I saw my husband today and apparently the mexicans are fighting. 4 fights/stabbings in 2 days so they put the two pods on lockdown.

After the incidents in the fed penns, this is very scarey. The understaffing is a safety problem for CO's and prisoners alike. With the coming hot summer weather, I truly hope the powers that be in Huntsville are proactive. Peace Marianne

The situation at Beto was NOT a stabbing- -it was four blacks agaisnt one black- -fighting. All were gassed and arrested, NO ONE was stabbed!
U wing and T wing are NOT in lockdown, U wing was for one day, that's all.
Shanks were found on Mexican inmates when they were in the dayroom. Others was found during cell searches.
Now, That is the REAL story.

I couldn't remember if he said fight or stabbing but I remember him telling me there were knives. And as for it being just one fight? Not the case. There are many fights that happen that you officers don't see. And my husband was on lock yesterday because they put him in a cage during visit and was told by the GI guy that they were on lockdown because of the fight. They may not be now but they WERE yesterday when I was there.

Many fights that we do not see?
Have a good day- -I really won't "go there" on this.

Yes, there are. My husband has unfortunately been in several fights in his many years in TDCJ and I'd say about 75% of them were never seen by an officer. No one wants to get a case for it and if they can avoid doing so they do. Of course, my husband has chilled out over the years because he's getting older and more mature but it does happen. I didn't mean to offend you and am sorry if I did so but I just don't come making up stuff. I'm just relaying the message because others here have loved ones at Beto and I thought it would be nice to let them know what was going on from an inmate and inmate's wife perspective. Of course, I'll continue to do so. Again, I meant no disrespect. Take care and God Bless.

As somebody that was in Beto, I can be a witness to the "never known by staff fights". Yes, indeed there are many fights that are not seen by staff, nobody wants the rap associated with them (major cases,moved to other wings,loose commissary day,lock downs,etc.) Usually they are fought in a semi-civilized way...and I say "semi" because there is nothing civilized about fighting. They are fought in a cell or at the end of the runway on third floor where staff visits are more spaced. And sometimes there is even a "referee", almost like a boxing match and they usually happens because somebody allegedly "disrespected" somebody or they are being "initiated" in a gang.It also happens when a "racial" or "gang" war is about to start the parties involved choose somebody to "represent" them and they go and fight in the name of the whole gang. They usually do the last because in reality nobody wants to start a major riot, whatever people might think, everybody, even the gang members, want to go home or they don't want to miss commissary and "mess it up" for the whole wing or unit, hence becoming very unpopular among all the rest of the inmates.

They are usually not seen at Beto and other units because of several factors:
1.-The main one is Understaffed wings. There is supposed to be 1 guard per tier floor (called "run") and 3 guards in the picket (where they control the floors, one on each floor too). That brings a total of 6 guards per wing (although the picket is shared by 2 wings). In reality they are doing it with only 2 guards (1 on the picket with 6 controls panels that control 2 wings) and 1 guard for the wing looking out for 3 tier floors.

2.- Infrequent but not extremely rare, the guard allows it to happen. Why? or how this happen?. He is told first by the parties involved that there is going to be a fight, a controlled one, no stabbings,etc. A fight to "settle" some "frictions" and usually, but not rarely either, involves one to one fight. The guard, usually a veteran, that knows the inmates very well to the point of MUTUAL trust allows it IF HE KNOWS WHAT HE WAS SAID IT'S TRUE and won't be nothing more that a "roughing up". There is no danger involved, more like 2 people just slapping at each other.

The DANGEROUS one, to the safety of the inmates, is the guard that wants to avoid "paperwork" and just turns a blind eye to the fight and hopes it ends soon. I would say that is rare, but not infrequent and you usually know who they are.

The only exception to the rule that I remember, were the guards that were way too old to even walk properly, and although they wouldn't allow a fight, their physical bodies wouldn't allow to stop one or even see one. I met several guards with those problems, very fine guards and humans beings as well, but unfortunately other inmates knew that too and took advantage of that knowing they could have a fight without being caught.

If I may ask, how long ago was it you were at Beto?

anubis777

You are right on. Also no disrepect to anyone.

Peace

Hello Everyone.

