Why CSP is So Violent:

Why has the Colorado State Penitentiary (CSP) been known as the most violent prison in Colorado for such a long time? To answer that question, first, you need a little history about the facility and the changes it has gone through.

CSP was initially used to house inmates in solitary confinement since its opening in the 1990s. The Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) did not use the term “solitary confinement” then; they used the term “administrative segregation” or “AdSeg”. Once an inmate was deemed to be too disruptive or violent, they would be placed in Ad-Seg indefinitely. Inmates would receive a review every 90 days where a committee would decide whether or not the inmate should be released back into general population (GP). However, these reviews often did not favor the inmates, and the committee would typically rubber stamp the documents, keeping the inmates in solitary. It was a smoke and mirrors game.

Eventually, the public became aware of this grotesque practice when an inmate with a mixture of mental problems and gang ties was accidentally released and committed a horrific act by assassinating the director of CDOC, Tom Clements. This murder shocked the public, causing them to scrutinize the effects of Ad-Seg on the mental health of all the individuals locked down behind those doors at CSP. While it was the wrong way to raise awareness, it indeed brought attention to the issue.

When society saw the proverbial blanket ripped back from this atrocity, they were appalled and demanded that this practice be halted. In response, the new director of CDOC, Rick Raemisch, decided to experience the conditions firsthand by spending 24 hours in an Ad-Seg cell. Although he tapped out early, the brief time spent in that cell was enough for him to recognize the severity of the situation. Rick Raemisch called for the doors of those solitary confinement cells to be opened, despite pushback from the old guard. The old guard strongly advised against this, claiming that AdSeg was the only way to maintain order within the facilities and warning that chaos would ensue if the doors were opened. Despite their warnings, the director proceeded to shut down AdSeg. However, this action was not executed safely, as instructed by the director.

In an attempt to undermine Rick Raemisch and pressure him into reinstating AdSeg, the intelligence unit and a group of the old guard opened the cell doors in the most unsafe manner possible. Some of these inmates had been in solitary confinement for 18 years and had no idea how to interact with other people when their cell doors suddenly opened. During their time in solitary, animosity had festered among inmates over various issues. Due to this and other existing issues such as gang ties and racism, a safety plan should have been implemented to keep both staff and inmates safe when the doors opened.

The intelligence unit had the responsibility to classify and house inmates around others with whom they would not be violent. However, they failed in this task, and it appears deliberate. Instead of creating a safe environment, they set up situations likely to incite violence. Interviews conducted by intelligence asked individuals whom they could not be housed around and which gangs would be violent if housed together. However, this information was used to create the opposite of a safe environment. For instance, inmates revealed that the administration placed two Northsiders and one Southsider on the top tier, along with two outsiders and one Northsider on the bottom tier. When the doors opened for pod time, the two Northsiders would attack the one Southsider, sometimes with weapons. The same retaliation would occur when the bottom tier came out, with the Southsiders attacking the Northsiders. This pattern repeated throughout the facility, with conflicts between various groups escalating. This scenario resembled the actions of prison guards in California and the federal system who would put inmates in rec cages and force them to fight while gambling on the outcome.

The only difference here was that the intelligence unit had found a loophole by housing these individuals around each other instead of putting them in rec cages. Then, when violence erupted, they claimed ignorance. This behavior is reprehensible, and those responsible should be held accountable. Michael Vick faced consequences for putting pit bulls against each other, so why are we not holding ourselves to a higher standard? If CDOC wanted the violence to stop at CSP, all it would take is to classify and house inmates safely, something they refuse to do. Some may argue that my proposed solution would effectively segregate inmates based on race and gang affiliation, but it would necessitate a change in how inmates are classified and housed. If such changes led to a significant reduction in violence, wouldn’t it be worth it?

Colorado’s budget for corrections last year was $1 Billion. If violence decreased, the budget would follow suit, potentially threatening the corrupt officials who benefit from taxpayer money. Could this be the real reason why CSP remains so violent?

If you wish to correspond:

Steve Ogden Jr. DC# 109636 Po Box 600 Canyon City, Colorado 81215

You can also reach me through www.Jpay.com