The website Texas Watchdog asked the Department of Criminal Justice for a unit-by-unit breakdown of contraband cell phones found, and
published the results in a spreadsheet
here. The ten TDCJ units with the most contraband cell phone discovered, reports the site, are:
NEAL
COFFIELD
MCCONNELL
STILES
FERGUSON
TELFORD
CLEMENS
CLEMENTS
RAMSEY
ESTELLE
Who woulda thought Estelle would make the list, I was just there on Sunday for a visit and personally witnessed a guard take his phone out and then snap a picture of a ladies purse at the entrance. I dont know why didnt ask but I am curious to know if the cell phone he is carrying is allowed to be used as a TDCJ approved camera?
ReplyDeleteIsn't the Neal Unit a mistake?
ReplyDeleteWhy do you say so, 3:56? They said they got the data under an open records request.
ReplyDeleteWow, glad my units weren't listed!
ReplyDeleteSuprised someone hasn't suggested a corrupt cell phone commissary money making scheme to shove into the prison system. Hell it will be contraband today and for a nominal fee commissary tomorrow. Just need a conservative politician's friend to start such a company.
ReplyDeleteGo in there...fire the supervisors and clamp down on the inmates..this is out of control.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting. It at least shows that the geography of the units is irrelevant when it comes to contraband cell phones. If Coffield is on there, and it were down to the rural location or small pool for drawing available staff, then then other Tennessee Colony units would be on there too, and they are not.
ReplyDeleteIt would be even more interesting to see the breakdown of inmate origin/classification/sentencing/crime for these units. Would these units have a higher number of non-US inmates? Or a higher number of inmates serving very long (ie over 40 years) sentences?
It's not enough to just tackle the source of the contraband, you have to look at what makes the contraband more attractive to certain inmates in the first place.
This is quite amazing to me. I worked as a guard at the Clements Unit in the early 2000's and finding a cell phone was almost unheard of then. As a matter of fact contraband was mostly internally driven at the time with the exception of cigarettes and unfortunately marijuana which I found out about one or two officers per year would be ousted or outright arrested for smuggling marijuana or cigarettes. It pissed me of then and it pisses me off now.
ReplyDeleteMan, I bet it was hard working them jails CO, especially if you was as much of a booty bandit punk then as you ever so obviously are now. Pussycat man. A lil female
DeleteWhat I mean be "internally driven" is that the contraband found was manufactured by inmates such as alcohol, stabbing or cutting weapons, impact weapons, ect.
ReplyDeleteI sure do find these numbers interesting since I have a spreadsheet that TDCJ sent Whitemire in 2010 and the numbers are either the same or higher on a lot of these units. Seems to me like TDCJ is hiding some things or maybe these units aren't reporting the complete numbers. My husband was a Darrington in late 2009 and on the dorm of 50 something guys, nearly half of them had cell phones. Most eventually got caught.
ReplyDeleteA lot of employees forget to check their pockets and I think this could be reflected in the numbers. The first time they do this the disciplairy is dismissed if it can be determined that it was an innocent mistake and was reported as soon as they came in the unit.
ReplyDeleteThis is being reported as contraband discovered even though no inmate ever had it or was intended to get it.
"Facts are stubborn things. Statistics are much more pliable"-Mark Twain
ReplyDeleteThe guards and the administration are the ones bringing in the contraband! They are 'supplimenting their income' because they do not make enough to support their families!
ReplyDeleteAfter doing 17 years I've seen every level of scandals, schemes, falsifying documents,inmate assaulted by officers, corruption, & conspiracy. Wish the world could view what my eyes have saw.
ReplyDeleteI was on a transfer facility called mineral Wells their was so much dope needles heroin phones that place was wide open sex was their aswell don't think school was being taught it was a waste of the tax payers money I think we could do better by giving a inmate a job when released an houseing their waiting when released that's a fresh start their wouldn't be no reason to come BK what would. We have to loose it could be ran right free donations to build. Community. Service is your labor fee we need too fight BK to make it happen changing minds
ReplyDeleteShit my boy just called me from fergison like 15 minutes ago. He says its already a money making scheme people pay 150$ a month to rent the phone for an hour or two a day
ReplyDelete