Texas Prisons

Thank you for the Under Lock & Key 87 and 88. I just finished reading through ULK 87 and Grim is right Christianity is being forced on every individual in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. This violates all Texans’ rights to religious practice through the tablets in prison.

On the other hand I’m over here on the McConnell Unit where I see religious people who are supposed to be for the people work in the place as the oppressor with the same pigs whom practice oppression. When we look at the capitalist here in American prisons we see the state abuse their authority by placing power and control in the peoples’ hands. Half of the time we can’t get nothing done because every time we stand up for what’s right here come the gang members and religious folks taking up for the pigs and it’s your fellow inmate brother whom is putting you farther in oppression. I myself experience this a lot.

The staff here, these officers rather, let the prisoners deal with the prisoners, in return the officers look the other way when the workers are dealing drugs. Just the other day a crip wanted to go on a hunger strike for the pod going on a 15 day lock down because several individuals got caught smoking. These same officers know the prisoners who are bringing the smoke over here. All these individuals are working together with a handful of gang members and religious folks. The real revolutionary prisoners are basically stuck in the cell all day.

My question is when are we gonna connect with people who can do something about the situation. We write grievances and file complaints and we still can’t get anything done. I know for a fact we sent out every letter of 35 grievances. I pack my stuff up and went to the front desk and told them to move me back [because an L.O. runs this block that I have a documented conflict with] and they threatening me with physical harm and told me to go back to my pod.

The people in Israel are evil people who hide behind the Christian religion. They want the rest of the world to follow in the Christian faith but they can’t follow in their own faith. Israel needs to stop oppressing Palestinians especially the women and children. America is supposed to stand against that kind of crime. R.I.P to Marcellus Khalifa Williams. May the brother reach the heavens and dwell in the window of God. The injustice system can still kill innocent Black men in America no matter what the people do, no matter how hard the people fight. His death did not go without a learned message. Once I’m free I’mma keep in mind that that could be me.

MIM(Prisons) adds: Yes, people inside must connect with people on the outside to build a real movement to stop this oppression. We can look to the national liberation struggle in Palestine and the connection to the prison movement there as an example. We once had stronger movements here in occupied Turtle Island. And as we build them up again, we must build that crucial link between the inside and outside.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populace nation and one of its most productive economies is currently facing an economic crisis. The masses of Nigerians cannot afford groceries or other essential products. The country’s government has failed to remedy the situation with minuscule economic reforms. These reforms were controversial and many working class people and groups protested and resisted them for sometime prior to their eventual implementation. Despite recent periods of economic growth, inflation in Nigeria has soared to 34% rendering one of the government’s reforms (raised minimum wage) obsolete.

In December 2024 local police in Ibadan say that at least sixty people have died in stampedes. These stampedes occurred at three different charity events where organizations were giving out food and cash donations. In Ibadan, a charity event for children was held and thousands of people showed up with their kids, a lot of them were days early in order to receive the much needed essential products. Tempers flared as people became desperate for these donations and the stampede ignited. In the end at least thirty-five children died in Ibadan that day. It is safe to say that capitalist imperialism was party to their deaths.

These stampedes merely demonstrate the struggles and desperation people of Nigeria are facing. The underlying causes of the economic situation in Nigeria is that the imperialist controlled General Bank placed inflation at 34%, and in order to minimize the effects of that high inflation rate the Nigerian government began to implement the reforms I have already mentioned. Western imperialist institutions and countries largely praised these reforms before and at the outset of their implementation. These institutions include the International Monetary Fund, as well as the United States government. Meawnwhile, U.$. officials are working hard to get inflation back to around 3% for Amerikans, in a country where most people are in the top 10% income-wise in the world. The proletariat and lumpen proletariat in Nigeria as well as the small peasantry are suffering greatly compared to Amerikans complaining about gas prices for their 15 mile per gallon trucks they drive to Costco and load up on bulk foods.

