DOCSLIB.ORG

Nevada Prisoner Medical and Inmate Deaths

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Nevada Prisoner Medical and Inmate Deaths 3705 East Mountain Vista Road Hereford, AZ 85615-9192 Tel 520 378 7048 Mercedes Maharis Cell 520 234 7167 MA MS MA [email protected] To: Justice James W. Hardesty and From: Mercedes Maharis MA MS MA To Each Member of the Nevada Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice (NRS 176.0123) —FOR THE RECORD— Date: 11/19/2008 Re: NV Prison Medical and Inmate Deaths CC: Can a Nevada prison sentence become a death sentence? We think, yes, it can. Two Nevada Inmate Death Lists: (See Enclosed.) a) 09-08-1905 to 04-13-2000 b) 01/01/2000 to 06/04/2007 No deaths? Or no deaths reported, in Nevada prisons 1913 - 1924==11 years? No deaths from natural causes? Or none reported 03-03-1930 to 11-21-1953==23 years? Inmate Death List a), precludes data analysis because it appears to be incomplete. The data on Inmate Death List b)... January 2000 to June 2007 is not up to date... 17 months behind. But we hope to receive current, correct, data shortly, to have complete data to study. We are requesting NV prison inmate death data that can hopefully reveal: 1) The average time inmates were in NV prisons until they died; 2) The average age at death; 3) The average time in NV prisons before death by race. 4) The average time inmates were in NV prisons before their deaths 5) The population of prison deaths per thousand compared to the NV general population. Advisory Commission on Admin, of Justice, Exhibit (\j pg \_ ofo2^Date: SubmittecNbv: PC November 19, 2008 It appears that the most recent 11 deaths in NV prisons (March to May 2007) list "Natural" as the reason for death. Have prisoner autopsies stopped? Why is this data so difficult to keep current? It is reported that Mr. Guy W. Martens had no prior felonies and that he came to prison in NV in a wheelchair going directly into the Regional Medical Facility in Carson City. For your consideration, we offer an account of the NV prison medical experience from Mr. Martens in 2001 and an account in 2008. Both are "white collar crime" prisoners. Both suggest that improvement in prisoner care may not be progressing so quickly as prisoners, families, advocates and proponents of true justice in NV would wish. Mr. Guy W. Martens1 penned letters to us asking for help for himself and others in NDOC Regional Medical Facility in Carson City. The name of the second correspondent is being withheld. (NOTE: If you care to read the entire contents of these gut wrenching letters, please advise. We can provide copies of them for you, if you can assure no retaliation will occur.) I received your letter of 12-10-00 today. 36 days after you mailed it to me. You addressed it right and the delay was no fault of yours. This is just one way they mentely [sic] abuse us here. I am writing this letter to you hopeing [sic] you might be able to help us who suffer here at N.N.C.C. I am a big man. 6* 3" and 334 pounds. In my younger years I was a football player. In 1989 I suffered a heart attack that left me with sever [sic] medical problems and now in a wheelchair. Becouse [sic] of a involuntary bankrupcy [sic] my company had some N.S.F. checks out that I could not cover... So, becouse [sic] of my health I could not work. And the judge sayed [sic] he felt prison best for me. I received the max sentence five years. After sentencing, I was taken to N.N.C.C. R. M. F. = Regional Medical Facility. Becouse I did not go through normal intake - fish tank. I was unable to get a compleat [sic] issue of clothing in my size. I was finally issued 1 woren [sic] out shirt. To this day, I still don't have a second shirt to change into so that I might wash the one I have... I have been forced to wash my cloths [sic] in the cell tolet [sic] and then remain naked and cold for hours becouse [sic] the prison has no cloths [sic] for me. I have endured ridicule and teasing by some female staff regaurding [sic] my nakedness and large size. I have tryed [sic] to complain, but my complaints have fallen on deaf ears. In fact, when I tryed [sic] to complain the luentent [sic] cut me off with a threat of disiplinary [sic] sactions [sic]... I have given a lot of thought to how I might help you help others. I feel I can best do by giving you as much information as I can from the inside. Brutality, inhumane medical treatment and timekeeping problems are big problems and issues here... Brutality has many faces in the Nevada prison system. I have seen men come in here from camp with a broken leg and bone sickness that will not heal after being cleared by Indian Springs medical staff for N. D. F. now this young man will never walk right again. This man was placed in the RMF and was forgotten about for almost 6 months. The man lost 120 days of work and camp time that he can never earn back... I watched medical staff remove a man who had died from a heart attack in a isolation cell be taken out on a gurney and hit with high voltage from the heart paddles. The body jumped so high that it fell right off of the gurney onto the floor. I heard the medical staff say (Gee that Page 2 November 19, 2008 was fun. Should we do it again) Question - Why would anyone be left in a locked isolation room with a severe heart condition and no way to contact staff or anyone else... I have personally been shorted my cardiac medication, no less than 10 times in a period of between 10-7-2000 and 1-27-2001. Sometimes I have received my medication late. But other times I have not received it at all. These meds are life-threatening to me if I don't get them... I have personally witnessed nursing staff at the RMF take over an hour to insert a simple IV. And then when the IV was started the IV needle was severely bent in the patient's vain [sic]. The same man that endured the bent IV needle was disconnected from the IV and blood dripped all over the cell floor. And all over this man's bed. We were all exposed to the open bent needle for hours . Also all the body fluides [sic]. The man was forced to lay in his own blood for over four days. We requested clean sheets and cleaning supplies, but were refused by forensic X... General crulity [sic]... sick people are punished just for being sick... the NDOP places them in the RMF and that person loses time he or she can never earn back. This unfair treatment costs taxpayers million [sic] of dollars per year and causes hard feelings between inmates and inmates + staff. There are fights over this almost every day. THIS SUBJECT NEEDS ATTENTION!! I can't stress this enough... Forensics X and Y... (He wrote the actual names.) have taken my personal oxygen wrench for my tank so I can't turn my oxygen tank on or off any more. They also had my doctors [sic] diet canceled. They took my Nitro pills and other meds. I still have not been able to get them back. By these actions they have jeopardized my life. These people are only forensics and not medical staff. They are custody staff only... END. As I recall, I called NDOC to see what had happened to Mr. Martens, only to learn that had been shipped out of state. We never heard from him again. Did he have family? We don't know and have been unable to find out. Mr. Martens is listed as dead 04/28/2003. (See Inmate Death List.) Is this not a double tragedy if he had no family to speak for him... and our mail not delivered to him, as we have experienced. Our letters have been returned to us checked "Unauthorized...", why we do not know. We want to make things better for all. This second letter is current (2008), from a minimum security inmate. Excerpts: ... I started having chest pains at around 11 AM... I thought the pain would pass, yet as the day went by it only got worse... I notified officer X, who was working in the office that my chest was hurting... Officer X asked me questions concerning the location of the pain and symptoms, I explained that my chest was hurting, throbbing in my left arm around the elbow, jaw pain and some back pain. All signs of a heart attack... I then asked him to call the ambulance... the pain was, at this time, unbearable. Officer X screamed that if I continued with my claims of chest pain, I'd be taken to the hole... in pain, yet not wanting to get into trouble, I remained persistent, asking again for emergency medical assistance... Clearly angry, Officer X, who then acted as if I was lying and gave me a direct order to return my bunk, (which I did), where I was to await further instructions. About an hour later and after count, holding my chest and in pain, barely able to walk, I returned to the officer's office, again asking for help, that seem to upset officer X.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Prisoner Testimonies of Torture in United States Prisons and Jails
