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VALLEY STATE PRISON FOR WOMEN
INMATE FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Friday, February 3, 2006
Warden's Conference Room
VALLEY STATE PRISON FOR WOMEN
INMATE FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Friday, February 3, 2006
Warden's Conference Room
MEMBERS/ALTERNATES PRESENT
Marvin Coolbaugh, Chair
Dr. John Videen, Co-Chair
Nancy Rubinstein, Secretary
Elizabeth M.
Helen V.
Mark H.
Frank A.
William R.
MEMBERS/ALTERNATES ABSENT
Sherrie G. (excused)
Alexandria B. (excused)
Tammy R. (excused)
Regina T. (excused)
Irma C. (excused)
Louisa C. (excused)
Wanda P. (unexcused)
VISITORS
Carolyn D.
Dwight D.
STAFF PRESENT
T. Hornbeak, Associate Warden
A. Bacci, Litigation Coordinator (for J. Cavazos, A.A.)
G. Freck, E.A.
Zack Patrick, Supervisor/Education
Sgt. J. Kincheloe, Mailroom
J. Tucker, Director of Nursing
C. Pierini, CHSA I, Medical Department
Captain J.C. Anderson, Facility D
R. Padilla, A.W. Central/Program
Lt. B. McCraw, Visiting
K. Eichenberger, A.W. Housing Division
Marvin Coolbaugh, IFC Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:10 PM. Introductions were made around the room.
Return to Top
I. OLD BUSINESS
A. Mail -- Holiday Slowdowns/Processing Money Orders: During the December meeting, the mail was reported as being 4½ days behind. After that, mail got more backed up, over the Christmas holidays. As of today, February 3rd, the mailroom is completely caught up.
Sgt. Kincheloe told us what the process is for receiving money orders. Money Orders should be sent to PO Box 94. They come in to the mailroom in the same trays as the PO Box 92 mail, but they are banded together in groups. PO Box 99 mail also comes in this way, separated from the other PO Box number in banded groups.
When the mailroom staff starts a new tray, the PO Box 94 mail is processed first. It is taken to the accounting desk, opened, searched for contraband, and then entered into the computer program that tracks money orders at the mailroom site. The data that is entered on the computer includes the inmate’s identity, the name of the person sending the money, the day it is entered, the amount of the order, and what the instrument is (check or money order). The amount gets written on the envelope, and the envelope is then placed in the Yard bags. Regular money, gift cards and other similar items are not allowed, and the inmate is notified when these types of materials come in, but they are not allowed inside. The mailroom staff walk the processed money orders over to Accounting the same day they are processed, or the very next morning (if processing is finished late in the day). If the money orders are kept overnight in the mailroom, they go in the safe. Accounting usually gets the money posted to the inmate trust account the next day, unless they are doing End Of Month processing.
Any type of money order is okay. Bank, 7/11, and postal money orders are all fine. Personal checks cannot be posted to the inmate trust funds until the checks have cleared.
Several facts were listed about money order processing:
It takes a minute or less for the mailroom accountant to post money order data.
PO Box 94 gets an average of 50 to 60 money orders per day, and many more during holidays.
The Accounting Department doesn’t notify inmates about each deposit. They send out a quarterly accounting statement every 3 months.
Accounting takes out restitution and other fees. Restitution is currently 44%.
Regular PO Box 92 mail often has money orders – the mailroom staff takes these over to the accounting desk as they are discovered during regular mail processing.
Envelopes put in Yard mailbags before 11 AM go to the yards the same day.
This same slowdown happens at the same time every year, statistically.
Priority Mail gets to the prison faster, but once it is received by the mailroom, it is handled the same as any other 1st class mail.
The mailroom is now using a blue date stamp to record the date that a PO Box 94 letter is received AND FIRST HANDLED in the mailroom. A red stamp date is put on the envelope after the accounting processor has finished recording the money order, and is ready to put the envelope in the Yard mailbag. This practice has just been reinstituted, as of January 9th. There may be a lag between the time the tray is received in the mailroom and the time the money order gets to the accounting processor’s desk, especially during heavy mail periods or when the mailroom is short-staffed.
A delay in receiving an envelope may be caused if the housing information is incorrect, and the envelope has to be re-routed. Re-routed envelopes are marked by mailroom staff when they are re-routed.