As part of the reforms the Nigerian government devalued their national currency (Naira) making themselves more dependent upon the whims of foreign international economic interests and activities. These activities rarely favor African or other Third World countries. The Nigerian government also cut their electricity subsidies, and probably the most important reform being the ending of their fuel subsidy which is one of the benefits that Nigerians receive. While gasoline was slightly cheaper in Nigeria in December 2024 ($0.67/Liter) than in the United $tates ($0.80/Liter), minimum wages in Nigeria were around $42 per month. That’s less than an Amerikan making minimum wage earns in an 8-hour day!

Previous governments have attempted to end the fuel subsidy but backed down repeatedly as a result of huge protests from the Nigerian people. The current and former governments set their sights on this particular subsidy because it was a very expensive one for the government, adding to government budget issues. The effects of cutting the subsidy for fuel saw the price of fuel, and subsequently transportation have soared. The latter makes it more expensive for corporations and businesses to perform their logistical duties, and they therefore raise their prices for consumers. Also because of power cuts people in Nigeria rely heavily on power generators and the cost of these have gone up as well.

The Nigerian people are angry at the failure of the Nigerian government to put comprehensive economic measures in place to soften the blow of the removal of the fuel subsidy, their inability to do so showcases their incompetence. The government has asked for the people’s patience, and have expressed that they are aware of the economic pain this is causing, but that is is necessary and temporary. As I have mentioned they have risen the minimum wage and made it almost double what it was previously. However, inflation has made such measures void. The government has also done small cash grants to the poorest socioeconomic sectors of Nigerians. The people have a general feeling that the political class in Nigeria do not really comprehend the effects these economic policies are having on their day to day lives.

The writer believes that the government comprehends perfectly well, however they are more concerned with maintaining exploitative relations with the United States and its corporations along with those of other imperialists.

Down With Imperialism!!!!

As a person who has been the target of long-standing censorship campaigns, i would like to give my voice to the discussion around censorship in this time of organizing against this tool of counter-insurgency.

Recently, in Texas’ prison system, an anthology that speaks to the torture of solitary confinement was censored. The reason given is that it purportedly contains content that threatens the security of the prison by encouraging prisoners to engage in disruptive behavior such as strikes, etc. i took part in this anthology and to be clear there is not any language speaking to the disruption of the prison system. There is language that speaks to the dismantling of long-term/indefinite solitary confinement, which is illegal in many places, is considered torture internationally, and which the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) itself admits may cause harm or damage to the mental health of the affected person. So the thinking of the thought police is that it is a threat to security to speak out against torture, but it is not a threat to security to maintain torturous conditions. What sense does that make?

This censorship is of the second volume of this anthology series called Texas Letters (see: texasletters.org). Volume one, which contains the same sort of content from many of the same writers, is approved. So what happened between the time of January 2023 and May of 2024, the respective release of each volume? A one word answer: Success. The first volume was released at the beginning of the last state legislature session. A session where a coalition of people were behind House Bill 812 (HB812), a bill intended to end indefinite solitary confinement. As a way to increase the popularity of the bill the book was distributed to all the law makers. Ultimately the bill didn’t pass, however the promotion of the direct letters and experiences of those incarcerated in solitary confinement in Texas grew. The prolific female writer Kwaneta Harris, who has been in solitary confinement for years, was featured in various high profile publications including The New York Times, speaking to the experience of solitary confinement in Texas, particularly how it is in prisons designated for women. Al-Jazeera and NPR featured interviews on the book and the experiences of Texas solitary confinement. Advocates continue to build momentum and public opinion against the use of solitary Confinement, and it is upon this back drop that when Texas Letters Volume 2 appeared, it was censored throughout the state prison system.

This is a move tyrants use to quell social discourse; to control the narrative and therefore evolution of the system never comes. This is a move to quell any form of resistance. Even that which is peaceful becomes a “threat to the security of the institution”, those who take part in such actions become “threats to the security of the institution” people known for “organizing and influencing other inmates” and therefore are confined in solitary confinement or held in said confinement if already there.

This process of events is no surprise. It is a reflection of the practices coming out of the highest level of government in the state, directly a representation of the tyrannical regime Greg Abbott desires and runs himself.

