Letter to NDOC Director Cox about mistreatment at ESP

Sent: October 19th 2011.

Director COX,

Please read the attached letter recently received by Hope For Freedom from a very young ESP prisoner regarding mistreatment and inhumane conditions of confinement. We receive similar letters every week describing horrific events and abuse, misconduct and indifference by staff. The abuse, mistreatment and inhumane conditions described in those letters must be addressed through legitimate and reasonable action to alleviate these problems.

From the attached letter, it is apparent that ignoring the complaints of prisoners and their abuse and mistreatment only leads to additional misbehavior and causes further problems.  That is why ESP is perpetually a long term lock-down facility. When a person is labeled the “worst of the worst” and constantly abused and mistreated, he responds accordingly. People in the community would go to prison for treating a dog in the same manner NDOC ESP staff are treating prisoners at ESP. Staff charged with control of recalcitrant prisoners must be the ones to act with intelligence, reason and restraint. That is not happening at ESP.
 
The NDOC confines thousands of prisoners serving life sentences, many without the possibility of parole, and it is only a matter of time before those prisoners conclude that the only avenues realistically available to them to resolve their problems are destruction and violence. It happened in Attica, New Mexico and Lucasville, to name only a few of the most devastating prisoner uprisings, and it can happen anywhere at any time when prisoners are abused and treated unfairly.  We must prevent that from happening again. Intelligent and reasonable steps must be taken to prevent such an event from occurring at an NDOC facility. Abuse and repression is not the answer to the operation of safe and secure institutions.

With your consent, we would like to begin a dialogue with you concerning the operation of the NDOC. With our member years of experience while incarcerated and in prisoner advocacy, we may be able to provide you with some valuable insights and suggestions. It would not hurt to hear our views and opinions and we may be able to provide constructive information and intelligent solutions.

NV-CURE invites you, other NDOC employees and all persons in the community concerned with the rehabilitation of errants to join NV-CURE and assist in our efforts to bring real reform to the Nevada criminal justice system.

Please advise us of your decision regarding a dialogue and our invitation to join NV-CURE at your earliest convenience.  Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Nevada Cure