All right here it is straight from a Texas Department of Criminal Justice(TDCJ) Correctional Officer. Note, I only skimmed the last few posts, but reading your posts won’t change my views.
I am called a Correctional Officer(CO) instead of prison guard because as a CO it is my duty to maintain discipline and discipline is what will correct an offender’s bahaviour. Therefore, in Texas, no one is called a prison guard anymore, we’re all COs.
In TDCJ, offenders get cable tv, but they have no controls for them to manipulate. If they want the channel changed they must ask the CO working that cellblock and at his earliest convenience, he’ll go get the remote from the front of the building and then go back to change the channel. No premium channels and if the offenders trick a newer officer into putting it on a premium channel, they’ll go about making the picture less fuzzy once the officer leaves. For that, I’ve seen Seargents remove the power cable from the tv and take it with them to the desk at the front of the building and no tv for the rest of the day.
They get mail from anybody but can only write to those on their approved visitors list, anyone they need for legal reasons, or publications for subscription. Offenders may not receive any pornographic material other than “softcore”.
They do socialize. They socialize at work(they have to have jobs unless they’re custody level doesn’t allow it), in the dayroom(their cellblock area), in the recreation yard, and in the chow halls.
They get phone calls, though I don’t know the policy on that.
The only electronic property they are allowed is a fan, a lamp, a “hot pot” for coffee and such, a radio, and a typewriter. All other property, including commissary items(more on that below) must fit in their locker which is one and a half cubic feet.
Depending on their custody level or disciplinary restrictions, the get commissary. Commissary is basically their convience store and is run only on weekends. Depending on custody level they get to spend so and so amount of money there every two weeks. It is also where they buy their electronic equipment and mailing materials.
Visitation: On saturday and Sunday from 0800 to 1700 offenders may recieve one visit from however many people for two hours for each day. However, if the visitors have to come from a very long way and their ability to visit is severely crippled, the warden may approve a four hour visit. Visitation have two categories: Contact Visit and Regular Visit. Contact Visit is only for those who behave themselves and they get to sit at a table with their visitors instead of being seperated by the glass. They get a quick hug and kiss at the start of the visit and a quick hug and kiss at the end. Then, they may sit across from the table and hold hands if they wish and that is all the contact between offenders and free-worlders that they get. Anything else results in that person being taken off the offender’s approved visitation list. Regular Visits are the ones you see in movies where they’re seperated by glass and talking on the phone. Visitors may buy candy and sodas and such at the vending machines for the offender but they must use an officer as a go between and the officer must recieve the snacks unopened lest some smuggling be going on. Visitors are not allowed to bring cash and only forty dollars in change is allowed at a visit.
Offenders are not allowed to smoke or drink. Officers can be fired for accidentally brinking ciggarrettes onto the unit. Smuggling of narcotics, ciggarrettes, or alcohol is always punished by an immediate discharge, and now felony charges. There’s a lot of dirty bosses out there and these days, they’re becoming the offenders.
As for recreation and the rec yard, it depends on your custody level. Close custody never gets rec other than being allowed in the dayroom, and Administrative Segregation offenders are allowed into a small, caged-in dayroom, or a small, caged in excercise yard with one basketball and one basketball hoop. Ad Seg offenders are always by themselves with the only socialization being to yell at each other through their cell doors. Minimum and Medium Custody offenders have a large outside rec yard(fenced in) with a full basketball court and one (only one) of those home excercise machines for lifting weights. There’s always a cement wall for them to play wallball and such.
Due to their constitutional rights, all religions are recognized and allowed. The only church services given are those the unit can acquire, though all who wish to attend may do so, unless your custody level is too high meaning you’re too dangerous to attend. And even if you’re religion is recognized and allowed practice, that doesn’t mean you’ll get everything you want. They’re not allowed animals or the tools to sacrifice them with, but they keep asking for them. I say all religions, but right now, TDCJ only recognized like some 200.
Climate Control: There is none. The only climate control is in the medical wing, the administrative building, the Officer’s Dining Room, and the cellblock pickets(though those are never fixed if they break down). It’s hot during the summer, but that’s why the windows are made to open. All offender’s electrical property must remain inside the cell, so if we don’t have enough of those huge fans to go around, then the only circulation they get is from the dayroom windows. In winter, because of all the heat generated by so many people, climate control is not needed inside the cellblock. And before you complain about it being unfair, the officers suffer just as much as the offenders.
Rack up is at 2230 unless it’s a late rack which takes place on the weekends and I think holidays. Late rack is at 0000(midnight). Offenders have control of their own cell lights unless the cellblock officer needs them turned on by the picket officer for count and such.
Unless their custody level is too high, offenders are always assigned jobs, even if there isn’t a vacancy, they’ll be working. They work eight hours a day. If so desired, they may get their education or learn a vocation and I think that over-rides a job unless education or vocation can be scheduled around it. Yes, we have offenders working nights and they do get up awfully early for class.
Three meals a day. That’s their civil rights. Though, if we’re sending them to chow and we notice they’re not complying with grooming standards, unless they have a medical pass for whatever, we don’t let them go until they go back to their cell and correct the problem. If they refuse to correct the problem, then on a technicality they refuse to go to chow and we don’t get in trouble. During Institutional Lockdown or Temporary Suspension of Activity, we’ll take cold food to their cells. Close Custody and Ad Seg get hot plates taken to their cells.
We’re legally obligated to give them free medical service. The medical wing is basically a miniature hospital including emergency room, though they can be taken to an actual hospital. The State is their insuruance provider. Medical wing also has full dentist capabilites with dentists.
There is a library for them, and a seperate Legal Library as well.
As for reforming them, that’s what the discipline is all about. If they act up in prison, the COs write the case and the Disciplinary Hearing Officer decides the punishment, including taking away phone calls, in cell restriction, or taking away other privileges. Major Cases can result in a custody level change, but Minor Cases never will. If they act nicely long enough they can move donw the custody level to minimum custody. Our reformation is in educating them, teaching them vocations, or just teaching them responsibility by making them work. Also, if they learn discipline inside, they’ll keep it once they get back outside to the free world. However, a lot of them just serve their sentence and go back to being their usual selves. Even inside prison they keep playing their games. Manipulating officers into smuggling things in for them, running prison gangs(which are much more dangerous and intelligent than street gangs. We’re talking actual gang constitutions here), extortion, prostitution, and just acting a fool. Even those that go to church services don’t have my trust. None of them do. Even if some of them are innocent, you can’t tell because they act exactly like all the other damn inmates. Of course, I work at a maximum security unit(one of the two most natorious in the State) so all I ever experience are the really bad guys. Even the minimum custody offenders act all hard and are playing their games here.
Psychopachik Vampire