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IMU's and Controlled Feeding at CBCC

IMU'S and Controlled Feeding At CBCC

As part of the continuing trend across the U.S. to open control units the Clallam Bay Corrections Center in Washington state has opened an Intensive Management Unit (IMU). Currently prisons at Shelton, Wa. and Walla Walla, Wa., have IMU's. The physical set up at CBCC is identical to that of the Shelton IMU and the segregation unit had in fact been operated with more restrictive conditions than either of the other IMU's, even through the CBCC facility was not formally an IMU. With increasing overcrowding and repression throughout the Washington state prison system the opening of yet another IMU is an attempt to control and intimidate the prison population.

CBCC is currently preparing to nearly double the prison population from 570 to nearly 900 prisoners. Double bunks had already been installed in all of the prison cells and now mattresses been provided as well. CBCC now has 740 prisoners.

A new practice being used, based on a similar program developed in the Missouri state prison system is that of "controlled feeding." If this sounds like something farmers use to feed animals, the analogy is appropriate. Prisoners at CBCC now go through a line in the dining hall where the servers are completely shut off by stainless steel plate from the prison population. Therefore the fully served tray appears at the end through a small opening at the end of the line. The food is all served with whatever dressing, gravy, etc., are on line with no choice being given to those who dislike such items on their food. At the same time serving portions and the quality of the food have also deteriorated. The reason given by prisoncrats for the shutting off of the chow line is that it is necessary for "sanitation reasons." Yet it isn't being done in the staff-dining hall. Of course it is obvious to even a child that if that were the case the same purpose could have been accomplished by extending the see through Plexiglas shields. At the same time, food service workers are not required to wear face coverings that would in fact prevent the contamination of food by airborne diseases.

Prisoncrats have responded to prisoners discontent with the "controlled feeding" arrangement and deteriorating of food quality and quantity by increasing the presence of guards in and around the mess halls and having the higher up muckity mucks there to confirm this.

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