The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project sent an advocacy letter on behalf of its client, Mr. Johnnie McCollum. Mr. McCollum was racially harassed by staff members while incarcerated at SCI Pine Grove. While Mr. McCollum’s property was in SCI Pine Grove staff’s possession, family photos were defaced with racial slurs, hateful stereotypes, and symbols associated with white supremacist groups. Photos of Mr. McCollum’s young children and nephews were not spared from the racist and, at times, sexually violent vandalism.
Despite Mr. McCollum’s attempts to inform SCI Pine Grove leadership of the abuse through the grievance process, conversations with security staff, and written correspondence with the superintendent, the harassment continued. Beyond the photo vandalism, Mr. McCollum experienced retaliation for reporting the harassment, including ongoing use of racial slurs, threats against Mr. McCollum and his family, and attempts to incite violence against Mr. McCollum by telling other incarcerated people that he was guilty of sexual crimes against minors, which is patently false. Mr. McCollum continues to speak up about what he experienced in the hope of holding DOC staff members accountable and preventing future racial harassment of this kind.
Read the full letter below or linked here.