See, in Texas, the Governor appoints the Executive Director of TDCJ, the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, and the parole and pardons board. The Director’s Review Committee (DRC) is the body that governs censorship inside the prisons. This committee is appointed by the Director. So what We end up with is a DRC of political appointees, appointed by a political appointee, a gang of political careerists, all kissing the ring of the top man, the governor of Texas, all falling in line with his neo-confederate agenda. As such We have a prison system that is over saturated with Christian fundamentalism, stale reforms, faith-based programs, and because any volunteer program has to go through the chaplaincy department there is no secular, dissident voices, programs or activities. All because TDCJ is in the business of cultivating ZOMBIES, those who talk when and how they’re told, walk when and how they’re told, think when and how they’re told. This is considered reform and anything outside of that is a threat to security worthy of censorship.

This type of tyranny should be important to everyone because We should want to stop this sort of government over-reach before it becomes too extreme. Tyranny only becomes emboldened with time and a lack of resistance of its subjects.

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton has sued yet another organization involved in support for immigrants and immigrants rights. This is the 13th organization Paxton has used his state prosecutorial powers to sue in hopes of shutting down the organizations.

The organization in question here is different than the others in that the other organizations worked more directly at the border, organizing safe houses, and delivering food and water for passing migrants. The 13th organization is called FIEL, a Houston area organization that has been around since 2007, providing outreach resources for immigrant families and students in the Houston area.

FIEL HOUSTON has been outspoken on social media regarding the immigrant policies and bigotry coming from Texas governor Abbott and Trump. It is the social media posts Paxton is attacking with this lawsuits, seeking to shut FIEL down for purportedly violating a ban on non-profits participating or intervening in political campaigns.

Earlier this year Paxton investigated and brought suit against over a dozen organizations he or his base disagree with, particularly around the immigrant question. His other efforts failed to shut these organizations down.

In the case against FIEL Paxton targets only the group’s speech, criminal political speech opposing Trump and Abbott… If allowed to stand immigrant families in one of the most diverse cities in America will miss out on the various programs FIEL offers.

The battle against censorship is an inside outside battle.

Based on my perspective as a current captive in Texas State Prison, the purpose behind the renewed urge for expansion is different than when prison populations were in a high degree of political discontent.

It appears at this moment in time that the government apparatus’s principal reason for wanting to expand is to accommodate the influx of illegal immigrants. The premise of this political theory denotes that when waves of new lumpen enter a highly automated economy, crime rates drastically spike resulting in demands for prison beds.

An antithesis to this may argue that department of corrections across America are “alarmingly” short of prison staff and thus don’t have aims to build new prisons and/or re-open those that had been partially or completely shut down due to staff shortages. Moreover, the proponents argue against the likelihood of expansion because state prison systems have already been outsourcing their prisoners that are overflowing in county jails to other states for housing.

However, there are a number of factors indicating prison expansion is feasible. One is that fewer and fewer prison staff are needed to operate these concentration camps. For instance, prisoncrats have honed their use of humanism, programmatics, and diversification to make prisoners more content.

Specifically, The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has been steadily implementing a caste system among the prison general population. Wherein there are a variety of unique prisoner groups (religious field ministers, life coaches, self help prevention squad, peer health educators, etc) some of which have been provided their own private office space and computers whose software is designed to exclusively handle program curricula. This is in addition to narcotics sedating large segments of captives, thus requiring minimal staff supervision and leading to prisons being more easily manageable.

The final point illustrating that prison expansion is on the horizon is Texas has begun a vigorous campaign advertising employment to high school students. Additionally, Texas deployed a strategy luring a surplus of employment to their prisons located around inner cities. These correctional officers are then transported to work in prison units in rural areas that have staff shortages.

TDCJ staff predominately consists of Africans who literally sleep constantly on the job and more than likely during the approximately four hour road trip. Therefore, Texas appears to be on the cutting edge, serving as an example to other states, on the feasibility of expanding and effectively operating prisons.