There was a bad period between December 5th and December 23rd – money orders received during that time period did not get to inmates until mid-January. Marvin Coolbaugh had several envelopes from several inmates, showing the dates. The Inmate Family Council and staff reviewed these envelopes, and Sgt. Kincheloe pointed out that these were mostly received right before or during the bad period.
We discussed the new use of the blue stamp and the red stamp. Associate Warden Hornbeak supported the two-stamp procedure. Sgt. Kincheloe stated that it will be continued. Several IFC members stated that they were glad to see this system implemented.
Return to Top
B. "Lighthouse" Honor Dorm: Is the application criteria for being approved for the Lighthouse available throughout the prison? The application is available on all Yards and in all Units. There is no age limitation. Any inmate may put in an application with their counselor, which is then forwarded to Counselor Wiley.
There are several items that are still pending for the Lighthouse, including the placement of some equipment in the dayrooms, such as microwaves and an ice machine. There is also a proposition to have more driers available. A.W. Padilla explained that these items had to be reviewed by Plant Operations, who just presented the costs and requirements as of Monday, January 30th. There is some need for new wiring and circuiting to support these proposed uses. The proposal for wiring is being written, and will be presented to Warden Henry for approval. N. Rubinstein asked if this will take several months. A.W. Padilla assured us that it should only take a couple more months.
There was also some discussion on the Policy Addendum of 8 items that are pending. These are policy items that weren’t written out in the first policy agreement for the Lighthouse. All parties have approved all except one of these items. The last one needs to go to the CCPOA union for negotiations before it can be approved. A.W. Padilla says that the staff has decided to put the other 7 items in the addendum and get them approved immediately.
Captain Anderson is the new Lighthouse C.O.
The ladies would like to have more books available.
Return to Top
II. NEW BUSINESS
A. Parole Hearings: All inmates going before the Parole Board have a Correctional Counselor I report that goes with them. This report includes all case factors, a report on the inmate’s behavior, and an analysis of the ‘risk factor’ on parole, which is graded as low, medium, or high. This risk factor analysis is based on standard case factors, which include skills, trainings, etc. There are 256 lifers at VSPW. Psychiatric evaluations are still being done, and there is no known change in this part of the procedure.
B. Batons: Several IFC members have heard that there are many women feeling threatened and reporting threatening behaviors by C.O.s using their batons inappropriately. A.W. Hornbeak reported that the issuance and use of batons is a departmental directive, and is statewide. It was necessary for the batons to be issued at VSPW, due to this departmental directive. Several IFC board members have been told that some guards will make verbally abusive or sexually aggressive comments, while partially unsheathing their batons. A.W. Hornbeak stated that if a baton must be unsheathed, the incident must be reported by the C.O. This is the case, even if the baton is only partly unsheathed. If this happens, it should be reported. If it is not being reported, the only way that administrative staff will find out is if inmates who observe the behavior report the behavior.
Batons are ONLY to be taken out of their holsters during a change of equipment or when there is a specific intent to use them.
Return to Top
C. Verbal abuse: Verbal abuse is another related topic. N. Rubinstein reported that several women have reported, on a regular basis, that C.O.s use derogatory language, and foul language. Is this okay? A.W. Hornbeak reports that the administration does not support this type of behavior, and that inmates and family members are encouraged to report such behavior, via the complaint process. Appeal rights by inmates will be upheld.
D. Death Certificate Procedures: The attending physicians and the coroner are usually responsible for signing death certificates. In a recent death at the Madera Emergency Room, the certificate was signed by the VSPW physician, as soon as the problem was brought to her attention. Dr. Videen pointed out that death certificates often take 8 to 10 days in the outside world. We were assured that there are firm guidelines in place for reporting and handling inmate deaths, and that these guidelines are known and available to medical staff.
E. Notifying Inmates of Family Member Deaths: An IFC member asked about the procedure for taking information about family deaths, and the procedures for notifying inmates about family member deaths. He told us that recently, a CCII person would not take information about the death of a father from the brother of an inmate, because the brother was not listed on the inmate’s medical information release paperwork. C. Pierini told us that this might happen. It was suggested that callers could ask to speak to a Chaplain or other staff member to pass along this information.
In another case, the staff told the inmate, instead of having the inmate contact a family member to receive the news first. This was upsetting to the family and to the inmate.
