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for all tdcj prisoners  

4.)  The current grievance process is a joke!  The same officials whose policies or actions are being complained  about,  are the same officials responding to and denying the grievances.  The  "grievance coordinators"  are merely a rubber stamp,  with basic rubber-stamp excuses to dismiss all complaints.  We demand an independent grievance review process that is not ruled by wardens,  regional directors,  or other TDCJ officials with an interest in protecting one another,  protecting the system,  and maintaining the status quo. 

5.)  The newly revised  "sexually explicit images"  policy is a ridiculous,  vague policy that unreasonably denies magazines,  newspapers,  photos,  and other non-sexual content.  The old policy was more than sufficient to prohibit pornography and nudity.  The current policy now prohibits newspapers if it contains an advertisement for swimwear or underwear.  Fitness and health magazines can be denied if fitness models in  "revealing"  clothes are demonstrating how to properly do an exercise,  or if there is coverage of fitness/bodybuilding competitions  (men and women in revealing swimwear).  Sports magazines are denied if there is coverage of any athletic event requiring  "revealing"  uniforms  (i.e., olympic swimming,  diving,  beach volleyball,  gymnastics,  etc).  Most car and motorcycle magazines will now be denied.  Celebrity gossip magazines for beach body photos.  Art magazines and art books will be denied for "nudity."  Basic comic books can be denied for a female cartoon superhero in a revealing costume.  Even romance novels can be denied simply for the cover image.  Did the Taliban suddenly gain control of TDCJ?  This is absurd and serves no legitimate penological objective,  especially considering that anyone can sit in the dayrooms and watch nudity and graphic sex scenes on network television.  Is TDCJ going to remove all TVs to prevent that?  Are they going to require prisoners to cover any tattoos that depict nudity? 

The inevitable result of this policy will be more instances of guys masturbating in the dayrooms to something on TV,  with more fights and riots because of it.  There will be an increase of prisoners using female staff as visual stimulation while masturbating,  either in the cell or in public areas,  which will result in more fights between cellmates or in public areas.  TDCJ's new sexually explicit images policy will only create more conflicts while unnecessarily prohibiting a broad range of reading material that is in no way "sexual."  The new policy is too vague and open to interpretation of what constitutes  "anything intended to cause sexual arousal."  Is TDCJ going to compile a list of every single weird sexual fetish to enforce?  Feet fetishes?  Legs?  Spandex?  Latex?  Leather?  Boots?  Hands with long red fingernails?  What about uniform fetishes,  will TDCJ prohibit those prisoners from looking at guards?  That policy is ridiculously vague and absurd,  and we demand a return to the old policy that simply banned pornography and actual nudity  (exposed nipples,  genitals,  anuses,  and simulated intercourse). 

6. VISITATION 

a.)  To facilitate visitation and family connections necessary for successful reintegration into society,  TDCJ shall make it a priority to assign prisoners to facilities near their families,  and to make it easier to obtain a hardship transfer in order to be closer to family. 

b.)  End the practice of indefinitely removing people from visitation lists for vague,  unproven infractions.  There are prisoners who haven't seen their mother,  wife,  husband,  children,  for years because they've been removed fromthe visitors list over monir infractions,  and the review process is a farce.  Removal of visitors from visitation lists must be for a proven infraction,  with meaningful appeals,  and for a definite term. 

c.)  The SPD-Code restriction prohibiting contact visitation with non-immediate family is unreasonable,  arbitrary,  and unrelated to any legitimate penological justification.  Just because a prisoner has an SPD code that is more than a decade old,  that prisoner is permanently punished with denial of contact visits with loved ones who aren't immediate family,  despite years of good behavior.  What relation does this have to a long-past incident that is completely unrelated to visitation privileges?  We demand a reasonable and equal application of visitation policy to allow SPD-Coded prisoners who are eligible for contact visits to include visitation with non-family. 

7.)  We demand that TDCJ rescind the policy of only allowing prisoners to receive deposits from people on our approved visitors or call list.  This serves no rational purpose other than to increase hardship on prisoners who are not violating rules.  Most prisoners have more friends and family than will fit on a 10-slot visitation list or call list.  TDCJ's stated purpose of reducing unauthorized transactions for contraband is illogical and unsupported by the facts as defined by TDCJ.  TDCJ officials KNOW that those who engage in trafficking contraband  do not use inmate trust fund deposits.  TDCJ officials KNOW that those who engage in trafficking contraband do so via outside electronic transfers like cashapp,  greendot,  etc.,  which is why they created the rule to punish those who are caught utilizing these unapproved methods.  Ironically,  if a friend or family member who is not on an approved list wants to send money to a prisoner for a legitimate reason,  they have to use one of these electronic transfer apps to send money to someone who is on the prisoner's approved list.  So TDCJ's new policy only creates  "rule violations"  of third-party transfers for legitimate,  honest assistance from loved ones and does nothing to inhibit trafficking of contraband.  It only creates hardship on friends and family to help their loved ones in TDCJ.  This rule must be rescinded. 

