By Jason Renard Walker

In September of 2023, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) introduced its digital mail rollout program. This program requires that friends and family send all letters, greeting cards and photos to an address where it can be scanned and electronically sent to our securus tablets. Justification for implementing this policy, was due to the large amount of drugs that end up in Texas prisons state wide.

Thus TDCJ foolishly suggested that stopping the public from sending paper mail to prisoners would prevent our access to drugs. While preventing prisoners from receiving physical mail worked like a charm, access to drugs has become easier than access to grievance forms.

As TDCJ’S own documents will show, not only did this rule do nothing to prevent drugs from entering the prisons. It essentially pierced the veil TDCJ used to cover its own employees’ role in drug related deaths, overdoses and disciplinary charges prisoners are receiving for being in possession of contraband after the fact.

I have seen from first hand experience that this digital mail rule is only an exaggerated response to a problem TDCJ never had interest in curtailing, yet want society to burden on the back end. Which is at the cost of enriching the Securus corporation by making it the only communication medium we have in order to stay in touch with the outside world. Along side the fact that the policy makers some how forgot that questions would be raised once it became evident that in prison drug related incidents, deaths and overdoses have only gotten worse.

In response to the drug abuse epidemic existing at the Powledge unit, the administrative wigs running this joint have devised an undocumented way to punish and deal with drug abusers or those suspected of being high, but not in possession, unbeknownst to the Department of Justice or the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. The only prisoners that aren’t eligible are the ones that are busted with something, or are suspected of conspiring with staff.

The restricted housing cellblock here (known as protective safe keeping) is nefariously being used as a vile detox center and punishment program for select Powledge unit drug addicts and suspects. It’s obvious that the purpose is to distort the amount of ‘petty’ drug related disciplinary cases that are filed by staff, who are taught by their superiors what are and aren’t drugs. As far as the case writer is concerned, the prisoner is sent to restricted housing under pre hearing detention like he’s suppose to, until the resolution of his disciplinary case.

But unknown to the case writer the evidence he thought were drugs wasn’t and the prisoner will only be held until the case is dropped, or his cell is needed for another drug user that was found too high to ignore. Absurd write-ups such as possession of marijuana and K2 are issued, to justify placement on PHD, regardless of what the prisoner had or wasn’t in possession of.

A majority of these cases are unfounded on their faces, but the prisoner is held hostage as punishment for being high. During his stay his property, fan and his Securus tablet are denied for up to three weeks, regardless of how hot or unconstitutional this is. The unit’s own offender property confiscation documents prove this. After a month or so, the prisoner’s case vanishes, or is intentionally delayed and he’s hurried back out to the general population in place of another addict.

A merry go round of sorts. Their own records will show a frequency in prisoner placements on PHD only to be released back into the general population in place of another prisoner or after three weeks or so.

It would be much simpler if TDCJ held Narcotics Anonymous meetings in every unit. But this would require them to admit that drugs are being abused in TDCJ, long after their digital mail rollout.

Jason Renard Walker