The Backgate Website

Major understaffing in Region IV - Numbers revealed

2012-02-23T18:52:00.000-06:00

By Marcus Williams, Backgate Website

Over the past few weeks we have been examining the serious staffing issues that are crippling Region IV prison facilities. Hundreds of hours of mandatory overtime, $600,000 to $1,000,000 a month in overtime expenditures, and potential Officer safety issues. As more Correctional Officers leave state employment, or retire over the next few months, it's only going to get worse. Staffing West Texas prison units has always been a challenge, but over the past few years it has seemed to become almost impossible. TDCJ released information that reveals the agency to be short just over 2,000 Correctional Officers statewide. Many of those vacancies originate from Region IV.

TDCJ numbers released to the Backgate last week show that two prison facilities in Region IV stand out when it comes to staffing issues. The Connally unit in Kenedy is only 61% staffed and has 205 Correctional positions unfilled of the available 527. The McConnell unit in Beeville is 68% staffed and is minus 168 Officers of the available 531. Both Garza East and West facilities are next on the list with both units posting numbers of 82% staffing or roughly 60 Officers short each. Region Iv tops TDCJ in negative staffing with 710 vacant Officer positions as of last week. Region V is next in line with 690 open positions for Correctional staff. TDCJ has contributed it's staffing issues in West Texas to the return of the oilfield business in that area, tempting employees and competing with larger salaries. Employees working on other Region IV units have been used on Connally and McConnell on a mandatory bases as well. Some driving from as far as the Dominguez unit in San Antonio to fill the empty positions.

The Backgate took note of the situation after dozens of employee emails poured into the website over the past month complaining of mandatory overtime, and disciplinary action as result of refusing to work the long hours with what seems to be no relief in sight. Many employees were curious as to why those facilities were not locked down as a safety precaution instead of running at 100% open traffic for the Offender population when the units were so dangerously short handed to deal with any potential emergencies that may arise. To that question, we have not received any information. We will be speaking with State Senator John Whitmire about some of these issues over the next week, and provide you with that information as it comes in.

Texas Senator Kel Seliger speaks to the Backgate about TDCJ hiring of immigrant employees

2012-02-23T18:25:00.000-06:00

By Doug Glass, Backgate Website

State Senator Kel Seliger (R) Amarillo, spoke to the Backgate Website yesterday regarding the hiring of immigrant Correctional Officers on temporary work visa status by the TDCJ. Back in 2009, Senator Seliger was interviewed by an Amarillo television station in regards to his stance on the issue. Senator Seliger stated that he was opposed to the hiring of employees under that basis. We spoke to Senator Seliger yesterday via telephone, and asked him what his thoughts were today. Senator Seliger stated that it's not an issue of the immigrant status, its a safety issue based on communication.

Senator Seliger agreed that TDCJ needed to look at it's practice in hiring immigrants that have issues with communication. TDCJ responded to a Backgate request for information weeks back in which they admit that potential employees are not tested, or evaluated for their ability to communicate the English language, and that if they communicate well enough to make it through the interview process they are sent forward. This practice has shown to be disturbing at the unit level however. Correctional Officers we heard from via email and in person stated that the issues of safety due to the lack of understanding and communication were real safety issues on the job.

As TDCJ is again over 2,000 Officers short statewide, the number of employees on any given facility are fewer then once before. That makes communication key in emergency situations that come up on those units. The ability to effectively understand and communicate are important in this type of environment. Senator Seliger also expressed our concern in the current Background investigations that are conducted on potential employees coming from overseas. The lack of available information on those originating from overseas poses issues with the ability to effectively verify an employees criminal record, education, and many other factors. Senator Seliger stated that he will revisit these issues with the TDCJ, and during the next Legislative session in Austin.

Region IV understaffing becoming expensive, dangerous.

2012-02-21T18:12:00.000-06:00

By Doug Glass, Backgate Website

For the first time in six months, staffing levels in Region IV have bottomed out to the point that Officer safety may become a bigger issue then first thought. TDCJ reports that back in August of 2011 that Region IV was down 551 Correctional Officers. As of January 2012, that number has ballooned to 710 and rising. TDCJ also reported that in August of 2011 that the state paid $604,000 that month for overtime just in Region IV. In January 2012, that number jumped to $992,504 for the month. That number is also expected to rise above the $1,000,000 mark within the next 60 days an insider reported. There have already been two consecutive months within the Region that the monthly expenditures for overtime have surpassed the million dollar mark according to state records.

The Backgate received word that employees were being forced to work at least one of their regular days off each week in mandatory overtime. Today TDCJ acknowledged that that was a true statement, but it only affected the Connally and McConnell units. The release also went on to say that voluntary overtime was still at the forefront. TDCJ did not comment on accusations by employees that Officer safety was being placed on the back burner as units dangerously short of staff were still operating at 100% even though no one was there to run them. The numbers of vacancies in the Region, as in all Regions, do not account for employees calling in sick, or out on extended sick leave status. The numbers of staff actually reporting for work are even less then represented by the open vacancies. Staff reports claim that Category one positions, those positions where someone must always be there to man it as per agency policy, are going unfilled as staffing is spread thin to carry out daily tasks. TDCJ could neither confirm or deny those accusations.

The Connally unit in Kenedy holds 2,848 offenders from G1-G5 status. G5 being high security. Connally unit staffing plans call for 557 Correctional Officers. The McConnell unit in Beeville holds 2,900 offenders and their staffing plan calls for 564 Correctional Officers. McConnell also houses G1-G5 status offenders in addition to an Administrative Segregation area. No unit based staffing numbers were included in the report from TDCJ but those two units are said to be bearing the brunt of the Regions under staffing issues. When questioned as to why staffing levels may be so low in the Region IV area, Officials stated that oilfield jobs were on the rise along with other manufacturing in the area and that TDCJ was in direct competition with those industries.

Are TDCJ numbers on immigrant non-citizen employees correct ?

2012-02-20T01:50:00.002-06:00

Texas Senator Kel Seliger, Amarillo

By Doug Glass, Backgate Website

In 2009, State Senator Kel Seliger (R) from Amarillo, went on record as being opposed to the practice of TDCJ hiring immigrants on temporary work visa status in the United States. At the time of his remarks in 2009, TDCJ employed 30 immigrant workers, with the majority coming from Nigeria and other African countries. The number now is predicted to be far higher and estimated as high as 50, although a TDCJ spokesperson provided a statement that stated there were now only 26 immigrant employees working under immigrant visa status in the agency. Of those 26, the "majority" were said to be assigned to units in Region III. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Department of Labor, who also document immigrant workers, have both received official information requests from the Backgate and reps from both federal agencies state that documentation is being processed to provide accurate numbers.

The Backgate reached out to Senator Seliger last week about the potential increase in hiring of immigrant employees by TDCJ, and was also advised of the lack of cooperation provided by the TDCJ in providing those numbers to the general public. Senator Seliger is expected to provide the Backgate a phone interview this week. Details of that interview will posted here. Stay tuned.

Five Career Lessons for Success

2012-02-13T23:18:00.000-06:00

By Tracy Barnhart
Backgate Contributing Author

As a correctional officer, tell yourself mentally now and then “I will survive any situation I get into because I am trained for it,” “I will never give up, I am prepared for any situation I fall into because I train for it as a Professional Correctional Officer,” “I will never give up.”

We don’t want to give up in situations and think, “It looks pretty bad, I’m not going to make it,” we want to say and think “I will survive this, doctors can patch me up and I will be back to look at this guy again.” We don’t use words like: try, and I think, or I hope. We never say, “I will try to survive this”, or “I think I will survive.” These are negative words and trick our minds into thinking we really will not survive. We WILL survive. Seek out knowledge no matter what the cost. Never allow a conversation you engage to end without you becoming aware or learning something that you did not know before the dialogue.

Focus on what you can do to improve yourself instead of on your opposition:

“The responsibility for preparing men and women for battle should never be taken lightly. What you say and do, or fail to say and do, may be the difference between winning and losing. More importantly, it may be the difference between living and dying.”

I have made this statement hundreds of times and this is why I continually strive to get as much job specific continuing education and training so that the information that I provide is the best, most up to date knowledge that I can offer.

