My Name is David and I am the founding administrator of Prison Talk Online AKA www.PrisonTalk.com (http://www.PrisonTalk.com)

My interest in the Prisoner Support System is both personal and moral. I am a recently released federal prisoner who has had his eyes opened. I left behind many people with families not unlike my own., and though they are many miles away from me now, I have not forgotten them and the time we shared. PrisonTalk Online is one of the ways I want to help them, their families, and all others with an interest in prisoner support and reforming the criminal justice system effect change.

I was sentenced to 27 months in the federal prison for the charge of “felon in possession of prohibited weapon”, specifically a deer rifle. My previous felony charge was unauthorized use of a motor vehicle - “joyriding” back in 1992. 7 years later when I was close to completing the 10-year probation term imposed by my judge, I made the mistake of pawning the family deer rifle to pay off a traffic ticket, which fell under an amnesty period I wanted to take advantage of. The ATF seized the weapon after I tried to get it out of pawn and about 9 months after that I was arrested and charged. Even though I did not use the weapon in any crime or even have it on my physical possession, I was going to prison.



Voices the Prison Administrations try not to hear….

During my incarceration my family and I experienced what most inmates and their families have to deal with, very little in the way of Rights and Respect.
Our first taste was a denial of my mother’s visitation for a (FALSE) positive result from a drug “sniffer”(ionizer) detector which was later found to be grossly inaccurate but left unchecked until the warden was himself was embarrassed when he demonstrated the device and came up positive. This took place after MONTHS of turn-a-ways, some from visitors coming as far as 1400 miles… (Larry Cullum – Story in the November Coalition’s Razor Wire newspaper) Many of them wrote grievances to him and Washington but nothing changed until someone with rank in the Post Office, who was visiting a relative, was turned away due to a false positive. Why were our families numerous complaints not heard and dealt with a proper manner?

During this time period, numerous other inmates whose family and friends were denied visits due to false positives “sniffer” tests approached me about getting our families together to take action as a group. This was the point of conception for the PrisonTalk Online idea. We needed a forum where our families and those that care could come together with a united voice, one that the administration would hear better.

Visitation was only one concern. Medical is another serious problem in the prison systems. It was not uncommon to see men “fall-out” on the compound due to a stroke or heart attack and then be made to walk to the clinic. Inmates that had cuts that would obviously require stitches would be taped up because the doctor that was “on-call” didn’t want to drive to the prison. I’ve seen fingers that were broken and not properly set have to be partially amputated because of the error.. One of the worst cases was a gentleman who had surgery to remove and fuse a number of vertebrae. A few weeks after his surgery they discovered they fused and removed the wrong ones!

These are only a few examples of what inmates and the people who care about them are faced with on a daily basis. If this web site provides the medium to assist in solving only one problem facing those inside, it will be worth it.. I believe it has the potential to do much more..


Today, I spend a large part of my time turning the plans I made my cell into reality. Right now, I do this as a “hobby” in my spare time but I hope to make it a full time effort in the future.


Lastly, I want to say thank you to everyone that is working to help prisoners and their families. I was in contact with many of you during my own stay and it made a difference to know there are people on the outside that care and are working to make a difference.


David

David
I was just reading your story about the medical issues and it reminded me of something....did you hear recently about the California supreme court having to chastise our Board of prison terms because they were making handicapped inmates CRAWL up stairs to their parole hearings because there was not wheelchair access? And hearing impaired inmates were not given interpreters at their hearings so they had no idea what was going on!
How disgusting is that?
So finally the courts have stepped in to do something about these situations. Someone should lose their job over it at least but i doubt that would happen.
Have you ever checked out www.facts1.com ? I have been a participating activist with them since we started in 1995 as i have some close friends that got struck out and doing 25L.
lots of good and current info available there. A friend from there directed mt to you as a matter of fact.
Later...Puppy

i use to think maybe i was the only guy that got in trouble that is on the intrenet. boy was i wrong! there are a lot of smart "cons" and familys of convicts that care. i dont feel as alone any more!

Thank you Fed-X for this place! you prove they werent right about us all being "losers".

toby

:)

No problem, bro.. This place is for you and I hope to see you around here when you can make it on.

Speaking of "cons" & the Internet. I was shocked by how many people are now in the federal prison system for internet related crimes such as hacking and other crimes.

David

I guess it's good to keep a sense of humor even when you are out on bond pending sentencing!

Hello Guys:

David, yours is a very interesting story. Hope at some point in time, I will be able to read some of the posts from my son, Butch Clark. He is 36 now and still an inmate. He is at Lincolnton Unit Lincolnton, N. C. For the first time in 12 years, he is only 5 miles from my home. This has been a blessing because he has been up to 300 miles away.

He has had health problems with his back over the last 12 years and has been told he needs surgery because he has 5 deteriorating disks. He will not do it because he too has seen the problems people have who have to have surgery and other medical help in the system.

Butch too understands how hard it is to deal with so many things in the system. He does outreach programs for Kids who are heading for trouble. He has been very successful in this area and really does enjoy doing it.

You guys are very brave and David, I admire you greatly for starting this forum for inmates and families.

Donna

Hello Guys:

David, yours is a very interesting story. Hope at some point in time, I will be able to read some of the posts from my son, Butch Clark. He is 36 now and still an inmate. He is at Lincolnton Unit Lincolnton, N. C. For the first time in 12 years, he is only 5 miles from my home. This has been a blessing because he has been up to 300 miles away.

He has had health problems with his back over the last 12 years and has been told he needs surgery because he has 5 deteriorating disks. He will not do it because he too has seen the problems people have who have to have surgery and other medical help in the system.

Butch too understands how hard it is to deal with so many things in the system. He does outreach programs for Kids who are heading for trouble. He has been very successful in this area and really does enjoy doing it.

You guys are very brave and David, I admire you greatly for starting this forum for inmates and families.

Donna

Donna,
Your not by any chance trying to get posting credit for both of these posts, are you?? LOL.. J/k!
Thanks for the comments!


David
:p

David...
I know that you have heard it before, but it is worth saying again. Your idea to create this site is such a blessing and so many of us appreciate all of the effort you have put in to make your idea a reality.
I have been here such a short time but feel better every day when I check in.
Never doubt how far the effects of your effort will go as we all get stronger together.
You are a blessing!! Thanks for being you!

I was truly assounded that you posted your story so honestly. I have encountered so many problems in the TDCJ system. MY husband has a fractured or broken finger right now. They have done nothing to help him, they say it is fine and the swelling will go down in awhile. Well a month later and it is still swollen and as sentive as ever. I have made several calls and tried to get help but NOTHING.

I guess we can only change certain things but I want to tell you I appreciate all the support that this dream of your has helped to create. I do have an idea if your open to it. Email me and I will tell you.

God Bless

JDS, Your more than welcome! This goal/dream has definitely taken shape and it makes me feel really good..
It is my hope that one day with unity we can effect more than support (though this is the main purpose), and get attention shined on the many areas that need improving.. Not to mention public awareness.. CHANGE

I hope Sherri13 doesn't mind but I am going to quote her signature because I really like it, and because it fits Prison Talk Online, as far as I am concerned.

"never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has

margaret mead

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE"


Thanks to all of you, we will make this prison system a better place for all prisoners, their families & friends..



David

Shortie, don't give up.. Things don't always happen when we would like them to but you are his best chance to get what he needs. Don't let them forget about him or you..

David

PS. Please post any new ideas, tips, etc. in the Site Suggestions & Feedback forum.

Ok.. I see a bunch of ya'll showing off your "babies".. Well, this is one of my "loves".. Material it may be, but I feel as close to "free" as I ever have when doing this..

BUT.. every now-n-then you end up having to Bail-Out before that "freedom" costs you.. (grin)
What is that saying.. "If your not living on the edge, your taking up to much space" ? hah.. Cross over and you won't be taking up any...

:p

Did I mention that my X-Attorney owns this little "toy" now.. Yeah, the same one that never returned my letters/pleas to get a sentence correction based upon the wrong guidelines.. AKA.. (now known to me) Ineffective ASSistance of Counsel.
May my sweet lil' ski rest at the bottom of the lake.. :) Where he, and so many other defense attorneys like himself belong!
"He sleeps with da' fishs" - Godfather

David you look like you are having a blast!!! Thanks for sharing it with us...looks like fun!!!:D gotta bring it to south Padre and show off your moves!!haha

What are the guidlines(for lack of better word) to claim Ineffective Assistance of Counsel because Stephen had a real ASS of a court appointed first time around??!!??

David,great pics.We need to get together one weekend,and I will introduce you to the ultimate stress relief.There is nothing in the world,like jumping from 20,000 feet and freefalling to 2,000.If you are game,let me know,I go once a week.God Bless............................................. ...Spencer

Spencer, I have to agree with you 100% about jumping! I have yet to do it but I know one day I will.. I've always considered it to be my own ultimate challenge since I still have a fear of hights.. Sorta strange coming from someone who loves to fly.. I guess taking away the plane adds a completely different factor to the equation.. :)
We will have to hook up sometime in the near future on this one! You may have to push me the first round but after that I think I'll want to race you to the door.. LOL
I recall you also are into SCUBA? Something I am itching to get into myself. I've snorkled down in Cancun and other places but never actually strapped on a tank. I have a friend that is a dive master(?) but just never got around to it.. I know I would love it and have plans to get some equipment as soon as I can budget it in. (not to mention getting my cert.)
Talk to you,
David

Amelia,
I told you I would be taking your kids for lake rides next time I am down that way, with yours and Stephens blessing, of course.. I also putt around nicely for youngsters.. :)

David

David,You got it bubba! I am going to be down that way in a month or so,maybe I will take an extra day.We can find a lake,and strap the tanks on.I am also a divemaster,so I will show you the basics,and get you going.I am looking forward to this,so as soon as I know the dates I will be there I will let you know.God Bless...................................Spencer

DEAL! :)
You got my numbers and I'll give you the rest whenever..

Thanks,
David

Hey I am jealous I wanted to go.. :( Glad you had fun and they are great pics... :)

those pics are great!!! what fun!! who took the pics? The first one should be entered in a contest-it is GREAT!!!
sherri

hey sherri i agree with the contest idea..

Shortie.. That was a few years back but I WILL be doing it again soon.. :) I've worked over all the lakes around you BTW.. Lewisville, Grapevine, Worth & Especially Possum Kingdom.. I learned to waterski there. Lake Travis (outside of Austin) is my favorite lake in Texas BUT.. Lakes don't hold a candle to the Ocean.. It's 3-D and ALIVE..
I could tell you some scary/stupid stories about going off-shore way past any visual of the beach.. without GPS etc.. Then coming back.. (after a while.. haha) Not to mention getting caught in 8-10 foot visibility FOG down in South Padre while towing another jetski.. coming upon the jetti which waves where thunder-crashing into and spraying 25 feet up.. (I did some praying on that ride)
Ok.. can you tell I like to ride?

:)

Thanks Sherri! Didn't you say something about wanting to go riding out there in the NC Surf? hehe I'll play nice..

Hmmm.. For some reason I think you wouldn't shy away from a wave.. ("military bratt")

David

yeah david-i'm waiting for you to come out to nc to ride--let me know-i'll be ready

sherri

Hey yet another thing sherri and i have in common miltary brats.. Go figure.. I jet ski a lot when I am in cali. I have stand up in storage but I have not got to play for awhile.. I would love to get out and go screw around again..

I am a cancer and true to the water sign so i guess that is why I have a passion for the water huh!! I want to learn how to dive and snorkle too... My friend parents live in Hawaii so we are going over there this summer.. I can't wait...

Another thank you here. In the short time I have been aware of this "family" I have been blessed with many people showing concern and offering help. I know for a fact (because I work on the inside) the treatment of inmates is not what it should be. I have just got around to reading a few topics, yours included. I want to offer my support and help in some way, what do you suggest?

a welmeaned thank you from me too david. and i like the pictures. i'm telling all the guys i know that are being released about this place, but so far i haven't seen anyone of them here...not yet

David, Call me slow, but I'm just now reading your story and viewing your pics of your obvious obsession with wave runners. I love to ride those in the ocean just like your first pic, but I think I will pass on the second!!! Wow!!!!!!!!!!

