Those of us housed in Restrictive Housing (RH), also known as Administrative Segregation (Ad-Seg), are being denied access to informative, therapeutic and rehabilitative content on our tablets that is otherwise available to the broader prison population in Texas (General Population). This has profoundly negative impacts on us.

The purpose of this petition is to collect as many signatures as possible to submit with our Formal Proposal to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to show the TDCJ the support we have from the public for implementing a system of classification for inmates that will differentiate by either time or designation of placement within RH that will grant us access to informative, therapeutic and rehabilitative content on our tablets. At present, Security Threat Group (STG) designated inmates in RH are disadvantaged, disproportionally impacted and do not have access to the same resources provided to inmates in General Population, despite behavioral records that would otherwise afford those privileges by TDCJ standards.

TDCJ’s Restrictive Housing Plan states that RH ‘is a non-punitive, maximum custody status involving the separation of an offender from general population for maintaining safety, security, and order among offenders, staff, and the public’ and states the effects RH has on inmates:

‘Offenders in extended Restrictive Housing may develop symptoms of acute anxiety or other mental health issues therefore, regular psychological assessment and treatment is necessary to preserve the behavioral health of these offenders.’ (Procedures: I. Categories of Restrictive Housing, p.4)

This statement on the effects of RH on inmates from the TDCJ’s Restrictive Housing Plan states that the conditions we are being subjected to puts our mental and physical health, our very sanity, at risk. This cannot be overstated.

Anyone who knows someone, or has a loved one who is living, or has lived, in RH can attest to this. Visit the website Solitary Watch (https://solitarywatch.org) and/or read Ruiz v. Johnson, 37 F. Supp. 2d 855 (S.D. Tex. 1999) pages 907-17 (https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/37/855/2415783/) Both references give very accurate descriptions of our living conditions. Time is at stake. Time that is being wasted that could otherwise be spent on our rehabilitation accessing informative, therapeutic and rehabilitative content that is currently being denied to us.

TDCJ claims that the denial of access to content creates an incentive to comply with rules and regulations, so inmates are motivated to gain a status for release back into General Population. This may be an incentive for those in RH for disciplinary infractions. However, this is not an incentive for those of us who are in RH strictly due to STG designation, which regardless of good behavior, offers no incentive at all.

There are those of us with STG designation who haven't had a disciplinary infraction in years, decades or never at all. These people are being held in RH due to a designation made years, if not decades ago, and have no way out. No reprieve except through the Gang Renouncement and Disassociation (GRAD) process. GRAD is a program that requires an STG designated inmate to debrief with TDCJ officials and divulge information concerning the STG that TDCJ have the inmate designated as, which many people are no longer even a part of or may have incorrectly been assumed to have associated with.

Participation in GRAD puts an inmate’s life at risk with that STG. TDCJ acknowledges this risk by requiring GRAD participants to sign a waiver before the completion of GRAD and release into General Population that excuses TDCJ from liability in case an inmate is physically harmed or killed. Participation in GRAD will very quickly earn inmates the label of ‘SNITCH’. A label no inmate wishes to have on their back in prison. 

Two statements are found on our tablets that are inaccurate and misleading:

1. ‘As your custody level moves up, your tablet access will increase'; and

2. ‘Remember, tablets are a privilege, and your behavior directly affects your privileges'.

In relation to the first statement, those of us without disciplinary infractions within the last three years or more have earned a 'Line Class' of 'S4'. S4 status for those in General Population allows an inmate to live in ‘dorms’, which are better living areas for inmates who have excellent behavioral records. Inmates who have the same excellent behavioral records in RH are held back and continuously punished by being denied access to informative, therapeutic and rehabilitative content that inmates in General Population can access. The second statement is not true as excellent behavior does not affect the privileges of STG designated RH inmates, despite S4 status.

‘It'll change eventually’, was the response by Region 5 Director Lonnie Townsend, when we asked why were we being denied access. Eventually? Why not now? What you do today is a matter of value. Does our mental health have no value? Our rehabilitation? Do we?

