European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 5, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday september 5, 1995 Leavenworth the stars and stripes Page 5transfers Force prisoners to adjust National and educational programs. At Leavenworth inmates Are Given $35 a a it a been a problem in the first weeks after a Transfer when the military inmate arrives with no Money a Dock said. A the by Cindy Killion Washington Bureau fears abounded when inmates of the . Disciplinary Barracks in fort Leavenworth Kan first Learned about a year ago that Many of them would be getting transferred to Federal prisons. Now after five months of transferring the first 100 or so prisoners to Federal facilities across the United states those fears appear to be unfounded a a prison official and members of an advocacy group for military prisoners say they have heard of no clashes or violence directed at military inmates so far a which was a big concern of inmates and their families. Carolyn Dock president of members opposed to maltreatment of service members a the chief advocacy group for military prisoners a said military inmates have reported they re also happier in their new digs because they get paid for their work and there Are More recce a month to buy shampoo cigarettes shaving Cream and munchies. Under the Federal prison pay scale inmates earn Between 12 cents and $1.05 an hour said a Bureau of prisons spokesman. General labor jobs a sweeping mowing and mopping a Are on the lower end of the scale the spokesman said. But skilled jobs that produce items sold through prison industries such As silk screening and upholstery get higher pay. The Quot Downside All inmates first mention Dock said a is that there Are two three or four inmates to a cell especially in the maximum or medium Security  virtually ajl inmates at Leavenworth have their own cell. And unlike Leavenworth where family members can Send personal items to prisoners the Federal system says everything has to be purchased by the inmate at the prison store. New facility gives them Hygiene items but inmates found they had no Money for Stamps or anything  her group is a very pleased a however that so far each military inmate has been sent to a facility that a closer to his family a usually in the same or adjoining state. There have been some hiccups in the Transfer program Dock said but she blamed them on simply starting a new program. Federal rules say that All inmates convicted of a violent crime must begin their sentence in a medium or maximum Security facility. This has posed a problem for military transfers a because the feds treat our Guys like they be just been convicted when in fact they be already done a big part of their time a 1 3 or 15 years a and were already upgraded to Minir num Secu Rity at Leavenworth. Essentially they have to Start All Over a Dock said. Most Federal inmates Are first time offenders about 60 percent a so the fact that 99,percent of the military inmates also Are first timers Isnit a Factor in assigning a custody level said Tom Metzger a Federal Bureau of prisons spokesman. A he said he Hasni to heard of any reports of military inmates clashing with their civilian counterparts and said prisoners convicted of the same category of crime Are kept in the same Type of facility. Dock said military inmates have told her that the most violence they be seen in the Federal system a has come from drinking or gambling a two activities that rarely happen at the do disciplinary Barracks. A they say to make it through the Federal system of  to this keep your Mouth shut or be labelled a Snitch do your own time and keep out of other Peoples  the Castle at Leavenworth is in poor condition and has been deemed unsafe by the army corps of  from Page 1 budget this month. Dock said the original plan for a new 1,100-bed prison a with an estimated $92 million Price tag a was scaled Back for budgetary  the current plan is approved it will be included in the Pentagon a budget and will be Given to Congress in december when lawmakers begin to deliberate the 1997 defense Bill. In the meantime officials have moved to reduce the inmate population by transferring inmates to Federal prisons a about 10 to 25 a month since april a and allowing prisoners to serve longer sentences at regional confinement facilities. The rules now say that anyone with a court martial sentence of up to seven years can serve his or her time at a regional facility. Previous policy called for sentences of up to three years to be served at a regional facility. \ inmates began serving the longer sentences at the regional facilities during the summer of 1994. Differences Between Leavenworth and a regional facility Are substantial. Aside from sheer size Leavenworth is considered a maximum Security facility with 40 to 60-foot Stone Walls topped with razor wire and armed guards Iri watchtowers. A regional facilities Are considered minimum or medium Security so no violent