DO YOU SUPPORT CIVIL COMMITMENT? By PREACHER’S WIFE

by Joshua T Berglan | Jan 25, 2023 | Live Mana Network Blogs, Multimedia Broadcast, Preacher's Wife Blog | 0 comments

DO YOU SUPPORT CIVIL COMMITMENT?

By PREACHER’S WIFE

This blog is being written based on a recent visit to a bookstore I usually shop in and when I asked the salesclerk if they had any books on civil commitment, she replied I’m not sure, but eagerly stated, I studied civil commitment in college. I then ask her if she knew about the Texas Civil Commitment Center for convicted sex offenders who were remanded to a unit by a prison paid psychologist and, in most likelihood, would spend the rest of their life still incarcerated. Her statement was she had never heard of such a thing or place and how could that be if the men had served their sentence? I referred her to some website locations that could explain the laws to her in detail and a history of how many states have such laws and how long Texas has had civil commitment. For a brief history of civil commitment, I refer you to my first blog, Shadow Prison or Civil Death.

Every day of our lives we must all make decisions. For children, decisions may be no more difficult than deciding the choice of a flavor of ice cream or to do or not to do homework. For adults the decisions are numerous and certainly a lot more intense. As adults we must decide where to work, where to live, type of transportation, whether to have roommates to help with the utilities and the rent, and how to budget the income. Once the survival mode decisions have been made it is now time to make the social decisions. Decisions as to political affiliations, religious (if any) affiliations, mutual interest support or social groups, marriage vs. being single, and entertainment arenas.

These horrendous and callous living places men are forced into count on the ignorance of the public and the innate fear of the words sex offender, to maintain control over their charges. As long as the public continues to ignore them, the operators of the prison and those who financially support these prisons will continue to thrive and grow. If for any reason the administrative powers and the keepers of the prison feel endangered of losing their control over this institution, they will retaliate. The incarcerated may be the receivers of harassment and possible assaults by security staff while the administration will deny and withhold needed medications or treatment and maybe even stop the outside family support.

Currently at the Texas facility in Littlefield, Texas, the prison operator has resorted to using Texas Department Criminal Justice-Institutional Division (TDCJ-ID) rules to assert control of visitors to the unit including family and friends of the client/inmate. To the public the operator refers to the offenders as residents, among security staff they are referred to as inmates. These men are not inmates, they served their time and have not committed any new crimes. 

All 20 states that have commitment centers deem them as mental health treatment centers. The large majority of them have no outward signs that they are mental health treatment centers, not in unit/facility name or operations, nor in the dress code for their security personnel. Security staff are referred to as guards and as such many units allow them to carry pepper spray or other means to defend themselves should the need arise. The controlling powers continually and intentionally flaunt their permission to control the offenders without having to accept responsibility for their actions. Do not dare to complain or speak negatively of the care being received as retaliation will most certainly be swift in forthcoming, not only to the offender but to their family as well. Psychological warfare is performed against clients and their support. Do you still condone the use of civil commitment?

The operation and cost of these inhumane centers is furnished by the taxpayer. Therefore, it is a necessity that the taxpayer be kept in the dark about the expenditures for caring for the “worst of the worst” offenders, the sexually violent predator. His comfort or medical needs are of little concern from the politicos, wealthy investors and legislatures that are profiting from the funds, donated to campaigns, and/or any money received by lobbyists. The longer the public is shaded from these activities the more rampant and deliberate the abuses of offenders and, even more elaborate, the fraud schemes of monetary funds will occur. Do you accept not knowing how your taxpayer dollars are being spent?

 It is not uncommon for the operators to charge the paying entity (their employer) for people not on a payroll and hours worked by non-existent employees. Both the administrative personnel and operator will benefit from increasingly higher payments to those in charge of the civil commitment centers. 

Let me explain how easy it is to increase the overall budget for the state civil commitment centers. In Texas, the director goes to the board and declares that more money is needed for the operation of the facility. She may or may not give a direction to the point answer but most likely provide an ambiguous answer. The Board approves and at this point, the director then submits her plan for the rising costs to a budget committee. The committee is notorious for not requesting an audit of where the money needs to be spent or an explanation of why certain areas are increasing or asking for an overall explanation of the requested increases. They put their stamp of approval on the request. The first expenditure is made to the director who immediately gives herself a raise. The Texas Director for civil commitment has within the past 7 years risen to an annual salary of $240k. She has one unit/facility under her control. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice Director has over 100 units to oversee along with commissary, transportation and the daily business of running a prison. His annual salary is $275k a mere $35k less than the civil commitment Director. The facility is increasing its coffers by overcharging for non-existent employees, deliberately not filling needed mental therapist positions or a full complement of security staff and needed medical personnel. They answer the state by saying that qualified applicants aren’t applying, and the positions need an increase in salary. Some of the therapists do not have a license and are working under a supervisor who has a resident and an office she maintains over 300 miles away. The supervisor may visit once a month or less. She is always there if she knows the director is making a tour. The Texas Civil Commitment Center Director only visits to maintain her public image and do damage control adverse news of the facility reaches mainstream publications and news media. The prison operator is paid an increase for the fraudulent claims of staff shortages and the Director, and her staff has made personal gains in salary increases. 

Are you still in approval of these torture centers? Are you still willing to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to a situation of abuse and frustration that could easily end in rioting, violence, and maybe even death before gaining attention to these abuses, neglect, and fraud? Does it really take people being hurt or dying to stop a wrong?

Again, I repeat Do You Support Civil Commitment? If you answered no and are not part of an advocacy group or an organization that is seeking an end to these places or speaking out about the existence of such an evil place and are not trying to make these places adhere to the laws as written, you ARE supporting civil commitment for those convicted of a sexual offense. If you are not part of the solution, then you must certainly be part of the problem. I am not advocating for abolishing civil commitment only that the letter of the law be followed regarding mental health treatment and an exit plan for release be put into place as the law was written.

We must all stand together for a cause or surely, we shall fall for anything from anyone.

 “Courage is the mastery of fear not the absence of fear.” Chinese fortune cookie.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I truly appreciate all of my readers. I can only pray that out there somewhere may be someone who has followed my blogs or is aware of the evils of civil commitment and feels moved to help remedy this continually growing problem.

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