Failure is not an option or is it: Every human being can learn from defeat; in fact, it often makes us stronger. This is not a new or radical concept but one that has been time tested by every great warrior who ever lived. One of the greatest warriors of all time was Attila the Hun, who commented on both defeat and change. On defeat:

“Sooner or later it will happen, if you recognize you’re losing in the fight or negotiations don’t deny it. Face it and take immediate action to minimize your opponents gain and get back to your cause. Learn to pass through your misery. Think about what happened and why but don’t dwell on it. Consider all the potentialities of battle and negotiations before entering into them. Rehearse them in your mind. Think of the consequences that may result from your actions. This will allow you to be better prepared for the worst to come.” On change: “No radical change is easy. Radical change is only necessary when we fail to learn from our past.”
Attila the Hun

Contrary to popular belief correctional officers are human and do make mistakes. Officers get amped up during a stressful situation and after the adrenalin dump, things seem foggy and in that fog of war, mistakes will be made. So why can’t we train with that in mind? It is better to train for the possible sting of defeat, then not to and meet it for the first time in the institution. To put it in better terms, the founder of SEAL team six, Richard Marcinko, had this advice to say on the subject.

“Never Assume Anything - plan your tactics as if everything would go wrong. Why? Because things always go wrong. Mr. Murphy is always coming along for the ride. Rule two: never give your opponent a break, which translates to keeping your opponents off guard, never allowing them to get ahead of you, either physically, mentally or tactically.”

Learn to laugh at yourself: If you stumble in life, get up and keep trying, what you may find out that it is not sexy or prestigious to be a correctional officer. Do not become lax but temper that situational awareness with a tongue and cheek mentality. I still do things that, at the time, seemed reasonable until the true results presented themselves. We are going to make mistakes and though it seems sometimes that we are programmed to see failure and mistakes as incompetence, you will learn a lot more from a failure than you ever will in a success. Tell a joke, prank your co-workers, and establish that bond of brothers. The ethos of being a warrior is disappearing within our agencies; unit esprit de-corps built around “bonding” between warriors is now disparaged as an irrelevant concept and one that only serves to rationalize politically incorrect behavior and policies.

Step out of your comfort zone: Change your routines; keep inmates guessing about you and your ability. Let’s look at the Martial Arts for example… Does the study of martial arts actually allow you to defend yourself from attack? You often hear stories about people who have studied a particular martial art in depth, only to be soundly trounced when they actually got into a real fight. Thus, there is a legitimate concern among many those martial artists who walk around with a dangerously false sense of confidence that is not based on any real fighting skill.

Asking martial artists whether their fighting style is effective is never a reliable means of answering your questions. Most martial artists are convinced that their style is more effective than any others are. Indeed, few human activities have more claims that are grandiose and that are made on such weak evidence than those of the world of martial arts.

Stay Optimistic: See the glass as half full, believe me, when I say, there will be enough negative talk that will pierce your ears everyday inside the institution. I have never seen so many highly paid professional individuals that absolutely hate their jobs and are all looking for another work location or career. This only leads to anger and resentment. Then the God Complex takes shape. This is where you feel superior to others for some reason. Doctors are often accused of having the GOD complex because they see themselves as Gods saving and sometimes-ending lives.

A God complex is a psychological state of mind in which a person believes that they have supernatural powers or god-like abilities. The person generally believes they are above the rules of society and should be given special consideration. The vast majority of the law enforcement and corrections officers in this country perform their very difficult jobs with respect for their communities and in compliance with the law. Even so, there are incidents in which this is not the case.

“I have an M.D. from Harvard, I am board certified in cardio-thoracic medicine and trauma surgery, I have been awarded citations from seven different medical boards in New England, and I am never, ever sick at sea. So I ask you; when someone goes into that chapel and they fall on their knees and they pray to God that their wife doesn’t miscarry or that their daughter doesn’t bleed to death or that their mother doesn’t suffer acute neural trauma from postoperative shock, who do you think they’re praying to? Now, go ahead and read your Bible, Dennis, and you go to your church, and, with any luck, you might win the annual raffle, but if you’re looking for God, he was in operating room number two on November 17, and he doesn’t like to be second guessed. You ask me if I have a God complex. Let me tell you something: I am God.”
Alec Baldwin, MALICE (R) (1993)

Now I am not saying go get crazy on competitive training and martial arts preparation, but the point is that we as correctional officers need to keep positive attitudes especially when it comes to our survival.

Look out among the predators of the institution. Watch them as they do countless push-ups and train themselves into physical combatants in which you might someday have to physically restrain. Are you ready? Do you have the stamina to withstand an onslaught of punches in an all out assault until your back up arrives? It is one thing to look back ten years ago when you were in great shape and in a martial arts class three times a week. Look at yourself now. Are you as ready now, as you were then? One thing you have to consider when working in a prison setting. You are getting older everyday yet the average age of the inmates are staying steady at a young average. Inmates come in and get out and new young aggressive inmates fill their open beds. You however, get older, more and more out of shape everyday. This is why we must keep ourselves in shape and condition our bodies for combat. We walk among the predators of society without question. Our abilities must reflect our authority to tame these aggressive predators without question.

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile. Every sixty seconds you spend angry, upset or mad, is a full minute of happiness you will never get back.

Corrections.com author, Tracy Barnhart, is a Marine combat veteran of Desert Storm / Desert Shield. In 2000, he joined the Ohio Department of Youth Services at the Marion Juvenile Corrections Facility, a maximum security male correctional facility housing more than 320 offenders. Barnhart works with 16 to 21-year-old, male offenders with violent criminal convictions and aggressive natures. He has established courses on verbal de-escalation, Criminal behavior analysis, Use of force, and ground fighting and take down techniques for law enforcement and Corrections.

NEW !.. UTMB pulling the plug on TDCJ contract medical care.. transition underway.

2012-02-04T02:20:00.001-06:00

UTMB Galveston/ TDCJ Hospital

By Tonya Peters, Backgate Website

According to the Galveston Daily News, UTMB has begun the process of transferring offender healthcare back to TDCJ. UTMB says negotiations have been ongoing for months but as of January 31st, that's all done. Dr. David L. Callender, president of the medical branch, let the staff know that the transition has begun to transfer the health services to the corrections department. The university has been subsidizing care for inmates out of it's own coffers and states that it can no longer afford to do so.

Those involved say that it will cost more to find a new contractor and to set that system up then it would to just settle with UTMB on a new price. The Texas taxpayers will foot the bill on the transition said one UTMB administrator. For those of you that have been employed by TDCJ for awhile, you may remember the level of care given by the 2nd rate fly by night doctors and nurses the then TDC hired to handle it's medical needs. Court action will surely follow if we ever got into that position again.

UTMB provides inpatient and outpatient medical care for about 80 percent of the 156,000 prisoners in the Texas system and employes hundreds of employees that could be affected on dozens of prison units.

More to come....

Is lack of Correctional staffing creating a safety issue for Officers on the Connally unit and other Region IV units ?

2012-01-31T23:05:00.000-06:00

Coming soon ! .. hundreds of hours in forced overtime, dangerous issues involving the lack of Correctional staff, and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for TDCJ. Stay tuned as we examine the issues presented to us by current employees in Region IV and see what TDCJ and state Legislators have to say about it.

Do you work in Region IV and have information? Email us!

Bill King talks to the Backgate about the current state of Texas Employee pensions

2012-01-31T22:57:00.001-06:00

By Duane Stuart, Backgate Website

The Backgate covered a story two weeks ago involving Bill King, a wealthy businessman from Houston who has long fought against the city of Houston's employee pension plan, and now has his sights set on the destruction of the Texas Employee pension system. King has likened the Houston pension plans, that are similar to that of Texas state workers to " watching the Titanic hit the iceberg in slow motion", responding to the solvency of the plans over the years to come. "I think the state needs to get the hell out of this (pension) business completely," said lawyer Bill King, who is forming Texans for Public Pension Reform with others from the Greater Houston Partnership, an über-chamber of commerce with business members representing $1.5 trillion in assets.

