Change.org Petition
www.change.org/petitions/MDC-changes

Author: NLAF Action Team

1) Who do you want to petition?
U.S. Congress, U.S. Sentencing Commission, Federal Bureau of Prisons – Director, Charles Samuels, Jr.
2) What do you want them to do?
Ensure all federal U.S. prisoners are treated equally as it relates to their security classification level. Minimum security (camp prisoners) should not be housed and treated like low, medium, or high (grater) security prisoners. Specifically, MDC Brooklyn cadre worker program must be modified as follows:
A. Update the MDC cadre program to house and designate ONLY low-security prisoners;
B. Restrict MDC cadre designation to those men sentenced to a supervised release violation, or a one-year sentence;
C. Transfer all current minimum-security cadre workers who have 6 months or more until release to a minimum-security facility close to their respective release residence; and
D. Cease the designation of minimum-security prisoners to high-rise administrative buildings, unless a concession of 1.5 days for 1 day will be granted.

3) Why is this important?
Housing minimum-security prisoners in a high-rise, maximum-security building as cadre workers is unequal, unfair and unreasonable according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons security classification manual (PS 5100.08). Murderers, mob bosses and terrorists should not be treated better than a first-time/non-violent offender, as is happening at MDC Brooklyn-Cadre.

Petition for modification and standardization of all minimum-security prisoners in the Federal Bureau of Prisons custody; more specifically at Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Brooklyn.

 SHOULD A SERIAL RAPIST OR TERRORIST BE TREATED BETTER IN PRISON THAN A FIRST-TIME OFFENDER OF A NON-VIOLENT CRIME?
Non-violent, first-time offenders are those who are the least threatening to our communities, our families and our children. Specifically, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) classifies the least dangerous prisoners as minimum-security, and unfortunately uses Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Brooklyn as a designation location for new and existing minimum-security prisoners in its custody.

 WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?
MDC houses white-collar, minimum and low-security prisoners but MDC is anything but minimum-security capable. MDC is a high-security administrative high-rise prison and its cadre worker unit houses roughly 300 non-violent, minimum-security, first-time offender male prisoners.

When 95% of all minimum security prisoners are sent to minimum-security facilities, the MDC cadres are under the harshest, non-rehabilitative, unsanitary and unreasonable conditions for their designated status.

 GREATER DETAIL:
If a minimum-security prisoner is sent to MDC to be a cadre, this is equivalent to being sent back to a pre-trial detention center environment (day-one of your arrest). Cadre conditions are the same as that for murderers, terrorists, kidnappers, child molesters, bank robbers and all other high-security detainees/prisoners.

Society normally won’t care about prison conditions or prisoners unless the prisoner is a family member or close friend. So, why should you care enough to support this petition for change?

How would you feel if tomorrow these same cadre men worked at your job, became your neighbor, served your food, walked your dog, cut your hair, or panhandled at the street corner by your kids’ school?

Every first-time and non-violent offender deserves a second chance at life, but what type of life is often determined by the type of incarceration and its atmosphere.

MDC should not, but nonetheless does, house minimum-security prisoners in its cadre units; with tough maximum-security conditions MDC cadre units are not comparable, standard across the board, or equal to other minimum-security facilities. Among the abuses suffered there exists mental, physical, and spiritual tortures that these cadre men endure, including but not limited to:

