[Pnews] Report from the Georgia Prisoner Hunger Strike

[Prisoner News]

    Report from the Georgia Prisoner Hunger Strike
    <http://sparcprariefire.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/report-from-the-georgia-prisoner-hunger-strike/>

Posted on April 2, 2014 
<http://sparcprariefire.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/report-from-the-georgia-prisoner-hunger-strike/> 
by sparcva <http://sparcprariefire.wordpress.com/author/sparcva/>
*http://sparcprariefire.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/report-from-the-georgia-prisoner-hunger-strike/*

/(the following was a letter sent to SPARC with the full intention of it 
being published and circulated to raise awareness around the conditions 
in the GDCP that have driven prisoners located in the Special Management 
Unit to go on hunger strike. Below the reader will find an initial 
letter, followed by an article detailing different aspects of life in 
the prison, and finally a PDF file of the author's written legal complaint)/

Well, I'm writing to you again because I have written an article 
concisely breaking down some of the things that is happening here at the 
SMU facility where I'm housed. I am sending this to you along with a 
copy of the civil complaint filed by me and several other inmates here 
regarding our rights. I would like for you to show this to your SPARC 
cohorts with hopes that you all can assist me with bringing much 
exposure to the conditions of the significant hardships that is placed 
upon us by prison officials here in Jackson, Georgia.

If I could be of any help to the SPARC team I am eager and willing to 
donate some of my time to participate in any work that will bring truth 
to the struggle that many of us have suffered from. I am a man of 
evolution and elevation who refuse to allow an evil spirit to break me 
of moral quality nor strip me of human dignity. There is so much that 
could be said of the inhumane treatment and the conditions of 
confinement and incarceration, I will desperately dedicate much time to 
shed some light on what's being held in the dark. I am a POW and I will 
continue to strive harder to overcome the obstacle of oppression that 
try to dismantle my spirit.

Again, I would like to thank you for sending your warm wishes and 
expressing concern for me and my comrades, for it is definitely needed 
at this time in our lives. If there is any help that I am able to 
provide for your SPARC team then please feel free to contact me. Than 
you for your time and effort. May peace be unto you,

POW Robert

____________________________________________________________________

1. Classification -- When an inmate is transferred to Georgia 
Diagnostics and Classification Prison/ Special Management Unit 
(GDCP/SMU) we are placed in an isolated unit on solitary confinement 
where we are stripped of all personal property without disciplinary 
sanctions or infractions being imposed, which is a due process 
violations. We're held in these conditions indefinitely and we're not 
given the proper classification hearing that we're entitled to upon our 
initial arrival

2. Designed Cells -- Upon placement after our arrival at this unit we 
are placed in cells that imposes psychological effects, physical and 
mental deterioration. Several of these cells are designed for 
destructive prisoners who misuse certain property, SMU staff has placed 
any inmate in these particular cells. There is a concrete slab that sits 
five inches from the ground where we are forced to sleep. A shower is 
installed in the cells and a drainer on the ground where all kinds of 
insects crawl from. This is dangerous because we're forced to sleep on 
the ground which makes us easy access to these deadly insects. The 
drainer on the ground in the cells sometimes flood with feces and urine, 
this over-flooding also damage the belongings and legal paperwork that 
is on the ground due to there being no locker boxes and desk in the 
cells as is in other wings at this facility and general population. The 
windows in the cells are blocked (door window and back window), 
preventing all sunlight from entering. The Muslim prisoners are unable 
to offer prayer due to the blockage of daylight. All cells are designed 
to prevent the prisoners from conversing amongst each other.

3. Sanitation -- Statewide procedure clearly states that all prisoners 
are to keep cells sanitized daily but we do not receive daily cell 
sanitation, we're lucky to receive cell clean out once a week because 
officers are not willing to work which makes their job less hard. After 
showers we are not given any cleaning utensils or other cleaning 
chemicals and supplies, when defecation is excreted in the unit we are 
forced to eat meals while defecation is in the air. It is left desposed 
of for days at a time until someone cleans it.

4. Property -- When a prisoner arrives to this facility he is stripped 
of all personal property without cause. Legal and religious material is 
confiscated. The property is withheld for months until the inmate moves 
to another wing at the facility. Such action must only be taken when 
disciplinary sanctions are imposed, which is also a violation of due 
process.

