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Prison CultureColoradoTimothy SmelserD.O.C. 23 years 1991-2014 (retired)Limon Correctional Facility 17 yearsOfficer - Security, Housing, Transport,Sergeant - Visiting, Housing, Back-Up Intelligence OfficerLieutenant Housing, Security, Intelligence OfficerIntelligence Officer 10 years 1998-2008 (at Limon)Private Prisons Monitoring Unit 2008-2014Intelligence OfficerContract MonitorDepartment of CorrectionsBasic D.O.C. Command StructureRanks / UniformsPolitics for StaffStaffing PatternsPolitics for OffendersStaff / Offender RelationsGangs

Staff Ranking System and UniformsStaffBlue Shirt RanksOfficer(Housing, Security, Transport, Mail Room) CO 1Sergeant(Housing, Security, Transport, Mail Room, Recreation, Visiting) CO 2Lieutenant(Housing, Security, Recreation. Specialist) CO 3Specialist(Intelligence, Training, Locksmith, Armory, Administration, Hearings etc.) CO 3StaffBlue 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 5StaffCommand Staff RanksManagers(Rank of Major. Education, Maintenance, Industries) Associate WardenWarden

Associate Director(Headquarters)Director(Headquarters)Executive Director(Figure Head changes every 4-8 years)StaffOther RanksCase ManagersCivilian clothing - LieutenantKitchenWhite shirts Sergeants or LieutenantsMaintenanceBrown shirts Sergeants, Lieutenants, or CaptainsAcademicsCivilian clothes TeachersMedicalPhysician Assistants, Nurses, Dentists, etc.

StaffHousing and Security

Are terms that are interchangeable with

Custody and ControlStaffExtra Curricular Activities / TeamsNot full time job assignmentTeamsEach facility has its own Emergency Response Team (low lethal)Immediate response, forced cell entries, response to neighboring facilitiesThe 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 teamPRIVATE PRISONSRanks 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 StaffPRISON POLITICSPolitics are an extreme factor in Colorado D.O.C. for Offenders and StaffStaff PoliticsThere are many cliques within D.O.C.Some small and only at particular facilitySome very large and multi facility strongBehavior very much like GANGS

Staff PoliticsManipulation of the promotional system and personnel rulesFavoritismHit Lists identification and elimination of undesirablesMembers of all ranks from top to bottomPromotion to specialist positions or very high ranks of incompetent but well connected staff membersUndesirables being set up and ran offStaff PoliticsUsing young and newer recruits to do dirty workUsing the office of inspector general (O.I.G.) to investigate trumped up personnel charges (internal investigations)Unattainable code of conductYoung recruits willing to cross the line to help out the Clique will be rewarded with unearned promotions.Staff PoliticsFalk Nation

S.O.R.T. Brotherhood

Staffing PatternsStaffing PatternsD.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 PatternsDo not accept Schedules as proof of who was there. Schedules are just well intentioned plansThe 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 facilityJust because a kitchen worker was inside of the facility, does not mean he/she was in the kitchen.Staffing PatternsDaily 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 PatternsOne 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 collapsedSent to another area for legitimate businessIn a meetingEtc.Staffing PatternsPrivate PrisonsIn 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 OffendersOffender PoliticsThe politics that an offender must deal with are extremely deep and multi facetedPrison Yard Politics are based upon a mixture of numerous pieces of information includingGang 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 PoliticsAn 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(Told on Someone)SO Jacket(Sex Offender)Cho-Mo Jacket(Child Molester)Offender PoliticsIf 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 PoliticsOffenders 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 20s and married, has a Cho-Mo jacket and/or SO JacketStaff / Offender RelationsStaff and Offender RelationsNew 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 dirtyStaff 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 RelationsSome staff are Dirty and/or become DirtyLove AffairsFriendsCommon 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 RelationsA staff member becomes Dirty when he/she starts doing Favors for a particular offender such as:Sharing confidential informationAllowing contraband, preferential searchesGives preferential treatment like extra anything or single cell before his turn, etc.Sharing items like food, snacks, candy

