My name is Ashleigh Smith, and my number is 698500. And I’ve wanted to call for quite a while actually, but I’ve been apprehensive because I was worried about retaliation from the staff here.
But I decided to call anyways and air what is going on here. There’s only like enough programming here for 10% to 15% of the population, and they refuse to do anything about it.
They continuously keep us here past out dates or just make us do all this bedtime before we’re ever able to do anything to actually do something productive towards rehabilitation, towards being an effective member in a community after we get out of here. I’ve been locked up since 2008, and I just got into college a year ago.
I had to sit for 11 years before I could do anything. I’ve gotten no programming that was required of me when I came into prison. They asked for them to do three things. I haven’t gotten to any of those things. Every day, people are getting slapped on their parole because they haven’t done one or two classes that were required of them because this facility just doesn’t do it.
They plain, flat-out just don’t put people in the classes that the parole board is requiring for them to get parole. And since the men facilities do it, the parole board has no understanding why none of the women that they see don’t have their requirements met.
And it’s just, nobody knows about it because it’s like a silently kept secret, and it’s just not fair. They’re using COVID as an excuse now, and COVID has been around for two years, and it’s ridiculous. And they just are keeping us here longer than they need to, and nothing good is being done.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.
