Dec. 27, 2020

Dear Lieutenant Govener Nuñez

by Ronald W. Clark, Jr (author's profile)

Transcription

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December 14, 2020
Dear Lieutenant Governor Nuñez

I'm coming to you concerning the psychological and
physical torture that we're enduring here at Union
Correctional Institution by an Administration who is try-
ing to push men into committing suicide. The most Reverend
Thomas Wenski Archbishop of Miami, informed you last month
on what they were doing with the recreation, denying men
of their six (6) hours of outdoor rec, for any reason that
they can find. Men who only get two (2) recreation periods a
week, if were lucky. So basically it's 24 hours a day, 5 to 6
days straight of solitary confinement. Please see attached
The Scientific Consensus on solitary confinement where it
states "all [individuals subject to solitary confinement] will...
experience a degree of stupor, difficulties with thinking and
concentration, obsessional thinking, agitation, irritability, and
difficulty tolerating external stimuli." "Anxiety and panic are
common side effects. Depression, post-traumatic stress dis-
order, psychosis, hallucinations, paranoia, claustrophobia, and
suicidal ideation are also frequent results." These findings support
that we are in a life and death struggle for daily survival,
of our lives as well as our sanity! The least we spend in
these cages, is 162 hours out of 168 hours a week. And
with this Administration we're lucky if we see the bare
minimum 6 hours a week guaranteed to us in 33-601.830
Section(7)(j). And we have never seen over (6) six hours!
And we can credit this, to it being inconvenient to the Admin-
istration rec officers, who are trying to do as little work
as possible. For the past several years they were packing
50 to 60 death row inmates, on a rec yard that was design-
ed for a maximum capacity of 28 inmates. Well approx two
months ago, due to a senator's interference, the Admin put
a maximum capacity of 35 inmates per yard, Rec staff then

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began looking for any excuse to deny inmates of signing
up and going out to rec.One inmate was denied rec due
to a salt pack being on his T.V. stand. They then began
writing frivolous disciplinary reports known as a DR. Well
these DRs cost the tax-payers anywhere from $700.00 to
$1,400. And this was done to keep men off the rec yard,
See attached Informal Grievance log #04-10-123 filed on 4-5-10
Approved on 4-7-10 by Lt. Salle, who recognized that even
while on disciplinary confinement known as D.C., you are entitled
to weekly recreation without waiting 30 days, which is also
supported by 33-601.830 section (7)(J) 2. which only author-
izes the ICT. (Institutional Classification Team) to suspend rec-
reation for 15 days, and thats only after the inmate has been
found guilty of a major rule violation. Yet records will show
that inmates are being placed on D.C. and being denied rec
for the first 30 days, and then given only one 3 hour rec a
week. We need your help to correct all this.
On top of this, the administration refuses to set up a
protective management wing under 33-602.221 for inmates
who can't go to recreation because they've sat in these cells
cussing at other inmates, using racial slurs ect ect, knowing
that the other inmates can't get to them. This exasperates
the psychological effects of solitary confinement, for all the
inmates who have to suffer through these racial and verbal
attacks.And the administration has knowledge of this, yet
will not take corrective actions. We've got inmates housed
in 6104, 6105 and 6214 that need to be separated from the
rest of us. These inmates have continued to call inmates
m_ _ _ ers among other things. It's easy to identify these
inmates by viewing their DC6-2293. And the inmate in
6104 informed the Admin, sat here in P-dorm that he
can't go out because people want to beat him up. When
Major Mason asked the inmate if he wanted to move,
the inmate said "No!" and came back here after speaking

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with the major, and began cussing the other inmates housed
around him. This shows the administrations reckless
disregard for our mental health and wellbeing. Inmates
like these, who can be identified by not participating in
weekly recreation, need to be house seprately. We are
prating for your assistance with this. Our mental health
depends on this.
The Admin is also causing further stress, anxiety by calling
cell inspections, where the inmates have to shut down their
legal work, arts and crafts ect and sit around for 6 to 8
hours waiting on an inspection that never takes place.
And this may happen 3 to 4 days a week. You can't set up
to exercise, or do anything! "You've got to sit here in a
cage, thats little more than a psychological torture chamber,
and do nothing! You can't listen to music to get away from
the madness of these racial and verbal insults of the protective
management inmates, because you've got to wait on this
cell inspection. That's anything but an inspection!" If your
not, standing at attention with everything put away, then
you receive a DR and 30 days on D.C., and possibly
strip cell/proprety restriction, Another avenue of torture
to try to push inmates in killing themselves. We've had
one successful suicide here in P-dorm and two suicide
attempts here in P-dorm this year. And at least 3 suicides
in U&R dorms. These deaths scream the truth for what I'm
telling you.
And to further show that the cell inspections is a fraud,
we've got toilets that overflow sending raw sewage into our
cells. On 9-19-19 I had Informal Grievance #213-1909-0137 aproved
since them we've had several toilets overflow. These toilets
need back up valves installed, This violates the constitutional
rights of the inmates enduring this. See Williams V. Griffin, 952
F.2d 820 at 825 (#cir 1991) and McCord v. Maggion, 927 F. 2d 844 at 847

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(5#cir 1991)(cell flooding with raw sewage and foul water was a
"clear violation of the 8th Amendment") You've got numerous inmates
who will testify that this has happened to them.
Another constitutional violation is we've got hall lights, that
have had the covers removed. The lights are shining into our
cells on to our pillow, which messes with our sleep. I won
the grievance #2005-213-039 having it approved to have
covers placed on them that would reflect the light off of
the pillow. They recognized the unconstitutionality in Keenan
v. Hall 83 F.3d 1090 ('more over there is no penological justification,
for requiring [inmates] to suffer physical and psychological harm,
by living in constant illumination, this practice is unconstitutional")
Yet the admin is now failing to fix the unconstitutional problem.
Another serious issue is in grievance log #2012-213-017 currently
being appealed. Its dealing with the admin's unwillingness to spray
weekly for ants. We've had three men that "I know of" who's had
to be seen by medical because they've gotten eat up by ants in
the middle of the night while sleeping. And theres not only a
documented medical record, but photos of the ant bites. These
people will not work with us. Everything has to be a battle!"
which goes to show that these people are just trying to make
our lives as miserable as they can. My cell was suppose to be
sprayed in Oct and Nov. Here it is Dec and it still hasn't been
sprayed, and I didn't even get around to addressing, the mold
and mildew in the cells, shower and vents. Or the fire hazard outside
the clinic where waters running out of the light. Or the fire hazard
in the cell vents. We need your Lt. Governor Nuñez. I thank
you for your time and hopefully your help.
Sincerely Ronald W. Clark Jr.

C.C. Office of the Chief Inspector General, LG. Kenneth Sumpter, FDOC
Secretary Mark, Inch, Regional Direction John Palmer, Warden Travis Lamb

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