Hennepin County Workhouse inmate survey

From Alpha News- 

"An internal survey given to inmates at the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility refers to them as “residents.”

The survey, sent to all incarcerated inmates in May, asked for feedback on the correctional facility’s current conditions, living standards, quality of care, programs, and services.

“This survey gives you an opportunity to have your say about your experience and what could be done to make things better at this facility. Your answers will be used to understand current living conditions and to make recommendations for making changes to this facility,” it says.

One section on quality of life in particular asks inmates how much they agree or disagree on whether “relationships between staff and residents in this facility are good,” whether they “personally get on well with the officers in [their] cell section/block,” and whether they are treated “as a person of value.”

Inmates are also asked for their thoughts on the following statements:

• My experience of imprisonment in this particular facility has been stressful.
• If you do something wrong in this facility, staff only use punishments. They do not try other options first.
• My experience in this facility is painful.
• Decisions in this facility are dominated by concerns about security.
• This is a decent facility."

FULL STORY-ALPHA NEWS

Why? I understand the Administration wanting a handle on things but wow! Referring to inmates as 'residents' is a joke. They are incarcerated, they are inmates, not there by choice. They are told when to lock in, clean, eat. Visitors are regulated, this is not an apartment. 

The questions are telling- 

• My experience of imprisonment in this particular facility has been stressful. I would think it is stressful. Kind of the idea of punishment.
• If you do something wrong in this facility, staff only use punishments. They do not try other options first. They are there because they did something wrong. Who would expect they suddenly become rules followers because they are incarcerated. The punishment should be up to CO's following the rules. Options are don't get convicted of a crime.
• My experience in this facility is painful. *see question 1.
• Decisions in this facility are dominated by concerns about security. Yes! Safety and security are job one! Both staff and inmates need to be safe.
• This is a decent facility. Decent? What? I hope they mean safe, clean and orderly.

Why is this happening, further in the article is the key- Scott Wasserman, communications manager for the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation, told Alpha News the survey results are meant to help the county “develop a master plan to reimagine the [Adult Corrections Facility] in the next 20 years.”

 It's to reimagine! Ah,that woke term reimagine, just like all the cities that have 'reimagined' their police which led to spikes in crime! 

The article says they hired the DLR Group to get feedback gathered from residents, staff, justice and community partners.

The DLR Group website is full of terms like 'equity.' There should never be equity between inmates and corrections officers. Inmates are incarcerated and have lost their rights for a period of time while they serve a sentence imposed by the courts, corrections officers are charged with maintaining safety and security, not equity. To blur those lines will create a dangerous environment for both CO's and inmates.