Life on Polunsky in Detail

This is a medical ‘sick call’ request we are supposed to fill out with information to describe the problem. But if one doesn’t have a actual ‘sick call’ request form to fill out, then we can just write it on regular paper. They will and do accept it. They also made a new law a few years ago, that requires us to pay a medical co-pay of 100 dollars for a whole year. Unless it is a pre-existing condition or chronic care such as HIV, HEP-A, B, C, cancer etc. One hundred dollars may not seem like much, but it is if a inmate doesn’t have it. For any money that you receive, they [Texas Dept of Criminal Justice] will take 20% of it, no matter how much it is.

The doctors here come and go. I have lost count of how many doctors we have had here at this unit. All nurses and doctors are part of University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). I am sure for the most part they are really good doctors. Although some of them think we are all a bunch of lying men who just fake sickness, for the most part they are decent. I know the ones at John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, TX are outstanding.

In some cases, they don’t take anyone seriously until it is far too late, like with those with type 1 diabetes, to the point they need surgery as in having a foot, hand, toe or finger cut off. Hell, there is a guy here on Death Row that they waited so damn long to treat, they had to cut his whole leg off at the hip! ….At the hip!!! That is messed up, because they didn’t take him seriously until it was far too late.

Or as with a really good friend of mine, Max Soffar ‘the Jew’ whom I truly believed to be innocent of the crime he was here for. [He] lost his life due to cancer because they caught it far too late. He had complained many times before about the pain and just knew something inside of him wasn’t right. So when they finally did take him seriously, they had to tell him he had 6 months to live. He lasted just a little over a year. That is one cat I really miss. Rest in peace brother.

I would assume from looking at this form, it is to list any restrictions one may have, and to make sure the guards and medical staff are aware of the restrictions. I personally have none except I have ‘leg chains’ and in a single man cell.

This form is called a ‘Property slip’. They only issue this upon one's arrival to the system if one comes in with jewelry, shoes, watch or anything they feel requires a property slip. However commissary will also issue them if one actually buys an item that requires a property slip or things listed as ‘special purchase items’. And one must submit a ‘blue slip request’ to buy a fan, hot pot, radio etc, any electric item, as well as footwear. If you lose the property slip, then you could lose the item for failure to prove proof of ownership. But if it really is yours, then it is easy to get a copy of the slip. They keep them on file. If you can prove it is actually yours, they will give it back.

This [special purchase] form is called a ‘Blue slip‘; it is what you fill out in order to be able to buy a blue slip item. If your property is broken, stolen (Yes there are thieves in prison. If they get caught lord help them, because they are considered some of the lowest of the low, right up there with snitches and child molesters) or bad for any reason, and if you want to buy a new item, you have to submit a new blue slip request. They will approve it if a) you have the money to buy one b) you have turned in your old one c) proof that is was confiscated (they give you a confiscation form). You are only allowed to have one of each special purchase item, unless it is footwear. We can have either 2 pairs of shoes, or 1 [pair] shoes and 1 [pair] boots or 2 pairs of boots. But only one radio, fan, hot pot, lamp, typewriter etc. You must submit this blue slip form with the commissary list on the day you are allowed to go, which is supposed to be one time within a two week period (14 days). They are usually pretty quick about approving blue slips if one has the funds to buy it.

However, these items can be and are confiscated for many reasons. If you alter it, open it, if it isn’t yours, it can be confiscated. If some guard just doesn’t like you, they could say that a smiley face sticker on top of the radio means it is 'altered' and it could be taken away from you. Pretty shallow, but it happens … rarely, but it happens.

This is the actual ‘Confiscation form’. As you can see they have multiple reasons for which they can confiscate anything they want. They can and do take anything they want from us. But we have a choice of sending it home or allowing a visitor to pick it up.

If I cut the sleeves off my shirt, they can take it. If something is supposed to have my name on it [and] doesn’t, they can take it. Like I said, something as small as a sticker is reason for them to take it. Anything they deem altered from its original form or if it is a safety risk, they can take. We do get chance to send it home unless the guard doesn’t give us a confiscation form in which case we are screwed for the next 6 months. But luckily, we don’t have but a small handful of those kind of guards and now due to the cameras, they can’t get away with it.

