Good morning,
My name is Frankie Faulk, and I am a prison rights activist. Some of you who are attached to this email have seen my name come across your desks in an email or two. This morning, I am here to speak again on behalf of those housed by the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections who feel like no one hears them. As the Co- founder of Behindthewallstalk.com and fiancé of someone who is a resident of NCDAC I witnessed firsthand the treatment of my fiancé, other men, and converse with others who have a loved one in the care of the NC prison system. We will use the word care loosely, reason being that we must continue to be vocal to have them cared for properly and go to the extreme measures of contacting the news, local non-profits, bigger prison reformers, NAACP, alerting legislatures, contacting those in positions that are over the department, and even attempting to speak with Todd Ishee himself just to name a few ways to bring awareness to what goes on at these facilities that they are not aware of. Members of the leadership department are not in the prisons every single day. They look at numbers on a computer of the “success rate” of doctor visits, food trays, and completion of classes. Those numbers are good to an extent. What I mean by to an extent is when we speak about the food issues at the prisons the amount of food that goes to waste because it is not for human consumption is insane, very wasteful and unhealthy options. After I received an email back in August from David Tyndall with a memorandum attached from Michelle Hartley who is the Institutions Executive Officer, highlighted the fact that they speak with offenders often and get feedback from them about the state’s menu and how from 10-20 years ago the progress that have been made according to these men or her not sure who opinion that was. I searched for Michelle because I have never added her into any of my emails before to my knowledge and I saw on Linkin that she has only been in this position for a year this September. By all means please understand that I am not trying to be rude to her but I happen to have the privilege to speak with men who have been residents of the state for those 10-20 years and they do not agree with that statement at all, they say the opposite and I am inclined to believe those who have to eat this or not eat it over someone who has the option of preparing their own meals like myself. William(fiancé) tells me every single day what is on his special diet tray and as well as the regular diet trays, and it is always a patty meat, can fruit something, and the vegetables are always over cooked which as we all know kills every bit of nutrients in them. He had a banana the other day and couldn’t remember the last time he had one. They give unsweet tea with lunch and dinner and an option of an apple or cranberry juice, nobody drinks the unsweet tea. An officer didn’t even want to give him an orange juice that went with his meal a few days ago. Michelle stated that they (residents) discard fresh fruits and vegetables, and I cannot see them doing that. As a former Correctional Officer myself, I was afforded the opportunity to see how they ate back in 2008 and what they would buy from the canteen, and it was mostly foods for survival mode to make it through the day/night without being hungry. They really adapt to surviving because food is not worth consuming. I do understand that a lot of the sweeter things are sold the most at the canteen over the healthier options, that is a fact that I will not negate with her, but still stand on that if it was better food they would eat that. As an activist I had a friend who is no longer incarcerated, he had to make a choice in not to eat those trays any more during his time in prison because each time he consumed the food off the trays he got sick and the unfortunate side of what he ate were nothing more than unhealthy foods from the canteen. It all is survival mode for them. If I can’t eat this, or this makes me sick, the options are what is available in the canteen healthy or not for those who can afford canteen. A comrade that we have who is a vegetarian also complains about the lack of options for their trays as well. And the complaints that he has are like the other trays, most of the time it is repetitive and is inedible. Maybe we can implement not only training the cooks at the prisons and bringing them to the awareness of how to prepare the vegetables and other food items for them to eat but also a dietary class or food and nutrition class to help aid and assist themselves on the long-term effects of unhealthy choices. If you were to look at the food after it is prepared and not want to consume it yourself, what would make it fit for our loved ones to eat? We know that we cannot satisfy every man that is a resident of the NCDAC, that is a task that has unexpected realities, it is not what we are asking for at all. Reality is that these men and women are not professionally trained chefs; they are operating under the supervision of correctional food management. With Correctional Enterprises serving the needs of the state prisons and jails you would think that the food would be to standard. To get your diet changed now you will go to the medical and they will send the request to Raleigh to be approved by the UR Board. From my understanding there was a dietitian at each camp back in the day, that is when the food was better for them, not only the one in Raleigh who only makes random visits to the prisons. Once they removed the dietitians from each facility the food standards went down. The number of men in the NCDAC who are diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes are growing each day. That is something we should speak about within the prison system. Another thing about the healthier options in the canteen are more expensive than the sweeter items. https://www.wunc.org/news/2024-01-05/burden-of-high-prices-behind-bars-in-nc.
