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    " Texas Tough" a Texas prison story worth reading 

    Published on 09-01-2010 04:29 PM
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    By Max Rodriguez, Backgate Website

    Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire is a history of imprisonment, race, and politics from slavery to the present, with an emphasis on Texas, the most locked-down state in the nation. Sweeping in scope and exhaustively researched, it tries to answer some of the most vexing questions of our time: Why has the United States built the largest prison system in the world, unlike anything in the history of democratic governance, and why have racial disparities in criminal justice worsened over the past two generations, despite the landmark victories of the civil rights movement? Drawing on a decade of archival, legal, and legislative research, combined with scores of interviews, this book argues that the history of American criminal justice is a more southern story than most have acknowledged (the prison boom began and has remained most pervasive in the South) and that the politics of race and reaction have played a more prominent role in the expansion of incarceration than elevated crime rates.

    ...
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    Video found on youtube shows violence in Texas prisons 

    Published on 08-31-2010 10:57 PM



    Notice: This video is not suited for viewers under the age of 18.

    Buckwheat quotes land TDCK employees in hot water , again... 

    by
    Duane Stuart
    Published on 08-30-2010 07:01 PM





    The EEO Section investigated another "Buckwheat" case recently. This case involved a white female working in the mailroom at the Clements Unit. She made the comment, "Otay Buckwheat," to another white coworker. It looks like using the term "buckwheat"can get you in trouble no matter how it used. I am starting to wonder if calling someone "Alfalfa" or" Spanky" can also get you in trouble.

    The quote "Buckwheat" earned an assistant warden almost a month off without pay just a few months ago after a staff member complained about the "Buckwheat" incident that occurred on a unit. The warden had an ongoing joke with another employee about the style of her hair-do. That quote was directed by accident to another employee over the phone who was offended. That ended up in an EEO complaint, and the longtime warden being disciplined by Jackie Edwards even after EEO ruled the incident as not EEO based.

    Just months before that, EEO investigated a complaint about an employee being offended at the sight of another employees choice of a trailer ball hitch cover on their personal vehicle in the unit parking lot. That cover resembled a pair of human testicles, or " brass balls." That complaint was eventually trashed of course.

    Has the agency become focused on bogus EEO claims ?
    5 Comments

    5 Calif. inmates shot by guards during riot at Folsom prison, 2 others injured 

    Published on 08-29-2010 11:19 AM





    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Prison guards shot into a crowd to stop 200 rioting inmates at California's Folsom State Prison, wounding five, authorities said Saturday.

    Another two inmates were injured by other prisoners during Friday's riot, which began at about 7 p.m. in the main exercise yard and ended after 30 minutes. Prison spokesman Lt. Anthony Gentile said officers fired after other efforts to break up the riot failed.

    "We tried to control the situation with chemical agents dispersed over the crowd," Gentile said Saturday. "We fired several rounds of rubber bullets and that didn't stop them from fighting."

    See more here

    Rick Perry for Governor ? 

    by
    Duane Stuart
    Published on 08-29-2010 11:10 AM




    Whats Rick Perry up to ??

    (Submitted video to the Backgate by the Bill White campaign)

    When to Hold Them & When to Fold Them 

    Published on 08-28-2010 12:18 PM
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    By Tracy E. Barnhart
    Backgate Contributing Author

    When I refer to the Hold Them and Fold Them analogy what I am talking about is knowing when its time either to engage or disengage physically from a potentially assaultive inmate. I responded to a call for assistance a few weeks ago and I observed an officer attempting to verbally de-escalate an inmate who was visible angry and violent. The officer made several mistakes in the de-escalation process but was incredibly determined to talk the inmate down without the need to use physical intervention. So determined, in fact, that he continued verbalization even after the inmate assaulted him and struck the officer in the side of the head.

