The Choice Is Ours

(The following was a comment made this morning under "Hail and Farewell", but it says many important things, so I have placed it as it's own post. - P.H.)

Somehow word of this page needs to get out to all of those who were visiting TDW’s, at least those from the different facilities who care. At this point this blog page has been up several days and has only 19 comments.

Considering the IWP overcrowding, Pendleton boys in the ceiling at the school over the weekend and the death at Putnamville, one would have thought comments would start to appear. There are incidents happening daily, but is everyone getting so harden by the understaffing and lack of safety, security and management skills that they no longer see what is going on? Is it just becoming routine that people die in prison? Or that students con an officer to take them to Recreation (sounds like a perfectly harmless request) then climb into the ceiling so they can steal ink and other items from the school for tattooing. Last, are Indiana prisons so over crowed that women inmates are forced to sleep on blow up bedding? If that is the case do these prisoners have clothing, food, bedding or other necessities?

Before TWD shut down I read people talking about shortages of daily usage items. Are all the facilities short on these items and what items are we talking about? Laundry soap, paper towels, bleach, what specific items? Yes, it is June and everyone knows supplies don’t show up until July, but HOW MENY WEEK/MONTHS have you been without these supplies already. Being short by a few days is one thing, MONTHS is ridiculous!

What I am saying is, the current treatment is inhumane. I buy my dog food that he likes, it is healthy, I take him to the vet when he is sick and given him good care. He sleeps on clean bedding, eats and drinks from a clean bowl, and gets plenty of exercise within the confines of my backyard fence with me watching him. In other words, I treat my dog better then most of the prisoners in the IDOC.

If we have come to a point that we do not recognize that overcrowding, students crawling in the ceiling and the dead of a prisoner does not warrant investigation as well as a HUGE red flag going up to the administration, we are in dire need! As employees we have to make sure everyone is aware what is going on.

Why do you think roll call was stopped? Yes, to save the state paying 15 minutes of over time, but also to keep those working in the facilities from knowing what was going on in the facilities! The administration through doing this would control what was released to the public. But the real downside is that is makes the facility UNSAFE for staff as well as the rest of the inmates. Upper management does not work or live at the facilities, so the problem is not in their face, therefore they don’t care. If they are not going to advise incoming staff, I suggest here is a place to let everyone one know.

Do we want things to get better? Then WE will have to expose what is wrong. The only way to fix a problem is to know what the problem is. At this point the Daniel’s administration has made sure to cover up the problems or white wash them and make everything look as if it is being addressed when in reality nothing is being done, as is happening at Plainfield Reentry.

So folks, the choice is ours, you can come to this page, look and see what has been said, then leave. Or you can start letting us know what is really going on. It is in our hands to make the prison a safe and secure environment. First we need to have the facts and know what is going on within the walls, next we need a plan of action, and third pray that in November the votes go the right way. But we need to get our act together and make this page work for us.

DITCH MITCH IN NOVEMBER and his little dog too!

by Anonymous