You stated that the topics that, I choose to write about is entirely up to me. Well, I choose to speak about afew of the matters all at once such as prison life here @ Lebanon Correctional Institution in Southwestern Ohio, relationships, personal struggles, religion & those of my inner thoughts. In what I call the Lebanon experience this blog will explain how all the above matters give an compiling understanding into the conditions & overall adversities one goes thru behind the prison walls here @ Lebanon Correctional. As, I have stated before I am a 32 yr old black male from Cleveland, Ohio. I was sent here to Lebanon Correctional on 3/22/17 for disciplinary actions after being caught with a cell phone & marijuana @ my last prison (Richland Correctional). My own young minded actions at the time got me sent here to the home of the (KKK). I’ve served time in both state & federal prisons and this institution is by far the worst. What I mean by that is the living conditions of this prison, and the inappropriate supervision, discrimination, racial issues & poor work ethical behavior from the staff here @ Lebanon Correctional. Lebanon is extremely filthy there are roaches & mice everywhere. At night you have to sleep with toilet paper in your ears so the roaches won’t crawl into them because, their crawling in the bunks with you. You can’t put food (commissary) in the locker boxes because the mice will eat it and you better not leave food in the bed cause they’ll jump in the bunks with you as well. This jail shouldnt even be open dont believe me look it up the place shows up condemn. But because the government is making millions off of the inmates cheap labor in (OPI) by making the state license plates ,Columbus turns the blind eye too all the complaints that they receive about this prison. And that’s just the half the worst part about this institution is the ongoing abuse, disrespect, acts of harassment & retaliation from the staff here. I don’t won’t readers to just think that ” oh dude just complaining because he on lock ” no that’s not the case at all. I hold myself accountable for all my own actions that have lead me here behind those foolish decisions. I’m speaking up for all the men who really work hard towards change & growth after understanding that the life that, they lived before did more harm to themselves & those who truly loved them than it helped. I want to uplift those brothers that come from the struggle like myself who never had an real role model or example of how to be a man, father, spouse (lover),friend. As, well I also want to open society eyes up to the hardships that we go thru during that journey. Now here is where I go into more details of what I call the Lebanon experience. As, I stated before I was sent here for disciplinary actions since coming here to Lebanon Correctional I’ve had ongoing problems with the staff in regards to their poor work ethics that goes against (ODRC) policy Ohio Department of Rehabiliation & Correction Standards of Employee Conduct. The purpose of this document of Standards of Employee Conduct is to provide written notice to all employees of the (ODRC) standardized rules of conduct that specify prohibited behaviors & associated penalties for engaging in those behaviors. All (ODRC) employees are subject to these standards yet, Lebanon goes against this document of standards every chance they get and they don’t hold their employees accountable for their misconduct. For example: This institution has violated my First Amendment Right under the ” Free Exercise Clause ” to practice my religious belief without any prejudice harassment or acts of retaliation. Which under ACLU National Prison Project that states my religious belife are protected by the Free Exercise Clause . That is clearly protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. “Religious establishment prohibited. Freedom of speech, of press, right to assemble and to petition. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Yet this institution has went as far, as taking my Kufi during Taleem denying me both Jamuh & Taleem services to partake in that of Congregational prayer & studying (further learning) my deen of Islam. And just this past ramandan the staff here refused to feed me after maghrib prayer twice. Which led to me being starved for over 24hrs on those days because I was already fasting for at lease 16-16 1/2 hours during the day. I had written informal complaints about the matter to the Shift Commander & Lt.Link as well, as to the institutional inspector but no one helped me with the acts of disrespect & retaliation towards me and my religious belife… (To be continued)
Desmond Isom
DOC #A670-294
