Assistant Warden Lacy, Major Flippo, and Warden Howard Warden II Wilhelmenia Howard, director of the Plane/Henley State Jail near Dayton, Texas, opened the doors of her facility to us in May 2007. Assisted by her capable staff and accompanied by Warden Howard, Assistant Warden Detrah Lacy, and Major Kristi Flippo, we were first briefed on the facilities, staff, inmates, and programs, and then provided a tour of the state jail. Our visit was enlightening, to say the least.
The Plane/Henley State Jail, a component of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, recently scored a 99% on the American Correctional Association’s accreditation process. As Warden Howard informed us, “You have to have a smile on your face” with results like this. Her facility is one of nine female jail/prison units in Texas. Originally separate facilities—Plane being a woman’s jail and transfer facility and Henley a substance abuse treatment unit—budget cuts resulted in dissolution of the treatment program and the creation of the existing Plane/Henley “complex”.
The inmates come from all over Texas, however, four counties provide for 50% of those currently incarcerated at Plane/Henley. The large majority of those housed (85%) are drug users whose crimes supported their habits. The facility has volunteers to assist in providing substance abuse treatment but the inmates are detoxified by county facilities before transfer to Plane/Henley. The psychiatric needs are extensive. Many inmates have been through a lifetime cycle of abuse and neglect by parents, partners, and pimps. In the month of April, there were 600 psychiatric/psychological volunteer visits to assist the eight staff members involved in offender treatment. The high number of drug users means significant problems for the medical staff to deal with including HIV/AIDS, heart problems, high blood pressure, sexually transmitted diseases, gynecological health problems, and a large number of women arriving pregnant. “Our medical needs are much higher than males,” according to Assistant Warden Lacy. Considering that many of the offenders at Plane/Henley have no access to medical care when outside of prison, the waiting rooms at the medical treatment facilities are always full. It is never just one medical issue; they arrive with numerous complaints every day, from back-pain and headaches to labor contractions. “They arrive eight or nine months pregnant and have never seen a doctor,” says Major Flippo. Those about to give birth or needing extreme medical care are moved to the TDCJ female hospital facilities in Texas City.
The facilities housing the inmates are remarkably similar to those housing male inmates. The large metal buildings house multiple pods, some of which are handicap equipped, each pod sleeping 56-58 women. Four pods surround a central observation facility from which correctional officers control access with a complete view of every area of each pod. Unlike male facilities, the showers at Plane/Henley are covered with curtains and the toilets are partially blocked from view. In addition to the housing units, there is a laundry which processes 10,000 pounds of laundry every day. Within the same building are the commissary and dining facilities for staff and inmates as well as medical and receiving operations. The commissary generates over a million dollars in sales every year. In addition to food products to supplement meals served in the dining halls, the commissary does a brisk business in undergarments, feminine hygiene products, shampoos, soaps, creams, greeting cards, etc. Sweets are the biggest seller with over 800 pints of Blue Bell ice cream sold each week.
The receiving operations are significant. On average, forty offenders are received every day with five transferred to other, long-term units. Those not transferred to other units will eventually walk out the front door of the jail. When released they are either met by family and friends or are transported to the local bus station in Dayton. On occasion, those released are met by their pimps who pick them up in stretch limousines. Fridays are the busy release days. At intake, those who are received by the facility are strip searched, issued prison clothing, receive haircuts and medical examinations, and are classified for assignment to housing units and treatment programs. According to Lieutenant Gobert, “One out of six of today’s receipts are repeats – three-and four-time repeats!” Many of those received are known by name to the correction officers.
Adjacent to receiving is the Administrative Segregation or Pre-Hearing Detention center. Inmates here are housed either singly or, on occasion, double bunked. The facility is used for punishment and to house special transit cases. Lieutenant Guidry showed us around AdSeg including a cell that had just been vacated. Here the prisoners are normally isolated 23 hours a day with individual exercise yards for those who are not being punished for some infraction. Prior to our arrival there was a fight in the medical waiting room between four inmates – all sent to Pre-Hearing Detention – raising the number of those under Lieutenant Guidry’s supervision to 24.
The Plane/Henley state jail complex offers inmates numerous treatment programs including specialized programs for children with incarcerated parents, rehabilitation and re-entry programs, education programs through the Windham School District, and an extensive number of faith-based volunteer programs. Some of these are unique to this single facility. Special contact visits are available to eligible offenders through the Bonding programs. Family members and Child Protective Services bring the inmates’ children to the prison on weekdays between 8 am and 5 pm for a two- or four-hour period when the inmate interacts with their child through activities such as reading and playing – essentially providing supervised daycare for their children. Teeter Totter Village, SKIP, is another program focused on teaching parenting skills and breaking the cycle of incarceration. Inmates also receive life skills training, communication education through Toastmasters International, cognitive intervention education, computer skills training, and anger management education, among others. Supplementing the numerous state-sponsored treatments are over thirty faith-based volunteer-run programs operating at the complex.
Warden Howard shared with us some of the greatest problems she faces managing this complex. Among them is the prevention of the development of “family systems” among the inmates. Unlike male inmates, females develop “families” instead of gangs – some of these offenders are aggressive bullies forcing “intimate” relationships on weaker females or forcing others to give up commissary purchases. Prison rape is also a problem – whether it is inmate on inmate or officer on inmate. Inappropriate relationships do develop between inmates and staff – often beginning with advances by the inmates. Warden Howard and her staff all advised us that women inmates are very manipulative – much more so than male inmates. Complaints against staff – when made – are usually based in some sort of truth. Other wardens from around the country call Warden Howard to ask how she handles reporting requirements under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). Another problem facing Warden Howard and her staff are the reactions of offenders when visiting lawyers present the inmate with legal papers where courts are trying to permanently remove their parental rights. Many become highly emotional – even suicidal.
“It is very different coming here to work with females,” says Major Flippo. “Women tend to manipulate people.” The staff has to learn the inmate games. Management techniques and style has to be different when dealing with women than with men. “Women need attention. They want to be loved,” says Assistant Warden Lacy. A real problem that makes a woman’s facility so much different than male facilities is fundamental to the gender. According to Assistant Warden Lacy, “When hormones kick in…” leaving the conclusion of the thought to us. How Texas deals with women sent to a State Jail was perhaps put best by Warden Howard, “You have to know how to manage when you are dealing with female offenders.” 
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Corrections 
