WAYNE TURNMIRE, C/O OR GUARD?

----- Original Message -----
From: Wayne Turnmire
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2001 7:15 AM
Subject: RESPONSE

I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR YOU ? HAVE YOU YOUR SELF EVER SPENT ONE DAY OR A HOT MINUTE IN A CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS SHOE. IN MY OPINION (NOT) .
 
I KNOW OUR SYSTEM ISN,T PERFECT BUT IT,S ALL WE HAVE. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE PRISONS BETTER YOU NEED TO OPEN UP YOU CHECK BOOK OH AND GET THE REST OF FLORIDA TO DO SO. AS FOR YOUR STORIES ABOUT ALL THAT IS DONE TO THE POOR INMATES. THATS FINE. BUT NOW PRINT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY ESPICIALLY THE ONES ABOUT INMATES ASSAULTING CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS, THROWING URINE AND POOP
ON OFFICERS.
 
HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF D.O.C. JUST LET ALL OF THESE PEOPLE GO FREE IN AND AROUND YOUR HOME.
 
LET ME MAKE ONE POINT CLEAR I DO NOT AGREE WITH ANY FORM OF INMATE ABUSE, AND ALL INMATES ARE NOT LIERS BUT THE MAJORITY ARE.
 
AS FOR YOUR USE OF THE TERM GUARDS, ITS A VERY POOR ATTEMPT TO USE A PROPAGANDA TOOL. ATLEAST USE THE CORRECT TITLE. CORRECTIONAL OFFICER AND PROUD TO BE ONE.
 
AS FAR  AS THE ANWSER TO MY ON QUESTION. ? I HAVE SPENT MORE THAN A HOT MINUTE IN A CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS UNIFORM. MORE THAN 5 YEARS AS A STATE CORRECTIONAL OFFICER (FLORIDA). AND CONTINUING AS A FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL OFFICER NOW
 
 THANK YOU FOR THE CHANCE TO  RESPOND
 
*******************************************************
 
First of all, Wayne, I admire your spunk for putting your name to the email you sent me.  Most guards don't, so you may actually be a real "Correctional" Officer.
 
I'd like to explain the terms that I use.  If I am talking about people who do the job professionally, I call them by their earned title of "CO".  In fact, on my website, Making The Walls Transparent [ http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/starke, I give Gold Stars for the professionals I find in the DOC.  
 
But, when I am talking about gangs in DOC uniforms, who are breaking the rules of the DOC, the laws of the state and federal governments, and every international treaty we've ever signed on human rights and minimum standard of care for prisoners, then by golly, they are "guards" in my book.  I refuse to ruin the reputation of "Correctional" Officers who deserve respect over the actions of a few guards by calling them the by the same title.  You should too.
 
A guard's lack of respect for the law, the title, the uniform, the families, or the prisoners will always and forever breed lack of respect for authority.  That's always going to make a "Correctional" Officer's job more difficult.  So, until we get rid of the GUARDS and instigate new and better methods of rehabilitating people before returning them to society, I guess you'll have to get used to the poop.  Sorry, because I know NOBODY enjoys being s--t on, but you can't blame it on people like me, because the guards are bringing it down on everyone!
 
My project is not about the "POOR INMATES" as all of you coldly phrase it. (Gary Waid expressed your attitude best, "Guards in Florida spit out the word 'inmate', like a cat with a furball.")
My project is about weeding out the GUARDS who don't deserve the job and in many cases actually deserve to be in prison for their behavior.  A nurse in the DOC actually told me that if many of the guards weren't wearing uniforms, they would be gangs on the street. Those are the people I want to expose.
 
According to the rules of the DOC, it is illegal for an officer to witness another officer breaking the law without reporting it.  Do you think that happens?  Officers breaking the law OR officers that see it but don't report it?  Sure it does.  You and I both know that.  What would you suggest I call the ones in uniform who could be "Correctional" Officers if they didn't maintain the cover-ups with their silence?
 
And your statement, "TO MAKE PRISONS BETTER YOU NEED TO OPEN UP YOU CHECK BOOK"?  We have paid the terrible price of the Prison Industrial Complex in so many ways.  And we will continue to pay when the prisoners get out, diseased, demented, and angry.  Giving the system more money for a poor job is NOT the answer!
 
Oh, and the reason I put quotation marks around "Correctional" is that I cannot use that term in relation to the DOC.  In the human warehouses we are calling prisons nowadays, there is no longer any pretense or attempt at "corrections" or rehabilitation being made...  Gosh, that sure makes me feel safer!  How about you?

