Self Help Programs eliminated at Valley State Prison for Women

On Thursday, February 23, 2012 @ 3:14 PM the following email was sent to all staff At Valley State Prison for Women:

Good afternoon all. This is to inform you that effective immediately, VSPW will be suspending All Self-Help programs. As such, NO Self-Help related work should be performed by any Self-Help sponsor, until further notice. This would include ducats, paperwork, or groups. Please ensure that you share this with any interested person who may not have access to email. If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Velda

I am currently a friend of an inmate at Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW) and the domestic partner of a recently released VSPW inmate. I am disturbed about such an email being sent by someone with the authority to uphold the rehabilitation of incarcerated women. Women need all the help that they can receive and eliminating Self-Help groups hinders their growth and rehabilitation.

Self Help groups do not interfere with safety of the institution, the staff job assignments, or the staff’s count procedures.   Neither do the Self-Help groups interfere with inmate work/program hours.

There are over 30 Self-Help groups in VSPW. These groups include, but are not limited to: AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), NA(Narcotics Anonymous), CODA (Co-dependency), Yoga, PREP (Personal Readiness Enrichment Program), CCA (Coalition of Cultural Awareness), Sign Language, Prison of Peace, Anger Management, Cage Your Rage, A Place Called Self, Long Termers Organization, Creative Conflict Resolution, Health and Education Awareness, Domestic Violence, Free From Abuse, Battered Women's, Career Day, Freedom to Choose, Beyond Incarceration, Beyond Trauma, AWARE, Alternative to Violence, I Want My Life Back, Life Scripting, Parenting, and the Veterans. All of these groups contribute to institution's goal of rehabilitation for women and aid in lowering the recidivism rate.

Women volunteer their own time to teach groups, attend groups and learn tools that will enable them to become better citizens of our communities. Volunteers that are state funded or operating at their own expense are being turned away as welt. Once someone is convicted and sent to prison it is their responsibility to prepare for the day that they return to society. When programs stop or are interrupted, there is much less opportunity for women to learn tools that will enable them to return to society successfully.

It is our duty as tax payers to encourage and monitor that elected officials hire and choose wardens who promote rehabilitation as an actual part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation department.

We expect that public notice be given when such a drastic measure as elimination of all Self-Help groups is taken. We also want a reasonable explanation as to why such a drastic measure is to be taken.

Deplorable search at Valley State Prison for Women

This is an open letter going to the ombudsmen at California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation.

 Ms Malone, Ms Rosalez:

I have been informed of the abusive search guards are currently doing at Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla.

The inmates have been on lockdown for over two weeks now.  The reason is that an inmate allegedly threatened guards by saying she has 4 syringes with HIV tinted blood in them and she was going to stab guards with them.  This sounds very unlikely to me. 

The guards are searching each room in the prison in a very despicable manner.

·         The guards took all mattresses and blankets.  The guards didn’t  “time to return” the mattresses until the next morning so all of the women had to sleep on bed frames.

·         The guards destroyed inmates’ property.  This was property purchased by the inmates’ families.  The took creams and smeared them on the walls.  They emptied out bags of hot chocolate on the floor.

·         Televisions, typewriters, CD players, and other property purchase by inmates’ families were destroyed.    Some of the inmates had received these items from other inmates with their permission  but the CDCR policy is that an inmate cannot give another inmate any property.  In other words, when an inmate is released and doesn’t take her stuff with her it must be destroyed regardless of how good of a shape it is in.

·         All arts and crafts items were destroyed.  Many inmates try to improve and support themselves by creating cards, stationery, and other items for other inmates.  Destroying this material means they are unable to support themselves.

·         Inmates have had their medicine taken away and destroyed.  Then they were given a ducat to go to the infirmary to get their medicine.  This is an unacceptable waste of taxpayer’s money.

·         With the exception of one roll, all toilet paper in each unit was thrown away.  This is an unacceptable waste of taxpayer’s money.

·         Cleaning supplies were thrown out.  This is an unacceptable waste of taxpayer’s money.

·         Inmate mail is being delayed as a result of this search. 

My belief is that the guards are upset at the layoffs currently occurring at CDCR.  They are taken out their anger on the people who cannot fight back – the inmates.  The excuse for the search – the HIV tinted blood syringes – sounds very fishy to me.  How could an inmate get this? It’s my understanding that HIV positive inmates are kept apart from the general inmate population.

Is not one of the purposes of CDCR to rehabilitate inmates?  How can they rehabilitate when they are treated like dirt.  Elderly women are being clubbed because they got confused and turned the wrong direction.  The women are being called “fat cows” and other words I prefer not to use.

Most of the women at VSPW are there to pay their debt to society.  This does not mean they should be treated less than humanely.

cc:

Sharon McNary, KPCC radio

Mike Tharp, Merced Sun Star

KGPE (Fresno)

KFSN (Fresno)

KGO (San Francisco)

KTVU (San Francisco)

Dan Rosenheim, News Director, KPIX television (San Francisco)

KCRA (Sacramento)

Los Angeles Times

Patti Mandrell, Chowchilla News

Paula Hansen, Chowchilla News

San Francisco Chronicle

Sacramento Bee