Prisoners Report on Conditions in

Wynne Unit - Federal

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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] [Wynne Unit] [Texas]
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TB outbreak at Texas Wynne Unit not being prevented

I am incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutional Division (TDCJ) at the John M. Wynne Unit. I damaged my left lung because I contracted tuberculosis here at this faculty. I had complained for over a year because I was seriously ill. It is apparent that I contracted the active disease here. Before Feb 26, 2016, all test results were 0.0, until Feb 28, 2016 it was 0.3 and then in March 3, 2017 it read 0.8.

I remain in day to day contact with people with the active disease cough infecting anyone who breathe the germs into their lungs. There are at least three other people in the last twelve months, that I have seen the TB germs multiply and cause illness here at this unit. Each of these individual had been tested, as I prior too and had not tested positive for TB. I was given test upon test and complained many times that I felt I had been exposed to TB and was not properly diagnosed until I went on bench warrant that it was confirmed, certainly.

I possibly exposed many for undoubtedly mine was indeed active. It is not being addressed and my most sincere concern is that this is allowed by the prison failing to properly respond to tuberculosis exposure. Outbreak of the disease is not being prevented. The latest incident was on March 9, 2018 in which a prisoner became so ill from TB he passed out and was brought to medical then taken to the hospital. I told a LWN nurse Latasha D. Franklin that he had TB and he caught it from me a year ago. The next day she thanked me for the info because they didn’t know what was wrong with him.

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[Abuse] [Wynne Unit] [Texas]
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Organizations ignore fight against Texas corruption and abuse

I’ve received your January/February 2018, no. 60 ULK magazine which I feel is one of your best issues yet, full of very good information which I’ll definitely let out to others to read and then send out to a friend later on. As I’ve told you before, I am a Euro-Amerikan, Indian-Amerikan mix, 62 year old retired US military, 90% VA disabled retiree presently at the TDCJ nazi concentration camp Wynne Unit in the Oppressive/suppressive slave state of Texa$$.

Back in September, apparently at the direction of the Administration, the local Doctor, one Theodore R. Hall, began a campaign of removing people’s medical restrictions. In my case, without even having seen me. And then he retaliated on me after having me tossed from his office by removing even more of my restrictions. I immediately did an Informal Resolution to the UTM Health Care Administration Ms. Jaime Williams. No help there! I did a step 1 and step 2 Grievance with the usual predictable results and I’m certain the step 2 never left this unit as it only had a completion date with no signature and no ID No. of an investigator on it.

I wrote numerous offices, organizations, VA, Texas Vets, TIFA, Texas Civil Rights Project, and several lawyers for help. The only one that wrote back was Texas Vets and he was confused as to my predicament and so I got absolutely no help. I’m convinced TACJ is intercepting and destroying a lot of my mail seeking legal helps and to the Dept. of Justice.

I wrote the ARRM Administrator and Health Services Division who told me to use the Grievance Procedures even though I’d explain it doesn’t work and that I already had, the main Grievance office in Austin told me the same thing. I contacted the Texas Disability Rights Protection and Advocacy Agency who told me they could do nothing to help me, the International Humanitarian Law Institute in St. Paul, MN too. You name it, I’ve more than likely written to them as I wrote to at least 25 different places, no help at all. Not one lawyer or law organization has ever returned any sort of answer to me in years, nor have the DOJ, nor have any of the ACLU offices.

It seems that no one will take on the TDCJ or their very corrupt Parole Board. Speaking of which, I firmly believe it is because I am a very outspoken prison activist that I have not made parole yet, the first 3 times I received a 3 year set off. This time I got a 5 year set off until January, 2023. I think they will try to keep me and let me die in here due to their sleep deprivation, bad food, neglect, contaminated water and their “Health Care” routines. I haven’t been beaten or threatened or harassed by the Administration. Oh no, they do treat me very politely, it’s what goes on that I can’t be made privy to that worries me behind the scenes that they do in their paperwork and records.

