SAFPF's Public Hearing Thursday, November 13th.If anyone will be in the Austin Texas area and would like speak out about these "prison programs" on the 13th, I have posted the information below. Contact Patricia Ruland for more information at:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase ... d%3A699344• Public Hearings on SAFPF Torture
Anyone who'd like to comment on the state's Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facilities may testify Thursday, Nov. 13, 10am, before the Texas Senate Committee on Criminal Justice during interim charge hearings concerning "new and expanded [rehabilitation] programs." SAFPFs, operated by the private Gateway Corp., along with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, ideally rehabilitate offenders in lieu of their doing "hard time." However, in scores of narratives provided to Austin attorney Derek Howard since January, inmates charge that SAFPFs are, in reality, state-funded torture. Specifically, they decry the harsh, global punishment of "tighthouse," when inmates must silently sit still, up to 16 hours a day, sometimes for months. The Chronicle reported on the issue this past spring ("Rehabilitation or Torture?" May 23), and
Larance Coleman, of Sen. John Whitmire's office, responded by saying the Criminal Justice Committee would "focus on Safe-P programming" during the hearings. But as it turns out, alleged SAFPF abuses will come up only if the public brings them up. "We won't be looking at that specifically, but feel free and come and talk about it," said committee legislative aide Tara James on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Coleman declined further comment until the conclusion of an investigation by the Office of Inspector General.
– Patricia J. Ruland