In December 2023 we were given access to a 49 minute video called 'Chasing the Dragon' detailing the dangers and effects of opioid abuse and addiction. General Population had access to this video from April 2023, but it was withheld from RH inmates for eight months. Why? In that eight months I personally knew THREE people who died from a drug overdose. Those three people were not the only ones and that is just on one unit, on a single pod. Would this video, had it been given to us earlier, saved their lives? We will never know. However, if there was even a chance that it would have saved one person, then why wait eight months before allowing us to view it? 

Denial of content like this and other rehabilitative options are not only affecting us as inmates, but society as a whole. Statistically over 80% of us will return to society and in doing so, we can potentially move anywhere in the United States. That is why we ask people everywhere to show support and sign our petition, regardless of the state you reside in. We hope that this will set a precedent that will aide other states, and those who find themselves incarcerated, to gain access to informative, therapeutic and rehabilitative content. 

TDCJ holds the view that this is prison, so we should not expect to be comfortable. Our response is we expect to be afforded opportunities and resources to rehabilitate, and the public should too. It should be demanded. Rehabilitation benefits everyone, in and outside of the prison system. As inmates, being in prison is our punishment. We are not here to be punished. If informative, theraptuic and rehabilitative content is conducive to the security and integrity of the unit(s), why are we being denied?

TDCJ clearly states that RH is not to be used as a punitive measure, but denial of informative, therapeutic and rehabilative content is punitive. No more suicides. No more overdoses. No more wasted time that could be better spent accessing content that will help us to become better parents, family members, spouses and overall members of society now and upon our release. The time to act is NOW. Sign the petition. Share the link on social media and encourage friends and family to sign. Remember this benefits not only us inmates, but the rest of society as well. Awareness and support is critical for positive change and that can make a real difference to people’s lives.

Anyone who leaves a contact email address upon signing the petition will receive a copy of the Formal Proposal that will be submitted to the TDCJ. You can also request a copy from restricted2restored@outlook.com. 

Below is a list of the denied informative, therapeutic and rehabilitative content with a brief description of each item:

- Over 650 podcasts related to Addiction, Audio Books, Buddhism, Christianity, Comedy, Education, Employment, Entertainment, French, General Health, German, Hinduism, Islam, Italian, Judaism, Mental Health, Music, News, Parenting/Family, Personal Finance, Personal Development, Portuguese, Public Radio, Science, Spanish, Spirituality, Sports, Technology. 

This includes so many beneficial podcasts ranging from, but not limited to:

• COFFEEBREAK podcasts, which teach you how to speak, write and read other languages;
• 7 Minute Job Interview;
• Job Interview Coaching;
• Health and Wellbeing;
• CBN.com Family;
• CBS Evening News,
• PBS Newsletter;
• Daily Tech News;

And hundreds more that are all beneficial and imperative to inmate rehabilitation, and mental and spiritual growth.

- NEWSTAND App, which is an up to the minute AP Newsfeed, to keep us up to date and informed on current events, and to stay in touch with reality.

- TYRO App that contains self-help content ranging from how to deal with emotions, such as anger, grief, sadness, depression, regret and so on, along with tutorials dealing with character building, job interviews and work ethic, just to name a few.

- MEDIA STORE App where we are allowed to purchase movies, music and games to download and enjoy. This is conducive to improved mental health when we can order a movie and have our loved ones or children watch the same movie at the same time, and in doing so have a shared positive experience with them that we can talk about the following day and build upon. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this and your support in our efforts to procure the informative, therapeutic and rehabilitative content on our tablets that will enable us to better ourselves and return to society as productive members.

Please note, media outlets or individuals who would like to interview or correspond with an inmate living in RH to obtain a personal account of our living conditions, or to show support, can send a request to restricted2restored@outlook.com and an inmate’s contact information will be provided to you. Thank you for your time, concern and support. 

UPDATE: RH has since received access to podcasts. This is a start, but we are still pushing for the remaining content listed. To our knowledge, podcast access was given across the United States to all those who were in possession of a Securus tablet, and housed in the same or similar conditions, such as Ad-Seg/RH, Death Row, CM, Close Custody/G5 etc. This is proof that this is not only an issue for those in Texas, and is why we encourage you to join in support and sign the petition.