Chronology of the 1993 Lucasville Prison Riot page 8

APR 2013
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1
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“A publication of the American Correctional Officer Intelligence Network"
Chronology of the 1993
Lucasville Prison Riot
page 8
Correction Officer
Robert B. Vallandingham
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and
Correction, Ohio
End of Watch: Wednesday, April 14, 1993
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Issue#4
The Official Publication of the American
Correctional Officer Intelligence Network
ACO / ACOIN
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Western Office 307-883-9707
Eastern Office 617-484-0085
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www.AmericanCO.info
VITO DAGNELLO
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vanello@optonline.net
BRIAN DAWE
ACO/ACOIN Executive Director
Cell 307-880-9000
Western Office 307-883-9707
Eastern Office 617-484-0085
bdawe@americanco.info
HENRY J. RUIZ
Editor & Design
ACOIN Communications Director
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Research & Information Director
ACOIN
Cell 541-974-4098
gharkins@americanco.info
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Contents
Moving the Profession Forward
Every year over 40,000 Correctional Officers are assaulted, we deal with
an AIDS/HIV rate three times higher than the general public, our profession has a suicide rate 39% higher than any other occupation and a PTSD
rate nearly ten times the rate of the citizens we protect. .….Page 4
You Did it! NH Private Prison Bill Defeated.
Legislation to privatize prisons in New Hampshire has been defeated. This
is a major victory that numerous organizations played a roll in, and the
ACO was at the forefront of this fight.…….Page 5
Chronology of the 1993 Lucasville Prison Riot
An account of the 11-day siege at Lucasville, Ohio, the nation’s longest
deadly prison riot, in which a dozen corrections officers were taken
hostage and one guard and nine inmates were killed:.……...Page 8
Additional Sections:
What About Strengths Base Approach?……………………..…………..Page 6
CCA’s Lake Erie C.I. Audited - It Flunked………………...…………....Page 10
ACOIN Welcomes a new addition to the Team…..………….……....Page 11
ACO Legislative Conference…………………………………………...……..Page 14
Security Alert…………………………………………………………………...…..Page 15
About Suicide…………………………………………………………..…………..Page 15
IMAGE ENHANCEMENT:
James Milowski
skiman70@juno.com
TRAINING:
Tracy Barnhart
tbarnhar@columbus.rr.com
Monte Le Gould
661-972-0721
IMTT@onebox.com
www.IMTT.NET
JUVENILE JUSTICE:
James Mandel Jr.
973-653-8710
howiekwix@optonline.net
Slain MIT police officer
Sean Collier. (Middlesex DA)
Rest in Peace!
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From the editor:
On Easter Sunday 1993 inmates at the Lucasville prison in Ohio rioted. The siege ended 11
days later, leaving nine inmates and one correctional officer were dead. Correctional Officer
Robert Valleningham was strangled to death during the rioting. Five inmates are still awaiting
execution for their roles in those murders.
As the twenty year anniversary of the Lucasville Prison Riot came to be, it is very important not
to forget Correctional Officer Valleningham, and the lessons learned from the tragic event.
As jails and prisons around the nation make cut backs that take their toll on correctional
officer staffing levels We must be vigilant and not allow budget to take precedence over safety
and security.
Medal of Honor
We are now accepting nominations for our 2013 national Correctional Medal of Honor to be
held at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Deadline for submissions is
July 31, 2013, and winners will be announced July 16, 2013.
“Our prayers and thoughts are with the family of Officer Collier and the people of Boston.
More than ever be safe out there, and watch each others backs!”
Henry J. Ruiz
Communication Director
American Correctional Officer
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Every year over 40,000 Correctional Officers
are assaulted, we deal with an AIDS/HIV rate three
times higher than the general public, our profession has a suicide
rate 39% higher than any other occupation and a PTSD rate nearly
ten times the rate of the citizens we
protect. Most of you reading this
are in our profession, yet less than
10% of us know these statistics.
How many Officers were assaulted
at your facility last year? How many
of those inmates were prosecuted,
what was the result? What is your
Brian
staffing ratio? How many inmates in
Dawe (WY)
your facility are classified as mentally ill? What’s the rate of TB or Hepatitis at your facility?
Very few of us can recite these numbers. If we
are not educated about the perils of being a Correctional Officer we cannot expect anyone else to be. We
cannot expect change until we educate ourselves and
educate the public and our elected officials about our
lives behind the walls. Perception if unchecked becomes reality. Consider staffing ratio’s; nationally our
ratio’s are reported as 5.4:1, we all know that’s a dangerous misrepresentation. That number is derived without any consideration given for time off, its fiction masquerading as fact as is so often the case in corrections.
Only this fiction threatens our very safety when such
misleading data leads to cuts in staffing and training.
This is but one example of dozens. It all comes back to
education, we cannot blame our elected officials for not
knowing facts we ourselves do not know. That’s where
ACO and ACOIN come in.
The American Correctional Officer (ACO) and the ACO
Intelligence Network (ACOIN) are
dedicated to the men and
women who work behind the
walls. We are those very men
and women hailing from across
the nation. We know better than
anyone that ninety-five percent
of what we do is with our heads
and not our hands. Contrary to
public perception, the media and
Hollywood’s portrayal, we are not
Neanderthals beating the inmates at every opportunity. Commonsense mandates that outnumbered forty, fifty or sixty to
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one we wouldn’t live long if we did. If 95% of what we do is
with our heads then the greatest thing we can provide to help
make our jobs a little safer is Intel. That’s what ACO and ACOIN
are about, providing intelligence, support and a national voice
for our profession. It’s our goal to help discover and share best
practices, striving to make each tour of duty a little safer. It’s
time we become a proactive workforce rather than a reactive
one.