If I haven't said it already, thanks so much for putting together this site. It makes me feel so blessed to be able to talk to other people who understand.

It sounds like you were dealt a raw deal in this great country's judical system. I understand where you are coming from. Butch has experienced alot of the same things as you.

Thanks again for all of your hard work!!!!

i wanna know who the lucky person is that has her hands on fed-ex in the first pic he posted hehehehe :p

Aprilcat,
That is "Princess", or should be her.. ;) Maybe I should go look first.

Love Muffin,
Hey.. better late than never.. ;) As for a raw deal.. I didn't care for it but it created a bunch of things I am proud of.. Time I probably needed to myself..
Glad to have met all of you.. and that most likely would not have happened had I not gotten my "vacation" via Uncle Sam..

Woops.. That definitely wasn't Laurie.. I was at some club and I can't find the non-cut version of that picture..
Guess it will remain a mystery.. ;)

Ok.. Have a few "current" ones to add..
My life away from school, work and PTO (only temporarily)..
This was my first endurance Jetski Race.. (Yes, I feel very lucky) I got 3rd place on my first endurance race.. 45 minutes. You know it's long when you can't feel your arms and hands any longer.. But it feels good when you finish..
I'm gunning for that 1st place at the next race..

I'm praying for that checkered flag by this point in the race..

She really is helping me stand up after the race.. ;)

Ok.. Last one for now.. I finally found the auto exposure setting on the digital camera! :)

WOW what a "fox"!!

Ya I know, OLD term. LOL

You better be talking about my girl.. LOL

wow!!! what a FOX!!!! (both of ya) :p you make a great looking couple, fed-ex!

HEY DAVID!

BOY, OH BOY...... WHAT AN EXCITING COUPLE..... YOU BOTH ARE PRECIOUS.... AND DON'T YOU SAY A WORD ABOUT THE PRECIOUS COMMENT..... AT MY AGE, YOU ARE PRECIOUS...


LOVE YA
DONNA

You guys look so good together!!

David, ya ain't built right guy!!

aw, u guys r so cute!!

I have to second the fact that you two look really good together.. What a great couple of pics thanks for sharing..

Thank all of you for your comments.. :)

B-Ray.. Yeah.. I know.. :P

David,

That is one fine looking woman you got there guy. You deserve it. I hope she deserves you, bro!

David

I can understand the freedom you feel while jet skiing...
My escape was sailing.....lived on anchored sailboat and loved it especially the storms

You have done a great job with this site and i see it only getting much bigger..

You are so right about the medical neglect in fed prison...i was in Atlanta with full leg cast and assigned top bunk.
Then a convict medical assistant rebroke my leg while removing the cast with a hammer and screwdriver.

If the public only knew.........

Thanks for this site.

Jerry

Thanks Kconner, yeah, she is a good girl and she has done her time too.. believe it or not.. ;)

Jerry,
You know it.. I love the water, especially the ocean.. I've been on a few sail boats but haven't gotten to really work one. My father was big into sailing and ended up getting drafted to Vietnam due to blowing everything off and sailing Bermuda when he was young.
I don't know how many times I layed up in my cell and thought about how much I really missed water.. I mean, I honestly thought about how long it had been since I was actually under water. Most people don't think about not being submerged for a stay in prison.. It is the longest I went in my life without going under water.. What prisons have baths? lol
I am working on making it my "duty" to enlighten the public about the prison system and all the injustices.. PrisonTalk is mainly about support but also education.. I want the world to see what is going on.. If I can bridge it even a little, it will make me very happy.. Patience hasn't always been a virtue of mine but I am determined..
I'm glad you like the site and it's good to have another x-con here. I am sure the ladies are also happy about it because of our point of views.
See you around,
David

David,

I just read your story. I think PTO is a wonderful forum. When I talk to people that are in my situation, I always tell them of PTO.

Billy was sentenced to 5 years 5 months for "felon in possession of a firearm." He got that much time because of his PSI and the gun was stolen from the police in the '80's. He was just a kid then. It was going to be state case, but the cop that arrested him pushed the feds on him so it went to federal.

65 months is a long time. He pled guilty to a plea bargain. If it would've went to trial, he could've gotten 10 years.

Anyway, thanks for creating PTO. I know it's helped me A LOT.

BillnDenise,
Your more than welcome. :)
I know a number of guys that were doing 10 years on guns. One of them had 8 years in and finally had his appeal heard. He was at his girlfriends house when the cops came crashing in on unrelated issues. Since he was in the house and they found guns, they charged him with Felon in Poss. Too bad it took them so long to right that wrong.. The feds are getting nutty over guns, that is for sure.. Sorry to hear about his sentence.

David this site is the best thing that I think anyone could have ever done YOU ARE AWESOME!!! You and Laurie are a really cute couple. If there wasn't this place to come and talk to people who really understand and don't judge for what you have done or for who you love, I would of really thought that the whole world didn't care, THANK YOU . YOur intro was amazing also.

David I just read your story and all these posts...I can't agree more to what a great and informative site this is! It seems everytime I log on, I have to come here to the PTO site to see what's been going on. When I went to VA to visit my guy, I was amazed to return and see the 'jump' in user's...It's great. I plan to really get active in this site as soon as I finish my documenting what I can for his appeal and turning it over to the lawyer. I think with my work experience and education, I can offer a lot to PTO!!! Thanks again for ALL YOUR work and dedication!

Pamela

David,

Great pictures. Everyone is right your female friend is a FOX.

Pamela,
My pleasure and you are very welcome! :)

Love Muffin, I'll be sure and pass that on to Laurie.. :)

thank you for your honesty and all of your help and support. i had been looking for about 2 years for some kind of support group. the only ones i could find were for families of inmates here in tx (my brother is in alabama) or for parents or children of inmates.
i think you have truely found your calling in life and may God bless you.....cheryl

Nice Pics and you are so right about the ineffective assistance of counsel

You have my appreciation and gratitude for creating such a wonderful community!

As I read your story it brought back memories of the days when I was a guard. There is so much that goes on inside those walls that it is really hard to believe unless you see it for yourself. I am not guard material because I have something called a heart.I am now at battle with tdcj because i married a inmate. I have tried to post my story but have been unsuccessful for some reason. Will try again.Just wanted to let you know that I find comfort here. ThankYou.

Warrenswife,
I am really glad you are here.. Both because you have a loved one in prison, and for what you can share with us of your experiences when you were still a guard.
Look forward to seeing you around!
David

Fed ex I enjoy your honesty and sense of humor very much. My fiancee is in Lancaster CA and has been in prison for 7 years. He comes home 12/1/03. I knew his family but didn't meet him until after he was in prison. Things have been very good with us and we plan on getting married, but...there have been some interesting issues I think because of how long he has been in. At times he is very jealous and has no reason to be and at times seems very controling, but we are working on it. Is this kind of "stuff" normal for couples to deal with? Any advice on what I can expect in terms of adjustment for him once he does come home? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Again, thanks for your dream and making this site a reality. Kathy

David, thanks for sharing with us. When my fiancee turned himself in to the authorities he suffered a heart attack. The police didn't believe he was truly having a problem and left him, barely breathing, in an intake cell. An outsider from the Public Defender's Office called EMS and Ron finally received some assistance. The MD's sent him back to lock-up with various meds that the prison failed to provide. The result was a stroke. All this happened without anybody notifying his family DUE TO SECURITY REASONS?????

I used to believe in justice. I thought right and wrong was as easy to see as black and white. Now, fifteen months later and still waiting for a trial, I know better. (But I really wish I didn't most days!):argh

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HUMANITY??

David,
I want to thank you for all you have done. PTO is more than a life saver. I am very new to all of this, usually have no idea of what I need, but it is too critical for me not to ask. Everyone has been exceptional with help and just offers of love and friendship. If it wasn't for this site I would have lost me along time ago. I may not post often but I read alot.

My sincere thanks to you
Willow (Leslie)

David,

I read your story about the federal prison system, and it was like a deja vou... When I worked at Mount Olive Correctional Complex in West Virginia (states only Maximum Security Prison) everything that happened to you happened to the inmates that were in my unit.

I was a Correctional Counselor 2 at MOCC, and saw too many times how the staff in Medical treated inmates. I remember so many stories of how men were FORCED to walk to medical, which was a good way from the unit when they were having heart attacks. I remember leaving one night and all the men that were in medical were standing outside the door waiting. I said, "Hey, what's going on in there?" One of my inmates told me a man fell out on the floor having a heart attack, and he was DEAD, and they were trying to do CPR to save him.... I don't believe that. During CPR training when I first started there, the NEW staff were asked if they would do CPR on an inmate, and I was the only one who raised my hand and said, Yes I would. One "C.O." said, "What, stomp on his chest and blow in the wind?" They thought that was funny - I DID NOT!

One of my inmates DIED in his sleep because he had a grand mal seizure, after asking for his meds for THREE weeks and being told day after day "they were on order". I tried every day to get his meds but they got to where they dreaded my calls and would HANG UP ON ME for calling about an inmates health. I saw men who had blood running down their legs because they had hymmroids and could not get treated. I saw a man DIE from pnenomia because he was serving life for killing a police officer, and the staff would not help him. I remember men in there that was in wheel chairs that couldn't get help one of them DIED from gangreen in his legs from improper care. The stories go on and on.

Visitation was a new can of worms... it was the worst of worse trying to get familes in to see their loved ones. It would take the state eight to twelve WEEKS to approve you for visitation. If you had a misdemeanor on your record, you were denied. Those inmates who didn't get visits, and their families phones were blocked from collect calls because the phone co. charged so much would come to me, and I would allow them to put a collect call through the opporator to home. And every now and then if they couldn't do that, I would get approval from the assoctiate warden of treatment to allow a five minute call (supposedly! Id give them 15 most usually!)

Inmates didn't get proper clothing to wear in the winter, or proper medical treatment. Some CO's would be SOOO mean tothe inmates, and I would do incident reports. The CO's would antagonize and torment an inmate until he went off, and then the co would write him up for his behavior. I was appauled.

I went from working in a prison, to having a loved one in prison. See, in that prison is wher I met my husband. I resigned my position with the prison to marry him. I waited for two years for him to come home to be with us, and after four months, he got into trouble because of his alcoholism, and was sent back to regional jail for 11 months. Since his release in January, he's had five DUI's and one felony DUI fleeing an officer. He's had two domestic violence charges, one dropped, one pending, and the one pending against us he pulled a knife on me and my daughter, so we found out this week they have two felony warrents open on him for brandishing a weapon!!!! WHEW!!

His alcoholism is very bad. He is drunk 4-5 nights a week... This week so far 4, which is BETTER FOR HIM!

I look forward to posting here more often. I have lots of stories of injustices in the prison system, and being a counselor, I offer you my advice... I look forward to reading you posts everyone, and I especially LOVE the success stories and posts saying your loved one is home!

Take care and God Bless,
Bonnie

Fed ex---David,

Thank you for starting this web site. I don't have to feel alone any longer. Even if I don't post anything I can click on here and read what others have to share and feel connected. We're all going thru the same thing and there IS power in numbers. But, you're right the public needs to know the truth. I know I didn't until we got into this. Most people don't til they experience it themselves. We believe the damn media and what's portrayed. Even some of us have misconceptions still. The more we band together and fight I believe the more we will win more rights for ourselves as the family members and our loved ones. Our system is corrupt and wrong in every way. It's not innocent until proven guilty. It's not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and a lot of other things, but we all know that. The public doesn't.

Deb

And even if someone is in for whatever and they did it---our system's sentences and treatment of people is inhumane. Our prison industry needs to end. Is that utopia or what? I guess if we can just decrease it considerably at least. Maybe that's more real, hey? Again thanks for this sight.

