Beaumont prison where prisoner used cellphone to escape has top number of guards disciplined for sneaking in cellphones, other violations

  
 Backgate Says: 

The Backgate encourages you to check out the Texas Watchdog Website. It's seasoned reporters cover what main stream media won't touch. The Backgate was mentioned in this story published in march. 




By Jennifer Peebles, Texas Watchdog

The Beaumont prison from which an inmate escaped with the help of a cellphone earlier this month has one of Texas’ worst track records for prison personnel bringing cellphones into the facility.

That’s according to a Texas Watchdog analysis of prison system data procured by WOAI-Channel 4 in San Antonio.

Stiles Unit, the maximum-security facility from which David Puckett, 27, escaped and made his way to Nebraska, had the third-highest number of incidents in which Texas Department of Criminal Justice workers were accused of bringing or allowing cellphones, phone components or accessories into prison confines between 2006 and mid-2010, the data show. It had 42 such cases.

With nearly 3,000 inmates and 800 employees, Stiles tied with Neal Unit, another state prison near Amarillo, for the highest number of overall reported cellphone-related disciplinary infractions for state staff, with 46, the database shows. TDCJ oversees 113 adult prison and state jail facilities.

Authorities haven’t said how they think Puckett obtained the phone he used to plan his breakout and meet up with a female admirer in Omaha, where he was recaptured. But the prison system’s inspector general, John Moriarty, said prison personnel are a factor in phones coming into the Texas prisons.

“One bad employee can bring in a lot of phones,” Moriarty said.

See entire story here !

Texas Comptrollers release of ERS employee information costs taxpayers $1.8 Million so far

By The Backgate Website

If you are a Texas state employee be on the lookout for criminals using your personal information to commit crimes. The Comptrollers office admits, millions of employees may have been affected by the release of information of employees using ERS and TRS retirement systems.  The Comptrollers office began mailing out notification letters last week. And at a time when the state is scrambling to find every dollar to avoid teacher and vital employee layoffs, the state has had to pour $1.8 million into correcting the mess so far. 


The office mailed out letters to those affected, a $1.2 million cost; set up a call center to offer assistance to them over the phone, costing the state $393,000; and spent $290,000 contracting with two different information technology consultants in examining the agency's information security policies and procedures. And the costs could rise.

The Austin American Statesman reported :

The breach occurred after information was transferred to the comptroller by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, the Employees Retirement System of Texas, the Texas Workforce Commission and the Department of Public Safety to be used as part of the state's unclaimed property verification system.

The information was erroneously left on a publicly accessible server for about a year.
Four employees in the comptroller's office have left because of the incident.
The attorney general's office is investigating at least one suspicious phone call that might be connected to the exposed data.

Blast from the past : Chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice sits down with the Backgate

By Max Rodriguez, Backgate Website, (originally published  07/14/09)

 He came towering in to the conference room from around a corner inside the TDCJ parole office where he met with us. There seemed to be excitement in the air. Carrying himself as a former West Point graduate would. Open and receptive towards our reporter, and anxious to answer your questions it seemed. Chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice Oliver J. Bell was on a tour of institutional parole offices in Region III Houston area when the Backgate met up with him for an exclusive Q & A session.

Mr. Bell started out by giving us a quick run down of his personal history. He Is a 1982 graduate of the West Point military academy, and then went on to serve his country with the U.S. Army for nearly 15 years. He is also a former airborne officer that established the first Army desert reconnaissance school that saw many recruits prior to, and during the first war in Iraq and thereafter. Mr. Bell eventually left the Army after obtaining the rank of Major.

When asked how he came to be a member, then eventually the chairman of the TBCJ, he stated that after meeting with individuals from the Governor's office, that he eventually decided to accept the voluntary position on the board. He was then selected by the Governor for the position of chairman later on down the line.

The following is the Q & A session that we did with Mr. Bell;

Backgate: What are your ideas on how to improve the quality of the agency ?

