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| National Tragedy Felt Behind Bars |
| By Corrections Connection Staff |
| Published: 09/24/2001 |
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Prisons are microcosms of society in many ways and no less so following last week's events in which four planes were hijacked on the east coast, two of which crashed into the World Trade Center killing an estimated 5,000. While in the community, some Arab-Americans endured harassment from other citizens, prison inmates of Arab heritage experienced or feared similar actions. In Washington State, a small fight broke out last Tuesday morning at the McNeil Island Correctional Center when a Caucasian inmate made 'obnoxious' remarks regarding Muslims to another inmate. According to Veltry Johnson, public information officer for the DOC, a fight broke out between the two and one inmate had to be transferred for medical attention. 'It was unfortunate and very insensitive. He made remarks regarding Middle Easterners [which prompted] a one-on-one [altercation,]' said Johnson. 'We certainly have been sensitive regarding [this] and certainly where there are known Muslim inmates we have heightened the awareness of their movement, activities, the conduct of their day and what's going on.' Other correctional agencies have taken similar precautions. According to Margot Bach, a spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections, officials moved a few inmates who requested protection. 'We haven't had too many incidents. We have had minor things [but] it is nothing different than in the community. Everyone is cautioning against taking this type of approach. We have to make sure our inmates and the public are safe,' said Bach. Others said the inmate populations of those with Middle Eastern heritage are small and thus have warranted no special movement of inmates. 'We have a small population of Middle Eastern people, to the point that it is not cause for changing any operations,' said Glen Castlebury, spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. 'There was conscious thought put to it, but we did not recognize any policy or procedure that needed to be changed.' When suspects connected with last Tuesday's terrorist attacks are convicted, correctional leaders think that the result will be a greater increase in facility security. 'There is no question that if they are arrested within these borders and held in either federal, state or local facilities, that the amount of security would be indescribable and higher than we have ever seen before,' says James A. Gondles, Jr., Executive Director of the American Correctional Association. The grounding of planes throughout the U.S. has had an effect, as in other jurisdictions, on corrections. Many agencies reported officials and visitors who have been stranded. Supplies, however, were not in short supply as many corrections agencies have purchased items in bulk amounts and have nearby warehouses for stock. Last Tuesday's events have had an effect on the federal prison system. The Bureau of Prisons last week made special efforts to provide extra security for the facility where convicted Oklahoma City accomplice Terry Nichols is housed, according to reports. According to a Reuters report, the FBI is also considering questioning the mastermind behind the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef. Yousef who is being housed in a federal super maximum-security prison in Colorado and is serving a life sentence. One former BOP employee said the agency ultimately may be called upon to assist elsewhere. He said some BOP employees may be used to enhance airport security or be deputized as U.S. Marshals if additional structural security is needed around some buildings. He also speculated that by activating the Armed Forces reserves, corrections facilities may find themselves short-staffed. 'It will put a severe strain on the ability to staff institutions just as it will virtually every correctional facility in the country not unlike the Gulf War,' he said. Other justice offices are responding to the needs of those affected by this week's events. In addition to setting up a hotline for family members of victims, the Office of Victims of Crime's public safety officer program is working to compensate the relatives of those killed in the line of duty. The OVC is actively working with the Office of the Treasury to streamline the process of receiving those funds to make them more efficient, says DOJ spokesperson Charles Miller. |
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