- No outside daily access;
- Prisoners normally don’t know the weather without watching the news;
- Institution security overrides the religious freedoms of Jews, Muslims and all other religions;
- Chaplains do not oversee religious services;
- Rehabilitation is at an all-time “low” because prisoners have nothing to do;
- Two prisoners live in and share 40 square feet of space;
- Programs of training such as UNICOR do not exist;
- Cadres have less visitation possibilities with friends and family. Visitation is Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays but no holiday visits if it does not fall on one of those days;
- Cadres are limited to fewer than basic cable channels (21 channels total), although high-security has 60+ cable channels;
- Cadres have no organized recreation, sports or institution magazine subscriptions;
- Cadres sleep, shower, use the bathroom and EAT all in a single overcrowded dorm-room, containing 110-cadre men who share six-toilets, six-sinks, six-showers, one-ice machine, five-telephones and three-email computers; Non-antibacterial cleaning supplies are used on all surfaces although the overcrowded conditions;
- Four televisions are shared by 110-cadres; two-washing machines for 110-cadres, equating to 55 people per washer; 55 cadres per dryer (2-dryers total), and 55-cadres per microwave (2 microwaves total). Free supplies at other federal prisons are sold to MDC cadres;
- There hasn't been a fire exit, or evacuation plan posted or practiced at any time in the past 12-months; and during the last earthquake all cadre prisoners were locked in the building, in the dorm while all correctional staff went outside to an area of greater safety for human life; Cadre prisoners are unable to seal their personal outgoing postal mail, although low-security prisoners may do so;
- Fire extinguishers are present only for important inspections;
- The air quality of the dorm is poor as witnessed by standing dirt particles
- Cadre prisoners are behind locked doors 24 hours a day;
- Cadres (minimum-security) cannot move within the building without a staff escort, unlike low, medium or high-security prisons;
- Cadres with community-custody classification never see or experience any resemblance to community-custody;
- Recently the furlough policy and supplement were suspended although 75% of the cadres are the lowest possible security and custody risk;
- There is substandard and, in some cases, malpractice of medical and dental care – far more occurrences than other federal facilities;
- Overhead ceiling lights stay on 24-hours a day, at daylight levels;
- “Pretrial” and cadre prisoners work side-by-side in food service, which is also one of the only locations with knives, other makeshift weapons, and no video/surveillance cameras;
- “Pretrial” prisoners are housed and handled the same as cadres, rendering no difference in treatment;
- MDC meals are cooked 3-5 days in advance and never fresh. Food is cooked, cooled, frozen, packaged, transported, refrigerated, reheated and then served to all prisoners;
- The kitchen facility is overrun with rats and cockroaches, which are spotted daily - cockroaches have been found in the food by the inmates. The chicken arrives in packaging with the following marking: “not for human consumption”. That same chicken is served at every Thursday lunch and sometimes on Tuesday as well;
- Commissary prices are 15-25% more expensive than local New York City costs to the un-incarcerated;
- MDC has vending machine price fixing where visiting family pays 2-3 times the cost of staff for every item;
- Rehabilitation and correction have taken a back seat to idleness, without vocational classes or recognized certification, such as Dept. of Labor certificates as at other camp facilities;
- Although federal statutes dictate recent changes to halfway house time for needy prisoners, the cadres suffer from staff unwillingness, staff bargaining and staff retaliation – rendering the majority of prisoners to minimized halfway house referrals, missing/incorrect paperwork entry and missed release dates from eligibility;
- In violation of BOP rules, mission, and operational goals, cadres are subject to additional punishment over and above the punishment distributed by sentencing judges coming from the cadre unit manager bias decisions based on a cadre’s crime. Impartiality toward personal ideas cannot be tolerated.
- Although various infectious illnesses, cadre prisoners are forced to work in all areas of the MDC high-rise facility to include food services, with chicken pox, ringworm, MRSA, and HIV (per policy);

These are only some of the issues that are stark differences from other minimum-security BOP facilities. Those incarcerated at MDC Brooklyn would rather be at home but they do not seek pity, only fairness. If a cadre is classified as minimum-security, he requests ONLY the conditions and treatment as afforded to the other non MDC minimum-security prisoners.

 THE TIME IS RIGHT AND COULDN’T BE BETTER!
Standardization is necessary and reasonable for minimum-security treatment throughout the BOP.

The United States Congress, the United States Sentencing Commission, and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons-Charles Samuels, Jr. are urged to issue modified instructions to the Designation and Sentence Computation Center and also the Warden of MDC Brooklyn, Frank A. Strada. The following is necessary:

 Cease the designation of minimum-security prisoners to the MDC Brooklyn cadre program;
 Update the MDC Brooklyn description and cadre units to use on prisoners with low-security classification (ONLY);
 Transfer all minimum-security cadres to a minimum-security facility close to their release residence, who have six months or more until their Good Conduct Time release date, if RRC (Residential Reentry Center) placement has not been secured;
 Restrict cadres at MDC Brooklyn to those sentenced to supervised release violation and re-incarceration, or those with one-year sentences. Should minimum-security prisoners need to be designated to the MDC Brooklyn higher than minimum-security environment, then minimum-security prisoners should be granted 1.5 days for every 1 day served.

 IN CLOSING!
The current MDC Brooklyn cadre environment is extreme detention. Some men have not seen sunlight or felt the sun in years. Management is mostly uncooperative and inmates are developing desensitized emotions; some are scared of staff; and some are boiling in anger from constant staff misconduct, negligence and disrespect.

Without rehabilitation, consistent educational classes and methods to relieve the stress of incarceration, these cadre men will not return to society better suited for freedom unless conditions change, and MDC Brooklyn cannot change the conditions due to its security mission.

The requested changes and implementations are financially wise, socially equal, and logistically possible using inmate funds for relocation to other prisons more conducive to their classification level. It is time to close the door on government waste, while also beginning a new chapter of needed equality.

Thank you for your time, and remember: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – MLK

New Leaf Alliance Foundation
Post Office Box 130
New York, NY 10024-0130

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