I got out of Beto in February of 2006. So it's been a little over 2 1/2 years. I don't mean any disrespect for any of the guards there, on the contrary, they are human beings as the rest of everybody, they all trying to make an honest living. For the record I made friends with many of them but I never asked for a single favor or special treatment, why?, because I wouldn't jeopardize their jobs, I simply enjoyed, and still do, relating with people, learning from them. Several inmates that saw that approached to me wanting me to help them "do business" (You know, the usual tobacco traffic and else), but I said NO...why?...because for one, I didn't need money for commissary since I had always enough that I was able to avoid all the "hustle" legal and illegal that goes inside. But for me, the most important part was that I saw those guards as friends and I wouldn't jeopardize a friend's job no matter what.

Many inmates see guards as "the enemy", that is wrong, they are there to do a job like anybody, they also have the same problems than the rest of the people. Many of them are people of honor, yes, there are rotten apples or the ones that think because they never wore "white" can treat the inmates and their families like "dirt".

Trying to say that all the guards are superheroes that is mistifying a reality, they are not, but also trying to say that all of them are corrupt that is also wrong.

I used to think in the past that all of the people in prison were "bad" people,why?, because I thought I was better than them because "I never been in prison"...well, life goes in circles, and it was my turn to be there, what did I learn?...that 80% of the inmates are good people by nature, have children and families and want a better future for them, they do have also problems,joys,etc. No difference whatsoever from any other person on Earth except that thay made a mistake. AND There is of course the 20% that seems for some reason to have a more "cloudy" soul, those are the ones that are always causing major problems.

Many guards are people, who like me, just because have never been in white think that they are better than the inmates. Wrong and I hope life doesn't have to show them otherwise like it showed me.

There is also the guards that BECAME like that because that 20% I just mentioned before, gained their trust and then used them for their own selfish and even destructive purpose, those guards when they realized that immediately raised the shield of distrust onto everyone, justified distrust, unfortunately those inmates have also left mind scars, making them believe that all inmates are bad.

A small case that I know of, I remember this guard who was a new one in the unit and who used to be very friendly towards the inmates and not because there was flirtation or similar but because that was her nature, well, inmates started to abuse that good nature and got her in so much trouble that she had to transfer to another unit. I never saw her again for the rest of my sentence.

A few months after I left I bumped into her in the "real world" (as inmates call ordinary outside prison life) and she was very weary and distrustful of me, I was surprised since I never did nothing to her or asked her even for "the time"....after a while she told me that she was weary of me because "I used to be one of them, one of the white", that shocked me because I never thought of her as "the enemy in Grey" but as a human being. Well, she also explained to me that when she first got there she really wanted to make the inmates life's more pleasant by being kind and help them out (with the restrictions of the job of course and nothing outside of the legal boundaries of the job) but she was abused so much by the inmates that she couldn't take it anymore and got transferred to another unit, but she carried that rage with her towards them because she almost lost her job, so in the next unit everybody thought of her as a.....(I'm sorry for the word)...."Bitch", due to the way she conducted herself towards the inmates. She said she "hated" them.

The story doesn't end there, a few months later I bumped into her one more time while I was around the area, I was expecting the same "hatred" or "resent", but no,she apologized to me for judging me by the color of my uniform and not by the way I conducted myself with her during my time in prison, I was never offended, on the contrary, I understood, no hard feelings, she wasn't working in the prison system anymore, I was actually glad that she got out of that harmful environment for her, although is a good job in terms of salary and call me "old fashioned", but I think the general population is no place for a lady.

I'm sorry for all this long postings, but I just wanted to tell you the things the way I experienced them and I hope it helps you to have a broader perspective of what's going on inside, without exaggerations or wrong ideas.

God Bless You All.

Anubis.... although I do differ in my opinion of some of your statements.......your post has some very insightful views into the life that our loved ones are exposed to each day. Your most notable insight refers to the 20% of inmates with "cloudy" souls.

Sad but true is the old saying that "one bad apple will spoil the whole barrel".

Makes me realize how important it is that I ....ALWAYS, ALWAYS be mindful of my words and actions. Some one is watching and forming an opinion... an opinion that could change their whole way of thinking and perhaps even the course of their life.