Tag: Prison Reform

Deaf, Blind and Dumb

humpty dumpty

While I was in Level II I lived in a handicap accessible housing unit.  Seeing wheelchairs, white canes, TTY telephones, special showers and toilet stalls were the telltale signs that people with disabilities were present.  With the aging population in Michigan prisons it’s not unexpected that there would be physically infirm seniors that required walkers or wheelchairs for mobility, but there were also single and double leg amputees.  While not surprising that there are people from all walks of like, I wondered how those who couldn’t walk got there.

Prison is a place full of people seeking to exploit even perceived weaknesses to their advantage, so it doesn’t help to have those weaknesses clearly advertised. There also isn’t much in the way of empathy from the officers and staff, it is prohibited by policy and tends to be lacking by disposition for those who work in a place like this.  This combination of inmates and staff makes a dangerous environment even more difficult for those who struggle with the basic, necessary activities of life.

One of the men I met there had lost both of his eyeballs to a childhood cancer.  It was incredible enough that he was convicted of a heinous crime but to see what a blind man had to contend with in prison was heartbreaking.  He was a person who had overcome his disability by learning to read Braille, college educated, and lived relatively independently.  I watched him navigate from his cell across the yard to the chow hall, the school building, or medical with little or no assistance. The issue wasn’t what he could do for himself but what he wasn’t allowed to.  He was actively fighting his conviction and the conditions of his incarceration.  In the world he had access to technology that would allow him to process information.  In prison he was forced to rely on an inmate to read his mail, including his legal mail that contained sensitive information regarding his criminal case.

The law library could not accommodate him because they would not provide legal text in Braille.  In essence he was denied the ability to fully mount his appeal, which is a denial of his civil rights.  He wasn’t one to take his setbacks lying down, so he fought the librarian and the administration tooth and nail for both the basic tools he needed and his own dignity.  The courts have ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to prisons with considerations of safety and security limitations.  However, in a place where logic and reason don’t apply it shouldn’t be a surprise that federally guaranteed rights like the ADA would be denied.

He contacted the Department of Justice ADA division in Washington D.C. and they tried to send him the relevant statutes in books on tape format.  The mailroom would not deliver the tapes because they didn’t come from an approved vendor. They also claimed that the letter head on the enclosed documents was fake!  Over and over they found any excuse they could to deny this man.  He fought back by filling grievances, escalating to Step 2 and Step 3, as they were denied and dismissed repeatedly, going all the way to the Ombudsman in Lansing.

I have noticed that those who complain about their incarceration the most are singled out for retribution, abuse, and neglect.  Rather than take the complaints seriously it is easier to dismiss the messenger, saying “they” are only inmates.  I don’t know what happened to this blind crusader, but I’m sure that where ever he is he is still fighting the good fight.  Why would anyone want to make life more difficult for someone who already has more to overcome than just being a felon. All he wanted was a fair hearing.

Being deaf poses a different set of difficulties.  There were two guys, one who was hearing impaired but could function with hearing aids and was fluent in sign language. The second was deaf and could only communicate through signing. While I was in Level II with them the pair was inseparable for obvious reasons.

The officers and staff communicate verbally and relied on the first inmate to communicate with the second.  For official communication there was a state translator, just as when a Spanish speaking inmate needed someone to translate at hearings.  This person wasn’t on site but had to be brought in special for hearings like parole interviews or disciplinary hearings.  One day after I had been moved to Level I, I ran into the first hearing impaired innate.  I asked him how the second deaf inmate was doing.  He just shook his head.  When they moved him, there wasn’t anybody to take his place looking out for the deaf man and we both understood how difficult his situation was.

When you are deaf you can’t hear the CO calls your name over the PA system to come to the officer’s podium, or at count time to get on your bunk.  Unless the officer was a regular unit officer aware of his situation he might be ignored or mistreated.  In prison you have to look out for yourself since no one else will. But when you have a disability you don’t have that ability.  In a place where you learn not to trust others, they are forced to.  And when by some miracle you find someone you can trust to help you and the system takes that assistance away, it is a cruel and unfair punishment.

Not long ago I read in the news that legislation had been put forward that provide a mechanism for elderly and severely infirm inmates that posed no risk to the community to be transferred to a nursing home facility.  I’ve been saying this for several years and it would seem like a no-brainer.  There is a geriatric facility for these inmates, but I understand the conditions there are really bad and they have a hard time recruiting inmates to go there to serve as care givers to assist the inmates sent there to die.  I really can’t imagine a tougher position to fill.

I was also not surprised to read the negative response this legislation received from the Attorney General and victim advocates who claim that any early release, regardless of the reason was an injustice.  All of this just goes to prove that prison isn’t about handing out punishment to suite the crime, it is about vengeance. Inmates are not seen as individual human beings but as numbered animals that don’t have any civil or human rights.  Whether the sentence is 2 years flat or life without the possibility of parole we are still talking about basic standards of care. The burden of support to maintain that level of basic care is placed upon the state. There are only two valid options: Either the state is committed to bearing that cost burden and fulfilling its obligation to care for those wards placed into its charge. Or let some go and only hold on to those who truly are a danger to society.  Not everyone in prison is, not even those who are convicted of a violent crime are. Inmates must be individually assessed and then treated fairly according to a plan, not just lumped into a faceless mass where it is easy to overlook their humanity. The MDOC has chosen a 3rd way which is unacceptable and outrageous. They cling to discredited and outdated policies and procedures that threaten the wellbeing of those they claim to be rehabilitating.

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As an update to this essay, an article published in the February 26, 2017 Detroit Free Press stated that a Federal Judge in Detroit has ruled that the MDOC for years has violated the ADA.  Specifically, a lawsuit brought by Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service representing deaf and hearing imparted prisoners proved that the department routinely violated the prisoner’s rights under ADA.  It only took the incarceration of a blind social worker who wrote letters to legislators and others regarding the situation to gain traction.  Then the MDOC as it always does in a too little too late attempt to avoid the looming lawsuit issued a policy directive and started to institute changes to avoid the inevitable.  While the court has not yet finalized the consent judgement it is likely that the department will have a federally appointed monitor for two years to oversee the necessary changes that must be implemented in order to bring the department into compliance with the ADA.

This was not the first lawsuit brought against the MDOC in relation to violations of the ADA.  It was simply the first successful class action.  The MDOC is no stranger to having a federally appointed monitor, there has been one in place since the 1980’s when a class action lawsuit regarding prison health care showed how poorly prisoner health was being managed by the department.  This really does raise the question, why is it so difficult to get people to believe when prisoners make claims about the abuses that they suffer at the hands of their captors?

Prison, Paranoia and PTSD

Prison is a dangerous place and it requires a certain set of skills to survive.  A sixth sense of danger, eyes in the back of your head, and acute powers of observation are necessary to avoid the pitfalls and snares of life on the yard.  Prison is full of predators looking for easy targets.  In spite of attempts by the administration to weed out the most dangerous individuals from general population, violence occurs on a daily basis.  If you are blessed to be 6 5″ and 275 pounds there are not going to be very many that will test you. However, those of us with more meager statures need to be wary at all times.  As Kenny Rogers sings, “You’ve got to know when to fold them, know when to walk away, and know when to run.”