King recently stated to the Backgate that there may be some misunderstanding as to what the issues are. King seems to see the current system of pension management as archaic and unsupportable. many Texas counties have joined the march against the basic pension system and favored using a 401K plan. That system can provide risks to the employee, but are far more dependable then an ailing state payed pension system that may or may not be funded 10 years from now says King. King stated in a recent email to the Backgate, "I have not proposed a specific plan, however as you will see from what i have written i have adamantly maintained that benefits that have already been earned should not be changed." King made that statement in regards to our questions about how the new plan would work if implemented, and if it would strip the current pensions of vested state of Texas Employees.

King states that his mother in law, aunt, and former wife all currently receive benefits from TRS (Teachers Retirement System of Texas) but that plan alone is $38 million dollars underfunded. Kings went on to say that " This is as much of a problem for public employees as it for taxpayers".

In opposition to King's plan, "They don't have to destroy a system that works," said Keith Brainard, research director of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators. He said government pensions provide retirement security for millions of Texans in a cost-effective manner for taxpayers. Research by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College shows that professionally managed pension funds produce better investment returns than 401(k)s and cost less to administer.

"When there are rumblings, you sit up and take notice," said Bill Miller, a prominent Austin political consultant and lobbyist representing the employee pension groups. Miller said he doubts that pension reformers will be able to make it a major issue in next year's legislative elections. But if they do, he said there are 2 million public pension members in Texas who will stand up and take notice. "I'm not picking a fight, but I'm not backing off from one, either," Miller said.

Talmadge Heflin, former House appropriations chairman, agreed that it is probably too late for the pension reform group to be a major force in the 2012 elections. But they could make waves during the 2013 legislative session, said Heflin, who has advocated for similar reforms as director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Center for Fiscal Policy.

King said the campaign is in its infancy, and its specific goals are still being developed. It's not clear how the campaign will get involved in next year's elections or the 2013 legislative session, but King said he is confident the campaign will soon make pensions an issue for lawmakers. King said he would support a constitutional amendment eliminating public pensions in the state and moving all government employees to retirement accounts akin to 401(k)s. Legislators would have to approve such an amendment on the ballot when they convene in 2013.

23% of Texas prison spending outside of TDCJ's budget

2012-01-28T18:04:00.000-06:00

From our friends at the Grits for Breakfast Blog:

According to a new report (pdf) by the Vera Institute, "Texas taxpayers pay an average 23 percent more for state prisons than the state’s annual corrections budget reflects," reports Mike Ward at the Austin Statesman: "The new report by the Vera Institute of Justice, a New York-based research organization that tracks criminal justice trends, calculates the state’s total costs for its adult corrections and prison programs at $3.3 billion — almost $783 million higher than the $2.5 billion annual budget for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice." Wrote Ward:
While Texas’ costs were 23.7 percent higher with the associated additional costs, other states ranged from 1 percent higher (Arizona) to 34 percent (Connecticut). Texas was one of six states — Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, New York and Pennsylvania — where between 20 and 34 percent of the corrections budgets were outside the prisons system budget.

To see the entire story, click here !

Houston businessman has his sites set on stripping state employees of their pensions

2012-01-22T16:30:00.006-06:00

Bill King

By Doug Glass, Backgate Website

Bill King, a Houston businessman, wants to see Texas state workers lose their pension plans and replace it with a 401K type system. Wealthy businessmen don't just step in to state business without some sort of benefit in the deal do they ? Investors stand to make millions if a 401K plan is shoved down the throats of state of Texas employees such as Teachers, Prison employees, DPS, and all other state agencies. Immune to the change would be state judges and legislators.

King stated "I think the state needs to get the hell out of this (pension) business completely," Bill King has formed " Texans for Public Pension Reform" with others from the Greater Houston Partnership, an über-chamber of commerce with business members representing $1.5 trillion in assets.

King said the campaign is in its infancy, and its specific goals are still being developed. It's not clear how the campaign will get involved in next year's elections or the 2013 legislative session, but King said he is confident the campaign will soon make pensions an issue for lawmakers. King said he would support a constitutional amendment eliminating public pensions in the state and moving all government employees to retirement accounts akin to 401(k)s. Legislators would have to approve such an amendment on the ballot when they convene in 2013.

Call, email or write your local legislator immediately and tell them your not having it !

Correction: The Backgate posted that Mr. King possibly had ties to the Enron debacle some years back. We retract that statement as we have not seen the documentation proving such statement to be factual at this point. We have offered Mr. King to provide a statement in response to this story to be posted in this forum. We are awaiting his response.

Take the online survey of employee engagement

2012-01-20T22:40:00.000-06:00

From the Backgate Website

You have heard it at shift turn-outs, and have seen the paperwork to forward it via snail mail. Click on the below link and submit your survey electronically.

The Survey assists organizational leadership by providing information about employee issues that impact the quality of service delivered by the organization and about employees' job satisfaction.
To see how TDCJ uses the survey data click here.
More information about the Survey is available from our homepage.
If you have questions or concerns, you may contact the Survey office via e-mail at soe@uts.cc.utexas.edu, by telephone (512) 232-0627, or you may write the Survey of Employee Engagement, UT - Austin, 1 University Station D3500., Austin, TX 78712.
The on-line survey does not have the capability to save partial information for completion at a later time; therefore, it is necessary to complete the instrument in a single session.
After the last item, you will be asked to submit your responses.
Many demographic questions are included in this survey for research purposes. However, you are not required to answer every item.

Click Here to complete the online survey !

Immimigrant Employees on work visas, is it safe ?

2012-01-18T17:46:00.000-06:00

By Marcus Williams, Backgate Website

The question was posed back in 2009, and at least one State Senator questioned it's practice. Over the past 18 months, TDCJ seems to have seen an influx of newly recruited Correctional Officers from overseas that have been hired to fill the current gap of over 2,100 Officers statewide. Many of these newly hired staff members were hired on temporary work visas and English is their second language. Can this have an impact on Officer safety on prison facilities? That question has been raised by employees who have experienced it firsthand. Records show that the majority of newly hired recruits possessing work visas come to TDCJ from Africa. Although any help is welcomed help when your 2,100 Officers short, their ability to speak English seems to have been overlooked during the hiring process.

We received information from TDCJ in regards to the issues presented on the subject. As of December 31st 2011, there were 26 Officers employed by TDCJ on temporary work visa status. Of those, TDCJ states that the " majority" are assigned to facilities in Region III. When questioned, a TDCJ spokesperson stated that there is currently no policy regarding employment of Officers that speak English as a second language, or even how well they communicate.

"It's not a race, or cultural issue, it's a safety issue based on the inability to communicate and understand the English language." stated a veteran Darrington Officer. That statement was echoed by another Correctional Officer at the Wynne unit in Huntsville. Staff members don't only feel uneasy about the fact that they are unable to communicate issues such as assaults or disturbances, but also the background checks, or lack of. " How can we do complete and effective background checks on employees from other countries when there is no verifiable criminal history?" emailed another TDCJ employee.

There are no rules or policies that deal with these issues, and employees fear that it will take a serious incident or a death to bring the issues to light.

TDCJ employees are not alone. State Senator Kel Seliger also has continued concerns about recruiting from other countries to fill state correctional jobs. We will be speaking to state Legislators, as well as Senator Selig about these issues in coming weeks. What are your thoughts ?

Training Tips

2012-01-17T02:14:00.000-06:00

By Tracy E. Barnhart
Backgate Contributing Author

Assessing behavior and preventing a physical assault should be accomplished whenever possible. It is critical for an officer to recognize and assess aggressive verbal and physical actions of a person. Recognizing verbal and nonverbal aggressive behavior signals will aid the officer in preventing and de-escalating situations. Also, it prepares the officer mentally and physically to take immediate counter actions should a physical assault occur. Before physical action by an aggressor occurs, that individual usually begins to threaten to attack, in an attempt to intimidate the opponent, through a process sometimes called posturing, ritualized combat, or affective aggression.

1. The individual may tell you what they are about to do, “I’m going to kick your ass!”

2. Visible overt awareness - visible weapons/unusual bulges/unusual nervousness/hands in view.

3. Their face may show tension and will tighten or twitch, the jaws and lips will tense into a biting position as well as quiver and mouth expressions will frown and tighten over the teeth.