We were told that the staff usually tries to have the Chaplain and/or one of the mental health professionals on staff involved when reporting the death of a family member to an inmate. If the inmate is in the Outpatient Housing Unit or in Mental Health, they will almost always have the mental health staff involved. If possible, the counselor will have the inmate call out to a family member to talk to them.
Return to Top
F. Notary Services: Mr. Oldfield, the librarian, has been the acting notary at VSPW, and his license just expired in December. Currently, CCII Ms. Bibbs on D Yard and Steppans in the Reception Center have been sent to notary training and have been licensed. Ms. Bibbs has an open line. If an inmate needs a notary, she should ask her counselor. Also, inmates may contact the Legal Department, put in a Request for an Interview, or talk to a Supervisor. Ms. Bibbs, during Open Line, is available on a walk-in basis at designated times in the housing units.
G. Quarterly Package Vendors: Walkenhorst is still not shipping allowed items, have been putting out bad information, etc. A.W. Eichenberger said he will check and see if there are still problems there.
Nancy Rubinstein brought up that women who do not have someone sending in quarterly packages from the outside, and who are using their trust funds to purchase items are also having problems, and having a harder time getting errors handled. We were told that R&R will try to assist when inmates have problems with their packages. If an inmate has a serious problem with her package, she may request assistance from R&R and Sgt. Hanson. If the problem is not solved, a 602 might be necessary.
We were told that there have been some recent problems with Walkenhorst, as noted by VSPW Staff.
The IFC would like to make outside advocacy help available for inmates. Nancy Rubinstein volunteered to write up a simple proposal.
ACTION ITEM: NANCY RUBINSTEIN WILL DEVELOP A SIMPLE VENDOR/QUARTERLY PACKAGE INMATE ADVOCACY PROPOSAL FOR INMATES WITH NO OUTSIDE FAMILY TO HELP SOLVE VENDOR PROBLEMS.
Return to Top
H. Hobby Craft Kiln: Is now installed!!! Z. Patrick says that they are working on getting some projects going. The staff is still learning how to use the new kiln.
I. Visiting Discussion: There were several questions about Visiting processes and routines.
Family Visits for Lifers:
A Family Visit allows families to 'sleep over' with their inmate loved one at the prison. Family Visits for term-lifers and lifers has not been allowed since 1996. Only people with release dates can have Family Visits. There is no indication that this ban on Family Visiting is going to change any time soon.
Bathroom Breaks for Inmates in Visiting:
Inmates in Visiting may only use the bathroom every hour, but sometimes this can stretch to two hours. An inmate may find out when the next bathroom break will be by walking up to the desk and asking. If an inmate cannot wait long enough to make the scheduled break, then the other option is to cut short the visit and go back out to the Yard. However, bathroom breaks are supposed to happen every hour. A.W. Hornbeak will check and make sure Visiting staff stays on an hourly schedule.
ACTION ITEM: A.W. HORNBEAK WILL MAKE SURE VISITING STAFF KNOWS THAT BATHROOM BREAKS FOR INMATES HAPPEN HOURLY.
Return to Top
Visitor Processing has slowed way down. People who come in at 8:30 have been waiting until as late as 12:30 to get processed in. This has gotten worse since Christmas. Staff is moved into the Visiting Rooms when the second one is opened up, and this could account for part of the slowdown. The IFC would like the visiting captain to speed up later processing. A 3-hour wait is not acceptable.
Non-contact visitors have been being denied the ability to bring in food money. This needs to be resolved!!
ACTION ITEM: A.W. HORNBEAK WILL LOOK INTO THIS, AND MAKE NEEDED CHANGES TO ALLOW ALL VISITORS TO BRING IN VENDING MONEY.
There is no written guideline for early-morning Visiting number distribution. Could a sheet describing the procedure be written up for Visiting staff? It could simply be a sheet of paper that says cars can be in the parking lot, that the numbers are made available to those in line at 6 AM, that people may then return at 8:30 AM, etc. It was decided that IFC could develop a simple sheet, and present it for staff use, and also have it posted on the Visiting Processing Center IFC bulletin board.
Visiting Lt. McCraw had been told that the IFC bulletin board was maintained by the IFC. This is not possible, as we do not have access to the bulletin board. Visiting staff needs to post our current minutes, etc. Lt. McCraw was notified, and agreed to take care of bulletin board postings in the future.
