UCC in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system stands for Unit Classification Committee, and SCC is the State Classification Committee. The UCC is extremely powerful at the unit level, and is responsible for monitoring safety and determining custody classification changes. Trans persons are supposed to be reviewed twice a year for safety concerns by the UCC, but often this is a pro forma review simply to check off a box. UCC also makes recommendations for safekeeping designation.
Recommendations by UCC for safekeeping, unit transfers, and other issues are forwarded to the SCC for approval.
Category: Prison services committee
This category is mainly a parent placeholder. Most posts will be a more specific category under this parent.
Prison terms: Jacket
A “jacket” is something one is known for, like a reputation, but often with negative connotations. One common phrase is “snitch jacket,” which means that a person has a reputation for providing information to prison officials. We recently had someone discuss having a friend who is trans as giving him a jacket that brought about abuse for being friendly or affiliated with LGBTQ persons.
A jacket can follow you from unit to unit via prison communications networks. Your jacket can mean that you have problems at a new unit almost as soon as you arrive.
Prison terms: STG
STG is a TDCJ acronym for “security threat group.” TDCJ defines the term as “Any group of offenders TDCJ reasonably believes poses a threat to the physical safety of other offenders and staff due to the very nature of said Security Threat Group.
It is important to note that a “threat” to some is a “family” and safety to others.
TDCJ currently identifies these groups as STGs:
- Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT)
- Aryan Circle (AC)
- Barrio Azteca
- Bloods
- Crips
- Hermanos De Pistoleros Latinos
- Mexican Mafia (EME)
- Partido Revolucionario Mexicanos
- Raza Unida
- Texas Chicano Brotherhood
- Texas Mafia
- Texas Syndicate
TPI often uses “prison association” or “prison organization” to refer to prison groups in general as a less stigmatizing general term and because not all groups may be officially recognized under TDCJ’s STG classification.
Groups that are common in Texas but are not classified as STGs include (according to this source): Tango / Tango Blast (regional groups for Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, and West Texas), 18th Street Gang, Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings, Mandingo Warriors, Mara Salvatrucha, Mexicles, Surenos, Tri-City Bombers, and White Knights.
Prison terms: Kite
A “kite” is a note sent to someone else inside. In some cases, a kite can refer to official communications, such as a Sick Call Request, but we most often see it used in TDCJ to refer to informal communications between prisoners. In some contexts, a kite can connote revealing something secret, or snitching. Apparently in some prisons, a kite refers sending a letter to a non-extent address with a return address of another prisoner as a way of sending a letter to another prisoner (in many jails and prisons, this is illegal). In TDCJ, this is generally known as a “boomerang” instead of a kite. A kite is often thrown to another cell attached to a string, which allows retrieval of a bad throw and of a response. That is probably how the term kite originated.
Prison terms: KOP
KOP refers to medication and generally stands for “keep on person.” Some will also define it as “carry on person.” In most prisons, medications that have recreational use or trade value will be distributed a single dose at a time, and in TDCJ these are generally provided at the pill window on the building where one is housed. Prescriptions for medications that have little recreational use or trade value will be issued KOP so it is not necessary to go to the pill window for each dose.
Prison terms: Run a team
Running a team usually refers to initiating some sort of crisis response group. In TDCJ, this is generally an ICS (Incident Command System) team. In the federal system, it’s a SORT, or Special Operations Response Team. In the Texas system, an ICS can be initiated in case of any crisis situation, including a suicide threat. “Running a team” is generally meant to indicate the ICS is called to intimidate, harass, or assault a prisoner.
Letter Writing
TPI is open for persons who would rather come in to our community space to write letters and socialize. Our location and hours of operation are at the bottom of all pages on our main web site.
Most of our letter writing is done remotely since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the direct link to the Google sheet we use as our backlog. If you would like to use the one-page spreadsheet and directory, that link is here. Note that you will have to have a password to get to this link.
The Backlog Sheet
At the bottom of the sheet (or frame if you are not using the direct link to the Google sheet), you will see tabs for “Letters backlog” (the persons we have been writing), “Contacts” (others you can contact with questions), “Instructions” (similar to these instructions), “COVID Complaints” (list of anonymous Covid 19 complaints and responses), “Examples” (some general use examples of how to address various topics), “Other volunteer hours” (for any hours not logged on the main letters backlog). The “Letters Backlog” and “Contacts” tabs are generally the only tabs you may need.
The Google sheet is sorted generally from oldest at top to most recent at bottom (there are some exceptions due to how we log the letters), so try to work from the top of the sheet (lower numbered rows) toward the bottom. This is the same as working our backlog drawer from the front to the back.
You will notice some color coding on the sheet:
- Volunteer background blue means the letter is in Spanish and needs a Spanish response.
- Volunteer background light red means priority (generally Dani or Nell should handle).
- Volunteer background bright yellow means this letter is pretty easy to address and a beginner may want to look at it.
- Prisoner info with cream or light yellow background means a volunteer has taken this one (either one-time or generally takes it).
- Prisoner info with gray background and strikeout means it is done.
- Prisoner info with green background means the person is NEW and this is their FIRST LETTER.”
The Process
- First, select a person you wish to write to.
You are welcome to look at who is available and read their letters to see if you wish to do them, especially if looking at the New Correspondents tab.” - When you decide to write someone, put your name is the column that says “Volunteer Name” and the date in the “Date Started.”
It doesn’t matter if you start writing the letter that date or not, go ahead and put the date there so we know you have selected it to start. This is how we will track when someone has not been able to complete a letter and it needs to be given to someone else.” - Download the most recent TPI letter (will be in Open Office format) and rename it to the date of the letter:
“tpi_[year]-[month]-[day]”,
so for a letter written March 25, it would be “tpi_2020-03-25”. - Open in whatever word processor you use and replace the prior letter with your letter.
- When finished writing your letter, finalize location and date:
Location: Check the location of the person (may use the link in the Google sheet if there is one, or may have to look up if federal or in another state) and update the address block in the letter. If you need help with this, contact Nell or someone else for assistance.
Update the date on the letter to the date you finished it, then save the final letter.
Update the file name to the date of the letter if needed. - Upload the finished letter to the system.
It will upload to whatever folder you are in, so make sure you are in that person’s folder, then:- click the “Choose File” button,
- select the file in the dialog box,
- click the “”Upload File”” button.”
- click the “Choose File” button,
- Go to the Google sheet and enter the date in the “Date Ended” column, and the total hours for the volunteer log.
- Email Nell (nell@198.46.91.127) that you are done.
Note any copies that need to be included (like a copy of a Patient Liaison letter or something like that.