Prison Culture Colorado Timothy Smelser D O C

Prison Culture Colorado

Timothy Smelser �D. O. C. – 23 years 1991 -2014 (retired) • Limon Correctional Facility – 17 years �Officer - Security, Housing, Transport, �Sergeant - Visiting, Housing, Back-Up Intelligence Officer �Lieutenant – Housing, Security, Intelligence Officer �Intelligence Officer 10 years 1998 -2008 (at Limon) �Private Prisons Monitoring Unit – 2008 -2014 �Intelligence Officer �Contract Monitor

Department of Corrections �Basic D. O. C. Command Structure • Ranks / Uniforms �Politics for Staff �Staffing Patterns �Politics for Offenders �Staff / Offender Relations �Gangs

�Staff Ranking System and Uniforms

Staff �Blue Shirt • Officer Ranks • Sergeant • Lieutenant • Specialist (Housing, Security, Transport, Mail Room) – CO 1 (Housing, Security, Transport, Mail Room, Recreation, Visiting) CO 2 (Housing, Security, Recreation. Specialist) CO 3 (Intelligence, Training, Locksmith, Armory, Administration, Hearings etc. ) CO 3

Staff �Blue Shirt Ranks (continued) • Captain (Housing – Cell House Supervisor, Security – Shift Commander Case Management Supervisor) CO 4 • Major (Usually just one per facility for both housing and security) CO 5

Staff �Command • Managers Staff Ranks (Rank of Major. Education, Maintenance, Industries) • Associate Warden • Associate Director (Headquarters) • Executive Director (Figure Head – changes every 4 -8 years)

Staff �Other Ranks • Case Managers • Kitchen Civilian clothing - Lieutenant White shirts – Sergeants or Lieutenants • Maintenance Brown shirts – Sergeants, Lieutenants, or Captains • Academics Civilian clothes – Teachers • Medical Physician Assistants, Nurses, Dentists, etc.

Staff �Housing and Security • Are terms that are interchangeable with �Custody and Control

Staff �Extra Curricular Activities / Teams • Not full time job assignment �Teams • Each facility has its own Emergency Response Team (low lethal) �Immediate response, forced cell entries, response to neighboring facilities • The S. O. R. T. – Team is the state wide team with members in each facility (authorized lethal) • Each facility also has its own Escape/Tracking team

PRIVATE PRISONS �Ranks are similar with most companies �Corrections Corporation of America – C. C. A. (largest private prison company in Colorado) �Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Chief, Associate Warden, Warden

�Politics for Staff

PRISON POLITICS �“Politics” are an extreme factor in Colorado D. O. C. for Offenders and Staff

Staff Politics �There are many “cliques” within D. O. C. �Some small and only at particular facility �Some very large and multi facility strong �Behavior very much like “GANGS”

Staff Politics � Manipulation of the promotional system and personnel rules � Favoritism � “Hit Lists” – identification and elimination of “undesirables” � Members of all ranks from top to bottom � Promotion to specialist positions or very high ranks of incompetent but “well connected” staff members � Undesirables being “set up” and “ran off”

Staff Politics �Using young and newer “recruits” to do dirty work �Using the office of inspector general (O. I. G. ) to investigate trumped up personnel charges (internal investigations) �Unattainable code of conduct �Young recruits willing to cross the line to help out the “Clique” will be rewarded with unearned promotions.

Staff Politics �Falk Nation �S. O. R. T. Brotherhood

�Staffing Patterns

Staffing Patterns �D. O. C. regulations, post incident inquisitions, and court orders have dictated minimum staffing patterns for facilities. �These required patterns are often not met, but reported on paper as being met. �“Statistics do not lie, statisticians do” (unk)

Staffing Patterns �Do not accept “Schedules” as proof of who was there. Schedules are just well intentioned plans �The facility sign in/sign out roster (or computer) is the best indicator of who was inside of the facility at any given time; but NOT where exactly they were inside of the facility • Just because a kitchen worker was inside of the facility, does not mean he/she was in the kitchen.

Staffing Patterns �Daily logs, particularly the shift commander daily logs (3 per day). Will indicate which “scheduled” posts were not covered, covered by an unscheduled person, and gaps in coverage. �Required posts are sometimes “filled” at beginning of shift for “proof on paper”; but then “Collapsed” later in the shift to conduct other duties. This is often not documented anywhere.