Return to Top
J. Book Distribution: About 200 of the donated books have been processed and placed in the General Library. It went slower than they had hoped, as they were short one person until just last week. Furthermore, the whole cataloging process is somewhat time consuming and cumbersome. The process involves magnetic strip, etc., and must be done in between library usages. There are still several hundred books to be placed. Since there are still several books available in the warehouse, the IFC formally requested that some of these books be placed in the following areas of the prison:
(a) Outpatient Housing Unit (OHU)
(b) Lighthouse (Honor Dorm)
(c) A Yard (Receiving)
(d) SAP, if possible (Substance Abuse Program)
Return to Top
K. Other Items:
i. MCI: Marvin reported that since MCI started their new pre-pay program, there are serious problems with calling from inmates. Several other IFC members are experiencing serious difficulties with this new program.
ii. Pregnant women not getting their extra rations: Recently, a member’s pregnant daughter was not receiving the extra milk that was supposed to be a part of the pregnant inmate diet. She may have been overlooked in the process, and if she didn’t bring this up, staff was unaware. Anyone who is pregnant is to receive additional rations daily. If a pregnant woman is not receiving this extra food, she should ask for it immediately.
iii. New IFC project – Books, Games and Videos for Visiting: Nancy Rubinstein will be developing a flier and contacting people about donating new books, games, children’s toys and games, and children’s videos to the Visiting Rooms.
ACTION ITEM: N. RUBINSTEIN WILL DEVELOP A FLIER AND CONTACT DONORS ABOUT BOOKS, TOYS, GAMES AND VIDEOS FOR VISITING AND FOR THE CHILDREN’S ROOMS IN VISITING.
Kitchen Tour: The IFC formally requested a tour of the main kitchen. A.W. Hornbeak took our request ‘on advisement’. Nancy Rubinstein will submit this request in writing.
ACTION ITEM: N. RUBINSTEIN WILL SUBMIT A WRITTEN REQUEST FOR A TOUR OF THE MAIN KITCHEN.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:41 PM.
Next Meeting: Friday, April 7, 2006 at 1:00 PM, VSPW Warden's Conference Room.
Minutes prepared by Nancy Rubinstein.
Agenda Items for next meeting due by March 17, 2006.
Marvin Coolbaugh, Chair
Dr. John Videen, Co-Chair
Nancy Rubinstein, Secretary
Elizabeth M.
Helen V.
Mark H.
Frank A.
William R.
MEMBERS/ALTERNATES ABSENT
Sherrie G. (excused)
Alexandria B. (excused)
Tammy R. (excused)
Regina T. (excused)
Irma C. (excused)
Louisa C. (excused)
Wanda P. (unexcused)
VISITORS
Carolyn D.
Dwight D.
STAFF PRESENT
T. Hornbeak, Associate Warden
A. Bacci, Litigation Coordinator (for J. Cavazos, A.A.)
G. Freck, E.A.
Zack Patrick, Supervisor/Education
Sgt. J. Kincheloe, Mailroom
J. Tucker, Director of Nursing
C. Pierini, CHSA I, Medical Department
Captain J.C. Anderson, Facility D
R. Padilla, A.W. Central/Program
Lt. B. McCraw, Visiting
K. Eichenberger, A.W. Housing Division
Marvin Coolbaugh, IFC Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:10 PM. Introductions were made around the room.
Return to Top
I. OLD BUSINESS
A. Mail -- Holiday Slowdowns/Processing Money Orders: During the December meeting, the mail was reported as being 4½ days behind. After that, mail got more backed up, over the Christmas holidays. As of today, February 3rd, the mailroom is completely caught up.
Sgt. Kincheloe told us what the process is for receiving money orders. Money Orders should be sent to PO Box 94. They come in to the mailroom in the same trays as the PO Box 92 mail, but they are banded together in groups. PO Box 99 mail also comes in this way, separated from the other PO Box number in banded groups.
