Ely State Prison is a prison with most of its units on a permanent lockdown. Most prisoners are being kept in solitary confinement for years, which has been defined as possible torture, by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
We received this Memorandum and Affidavit outlining the situation of the permanent lock down (solitary confinement) situation and the lack of distinction between a prisoner in General Population and a prisoner in Administrative or Disciplinary Segregation at Ely State Prison. The original is down below or here.
Please all take note and contact your representatives to change the situation for the better for everyone in Ely State Prison! Thank you.
To whom it may concern:
Please find accompanying this memo, a sworn, notarized Affidavit, briefly describing the horrible conditions of confinement, suffered by Nevada’s Maximum Security Prisoners, at Ely State Prison.
Please note:
The Affidavit is not an exhausted detail of the illegal conditions of confinement, at Ely State Prison, but only a brief description.
Finally note:
We, Prisoners at E.S.P., are requesting that you, your good offices, please afford us any support available to you, on our behalf.
That we, who dare to speak out and expose the truth of Nevada’s secret solitary confinement, torture dungeons, are… in advance, profoundly grateful, and thank you, your good offices, for your leadership, strength and courage.
“The poor, voiceless prisoner class of E.S.P.”
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Affidavit of Manuel Winn.
State of Nevada, County of White Pine }SS
I, Manuel Winn, being first duly sworn upon oath, deposes and swears to the following:
That I am the Affiant herein.
That I am of sound mind, good physical health, and above the age of 21 yrs old, therefore qualified to testify to all matters herein.
That I make this Affidavit in support of any motion, pleading, or document, filed by or on behalf of Manuel Winn, and or prisoners housed at Ely State Prison.
That I make this Affidavit in opposition to any motion, pleading, or document, filed by or on behalf of the State of Nevada, Nevada Department of Corrections.
That I am an Inmate within the Nevada department of Corrections.
That I am housed at Ely State Prison, by the State of Nevada, Nevada department of Corrections.
That I have been housed at Ely State Prison since March of 2011.
That I have been classified as a General Population inmate at Ely State Prison since my arrival here on March, 2011.
That all inmates housed at Ely State Prison, who are classified as General Population Inmates are confined to our cells for a minimum of 23 hours a day, every day.
That all inmates housed at Ely State Prison, who are classified as General Population are forced to be double celled (two inmates housed in each cell).
That all inmates housed at Ely State Prison who are classified as General Population inmates, who refuse to be double celled (two inmates housed in each cell), are threatened with being housed in a segregation unit, served with a notice of disciplinary charges, sanctioned to loss of commissary, privileges, arbitrary cell searches, confiscation of personal property, loss of incoming and outgoing mail, and reduction in the amount of food received from culinary officers.
That all inmates housed at Ely State Prison, who are classified as General Population inmates, are not allowed personal access to the gym, nor the main yard, nor the legal library, nor the education building, ever.
That all inmates housed at Ely State Prison, who are classified as General Population inmates, are not allowed outside of our own cells, except for 45 minutes a day, approximately 5 days a week, for physical exercise, in a very small enclosed pin-area, by ourselves or with our cellmate only.
That there is at all times approximately one thousand (1,000) inmates housed at Ely State Prison.
That there is at all times approximately 400 (four hundred) inmates housed at Ely State Prison, classified as General Population inmates.
That there is at all times approximately 400, four hundred inmates housed at E.S.P. classified as segregation inmates, disciplinary segregation, administrative segregation, and protective custody segregation.
That inmates housed at E.S.P., who are classified as Segregation inmates are housed and exercise identically to inmates housed at E.S.P., classified as General Population inmates, except that:
a) All Segregation inmates are housed alone in single occupancy cells,
b) Disciplinary Segregation inmates are not allowed to order edible items from the commissary and are only allowed an orange jumpsuit for clothing.
That there is at all times, approximately 70 inmates who are classified as Workers and allowed to work at E.S.P.
That inmates housed at E.S.P., who are classified as Workers, are the ONLY inmates allowed the following privileges:
a) Personal access to Legal Library Thursday morning 9:00 am to 10:30 am, and Thursday afternoon(s) 12:00 am to 2:15 pm only.
b) Personal access to gym, twice a week, for approximately 2 hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.
c) Personal access to the main yard on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, for 2 hours in the mornings and 2 ½ hours in the afternoons.
Further Affiant says not.
Dated this 29th day of January, 2014.
Signed.