    Survivors Speak Prisoner Testimonies of Torture in United States Prisons and Jails A Shadow Report Submitted for the November 2014 Review of the United States by the Committee Against Torture I. Reporting organization The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker faith based organization that promotes lasting peace with justice, as a practical expression of faith in action. AFSC’s interest in prison reform is strongly influenced by Quaker (Religious Society of Friends) activism addressing prison conditions as informed by the imprisonment of Friends for their beliefs and actions in the 17th and 18th centuries. For over three decades AFSC has spoken out on behalf of prisoners, whose voices are all too frequently silenced. We have received thousands of calls and letters of testimony of an increasingly disturbing nature from prisoners and their families about conditions in prison that fail to honor the Light in each of us. Drawing on continuing spiritual insights and working with people of many backgrounds, we nurture the seeds of change and respect for human life that transform social relations and systems. AFSC works to end mass incarceration, improve conditions for people who are in prison, stop prison privatization, and promote a reconciliation and healing approach to criminal justice issues. Contact Person: Lia Lindsey, Esq. 1822 R St NW; Washington, DC 20009; USA Email: [email protected] +1-202-483-3341 x108 Website: www.afsc.org Acknowledgements This report would not have been possible but for the courageous individuals held in U.S. prisons and jails who rise above the specter of reprisal for sharing testimonies of the abuses they endure.
    [Show full text]
  • April 29, 2020 Public Comment with Responses
    Steve Sisolak James W. Hardesty Governor Chair, Nevada Sentencing Commission Victoria Gonzalez Chuck Callaway Executive Director Vice Chair, Nevada Sentencing Commission STATE OF NEVADA DEPARTMENTOF SENTENCINGPOLICY 625 Fairview Drive , Suite 121 / Carson City , NV 89701-5430 Phone: (775) 684-7390 http ://sentencing . nv .gov NEVADA SENTENCING COMMISSION MEETING PUBLIC COMMENT April 29, 2020 Personal identifying information has been redacted Public Comment #1: (with 1 attachment) From: Jocelyn Lee Subject: Sentencing Commission Date: Thu 4/16/2020 12:19 PM Judge Hardesty or To Whom it May Concern, Please see the letter attached regarding Compassionate Release of my uncle, Greg Wolf, from Lovelock Correctional Facility. Thank you, PC #1-Attachment 1 of 1) Thursday, April 16, 2020 To: Judge Hardesty Subject: Compassionate Release COVID 19 Dear Judge Hardesty; My uncle, Gregory Wolf, has been imprisoned in Nevada since about Christmas, 1997 for ludeness charges. I am advocating for his compassionate release. He is 74 years old and has been suffering recently with great vision loss in both eyes due to cataracts and has been unable to get the proper surgery. I believe my uncle is no longer a threat to society. He has some funds and a brother and sister, Karen Wolf of Las Vegas and Alyn Wolf of Colorado, who will help Greg with housing and adjusting to civilian life. Greg has shown good behavior and he will make sure to register with the Sheriff’s office as a sex offender as required by law. Great thanks for your support in this matter! Sincerely, Jocelyn Lee Public Comment #2 From: Karen Wolf Subject: COMPASSIONATE RELEASE COMMISSION FOR INMATE GREG WOLF Date: Thu 4/16/2020 7:44 PM APRIL 16, 2020 DEAR GOVERNOR SISOLAK; I am putting in a plea for consideration for my brother for GREGORY WOLF, AGED 74 , IN LOVELOCK CORRECTIONAL CENTER SINCE 1997 For ludeness, sex offender status .He needs compassionate release as soon as possible for he is legally blind and tells us he’s never gotten his cataracts surgery he was promised in Carson City.
