When we deal with things that are visceral, irrational and confusing, it means something bad is going to happen. Hatred can boil over quickly and without warning. Kingman was a sample of a boil over. Based on the damage done, you can tell the mood of the moment infuriated these prisoners to no end. Private prison can co-exist but it must be a balanced environment.

Certainly we all know they don’t prefer to live this way with chaos and disorder around them causing pain, suffering and consequences that are severe in nature. I value public safety and staff safety. I also favor inmate safety for when inmates feel safe, they are less prone to be violent or strike out to attack someone. Let me for a moment, take the time to deliver an objective lecture of some sort- I hate liars, I hate deception and I hate distorting the facts. A lot of people are like me, they hate people who deceive others.

What is the anger or hate about? It’s about social injustice, fairness, racial hostilities, muffled discussions on border security and immigration waffling, etc. The hate and anger pervades the prison systems today. It’s about perverse policies that have no legal standings but enforced because they can be done with the kind of rancor used to force changes. It creates mistrust, suspicion and detestation of the systems in place. A perfect storm is forming and nobody is talking about it.

Due to high vacancy rates, the agency is hiring the incompetent individuals who have no clue where they are working. This creates tension and more hatred locally and results in our prisoners, [whites, Hispanics and blacks] fighting each other as well as the other races, challenging each other for control and power of their limited territories. It includes burning property and brutally attacking each other as well as the officers, assigned there in sparse proportions and working hard to protect them. It is an asylum today and growing.

Whatever it is that is causing this hate, it is growing in exponential proportions.  It wasn’t this way, but it is now. It is getting worse. But there is far more than race. We now are compelled to live tense times with a heavy finger on the trigger. Day after day, we endure the silence that hides the light in the darkness. We all thrust our faces into a make believe utopia and pretend everything is all right. It isn’t all viciousness. I don’t think anyone wants to deliberately want to persecute other people. Sometimes, our leaders are not as bright, productive or aware like they would like to be. They depend on others to give them the scoop of what is going on in their world. It’s a vicious circle and endless tedious world with concerns.

But they have to be bold, they have to avoid the tragedies and mistakes that takes human lives to the edge of insanity or desperation. This can be done, it can be natural if you let your instinct or your gut feeling guide your intuition better than before. Trust yourself a little bit better and listen to those who criticize a little bit more. Don’t be afraid for failure. One should be aware of the rights and wrongs under their watch and do the best they can following their moral compass and their grassroots values.

 Our prisons [state and private] are spiraling out of control. Soon, the two worlds inside and outside prison will have something in common. Both will be filled with hate, mistrust and resistance to change. Nothing will be accomplished and nobody will be safe from blame. Right now, as we speak, the prison population is winding up like a tight spring. A wire so jumpy it could snap any moment and break loose, stoking the flames of chaos and release steam like a pressure cooker under fire.

We need to know what we are playing with and that is an unending ever-tightening failed systems and mechanisms of control where control is not the only problem. It’s more of an inner management issues than control. It’s every aspect of treating humans like people and understanding what they need.

You need to solve the problems related to the social justice inside of prisons that focuses on grievances, disciplinary, staff abuse, medical care and mental health care as well as substance abuse treatment opportunities. One way or another, they are going to make us toe the line. Either under a federal consent decree or some other outside mandate by the courts. Tick Tock Tick Tock…. Tick.


 

 

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