ACO has Intelligence Officers working in juvenile, local, county, state and federal facilities all across America. At
ACO’s 2012 Medal of Honor conference over 200 Officers attended from more than two dozen states having over 3,000
years in corrections and five million hours on the blocks. There
is no greater think tank for our profession, there is no louder
voice nor a more determined advocate.
Check us out at www.COINtel.net. If your organization
is not a member of ACO ask them to join today, and if you are
not yet a member of ACOIN what are you waiting for! Ask yourself; “What have I done to move my profession forward?” One
of the best things you can do is to join with thousands of Officers who are uniting to address our universal concerns. There
is no correctional fairy out there going to make this job any
better. It’s up to us and that includes you. We will continue our
mission to make it safer for all of us behind the walls. The only
question is; will you join us? Be safe in there, stay vertical!
Brian Dawe
Executive Director
ACO/ACOIN
ACOIN1@aol.com
Legislation to privatize prisons in New Hampshire has been defeated. This is a major victory that numerous
organizations played a roll in, and the American Correctional Officer (ACO) was at the forefront of this fight.
ACO met the New Hampshire Governor, his General council, members of the House and the Senate, held rallies,
and informational meetings.
Special thanks to Officers Keith Corbett, Stephen Isabelle and Claudia Cass who were instrumental in the ground wars and meeting
with NH elected officials to defeat this. Also to our union partners in
this fight the NEPBA, SEIU and the Teamsters who we worked with
to defeat this legislation. Also special thanks to former state rep
and radio host Arnie Arneson for all her help and support.
This is one of the reasons we hope you continue to support our efforts. If your organization has not joined or renewed yet, please do
so today. For your convenience we have attached applications. Its
those very same dollars that provided us with the resources we
need to fight this.
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New Hampshire will not privatize its prisons, at least not
in the near future. That’s the decision announced by the
state today with the release of a long-awaited analysis of
bids submitted by four private firms in response to a 2011
Request for Proposals from the state.
The state’s consultant, MGT of America, found that none
of the bids met the requirements spelled out in the RFP. All
of them “had deficiencies from an operational standpoint.”
Specifically, according to a parallel report released by
the Departments of Corrections and Administrative Services, “all were non-compliant with meeting the Department
of Corrections’ legal obligations.”
“More specifically, the proposals exhibited a lack of
understanding of the overarching legal requirements placed
upon the DOC relating to the court orders, consent decrees
and settlements which, in large part, dictate the administration and operation of their correctional facilities and attendant services to the inmate populations,” the state agencies
said.
The agencies concluded, “The immediate next step,
taken in conjunction with the release of this report, is the
formal cancellation of the solicitation process. This decision, based upon the detail provided above, is made in the
best interests of the State.”
That the private industry leaders were not able to explain
how they would actually meet the state’s legal obligations
should be seen as evidence that these companies can’t be
trusted to operate prisons anywhere.
MGT also reported that the staff compensation levels
built into the privatization proposals was “one-half of the
current compensation currently paid to similar positions in
the state.”
“The state should be concerned that this significantly
lower wage may make it difficult to maintain a trained and
experienced staff. This could result in high turnover and
ultimately impact the safety and security of the correctional
facilities,” MGT added.
“In prior MGT studies of private correctional facility
operations,” the report elaborated, “we have found private
correctional facilities with annual staff turnover rates of 42
percent compared to 13.3 percent for nearby public facilities. High turnover, which can result from non-competitive
compensation levels, produces a chronically inexperienced
work force with direct implications for the integrity of facility security and safety. Low compensation levels can also
make staff recruitment more difficult, resulting in staff
vacancies and reliance on overtime, which again has a negative impact upon facility security.”
The state’s report leaves open the possibility that the
state would entertain privatization as an option at some
point in the future. That would be a huge mistake. Instead,
the legislature should pass HB 443, a bill that blocks the
state from considering privatization. This measure has
already passed the NH House and comes before the Senate
Finance Committee next Tuesday.
© Caterina Spinaris, Mike Denhof, & Gregory Morton,
2013
definition of the problems and challenges impacting corrections professionals is both critical and long overdue.
A strengths-based approach is a relatively novel way
of thinking about mental health issues. Rather than
focusing on “what's wrong” and pathology (illnesses and
disorders), a strengths-based approach identifies the
positive resources and abilities that people have, and
builds future plans on that foundation.
Before strengths-based systems can be implemented, we
must first know in what areas wellness needs to be improved,
what challenges must be overcome, what systemic factors
contribute to staff’s difficulties, and what individual characteristics help lessen problems. We need to know what we are
dealing with if we are to deal with it effectively and successfully. Both problems and solutions need to be fully and clearly
articulated, and informed by high quality and rigorous research. Attempting to develop and implement systemic and
individual solutions without a solid understanding of the nature of problems is not likely to be successful, as it will not be
countering their root causes.
Strengths include both internal and external resources.
