Behind the Walls: A Guide for Families and Friends of Texas Prison Inmates

22. What to do in Emergencies

143 This topic was the birthing idea for this book. In January of 1993, my brother fell ill and my family was not only unsure how to contact me— they did not know the procedure to follow so that I might attend his funeral after he died. This hurt my family and myself deeply, that I could not be there to receive and give comfort. The Texas prison system places many conditions on this type of furlough, but it is allowed. But in such a situation, time is of the essence. If you want to get your relative out in time to see his dying mother, or to attend a memorial service for his daughter, then you must follow TDCJ guidelines, especially the guidelines that specify the people authorized to contact TDCJ with the details of a situation. For TDCJ officials, this is an issue loaded with problems. Most state officials are sincerely sorry when tragedy befalls the family members of convicts and they do not want to seem heartless. However, security is a priority, and the system cannot allow just anyone to call and say, “John Doe’s mom is dying, can you let him come and see her? She’s his only relative.” While his mother may in fact be dying, and while she may in fact be his only relative, the state must have the paperwork to document her illness from a reputable physician in case the inmate is furloughed what to do in emergencies Chapter twenty-two 144 Chapter Twenty-two and something goes wrong during the furlough. He can commit a crime, try to escape, get into a violent episode during the ceremony, or be involved in any of a number of incidents that will reflect poorly on everyone involved. So, if a member of your family is ill and you want to get word to an inmate, by all means contact the unit chaplain. He will talk to the inmate , counsel him, and do whatever he can to ready the inmate for the emotional process of dealing with grief and anger, if death is a result. However, if a family member is mortally ill or dies, the process is different, and should not be handled directly by you, especially if you desire your relative to be granted a furlough to attend a memorial service or funeral. If a Relative is Dying TDCJ defines relatives as parents, spouse, siblings, half-siblings, children , and surrogate parents who have been so claimed and are so recorded in TDCJ files. In this case, you need to have the handling physician, via written communication, contact prison officials. When I say written communication, I mean: 1. by letter, which may be too slow, but must be addressed to: Bureau of Classification and Records Post Office Box 99 Huntsville, TX; 77342-0099 2. by Fax, to 409-294-6227 3. by telegram, through Western Union to: EASYLINK 620-759-75;TDCJ-ID; Huntsville, TX. The physician needs to include in his communication: 1. the inmate’s name and TDCJ number 2. the name and location of the hospital, hospice, nursing home, or private home where the patient is located 3. the nature and seriousness of the illness 4. the physician’s certification of the patient’s critical illness 5. the telephone number and fax number of the attending physician What to do in Emergencies 145 Do not deviate from this. Do not think that you can call the warden and chaplain and somehow take a shortcut. If you do that, you will waste time, because the chaplain and warden will tell you to do exactly what I am telling you to do. This is TDCJ policy, and TDCJ officials will follow it. If a Relative has Died Again, what is called for is written communication, but this time from the funeral home director. In this case, you will be requesting that the inmate be allowed to attend some type of service. The director needs to send the following information: 1. the inmate’s name and TDCJ number 2. the deceased person’s name and relation to the inmate 3. the date, time and location of the service 4. the full name of the funeral home director, the business name of the funeral home, its address, the telephone and fax numbers of the director Your purpose in all this is to convince TDCJ to grant the inmate an emergency furlough...