Hope University and the educational programs that are being added to the tablets were also mentioned by Michelle, Hope University is only a self-help, at your own pace type of application on the tablet from my understanding. What seems to be the biggest question for these men is what are they supposed to do with this after completion? Do they ask for the certification of completion to be printed? This is not a type of accreditation university, and they can’t get college credits for the work. A fellow comrade is housed at Bertie Correctional; he is currently on administrative restrictions, and he cannot have any access to Hope University or the tablet. Security Risk Group (SRG) are not allowed to take certain classes or even attend religious activities. The numbers that Hartley gave us are great numbers for completion of classes unfortunately there are many more who would love to have the chance to as well. William is enrolled in the UNC Chapel Hill’s Sociology program; it has not been the easiest to get his work to him because of the educational coordinators at these facilities, especially Southern Correctional (We have an email on that as well). We have been in contact with the college, and the nice women there will email the educational coordinator and that is when he will receive his work. Right now, we are still awaiting his books for his class, UNC Chapel Hill said 2-3 weeks that they were behind with getting the books for them to have that was a month ago. I haven’t contacted them yet given the chance to the educational coordinator at Southern to finally do her job without us having to go above and beyond just for her to do it. Warden Nordan is aware of this complaint. With hiring a digital content provider who will be adding new content to the tablets like videos and other resources, what is the objective of having these options available for them? The programs are also Christian based programs, when you have so many people from different walks of life. If there were a little more clarification on that for them, they would be motivated to utilize Hope University. Truthfully these men are looking for trades and obtaining certifications that they can use when they come home.
After doing some research and exploring the NCDAC website, I found that the prisons here in North Carolina are going to be up for accreditation. Have you ever heard of this accreditation or the American Correctional Association (ACA)?
Let’s look at the ACA and the fact that Todd Ishee would like to have all our NCDAC facilities accredited. There are some concerns that we should address on both sides of the accreditation process https://www.dac.nc.gov/about-us/aca-accreditation
The website is showing that the Correctional Enterprise and about 20 plus facilities have earned the full ACA accreditation, which means that:
· “ACA accreditation is intended to improve facility operations through adherence to clear standards relevant to all areas/operations of the facility, including safety, security, order, inmate care, programs, justice, and administration.” For me that statement is cause for concern since I have been speaking up about institutional injustices and prisoner’s rights. There will be links attached to this email in other emails that have been sent out to address the concerns raised from behind these walls. Upon doing the research about the ACA I found that the complaints that our loved ones have are factual. When you hear them say that the prison has visitors and they have these guys cleaning up, they are putting on airs, the food is better, and things are running like it should be run all because of these visitors. The benefits of having ACA are:
· Assessment of program strengths and weaknesses. Assesses issues and concerns that may affect the quality of life at a facility such as staff training, adequacy of medical services, sanitation, use of segregation and detention, incidents of violence, crowding, offender activity levels, programs and provisions of basic services that may impact the life, safety and health of inmates, as well as staff. https://borderbelt.org/stabbings-highlight-issues-at-scotland-correctional/
· Establishment of measurable criteria for upgrading operations. Make necessary improvements when deficiencies are recognized. https://behindthewallstalk.com/example-email/
· Performance-based benefits. Improved staff training and development. Consider the institution’s mission, physical characteristics, and inmate populations. https://behindthewallstalk.com/example-email/
· Improve staff morale and professionalism. “Accreditation is awarded to the “best of the best” in the corrections field.” (I will forward emails of complaints if needed)
· Safer environment for staff and offenders. The process ensures a clear assessment of strengths and weaknesses. https://borderbelt.org/stabbings-highlight-issues-at-scotland-correctional/
https://www.witn.com/2024/07/12/bertie-correctional-inmate-dead-after-apparent-suicide
· Defense against lawsuits. The defense against litigation against lawsuits through documentation and the demonstration of a “good faith” effort to improve conditions of confinement. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=ba03c581cf027f47&channel=iphone_bm&sxsrf=ADLYWIKVddAs_jhSlycIbKEdp19UU0ypaQ:1726491969997&q=solitary+confinement+nc&tbm=nws&source=lnms&fbs=AEQNm0Aa4sjWe7Rqy32pFwRj0UkWtG_mNb-HwafvV8cKK_h1a_E5MH716yh2H_1TpHARmChokCuVSKs6tvO3BBgFTpXyZgAG2ms8lO4bG38mcxHRb-kfRZqhRoyTI1Be35_M7gH9XsDe1FcZ7tYgDYwyvmKXxauvinhU0ibjZtaPwjtylWEgzCe5lXaKmeS80npGb1LNG1G40zt-nJWbV-eutbJrPp8x7h7BUKIdo22hRP17VTNvX0o&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjz8tDkw8eIAxWoC3kGHW6mE_AQ0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=390&bih=663&dpr=3 ( Google Search link)
· Reduce liability insurance costs.