When the mailroom staff starts a new tray, the PO Box 94 mail is processed first. It is taken to the accounting desk, opened, searched for contraband, and then entered into the computer program that tracks money orders at the mailroom site. The data that is entered on the computer includes the inmate’s identity, the name of the person sending the money, the day it is entered, the amount of the order, and what the instrument is (check or money order). The amount gets written on the envelope, and the envelope is then placed in the Yard bags. Regular money, gift cards and other similar items are not allowed, and the inmate is notified when these types of materials come in, but they are not allowed inside. The mailroom staff walk the processed money orders over to Accounting the same day they are processed, or the very next morning (if processing is finished late in the day). If the money orders are kept overnight in the mailroom, they go in the safe. Accounting usually gets the money posted to the inmate trust account the next day, unless they are doing End Of Month processing.
Any type of money order is okay. Bank, 7/11, and postal money orders are all fine. Personal checks cannot be posted to the inmate trust funds until the checks have cleared.
Several facts were listed about money order processing:
It takes a minute or less for the mailroom accountant to post money order data.
PO Box 94 gets an average of 50 to 60 money orders per day, and many more during holidays.
The Accounting Department doesn’t notify inmates about each deposit. They send out a quarterly accounting statement every 3 months.
Accounting takes out restitution and other fees. Restitution is currently 44%.
Regular PO Box 92 mail often has money orders – the mailroom staff takes these over to the accounting desk as they are discovered during regular mail processing.
Envelopes put in Yard mailbags before 11 AM go to the yards the same day.
This same slowdown happens at the same time every year, statistically.
Priority Mail gets to the prison faster, but once it is received by the mailroom, it is handled the same as any other 1st class mail.
The mailroom is now using a blue date stamp to record the date that a PO Box 94 letter is received AND FIRST HANDLED in the mailroom. A red stamp date is put on the envelope after the accounting processor has finished recording the money order, and is ready to put the envelope in the Yard mailbag. This practice has just been reinstituted, as of January 9th. There may be a lag between the time the tray is received in the mailroom and the time the money order gets to the accounting processor’s desk, especially during heavy mail periods or when the mailroom is short-staffed.
A delay in receiving an envelope may be caused if the housing information is incorrect, and the envelope has to be re-routed. Re-routed envelopes are marked by mailroom staff when they are re-routed.
There was a bad period between December 5th and December 23rd – money orders received during that time period did not get to inmates until mid-January. Marvin Coolbaugh had several envelopes from several inmates, showing the dates. The Inmate Family Council and staff reviewed these envelopes, and Sgt. Kincheloe pointed out that these were mostly received right before or during the bad period.
We discussed the new use of the blue stamp and the red stamp. Associate Warden Hornbeak supported the two-stamp procedure. Sgt. Kincheloe stated that it will be continued. Several IFC members stated that they were glad to see this system implemented.
Return to Top
B. "Lighthouse" Honor Dorm: Is the application criteria for being approved for the Lighthouse available throughout the prison? The application is available on all Yards and in all Units. There is no age limitation. Any inmate may put in an application with their counselor, which is then forwarded to Counselor Wiley.
There are several items that are still pending for the Lighthouse, including the placement of some equipment in the dayrooms, such as microwaves and an ice machine. There is also a proposition to have more driers available. A.W. Padilla explained that these items had to be reviewed by Plant Operations, who just presented the costs and requirements as of Monday, January 30th. There is some need for new wiring and circuiting to support these proposed uses. The proposal for wiring is being written, and will be presented to Warden Henry for approval. N. Rubinstein asked if this will take several months. A.W. Padilla assured us that it should only take a couple more months.
There was also some discussion on the Policy Addendum of 8 items that are pending. These are policy items that weren’t written out in the first policy agreement for the Lighthouse. All parties have approved all except one of these items. The last one needs to go to the CCPOA union for negotiations before it can be approved. A.W. Padilla says that the staff has decided to put the other 7 items in the addendum and get them approved immediately.
Captain Anderson is the new Lighthouse C.O.
The ladies would like to have more books available.
Return to Top
II. NEW BUSINESS
A. Parole Hearings: All inmates going before the Parole Board have a Correctional Counselor I report that goes with them. This report includes all case factors, a report on the inmate’s behavior, and an analysis of the ‘risk factor’ on parole, which is graded as low, medium, or high. This risk factor analysis is based on standard case factors, which include skills, trainings, etc. There are 256 lifers at VSPW. Psychiatric evaluations are still being done, and there is no known change in this part of the procedure.