4. Their body posture will display broadside with their hands on their hips or clasped behind their head. They subconsciously will take a bladed boxers stance and will rock back and forth or bob up and down on the balls of the feet. Stands taller, sets head and shoulders, moves away/moves closer, points, forms fist and/or loads the arm.

5. Their hands will pump open and closed and then clench into a fist so much that their knuckles will go white. Always look at the hands and what they are doing with them.

6. They will deepen their voice tones and the volume increases. The more threatened or aggressive an individual becomes the lower, harsher and louder their voice turns thus the bigger and tougher they seem. The deeper the voice the more authoritative they seem.

7. The eyebrows will come down as if to shield the eyes. This makes them look more aggressive and intimidating.

8. The nostrils will flare and their breathing will become rapid and deep. Lips separate to show teeth.

9. Aggression redirected to something/someone else, such as breaking pencils, kicking, chairs, yelling at bystanders.

10. The individual will seem to be looking through you; their eyes become glazed over with an empty stare. The individual will take on an uninterrupted stare with alternating eye stares and the eyelids will tighten down. They may attempt to get chest to chest with you.

11. They may start sweating and beads of sweat will form on the forehead.

12. Eye blinking; the blink rate reflects psychological arousal. The normal blink rate is about 20 closures per minute. Significantly faster rates may reflect emotional stress.

13. Individuals will show exaggerated movements such as pacing, finger pointing, and threatening fists with bent arms. Their verbals will be relentless and rapid to get you to change your mind or change your last orders that have sent them over the edge. They want to win the confrontation.

14. The individual may shed clothing such as taking off their shirts or jackets bend down and tighten their shoes or remove items of value such as watches and hats and set them aside.

15. The individual will start to look around to assess witnesses, back-up available, escape routes or will start to target glance at the places they want to strike on your person.

16. Vasodilatation and vasoconstriction or flushing of the face will also be evident at the tops of the ears by a darkening redness due to the release of adrenaline and noradrenalin into the bloodstream.

There is an inherent danger associated with the corrections profession. Whether an officer is in a county jail or a closed security segregation facility, wearing a uniform will put them in dangerous situations. Threat assessment is the act of becoming aware of a situation directly through the senses, including hearing and seeing, thereby making a reasonable determination about the risks involved. Any inmate potentially can be assaultive and use deadly force. However, approaching every inmate in a high-risk mode would be unreasonable. There can be many articulable facts that support threat assessment. Some of the facts used in this judgment decision are listed above; it is not a comprehensive complete listing.

TDCJ to undergo Sunset Legislative Review by Ledge, Nows your chance to sound off.

2012-01-09T00:25:00.001-06:00

The mission and performance of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), the Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP), Windham School District (WSD) and the Correctional Managed Healthcare Committee (CMHC) are currently under Sunset review by the Legislature. Sunset review is a periodic assessment of a state agency by the 12-member Sunset Advisory Commission, which consists of five members of the Senate and one public member appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and five members of the House of Representatives and one public member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Legislature established the Sunset review process in 1977 to ensure that state funds are spent efficiently and to eliminate duplication in state government. The Commission asks whether the state needs an agency's functions, and helps create legislation to make necessary changes to its mission and operation. The Sunset process can also set a closing date for agencies determined to be obsolete or redundant. Agencies are typically reviewed once every 12 years, although larger state agencies may be reviewed more frequently, and those that perform similar functions are reviewed at the same time.

Sunset review: a three-step process

The review process begins when Commission staff evaluates an agency's mission and determines whether the agency has effectively achieved its goals. Information is collected from many sources, including a Self-Evaluation Report, which allows the agency under review to participate in the process. The Commission then issues a report recommending either abolishment or continuance of the agency. If continuation is recommended, the report may contain recommended operational changes. For TDCJ, BPP, WSD and CMHC, this report will be published in April 2012.

Step two of the agency's upcoming Sunset review is currently scheduled for June 2012, when the Commission hears public testimony and comments from Sunset staff. After consideration, the Commission issues recommendations during September 2012 for the Legislature to consider when it convenes in January 2013.

Step three of the review process takes place when the Legislature considers the Commission's recommendations and concludes when laws are enacted to make the final changes.
Most recommendations from the Sunset Advisory Commission involve matters of policy, organizational structure or agency operations. One very unusual example of a Commission recommendation regarding legislative appropriations occurred in 2007, when the Commission recommended additional funding for TDCJ's treatment and diversion programs.
That same year, the 80th Legislature allocated more than $200 million for community corrections, substance abuse treatment and mental health care for offenders. These additional funds greatly expanded treatment opportunities for probationers, parolees and prison inmates.
Given the tight fiscal climate and Sunset's emphasis on issues other than appropriations, TDCJ Executive Director Brad Livingston said he would be surprised if any recommendations speak directly to funding, but emphasized that doesn't mean the recommendations wouldn't be beneficial to the agency.

"Sunset review brings a fresh perspective to many issues, and many useful recommendations typically emerge from that process. In order to maximize the benefits, it is important for the agencies and staff who participate to treat this as an opportunity for improvement. That perspective has served us well in prior sunset reviews and in all our dealings with Internal Audit and the State Auditor."

To learn more about the Sunset process, go to the Sunset Commission website at www.sunset.state.tx.us. To share your ideas about agencies under review, you may send a letter to: Sunset Advisory Commission, P.O. Box 13066, Austin, Texas, 78711, or e-mail your views to sunset@sunset.state.tx.us.

In 2009 TDCJ had an issue with hiring immigrant workers, is there still a language barrier creating a safety concern?

2012-01-08T03:37:00.001-06:00

By Marcus Williams, Backgate Website

Are Nigerian Officers coming in to the agency after just entering the U.S. creating a language barrier and work ethic that is putting other TDCJ staff members at risk? Stay tuned for our upcoming story. If you have working information please email us..

TDCJ sheds light on pay deduction issues, but who dropped the ball ?

2012-01-03T16:30:00.001-06:00

By Tonya Peters, Backgate Website,

The Backgate received an email this morning from TDCJ regarding the controversy over pay deducted from employee pay checks this month. The following letter was sent out to all TDCJ human resources offices statewide in "late" December as per TDCJ. Apparently the units did not post the notice on bulletin boards. If you do not have time to follow the main stream media news, you wouldn't have known this was coming.

---------------------------------------------------

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Payroll Update Notice

January 2, 2012

The following information is a payroll update notice for TDCJ employees

regarding Social Security and federal income tax changes effective January

1, 2012. This is being provided for Human Resources use and information.

Please post this notice on your employee bulletin board through March 31,

2012.

The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 signed by the

President on December 23, 2011 extends the reduction of the Social Security

tax rate for employees by two percentage points, from 6.2 percent to 4.2

percent, for an additional 60 days. Without further Congressional action,

this tax rate will return to 6.2 percent beginning March 1, 2012.

Updates are being made to the payroll system during the first quarter of

2012 to account for the required adjustments to the Social Security tax

withholdings. For most employees, this translates into a Social Security

tax deduction of 6.2 percent on their December 2011 monthly salary (payable

January 2, 2012) and 2.2 percent on their January 2012 monthly salary

(payable February 1, 2012). This will ensure that the total amount of

Social Security tax paid by each employee for the 60 day period will not

exceed 4.2 percent.

The Federal Income Tax Withholding tax table provided annually by the

Internal Revenue Service (FIT deduction) has also been revised for calendar

year 2012, and each employee’s net pay will be dependent upon their

individual taxable salary based on their deductions. These changes will

begin with the December 2011 monthly salary that will be paid on January 2,

2012.

Let us hear from you !

2012-01-03T01:15:00.000-06:00

Have information of wrongdoing within the TDCJ ? Waste, fraud, or ethics issues ? Kudos or a job well done? We want to hear from you. You can remain anonymous. Help us help you to make the agency a better place to work. Email admin@thebackgate.org.

Home of the TDCJ UTMB hospital, Galveston again alive with Mardi Gras!

