MY RETALIATION AND ABUSE CONTINUES IN SOUTH CAROLINA PRISONS UNDER INTERSTATE COMPACT (2025)

Since I was interstate transferred to South Carolina from the Virginia prison system on May 1, 2025, I have endured continued abuses and retaliation in response to and to deter my role in publicizing, resisting and organizing against abuses in Va prisons (and now in SC). Which is what prompted this transfer in the first place.

My SC confinement began with a wild transport ride in a “Freddy Grey van”, namely, an unpadded steel-lined vehicle with the factory-installed seatbelts removed. I’d been restrained in a squatting, almost fetal position, so I could neither brace nor protect myself against being thrown against the van’s steel walls, as the SC guards drove at high speeds swerving and braking wildly as if in a high speed chase. I suffered multiple injuries as a result.

Upon arriving in the SCDOC, I was thrown into medieval solitary confinement conditions several times for no valid reason. The second time, I was put into a cell at Perry Correctional (sic!) Institution (PCI) for months with what I would later discover was a concentrated insecticide coating the cell’s floor along the base of the walls, toilet and window, and across the sink. As a result and throughout my confinement in that cell, I suffered severe respiratory illness and infections, and had to be put on antibiotics and other medications.

I also developed an oral infection (an abscessed tooth) while in that cell, which SCDOC dental and administrative staff refused to treat. I ultimately had to receive treatment at a private dental office at my own expense.

At every turn I’ve suffered abuse and blatant attempts on my life.

My communications lines were also immediately cut, as I was restricted from telephone use and denied possession of a GTL tablet which all other SC prisoners are allowed to have, on which they may send and receive electronic messages to and from outside people. When I was compelled to use other prisoners’ telephone pin numbers and tablets to communicate, I was subjected to disciplinary measures.

In response to these abuses I brought and now have pending federal litigation in the SC District Courts against both SC and Va officials, styled Kevin Johnson v. Chadwick Johnson, case no. 2:25-cv-12580.

In response to this lawsuit further retaliations have followed, in attempts to sabotage my litigation efforts and in ongoing efforts to block my communications lines. At the core of these measures have been the SCDOC general counsel’s office office (which are in-house lawyers who advise, represent and cover up for SC prison officials in litigation), the Perry law library supervisor – a low ranking guard – Rachel Cobb, a captain Lasley, a lieutenant Smith and others.

Because I continue to be denied use of a GTL tablet, which has a Westlaw legal research app on it, and therefore need to use the law library, I pressed a complaint that Perry officials were not opening the law library 37.5 hours per week as SCDOC policy requires – at Perry the law library is opened less than 18 hours per week and I’m not allowed to use it more than 6 hours per week. Also, no priority is given to my court deadlines as required by these policies.

Furthermore, as a security officer, Cobb is not supposed to supervise the law library. Indeed, as per SCDOC policy, a law librarian is supposed to run the library and train the prisoner law clerks with the clerks with the assistance of the General Counsel’s office. None of this was done.

Because of my complaint, Cobb retaliated by creating a rule that prisoners in the law library may not talk to each other and if they did she would make them leave. She told other prisoners that my filing the complaint against her was the reason she created the rule. She then used this rule several times to order me removed from the law library and to have me locked inside my cell for 24 hour punitive cell restrictions.

Next she got together with captain Lasley and lieutenant Smith, to have me denied meals, showers, pickup and delivery of legal mail, etc., during these cell restrictions, in blatant violation of SCDOC policy OP-22.14 (26.2).

Lasley and Smith also collaborated with Perry investigators captain Cotter, lieutenant Boccabello, and others, to target and threaten other prisoners who might aid me in communicating with the outside to publicize conditions and my treatment. They also cancelled my attorney calls. All in violation of the foregoing policy.

When an outside supporter, Melinda Evans of UPROAR, contacted the prison about these abuses on Dec 10th, lieutenant Smith answered the phone and hung up in her face the moment she stated that she was calling about me. Smith then came directly to my cell and threatened me.

In another call, Mrs Evans was able to record Perry staff (whom I believe was a sergeant Baber), on the call admitting the abuse of cell restriction against me and the policy violations in denying me to come out of the cell for showers, meals, legal mail, attorney calls, and so on.

On Dec 15th, I attempted to speak with a guard, Njcholas Sessa, in the operations building about being denied an attorney call on Dec 11th that Sessa had scheduled, because of being on cell restriction. The very same sergeant Baber who’d admitted that my cell restrictions were wrongly imposed to Mrs Evans, attempted to instigate an argument with me, to cut off my questioning Sessa about my cancelled attorney call. Baber began literally screaming hysterically that my yelling at Sessa would not be tolerated. I never had not once raised my voice to Sessa.

Baber was angry and trying to distract Sessa’s admitting that the call was cancelled wrongly because I was put in cell restriction by lieutenant Smith, and that Sessa, Smith and Baber were in fact to blame, AFTER Baber had just admitted the improper abuses of cell restrictions on me. Baber had also been responding to numerous calls from the public about my treatment. She clearly recognized that she was in a compromising position.

So, casting aside the fake polite PR personality prison officials put on for outside callers, Baber exposed her true sinister character and made up the lie that I was arguing at and “disrespecting” Sessa, and conspired with Smith to out me on yet another punitive cell restriction, this time for 48 hours, during which I was again denied to come out for meals, showers, legal mail, etc.

Ironically, I was scheduled for and received an attorney call on Dec 17th. Immediately before the call began, Sessa came into the call office and apologized to me for the incident with Baber two days before, and admitted that I never raised my voice nor argued at him as Baber had falsely claimed. The entire situation was manufactured and escalated by Baber and lieutenant Smith to subject me to yet another round of abusive cell restriction. I was able to get several guards to admit in writing that they were ordered to not let me out of the cell FOR ANY REASON in violation in violation of policy, including for meals, showers legal mail, etc.

UPROAR has both the recorded call between Mrs Evans and sergeant Baber, and a copy of one of these written guard admissions.

And while the abuse and retributions continue, my resolve to continue exposing, resisting and organizing against such against myself and others remains undeterred.

Dare to Struggle Dare to Win!

All Power to the People!