(Letter received from minimum resident) “I am currently enrolled in Mandatory. (Ed. note: Until recently, mandatory was a 8th grade equivalency test all inmates are required to pass. Not passing this test affects everything in their life during incarceration.) I have been testing in the D book, and failed 4 times. But now we got switched to the A book 16 days from testing and I don’t understand it.

I am on several different psych meds and sleeping meds, and meds to deal with the stress and anxiety. Preparation time to study for these test get shorter and shorter.

The A test is way too hard and I feel mentally defeated like I’m never gonna go home because it’s all beyond my comprehension.

I dropped out of school in the 7th grade 27 years ago. Now I just can’t handle it anymore, and I feel like quitting and never coming back. How can I learn Trigonometry when my tutors and teachers don’t even know how to do it. I would like to go back to the D book because A is for college. This is affecting our mental health because not passing mandatory means I only get paid 10 cents an hour, I can’t be a phase 3, I can’t go home on time.

The DOC gets paid money for every test we take, so THEY WANT US TO FAIL!”

We’ve been writing about the for-profit healthcare vendors destroying inmates’ credit scores since our inception. Instead of getting better, it gets worse.

Here’s our latest example….. Ms. M. In 2021 she was sent by ambulance to Abrazo West Valley Hospital for cardiovascular problems. After several months she received a bill for $2,715.70 with a note, “unpaid amount after insurer denied”. The insurer was Centurion, the agent the DOC contracted with to give its citizens subpar health care.

Two years and seven grievances later, Ms. M is no closer to resolving this issue that has eroded and destroyed her credit. Is this the REENTRY help the DOC has in its name? She is about to be released, how will she get shelter with a credit score like that?

Ms. M is a ward of the state and is not responsible for her medical bills. No COIII could be bothered calling the collection agencies to explain she is incarcerated. This was the last entry from her appeal from the top gun at medical: ” The previous medical vendor was Centurion. We transitioned to Naphcare 2022 and we don’t have access to their claim system to resolve. The DON wanted you to know the process should you want to advocate for yourself. Decision Resolved.” Who is DON?? It sounds like the Mafia.

This woman got absolutely NO HELP FROM THE DOC. As usual.