It all starts with the arrest.  Some people turn themselves in, some are captured peacefully, and some resist arrest.  All of them end up in jail.  After a stripe search, mugshots, and finger printing the process of incarceration begins with the sound of a slamming door.  Freedom becomes a memory and a hope.  You are no longer in control the decisions are made for you.  This is a traumatic and stressful situation for everyone whether it is your first time in jail or your tenth.

The reality of the situation is that the behavioral characteristics that make for model inmates are the same ones that keep the majority of people out of prison to begin with. Conversely, those with behavior that is not appropriate for a civil society frequently end up in prison and it is where they need to be.  However, their behavior becomes amplified when placed in confinement and surrounded with other like themselves.

When you live a criminal life, you know that others are out to get you; either the police, rival gangs, or a desperate loner.  You never know who or when, just that someone is gunning for you at some time so you must remain hypervigilant at all times.  The streets of the inner city have much in common with the jungles of southeast Asia or the wild, wild west.  Nighttime drive by shootings and raids cause them to sleep in the back of the house with multiple deadbolts on the door and a loaded gun in the nightstand or under the pillow.  During the daytime they always sit with their backs to the wall, always travel in packs, and never go unarmed.

Many of these same patters continue in prison because the same people who were on the streets with them are in prison too.  Turf wars, endless cycles of revenge attacks, arguments, personal slights, and theft leads to confrontation.  A healthy dose of paranoia is not necessarily a bad thing in prison.  The fight or flight instinct has kept man alive for thousands of years.

There are a lot of people in prison today that didn’t grow up on the street and never experienced the criminal lifestyle.  They committed white collar crimes, suffer from addictions, or made poor choices in the heat of the moment that brought them to prison. Many never had any previous police contact or seen the inside of a jail before.  To them prison is a scary place with danger lurking around every corner.  The stress of the criminal justice system can break you easily and many are.  Isolated, alone, and many without support.  They are easy to recognize by the “deer in the headlights” look on their faces.  These people are forced to sink or swim.  They have literally been thrown to the wolves and the survival skills of the zebra need to kick in quickly.  Unfortunately, not everyone learns to have a healthy fear, their paranoia has a deeply profound and long-lasting effect on them.

Psychiatrists have found that long prison sentences under stressful conditions results in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) the same as those who have been the victims of violent assaults or combat survivors.  Living with stress triggers certain chemical changes in the brain which can have a short-term benefit such as heightened awareness, quicker reflexes, sharper hearing and eyesight.  There are side effects to stress.  Stress is not good for the heart, it disrupts the appetite and also deprives sleep.  It is like being nervous and jittery without drinking the coffee first.  Doing time is emotionally draining.

The difficulty with long term incarceration is that this physical, psychological, and mental stress doesn’t automatically go away when you are released from prison.  I have heard a story about a guy that paroled to his nephew’s house which was right behind the prison and across a farm field.  Every time the emergency count siren was blown he went back to his bedroom and sat on his bed, like Pavlov’s dogs associating the bell with feeding time.

Many people who parole from prison never truly leave it behind.  For those who lived in fear and trepidation find themselves unable to return to a state normalcy that they had before prison.  Relationships that were once open and carefree are now reserved and cautious.  Strangers represent danger and the police are to be avoided.  You evaluate everyone in terms of angles and opportunity, threats and alliances.

While the waking nightmare is over, the night terrors may last for years.  The brain has difficulty processing the present without the filter of past experience, and when that experience is traumatic in nature nothing is simple or safe.  Moving in crowds, such as malls or stadiums is difficult.  Making decisions over a large selection of options in a grocery store can be over whelming.  Driving in unfamiliar areas or to new destinations becomes confusing.

PTSD is a recognized mental condition that many combat veterans have to deal with 10, 20 or even 30 years after the fighting stops.  Research has confirmed that the same is true of ex-offenders.  The experience of prison life leaves a lasting impression that seriously impacts the individual’s ability to function in society, the workplace, or the home.  The dream is that life will go back to normal, while the reality for many is far different.

Counseling and drug therapy will help some, but most will suffer in silence alone and isolate from support groups.  Many will only have basic health insurance and will not be able to afford expensive mental health coverage or high out of pocket expenses.  Self-medicating and destructive behaviors only lead back to prison and further damage.  A vicious cycle that repeats itself.  In some instances, the result is an overdose or suicide. Unlike the soldiers there is no Veterans Administration to serve the formerly incarcerated to help them deal with the symptoms. Prisons don’t take responsibility for those no longer in their custody.  So, who will look out for those in need of help?

Addiction

You can’t prove to me that marijuana is not addictive.  On the contrary I can prove that it is as addictive as alcohol, tobacco, or sex.  Just spend any time around prisoners and listen to their conversations and you will know the truth. Conversations in prison are practically fixated on alcohol, drugs, and sex.

Prisoners dwell in the past, sharing stories of their narcistic foibles and conquests. They relive, no doubt with embellishment, for themselves and others what they think of as the best times of their lives.  Some go to great lengths and at great expense to acquire these “necessities of life” while in prison.  They indulge in the illicit spud juice trade or pay outrageous prices to purchase tobacco, marijuana, or other drugs smuggled into prison. One of the really disturbing things is how men justify homosexual activity and claim that they are straight because the give rather than receive.  The first thing that many prisoners want to do when they get out is to stop at the party store and then get laid, even though it may have been 2, 5, 10, or 20 years since they had their favorite drink or smoke.

Addictions may be chemical like heroin, but most are psychological. Any activity that stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain to the point that it upsets the brains natural equilibrium will foster a desire to recapture the feelings of euphoria.  The person seeks anything that will help regain that feeling.  The mind plays tricks by minimizing the negative side-effects.  Alcoholics keep getting drunk regardless of the hangovers or getting sick.  Drug users crash after their bodies can no longer stay awake after days of sleeplessness.  Marijuana smokers get the munchies and fall asleep.  They don’t suffer the negative side effects that slowly kill the body, instead it’s about killing motivation. Brain cells in key sections of the brain are damaged placing the user into a sort of suspended animation. Instead of continuing to develop their lives these heavy marijuana smokers stop growing mentally and emotionally.  They enjoy their party life, not realizing how lame they have become.  They don’t see anything wrong therefore there is no reason to change. They like themselves and those they hang out with.  To quote Forest Gump, “Stupid is as stupid does.”  They reinforce each other’s bad behavior and it only gets worse in prison.

Bad behavior in prison by and large goes unchallenged by any meaningful education, discipline, or constructive alternative.  That’s why programming fails, punishment is ineffective, and the alternatives are unappealing.  Addicts have the highest recidivism rate because prison is not a deterrent.  An addict’s only desire is to recapture the “high” at any cost.

