Prisoners Report on Conditions in

Texas Prisons

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www.prisoncensorship.info is a media institution run by the Maoist Internationalist Ministry of Prisons. Here we collect and publicize reports of conditions behind the bars in U.$. prisons. Information about these incidents rarely makes it out of the prison, and when it does it is extremely rare that the reports are taken seriously and published. This historical record is important for documenting patterns of abuse, and also for informing people on the streets about what goes on behind the bars.

We hope this information will inspire people to take action and join the fight against the criminal injustice system. While we may not be able to immediately impact this particular instance of abuse, we can work to fundamentally change the system that permits and perpetuates it. The criminal injustice system is intimately tied up with imperialism, and serves as a tool of social control on the homeland, particularly targeting oppressed nations.

[Medical Care] [Texas]
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Texas stealing prisoner's money for free medical services

On Sept 23, 2017, I was transported to a local hospital by EMS, concerning chest pains. I spent several hours in ER before being returned to my unit, the Boyd Unit.

On Sept 26, 2017, I saw our PA (provider) concerning my trip to ER. Again on Sept 27, 2017 I saw another provider concerning same trip to ER.

On Oct 2, 2017, I became aware that my inmate trust account was assessed $100 co-pay and $22.46 removed. Half of my current balance.

This is, as you know, in violation of Gov. Code 501.063 and TDCJ's administrative directive AD-06.08, stating that an inmate will not be charged for emergencies or follow-ups. The two visits to PA were indeed follow-ups to the emergency.

I have filed Step 1 grievance, and regardless of outcome will file Step 2. Someone needs to take notice of how this is happening. I have also wrote to the US Dept of Justice.

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[Abuse] [Legal] [McConnell Unit] [Texas]
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Fighting false cases and theft of legal material in Texas

I thank you for all the help that I have received in the past & will continue to help out as much as I am able to in the future. Hopefully when all is said & done with my litigation I will be able to send another donation to you. My main issues are dealing with: (1) not being allowed to grow my beard for religious reasons of my faith; (2) for the Administration causing me to lose all my property in the world at the passing of my mother due to their retaliation over me grievancing them on the denial of my beard; & (3) of them taking all my Uniform Commercial Code legal books, notes, letters, etc. that I had accumulated over the past 15 years of study & research. They took my Federal West Law books, & my mother's death certificate to prevent me from using them.

Then they wrote a fraudulent case on me & even stated that I did not do as the write-up stated yet still punished me as if I did do something. They have the nerve to state that T.D.C.J.-I.D. has a "policy that denies the possession of U.C.C. material" which they are not able to produce cause it doesn't exist period. Then they write up a fraudulent charge of me supposedly coming to the law library to present a fraudulent financial statement to be filed, (which by the way is the only felony on the books that they can give you for utilizing the U.C.C. process), when that wasn't taken up by anyone.

The "Law Librarian" who was behind it all wrote a fraudulent disciplinary case against me of committing a felony while in T.D.C.J., which I have never been indicted nor have I ever made an attempt to file anything. She even admitted this at the disciplinary hearing, yet in T.D.C.J. they do what they wish to do no matter of the right or wrong involved, cause no one will take them to court. But they messed up when they made me lose everything that my mother had been keeping for me & by taking my actual legal law books from me that I had purchased. As I try to tell them "there is no way you will make me or a Federal Judge believe that a policy (that doesn't even exist), will supersede FEDERAL LAW." Anyhow I thank you again for all your help & efforts that you have put in for those as myself in here. Continue to keep up the Good Fight for all of us, as I will myself.

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[Abuse] [Medical Care] [Wynne Unit] [Texas]
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Denied care for Sickle Cell Anemia in Texas

As of this moment, as I mail you this notation I'm also sending a letter to an address from your packet: Texas Civil Rights Project, 1405 Montopolis Drive, Austin, Texas 78741-3438.

I am a sickle cell anemia patient and I've written numerous requests to render meds, (600 or 800 ibuprofen) but was ignored. I had a sickle cell crisis in October and was unconscious and unresponsive on my cell floor. Prison staff was called to the emergency and walked off twice before finally taking it serious the third time and coming to my aid.

