Hold Accountable
By Jay Goodman
When I started my book about the Texas prisons I could not believe what I was seeing happen at each prison they sent me to. At first I thought it was an isolated case, but as I was transferred from place to place, I soon realized that the same type of treatment I’ve been talking about throughout my book was happening at all the prisons. Yes, there are some prisons a little better than others, but the overall treatment of prisoners is almost identical. There have been several things that have happened that inspired me to write this book and bring to light what is happening inside these prisons.
The first was back in 2008 when I was taken to a cell in isolation at the Estelle Unit. I was in handcuffs and held by two officers, while the third guard tied a hangman’s noose around my neck and explain to me how easy it would be to kill me. I was also shocked to see the abuse of the elderly, people who have disabilities being beaten. What really surprised me more was how this type of treatment was and is accepted by other, guards, and even the ranking officers and wardens.
When I decided to start my book, “The Puppetmaster” I started with what I already knew has happened in the past and slowly have taken my time explaining all the different aspects of the Texas prisons. I have also learned more along the way myself. Once I started learning, it’s never ended, everywhere I turn and look there’s corruption. This entire prison system is saturated with criminals. Not the prisoners sent here that have broken the law, I’m speaking about the people running these insane places. Every area and every position has been infiltrated by the Puppetmasters to ensure it keeps running its illegal empire at any cost. All the grievances that are written every year, all of the complaints that are reported to the Ombudsman Office by prisoners family members every year, all the reports made by the inmates and their families to the Inspector General every year has to be in the hundreds of thousands.
In the last chapter I wrote, I spoke: of the “Quota Act”, and the planting of shanks in prisoners cells. Look at all the corruption that went on at just that one prison. Then take a look at what the office of the Inspector General uncovered at other prisons afterward. I am telling everyone reading this, that their investigation was not even close to the tip of the iceberg. The criminal activity inside the entire Texas prison system is so out of control that it’s accepted as normal. To its overall employees, it’s just another day at the office. To come to work each day and lie, abuse prisoners physically or mentally, to set prisoners up with illegal contraband, to falsify documentation, to cover for other staff members who are conducting criminal activity, to steal from the state and the taxpayers, to rob us of our food, to flood every prison with drugs, it is all happening in the Texas prisons. When I’ve seen these things going on at every prison I’ve been to, I’ve asked myself why is this being allowed to happen? Is there any prison that’s run with honesty and Integrity in all of the state of Texas? I’ve wondered why hasn’t the Office of the Inspector General done more? Why hasn’t the federal government done more? Why hasn’t our Governor or senators done something? For one, I know for a fact, that all of these agencies know what’s happening. They are well aware of everything going on inside these prisons, because the prisoners and our families report all of the abuses constantly. So, why? I imagine that the state of Texas will never do anything on their own for several reasons. They understand the corruption is everywhere, so if they start arresting people they would have to build more prisons to put the thousands of guards, ranking officers and wardens. Also, with over one hundred prisons they cannot find enough qualified guards as it is; who in the world would be left? And of course, the big reason Texas won’t do anything on their own, is lack of money. I am sure the Puppetmasters spread the wealth to the right people, so they, keep turning their heads to the criminal activity that has plagued the Texas prison system from day one.
I also believe that the politicians realize that the Texas prison system is taking a serious beating over allowing the prisoners to be literally cooked to death in our cells all of these years, and have done nothing about it until a federal judge ordered them to do something about the conditions, last year in 2018. Then also the planting of shanks as well as the illegal falsifying of cases written on prisoners in 2018. And many other things are coming to light. So, the arresting of all the people that have, and are in criminal activity would be a black mark not only on the corrupt prison employees, but on the state of Texas as a whole. As the old saying goes, “shit rolls downhill”. So once the guards start falling, next of course would be the ranking officers, then the wardens. After that, I’m sure many politicians, past and present. The same also stands true for past attorney generals and governors. I would like to ask all of our senators and state representatives this question. What’s going to happen if none of you step up to the plate now and put an end to this criminal organization that’s controlling these prisons? Wouldn’t each of you like to see a little backlash for what has been allowed to happen? Put an end to these criminals and in the end, each of you could be heroes for exposing this. Revamping this entire system, and that is rehabilitating the men and woman inside.
Understand this slowly but surely everything is changing, and the different groups like T.I.F.A. are helping expose the abuse and corruption that’s going on in here. I have seen prisoners family members that were happy their son or daughter got arrested. Their mother’s, father’s, or other family members disliked the life they were living and told them this on visits. But, after their son or daughter was in prison a year or two they started seeing first hand the abuse and corruption. I know one man, who’s father called the police on him, because he found drugs in his room. Well, his son was sent to prison and was beaten severely by a guard and suffered brain damage. His dad tried to find out what had happened but was kept in the dark, and it took lawyers and a senator to bring the truth out. One of the guards beat this young man for talking too loud in line. This man who thought coming to prison would be good for his son, now has to spend the rest of his life taking care of him.
I could write books on all the abuses I’ve seen in the last fourteen years. I have sat here and thought to myself why no one in this state has the backbone to say, “enough!” Texas loves to beat their drum to being tough on crime, but when it comes to arresting this scum that have corrupted the entire Texas prison system they sit back and do nothing. Are the men and women that break the law in Texas supposed to answer for their crimes? “Yes”. But, the biggest problem that I see in Texas, is that no one wants to enforce that strict Texas law on the people who work for TDCJ, or the one’s that have control over the prison system. I have to ask our state Representatives, Senators, Governor, and especially our federal law enforcement this question. Did you take your oath of office because you meant it? I am assuming your answer is “yes”, and if it is “yes”, please get off your asses and put an end to this criminal organization. Because, you are either going to enforce the law or you are not. And if you are not going to do anything, then all of you are worse than every person sitting in prison. Because you have taken your position to uphold the law, not turn your head to it.
No matter how bad it may look on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, no matter who has to get arrested, no matter what has to happen it’s beyond time to stop these criminals that have run these prisons forever. The people who have broken the law are sitting in all the prisons throughout the entire state of Texas. The men and women who have broken the law inside these prisons have been charged and given more time on top of their sentence. While the real criminals have been allowed to lie, steal, kill and destroy the lives of all the prisoners under their care. It’s time to hold these criminals accountable for their actions. Like I already said, “you are either going to uphold the law or you are not”.
