In recent months, IDOC Watch founder Angaza Iman Bahar (aka Jimmy Jones, DOC #891782) has been subjected to serious violations of IDOC policies and his civil, Constitutional and Human Rights at Miami Correctional Facility (MCF). The abuses have come at the hands of Sgt. J. Hinds and Ofc. D. Woods in particular, as well as all other MCF and Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) authorities. These abuses of Mr. Jones’ rights are also violations of IDOC policy and Indiana law which have been repeatedly denied and ignored by administrators at MCF despite multiple grievances and notices being filed by Mr. Jones and his supporters. As a result of Sgt. Hinds’ actions, Mr. Jones is in continued danger. Please call and email the MCF and DOC authorities to let them know these abuses will not be tolerated! Angaza is set to be released in June 2020 at the latest, and it is clear that the DOC is trying to provoke him to violence in order to justify keeping him in captivity.
On June 25, 2019 at approximately 6:10 a.m., Sgt. Hinds, without any justifiable reason, emptied his entire canister of MK-9 streamer/OC spray into Mr. Jones’ cell through the food slot during the night shift while Mr. Jones and his cellmate were asleep. Obviously such an act is extremely dangerous and could have killed or seriously harmed the cell’s occupants. Mr. Jones requested to be placed in seg rather than being subjected to disciplinary sanctions without being afforded due process. As a result, both Sgt. Hinds and Ofc. Woods chose to aggressively escalate the situation when Mr. Jones was safely secure inside his cell and posing no threat to the officers, contrary to Hinds’ inaccurate portrayal of the situation in the Grievance Response Report. Both Hinds and Woods have lengthy documented histories at MCF of excessive force towards Black prisoners. This incident is the result of the administration’s arbitrary use of Restrictive Movement status to unfairly target idle units in order to limit inmates’ access to recreation, the law library, and religious services, all in violation of DOC policy and inmates’ civil rights, which Mr. Jones had refused to submit to in the absence of due process.
Beyond the persisting, painful physical effects of being maced, the results of Hinds’ violent actions towards Mr. Jones continue. Sgt. Hinds enlisted members of the Four Corner Hustlers (FCH) gang to confront and threaten Mr. Jones in the Chow Hall on July 6, 2019, by directly telling them that Mr. Jones was responsible for the lockdown and bringing down heat on LHU. Mr. Jones was then transferred off that unit to EHU as a result of public scrutiny of the situation. Soon after, the gang leader who threatened Mr. Jones was transferred to BHU. Then, on August 29, MCF staff deliberately ran EHU and BHU to noon chow together, in order to set up an opportunity for the FCH to attach Mr. Jones. There is imminent danger to Mr. Jones’ life that is being intentionally facilitated by administrators and officers at MCF.
Following the DOC’s established grievance process, on July 10, 2019, Jones filed a Grievance Report with MCF. On August 6, 2019, Shauna Morson denied his grievance (Log ID 108131), using racist reasoning for her denial. Sgt. Parker and Grievance Specialist Morson have chosen to not examine video footage of this event, instead concealing the truth of the attack to protect racist guards.
More recently, the authorities at MCF and the IDOC seem to have decided to join in the harassment of Mr. Jones in earnest, using their power to support their racist, violent officers. On Monday, Sept. 9, the statewide C.E.R.T team came and removed Mr. Jones from his cell. They strip-searched him without any cause, removed all of his property from his cell, and trashed his cell in the process. Then they left him in his cell for 4 to 6 hours with only his boxers and gym shorts. The CERT team was led by When they returned his property, his JVC earbuds and Timberland boots were missing. No conduct reports were filed against Mr. Jones, and he was not given any notification for the reason his property was confiscated, in clear violation of IDOC policies regarding cell searches and property confiscation. Officials should review the video from 9/9/19 at approximately 9:30am in EHU ½ side for confirmation of these claims.
The racist, corrupt behavior of Ofc. Hinds has gone unchecked for too long, with the support of authorities at MCF and IDOC. The authorities must prevent further assaults on Black prisoners and enlisting of gang members to threaten Black prisoners’ lives! We demand that the officers who attacked Mr. Jones and his cellmate be fired and that Mr. Jones be transferred to somewhere he will be safe from assault by the FCH gang, immediately! Mr. Jones’ stolen property must be returned to him immediately!
See the images attached for Mr. Jones’ grievances on some of these issues.
Please call & email Miami Warden William Hyatte and IDOC Commissioner Robert J Carter’s office to demand that the harassment of Angaza cease immediately, and that he be transferred somewhere where he is safe from assault!
Warden Hyatte: (765) 689-8920
Commissioner Carter: (317) 232-5711
To email officials in the Commissioners Office follow this link: https://www.in.gov/idoc/2339.htm
when you call, you will most likely speak with a secretary or be asked to leave a voicemail – please leave your message with the secretary or voicemail.
Script:
“Hello, I am calling to demand that all harassment by DOC staff of Mr. Jimmy Jones, DOC#891782, at Miami Correctional Facility, cease immediately and that Mr. Jones be transferred to a lower level level facility to prepare for re-entry. Mr. Jones has been attacked repeatedly and arbitrarily by MCF staff. DOC authorities need to examine his grievance record and ensure that the property that was recently stolen from him in an illegal cell search on Sept. 9 is returned immediately!”
