James Tucker situation

----- Original Message -----

To: PATRICK Crusade
Cc: ~~Carla Crowder - Reporter ; Commissioner Campbell
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2004 9:07 PM
Subject: This just in -- James R. Tucker #158358 - re: Captain Simmons

Everyone, Lately, I've been sending you .jpg files of scanned documentation regarding the misconduct of Captain Simmons at St. Clair Prison in Alabama http://doc.state.al.us/facilities/stclair.htm.

It is 7:20 p.m. Alabama time right now and I just got off the phone with prisoner Don Nissan (72 years old with a bad heart, has already been accepted at Shephard's Fold halfway house, and is coming up for parole in a few months, but that's another story for a later discussion). Don called to report something that was happening to one of the prisoners. Don and several of the other guys are fuming and he didn't know who else to call.

Here is the story:James R. Tucker #158358, 1000 St. Clair Road, Springville, AL 35146-5582, was diagnosed last Friday with lung cancer and given 2 to 4 months to live. His sister was allowed to visit him in the hospital the last time he was there. The doctor told him one lung was "gone" and his lymph nodes are broken down. Don says Tucker is a nice guy. Don and Patrick served time together for may years at Holman Prison and Don was thrilled about the prospects of Patrick's case getting into court. So Don is an okay guy who isn't going to make up a story like this, I know.

I have not heard from Don by mail in over a year and Patrick has asked about that several times in the recent past. I've never received a phone call from him until tonight because Patrick had told him that having my number on his phone list was for emergency only. The situation at hand, as you will see, is an emergency indeed and I thank God for putting it into Don Nissan's head to call.

It's enough of a shock to learn that you have only 2-4 months to live but Captain Simmons has decided to make the situation worse. Captain Simmons has just placed James R. Tucker on 45-day restriction for what Don says is a "minor infraction"...this is not a disciplinary. It is a way to keep Tucker from being able to call his sister and let her know that (1) he was diagnosed with lung cancer with 2 to 4 months to live, and (2) he can let her know that she can't come to see him because Tucker has been placed on restriction for 45 five days of the 2-4 months he has to live!!!!! - by Captain SIMMONS!

Don says the Warden is aware of this situation. I don't know if he will override Captain Simmons' orders to prevent Tucker from calling his sister or not. I think if Warden Ralph Hooks 205-467-6111 were to receive several phone calls requesting that Tucker be allowed to call his sister, that might help the Warden make a decision in Tucker's favor.I'm sorry, I don't have an email address or fax number at my disposal. If any of you have the fax number for St. Clair Prison, please pass it on to the rest of us so we can send faxes too.

Letters to the Warden would be very nice. I urge you to be polite to the Warden - yelling at him won't work. You can sure tell him (inform him) about the other complaints about Captain Simmons' misconduct and unfair play with the prisoners. Chances are he doesn't know about Captain Simmons and the unrest he is attempting to evoke.I found out tonight that the prisoners call Captain Simmons, "lying Bob" so I guess his first name must be Bob or Robert. Captain Robert Simmons. Who does he think he is? His actions do not resemble that of a Correctional" officer in any way that I can see.

Our taxes are paying his salary and look at what he is doing with your money! It is time that there is a full-fledged investigation into the handiwork of Captain Robert Simmons at St. Clair Prison. My previous requests to the Department of Corrections have gone unanswered and unnoticed. I wonder when Donal Campbell is going to actually receive my messages rather than them being circumvented by members of his staff (former Haley staff by the way). It appears that we need to get the ball rolling here because Campbell doesn't seem to care that some of his correctional officers are acting like gestapo goons to the men who are in his care.

Call the Prison Commissioner, Donal Campbell Tel: 334/353-3883
Fax: 334/353-3891

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----- Original Message -----
From: Taoss - Sherry Swiney
To: PATRICK Crusade
Cc: ~~Carla Crowder - Reporter ; Commissioner Campbell
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 10:25 PM
Subject: [patrickcrusade] reply: -- James R. Tucker #158358 - re: Captain Simmons

I hear that Commissioner Donal Campbell has been contacted by phone and that he has spoken to an inmate who said Captain is abusive. Of course, I think Campbell is of the opinion that all prisoners are liars. At the
convention last year in Montgomery, Alabama, Commissioner Campbell asked me to get proof that some of the guards at his prisons were being abusive to the prisoners. This is what I am doing and so far the Commissioner has not displayed a willingness to investigate the misconduct of Captain Simmons. I have sent scanned affidavits to Ms. Carla Crowder who is a reporter for the Decatur News so she knows what we have on Simmons. I can only imagine what Commissioner Campbell will say in an interview on the topic of abusive guards. He will say there are no abusive guards in his prisons and that an in depth investigation into this matter reveals no evidence to the contrary. I think they have a form in their office procedures that tell them the answers to these kinds of questions because that's the "standard" answer regardless of the infraction at hand....be it health conditions,
unsanitary conditions, prisoner being beaten and sprayed with pepper spray AFTER they are down and subdued. We really had high hopes for Commissioner Donal Campbell from Tennessee.

Now we know he is still wearing the same baggage he wore in Tennessee. When will Alabama have a prison commissioner who has compassion? At the rate things are going, probably never unless the People demand it.
Meanwhile please call Warden Ralph Hooks 205-467-6111 and ask him to allow James R. Tucker #158358 to call his sister to let her know he's been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and has only 2-4 months to live, and that he's been put on restriction for 45 days which means she should cancel whatever flights she has to come to visit him because visitors won't be allowed for 45 days of the 2-4 months he has left to live. Meanwhile,
Campbell does nothing but talk.

----- Original Message -----
From: Alice in Wonderland
To: Taoss - Sherry Swiney
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 12:39 PM
Subject: reply: -- James R. Tucker #158358 - re: Captain Simmons

All this does is confirm my opinion that sick/dying inmates, who have family support, should be sent home to die in peace - this would help the overcrowding. Of course, this would also mean someone in this system has compassion and we all know the answer to that!