Staffing Patterns �One on One interviews with particular staff members will sometimes be the only means to prove that an employee was in the facility, but not in “required” location due to: �Post collapsed �Sent to another area for legitimate business �In a meeting �Etc.

Staffing Patterns �Private Prisons • In reference to staffing patterns and pretty much all other regulations; the Privates are usually held to a much higher standard than the state facilities. �Privates are monitored, states are not. �The contracts between the state and the privates are extremely detailed and re-negotiated each year. �Privates are charged monthly with “Liquidated Damages” (fines) for not following the contract. There are no built in disciplinary measures for state facilities not following the regulations.

�Politics for Offenders

Offender Politics � The politics that an offender must deal with are extremely deep and multi faceted � Prison Yard Politics are based upon a mixture of numerous pieces of information including • Gang association, race, geography (where from, where last lived), current crime, criminal history, personality, character traits, physical appearance, mental aptitude, skills, financial ability, attitude, etc.

Offender Politics �An offenders “place” in the prison hierarchy is constantly at risk and can change day by day. �If an offender gets a “jacket” thrown on him, his whole life changes and he must defend his character or accept that he is now at risk 24 -7. • Rat Jacket • SO Jacket • Cho-Mo Jacket (Told on Someone) (Sex Offender) (Child Molester)

Offender Politics �If an offender now has a “Jacket”; not only is he at risk of being assaulted, being forced to “Pay Rent”, being shunned, being forced to “Check-In”, etc. �But depending on the circumstances of his “Jacket”, he also may be on a “Hit List” from one of the gangs; meaning members MUST seriously assault, stab, kill him on sight.

Offender Politics � Offenders sometimes get False Jackets thrown on them because they were seen talking friendly with a staff member, or another offender lied about them, or because a situation was taken out of context. • An offender, prior to going to prison, called the police when his car was stole from in front of his house. 10 years later, now in prison he has a “Rat Jacket”. • An offender charged with statutory rape, even though he and the victim are now in late 20’s and married, has a “Cho-Mo jacket” and/or “SO Jacket”

�Staff / Offender Relations

Staff and Offender Relations �New staff are taught in the academy that offenders are extremely manipulative and criminal minded; so much so that even a short conversation with them can cause a new hire to ruin their career by turning “dirty” �Staff are told that only a small portion of them will be left in a few years; the rest will be fired and or in jail.

Staff and Offender Relations �Some “Dirty” staff are “Dirty” and/or become • Love Affairs • Friends • Common Interests �Being friendly or having common interests does not make a staff member “Dirty”; but it can cause other staff to start spreading rumors, shun that staff member in question, isolate, and basically push that staff member towards being “dirty”

Staff and Offender Relations �A staff member becomes “Dirty” when he/she starts doing “Favors” for a particular offender such as: • Sharing confidential information • Allowing contraband, preferential searches • Gives preferential treatment like extra anything or single cell before his turn, etc. • Sharing items like food, snacks, candy

Staff and Offender Relations �A staff member becomes “Criminally Dirty” if he/she: • Puts another offenders’ life in danger by sharing information about confidential informants, location of offenders being “hidden”, etc. • Gives/receives/sends personal letters and notes to and from each other. • Introduces contraband • Has sexual relations with offender

Staff and Offender Relations �Staff are taught that the minor “gateway” behaviors will ALWAYS lead to the criminal behavior because once the offender gets a staff member to break the little rules, then he owns them and will start demanding the illegal stuff. • Not the case most of the time • But many new staff are so afraid of this, they will rarely speak to an offender as a human. Strictly icy cold business.

Staff and Offender Relations �Most of the staff I have seen that had a “Favorite” offender; did break the rules and was unprofessional, but never crossed the line to illegal. The offender was happy to just be treated like a person and get the little extras he did; but respected the “Friendship” enough to never ask for anything illegal.

Staff and Offender Relations � That being said, there are still many “Dirty” staff. � Every facility has several ongoing investigations into “dirty” staff members, at any given time. • Some are caught right away, and some can continue for months and even years. � “Dirty” staff can be from any work group. • Officers of all ranks, kitchen, medical, maintenance, academics, programs, industries, etc.

Staff and Offender Relations �For the most part: • Offenders are afraid to be friendly with staff for fear of getting a “Rat Jacket” • Staff are afraid to be friendly with offenders in fear of getting manipulated • Mature staff members get past this, as do the Mature offenders. There are many professional working relationships between Sergeants/Lieutenants and offenders who have been in the system for 10 -15 years.

