Ms. Stacey Green

Stacey Green has had two children spend time at George W. Hill Correctional Facility: a daughter, who is now deceased, and a son Stephen Johnson. According to Ms. Green, both of her children had traumatic experiences at George W. Hill.  In addition to her children, she had occasion to visit a friend housed on the DUI cell block many years ago—where, interestingly, she noticed that the building smelled strongly of marijuana.  

Stacey visited her son Stephen at George W. Hill many times and expressed the feeling that the guards treat visitors there with a sort of "herd mentality"— they aren't necessarily overtly hostile or disrespectful, but they treat everyone with the same degree of dismissiveness and lack of concern. She felt that the guards were good at following security procedures and protocols, but that their conduct was a bit on the side of overkill. Security staff once denied her entrance into the facility because she was wearing sandals and sunglasses. They did eventually let her in when she changed her footwear (into golf shoes) and left her glasses outside. Ultimately, she was thankful for this severe caution. Her son, Stephen, previously had a traumatic brain injury, so prison staff housed him in isolation (rather than General Population), which prevented him from being victimized.

When asked about the worst part of her experience with the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, Stacey expressed a sense of guilt that both her son and daughter had been to the jail. She also admitted that, because of her son's traumatic brain injury, she was fearful that he might be taken advantage of. Notwithstanding her appreciation for the facility’s security procedures, she believes there should be more services available for residents of the facility. In her view, these services should be in the form of mental health treatment services, drug and alcohol treatment services, and educational programs. Stacey wants there to be a person available to act as an advocate for newly incarcerated individuals, especially for those who have mental health issues or those who have not yet been found guilty. Additionally, she wants an instructional guide or "rule book" that details institutional policies and protocols for both visitors and residents. All of her concerns revolve around the importance of being able to get more information about what was going on with her loved ones while they were residing at George W. Hill.

Ms. Green worried about her children while they were at the G.W. Hill Correctional Facility.  She lacked easy access to information and what she learned from them was not heartening. Her son, Stephen, complained to her that there was "nothing to do all day long in here.” According to Stacey, it took her son months to recover from the trauma of his stay at George W. Hill.  For Stacey, the experience as a whole just made her sad. Ultimately, Ms. Green is clear in her assertion that George W. Hill Correctional Facility must provide more educational and treatment-based services to its inmate population.

Note: pseudonyms have been used to protect the privacy of the individuals who shared their story with us.