TRANSPARENT TRANSACTIONS

by David Breakspear

As an active prison reform campaigner, I have wanted the fences and walls which surround our prisons to become metaphorically invisible. But why is this important to me?

As a former prisoner who, due to sentence and not a conviction, will always have to disclose parts of my criminal record, and who will forever have my life open to scrutiny, privacy is not an option; I had or have no choice in the matter. If I’m asked, I must tell. This despite the fact that I am not involved with the system as a ‘resident’ or ‘service-user’ anymore and no longer considered a risk to society. A reformed character, my new label? Continue Reading

THE TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION

computer prison study 1

by David Breakspear

“ICT and digital systems in prison must support more flexible access to learning that is tailored to the needs of individual learners and enables participation in distance and other learning.”  (Coates, 2016)

People are sent to prison as punishment for a crime they are alleged to have committed. I say alleged as I am no longer confident that a finding of guilt in court is an indication of whether the alleged guilty party, is in fact, guilty; however, this is a separate debate.

Why are ICT and digital systems, and of course education, important in prison? Continue Reading

NATURE OR NURTURE

by David Breakspear

CW: mentions suicide, self-harm

In my previous article ‘Consequence of Conscience’, I mention a work titled Suicide by sociologist Émile Durkheim. In Suicide, Durkheim introduced us to the term ‘anomie’, suggesting it to be a breakdown of social norms resulting in a lack of standards and values. He also used this same term and definition to explain a reason as to why some members of society embark on a path of crime or ‘deviance’ – straying from the norm. Durkheim saw deviance as an inevitable part of life which is needed for innovation and change.Continue Reading

CONSEQUENCE OF CONSCIENCE

prison jail 1

by David Breakspear

CW: mentions suicide

Recently appointed Home Secretary Priti Patel stated in an interview that she wants criminals to “literally feel terror” at the thought of committing crime. In my opinion, to make a statement like that shows how far removed from reality some of our politicians are.

In America, a lot of the States still use the death penalty. I would say that is the ultimate consequential terror for anyone to face. In the UK, the final execution took place as recent as 1964; in fact, the death penalty in the UK was only, totally completely abolished in 1998.

If the sceptre of losing one’s own life is not enough of a consequence to stop breaking the  law, then what is the Home Secretary’s version of ‘terror’?Continue Reading

TRANSPARENT REFORM

prison wall tower reform

by David Breakspear

It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.
N. Mandela

A message I have carried whilst campaigning for reforms in our prison system has been one of making the walls of justice invisible. The walls that ensconce societies; mums, dads, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, other family members and loved ones and/or friends.

As someone that became, somewhat, institutionalised to the safety and comfort of prison, I saw those walls as keeping people out. I also saw this as a good thing. How ironic then, that here I am now, writing an article promoting transparency to those very same walls that were my protectors.Continue Reading

TOGETHER WE CAN

derek bentley uk justice

by David Breakspear

It wasn’t until February 2016 when the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, in a criminal case under the doctrine of ‘joint enterprise’ (JE), decided that intent and not just foresight would need to be proven to find a secondary suspect guilty of a crime, such as murder.

One of the most famous JE cases saw, at 9am on January 28th, 1953, 19-year-old Derek Bentley hung, at the hands of Albert Pierrepoint at HMP Wandsworth in London. Before I continue, please bear in mind that the person who “let him have it,” the one who pulled the trigger that killed the policeman Sidney Miles, Christopher Craig, was released in May 1963. Ten years after Derek was hung. Three years before Derek’s remains were removed from the prison burial ground to a family grave. Two lives were taken, one by Christopher, one by the state. Continue Reading

WHERE DO YOU STAND?

By David Breakspear

“Freire’s central notion is that ‘hope’, as an idea, ‘is rooted in [our] incompleteness’ and that what makes us human is the ‘constant search’ to become more fulfilled. This is something we pursue collaboratively, and in communion with others.” (Smyth, J., Critical Pedagogy for Social Justice, 2011)

The question I ask, ‘Where do you stand?’, is in relation to our prison system. I could ask instead: “Does your perspective and belief of prison match the experience of those it holds?”Continue Reading

CORE CIVIC’S CORPORATE CULTURE OF HIDING STAFF FELONIES UPON IMMIGRANTS

By David Breakspear

Part Three of Three


In concluding this three-part series (Part One, Part Twoof documented sex crimes by Core Civic upon immigrant inmates, supported by a sworn Affidavit (by @FEDSBANE) and a further witness, The Norwich Radical now chooses to shine a light on high level Core Civic Management and their response to these crimes: to examine if their replies are consistent with their stated ethics policies, and if felonies remain unresolved.

We determine that the best way to examine the angle of Management replies is to simply quote from Donaldson’s Affidavit, since Core Civic does not contest it.

In reference to Assistant Warden Shawn Gillis from McRae Correctional Institution, who had influence over the voyeurism zoom cameras, and subsequent retaliation upon Donaldson for so reporting, Donaldson writes:

“Assistant Warden and PREA Coordinator Shawn Gillis was also removed from McRae, but then promoted to Warden of Adams County Correctional Center in Mississippi. This resembles THE CATHOLIC SHUFFLE, where deviant priests were reshuffled to other locations to make debased problems go away. But the latest news is that under Warden Gillis, the BOP contract at Adams CCC has been forfeit. The problem with Gillis persists.”

Could it be there is an effort at Core Civic to actually hide and reshuffle those caught committing sex felonies against immigrants?

