Affidavit
Gerald Niles

As sent to Arlene Johnson:

I, Gerald Niles, depose and say as follows:

1. On January 18, 2000, Officer Rogers committed a felony of the second degree contrary to 944.47(1)(a)4, Florida Statues, by introducing a weapon into Hamilton prison annex, when he planted a shank in my
footlocker.

2. On January 18, 2000, in Hamilton prison annex, Sgt. Koon committed a felony of the third degree in violation of 839.15(1), Florida Statues, when he knowingly falsified Department of Corrections Disciplinary Report Number 250-53.

3. On January 26, 2000, Shannon Varnes, an employee of Hamilton prison annex, curtly decided I was guilty in prison disciplinary proceedings and meted out the maximum penalty with due process of law.

4. On February 17, 2000, W. D. Smith, an employee of Hamilton prison annex, arbitrarily and capriciously denied administrative appeal of the shank setup fiasco, an action which served as the basis for putting me in Close Management confinement-Long-term lock down.

5. On August 28, 2000, W.D. Smith, in his new job as assistant warden of Taylor prison where I just happened to have been transferred for CM lock down, decided the shank setup fiasco would continue unabated in his new arena by mandating that I would not be released to open population, instead would remain in CM Lock down status.

6. On September 8, 2000, David W. Fina, Assistant Attorney for the Third Judicial Circuit of Florida, decided criminal prosecution of Rogers and Koon would not be taken, deferring to the criminal guards' fellow employees at the Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General, which had already decided to sweep the matter under the rug rather than take action against their own.

Signed: Gerald Niles
Gerald Niles 122280
Taylor C.I.
P. O. Box 1728
Perry, FL 32348
U.S.A.

I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Signed this 17th day of December, 2000.

Gerald Niles

Editor's note: We were able to resolve this situation satisfactorily but this is just one example of what American prisoners are forced to endure that they shouldn't have to endure. Indeed, no prisoner should have to endure situations such as this one anywhere in the world.