Humanization

Coinciding with prison expansion is honing the use of humanizing prisoners, as Tip of The Spear has pointed out. One example of contemporary forms of humanizing is the state of Florida designating entire prison units to be so-called incentivized living conditions. Texas has begun to follow this example but has only yet limited incentivized living to sections within prison units. At this stage Texas has exclusively accommodated captives that have been sentenced to life without parole and others sentenced to a long time. [Editor: California also rolled out its new “California Model” focused on rehabilitation in 2023.] Overall, the humanization of prisoners through incentivized living conditions works hand-in-hand with the goal of expanding prison systems as it makes prison populations far more compliant with their conditions.

Diversification

Compared to California and mid-western state prisons, Texas has traditionally maintained a more diversified prison population. This degree of diversification has helped TDCJ to operate more smoothly because its prisoners don’t get killed if housed in general population for certain crimes such as rape. Due in part to federal implementation of the Safe Prison Act, its parallel states’ anti-extortion department, and more compliant prisons, the protective custody class has gradually merged into the general prison population.

Accordingly, I surmised that the purpose for diversification in Texas is to economize prison space, rather than to undermine potential political disunity and unrest amongst the broader prisoner class.

In regards to implementing state sanctioned programs such as Bridges-To-Life, Cognitive Intervention, Life Skills, etc, not surprisingly their curriculum consists of bland content. The general theme focuses exclusively on the criminal actions of captives rather than the role general society played in creating conditions of criminality. These programs are made attractive because TDCJ requires prisoners to “voluntarily” acquire certificates allegedly to increase parole chances, in a blatantly obvious arbitrary parole system.

Solutions

One solution to counter prisoners being lulled with humanization as a pretense for prison expansion is to teach fellow captives the sinister aims of the government apparatus. During this effort the counter replies I have gotten from captives were “Texas budget will not allow for prison expansion.”

At present time of this document, NPR is scheduled to cover discussions on the pros and cons of reintroducing private prisons to address county jail and prison overcrowding. In the current de-incarceration era, I am not aware of any prisoner advocates that don’t want a drastic reduction in prison populations. Therefore, another solution to counter prisoner expansion is I suggest that the foregoing political theory be widely publicized, including on social media.

MIM(Prisons) adds: The idea that the United $tates is a “highly automated economy” certainly has some merit, but we do not want to cover up the fact that the real reason people here work so little is because the whole country lives on the exploitation of the Third World where most of the things we consume are produced. In addition, migrant labor here in U.$. borders is harvesting and processing our food. It is interesting to watch what Texas has been doing by utilizing migrant labor to run its prisons. In many states, the prison system is part of the greater criminal injustice system that pays Amerikans nice wages to play the role of oppressor. While hiring mercenaries to do its dirty work abroad has many benefits to the U.$. imperialists, it does eliminate the role of nationalism in building loyalty among their soldiers. One benefit is hiring locals who know the terrain to do the work. In the TDCJ, hiring Africans to run their prisons seems likely to only create more contradictions.

In recent years we saw a leveling and then a dip in the prison population in the United $tates. This has been partially motivated by a decrease in pro cop and pro law and order public opinion among Amerikans.(1) Which direction things will go next is hard to say. A Virginia comrade recently wrote in on their tactics for reducing prisons by utilizing building and fire codes. As we’ve stated repeatedly though, getting the state to police itself leads to temporary reforms at best. If we are not engaging in actual power struggle by building an anti-imperialist prison movement that is independent of the state, then we have no real say in what the future of mass incarceration looks like.

^{Note: 1. see The Fundamental Political Line of the Maoist Internationalist Ministry of Prisons, The Political Economy of U.$. Mass Incarceration, p. 44-45.}

The term “Gospel” really just means “Good News”… so I bring to my fellow comrades “The Gospel According to Firewater!” :D