Deb

I finnaly read this post, LOL that picture of you in the prision outfit was so funny you should have heard me laughing. I was laughing so hard I was acctually crying! You are right though have to keep humor ( although my inlaws dont appriciate my humor, they say its not funny but It helps)

I keep saying " at least in jail you get all your meals and cable tv" LOL

I just had to say that I loved that picture

--heather

I would like to introduce everyone to our new baby. Laurie picked "her" up today at about 2 PM. Yes, the happy father was there for the "delivery". :)

Buy me one daddy! Buy me one!!! :D :D :D

David, Thanks For This Place To Vent And Get Answers To Some Problems, I Have A Son In Tdc In Texas For A Dwi, They Went Back When He Was 17years Old And Tried To Give Him 25 Yrs. To 99 Yrs. It Had Been Over Ten Years Since He Had Gotten A Dwi. Of Course It Was Election Time In The County Where He Got The Dwi. His Attorney Just Took His Money And Settled For 5 Yrs, I Think He Should Have Gotten Less Time But Who Was I To Say. A Friend Across The Street From Us Had A Wreck, Ran Into Back Of A U-haul Truck Going About 90 Miles Per Hr. The People In The Uhaul Were Not Hurt, They Life Flighted Our Friends Passenger To A Houston Hosp. But He Got Up And Left, The Friend Just Took Some Stitches In His Knee. Total Out His Truck, Came Home From Hosp. That Nite, Police Stayed There Until They Released Him, So Drunk He Could Barely Walk, Told Him To Get A Lawyer And Turn Hisself In Later, He Spent 8 Days In Jail After The Hearing And Lic. Suspened For 2 Years, But Can Get A Work Lic. In One Year. He Also Just Got Off Of Probation 2 Months Before This Accident For A Dwi. What Do You Think Of That Kind Of Justice? Had A Prison Record In Another State I Think For Manslaughter. Makes You Wonder Sometimes About Our Justice System And Yes Our Prisons, I Fight Everyday With Someone In The Prison System Over My Sons Rights And I Just Get Handed To Someone Else. I Have Not Given Up Yet. My Son Has Been In For 2yrs And 6 Months Now And Been Turned Down For Parole 2 Times So Far. I Just Get So Mad Sometimes I Have To Bite My Tongue But Your Web Site Gives Me A Let Out And I Know My Son Is Not Alone In Our Battle For His Rights. Will Let You Go For Now, Thanks For Your Time And Good Luck With Your Life. Iris Taylor From Texas. By The Way My Son Listens To The Radio On A Certain Station And I Request Songs To Him On Sat. & Sun. Nites, He Says It Makes Him Feel Good, He Knows I Am Thinking About Him And He Me. Well Tears Are Here Cant See The Words So Goodbye

that is beautiful...... i had one almost like that. it was white, they are darn nice cars,,,

Irist,
Don't ever give up.. and I am sure you know by now that justice is far from blind or non-biased.. Hang in there, I bet he gets it on his next parole. I know he loves you like I love my Mom.. She was there my entire stay and it makes a heck of a difference.. All the loved ones on the outside make a big difference..

Lulu,
I bet you miss it!! I'm loving this one.. ;) I've had Formula's, T/A's and others, but this damn "bird" is the fastest and best looking I have ever seen. We broke 1000 miles yesterday.. haha.. I still can't believe GM dropped the Camaro / Firebird lines.. Lame SOB's..

for real? i had a fire bird as well. i love that darn car.
the one you have now is beautiful. it is blue right?
i do miss it, how ever my problem is i cant see good over the steering wheel. watch it now. :) no for real, i cant see i am to short. :(

Fed-ex, I thought I was the only one who ever had a false positive on the drug scanner. I have sle (systemic lupus) which has led to heart failure. I am on a dozen daily medications, including 3 different types of inhailers to try and keep my lungs operating. I tested positive due to my prescription meds and was still turned away. i was told by the guard that it didnt matter that i had a prescription, it was a controlled substance. They knew of this medication because I listed on the form and brought it into the prison with me each time i visited.
during the course of the conversation, one of the guards grabbed my by my arm and led me outside to get me away from the other visitors. By doing this she put a very large bruise on my arm which took a couple months to fade. The bop seems to believe that they are god and can do as they please. Society at large views all prison issues as trivial. Thanks for starting this site, it is nice to know we are not alone!

Wow, seems your case was much more blatant than my mother's. It really disgusts me to hear about these things. Were you visiting at Beaumont?
Please post your story in the visitation forum if you have some time and give details. The more the better. I still would love to see something done about this.
Glad you found PTO and sorry to hear about the hardships the B.O.P. is placing on you.
David

Aww...what a great looking baby! I take it the delivery wasn't hard....ehh?

No, it was a pleasure.. ;) But its monthly expenses are pretty steep, and we can't get any help from any government agency unfortunately.. :p

I just wanted to thank you for the site.. although I have only been here a short time I have found so much helpful information. Everyone is very welcoming.
Thanks again!

Lucid,
You are very welcome and I am glad you are finding helpful info. I will vouch for the members here, we have a WONDERFUL bunch of people that will really go out of their way to help.. It's great to add you to the list of PTO members.. Really, we're more like a big family.. :)

Ok.. I say "our" car a lot because she lets me drive it.. It's actually her car and here is a picture of the two of them.. Yes, both very beautiful.. Well.. The car is trying hard to catch up anyways.. ;)

Isn't he just the sweetest thing... thanks baby!
You are always welcome to drive "our" new car! :)

I swear, if it wasn't for this lady, I would be tanless and never get away from the computer... It's nice to be a "geek" with a fine girlfriend with toys... ;)

awwwwww yall two are sooo cute....

David, i happened to come across this site by accident and what I found was truly amazing and has truly been wonderful and supportive in so many ways. I am glad that your idea was born and that you made it reality for us. I truly agree with everyone. Even though I don't have anyone on the inside like I did onced upon time I still can relate to what others are talking about. I think this place give the ones that do have ones on the inside a chance to vent and share and best of all support each other through things. David I can only speak for me but I am truly glad I have found this place for onced I feel like I am being heard and supported during the uncertanity of things that involved that relationship. I didn't mean to ramble but I hope you can understand what I am trying to say.

David,

I'd like to take a moment on this day of thanks, to once again express my gratitude for all your efforts. You have given us a true "home" of wisdom, acceptance, and unconditional love....a priceless gift :D

It's so great to see a "vision" that has become a reality...and wonderful to be able to be a part of it. Thank you!

And....your "baby" is gorgeous!

Susan in Providence, who definitely misses her candy-apple red '87 t-top Firebird!!!!

hey well david/fed-x thanks for starting this group its helped alot of people as ive seen so far

Thank you for the honesty. It is really hard for me, I know I don't post much. But for me my husband is in a Texas prison. He has been gone for 5 years and his sentence is 50. I get alot of comfort from the other families on this site. It is just extremely emotional for me to try and express what I am going through without him here. But I would like to thank all of you who do share it helps alot.

Attorneys are just criminals with a license to rob ya. LOL

David,

Thank you for the response to my introduction a few days ago...i just read your intro and am impressed by your story..you are trying to make a difference....I too feel the need to get involved, not just with Mike but in a way that gives our inmates some type of voice in a world that is not listening...what I have recieved from my efforts so far is them trying unsuccessfully to turn me into a felon, i guess so that my voice would be less valid. I am up to my neck in Mikes case and feel like I live in the twighlight zone....I never really believed that whole institutions and court systems could be dirty. I always thought that was just in the movies..I am a well educated, strong and attractive woman yet I find myself allowing thier actions to make me feel otherwise...the price i am paying for my convictions of my soul are high yet I cannot bury my head in the sand. I feel compelled to be involved and to expose the filth in the system where I lived and worked. This weoghs so heavily on my mind that I lay awake at night and find it hard to function during the day. If you have any suggestions on how I can make a difference or how I can expose these things please send them on ....

Thank you for your story, and your website! I am a fairly new member, and people have been so helpful in my case. Thanks again!! :) --Helen

THAT LOOKS DANGEROUS FROM ROBERT TO FED X

what looks dangerous? and welcome to PTO Robert

EDITED: This definitely is not the thread for what you asked and stated.

I AM REALLY EMBARRESSED I APOLOGIZE TO ALL CHATTERS ON LINE ABOUT MY IN APPORIATE BEHAVIOR SORRY FED X AND LULU >YOUR RIGHT FED X I WAS WRONG <FED X I JUST GOT OUT FEB 1FROM WALTON CORRECTIONAL IN FLORIDA DO YOU KNOW ABOUT GOVERMENT PROGRAMS OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELP EX CONS I AM TRYING TO GET ON MY FEET ITS TOUGH I LOST EVERY THING SO NOW I AM WITH MY FOLKS TRYING TO GET MY LIFE IN ORDEr

No problem Robert. You might want to check out the Ex-Offender forums. If you will make a post in there, myself or someone will do what we can to help.

this was old, I forgot all about it. but no problem. :)

Hi David,

I just wanted to also let you know how much what you are doing means to the friends and Families of inmates. It is a lonely world and knowing we have somewhere to come to vent, share, get support, etc. Means so very much. Thank you for all that you do. I have told Jeff about you and what you are doing and he says to tell you thank you as well. he says it's nice to know that his baby has some support out here. So again, thank you so very much.

Lori,
Please tell Jeff it is my pleasure and I am glad to have gotten the chance to help create PTO. I hope you both know you are part of our extended family. :)
Thanks,
David

My fiance won't go to the doctor because he said that when the prison did surgery on him before the doctor was eating a donut while doing the surgery and there was dust on everything in the operating room. He was stabbed in the back by an another inmate and had to have surgery because of it. This is very sad that humans treat other humans this way just because they made a mistake in life. It's just not right!
Shelly

hi my name is beloved and my fiance is in a ohio facility. And i am very much frustated with our system. hhe was surpose to have been home 5 yrs ago and he is under the old law law suite. he has been in there all together 12 yrs. and i try my best to ake sure that he is okay and especially to encourage him, but a lot of times i can just hear the hurt in his voice and how he is so frustrated with every thing that is going on.in ohio there is about 4,000 men and woman that is in this law suite and everyone is trying to waite patienly to hear some good news.they have really been harassing the inmates that is in this law suite.and especially sending there mail back to there families if they have anything in there about the law suite.and it is a shame how they are treating them.a lot of them have done there time and have been to school so many times that they dont want to see them out,so that they can better themselves.i will be so glad when the night mare is over.thanks for listening

David, This is my first day to post! I think you are the first person I contacted when I signed on with the group. As you know, I am an activist but I will TRY to behave here lol :rolleyes: I will be supportive of the group.

I am a former inmate from years back but I have not forgotten what it was like. Thank you for opening this site!

Peace!

You've done a wonderful thing creating this site David. You'll never know how the information, and support shared made a difference out here. Soon it will be 5000 people. So many of the yahoo groups for prisoners and their families are small and not active. We have enough people to make a difference on policies if we are active. If we discuss what can be done on issues and then take action.
Thank you for all your work David. You are truly breaking the silence barrier. I swear if I had been your mother I would have camped out on the wardens door step. Having attorneys in the family would help me. I'm always a lady and polite, but I am a barracuda when angry.

Thank you for the email. Maybe you or someone you know can help me. I am looking for someone named Phillip Gregory. He probably only has been there if he is there for a few weeks. Cant find out anything and I just want him to know that we are all thinking about him.
Thank You
Michelle

Thanks David for the post. My husband Nick is serving LWOP at Old Corcoran, in Corcoran Cali. We have been together for 10 years now and the struggles and hardships put on families is nothing but overwhelming at times. I have to say that his story, like ur own, is one that we all can relate to in one way or another.
After 16 years of his LWOP sentence he has come a long way. It didn't happen overnight but it did happen and for that I can thank God for. He is truly an inspiration to so many. He has survived "Gladiator Fights" at CSP Corcoran, survived 3 years in the SHU at Pelican Bay, and yet has a smile on his face. Will wonders never cease?
The fact that he is serving LWOP in the state of Cali is most unfortunate. I am at the point of no return in dealing with the morons running our government and the power of the CCPOA. It is sickening. At this point he is looking to transfer to Minnesota to be closer to his dying mother. The other reason is so that as a lifer he can have the best possible life while having to face the rest of it behind bars. Cali offers us nothing. It has almost split us recently but are working to see the blessings in our relationship instead of allowing CDC to destroy us. I applaud everyone on here who supports their loved ones who are incarerated. I know u all feel me when I say that dealing with CDC is like beating ur head up against a brick wall. I look forward to reading all ur stories. Take care and God Bless...