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    TDCJ announces promotions, more moves 

    by
    Duane Stuart
    Published on 08-26-2010 05:58 PM




    TROY HALL - MAJOR OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS, THOMAS HAVINS UNIT TO
    ASSISTANT WARDEN, TRAVIS COUNTY STATE JAIL

    BRIAN BLANCHARD - MANAGER I, CORRECTIONAL TRAINING TO ASSISTANT WARDEN,
    ALFRED D. HUGHES UNIT

    MICHAEL BUTCHER - MAJOR OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS, W.J. ESTELLE UNIT TO
    ASSISTANT WARDEN, ALLAN B. POLUNSKY UNIT

    BLANCHE IBARRA - MAJOR OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS, REGION IV CORRECTIONAL
    TRAINING TO ASSISTANT WARDEN, CHRISTINA MELTON-CRAIN UNIT

    SHARON ALLEN - ASSISTANT WARDEN, MARK W. STILES UNIT TO ASSISTANT
    WARDEN, W.F. RAMSEY UNIT

    DEVERY MOONEYHAM - ASSISTANT WARDEN, ALFRED D. HUGHES UNIT TO ASSISTANT
    WARDEN, DARRINGTON UNIT

    DARREN WALLACE - MAJOR OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS, JOHN B. CONNALLY UNIT
    TO ASSISTANT WARDEN, MARK W. STILES UNIT
    KEITH GENTRY - MAJOR OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS, T.L. ROACH UNIT TO
    ASSISTANT WARDEN, FORMBY STATE JAIL/J.B. WHEELER STATE JAIL

    SUSAN WILBURN - PROGRAM SUPERVISOR III, ASSISTANT REGIONAL DIRECTOR,
    REGION VI TO ASSISTANT WARDEN, HILLTOP UNIT

    MATT BARBER - MAJOR OF CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS, WILLIAM G. MCCONNELL UNIT
    TO ASSISTANT WARDEN, GARZA EAST TRANSFER FACILITY

    Just as expected, fall brings TDCJ staffing changes 

    by
    Duane Stuart
    Published on 08-25-2010 02:53 PM





    Effective 09/01/10


    TINA CARMONA - SENIOR WARDEN, HUTCHINS STATE JAIL TO SENIOR WARDEN,
    FORMBY STATE JAIL/J.B. WHEELER STATE JAIL

    JEFFERY PRINGLE - SENIOR WARDEN, SAN SABA UNIT TO SENIOR WARDEN,
    HUTCHINS STATE JAIL

    KENNETH DEAN - ASSISTANT WARDEN, ALFRED D. HUGHES UNIT TO SENIOR
    WARDEN, SAN SABA UNIT

    JAMES JONES - SENIOR WARDEN, CHARLES T. TERRELL UNIT TO SENIOR WARDEN,
    HUNTSVILLE UNIT

    MICHAEL ROESLER - SENIOR WARDEN, ERNESTINE GLOSSBRENNER SAFPF TO SENIOR
    WARDEN, CHARLES T. TERRELL UNIT

    JESUS PERALTA - ASSISTANT WARDEN, TRAVIS COUNTY STATE JAIL TO SENIOR
    WARDEN, ERNESTINE GLOSSBRENNER SAFPF

    RICHARD ALFORD - SENIOR WARDEN, CLEMENS UNIT TO SENIOR WARDEN, MARK W.
    STILES UNIT

    TODD HARRIS - ASSISTANT WARDEN, DARRINGTON UNIT TO SENIOR WARDEN,
    CLEMENS UNIT

    BILLY HIRSCH - ASSISTANT WARDEN, ALLAN B. POLUNSKY UNIT TO SENIOR
    WARDEN, THOMAS GOREE UNIT

    KELVIN SCOTT - SENIOR WARDEN, OFFENDER TRANSPORTATION TO SENIOR WARDEN,GEORGE BETO UNIT

    LONNY JOHNSON - SENIOR WARDEN, O.L. LUTHER UNIT TO SENIOR WARDEN,
    OFFENDER TRANSPORTATION

    KELLY STRONG - SENIOR WARDEN, DR. LANE MURRAY UNIT TO SENIOR WARDEN,
    O.L. LUTHER UNIT

    MELODYE NELSON - ASSISTANT WARDEN, CHRISTINA MELTON-CRAIN UNIT TO
    SENIOR WARDEN, DR. LANE MURRAY UNIT


    More to come....