B. Batons: Several IFC members have heard that there are many women feeling threatened and reporting threatening behaviors by C.O.s using their batons inappropriately. A.W. Hornbeak reported that the issuance and use of batons is a departmental directive, and is statewide. It was necessary for the batons to be issued at VSPW, due to this departmental directive. Several IFC board members have been told that some guards will make verbally abusive or sexually aggressive comments, while partially unsheathing their batons. A.W. Hornbeak stated that if a baton must be unsheathed, the incident must be reported by the C.O. This is the case, even if the baton is only partly unsheathed. If this happens, it should be reported. If it is not being reported, the only way that administrative staff will find out is if inmates who observe the behavior report the behavior.
Batons are ONLY to be taken out of their holsters during a change of equipment or when there is a specific intent to use them.
Return to Top
C. Verbal abuse: Verbal abuse is another related topic. N. Rubinstein reported that several women have reported, on a regular basis, that C.O.s use derogatory language, and foul language. Is this okay? A.W. Hornbeak reports that the administration does not support this type of behavior, and that inmates and family members are encouraged to report such behavior, via the complaint process. Appeal rights by inmates will be upheld.
D. Death Certificate Procedures: The attending physicians and the coroner are usually responsible for signing death certificates. In a recent death at the Madera Emergency Room, the certificate was signed by the VSPW physician, as soon as the problem was brought to her attention. Dr. Videen pointed out that death certificates often take 8 to 10 days in the outside world. We were assured that there are firm guidelines in place for reporting and handling inmate deaths, and that these guidelines are known and available to medical staff.
E. Notifying Inmates of Family Member Deaths: An IFC member asked about the procedure for taking information about family deaths, and the procedures for notifying inmates about family member deaths. He told us that recently, a CCII person would not take information about the death of a father from the brother of an inmate, because the brother was not listed on the inmate’s medical information release paperwork. C. Pierini told us that this might happen. It was suggested that callers could ask to speak to a Chaplain or other staff member to pass along this information.
In another case, the staff told the inmate, instead of having the inmate contact a family member to receive the news first. This was upsetting to the family and to the inmate.
We were told that the staff usually tries to have the Chaplain and/or one of the mental health professionals on staff involved when reporting the death of a family member to an inmate. If the inmate is in the Outpatient Housing Unit or in Mental Health, they will almost always have the mental health staff involved. If possible, the counselor will have the inmate call out to a family member to talk to them.
Return to Top
F. Notary Services: Mr. Oldfield, the librarian, has been the acting notary at VSPW, and his license just expired in December. Currently, CCII Ms. Bibbs on D Yard and Steppans in the Reception Center have been sent to notary training and have been licensed. Ms. Bibbs has an open line. If an inmate needs a notary, she should ask her counselor. Also, inmates may contact the Legal Department, put in a Request for an Interview, or talk to a Supervisor. Ms. Bibbs, during Open Line, is available on a walk-in basis at designated times in the housing units.
G. Quarterly Package Vendors: Walkenhorst is still not shipping allowed items, have been putting out bad information, etc. A.W. Eichenberger said he will check and see if there are still problems there.
Nancy Rubinstein brought up that women who do not have someone sending in quarterly packages from the outside, and who are using their trust funds to purchase items are also having problems, and having a harder time getting errors handled. We were told that R&R will try to assist when inmates have problems with their packages. If an inmate has a serious problem with her package, she may request assistance from R&R and Sgt. Hanson. If the problem is not solved, a 602 might be necessary.
We were told that there have been some recent problems with Walkenhorst, as noted by VSPW Staff.
The IFC would like to make outside advocacy help available for inmates. Nancy Rubinstein volunteered to write up a simple proposal.
ACTION ITEM: NANCY RUBINSTEIN WILL DEVELOP A SIMPLE VENDOR/QUARTERLY PACKAGE INMATE ADVOCACY PROPOSAL FOR INMATES WITH NO OUTSIDE FAMILY TO HELP SOLVE VENDOR PROBLEMS.
Return to Top
H. Hobby Craft Kiln: Is now installed!!! Z. Patrick says that they are working on getting some projects going. The staff is still learning how to use the new kiln.
I. Visiting Discussion: There were several questions about Visiting processes and routines.
Family Visits for Lifers:
A Family Visit allows families to 'sleep over' with their inmate loved one at the prison. Family Visits for term-lifers and lifers has not been allowed since 1996. Only people with release dates can have Family Visits. There is no indication that this ban on Family Visiting is going to change any time soon.
