Leadership; an Uncoimmon Trait in TDCJ
By Jay Goodman
Throughout my book, I have spoken a lot about the running of the Texas prison system and its dysfunctional staff. I have asked myself a million times, why they would run a prison system with the insanity that they do? It’s not just a little out of control, it’s got no hope at all to help reduce the prison population, or to help rehabilitate any of its prisoners. I look at the staff and sometimes they look like robots with their daily chores. There are some guards who see the idiotic ways the prisons are run, but most get caught up in the Puppetmasters way of thinking, which is, it’s us against them, and to hate everyone in white.
Sometimes it’s easy for a lot of guards to do, because there are a lot of idiots in white. But, from my view point one of the biggest downfalls throughout the entire prison system is, there are no authentic leaders in charge. Yes, there are guards who like certain ranking officers, but as a whole most guards dislike most of them, and for good reasons. A lot of guard’s see through their BS. They see how they’re trying to use their position, not as a tool to better the over all of the prison, but to f--- over not only the prisoners, but the guards as well, so they can make themselves look good.
Nobody likes a fake, but none of the ranking officers seem to understand that. They believe it’s their “duty”, to be this hard ass person who will not only use their position to screw over the prisoners, but the other guards as well. None of them, and I do mean, none of them, look at the position they’ve been given and say, “how can I use this to better the overall conditions of the prison, and make it a better place for the inmates and the staff.” Instead they will fall right in line with the other ranking officers and abuse their position. I have never understood why they wouldn’t want to be leaders. They may think or believe that they are, but I have yet to see one authentic leader amongst all of the ranking officers.
I look at the ranking officers here at the Stevenson Unit my last ten years, and it’s a shame to see all of them just coming to work each day with the attitude of, they don’t care. Remember, I am not only speaking about the prisoners, but the guards too. They are so stupid, they don’t even see the morale amongst the guards is low, because of how the ranking officers act.
There has been a lot of officers who have left here because of them. Listen to the craziness of that. The guards didn’t leave because of the prisoners, but because of the ranking officers.
This prison overall is really nothing like the maximum-security units around here, it’s a laid-back prison that is an easy place to work. The guards are not getting beat up or jumped on, and the prisoners here have a lot of their time already served, and are close to going home. But guards are leaving, and not one of the ranking officers or even the wardens, for that matter, are smart enough to see what’s happening. They will of course say, how does this guy know? It’s an easy question for me to answer. Because the guards who left, told us why they were leaving. The sad thing is, a lot of guards that left here were good guards that would have been better ranking officers than the ones we have here now.
Since I arrived here ten years ago there has been a ranking officer by the name of, Ms. Collins. When I first got here, she was a sergeant, then several years ago, she made lieutenant. This lady is a prime example of what I’m talking about. In all of my years here, I’ve never seen but one person who has ever liked her.
It’s important to mention that, Lt. Collins is a lesbian. Not that her being a lesbian makes her bad. There are plenty of lesbians working for the Texas prison system, homosexuals also. But it’s been very easy to see through the years that Lt. Collins does not like men. Which I have always thought odd since she does her damnedest to act like one.
Several years ago, there was an officer here by the name of Enrique, he was a good guard who was liked by the other guards. He always showed up for work and seemed to fit in with this place. Well, Collins took a dislike to Enrique, she started getting on him every opportunity she could, she also wrote him up for some minor things that no rank would ever waste their time on. A sergeant by the name of Garza, worked with Collins, and started helping Collins with her push to write Enrique up. Everything Enrique did both Collins and Garza, would find any way to mess with this guard. Come to find out, there was a lady who used to work here Lt. Collins liked, but she was straight, and liked Enrique. So, Collins began her BS all over her jealousy. Come to also find out, she was doing the exact same thing at another prison that she had worked at. Both Lt. Collins and Sgt. Garza called Enrique into an office and made threats, that he needed to start playing ball with them if he ever wanted to advance inside here. And that he didn’t have any friends. A prisoner at Respite asked Enrique what Sgt. Garza meant? He said, they wanted him to write at least three disciplinary cases a day. The rank was trying to enforce the “Quota System”, which is against the Texas prison policy, and it’s illegal. Mr. Enrique had morals. He would always try to informally take care of anything before writing a case, which is the first rule in the TDCJ AD policy. Many other officers have told us that Sgt. Brown, Sgt. Garza, and Lt. Collins have told them to use the quota system. Well, Mr. Enrique ended up leaving and joining the police department.
