How To Eat An Elephant

I realize that I do not talk about it often, but religion and spirituality are topics that I am very interested in and drawn to. Through my own journey I have come to my particular beliefs, and I do not claim to have a monopoly on truth. I became unitarian universalist because of their tolerance for all belief systems that are not harmful. Most people aren't even aware of this group, but that's okay. I don't scoff at what others believe, I encourage them on their particular path and attempt to help them in any way I can. I think that's why I'm drawn to the Chaplaincy Department.

Wilkinson County's Correctional Center has, in recent months, hired a new chaplain to meet the spiritual needs of the prisoners housed here. Mr. Roscoe Barnes, Ph.D., is the man for the job. Working within the limitations of the prison environment he has begun weekly Jumah services for the Muslim prisoners, weekly Christian services, and even arranged for auditions for a praise group/choir á la American Idol. One man can only do so much when trying to meet the needs of over 900 prisoners, though.

What Chaplain Barnes needs right now are volunteers who will come in and share their time and love with prisoners. Mr. Barnes has reached out to the local congregations, and Christian volunteers are being vetted and trained to help. But other faiths and belief systems are underrepresented. I have seen that a lot in Mississippi, and I am asking for your help to change it. We need to see Islamic volunteers, Wiccans coming into prisons, Jewish believers sharing their love, Thelemites living by agape instead of mouthing the words, Kabbalists teaching from their wisdom. We aren't asking you to come in and try to convert everyone. Rather, we are asking that you share of yourself and donate your time, live by what you profess to believe.

Chaplain Barnes has a lot on his plate, but is undaunted by the enormity of the task. When I asked him how he plans on getting it all done, he asked a question in return. "You know how you eat an elephant?" Laughing, he answered his own question with a simple truth, "One bite at a time." I am glad to have Chaplain Barnes filling the position he does and I am asking that you help us to help him. We are looking for any groups that might be interested in donating materials and literature pertaining to their particular faith to the Chaplaincy Department at WCCC. Know of any covens or temples in the surrounding area that might have members interested in volunteering to do some prison outreach work? Have any suggestions or advice? You can contact us by emailing us at prisoninmateslife@gmail.com or by emailing Chaplain Barnes directly at roscoe.barnes@mtctrains.com or even by calling (601) 888-3199 ext. 2214 to speak to him. We look forward to any feedback from you.

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Update on Wilkinson County Correctional Facility

Thanksgiving Day is on my mind as I write this. What are you thankful for? We shouldn't need a special day to think about what we have to be thankful for, but it isn't a bad thing. I am thankful for my loved ones. I'm thankful that the atmosphere here at the facility seems to be improving in certain respects and only isolated incidents have occurred. I am thankful that Warden Shaw seems genuinely concerned seeing the prison run as it should.

One thing that has changed is the facility's name. This is no longer Wilkinson County Correctional Facility, but is now known as  Wilkinson County Correctional Center (WCCC). There are 22 pods where prisoners are housed, and 16 of them are "general population" and are no longer locked down (not including the two pods where prisoners are housed on protective custody status). There are only 4 pods where prisoners are housed on long-term segregation status, and one of those is an "incentive program" where prisoners classified on high risk or security threat group status are allowed to earn their way back into general prison population. There are two halls at WCCC- the West and South halls. So far, the general population pods on the South hall have not been allowed to go to the dining hall to eat, but are served trays off a cart on their respective pods. All the pods on the West hall must go to the dining hall if they want to eat.

Education programming is in the initial stages of being established. 

There are 3 levels to the GED program:
 - Basic level 1, taught by Mrs. Ware
 - Basic level 2, taught by Mrs. Scott (whom I tutor for)
 - Pre-GED, taught by Mrs. Alexander

Two vocational programs will be offered, in which prisoners can earn certification:
 - Painting
 - Facility maintenance

Alcohol & Drug programs are offered in two course lengths:
 - the short program last 8 weeks
 - the longer program lasts 6 months
 

Religious programs will soon be held as Chaplain Barnes settles into his role here at WCCC. This is what I'm looking forward to.
 

Recreation opportunities include:
 - basketball tournaments
 - table tennis
 - a bodyweight workout station donated by the police academy
 - chess
 - checkers
 - dominoes
 

Some in-cell programming is made available through the Case Managers in the form of interactive journaling. Also, an evidence based program called Moral Reconation Therapy is in the works, and focuses on cognitive behavioral treatment. Pre-release for prisoners with 6 months or less left to serve on their sentence will soon be available.