2012-01-03T00:43:00.006-06:00

By Max Rodriguez, Backgate Website

Just three blocks from the hospital that houses some of the TDCJ's sick or injured, the UTMB hospital stands in the distance from Galveston's historic Strand boulevard and the site of the popular annual Galveston Mardi Gras celebration. Incoming TDCJ Offenders may even be able to see the celebration as it takes place if they are lucky.

The Backgate did a feature story on the proximity of the UTMB/TDCJ hospital to Galveston area attractions back in 2011 and how the facility fit in to the culture of the city. Daring hospital escapes, and potential contract failures have been in the headlines over the past few years regarding the hospital. In October of 2011, the Texas Legislature reached a deal with the UTMB that would allow UTMB to continue serving the TDCJ. UTMB provides medical care for about 80 percent of the 156,000 prisoners in the Texas system and also employs 589 employees in correctional and other capacities. So as the celebration grows near, step aside TDCJ and watch as the annual celebration gets ready to kick off.

Understanding Congress' payroll tax cut fight - where your money went !

2012-01-02T22:46:00.005-06:00

This is why you lost money on your TDCJ paycheck this month!

TDCJ says the money was taken out prior to a temporary agreement that was made that would have stopped the deductions from happening. Did TDCJ human resources drop the ball on passing information to employees ? Statement from TDCJ forthcoming!

From the AP,

WASHINGTON — If President Barack Obama, the House and the Senate all want to extend a Social Security payroll tax cut and jobless benefits through next year, why are they fighting so bitterly over doing it? Obama, House Democrats and lopsided majorities of both parties in the Senate want to immediately renew the tax cut and jobless benefits for the next two months, and find a way later to extend them through 2012. House Republicans want to do it for a full year right away.

That doesn't sound like an unbridgeable gap. Yet the fight has evolved into a year-end partisan grudge match with no clear resolution in sight and with huge political and economic stakes.
Without action, the payroll tax paid by 160 million workers will rise by 2 percentage points to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1. That would mean $1,000 a year less in the pockets of people making $50,000, or about $19 weekly. In addition, 3 million people currently receiving long-term jobless benefits will begin to lose weekly payments that average under $300 — for many, their only support.

See entire article HERE!

Longest serving TX prison inmate paroled after 60 years

2011-12-26T01:42:00.000-06:00

From our friends over at the Grits for Breakfast Blog;

Via Michael Graczyk at AP, Texas' longest serving inmate has finally been paroled, at age 83:

When Harvey Stewart first went to prison 60 years ago, gasoline was 20 cents a gallon, a postage stamp cost three pennies and Harry Truman was president.

Now, as perhaps one of the longest-serving inmates in US history, the convicted killer is looking forward to the perks of freedom when he is released on parole in the coming weeks or months.

An IPod or cell phone perhaps? Not for this 83-year-old. Stewart simply wants a root beer and a good meal.

"Imagine that! Sixty years being down in this damn hole," Stewart recently told The Associated Press from the Beto Unit in East Texas, one of his many stops in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. "I wouldn't recommend it. Man's a damn fool to even stick his foot in here."

Stewart, awaiting his release to a halfway house or nursing home after being granted parole earlier this year, recalled his youthful days of robbing brothels in Southeast Texas for quick $3,000 pay days, of getting shot in the back while holding up a junk yard and murdering a man in what he insists was a self-defense killing.

But the six decades in prison haven't been nearly as eventful. He counts among his highlights his brief escape in 1965 and a recurring headache from a prison van wreck a couple years ago. Besides those short-lived respites from monotony, Stewart has served his time isolated from the outside world. He doesn't recall receiving a single visitor in more than a decade. He's outlived most or all his immediate family.

His parole was approved in April, with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles considering his recent history of good behavior, his age and declining health.

"I'm too damn old to do any robbing," said Stewart, his blond hair now a balding gray brush cut. "I think I am anyway. My old ticker might kick out on me."

Stewart is the longest-serving inmate among the 155,000 prisoners in the Texas system, though it's unclear if he is the nation's longest-serving inmate now or ever. Prison officials and historians say they're unaware of any agency or organization that keeps track of all inmates' jail time.

Suffice it to say if AP could find nobody currently in an American prison who'd served longer than this fellow, that's a pretty remarkable statement. Imagine the difficulties associated with leaving prison alone in the world at 83 years old! At least they're facilitating some transition stage via a halfway house. I can't fathom what it would be like to enter an alien, new world with no support after so long behind bars. His crimes were committed before President Kennedy was assassinated, before Hawaii was a state, before Sputnik launched, before Kruschev said, "We will bury you" - before Elizabeth II became Queen of England, for heaven's sake.

Now that Texas has hundreds of inmates serving life without parole sentences (an option only available since 2005), our grandkids will see prisoners serving longer sentences, even, than Mr. Stewart. These prisoners will stay in that "damn hole" until they die, but, does that really make sense? Does anybody think Texas would be safer keeping Stewart and other so-called "lifers" in prison to the bitter end? The biggest complicating factor from LWOP is who pays for end-of-life care: Parole elderly offenders and the federal government picks up most of the tab via Medicaid and Medicare. Keep them in prison and their end-of-life care is paid for out of state general revenue funds, except the Legislature didn't allocate enough.

Without knowing the details, it seems that young Mr. Stewart at 23 was a dangerous man traveling a bad road. But did Mr. Stewart at 65, 70, 80 years of age, pose the same threat? What do you think? Would justice have been better or worse served if he'd been released a decade or so ago when he still had family alive? Would the price of his atonement have seemed any less devastating? Would the public be any less safe?

Region III Darrington Senior Warden and Employees spread holiday cheer at local nursing home

2011-12-21T01:03:00.002-06:00

Senior Warden Mark Jones presents a gift- Photo from the Brazosport Facts

Kudos to the Darrington unit for supporting their community !

Story by the Brazosport facts

Darrington Unit Senior Warden Mark Jones from the Darrington Prison Unit, center, helps Don Yarborough open a gift Wednesday at Country Village Care in Angleton.....

See full story here !

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE- It can affect us all

2011-12-15T23:41:00.002-06:00

By Tracy E. Barnhart, Backgate Contributing Training Author

During my many years involved in law enforcement I have responded to thousands of domestic related incidents and been involved in countless family and live in partner mediations. Calls of this nature are just a part of being a police officer. Even police officers or correctional officers that cannot maintain a stable home environment for themselves and respond and perform outstandingly when called upon to mediate a dispute. I have seen incidents from family arguments to an aggravated assault in which the husband struck his wife in the mouth with a hammer, resulting in perminate disfigurement to the female. I hope that the following provides information that will assist you in your life from becoming a victim of domestic violence and assists you in recognizing behaviors exhibited by batterers.

I always like to start out my articles with some facts and statistics and this article is not without some startling statistics so here we go;

The chances of becoming a victim of sexual assault in your lifetime are one in three for females and one in six for males.
Before the age of eighteen one in four girls and one in seven boys will be the victim of sexual assault.
The majority of all assaults occur in the home.
The abuse is never the victim’s fault. Whatever you did you did not deserve to be abused, battered or sexually assaulted.

Does your partner:

· Embarrass you with put-downs?

· Look at you or act in ways that scare you?

· Control what you do, who you see or talk to or where you go?

· Stop you from seeing your friends or family members?

· Take your money or Social Security check, make you ask for money or refuse to give you money?

· Make all of the decisions?

· Tell you that you’re a bad parent or threaten to take away or hurt your children?

· Prevent you from working or attending school?

· Act like the abuse is no big deal, it’s your fault, or even deny doing it?

· Destroy your property or threaten to kill your pets?

· Intimidate you with guns, knives or other weapons?

· Shove you, slap you, choke you, or hit you?

· Force you to try and drop charges?

· Threaten to commit suicide?

· Threaten to kill you?

If you answered ‘yes’ to even one of these questions, you may be in an abusive relationship.

FORMS OF ABUSE

· EMOTIONAL ABUSE: This includes any action, which causes loss of self-esteem, such as name calling, swearing, criticizing, using derogatory terms to describe the person, habitual scapegoat or blaming or any other be-littling words or actions, putting her down, making her think that she is crazy.