Staff and Offender RelationsA 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 contrabandHas sexual relations with offender

Staff and Offender RelationsStaff 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 timeBut 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 RelationsMost 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 RelationsThat 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 RelationsFor the most part:Offenders are afraid to be friendly with staff for fear of getting a Rat JacketStaff 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.GangsGangsD.O.C. refers to Gangs as Security Threat Groups or S.T.G.Offenders are identified using a point system based upon indicatorsIndicators includeAdmission, Previous Law Enforcement or Court Identification, Possession of STG Material, Tattoos, Monikers, Known Associates, Participating in STG Activity, Etc.GangsBased upon the Points; offenders can be identified for STG involvement at different levels, including:MemberSuspectAssociateDefectorGangsSecurity Threat Group

A 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.

GangsDisruptive Group

Any group of people that are causing disorder

Examples:Narcotic RingsWeapon makers/sellersExtremely violent or militantGroups or individuals prone to facilitating disturbance or escape

GangsOf those offenders identified, the racial breakdown is approximately:40% Hispanic30% White25%Black5%Other (Asian, Native American, Etc.)

Based on 2013 dataGangsGangs represented in Colorado include:Street GangsPrison GangsMotorcycle GangsExtremists GroupsDisruptive GroupsGangsDepending 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.GangsWhite GangsGangsWhite S.T.G.2-11 CrewAryan SyndicateAryan Brotherhood / Aryan NationAryan 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.)GangsWhite S.T.G.

Ku Klux Klan (K.K.K.)

Skin Heads

Pecker Woods

Wood PileGangsMotorcycle GangsGangsMotorcycle GangsHells AngelsPrison Motorcycle BrotherhoodSons of SilenceBandidosOutlawsPagansMongolsSin City DeciplesGangsHispanic GangsGangsHispanic STGSureno-13 / Mexican Mafia affiliated18th Street California18th Street GreeleyLos Carnales- East Side Dukes PuebloYoung Crowd PuebloJuaritosPaisaBorder Brothers

GangsHispanic STGNorteno / Nuestra Familia affiliatedNorthern StructureNorthern United Kings GreeleyTexas SyndicateFresno BulldogsLatin Aces PuebloGallant Knights Insane (G.K.I.)North Side Mafia (N.S.M.)Varrio North Town (V.N.T.)GangsHispanic STGNorteno / Nuestra Familia affiliatedWarlordsUntouchable Assassins (U.T.A.)Los Primer Padres (L.P.P.)AztecaHudsWestwood HudsA.K. Huds187 Anybody Killers

GangsHispanic STGNot affiliated with North or SouthInca Boys (enemy of GKI)East Side Gangsters / Oldies 13 (Denver)Puro Chicano LocosChici-30s (North Denver)Duce Seven (27) CMG BloodsHispanic sub-set of the Crenshaw Mafia Gangster BloodsVarrio Grande Varrio (V.G.V.)Tre Duce (32) Clique / Tre Dog Clique

GangsAsian GangsGangsAsian STGAsian PrideAsian Boyz / Asian Boy CripsViet Nam PrideOriental Lazy Boys / Ruthless BoysHong Kong Triads (China)

GangsBlack GangsGangsBlack STG

BloodCripFolkChicago OrientedPeopleChicago OrientedBlack Guerilla Family (Prison Gang)GangsBlack STGFolkRight Side6 Pointed StarCrips (some)Gangster Disciples Growth and DevelopmentBlack Disciples

GangsBlack STGPeopleLeft Side5 Pointed StarBloods (some)Black Peace StoneGangsThere are many Hispanic and some White gangs that also fall under the Folk Nation and People NationNot prominent in ColoradoGangsDisruptive GroupsGangsDisruptive GroupsDrugsDangerous / DisruptiveEscapeWeapons

Questions??Thank You

Timothy Smelser