Addicts often have no family support because they have stolen from those they claim to love, betraying trust and have been rejected and cast out.  This only serves to drive the addict deeper into their circle of addicted acquaintances.  They really can’t call them friends because they steal from them too, but they have one thing in common and nowhere else to go or do.

What is called for is an interdiction.  The only way to save an addict from themselves is for someone to break through the barrier of lies that they have surrounded themselves with. You’d think prison would be a place where this happens but unfortunately no.  You have addicts locked up and are failing to provide the type of help that is badly needed. Prisons need more trained therapists to address this issue rather than turnkeys who are apathetic at best and generally hostile towards anything that could result in real change.

Prison should be a place where people who failed to participate as a successful member of a civil society receive the re-education that clearly states what is expected of them without distractions.  The messages need to be compelling and undistracted by competing messages that glorify the lifestyle choices that brought them to prison in the first place.

Aversion Therapy

clockwork orange
from author John Waters “Kant Socratic Ideas” Powerpoint presentation. 

Many people in prison decide to go straight, not because of any compelling argument to do right or any education received, but simply because they can’t stand the thought of having to live in the abysmal conditions of life in prison or with the others they were forced to live with while in prison.  It’s aversion therapy not cognitive behavioral therapy, reminiscent of the novel “Clockwork Orange” written by Anthony Burgess and made into a motion picure by Stanley Kubrick in 1971.

Barbaric, inhumane, and oppressive not simply austere, regimented and controlled living conditions convince many that committing crimes that lead to prison is not for them.  Unfortunately, many do come back because they don’t have the skills, knowledge, and support necessary to stay out.  Once away from the prison environment the impression left by it fades away and it becomes only a bad dream instead of a living nightmare.  The old habits and thought patterns re-emerge and soon it is back to business as usual and it is only by repeated trips back to prison that the lesson is slowly and painfully driven home.

The problem for some is that prison is an improvement on how they were living, homeless and hungry, they were destitute and desperate, either by choice or chance. They can put up with and even thrive in prison, because it is better than where they came from and are in no hurry to return to.  Access to healthcare is a bonus.  A chance to go to school or work in order to earn a few dollars is a luxury not often experienced in their lives.  Often clean and sober for the first time in years they are actually content, if not happy to vacation in jail or prison.

It is ironic that a country that prides itself on freedom, justice, and opportunity; one of the riches, most educated and well-fed countries on the planet resorts to a system where incarceration, arbitrariness and restriction practiced based on impoverishment, ignorance and hunger to coercer, coopt and control individuals by oppressive, denigrating, and manipulative means.  The hallmarks of an Orwellian society.

Many people in the general public believe that convicted criminals get what they have coming to them.  No one is asking to turn prison into a country club with an executive par 3 golf course and an Olympic sized pool.  But ask yourself, if it was your child being sent to prison, would you not rather have it be a productive time of rehabilitation rather than just a place for retribution?  Or citing the old adage “There but for the grace of God go I” recognize that there is no difference between you and those in prison except for the conviction. The vast majority of people have over-indulged in sex, drugs, or drinking at some point in their life, especially when they were young and not risk averse. You simply did not get caught.  Dr. Phil likes to quote a factoid that the average American commits 3 felonies a day due to the number and complexity of our laws.

Not everyone who goes to prison has lived a criminal lifestyle. Many have been law abiding citizens for the majority of their lives, who in a moment of indiscretion committed a criminal act. In our litigious society there is no distinction been the two. Should not the Golden Rule apply to prison?  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

As a nation we look on the other countries with poor human rights records, yet fail to deal with our own hidden, shameful track record that has resulted in higher incarceration rates than any other country, including Russia and China.  Would it not be better to address the cause of crime rather than the repercussions?  In the long term the present strategy is not financially sustainable.  It goes against the recommendations of the experts who study criminal justice and fails to make our society safer.

So why do some people stubbornly cling to the “tough on crime” position and allow our families, schools, and city infrastructure to fail?  Could it be that their own personal hurts and inability to heal from them has brought them to a place where they no longer have grace and mercy towards anyone that they don’t see as a victim?  They can no longer separate the sin from the sinner, the individual from the crime.  Seeking retribution in the failed belief that hurting others that have hurt them will even the score.  Old Testament ‘eye for an eye’ philosophy.

It is no coincidence that the least violent societies have the fewest while the most violent societies in which law and order still prevail have many.  A society that claims to be the land of the free incarcerates more people than the most totalitarian dictatorship is an anomaly.  Something is not right, there is a breakdown in some fundamental tenant of the society and those who represent it in government service.  Today there are special interest seeking the ear of those in power.  Government that was once of the people, by the people, and for the people is instead of and for these special interests with their narrow and selfish agendas, including those who make profits from mass incarceration: for profit prison corporations, correction officers unions, subcontractors and vendors; and those that benefit from them like judges, prosecutors, sheriffs and legislators seeking election or re-election.  Conflicts of interest that are ignored or even given tacit approval by the general public and the media.

Profit motive is not how prison should be run.  The state has a compelling interest to care for those entrusted into its care.  Inmates as wards of the state do have some civil and many human rights. The term “cruel and unusual punishment” has been enshrined in the 8th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, yet the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on numerous occasions regarding common practices which violate this standard including: denial of healthcare, indefinite solitary confinement, minimum standards for nutrition, housing, treatment by staff, juvenile lifer laws, and certain forms of execution.  When the government will not bear the burden for ensuring that the basic needs of inmates are met, how can you possibly think that a ‘for profit’ corporation can do it in a cost-effective manor with a profit margin that will satisfy the shareholders?

Overcrowding, inadequate staff supervision, aging facilities, spending less than $1 per day to feed prisoners; denial of life saving healthcare services, limited ineffective educational/vocational training programs; inadequate mental health services, psychological counseling and programs; systemic violence and abuse. Conditions so difficult that prisoners incarcerated for more than 5 years qualify for SSD due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). How can anyone think that another human being deserves to be treated like this?  95% of the people incarcerated will one day be released back into society.  Don’t they deserve better?

It is unconscionable to think that the general public would condone the harsh, inhumane treatment of prisoners.  More likely apathy or ignorance regarding the state of prison conditions is the norm.  However, with over 1% of the U.S. population currently behind bars or on parole or probation chances are almost everyone knows somebody who was or is currently serving time in jail/prison. Most people who have spent time in prison don’t like to talk about it and are trying to put it behind them.  Or the stories they tell are so outside of peoples experience that they have a hard time believing.  But I am here to tell you they are true and probably were sanitized so as not to shock you.

If you’ve never heard about the conditions in prison you’re not alone.  Until I came to prison I had no idea either.  It was my own shock and dismay over what I saw and experienced that led me to write this book.  When I tried to tell my family about what I was going through and how badly the people’s taxes were being wasted on prisons, it was then that I realized how universal the problem was, that people didn’t have a clue what was going on behind the walls and razor wire and that the MDOC wanted it that way.  There is a conspiracy of silence.  From time to time articles will appear in the newspaper detailing some incident that has occurred, the appointment of a new director and their vision for the future of corrections, or lawsuit brought against the department, but rarely if ever frontpage news.