5. Recreation -- E-wing is the dorm that all new arrivals enter. This is 
also "the hole" for those who've been housed here for years. We are 
denied out of the cell recreation for which we're entitled to an hour a 
day for five days a week. In the other wings SMU officials have limited 
outside recreation to two days of the week, E-wing is denied completely. 
Statewide procedure states that all incarcerated prisoners are to 
receive an hour of out of cell recreation each day for five days a week, 
for it is a basic human need. SMU officials have continuously denied us 
recreation.

6. Visitation -- After arriving to this facility all prisoners are 
denied visits for a thirty-day period then after completing the thirty 
days they only receive visits once a month for two hours. General 
population is allowed visits on weekends and holidays from 9am -- 3pm. 
All facilities statewide operate under the same procedures.

7. Telephone -- Telephone privileges are limited to one call a month. 
E-wing is not allowed the use of a telephone. This is another method 
orchestrated by SMU officials used to prevent inmates from exposing 
these violations to the media and family. Inmates housed in confinement 
at other facilities are allowed telephone use as is in general 
population throughout the state. We're all under the same standard 
operative procedures.

8. Grievance Procedure -- In order for us prisoners to being these 
violations to civil court we must first exhaust all administrative 
remedies by filing a grievance within the institution -- SMU officials 
have established a recent tactic where our grievances are being 
destroyed when it threatens security and administration. Attached to all 
grievance forms are the receipts that are to be signed by consolers as 
verification of submission. SMU officials have orchestrated the 
grievance process to where 'we're not receiving our receipts when given 
to the counselor. Sometimes these receipts are not returned and the 
grievances are destroyed, which leaves us without proof of submitting 
the grievances.

9. Medical -- At every facility statewide suppose to have a medical unit 
with medical personnel available 24 hours daily. At the SMU facility 
there is no medical staff available 24 hours daily, there's only two 
nurses stationed here from 7am -- 6pm on Mondays -- Fridays and 4am -- 
4pm on weekends. There is no infirmary stationed to house the ill and 
treatment for other injuries nor the mentally-ill prisoners who inflict 
self-mutilation. On 7-17-2013 an inmate was found dead in his cell and 
was left there deceased nearly 24 hours before an officer noticed. I've 
witnessed this prisoner on several occasions complain about internal 
injuries to officers and medical staff, but no action was taken and his 
complaints were ignored by all staff. When he passed away SMU officials 
along with medical staff hid this tragedy from the media and the 
prisoner's family. I have reason to believe that the investigation is 
on-going to this day. Medical staff are in cahoots with the 
administration here. When prisoners are physically abused by prison 
staff these nurses falsify documents in our medical files as if these 
incidents never existed. When prisoners give these nurses medical 
request forms for immediate medical treatment these request forms are 
sometimes destroyed, which has been a major problem for the past several 
years I've been housed at this facility.

10. Laundry -- Laundry at this facility has been another problem as 
well. We are allowed to send out laundry twice a week when policy states 
daily. Even on the days laundry suppose to be washed it some times don't 
go out to the laundry. The laundry officer washes laundry at her own 
will. When inmates need clothes or other bathing material the laundry 
officer has the tendency to procrastinate on supplying clothing, 
sometimes it takes months before we receive clothes.

11. Food Portions and Preparation -- For the past two years there has 
been an ongoing issue pertaining to the food trays that we're being 
served. We are receiving inadequate food portions, all food portions are 
not full according to the menu, we are not receiving the 2,800 calories 
that we're entitled to daily. Instead we are getting half of the 2800 
calories. We're grown men being fed as if we are toddlers. There is no 
lunch being served on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and on holidays. However 
due to the decreased portions on those days our breakfast meals and 
supper meals are to be double portion, but we're not receiving these 
increased portions. As of lately there has been a massive hunger strike 
amongst several of us prisoners who are making a non-violent stand for 
many different reasons which inadequate food portions and preparation as 
one of the reasons. There has been a constant problem with insects 
floating in our food (mostly when we're served beans), SMU officials 
fail to rectify the problem and continuing to allow food service to 
serve us these filthy trays. When the prisoners complain about these 
servings kitchen stewardess along with prison staff boldly refuse any 
correction and tell us to starve to death, this is currently active.