Internal resources are character strengths, such as the
capacity to be courageous, caring, ethical, and persevering in the face of adversity. In the context of challenging
work conditions, internal strengths are also exemplified
by the ability to regulate one’s difficult emotions, to
problem solve, to manage conflict, to act with integrity,
to embrace and pursue a vision for the future (dreams,
hopes and goals), to reframe challenges as opportunities, to effectively employ a healthy sense of humor, to
grieve losses in a healthy manner, to evolve one’s professional skill sets, aptitudes, and talents, and more.
External strengths involve reliable social support systems, such as a close-knit family, friends and community groups. In the case of professional work roles,
strengths include up-to-date, data-driven and bestpractices training; supportive and well-trained teams;
and transformational leadership.
Recently we were asked why we focus on identifying
problems and pathology in the population of corrections
professionals nationwide instead of following a strictly
strengths-based approach. This is an important question, and one worth taking the time to answer clearly
and concertedly.
We shall start by saying that, in actuality, we do operate from a strengths-based approach, both in our training and in our direct client therapy. At Desert Waters we
do embrace, and always have employed strategies that
capitalize on strengths to help corrections professionals
and their families obtain optimal health and well-being.
But we are not strengths-based only. As such it is
true that Desert Waters allocates significant resources
to the study of staff’s struggles—such as Corrections
Fatigue, PTSD, and depression. We do so because it is
necessary. Most high-stress occupations, such as military service and police work, have decades of research
into their taxing nature and specific health-related consequences. But this is not true in the field of corrections. Research into corrections-specific stressors and
health-related consequences is still very much in its
infancy. As such, a clear foundational description and
While general research into correctional employee stress
started decades ago, to date little systematic knowledge has
been generated about specific factors playing into corrections
professionals’ elevated rates of suicide, depression, and
PTSD. We also have little scientific information on divorce,
family violence, sub-stance abuse and DUI convictions, or
upon the relationships between staff member health and staff
member misconduct, dismissals, turnover intentions, etc.
During the last two years Desert Waters has collected a wealth
of data and re-ported the first rigorous scientific estimates of
PTSD prevalence in the U.S. corrections ranks. We also provided a foundation of statistics on staff exposure to incidents
of violence, injury and death, co morbid health conditions, and
evidence of the impact of these forces on staff health, substance use behavior, sick leave, utilization of health services,
and life functioning (professional and person-al). This information is critical to the engineering of sound interventions and
wellness initiatives.
We would go so far as to recommend that in light of the
perspective described above, it is paramount on the part of
administrators that staff of all ranks and disciplines be made
to feel validated and supported in regards to these professionally inherent difficulties. The cost of lack of information is
much too high. When whole organizations are impacted by
trauma without processing it sufficiently, the workplace culture
bears the signs of trauma similar to the way individuals do.
That is, work cultures collectively exhibit emotional numbing,
minimizing and denying pervasive emotional realities, dissociating through various means (such as through heavy alcohol
use), and through avoiding or even persecuting those among
them who openly acknowledge these issues. Such behaviors
and attitudes become the norm—“the way it’s always been,”
even though clearly unhealthy.
In the corrections culture of “machismo” and toughness, it
is vital that staff understand the toxic impact of exposure to
(Continued on page 7)
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What About a Strengths Based Approach? (Continued from page 6)
multiple traumatic incidents and other types of workrelated strains. This understanding is necessary if corrections professionals are to overcome challenges such as
internalized shame and stigma for having become
“broken” and/or needing a “tune-up” or professional
health assistance. To start taking steps toward improvement, staff needs to understand what they experienced at
work and how that changed them. Such knowledge is deshaming and empowering, as it enables staff to leave behind an avoidance mentality.
Embracing truth spawns motivation to engage in more
functional forms of thinking, learning and healing, mending of relationships, and movement toward more effective
life strategies and resources.
Desert Waters is passionately focused on helping individual corrections professionals and corrections systems
identify and increase their strengths. That is the goal of
our reference to Corrections Fulfillment and the training
we provide on that subject. System-wide Corrections Fulfillment is also the focus of our upcoming course, The Resilient Supervisor™.
At this early stage of charting the territory of corrections professionals’ wellness, it is our opinion that focusing exclusively on staff strengths without studying the
causes and impacts of correctional challenges is premature. It is akin to presenting material on weight lifting to
someone who has broken limbs. Recognizing both the
positives and the problems is a crucial early step in the
development of this work.
When enough corrections professionals adopt such
attitudes and actions, the privilege of culture shifts comes
to bear, and, as a result, prevention and equipping staff in
wellness practices, from the Training Academy onward,
become the standard.
Desert Waters’ clinical experience supports this practice as well. Time after time we have encountered correctional employees in treatment who were able to make
progress after their negative and traumatic experiences
were purged, ex-pressed, acknowledged and accepted as
true for them. We have all had that experience in one way
or another—how, only after another person validates and
conveys understanding of our challenges, that we then
become able to sort through our thoughts and emotions,
and move into a more successful plan of action for the
future.
Desert Waters Correctional Outreach
Founded in 2003 in Florence, Colorado, Desert Waters Correctional Outreach (DWCO) is a 501(c)(3) community-based tax-exempt corporation.
DWCO Mission
To increase the occupational, personal and family well-being of staff of all disciplines within the corrections profession.
WHY DWCO EXISTS
DWCO came into being to specifically address the well-being of corrections workers at the individual,
family, and organizational levels.