The State of Michigan in their budgets set aside money to pay for legal settlements against the various state agencies.  The largest percentage of that fund on an annual basis goes to pay millions of dollars in judgments and settlements against the MDOC for the mistreatment of inmates.  The most infamous being the over half billion-dollar class action judgment for sexual abuse at the women’s prison in the 1990’s.

The issues are real, troubling, and systemic.  Actual practices by staff do not align with public policy set by the legislature or nationally recognized standards established through the American Corrections Association (ACA).  The only recourse left for inmates whose grievances have fallen on deaf ears is to riot, which happens from time to time, but generally fails to get the desired changes and only blows off steam.  And the inmates will be blamed for the incident rather than acknowledge the underlying cause.

It is easier to blame a few malcontents in the population than to address the situation in an honest, objective, and professional way.  Damage has been done, pride wounded, and issues raised that those in charge would rather not have to answer.  And in the end, nothing really changes. Maintaining the status quo, job security, and control of the second largest state budget after public is the objective not reform of the system or those trapped in it.

Visitation

This is an example of a prison visiting room at HMP Parc. located in Bridgend, South Wales, UK. It is the closest example I could find of a visiting room similar to the ones I am familiar with in the MDOC. This is however by far a much nicer set up but is shows vending machines, games and prisoners having contact with their visitors.

The best day in an inmate’s incarceration is the day he is released.  The second best is when he receives a visit.  Many who are incarcerated never get visits.  They go for years without seeing family or friends face to face, relying instead on phone calls, email, or letters for communication. There is still an even smaller minority which are totally isolated and cut off from any contact with those they knew in the free world.

I was one of the fortunate ones, over the course of eight years I averaged a visit once every three weeks or so.  My parents made the trek to where ever I was at great personal sacrifice.  I was lucky in that the facilities where I was incarcerated were approximately one and a half hours drive from their home.  Some facilities in the upper peninsula could have been more than an eight-hour drive to reach.

A typical visit would consume at least six hours of their day.  One and a half hours to travel to the prison, one hour to be processed into the visiting room, two hours to visit, and one and a half hours to return home.  For those with greater distances to travel, less reliable transportation, limited resources, and inflexible schedules, visits to prison might occur infrequently, if at all.

I knew a guy who caught his case while visiting from out of state.  His parents came to visit him once a year but would visit for two whole days. That was both a major blessing for the inmate and a major sacrifice for his parents.

I’ve seen men reunited, however briefly, with their wives, children, girlfriends, home boys, clergy and even their employers.  In every case it took planning, coordination, and fortitude in addition to finances to make these visits happen.  You can’t just show up at a prison to see an inmate, there is a process involved.

Visits start with an application form.  An inmate must submit a list of names and contact information to the unit counselor.  The perspective visitor must complete a visitor application form and submit it weeks before the initial visit in order to get MDOC approval.  Once approved then it is time to schedule a visit.  Most facilities have small visiting rooms that can contain less than 100 people.  Given that most of the prisons in Michigan have doubled the number of prisoners housed than that they were originally designed for it is unfortunate that the visiting rooms were not expanded as well.  Visits then can only occur under some organization such as odd/even days for odd/even prisoner ID numbers. Multi-level facilities that cannot share space, such as a Level I, II, IV must set aside blocks of time for Level IV separate from Level I & II general population. Budget cut backs to the MDOC have also reduced the days of the week that visitation can occur due to staffing and manpower allocation.  Every facility is different and you must check for their specific visitation days and times.

Once the big day arrives it is hurry up and wait.  Depending on how busy the visiting room is and close it is to count time or shift change, your visitors may have to wait for some period of time while they wait to be processed into the visiting room.  All visitors are subject to metal detectors and body pat downs to screen for contraband (think TSA airport security). In today’s technology culture cell phones and watches are not permitted, neither is currency.  Visitors must purchase a plastic debit card in the lobby of the facility and put money on it for use in the vending machines.

In my experience visitation is both the best and worst of times.  Visits are great, but never long enough.  Time flies when you can be with your loved ones after being separated for so long. But you are usually crammed in like sardines, and a full visiting room gets hot and loud.  There may be cards or board games, but very limited table space to play, let alone space for food and drinks.

Vending machines in the visiting room are like Vegas slot machines.  You lose more than you win.  Vending machines are owned and operated by local vending companies, so cards purchased at one facility probably won’t be valid at another facility.  Depending on the time of day and how busy the visiting room is, the vending machines may have a very limited selection of things like sandwiches and desserts.

Machines malfunctioning and taking your money but not giving you any products are par for the course.  You can’t get your money back at the facility, and depending on the vendor, you may or may not get a refund through the mail.  A lot of potential revenue is lost by these vending companies because they can’t keep these machines fully stocked and operational at all times.  Since visits may cause an inmate to miss the chow hall service more than once I have had to make due with only a few snacks or wait to eat something out of my locker when I got back to my housing unit.

The prices charged tend to be 25% higher than what one would expect to pay for what is best described as “gas station” food.  And then the amount of money lost trying to work the machines may ultimately double the cost that your people have to pay to provide you with a meal. I always told my parents it was them not the food that I appreciated most about the visits.

The COs set the tone for the visiting room experience and while there were a few that had customer service and people skills when dealing with the people caning in for visits, many COs treated them almost as badly as they treated the inmates.  Some COs would actually recognize my parents as regular visitors while there were others that were openly hostile and rude. Then there were those COs who didn’t regularly work in the visiting room but are pressed into service by an absence and have no clue how to organize and control the large crowds coming and going, resulting in chaos.

There aren’t any restrooms in the visiting area so visitors and inmates have to processed out and back in, and this can take a while.  It takes a real iron man to last more than two hours in the visiting room.

Visits may also be terminated if there is a backlog of people trying to get in for a visit and the room is already at capacity.  Holidays and weekends are the worst.  Unless your people were from more than 500 miles away, staff could terminate your visit to make room for others.  More than once my visits were cut short because of this.

Having regular meaningful contact with family and friends is a way to ensure that inmates will have the necessary social stability to survive in the world when they are released from prison, yet visits are made so uncomfortable that it takes a major commitment to keep returning to endure such an arduous ordeal.  You would think from a PR perspective the MDOC would want to use visits as an opportunity to put their best face forward for the public coming through their doors. Now granted some people have been caught attempting to smuggle contraband into facilities on visits and occasionally a wife/girlfriend has tried to perform a sexual favor in the visiting room, but these few instances are exceptions and those coming in should be treated with respect even if the inmates aren’t.

Visits are humiliating for inmates in that upon exiting the visiting room they are subjected to a strip search to ensure that nothing is being brought back into the facility.  I have had to wait more than an hour after my visit ended to be processed out, so I could return to my housing unit.  So, between waiting to get processed into and out of a visit, a two-hour visit took closer to four hours, especially when count time or shift changes occurred and prisoner movement was halted.