    [Show full text]
  • Ely State Prison Facility Condition Analysis
    State of Nevada Department of Corrections Ely State Prison Facility Condition Analysis ELY STATE PRISON 4569 North State Route 490 Ely, Nevada 89301 Site Number: 9941 STATE OF NEVADA PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION FACILITY CONDITION ANALYSIS Report Printed in February 2016 State of Nevada Department of Corrections Ely State Prison Facility Condition Analysis The Facility Condition Analysis Program was created under the authority found in NRS 341.128. The State Public Works Division develops this report using cost estimates based on contractor pricing which includes materials, labor, location factors and profit and overhead. The costs of project design, management, special testing and inspections, inflation and permitting fees are not included. Cost estimates are derived from the R.S. Means Cost Estimating Guide and from comparable construction costs of projects completed by SPWD project managers. The deficiencies outlined in this report were noted from a visual survey. This report does not address routine maintenance needs. Recommended projects do not include telecommunications, furniture, window treatments, space change, program issues, or costs that could not be identified or determined from the survey and available building information. If there are buildings without projects listed, this indicates that only routine maintenance needs were found. This report considers probable facility needs for a 10 year planning cycle. This report is not a guarantee of funding and should not be used for budgeting purposes. This report is a planning level document for agencies and State Public Works Division to assess the needs of the Building and/or Site and to help support future requests for ADA upgrades / renovations, Capital Improvement Projects and maintenance.
    [Show full text]
  • 2002 Torture in US Prisons.Pdf
    Evidence of U.S. Human Rights Violatiom American Friends Service Committee New York Metropolitan Region Criminal Justice Program 972 Broad Street, 6* moor Newark New Jersey 07102 XI* Bonnie Kernesr, Associate Director, Coordinator, Prison Watch Edited by Julia Lutrky Regional Director, Ehabeth Enloe CrinJnal Justice Program Director, Michael Ekner Prison Watch Program As&tant Masai Ehehosi Dedicated to Holbrook Teter 'odd (Hymg-Rae) Tarselli -.-- - - .- .-. .-. .- .. -- %OW.. They Live Squeezed Together, t- The forceful rushes ofthis isolational perversion has pulled my essence into a cersspool incesantly devoted to a grime of darlmess and sordid pungents of evil.. This just ain't life as the innumberable scopes of hurt-filled anxieties come forth in stripped depths! of a consciousness wrapped within interiors of doctrines in- with control cries diseased insanity traumatic and situated from cold functions! of wickedness .. This just ain't life pathologbed in a subsumed litany of steel and cement codes preoccupied with the disturbing thrust of death TABLE OF CONTENTS :;ourcesotherthanleners ........................................................... iv I'rcj:~~: ~ ~ ... Inrroduction .Thc En-XISof lsolalion .... ................................... ........ I I . Excessive Use of Force .......................................................... 4 i. Excessive Use of Restraints ........................................................ 8 Genaal ................................................................... 8 FourPointRestraint .......................................................
    [Show full text]
  • CQR Women in Prison
    Published by CQ Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. www.cqresearcher.com Women in Prison Should they be treated differently from men? he number of women in state and federal prisons has surged since 1978 by nearly 800 percent — twice the growth rate for men. Mandatory sen- tences for drug offenses enacted during the 1980s Tand 1990s have hit women particularly hard, many experts say. But some prosecutors and Republicans dispute the claim that the so-called war on drugs has disproportionately hurt women. They say mandatory sentencing has reduced crime, helped break up drug rings and ended sentencing disparities. Reformers hope states’ recent efforts to reduce prison populations and spend more on drug treatment will help women. But they say women still remain an afterthought in the penal system. For example, reformers say Women make up 7 percent of the nation’s prison population. Since 1978, the number of women in state and federal prisons has surged by almost courts and prisons rarely recognize women’s responsibility as 800 percent. Above, women in the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Ala. mothers or the factors underlying their participation in crime, such as domestic abuse. The justice system, women’s advocates say, I needs to think creatively about how to help female prisoners. THISREPORT N Meanwhile, in the juvenile system, girls often receive harsher THE ISSUES ....................195 S BACKGROUND ................201 punishments than boys who commit similar offenses. I CHRONOLOGY ................203 D CURRENT SITUATION ........208 E CQ Researcher • March 3, 2017 • www.cqresearcher.com AT ISSUE........................209 Volume 27, Number 9 • Pages 193-216 OUTLOOK ......................211 RECIPIENT OF SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AWARD FOR BIBLIOGRAPHY ................214 EXCELLENCE ◆ AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILVER GAVEL AWARD THE NEXT STEP ..............215 WOMEN IN PRISON March 3, 2017 THE ISSUES SIDEBARS AND GRAPHICS Volume 27, Number 9 EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Thomas J.
