Please someone tell me do you believe what they tell you to be true? My son tells me of being roughed up by guards, about other things that happen, about the gangs inside, about the abuse of power from female/male guards, about certain unwritten codes of conduct between prisoners. What do I believe? Now about false DR's and KKK running Lancaster CI.
I told him to try to blend and not be noticed, it shouldn't be hard. But for him it is... everything is! like getting a GED an a 2 year period while in. I thought we were being honest with each other. Has he just been playing me as well? I asked for copies of his DR to look at myself and can't seem to get them. He signed a release of info a few months ago when he went phsyc and I asked how he was. So why can't I get copies? Are 'they' LANCASTER CI, hiding something?
WHO the h*ll do you trust anyway? I'm ready to GIVE UP! My son was an addict so it's easy for him to look me in the eye and lie to my face. Then there is this power struggle for my attention between my husband and son. Can't wait till my son is out and moves back in to GET TORN APART SOME MORE! I HATE MEN!! WHY CAN"T THEY JUST GROW UP?? OR IS IT ME?????HELP. Cheryl

I do believe most of what they say. If someo one write me and ask me to look in to it, then i do, not like the system will always tells the truth....I do not have much faith in the system, i know that what most tell me is true, dont even uneresitmate what they say. :(

Cheryl

What he is telling you is partly true. Probably not to the point and extreme he is saying, but, there are gangs and Prison Groups. They do have a different Code in Prison than outside. A snitch will get killed in Prison. You never tell the POLICE what is going on. That is the Prison slang for Guards.

I have seen guards who do abuse power, I have seen some very good ones. I have seen people who are over the Prisons who really should never be there because they have absolutely no compassion. As far as his heath care, you do need to be involved. If you don't get help at the unit level, then go to the State level.

God Bless you hon. If you need to talk and want to PM me I will be glad to listen.

Donna

Well... I will share my experiences.... I used to work within the walls... and I was taught the "procedures" for inmates getting requests filled, etc. and was told by the prison administration how things "worked".... and I passed this info on to the guys in my program.... and I saw how their requests were NOT even acknowledged... how in the fact the system did NOT "work" at all!!! And yet when I would take the concerns to the administration they would again just tell me "all the inmate needs to do is this..." They will never fix the system so that it does work the way it should because they refuse to see that it isn't working now....
Let me give you a few examples.... Where I was at the inmates were issued their "state" clothing.... two pairs of pants, two white T-shirts, and two blue button down shirts.... Now... they were EXPECTED to wear this "uniform" each day.... If one of their articles of clothing became tattered (lost buttons, tears, etc) they were informed that ALL they needed to do was to send the article of clothing wtih a "kite" to the clothing department and it would be repaired and returned or replaced. Sounds easy enough, right?? They had washers on the housing unit where they were to wash their clothing.... the problem with this was that it was in the dayroom.. Now keep in mind there were 68 guys on my housing unit and only 2 washers... so you had to get your stuff washed whenever you could... there were times that a guy would put his clothes in and then get called to go to medline or chow or some other appointment and he would HAVE to follow the CO's directive to leave... only to return and find his clothing gone. He would report it to the CO and have them tell him there was no way they could find how who took it... so they should simply request a replacement. I remember one guy in particular that this happened to... and he came to me a week later saying that he had sent a kite every day, but he still hadn't heard anything... and asking what he should do. I had him fill a kite out WITH me EVERY morning and we sent them off with a kite from ME attached!! (Keep in mind I was the DIRECTOR of this program!) His requests continued to go unanswered.... And in the time when he was sitting around with only one pair of pants and one T-shirt in his possession, he was written up by CO's on 6 different occasions because he "failed to wear appropriate uniform".... Now when a CO would say something to him about the fact that he needed to have a blue shirt on, he would point out to them that HE DIDN'T HAVE ONE!! I saw him invite a CO to inspect his room and his property box! He invited them to talk to ME about how many requests he had put in! They refused and wrote him up! Imagine how frustrating that is!!
The same was true in sooo many areas!! You mention the GED thing.... well the prison where I was loved to talk about the "educational opportunities" for inmates and about how all the inmates had to do was request the program. And yet I saw guys who requested and requested and BEGGED to get in and never did!
And yet after seeing all that, I still had SO many times when I was skeptical of what the guys told me. I remember them telling me about how the CO's would treat them once the "program staff" (me and my counselors) left the housing unit for the day. Now I knew that the CO's were probably aware of us being around, but I found it hard to believe that they were REALLY being as out of control as my guys were saying.... until one day I worked late over in my office OFF the housing unit... and went walking back over to the housing unit in the evening before I was ready to leave.... Now the CO's on the unit didn't know I was still at the prison... as I walked up to the housing unit I heard the CO ON THE PA SYSTEM that broadcasts THROUGHOUT the housing unit, CUSSING the entire housing unit out like I could NOT believe... I could hear it from the street in front of the unit!!
Time and time and time again it was confirmed for me that what the guys were telling me was accurate.....
I understand your skepticism... and part of why I didn't believe my guys at first is that they WERE all addicts, and I know how easy it becomes for addicts to misrepresent or distort the truth... but in MY experiences working inside and in all my direct dealings with DOC since becoming involved with JD... I have always found that what he and the other inmates told me was TRUE........

