R.P. LeBlanc Unit covid lockdown continues restrictions on visitation, food, legal materials
Rumors abound about the system wide banning of desserts except for holidays. Yet, desserts are offered with every meal in the officer’s dining room.
The offender dining room store rooms are running low due to a disruption of the distribution pipeline due to COVID. As well as with 12 out of 18 wings (64 men pen wing) locked down here due to positive tests. More trays are having to be made as about 15-20 men per wing don’t go eat at any given meal usually, but on lockdowns each man on lockdown must be given a tray (delivered to the wing – hot food). What I don’t understand is vaccinated prisoner workers are allowed to ingress/degress from these wings but only to help out with labor: not for school, medical, dental, or parole.
One N-95 was distributed last year: one. Men in here wearing any ol’ flimsy rag to meet the requirement that “all inmates must wear a mask at all times.” One N-95 mask was distributed on 11 Jan 2022 to meet Biden’s mandate. No effort is being made to keep inmates 6 feet apart, crowding the chow halls (for those not on lockdown). Guards won’t wear masks because it “messed up their make up.”
3 legal items are allowed (to order if on lock down) Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and legal materials are allowed to be kept for two hours. One legal item would be like one court case from Nexis-Lexis or BP3.91 for example.
Phone pen minute is at 6 cents/min, but TDCJ is now instituting its restrictions if found guilty of behavioral violations. Example: 30 days Comm. Restriction, 30 days recreation restriction, 30 days offender telephone system for code 24 refusing to obey a direct order (1st offense). No phone restrictions during COVID til now.
Our general library on LeBlanc only allows 5 minutes to a weekly visit. No newspapers, magazines, or reference materials are allowed to be viewed, nor are hours of operation posted for viewing by offenders as per offender book policy. Step one grievance written on 24 October 2021 was never answered nor reviewed. Grievance Officer Pender of the LeBlanc Unit is allowing grievances to disappear/go unanswered sometimes.
Meat-free meals requested instead of pork are given 1oz scoop of peanut butter mixed half and half with syrup or jelly. Policy states scoop will be 2 oz of peanut butter or if one ounce scoop is used. 1 piece of cheese or 1 egg will also be provided. Two 4 oz scoops of beans given either way.
K-2 use is rampant with most coming in through the mail in the form of paper-typewriter pages.
This unit is mostly for those granted parole or small-timers or like me – wheelchair bound. Very little activist activity being done.