’Behold fellow sufferers who are locked in hot, filthy cages and begging for cold water… I bring you Good News as given to me through the Power and Grace of Lexis Nexis! Last night while I was unable to sleep due to heat, excessive gas and stomach troubles due to the unholy waters of this evil unit, the Great and all knowing Lexis Nexis spoke to me through the “Search All” button when I typed in “Extreme Heat TDCJ.” Low and behold: Tiede v. Collier, 2024 U.S. dist LEXIS 105904, U.S.D.C. Western Dist of Texas, Austin Division; Cause no. 1:23-CV-1004-RP; 2024 WL 3016562. Prior History: Tiede v. Collier, 2023 U.S. Dist LEXIS 173756; 2023 WL 6345966 (W.D. Tex Sept 28, 2023; 1:23-CV-1004-RP) It appears that the great LEXIS has heard our cries for help and Just-ICE! There are a whole bunch of Legal Eagles involved in this action and have formed 5 groups to sue Bryan Collier on behalf of ALL TDCJ prisoners! And the courts are not giving Collier any breaks so far! This is good news that has been too long in coming but Firewater has a good feeling about this one! Here on the Coffield Unit Firewater has been organizing a grievance campaign to address the Emergency Needs of prisoners during our first heat wave of the season. This Unit was not prepared and we had no ice water at all for hours at a time during triple-digit temperatures and triple-digit heat indices!

We filed emergency grievances (about 8-10) on T-wing, and of course, Firewater’s was improperly screened out because he had already submitted a grievance about being housed in a non-air-conditioned unit during the hot summer months. So the Grievance Investigator (G.I.) claimed that I am only allowed 1 grievance every 7 days and totally ignored not only the big printed “Emergency Grievance” at the top of the step one but also the content that stated that we were being denied access to ice water during a Heat Wave/Heat Advisory. That’s okay though, all I had to do is add some more recent facts and names and dates to the step one and wait for the appropriate time to re-file. Our inmate handbook clearly states on pages 74-75(G. #2):

“Only one grievance shall be processed every seven days [with the exception of a disciplinary and emergency grievances.]”

SEE ALSO: Valentin v. Collier. Civil Action 4:20-CV-1115, U.S.D.C. (S.D.TX, Houston Div. 2020). Valentine v. Collier, 2020 U.S. Dist LEXIS 112807 (Medical Emergency)!!! NO ICE WATER I think would qualify as a “Medical Emergency” during a Texas heat wave! But we still have to play by their rules even though Firewater knows the G.I. is wrong! Because the grievance system which does not recognize no ice water to be a “Medical Emergency” means that the grievance system “operates as a simple dead end!”

Anyway – Firewater is in Cage #209 and the recording equipment for temperatures etc. is locked in Cage 222, just 13 cages down the run/row. So at 3:00pm every day a Warden, Major, or other high ranking guard will pass by Firewater’s cage on their way to download the last 24 hour weather info from Cage 222, onto a Smartphone and email it in or whatever they have to do with it. So Firewater has opportunities to ask them questions. We are typically locked in our cells at 2:00pm daily for count, therefore cutting off access to the Igloo which has our cold water and ice in it and of course we are locked in our cages @ night from 10:30 pm to 4:00 am when sometimes the daily heat does not go away until 6:00 am.

So, there are problems with AD-10.64’s claims that we have unlimited access to ice & cold water and 24/7 access to respite. Especially when we are locked in cages and the zookeepers never come to check on us like AD-10.64 tells them to do “wellness checks”. Anyway, I hope the litigation in Austin is the final nail in Bryan Collier, Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott’s coffins with regards to air conditioning these human ovens.

Sending cool thoughts your way! Firewater!

Back in September we printed an article from a comrade in Virginia about PREA audits and why they do not work. This article did not appear in ULK, but touched on the abuses faced by wimmin in Federal Correctional Institution - Dublin (FCI-Dublin). On the ineffectiveness of PREA audits in Virginia, the comrade wrote about how the audits were pre-announced, communications with the auditors were done in front of staff, and once the auditors left, staff retaliated against prisoners who talked. Comrades in Pennsylvania and Texas have also reported on retaliation for filing PREA complaints, as is common for filing any kind of grievance against staff. The failure of PREA is just a subset of the failure of any accountability of prison staff across the country for abusing prisoners.