If you know any attorney that's willing to assist me in this situation it would be greatly appreciated. I am going to file a suit… that's not even a question. I would like legal assistance because the camera's footage will need to be gathered and I don't want that to suddenly vanish.

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[Abuse] [Texas]
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Fighting medical co-pay and mail services in Texas

I always enjoy your newsletters, because they are always full of a lot of helpful information.

Lately I've been very busy helping prisoners filing grievances due to the fact that a lot of inmates are getting charged the $100.00 co-pay for chronic illnesses. On some we've been successful and on others not so much. But the most important thing is that I never give up. But then the sad thing is that the person I'm helping gets discouraged. And will ask me not to continue the legal process.

There's a lot of mail tampering by the mailroom staff. That's another thing that I'm working on right now. And also a lot of denial of access to postal services. For example: I've asked the mailroom (via I-60 form) supervisor that how much it would cost me to send a letter to a certain address in Mexico by registered mail? But to no avail have gotten no response. And I've written the supervisor twice. If there's anyone that can help me with any legal information to help me fight this injustice, I would greatly appreciate the help. Thank You!

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[Abuse] [Wynne Unit] [Texas]
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Warden harassing wives visiting in Texas

On July 2nd, 2016 my wife came from Texarkana to the Wynne Unit in Huntsville, Texas. What happened after our four hour contact visit is as follows:

Pam (wife) was leaving the unit. She had her car searched by a male TDCJ guard who accidentally pushed the lock button and closed the door (with the keys inside). "Pam is mentally disabled" and became sick from the heat after standing by her locked car for over an hour while someone looked for a clothes hanger. The guards allowed her to cool off inside.

The unit warden - Warden Strong - has been called. She questions Pam on who she came to see. The warden's harassment starts the moment Pam says my name. Bad mouthing me to Pam, she then takes Pam to a building to use the phone. The warden instructs her to call my mother. Warden Strong is on the phone with my mother bad mouthing me. When she sees the call is not to her advantage she hangs up on her, turns to Pam and says "She is a b***h isn't she?" Disagreement cost her a ride back to her car. The warden made her walk back.

Back at the car Warden Strong is telling several TDCJ guards that what happened or happens next is not TDCJ responsibility. The warden tells Pam that she needs to break a window, if not she will, or call the Fire Department, or a tow truck to get the car off TDCJ property. With all of this unprovoked harassment/bullying Pam finds a rock, strikes the window several times and when it shatters Pam cuts her hand. At no time during Pam getting sick from the heat, to cutting her hand on the window did Warden Strong allow first aid or provide it. Not even a band-aid.

Pam's treatment by Warden Strong had Pam so upset that she almost ended up in Dallas. Upon her getting on the proper highway she got a ticket for excessive speeding. "Thank God it wasn't worse." At first Pam was afraid to go forward with this. Now she isn't. She is concerned about retaliation to her, our families, or myself.

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[Abuse] [Vance Unit] [Texas]
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Retaliation and punishment for filing grievances in Texas

On 11/10/16 I was accepted to an 18-month Christian parole program. It is on the Carol Vance Unit (Jester 2). On 12/14/16 I saw the PA(Evans) for a sick-call I submitted. On this visit he canceled all my medical housing/work restrictions. Upon information and belief, he does this to every offender with medical ailments.

I went to the IFI Counselors and TDCJ staff for help. They just ran me in circles looking for help. Their response was the same as the PA, Don't worry about it you'll be home within two years.

Before all this happened, I was already filing grievances on the unit due to it falling apart and a lot of officer violations. The main one was over the extreme heat, no cool-down showers, and having to be fully clothed in the main dayroom.

On 4/7/17, I filed a 1983 on the PA (4:17-cv-01076). This was filed before the warden had stopped by my cubicle and warned me to stop filing constitutional challenges (grievances) on his unit because people are starting to follow and because people have been content for over twenty years.

