SUNGLASSESGATE!

Remember when we tried to give a wheelchair to a Michigan prisoner earlier this year, and it took almost five months to make it happen? To refresh your memory, a prisoner needing a wheelchair had a problem getting one from the state, and so we innocently shipped a donated chair. But apparently that was in violation of some policy, and it took months before reason prevailed, and the chair was moved from the warden’s office to the cell of the prisoner.

Well, the state never forgot that, and now the same prisoner is in the Michigan Department of Corrections limelight again. This time he’s been placed in the hole (segregation). The charge: Smuggling!

It’s a case much more serious than the wheelchair incident: His friend, with his knowledge and consent, sent him a new pair of sunglasses! Think of the serious ramifications! Everyone should know that sunglasses may not be sent to a prisoner. Just as with the wheelchair, this is against policy. But the MDOC dug in on this one, appointing an inspector AND a hearings investigator. The prisoner was thrown in the hole, the company that shipped the sunglasses from out-of-state was threatened with a federal investigation (US Mails), the friend of the inmate faces permanent restriction from prison visitation, and the state will even hold a hearing on this matter on November 14!

I have a copy of the MDOC Notice of Proposed Visitor Restriction, and regarding the sunglasses issue, it uses such ominous terms as “conspired …to send sunglasses,” “the package (of sunglasses) is fraudulent,” and, “ the prisoner has been charged with the following major misconduct violation: 045 Smuggling.”

The Michigan Department of Corrections faces huge issues and struggles with incredible financial problems, yet it spends this much time and money on sunglasses? It promises to even produce tapes of telephone conversations proving that these people conspired to have the sunglasses sent! Are sunglasses considered dangerous contraband?

Let’s compare the wheelchair issue. WE sent a wheelchair. Was that package fraudulent? We freely discussed this plan with the prisoner in advance. Was that a conspiracy? Why wasn’t the prisoner placed in segregation when the wheelchair arrived, and why wasn’t there a hearing to determine whether our visiting should be suspended?

The answer is simple. RETALIATION! The prisoner and his friend are learning an important lesson: It may take time, but when it comes to a shoving match, the MDOC does not intend to lose!

Doug Tjapkes
HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS
20 W. Muskegon Avenue
Muskegon, MI 49440

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Half-a-race!

Gregory John McCormick: 1964-2008

Three lives, connected by a divine thread