by Jared Cole
Greetings and solidarity,
The prisoners of Missouri’s South Central Correctional Center’s ad-seg units have initiated a consolidated effort to protest and change the conditions found not only at the facility, but in every other Level 5 institution across the state.
The conditions being called out are: indeterminate assignments to ad-seg units; being celled with another prisoner during these assignments; no access to personal property during these assignments; no access to canteen spends in order to purchase food items during these assignments (this is done at only one of six MDOC Level 5 facilities); not being able to communicate with family and friends via phone calls on a weekly basis; and not being able to purchase adequate hygiene items. We’re only allowed one spend a month in which we can only buy one body wash.
Prisoners began to refuse their cellmates on the basis of protective custody, after which they are placed on iron benches, shackled with hands behind their backs for hours at a time where they are denied meals and, due to overcrowding, not offered any alternative cell to go to – ultimately forcing prisoners to accept living in a volatile situation just in order to get to eat.
These actions were initiated on a large level on Aug. 17. This resulted in intensifying the overcrowding issue, forcing several prisoners to be released from segregation. On Aug. 20, Deputy Warden Conrad Sutton visited those on the bench in order to find out what their requests were.
The prisoners of Missouri’s South Central Correctional Center’s ad-seg units have initiated a consolidated effort to protest and change the conditions found not only at the facility, but in every other Level 5 institution across the state.
Among the requests were: the ending of housing prisoners assigned to indeterminate ad-seg in cells with each other; the limiting of time to hold prisoners in ad-seg under “investigation” status; the granting of personal property to those assigned to ad-seg; ability to purchase food items as well as adequate hygiene items; and the ability to communicate by phone with family and friends on a weekly basis, as opposed to a bimonthly basis.
The deputy warden stated he would look into these issues. Without any commitment from the administration, the protest continued. In the meantime, the administration retaliated by denying the law-required minimum amount of three showers and three hours of recreation a week, as well as cancelling the monthly canteen spend for hygiene items.
As of Aug. 21, 2018, National Prison Strike Day, and the commemoration of the revered George Jackson, the struggle continues. The ad-seg population here requests anyone concerned to contact either Warden Jeff Norman or Conrad Sutton of the SCCC in Missouri.
Any legal or general advice please forward to: Jared Cole 1073015, SCCC, 255 W. Hwy 32, Licking, MO 65542 via mail or email at JPay.com.