    [Show full text]
  • Directory of State and Local Government
    DIRECTORY OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT Last updated July 23, 2021 Prepared by RESEARCH DIVISION LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL BUREAU APRIL 2021 The last comprehensive update of this publication was in April 2021. It is updated monthly with new information about which the Research Division is made aware. The most updated version of the Directory of State and Local Government is available on an ongoing basis at: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/Content/items/ directory-of-state-and-local-government Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS NEVADA STATE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONAL CHART � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 15 CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 21 DIRECTORY OF STATE GOVERNMENT � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 23 EXECUTIVE BRANCH CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 24 Attorney General . .24 Office of the Attorney General . .24 Bureau of Consumer Protection . .24 Fraud Control Unit for Industrial Insurance �������������������������������������������������������������������������������24 Fraud Control Unit for Insurance . .25 Unit for the Investigation and Prosecution of Crimes Against Older Persons or Vulnerable Persons �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������25 Medicaid Fraud Control Unit . .25 Committee on Domestic Violence . .25 Office of Ombudsman for Victims of Domestic Violence . .26 Office
    [Show full text]
  • Assembly Daily Journal
    NEVADA LEGISLATURE Thirty-First Special Session, 2020 ASSEMBLY DAILY JOURNAL THE ELEVENTH DAY CARSON CITY (Saturday), July 18, 2020 Assembly called to order at 8:16 p.m. Mr. Speaker presiding. Roll called. All present. Prayer by the Chaplain, Richard Snyder read by Chief Clerk Susan Furlong. Almighty God, we give You thanks for this new day and for new opportunities. We ask that Your Spirit be present in this Nevada Assembly to restore and renew the members and the staff. Guide them to seek and to follow Your will in all their negotiations as they strive for solutions to issues facing the Thirty-First Special Session. AMEN. Pledge of allegiance to the Flag. Assemblyman Yeager moved that further reading of the Journal be dispensed with and the Speaker and Chief Clerk be authorized to make the necessary corrections and additions. Motion carried. MOTIONS, RESOLUTIONS AND NOTICES Assemblyman Yeager moved that Kelsey Marier of KOLO-TV be accepted as an accredited press representative, assigned space at the press table in the Assembly Chamber, and allowed use of appropriate broadcasting facilities. Motion carried. Assemblyman Yeager moved that Assembly Bill No. 1 be taken from the General File and placed on the Chief Clerk’s desk. Motion carried. GENERAL FILE AND THIRD READING Assembly Bill No. 3. Bill read third time. The following amendment was proposed by the Committee of the Whole: Amendment No. 4. — 2 — AN ACT relating to state financial administration; reducing certain appropriations and other money budgeted for Fiscal Year 2020-2021;
    [Show full text]
  • Phone Street City State Zip+4
    Institution Phone Street City State Zip+4 Anchorage Correctional Complex 907-334-2381 1400 East Fourth Ave Anchorage AK 99501 Anvil Mountain Correctional Center 907-443-2241 1810 Center Creek Rd. P.O. Box 730 Nome AK 99762 Fairbanks Correctional Center 907-458-6700 1931 Eagan Avenue Fairbanks AK 99701 Goose Creek Correctional Center 907-864-8100 22301 West Alsop Road Wasilla AK 99687 Highland Mountain Correctional Center 907-694-9511 9101 Hesterberg Road Eagle River AK 99577 Ketchiken Correctional Center 907-228-7350 1201 Schoenbar Road Ketchiken AK 99901-6270 Lemon Creek Correctional Center 907-465-6200 2000 Lemon Creek Rd Jueanu AK 99801 Mat-Su Pretrial 907-745-0943 339 East Dogwood Ave Palmer AK 99645 Palmer Correctional Center 907-745-5054 P.O. Box 919 Palmer AK 99645 Pt. McKenzie Correctional Farm 907-376-2976 P.O. Box 877730 Wasilla AK 99687 Spring Creek Correctional Center 