In Donaldson’s Affidavit, he further states:

“At no time were official INVESTIGATION PROTOCOLS followed regarding my sexual harassment grievance, but the precise opposite was the practice. See:

http://www.corecivic.com/the-prison-rape-elimination-act-of-2003-prea

Additionally, the following Corporate Management at Core Civic with specific responsibilities in areas discussed in this Affidavit have refused to communicate with me in any way whatsoever, in order to correct the cited abuses and ethics violations:

  • Eric Pierson – PREA Boss at Core Civic in charge of stated investigation protocols:

http://www.corecivic.com/the-prison-rape-elimination-act-of-2003-prea

  • Scott Craddock Corporate Ethics and Compliance Officer

https://www.corecivic.com/hubfs/_files/Code%20Of%20Conduct%20(CoreCivic).pd

  • Damon Hininger CEO of Core Civic (and all those listed in the link below)

http://www.corecivic.com/about/executive-leadership

  • Cameron Hopewell Managing Director, Investor Relations

http://ir.corecivic.com/contact-ir

  • Amanda Gilchrist, Public Affairs Director

http://www.corecivic.com/newsroom

The organised silence and suppression to cover up these Core Civic crimes are highly coordinated, and provoke 18 USC 371 Conspiracy statutes (Exhibit One).

It never mattered what evidence or witnesses I could provide. My report of sexual harassment against Core Civic leadership was arranged to be rendered stillborn upon arrival. It was doomed & cursed by design; it never had a chance.

Core Civic knew I had exposed their sex crimes, and have committed still more crimes in their efforts to cover it up.

Since Core Civic thwarted my right to report crimes at every turn, their actions may qualify oversight from 18 U.S. Code § 241 Conspiracy against rights &  18 U.S. Code § 242 Deprivation of rights under color of law & 18 U.S. Code § 1510 Obstruction of criminal investigations & 18 U.S. Code § 1505 Obstruction of proceedings before departments, agencies, and committees, as the grievance proceeding herein are overseen by the Bureau of Prisons.

As retaliation against my person for reporting crime is at issue, further statutes may have a jealous interest in this case, such as: 18 U.S. Code § 1512 Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant & 18 U.S. Code § 1513 Retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant.

Despite cited public policies representing that matters herein raised are to be ethically resolved with transparency, Core Civic orphans quoted ethics nonetheless, with misleading abandon:

http://www.corecivic.com/about/corporate-ethics

https://www.corecivic.com/hubfs/_files/Code%20Of%20Conduct%20(CoreCivic).pdf

https://www.corecivic.com/hubfs/_files/CoreCivic%20Human%20Rights%20policy%20statement.pdf

http://ir.corecivic.com/

http://www.corecivic.com/hubfs/_files/2018-ESGReport.pdf

http://www.corecivic.com/about/social-responsibility

None of these Core Civic publicly listed PROTOCOLS FOR PREA VIOLATIONS were followed in the present case:

https://www.corecivic.com/hubfs/_files/PREA/CCA-14-02.pdf?t=1539962057757

In fact, after my grievance of sexual harassment was placed in 2017 and the subsequent companywide cover-up; Damon Hininger, the CEO of Core Civic, did on February 11th 2019 also receive an email from me detailing the evidence. Damon then sold $439,683.19 in Core Civic stock, based on non-public information which had matured since 2017:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1070985/000120919119014990/xslF345X03/doc4.xml

Damon Hininger has since blocked my ability to question him on unresolved Core Civic sexual harassment issues on Twitter, and rejects my emails, with the hypocrisy of his own cited ethics pronouncements, claiming that under his leadership Core Civic are… “governing ourselves at high standards of ethics and transparency…real-time public transparency keeps us accountable — to ourselves, our partners and our stakeholders — and improves our ability to better the public good.” See:

http://www.corecivic.com/news/corecivics-first-ever-esg-report-shows-more-progress-toward-unprecedented-reentry-goals

https://www.corecivic.com/hubfs/_files/Code%20Of%20Conduct%20(CoreCivic).pdf

Any claim of Core Civic’s high ethics and transparency is consciously misleading, and knowingly false.”

Either Corey Donaldson has committed a felony by perjuring himself in his Affidavit, or Core Civic proper and Management are guilty of felonies. The only question that remains now is if American law enforcement care enough about felonies on immigrants to decide where the felonies lay.

Brian Martin of the University of Wollongong in Australia, is an expert in the field of whistleblowing and has written extensively on the subject.

In my interview with Brian, he declared that, “Whistle-blowers regularly report that official channels (regulators, appeal procedures, courts, etc.) are unhelpful. They give the appearance of providing protection and justice (and thus reassure the public that all’s well) but not the substance.

Featured image credit: Anthony Garand


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PRIVATISE(D)EVASTATION

1

By David Breakspear

Cw: suicide, self-harm

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird

Once again, we witness more self-inflicted deaths in custody routinely followed by lessons not being learned, recommendations being ignored, and worst of all — even in cases where an inquest jury has delivered a unanimous decision on a failure to provide an individual with a duty of care — no action being taken against those who failed to provide the care that loved ones and families of those in prison have a right to expect.Continue Reading

SLOWLY, SLOWLY: CORRUPTION IN US (AND UK) PRISONS

1

By David Breakspear

I was recently asked to be a guest speaker on an American live radio show to talk about the collateral damage of injustice and corruption in US prisons. The show is aired from Colorado Springs, so in order to be able to talk about local issues, as I usually cover correctional facilities in Florida, I set about researching prisons in Colorado – which also led me to Louisiana – and I came across a company formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) that changed their name to Core Civic in October 2016 during ongoing scrutiny of the private prison industry in the US.Continue Reading