A Disturbing Report From Inside Augusta Correctional Center

Augusta Correctional Center is in an isolated rural area southeast of Craigsville, and struggles to retain the number of staff needed to safely operate it.

I just got this distressing news from Jonathan White about another lockdown at ACC:

We had another stabbing and pod riot incident Thursday evening at 5 pm, (02/23/23) in a double cell pod where many new arrival's from other facilities and receiving have been placed. Many of these men are into gang related activities and have new law "no parole" sentences. The incident was extremely bad, with one offender thrown from the top tier to the concrete floor below and severely stabbed. He was allegedly jumped by twelve others. These violent actions mean nothing to them because they don't have any concern about being granted parole. The worst thing that can happen is that it can delay their exit from the prison system for getting a (new) conviction for their violent actions on top of their current sentence which would increase their time before being discharged from prison. 

It is sad that this same building has four of its pods closed and the least number of offenders (256) in that one housing unit. Now, a major shakedown/lockdown procedure is being conducted because of this kind of foolishness. Yes, this type of senseless violence always results in punishment for everyone... offenders and staff, with this prison already hurting to retain staff and remain open.

ACC should had been transitioned into a reentry facility for only parole eligible offenders. With the land around it and the wastewater treatment plant within walking distance, this could be an ideal training center for offenders to gain workforce skills to return back to society. They could bring construction equipment here to teach men how to operate bulldozers, backhoe's, tractors, forklifts and gain CDL license training for truck driving, and to use the shop areas for building prefabricated homes, skills that would allow these men and (myself) an edge toward a productive citizenship upon being granted parole.

Parole hearings could be tailored with real time productive progress of the participants. Then the other prisons can deal with those inmates who care less about the freedoms that so many of us have painstakingly worked to earn. This may not seem reasonable to many advocates who think everyone should receive the same benefits. But many of these new law offender' do not understand, or, care about the struggles that many of the "old law" offenders had to endure. And not because we wanted to endure them, but because those were the mandatory demands placed on our lives to receive an early release, or a release from prison through the parole process.

There is always going to be more bad blood among men who have nothing to lose than those that have everything to lose. Fighting and stabbing one another over a state-owned telephone, kiosk, or cell space is just another enslavement tactic of the prison system and the internal caste system that is created by gang violence. Again, this is the foolishness that this new generation of offenders are in to, and who do not care that the consequences affect all of us and hurt everyone.