· PHYSICAL: The inflicting of physical injury or pain upon another person. This may include burning, hitting, punching, pinching, pushing, scratching, shaking, kicking, or otherwise harming the individual. The partner may have not intended to hurt the other person but the injury was not an accident. This is not acceptable in any relationship.

· PSYCHOLOGOCAL: This includes any action, which creates fear, such as isolation or threats, playing mind games. Coercion and threats such as making and / or carrying out threats to hurt the other, threatening to leave or to commit suicide, make the significant other do illegal acts.

· SEXUAL: Sexual assaults are acts of violence where sex is used as the weapon. Assaults are motivated primarily out of anger and or a need to feel powerful by controlling, dominating or humiliating the victim. Victims of sexual assault are forced, coerced and or manipulated to participate in unwanted sexual activity. Victims do not cause the assault and are not to blame. Told anti-women jokes or make demeaning remarks about women or criticized you sexually or even withhold sex and affection.

Many victims and even parents and friends of victims that I have come in contact with are always interested in signs and ways to predict if they are going to become involved with someone who is physically abusive. Usually battering occurs between a man and a woman, but same sex battering occurs as well. More than three out of every one hundred women have been severely assaulted by their male partners during the proceeding twelve months. Other estimates are that husbands or significant others in the United Stated abuse higher portions of females.

Below is a list of behaviors that have been documented in people who abuse their partners and the last four signs listed are signs of individuals who batter but many people don’t even realize what abuse is or the beginning of physical abuse in a relationship. If your partner has several of the indicating behaviors (three or more) there is a strong potential for physical violence in the relationship. The more behaviors that a person has the more likely the person is a batterer. As the relationship initiates this behaviors may be more subtle but as time goes on the signals and behaviors become more prevalent and dominate and control the person.

I have spoke to hundreds of domestic violence victims as well as high school age students about violence and I often ask this question just to hear the response. “Is it ever ok to hit your partner?” The answer will stun you as it does me every time I ask it. “Well sometimes, depending on the situation.” Females will even answer this question with, “it depends on what I do.” This is why I have found that people don’t know what abuse is and don’t understand that no one ever deserves to be assaulted. Don’t fall into the thinking pattern of most victims of domestic violence do and that is, “I can change them in time, and those little quirks that he shows sometimes will go away if I love him.” No matter how much love, compassion or determination that you show your partner you will not change deep-seated behaviors and patterns of abuse that you don’t like. You either need to become a victim and accept it or get out of the relationship. Now I am not a psychologist but I have dealt with realistic on the streets experience and I have always found this to be true, “you can never change a leopards spots.”

SIGNALLING BEHAVIORS

· Jealousy: At the beginning of a relationship an abuser will always say that jealousy is a sign of love. Jealousy has nothing to do with love; it’s a sign of possessiveness and a lack of trust. The batterer will always question their partner about whom they talk to, who she spoke to today, why she was where she was at, accuse her of flirting, or become jealous of the time they spend with family, friends or children. As jealousy progresses the batterer may call frequently during the day or just drop in unexspecdly. The batterer may refuse to let the partner work or continue a career for fear that they will meet someone else or ever exhibit strange behaviors such as checking vehicle mileage or asking friends to watch them when outside the home.

· Controlling attitude: At first the batterer may say that this behavior is because they are concerned for their safety, and to ensure that their time is well spent, or that good decisions are made. The batterer will become angry is the partner is late coming home from an appointment. Once home the batterer will intensely question where she was, why she is so late, who she seen or spoke to. As this behavior get worse the batterer may not let the partner make personal decisions about the house, personal clothing, friends or associates or even church. The batterer may keep all the money or refuse to allow bank or checkbooks be observed or even make the partner ask permission to leave the residence. One call of domestic violence that I responded to was called by a neighbor and through investigation it was found that when the husband left for work in the morning he locked his wife in the basement until he returned home.

· Quick involvement: Many domestic violence victims dated or knew their partners for less that six months prior to getting married, engaged or started living together. The batterer comes on like a whirlwind claiming, “you’re the only person I could ever talk to,” “I’ve never felt like this about anyone before.” The batterer will pressure the partner to commit to the relationship in such a way that they will feel guilty or that she is letting him down if they want to break off the involvement.

· Unrealistic expectations: Abusive partners will expect their partners to meet or exceed all of their needs. The batterer expects them to be the perfect wife, mother, lover and friend. The batterer will say things like, “If you love me, I’m all that you need, you’re all that I need.” The partner is supposed to take care of everything for them emotionally as well as physically without flaw.

· Isolation: An abusive person tries to cut their partner off from all outside resources. If she has male friends then she is a whore, if she has female friends then she is gay, if she is close to the family then she is still attached to the apron strings. The batterer accuses people who may form a support network of causing trouble or being the reason for all their problems. The batterer may want to live in the country without a phone, that batterer may not let the partner use the car or not have a reliable vehicle to use. Or the batterer may not let the partner work, go to school or go out with friends.

· Blames others for problems: If the batterer is chronically unemployed, someone is always doing them wrong, out to get them. The batterer may make mistakes and later blame the partner for the results or for upsetting them keeping them from concentrating on work. The batterer will blame the partner or find fault in them for anything that goes wrong.

· Blames others for feelings: The batterer will blame the partner for making them angry or accuse them of hurting them by not doing what they want them to do and will use these feelings to manipulate the partner. It is harder to identify the claims, “you make me happy, and you control how I feel.”

· Hypersensitivity: An abuser is easily insulted, and may claim that their feelings are hurt when really they are mad and take the slightest setbacks personally. The batterer will rant and rave about the injustice of things that happened even things that are just a part of living, like being asked to work overtime, getting a traffic citation, paying taxes, being asked to help with chores, or that one of their behaviors are annoying.

· Cruelty to animals or children: This is a person who punishes animals brutally or is insensitive to their suffering. The batterer may expect children to be capable of doing things beyond their capability like whipping a 2 year old for wetting a diaper or the batterer may tease children until they cry. The batterer may not want the children to eat at the table or to keep them in their rooms all evening while the batterer is home.

· Playful use of force during sex: This is the kind of person who may like to throw the partner down and hold them in place during sex. The batterer may want to act out fantasies during sex where the partner is helpless. The batterer may be letting the partner know that the ides of rape is exciting. They may show little concern about whether the partner is enjoying or even wants to have sex and will use sulking or anger to manipulate them into compliance. The batterer will start to have sex with the partner while they are asleep and demand sex when the partner is tired or ill. This may also include tickling the partner into tears or to a point of pain.

· Verbal or emotional abuse: In addition to saying things that are meant to be cruel and hurtful this can be seen when the abuser degrades the partner, cursing them, playing down accomplishments. The abuser will tell the partner that they are stupid and unable to function without them. This may evolve the batterer waking up the partner to verbally abuse them or not letting them sleep. The abuser will ignore feelings, continually criticize you, humiliate you in public, and often refuse to share the money, and inform you about affairs that they imagine you were having.

· Rigid sexual roles: The abuser expects the partner to serve; the batterer may say the partner must stay at home, and that she must be appreciative, compliant and obedient in all things, even things that are criminal in nature. The abuser will see females as inferior to men and only responsible for menial tasks, stupid, and incapable to be a whole person without a relationship. After time with this behavior the partner may even grow into believing this rhetoric.

· Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Many partners are confused by the abusers sudden change in moods. They may think the abuser has some special mental problem because one minute the batterer is nice and the next minute they are exploding. Explosiveness and moodiness are classical signs of people who beat their partners and these behaviors are related to other behaviors like hypersensitivity.

· *** Past battering: The batterer has abused past partners but utilizes excuses like, “they made me do it.” The partner may hear people talk about past violence from past partners, family members, or friends. A batterer will beat any partner if they stick around long enough for the violence to begin; situational circumstances do not make a person resort to violence.

· *** Threats of violence: This could include any threat of physical force meant to control the partner. “I’ll slap the smile off your face; I’ll break your neck.” Most people do not threaten their mates but a batterer will try and excuse comments by saying that everyone talks like that.

