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I first learned about Mandi a few years ago while interviewing other civilly committed prisoners/patients. She was one of the first staff members from these facilities to reach out and share the horrific realities occurring behind closed doors. This opening letter from Mandi introduces you to her initial experiences when she began working at a civil commitment facility. It sets the stage for more letters to come, as Mandy plans to share further details of what she witnessed.
Civil commitment is coming under greater scrutiny and has recently appeared in the mainstream press. For example, Harper’s Magazine published an article titled “The Forever Cure” highlighting the controversies surrounding this system. As these stories emerge, we believe it’s crucial for the public to understand the truth about how civil commitment works—and the impact it has on those confined and the staff entrusted with their care.
Hi, my name is Mandi and I have a story about civil commitment. I'm an advocate for change for the men that are affected by civil commitment and their families. I'm fighting to bring change to the conditions and the policies for civil commitment in my state, Texas, but wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me back up.
So I guess my story about civil commitment begins in the fall of 2018. I wasn't making the greatest money and I was working at a go-nowhere, dead-end job. As a single mom, I was always trying to find something better or a side hustle. So I heard that the prison in the next town was hiring. I submitted an application along with my resume, and I hoped for the best.
I got a call back and scheduled an interview. I headed over and, as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw fencing everywhere, razor wire on top, and various buildings scattered on the inside. I was told I needed to follow the proper procedures to get in, so I made my way into the building for the first time. The interview went well, and I was hired on the spot as a Therapeutic Security Technician for a company called Correct Care.
The whole time, I thought I would be working as a Correctional Officer in a prison, but nothing could have been farther from the truth. I wouldn’t fully realize this until my first week on the job. After I had my physical, drug test, and completed all the proper paperwork, I started work in December 2018. I arrived at the facility in my business-casual clothes and made my way back to the training room. That’s when we met our trainer and began going over everything.
It wasn’t until that moment I learned about the people I’d actually be dealing with. Never in my life had I heard of something called “civil commitment.” Many days, I wish I still didn’t know.
During my first week of training, I was introduced to many people who worked at the facility, each with various responsibilities. I remember one man, the chief investigator, coming in to talk to us about the men at TCCC (the Texas Civil Commitment Center). We were given a tour of the facility, seeing the housing units up close, and we came across several of the residents during our walkthrough. I noted that they didn’t wear uniforms; they wore their own civilian clothes.
After the tour, we returned to class, where the lead investigator introduced himself and gave us his perspective on the men we’d be monitoring. I’ll never forget how he described them as the worst of the worst: men who had committed horrible crimes and should never be trusted. He told us not to be manipulated by their stories and to treat them like the “biggest pieces of shit.” We were even assigned “homework” to search one of the residents and watch a documentary about him. And that was just the first day of training.
I tried to keep my chin up—telling myself I could do this, it’s just one week of training. I had hopes and dreams for this job. I wanted to move up, maybe become a Sergeant, even a Captain. If only I had known the full truth during that first week, maybe I wouldn’t be where I am now.
To Be Continued...
Stay tuned for more of Mandi’s letters and revelations about her experiences working inside the Texas Civil Commitment Center.
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