Corrections staff are exposed to chronic negativity, violence and other potentially traumatic or emotionally
toxic events. Over time such hardships take their toll on the body, soul and spirit of corrections employees.
They adversely impact their families also in a multitude of ways.
DWCO reaches out to corrections professionals and their significant others to offer healing, wellness
tools, and strategies for success in their personal and professional lives.
Since the focus of DWCO is on corrections staff and families, it does not provide services to offenders or
their families.
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An account of the 11-day siege at Lucasville, Ohio, the nation’s longest deadly prison riot, in which a dozen corrections officers were taken hostage and one guard and nine
inmates were killed:
Sunday, April 11, 1993
3 p.m. Disturbance begins as inmates exit recreation yard.
They attack a corrections officer, take his keys and open
doors to cells on L block.
3:15 p.m. After a violent melee with guards, inmates take
control of L block, chanting “we have the keys.” Five corrections officers are taken hostage, some badly beaten. Two
others awaiting help are taken hostage just before an armed
rescue. Inmates capture another guard and an inmate. The
inmate is killed. Two more officers are taken hostage and
beaten. In all, 12 officers are taken hostage.
4:45 p.m. Seriously injured officer is released, first of three
throughout evening.
6:46 p.m. Severely beaten inmate put on the yard.
9:17 p.m. Inmates begin to place bodies of five slain inmates on yard.
Monday, April 12, 1993
1:45 a.m. Last of inmates roaming yard cleared, housed in K
block.
8:05 a.m. Water and electricity turned off to L block.
10:15 a.m. Body of slain inmate put on yard.
Tuesday, April 13, 1993
5:56 a.m. Recording of negotiations begins.
10 a.m. Body of slain inmate whose nephew may
have assisted a guard during siege discovered in K
block.
4 p.m. K block inmates shout in protest of inadequate food, encouragement to L block and are teargassed; officials begin removing uninvolved prisoners to other facilities.
Wednesday, April 14, 1993
3:50 a.m. Police helicopter patrolling the prison complex crashes, three suffer minor injuries.
9 a.m. Inmates hang sheet from L block windows
(Continued on page 9)
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Chronology of 1993 Lucasville Prison Riot (Continued from page 8)
tended by prison officials from across the country.
saying hostage will be killed if demands aren’t met, including housing one inmate per cell, more educational opportunities and additional visitation periods. Another account
says the threat was conveyed by phone.
3:50 p.m. Inmates hang sheet from L block windows
indicating they’re trying to end the “ordeal.” Negotiations continue.
10:45 a.m. Prisons spokeswoman states threats against
officers are part of “language of negotiations.” According to
later testimony, inmates interpret this as state not taking
them seriously.
12 p.m. Gov. George Voinovich dispatches Ohio National
Guard to prison perimeter.
5 p.m. First food and water, and officers’ prescription drugs,
delivered.
Thursday, April 15, 1993
9 p.m. Terms of agreement broadcast over loudspeakers throughout the night.
Tuesday, April 20, 1993
12 p.m. Three inmates and Schwartz meet with prison
negotiating team at table set up in prison yard.
7:08 p.m. Third delivery of food and water.
Wednesday, April 21, 1993
11 a.m. Schwartz meets with inmate negotiators.
11:05 a.m. Body of Correctional Officer Robert Vallandingham placed on yard by four prisoners.
2:50 p.m. Agreement announced.
7:30 p.m. Hostage correctional officer released in exchange
for live radio broadcast.
3:56 p.m. Inmates begin leaving L block. Two more
inmates are killed.
Friday, April 16, 1993
10:40 p.m. Five remaining hostages released.
1:35 p.m. Hostage correctional officer released in exchange
for live TV broadcast. In it, Muslim inmate repeats demand
to eliminate forced racial integration of cells.
11:20 p.m. Last inmate surrenders.
Saturday, April 17, 1993
SOURCE: Testimony of Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Howard Hudson, state’s chief investigator of the riot, in State v.
Skatzes, as compiled by Staughton and Alice Lynd; Ohio
Civil Service Employees’ Association; AP Research.
10:40 a.m. Meeting inmate demands, television crew summoned for another live broadcast.
3:40 p.m. Bulldozers moved to prison perimeter, either to
collapse any tunnels being dug by inmates or in event of
tactical assault.
4:55 p.m. Second delivery of food and water.
Sunday, April 18, 1993
Cleveland lawyer Niki Z. Schwartz, a prisoner advocate, is
summoned to aid negotiations.
Warden Arthur Tate signs 21-point agreement to inmate
demands.
Family members and union officials hear taped messages
from five remaining hostages.
Monday, April 19
3 p.m. Vallandingham buried in Portsmouth at funeral atLOCKDOWN
Page 9
Correction Officer
Robert B. Vallandingham
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and
Correction, Ohio
End of Watch: Wednesday, April 14, 1993
Last January, the state of Ohio made a surprise inspection of CCA’s Lake Erie Correctional Institution. L.E. is rated as a
medium/minimum security facility with 275 staff watching 1,794
inmates- 4 short of capacity. The inmates are rated as Level 1 or 2
out of 5 point scale with 5 being the highest custody. The state of
Ohio used to own this facility and had
Management Training Corp running it.
The state sold it to CCA and CCA took
over operations on December 31, 2011.
When the State and MTC ran it there
were only 1,498 inmates. CCA added
300 beds by placing them in a former
dayroom and programing space.