offenders serve time at these facilities. And unlike Leavenworth a where All prisoners live in cells a most of the regional operations have open Bays. Regional confinement facility Sites include fort Polk. La. Camp Pendleton Calif. Camp Lejeune . Nas Miramar Calif. Mannheim Germany and Seoul South Korea. However the facilities at Mannheim and Seoul Are primarily used for pre and Post trial confinement so when there Are several convicted servicemen Bers at these overseas locations they Are shipped stateside. But some members of the advocacy group for military prisoners said they think the inmate transfers and shifting rules at regional facilities a without Money yet approved for a new military prison 7 May Mark the beginning of the end for Leavenworth. A when they get the population Down to 500 or so its. Going to be hard to justify spending millions and millions each year to keep the do disciplinary Barracks open a Dock said. A was Long As the military is Able to maintain the Quality of the rehabilitation inmates now receive we think its a marvelous idea for military inmates to be kept in a military prison. A but we re wondering at w hat. Point is the military going to say a its not Worth  a commandant Tillery said he thinks the military does a better Job of rehabilitating inmates than Federal prisons because Only about 6 percent of Leavenworth inmates commit another crime. Latest department of Justice figures show that More than 60 percent of state and Federal inmates go Back to prison. A rehabilitation not punishment is the key a Tillery said in an earlier interview. A we try to figure out the a whys of the behaviour and fix it. We do everything we can to make sure we return to society a former Soldier who a better off than when he got Here. And whatever happened to get them in prison wont happen again.�?�. But a former military attorney who asked not to be identified because he still works within the military appellate court system said he wonders if military prisons ave outlived their usefulness. A there was a time when the idea was to rehabilitate and then put the person Back in uniform a he said. A but now even for minor offences that person is always administratively  some prisoners have fared better in the military system and others have fared worse when it comes to parole and clemency he said a so its a tossup which is better for military prisoners. In any Case its a question that can be debated very Well from both  fears shackle the few women inmates by Cindy Killion Washington Bureau Washington a improving the lot of female. Inmates at the fort Leavenworth prison is being targeted As a primary goal by. A military inmate advocacy group. Members opposed to maltreatment of scr ice members plans to locus on female inmates status in the coming year because they have a even less Freedom less recreation and fewer Job training opportunities than male inmates said group president Carolyn Dock. Women arc housed in a segregated Wing of Leavenworth next to the isolation cells and death Row a and must be escorted by a guard eve. Ery where they go to prevent Contact with male inmates. Fort Leavenworth spokeswoman Janet Wray said the prison commandant army co Herbert Tillery is aware of the group s concerns and agrees in principle that female inmates have a rougher time than their male counterparts at the prison. A. A a he a looking at ideas to improve their situation a she said. A but the problem is that the do disciplinary Barracks was never designed to be coed a and the female population is so Small a that they have to stay housed in just one  recent Leavenworth figures show about 15 to 20 women Are usually incarcerated there at any one time. But the advocacy group wants All female inmates to get out of the . Disciplinary Barracks. Dock said her organization does no to care if All women Are transferred to a Federal women a prison or even if a regional confinement facility is converted to accommodate All of the women. Under a current plan to reduce the Leavenworth prisoner population. By transferring inmates to Federal prisons the first woman inmate was moved in late August according to Federal Bureau of prisons spokesman Tom Metzger. A Metzger said there Are 10 Sites that House women a and crowding Isnit a problem a so transferring All the female military inmates could be feasible. Wray said the prison commandant has considered turning a regional facility into a women a facility but foresees problems. A it would be very difficult financially to have the expense of education counselling and Job training programs at a regional facility that we have Here a Wray said. A women would be giving up that aspect to get More personal  the Best numbers she has show that about 50 women Are kept at the various regional confinement facilities around the country. The Bottom line Dock said is a we done to care what they do about female inmates As Long As the men and women get equal concern and rehabilitation