Typical jail non-contact visit involves talking on a phone separated by glass.

At least these were contact visits.  In county jail there are no contact visits. Visits occurred with glass viewing and phones.  Some jails have gone to video visits so you don’t even get to see your people face to face.  Everything is done in the name of security, but in reality, it is more about inconvenience that it places upon the staff to deal with the public and a failure to appreciate how a little good will would go a long way towards prisoner morale, which ultimately translates into a safer, less stressful prison environment.

Example of video visitation. Set-up varies greatly from jail to jail.

Virtual Reality

When I was in the county jail awaiting sentencing, everyone told me that prison time was what I wanted because the conditions were so much better. Once I got to prison I saw what they meant.  Jail Sucks!  Jumpsuits and shower shoes were the dress code. Meals were either peanut butter or bologna sandwiches, and never enough of either.  No personal property. Communal TV watching.  Non-contact visits.  Grossly overpriced commissary and phone calls.  Locked down 23 hours a day and no yard time.  No general or law library.  No programs except for a weekly Bible study.  Far too many men crammed in far too little space.

When I got to quarantine I nearly cried when they served pizza and ice cream in the chow hall.  I got several sets of uniforms and PJ’s to wear. Daily access to the shower. When I was moved to my first prison assignment I was able to order gym shoes and my own TV.  Gym and Library call-outs weekly, and yard time daily.  A job that paid a few pennies a day and a commissary list with nearly 200 items on it to spend my earnings on. Phone calls and email, contact visits with vending machine food.  Even Level IV was better than doing time in the county jail, which is run like a Level V Maximum security facility.

In 2014 the MDOC came up with the Virtual Prison Program (VPP) not to be confused with the Violence Prevention Program (also VPP).  VPP sends those with sentences of up to 4 years or less to up to 2 years in a county jail, either prior to or after completion of any required programming.  The intent was to fill up under-utilized space in out-state county jails and reduce the number of prisons operated directly by the MDOC.  The decision to send someone to VPP was made either in quarantine or at any point during incarceration.  If you refused to go the department would up your security level which pretty much guaranteed a flop the first time you go to see the Parole Board.

Up to two years in the miserable conditions of a county jail without benefit of the good time credit that inmates sentenced to jail time received of two months on the year.  Only basic medical treatment available from the jail’s nurse.  Not even routine dental such as teeth cleaning is available.  No benefit for being a MDOC prisoner except for a longer non-contact visit being permitted.  Forced to pay higher jail commissary prices for a very limited store list, like $1 Raman noodles and no microwave to cook them in. No access to a Law Library so you can mount an appeal.  No access to voluntary programming to aid you in your rehabilitation.  Back to living in jumpsuits and shower shoes.  No fresh air, no gym.

How can this be anything but cruel and unusual punishment?  To serve twice as long as anyone sentenced to county jail time under those conditions.  Forced to pay more for commissary and phone calls then their prison counterparts.  Deprived of contact visits. Forced to endure a near starvation diet and all the other hardships doesn’t seem fair and equitable to the treatment received by their prison counterparts.  How can the state justify running this type of program?  It must be cheaper than the $23,000 per year cost that it is purported to cost the MDOC to house Level 1 prisoners.  Being able to run this type of program to save money doesn’t mean they should.

As a footnote: The program was canceled in 2016 because the MDOC was not reimbursing the counties in anything close to a timely manner.  The county jails refused to continue to accept prisoners from the MDOC.

The Tooth Fairy

tooth fairy

Getting dental services in prison is like pulling teeth.  It may be more accurate to state that dental services in prison consists of pulling teeth and not much else.  The year before I paroled the MDOC changed the policy so that anyone with less than two years in prison didn’t qualify for a teeth cleaning.  With tooth brushes of such poor quality and the removal of dental floss from the commissary it would be very difficult to forestall serious degradation in oral health during this period. How can they justify this policy?

I met several men with such bad teeth that they purposefully did not brush in an attempt to get their teeth to rot enough that dental would have to pull them out and give them dentures.  They had served long sentences and had lost enough teeth that chewing food was difficult and smiling was out of the question.  Their bad breath went beyond halitosis and smelled of rot as they let nature take its course and dental one tooth at a time.

My first encounter with dental was while I was in quarantine at RGC.  Upon arrival at prison after sentencing the first several days were filled with medical, dental and classification appointments.  The dental appointment consisted of an exam to document the condition of my teeth.  They took x-rays and performed a physical exam with a dental tool.  Immediately afterwards I developed a gum infection that resulted in the significant loss of tissue around the base of my tooth.  They don’t have alcohol-based mouth wash in prison so my only option was to get salt to gargle with.  I suspect the dental tool was not properly sterilized.

While I was in Level I a gold crown came loose and fell out.  I submitted an urgent kite to dental to have the dentist re-glue the crown.  Several weeks later I got to see the dentist. It was a struggle to get the crown reinstalled, but he got it in.  Five years later it came out again.

By then I was at a different facility.  I submitted another urgent kite to dental and a month later they saw me.  This time they said they would not re-glue the crown because the policy had changed.  My option was to have the tooth pulled or leave it alone.  Since I was only six months to my out date I elected to leave it alone.  By the time I got to see a dentist out in the world the gap between my teeth had closed and the crown could not be reinstalled.  I ended up spending $1400 to get a new crown.

I made sure to request teeth cleaning every year.  The waiting list to get teeth cleanings was so long that several times the time between cleanings was closer to 1½ years.  When I got home and had my first teeth cleaning the condition of my teeth and guns was poor enough that they scheduled additional teeth cleanings to address the issues.

My experience is typical.  What is urgent and simple to fix in the world can’t be done in prison.  Since when did pulling a tooth become cheaper than preferred to re-gluing my existing crown?  I can understand not wanting to perform an expensive procedure like installing a new crown, but this wasn’t the case.  Just some bean counter at the medical service provider made a cost cutting decision that is not medically sound.

I’ve already told my favorite dental horror story elsewhere about the guy who was mis-diagnosed and suffered a botched root canal and suffered with extreme pain due to a mis-diagnosis of his cancer.

dental humor

For those who get their teeth pulled it was a painful, bloody experience.  One of my bunkies got a tooth pulled and all they gave him were a small handful of aspirin packets to deal with the pain and gauze to repack the hole until the bleeding stopped.  With his face swollen up like a chipmunk with a cheek full of nuts he was unable to sleep or eat for several days.  All for a cavity they wouldn’t fill.

Even the dentists I dealt with were generally apologetic about the policies that prevented them from providing what would be considered reasonable services in the world.  And they should know.  The dentists either had a private practice in the local community and worked at the prison part time or retired from private practice and were just supplementing their retirement and keeping busy.

Room Without A View

St. Louis Correctional

St. Louis Correctional Facility- the largest Level IV prison in Michigan.

