JOSH’S PRISON HELL Josh Duggar’s fellow inmates forced to ‘poop in paper bag’ and ‘shower with brown water in moldy stall’ at Texas prison
JOSH Duggar’s fellow inmates have been forced to defecate in paper bags and shower with brown water in moldy stalls at his Dallas, Texas prison.
Duggar, 37, is serving a 151-month prison sentence on child pornography charges at FCI Seagoville with a projected release date of December 23, 2032.
The U.S. Sun spoke exclusively with Heather Pirtle, who is the founder of a non-profit organization called First Network that provides inmates and loved ones the ability to report issues of facilities under the Federal Bureau of Prisons in an effort to make change.
In the exclusive interview, Pirtle dives into the “inhumane” and “gruesome” conditions FCI Seagoville inmates allegedly endure at the Dallas prison and the FBOP’s facilities from defecating in paper bags to showering with brown water.
Pirtle claimed, “As far as the conditions inside Seagoville itself and inside the units, it’s going to be a typical standardization pretty much across the FBOP nationwide in that the conditions are old.
“The walls can be crumbling, there is mold inside, there is feces all over the place.
“They don’t allow them to use chemicals usually so there are not a lot of disinfectant products being used… As far as day to day living there, it’s not somewhere that is sanitary by any means.”
Pirtle described the “poor water quality” at Seagoville, as she alleged of the facility, “Sometimes you may have backlogs. [Inmates] have actually been forced to defecate in paper bags at times.
“Whenever you have hundreds of men here having paper sacks in 100 degree weather in Texas, it’s not a very pleasant environment to be in.
“As far as the water itself, sometimes it’s black, sometimes it’s not, sometimes it’s hot, sometimes it’s cold. Sometimes the pressure is not as good.
“You can’t just make a phone call and the facilities come out here and fix it.”
Regarding the scorching hot temperatures in Dallas, which could get upwards of 100 degrees, Pirtle claimed specific units inside the facility do not have air conditioning or even windows that open properly.
“Whenever you’re inside with no type of ventilation at all, you’re sitting in a sauna or a hot box,” Pirtle claimed. “Then you have the cold air in Texas that can get down to 20 degrees. Sometimes you’re sitting in there with no heat at all.
“It’s from one extreme to the other.”
HUNGRY AND HOPELESS
The U.S. Sun has extensively reported on the food conditions at Seagoville through the years from loved ones and lawsuits filed by inmates against the prison.
One source, whose loved one is also an inmate at FCI Seagoville, previously told The U.S. Sun, “They’ve been getting half portions of food for months. Grits, tiny portions of corn, half rolls, a couple ounces of deli meat, they’re serving them these crazy portions.
“People are having to buy food from the commissary or go hungry, it’s wild. Complaints from loved ones have gone nowhere.”
In a lawsuit filed on February 26, 2024, inmate Jua-Deno Peterson sued FCI Seagoville and claimed the food contained maggots. The case was officially dismissed on May 16.
Seagoville responded to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment at the time regarding the food, “FCI Seagoville provides all Adults in Custody with food that is consistent with the National Food Menu to include portion size.
“We take all complaints about the institution and services provided very seriously and all complaints are fully investigated.
“Currently, FCI Seagoville has not received any complaints regarding any aspect of the institution’s Food Service Department. “
Pirtle claimed that while inmates are entitled to three nutritional meals a day, FCI Seagoville inmates allegedly receive “a portion size less than what you would feed your middle school or elementary child.”
She continued to claim to The U.S. Sun, “The portions are very small. Usually it’s spoiled or past due expired products that they’re being fed. We wouldn’t eat them or even feed them to our animals.”
If they have mold on their bread, they’re supposed to pinch it off and continue eating.”
Heather Pirtle ,
Pirtle has received complaints regarding bug-ridden food at other facilities in the FBOP system.
“You also have weevils in the products,” she alleged. “If they see weevils or anything like that in their food, they’re supposed to just move it to the side and pick around it.
“If they have mold on their bread, they’re supposed to pinch it off and continue eating.”
Pirtle provided a photo of sandwich bread covered in mold.
“You will actually see – and it’s known and they will tell you in the kitchen – that there are signs on some of the products that say, ‘Not for human consumption,’” she claimed.
Pirtle continued to allege of the often times “cold” and “undercooked” food, “What we also hear with regard to the food from the inmates themselves is that the food itself is barely edible.
“They do eat just to survive and have the calorie intake. They rely primarily on the commissary if they’re able to afford commissary.”
Commissary allows inmates to purchase food and other items, such as toiletries, medication and clothing.
Food offered in commissary according to FCI Seagoville’s website includes bacon for $3.85, chili for $2.10, oysters for $1.75, coffee for $3.65, mac and cheese for $1.05, a health shake for $.95 and other items.
