(We thought you readers would enjoy this rant from a young lady who just transferred from Ohio state prison to Perryville:-)

” What kind of backward state prison is this?! Are you sure my flight from Dayton wasn’t diverted to Moscow? This Carlos unit is filthy. They let you smoke here? Are you crazy? And they smoke in the BATHROOMS! The guards don’t care….they let them smoke wherever they want.

I was told this living facility is “dorm style”. This is an aircraft hanger made for storing people. The women don’t live here, they are squashed together in an overcrowded storage unit. There’s no recreation area except the baseball field, a puny little room in each bay with no chairs called a “rec room”. Ohio has arts and crafts (all supplied by the state), dog program, nursery for mothers, full service gym, basketball, rugby, baseball, all sports, horticulture projects, foreign language classes, web design, culinary arts, beauty school, etc.

Inmates WANT to work in the kitchen because of all the incentives. A 30 day perfect attendance gets you meals at Olive Garden, Sam’s Pizza, Christmas parties with gifts, i.e. scarfs, hats, gloves, coffee mugs.

I was told you have Aramark here…..um we have Aramark in Ohio and the food doesn’t resemble this crap. Are you sure it’s the same company? OUR Aramark has BBQ Ribs, fish filets with tarter sauce, banana splits, Caesar salad w/egg, ham,chicken, tomatoes, for desert brownies, huge cheeseburgers, real French fries, chicken on the bone. Aramark never runs out if food, never has shortages. They have Fresh Favs which are restaurant quality meals that are tremendous, and Icara which are packaged goods your family can send in. An example is 3 whole bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes for $5.50, and delivered to the inmates room.

And what’s with your guards?? They are so rude! Ohio guards are kind and nice, yes they are. I just went through my first “shake” in this god-forsaken prison. I was so mortified that a dog was sniffing my butt! And some strange woman was demanding a body cavity search….you are barbarians!!! Don’t you have SCANNERS? Yes, Ohio has cell searches but they don’t get you naked.

You folks call that a Medical department? All you have is a PA and NP…..I didn’t see a MD anywhere. I only saw 3 RN’s…..for 1300 women???? How long have you been able to get away with that? We had Franklin Medical Center onsite within the prison. It was a modern, clean, infirmary with labs, x-ray, all diagnostic tools, same day service for eye exams and glasses.

When I call my family on the phone I am so depressed being here. I really didn’t know America still had draconian prisons like this. I feel so sorry for the poor women unlucky enough to have been sentenced in Arizona.”

We don’t monitor the men’s prisons, but it seems Thornell has abandoned Perryville. The ladies get word that the Director is coming to an event, and then he doesn’t show up. He’s leaving Perryville rudderless and without effective leaders. Warden Stickley left her position abruptly after a very short tenure. Wardens of Perryville seem to be gone by the time their picture is put up in the lobby.

Why is that Ryan? Can’t you pick a Warden that will lead this complex for years instead of minutes? Your biggest administrative duty is to find honest and dedicated staff for the residents…..their lives depend on it. Graft and corruption at the ladies’ prison goes unabated, and you just sit there at Central Office….and…and…do what? What DO you fill your job time with?

Everything is BROKEN here Ryan. Broken. Fix it!