Per the DOC’s own policies, their staff have 40 days to answer informal resolution requests that are filed by incarcerated individuals. If they need more than 40 days, staff have to respond to the IRR and let the individual know why they need more than 40 days. If staff don’t respond, the incarcerated person can (and needs to) file a grievance. We are constantly being told that incarcerated people are not being given IRR and grievance forms when they request them.
Since the DOC is so short staffed right now, staff is having trouble answering IRR’s in 40 days but they’re also not answering them to tell individuals that they need more than 40 days. Then grievance forms aren’t being given out when they’re requested.
An informal resolution request and the grievance policy is one of the only forms of action an incarcerated person can take when something has been done to them. It’s one of their only forms of taking control when DOC staff have not followed policy, have broken a law, etc. And they can’t even do that because they simply can’t get the form.
We are asked to advocate for individuals by families often but after a while, the DOC stopped answering emails. Anne Precythe has not ONCE answered an email we have sent her. Jeff Norman hasn’t answered emails we sent him months ago.
This morning we sent an email regarding a situation they’ve been aware of for months about a man who filed an IRR in January. No one will help this man’s mother. We included the warden, Ms. Precythe, and others. We’re waiting for help for this man and his mother.