As things progress I will do my best to keep you updated. Thank you all for your patience with me and my lack of new posts as of late. I hope to remedy that. Thank you for caring and for all your feedback, suggestions and support.

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CCA... MTC... Different Name, Same Thing

I was recently informed to be careful as to what I write for my loved ones to post here on my blogs, that people could view it negatively. I will continue writing for these blogs, and I will continue to express my views. If someone thinks it's a crime for me to speak my mind, please feel free to immigrate to China. I do not express hatred or negativity on my blogs because I don't harbor these things in my heart. If I express myself bluntly and you don't like it, that is fine and it's your right to disagree. It works both ways, however.

That being said, I want to update you about what has been happening at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility since MTC began running of operations at the prison. In many instances MTC has the same staff doing the same things they did under the previous administration. The supervision of the kitchen is the same, as is the food with only a couple of menu item changes. The laundry runs five days per week, instead of only two or three days per week. The clinic is backlogged by about 300 sick call requests, and the staffing isn't what they need right now to catch up, nor do they have the necessary supplies. The same staff is still operating the mailroom (I found my evil midget clown pictures, too). No staff has been assigned to organize things in the Visitation Department yet, and though C-custody isn't being allowed visitation right now, A-custody and B-custody are. We were supposed to have a Chaplain at the beginning of August, but that hasn't happened yet. And until the lockdown ends we probably won't see any religious services or educational programs being made available.

The administration has let a few pods off lockdown status, so far: Lima, Mike, November, Sierra, and Tango, from what the staff is saying. More will come up soon. What worries me is that MTC does not really have an emergency response team to deal with any situations such as the violence that happened in April. The same prisoners that fought each other then are still housed around one another for the most part. I know that whatever is going to happen is going to happen- if anything at all. I just pray for all our sakes that we don't have a repeat of April.

We have not received any kind of orientation material since MTC assumed the contract here at WCCF. From what I gather, these are some of the current administrators:

Warden - Mr. Shaw
Assistant Warden - Ms. Tyra Jackson
Chief of Security - Mr. Gabriel Walker
Investigator - Mr. Gaines

I am hoping, as I have many times before, that the situation will continue to improve. I'll do my best to help the process, if possible. I would really like to see some positive things happening in the near future.

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Demond Flowers - A Senseless and Preventable Death

At least three times prior to this I have started writing about how conditions at WCCF are improving, about how things are changing for the better and so on. As soon as I write it out though, something happens and we go back on lockdown. I don't know how to look at things positively right now, though. A young man lost his life on Saturday 4/20/2013 and these guys were happy about it. Completely pointless and senseless.

So here is the situation, unvarnished and without positive spin. I feel that those in administration knew something was going to happen and allowed it to take place. I will explain this in more detail in a later post. As it is, CCA's contract ends in June or July and they haven't expressed interest in making a bid to run WCCF again. The physical plant at WCCF is in serious disrepair. The roof leaks all over the facility, the HVAC and plumbing is in need of an overhaul, mildew has taken over but is ignored. CCA has no interest in investing any more money into this place and is just waiting for their contract to run out.

I have been incarcerated since 1998, and nowhere else in all the time I have been in prison have I seen a facility stay locked down as much or more than WCCF. Nowhere near as much. The only consistent thing is its inconsistency. Today we might be locked down. Tomorrow? We might be out for four hours in the morning. The next day? Maybe a couple hours after 1 P.M., and we might come back out if they can get the count right. Every day it is different.

Common sense tells you that in a situation such as prison it is important to set up some kind of schedule and maintain it. To do otherwise is to invite chaos. That is what it seems like they are trying to foster here- chaos. They have an education department and staff they cannot even utilize. They have a gymnasium they only use to stick us in during shakedowns. We haven't been out in the sunshine since May of last year. The majority are being punished for the actions of a minority. Why not lock down and punish those that are causing the problems? Hell, they locked me down for 10 years. I guess that was different though.

The days ahead are uncertain ones. They cannot let us back out together because they aren't even certain who all was involved. If they do let us out together, there will be more violence immediately. But where are they going to move those whom they are certain were involved and responsible for the previous violence? It's past that point and would amount to closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. People need to be asking how it got to this point and why it was allowed to do so.

As for what happened during the fighting on 4/20... I have to write about it. There will be a separate post, but I am still trying to sort it out in my mind. It will be here for you to read in the near future, blood and gore and all. I'm not all about doom and gloom however, and hope to be able to give you some good news.

