Today, I had a conversation with the first deputy superintendent of this facility. I asked her what her thoughts were about my proposal to start a program here, that was similar to TRUE. She said they weren’t looking to expand the programming. I wasn’t surprised. New York State Prisons are among the most reactionary in the nation.
As a point of reminder, TRUE is a program at the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut where prisoners under 25 years old are housed together with a few older prisoners who run the unit and mentor them. The program has been successful in curbing prison violence. The TRUE unit hasn’t had a single fight, and virtually no other incidents since it’s been open, unlike the rest of the facility.
It’s a no brainer for Great Meadow to have a similar program here. In the last two months, the number of violent altercations at this facility has increased and have involved mostly young prisoners. The first DEP told me she was surprised that for a max, Great Meadow seemed to have a lot of programming. This lady must be blind.
Because aside from the man- mandatory prison programs, which don’t do much of anything, there isn’t much else available to young prisoners here, who need more specific programming designed especially for them. I’ve proposed a program through my UFD organization that will curb prison violence, but prison officials denied it. So, New York state prisons, for all the violence, you reap what you sow.
This is Dontie S. Mitchell, better known as Mfalme Sikivu, reporting to you from Great Meadow Correctional Facility. Follow me on Facebook @freeDontieMitchell. Thank you for listening, and God bless.
(Sound of a cell door closing.) These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
![Prison Radio is sharing an abbreviated version of a press release covering recent racist incidents at SCI Rockview in PA and the organizing to demand accountability. We are reaching out to people incarcerated at Rockview as well as recently transferred folks, inviting them to call, in hopes of hearing commentaries from them.
Benner Township, PA.-
On November 24th, 2023, imprisoned people at SCI Rockview found two nooses hanging in the CO’s office, displayed visibly for many prisoners to see. When the prisoners asked the staff why the nooses were hung, they were told it was a joke.
By December 4th, prisoners filed a grievance to document what they saw, noting that the hanging of the nooses was “unethical, racially motivated, hateful, [a] deliberate debasement of black inmates" and “unsafe for inmates, staff, [and] the whole prison in general.” In the grievance, they demanded that Sgt. Mosser and CO Richard be fired and investigated for a hate crime, and for CO Kirchner to get therapy. Captain Andrews, the head of security, denied the grievance.
The sergeant and COs are still working in the prison to this day, with no repercussions...
As of March 10th, prisoners have reached out to Pennsylvania officials at the Dept. of Corrections in a letter campaign, sending 100 copies of the grievance. Copies of the letter also were mailed to Governor Shapiro, Senator Fetterman, Senator Street, and various advocacy groups. The demands for relief in the original grievance have now become the platform of demands for this campaign. About 20 of the 100 letters were withheld by the prison.
Activists on the outside are joining forces with prisoners to elevate their demands, flooding the phone lines of DOC offices, assisting with outreach to media, and circulating the stories of prisoners who have found unity in opposition to the facility's virulent institutional racism.
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, Nicki Paul, the superintendent's assistant and "grievance coordinator" informed the public that they self-investigated their staff and found they did nothing wrong.
Read the full article at i
https://conta.cc/4ayDxlB](https://www.prisonradio.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)