Mr. Bell : "TDCJ staff members are outstanding at what they do first of all. I think we have a good base to expand from in place right now, we just have to never be satisfied at where we are at. Through increased pay increases and constant training we can make it a better place. Hiring standards also play a part. We need to keep working towards a common goal in the agency. "

Backgate: As you know, TDCJ employee morale is low on most units statewide. Added responsibility, less staff to perform the work, and lowered hiring standards are complaints that staff claim are all significant issues within the agency right now. WHat can the board do to improve the situation ?

Mr. Bell : "Staffing is at 95% at this point and getting better. TDCJ was the only state agency to see a pay raise this session. That shows, even though it wasn't what we had hoped for, that the legislature knows what needs to be done to help recruit and keep employees. TDCJ added pay increases for recruits and also at the first couple of steps of the pay grade. I know for a fact that the TDCJ leadership team have worked hard at getting employees a pay raise. I think we are on track to seeing significant improvements over time."

Backgate: What exactly is the purpose of the TBCJ ?

Mr. Bell : "We are an oversight board appointed by the governor. We serve 6 year terms. We are basically the eyes and ears for the agency and state government. We come from all different backgrounds, and walks of life. it's a collaborative effort on the boards part to improve the quality of the agency. As part of an initiative i established, i asked that board members visit every TDCJ unit in the state. We did that. Asking line staff and administrators how things were going, and what their ideas were to improve the agency. We asked questions and asked for staff input."

Backgate : Employee retention is a key factor in the staffing shortages that TDCJ has endured over the years. What would you propose to help fix the issues with retention ?

Mr. Bell: "Raising the pay. Establishing professional standards. Improving staff morale. More training."

Backgate : What do you see to be the focus of the board over the next year ?

Mr. Bell : "Standards for CO's and parole officers. Increasing rehabilitation initiatives, expanded use of environmentally " green " projects such as the current pilot program we have that is producing biodiesel for agency tractors. "


Backgate : What do you feel to be the direction of the agency over the next ten years as it applies to TDCJ , and dealing with parole, and prison rehabilitation ?


Mr. Bell : "I think the goal will be public perception of TDCJ as an agency and improving that image. Improved parole and re-entry programs to help make sure the ex-offender that may move in next to you is rehabilitated and you are safe."

Backgate : When you visit TDCJ facilities, what do you see as you walk through those hallways ?

Mr. Bell : "I see good professional correctional officers doing a tough job. Our employees are great."


Backgate : What do you think about the establishment of a board of TDCJ staff members from all over the state to meet and discuss ideas and ongoing issues that may affect morale, turnover, or safety issues ?

Mr. Bell : I think focus, or discussion groups could be a good thing. To take employees at varying levels and allow them to meet with TDCJ directors and others in an effort to solve problems would be beneficial. A " lunch with the director" or other upper leadership groups could be something to look at.


Backgate: What is you take on how to control contraband coming into a TDCJ facility, and what are your ideas on combating issues with corrupt staff members statewide ?

Mr. Bell : "Corrupt staff members make all the others look bas as well. Our goal is to continue to combat them and put them on the other side of the bars. They will fail before we do. One person can set back the agency in the eyes of the public. And public trust is lost. We have a zero tolerance on the issue, and i myself sat at the hearings where TDCJ was grilled pretty good by a state senate committee. It was rough, but i have no problem doing that if it will improve the situation. I am all for enhanced security, and cutting off the flow of contraband into the facilities. As a matter of fact, a hearing at the federal level next week will determine if TDCJ can utilize cell phone jamming equipment to cut off the cell signals from a prison. This would be a great tool. "

Mr. Bell then went on to say that the board is taking the initiative to address employees whenever possible as to let staff know that the board does appreciate the work they do. We thank Mr. Bell, and the board for their participation in this interview, and their promise to assist TDCJ employees in any way possible. In previous years, the board, nor TDCJ would have been as approachable. With public relations weighing in on the way all state agencies do business, and the way Texans vote, we hope that this is just the beginning.

 

Ledge eyeing illegal aliens behind bars and reducing Ad Seg numbers

By  Mike Ward

With just six weeks left for Texas lawmakers to balance the cash-strapped state budget, an unlikely source of savings is being eyed to soften the cuts to schools and human services programs: prisons.
In recent weeks, an assortment of proposals that just a few years ago never would have received a serious hearing have gained support. Even if only a few are adopted, they could profoundly change prison operations in the Lone Star State.