After the incidents at FCI-Dublin that were largely reported in 2022, nothing changed. This led to over 63 lawsuits being filed. On Monday, 11 March 2024, the FBI raided FCI-Dublin and arrested the acting Warden, Associate Warden, a Captain and an Executive Assistant who all lost their jobs. They were all members of the infamous “rape club” at FCI-Dublin, which continued on after previous firings in recent years.

“Federal law classifies any sexual contact between staff and incarcerated people as a felony punishable with up to 15 years in prison. But, as one incarcerated survivor testified during the trial of former Warden Ray Garcia, the Prison Rape Elimination Act “really doesn’t exist at Dublin.”(1)

PREA doesn’t really exist in most of this country, where grievances are routinely thrown in the trash and retaliation for filing PREA complaints is the norm. And this is not the first time the FBI has been involved in investigating and arresting FCI-Dublin staff for rape.

Trans Pride Initiative (TPI) is working to hold PREA auditors accountable in Texas. However, they report:

“Under PREA § 115.401(o), auditors “shall attempt to communicate with community-based or victim advocates who may have insight into relevant conditions in the facility.” TPI has seldom been contacted concerning information we have about Texas prisons, and the National PREA Resource Center, which oversees the audit process, has failed to hold auditors accountable to this requirement. TPI has developed a simple auditor tool for auditors to see current information about any unit that we have in our system, so they do not have to even contact us. They are required to list if they tried to contact others about prison information and who they contacted. We are seeing many auditors list no contacts, or contacts that are perfunctory and likely provided no information.”(3)

TPI has an impressive database of incidents of violence and retaliation against prisoners on their website. They want the details of dates, who did what, what happened, what was said, where it happened, witnesses, etc., which you can send to:

Before publishing this article, an investigation into suits filed under the Adult Survivors Act in New York City’s state supreme courts revealed that 719 of 1,256 cases came from Riker’s Island Jail.(2) That is, more than half of the suits filed in the whole city of New York for sexual assaults that had occurred in the past were filed against city correctional officers. Almost all of them came from the wimmin’s jail. Like the rest of the country, wimmin make up a small minority of prisoners at Rikers. While male-bodied prisoners face very high rates of sexual assault compared to the general U.$. population, it is clear that being in a wimmin’s prison puts you in one of the highest-risk groups to be sexually assaulted.(4) And within men’s prisons, being trans, gay, queer, intersex, smaller or weaker will all put you at greater risk as the reports below suggest.

Gender oppression is built in to the U.$. prison system. Despite laws, lawsuits and FBI raids, it is not going away on its own. It is only by organizing the oppressed to stand together that we can put an end to these abuses.

Below are a couple recent reports from Polunsky Unit in Texas on how PREA incidents are handled. TPI’s data shows they have received many more PREA reports from other Texas prisons, including: Allred, Hughes, Connally, Telford and Stiles Units.(5)

A Trans Prisoner at Polunsky Unit in Texas Reported in March 2024: I put a Step 1 Grievance against one officer and wrote to the Ombudsman in Huntsville and he denied any allegations and got other officers to start to do stuff to me. I wrote to the Warden Mr. Anderson and I was placed around other gang members who keep threatening to harm me and call me punk, snitch, hoe and all that and use officers against me. Last month another officer name Suniga started threatening to harm me and sexually harassed me.

…Later Suniga got mad at me and threatened to take my booty shorts and other clothes. He told all those other inmates that I’m snitching on them with the I.G. who coming to investigate me for the incident with the other officer I mention before. And they took my jail housing manual charter #30 for the LGBTQ inmates with all the PREA standards, rules and regulations for jailers and inmates.

He took it and threw it away, so I put a step 1 grievances and sent a letter to the PREA offices in Huntsville, who are doing an investigation, and the PREA officer respond back and said they did an investigation but can’t go forward because Mr. Suniga resigned from his job. Now no body want to do anything or restore my papers which I don’t get for free. …even if Suniga quit his job, the TDCJ should be responsible for what he did while he were employed at the TDCJ.