    If they wanted to, Texas parole board could cut TDCJ spending easier than legislators 

    Published on 08-23-2010 03:38 PM




    From our friends at the grits for breakfast blog:

    Far and away the biggest cost to Texas taxpayers from illegal immigrants - nearly double the amount spent on health and human services - is $171 million per year spent to house people in Texas state prisons who are eligible for deportation, the House State Affairs Committee was told yesterday. Reports Julian Aguilar at the Texas Tribune:

    As of last July 2010, about 11,760 of the offenders incarcerated in the Texas State prison system, or 7.5 percent of the total prison population, claimed foreign residency, according to testimony from Jerry McGinty, the budget director for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

    Through current agreements with the federal government, specifically Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, the state can identify prisoners eligible for deportation at the end of their sentences. Roughly 9,800 of the foreigners incarcerated had ICE detainers placed on them. Though not all entered the country illegally, McGinty estimated that the state pays at least $171 million annually to detain prisoners who could be deported. The remaining inmates with foreigner status, McGinty said, are currently being processed to determine if they, too, qualify for deportation.

    Read more here...
    2 Comments

    Another TDCJ Officer accused of smuggling in contraband for inmates 

    Published on 08-21-2010 02:48 PM




    http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=7619490

    When will they ever learn ?
    1 Comment

    TDCJ reports prove that the agencies older prison facilities are costing taxpayers much more to operate 

    Published on 08-19-2010 10:50 AM
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    By Tonya Peters, Backgate Website

    For the fiscal year 2009, $3,394,636 was spent on maintaining just eight of the states 98 TDCJ prison based facilities (does not include private, and other facilities). And those numbers are on track to be higher this fiscal year. The Backgate website obtained these numbers through the Texas freedom of information act. Months back, we began an investigation into the maintenance costs associated with some of the oldest prison facilities in Texas and how they impacted the states budget. Below are some of the numbers we uncovered;
    ...
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    TDCJ Inmate in Lamesa shot while attempting to escape 

    Published on 08-17-2010 04:46 PM




    LAMESA - An inmate of a prison unit was shot Monday morning as he was trying to escape.

    Gordon Simpson, 26, ran out of the back gate of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Smith Unit around 7 a.m., said Jason Clark, a TDCJ spokesman.

    Clark said Simpson was being escorted out of the unit with the field force - a group of inmates who work on agricultural fields - when he ran east outside the perimeter of the prison.

    Click here for full story !

    6 Comments

    Non-Confrontational Mindset 

    Published on 08-16-2010 09:15 PM
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    By Tracy Barnhart, Backgate Contributing Author



    Dedicated to Juvenile Correctional Officer William Hesson

    End of Watch: April 29th, 2009

    Cause of Death: Inmate assault



    Everyone who knows me best knows that I am big on the warrior ethos and obtaining and keeping a survival mindset. But in writing this training article I was very apprehensive on what to call it. I wanted to call it, “The Survival Mindset” but in doing so it would have indicated that we are in a survival fight for our lives with extreme peril and most administrators would have disregarded it as not applicable. I thought about calling it “The Warrior Mindset” but that would have given us a wrong public misconception that we are bloodthirsty combative killers, not good for appearances. So I sat and thought about this article and came up with a great administratively PC correct title that seemed virtually calming and non-aggressive and above all, totally crap.

    ...
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    TDCJ Officer hurt during freeworld assistance call 

    Published on 08-15-2010 03:37 AM
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    ATHENS - Details surrounding the arrest of a man wanted on a felony warrant for check forgery are being investigated by the Texas Rangers. Allegations have surfaced the suspect was beaten by officers after five of their own suffered injuries, including stab wounds.

    Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt said he welcomes the investigation and praises all of the officers involved for showing "great restraint" and for saving the man's life.

    ...
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    Backgate LIVE chatroom Talk now has a schedule of events ! 

    Published on 08-13-2010 05:43 PM




    The Backgate Website's new live chat service is going strong. We will now plan scheduled chats for our viewers on a weekly basis. We have a host of veteran TDCJ administrators and employees online and ready to answer questions, tell stories, or just hang out. We may even have a Texas legislator or two drop by for some Q & A on occasion. Be sure and stop by and become involved in key topics.


    Monday : General Employee open topic chat ( 7pm- 10pm)
    Tuesday : TDCJ Hot Zone chat (7pm- 10pm)
    Wed : State politics and Criminal Justice debate (7pm- 10pm)
    Thurs : Whats new in TDCJ (7pm- 10pm)
    Friday : TDCJ Admin. open room/ Q & A Sessions (7pm- 10pm)
    Saturday : Special Guest Chat (when advertised) (7pm- 10pm)


    CLICK HERE TO CHAT NOW !

    TDCJ Employees/Retirees to get $100 raise September 1st, and then of course up goes your insurance costs! 

    Published on 08-12-2010 05:56 PM
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    Out-of-pocket expenses for seeing a doctor and filling a drug prescription are going up for TDCJ employees and retirees beginning September 1 and may increase again next year.

    In May, the Board of Trustees for the Employees Retirement System of Texas approved modest health care cost increases for approximately 500,000 employees and retirees to offset a projected $140 million shortfall in funding. The increases followed input from 45,000 ERS members who responded to a survey earlier this year and a number of public feedback sessions held across the state.

    ...
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    What do you think of our statewide poll ? 

    Published on 08-12-2010 03:06 PM




    By Backgate Webstaff,

    We posted a poll for our viewers and this is what we got;

    8 out of 10 people participating stated that they did not feel supported as a Correctional Officer/employee on their unit by their wardens. Is this a new trend, or something that has been around for years ?

    Give us and our readers your take. Post comments below.
    5 Comments

    Fencing TDCJ trusty camps: State Senator says he gave direction for that issue already 

    by
    Duane Stuart
    Published on 08-08-2010 11:10 PM




    After our newest article regarding trusty camps, and their lack of fencing, state criminal justice committee head John Whitmire weighed in on the issue. Whitmire responded via email to the Backgate that " TDCJ was told to get contraband out of Texas prisons by any means necessary." meaning that the agency should find a way to control contraband at its most active trusty camps. The Backgate mentioned that TDCJ had access to yards and yards of used chain link fencing and razor wire, and that every attempt should be made to use that material to the agencies benefit. Whitmire stated that every effort should be made to correct issues of this nature.

    For more, see our previously posted story further down this page regarding trusty camp security issues.

    Palestine TDCJ employee arrested after trading child porn online 

    by
    Duane Stuart
    Published on 08-06-2010 10:36 PM




    PALESTINE, TX – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's Cyber Crimes Unit arrested Allen Lynn Ward, 47, of Palestine, for child pornography possession. At the time of his arrest on Wednesday, Ward indicated he was employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) as a prison guard.

    Read More Here...

    The survival Mentality 

    Published on 08-05-2010 11:39 AM
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    By Tracy E. Barnhart, Backgate Contributing Author


    I can remember back in the early 1990’s when I was a rookie police cadet going through the academy. At that time everything we did in training was because of officer survival and obtaining the street survival mindset so that we would not become a statistic on a wall plaque somewhere. We were constantly drilled on how to act and to do things a certain way, how to become proficient with our weapon systems and how to, at all costs, go home at the end of our shifts. I have since changed careers into corrections and the same outlook on officer survival and the survival mindset has not been grasped by our administrators or officers. I believe the total outlook of corrections administrators as it pertains to officer survival training I believe is one of “sink or swim” or “It’s not that serious.”

    ...
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