Let’s start with some definitions.
Since you are probably wondering what a G3 inmate is, in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, they (we) have G1 through G5, and then Admin Seg. The “G” stands for General population, and the number is the custody level. An offender is given a custody designation based on a number of factors and the number determines with whom you can live, how much supervision you will need and what jobs you can be assigned to. The custody level depends on your current behavior, your previous behavior, as well as your current offense and sentence length.
If an offender receives a disciplinary infraction due to a violation of the rules, he may be downgraded to a more restrictive custody level, signifying that the number to the right of the “G” is going to rise. If an offender follows the rules and receives no infractions, he can be assigned to a less restrictive custody level.
General population level 5 (G5) indicates offenders who have an assaultive and aggressive disciplinary history. They are required to live in cells (not dorms). On some units, G5s are allowed to work a small number of jobs, but on most they are not allowed to work. Technically, they are supposed to get a short period in the day room, but that doesn’t happen at Polunsky Unit, where I currently reside. G5 is distinct from Admin Seg. because as a G5, you have a cellie. Terms in G5 range from three months to years, depending on one’s behavior.
General population level 4 (G4) indicates offenders that must live in cells like G5s. They get a little dayroom time, they have a higher spending limit on the commissary than G5s, and more monthly minutes on the telephone. On some units, they may work or take a couple of classes, but the selection is limited. G4 is a disciplinary category, but usually the infractions are not as severe as the ones that will have you banished to G5.
General population level 3 (G3) offenders generally live in cells, but on some rare occasions, they may live in dorms with the approval of a major or warden. They can work jobs inside the security perimeters, though most units restrict G3s to just a few options. At Polunsky, we are limited to working in the kitchen and the laundry. If your sentence is longer than 50 years, you must be classified as a G3, and cannot upgrade for at least ten years, regardless of one’s personal behavior.
General population level 2 (G2) consists of most of the prisoners in the TDCJ. G2s can live in cells or dorms. They can work any job inside the fence and some outside the fence, as long as an armed escort is present. For anyone entering the system with a sentence of less than 50 years, G2 is where they will stay, unless the individual doesn’t follow the rules, then his number will rise to 4 or 5, depending on the severity of the infraction.
General population level 1 (G1) indicates an offender who can live in a trustee camp outside of the fence. They often work outside the prison, even driving a truck from facility to facility.
This is my first sentence serving as a G3 prisoner. I’m not sure I really understand many of the restrictions. They actually seem in practice to make the prison less efficient than it would normally be. Despite their need for qualified workers all over the prison, the wardens at Polunsky only permit us to work in the kitchen or laundry. No matter my training, I can’t do anything else. Most educational/vocational training options are off limits to me. We can take cognitive intervention, the “In Prison” substance abuse treatment program and on a limited basis, apply to the Prison Fellowship Academy, a faith-based wing.
Education has become very important to me; it wasn’t always. When I was a freshman in high school, I put out just enough work to pass, so I could continue to play football. I quit school in the 11th grade, after getting into trouble with the law. I was incarcerated for a while as a G2 offender and once I got out, I continued chasing fast money, fast women, and fast cars, meaning I passed through this place (TDCJ) a couple of times.
It was at the Dominguez Unit near San Antonio in 1999 when I started to appreciate knowledge a bit more. As a G2, I had no trouble enrolling in G.E.D. (General Equivalency Diploma) classes and earned that qualification after months of study. Upon my release in 2001, I enrolled in the Texas Education Extension Services (T.E.E.X.) and obtained my certification as an electrician and was licensed as a journeyman. Despite this, my G3 status prevents me from working in the field. This is frustrating because these units are falling apart. None of the lights work in the showers in my section and I already know what the problem is, but cannot fix them. I have decades to serve, so any training has plenty of time to be repaid to the prison, which is not the case with G2s, who are going home. This is part of the problem with maintenance today. The G2s don’t have enough time to accrue experience sufficient to fix anything before they return to society.
I also received my certification for Peer Support Specialist, and Forensic Peer Support Specialist in the free world. I had clients I supported in the world. We have a category of offenders here that have that title, but you have to be G2 in order to go through training. I have more education in the field than even the instructors, but this job is forbidden to me as a G3. I know I could be of service to the offenders here, but a policy imposed in the system by politicians prevents it.
G3s are pretty much the red-headed stepchildren of population. We may have perfect disciplinary files; we may be the best-behaved inmates in the system. (That is usually true, by the way.) We know we have a lot of time, so we tend to be more respectful. Many guards would prefer to work my G3 pod than any of the G2 unit. Despite this, we always get the short straw. We are always last for commissary. This means we never seem to get the items we need. We are always last to chow, which often means they have run out of food and always means they have run out of coffee or juice. This last point matters because the juice mix is how we get to the daily requirements for Vitamin C. Like all prisoners, when we try to utilize the grievance system, the forms get lost or denied for ridiculous reasons.
The maintenance offenders all live in the dorms, which means they have no stake in the game for actually fixing anything in 4-Building, where G3s live at Polunsky. This signifies that F-Pod lacks a functional heater and F-Pod hasn’t had hot water in the showers all winter. None of us have A/C, but G2s have easier access to respite areas. We actually have had raw sewage leaking up from the basin under 2-section F-Pod, and we live in a stench. We have limited access to cold drinking water and many inmates have passed away due to heat exhaustion or heat stroke because of limited access to cold water and air conditioning. Here at the Polunsky, most of the cells have no air circulation whatsoever.
Most of the Texas Prison System is conducted in this manner. It’s absurd how a person can be jailed or cited for not properly housing your pet or an animal in a controlled living environment, but the Texas Department of Criminal Justice can get through the loopholes and get away for housing an inmate in inhumane conditions.
In conclusion, as a G3 offender, we have limited access and/or are denied many activities, jobs, academic and vocational curriculum or training, as well as what I have mentioned.
I have personally experienced all this and more.
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