Located in Jackson, Michigan, the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson, Michigan is to put it bluntly, is like a dysfunctional sorting hat from Harry Potter. All male inmates first arrive there for a quarantine and undergo psychological, health, and placement evaluations.
There are many things happening there that as a criminal justice professional and advocate, I find absolutely alarming, inhumane, and unacceptable.
Here are the top five.
Orientation Is Not Happening in the Prescribed 7-Day Timeframe.
This is most concerning as orientation is how incarcerated individuals learn about grievance rights, rules, and how to “walk.”
One individual experienced unprofessional corrections officers yanking them out of a meal line, handing them a bag of bread and slices of cheese, and sent him back to his cell. Doling out punishment before explaining basic rules and expectations is downright idiotic.
Incarcerated Individuals DO NOT Receive Outdoor Recreation Time Every Day.
The Michigan Department of Corrections policy states that prisoners should receive outdoor time (weather permitting). There appears to be no rhyme or reason to when weather is considered “permittable” during outdoor time. It could be either bone-chilling or 40 degree weather.
What it really comes down to? Whether the guards feel like going outside.
Leisure time doesn’t really exist, as correctional staff leave inmates in their cells unless it’s mealtime. As a result, incarcerated individuals spend a significant amount of time in their cells. As anyone who lived through the pandemic will tell you, this inflicts mental duress.
This also explains why incarcerated individuals at the RGC have trouble making consistent phone calls to their family; the phones are outside. Interrupting opportunities for communication impacts the mental health of the incarcerated and their families. I imagine this also hinders their ability to contact lawyers, too.
Mental Health Resources are not Easily Accessible
Other than intake, many individuals do not receive mental health services. Sometimes having their appointments cancelled entirely without explanation.
It’s not the Inmates You Have to Worry About; it’s the Corrections Officers.
Several unprofessional corrections officers at the RGC remind me of the Stanford Prison Experiment. The 14-day study intended to understand the psychology of incarceration through a simulated environment. It ended 6 days into experiment because the conditions quickly deteriorated. Simulated Guards regularly asserted control over the simulated inmates, threatening and bullying them. The incarcerated suffered mental breakdowns and PTSD.
This same psychological phenomenon is happening at the RGC, as several corrections officers threaten incarcerated individuals with being sent to “The Hole” (AKA Solitary Confinement) for the smallest of transgressions, or even no transgressions at all. Some guards regularly insult and provoke the incarcerated, attempting to pick fights so they can “get a vacation day.” Others refuse to answer questions and are genuinely checked out. These individuals act as paid bullies.
Incarcerated individuals are supposed to receive a pre-paid envelopes to send a grievance to the Ombudsman for the Michigan Legislature in the mail. The COs often refuse to provide them, directly interfering in the grievance process.
Disabled Inmates are Not Treated with Dignity.
As the guards are complete bullies, the next information comes as no surprise, but is still upsetting. Certain guards will watch individuals in wheelchairs struggle with doors and have offered no assistance. Humanity and empathy are nonexistent.
One individual reports that in the cell next to them, a hearing-impaired man could not hear the call to dinner, and had been left in his cell on multiple occasions, unable to eat because he cannot hear. Thankfully he had someone who was next door and willing to help him, but what happens if others are not so kind to him in the future?
Are we as Michiganders really ok with people being treated this way? No matter what someone has done, there is no reason to throw all dignity out a window.
This is all Considered Misconduct. Here’s What We Can Do About It.
If you have loved ones incarcerated in the Michigan Department of Corrections who are being subjected to mistreatment, there are options. You can fight for fair treatment.
Incarcerated Individual Grievance Process: If your loved one has not received orientation, inform them about the grievance process when you speak to them or by letter.
Michigan Legislative Ombudsman Council: They are an oversight body that can hold the Michigan Department of Corrections accountable. can take health complaints from families, but can only take corrections officer complaints from inmates.
Social Media: Speak out loud and often. Ask people to share the message.
Write to your Representatives: It’s their job to represent you. Find out who your Michigan Reps are, and write, write, write.
Contact the Michigan Department of Corrections. Write emails or make phone calls. Demand that staff follow their policies.
Don’t Give Up. It’s a lot of work, but it’s work worth doing to make a change in the Michigan Department of Corrections.
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