Hi, y’all. Kelvin Casey Canada, calling from Red Onion State Prison.
The whole predicate of me calling is to inform the masses about the [unclear] of the A38 policy. This is a policy that is camouflaged with the rehabilitation of prisoners, in theory, but in principle, actually a policy that criminalize certain prisoners.
They assign them to a status, which is IM [Intense Management] status, that inhibits them from being able to progress in the general population. This policy basically allows prison officials to label certain prisoners as being incorrigible and relegation to a pod called D6 pod, which is a pseudo general population pod.
Any prisoner who is classified IM status are not awarded the due process rights to challenge this classification. If this classification comes about from a DTT [Dual Treatment Track] committee, it comes up here and they evaluate prison records, and assign them a intense management. If you are assigned intense management you, once again, you are not allowed to go to a lower-level institution, you are not allowed to have contact visits with your family. You are not allowed to leave a supermax prison at all. And we are challenging this policy.
Eleven prisoners have filed a class action lawsuit: 7:14-cv-00566, in Roanoke federal courts challenging the due process rights of this policy to allow prisoners who is classified IM status due process rights and equal rights, to be able to transition off a supermax prison and be able to also transition into a general population.
I welcome anyone who’s— before I go on …
California also having the same problem with this challenge to this program. They’re using this challenge to this program as a camouflage to keep putting us on long term segregation. Like I said, in theory, it’s created to, they trying to promote this as rehabilitation, but in principle, it actually propagates long term segregation.
And I just wonder, anyone who’s anywhere and concerned, helping us challenge this arbitrary, discriminatory, and restrictive policy and program, we welcome anyone who’s willing to get our message out there to help bring attention to Virginia DOC [Dept. of Corrections] using the A38 policy as a platform to criminalize and label certain prisoners. Once again, my name is Kelvin Casey Canada and I’m in Red Onion State Prison and for Prison Radio.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.