Speaking of the cameras, they are everywhere and this isn’t a penny cheap surveillance system either. It cost 2.5 million dollars to install and is pretty state of the art. Not that I know anything about state of the art... hell I don’t know anything about computers. I believe they were brought here by little green men that crashed here on planet earth years ago. So thank you little green men. But for a better understanding on this surveillance system, see "Texas prisons migrate to network video" by Michelle Lyons, December 15, 2011 at TDJC website (securitvinfowatch.com). They were installed due to an 'inmate' calling [State] Senator John Whitmire from prison on an illegal cell phone. That inmate single handedly negatively impacted other inmates in Texas as well other prisons. Then he writes Senator Whitmire a threatening letter.

Oh well, it takes all kinds. I was mad at him, real mad, but I realize he is a dumb ass. He has to live in protective custody for the rest of his time here and if he was to go to general population, I am sure out there as well. They keep him in a cell that has a camera in it. Messed up way to have to live in this already messed up place. But he brought it on himself.

This is a Commissary slip one has to fill out and there has to be two exact copies, but we can use as many of these as needed. The spending limit is 95 dollars every 14 days. However some things do not count against the 95 dollars spending, such as stamps, typing ribbons, correcting tape (I bet y’all didn’t even know they still made that stuff eh?), blue slip items, [or those] over 20 dollars. The blue slip request must be turned in with this commissary form. As I said, if you have the money, they will bring it to you, the blue slip item. Next time you are allowed to go, in 14 days, they will not bring it to you the day you turn it in. It first must be checked and approved. It will go to the property officer and s/he will check to see if you turned your old one in. Then to the warden for his okay. The way this works since we are ‘lock up, DR-Seg', you fill out the blue slip and commissary slip. You then fold it around your prison issued ID card that has a black magnetic strip on the back [with] all our information on it: account information, medical, and I am sure housing and what our classification. Mine would say Polunsky Unit, 12 building, B-pod, 55 cell, 2-row, Death Row. From my understanding, which is limited, it has everything they need to know about me on it. I would be surprised if it didn’t.

The guards will pass out these slips and then once you fill it out, you hand it to them. They will set it on the door and once everyone has given them their cards, they will pick them all up and take them to the commissary. Each pod goes on its assigned day, one pod at a time. Commissary will then fill the orders with the help of some general population inmates who work in the commissary and once they have filled each and every order, they will then load it all up on these big carts and bring it to us, one section at a time placing the items in front of each cell. Then [they] check it, make [sure] everything you ordered is there and then give it to you. Pretty simple, well for me but maybe not for them. I mean I just wait for them to bring it, they do all the work.

For those on commissary restriction, they are only allowed to buy stamps and hygiene items until they get off commissary restriction. 10 Dollars of stamps or other writing supplies, and 10 dollars worth of hygiene every 30 days or until they get off restriction. whichever comes first. They can get up to 30 days on a minor disciplinary case, and 15 days cell restriction, but they can give you less if they want. Up to 45 days commissary restriction [can be given] on a major disciplinary case.

As far as commissary goes, Death Row (DR) is bit different from General Population (GP) in what we can buy. [For example] we aren’t allowed to buy razors, finger nail clippers, locks, electric razors and a few other things. But we were at one time allowed to buy all those things. It seems like every time we get a new major or warden, usually every 2 years or less, each one brings a new set of rules and some item that we previously could buy is taken off the list. [For] example, at one time we could have multi-outlets but now we can't. Oh well, welcome to prison right?

These are lists of items they sell us in the unit commissary. Most of it is nothing but junk and family size! Which accounts for many of us on the row being ‘chubby’. That is a nice way of saying a bunch of fat asses! Being trapped in a cell with 95 dollars worth of food … yeah, it will put the weight on you real quick! I got pretty chunky at one time, 230 pounds!!

Now this is something that they have been doing for the last 3-4 years: ‘E-comm’. It allows friends and family to buy us things. They just go to the TDCJ website and buy some of the things they have listed. But not everything they sell us here is listed on the E-comm, such as stamps, drawing supplies, electrical items, shoes, shirts etc. All it is is mostly food. The unit commissary will fill the order just as they would with the orders they fill for us, and will do their best to sub any item they don’t have with what they do have. They really do try and fill the order the best they can. Anything left over money, will be placed into your prison account or they will use it to the last cent. [For example], if there's a few pennies left over, they will give you 1,2,5, or 20 cent stamps. They don’t get to keep a penny from any money left over. So they will fill the order down to the last penny, they don’t rip people off of their change. The regular commissary purchase receipt looks just like this but has my balance on it.

