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To: American Prison Writing Archive (APWA) Date: 8/25/17 Essay on the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) pattern and practice of taking retaliatory action against staff and inmates who speak-out against the corruption and etc. in FDC I was incarcerated in FDC from June 2000 until March 17, 2017. On March 17, 2017 I was involuntary interstate [compacted?] to the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC). During my years incarcerated in FDC, I've filed 5 42 USC S1983 civil rights complaints on dozens of FDC prison staff, communicated with the media for several years concerning the unconstitutional conditions of FDC, mailed approximately a dozen sworn complaints to the DOJ requesting civil rights of institutionalized persons act (CRIPA) investigations, and etc. As a result of my activism against FDC, I've had a rib broke, my wrist broke, I've been set up with false disciplinary reports, I've been on diesel therapy 3 times, I've had my property and mail thrown away, I've been denied medical care, I've been placed in confinement for false reasons, I've had contracts placed on me, I've been threatened with abuse more times than I can count, I've been physically battered, I've been transferred to another state, and etc. You can read a lot about the retaliation I've been subjected to and about a lot of the prison matters I've spoken out about by Googling my "Harold Hempstead" and a nickname of mine, "Caged Crusader". In 2014, the Miami Herald newspaper started writing articles on FDC. If you go on their internet site and go to the section they have titled "Cruel and Unusual", you can read the approximately 150 news articles they've published on FDC since May 18, 2014. You can also telephone the Miami Herald and they'll tell you how to locate their section called "Cruel and Unusual" on their internet site. If you read all of the articles the Miami Herald have published on FDC you'll see FDC staff statewide engage in a pattern and practice of taking retaliatory action against staff and inmates who speak out against the unconstitutional conditions and corruption in FDC. We have constitutional rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to freedom of speech, redress of grievances, and access to the courts. When FDC staff subject us to retaliation for asserting these rights it violates our First Amendment rights, and 13 USC S242. All FDC staff have to do to stop this pattern and practice is stop engaging in corruption, and correct the unconstitutional conditions that continue to be challenged, or stop engaging in retaliatory acts against those who assert their First Amendment rights. In this essay I've used the words "pattern and practice" because that is what is happening in FDC as it concerns the above. 42 USC S1997A gives the U.S. Department of Justice authority to investigate the pattern and practice of FDC staff taking retaliatory action against FDC staff and inmates who speak out against the corruption and unconstitutional conditions of FDC. Take Care, Harold Hempstead Tennessee Alternate Mailing Address Harold Hempstead Florida
