Letter from James Brown - DOC Number 143174

Thursday, June 21, 2012

James Brown # 143174 CMC-FMCC

P.O. Box 300

Canon City, CO 81215

Tony Carochi

2862 S. Circle Dr.

Colo. Spgs, CO 80906

Re: Illicit Work Ethics

Dear Mr. Carochi:

If I may have a moment of your time to talk to you (through this letter) about your employees' unprofessional and unethical behavior? I understand that a man of your position can be busy, so I will keep this brief as possible. It is very well known that your staff is into retaliating against those who try to reach out, and or try to correct such wrong doings committed by your staff, which will be the subject of this letter. With that being said, I would appreciate if no retaliation, on D.O.C.'s part, would come from this.

I have been housed in Four Mile Correctional Center since November 5th, 2011. During my stay in Four Mile, I have followed the guidelines, rules, and regulations of D.O.C. and this facility. Tom Clements (executive director) implemented an Administrative Regulation (100-18), which is a D.O.C. policy, explaining in depth the mission, vision, and values of D.O.C. and its staff. From November 5th, 2011 till now (June 21st, 2012), I have experienced and seen that the staff at Four Mile Correctional Center, and the staff of the Colorado Correctional Industries, do not follow, acknowledge, nor respect administrative regulation 100-18 (effective May 1, 2011). I, and others, have been poked, prodded, and provoked to make decisions that will allow staff to justify their demeaning behavior.

When one such as I, or other inmates go to their case managers about an altercation with a staff member they take no action unless it is to try and justify the actions of their co-worker, or to retaliate against the inmate. When I or other inmates go to their case managers for other issues such as halfway housing, assessment, job changes, or medical issues, they act illogical and say they are too busy. Parole itself becomes a scary issue, when like me, you have only seen your case manager once in 8 months. It would help to lessen the D.O.C. body count, if case managers help inmates get paroled, or halfway housing, engaging them in opportunities to make positive changes and becoming law- abiding, productive citizens.

The medical department has a habit of subjectively diagnosing inmates' medical problems, so they don't have to treat them. I have noticed inmates with and without A.D.A., with serious medical issues, sent away with a pat on the back with a bill to follow. At a work camp this becomes a problem, now the inmate is subject to being fired, if he cannot work through the pain, or suffering of a virus. This is not only illegal, but is inhuman.

The Colorado Correctional Industries, that the inmates get to work at, have staff that are no different. I have been poked, prodded, provoked, and even physically threatened while working at the dairy, and other departments. When I told your staff what was going on, they told me there was nothing they could do or would do. When informed of the ethnical prejudice some just laughed and shrugged their shoulders. Some staff members went as far as to say, "this happens all the time."

As for your grievance system, what good is when, if used, infuriates the D.O.C. staff, from the bottom up, and have them use whatever power they have to make your stay at D.0.C. a living hell? From the process of the first grievance to the third, much negligence, and or forms of retaliation have been given. So many illicit acts are being made by your staff that you will never know about, because your staff has put so much fear, and have crushed so much of what was known as the inmates' self-esteem and hope, all belief in the grievance system is shot, and is no longer in use. The further up the grievance gets, the retaliation becomes that much more inhuman.

So is this what D.O.C. has boiled down to? So busy trying to emasculate men, banning pornographic pictures and magazines, when the real problem lies in the lack -of respect for the executive director, and administrative regulation 100- 18? Is administrative regulation 100-18 just for face value, if not when does someone step in and take the time to correct such an important issue? I have to live with the inmates your staff drives over the edge, to have to worry about staff and inmate alike is not prison, but something else entirely. I, and those like me who are trying to do our time productively, throughout D.O.C., are dealing with this madness. If you and Tom Clements are trying to make productive, law abiding  citizens, then stop your staff from doing the opposite.

Sincerely,

James Brown