DESPERATE PLEAS
Pirtle received complaints from loved ones and inmates on her First Network website.
She read a FCI Seagoville-based complaint submitted through her website that read, “It says, ‘My loved one has had two dental evaluations and said both times he needs a cavity filled. So far almost two years in, no filling of the cavity.”
Another complaint from FCI Seagoville read of the scorching hot temperatures, “Not only do these guys not have any air conditioning, but their ice machine does not work very well. On most days, they can’t even get ice.
“We’re not asking for Hilton accommodations, but they are human beings, and this is inhumane treatment.
“I worry constantly that I’m going to get a call telling me that my loved one is dead… Even if he belonged there and deserved to be incarcerated, this would be wrong. Either way it is morally and ethically wrong.”
Pirtle then shared a video of a moldy shower stall at a separate FBOP facility.
She explained of the alarming video, “This is basically telling us the shower conditions. And I know you might not be able to see it that well, but it’s the mold all around the shower stalls.
“They have to walk into these particular units, and this is what it looks like whenever they’re about to take a shower.
“You see the crumbling buildings right here and how they’re falling apart.”
BUREAU OF PRISONS SPEAKS OUT
A representative for the Federal Bureau of Prisons responded to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment, “It is the mission of the FBOP to operate facilities that are safe, secure, and humane. We take seriously our duty to protect the individuals entrusted in our custody, as well as maintaining the safety of our employees and the community.
“The FBOP has long acknowledged significant infrastructure needs and continues to advocate for additional maintenance and repair funding to address more significant infrastructure challenges, including those at FCI Seagoville. At the same time, we work to expedite routine maintenance concerns that impact the daily living conditions of the individuals in our custody.
“Additionally, FCI Seagoville provides essential medical, dental, and mental health services in a manner consistent with accepted community standards. The FBOP uses licensed and credentialed healthcare providers, which include community consultants and specialist support.
“Each individual is independently treated on a case-by-case basis, and treatment is provided as clinically indicated, including referrals to specialists. FBOP correctional institutions provide medical services in accordance with FBOP Program Statement 6010.05 ‘Health Services Administration.’
“FCI Seagoville provides all incarcerated individuals with food that is consistent with the National Food Menu, including portion size. We take all complaints about the institution and services provided very seriously, and all complaints are fully investigated.”
The FBOP then provided an Administrative Remedy Program for inmates to file complaints regarding their incarceration.
A representative from FCI Seagoville specifically responded, “We have no comment.”
HEATHER’S FIGHT
The horrifying conditions are what sparked Pirtle to form her organization with fellow prison wives who met in Facebook support groups and at in-person visitation at facilities.
She explained, “We were trying to seek resolution and we thought, ‘You know what, let’s just all collectively come together and see what we might be able to do.
“Why are you guys just complaining in these groups? We need to collectively come together and start consolidating all the complaints into one platform, so we would then be able to see if it was isolated or if it was widespread issues.’
“We just all collectively came together to start compiling the data to see what’s truly going on behind the walls.
“First Network was actually designed to bridge the gap and to benefit both those inside as well as their loved ones out here.”
Pirtle explained loved ones and inmates could report real-time incidents on her website.
She has inmates and loved ones who are signed up through their email system and are able to report incidents on a daily basis.
Pirtle was first inspired to launch the organization after husband, Don, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in federal prison for illegally distributing marijuana in Texas.
Pirtle told The U.S. Sun of her family’s story, “We’re from Texas, and he had a licensed grow facility in Oklahoma, so he was a legal grower.
“During COVID, he actually had a few plants at a house in Texas, which it’s not legal to have here in Texas, and so since he transported them across state lines. He actually was charged with a possession of marijuana charge, as well as a felon in possession of a firearm.
“He had a felony conviction prior years before so he’s in there for those two charges.
“I’m not necessarily fighting just for my husband. I’m really wanting the laws not necessarily to even change. I think if they would enforce the existing laws, you would see immediate change.”
And Pirtle’s fight has paid off, as she explained the FBOP has been “receptive to us.”
She said, “I’ve had very good results with them, any issues that I’ve escalated, they’ve actually resolved.”
While Duggar and Pirtle’s husband’s crimes are vastly different, she believes all inmates should have the opportunity to live in an environment where they have a chance to be reformed once released.
“People ask me all the time if someone that’s sentenced deserves to be treated a certain kind of way,” Pirtle said.
“I feel like the sentence is their punishment and they shouldn’t be denied basic necessities whether it’s health, toilet paper, you know things like that, edible food… things that we all take for granted out here.
“But I think that whenever you’re in there serving a sentence that is your consequence. I’m not saying that they should have gyms and everything like that, but if [the policy] says to give them three meals a day, they should have three meals a day.”
