How TDCJ Punishes Its Prisoners
What's Worse Than Solitary Confinement? Try Food Loaf!
In New York, a state Supreme Court judge ordered the diet stopped in the case of Jessie Barnes, noting that the American Correctional Association "precludes the use of food as a disciplinary measure" in its standards.
Barnes lost 20 pounds after five months on the loaf. Two lawsuits by prisoners in New York are now challenging the use of the loaf. Texas State Prisons, which are "accredited" by the American Correctional Association also, have been and continue to use the food loaf throughout the system.
Jennifer Wynn, with the Correctional Association of New York, says the loaf diet is a "punitive policy that is not the sign of an enlightened system."
In Amarillo on the Clements Unit recently, one prisoner housed in a punishment section (solitary) and on the food loaf diet for several weeks, was denied even that food when he had failed to show a proper "respect" for the guard serving the noon meal. The prisoner, denied even the food loaf, started yelling and banging on his cell door. Administration's response to his "disturbance" was to spray him with pepper spray, take all of his clothes, sheets, blanket, mattress and leave him naked in his cell with an outdoors temperature near 25 degrees. At the next meal, that same guard again refused to give that prisoner any food-not even the loaf. However, in all fairness, another guard later that night did have some compassion and gave the prisoner a blanket and something to eat.
Matt Sanville was a Wisconsin prisoner with a history of multiple illnesses, characterized by suicide attempts, hospitalizations and drug treatment. Prison doctors allowed Matt to go off his medications and while off his psychotropic medications, Matt's behavior landed him in segregation where he was fed "nutri-loaf" which he refused to eat, claiming it was "disgusting" and "gag loaf."
Matt wrote alarming letters to his mother, Martha Sanville, and she notified the prison that Matt was suicidal and had a history of mental illness. Matt also told prison guards he was going to kill himself. On July 29, 1998 he papered over his cell windows, vent and callbox. He then began tearing his bedsheets into strips. Guards took no action.
Guard Ivy Scaburdine skipped Matt's cell at breakfast and lunch, neglecting to serve him even the "nasty gag loaf." He was last seen alive at 10 a.m. and found dead at 3 p.m. that same day hanging in his cell. Matt had lost 45 pounds during his stay at Waupun Correctional Institution, twenty-five of that during the last month of his life.
There have been numerous suicides on the Clements Unit in recent years and untold umbers throughout the Texas prison system, some possibly related to such inhumane treatments as being starved into submission.
The William P. Clements Unit is among many units in Texas and other prisons across the country certified and approved by the American Correctional Association as being humane and constitutional in their treatment of prisoners. However, the A.C.A. is nothing more than a rubber-stamp organization controlled by the corrections industry itself to whitewash its dealings and make them appear to be "certified" as having passed some type of meaningful standards.
For example: Ronald J. Angelone, who was the head of the Virginia prison system and ran it with an iron hand (or fist!) with many long lockdowns, prompting Jean Auldridge of the States' chapter of Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (C.U.R.E.) which has a Texas chapter, to comment, "He hardened the system," finally retired and went straight from being the prison director to being the Chairman of the Standards Committee of the American Correctional Association. Angelone stated that he also planned to earn money being a "consultant" and "expert witness" for attorneys during litigation, positions usually available to the highest bidder in any court fight.
Published by Heather Fisher
I'm a 26 year old stay at home mom of a daughter with Down syndrome. I have yet to learn about all her abilities. I don't write very much, certainly not a professional writer, but when I have my moments, I... View profile
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- Sources: Southland Prison News, January 2003. Sanville v McCaughtry 266 F3d 724 (CA 7, 2001) www.npr.org/programs/wesat/features/2002/apr/loaf/index.html
- Our TDCJ systems need to come up with a different way to punish prisoners.
- About 300 to 400 New York prisoners are fed the loaf as their only diet.
21 Comments
Post a Commenthaha that's a good point, some people are really just that bad of people.
there is one peticular man there that the crime he commited, there is nothing no one could do to him to compare to what he did,he don t even deserve food at all.
Ya'll are getting way too worked up over this article. Either you witnessed this situation for yourself and was a part of it or you think it's wrong. Personally I think it's wrong, just like if someone were to rape my daughter would be wrong. Guys I have a life, I'm not constantly leaving crude remarks on someone's article. Your opinions are just that. My article was a fact. And if you have the balls to express your opinions on here, then you at least need to have the balls to identify yourself, unless you're guilty of the same thing. Food loaf is just nasty, and anonymous, thanks for ADMITTING you actually used food loaf on someone, you're sick. You need to get you a life.
And last, food loaf can only be given for a period of seven consecutive days with 1 hot meal within that period. A third party committee ( not on the payroll of TDCJ ) reviews such cases and investigates all officers who continually write these cases to keep an unbiased opinion with the department of corrections.......
...Second, no one can just write this case and expect the offender to be placed on food loaf. A correctional officer supervisor, a shift supervisor, and a building/administrative supervisor must all sign in agreement that, that is the appropriate action based on the case and the behavior of the offender.....
Just to clear a couple of things up so that its not misunderstood certain facts that werent presented in this article. First, a food loaf can only be issued with a SPECIFIC case, and is not used for disciplinary action, but for pre-emptive safety ( meaning, taking action based on prior history of documented behavior to insure safety in the future ).....
(continued) authority and did not exemplify your ability to handle your responsibility without having to reduce yourself to resorting to such behaviors.
A former probation officer and mother of a son who did nothing more than to protect his wife from being raped. His wife turned on him and ran off with relative and testified against my son, while being pregnant by this other man. So, you don't really know the facts. You only know what's in the record. So, back up a bit and reframe from being so gun hoe about playing the vigilante on people who are struggling to survive in a system that messes everyone up, including good folks like yourself.
I think you need to take a step back here guy. Not all of these inmates behave this way and you know as well as I do that there are a large number of gurads who drink to much and beat their wives, and then hide behind their "authority" to do a power trip believing they have some sense of entitlement of justifying administering disclipline that is just downright inhumane. If you cannot handle the crap that is thrown at you, then you should not sign up for the job. It is not your place to be militant or to exact a heavier penalty upon any inmate just because you think that your duties extend beyond protecting yourself, the population, and to manintain control. Treating any inmate, and I mean the very worse inmate included, does not give you a right to be psychologically, mentally, physically, or spiritually, or sexually abusive towards them. When you do, you have now place yourself among them and God will hold you to an even higher account than they, because you were in a position of aut
Heddybear, you must have some issues. Your a criminal sympathizer. What if it was your daughter who was raped, or sold drugs to and they are hooked and meth'd out, or a crack whore. What if they were murdered cause they had a part time job trying to earn some money to buy a car cause they worked at a convenience store. I'll give you a scenario that truly happened, what if they worked at a fast food place, the guy came in to rob the place and decided he wanted to shove a broom handle up their ass. Would you be so sympathetic? That happened. Get a life!
Well for the morons who support these criminals. You should walk a mile in a Correctional Officers shoes. We deal with these people on a daily basis. First off, let's start with being cursed out everyday. From being called bitches, ho's, motherf_ckers, and anything else you can think of. Then when your doing your job, you get chunked on. Which is either having water, urine, feces, or sour milk thrown on you. So yes, these victims as you'd like to call them get placed on food loaf. Good for them, if they were doing as they were supposed to they would have better benefits. If your not doing what your supposed to, then you have certain things taken away. If you do what your supposed to, then you go to minimum custody, you get contact visits, you get more commissary, more rec time, more tv time. If your an ass, and don't want to follow the rules, then you have this taken from you. Oh these poor victims, what about the victims they made? Give me a break!! They are serving the