Lynette

Hi. My name is Lisa. My soni s a prisoner in the Cotulla branch of the TDCJ. He is serving a year sentence for burglary after violating his probation, and he's been there (after being in the Harris County Jail for 6 months) since May of 2003. I'm hoping to get some guidedance regarding Parole, visitation, etc. I've been a visitor to this site andjust lately have gotten the courage to join.

Hi Fed-x

I have been reading some of your posts. They are very shocking and informative. You are doing a wonderful service with this site. I am so glad I found it.
Also, I love your pictures. How do you get them into your posts?

Blfox123,
Thanks. To add pictures into most any post you have to use the "Post Reply" button located at the bottom right hand side of the last post in a thread, or when you start a new thread (first post).
When you post this way you will be given more menu options, one of which has "attachment" next to it with a browse button.

Hope this helps!
David

Hello David,

If there is anyway I can chat with you I would love to ask some questions. I am new at this and dont know if Im doing anything right just yet. If you can find the time to talk to me , it would be most appreciated.

First and foremost - thank you so much for PTO. The wealth of information here is more than I could have hoped for. Reading the stories of others is a huge comfort. Although ny son's been in and out of "the system" for some years now (youth system) when he entered "Man" jail at the ripe old age of 19, it was like starting all over again. PTO has given me a much more than a starting place - it has given me hope. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Hi David,

Wow, I don't know where to start. I guess the first thing is thank you!

My son is nineteen years old and is serving a 4-8 year sentence in Concord State in NH. He was taken out of my home on January 18, 2003. He was in county until August 5th that is when he was moved to state.

When all of this first happened I wanted to die. My son and I where so alone in all this. I have lost my family to very early deaths, my ex-husband has cut my son out completly, my new husband and I almost got divorced over the whole thing being married not even a year, and my few friends give me the whole tough love speech.

I began to see a counsler because I had no one to talk to, I was so alone. Even the counsler did not understand, he would tell me he could not imagine what I was going threw.

One day back in June I decided to search the web for some kind of support group. I knew I could not be the only one. That is when I came across PTO! This site has saved my life. I have found strength, love, faith, and most of all a family.

Since my son was moved he has been in lock down twenty three hours a day, soon he will be moved into population and he is scared to death. He had sounded so depressed that I was really starting to worry that something bad was going to happen.

September 6th was his birthday, on September 9th he called me and he was so excited I could feel his smile threw the phone. He was receiving up to eight birthday cards a day, he had no idea where they where coming from until someone signed the card 'your PTO mom'. He received almost thirty birthday cards! PTO has done more for me and my son then words could ever express.

Thank you, again and again and again.
May God Bless you always,
Kathyb

I want to add something David. Which of us would feel the passion for prison and justice issues unless we personally had been touched by them? You went through a lot of pain, but it doing so it changed you and you were a tool for change and help for others.
I would love to see a lot of the little yahoo group members come on over. We are growing really quickly. It is amazing how much information that we have as a group. And although out focus isn't activism, having a large group together sure makes it possible for people to get together to work on specific issues.

All right...I'm sure that you've probably heard this before...how do we help you? PM me and I would be happy to send something. What you do is very important. P.S. I can't do it through PayPal but would be willing so send $$$ (money order) PM ME!!! Or if you feel comfortable an address would be good for those of us who can't credit card it.

-Sher

Fed-x,


glad you are using your experiences to help others. I wish everyone who has had to deal with the lonliness, the degredation, the humility of orderls like this would turn it artound for the good of man. I'm glad I found this site, it gives me lots of things to send to my boyfriend in Salisbury,NC, to change his outlook a bit. He needs all the positive reinforcement he can get. Thankx a lot.


Terri, in NC

Gosh !!! You only bump this thread to get one of my welcome bouquets !!! :D Nope !!! Besides, bumping is against PTO rules !! :D

Sorry Big Boss, couldn't resist !! :)

Phil

*BUSTED*

i thank you for making this great website that is very helpful to my needs. your a terrific person and thanks again :):)

what she said.

David...thank you for going out on a limb, this site has personally helped in my struggle. I love the pictures...damn your handsome....to bad we are both taken! LOL If you dont mind me asking this...how did you get your screen name fed-x? I always thought you worked for fedx but someone said you were in the computer field. I miss my TA, I like yours...is it black or dark navy?

Louise1120,
I came up with my screen name because I am an Ex-Federal Prisoner. :) I just switched them around and though, what the heck.. "Fed-X" I could also be Federal Inmate "X".. Just one of the many.. Any way, it just stuck..

The T/A is Midnight Blue.. I've always loved Black cars but I really like this color.

David

That's crazy! I can't believe you had to go to prison. They were so unfair to you. You were even getting rid of your gun. It's not like you were buying a new gun. That's ridiculous! When you were incarcerated, was violence shown against you by other inmates or guards?....or were you fortunate to not be hurt in that regard?

I broke the law though, and as unfair as it seemed, I did what I did knowing I was at the very least, bending it.. Compared to a lot of people, my case is childs play. It is the people who really didn't do anything wrong that you should feel bad about. I did and it could have been worse.

I pawned it with the intent to get it out also, but that didn't make a difference. There were guys in the feds that had only attempted to purchase a weapon from a pawn shop.

As for me doing time, I didn't have any problems. I wasn't any more fortunate than the next guy.

Hi David...thanks for your writings, I know that your honesty will help alot of people. I've also been to prison and it made a direct impact on my life. To see what people have to go through is heartbreaking, Thank god, that we're out and able to speak of what happens behind closed doors. I too left some special people behind, and there's not a day that goes by that I dont first of all, thank God that I'm home and second, my heart hurts for all the prisoners that are still locked up. It's amazing to me.....God is supposed to be our judge and yet man has taken on this kind of power. Don't get me wrong, I've met some people that truly deserve to be in prison, but I'll also say this: I've had the opportunity of meeting some of the neatest, and REAL people that I've ever known while locked up. I'm happy for you ....I'm happy for ME (smile) and any other person that has "been there, done that". Having been where I've been and seen what I've seen, I know that it was not to be forgotten. I'm the type of person that feels that God can turn any situation into something good......ANY situation! So, it's up to you and me and anyone else who has been there to speak up and use our past mistakes to make something good. I'll keep you in my prayers!

Sherri

David,
I wanted ta write personally and THANK YOU for taking something negative and turing it into a positive!!! You have truly provided us all wit tha ultimate gift ...a home!!! I admire your honesty and all your hard work!!! May you always be blessed with love...happiness and lots of laughter!!! :)
Again Thank You from tha bottom of my heart!!!
Hugssssssssssssssssss
RhiLeigh

I wish I would have found years a few years ago. My son is in Fort Grant Safford,AZ. He went in still a boy , and now almost 5 years later he is going to come out a man. I haven't seen him since he was sentance. I hope with all my heart he makes it. I don't feel like I'm the only mother out there anymore. Thanks
Typetester

Oh, My God, I had no idea!!! It's really enlightening that you can come out of such an ordeal and create such a richness in others lives who live day to day through this site. Thumbs up 2 u, my man!!!

I am a registered nurse and lasted only 3 weeks in a Ms. prison! I went there to be the nurse I always was but they treated everybody there as a number not a person. They really got P.O.'d at me for "taking care of them" so the Doc's started refusing to sign my prescriptions and tore up my requests. They told me that I was costing the prison too much money for these inmates. Some days I went home crying from anger and frustration and worried about these people that I knew needed healthcare. People who needed their medications and treatments NOW........not 2 weeks from now!
They are as cold-hearted as the steal cells they throw "human beings" into!
It has never left my mind and heart what I saw! And for eveyone to know.......I never had 1 problem out of anyone I came in contact with. They all treated me with the same respect that I treated them with, actually, I was told by many that I was the sweetest, most caring nurse that they had ever had. So, you know it broke my heart when I told them what I was ordering for them................just to have the sorry Doc's tear the presciption up later on in the day!
Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox!!! I may not have personally done the time but I took it personal......the time I did do!!!
Keep up the good work and Thanx!!!

Amp

So david how did you and your family get past all of this it must have been pretty hard?i am having a pretty hard time with John and Cory being in the prison systms...some times i just think that if i did something different in my realationship with the both of them would they be in there now?but who knows...sappy heather

Hello to you all!

I found out about Prison Talk about two weeks ago. I'm from Germany and it is about 3 years now that I have been writing to an inmate in a California prison. Through your pages I am learning so much about prison life which I never would have had any idea of before. It was a very good thing that you, David, created these pages to help so many people who are directly involved and others to open their eyes for what is really happening inside the prison walls! Thank you!

Tilly

My fiancee is going through a very similar situation in reguards to your FALSE possitive sniffer test. As a result, he had to do 30 days in the hole, before he even had his hearing by the by. He (we) lost our visits for 6 months, followed by 3 months of non-contact visits, for a grand total of 10 months of not seeing each other. We fought and fought, and got our visits back. They also had to give the 30 days hole time he served back as good time. The warden actually sent Lance a memo saying that the results of the test had been found by methods that were "erroneous". They had already moved him to a higher level security facility, even though the test was wrong. He is still in that facility, waiting for his re-class. Even though the test was wrong. He is looked down for the better part of 23 hours a day. Even though the test was wrong. He also now faces a new criminal charge;possesion of a controlled substance. The charges were dropped by the prison, the DA is now prossecuting. This charge carries a possibility of 18 more months. Even though the test was WRONG... He has been incarcerated for almost 8 years, I am so tired, and disgusted, and sick of FIGHTING the DOC! Thank you for giving me somewhere I can turn!! Just being able to vent, helps so much! Jenny

You know, usually, I just read these and leave. Breaks my heart. I wanted to step out and try the chat feature. No luck. Dumb blonde I guess. In Kansas, no less. I have been waiting for 8 years for my husband, and our kids are growing fast. I won't ever leave him, like many do. We are struggling and with Christmas coming, well, let's just say, our families back in Iowa are the Santa. That doesn't matter really. What matters is that there's got to be some sort of hope. Something. We, like many, were lost in the Public Pretender system (what attorneys call it). My husband's unit team recently told him that if he gets a chance to see the parole board, that he wanted to be there, to give him a good reference. This guy has been a jerk for all these years, and suddenly, he decided to look at my husband's case. They all watch us each week, and see the love we have for each other. They see the truth. But, I'm glad this is here. Sorry so long. I wish I could figure out how to chat!

Hi David.I appreciated ur story and all u had to say thats really awesome.I can't tell how much this site has helped me just in sharing a little since I've found it. But I know this is probably gonna sound bad, but thanks for the Picture It made me smile. U are so Friekin cute! Seriously Ur hot (I'm sure u know) made me think bad thoughts j/k =}-SO thanks handsome. Appreciate it!!!! ;)

By the way,if u don;t mind me askin(I don't think u said) What part of Texas are you in.I have alot of family over there Mostly El Paso, but also Also Dallas and San Antonio,Just Curious.=]

I just want to say again.U r so cute. U seem like you have such an awesome & cute personality. Good thing ur in TEXAS or u might get me in trouble! just kidding.

Well, I've been hangin' around this website for a while now, I just never got around to checking this thread out. And I must say....Fed-X you're definitely not bad looking! Hee-hee-LOL!

I too must say thank you for creating this site. It has helped me hold onto my sanity (which was slowly slipping away) these past few months. I now have this amazing "family" that is always here, whenever I need them.

