Opinion ID: 398038
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Elimination of Building Tenders

Text: 89 No prisoner or group of prisoners shall have administrative or supervisory authority over other prisoners or be placed in a position to administer disciplinary action. The defendants shall forthwith eliminate the building tender system. Specifically, defendants shall abolish the jobs of building tenders, hall tenders, orderlies, floor boys, turnkeys, key girls, porters, bookkeepers, count boys, field porters, water boys, lead row workers and tail row workers. No prisoner shall be placed in a position to exercise administrative or supervisory authority over another prisoner, to assist in counting other prisoners, to possess keys or weapons, to escort prisoners to different areas of the unit, to provide access to areas of the unit, to influence cell assignments, or to have access to another prisoner's medical or institutional records. 90 1. If prisoners are assigned duties heretofore performed by building tenders (including distribution of correspondence, commissary script or goods, operation of television sets, and other day room games or activities, keeping track of the whereabouts of other prisoners, and performing janitorial services), such duties shall be rotated at least every thirty days, consistent with classification requirements, so that prisoners in a housing unit have the opportunity to share these duties (and the accompanying perquisites of open cells, flexible meal hours and the like). The duties relating to each assignment (which shall be consistent with classification standards to be developed) shall be written and posted in a conspicuous manner in the area where the duties are to be performed. A roster of prisoners assigned these duties and the term of service shall be maintained at each unit. Prisoners who violate or exercise authority beyond the posted duties shall be subjected to disciplinary action. 91 2. The defendants shall promptly investigate all allegations that prisoners are functioning as building tenders and are exercising control or authority over other prisoners. The results of such investigations, along with statements and copies of records obtained, shall be available for review on request by the Special Master and/or counsel.