I used Enrique to show how these idiots who work here run off good guards like Enrique, who had been in the military, and served in a war. These three ranking officers are the poster children of who they have running things. Trust me when I say they are not alone. This is a very serious problem throughout the Texas prison system. And it’s been the reason I’m writing this chapter. Enrique is only one example. There could be a book written on this problem, it’s so far out of control.
Like I was saying earlier, there are no authentic leaders. People need leadership, and in the absence of genuine leadership they will listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. People want leadership, but when they perceive that leaders lack courage and are self-serving, they reject them and assume the role themselves. They realize they are not qualified, but they would rather go to their peril under their own leadership than under the leadership of an authentic leader. And that is what’s happening not only at the Stevenson Unit, but throughout the state. The Puppetmasters have put all of these types of ranking officers in charge like Collins, Brown and Garza to basically force the guards to help them keep up with this quota system.
Remember what I have said in past chapters about the Puppetmasters infiltrating every department in here to help them falsify paper work. They do this for another reason as well, the Puppetmasters want to see guards have no problem writing fake cases or falsifying state documentations. That way it’s easier for them to hand pick the guards who they will move up to a ranking officer. It’s very important to them that no one like Enrique ever becomes rank. Why? Because they never want to see someone in charge who will not f--- over a prisoner, or who won’t lie for them. The way the Puppetmasters see it is they let someone like Enrique advance he may expose them for their criminal activity. If Texas could really put some true leaders in charge at each prison with the idea of really revamping this prison system, then things may shift in a different direction. Because the way Texas has their system set up it’s never going to get better. In fact, it’s going to get much worse.
Of course, the people like Lt. Collins, will say, I’m crazy, what does a prisoner know? Well, this is what I do know about change. I was arrested for state and federal charges, I came to prison, and my life could have pretty much ended. I could have got involved with gangs inside here and sold drugs, and stayed in criminal activity, but I stepped in front of the mirror and took a hard look at myself. I wrote down my strengths and weaknesses. I took a serious look at my life and became an authentic leader over my life. Because of that I’ve received a Bachelor’s degree, I’ve been trading on the Stock Market, I’ve written books that are published, I’ve helped countless prisoners with their issues and have taught them about the Stock Market, real estate, and have encouraged them to change. Because of me, many prisoners have opened a Stock Market account. and have learned that they can live a different way. I showed them by actions and leadership, and because of that I’ve helped dozens of men.
Now the leadership of Lt. Collins, Lt. Garza, Sgt. Brown and many others like them across Texas have built lies and destruction. They have not encouraged, helped, or tried in any way to be positive leaders. They are not respected in anyway by the officers that work here. In fact, they are despised and hated by practically the entire staff. But like I have always said, these types of people are who the Puppetmasters want running their criminal organization.
Remember the absolute truth is the last thing Texas wants is change. They want a lifetime of free labor. Does it not strike the people of Texas our politicians and governor, that the people that have been in charge of the Texas prison system cannot stop the corruption that has gone on in here for decades? Doesn’t it also strike all of you that the Texas prison system has no goal of reducing the hundred plus prisons, or reducing the recidivism rate? Why wouldn’t the people running this prison system have a five-year goal of cutting the prison population in half? Look at the money the state would have now to really start rehabilitating the other half? There is no plan or goal like this, because there is no authentic leaders running this prison system.
I submit to you that leaders will never be more or less than their soldier’s evaluation of them. This is the true efficiency report. From most of your troops you can expect courage to match your courage, guts to match your guts, endurance to match your endurance, motivation to match your motivation, spirit to match your spirit, a desire for achievement to match your achievement. You can expect a love of God, a love of country, and a love of duty to match your own. No orders, no letters, no insignia of rank can appoint you as a leader. Leadership is an intangible thing; leadership is developed within yourselves. You can never expect to make changes or have the inmates and guards respect you if you are lying, falsifying cases, abusing your position for no other reason than, you can. Great changes are possible, but first we need some great leaders.