Prior to this audit, Lake Erie
was audited by the ACA one month earlier, on Dec 4th, 2012. The ACA rated
L.E. very high. The facility scored 100%
on the mandatory standards and 99.07%
on non-mandatory standards. They
missed out on 4 items: insufficient natural lighting in cells and the dayroom, insufficient ratio of toilets, sink and showGary
ers to inmate and insufficient space per
inmate. The ACA granted waivers for
Harkins (OR)
these deficiencies.
In this state audit, staff who were interviewed complained
about their personal safety being at risk. There has been large
increases of assaults, fights, disturbances and use of force incidents since CCA took over. Staff also complained of high illegal
substance abuse and gang activity. Reports showed that staff
hesitate to use force even when appropriate and often fail to deploy chemical agents prior to using force. The reports also showed
that staff do not appropriately sanction inmates for serious misconduct. One reason was that the facility had no options other than
using the 96 bed segregation unit which was full when the audit
was conducted.
Staff in housing units usually consist of two staff working
12 hour shifts. One dorm unit had two staff and 270 inmates,
another had 2 staff and 294 inmates and a third had 2 staff and
277 inmates. On the recreation yard, there is supposed to be 3
security staff and a rec supervisor. However it is often 1 security
and 1 rec supervisor. In the evenings only 1 staff
is assigned to the yard. The audit also found the
usual high rate of staff turnover (20% at Lake Erie,
12% for the state) and low morale. Not one staff
member rated morale as high or very high! Staff
reported that they were often mandated to work
an extra 12-15 hours a week to fill posts. Some
staff volunteer to work on their days off to prevent
being called in by management.
The audit was broken down to these
categories: Safety and Security, Health and Well
Being, Fair Treatment, Rehabilitation and Reentry
and Fiscal Accountability. Each of these areas
used a 4 point scale of Exceptional (no room for
improvement), Good (More than met the standards), Acceptable (just met the standards) or In
Need of Improvement (does not meet standards,
is significantly different from other institutions in a
negative manner).
The first category, Safety and Security
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scored a In Need of Improvement rating. The auditors found that
inmate on inmate assaults were up by 187% between 2010 and
2012. There were a reported 46 inmate on inmate assaults in
2012, 35 in 2011 and only 16 in 2010. Inmate on staff assaults
totaled 69 in 2012 or 23 more staff assaults then inmate on inmate assaults! Three of the staff assaults were sexual assaults. It
is very rare that inmate on staff assaults are higher than inmate to
inmate numbers in a facility. Staff assaults in 2010 were 17 and
in 2011 it was 30. This equates to a whopping 305% increase in
staff assaults from 2010 to 2012! In 2010, Lake Erie was operated by Management Training Corp. and in 2012 the facility was
under CCA control.
Convictions for inmate fights were up by 40% in just a
year and disturbances more than doubled in frequency from 3
each in 2010 and 2011 to 7 in 2012. Disturbances are defined as
an event caused by 4 or more inmates that disrupts the routine
and operation of the facility. The use of force incidents increased
by 24% in the past two years, from 83 to 103. The use of chemical
agents increased by 127% as well, from 22 to 50. Of the 50 uses
of chemical agents, 45 were in the last 6 months prior to the audit.
But remember, these last two numbers would have been higher
except staff hesitates to use force and chemical agents when appropriate. Also, unit officers are not allowed to carry OC per CCA
policy. CCA now says they are reevaluating this policy. These numbers were higher at Lake Erie than the other prisons in the Ohio
system.
Despite Lake Erie having a higher percentage of STG
inmates (289 or 16.3%) then other state facilities, they had a lower
rate of rule violations. The auditors believed that staff were failing
to properly identify gang members and gang activity. Drug screens
were showing an average of 6.7% of the inmate population testing
positive for drugs in the last 6 months, higher than the state average. However, in the December of 2012, 13% of the inmates at
L.E. tested positive compared to only 3.3% in the statewide sample. There was a recent inmate OD death from heroin at L.E.
The audit also showed that staff did not consistently perform or document bunk searches that are required each shift.
Over 67% of the inmates stated that they are “unsafe” or “very
unsafe” from the other inmates in the facility. Only 11% stated
they were “safe” or “very safe”. Almost 35% of the inmate respondents reported incidents of harassment, threats or abuse by other
inmates. Also, 34 % said it was easy to get drugs, 32% said it was
Lisamarie Fontano is the most recent addition to the
ACOIN staff, as the Female Issues Director.
Lisamarie has been a Correction Officer in the State of
Connecticut since June of 1993.
She has worked as an Officer in several capacities to
include SRG, admitting & processing,
property, transportation and mental
health and has dealt with all levels
of male inmates though predominately high security level male inmates.
Lisamarie Fontano was the First
Women Elected President of a Prison
Employees Union since state
employees gained collective bargaining rights in 1978.
Lisamarie
Fontano (CT)
boards.
She has been involved in several
capacities with her union and served
on several teams, committees and
She fought and succeeded in implementing State
Legislation for CT Correction Officers.
“I have seen several changes in the department of
Corrections in my near 20yrs. One of the biggest changes is
gender specific roles. Twenty years ago, I was hired as an
officer and we all "Officers" did the same job. We all worked
together as one or you did not work. Our objective was the
same, survival.”
In my newest role as your Female Director, I would like
to hear from my fellow sisters on issues that matter to
them.