12. Mail -- Mail has also been a constant problem. Administration staff 
has ordered their agents to tamper with incoming and outgoing mail, 
especially that of the political prisoners. They do not want us exposing 
the harsh conditions of SMU. This action is also done to prevent 
prisoners who've been abused from pursuing litigation against prison 
officials. All hunger strike prisoners mail is always tampered with or 
confiscated. Practically every violation that SMU officials have made 
against prisoners housed here has been unheard of because prison 
officials will literally break other laws, confiscating mail so that the 
truth of this facility would remain hidden from security. We are 
sometimes denied certain law books and religious books.

13. Religious Service -- I've been housed at this facility since 7-27-09 
and never had I once seen nor spoken to a chaplain or no person of 
chaplaincy at this institution. Every time I request an interview with a 
chaplain my request goes unanswered. Muslim prisoners have filed several 
complaints regarding certain conditions at this facility that violates 
their religious rights. These violations have yet to be met.

14. Counseling -- Counseling has been another matter that we have raised 
lately. Mental health counselors are not providing sufficient counseling 
to the mentally ill prisoners who're on the MH caseload. Some inmates 
make threats of self harm to counselors and other departmental staff, 
most times these threats are not taken seriously or ignored. These 
threats are usually carried out. Nothing is taken seriously when it 
concerns the inmates. Even general counseling at this facility is 
inadequate. According to the Established Statewide Standard Operation 
Procedures (S.O.P.) counselors are to make rounds in each unit once a 
week. This policy is not being adhered to. We are lucky to see 
counselors once a month. Counselors are also part of the corruption that 
circulates within this facility, they assist with the administrative 
staff on withholding certain information from prisoners and with 
concealing the mistreatment that we are enduring at this facility.

15. Security -- There is nothing safe or secure about this facility. 
There are barely any officers assigned here, there are plenty of former 
staff members who've quit or resigned due to the horrifying conditions 
and cruel treatment that us prisoners are experiencing, there's MAJOR 
breach of security here with the shortage of staff and officers. We are 
left inside our cells for hours at a time nearly everyday without 
officers conducting their thirty minute routine checks to ensure inmate 
safety while being confined 24 hours daily. This is one of the reasons 
that prisoner died and was found in his cell hours after his death, 
officers fail to make rounds as policy states. There are six wings at 
this facility housing thirty-two inmates per wing, there is not enough 
staff here to work the units. Is a prisoner happens to die in his cell 
he will never be discovered until hours later until officers feed trays, 
that is the only time we see an officer. It's even harder for diabetic 
inmates.

16. Discipline -- When an inmate commits disciplinary infractions we're 
to be sanctioned professionally then disciplinary procedure disclosed in 
S.O.P. However, this procedure is consistently being violated by SMU 
officials, who have not used proper procedures, instead they create 
their own rules and tactics that supersedes state policy and law. They 
will impose corporal punishment upon us as a sanction which is 
prohibited in statewide policy. This violation has continued to be in 
effect due to the lack of outside help for certain prisoners. Food has 
been withheld and often used as a form of punishment where inmates are 
not fed their meals at times. These issues remain secret because there's 
no way such action can be proven, unless there is outside support.

17. Assaults -- Most of the prisoners housed at this facility have been 
subject to some form of assault made by correctional officers whether 
sexual or flat out brutality. Several of these officers have history of 
assaulting prisoners. These incidents are brought to the attention of 
the administrative staff, but most of these complaints are disregarded 
to where nothing is done to resolve the incidents. There are officers 
who are currently assigned to the unit of their victims. They 
continuously harass them and often retaliate in other ways when policy 
states that both parties are to have no interactions. These officers 
make threats to harm their victims again and also refuse to feed their 
food trays and deny them everything they're entitled to. Staff members 
at this facility implement a variety of fear tactics to keep us quiet 
from spreading the truth and ultimately to the place fear in our hearts. 
There's only a few of us who have remained solid by standing up for 
what's right, it is only a small number of us. When we take non-violent 
or any other peaceful actions, such as hunger strikes, to bring some 
form of justification to the unlawful and unnecessary sufferings that 
we're bearing, prison officials will then place us in isolation then 
strip us of our property and clothing, place us inside a cold cell to 
suffer even more with hopes to break us to coming off hunger strike, 
this is another method used to maintain control over us, break our 
integrity, and dismantle our structured unification amongst each other. 
There are other tactics used against us such as placing us on stripped 
cell after gassing us with tear gas in a cell with no bedding material, 
completely nude for days at a time. We are left in the cell choking and 
gagging from the chemicals without given a shower or opportunity to 
rinse them chemicals off of us.

