Dear Warden:
by Michael J. McCarthy
I‘m uncertain if you are aware but I contribute a column in The Pueblo Chieftain’s Beyond the Fold. The reason for my letter is I wanted to offer some constructive criticism.
I’m presently working on an essay about improving conditions of incarceration from a rehabilitative perspective.
For example, all Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) facilities should conduct some sort of private industry where the inmates could earn incentive pay, and CCA could sell and profit from the products and services.
Like what?
Everything from making skateboards to secure network telemarketing: Why isn’t this being done in Colorado?
Moreover, Bent CCA has over 150 minimum security inmates that qualify for gate clearances. These men could have conducted the construction on the $3.7 million Las Animas County Courthouse renovation across the street.
They could clean and maintain local highways. Perform farm labor, etc. In addition, Bent CCA could profit from such labor, while the inmates earn incentive pay.
State lawmakers and progressive journalists have often touted the benefit an inmate labor pool could be for the State.
CCA Bent should also integrate more readily with volunteer teachers and mentors in the community to give seminars and classes in the evenings and on the weekends.
I learned how to write in just such a class in San Quentin State Prison, CA.
The idea, Warden is to make being housed at CCA Bent (a private prison) more desirable than what the state offers inmates for a lesser price.
What we’re getting now, is less a value at a lesser price – and that’s expected.
Consequently, with the less for less mentality, CCA continues to lose contracts nation wide – over 10,000 beds in all by the end of the 2009/2010 fiscal year.
Therefore, CCA needs a new approach. Hence, I’m offering some beneficial advice.
I’ll start by tossing you a few ideas that would cost little but would alter Colorado prisoner’s perception of CCA.
You might feel: We don’t care what the prisoners think – they are just damn prisoners.
However, this is a great mis-take.
In the final tally, it is prisoners like me in conjunction with lawmakers, the media, public opinion, court decisions, and fiscal restraints that makes or breaks a private prison.
The bottom line is CCA better be doing a superior job for less money, or eventually they’ll get the boot.
Just look at Walsenburg, CCA, now, nothing but crickets and weeds. Why? They no longer are a perceived value to Arizona taxpayers.
I’ll present some ideas that will seem superficial by the administration, but would be perceived as a substantial value by the inmates.
Many of these concepts are straight commonsense, but somehow they are blatantly overlooked by CCA.
Here are some basis ideas:
At all CDOC facilities, they have four – 5 gallon plastic milk dispensaries in each mess hall. The inmates are served help-yourself milk for breakfast and dinner, along with coffee.
In addition, they serve one natural fruit juice: apple, orange, or pineapple.
For lunch and dinner, each mess hall has two six nozzle soda dispensaries where the inmates can drink unlimited pop.
At CCA’s we are served low budget sweeter-laden Kool-Aid for lunch and dinner, and only served a single ½ pint carton of milk for breakfast.
You might argue, “So, what? Soda isn’t good for you.”
However, that’s not the point. Not having soda is bad for CCA. You see? It is something the CDOC has that CCA doesn’t. And for many inmates it’s a notable gripe. Just correcting this one aspect alone would significantly reduce the State Prison – CCA gap.
CCA needs a hobby shop – state prisons have a place to do hobbies: paint, leather work, woodwork, tie-flies, and make teddy bears.
The general library could be enlarged by moving the law library elsewhere. We need to double the volume of books and add 4 more tables and 16 chairs to accommodate 20 guys total.
Warden, it’s laughable for any library serving a population of nearly 1500 inmates to have one table and four chairs in a 10’ x 10’ room. The city of Ridgway, CO has a population of 720, and you should see their library.
Recently, Bent CCA had Major John Lisak from the CDOC conduct an audit of Bent. He’ll tell you: Delta Correctional Center, a 496-man minimum security prison, has a huge library.
It has music to checkout, videos, puzzles, dozens of tables, workstations, etc. In short, it’s a real library. I know, I worked in it.
So, this is another big minus for CCA that you can correct.
Idle minds with idle time make for trouble. A working thriving library is the best baby-sitter a prison could ever have.
The recreation dept needs improving as well.
Our prison yard is a Third World dirt pit.
An asphalt track should go around the big yard, with par course stations at intervals. The big yard also needs handball courts, basketball courts, and a concrete exercise slab.
Plumbing should be incorporated on the yard for outside water and toilets. We should have more aerobic gym equipment for winter: treadmills, elliptical stairclimbers, rowers, etc.
The recreation dept. could conduct classes in personal fitness training and nutrition leading toward ACE or IDEA certification. Hundreds of guys would love this. Remember, many prisoners were once drug addicts and alcoholics – adequate fitness equipment serves as a rehabilitative tool.
The housing units each have television but “no” volume control - issue or sell, wireless headsets for checkout to hear the televisions.
Provide a hot water spout for coffee and soups in all housing units. This would save on microwave wear and tear.
I’m one of the fortunate ones. I take computer class. I earn college credits.
However, this is a privilege for the few and the fortunate. Perhaps 200 guys are getting an education at Bent CCA. What about the other 1200?
Some guys are wiping out a microwave oven for 60 cents a day. Don’t laugh. That’s a job! Moreover, it’s pathetic.
Finally, have you watched any old WWII war movies?
Well, General George Patton went out amongst the troops. Warden, you need to throw on your 4-star helmet and get to know your facility – both staff and inmates. How can you not?
When you realize that these changes will not only help inmates but also will release better men out into society – you are administering civic reform
Thank you for your time and consideration.
This letter was mailed to the warden and there was no return reply or changes. Nor has the warden walked the facility since.
(Hmmm…)
[Final Note: In addition to mailing this letter to the warden, Michael sent this letter to the Pueblo Chieftain, where it was subsequently published. Soon after it ran, Michael McCarthy was kicked out of class and threatened with segregation, jeopardizing his approval status for community corrections and possibly his parole eligibility. His files were deleted, and all student inmates permanently banned from using computers for most non-curricular activities. While I personally have never seen the warden, there have certainly been some changes to the facility since -- heightened security being one of them.]