07/04/2026
Visitation, Correspondence and Telephones… the WHY…
People often ask me why I fight so hard for phone calls, visitation and correspondence. I thought after the rough day I’ve had that I will share that with each of you, because it ties into it.
Just for a normal status quo visit, no additional issues, a person experiences anxiety, excitement, frustration, guilt, grief and helplessness. Many do not know how to explain what they feel after a visit because all of this at once and in a short period is confusing and overwhelming. This is why I recommend for everyone to decompress after visit. It is how I’ve navigated this my whole life and it’s effective.
When you have all of those feelings and emotions bottled up inside and something goes wrong, it’s easy to explode. It’s a recipe for disaster.
In one of my visits, I was told that my service dog needed to be put in the xray machine and the body scanner. They said this to an ass. The officer began yelling at me at the top of her lungs. Had I not been prepared this could have resulted in a catastrophic incident.
As families we don’t want nor need the drama at a visit. But there are some officers who will do their due diligence to trigger a response. They do this because of you react the wrong way you can lose your visits and they enjoy having that power over you.
I do what I do so each of you reading this know you have support and so you know that you have the power of support and sense of community, which is always a step above someone using their position in a negative manner.
Many have expressed issues with the “mobile teams” at the various units. I have also experienced these issues. I have escalated these concerns. I have asked for training and compassion for families. I normally would not post this information until I had a response. However, there has been an overwhelming amount of issues this weekend alone and I want you all to know 1. I understand 2. I hear and see you and 3. I’m working on it. Please allow me grace to navigate this magnitude of change as it is a systemic issue and it will like pulling teeth from a hungry tiger.
No one should have added stress for no reason. Communication can prevent things from escalating and training would reduce the amount of issues we are seeing.
This does not mean go to the unit and act a fool. It means have patience, be kind and know that as long as you are doing all things with kindness and following policies, I will have your back and will stand up and fight this battle.
If you’re disabled and use a service dog( not an emotional support dog/animal) please know that I am also working on this. If requested to place your service animal in the x-ray machine or body scanner, respectfully ask for a duty warden. Those machines were not intended for use with animals. A service animal is a medical device and an investment in your longevity.
