One prisoner recently told me this as a joke: A semi-truck transporting a trailer full of Ramen noodles crashed and burned on the freeway. There was a total loss of $100,032, $100,000 for the truck and $32 for the Ramen noodles.Ramen noodles, or “soups”, are by far the most purchased items ...
The other day, a fellow prisoner asked me if there was a way a friend of his could send a message to someone if he knew that someone’s cell phone number. It took me a second before I realized why he would need to ask this. He has been locked up so long he has never used the internet or a cell ...
I saw that a former college football player recently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual assault. The consensus view among prisoners is he should have “taken it to the box.” That means not take the plea and go to trial. It’s easy to say someone else should fight the good fight when your ...
A friend asked me what I’m going to miss most about prison. That’s not something I had given a lot of thought, but it’s a very valid question. Prison may be described as a timeout from life, but the fact is life goes on for people behind these walls. They call it serving time, but if ...
As I get closer to leaving prison I hear more and more about it from people close to me. “I bet you’re excited to go home” pretty much sums up what I hear from people on the outside looking in. I am excited, and why wouldn’t I be, right? Well, prisoners often have some different ...
In the Davis County Jail, the only sport we had to play was handball. This version of handball, prevalent in correctional facilities across the United States, is played with a racquetball, not the traditional handball which requires gloves. There was one inmate whose skill-level was head and ...
I know before I was part of the system, I never gave any thought to the individuals living at the facility near the point of the mountain. I was well into my adult years before I learned the difference between jail and prison. It just wasn’t part of my life. That’s the case for many people ...
A prisoner who was paroling soon told me, “Because I’m never coming back to prison, I’m going to get as much ink (tattoos) as I can before I leave.” While it is definitely positive he plans on this being his only trip to prison, it is sad because he has little idea of what it will take ...
“If you don’t like it, don’t come to prison.”That’s something I’ve said in regards to a number of issues people are fighting to improve within the system – things like mail being delivered late or not at all, bad tasting/non-nutritious food, and being victims of profiteering. ...
Coming to prison makes one feel like a failure, naturally and justifiably so. By most definitions of the word, we lose the ability to be successful. One of my greatest sources of pride was accomplishments in my professional career. It was a big part of my identity, as were things like my home, ...
