Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Texas Tribune story on TDCJ staffing woes includes Backgate perspective


A story just published in the Texas Tribune features issues near and dear to TDCJ employees and their families. Understaffed facilities that may be unsafe and forced overtime issues are discussed, as well as employee thoughts on the employee grievance system. Go check it out. Thanks for including us in the story Emily Foxhall.

Click Here to link to the Texas Tribune Story !

7 comments:

  1. Sounds to me like TDCJ will be doing another staffing plan adjustment here soon. How else can they justify operating these prisons with less staff, they did it before and they'll do it again. Right now one officer must monitor 127 offenders, to include count, ins and outs, chow and keep an eye on the dayrooms and the cells all at the same time.

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  2. That's true. TDCJ cannot cut anymore fat from the line level staff. If they want to cut fat there are more then a few people that serve no purpose whatsoever in Huntsville. It's becoming alarming just how serious some of these units are understaffed. The numbers posted by Huntsville don't even cover those out on long term workers comp, FMLA, or your daily call ins. Then the wardens at these units expect activities to go on as usual until something happens. Then no one up top wants to admit they authorized someone to be pulled off of a cat 1 duty post to work a cat 2 or even two cat 1's. It's a losing proposition for all concerned but will ultimately end with an Officer getting hurt or killed before anyone acts.

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    1. Hello.. This is the Sgt that was harassed. I was harassed and threatened enough were I felt in danger. It actually drove me to a bad depression where I needed to get help. I finally felt the only thing I could do was move. During the time of investigation after the fact, I was bullied every day by adminstartion. Then one day,I had a higher official come in and talk to me. He said he was going to help. Then a CO came to me upset because he over heard him and the warden laughing about it. I got that statement from the CO and faxed it to a higher admin. they refused to adress it. So EVERY avenue I went to including the representatives for the CO's blew me off. Ya, the pretended to say they would help,but then also laugh about it.I went so far as to talk with the Texas Rangers. So far I have heard nothing has come of it.

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  3. Well I work at what some call the MODEL 2250. Let me tell you in the past few years it's gotten worse. To me the staffing can be blamed more on the ADMIN than anything else. Yes I know staffing is thin at some units but it does not help when ADMIN puts more and more restrictions on officers and less on offenders.
    We get shook down more than they do. If you enter the facility you have to be pat searched and walk through the metal detector and if for some reason you forget your I.D. or whatever you have to be searched before you go out and again on the way back in.
    People have just gotten tired of being treated worse than the offenders. Some just give up due to the treatment we receive. They've placed cameras on just about every building and tell us its for our protection....LOL B.S. They use them when an offender yells check the cameras and they end up using it to fire or serve disciplinary on officers.
    Yes, the cell phone incident did cause a lot of it but we all know contraband is still at an all time high and with low staffing it will only get worse because we will never find it all.

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  4. The Texas Tribune Story also includes the study done by the employee's union and the Texas Justice Coalition. This was the study introduced to the Texas Legislature. With any cuts coming to TDCJ, I can foresee Federal Oversight coming to TDCJ. Unlike before during the Ruiz lawsuit, employees maybe to ones who initiate it.

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    Replies
    1. Hello.. This is the Sgt that was harassed. I was harassed and threatened enough were I felt in danger. It actually drove me to a bad depression where I needed to get help. I finally felt the only thing I could do was move. During the time of investigation after the fact, I was bullied every day by adminstartion. Then one day,I had a higher official come in and talk to me. He said he was going to help. Then a CO came to me upset because he over heard him and the warden laughing about it. I got that statement from the CO and faxed it to a higher admin. they refused to adress it. So EVERY avenue I went to including the representatives for the CO's blew me off. Ya, the pretended to say they would help,but then also laugh about it.I went so far as to talk with the Texas Rangers. So far I have heard nothing has come of it.

      Delete
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