18. Law Library -- Every prison has its own law library where prisoners 
are able to purchase legal material and other material that we're 
entitled to. At the SMU facility we are denied certain law material that 
allow us access to the courts. This is done to impede us from knowing 
our prison rights as well as human rights. Prison officials have 
conspired with law library personnel to deny us any material that 
threatens the SMU facility rules and regulations. They do not want us to 
know the rules that they are suppose to follow. When we request certain 
material pertaining to prison policy the law librarian will deny us the 
material and send us a typed letter stating that we are not allowed any 
material that threatens prison rules. I have proof of this actual letter.

All that I have spoken in this article regarding the violations of the 
prison rules, state law, and federal law at this facility is true, at 
this current moment these violations are still in effect. All prisoners 
housed at this facility have been suffering tremendously from inhumane 
treatment that we are enduring. We are still being abused physically, 
sexually, and mentally by prison guards and other officials at this 
facility. The administrative staff (Warden Bruce Chatman, Deputy Wardens 
June Bishop and William Powell, and Unit Manager R. Logan) has continued 
to hide such rampant corruption from the public and families of the 
inmates housed here. When family or other loved ones call the prison 
concerning the deprivation and dehumanization that we're encountering, 
prison officials will deny any wrong doing then make false accusations 
about us as a reason to justify their actions. These prison officials 
have policy and procedures to adhere to. When a prisoner commits 
disciplinary infractions we are punished for the action within the 
institution. When prison officials violate statewide policies and 
procedures there is no action taken as sanctioned imposed upon them. We 
are shown everyday that we have no rights and that they can treat us 
however they want and nothing will be done about it, we are treated like 
animals every day when we are not breaking prison rules, still we're 
being punished just because we're in prison. In their eyes, prisoners 
have no rights, prisoners are not considered humans. Literally it is 
fixed in their minds that we are not humans and that we're bad people. 
There is nothing about this facility operating accordingly to policy and 
procedures, and law. Everything that we are entitled to has been taken 
away from us.

When prisoners come together in hunger strikes these prison staff will 
punish us even more with brutality and placing us in isolation until we 
break. It is a right that we have to place ourselves on these strikes, 
but the prison officials at SMU punish us for striking as if we've done 
something wrong. This is done spitefully and without reason or cause.

There has been another huge problem that has occurred lately where I 
along with several other prisoners who've been sexually assaulted and 
harassed by an officer (Lt. Michael J. Kyles) within the past 2 months. 
This same officer has a history of assaulting inmates while their in 
handcuffs, but SMU administration has continued to allow him to 
supervise at this unit where his victims are housed. Policy states that 
any-all sexual allegations are to be taken seriously and in a manner as 
to avoid future misconduct or threats made by prison staff. Lt. Kyles Is 
not supposed to be assigned around us while the investigation is 
ongoing. On the days when Lt. Kyles is on shift he would make it his 
first priority to step on the range of those who have complaints against 
him shooting more threats towards us. We file complaint after complaint, 
bringing the issue to the attention of all SMU staff, yet our complaints 
are treated without due respect and not taken seriously. We are denied 
the telephone so that we cannot report assaults to the sexual abuse hot 
line (PREA), which we're entitled to.

Every event that I have written about in this article falls on the hands 
of the warden (Bruce Chatman) and the rest of the administrative staff 
of SMU, they are the individuals who's responsible for the care and 
treatment of the prisoners, safety and security of all inmates, ordinary 
runnings of this facility. The administration are the individuals who 
authorize and approve everything that has taken place and is currently 
happening at this facility.

These problems are still existing and has been happening for the past 
several years that I've been housed at this facility yet prison 
officials have placed limitations on our outside support. There are no 
rules, policy, regulations, or procedure that authorize the way that the 
SMU facility is being operated and the way that we're being treated and 
held captive at the special management unit here in Jackson, Georgia.

Sincerely,

Robert Watkins #1245402
GDCSP
PO Box 3877
Jackson, GA 30233

Legal Complaint <http://sparcprariefire.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ga1.pdf>

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Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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