MY LETTER TO THE WARDEN

January 17, 2010

Warden M. Benov
C.I. Taft
P.O. Box 7001
Taft, Ca 93268

Warden Benov,
My name is Linda xxxxxx (last name) and my son Corey, is an inmate at the minimum security satellite camp at Taft. I write to you today because there have recently been various changes instituted at Camp visitation that concern me and perhaps you can answer my questions. My son has not asked I write you, quite the contrary, but my husband and I both have felt the impact of the changes, to the atmosphere in particular, at visitation since the beginning of the new year and therein lies my reason for writing.

Every 3 months we see a new cycle of guards oversee Camp Visitation. My husband and I have been visiting our son at this Camp for the past 5 years and it is only with this latest, newest changing of the guards that we have seen, surprisingly, stricter measures brought into play and we wonder why the escalation of security.

Often, over the years we have contended, and adjusted to, each new set of guards implementing their own "interpretation" of the visitation rules/policies, which many times do not coincide with the written policies of the BOP. Generally its how the clothing rules are interpreted, one month we may see visitors allowed to wear scarves, next cycle no scarves are allowed. Or open toe'd shoes, allowed for months, then suddenly not allowed. One must always be sure to carry extra clothing items with them to avoid having to drive the 20 mile return trip to Kmart should a particular guard have a different opinion on a particular rule and you risk being turned away. However, I'm not writing to complain about such routine ongoings, we've just adapted and been better prepared going forward.

However, the recent escalation in rules and "security measures" in the visitation room we do find concerning, as it does affect the atmosphere in the room, and all the families as well as the inmates are affected by it. My husband and I find it is now an atmosphere of intimidation, unbefitting the need at this minimum security Camp, and we wish to state our objection to guards from the higher-security, adjacent facility coming over for temporary duty at this Minimum Security Camp and implementing rules not formerly in place, rules that impact the formerly comfortable atmosphere, and the reason for all of us to be visiting in the first place, to increase moral and family unity for our loved one serving within the confines of the camp.

The BOP's own policies set forth regarding Visitation (Program Statement 5000 Series, Inmate and Custody Management, Policy No. 5267.08) read:

Statement 5267.08
#1. All inmates will be permitted visits by family, friends, and community groups consistent with the security and orderly running of the institution.

#9. The Warden shall have the visiting room arranged so as to provide adequate supervision, adapted to the degree of security required by the type of institution.

As described in the policy, the rules should be "adapted" to fit the security of the institution. Taft Camp is a Minimum Security Camp, the men are not even restricted by walls or wire fences, yet the new visiting rules set in place, by one new guard who has, seemingly taken it upon himself to enhance, are inappropriate and the added feeling of "control" are being suffered by all, inmate and visitors alike.

A few of the changes we have seen are the men (inmates) were not being allowed to use the Inmate Bathroom in the Visitation Room going into this month. We witnessed them being told they must ask permission to use the facilities. They are then taken to the small bathroom outside the Visitation Room. Why would such a rule now be put in place? It is demeaning to not just the inmate but to his family to observe. This is a rule enforced in higher security facilities, not appropriate to a minimum security camp visitation room.

The inmates are now currently restricted from not only getting up and walking about the room, but from coming anywhere near the vending machines openly set out in the visitation room. The rules up to this month allowed them to approach the 3 vending machines in the middle of the south wall of the room and to come to just outside the small vending machine room, with their visitor, so as to at least be able to have some input into what food choices would be made. Now the men are not allowed to get up and move about the room at all, let alone get anywhere near the vending machines.

The restriction on inmates movements within the room has added, in more than one way, to the more stressful atmosphere. The Facility by and large seems to have a hard time regulating the temperature in the visitation room to begin with, but in the past we have had the ability to sit at our table as long as we could take the below-normal temperatures (overly-cold air forced from an overhead vent), or at times the higher than normal temperatures in mid summer, and we've been able to walk outside (or back inside) to cool down or warm up, as the case may be. Not only that, but the fact that if we come at 8 am for a full days visit that is 7 hrs we and our "inmate" are required to sit at a table. Everyone, yourself included I'm sure, gets a little uncomfortable after 3 or 4 hrs hours sitting, especially in rigid, hard plastic chairs. But now thats been taken away as well. The inmates are not being allowed to get up and walk about the room, to simply stretch their muscles.

To begin with this is of courses aggravated by the Camp's very points system, with points being charged by the full day rather than by the hour. If you don't stay the full day you lose out on valuable time with your loved one. And many visitors travel from long distances and must make the most of the full day of visitation. Our son transferred from the adjacent Low Security (when it became an INS prison) at Taft 5 yrs ago, and points there were charged by the HOUR, we could come and visit for 3 or 4 hrs and end the visit, and only use the points for the hours we used. However your Camp rules make it necessary, if we wish to use all the precious, alotted time allowed with our loved one, to stay the full day, because 20 points are all that are allotted, and depending on the day you visit, use up 4 or 6 pt per visit, no matter how long the visit. I only go into such detail in hopes of helping you understand why we stay all day, and why staying all day, and not being 'allowed" to move about the room have become an issue. There WAS no issue prior to the new guards on current "cycle" adding to and changing what was previoulsy in place.

Another change just this month, with the new cycle of guards, is that visitor seating is now being assigned. Up until just this month, visitors were able to come in, and choose their own seating. If the room started filling up the guard often asked visitors to move to different tables befitting the size of the parties, or even to terminate visits as necessary. No one to my knowledge has ever had any objection to this and all always willingly comply. We appreciate the time we get to spend with our loved one more than you can imagine. To support their morale and sense of well being. I suppose to you the assigning of seating is a minor issue, but now having to await the guards assigning us a seat only adds another level of stress where it is simply not needed. Why after all these years? Why with just these new guards?

I bring up these issues because the very atmosphere that is now prevalent in the visitation room, one of intimidation and restriction caused by these heightened and stricter rules (not formerly in place, and seemingly only now in place because of the whims of one or two short-term guards at visitation rotation) have had a definite impact on the quality of our visits with our son, and they are contradictory to the BOP's stated objective of maintaining the morale of the inmate and to develop closer relationships between the inmate and family members or others in the community. We look forwad to your response in hopes you'll affect some changes, if only returning the rules to those that were in place prior to this new cyle of guards overseeing this first qtr of 2012.

Thank you for your time.

(I'll post any response IF I get one)