A female officer who worked with Suniga before and knows that I put a Step 1 against Suniga, works here named Ms. Smith. When she came to my cell door she tell me that I got her friend in trouble and she refused to feed me my lunch. She said that she was going to write me up for not being dressed appropriately because I was wearing my shorts and she said that she don’t care if I were punk, transgender, or whatever.

They stop our physical mail claiming that too much drugs are coming into the TDCJ units. She worry about me wearing booty shorts, but drugs still get here every day. And not only K2, they get methamphetamine, ice, weed, all kind. I know because I seen who bring into the C pod. And I got notes in my cell right now, on 8 March 2024, on people who ask me if I want to buy K2 and ice, but I can’t say shit because if I do or report it to the I.G. or STG they going to let these gang members know that I told on them and more retaliations going to occur.

I am the only transgender or gay at C. Pod. All other inmates here are gang members or part of some groups. I filed I-60 requests and send letters to classification in Huntsville asking to move me to a pod or unit where most LGBTQ prisoners are and never get a reply or get moved. It is so cruel what they doing to us. About a month ago, someone killed himself on C. pod. And two others try to cut they self too… Now, one more time, I ask please help me with legal assistance to put a stop to all this abuse. Thank you and hope I can hear from y’all or someone who want to help me.

Another Polunsky Unit prisoner wrote us in March 2024: I was called out by Captain Cerda concerning a PREA Safe Prison for sexual harassment and sexual assault…. he began asking me what’s up with this letter to PREA Ombudsman. I began to explain and he said, “aw hell, we got to do this whole PREA thing.” He then hands me a statement sheet. I ask for the dates for the PREA letter and times, but he said “don’t worry about it, just leave ’em out.” I told him I needed them cause this inmate was suppose to be out of his assigned work area and in safe keeping, and I’ve written PREA Ombudsman about this repeatedly. He stated, “If we weren’t so short handed all this shit wouldn’t be happening and if TDCJ had housing, safe keeping wouldn’t be on my fucking unit cause I damn sure don’t want yall here!”

I felt badgered and like I was wrong for filing the complaint with only half the info. And with Captain Cerda’s demeanor and Lt. Rodriguez throwing questions in… and her standing over me I felt pressured and I wrote as little as possible. I just wanted to be away from them.

…TDCJ Executive Directive PD22 #4 Tampering with a witness violation level 1: states “An employee shall not attempt to hinder or influence in any manner the testimony or information or any witness or potential witness in an investigation or administrative proceeding.”

<sup>Notes: 1. Victoria Law, 14 March 2024, FBI Raids California Prison Facing 63 Lawsuits Over Systemic Sexual Abuse, Truthout.
2. Jessy Edwards and Samantha Max, 26 March 2024, Late-night sex assaults. Invasive searches. The 700+ women alleging abuse at Rikers, The Gothamist.
3. Trans Pride Initiative PREA website
4. MIM(Prisons), September 2007, Gender Oppression in Prisons, Under Lock & Key No. 1.
5. TPI Prison Data Explorer</sup>

In mid-February on H-pod here in the ECB [Expansion Cell Blocks] prisoners got together and submitted 30 grievances about lack of dayroom and outside rec which G-5, G-4 and G-2 are all experiencing here in the ECB. The response from Warden Smith was that they are “understaffed”. I may submit my own grievance just to see if I get the same response though I have to be careful as the guards are using the gangs to police the prisoners and some of these fucking “Homeboys” do the pigs’ work for them violently. But I thought I would call your attention to an interview of Bryan Collier in the Nov-Dec 2023 and Jan. 2024 Echo Newspaper. In the January edition Collier admits to having “staffing” problems. So both Collier and Smith are aware of this understaffing but still it continues and they are not releasing anybody or hiring enough to quell the problems.

Two weeks ago it is rumored that a prisoner was raped by his celly. The word is this is the reason one of my classmates has been missing. I don’t know if a FOIA can be filed and help his family to get these motherfuckers? But being understaffed is dangerous and cruel for all of us.

