The State Correctional Institution at Smithfield ("SCI-Smithfield"), in Huntingdon County in Central Pennsylvania isn't operated any worse than many of the state's other regressive prisons. One of the reasons why it's operated as badly as it is, is because the prison administration, now headed by Benjamin Varner formerly of SCI-Dallas and SCI-Greene, refuses to correct problems and/or improve conditions. It's simply a question of immature egos. Even more than some other adolescent males, prison bosses have a serious testosterone problem. Like bully-boys, they are slaves to their hormones and insist that "you can't tell me what to do!" The business of "corrections" should be operated by brain not gonad. The insecure egos of guys who have balls-for-brains should be replaced with persons who are able to seek the social good. For the Pennsylvania prisons there's a grievance system. It's one of a number of frauds at the heart of Pennsylvania "corrections" business. The system pretends to provide prisoners with a method to express their complaints about conditions, staff or difficulties. Of course, the system is complete hypocrisy. In theory, where there's a problem, the prisoner-victim may prepare a "grievance form." The phonies who run the prisons pretend that the prisoner's grievance will then be fairly considered and resolved. Obviously, that pretense is a lie. The "balls-for-brains" guys in corrections feel much too threatened to make corrections or improvements. In their testosterone fogged minds, it would "show weakness." As a result, the official grievance system is utterly ineffectual. It produces nothing but frustration for the prisoners. For prison administrators, the system make them even more intransigent, paranoid and irrational. They aren't nearly strong enough to admit error or to accept improvements from low-life prisoners or the equally low public. Most prison grievances are legitimate, but focus on essentially trivial and personal matters important only to the prisoners involved. The complaints don't raise to torts (legal wrongs) or to Constitutional violations. They're not life threatening. For ordinary prisoners and ordinary grievances the issues are not serious enough to take to court. Since there is no prospect of relief within the grievance system and no prospect of legal challenge. Prisoners are left with grinding frustration adn resentment. As an alternative, we are going to publish a few of the grievances lodged against SCI-Smithfield. Where possible, we'll reproduce the grievance form and a transcript (and/or commentary) abou the incident. There's no reason for us to publish the administration's response. In all cases, the responses are the same: "denied." (Read that to mean "screw you, sucker!") Smithfield Grievances Menu Miss Marple And The Postal Inspector, A Taste of "Justice" Smithfield Style, Smithfield Injustice, Part Two, Miss Marple's Reward Smithfield Prison "Suicides" and Prison Society Complicity Ogling a Visitor, Leering Guard Intrudes Into Visits Contractor Fraud, Smithfield Prison Buildings Are Unsafe Medical Contractor Violates the Law Cable Tax, Prisoners Taxed to Subsidize Staff Perks Why Are the Mice Dying? Swill as Prisoners' Food How Legitimate Grievances are Censored Problem PMS, Guard Ramey Wrecks Cell, Snatches Mail, Prisoners' Mail Intentionally Obstructed Bad Engineering, Cells Go Unheated In Winter Gerbil Medicine, Prisoner Treated Like the Family Cur Illegal Restrictions on Photocopying, The Library is Endora Busybody Guard Gossips Like An Old Woman Appealing A Guard Lieutenant's Arrogant Nonsense