· *** Breaking or striking objects: This behavior of breaking loved or treasured items is used as a punishment for acts of defiance or bedrail. This behavior is rarely designed to terrorize the partner into submission but merely intended to show the batterers power. The abuser may beat on the table with a closed fist or throw objects near the partner. Again this very remarkable behavior is not only a sign of extreme emotional immaturity but there is a danger when someone thinks that they have the right to punish or frighten the partner.

· *** Any force during an argument: Kicking, punching, slapping, hair pulling, pinching, biting, stomping, poking and spitting are all forms of physical violence. This may include holding the partner down and restraining them from leaving. The batterer may hold the partner down or against the wall and say, “you are going to listen to me.” Weapons such as, knives, guns, baseball bats, and tools are often used if not for physical violence then as intimidation tools.

The facts show that in the United States there are 1,500 shelters for battered women but there are more than 3,800 animal shelters. The numbers are frightening; depending on which study that you read you will find that about seventy five percent of all women presented to emergency rooms have been or is currently the victim of domestic violence. The number one question people ask me about this crime is why they stay in the relationship. Well, this is not easily answered and in part the victim does not recognize the early signs or those they don’t want to recognize the signs. We all as a society want to think that it could never happen to me and when it does we are mortified.

Another reason may be that women who leave their batterers are at a seventy five percent greater risk of being killed by the batterer than those who stay. Only when we realize that our partners exhibit the early signs and behaviors of a batterer and that no person deserves to be treated with less that ultimate respect will we end this crime. Partners need to get out of abusive relationships early then inform all friends and relatives of the abuse so that the word gets out on this batterer in order to prevent the next victim. The pattern to abuse is slow moving like a train and you will either need to get off the tracks or get run over, there are no in-betweens.

The cycle of violence is always there and after each battering the abuser is always sorry, extremely nice and loving and will do things for the partner that is very romantic and kind. Often women will lead on the last violence cycle in order to get to this loving stage but the cycle will erupt again and again and that is no way to live.

There are seven steps to escaping the violence if you are involved in an abusive relationship. I hope that you will never have to employ them in your lifetime but if you do feel free to contact the National Domestic Violence hotline for further information Help is available to callers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Hotline advocates are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals to agencies in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Assistance is available in English and Spanish with access to more than 170 languages through interpreter services. If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE (7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224.

GET TO A SAFE PLACE: It is a crime to threaten to assault or to assault another person, family or household member. The domestic violence law also applies to persons whom have had children together. If you are the victim of domestic violence you have the right to protect yourself and to expect help from others. Don’t stay in the home! Doing nothing solves nothing. Get out of the residence and get to a friends house, relatives or neighbor. Call the police, sheriff, state patrol or domestic violence agency immediately. There are temporary shelters available for your and your children. The important thing is to get to a safe place as soon as possible.

CALL THE POLICE: If you are involved in an assault relationship you cannot, and will not control the situation or can you change the cycle of violence. Therefore it is important to report any assault or battery to the police or sheriff department by calling 9-1-1 immediately. Officers will arrest the aggressor if there are signs of violence or if the officers can establish probable cause to believe that violence occurred. The sooner that you report the crime the better because by allowing others to get involved you assist yourself as well as the batterer.

FOLLOW THROUGH: Get the name and phone number of the investigating officer involved in your case. If there is enough evidence to establish the crime the officers will arrest the assailant and remove them from the residence. The assailant will be incrassated until an arraignment in court is conducted and a judge will determine the bail, if any, as well as any release instructions prior to the release from custody. This will give both you and your aggressor time to assess your situation and give you time to speak to counselors about the situation. If the assailant if released the court will notify you of the release as well as any court release instructions. It is common for the victim at this time to fear reprisal from the aggressor. Remember, you are the primary witness in this crime and tampering with the case by making contact with you is a crime within itself. If you are contacted either directly or indirectly by anyone regarding the case then contact the police immediately and demand action be taken.

DON’T BELIEVE…”IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN”: Often the batterer will be unable to admit that they have a problem or attempt to justify the action on you or another factor or place the blame elsewhere. Counseling is only helpful if both partners want the help and are motivated to work together to make change. At this time the batterer will be in the loving stage and will become extremely apologetic and often try and talk you into dropping the charges because, “it will never happen again.” There is only one person a fault and that is the batterer himself or herself and though some people can change this type of behavior requires long-term counseling. The prosecutor will not allow you to drop the charges for this very reason and if you become non-helpful in the case the state will assume the charges on your behalf.

CONSIDER YOUR FUTURE SAFETY: If the batterer refuses to seek help it is unlikely that the abusive relationship will ever end. Statistics show that the beatings will become more and more severe as time goes on so protect yourself. Remember your love and support will never change their aggressive behavior or the cycle of violence and there will be a next time.

LOOK FOR HELP: You are not alone. There are many places where a battered person can seek assistance. The department of social services can give you financial assistance to persons with minor children who cannot support themselves. To qualify for this assistance you must keep a separate residence from the batterer. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help there are many agencies out there that want to help you, you only need to ask.

PROVIDE FOR THE FUTURE: Even if you have never worked before, you can become self-supporting. Contact the employment services in your area. Go to the library and check out the local as well as the surrounding areas newspapers and seek the classifieds. Community education classes are open to those who would like to complete their high school education or want to learn new job related skills. Assistance with registration, academic counseling, support groups, and childcare are also available for persons returning to school to further their education.

Recent Hutchins State Jail Escaped Offender was serving more then 18 yrs, and had been assigned there since 2010

2011-12-12T03:27:00.002-06:00

By: Duane Stuart, Backgate Website,

UPDATED 12/12/2011:

TDCJ Spokesperson confirmed the story today. TDCJ claims that he arrived at the Hutchins state jail on 11/17/2010. Over one year ago. He was serving an 18 year sentence for aggravated assault. TDCJ claims that he was quickly re-captured just outside of the facility. The escape was reported to have happened on 12/01/2011 at 2157hours.
-----------------

Word of an Offender assigned to the Hutchins state jail facility near Dallas escaping TDCJ custody for a short period of time was made available via an employee tip today. Allegations are that the brief escape was covered up by the agency due to the current investigation that has been underway since last month by the Backgate regarding state jail offenders being assigned to those facilities outside of state law regarding state jail assigned offenders being assigned to two years or less, or being currently under the classification process. Allegedly, this offender was sentenced to over 18 years, and had been assigned to the Hutchins facility since 2010. State jail offenders are bound by state law to be assigned to either 2 years or less, or under current classification processes. None of which would have taken almost 2 years. State jails are less secure, and more centrally located as to most TDCJ facilities. Mainstream media has become involved in this story and more is sure to come soon. If you have any information on this issue or any other, email us today.

Story from a year ago still front and center regarding TDCJ issues with cell phones.

2011-12-12T02:47:00.009-06:00

Beaumont prison where prisoner used cellphone to escape has top number of guards disciplined for sneaking in cellphones, other violations

By Jennifer Peebles, Texas Watchdog,

Original Story from March 2011,

The Beaumont prison from which an inmate escaped with the help of a cellphone earlier this month has one of Texas’ worst track records for prison personnel bringing cellphones into the facility.

That’s according to a Texas Watchdog analysis of prison system data procured by WOAI-Channel 4 in San Antonio.

Stiles Unit, the maximum-security facility from which David Puckett, 27, escaped and made his way to Nebraska, had the third-highest number of incidents in which Texas Department of Criminal Justice workers were accused of bringing or allowing cellphones, phone components or accessories into prison confines between 2006 and mid-2010, the data show. It had 42 such cases.

With nearly 3,000 inmates and 800 employees, Stiles tied with Neal Unit, another state prison near Amarillo, for the highest number of overall reported cellphone-related disciplinary infractions for state staff, with 46, the database shows. TDCJ oversees 113 adult prison and state jail facilities.

Authorities haven’t said how they think Puckett obtained the phone he used to plan his breakout and meet up with a female admirer in Omaha, where he was recaptured. But the prison system’s inspector general, John Moriarty, said prison personnel are a factor in phones coming into the Texas prisons.

“One bad employee can bring in a lot of phones,” Moriarty said.

Altogether, the data show more than 1,100 instances in which Texas Department of Criminal Justice employees were accused of breaking prison system rules by bringing cellphones or phone parts into prisons -- intentionally or accidentally -- or otherwise allowing inmates to access a cellphone over three and a half years.

