Kevin Bodie

Review of GEO Group, G.W. Hill Correctio...

Pennsylvania's standard judiciary process required...

Pennsylvania's standard judiciary process required I attend court/hearing 6 times (including a continuance due to officer absence). Each occasion brought me over an hour from MD to Media, PA, just to receive additional court dates. Inevitably I was unable to make the 6th appearance due to work and transportation issues, but promptly turned myself in because even though I called and prayed for a continuance, a bemcb warrant was issued for Failure to Appear. I was arrested on site, and brought to George W. Hill Correctional Facility.
A majority of the staff are extremely rude, despite attempts to smile and remain pleasant in such a horrid situation. I was kept in their "booking cell" for 48 hours. It's a room roughly 16'x14' with a partition for the toilet area that's roughly 6'x14'. In those 48 hours I shared space with 21 other men, all of who were forced to sit and sleep on the decrepit floor, as the benches only allot space for 8 men. In this time frame, body heat culminating with bodily functions made conditions exponentially worse.
Once finally having been moved from the booking phase of my stay, I was brought to a 2-story tier used for new intakes. Protocol required is to be locked in our cells for 22 hours each day. Although each cell is equipped with bunk beds, most housed a third person, who was forced to sleep on the floor next to the toilet. My cell was even dirtier than what I experienced during booking.
Inmates literally fought for the privilege of being the one allowed to leave the cell to retrieve meal trays and bring them back to be eaten within locked cells. Although I slept on the floor, there were no steps to allow the other person access to the top bunk. Top bunks also lack guard rails, and those that fell during sleep were neother acknowledged or given medical attention. During the two 1 hour periods inmates are permitted to leave the cell, all 72 of them must share 2 single-person showers that only dispense cold water. If not showering, there's a TV and 8 phones. The 70 remaining inmates often quarrel over the brief opportunity to call loved ones or contact legal representation, despite the fact that the second hour of freedom isn't granted until 8pm, long after normal business hours.
You're not issued and socks, underwear, or any clothing aside from the set of blue scrubs and slide on shoes that rarely fit. No leisure activity is allowed in the cells, including reading or writing. Even a loud conversation between cell mates will be reprimanded.
My neck was severely injured due to being forced to live, eat, and sleep on the floor. All my grievances were ignored by staff, despite the polite and cordial nature in which I brought each to their attention.
I'm normally the type of person to forgive and forget, but conditions in this overcrowded facility are inhumane, and my injuries are now documented, despite refusal to acknowledge them from the staff there. A lawsuit will follow, and I invite a representative from George W. Hill Correctional Facility to reach out and initiate correspondence regarding my short, yet traumatizing stay.