Since 2018 I have been incarcerated in a maximum security unit at Baraga Correctional Center in Michigan. It’s a secluded spot on the south shore of Lake Superior. The facility is closed almost three times a week. No patio, phones, email, or showers. We sit in our rooms without knowing why and literally feel trapped.
We’ve heard multiple explanations for these closures from prison officers (COs): understaffing, COVID, blackmail, or a simple “We didn’t feel like it.” I write numerous comets (messages) to management, including the Deputy Assistant Principal, about my upcoming transfer and always get the same reply: be patient.
Security Level Rating and Assignment by Designated Personnel
The assignment of an inmate to a specific facility is governed by Bureau of Prisons Program Statement 5100.08. First, DSCC staff “assess” the suspect to determine their security level. The Appointments Staff considers several factors, including the following, in order to qualify an individual:
(a) court recommendation, if applicable; (b) status of voluntary surrender; (c) the severity of the current violation; (d) criminal record category; (e) history of violence; (f) an escape story; (g) arrest warrants, if any; h) age; (i) level of education (confirmed high school, enrolled in high school or GED, or no high school); and (j) drug/alcohol abuse in the past five years.
Seven factors determine the security level of an institution. These include:
- The deployment of mobile patrols that cover the perimeter of the facility 24 hours a day.
- Cannon towers located around the outer perimeter of a prison. Armed BOP guards monitor movement and activity from these turrets.
- Border barriers separating the prison from the community.
- Detection devices such as metal detectors and sonic guns that can eavesdrop on prisoners’ conversations.
- Home security, which includes locks on doors and bars on windows.
- housing problems, e.g. B. whether the facility confines people to closed rooms, cages, or open dormitories.
- The ratio of employees to prisoners.
Obviously, freedoms and restrictions decrease as security levels increase. The most secure federal prison in the United States is the Administrative Maximum Security (ADX) Prison at the Federal Correctional Complex in Florence, Colorado. Prisoners locked up in this institution have very little contact with others. Similarly, the BOP operates some Special Management Units (SMUs) located in US prisons. When an individual is sent to ADX or an SMU, it is because authorities have determined that individual to be predatory or unable to function in a more open prison environment.
We sat down with Donna to find out why she loves working for probation and the opportunities her role as case manager brings.
How did you come to Case Manager?
I joined the London Probation Service in 2006 as a case manager at Willesden Probation Office in Brent. At the time I was working for the Irish Passport and Visa Office and just wanted a change. I wanted something where I could progress. I saw the ad for Case Manager and thought, “That sounds very interesting”. So I applied and got the job! I worked as a case manager for about three more years.