Wait a minute....you said "T/A" You have a Trans Am?????? OH MY GOD, i LOVE YOU DAVID!!!!!!! LOL! In case you can't tell by my avatar & my screen name, I love the car! I don't currently have one, but I eventually want 3---a '79, an early '90's, and a '93. Yeah, you might say I'm just a little bit of a fanatic! I once sat and stared at a black T/A for 3 hours, just drooling. That was heaven.........Anyway, back to reality!

Keep up the good work!

Caryn

My son is in Garza West unit and I have only received one letter from him and he was so scared. I haven't been able to find out how visitation works, so I haven't been able to see him. He didn't do anything wrong except listen to a lawyer who said if he pleaded to "stalking" and made a deal it would be over with. He was 18 and the girl was stalking him but this was the second time he went to court (the first time it was thrown out of court because we had 34 witnesses that tlod the truth) After reading your message I'm scared and worried about my son. How does anyone find out anything about the facility they are in? How do you visit people in prison? Please any help or advice would be appreciated. P

PSR,

I learned a lot more about the Texas prison system when I read the posts that are in the Texas forum.

Also, the TDCJ website has information about the facility. Here is a link for it: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/directory/units-print/G-K-REVISED.PDF

I found it more helpful to do a search on PTO Texas forum for the prison information. In your case, just search for Garza and you might find more "personalized" info.

Regarding your question about visitation. You should be able to visit your son once he has been classified - - basically assigned a job there. It usually takes 3-4 weeks. After 3 weeks, I called the unit each Friday morning to see if I was able to visit. Remember, he has to put you on his visitor list otherwise you will not be able to visit him. I was able to visit my husband for the first time this weekend. It was very good to talk to him for 2 hours! I hope that you will get to see your son soon!

psr, Just wanted to say welcome, and good luck visiting your son! Happy New Year! Take Care... Jen :wave:

Hello!! Latindejavu from Alabama. I've been reading all the posts for a long time but finally was ble to sign into the PTO.
Just want to feel Welcome and willing to learn as much as possible about the Federal Prison System. My boyfriend is in a Fed Prison and I would like to be able to understand the system also to him Thanks for having this type of Forum available.
Hope to hear from any of you soon.

My boyfriend is having trouble with his "Wisdom Teeth" (at 33 yrs old) for almost 8 month and they have done nothing. It got ot he point that he can't barely eat sometimes.

Fed-X, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for seeing a vision and not forgetting those you left behind. What a more perfect way to help, but, to spread it all over the world. If you want to read my intro it tells my story. I mostly hang out in general medical some interesting stuff goin down in there. Thank You David.

If my appeal is refused, and I go back, I promise you, I will tell everyone what you are doing.

goldi

Hi David
I myself have no real connection with the prison system. I'm in school for court reporting and I find the system interesting, yet sad. I hope i myself oneday, can find out a way to help the prisons change. In the past I've had boyfriend or family members in but after finding this site I have only more reasons to want to be involved. The day you know the answer...........plz let me know! YOU ARE GREAT!!

I apologize that it has taken me a while to get back to this thread..
Thanks for all the new kind words and comments..

Patience7751,
I too hope that you will continue on and assist in changing the prison / criminal justice system for the better whenever the time(s) come that you have a chance.. It is all too often unperceptably slow (change), but we are moving in the right direction. :)

Too all those that I have missed, great to have you here at Prison Talk Online!

David (Fed-X)

david---THANKS!!!! u have changed my life with this site and have made my bid with joe--our bid--go a lot faster and a lot smoother! ur an angel!

love ya!

I would like to thank you that you have created this place for us! Here I am no more alone with my thoughts and fears.
God blesses you!

I feel like I am losing my son to a lower level in the abyss. I feel helpless and I joined this site hoping that support from others in similar situations might sustain me in this difficult time. My son, Charles Cameron, is in Texas prison for delivery of a controlled substance and resisting arrest/assault on a police officer. I make no excuses for him and I know that drug addiction is at the heart of his legal problems. When he first went in to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, he was given a G3 (G1 being minimum and G5 being maximum) security rating. He had some sort of run in with a guard and prisoner after 4 months in this first 'transfer' facility and he was raised to G4 level and send to the Roach Unit in Childress, Texas. He's only been at the Roach unit 2 months and he has been made to fight two other inmates in a closed cell for 90 seconds to establish his 'respect' level. He tells me that he has to fight for respect or he'll be regarded as second class and be made to perform for other inmates, be sold for protection and commissary rights, etc. It has become a nightmare quick. Racial circumstances have been mentioned and described to me. He is being transferred again to a 'maximum' security unit and he is so afraid that he is going to have to fight his way to a level of respect and rights there - only the guys he's going to be with now are 'lifers' and the absolute epitome of hopelessness, death, and destruction.

I want to know if there is anything short of writing my congressman that can be done. Can a lawyer look into his situation or open an investigation without causing him additional undue punishment?

Mark

David,
I've been trying to find a post where i could give you the proper thanks you deserve. I know you've seen posts about how PTO has helped sooo many people, but do you fully comprehend the impact its had? As much as I love my hubby, if it werent for PTO I may not have been strong enough to wait on him through his time. This site has provided stength, understanding, support, love and knowledge. This creation, idea, brilliancy (if thats a word) deserves more recognition and respect then what its already gotten. I personally want to thank you. Like someone previous posted, this site, along with the creator of it are 2 blessings to be greatful for. Thank you again, and God bless.

Thanks for the complements. They mean a lot to me.. I'm very glad PTO is making a difference.. :)

I just want to say thank you for this wonderful place. My father is currently in Corcoran and has served 10 years of a 20 year sentence. I was 18 when he was incarcerated and in the middle of enjoying my college years. I lived a very average suburban life and the shock and horror of his crime (murder) through me into a severe depression. I graduated college and am doing well, have a good job, new husband, etc. However, I've felt so alone for so many years. Most of my acquaintances and close friends no nothing about my situation and I found early on that it's difficult to discuss with people who don't know. They have preconceived notions, biases, etc., and it's often more trouble then it's worth to talk. I found this site and was overjoyed to read posts from people in the same situation. The information on prisons, what to do, what not to do, has been so enlightening. I feel so in the dark about everything. Thank you thank you!

You're handsome and smart.

Personally, I dont honestly know what I would do without PTO. It is so lonely going this without support as so many of us know. I have made friends that will last a lifetime here. And it makes doing this a little bit easier. This is a way of life and its nice to know you can find the comfort and support you need at any given time. So thanks to all of you who make this all possible!

all i can say is ..........AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did I mention that my X-Attorney owns this little "toy" now.. Yeah, the same one that never returned my letters/pleas to get a sentence correction based upon the wrong guidelines.. AKA.. (now known to me) Ineffective ASSistance of Counsel.
May my sweet lil' ski rest at the bottom of the lake.. :) Where he, and so many other defense attorneys like himself belong!
"He sleeps with da' fishs" - Godfather

David, I am glad that your prison dream came to fruition. It has been an experience to travel the threads of PTO. They rekindle good and bad memories of the Australian prison system that captured 18 years of my life for an assortment of armed robberies and escapes. I remember reading about George Jackson and Angela davis back in the early 1970s while I was in segro and I stumbled onto this observation about time in US prisons being 'los anos huecos' (loosely interpretated to mean the empty years) but you conquered that one man. Keep up the good work. :thumbsup: Bernie oz ex-prisoner.

I need some understanding. My boyfriend is located in Beaumont Federal (Low). He has 19 months to go and he wants to move to Bastrop. I'm not really happy about this because Bastrop is in the opposite direction and the drive is much further. Do you know why Bastrop would be better than Beaumont? (You have to excuse me I have a lot of questions?) And just because he wants to be transfered will he be able to? I know that it's based on good behavior, but I don't know anything else.
Fed-X what advice or suggestions can you give me to get him to stay in Beaumont?

I was recently found guilty of fel poss of a firearm. The guns were my husbands, I had never even touched them, but was found in "constructive poss" of them. Yesterday as we were walking out of court they arrested my husband for "Conveying access of a firearm to a convicted felon" Have you ever heard of this. He has a concealed carry permit. CAn they make this stick. He has never been in any kind of trouble. We are blown away by this. Please help. I do not know if this is where the post should go, I just knew you had a lot of information to provide.

I am going to court in two days to plead not guilty to federal charges of fel in poss of firearm. Fed-X as posted in my into, I am a network admin and web developer. As long as I am out of custody I am at your service. If you should need any help with anything please let me know. i also administer a Unix web server at work so I am familiar with the platform you use for your website. I have been told that I could get off with simple probation for my charges but after reading what happened to you and others I am really starting to worry. I am lucky to be able to afford a real lawyer at this point and I know that does help but any input would be greatly appriciated. Once again, if you need any technical assistance with this site please feel free to ask.

David, Thank you for taking you time to speak to all of us. I too was released from prison last year after serving four and a half years behind the wall. I know all about the problems that inmates face when it comes to the Department of Corrections. minnesota is no different from any other state. Visitation and Health services is just the tip of the ice berg. I currently help out many friends and aqquaintences that i left behind those walls that some may never see the outside world ever again and a lot of them got locked up as young as 14. I currently speak with at risk youth in my community as well as at the local high schools and Regional Treatment Center. I dont' want other kids making the same mistaked i made and having to go to prison or become in any way a part of the vicious cycle of the DOC. I am one of the few of us like you who have made it. It is sad to see the statistics in that 7 out of 10 inmates return to prison and 90% of those who return do so in less than six months. It is hard to belive some of the statistics until i start reading the papers and watching the news and looking on the web sites and seeing the same names going back on the offender locator. If only people knew about this site and knew there are people out here who care

God Bless my friend


Peter Haugen:thumbsup:

Hi David, :o I've been a member since Feb 04 found this site while searching the web on some information about what we refer to as (trailer visits). Its so good to be able to put a story behind the force of PTO I'm alway sending out a BIG SHOUT OUT:D to the brains behind PTO and now I know all thanx go to you THANK YOU.......................

:wave: Hello, welcome to pto.
Love, Sabrina

Hi David, :o I've been a member since Feb 04 found this site while searching the web on some information about what we refer to as (trailer visits). Its so good to be able to put a story behind the force of PTO I'm alway sending out a BIG SHOUT OUT:D to the brains behind PTO and now I know all thanx go to you THANK YOU.......................
I thank you very much for the kind words, and while my "brain" may have come up with the PTO concept, please let me assure you I am pretty trivial when it comes to the nuts, guts & bolts of this place... :) I guess the question that begs asking here is have you ever been Eclipsed by your own dream?? LOl.. I know I have and as much as it makes me proud to have been the catalyst of the original "PTO", I am definitely only a bit player in this huge family.

Please don't take this as unappreciation, as I am very flattered to read your post... I just can't take credit for this by myself now days.. PTO is so much larger than any one person and I am so very proud to be a part of it... I am also very happy to know you.

Thanks.. :)
David

David, I am glad that your prison dream came to fruition. It has been an experience to travel the threads of PTO. They rekindle good and bad memories of the Australian prison system that captured 18 years of my life for an assortment of armed robberies and escapes. I remember reading about George Jackson and Angela davis back in the early 1970s while I was in segro and I stumbled onto this observation about time in US prisons being 'los anos huecos' (loosely interpretated to mean the empty years) but you conquered that one man. Keep up the good work. :thumbsup: Bernie oz ex-prisoner.
Bernie,
I am sorry it has taken me so long to reply but I appreciate very much your comments... Sometimes the fires within, albeit good and bad, need to be rekindled... It still happens to me even though I have been out only about 3 years. However, it can come back in a flash, one way or another... ;)

I still wake with the sweats every now & then..

Take care my friend,
David

...have you ever been Eclipsed by your own dream??


Powerful statement Fed-X.

Something I needed to read today.... I am not quite sure what it means to me. But on this day of many questions and pain, I come across this..... and was stopped dead in my tracks.

Thank you.