Deporting thousands of foreign-citizen felons and privatizing state jails and prisoners' transportation and medical care are being touted as ways to save as much as $500 million over the next two years.
Even the idea of keeping thousands of fewer criminals in solitary confinement is being considered.

See entire story ! 

Backgate Says:

Texas has an assortment of violent and problematic offenders locked up in Administrative Segregation. To have to pick some to release to satisfy a politicians budget plan would be a safety concern for all employees. The Ledge needs to research this from the inside out before making such an uninformed decision, or come down and work a day on a seg line... The deportment of illegal alien offenders is long overdue. What are your thoughts ?

Sweeping new prison plan would save state millions

TDCJ Photo

 By Mike Ward

Significant changes in how Texas operates its state prisons and punishes its nonviolent, low-level felons are to be proposed today in a move that supporters say could save tens of millions of additional dollars for a cash-strapped state budget.

Included is a plan to expand the use of "shock probation" sentences with limited prison time, to charge imprisoned felons more for their medical care, to study hiring additional private companies to run state jails and transport convicts between prisons, to consider releasing some critically ill convicts to save on medical bills and to begin selling over-the-counter medications to convicts rather than giving them away.
A fiscal note on the proposed changes says they could save nearly $13.5 million in two years, according to a copy of the document obtained by the American-Statesman. But House leaders said they expect that the savings could be at least twice that.

See entire Story Here ! 


Backgate Says:

Does the state of Texas need the liability of an outside company paying it's Officers minimum wage to watch over some pretty bad inmates ? We have all seen the meltdowns in the past surrounding private prison companies. Riots, murders, etc. - Keep prisons under state care.

Texas State Representative Jerry Madden looks into TDCJ mediation practices after seeing Backgate Story

Jerry Madden

 By Duane Stuart, Backgate Website

State Corrections  Committee chair Jerry Madden has stated to the Backgate that he is looking into the current system of mediation as we know it within the agency. The Backgate story published yesterday regarding the broken system of TDCJ mediation that allows some TDCJ employees back to work after committing severe rule violations and even sometimes illegal acts is under review by the house Corrections Committee Chairman.

In an email to the Backgate from Representative Madden, he states that the current system is now under review by the committee. The Backgate recently received information under the Texas open records act that showed that some terminated employees were allowed back to work after the TDCJ internal mediation process found loopholes in the current system that allowed them back. Some of those employees where charged and found guilty of acts that were illegal, to include establishing intimate relations with offenders. Charges that are described in the Texas penal code as a state jail felony.

Is TDCJ overlooking such charges to maintain staffing levels ? If so, what examples for new incoming staff members does that provide ? Has the agency sold itself out to avoid legislative scrutiny over staffing issues ? Is this adding to an atmosphere of corruption that has plagued the agency for years ? Stay tuned, thousands of Texans and other readers want to know...

Is the TDCJ termination mediation process broken

New open records information received by the Backgate from TDCJ states that 461 agency employees were recommended for termination FY2010. Of those, 139 were allowed to return to work after being mediated back at the individual Regional level. Is the system that was designed to assist employees avoid false claims, excessive charges and other situations broken ?

Some of the charges levied against these employees now range from simple multiple repeat infractions such as being late to having relations with offenders. A broad range of issues that are sometimes criminal. In most cases where employees are mediated back they are sent to other state prisons to start again. Some employees have actually been terminated more than once. Is the agency sending the right message about corruption and maintaining it's rules of conduct?

Region III once again holds the lead for employees recommended for dismissal and of those mediated back to employment, but other Regions have also gained. Over the next few weeks the Backgate is going to get outside comment on these issues and talk about ways the current system can be tweaked. Stick around and see how it all plays out.Check out the below listed numbers on agency mediations FY2010.

Dismissal   Recommendations     Changed in mediation
Region                            

Region I          97                24
Region II         52                17
Region III        119               52
Region IV         56                15
Region V          76                20
Region VI         32                8
Parole            6                 0
Other             23                3 

Information provided by the TDCJ human resources headquarters through open records act.