907-224-8200 3600 Bette Cato Seward AK 99664 Wildwood Correctional Complex 907-260-7200 10 Chugach Avenue Kenai AK 99611 1000 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway, PO Yukon Kushkokwim Correctional Center 907-543-5245 Bethel AK 99559 Box 400 Bibb Correctional Facility (205) 926-5252 565 Bibb Lane Brent AL 35034 Bullock Correctional Facility (334) 738-5625 P.O. Box 5107 Union Springs AL 36089 Donaldson Correctional Facility (205) 436-3681 100 Warrior Lane Bessemer AL 34023 Draper Correctional Facility (334) 567-2221 P.O. Box 1107 Elmore AL 36025 Esterling Correctional Facility (334) 397-4471 200 Wallace Drive Clio AL 36017 Elmore Correctional Facility (334) 567-1460 3520 Marion Spillway Rd.
    [Show full text]
  • Death Row in Nevada, 2019 CCJP-SS, 2020-01 By: Tereza Trejbalová the Number of People on Death Rows Across the United States Has Decreased Over the Last Two Decades
    Stat Sheet Death Row in Nevada, 2019 CCJP-SS, 2020-01 By: Tereza Trejbalová The number of people on death rows across the United States has decreased over the last two decades. For example, in 1999, there were 3,625 prisoners awaiting an execution compared to 2,673 individuals in 2019 (NAACP, 1999-2019). Nevada currently houses 74 death row prisoners (NAACP, 2019). This Stat Sheet presents demographic information on these prisoners, along with current developments in the state. Key Stats Racial Composition of Nevada vs. National Death Row The racial composition of Nevada’s Prisoners (2019) death row is comparable to the National vs. Nevada national trend. On the national level, 42% of death row 42% White 46% prisoners are White. However, in Nevada, their representation is slightly higher (46%). 42% Black 38% 1 The percentage of Black death row inmates 13% Latino 13% is lower in Nevada (38%) than nationwide (42%). Other races are equally represented 3% Other 3% in Nevada and nationally (16%). Source: NAACP, 2019 Nevada Death Row Prisoners (Decade of Sentence) No death sentences were rendered in years 1992, 2001, and 2002. 30 The decade during which most current 27 25 death row prisoners received capital 20 punishment was the 1990s. Specifically, 1995 17 16 15 was the most active year in the history of 13 2 10 Nevada’s death penalty; seven men who 5 remain on death row in 2019 were Number of Prisoners 1 0 sentenced to death in 1995. Nationally, the 1970-79 1980-89 1990-99 2000-09 2010-19 number of death sentences is decreasing.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of Medical Records from Ely State Prison Dr
    REPORT PREPARED FOR THE NATIONAL PRISON PROJECT OF THE ACLU: Review of Medical Records from Ely State Prison Dr. William Noel INTRODUCTION At the request of the National Prison Project of the American Civil Liberties, I reviewed the medical records of thirty-five prisoners from Ely State Prison (ESP) in Ely, Nevada. One of these men died in custody at Ely in April 2006; the other thirty-four are currently incarcerated there. It is my understanding that the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) represents that the records I reviewed are the complete working file and archived medical file for each prisoner. On October 8-9, 2007, at the request of the Nevada Department of Corrections, I traveled to the prison to discuss my findings with the Department’s Medical Director, Dr. Robert Bannister. During my visit I was able to speak with some of the men whose cases I identified in the record as especially urgent. These visits were unfortunately not confidential. NDOC denied my request to interview the patients privately and my patient visits were done in the presence of Dr. Bannister and several other ESP staff. At the prison I was also able to review the most current medical records for the men I spoke with during my visit. These files were generally a month behind in progress notes and medication sheets. During my visit I discussed my findings with Dr. Bannister, in particular those concerning the most urgent cases I had reviewed. My credentials and qualifications to review these files are as follows: I am a Doctor of Osteopathic medicine with thirty five years clinical experience.
