Transcript
Texas Department of What? Once again I cann't speak on prison life in other states, but here in Texas its the outer most ring of Hell. The prison system was once called the Texas Department of Corrections. This was a time when they had a vague idea that the system should try and rehabilitate one who committed a crime(s). Then, one who was in prison was called a convict or inmate. At the time the system even offered some classes to help rehabilitate oneself. At some point Texas relized that it was better, even more profitable to keep one in prison. So they changed the name from Texas Department of Corrections to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or T.D.C.J.. Then they started calling those in prison offenders. Telling society they call us offenders because one who committed a crime has offended society. However they tell the ones in prison the are called offenders because society is offended by them. Texas no longer believes in trying to rehabilitate there offenders. Texas has removed almost every class or group that did rehabilitate the offenders. However, they did leave some classes such as the G.E.D. class. Still this is only because T.D.C.J makes money on every offender in the G.E.D. class. It is now mandatory for every one to earn his/her G.E.D before they can make parole. Even those who will never leave T.D.C.J for the amount of time they have must get there G.E.D. Even for people such as myself who have already graduated from high school or earned a G.E.D before entering T.D.C.J are placed in the G.E.D class. T.D.C.J can do this because they claim there is no record of one graduating or having earned there G.E.D. I myself was placed in the G.E.D. class even though I graduated High School in 1996. It took me four months of wrighting to my old high school to retrive my records and prove I did infact graduate. Once I had my papers to prove I graduated, T.D.C.J said that only the school district could send them my transcribes. After telling me to get all the transcribs for them. So I sat through about six months of G.E.D class so they could make money on having me sit there. If you refuse to attend the G.E.D. class you are given a disciplinary case. The punishment for refusing is as follows: The loss of good time, work time, given 45 to 60 days of cell 1 restriction. Cell restriction means you can only leave your cell for chow and one shower a day. You also receive 45-to 60 Day commissary, phone and contact visit restriction. (Side note you should see how much T.D.C.J makes on commissary.) And some times they take your property, I.E. your Radio, Reading Books, Mail, Wrighting Stuff, Coffee, etc. for 10 to 60 Days. The final slap in the face is they move you from general population, G.P, to what is called medium custody. To be on medium custody means once you have done all your restriction you can only leave the cell for chow and two hours of dayroom time. Were as G.P offenders get dayroom from 09:00 until 22:30 Sunday thru Thursday and 09:00 until 01:00 Friday and Saturday. Now most units in Texas start day room time at 07:00. The unit I'm on however is 09:00ish. Once you are in medium custody you are there for a minimum of six months. There is no maxamum. For medium custody is where the trouble makers are house so once there it is extremely diffacult to stay out of trouble. The T.D.C.J. officers treat you worse in medium custody and try to keep you there. But thats an essay all on its own. Please dont get me wrong, I think having us earn a G.E.D is a great idea and it should be encouraged. However it should not be forced or done just so T.D.C.J can make money. Some of the guys have been in the G.E.D class for six year and still haven't graduated. For some is not for the lack of trying. The T.D.C.J teachers don't really teach. But that two is along essay. However for this essay. Think if they truly teach and guys graduate T.D.C.J loses money. Still there are guys who use the G.E.D Books to teach themselves and earn the G.E.D. Other classes such as Masonary, Auto brakes and A/C and heating should be good and positive classe to take. The problems are the text books are years out of date. Once again the teachers don't teach and the biggest problem is even if you earn a degree all they class are offered by The Windham school distract. And for all those who have gone home and come back have informed us that The Windham School district and its diplomas are not, I repeat, not, recognized by anyone outside of T.D.C.J. Still, T.D.C.J. is offering or making us take such classes. For there own profit. You see T.D.C.J gets x-amount of dollars for ever student in the classroom. They even shifted our lockdowns for when school is out for springbreak or Christmas break and summer break. 2. This keeps them from lossing money. At one time it was said prison was the punishment for one who committed a crime and parole was the chance for rehabilitation. Even in this texas has taken away the chance for rehabilitation. For parole is not often given like in other states. In my twelve years in T.D.C.J. I've seen guys make parole only after they've done almost all there time. Most often when they had only six months or less left on there sentence. Thats to say with a 20 year sentence you have to do 19 1/2 before they grant you parole. Even for those eligible for parole at five or ten years after entering T.D.C.J. They are doing almost all there time before parole even considers them. I personaly know guys who have done 29 years on a 30 year sentence. Texas prisoners do not get paid to work. All thought T.D.C.J has its own bussness called T.C.I. Texas Correction Inc or something close to that, but T.C.I for sure. Which I will talk about more later. As we don't get paid to work, T.D.C.J, after a lawsuit filled by Texas offenders, has given us good time and work time credited to us. I don't remember the exact formula for good time, work time credit. So lets say for good time you get credit two days for every day you do on your sentence. As long as you stay out of trouble and lets say work time is three hours for every hour you work. This is to help earn a chance to see parole sooner then you were originaly projected too. This sound wonderful in theory and if T.D.C.J. followed this theory offenders would be making parole and heading home to there familys. But T.D.C.J is not doing as they promised. They never atually apply this to the release of anyone. See there are guys in T.D.C.J with one hundred percent or more of there time done when you add-up there flat time, that is day for day in prison, there good time and work time. One offender I know has 31 years flat time done on an 85 year sentence. However, if you add work time, good time he has like 72+ years credited to his time done. So why is he still here? T.D.C.J will tell you he must be a trouble make. And that maybe true in his younger days. But he is now 60 years old and his trouble making days are behind him. I hope your starting to see this is no longer about corrections and rehabilitation. Its about T.D.C.J and its greed. 3 The T.D.C.J officers, not all but most, will tell you they are here to punish us. They enjoy letting us know they can do as they please and get away with it. On the back of there hats it says, "We Protect Our Own" You see T.D.C.J is not a place for rehabilitation or corrections. The sad truth is there is really no place for us or our familys to turn for help. So the corruption, abuse, parole oversight and lack of rehabilitation go unnoticed. There is an ombudsman's office in Huntsville Texas and each unit has on O.I.G office (Office of Inspector General) were are families can turn for help on our behalf. But I challenge anyone reading this to try and seek help from either office. You will see what a joke that is. For us offender, we have a grievance form we can fill out. This is a bigger joke than the ombudsman's or O.I.G. office. Most of our grievances are tossed in the trash and they claim we never filed a grievance. The other grievances are returned saying there was no evidence to support our claim. In my years here I've never, I repeat, never seen anyone win a grievance claim. To further show T.D.C.J is now longer about corrections or rehabilitation T.D.C.J has the T.C.I for making even more money by using offender a free labor. I was told T.C.I is a billion dollar company and its even on the stock market. But I have yet to verify this claim. If it is true I'd love for every judge, cop, and DA be investigated along with there family members to see if they own stock in T.C.I, T.D.C.J. (But thats my personal feeling and has nothing to do with the lack of rehabilitation in T.D.C.J. Well maybe it does) T.D.C.J offenders are forced to work for T.C.I in many diffrent ways and on many diffrent units across Texas. All for the greed of Texas and at the cost of rehabilitating the Texas offenders. Its know wonder those who do go home often reoffend. When is enough, enough? When do we go back to a system of corrections, of rehabilitations? Only better and more improved then it once was. I have life with out. Some I'm never leaving this place. I dont wrigh this for myself. I have nothing to gain from this. But right is right and we need to fix all thats broken in the Texas prisons, In the prison system all over the U.S.A. Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have questions please feel free to wright. As of Feb. 18 2020 I'm still at 9601 Spur 591 Amarillo TX 79107. William T Jacobson 4