Bathroom Breaks for Inmates in Visiting:
Inmates in Visiting may only use the bathroom every hour, but sometimes this can stretch to two hours. An inmate may find out when the next bathroom break will be by walking up to the desk and asking. If an inmate cannot wait long enough to make the scheduled break, then the other option is to cut short the visit and go back out to the Yard. However, bathroom breaks are supposed to happen every hour. A.W. Hornbeak will check and make sure Visiting staff stays on an hourly schedule.
ACTION ITEM: A.W. HORNBEAK WILL MAKE SURE VISITING STAFF KNOWS THAT BATHROOM BREAKS FOR INMATES HAPPEN HOURLY.
Return to Top
Visitor Processing has slowed way down. People who come in at 8:30 have been waiting until as late as 12:30 to get processed in. This has gotten worse since Christmas. Staff is moved into the Visiting Rooms when the second one is opened up, and this could account for part of the slowdown. The IFC would like the visiting captain to speed up later processing. A 3-hour wait is not acceptable.
Non-contact visitors have been being denied the ability to bring in food money. This needs to be resolved!!
ACTION ITEM: A.W. HORNBEAK WILL LOOK INTO THIS, AND MAKE NEEDED CHANGES TO ALLOW ALL VISITORS TO BRING IN VENDING MONEY.
There is no written guideline for early-morning Visiting number distribution. Could a sheet describing the procedure be written up for Visiting staff? It could simply be a sheet of paper that says cars can be in the parking lot, that the numbers are made available to those in line at 6 AM, that people may then return at 8:30 AM, etc. It was decided that IFC could develop a simple sheet, and present it for staff use, and also have it posted on the Visiting Processing Center IFC bulletin board.
Visiting Lt. McCraw had been told that the IFC bulletin board was maintained by the IFC. This is not possible, as we do not have access to the bulletin board. Visiting staff needs to post our current minutes, etc. Lt. McCraw was notified, and agreed to take care of bulletin board postings in the future.
Return to Top
J. Book Distribution: About 200 of the donated books have been processed and placed in the General Library. It went slower than they had hoped, as they were short one person until just last week. Furthermore, the whole cataloging process is somewhat time consuming and cumbersome. The process involves magnetic strip, etc., and must be done in between library usages. There are still several hundred books to be placed. Since there are still several books available in the warehouse, the IFC formally requested that some of these books be placed in the following areas of the prison:
(a) Outpatient Housing Unit (OHU)
(b) Lighthouse (Honor Dorm)
(c) A Yard (Receiving)
(d) SAP, if possible (Substance Abuse Program)
Return to Top
K. Other Items:
i. MCI: Marvin reported that since MCI started their new pre-pay program, there are serious problems with calling from inmates. Several other IFC members are experiencing serious difficulties with this new program.
ii. Pregnant women not getting their extra rations: Recently, a member’s pregnant daughter was not receiving the extra milk that was supposed to be a part of the pregnant inmate diet. She may have been overlooked in the process, and if she didn’t bring this up, staff was unaware. Anyone who is pregnant is to receive additional rations daily. If a pregnant woman is not receiving this extra food, she should ask for it immediately.
iii. New IFC project – Books, Games and Videos for Visiting: Nancy Rubinstein will be developing a flier and contacting people about donating new books, games, children’s toys and games, and children’s videos to the Visiting Rooms.
ACTION ITEM: N. RUBINSTEIN WILL DEVELOP A FLIER AND CONTACT DONORS ABOUT BOOKS, TOYS, GAMES AND VIDEOS FOR VISITING AND FOR THE CHILDREN’S ROOMS IN VISITING.
Kitchen Tour: The IFC formally requested a tour of the main kitchen. A.W. Hornbeak took our request ‘on advisement’. Nancy Rubinstein will submit this request in writing.
ACTION ITEM: N. RUBINSTEIN WILL SUBMIT A WRITTEN REQUEST FOR A TOUR OF THE MAIN KITCHEN.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:41 PM.
Next Meeting: Friday, April 7, 2006 at 1:00 PM, VSPW Warden's Conference Room.
Minutes prepared by Nancy Rubinstein.
Agenda Items for next meeting due by March 17, 2006.
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