This is a money deposit slip. It allows family and friends to send money via money-order or personal check. But TDJC also has caught up with the technology age and now allows people to send money through TDJC website, (which I hear is pretty cheap), JPay, PayPal, bank account etc. So this money slip isn’t needed unless someone is sending a money order, but even then I don’t think it is needed as long as the money order says ‘payable to inmate trust fund Charles Raby # 999109’. In other words, as long as the inmate's name is on it, then he will get it.

This one is a money withdrawal form. You must fill it out if you wish to send money from your prison account to anyone on your visiting list, or attorney, or personal bank account. Or if you wish to buy some books or magazines from a publishing company. They allow you to do this if you have the money. You fill it out, send it to the warden and he will send someone to you with the form, watch you sign and thumb print it, and either approve it or deny it. It usually takes about two weeks to 30 days.

This is a segregation confinement record. It pretty much speaks for itself. As you can see they can put all kinds of things down for whatever kind of restriction they wish to impose on you. STG (security threat group) affiliation is a prison gang such as the Aryan brotherhood, Texas mafia, Mexican mafia, Texas syndicate, Pistolaros, Aryan circle. These are all prison gangs, meaning that they were created in prison. From the moment one is tagged a gang member, it sticks with him or her for the rest of their lives. If they get out of prison and come back, from the moment they step in the prison, they are placed in GP-ad-Seg. What is odd about that is they only do that to these ‘prison gangs’ but allow known ‘street gang’ members to live in GP. I would assume that is because if they locked everyone of the known gang members up, much of Texas prisoners would be in Seg. So gangs such as Crips, Bloods, Latin kings and many others are free to run things in GP. If they are allowed to run free out there, then these old prison gangs should be allowed to as well, right? But what do I know.

‘Paper mask’ is for those who like to spit on guards or bite them. ‘Paper gown’ is for… hell I really don’t know what anyone would have to wear a paper gown for. Although I have seen them worn. Mostly just to embarrass a man. I really don’t know, but it could be for someone who destroys TDJC issued clothing.

‘Food loaf’, well this is for those who destroy the food trays, refuse to allow the guards to close the food slot, give back a spoon, throw food on a guard, throw a food tray … You mess with anything food related, then they will put you on food loaf. I have never been on it but I have lived next to guys who have and tasted it. That was enough for me. What they do is take that day's meal, put it into a blender, add corn meal and bake it and give it to you in a paper sack. Not as good as it sounds; I know it sounds really good, but trust me, it is not.

When they place someone on food loaf, it is for 7 days. On the 7th day they are required to give you one hot meal, but if a person get ‘stacked’ food loaf restriction, and they can stack it for up to 30 days, then every 7 days you get one hot meal. I don’t know any who are that foolish, to keep messing with the food slot or trays.

Some states have outlawed these food loafs, due to the court’s ruling them unconstitutional. But when they do make it, it has to be that day's lunch, supper or breakfast. I know there are some in GP who like them … they are hardcore, but they are half starved also, so they will eat them just to fill up. I would eat it if I had to, but screw that …. I like my green beans on the side!

The breakfast one isn’t to bad, they use pancake batter on that one and it is like a big fat pancake, kind a sweet. They add syrup and fruit. So it isn’t to bad. I would eat one right now.

They also have ‘paper tray' [restriction]. I have been on that. They just put the food on a paper tray in smaller portions.

‘Water interruption’ is for the nuts who like to flood the cells and walkways. [They] place their mattress in the door frame, jamming it in there, and just flood their cells like a swimming pool. Then [they] pull the mattress back and about 100 gallons of water come rushing out everywhere, going into everyone's cells. Kinda petty [because] it isn’t the guards that have to suffer, but they do this because a guard has pissed them off or their neighbor has hurt their feelings … petty stuff. So when that happens the guards come and turn off that guy's water. But many times they don’t even care so the fool will do it again; nothing to do but accept it. They don’t have to turn off everyone’s water; each cell has its valve. So if they turn one off, it doesn’t effect us all. Needless to say, I have learned to keep my things off the floor. I used to sleep on the floor, but woke up surrounded in water, a wet mattress, and pissed off. So I don’t do that anymore.