These 30 grievances from G-4’s in H-pod on ECB and the January 2024 interview of Collier show corroborated “Deliberate Indifference.” Maybe I should also grieve this and send my copies to a supporter who can coordinate with prisoners, legislators, and the D.O.J. I’m sure Genocide Joe would love to get a piece of Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton for the bad press they have given him on the border?? We should take advantage of these asshole politicians whenever we can!!! Anyway, if you have any extra ULKs sitting around and can afford to send me another bulk mailing, please do so, so that I can distribute them here.

Securus advertises package pricing for movies I think that are about $12 a month but they are not offering these packages. Instead we have to pay from 6-12 dollars per movie rental! And they blame Hollywood Studios for this price gouging. I wonder if Hollywood knows about how they are exploiting us and our families? We should get Netflix for $16/month or something but 4.99-19.99 before tax is too much to charge “slaves” who do not get paid for their mandatory work!

MIM(Prisons) responds: It’s ironic that Abbott is fighting to militarize the border, but can’t find enough people to run his prisons. Though it’s our understanding that many Texas prisons are already being staffed by Nigerian immigrants working on visas. Meanwhile they have gangs working for the state, implementing repression and keeping the population sedated on drugs, while the staff sit around doing nothing. Though Biden has no qualms about supporting genocide, he does like scoring political points on Greg Abbot. This comrade might have a good idea here.

The Digital mail system launched by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) last year has been disastrous for prisoners and those who communicate with them.

One comrade from Coffield Unit just wrote to say:

“In response to the TDCJ Digital Mail initiative article from ULK 84. My own postal mail has been averaging 3 months for receipt since the implementation of the program. Even our Securus e-mail at my unit has been taking up to 3 or 4 weeks to be received – both incoming and outgoing.”

Meanwhile we are receiving mail from comrades in Allred Unit that is dated from 3 months ago. While there are more delays in mail going in, they are happening in both directions.

The Warrior In White newsletter has been investigating delays and received the following responses:

[TDCJ Ombdusman to the nonprofit:] “There are no staff shortages and all mail is being processed within the 3 day limit as stated in the policy.”

[Mail System Coordinator in Huntsville:] We are currently experiencing a staff shortage. We were not expecting the volume of mail at the Dallas facility. All mail to you has been received at the facility, but not yet scanned (acknowledging the USPS Informed Delivery Service evidence showing the mail at the Dallas facility).”

[From Securus:] “There is no staff shortage. All mail is being processed within 5 days, unless there are pictures or photos, in which case it may take a little longer.”

One comrade is leading a lawsuit against the violations of the digital mail system as we reported in ULK 84.

Another comrade wrote in response to that suit to suggest:

“To a Texas prisoner who has filed a complaint challenging the constitutionality of the Agency’s contracting with a private vendor (i.e.: a for-profit company in Dallas, Texas) to digitalize all Texas prisoners’ incoming general mail and photographs for computer-generated posting to a prisoner’s Securus authorized tablets. I believe this Texas prisoner needs to read Securus Technologies, LLC’s Agreement of Terms and Conditions when challenging the Agency’s policy-related ban of senders’ mail piece items off of prisoners physical mail. See Texas General Arbitration Act.”

For those who cannot commit to participating in the lawsuit, we can continue to agitate around this issue. And one way is to file grievances. Below is an example grievance from a comrade that can help you write your own:

Dear UL&K Editor & Staff,

When i originally wrote to you regarding my lawsuit on the digitalized mail, i had NOT yet been assigned a case no. i have one now:

• Prisoners are NOT allowed to correspond with Plaintiff. ALL other INDIVIDUALS may write to Plaintiff using the name, #, and Unit, with:

WARNING Any fellow Texas Prisoner who wants to seek to join this suit as a Defendant WILL be required by the Court to pay applicable fees and court costs – so, don’t put your foot in the pond if you aren’t prepared to swim.

Again – as the Plaintiff – i am extending an open invitation to any Attorneys, Investigators, Paralegals, Researchers, Legal Aid Groups, or Sponsors who would like to offer assistance with this litigation.

• ALL pleadings filed to date should be available for viewing/downloading on the Court’s public website.

With appreciation for ANY assistance extended into my hand – have a great day and Blessed be.