Female Officers have come a long way in the last 20
years some of the issues we deal with are unique to our
gender . However we still stand back to back with our fellow
"brothers" male officers and perform our duties in the same
dangerous environment.”
Some of the topics I would like to discuss are :
▀ Equal treatment
▀ Pornography
▀ Workplace violence
▀ Sexual harassment
▀ Promotional advancement
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▀ Stress
▀ Balancing of work/home life
▀ Life expectancy 57yr old .
▀ Gender Specific Roles
▀ Family
▀ Educating society about us
“These are a few of the topics that I think need to be
discussed. Please contact me with your feedback on these
topics as well as any issues and challenges you face on a
daily basis, as we walk the toughest beat in America.
I am excited and looking forward to our journey. I
encourage to go to the ACOIN home page and review my
bio. “
Stay safe!!
Lisamarie Fontano
Femaledirectorx5@gmail.com
Ninety-five percent of what we do is with our heads not our hands. The more information we have the safer we are. Join the nation’s only
Intelligence Network run for and by professional Correctional Officers. Our members enjoy;
Roll Call: a rundown of the month’s events in corrections from the US and abroad.
Lockdown: no one knows the job better. Three times a year you will receive this eye opening newsletter written by Officers from around the
nation. As new techniques and equipment emerge ACOIN is there to tell you first-hand how it may affect you and your safety.
Private Prison Updates: we keep you up to date with the latest information on this industry and why we stand in opposition; it’s a matter of
public safety.
Highlight Health Alerts: Corrections is one of the most toxic work environments there is. We issue several informative alerts each year addressing the various exposures we face such as MRSA, TB, Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, etc.
Urgent Updates and Special Reports: riots, hostage takings, escapes, Officer down –you’ll hear about it first from staff on the ground as
events occur. Want to know about assault statistics, Officer pay, staffing levels… We have them!
www.COIntel.net: with our website and 24 hour scroll you never miss a beat.
All of this for only $10.00 a month and it’s tax deductible! You are also receive free admission to all ACOIN events including the annual Medal
of Honor Awards Banquet. Stay informed, support the ACO Intelligence Network – Join today!
ACOIN’s $110,000.00 Accidental Death,
Dismemberment and Paralysis Benefit
As Correctional Officers we know the risks our job requires. We also know that
accidental death is the 5th leading cause of death in the United States. Armed
with these facts, ACOIN offers (Platinum) Individual and Family Accidental
Death, Dismemberment & Paralysis Benefit packages to our members.
ACOIN Gold Membership is just $10.00 per month. For only $5.00 more you
can become a Platinum Member and receive all the basic membership benefits
and this incredible AD&D package:
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$110,000.00 AD&D Benefit, 24/7 On-or-Off the job protection against any
covered accident
5% COLA increase. After two years your benefit increases 5% per year up to
$137,500.00
$9,000.00 Accidental In-Hospital Indemnity Benefit ($3,000 per month for 3
months)
HIV Accidental Infection Benefit 10% of principle sum up to $5,000.00
$2,000 Funeral Expense
10% up to $15,000.00 Private Passenger Seat Belt Accident Protection
5% up to $7,500.00 Private Passenger Airbag Accident Protection
Coma Benefit 1% to $1,000 per month for up to 12 months Assist America (see
the next page)
All of these benefits and your basic membership for just $15.00 per month!
You can also deduct $108.00 from your taxes each year ($9 per month). For
$20.00 per month you can become a Family Member and add your spouse/
domestic partner and dependent children to the plan.
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$66,000.00 AD&D protection for your spouse/domestic partner if you do not
have dependent children
$55,000.00 AD&D protection for your spouse/domestic partner if you have
dependent children and $11,000.00 for each of those dependent children
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$16,500.00 AD&D protection for each dependent child if you do not have a
spouse/domestic partner. A dependent child is one under 19 years old or under
25 if they are attending a certified college.
2% to $5,000.00 College Education Benefit for up to 4 years
As a Family Member your family receives ALL of the member benefits that you do,
including Assist America! You can also deduct $132.00 of your dues from your taxes
each year ($11 per month). Intelligence is what we do; this is just our way of helping
out.
Assist America
Global Emergency Services
(Medical Evacuation, Repatriation, Hospital Guarantee, Care of Minor Child, Interpreter & Legal Referrals etc.)
If you’re traveling more than 100 miles from home, you need only one phone
number to feel secure.
Assist America is ACOIN’s newest addition to our benefit package. Basic membership in Assist America is provided at no extra charge and is included with every
General ($15/mo.) or Family ($20/mo.) Membership.
If you’re traveling more than 100 miles from home, or traveling abroad, with
ACOIN’s Assist America Program you and your family can feel secure. If your child is
more than 100 miles away, maybe at camp, on a field trip or off with family and
friends, no matter the location you can count on Assist America’s professionals to help
you navigate any emergency situation that might arise.
Assist America’s state-of-the-art Operations Center has worldwide response capabilities and is open 24 hours a day 365 days a year. One call puts you in touch with medical providers, legal experts, and crisis management personnel anywhere in the world.
