Sup y’all, this is Indy, or Antoine Walker, calling out at Waynesburg, Pennsylvania at SCI [State Correctonal Institution] Greene. Calling in today, I just wanted to—I have people asking me about, you know, grievance processes here and—or in prison in general—some people that haven’t had a prison experience. So, I just wanted to kind of share some insight into that.
So, yes, there is a grievance process in place in most prisons. But the process that’s available is really, there’s no process to it, because it’s really in place for show. And when I say that, I mean that. Generally, any issues that you put in a grievance, they’re expected to be resolved or answered by co-workers or people that—supervisors of the people you probably filing your grievances against. Or, if it’s a issue about a policy or practice, the people answering the grievance will probably be the same people who implemented the policy or practice. So the process that we got here is really no process at all.
I would actually like to try to get outside support. Any insight or information too, into how I can start trying to start a campaign for independent investigation and grievance officers because we’re not really getting any resolution by having co-workers and supervisors of people or thing that you’ve grievanced answer those same grievances. The same with the misconduct hearing process, it’s like a bias already to it. If there’s a verbal exchange between me and an officer, and I write that in a grievance, the investigation will come back unsubstantiated or unfounded. Because then if there’s no audio recording devices, the officer’s word is taken over the prisoner’s. But in the same instance, if I get a misconduct for that, I’ll be found guilty without any audio or any other evidence saying, showing that I did what I’m accused of. So, it has happened plenty of times during my 14 years incarcerated. So, that’s just another example of how there’s really no real process for us here and it’s really in place just to satisfy the laws and requirements of the state.
But, yeah, so hopefully that answers the question I got about that, and if there’s anybody out there that’s in position and know how you can probably start the process to make real policy change with that —I’m all ears. You could contact me directly through connectnetwork.com or mail me a letter through PADOC [Pennsylvania Department of Corrections]/Smart Communications at SCI Greene, inmate number KG7791. Antoine Walker, A-N-T-O-I-N-E, P.O. Box 33028 St. Petersburg, Florida 33733. ‘Preciate y’all’s time. These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.