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To: American Prison Writing Archive (APWA) Date: 8.25.17 Essay on Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) in the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) not following their own policy concerning the housing of inmates (TDOC Policy 506.14). All inmates in TDOC are given a classification custody level of minimum, medium, or close custody. Minimum custody is the lowest level, close custody is the highest level, and medium is between these 2 custody levels. During the months (3.17.17 till 8.14.17) I was incarcerated at BCCX, I became aware from personal observation and communications with staff and inmates that BCCX was not following TDOC Policy 506.14. BCCX staff were housing inmates on different custody levels in the same wings and in the same cells with each other. I'm a minimum custody non-violent offender. For several months prior to 8.14.17 I filed grievances and objected to BCCX staff improperly housing inmates on different custody levels in the same cells with each other. Because of how much inmate on inmate violence I was witnessing and because I continued to be improperly housed, I decided to try and get BCCX staff to follow their own policy. TDOC Policy 506.14 VI C.2 only allows TDOC to house inmates on different custody levels in the same wing in protective custody and security threat grounds units and at DSNF. BCCX is a classification unit TDOC policy doesn't permit housing inmates on different custody levels in the same wings, they are also housing inmates on different custody levels in the same cells with each other. BCCX is housing violent offenders, gang members, and sexual predators in the same wings and same cells with non-violent offenders and inmates that are classified as prey under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). BCCX housing logs and the disciplinary reports issued will show a high level of inmate on inmate in cell physical and sexual violence at BCCX. TDOC records and Tennessee Human Rights Commission records will show that as a result of me grieving and objecting to being housed with three medium custody inmates at BCCX, staff had a close custody violent offender who just got off psychological observation who had a history of being a disciplinary problem placed in the cell with me. He was also considered to be a potential sexual aggressor by the TDOC Policy 502.06.1. BCCX staff also improperly punish minimum custody inmates by subjecting them to tier management. TDOC Policy 506.14 VI. E. states: General population units/pods with a capacity to house 64 or more inmates who are medium or higher custody shall supervise in accordance with Policy 506.01, and shall adhere to the tier management supervision model at all times. Inmates shall be allowed out of their cells for dayroom activities by tier/walk as determined by the institutional policy; however, inmates housed on the upper and lower tier/walk shall not be allowed of their units/pods for dayroom activities at the same time. This TDOC policy clearly states that tier management is for medium and higher custody inmates. Tier management is not for minimum custody inmates. However, BCCX staff are subjecting minimum custody inmates to tier management and only allowing them out of their cells for two hours a day. It's disciplinary in nature to confine minimum custody inmates to their cells 22 hours a day and for no reason, with no legal authority, and in violation of TDOC policy. If BCCX staff followed TDOC policy, these problems wouldn't exist. Take care, Harold Hampstead