They provide global emergency services and will assist you whether your emergency is
due to accident, sickness or disease. Assist America provides:
Medical Consultation, Evaluation and Referral
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Hospital Admission Guarantee
Emergency Medical Evacuation
Medical Repatriation
Interpreter & Legal Referrals
Emergency Message Transmission
Care of Minor Child
Compassionate Visit
Return of Mortal Remains
Lost Luggage & Document Assistance
Emergency Trauma Counseling
All services must be provided by Assist America. No claims for reimbursement will be
accepted
ACO LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE
If you plan on attending our Legislation
conference please respond to this and let us know if
you will be sending representatives to our
Lobbying Day and CO's Memorial Service
in DC this May. If so please book your
rooms as soon as possible.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING and
Legislation Pre-briefing, - Thursday May
2nd Holiday Inn Laurel Maryland
5PM - 7PM Call the Holiday Inn at
301-776-5300, and register under ACO
room block.
DC LOBBYING DAYS - Friday May 3rd
Washington DC, transportation from the hotel and back provide by the FOPDOC, DC - ,
debriefing that evening at the hotel. (ACO Legislative Chairman Jack Rosser sent all our
organizations information on this conference. You should receive that and your updated book
of all Members of Congress shortly)
CO MEMORIAL SERVICE AND APPRECIATION DAY - Saturday May 4th 9am 4th and F
Street NW, co-hosted by the FOPDOC lodge and Prince George County Corrections.
Holiday Inn
Laurel, Maryland
301-776-5300
https://www.avis.com/
LOCKDOWN
Page 14
SECURITY ALERT: Another item to be vigilant for is the handcuff key shoe lace.
About Suicide
Warning Signs of Suicide
Talking about wanting to die
Looking for a way to kill oneself
Talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose
Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain
Talking about being a burden to others
Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
Acting anxious, agitated or recklessly
Sleeping too little or too much
Withdrawing or feeling isolated
Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge
Displaying extreme mood swings
The more of these signs a person shows, the greater the risk. Warning signs are associated with suicide but may not be what causes a suicide.
What To Do
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide:
Do not leave the person alone
Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt
Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a free, 24/7 ser-vice
that can provide suicidal persons or those around them with support, information and local resources
Take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/recommendations-for-reporting-on-suicide.shtml
LOCKDOWN
Page 15
CCA’s Lake Erie C.I. Audited - It Flunked! (Continued from page 10)
easy to get tobacco and 22% for alcohol inside the facility.
The category Fair Treatment also received In Need of
Improvement rating. The inmates reported that staff lacked control over the facility. Staff were also apprehensive to hold inmates
accountable because they wanted to avoid potential conflict. Staff
admitted to the auditors they often smell tobacco smoke but fail to
address it. Staff sometimes overlooked the use of illegal drugs
and cell phone possession. Auditors discovered that two inmates
found in possession of cell phones received no sanctions. An inmate who admitted to being involved in a fight with several inmates was not sent to segregation or received a higher security
classification. Two inmates who tested positive for marijuana were
not given any disciplinary times, no increase in classification or any
other local control status. Over 80% of the inmates responded that
staff rarely or only sometimes acted professionally. More than half
stated they were harassed, threatened or abused by staff. Grievances against staff doubled in 2012 compared to 2011 numbers.
Two thirds of the inmates felt that their Case Manager and Unit
Manager were of no help. 94% of the inmates felt that informal
complaints and grievances were not handled fairly or received a
timely response.
The auditors found a high rate of inmate idleness, almost
60%. Programming space was converted to housing. Educational
programs have been cut. There was a high amount of inmates on
the waiting list for programs, almost 70%. The library was closed
at a higher rate than the other state facilities, about 1/3 fewer
hours and also lacks adequate resources. There were no inmate
computers for use in legal research compared to 5 in the state
institutions. Lake Erie has no prison industries shops for inmates
to work in. The recreation facilities schedule was rarely followed,
especially in the winter months. With the yard closed due to
weather, there are not enough of other recreational opportunities.
The gym which has a basketball court and weight room holds 35
inmates. There is an inside multi purpose room as well. Hardly
adequate for 1,700 inmates in the dead of winter when the yard is
closed due to weather. Normally an inmate is scheduled for 19
hours of recreation per week but rarely receive it. But short staffing often means that yard staff are pulled to fill vacancies, respond
to an incident or the meal runs late, usually 2-3 times a week.
The auditors also found that inmate prescriptions often
were not refilled on time, usually a week or more due to CCA policy.
Food Service delivers the diabetic snacks bags late and were often
not the appropriate diet. It took about 7 days for an informal complaint to be answered and 14 days for a inmate kite. CCA policy
says 7 days. It takes an average of 3 days for an inmate to see a
nurse and 14 days for a doctor. There was friction between the
medical and security staff and often pill lines were long and untimely, often lasting to midnight or 1 AM. Nurses complained that
there was poor security in the infirmary and they do not feel safe
there. Nurses complained that security does not back up the
nurses when an inmate needs to be disciplined. An inmate who
threw urine on a nurse was found “not guilty” by the Hearings office. Disruptive inmates are not removed from the infirmary when
they ask security to do so. The “cheeking” of medications is a sig-
nificant problem but the misconduct reports are often dismissed.
Doctors are writing generous prescriptions for over the counter medications (6 months for Motrin, for example). There were 46 MRSA
cases at the time of the audit. Often it takes 5-10 days to see a mental health staff member. The mental health crisis cells do not have
protective secure screening over the windows
Various other inmate complaints includes 46% of inmates
saying they often do not have the opportunity to exchange for clean
linen on a weekly basis. 48% say there are not enough inmate
phones and the cost of calls are too high. The drinking fountains in 8
dorms holding 1,002 inmates did not work.