Three days later I file a retaliation grievance against the warden, asst warden, a Lt and a Sgt. I was harassed about where do I work. They knew I refused to work due to the PA and that no one would help me with a light duty job (GED Tutor, Peer Educator, Clerical Job, Full Time Student-correspondence college).

That following Monday I started getting refusing to work cases. I had not got a case in five months until I filed that retaliation grievance.

After my 3rd case I get placed in PHD for 25 days. It took 19 days to get my property. I had no hygiene, stationary, religious material, legal work. My legal work for my active case did not come until 22nd day. Two days later I'm released from PHD. Full of restrictions, S3-S4 line class.

I file my 2nd complaint (4:17-cv-02811) on 9/19/17. As soon as I get to the unit my counselor (Roy Garcia) tells me that I am going to be a GED Tutor now. That same afternoon, Daryll Brooks (program director-ex inmate) tells me that I'm not going to get the GED job and the next refusing to work case you get you will be kicked out of the program. Brooks and warden Troy Simpson will help each other out to remove certain individuals who complain (file grievances).

I am now back in PHD for refusing to work. More restrictions, S4-L1 and G4'd. I'm waiting now to see if IFI/parole is going to let me remain in the program.

I do believe all my legal work was copied when they had my property for 19 days. My legal work was out of order and all my legal aids were missing a lot of pages.

I've written several attorneys for representation to no avail.

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[Legal] [Texas]
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Legal struggles in Texas Ad-Seg

I haven't been in touch in a while. Everything here in prison is pretty much the same thing. It's very hard to do legal work because i have to deal with retaliation from the prisoners and correctional officers. The law library here on this unit for Ad. Seg. is not good at all. A lot of the legal materials i request don't come in or the wrong ones come in and i need these legal materials in order to do research so i can win the lawsuits i am filing. I don't have the time i need to sit down and write everything. i need to file multiple lawsuits because i have to deal with all of the day to day prison life and then on top of that the law library staff do not bring me the legal supplies i need in order to research.

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[Abuse] [Texas]
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Lawsuit against dangerous conditions in Texas

There's something big going on down here in Texas, concerning a civil suit under the civil action # 4:14C vol698 under Judge Keith P. Ellison - 515 Rusk, Room 8631 in Houston, Texas 77208 - U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas. That's the reason why my address changed. They have placed injunctions on the Pack 1 unit in Nava Sota, TX 77868 which 1100 inmates were moved off of that unit, and the Springfellow in Rosharon, TX 77583 600 were moved concerning unsafe or extremely harsh conditions.

There's no air in the T.D.C.J. system, and there's been 8 to 9 deaths within the year on the Pack 1 unit and we were over there in Sept. to Oct. 1 around about and I witness one myself. Anyway, people that take psych medication, high blood pressure, diabetic, asthma, along with a few more health condition what places heat restrictions on you can't be on T.D.C.J. units without air conditioning. So that's caused a big uproar here in Texas. None of their units or facilities has air except about 3 or 4 and that's where they had six month programs for people with an F1-6 pre-release but they've had to shut those down. There's people on the floors, disabled people on top bunks because there's not enough bottom bunks etc. etc. it's bad. These injunctions are really shaking things up here in Texas. I've wrote the courts under the action #4:14C vol698 and ask for more info - because it's a class action suit that I'm involved in, maybe I will have something to send to you all.

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[Drugs] [Robertson Unit] [Texas]
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Texas using drugs to keep prisoners quiet

Here's the thing about the Texas prison system, if you're the one that likes to medicate themselves with K2 or psych drugs then the system is a cake walk. I've been here many times but when I woke up and saw the real picture it was too late. Now I want you to understand that society plays a vital role in this campaign of slavery and drug trafficking. The prisoners these days don't care about nothing but K2 and commissary. The Texas prisoners won't put their foot down for nothing but when the pleasures have been taken from them. The guards bring that shit in here and they're making big money. The powers that be will let just enough drugs in to keep the masses from rioting, as long as the masses think they're being slick by getting drugs in then there won't be any waves. Society is so jacked up with their own problems, and not to mention how the smoke and mirrors are being used by the power that be.

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