GPS Toolkit
Document Your Case
Every action you might take — a grievance, a records request, a complaint, a lawsuit — is only as strong as the record behind it. Memories fade and paperwork goes missing, but a clear, dated account written down at the time is hard to argue with. This is how to build that record.
The single most powerful thing you can do is write down what happened while it's fresh — with dates, names, and specifics — and get a copy out of the prison to someone you trust. Good documentation turns "he said, she said" into evidence, and it feeds everything else: it makes a grievance credible, tells you exactly what records to request, and would be the backbone of any complaint or case later.
What makes documentation strong
Dates & times
When it happened, when you reported it, when you asked for help — every date matters, and deadlines run from them.
Names & titles
Who did or said what — officers, medical staff, wardens. No name? Note the rank, badge number, shift, and a description.
Facts, not conclusions
Write what you saw, heard, and felt — plainly and specifically. "I asked for my heart medication three times and was refused," not "they don't care."
Witnesses
Names and GDC numbers of anyone who saw it. A short written statement from a witness, dated and signed, is gold.
Injuries & evidence
Describe injuries in writing right away. Ask to be seen — a sick-call slip or medical visit creates an official record even if care is poor.
Get a copy OUT
Records inside can be lost or taken. Mail or read a copy to a trusted person outside — an outside archive is durable and can't be confiscated.
What to document
Anything that harms you or someone you know inside — keep a running record of:
Keep a simple incident log
One entry per incident. Copy this and fill in the [BRACKETS] each time something happens — on paper inside, or by whoever is keeping the record outside:
DATE / TIME: [WHEN IT HAPPENED] LOCATION: [FACILITY / HOUSING UNIT / AREA] WHAT HAPPENED: [PLAIN, SPECIFIC ACCOUNT — what was done or denied, and by whom] STAFF INVOLVED: [NAME OR RANK / BADGE / SHIFT / DESCRIPTION] HARM / INJURY: [WHAT RESULTED — injury, illness, danger, loss] WITNESSES: [NAMES / GDC NUMBERS] REPORTED TO: [WHO YOU TOLD, WHEN — counselor, medical, officer] THEIR RESPONSE: [WHAT THEY DID OR DIDN'T DO] EVIDENCE KEPT: [SICK-CALL SLIP, GRIEVANCE #, PHOTOS, COPY SENT TO ___ ON ___]
Two people, two jobs
If you're inside
- Write it down the same day, dated, in your own words.
- File a sick-call slip for any injury or medical need — it creates a record even if care is denied.
- File a grievance for anything grievable (see the Grievances toolkit) and keep the receipt.
- Ask witnesses to write and sign short statements.
- Mail copies of everything to someone you trust outside.
If you're outside, helping
- Keep a dated file of everything your loved one tells you — save letters, emails, and notes from calls with the date.
- Be the durable archive: store copies of every grievance, receipt, and record they send.
- During visits, note dates and, where allowed, photograph visible injuries.
- Request their medical records (see the Open Records toolkit) to get the official version.
- If it's a pattern of harm, tell GPS.
Where your record takes you next
- File a grievance — your dated account is the grievance.
- Request records — to pull the official incident reports, staffing, and medical files that back up (or contradict) what you saw.
- Report to oversight bodies and, if it comes to it, support a legal case — all of which start from a solid record.