I am writing in regards to the Minnesota Department of Corrections and its handling of the prison population overflow. For the past two years, I've been incarcerated at Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton. It's privately owned. I've seen firsthand how broken our prisons really are. The number of drug offenders locked up is mainly to blame for this. I'm an addict in recovery and I say addiction is a disease, so let's treat it like one.
In our prison systems, the line for treatment is long and a lot of mandates are signed off on. The state gets federal grant cash for each mandate. This money is received whether or not we go successfully through a program. Clearly somebody is capitalizing off others' misfortunes.
The annual cost per inmate is estimated to be at $36,000. Most people are lucky to earn that in a year. I don't know where it goes, but I assure you, it is not spent on me. I pay 10 percent cost of confinement fee for all incoming funds as well. I don't see any improvements or programs being made. How about some more treatment? It would be cheaper to send drug offenders to treatment centers to get proper help. Let's stop suppressing the problem.
Prairie Correctional Facility isn't equipped to handle Minnesota standards on any level -- food, sanitation, prison fights, etc. Anyone can work here. They get away with everything right down to opening our legal mail. I've had a groinal hernia for more than 12 months now with no treatment. It takes months to see a dentist. There is mold all over in our cells and living quarters and showers. They don't provide the proper chemicals to clean with, instead they paint over the mold. It's sickening!
There's very little treatment or education in general here. It's hard enough for felons to be successful in today's job market and society. Most of the citizens don't know what goes on inside the walls. I'm trying to point out a few fads. Please don't turn a blind eye.
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Stacey Porter Jr.
Appleton