    [Show full text]
  • Torture in United States Prisons Evidence of Human Rights Violations 2Nd Edition
    Torture in United States Prisons Evidence of Human Rights Violations 2nd Edition American Friends Service Committee Northeast Region Healing Justice Program Edited by: Bonnie Kerness Coordinator, Prison Watch Editorial Assistant: Beth Breslaw Intern, Prison Watch Torture in United States Prisons Evidence of Human Rights Violations 2nd Edition American Friends Service Committee Northeast Region Healing Justice Program Edited by: Bonnie Kerness Coordinator, Prison Watch Editorial Assistant: Beth Breslaw Intern, Prison Watch © 2011 American Friends Service Committee Northeast Region Prison Watch Project 89 Market Street, 6th floor Newark, NJ 07102 www.afsc.org (973) 643-3192 Cover art by Todd (Hyung-Rae) Tarselli CONTENTS Introduction 2 Isolation 5 Communications Management Units 27 Health and Medical Services and Conditions 32 Mental Illness 39 Use of Force and Devices of Torture 45 Contraband Surveillance Watch 59 Racism 65 Women in Prison 72 How you can get involved 79 Appendix 83 Glossary 90 Special thanks to King Downing, on whose work “How You Can Get Involved” (pages 79-82) is based. Torture in United States Prisons | Evidence of Human Rights Violations Introduction When prison doors close behind men and women they become our prisoners. If we are their family and friends, we may visit, write, call, and advocate on their behalf. If they are anonymous, we will likely dismiss them with the thought, “they broke the law—that was their choice— and now they must pay the penalty.” And we proceed about our daily lives without looking over the prison wall. It is time we did just that; prisons reflect the societies that create them.
    [Show full text]
  • From: Holly Welborn To: Cynthia Keller Date: 3/10/2017 11:12 AM Subject: Re: Board of Prison Commissioners Meeting (BOP) 3/7/17
    From: Holly Welborn To: Cynthia Keller Date: 3/10/2017 11:12 AM Subject: Re: Board of Prison Commissioners meeting (BOP) 3/7/17 Holly Welborn- ACLU of Nevada Comment on Agenda Items 5 & 6. Last month, the ACLU of Nevada issued a report entitled Unlocking solitary Confinment: Ending extreme isolation in Nevada prisons. I've emailed this report to Ms. Keller and to each member of the Commission, therefore, I will only highlight some background on our report and our recommendations. In 2013 the NV legislature passed SB 107, a bill that substantially limited the use of solitary confinement in juvenile facilities and called on the Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice to study the use of confinement in the adult system. In short, the data presented by the former NDOC leadership was insufficient for a number of reasons, but primarily that the department denied that confinement, by our definition (the prolonged isolation of a person for more than 15 days), was occurring in their facilities. Therefore, we went directly to those affect - the individuals living in the department of corrections who contact our office, the Nevada Disability advocacy and law center, Solitary watch and other organizations, who shared their stories with us. The data in the report is based on voluntary responses form 281 individuals. Some statistics to note related to today's agenda items are that 1/3 of respondents reported that they were diagnosed with a mental illness, 19.4% with a traumatic brain injury, and 11% said they have a developmental disability, and 40% reported that they had trouble talking, remembering, learning, or thinking once leaving solitary confinement.
    [Show full text]