The auditors also found that the executive management
team often did not make rounds of the institution. The Warden, Deputy Warden of Operations and the Deputy Warden of Special Services
each made rounds 2-3 times a month. The auditors said that number needed to be increased. The Inspector made even fewer rounds,
sometimes not all. It was recommended that the Admin Duty Officer
make at least weekly rounds of the facility to determine what was
actually going on. They also said that they couldn’t pawn off making
the rounds to someone else. The rounds had to be of quality and
meaningful.
The auditors made many other recommendations. Some of
them included having the Assistant Warden having weekly operations
meetings to ensure all areas of the facility were communicated with
and that they perform rounds of the facility to better understand what
was going on. They recommended that staff thoroughly review the
use of force policies and empower staff to use appropriate force,
when justified, and increase the use of chemical agents to resolve
use of force incidents more safely. After the audit, 14 staff attended
Special Response Team training and 5 more will attend at a later
date. Also, a Use of Force class was to be conducted 30 days after
the audit and it was recommended that the amount of staff authorized to use chemical agents be increased. To help with STG inmates,
a second coordinator was designated and both will undergo additional training and information sharing to better identify STG inmates
upon arrival.
It was recommended that an internal fence be erected to
keep inmates away from the perimeter fence to help stop contraband
from entering the facility. It was also recommended that they increase mail and phone monitoring and analyze inmate financial
transactions. All bunks should be searched once per quarter. The
auditors found that an average of 10 bunks a day instead of the mandated 16 were actually inspected. The facility will introduce a stratification plan for inmate discipline that is more stringent and structured
sanctions along with custody reclassification that better utilizes the
segregation unit and transfers inmates to other facilities for more
appropriate placement. Inmates will be immediately housed in segregation for cell phone possession now. The actual list of recommendations was many pages. There will be a follow up inspection to see if
CCA corrected the faults.
This is not the first private prison to fail a state inspection
and it will not be the last. This is the second one in Ohio to do so.
Also, this inspection shows that an ACA audit is not worth the money
spent to have it conducted. The ACA passed Lake Erie and the state
of Ohio flunked it.
6th Annual 2013
American Correctional Officer
Medal of Honor Awards
Golden Nugget
Atlantic City, NJ
Reservations: 800-777-8477, Medal of Honor Room Block
Nominations: www.COIntel.net
Nominations Deadline: July 31, 2013
Winners Announced: August 16, 2013
Mail Nominations to:
ation forms!
order nomin
r
fo
et
l.n
te
Oin
Visit WWW.C
Medal of Honor
70 West Lake Shore Drive
Rockaway, New Jersey 07866
Visit WWW.COintel.net for order forms!
Instructions:
■The nominee must be a Sworn Correctional Officer.
■Complete all sections of the application. Applications not fully completed will not be
processed.
■Only one (1) person per application. If incident involved multiple individuals, use one
application per individual.
■The person completing the application must include his information, no anonymous
nominations will be accepted.
■Attach any newspaper articles, reports, photos, or any relevant information on the
incident.
■Incident must have occurred within one year of the date of the application.
■Mail completed Application to:
ACO Correctional Medal of Honor
70 West Lake Shore Drive
Rockaway NJ 07866 (973)479-3421)
■ You do not have to be a member of ACO to make a nomination, of course we
welcome your support, and membership.
■ Correctional Medal of Honor recipients are chosen once a year by the ACO Medal
of Honor Committee. All decisions are final.
American Correctional Officer Intelligence Network
PO Box 1175 Thayne , WY 83127 ● ACOIN1@aol.com ● Tel. 1-307-883-9707 ● Fax 1-307-883-9708
ACO Telephone:
1-307-883-9707
American Correctional Officer
PO Box 1175
Thayne, WY 83127
Correctional Medal of Honor
Check Only One Box:
Visit our Website:
www.cointel.net
Medal of Honor
Life Saving
Meritorious Service
NOMINEES INFORMATION
Name: (only one name per application)________________________________________ Rank: __________________
Address:__________________________________________________________________________
City/Town:_________________________________________State: ________ Zip: ______________
E-Mail address: __________________________________Phone: (______)_____________________
Facility: _________________________________________Facility Phone: (______)________________
Today’s Date: ________/______/__________
check one
Male ____ Female____
The Nominee is a sworn Correctional Officer Yes ___ No ___
If No, give brief Explanation:_________________________________________________________
PERSON MAKING THE NOMINATION:
Name: ________________________________________________
Address:__________________________________________________________________________
City/Town:_________________________________________State: ________ Zip: ______________
E-Mail address: __________________________________Phone: (______)_____________________
Correctional Medal of Honor Committee Only:
1. __Outstanding act in the line of duty
2. __At imminent personal hazard to life
3. __With knowledge of the risk involved
4. __In combat with an armed adversary
5. __Highly creditable and unusual accomplishments
6. __Under adverse conditions
7. __With some degree of personal hazard to life or limb
8. __Where serious injury or death of some other person is prevented through the efforts of the nominee
9. __ Is a sworn Correctional Officer
10. __ Date of incident is within one (1) year of application date.
Nomination #:
—
Name of
Nominee:
Date of
Incident:
Place Incident
Occurred:
Brief Synopses of the Incident:
Time of Incident: