INMATES AGAINST CRUEL & UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT AT PATUXENT UNSTITUTION

INMATES AGAINST CRUEL & UNUSUAL TREATMENT

AT

THE PATUXENT INSTITUTION OF JESSUP, MD

ONLINE PETITION

This petition is an urgent call from the inmates and affiliates of the Patuxent Institution located in Jessup, Maryland. We intend to inform the outside world of the abuses and injustices occurring within the Patuxent Institution.  We, the inmate population, are under great duress due to the improper enforcement and lack of administration headed by Warden Mrs. Patricia Johnson-Goins, and Director Dr. Robert Nero. We would like to make it known to the community the Patuxent Institution does not function under the ideals or premises permeated to those in society.

To the general public the Patuxent Institution is both unique and distinguished amongst other institutions within the State of Maryland.  The Patuxent Institution of Jessup (PIJ) was founded under the auspices of being a therapeutically governed facility with programs and an environment created to remediate male and female offenders within the Eligible Person Program and the Patuxent Institution Youth Program.  PIJ is the only institution for sentenced criminals in Maryland separate from the Maryland Division of Corrections (DOC). Its foundation lies within the Maryland Public General Law, codified as title 4 of the Correctional Services Article 31B, enacted in 1951. Contrary to popular belief, PIJ has been deemed by the inmates as more volatile then therapeutic.  Thus we wish to make these conditions known with hopes to quickly end the misery and unbearable treatment of the inmate population.

As result of recommendation for evaluation by out sentencing judge, the Commissioner of Corrections sent us here to be considered for admittance into the Patuxent Institution. PIJ consists of 380 inmates in the Youth Program, 320 inmates of DOC, and 175 inmates of the Mental Health Program who all have been convicted and tried as adults. These individuals have been given sentences ranging from 7 years to Life sentences.  The programs at PIJ are supervised on a level system. First, the offender is evaluated to determine eligibility for the one of the programs. When an offender is accepted into the program they are put on the first level. In order to advance from any level the inmate must remain infraction free at all times. Advancement from the second level results from the inmates interactions during group sessions. To reach the third level inmates must discuss in detail their individual crimes and family history to assigned counselors. The final stage of the program is the fourth level which is the community re-entry facility also known as the %u201CHalfway House%u201D.

We, the inmates, hereby deem the treatment enforced by the current administration at the Patuxent Institution in Jessup to be cruel and unjust therefore, we request immediate action resulting in the replacement of the institution%u2019s Director, Warden, and Chief of Security.  The current Director is indifferent to the remediation and rehabilitation needs of the inmates.  PIJ is currently functioning as a pseudo-program%u2014drastically minimized nearly to the point of extinction. A new program oriented director is needed.  The current Warden has consistently removed therapeutic privileges, instituted Para-military styled procedures, and has alienated the administration, custody personnel, treatment facilitators, as well as inmate population. PIJ needs a warden who is able to successfully manage a treatment program without causing unnecessary rifts and dismemberment within the institution itself. The current Chief of Security is anti-inmate and supports disrespect, abuse, and sub-human treatment of employees and inmates. He has boldly and blatantly stood before roll call encouraging officers to use tactics which degrade inmates unnecessarily proving to be used as a control mechanism. 

The therapeutic nature of the PIJ program is falling apart due to the changes occurring since Warden Goins-Johnson%u2019s arrival.  Warden Goins-Johnson has verbally expressed the non-functioning of the program.  As warden it is her duty to acknowledge the issues and propose resolutions benefiting both employees and inmates within the facility. Warden Goins-Johnson has failed to complete this task.  PIJ has received numerous Majors and Captains from other prisons whom have failed to merge PIJ therapeutic processes with practices of DOC.  This process has destroyed the beautiful way PIJ has functioned in the past.

