I have a son that is in Unit 29 and although I have not spoken with him since he got there, I to have heard that it is not a save environment. He was in Unit 32 and I spoke with an officer in Mississippi and he told me that Unit 32 was worse than hell. What amazes me is that although they are in prison, they are still people and are treated worse than animals at some prisons. As a mother, that is the frustrating part. Regardless of why a person is in prison they are still a son or daughter and have a mother.

Yes Unit 32 is a living H###. I had a loved one there. I am glad your son is out of there.

softie

What I'm trying to understand is what makes these units so terrible? Is it the COs not doing their job, or do they participate in making inmates' day h***...my husband is at Unit 29, and he says the place is old, run down, and filthy...he says some of the other inmates with severe issues behave in a ruthless manner...what is the combination of problems that make these units so terrible? I ask because is there a way to raise these problems to authorities to get fixed? Are these problems even fixable?

I think what makes them so terrible is that Mississippi is still way behind the times in everything but especially in the world of corrections. Most feel that the lack of freedom as well as being away from family and friends just isn't enough punishment. They want the experience to be the worst possible. That is why so many of Mississippi's state run facilities are so substandard to most people's idea of living conditions. The lack of a temperature controlled living space...cold in the winter and hot in the summer, the lack of nutritional value in the foods that are served and the lack of programs that give inmates a goal to work toward. All of those, and many other issues lead to an experience that beyond horrible...just the way the state wants it.

Many of these problems are not fixable.

Parchman is not as big as it used to be and that is mainly because so many units are being shut down due to horrible and unliveable conditions. They are also not allowed to rebuilid anything on the grounds to my understanding.

The guards - not all but some - participate in the daily hell of being incarcerated.

Some of them do make things 10 times harder for everyone locked up. However the inmates do not make it any easier on the guards. Respect is a 2 way street in prison and you have to give it to get it. Several guards have that respect - and their shifts are run extremly easily and well.

Add that on top to making inmates work for no money - slave labor - plus no air conditioning, the conditions of the Mississippi Delta. Flooding when it rains, extreme bitter cold in the winter - with little heat.

Plus the fact that you are away from your families, have poor food, horrible medical care - then you get the conditions.

I work with Mississippi CURE - and we are one of the only groups in Mississippi working on these issues.

However when you have a list that resembles the following:

Medical Care, Bad food, Canteen gouging, no reentry programs, no sex offender rehabilitation, no drug or alcohol rehabilitation, no housing upon release, no employment opportunities upon release, lack of fans, lack of food, no case management system that works, a poorly run parole board, officers that abuse inmates, officers that refuse to give out medication, mail which is being held up,

And a LONG list of more problems - then where do you start?

At what point do you say one problem is less of a problem than another - and what should or should not be worked on? Especially when you have a small group of volunteers to work on the issues.

Also we have to remember that we are working with trying to change a government - and that takes time and slow process.

We cannot get them to change everything at one time - so what do you start on?

Plus you have to remember that we are dealing with elected officials in a state where people want inmates to be thrown and locked away in a prison.

They don't care about the conditions of that prison, and it is hard to make them care.

All of this is a BIG problem - and we need groups attacking these issues - however you do have to start small. Mississippi Cure's issues right now are
· Assist or promote issues pertaining to Veterans
· Quality Of Canteen and food in prisons
· Phone Rates
· Medical Care

And then next year we hope to have made some improvements on these issues - but will move on to some different issues the next go around.

Well explained ALL OF YOU!! I also think "caring families" make a huge difference. When you visit your loved one on a regular basis you may think your not able to do much for them but let me tell you that YOU ARE!! SO many have no canteen, no visits, no phone calls and who is to blame for this? I KNOW most of us are poor folks here but I DO BELIEVE many more could go visit, send a little canteen money and allow a phone call a month to their loved ones. If not do just ONE of these things each month and rotate but for the good Lord's sake if nothing else GO VISIT PLEASE!! Your appearance at visit DOES make SOME difference. Or I think it does. Lots that I hear that is really bad is from folks who do not or are not able to visit their loved ones. Letters are great but eye to eye contact for them and seeing and hearing from the FREE WORLD are so important to each of them. I know I am "preaching to the choir" so thanks for letting me vent..SMILE!!