JJT

my husband is getting ready to go to doc for the state and was told he'll be thier and month and then will get picked up by the feds about a month later and will be taken to icc or cca whatever it's called and we'll play the ball game with them since it's different. His lawyer sucks and doesn't like talking to us and tell us what's going on he's been in jail almost 7months without bail cause the fed's put a federal hold on him. What is it like going to the feds and is it hard than with all the drama with the state? I don't know nothing about this situation it's my first time but his second time going to prison but first time going with the feds. Since it's his first time with the feds is it possible he could go to boot camp or whatever for his time or will he go to actually prison?


Thanks,
Leland&Amanda.:idea:

Well, I am not sure what ICC or CCA have to do with the feds unless they are contracting space with them... Usually that is a county jail type thing but who knows now days...

The games usually last until you are sentenced and then sometimes to you work through appeals.. If he actually gets to a true federally run facility, it will be much nicer than any contract joint.

Hi David,:)
I am a new kid on the block and happed to be from Texas.
My husband is going to serve his time on Tuesday in Oakdale, Louisiana.
Excice tax (gambling):o .
He is an older gentlemen with diabetes and other medical problems.
He has 36 months and he did not get a medical facility. It is FCI.
After reading your letter and many others I am in shock.
Do they treat eldery people a little different? Did you see any tranfers into medical facility because of health. The judge recommended the medical but BOP did not give to him.:angry: Do you know anything about Oakdale?
Thanks alot for your letter,
Victoria.


My Name is David and I am the (original) "admin" of PrisonTalk Online.

My interest in the Prisoner Support System is both personal and moral. I am a recently released federal prisoner who has had his eyes opened. I left behind many people with families not unlike my own., and though they are many miles away from me now, I have not forgotten them and the time we shared. PrisonTalk Online is one of the ways I want to help them, their families, and all others with an interest in prisoner support and reforming the criminal justice system effect change.

I was sentenced to 27 months in the federal prison for the charge of “felon in possession of prohibited weapon”, specifically a deer rifle. My previous felony charge was unauthorized use of a motor vehicle - “joyriding” back in 1992. 7 years later when I was close to completing the 10-year probation term imposed by my judge, I made the mistake of pawning the family deer rifle to pay off a traffic ticket, which fell under an amnesty period I wanted to take advantage of. The ATF seized the weapon after I tried to get it out of pawn and about 9 months after that I was arrested and charged. Even though I did not use the weapon in any crime or even have it on my physical possession, I was going to prison.



Voices the Prison Administrations try not to hear….


During my incarceration my family and I experienced what most inmates and their families have to deal with, very little in the way of Rights and Respect.
Our first taste was a denial of my mother’s visitation for a (FALSE) positive result from a drug “sniffer”(ionizer) detector which was later found to be grossly inaccurate but left unchecked until the warden was himself was embarrassed when he demonstrated the device and came up positive. This took place after MONTHS of turn-a-ways, some from visitors coming as far as 1400 miles… (Larry Cullum – Story in the November Coalition’s Razor Wire newspaper) Many of them wrote grievances to him and Washington but nothing changed until someone with rank in the Post Office, who was visiting a relative, was turned away due to a false positive. Why were our families numerous complaints not heard and dealt with a proper manner?

During this time period, numerous other inmates whose family and friends were denied visits due to false positives “sniffer” tests approached me about getting our families together to take action as a group. This was the point of conception for the PrisonTalk Online idea. We needed a forum where our families and those that care could come together with a united voice, one that the administration would hear better.

Visitation was only one concern. Medical is another serious problem in the prison systems. It was not uncommon to see men “fall-out” on the compound due to a stroke or heart attack and then be made to walk to the clinic. Inmates that had cuts that would obviously require stitches would be taped up because the doctor that was “on-call” didn’t want to drive to the prison. I’ve seen fingers that were broken and not properly set have to be partially amputated because of the error.. One of the worst cases was a gentleman who had surgery to remove and fuse a number of vertebrae. A few weeks after his surgery they discovered they fused and removed the wrong ones!

These are only a few examples of what inmates and the people who care about them are faced with on a daily basis. If this web site provides the medium to assist in solving only one problem facing those inside, it will be worth it.. I believe it has the potential to do much more..


Today, I spend a large part of my time turning the plans I made my cell into reality. Right now, I do this as a “hobby” in my spare time but I hope to make it a full time effort in the future.


Lastly, I want to say thank you to everyone that is working to help prisoners and their families. I was in contact with many of you during my own stay and it made a difference to know there are people on the outside that care and are working to make a difference.


David
;)

Hello David , well I'm here . It has been a few years since I posted in a prison forum but today my heartaches so much and I guess I need a shoulder to cry on . You think anyone really cares ? I have tired so hard .I need help I have to find a way to help my son , I so scared he is going to loose control , and yet I scared for me also . The years are getting harder . I need advise on getting him into some type of work program there has to be a way to help me . Please let me know if you have any ideas . thank you

Firstly all of us owe you a great deal for being the first administrator.
Secondly, I , and I am sure many many others would like to make a difference.
It seems to me that what we most need is a coalition of politicians, ACLU members, caring people and preferably even others involved in the legal system (students, social workers, lawyers, and perhaps even policemen/probation officers) and a formal status for them to represent
offenders and ensure that they are treated fairly, honestly and humanely.
Offenders can be punished but still be treated in a non-brutal, humane and moral way. They should also be advocates for the prisoners friends and family.
They (famil and friends) shouldn't be treated any differently from any other person living in our country. They are not guilty of any crime and they are often the most unfortunate amongst us. As I have said before, I think the civilisation of a country should be judged by how it treats its least fortunate members.
By that account the USA doesn't do very well compared with most other western countries.

and it is not just about prisoner and families rights it is about the right of EVERYONE to live in a society that tries to solve problems and not make them worse. hey David, welcome to PTO we're glad you're here, love from an A.B.B. voter from NY

I wish I could say something different, but the feds rarely treat the elderly or those with medium medical conditions any different. One of my room mates was diabetic and they really didn't give a flip any more about him than me wanting meds for my ADHD. He tried his best to regulate it but I know they ended up taking him out of prison (FINALLY) and almost amputated his leg because they waited much too long to address the issue.
I don't mean to scare you but that is often the way it is in prison. I knew some guys that spent time at Oakdale but I don't know how the medical is there. Hopefully much better than at FCI/USP Beaumont.
The one thing that you can do is not give up and follow up on any problems that he may have. Family on the outside really can make a difference.
Nice to meet you,
David

Hi David,:)
I am a new kid on the block and happed to be from Texas.
My husband is going to serve his time on Tuesday in Oakdale, Louisiana.
Excice tax (gambling):o .
He is an older gentlemen with diabetes and other medical problems.
He has 36 months and he did not get a medical facility. It is FCI.
After reading your letter and many others I am in shock.
Do they treat eldery people a little different? Did you see any tranfers into medical facility because of health. The judge recommended the medical but BOP did not give to him.:angry: Do you know anything about Oakdale?
Thanks alot for your letter,
Victoria.

and it is not just about prisoner and families rights it is about the right of EVERYONE to live in a society that tries to solve problems and not make them worse. hey David, welcome to PTO we're glad you're here, love from an A.B.B. voter from NY
Thanks for the welcome... :) It's good to be here, even if I don't get to be here as much as I would like recently...
What I could have done with a computer & net access in a prison cell... Actually, it is what so many prisoners could do... You have clarity of thought without much distraction (at least for me), unlike the bussle in the outside world. I know this sounds silly to many, but there are still times (3 years now since my release) that I miss the [temporary] solitute of that cell... Of course, I don't miss the rest of the grind, but if I could flash to that for a few hours, it would both give me some clarity of thought and even more appreciation of freedom.

Please don't take what I say the wrong way... I very much do appreciate being free and by no means would I EVER want to be in prison again... But, there are, at least for someone like me, some good points in all the long days and nights... PTO for example... ;) Too often, guys that end up in prison spend too much time on the move and not thinking like they should. I used to be to that extreme, and sometimes still get caught up in it, though not relating to the breaking of any law... Just too much going on..

:) I like your personality in your writing, David! 'TIS A HUMONGOUS BLESSING TO FIND AND BE INVOLVED WITH PTO! Thanks, you're a diamond gem among the muddy scenario.

Just had to say that I LOVE your avatar!!!!! GO ASTROS! : )

I'll wear my Avatar until after the WS... ;) Close doesn't really count but we did good.. ;) :( :)
How bout them Astros... WAIT.. Texans! :)

Dear David,

You are AMAZING!!! Do you realize how many lives you have touched over the last three years? Sure, you have over 30,000 members, but have you thought about the thousands and thousands of others you have helped from the ripple-effect of this site? I, myself recently joined, but I have been reading and obtaining information here for a while. To know of someone my own age who has taken the time and heart to create a support team like yours is an honor. I have always heard that it only takes one person to make a difference, but I never truly believed that until I found you. May life give to you what you have given to so many others.

Thank you for being my HERO! :thumbsup:

k-bg

K-bg,
I'm flattered by your post but again I must stress that if anything, I have only been the catalyst and part-participant.
Today, there are many more in this community that put in the hours and information that I am unable to. I'm proud like a parent but I also know that PTO is an entity upon itself. No one person could ever generate 1 percent of what is currently here, or maybe even what is added each week. It is simply impossible.. "The sum of whole is greater than any one part".
PTO is not me... It is a part of every person that contributes and even those who seek help..

Sorry for the philisophic type response but I hope you know that you are also a part of what makes this community tick...

Thank you... :)
David

Don't know if this is the place to do this...I just want to say thank you especially to you,David, but also to all of the moderators and administrators and everyone who works so hard to keep PTO running...I feel so much better about the situation I am in because of this website. Thanks to you all for this wonderful safe-haven for all of us!
I sent in my little donation but I guess you haven't recieved it yet...if I ever become rich I promise I will send you a million dollars to use for PTO...this is the best outlet for all of the horrible emotions and all of the good emotions that we feel ever day!
THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!

My Name is David and I am the (original) "admin" of PrisonTalk Online.

My interest in the Prisoner Support System is both personal and moral. I am a recently released federal prisoner who has had his eyes opened. I left behind many people with families not unlike my own., and though they are many miles away from me now, I have not forgotten them and the time we shared. PrisonTalk Online is one of the ways I want to help them, their families, and all others with an interest in prisoner support and reforming the criminal justice system effect change.

I was sentenced to 27 months in the federal prison for the charge of “felon in possession of prohibited weapon”, specifically a deer rifle. My previous felony charge was unauthorized use of a motor vehicle - “joyriding” back in 1992. 7 years later when I was close to completing the 10-year probation term imposed by my judge, I made the mistake of pawning the family deer rifle to pay off a traffic ticket, which fell under an amnesty period I wanted to take advantage of. The ATF seized the weapon after I tried to get it out of pawn and about 9 months after that I was arrested and charged. Even though I did not use the weapon in any crime or even have it on my physical possession, I was going to prison.



Voices the Prison Administrations try not to hear….


During my incarceration my family and I experienced what most inmates and their families have to deal with, very little in the way of Rights and Respect.
Our first taste was a denial of my mother’s visitation for a (FALSE) positive result from a drug “sniffer”(ionizer) detector which was later found to be grossly inaccurate but left unchecked until the warden was himself was embarrassed when he demonstrated the device and came up positive. This took place after MONTHS of turn-a-ways, some from visitors coming as far as 1400 miles… (Larry Cullum – Story in the November Coalition’s Razor Wire newspaper) Many of them wrote grievances to him and Washington but nothing changed until someone with rank in the Post Office, who was visiting a relative, was turned away due to a false positive. Why were our families numerous complaints not heard and dealt with a proper manner?

During this time period, numerous other inmates whose family and friends were denied visits due to false positives “sniffer” tests approached me about getting our families together to take action as a group. This was the point of conception for the PrisonTalk Online idea. We needed a forum where our families and those that care could come together with a united voice, one that the administration would hear better.