The officials who govern this institution breed this malice to the officers.  Whenever an inmate attempts to discuss an issue they are disregarded, disrespected, and at times both.  To discourage inmates from inquiry it is not uncommon for inmates to be sent to the bullpen for hours or placed in cell lock-up.  For example, Warden Goins-Johnson place Tier F-3 on lockdown for not being able to move a pool table and were placed on lockdown, denied school, work, and visitation.  The pool table weighed too much for inmates to lift fully assembled and eventually was disassembled in preparation for the move requested by the warden.  This blatant abuse of authority and its discretion is vehemently destroying the character of this facility.  Within a two year period inmates have lost three remediation management team members.  The previous Youth Program Coordinator resigned and has since been replaced by a highly ineffective and unproductive coordinator.  He does not stand up to authorities nor act as an advocate for inmates.  Over the past years, power has shifted from the hands of the therapist into the hands of custody, severely ruining the etiquette of the program.  The inmates are subjected to unjust disciplinary hearings.  If PIJ is not a division of Division of Corrections then the hearings should not be held by a DOC hearing officer.  In addition, Warden Goins-Johnson aggressively further punishes individuals for infractions despite the hearing officer%u2019s decisions.

Through this missive, we now wish to give you a summary of other injustices committed by the officials of the Patuxent Institution in Jessup. They are as follows:

1. The individuals currently at the community re-entry facility are no longer allowed to go out to look for a job. They have to go to the career center located at Mondawmin Mall to fill out an application which requires an email address. Inmates at the Community Re-Entry Facility are not allowed internet access unless attending school.  While in school you are blocked to use social networking websites for email generation purposes.  Though an outside email can be created by a person outside of the facility, most inmates do not have an outside source with Internet access.  We, the inmates, request the policy is changed back to its original state.

1. The correctional officers (CO%u2019s) are very unprofessional and do not follow institution protocol. For example in the event a CO is not able to resolve an issue for an inmate, the building supervisor must be contacted via 2-way radio or telephone.  CO's are not making those calls. Threats and misappropriations are used to cover the CO when questioned by the CO%u2019s superior. In a specific incident on tier D-2, Lieutenant Burley issued an 11:00 pm shower cut off to enable all working inmates and inmates coming from the gym to take a shower before lock-in.  Officer Higgins was on duty at the time of Lt. Burley%u2019s statement for showers.  Officer Higgins was relieved by COII C. Shields at 10:00 pm and refused to uphold Lt. Burley%u2019s order. Seven inmates we not allowed showers. The inmates requested to speak to a supervisor to no avail. To protest the injustice of withholding showers, inmates refused to lock-in until a supervisor spoke with the group. COII Shields contacted Captain Deshields and without inquiry Captain Deshields ordered the inmates to lock-in and were locked down for 3 days because of the incident. Thirty-eight inmates were served a ticket for rule violation 100, 312, 313, and 400. The action taken as listed on the tickets read %u2018Administrative Segregation Assignment%u2019. No inmates were placed on administrative segregation as stated within the ticket.  The ticket noted 44 inmates were in the dayroom at the time of the incident.  Only 38 received tickets.  5 inmates who were not in the dayroom were given tickets. One inmate who received a ticket was actually taking to Captain Deshields in their cell at the time of the incident.  Two inmates who were not in the dayroom were found guilty and the remaining inmates were forced to take informal dispositions.  As result the warden terminated visits for 60 days for the entire tier.  We, the inmates, request Captain Deshields be removed from the Patuxent Institution and the tickets be overturned for the injustice forced upon us.

1. The Commissary and Finance Departments are not reliable. Commissary prices at PIJ have increased five times within the past ten months. The Department of Legislative Services issued an audit submitted by Bruce A. Myers, CPA and it stated for the periods beginning November 1, 2005 and ending September 30, 2008 the processing of cash receipts were %u201C%u2026not sufficient because initial accountability was not established upon receipt and verifications were not performed to ensure that all collections were deposited.%u201D  Mr. Myers also noted Institutions had yet to establish proper internal controls over corporate purchasing cards and payroll. Now it is believed that the inmate population at PIJ is being exploited by means of over-pricing.  Inmates are also being taxed on non-taxable items.  Despite our conditions, we the inmates possess rights which should protect us from over taxation.  PIJ uses the same vendor (Keefe) as many other prisons within the state.  Therefore, prices should remain within the range of other institutions. For example, CAOMAR set the price for digital converter boxes not to exceed $60.  The same converter boxes are sold at PIJ for $80.  The information has been brought to the attention of the Warden and Assistant Warden through the Inmate Advisory Council to no avail.  In addition, the space allotted for commissary is very small and can not store many items which results in many inmates not being able to purchase needed items.  The Finance Department has moved out of the institution and since the move it takes money orders approximately 2-3 weeks before posting to inmate accounts.  Monthly state pay for workers is never on time%u2014without explanation or justification.  We, the inmates, request an investigation of both the Financial and Commissary Departments.