Now Here's a real story about poop: Robert Jackson's Fear
 
Kay Lee, MTWT In Florida
Pacific Institute of Criminal Justice
1868 San Juan Avenue
Berkeley, CA  94707
510-528-4603
kayleeusa@yahoo.com
 

We CAN raise the quality of Florida's Correctional Officers!
Realizing Enlightment and Visualizing Professionalism!

 

NEARLY A YEAR LATER I RECEIVED THIS EMAIL

From: Wayne Turnmire

Sent: Sunday, September 22, 2002
Subject: Guard VS Correctional Officer
Hello,
It has been almost a year since I e-mailed you. Today I was talking to a distant relative who I begun to do family history research with. The question came up on how I he got my E-mail address. He then told me about your web site.  Well I tried it and guess what It was there.

It really doesn't bother me that you posted it and you may continue to use it. But how about removing my e-mail address. I have protected the all of the people who e-mailed me from the 1st letter. Some even from you do the nature of the content and by their request. Quite a few of them probally came from people who you thought you Knew well. So if possible remove my e-mail address.

Thank you

Wayne Turnmire

Although I have no obligation to Mr. Turnmire to remove his address, I thought it over, listened to the voice that always guides me, and decided it was what I wanted to do.    I then received the following explanatory letter in which Mr. Turnmire clarifies some of his comments.
KL

Wayne Turnmire wrote:

Kaylee,

First allow me to thank you for your prompt response to my request. Second I noticed some responses to my letter that I didn't receive at my E-mail address and I would like to reply if possible. I only ask that my E-mail address not be posted on the internet. But you may forward this to those who you feel who would like a chance to respond.
 
First let me clarify what I meant by stating that Florida needs to open it's check book. The Federal prison system that I am employed with now spends large amounts of tax payer dollars to ensure that the Inmates have most of the same opportunity's that we do. All of the housing units have very good and clean cells with a/c. Believe me it really works. There are somewhere between 6 to 8 tv's in each of the units. All equiped with basic cable. The Dining Facility rates some where along the lines of a Shoney's and a Outback steak house. I eat there quite often. The education department is better than most schools nation wide. A teacher employed here makes more than twice what a teacher in the local school system makes.
   
The religious department is very good to my Knowledge I have very little to do with this because I feel that the Inmates should be able to worship without the presence of uniformed staff( as much as possible).
 
As far as staff, we are required to go through a FBI back ground check every 5 years. For every job opening at one of these facilitys 75 people apply for 1 job. The selection process is 1st rate. My salary, I make almost three times the state level.
 
From my point of view money is the answer we have very few problems at this facility. Most of what I mentioned above does not exsist in most state facilities due to lack of funding. If you have better benifits you have better qualified people apply. The more programs that are available means less problems. When staff show the Inmate population that we care about there living conditions, they react appropiatley.
 
But some one must foot the bill and that happens through taxes. If you really want to clean up the system. Do not fuss on April 15th.
 
Kaylee this one is for Roy, I'm glad that my spelling mistakes helped him make up his mind which side of the fence he wants to be on.  Roy may consider me to be a guard if he so desires. But when its all said and done my "conduct" not his opinion will be the deciding factor. From my experience people who need help making up their mind lack independent thinking any way.
 
I choose to take no side in this whole mess. However I will continue to make my contrabution by performing my assigned duties to the best of my abilities.
 
There's probally some mistakes in grammar and spelling in this one to.
 
Thank You
Wayne Turnmire
 
From: Kay Lee
To: Wayne Turnmire
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 9:09 PM
Subject: WAYNE: Response

Wayne, I am impressed, both with your presentation and with your thoughtful appraisal of the situation. 

In this light, I agree with you:  If they want to lock up two million people, those who agree should foot the bill to get qualified people, and pay them decently to run decent institutions.  But who can afford that?

Without lots more money than the overburdened citizens can possibly handle, without giving up every freedom in our effort to be secure, the only sensible solution is to simplify the laws and make fewer things criminal.  Prohibition, for instance... It's cost a fortune, and like every prohibition before it, has created more problems without solving anything.  You don't defeat the enemy unless you want to fight him over and over.  You convert your enemy once and there is peace.

Although Dr. Korn would disagree with me, I do believe, with the limited knowledge that we have now, that prisons are probably necessary, but they don't have to be evil.  In fact, in order to really make society safe, prisons should be the most healing place in an enlightened society.

Kay Lee
715-831-0076
kayleeusa@yahoo.com

 
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