Visitation was only one concern. Medical is another serious problem in the prison systems. It was not uncommon to see men “fall-out” on the compound due to a stroke or heart attack and then be made to walk to the clinic. Inmates that had cuts that would obviously require stitches would be taped up because the doctor that was “on-call” didn’t want to drive to the prison. I’ve seen fingers that were broken and not properly set have to be partially amputated because of the error.. One of the worst cases was a gentleman who had surgery to remove and fuse a number of vertebrae. A few weeks after his surgery they discovered they fused and removed the wrong ones!

These are only a few examples of what inmates and the people who care about them are faced with on a daily basis. If this web site provides the medium to assist in solving only one problem facing those inside, it will be worth it.. I believe it has the potential to do much more..


Today, I spend a large part of my time turning the plans I made my cell into reality. Right now, I do this as a “hobby” in my spare time but I hope to make it a full time effort in the future.


Lastly, I want to say thank you to everyone that is working to help prisoners and their families. I was in contact with many of you during my own stay and it made a difference to know there are people on the outside that care and are working to make a difference.


David
;)

David,
Thank you so much for this wonderful place to come to for support! You are truely a blessing. You have helped so many people through their darkest days by providing this site. May God Bless You and Take Care of You!

-Lisa:)

I enjoyed your post!

I just want to say I will be putting the word out in TEXAS because it is very needed to be able to know you arent the only one going thru these times when it feels like you are so alone.

Thanks and the more people that know about PTO the better. We have an excellent group of people in the Texas forums so drop by there if you haven't already.

David

David,
Thank you so much for this wonderful place to come to for support! You are truely a blessing. You have helped so many people through their darkest days by providing this site. May God Bless You and Take Care of You!

-Lisa:)
Thanks Lisa for your kind comments,
David

David,

Thank you for prisontalk! It is a comfort to know that although my husband is incarcerated; there are people who are caring and are not judgmental. It took my husband being incarcerated for me to have an open mind and become humble regarding prisoners and their families. I admit I was judgmental about prisoners and did not even consider their families! I was basically a snob!! I am so embarrassed about my past behavior and especially my closed mind!

I am very thankful for what you've done! Keep up the exceptional work!!

My Name is David and I am the (original) "admin" of PrisonTalk Online.

My interest in the Prisoner Support System is both personal and moral. I am a recently released federal prisoner who has had his eyes opened. I left behind many people with families not unlike my own., and though they are many miles away from me now, I have not forgotten them and the time we shared. PrisonTalk Online is one of the ways I want to help them, their families, and all others with an interest in prisoner support and reforming the criminal justice system effect change.

I was sentenced to 27 months in the federal prison for the charge of “felon in possession of prohibited weapon”, specifically a deer rifle. My previous felony charge was unauthorized use of a motor vehicle - “joyriding” back in 1992. 7 years later when I was close to completing the 10-year probation term imposed by my judge, I made the mistake of pawning the family deer rifle to pay off a traffic ticket, which fell under an amnesty period I wanted to take advantage of. The ATF seized the weapon after I tried to get it out of pawn and about 9 months after that I was arrested and charged. Even though I did not use the weapon in any crime or even have it on my physical possession, I was going to prison.



Voices the Prison Administrations try not to hear….


During my incarceration my family and I experienced what most inmates and their families have to deal with, very little in the way of Rights and Respect.
Our first taste was a denial of my mother’s visitation for a (FALSE) positive result from a drug “sniffer”(ionizer) detector which was later found to be grossly inaccurate but left unchecked until the warden was himself was embarrassed when he demonstrated the device and came up positive. This took place after MONTHS of turn-a-ways, some from visitors coming as far as 1400 miles… (Larry Cullum – Story in the November Coalition’s Razor Wire newspaper) Many of them wrote grievances to him and Washington but nothing changed until someone with rank in the Post Office, who was visiting a relative, was turned away due to a false positive. Why were our families numerous complaints not heard and dealt with a proper manner?

During this time period, numerous other inmates whose family and friends were denied visits due to false positives “sniffer” tests approached me about getting our families together to take action as a group. This was the point of conception for the PrisonTalk Online idea. We needed a forum where our families and those that care could come together with a united voice, one that the administration would hear better.

Visitation was only one concern. Medical is another serious problem in the prison systems. It was not uncommon to see men “fall-out” on the compound due to a stroke or heart attack and then be made to walk to the clinic. Inmates that had cuts that would obviously require stitches would be taped up because the doctor that was “on-call” didn’t want to drive to the prison. I’ve seen fingers that were broken and not properly set have to be partially amputated because of the error.. One of the worst cases was a gentleman who had surgery to remove and fuse a number of vertebrae. A few weeks after his surgery they discovered they fused and removed the wrong ones!

These are only a few examples of what inmates and the people who care about them are faced with on a daily basis. If this web site provides the medium to assist in solving only one problem facing those inside, it will be worth it.. I believe it has the potential to do much more..


Today, I spend a large part of my time turning the plans I made my cell into reality. Right now, I do this as a “hobby” in my spare time but I hope to make it a full time effort in the future.


Lastly, I want to say thank you to everyone that is working to help prisoners and their families. I was in contact with many of you during my own stay and it made a difference to know there are people on the outside that care and are working to make a difference.


David
;)
Yes David, I agree with you. However my husband will be home May 11th and 3 months before his being put BACK in I realized he was Bi-Polar. They ve kept him on medication and Im wondering why no one ever realized this before.. I blame my husband for not taking responsiblity for his actions. Of course his family are all sick in the head---so he never had a chance. He has a chance now to live a "NORMAL" life. But he has to take some responsibility. Ive been depressed and acted a fool but breaking the law has never been an option---or lets say----I never got caught. Once again, the prison system sucks---but at some point a person has to take responsiblity for his "mental health and his actions" I always tell Jeff--------IF YOU DANCE, YOUVE GOT TO PAY THE FIDDLER"------------BOTTOM LINE-------Im looking forward to Jeffs return--he is 47-----------maybe he should make some changes-----------huh-------------HAVE A GREAT DAY------
waiting and looking for a great life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Donna---aka-------Sunshine55

Wow, Fed-X I read your story and well, it sounds to me like you were railroaded! Sorry I am a little late in coming here to say "HI"; been around since 11/04, but better late than never right!;) :D

This is an awesome site! Look what your plans became and still are growing...be VERY proud! I too am spreading the news! Nice to Meet You!

~Nikki~

David,
Thank you for prisontalk! It is a comfort to know that although my husband is incarcerated; there are people who are caring and are not judgmental. It took my husband being incarcerated for me to have an open mind and become humble regarding prisoners and their families. I admit I was judgmental about prisoners and did not even consider their families! I was basically a snob!! I am so embarrassed about my past behavior and especially my closed mind!
I am very thankful for what you've done! Keep up the exceptional work!!
You are very welcome and there is a giant family of caring people here at PTO waiting for you with open arms. :)

I think most people have a negative idea about prisoners, automatically thinking they are bad people and all guilty because they are there... I know a great many people that realized that "idea" was not an accurate one once touched in some form or fashion by the system.. I am sorry you had to find out the hard way but it looks like you have found some good in the situation.

Hope you are doing well and sorry for the delayed response.

David

Wow, Fed-X I read your story and well, it sounds to me like you were railroaded! Sorry I am a little late in coming here to say "HI"; been around since 11/04, but better late than never right!;) :D

This is an awesome site! Look what your plans became and still are growing...be VERY proud! I too am spreading the news! Nice to Meet You!

~Nikki~
Hey, it's cool if you forgive me for a delayed response. :)

I am exceptionally proud of PTO and all those that visit and make it happen behind the scenes... ;) I can't believe it has been over 3 years and 3 months now... Wow, doesn't time fly... I hope to look back one day and think... WOW... 20 years ago PTO was born and look at it now! ;) I think one day (hopefully when I am old and silver) when I am about to die, I will feel my life was worth something more than it would have been looking back on PTO...

Nice to meet you!

David

I Just Found This Thread, I Always Wanted To Know Who Fed-x Was. Now Reading Your Story I Feel Especially Priviledged To Have Found Such A Wonderful Site. The Warm Thoughts, Understanding, Friendship, Other People Going Thru The Same Situation. Honest To God, I Don.t Know If I Could Have Made It The Last Few Months If I Hadn't Found This Place. You Are A Kind And Thoughtful Person To Do This And Try To Help Others In This Situation.
I Hope Your Dreams Come True For This Site, There Really Is No Hoping, I Know It Will Grow And Grow, Once The Word Is Out.
One Quick Item, When I Visited My Grandson At Orient, The Guy Sitting Next To Us Was Listening To Me Tell My Grandson About This Site, And He Said "oh Is That Where All The Women, Get Together And Help Prisoners. I Have Heard About That, So I Started Telling Him All About It. He Was So Interested And Glad There Was Such A Place . Just Needed To Let You Know How, Just One Guy Felt About The Site. So If There Is One, There Are Millions. Congratulations And My God Bless And Keep You Safe.

Well, I am going to make a selfish post.. My 10,000th actually... Yes, I was on 9,9999 and I am going to make it into the 5 digit club finally. Officially #5 ;)

You would think me being the first poster in our community..... Guess I am slacking or sleeping.. :p

I have nothing fancy to say except I love all of our kid - PTO.. I'm proud to still be here and I am even more proud to know so many of you... It is my honor.. BY FAR..

Talk to you soon,
David

Go FED-X Congrats on your 10,000 Post :fb: :dance: :yay: :fb: :dance: :yay: :fb: :dance: :yay: :fb: :yay: and can't forget a hug lol :grouphug:

Congratulations Fed-X on your 10,000 post, (might I add it is about time!!! LOL) and for bringing us this wonderful site! I have been here for 1 1/2 years and I have seen such a tremendous amount of growth! It is truly amazing! Keep up the good work!

David, thank you for PTO. It has help me feel less isolated and alone. It has also helped to see what other people go through in their struggle. Bless you and keep you. You don good, real good! :D :thumbsup:

And congrats for all those posts!:D

David, thank you for PTO. It has help me feel less isolated and alone. It has also helped to see what other people go through in their struggle. Bless you and keep you. You don good, real good! :D :thumbsup:
And congrats for all those posts!:D

You are very welcome MiaBellaAnglea.. Sorry it took me so long to reply but this thread has been out of circulation for a little while and I decided to put it back in now that I am "off-paper".

As some of you might know, I had a revocation hearing right before my probation was to terminate and I wanted to make sure PTO was not brought up for any reason. I was in enough hot water and didn't want to take any chances at all!

Welcome to PTO Fed-X glad you found us. :)

All my best wishes.

Phil :p :p

Congratulations on the off-paperization, and thank you once more for starting this wonderful site. :)

Welcome to PTO Fed-X glad you found us. :)

All my best wishes.

Phil :p :p

Hi Phil! Glad to be here.. :) I hope one day I have a post count like yours... hahaha :p

Congratulations on the off-paperization, and thank you once more for starting this wonderful site. :)

Thank you and you are very welcome. :)

Off-paperization?? LOL!! Sounds like something to celebrate next trip to Houston to me, FX!! Maybe we'll even break out the 151 for this.............

Off-paperization?? LOL!! Sounds like something to celebrate next trip to Houston to me, FX!! Maybe we'll even break out the 151 for this.............

Deal.. :thumbsup:

Congrats! I look forward to the day that I am "off-paper."

Thanks for starting this site. What would we do without it? On another subject, have you thought about the PTO merchandise? Cups, t-shirts, bracelets. When I visit and there are other people in the waiting area, I ask them if they know about PTO. To my surprise they do not; so I inform them of the website. How many new people do you get a month? If all current members sent a minimum of $20 think how much money that would be. Anything, so this site does not go away. I can't begin to tell you how much I have learned here. Much success, bigger and better :)

Greatest Thanks for starting this wonderful place. I am a new member and getting around pretty well. Everyone is incredibly friendly and helpful. It means alot to have a palce to vent or whatever with people who UNDERSTAND!!!!