Luckily this doesn’t happen often on Death Row (DR). Those here on DR are pretty decent guys and many of them will at least give a heads up before they do it. So you can’t do anything but do your best to build a dam and respect the fact that he told you before hand.

Classification Review A 'classification review’ is supposed to happen every 6 months. This is where they are supposed to actually see and talk to you, have a psychologist there to ask you questions, have a nurse there asking you questions. They evaluate you, make sure you are sane or if you are having problems etc. But they don’t even bother to 'review' death row (DR) inmates anymore. They used to do this with us [on DR], but stopped once we arrived here at this unit. Now, they show up at your door, and ask you if you are okay, you say: “Yes” or “Get the fuck away from my door”. It is always pretty much the same, they move on to the next guy. You could be sleeping and they will wake you up and ask: “Are you okay?” You say: “Yes” and they move on. They don’t ask you to get out of the bed to talk to you, they just move on. They always write ‘refused to attend’, but hell they don’t even ask. So they lie on the form saying ‘refused to attend’. But this is what they call a psycho-analysis evaluation. Really professional.

Restriction Placement Levels

Here on DR there are 3 different levels of restrictions: level 1, 2, 3.

Level 1 is by far the best of the levels. You have all your property. You can go to commissary and can order books from the prison library. [You have] recreation (rec) 5 days a week 2 hours at a time. You have 4 visits/month which is one 2 hour visit a week, unless it is a ‘special visit’ meaning if the visitor comes from over 250 miles. 'Special visits' are two 4 hour visits per week for just one week out of the month.

Level 2 is a down grade and they take a lot of your personal property: hard back books, all electrical items (except the fan), food and clothing you bought from the commissary, art supplies and a few other things. They take these things for 90 days. [You get] 4 Days of rec for 1 hour a day and 2 visits a month. No special visits. No commissary other than 10 dollars of stamps and 10 dollars hygiene spending every two weeks. No library, no hard back books.

Level 3 is same, but the only difference is 3 days rec and 1 visit a month, 10 dollars of stamps and hygiene. Really not much of a difference.

So level one is the place to be. Nothing like level 1! When you are downgraded, it is for 90 days. If you get another restriction, you have to do another 30 days. In level 2 and 3 they take away all your food, radio, hot pot, and hard back books, and store it in the property room until you make your level 1 back, and that will not be until 90 days.

I myself have been on L-2 and 3 a few times. I’m not an angel. I’m not perfect. My last major case resulted in me having to wear leg irons every damn place I go now. Oh well…more on that later.

Whenever you go to level 2-3 or on any type of chain [explained in next paragraph], such as medical [visit] to the free world hospital or to the hospital at another unit, or if the court orders you to [appear at] the county jail for whatever reason, such as a hearing, a date or a new trial, they must inventory and document all of your property before placing it in the property room. You will get it back the day you return or the next day, or when you make your level 1 back.

They call it ‘the chain’ because man oh man, they chain you up damn near from head to foot! A real chain locked to a thick leather belt, that has a black box that handcuffs are locked into in front of you. Then the chain is connected to the leg irons (leg cuffs) and lock so you are chained the hell up and you aren’t going anywhere! But regardless they have to always inventory your property.

Well I am having doubt about putting some of my disciplinary cases on here. Again, I am no angel, but hell, I’ve been telling all about myself, so why stop now, right?

These are just a few of the many cases I have had over the years. Most resulted in me being placed on L-2 and L-3. Yeah, I have been there a few times. You would think I would had learned my lesson the first time. Well I admit, I’m kinda stupid, but I THINK I have learned my lesson now.

This is a case I got for having a TV remote control. You see, back at the old unit, Ellis 1, where we were at before the big Death Row (DR) escape, we had Group rec and TV. There must have been 20 TV’s on the cat walk in front of our cells, each on the same station. Well, there was a boxing match a couple of guys and I wanted to watch, but everyone else wanted to watch some stupid show they had seen before. So I had this convict get me the remote, and from my cell I changed the station, put it on ESPN Classic bouts and I think the fight was Boom Boom Machine  (I know I didn’t spell his name right). But, man oh man, what a fighter, could take a bloody beating and still come out on top. Well, that didn’t sit right with this inmate above me, so he squealed on me.  So I got a case for having the remote, but the guard still left it on the boxing match. He didn’t like that I had the remote, but he disliked even more the inmate squealed on me.