Making visitation an ordeal

Making Visitation An Ordeal Frederick Mason USP Tucson #55487-056 PO Box 24 55 0 Tucson, AZ 85734 I wrote an essay just a couple of weeks ago (May 2 016) about how terrible the officers treat inmates and their families during visitation. I wanted to get my point across how sometimes officers here are cruel not just to inmates, but the inmate's families. An apathetic person might argue, "Well, they shoulda thought about that before they got locked up"... Please... shut up. You don't know every detail about a person's case, nor do you know how the Federal Courts screw up people by a horrid representation. Public Defenders don't really help their clients- they're a means to an sentence. Would YOU want Hitler's finest helping escort you to a graveyard,.. And even for those who are sentenced and judged by the court., what does their family and friends have to do with it? Why do officers at a prison, like here at USP Tucson, like to persecute our families and friends? Case in point: a friend of mine, Greg had a visit by his family just this weekend. His family arrives here Saturday, by Sam- when visitation begins. Yet, they don't call Greg until 11:30. Why do they have his family, which includes his 70-year old mother- waiting for HOURS for their visit? Visitation ends at 3pm, yet hours are wasted because the officers working here seem to have pleasure making elderly parents sit for hours. So today, Sunday, Greg is waiting for his parents to come again. They get here at 8- when visitation is supposed to start. I remember sitting in the day room with him, while he is waiting for them to call him. While waiting, I notice that the Officers' Office, ahead of us, had 2 officers, and they were looking directly at us,. or Greg. They looked our way a couple of times, but that was about it. I didn't think much about it at the time. Then about NOON, we go to chow. While outside, I hear over the PA system the call for Greg- by his last name. I immediately looked at my watch...12:05pm. I made sure to note the time. Later, after Greg's visit, he told me the disturbing lie the officers told his parents„ When Greg finally made it to his visit (it takes maybe 10 minutes to change into a visitation jumpsuit), his family was like, "what took you so long?" Greg says, "what do you mean?" Greg said his family said that the prison told him that "they called, but couldn't find him." Ok, let's rip this stupid lie apart... and pardon if I "bear fangs", but this is necessary... First off let's be clear: whoever said this to Greg's parents LIED. Satan himself would blush of astonishment. To say that "they called, but couldn't find him" speaks volumes of security. This is a USP... and you can't find an inmate? Second, they lied because there was no public announcement. Everybody on the compound can hear when they call anyone to visit. The call they made at 12:05pm was the first, and ONLY call. There was no formal call at anytime... meaning they lied... OR... there WAS a call made to the officers in the unit- but they failed to relay the message to Greg. It MIGHT explain why they (the officers) kept looking at Greg.. could they have KNOWN that he was called, and didn't act to tell Greg? Either... or both, could be true. But to further rip open this sack of deceitfulness, to say " they couldn't find him" is ridiculous. Between 9:20am to noon, all inmates were in their dorms. There was no.recreation move then, so to "find" an inmate, you simply had to call out his name. Greg knows enough guys here (including me) that will go get him if we hear an officer call his name. But that never happened, because the prison never called him until 12:05. So the officer lied... to Greg's family. Why? Why would an officer of the government feel he had any right to persecute Greg's family? What evil did a 70year old woman do to USP Tucson, that they completely disregarded all sense of compassion, and treat visitors like criminals? One of the lieutenants working here is particularly wicked; people who had visits say their family and friends call him names I dare not write, but let's say it's like "a fraction of refuge". I'll wait Got it? Anyway, things like this are completely unacceptable, unwarranted and clearly unprofessional. Look, I'm in prison, and I know things aren't like Disneyland. That part I accept. But nowhere, ANYWHERE in any court of law is there a clause that allows any officer from the Warden down to the lowestranking officer any power to make visitation a place of Hell for visitors. They've gone through quite enough; why make it harder than it already is? The irony: the prison expects-demands- us to go by s every rule. Strict discipline for those who don't comply. Yet, what are they, if not hypocrites? I keep a quote on my wall, one made by a kinder staff member: "How can we expect them to go by the rules when we don't follow it ourselves?" Well, anyway, Greg got his visit this weekend- cheated out of 5-6 HOURS, but it was better than no visit at all. No thanks to the incompetent and heartless officers here. I thought Hell was a fiery pit...never knew it was located in the visitation room in Tucson, Arizona...