CLASS ACTION ALLEGES FIFTH, EIGHTH AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT VIOLATIONS by Sharon Rondeau (May 20, 2019) — In February, a 58-page lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by 14 inmates at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) alleging that the Tennessee Board of Parole is not adhering to […]
“HE DOES NOT HAVE LONG TO LIVE” by Sharon Rondeau (Jan. 8, 2019) — The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) record of an inmate whose wife says he is dying of Stage IV cirrhosis of the liver at the Morgan County Correctional Complex (MCCX) in Wartburg indicates that he was granted parole after a November […]
ALLEGES STAFF RETALIATION, FEAR OF GANGS AFTER REPORTING STAFF MISCONDUCT by Sharon Rondeau (Oct. 26, 2018) — The Post & Email is in receipt of a letter dated October 17, 2018 written by Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) inmate Steven Brian Williamson, #218345, expressing fear for his life given that he was a witness to […]
“NEGOTIATED IN GOOD FAITH” by Sharon Rondeau (Jul. 7, 2018) — A federal lawsuit filed in 2014 by former TDOC inmate Robert Z. Whipple, III has reached a tentative settlement, according to a document dated July 3, 2018 posted at the federal PACER repository. The order is signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge John S. Bryant […]
CLAIMS “RETALIATION,” “BAD FAITH” NEGOTIATIONS; CONTINUES LAWSUIT FOR COURT ACCESS by Sharon Rondeau (May 18, 2018) — Copies of two letters received on Friday from Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) inmate Robert Z. Whipple, III, #399615, indicate that not only has he not been released from prison after the Tennessee Board of Parole awarded him […]
A “GOOD” KIND OF “NERVOUS” by Sharon Rondeau (May 1, 2018) — In a letter received on Tuesday, Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) inmate Robert Z. Whipple III wrote that his parole hearing on April 18 has resulted in a positive decision for his release from prison “in a couple weeks.” Whipple said that he […]
“I DO NOT DESERVE TO BE BEATEN” by Sharon Rondeau (Apr. 29, 2018) — A letter arriving on Friday from an inmate at Tennessee’s Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) in Pikeville reported that his placement in the Protective Custody (PC) unit has not shielded him from physical attacks by gang members. In the letter, the […]
OVER “BAD FAITH NEGOTIATION” CLAIM by Sharon Rondeau (Apr. 17, 2018) — On April 3, 2018, BCCX inmate Robert Z. Whipple, III notified Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner (TDOC) Tony Parker that the “negotiated” installation of the Westlaw legal research tool as a substitute for the access he was denied to the prison’s federal law […]
THEN TAKEN AWAY BY STEALTH by Sharon Rondeau (Apr. 10, 2018) — After reporting approximately five weeks ago that the “Westlaw” legal resource had been installed at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) in Pikeville for use by the prison population, inmate Robert Z. Whipple III, #399615, reported in an April 3, 2018 letter that […]
PAROLE HEARING SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 23 by Sharon Rondeau (Apr. 5, 2018) — An inmate whose name was mentioned on the “Nooganomics” radio show approximately three weeks ago reported in a recent letter that the Omeprazole he has been taking for years for acid reflux disease was reordered after a two-month hiatus. Trousdale Turner Correctional […]
REPORT: FINALLY, BCCX ANNEX INMATES PROVIDED MEANS TO CONDUCT LEGAL RESEARCH by Sharon Rondeau (Mar. 4, 2018) — In a letter received on Thursday dated February 26, 2018, Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) inmate Robert Z. Whipple, III provided an update on his reported lack of access to the prison law library for a number […]
AFTER HE IS FORCED TO PAY FOR THEM by Sharon Rondeau (Feb. 6, 2018) — On Tuesday evening, Mr. Robert Z. Whipple, father of a Tennessee prison inmate by the same name, reported that his son finally received the diabetic shoes prescribed for him by a TDOC physician nearly three months ago. Just before Christmas, […]
“THEY DON’T WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY” by Sharon Rondeau (Jan. 24, 2018) — TDOC inmate Robert Z. Whipple, #399615, reported in a letter received on Tuesday that an associate warden at his facility has finally approved him to receive prescribed diabetic shoes with the caveat that he pay for them out of his own […]
TDOC DENIES MEDICAL NEED, BUT WHY? by Sharon Rondeau (Jan. 4, 2018) — A Tennessee state inmate who was prescribed diabetic shoes more than two months ago still has not received them, according to a mailing received on Wednesday. Robert Z. Whipple, III resides at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) in Pikeville and has […]
INMATE’S CASES TWICE DELAYED DUE TO LACK OF LEGAL RESOURCES by Sharon Rondeau (Oct. 7, 2017) — Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) inmate Robert Z. Whipple, III, #399615, continues to report that staff at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) in Pikeville, TN prevent him on an ongoing basis from accessing the courts via the […]
IN DEFIANCE OF DECADES-OLD U.S. SUPREME COURT RULING by Sharon Rondeau (Sep. 28, 2017) — An inmate at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) in Pikeville, TN reported to the American Correctional Association (ACA) that he and others residing in the prison “annex” are prohibited from using the federal law library located at the facility […]
“IS TDOC PUTTING THE PUBLIC AT RISK?” by Sharon Rondeau (Sep. 19, 2017) — An inmate at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) in Pikeville, TN has reported workplace discrimination against men in favor of female inmates who may not qualify for the jobs they have been awarded. The Post & Email first received a letter […]
CLAIMING DENIAL OF COURT ACCESS, RETALIATION, NON-DELIVERY OF MAIL, DENIAL OF TIMELY PAROLE by Sharon Rondeau (Aug. 21, 2017) — Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) inmate Robert Z. Whipple, III recently told The Post & Email in a letter that he has three pending federal lawsuits filed against the State of Tennessee as a result […]
AT PIKEVILLE, TN FACILITY by Sharon Rondeau (Jul. 28, 2016) — A letter received on Thursday from an inmate at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) reports that last Thursday, he “was taken to segregation without being old why” and not provided a standard sleeping mat, which resulted in his “having to sleep on raw […]
ARE NEW SURROUNDINGS MORE DANGEROUS THAN BEFORE? by Sharon Rondeau (Mar. 11, 2016) — By means of a letter received on Friday, The Post & Email learned that Tennessee inmate #540003, Walter Francis Fitzpatrick, III, was relocated to the West Tennessee State Penitentiary (WTSP), colloquially known as “West High,” on March 1. While we know […]