My thanks to all of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers. My condolences go out to the family of Demond Flowers. You are all in our prayers.

 

 

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Fly Right Inc. Lands at WCCF

May 12th saw the Fly Right, Inc. ministry making an appearance at the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. Though the weather didn't cooperate for the event to be held outdoors, Mr. Jim Harris made the best of it by bringing everything indoors, into the facility's gym.

As the prisoners filed into the gym, we were greeted by music, the sight of some RC aircraft, a few very nice motorcycles and the smiles of Jim Harris, his wife Fredia Harris, as well as volunteers Angela Pennock, Raul Arismendez, and Ryan Cook. Some of the prisoners had met them at a previous event, but even new introductions felt like they were reestablishing old friendships. After the first groups finished arriving and everyone was settled in, the show began.

Though indoors, Mr. Harris made the most of the limited space by flying the three small, remote controlled aircraft: a plane, a helicopter, and a quad-engine hovercraft. Before flying each one, he explained the basics of that particular craft, how it operates and some of his personal experiences with them. Some of the prisoners noticed that he spoke of things they could relate to, and they commented on it. Mr. Harris responded, "Just wait and I'll tell you the rest of the story." As a grand finale, Mr. Harris landed the helicopter on his wife's outstretched hand.


After he'd finished the aerial demonstration, Mr. Harris allowed the guys to pass around the plane and helicopter. As they were passing around the aircraft, Mr. Harris began recounting his story. It's a familiar story on many points to those who have been in the system. Peer pressure, trying to be cool, early drug use leading to other things. Finally it proceeded to crimes, being on the run from the law, becoming incarcerated... But Jim wanted to share what made his story different. When he was at his lowest, Jim found strength and salvation in Jesus Christ.

Jim wrapped his message up and invited the guys to split into groups with Fredia, Angela, Raul and Ryan. Each shared their own experiences as Christians and invited the men to take the step, make the decision and come to know Jesus as their savior, as well. It was an event I enjoyed and I really appreciated the volunteers -14 in all- for coming into the prison to spend time with us. On the way back to my housing unit I was running a little late, though it was a fortuitous thing. I got a chance to meet three more of the volunteers: Mr. Timothy Craddock, Mr. David Pose, and Ms. Cinnamon Falk. To all of you who visited- thank you.

On a final note, to anyone who reads this- Fly Right, Inc. needs a Spanish interpreter. They have some opportunities to reach those of the Latin community but need someone who can interpret while they are speaking. If you or someone you know might possibly be interested, you can contact them at: JimH@Flyrightinc.org or by calling them at (877)369-3778

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A Change is a'Comin'

In response to a recent post request I will try to update you, my Constant Readers, as to what has been happening here at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. You might have noticed from the lack of posts during the past few months, things weren't great. Fights, stabbings, almost constant lockdown throughout the entire facility. And that's why Mr. Raymond T. Byrd was brought in as the new warden.

Since January, Warden Byrd has been working to bring about the changes necessary for the facility to operate as it should. Part of that is a change of the guard, so to speak. There have been many terminated from their jobs, demotions, a restructuring, many under observation, as well as new guards trained and hired. As one of my associates is fond of saying, "Mr. Byrd runs a legit business."

One of the things I've had to adjust to is "going back," which is our way of saying that we have to go to the dining hall to eat our meals. The only prisoners in general population that eat their meals on the pods are the ones on Protective Custody units that aren't allowed to go to the dining hall. Mr. Byrd sent down the order, so that anyone else who wants to eat has to come to the dining hall. Makes sense.

There was recently a contest held to determine the cleanest and most well-behaved pods in the entire facility. The winning pods got to participate in a "fun day" on May 5th where we got to spend the morning outside, play baseball, volleyball, and listen to music (that the staff picked). They fed up burgers, hot dogs and chicken that they grilled right there. We also got treated to single-serve ice cream. The food was in addition to our regular three meals. That day was Cinco de Mayo, so we got some good Mexican fare. Really enjoyed it, myself.

On May 12, Fly Right, Inc. was here at the prison. For more about this event, click here. A Christian ministry, they volunteer to come into schools and prisons. This was the first such event I've had the chance to attend since being incarcerated and I'm grateful for the experience -that Chaplain Speight arranged it, Warden Byrd okayed it and that the volunteers came into the prison.