According to the https://aca.org/ this is intended to improve facilities operations through standards that they are supposed to adhere to. Staying audit ready, preparing for audits, complying with standards, undergoing audits, and after every three years reaccreditation. As those visitors come around to each camp, the faculty opens the yard, serves better food, has our loved ones cleaning, they start painting, and just operate like they should at all times. Accreditation and Compliance Director Paula Page “I am proud of the hard work by the Accreditation and Compliance staff in preparing for these audits,” “I am thankful for our facilities and the way they presented themselves before the committee and was impressed by the positive ACA comments about each facility.” When I read this quote from Paula, the way they presented themselves before the committee stood out most advocates, family and friends know that they do not operate like this on a day-to-day basis.
Upon further research I did find the ACA manual and I would like to point out some things that were interesting to me.
1. Performance-based standards and expected practices set by the ACA reflect best practices and current relevant policies and procedures and functions as a management tool for over 1,300 correctional agencies in the United States.(ACA.ORG Policy Manual Forward) I urge everyone to refer to the list of NC Prisons who have already passed these performance standards and are ACA approved policy and procedures manuals, which can be found online at www.dac.nc.gov under the facility tab and make sure that your loved ones facility is following policies and procedures. Because I can say 9/10, they are not.
2. This Accreditation Policy Manual is offered as a foundation of policies and procedures that will enable correctional programs to achieve their goals of providing the highest levels of effectiveness and efficiency while accomplishing proven and meaningful outcomes. (ACA.ORG Policy Manual Forward)
I. Organizational Purposes of the American Correctional Association
Among the most significant purposes of the Association as outlined in its Constitution, are:
➢ To provide a professional association of persons, agencies, and organizations, both public
and private, who hold in common the goal of improving the profession of corrections and
enhancing their contribution to that profession.
➢ To broaden and strengthen support for the Association’s goals by advocating Association
policies, resolutions, positions, and standards to policymakers and the public and by
forming coalitions with other professional organizations sharing these goals.
➢ To develop standards for all areas of corrections and implement a system for accreditation
for correctional programs, facilities and agencies based on these standards. Where
feasible, standards shall be based on performance outcome.
➢ To conduct or sponsor corrections conferences, congresses, institutes, forums, seminars
and meetings.
➢ To publish and distribute journals and other informative materials relating to criminology,
crime prevention, and corrections and to encourage and stimulate research of these
matters.
➢ To promote recognition of corrections as a profession, and those who work in corrections
as professionals, and to ensure validity of that recognition by encouraging the recruitment
and development of highly qualified corrections professionals, and by developing and
implementing a certification program for corrections professionals.
In carrying out these purposes, ACA supports programs for policy analysis, demonstration,
effective delivery of health services to offender populations and research. ACA also provides
testimony, consultation, publications, conferences, workshops, and other activities designed to
stimulate constructive action regarding correctional issues.