Jails and prisons are not known for their hospitality, luxury, comfort, convenience, or aesthetics.  They are utilitarian facilities designed for security, control, functionality, and durability. The compound consists of a secure perimeter designed for controlled entrance and egress.  Razor wire, cameras, notion sensors, officer patrols on foot and by vehicle, inspections, metal detectors and body searches are the basis of security on the perimeter.  Prisons in many ways are based on the military model.  The difference being the focus on keeping inmates in.  However, with the advent of drones, smuggling contraband like cell phones and drugs in prison security is having to adapt to these new threats.

In the MDOC there are currently four levels of security: Level I, II, IV, and V. Level V is maximum security.  I’ve never been there but they tell me it’s not nice.  There are two ways to get there.  Maximum security is for those that are uncontrollable at lower levels of security or the entry point into the prison system for those serving life or very long sentences.

Level V is one-man cells, highly controlled movement and no creature comforts.  No personal property, no gym or yard time, no libraries, TVs, or day rooms.  Locked down 23 hours a day with only brief exercise periods outside in a cage.  Good behavior is the only way out.

Level IV is two-man cells, controlled movement and limited creature comforts.  Basic personal property like athletic shoes, radios, TVs, and books.  Locked down 22 hours a day with access to yard time and the day room.  Call outs for the gym, library and school are available. There are two types of level IV facilities.  There are those that stand alone and those that are part of a multi-level facility.  The latter type was the type of level IV that I’ve experienced.

Level IV is also a destination for those whose behavior could not be controlled in general population or for those with more than seven years to serve till their ERD.  I spent seven months in Level IV.  In multi-level facilities level IV prisoners are segregated and not allowed to interact with those from other levels.  Separate yard, gym, library, medical, chow and visits.

In level IV cells the doors lock from the outside.  The furniture is bolted to the floor.  The toilet is in the cell.  The windows have bars over the glass and only a small vent to get fresh air. An officer must let you out of your cell to go to work, take a shower, attend call outs or do anything at all.  Church services were held in the housing unit and inmate lead with occasional outside volunteer speakers.

Level II along with level I is called General Population.  Level II is as far down as lifers will ever get.  Two-man cells and they give you your own room key.  Incoming prisoners with a minimum of 5 years to serve and a maximum of 7 years are generally assigned to level II.  Prisoners with disciplinary issues in level I and sent to level II.  In fact, some people dislike level I so much that they will intentionally earn enough points from minor tickets to get sent to level II.

In multi-level facilities level I and II prisoners go to school together, worship together, attend gym, library and medical callouts together and go on visits together.  They used to share the big yard together but there at the multi-level facility I was at they separated the big yard time for level I and II there because there was too much violence.

The cells have a bunk bed, two desks with chairs and two lockers.  While the windows have a vent to get fresh air there were no bars over them.  Toilets and showers were down the hall. A big improvement over level IV.

One of the best things about level II was access to a microwave oven.  It’s no fun preparing Raman Noodles or instant coffee with warm tap water from the bathroom sink faucet in your level IV cell.

Level I facility housing units are mostly pole barn style dormitories with open cubicles. Level V, IV, II and unsecured level I housing units are cell based.  There are two types of level I facilities- secured and unsecured. Unsecured level I is for level I prisoners with less than two years to their ERD, ticket free and don’t have certain restricted convictions. These prisoners are generally gate pass eligible to work jobs outside the compound fences.  For those qualified, unsecured level I represents an oasis of peace and quiet.  The housing unit still has a fence with barbed wire but not the double row that surrounds secure facilities.  Unsecured level I has come and gone several times as bed space was required.  Technically being located outside the secure facility means that the inmates housed there have limited access to the compound only for medical and the visiting room.  They have their own small yard and meals are served in the housing unit.

Secured level I comprises roughly half of the bed space in the MDOC. When the prison population exploded in the 1980s the MDOC went on a building spree and created what they referred to as “Temporary” facilities.  Rather than utilizing cells the housing units are an open dormitory design with cubicles subdividing the pole barn structure along hallways. While most prisons were made to last, these pole barns were not designed to remain in service as long as they have and it really shows.

I was at level I Temporary facilities with pole barn housing units and they were really showing their age.  Poorly insulated, poorly lighted, bare concrete floors, endless plumbing problems, dusty and a security nightmare.  At my last facility they were closing the pole barns one at a time to perform major repairs and updating things like security cameras.

Originally built to house 80 inmates per unit the pole barns have had their capacity doubled to 160 beds, but not toilets, showers, sinks or day room seating.  According to the American Correctional Association each inmate should have 60 sq. ft. of space in semi-private sleeping areas. In an 8 man cube the furniture takes up all the space and I only had a couple of square feet in front of my bed. Just enough room to put my feet on the floor as I sat on my bed or looked into my locker.

The pole barns were built in the 1980s and 90s.  The biggest thing to change in the MDOC since then is the level of violence in level I.  When the prison population expanded, and prison facilities proliferated these level I temporary facilities were like honors units.  Due to a few bad incidents the work camps and farms were closed and these prisoners were moved to these new secure facilities.  Violence wasn’t tolerated and those that engaged in it found themselves back behind the walls of the old prison in Jackson.

After the closing of the old walled prison and the pressure to reduce cost more inmates were moved into the pole barns including those with violent crimes, less than stellar institutional records or gang affiliation.  The result is that the open design lead to problems with theft and violence inside the housing units.  To address this while I was there they added wire cage structures to the top of the walls that separated the cubicles in the front and back halls and added additional security cameras.  Like putting a Band-Aid on cancer, a cosmetic fix for a truly institutional problem.

Security cameras don’t make things safer.  After the fact they might provide evidence to identify the perpetrator but the damage has already been done. And in an ironic twist, the same cameras used to convict are conveniently broken or didn’t show anything when an innate seeks to use video to exonerate themselves.  But inmates have to take the Inspectors word for it since they can’t be shown the video since it is a security rule.

The wire caging goes from the top of the wall up to the ceiling to prevent inmates and stolen property from crossing from one side of the housing unit to the other out of sight of the cameras which look up and down the halls.  The caging was nothing fancy.  It took the inmate maintenance crew two days to install the panels.  Only time will tell whether these measures will reduce theft and violence in level I pole barns.

As a cost saving measure a few years ago the MDOC closed the level V prison in Standish. That again had a ripple effect across the MDOC.  It wasn’t that there were fewer level V prisoners, they simply waved the security classification to move inmates to lower security levels- V to IV, IV to II, and II to I.  The higher the security level the higher the cost of incarceration.  Level V costs more than twice the cost to house an inmate in level I.  While cutting cost was a political decision when the legislature reduced the department’s budget, it failed to account for the human cost. When inmates are placed in a lower security level it should be because they have demonstrated good behavior and cooperation in completing programming.  The issue is that you end up in prison because of bad behavior and time in prison alone won’t improve it.  The higher levels are intended to reduce the inmate’s ability to cause mischief through isolation. So, the inmates institutional record at the higher levels by its self my not be a good predictor of what will happen at lower levels.  By waving initiates to lower levels, the MDOC let predators lose in the lower security levels.  There were still in prison where the general public was protected from than but free to hurt other inmates.  But they’re just inmates, right?