8.)  For far too long TDCJ has maintained a predatory,  extortionist,  racketeering monopoly of necessary items through strict control of only allowing purchase from TDCJ commissary.  Prisoners are forced to buy cheap junk that frequently falls apart or malfunctions,  at exorbitant prices  ($20.00 for a cheap dollar-store clock radio?  $360.00 for a typewriter that only a few years ago costed $125.00?).  In the past,  prisoners could order writing supplpies from approved outside vendors  (Walmart,  Office Depot,  Amazon,  etc.)  at reasonable prices.  Then,  TDCJ disallowed that,  forcing prisoners to purchase writing supplies  only from commissary,  while doubling the prices;  despite the fact that all writing supplies are now produced at a TDCJ-owned and operated printshop with unpaid inmate slave labor.  We now pay $2.25 for a 99¢ writing tablet?  TDCJ did the same thing when they switched from brand name clothing to TDCJ-produced items where the entire supply chain—from growing and harvesting the cotton,  to manufacturing in TDCJ garment factories,  truck drivers and warehousing--ALL of it is done with unpaid inmate slave labor,  yet the prices went UP while the quality went DOWN.  TDCJ continues to raise prices on items while still refusing to pay inmates even nominal wages  (as most prison systems do),  and making it more difficult for loved ones to help us obtain what we need. 

Recently, we have difficulty obtaining even basic items from commissary.  They haven't sold shampoo or toothbrushes in MONTHS.  Soap shortages...during a pandemic so we can't even wash our hands regularly.  Shortages of shoes,  clothing,  basic hygiene,  and food items.  TDCJ hasn't sold radios or the cheap,  fragile headphones in over a year,  so even if a prisoner has a radio,  many have no headphones to listen to it.  The junk hot-pots that regularly malfunction,  which we need for hot water  (because most older units do not have hot water in the cells),  haven't been available for nearly a year.  Prisoners are forced to go withoutbecause of TDCJ's monopoly even though these items are available from outside vendors who specifically serve prisoners.  Even TDCJ's attempts to provide healthier food options through commissary are woefully inadequate,  when outside vendors offer a wide selection of healthy options for prisoners.  TDCJ's refusal to allow outside purchases of necessary items has NOTHING to do with security,  and everything to do with profiteering on punitive,  monopolistic control.  It is time for TDCJ to stop profiting on prisoners and their loved ones,  to modernize and allow alternative means to obtain BASIC items that TDCJ is often unable to provide even in non-pandemic times of supply chain shortages.

We demand a return to the old policy that allowed prisoners to receive outside purchases of writing supplies from approved vendors,  with reasonable limits on the amount we can receive per quarter.

We demand the right for our loved ones to provide basic necessities from an approved vendor  (Walkenhorst,  Walmart,  Amazon,  etc.),  in a reasonable amount  (for example,  a 50-pound package),  once per fiscal quarter,  to include but not limited to:

· basic personal hygiene items  (soap,  shampoo,  toothbrushes,  toothpaste,  etc)

· basic food items and health supplements  (vitamins ,  meal replacements,  etc .)

· basic clothing items  (white only;  t-shirts ,  shorts,  underwear,  socks,  thermals,  fleece hoodies and sweats,  knit caps,  etc.)

· athletic shoes  (white only;  less than $100.00 in value)

· work boots  (brown or black only;  less than $100.00 in value)

· headphones  (less than $50.00 in value)

· art supplies  (drawing pencils,  color pens/pencils,  watercolors,  paintbrushes,  pastels,  etc .)

· approved appliances  (typewriter/word-processor,  radio or walkman,  hot-pot or other method to heat water, etc.)

·prison-specific televisions  (small,  clear,  flat-panel,  requiring headphones)-­ It is long past time for TDCJ to either sell small personal TVs on commissary or through outside vendors.  This is not unprecedented within TDCJ as there are a number of TDCJ units that have small in-cell TVs.  In-cell TVs will reduce the majority of arguments and fights in dayrooms and provide an effective behavioral management tool to incentivize good behavior .

If other state and federal prison systems can provide these items and allow outside purchases for them,  Texas should too.  If they won't pay prisoners to work,  and they cannot adequately provide these items,  then TDCJ should at least make it easier for our loved ones to help provide what prisoners need.

We,  the prisoners of TDCJ,  have been silent for far too long and we are no longer going to accept the lies,  abuse,  and inhumane draconian conditions of TDCJ.  If TDCJ cannot agree to reasonable changes,  a hunger strike will begin on January 1,  2022.