The changes are coming at a steady pace and I will be keeping you all updated. Here at WCCF I've noticed they aren't attempting to keep guys in long-term segregation, locked down indefinitely. I'll try to find out what's been happening down there. If you have any specific questions, please leave them as comments on the post and we will answer them if at all possible. It takes a few days for me to get the messages from my loved ones and then get a response in the mail, but it will get done.

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Victim's Father Protests Prisoner Transfer

Victim's advocate John Harmon (and father of fallen officer Casey Harmon) has recently made it into the media -again- by second-guessing MDOC officials and publicly protesting the transfer of prisoner Steven Farris from the Mississippi State Penitentiary to Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. Mr. Harmon's main concern was that WCCF was too "modern" for the likes of Steven Farris, and that Farris should still be housed somewhere on the grounds of the MSP at Parchman. >In the process of preparing to close Unit 32 at Parchman, about 70 prisoners were transferred to WCCF over a period of weeks. The WCCF houses prisoners of all security custody levels, including those with similar or worse charges than Farris, as well as at least two former death row prisoners, and has the same maximum security level as Unit 32. Contrary to what Mr. Harmon would like the public to believe, this transfer wasn't out of the norm.

If you'd like to read Steven's response to Mr. Harmon's protest and grandstanding, click here. The family and friends of Steven Farris manage this blog and help him make this more than a one-sided affair by typing and publishing his handwritten posts.

Rules & Restrictio​ns for Mail (WCCF specific)

The rules and restrictions for sending mail to prisoners in Wilkinson County Correctional Facility differ slightly from the rules and restrictions for sending mail to prisoners at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. I will address the differences here, but suggest you read both. To read MSP's mail rules click here.

One of the major differences I've seen that I find encouraging is how the mailroom handles returning "non-allowable items" a prisoner might be sent by mistake. Instead of just returning whole letters because someone sent a prisoner a laminated bookmark or some such, the mail inspectors will remove the item and send the letter on to the prisoner. The prisoner must sign a form stating what he chooses to be done with the item. He can have it mailed back to the sender, sent to a different address, or have it destroyed. The prisoner also has the choice to appeal the decision. That's professional. That is the way it's supposed to be done.

Here are the differences in the rules:

• A prisoner can still receive (2) two pages with printed material from the Internet -front and back on each if you choose- but WCCF is more lenient on this arbitrary rule.

• Only (10) ten pictures per envelope, and the pictures are to be no larger than 3 in. x 5 in. A prisoner can only have ten pictures in his personal property at WCCF, anyway.

• No more than (6) newspaper clippings per envelope. >Prisoners at WCCF are allowed to recieve up to (4) four paperback books per package. Click the link for more on sending books.

• Prisoners at WCCF are only only allowed a subscription to (1) one adult/pornographic magazine. No magazine depicting penetration is allowed.

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Wilkinson County Correctional Facility

In the process of emptying Unit 32 of prisoners, I was transferred to Wilkinson County Correctional Facility in Woodville, Mississippi. A trip of approximately 200 miles, lasting between 4 and 5 hours, sandwiched in with 9 other inmates, one of which was just doused in pepper spray.

Any change from the environment of Unit 32 was welcome. The Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman has an oppressive air about it -so much so that every time I've left the grounds of that prison, it has felt like a literal weight was lifted from my shoulders.

Wilkinson County Correctional Facility is operated by the Corrections Corporation of America, and has contracted with the MDOC since last year to start housing prisoners on longterm-segregation status. Normally they wouldn't have wanted to house prisoners that are on longterm-seg because it costs more, but with the downturn of the economy in recent years, the corporation reevaluated its policy.

Understandably, WCCF wasn't prepared to house the prisoners shipped in from Parchman. They were not accustomed to dealing with this many prisoners in lockdown. They are still adjusting, but I have to say, they are making progress. I will write about conditions in a future post. I do want to give some basic info here.

The main administration is composed of Warden Jacquelyn Banks, Assistant Warden Vines, and Assistant Warden Walker. From what I've seen, they aren't about micromanaging. They appoint individuals to positions and allow them to do their jobs. That makes for a better atmosphere than that of Unit 32, where the style of administration was exactly the opposite.

WCCF's physical address is 2999 U.S. Highway 61 North, and it's located two miles north on Highway 61/junction 563.

The mailing address is:

Wilkinson County Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 1079
Woodville, MS 39669-1079

And they can be reached by calling- (601) 888-3199

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