Housing units in the MDOC are not air conditioned.  During the summer the air temperature inside will often exceed 80˚F and with a heat wave can approach 90˚F or higher.  Without air conditioning there is no dehumidification so you also have to account for the heat index as well.

The school, medical and administration buildings where the staff work do have air conditioning and many of the housing unit counselors have retrofit air conditioners installed in their offices.  So apparently suffering through the heat is part of the punishment.

For those inmates with certain medical conditions where hot temperatures could put them at risk for a medical emergency their medical classification will include an accommodation for heat related illness that will allow them to utilize designated cooling centers when the facility is under a heat advisory.  Heat advisories are issued when the heat index goes above 100˚F. During a heat advisory all strenuous activity is curtailed, no weight pit, no outdoor sports of any kind.

When it gets hot in the housing unit it tends to remain hot.  The brick and concrete construction absorbs the heat and holds it long after it cools off outside.  I had many miserable nights unable to sleep because it was too hot.  There is little air movement because the windows in Level II and IV only have small vents for fresh air.  With the cell doors closed there is no way to generate air movement.  The level I pole barns have slightly larger windows which open with screens.  Unfortunately, the building design prohibits good air circulation.  Ceiling fans do little to move air in/out of the building.  The bunks closet to the windows are highly coveted because they are the only that benefit from the fresh air.

The heat really takes its toll physically and heat stroke is a real possibility. In housing units with fixed temperature controls in the showers even taking a cool isn’t an option.  The small personal fans do almost nothing to alleviate the discomfort.

Most facilities don’t have ice makers in the housing units.  Those that do can’t provide enough ice to cool 160 men.  You could expect that it would be empty before count time and that there would be a stampede when count clears as guys try to beat the adage about ice water in hell.

Parole Violation

sd-ljl-sponsored-columns-law-offices-vikas-bajaj-parole-violations-20171018A rapper that I’ve never heard of made the news by being in prison.  It’s not what you think.  Famous people from entertainment and sports were coming to aid in his cause. He had been serving a 10-year probation and was sent to prison for a technical violation. He had apparently been charged for an infraction of the motor vehicle code involving a motorcycle.  The charges were dropped but the judge still sent him to prison against the recommendation of the prosecutor.

I’ve met a number of people who were in the same boat.  Committing a crime while on probation or parole is a violation of its terms and even if you weren’t in prison before as part of your original case you can still end up there.  The problem is that you don’t have to actually be convicted, just having police contact is enough to set things in motion.

To address the parole violation situation in Michigan, instead of sending parole violators back to Quarantine they are sent to the Parole Reentry Center in Detroit, a former prison. Your parole officer can take you there directly while you await a hearing with the parole board or a judge.  The problem is like the rapper you can be sent to prison for up to the maximum length of your remaining sentence on a technicality.  While on parole or probation you are considered guilty until proven innocent and you are not subject to due process.  This means that they can do whatever they want and you have no legal recourse.

Now it is not as bad as it used to be.  There have been significant changes made to reduce the number of parole violators being sent back to prison.  It is expensive to house them and does not address the underlying causes of recidivism.  Now things like substance abuse counseling, restriction to approved activities or even house arrest may be used.  In the case of the rapper it was the judge herself that chose to put him behind bars.  Sure, he had a poor track record with a number of previous violations but this time was without merit.  It took a great public outcry to get him released.  What about the others that don’t have such powerful allies?  It is clear that the system both in Michigan and nationally is broken when someone like a judge or parole board member can defy counsel or the regulations to impose a punishment.  If anyone else was to do this they would be called a vigilante and themselves be subject to punishment.  The difference being that they would get due process.

Motel 6

1201193-Vintage-Black-And-White-Vacant-Prison-Cell-Poster-Art-Print

Tom Modell, the spokesman for the Motel 6 lodging chain used to end his commercials by saying, “We’ll leave a light on for you.”  A friendly way of letting people know that they were always prepared to receive guests.  The MDOC by contrast is more like the “Hotel California” in that “you can check out any time you want but you can never leave.” Prison and county jails for many are like a rat’s maze that is difficult to navigate, full of many dead ends, and all the exits seem to lead right back in.

Like all areas of government in this day and age, financial resources are tight, yet jails and prisons are critically over crowded.  Being asked to do more with less has resulted in a situation where jails and prisons more closely resemble warehouses than rehabilitation centers.  It has reached the point where correction has been replaced with punishment.  To most, the idea of pointless punishment is considered cruel and unusual, but for the MDOC it is business as usual.

After serving a sentence which is on average 127% of the minimum which is 120% of the federal average, many find themselves back on the streets with a large debt accumulated and limited prospects for an income sufficient to live on let alone spare resources to go toward retiring that debt.

It is the practice of county jails to charge booking fees for each suspect arrested and processed into jail.  So, whether you are ultimately found guilty or not you have started accumulating debts which will add up.  Many jails also charge inmates a daily rate.  Any money found on your person at the time of processing immediately goes toward paying the bill.  Any unpaid charges will follow you after your release.

In court you must have legal representation and if you can’t afford a lawyer on will be appointed to you.  What used to be provided as a pro bono service by a local attorney or through a public defender’s office at no charge now comes with a significant price. When you pay for your own attorney you must pay up front prior to having services rendered. If you are indigent and can’t afford an attorney they will provide you one and then bill you later.  In either case you are out thousands of dollars simply to “negotiate” a plea agreement and tens of thousands of dollars to fight your case in court.  Only those with significant financial resources can afford to mount a rigorous defense.

Upon conviction, as part of the sentence agreement you will receive a bill for fines, restitution, and court costs.  These will follow you to prison and under state law the MDOC will collect from your prison wages and any deposits to your trust account 50% of what you receive over $50 per month, and if you have multiple cases they can take up to your last $20 or $5 if there are federal charges involved.

To ensure that these costs are recouped, the MDOC has the power to seize your assets, and empty your bank accounts and investment savings -anything that is solely in your name.  They don’t have the ability to seize anything that is in a joint account or has a second owner named such as a deed to a house or car.

After paying off the fines, restitution, and court costs including court appointed attorney, the MDOC can then charge prisoners a daily rate for their incarceration, until the seized financial resources have been consumed.  Paying for your own room and board in prison does not entitle you to any extra privileges, no extra helping at chow, and no mint on your pillow.