I just received a letter from my son and he has now been moved to Unit 29 L buildng. I understand this is lockdown. I know by reading his letters that he lives in fear everyday of his life. I send canteen money to him and if it makes his life a little easier in there than so be it. Lots of people tell me I am crazy for sending him money but who knows what a little canteen money can do to help him. As I mentioned before, being in Florida and him in Mississippi is even harder. I am with you Jonathan 200% in trying to help you make changes at Parchman. Just let me know what I can do to help.

Mama Kat, I am SO SORRY that you are so far away. Also sorry he is in "lockdown". They do not get canteen privilges in lockdown do they? God bless him. I hope he does not have to stay there very long. I have heard bad about 29 and 32. We just need to pray for him and your family.

Mama, I too am sorry to hear his transfer to lockdown...my husband is at 29-I, one of the farming units...canteen money is so important for my husband, he gets plenty of snacks to supplement...in fact, he says he wouldn't be eating well at all if i didn't send money...i can also sympathize with your distance, my son and I live in Ohio...i decided living with my parents would be easier on me, and I could afford a few phone calls and my mom helps me afford a visit once a month...while our visits are stopped until December, I still will make that long drive...stay strong, for your son...I am sorry he seems to be in such fear, I will be praying for his safety, and your sanity :-)..God bless

And if I hadn't mentioned before, welcome to PTO. I'm glad you found us, we are always here to help you walk through this trial. God Bless!

Here is a thread here at PTO, it is about a lawsuit won by the ACLU in 2003 against Parchman specifically Unit 32 Death Row.

Even after the lawsuit was won. Parchman and the DOC appealed and spent tons of money to fight it. They spent more money trying to fight it then it would have costs just to do the repairs.

The article in the thread shows a picture of one of the cells, it is disgusting.

http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15462

softie

Thank you for posting this information for us to better understand...I read the documentation on the ACLU website, and I can't say enough how apalled(sp?) I am...it's simply a terrible shame and I will continue to pray over this issue...it disgusts me to read of these conditions!

Since I use to work at Parchman and have worked at Unit 29 several of times I have to say that it is better than what it use to be. They have did some remodeling at Unit 29, but still no A/C. Like it was said earlier it's not always the officers fault, but most of the time it's the inmates fault. As a former officer, we have rules to follow and one of them was to try to have the inmates keep there area clean, but like always you will have those who don't give a d**n about no one not even themselves, which makes it harder for the next man. All I can say is keep praying and hope that things get better. You do have those officers who don't realize that they (inmates) are human too. I was the one the inmates like because I went out my way to make sure they had everything they needed. If I couldn't get it for them right then and there, I made sure they got it within that following week. I know the guys at Unit 30 where I was assigned to miss me, because I still have friends who work over there come back and tell me they (inmates) ask about me all the time and it's been 3 years since I worked over there.

Fox, thank you so much for your insight. It's great to hear your perspective. I hear what you mean about unruly inmates. My husband has said more than once, he's been in areas with guys that have lost all hope, and behave as animals. It's a tragedy, because, as you said, it does make it harder for the next man. There a such a variety of men in these units, some with extended sentences and some with relatively shorter sentences. In combination with I-Care, family plays a huge role in HOW these men will continue living. I know I certainly tell my husband constantly to remember WHO he is, although I'm sure he doesn't need reminding.

God bless you in your efforts to maintain the inmates' dignity. Certainly that job is not easy, and I could only imagine some hardships of trying to do the right things, amongst those who don't want to do what is right.

Thank you again for your insight. And, welcome to PTO!

My boyfriend is in Unit-32, I worry about him every minute of every day. I haven't been able to visit him yet as he's 14 hours away from me and the longest visit they'll give me is an hour (being a single mom to a toddler, it just hasn't been able to happen :( ).

I really appreciate everyone who's working so hard to get the conditions at Parchman improved... since I've never personally been I can only imagine what they're really like and it breaks me heart. i wish there was more I could do from so far away.

Fox, you are correct about some of the officers beng caring. When my son was first sent to Unit 32 it was in the middle of the summer months. One of the guards came by and told him to take water out of the sink and put on the floor and lay on the floor to try to cool his body. I have no idea how in the world he handles these types of situations.

As I mentioned before, in his letters I can tell you he is scared but cannot let on that he is. He is not a big person and is constantly tested by the other inmates. As his mother I wish I could do something to help him but cannot. If only we all could turn back the hands of time. Drugs and alcohol can ruin so many lives.

Thanks to everyone who is helping me through these trying times. I am here to help to make changes at Parchman in anyway that I can. Just let me know what I can do to help.