On my parole denial they cited reason 2D in all 4 of my denials as being a threat/danger to society. You ought to see me, I hobble around on a cane and lose my breath in less than 50 yds, and I’m slow, everything hurts too. I have to lever myself up any time I get out of bed, onto the toilet, or off the seat in the chow hall and I can barely keep my food tray steady. This place is full of DANGEROUS old men :), pfffft! I definitely do not recommend this gated community and old folks home of Texa$$ to anyone, and the way we got treated and abused, well if you did it on the outside, they’d put them in prison. That’s exactly where ALL the pigs deserve to be put anyway!

I’ve also shared out to several people the Texas Grievance Pack you sent me and I’ve written for and given at least 6 Jailhouse Lawyer handbooks to likely inmates that will use them of all races of our apparently lower classes of our great ‘Merican society of the have-nots and poor and with any power to protect us from the Upper Elite Ultra Wealthy who actually run (ruin) our country.

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[Abuse] [Wynne Unit] [Texas]
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Punished for false cases at Wynne

Here at Wynne they put everyone in the day room for chow maybe 20 mins could be 2 hrs now said this they will start saying "sit down" but nowhere to sit walls are full seats are full now you just got a case for standing in the day room. We write grievances 1 and 2 but it always comes back "we talk to officer and they said we don't stage the day room." Funny every day they do it rank just cusses you out and you get that false case. Now here at the Wynne Unit we are no longer give soap, toothpaste, combs, or anything to clean your cells, you get one green bar of soap at showers and can not bring it back to your block.

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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] [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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[Censorship] [Wynne Unit] [Texas]
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Wynne Unit censoring ULK, ignoring grievances

I am at the Wynne Unit. I am writing to let you know that Under Lock and Key July-Aug was denied. It contains material that a reasonable person would construe as written solely for the purpose of communicating information designed to achieve the breakdown of prisons through offender disruption such as strikes, riots or security threat group activity. "Remarks" Reason C page 11 contains information that could cause a prison disruption.

I appealed the denial, even sent a I-60 to DRC, I have not got my appeal back nor my I-60. This happens a lot at the Wynne Unit, all of our step ones come back with: "This office has investigated your grievance. After a review of statements from staff your allegation that you have not been issued your indigent supplies was not sustained, no violation of TDCJ policy was sustained no further action is required by this office and we consider this step 1 grievance closed at this time. Warden McClarin." Every one of our grievances will say something like that. "We talk to our staff, they said no, so you're wrong." Wynne is a unit where staff has a free run to do whatever they want to do, cases are wrote for anything and you can be locked up for asking "why". I hope you get this letter, sometimes Wynne Unit will stop mail from going out or coming in.

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[Abuse] [Medical Care] [Wynne Unit] [Texas]
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Knee brace destroyed by staff blamed on prisoner

I am writing in regards to retaliation from officers for an attempted sexual assault by an officer that reached into my cell and tried to hit me in the private area. The cameras show this officer assaulting me. About 4 or 5 days go by and Sgt De Chow comes to my door and rolls it and tells us to strip out. During that process I hand my knee brace to him and he tries to bend it and it don't bend so he closes the door and takes my brace to the front of the run by the picket and takes it apart. A Lt. Simmons shows up and takes my brace and leaves the block and Sgt. DeChow comes back and puts me and my celly in the dayroom. I ask the Sgt why he took it apart and he stated it doesn't matter it's contraband, the metal inside could be used as a weapon.

The knee brace was given to me by UTMB hospital Galveston because I have a messed up left knee and need it. I'm placed in lock-up by Lt. Simmons and when I ask why he says investigation from someone higher than him. Three days go by and Sgt. Easley investigates a case for 13.0 destruction of property saying I tore the knee brace up. Note all of this is on camera where I was housed and a review of the cameras will show the Sgt. DeChow taking my brace to the front of the run pulling it apart. I feel like all this is being made up in retaliation for the grievance I filed on an officer prior to this.