It sounds as if what he told you is probably true. My sons don't tell me much as I tend to freak out. I guess they feel what I don't know can't hurt me. The problem is I know too much.When my sons were out neither one of them came around me when they were doing drugs. I guess it sounds terrible , but that was fine with me.I guess they got tired of me begging , crying , pleding for them to get help.

I'm glad to read info from someone who's been on both sides of the fence but its scary! My boys have told me things too that I didn't know if I should believe but your story helps settle my mind. If our kids or loved ones are having problems with guards or staff is there anything we on the outside can do to help or could it cause them more problems if we interferred?

I was a case manager/social worker at a max security prison. Yes, the guards do taunt the inmates. They disrespect, degrade, make racials slurs, and make sexual advances towards inmates. This also goes for the wardens, the Sgts, the Lts, captains, case managers, and unit managers. These ignoramuses have absolutely no business being in the penal system, but the BAD far outweigh the good. I was an excellent case manager, I treated the inmates with empathy and respect. What did I get in return from them?? RESPECT and courtesy. The majority of the staff I would say 90% were bad and treated the inmates worse than animals. They took away their dignity and self esteem. These men that I worked with were just a number, they didn't have an identity to most of the staff. I am in contact with many of my former inmates that were in my unit and they all pretty much say the same thing. "you were unlike anything we have ever seen before." "You care about us. "You bring light into a dark place." I truly made a difference to many of these guys. I got a few of "my" inmates enrolled in college correspondence courses. I went in with this theory, If I can make a difference to one person in my career, I did a job well done. I am proud of my guys and hope for the best for all of them upon their release. When any of my guys were headed to a lower restricted place, I always told them. : Go do better and don't come back" So yes, those things are the truth. As for the "horrors" I never saw any of it, but they are discreet. And yes, gangs do run prisons. They have a heirarchy just like we have the president, vp and so on. Gang members, especially the most veteran ones are the most repectful and laid back of the inmates. For they have already proven one self and have the less ranking members conduct the dirty work.

JDWIFEYO2 & JMN22767, THANK YOU FOR SHEDDING SOME LIGHT HERE ON WHAT REALLY GOES ON IN PRISONS, BUT TELL US, WHAT RIGHTS DO WE HAVE AS PARENTS TO STOP THIS MADDNESS? What can we do to make this abuse stop without it hurting our Children? I read somewhere where Wardens dislike middle and upper class families who expose their prisons of all that takes place on the inside. We all pray that God sends people like yourselves to look after our boys but I know this is not possible that everyone in the system is anything like the two of you. My son has not made it to prison yet still waiting for his transfer but if you have any advice to give me so that I can pass on to him I would really aprreciate it. A far as believing him if he ever has problems on the inside. Without a doubt! Cherly give your son the benefet of the doubt and work with him. I know you have been through so much with him but don't give up now. You are his strength, make him get strong! Jeannie

I just visited my son on saturday 7/11/06 he has just gotten transferred to bradshaw state jail from county jail. My son told me that the guards do taunt and try to trip them up.
My son said that when he was told that he had visitors that the guards told him he would have to go shave but he said he had just shaved and that he could not wear his jacket and so forth....
It is a shame that our loved ones are treated as if they are maggots....
I have been through alot in my life but I must say that I think this is about the hardest thing I have ever encountered. All our lives we have done everything in our power to protect our children and now it seems as if our rights have been violated.....we can no longer protect our children and if we do try it only brings reprecussions down on them. This is madness.........please someone pinch me and wake me up from this nightmare.

5 months 2 weeks and 1 day before my son comes home.

Pamis, I know how you feel but he will be home soon. 5 months away is only days away. He will be home before you know it. Some of us here have years and even a life time before our son's come home. The pain eases with time but the fear never goes away. I will keep you and your son in my prayers. I will ask God to keep him safe for you. Jeannie