In two-thirds of the cases, the employee was found not guilty, Texas Watchdog found.

“The reason is that in many cases, (the prison system’s inspector general) did not find evidence that the individual intended to bring a phone into the unit for the purposes of smuggling it to an offender,” TDCJ spokeswoman Michelle Lyons said in an e-mail.

“There obviously is a big difference between an officer who is found with their personal phone in their front pocket because they forget to take it out, and an officer who has six phones and chargers taped to their stomach. Still, those employees who forget to remove their phone from their pocket, etc., may face disciplinary action.”

Some of the cases are noted in state records as accidental, such as when guards or other staff reported for duty and found they had accidentally brought their cellphone with them in a coat pocket. In nearly two dozen instances, records show, Texas prison personnel turned themselves in when they realized they still had their phone on them.

But they aren’t all accidental, state records indicate. It seems Texas prison employees, like the rest of the world, can’t stand to be away from their phones, even when their bosses demand it.

Cellphones have been discovered in Texas prisons inside employees’ smocks and pants pockets; a clerk’s bra strap; a psychologist’s box of paperwork, in guards’ jacket pockets, eyeglass cases, and lunch bags, and wrapped in napkins and a Ziploc bag and hidden under a box of food, just to name a few places, records show.

Some examples from the database: A chaplain at the Cotulla inmate transfer facility in South Texas tried to sneak in his cellphone inside his motorcycle helmet. A phone was found lying in a flower bed inside the secured area at Woodman Unit, outside Waco; another guard’s phone was found left in a bathroom at Wynne Unit outside Huntsville. A prison lieutenant’s phone was found inside a boot when he left his uniform boots to be shined by an inmate at a prison north of Lubbock.

Phones are the most troublesome contraband in state prisons

Phones are the No. 1 most troublesome contraband in the Texas prisons, Moriarty said -- but they are a problem facing other states as well.

California authorities, who confiscated 10,000 cellphones in their prisons last year, recently found even Charles Manson had one; they confiscated it but later found he’d acquired another one.

Prison inmates across the nation have used cellphones to “intimidate and threaten witnesses; transmit photographs, including offensive pictures sent to victims; orchestrate crimes, such as gang activity; coordinate escapes; bribe prison officers; order retaliation against other inmates; text other prisoners; gain access to the Internet; and create security breaches,” said a 2010 report by two criminal justice professors that appeared in the FBI’s Law Enforcement Bulletin last year.

The key source of phones in California’s prisons, the state inspector general said in a 2009 report, was prison staff members. One guard made $150,000 in bribes alone by selling 150 phones to inmates, the report said. The guard was fired -- taking in a cellphone is against California prison rules -- but he couldn’t be prosecuted criminally because California has no specific law against it, the inspector general said.

That’s not the case in Texas. It’s a felony offense here to supply an inmate with a cellphone or a cellphone component, such as a “subscriber identity module” or “SIM” card, on which user information such as phone numbers are stored, or to purchase minutes of service for a phone being used by an inmate.

But that doesn’t stop the flow of phones into Texas prisons. The state confiscated 791 cellphones in Texas prisons last year, and one in every four was found at Stiles Unit, Moriarty said.

More than two dozen phones and phone components were found on Texas’ death row at Polunsky Unit outside Livingston in 2008. Those searches were part of a statewide sweep of prisons prompted by convicted killer Richard Tabler’s threatening phone calls to state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston. (Prison officials later found Tabler’s mother and sister had put minutes on his phone, which he and his buddies had used to make 2,800 calls.)

Texas prison employees are also forbidden by rule from bringing personal cellphones into a prison at any time, Moriarty said.

Employees arriving at a prison can leave their personal cellphones in their locked cars in the parking lot while they work, but they’re not allowed to have them beyond that point. Employees who have been issued cellphones by the state -- usually just the higher-ups, Moriarty said -- can bring those phones with them inside the prison, though they must be checked in upon arrival and when they leave.

Many of the phones mentioned in the Texas state database were found as the employee entered the prison building. But others were discovered the old fashioned way -- being either spotted or heard by supervisors, such as the case of the assistant warden at a state jail in Beaumont whose cellphone rang in her office, and the guard at Wynne Unit whose phone rang as he walked into the gatehouse.

Another guard, stationed at his post outside Darrington Unit in Brazoria County in December 2007, made the mistake of using his cellphone to repeatedly call his boss inside the prison, where the ranking officer’s Caller ID gave him away. He was put on probation for six months, records show.

But those cases might seem minor compared to those of guards accused of bring cellphones, SIM cards and other components into the prison with the intention of selling or otherwise providing the phones to inmates.

In one case from 2009, a Texas prison sergeant confiscated a cellphone from an inmate and was later accused of selling that phone to another inmate. Last year, a guard brought in three cellphones wrapped in Saran wrap -- and when the phones were found, she assaulted the lieutenant, records say.

Both of those cases were at Stiles Unit, records show.

Altogether, the database shows some 40 cases in which prison personnel were accused of bringing in cellphones at Stiles. The accused ranged from rank-and-file guards and staff members to two majors who were reported walking into the prison with their phones on the same day in October 2009.

“Without bad officers Puckett probably would have never had the cell phone,” David Bellow, a former guard at Stiles’ administrative segregation unit, wrote in an open letter to Texas prison authorities published online a few days ago. But Bellow blamed TDCJ’s thin staffing of the prisons, leading to overworked guards responsible for too many inmates, as the main issue behind Puckett’s escape, along with a “blind spot” on the prison grounds that he says is widely known to the Stiles community.

He’s not the only one to stay Stiles Unit has multiple problems. Whitmire, chairman of the powerful Senate Criminal Justice Committee, last week called Stiles “the worst of the worst” in a Houston Chronicle interview. The Backgate, a Web site largely focused on Texas prison issues, last week called Stiles “perpetually troubled,” though it lauded the work of Stiles’ still-new senior warden, Richard Alford, for “improvement in contraband issues, and weeding out of corrupt employees.”

The state says it’s working on the problem. “At the Stiles Unit in particular, we are in the process of installing hundreds of video surveillance cameras which will assist in our efforts and serve as a further deterrent to individuals who are considering smuggling contraband into the facility,” Lyons said.

The work should be finished in May. Cameras have already been installed at Polunsky Unit and are currently being installed at Darrington, she said.

Retaliation In The Work Place? Allegations Within The Bureau of Prisons

2011-12-12T02:34:00.001-06:00

By: Max Rodriguez, Backgate Website,

Is TDCJ any different?? Employee grievance records prove no. With more employees, TDCJ fares worse then the feds when it comes to employee beefs with the admin. See our ongoing story coming in the weeks to come.

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By :Walter Pavlo, Contributor

One would think that working for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has its risks; like being attacked by some tattooed covered inmate. However, a report from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Office of Federal Operations (OFO) says that “widespread retaliation” is a problem in the BOP.

Carlton M. Hadden, Director OFO, came to his conclusion after a lengthy process that resulted in a final report issued to the BOP on November 24, 2010. The BOP is responsible for the custody and care of more than 214,000 federal inmates and has over 35,000 employees. In August 2007, the OFO sent a letter outlining concerns it had about employment related retaliation complaints at the BOP that were significantly higher than in any other branch of the government (In FY 2005 complaints containing retaliation allegations at the BOP were 73.7% compared to 39.1% government wide). It took OFO three (3) years after it began its initial investigation to publish the report after disagreements with the BOP over the results.

The study consisted of a combination of a survey sent to all Bureau of Prison employees and site visits (3 prisons) to conduct interviews. The survey had under a 10% response rate, something the BOP argued about prior to the formal release of the report by saying that the use of “widespread retaliation” is not accurate since so few participated. One retired corrections officer, who asked that I not reveal his identity, told me that the survey required that the employees provide their name on the survey (see EEOC report in Exhibits), they would have no anonymity. Probably something OFO should have considered when the study involves employees who fear retaliation! The OFO countered that even with the small number of surveys received, the on site investigations/interviews provided similar results indicating an environment of intimidation.

See the rest of the story here !