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[Abuse] [Wynne Unit] [Texas]
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Heat Reality

If you would, please inform the Texas Civil Rights Project that Ken Paxton Lieutenant Governor is telling lies by the ton about what Texa$ and TDCJ are doing to alleviate the heat injury/deaths problems. All they've done is the very bare minimum to comply with the courts' directives. Our "respite" areas here on the Wynne Unit only receive cooling when high level visitors are here or during an ACA audit. During the summer all these fans do is circulate hot air. It's like living in a convection oven on this whole unit, unless of course you're any kind of rank and have an office, or you are a Warden of course. :)

Also the $100 medical co-pay information is still posted in the clinic and I understand people are still being stolen from by medical.

Thank you for your updated Texas Packet - June 2017. And thank you for all you're doing to help us and empower us in our struggle against the system's oppression and repression.

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[Medical Care] [Wynne Unit] [Texas]
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Petty Repression for Reaching Out

I'm writing to give yall some more info on how Warden Strong runs her administration. I sent out another leter to Texas-CURE informing them on some things that she had the security there at Wynne Unit doing, such as writing major cases for things like rubberbands and paper clips. In other words, things they put in our hands every day to work with.

Another one of her things is to lock up people with anonymous I-60s for escape. It's what they used to lock me up for the letters i was writing people like yall, ACLU, and other Civil Rights projects all over the U.S. Now mind you I am doing a non-ag 8 year sentence for DWI and had just seen parole for the second time. Then to add insult to injury her offices stole, or let be stolen, around $50 of commissary and i have yet to get back my lock ($13.25), multi-plug outlet ($7.50) and there was some other little stuff: cups, spoons, and such. In all around $70 something dollars worth of stuff.

I would like to add a few lines about what UTMB Hospital is up to. I have had sinus issues all my life and they are now saying that they will no longer provide sinus sprays and eye drops to me. It's just another way they are trying to screw over the tax payer by making us pay the $100 fee for medical treatment.

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[Abuse] [Wynne Unit] [Texas]
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Following Protocol on Dead End Path

Greetings MIM/ULK,

I am writing this short letter to send you some updates to sever addresses from the Texas Activist Pack that have changed since printing. They are as follows:

... All of my copies of complaints with cover letters to TDCJ Executive Director, PO Box 99, Huntsville, TX 77342 have been forwarded to the Ombudsman, who, in turn, sent me a pre-listed sheet stating they "do not accept mail from inmates." It's a dead end loop with this address.

... I want to give you an indication of what I am going through at the hands of these pigs. I have been subjected to sexual harassment by homosexual correctional officers. And when I complained, I was punished by the corrupt security staff Captain Cory Webb for making a false complaint.

All my efforts to contact the free world authorities - County Sheriff and District Prosecuting Attorney to file a criminal complaint of my Civil Rights violations have been stopped. Copies of this coimplaint to Governor Gregg Abbot, Senator John Whitmire, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington DC have gone unanswered with the cover letter. I am being censored??

Finally out of retaliation I am deliberately being harassed, retaliated against, charged with false TDCJ policy violations and straight out lies by the grievance investigator(s) Doyle Davis. My mail is being delayed and tampered with by the law library staff Garland Goodrum who processes the indigent mail — because I have filed many grievances against the medical department, security staff and his drinking buddy Doyle Davis.

The medical department is deliberately delaying my sick call requests up to 40 days before I am seen by a medical provider. The medical department is being managed by staffing nurses that are NOT registered by the Texas Medical Board or the Texas Nurses Board. I do have documentation (letters) to prove this.

At the moment I am seeking legal representation to file a 1983 Bivens Civil Complaint for the sexual harassement and deliberate denial and delay for medical care at this unit. I will at a later date send you an update on these two issues. Look forward to receiving the next ULK issue.

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