They represent the following specific categories:
Correctional Administration
Juvenile
Institutions
Probation
Parole, Aftercare or Post-Release
Supervision
Community Programs
Detention
Education
Health Care
Legal
Architecture
Non-correctional administration
Who are the auditors? They are trained corrections professionals who have been selected, trained, and certified by the Association. They form a team and call them the Visiting Committees. Recruitment happens by announcements in publications, online, and at correctional meetings. The Visiting Committees gather documentation to make sure that the agencies are always following all parts of the expected practices. The method of determining compliance is written/electronic documentation, photographs, interviews with staff and offenders, and observation or sight confirmation. Visiting committees also conduct “Mock Audits” at the agency’s request which includes touring the facility, reviewing files and records, interviews with staff and offenders, and preparing reports of the findings. *This is not free to have done* The Visiting Committee conducts both formal and informal interviews with ALL LEVELS of agency staff and offenders during the audit. Offenders who have sent correspondence to the Performance-Based Standards and Expected Practices Accreditation Department may be interviewed. (206 North Washington Street, Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314)
My research into this ACA and how there are standards and practices that are supported by this accreditation and having proof that these standards are not being met. I know that there is a conflict of interest, being that the ACA and those who are employed by the ACA are from some sort of correction agency. The ACA is paid to conduct these audits and has not failed a facility in North Carolina yet, (The total of fully accredited NCDAC operations is now 32 — including 27 of 54 prison facilities.) the prisons are provided with a mock audit, someone to help aid and assist them, and a notice before the committee comes out. This is when our loved ones are treated like decent human beings. But as soon as the committee leaves it is back to the normal routines. When we (the family) call to speak with the wardens at the prisons about matters concerning our loved ones, it is not because we are bored or out of things to do, it is because we would like to see our family treated better and better living conditions. If you would like to have a look at our website www.behindthewallstalk.com you can see all the complaints that are being made against the NCDAC. We also have emails to back up with lack of transparency and correspondence from leadership, correction officials, and others. I called Eric Shultz Standards & Accreditation Specialist 703.224.0106 to ask a question that was pertaining to a particular part that I read in the manual “As part of the Association’s policy on public information and openness, the Performance-Based Standards and Expected Practices Accreditation Department requires that all agencies post this public notice of the approaching compliance audit in conspicuous locations throughout the facility, inviting comments from staff, residents and others interested in the agency. This public notice must be posted six weeks prior to the audit or upon receipt from the Standards Accreditation Specialist. Any relevant comments received by the Performance-Based Standards and Expected Practices Accreditation Department are reviewed by the Visiting Committee during the course of the compliance audit.” Where will the residents be able to locate the information or the public if it is a part of the manual, I was told that it is supposed to be posted in the prison for them to see and for the public the wardens may or may not give us the information. How is that information up in the air with may or may not when the policy is right there about openness. Being a Prison Rights Activist, the lack of transparency, openness, accountability, and cooperation from members of the faculty is truly baffling more than ever now that I have read the policy and procedure manual.
The last part of this memorandum will be about a PDF that I found that was prepared by the Office of Senator Elizabeth Warren in December 2020 titled The Accreditation Con: A Broken Prison and Detention Facility Accreditation System That Puts Profit Over People, there are some very valid points that I would like to address that I agree with. Under the section Executive Summary, they state that these companies are driven by incentives that reward locking more people in the worst conditions while prioritizing their own adjectives over our loved one’s safety and well-being. Note that we have a list of complaints on the website labeled “We the People” part one and two. It also said that it was found that the ACA’s system is full of conflicts of interest, lacks transparency, and zero accountability even though taxpayer’s monies flow to the ACA. Having these problems puts the health and wellbeing of those who are incarcerated and detained, the staff and employees who work in these facilities at risk. You would think that they would have care and concern about the staff especially, but they are not the ones who are in the prisons daily. According to the information in the pdf ACA has a dual role as an advocate for the prisons while collecting revenue from the same people, acting as the “voice of corrections”, they are not going to go against those who fund them. Problems have and can continue to happen at these facilities with their accreditation because they do not deny any yet in NC, prisons that have failed to provide safe and adequate food or medical care will still pass the accreditation process. Researchers for Senator Warren found that a prison in Texas and Idaho reported for two months they were not allowed to have recreational time outside of the facility, yet they are fully accredited. To me that is horrible, and I can see how the ACA has conflicting interest in handling the accreditation process. Where profit is more important than rehabilitation, a human life, and worth overlooking the real issues of the men and women housed by NCDAC. The purpose of me taking the time to point out and gain understanding is to show everyone that is connected to the Department of Corrections in any way from Wardens, Todd Ishee, Senators, House of Representatives, Mothers, Fathers, Sisters and Brothers, and Wives and Husbands that there is a huge lack of transparency, accountability, lack of empathy, understanding, urgency, when dealing with the Prison Industrial Complex here in North Carolina. And having these facilities accredited and they do not hold up to the policy and procedural requirements that they are supposed to adhere to, not only when the committee come around or it is time for the reaccreditation to happen, but also when there isn’t anyone looking it is always the right time to do what is right. Men and women in prison are held accountable for their actions, and sometimes it is by what an officer’s think is happening with no proof or grounds to stand on, but we shouldn’t hold the employees to their standards and oath to protect and serve. I will end it right here by saying that I will send emails, the manuals and books will be attached at the end of the email, also screenshots and links are included as well, and I am willing to stay in contact with anyone who is for creating change and having our future neighbors come home health and better than they was before. Thank you for your time and reading this lengthy email. I would appreciate a response from you all acknowledging that you did read and are willing to hear what we are saying thank you in advance. https://behindthewallstalk.com/we-the-people-want-change-part-2-from-the-men-behind-the-walls/
Frankie Faulk, Prison Rights Activist and Fiance of William McCallum