Prisoners at Polunsky Unit on Death Row are presently engaged in a nonviolent protest against the deplorable conditions they are forced to endure. These are not only horrible, it is a feat just to get their grievances picked up, let alone filed.
Dear Administrator of Offender
Grievances,
Death Row prisoners at the Polunsky
Unit are presently engaged in a non-violent, impassive protest against the
deplorable conditions they�re forced to endure.�These prisoners have
documented these repressive and suppressive conditions on www.drivemovement.org.�
Conditions, I believe, deserves sincere investigation.
The Grievance Procedure
provided to these prisoners is ridiculous!� It�s not enough that the
general conditions on Death Row are abhorring, but it is a feat for these
prisoners just to get their grievances picked up (by grievance officers who
rarely make their rounds), let alone filed.
These prisoners are accorded
15-days from the time of an incident to file grievances.� These 15-days may
fall anywhere within the week (Mon-Sun), yet, grievances are never picked
up on Saturdays nor Sundays, and rarely Mon-Fri.� This practice clearly
undermines this -15-day- grace period.� What if this 15th day
falls on the weekend?� What if the 15th day falls on a day
(Mon-Fri) when the grievance officers still fail to make their rounds?
Furthermore, if prisoners
manage to get their grievances picked up, there is still no guarantee their
grievances will be filed.� If filed, they may never receive their
grievance (step-1) back; and if received, they have to repeat this same process
just to appeal the decision of the first grievance (step-2), if need be.�
This grievance process (if it can be called that) only gives rise to the
validity of the overall mistreatment claimed to be suffered by these prisoners.
The Grievance Process is
essential to giving the prisoner an avenue to address grievances in a
pro-active manner; yet it seems, these prisoners are being mistreated by the
very process designed to prevent it!� Every effort should be made to
secure this process, not only to ensure prisoners grievances are given voice,
but to encourage prisoners to address their grievances in a pro-active manner;
yet it seems Polunsky Unit death row Grievance Procedure is not only trying to
discourage prisoners from filing grievances, but encourage them to engage in
disruptive behavior as an alternative means of addressing grievances; as the
ongoing protest demonstrates.
Please see that these
prisoners are afforded adequate access to a reliable grievance procedure.�
These prisoners should not have to protest and place grievances on a website
just to be heard.
Thank you for your time.
For humane treatment,
