Milking the Taxpayers-Abuses of Goodtime

Every time a years' worth of goodtime is taken from a Texas prisoner, it effectively means he will have to stay in prison a year longer, actually adding a year to his or her sentence. The State and prison officials will argue that this process does not actually add time to the prisoners' sentence to be served, but that is all lies told to serve their agendas. Ask any prisoner whether loss of goodtime or disciplinary cases adds time to be served! What would be the purpose otherwise of what would be the incentive to behave in prison? Common sense will tell you who tells the truth in prisons.

Loss of goodtime is a punishment meted out in Texas prisons routinely each day for any and all types of rule violations such as: stepping out of line, possessing an extra pair of socks, failing to make one's bed, failing to get a haircut or shave, sitting on a table in the crowded dayroom, failing to return a library book on time and hundreds of other cases less or more "nefarious."

A popular means of taking goodtime and adding to the sentence is possession of tobacco, which always results in loss of one, two or three years worth of goodtime plus lots of other added extra measures and restrictions. All that for possessing something which the prison guards themselves are bringing in and selling to prisoners for up to $2 per cigarette or $100 for a can of Bugler tobacco.

Poor old convict! He's only getting the treatment he deserves. It's part of his punishment, meted out by the State and the courts. After all . . . he was sent to prison to be punished, wasn't he? The taxpayers won't mind spending an extra $15,000 or so per prisoner, per year, to punish these incorrigibles.

Sure, some prisoners need to be in prison-the longer the better-no matter what the cost. However, the way the system is being run right now, years are being arbitrarily added onto the sentences of all classes of prisoners-the parole or probation violator locked up for failing to report, moving or changing jobs or inability to pay fees or restitution, and the teenage first-time non-violent offenders are treated the same as the murdering five-time loser.

All these prisoners are being subjected to the same frivolous disciplinary cases and subsequent loss of goodtime. One reason so many cases are written is to keep the ad-seg and close custody buildings filled. Those special sections (as well as the extra prison units) were built and now must be kept filled, one way or another, to justify their existence and future added expansions. The taxpayers are being duped into believing their tax money is needed to fuel the expansion of the prison/industrial complex. It will never end till the public gets fed up.

I personally was told by a high ranking prison official that it costs $150 to process each and every grievance filed by a prisoner. There are thousands filed every day throughout the Texas prison complex. One or two are filed as the necessary part of the appeal of any frivolous disciplinary case. Thousands of others are filed weekly to protest prison conditions such as sleep deprivation practices, unsanitary conditions, harassment by guards, theft of prisoner property or the outright destruction of same, confiscation of mail and many other blatant violations of constitutional rights.

In fact . . . so many grievance complaints were being filed by prisoners that the administration had to pass a rule limiting prisoners to filing one grievance per week each. The courts have approved all the prisons' actions because evidently the public has willed it so. If this is not true, or if you want to know more, the truth is out there! All you need do is seek it. Be prepared to be told lies and keep your common sense radar operating.