1. The Medical Department shows no care or respect for the inmates%u2019 health.  The sick-call process takes 2-4 weeks to be seen for ailments.  Some responses are never received.  Most often inmates are seen by the Medical Department after their aliments are healed on their own or are in exacerbated condition.  In most cases, when the inmate is finally seen by medical personnel, despite the condition or circumstance they seem to be issued Tylenol.  The Medical Department shows great disregard for human life, health, and well being.  PIJ is one of the smallest facilities within the state. With such a small population there is absolutely no excuse for such poor performance by the medical staff.

1. The Dietary Department is very inconsistent and is infested with roaches and mice.  It is not uncommon to find roaches and/or mice dropping in or surrounding inmate food.  Bread is known to be served partially eaten by the mice.  In addition and on numerous occasions the kitchen has run out of food during chow time and sometimes resulted in unfed inmates.   These infestations are unsanitary and health hazardous. We, the inmates, demand a form of extermination and sufficient amounts of food during chow time. 

1. The Educational Department has failed the inmates in a major way.  All of the shops were taken out of the prison in 2004.  PIJ replaced the shops with the Maryland Correctional Enterprise (MCE), Fiber Optic, Barber and a Computer Repairs shop.  Youth Offenders and Eligible Person Program participants are under paid.  Fiber Optics does not have a teacher.  Computer Repairs has outdated software.  The G.E.D. Program has not successfully maintained a teacher longer than 60 days.  Recently, every inmate with a murder charge, rape, over 35 years of age, and are not within 7 years of parole have been put out of the college program.  Most inmates have not previously been employed.  Education is needed in order to be re-entered into society as a reformed citizen.  Also, the library needs to be updated on law books to help inmates study our cases.  We, the inmates, request we be allowed the opportunity to become properly trained and schooled in order to successfully blend within our communities.

1. The Mental Health Department subjects prisoners to sever and exaggerated forms of restraint and punishment.  We, the inmates, request an investigation of the mental health facility.

1. Good days, extra credit, and industrial credits are not being properly handled and are miscalculated.  Double-celling credits are not administered to those who qualify.  We, the inmates, request an audit of Good Conduct Credits.

1. The Eligible Persons Program has five inmates serving life sentences.  All are outstanding inmates and have over 15 years in the program.  One in particular is Raymond Alderson (Inmate #172-458).  He has been incarcerated since 1983.  The Institutional Board of Review recommended Mr. Alderson #172-458 to go to the community Re-Entry Facility.  He has been on status since 1997 and has been out of the institution over 30 times.  According to the law those who are serving life sentences must have the Governor and Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services approval for parole. An inmate only needs the Institutional Board of Review%u2019 recommendation to go to the Community Re-Entry facility, however, Mr. Alderson #172-458 has been refused.  We, the inmates, demand an explanation of the cause.

1. PIJ is for inmates not apart of the DOC however, the facility has taken away a youth tier in order to house DOC inmates.  Currently, second and third level Youth Program inmates are house together on the same tier (D-2) where there is one washer and one dryer per 64 inmates.  We, the inmates, request DOC release the tier back to the Youth Program.

1. The Property Room illegally searches inmate packages.  Current rule states the inmate must be present in order to open a package, in case of damages.  The Property Room does not follow this rule.  We, the inmates, demand the Property Room follows proper protocol.

1. Religious rights as read on page 44 of the Inmate Handbook, states an inmate may change religious affiliations six times during the calendar year.  This process used to be run by the Chaplain and a volunteer inmate.  Warden Goins-Johnson amended the function of the process and stopped inmates from assisting the Chaplain and has resulted in overwhelming the Chaplain and revoking religious afflictions.  We, the inmates, request the policy is enforced as in the Inmate Handbook.

1. Despite the rules and regulations defined by DCD and COMAR pertaining to Family Day policies, the officials of PIJ refuse to provide this obligatory privilege to any inmate who has not reached the third level within their established program system.  The DCD and COMAR entitles all inmates who have been infraction free for a year to receive admission to Family Day.  PIJ refuses to comply with the regulations.    We, the inmates, request Family Day be re-issued and provided to all inmates who apply.

The system at the Patuxent Institution of Jessup leaves inmates with a sense of hopelessness.  Reports and articles praise the institution for its %u201Ctherapeutic%u201D practices when in doubt the facility is run more as a personal hell for inmates.  Since Warden Patricia Goins-Johnson was appointed there has been a steady decline of morale and therapeutic practices.  All of the inmates%u2019 complaints are transpiring daily.  This petition was signed by over 300 inmates.  The petition was discovered by correctional officers at the institution late last week.  Several inmates currently remain on lockdown as result of orchestrating this complaint.  Cells have been raided of the inmates who have signed the petition.  An incident happened on October 15, 2009 when correctional officers entered an inmate%u2019s cell from the hours of 12 am to 6 am to investigate his signing of the petition.  Within the investigation the inmate was stripped of his clothing, degradingly received a full cavity search, and was severely beaten.  The current inmate suffers a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm, and numerous bruises.  The CO%u2019s inserted several fingers inside the inmate%u2019s anus and his screams of pain during this whole ordeal, was heard throughout the jail by hundreds of inmates.  We simply ask all these issues be thoroughly investigated and justice is prevailed.  The cruel and unusual punishment the Patuxent Institution of Jessup defines as %u201Ctherapeutic treatment%u201D needs to be properly governed and drastically changed.  We, the inmates, believe therapeutic treatment is a great idea however, the current administration of PIJ are doing there best to make it a failure.  We believe we are more then inmates and criminals and if given the proper chance we will be released into society to shed positive light onto our communities.  The Warden and Director regularly walk through the facilities giving tours and never allow for the inmates to speak.  We, the inmates, ask the outside world to come to the tiers and speak with the inmates so our voices can be heard.

We are extremely dissatisfied and fear for our safety so please encourage everyone to read and sign our petition.  Without your outside help our cries will fall upon deaf ears.  Thank you for your time, patience, and assistance in hearing our concerns during our time of need.

Sincerely,

The Population of the Patuxent Institution in Jessup

UPDATE: EVERY DAY THIS WEEK THE MEDIA AND VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ATTEMPTED ENTRANCE NO AVAIL TO PIJ. DUE TO THE CREATION OF THE PETITION THE FACILITY HAS DECIDED REMOVE SEVERAL INMATES FROM WITHIN THE PROGRAM . SEVEN INMATES HAVE BEEN KICKED OUT OF PATUXENT INSTITUTION AND SENT TO VARIOUS PRISONS WITHIN DOC. ANTOINE GREEN, THE INMATE OFFICIALS FEEL CIRCULATED THE PETITION HAS BEEN CHARGED FOR INCITING A RIOT AND WAS RELOCATED TO THE EASTERN SHORE (DOC) TO DO THE REMAINDER OF HIS TIME WITHOUT THE BENEFITS OF PIJ. 
 
I HAVE OBTAINED A COPY OF THE NAMES RETRIEVED BY THE CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS OF THE FACILITY. THEY HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE INMATES ON THE LIST TO BE PUT OUT OF THE PROGRAM DUE TO THE PETITION, CHECKED OFF INMATES WHO ARE TO BE TORMENTED, AND WROTE CELL INFORMATION BY EACH INMATE SIGNING THE PETITION. IN ADDITION, THE INMATE WHO WAS BRUTALLY BEATEN HAS NOT BEEN PERMITTED TO SEE HIS LAWYER. 
 
CHANNEL 13 RAN A STORY ON THE ISSUE AND CHANNEL 11 STATED IF 75 MORE CALLS WERE MADE ABOUT THE ISSUE THEY WOULD RUN THE STORY AS WELL. 
 
THANK YOU FOR YOU CONCERN AND PLEASE CONTINUE TO SPREAD THE WORD VIA EMAILS, PHONE CALLS, AND LETTERS!