In theory the prison chow hall diet is based on 2000 calories per day, but the reality is somewhat less than filling.  Most people will lose 10-20 pounds in prison.  Overweight people may lose 50 pounds or more as their fat reserves are tapped.  For many, physical activity such as weight lifting, rigorous workouts, and sports are part of a daily routine in prison to help the time pass quicker.  However, with increased physical activity comes a biological demand for more calories.  To supplement the necessary caloric intake the commissary does a booming business.  As this is not a basic necessity but is considered a luxury it comes with a steep price.  In county jail a package of Raman noodles may cost a dollar, in prison it costs $0.34, while in the world they go for 10-15 cents each.  With a captive market, prisoners pay exorbitant prices for low quality products.  Catalog vendors, for instance charge $20 for a pair of sweatpants and another $20 for a sweatshirt that you could buy at WalMart for $15 for the set.  Most of what is sold is seconds and irregulars, not high quality durable goods.

I found this picture of a prison TV for sale on an Etsy webpage.

Due to safety concerns TVs, radios, headphones, and other appliances approved for purchase must be made of clear plastic so that it is not possible to hide contraband inside.  However, some of the plastics used are of an inferior quality and are subject to breakage under conditions of routine usage. A small 13-inch flat screen TV that you probably can’t even buy on the streets will cost you $200.

They say “it sucks to be poor” but it is even worse to be poor in prison.  Since the majority of people in prison are from the lover socio-economic classes they and their families are the least able to afford it.  Prison didn’t use to be this way.  Society paid the cost of keeping the streets safe by paying to incarcerate the violent offenders.  Then the “war on drugs” sent a large number of non—violent drug addicts to prison.  Prison populations increased dramatically and so did budgets but not at the same rate.  Prison officials needing to do more with less have sought ways to charge for services that they previously provided for free.  When it’s time to leave prison, you have to turn in your state blues, the state will sell you a pair of khakis cut from the same uniform pattern for $50.  Something you wouldn’t even want from the Salvation Army store at half the price.

Dealing with the Quarter Master can be like dealing with a used car sales man.  If you lose a towel or a washcloth, they will charge you for them, luxury prices for third world quality.  Underwear and socks that are ill fitting and shoes that will ruin your feet.  Blankets and sheets are used until they are threadbare and then some.  To save money they reduced the number of sets of state blues from 3 pair to 2.  At some prisons laundry in only once a week, prisoners have to wear the same set of cloths for days on end.

The MDOC requires that prisoners either attend school or work.  Students are paid $0.58 per day for a 5-day school week.  Pay rates for the various jobs from porter to kitchen worker and wheel chair pusher to clerks and tutors vary significantly.  Most jobs pay less than $1 per day.  Depending on whether it is a 3, 4 or 5-day detail or has overtime available some earn as little as $10-15 a month while others may earn as much as $70-100.  For those very few who are fortunate to work for the Michigan State Industries (MSI) or Braille Transcription Service income rates may be higher still.  Pay rates for prisoners have been stagnate for years and in some cases have gone down significantly, such as when they eliminated bonuses for kitchen workers.

And the cost of living keeps rising so that what little buying power they had has eroded. Currently in the commissary prisoners are allowed to spend $100 per store every two weeks.  From this they must purchase their necessary hygiene and food items.  For an individual with no outside resources they must live on what little income they have earned from some type of hustle on the yard.  There is a great gap between the haves and the have nots.  A small bag of instant coffee costs $4, so for many it is the only luxury item they can afford and may preferentially choose that over soap and deodorant.

If you have need of medical service from Health Care there will be a $5 co-pay required for all routine services including teeth cleanings, eye exams, illnesses and non-job-related injuries.  If you don’t have the money in your account, service will be rendered but they will take the money out first when some shows up.  Additionally, over time the co-pay has been applied to chronic care visits for those with long-term and possibly life-threatening conditions that cause the person to seek medical services beyond the semi-annual exam.

For those who are unable to work or receive outside support, the Prisoner Benefit Fund (PBF) can provide $11 a month to those who meet the criteria for indigent status.  This is a loan that must be paid back when there are funds in the inmate’s trust account.  To qualify a person must have had no money in their account for the last 30 days.  The funds provided are for necessary hygiene only.

Health Care no longer provides basic medical pharmaceuticals such as aspirin for headaches, cough drops, cold pills, antacid, fiber laxative or hemorrhoid cream.  In the crowded living conditions colds and other illnesses spread rapidly throughout the population due to poor hygiene and sanitization.  Those unable to afford the remedies available for purchase in the commissary must struggle through their illness without symptom relief.

With the inability to earn money to pay for the basic necessities and large debts assessed by the courts most prisoners leave prison without any financial resources at all only to find out that the debt accumulation is not over.  On parole oversight fees and electronic tether monitoring fees can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars more.  Depending on the type of programing required by the Parole Board there may be additional program fees incurred.  All outstanding fees owed at the end of parole will be turned over to a private collection agency on behalf of the state.

The longer a person is on parole the higher the chances of violating that parole. Recidivism rates within the first 3 years of release from prison range as high as 75% for some categories of felonies.  Random drug and alcohol testing, random curfew enforcement checks, failure to comply with reporting and work requirements can all result in the revocation of the parole and send you back to prison.

For some the only hope to break this cycle is to “max out” on their sentence so that they can avoid having to deal with parole.  The result is that a person doing 2-10 years may be eligible for parole at their earliest release date (ERD) of 2 years may return to prison several more times due to parole violations and received a flop by the parole board and end up doing the full ten years on the installment plan.

For some this is not an option, since the tail on their sentences from multiple convictions have been stacked so that they have a potential 25 to life that they could theoretically have to serve in prison.  But in either case it sets up a revolving door whereby a person can expect to return to prison for some additional period of time.

To address the high recidivism rates and the critics accusations of warehousing, the MDOC does offer programming for some categories of felonies. Violent offenders may be required to take Violence Prevention Programming (VPP) or Thinking for A Change.  Sex offenders may be required to take Sex Offender Programming (SOP).  Those that have drugs or alcohol involved in their cases may have to take Phase 1 and Phase 2 Substance Abuse and additionally have to take ASAP/RSAP which are residential treatment programs.  Domestic abuse cases may have to take Bridges.  There are group classes, some of which are conducted by Psych Services.  Positive reports must be earned or else the parole board may not grant parole.  For those without education or with learning and/or psychological disabilities this can be a challenge.  Also, the mentality of so many prisoners is to resist authority, a “you can’t make me learn” mentality, or simply a person who likes who/what they are and doesn’t feel the need to change.  These programs will do little good to ensure a positive outcome and successful rehabilitation for these people. For some repeat offenders who have completed all the applicable programming and returned with a new case for the same crime no additional classes may be assigned, not even a refresher course.  The opposite is also a possibility, a person back on a parole violation may be required to complete the programming a second time even when the violation was on a technicality not a new conviction.  In either case all they can do is hope for the best with the parole board.  Just as it is true that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.  You can send a felon to prison but you can’t make him think.

Going to prison is costly both financially and in human terms.  Lost productivity which can never be recouped, lost years of family time including weddings, births, and funerals.  A debt to society that society refuses to accept payment for.  Trust that has been broken by both parties in the relationship but for which separation is not an option. For many in prison the only light at the end of the tunnel is the oncoming train.