Tag Archives: White House

Prison Lock Down

Photo by Dave Romain on Pexels.com

For those with a loved one inside the United States Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and I suspect many state institutions; if you cannot contact or hear from your loved one, friend, affiliate or associate held inside the prison system, it may be because of a national lockdown, meaning that the men and women will be restricted to limited activities as a precautionary measure.

IN my opinion, regarding BOP captives, many of the prison staff will be at the White House or local government buildings in response to the possible threat of violence during the Presidential Inauguration. Inside the BOP, a high percentage of staff are former or current military personnel and or members of the National Guard, as I feel may also be true for state correctional officials.

This is the memorandum posted on the BOP website: BOP: Temporary Security Measures Implemented

Temporary Security Measures Implemented

Precautions in light of current events nationwide

Temporary Security Measures Implemented

Updated 5:00 AM ET, January 16, 2021

(BOP) – For the majority of the past twelve months, the BOP has been operating under a modified operational model to promote social distancing and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We recognize that this pandemic has placed a heavy burden on inmates and their families in terms of limited movement and the public’s restrictions in being able to freely visit with loved ones. However, in light of current events occurring around the country, and out of an abundance of caution, the decision has been made to secure all institutions. This measure is being taken to maintain the security and orderly running of our institutions, as well as to ensure the continued safety of staff, inmates, and the public.

In securing the facilities, the hope is that this prudent measure is for a short period and that operations will be restored to their prior status as soon as practical. We will continue to monitor events carefully and will adjust operations accordingly as the situation continues to evolve. Recognizing that communication with families is important, although it will be limited, inmates will be provided with access to telephones and email.

There is no specific information that triggered this decision. This action is precautionary, and is not in response to any significant events occurring inside our facilities. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and assistance during this period and encourage the public to monitor this website for updated information on visiting schedules and institution operations.


Corrlinks

LIMITED TIME: Based upon my experience during the hundreds of lockdowns I went through, sometimes for months at a time, if the person has access to Corrlinks or any other similar system for communicating with the outside world, access to the system will be severely, if not completely, restricted. That includes access to telephones.

INSIDE PERSPECTIVE: if living in a cellblock, even though allowed to be out of the cell with several others on the tier, range, or however released for as little as an hour to shower, use the phone, and or computer (Trulincs/Corrlinks); with an overpopulated prison system, and numerous inmates attempting to do the same things at once, many men did not have the time or patience to wait in line for a shower and then use the phone or computer.

He or she may want to call or contact loved ones but cannot do so because of the unavailability of the resources during the limited time out of the cell, or because of some inmates being inconsiderate by breaking in front of others waiting in line, and the lack of control by a limited number of staff who have multiple tasks to accomplish during the times that the doors are opened and cannot oversee everything happening at one time.

During the early nineties when I was at the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, a female staff member who used to be a lieutenant at the Federal Prison Camp, said to me,

“One time when I was doing my rounds in the units, an inmate came up to me and pointed to another guy on the phone. He told me to make him get off the phone because he had been on longer than he was supposed to have been. I told him, ‘You go make him get off. You have a mouth.'”

She laughed and said, “I called them Crooklets because they hadn’t grown up to be crooks.”

The point is that if you do not hear from someone you know on the inside, he or she may not be allowed access to the system or cannot get to it to call or email you as he or she would normally do.

Brighten his or her day by mailing a letter or postcard to show you have not forgotten them. Hearing one’s name at mail call means a lot.

For more information on Corrlinks, if not familiar, read Corrlinks Process

Experimental Prison Project by Wayne T. Dowdy

The Price of Change” by Wayne T. Dowdy

The following post is rooted in my response to a comment on QUORA.COM that concerned my answer to how does serving time in federal prison compare to state prison?  https://www.quora.com/How-does-serving-time-in-federal-prison-compare-to-state-prison/answer/Wayne-T-Dowdy

Based upon showing a positive difference in my behavior due to more humane living conditions in the Federal prison system, compared to my behavior in the Georgia Department of Corrections, a reader commented on the viability of each state creating a pilot program of prisons to mimic the more humane conditions in the federal system, to see how that affected recidivism. Well, maybe not in those exact words, but the gist of the suggestion is the same.

Thanks for the comment and feedback. In my opinion, yes, if the powers that be wanted to, it would be simple to do as you suggest, to create experimental/study group prison projects to study recidivism reduction, through Prison Reform/Improvement.

Mighty American Dollar

That’s what it’s all about: Money. The mighty dollar! The penal systems in America make a lot of politicians and investors in private prison companies, and in the goods and services provided to the prison machine, a lot of money.

Proven prison systems exist to reduce recidivism by treating people differently during their incarceration, and providing necessary resources/tools to help them transition into a new life.

To prove a point that change in the American Criminal Justice system is possible, I refer to an experimental program in America that is designed after a particular prison in Germany, where prisoners are treated more humanely and are less likely to return to prison after release. Prison Reform Progress

In Prison Privatization and Recidivism, I show how the interest of private prison companies and society may join to reduce recidivism while the investors continue to profit through prison privatization.

My concerns and interests are in returning citizens coming out of prison in better shape than when they went in, and being able to function in society upon release, so that each person may experience a better quality of life and hopefully will pass it on by helping others.

Change is up to each individual. Living under more humane conditions helps to encourage positive changes; opposite of the status quo in most prisons, which explains why more than eighty percent of released citizens return to prison with a new charge within nine years.

An Excerpt from Breaking News

Kim Kardashian in the White House

“EVIDENCE OF MORE RECIDIVISM:  Last month the Bureau of Justice Statistics released a new study (“2018 Update on Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year Follow-up Period (2005-2014),” NCJ250975, May 2018), a follow-up to the 5-year study relied upon for comparison by the ex-director (“Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 30 States in 2005: Patterns from 2005 to 2010,” NCJ244205, April 2014).

“The 83% recidivism rate revealed in the 9-year follow-up study shows the seriousness of recidivism in America and the need for a magic elixir that does not exist. Until financial incentives end for politicians who continue making policies and laws that fuel mass incarceration, positive change will be slow: It is time to stop state and federal funding for private prisons.”

https://straightfromthepen.com/2018/06/18/breaking-news/

Essays & More Straight from the Pen by Wayne T. Dowdy