�Gangs

Gangs �D. O. C. refers to “Gangs” as Security Threat Groups or S. T. G. �Offenders are identified using a “point system” based upon “indicators” �Indicators include • Admission, Previous Law Enforcement or Court Identification, Possession of STG Material, Tattoos, Monikers, Known Associates, Participating in STG Activity, Etc.

Gangs �Based upon the “Points”; offenders can be identified for STG involvement at different levels, including: • • Member Suspect Associate Defector

Gangs �Security �A Threat Group group of three or more individuals with a common interest and/or activity characterized by criminal or delinquent conduct, engaged in either collectively or individually.

Gangs �Disruptive Group • Any group of people that are causing disorder • Examples: �Narcotic Rings �Weapon makers/sellers �Extremely violent or militant �Groups or individuals prone to facilitating disturbance or escape

Gangs �Of those offenders identified, the racial breakdown is approximately: • • 40% 30% 25% 5% Hispanic White Black Other (Asian, Native American, Etc. ) �Based on 2013 data

Gangs �Gangs • • • represented in Colorado include: Street Gangs Prison Gangs Motorcycle Gangs Extremists Groups Disruptive Groups

Gangs �Depending on the facility, anywhere from 25% to 60% of the facility population will be identified as “S. T. G. ” �Normally, the higher the security level, the higher the S. T. G. percentage.

Gangs �White Gangs

Gangs �White • • S. T. G. 2 -11 Crew Aryan Syndicate Aryan Brotherhood / Aryan Nation Aryan Nazi Party (A. N. P. ) White Aryan Socialist Party (W. A. S. P. ) White Aryan Resistance (W. A. R. ) Aryan Resurgence Society (A. R. S. )

Gangs �White S. T. G. • Ku Klux Klan (K. K. K. ) • Skin Heads • Pecker Woods • Wood Pile

Gangs �Motorcycle Gangs

Gangs �Motorcycle • • Gangs Hells Angels Prison Motorcycle Brotherhood Sons of Silence Bandidos Outlaws Pagans Mongols Sin City Deciples

Gangs �Hispanic Gangs

Gangs �Hispanic STG • Sureno-13 / Mexican Mafia affiliated � 18 th Street California � 18 th Street Greeley �Los Carnales- East Side Dukes – Pueblo �Young Crowd – Pueblo �Juaritos �Paisa �Border Brothers

Gangs �Hispanic STG • Norteno / Nuestra Familia affiliated �Northern Structure �Northern United Kings – Greeley �Texas Syndicate �Fresno Bulldogs �Latin Aces – Pueblo �Gallant Knights Insane (G. K. I. ) �North Side Mafia (N. S. M. ) �Varrio North Town (V. N. T. )

Gangs �Hispanic STG • Norteno / Nuestra Familia affiliated �Warlords �Untouchable Assassins (U. T. A. ) �Los Primer Padres (L. P. P. ) �Azteca �Huds �Westwood Huds �A. K. Huds � 187 Anybody Killers

Gangs �Hispanic STG • Not affiliated with North or South �Inca Boys (enemy of GKI) �East Side Gangsters / Oldies 13 (Denver) �Puro Chicano Locos �Chici-30’s (North Denver) �Duce Seven (27) CMG Bloods �Hispanic sub-set of the Crenshaw Mafia Gangster Bloods �Varrio Grande Varrio (V. G. V. ) �Tre Duce (32) Clique / Tre Dog Clique

Gangs �Asian Gangs

Gangs �Asian • • • STG Asian Pride Asian Boyz / Asian Boy Crips Viet Nam Pride Oriental Lazy Boys / Ruthless Boys Hong Kong Triads (China)

Gangs �Black Gangs

Gangs �Black • • • STG Blood Crip Folk Chicago Oriented People Chicago Oriented Black Guerilla Family (Prison Gang)

Gangs �Black STG • Folk • Right Side • 6 Pointed Star �Crips (some) �Gangster Disciples – Growth and Development �Black Disciples

Gangs �Black STG • People • Left Side • 5 Pointed Star �Bloods – (some) �Black Peace Stone

Gangs �There are many Hispanic and some White gangs that also fall under the Folk Nation and People Nation �Not prominent in Colorado

Gangs �Disruptive Groups

Gangs �Disruptive • • Groups Drugs Dangerous / Disruptive Escape Weapons

�Questions? ?

�Thank You �Timothy Smelser