Thank you so much for creating this site. I have only been here a few days, and have already had so many questions answered by the kind people here (including you!)
Speaking of the medical issues, one of the things I would advise people to do (if they are able to financially) is to have a complete medical exam and thorough testing before they go in, especially if they're of an age where they should begin worrying about heart conditions and cancer. For example, my brother had a colonoscopy before he went in -- so that if something was wrong, he could get it corrected with his own doctors. We've all heard the stories about the poor medical care.

Congrats! I look forward to the day that I am "off-paper."

It's a feeling second only to walking out of prison.

Thanks for starting this site. What would we do without it? On another subject, have you thought about the PTO merchandise? Cups, t-shirts, bracelets. When I visit and there are other people in the waiting area, I ask them if they know about PTO. To my surprise they do not; so I inform them of the website. How many new people do you get a month? If all current members sent a minimum of $20 think how much money that would be. Anything, so this site does not go away. I can't begin to tell you how much I have learned here. Much success, bigger and better :)

You are very welcome. :)

Once the site upgrade is finished we should have a pretty good amount of PTO merchandise, books and a number of other things available.

Thanks for your comments!

David

Greatest Thanks for starting this wonderful place. I am a new member and getting around pretty well. Everyone is incredibly friendly and helpful. It means alot to have a palce to vent or whatever with people who UNDERSTAND!!!!

Glad to have you here with us, though sorry you are having to deal with the "system" at all. I have to agree, PTO has a heck of a lot of caring and friendly people that do understand. :)

David,

I have to say thank you for this site. It took me 3 years to find it and I wish I had found it sooner. For every feeling of being insane that I have had over those year to me dealing with both my and his depression, this site has done wonders. It allowed me to not only get answers to my questions, resolve some of the feelings I had been having, but also to allow me to help the ones who had the same questions as I did. Thanks again, you have helps so many people with this site!

Was in the neighborhood and thought I would say hello, I have been here a few months and we have never ran into each other, so hello! :) And thanks for PTO.

It's a feeling second only to walking out of prison.

WOW, I remember that day! It was filled with son much good and bad mixing together. Out was great, but homeless, penniless, jobless, and familiy that had turned their back and refused to help...I will believe that the day I am "off paper" will be sssooooooo much better!

Happiness and smiles to you again! :)

With 1 1/2 yrs to go after a 5 yr sententence, my son's father is also facing the same fears about leaving prison. Excited but money,a job, housing and family seem scarce and is a scary thing. Scarier in thinking about what its gonna take for him to get those. Any words of advice form those who have come home and "made it" would be great.

I pray for all that walk out into the world without supports. I will pray for you and yours as well. It was very difficult, I slept in an abandoned car for awhile, used bathrooms at fast food resturants, ate at soup kitchens. It took well over a year to get back on to path and longer to feel a bit secure. I have been out since November 2003 and I still am payong and struggling. It is possible with hard work, determination, and optimism. Good luck!

Your a prime example of how "all things come together for the good". Thru your personal experience with prison you was able to develope a supportive and information website that will touch thousands of peoples lifes.

Thank you.

Hey I just want to take a moment to say thank you. This is truely a great place to come and release emotions and thoughts with others who support you and can relate to your situation. I have often wondered what I want to do to help others and I think I have found it. I think this is it, to get active with our justice system. Push for reform and changes to be made. It is something that needs serious attention in every state in the US and in other nations. This site is away to do that. I have met truely beautiful people here, threw your run in with our justice system you have give us this place to turn to. Thank you.

Jenn

David,
I have to say thank you for this site. It took me 3 years to find it and I wish I had found it sooner. For every feeling of being insane that I have had over those year to me dealing with both my and his depression, this site has done wonders. It allowed me to not only get answers to my questions, resolve some of the feelings I had been having, but also to allow me to help the ones who had the same questions as I did. Thanks again, you have helps so many people with this site!

You are very welcome. :) I'm sorry it took so long to find PTO but I look forward to seeing your around for as long as you are involved with the system, and more even.. ;)

Was in the neighborhood and thought I would say hello, I have been here a few months and we have never ran into each other, so hello! :) And thanks for PTO.

You are quite welcome and I look forward to seeing you around more. Sometimes I get stuck in the back of the site quite a bit but am trying to be more active again in the forums. I always feel very privileged to meet new people like yourself.

David

WOW, I remember that day! It was filled with son much good and bad mixing together. Out was great, but homeless, penniless, jobless, and familiy that had turned their back and refused to help...I will believe that the day I am "off paper" will be sssooooooo much better!
Happiness and smiles to you again! :)

Yeah, I have thought many times about what it would have been like to have just been dumped out on the streets without much at all in the way of support. I was fortunate enough to have family, friends and time at a half-way house to get on my feet. I used to think 1/2 way house was part of the punishment but after being in the system I realize it is key to helping inmates transition that don't have a lot of support.
Wish I could do more in that area..

When exactly do you get off paper all the way? That will be a good day.
:)

With 1 1/2 yrs to go after a 5 yr sententence, my son's father is also facing the same fears about leaving prison. Excited but money,a job, housing and family seem scarce and is a scary thing. Scarier in thinking about what its gonna take for him to get those. Any words of advice form those who have come home and "made it" would be great.

Yes, the best thing he can do is plan ahead for that time. Does he already have a career? If not, he needs to know what he wants to do for work when he gets out, followed by a couple backup plans in case the first doesn't pan out. Be REALISTIC and don't set oneself up for failure by setting expectations too high.

It will be very helpful if you or someone gets him information on the job market where he will be paroling to for what he wants. www.Monster.com (http://www.Monster.com) and any of the other job finders is a good starting point, followed by local newspapers (they often have jobs online now), etc.. Basically, try and figure out what the market is in the area. This will be more important in the last 6 months.

My life was much more smooth for me because I was planning as hard as I could (and studying up on things) at least a year before I got out, and not just about PTO.

Waiting until you have gotten to the streets is way too late unless a person already has something setup for them. Inmate's have all the time in the world... They need to spend a fair amount prep'ing for release.

I pray for all that walk out into the world without supports. I will pray for you and yours as well. It was very difficult, I slept in an abandoned car for awhile, used bathrooms at fast food resturants, ate at soup kitchens. It took well over a year to get back on to path and longer to feel a bit secure. I have been out since November 2003 and I still am payong and struggling. It is possible with hard work, determination, and optimism. Good luck!

:( That really stinks. Did they not offer half-way house or anything like that in the system you were in?

Your a prime example of how "all things come together for the good". Thru your personal experience with prison you was able to develope a supportive and information website that will touch thousands of peoples lifes.
Thank you.

You are very welcome and I wouldn't change a thing now even if I could go "back in time". I have no regrets and my time in prison ended up making my life better. (Not their plan but how it has worked out) PTO has given me something to be proud about and plenty of good friends..

Hey I just want to take a moment to say thank you. This is truely a great place to come and release emotions and thoughts with others who support you and can relate to your situation. I have often wondered what I want to do to help others and I think I have found it. I think this is it, to get active with our justice system. Push for reform and changes to be made. It is something that needs serious attention in every state in the US and in other nations. This site is away to do that. I have met truely beautiful people here, threw your run in with our justice system you have give us this place to turn to. Thank you.
Jenn

Thanks and the more people like you working to better the system and help others, the sooner it is going to get better across the board.

Very glad to have you here and pleased to meet you!

David

Yeah, I have thought many times about what it would have been like to have just been dumped out on the streets without much at all in the way of support. I was fortunate enough to have family, friends and time at a half-way house to get on my feet. I used to think 1/2 way house was part of the punishment but after being in the system I realize it is key to helping inmates transition that don't have a lot of support.
Wish I could do more in that area..

When exactly do you get off paper all the way? That will be a good day.
:)


September 2, 2009, can it come fast enough?

:( That really stinks. Did they not offer half-way house or anything like that in the system you were in?

There were no services offered even though I had asked. I started asking long before walking out the door, but there was never a response or offer to help. I was given a list of shelters, but none of which would take me for a variety of reasons.

Today I know that those hard days are behind me and I just want to help others from going through what I did. It feels that there are more services for male releasees than female. Or that could be the area that I was going to. PO was NO help and never wanted to hear what was going on. Just kept telling me that I had to find someplace to live as she was required to do a home visit within the first 6 months of supervision.

Now although I am still struggling, I am survivng, that's all that matters.

You are quite welcome and I look forward to seeing you around more. Sometimes I get stuck in the back of the site quite a bit but am trying to be more active again in the forums. I always feel very privileged to meet new people like yourself.

David


Likewise David:)

fed x
just wanted to let you know, I am the #1 fan of DE.......have tons of his stuff including all the mags that ran after his untimly passing.
Love this site, hubby thinks I am addicted to it............

Hello David, I too read your story, very interesting. I think you have done a great job with this site. Its so nice to know that there is somewhere to get answers for the prison system. Because if you try to get anything thru the institutions well we know how that goes.. Glad to be here and thank you.Now I have alot of reading to get to.Thanks again.

Thanks and I hope you find all the answers that you are looking for.

This is a great site. I found it after my brother was sentenced to state prison. It was comforting to find people to talk to and that understood what I was feeling. Keep up the good work. Even though my brother is out now I continue to come to this site and read the threads. I am now a pen pal for my niece's husband's brother who is in Robertson in Abilene. This whole experience has definitely opened my eyes and changed my thoughts of the prison system and of prisoners.

Thanks for a great site!!!

Sarita

I recently joined and I am so glad that I have found a network of support from people who are in my shoes and have experienced some of the same things I have experienced with my fiancee' being incarcerated.:cool:

I'm a new member to this site, and I wish I had found it months ago. I was convicted and sentenced earlier this year, and now I've been designated for FPC Montgomery. Likely will report next Tuesday.

Any and all info, help, answers to questions in my other posts will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chad Long

David, Since I'm new and having trouble navigating this site, who knows where this will end up. Bless you for your efforts. Your site is remarkable and much needed. I never hear from my husband who is incarcerated in Michigan and knowing there are people who have loved ones in is truely a good thing. Thank you.

Since finding this website about a week ago, I have been truly blessed. Not only have I found the information I was so desperately seeking, but I have found a connection to others who are going through the same thing I am. David, THANK YOU, for creating this site, THANK YOU, for volunteering your time, effort, and hard work. It is SO appreciated.

I'm a new member to this site, and I wish I had found it months ago. I was convicted and sentenced earlier this year, and now I've been designated for FPC Montgomery. Likely will report next Tuesday.

Any and all info, help, answers to questions in my other posts will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chad Long

Hi Chad,

Sorry to hear you are facing the time you are but hopefully it will go fast for you. I will read over your questions and see if I can answer them in the other threads.

Take care,
David

David, Since I'm new and having trouble navigating this site, who knows where this will end up. Bless you for your efforts. Your site is remarkable and much needed. I never hear from my husband who is incarcerated in Michigan and knowing there are people who have loved ones in is truely a good thing. Thank you.

You are very welcome and hopefully we can get you up to speed on navigating it pretty quick. ;) Surfing PTO is kinda like learning to ride a bike... Once you do it is a lot of fun. :)

Since finding this website about a week ago, I have been truly blessed. Not only have I found the information I was so desperately seeking, but I have found a connection to others who are going through the same thing I am. David, THANK YOU, for creating this site, THANK YOU, for volunteering your time, effort, and hard work. It is SO appreciated.


You are very welcome. :) I am sure you will bring a lot to the community.

I have not added any pictures here for quite some time. I think I will break into my prison pictures from when I was inside. I posted some of these in the Gallery but since it has been down for a little while, I might as well add them here.

L to R
1. "Heater", Me & Butch
2. Sergi (Russian) & Me
3. The Italians Mike, Bobby & Cashio, and I..
4. Big Steve, Me & Frankie
5. Me & "Spin" the Tatt King.... (I just woke up)

These are pictures taken while I was at the federal half-way house in Houston (Cornell Corrections). Something I was not going to post online while I was still on paper! :)

L to R , Top to Bottom

1. Employee parking lot @ Cornell Corrections Half-way House in Houston, TX.
2. Top bunk view of the "Cadillac" dorm (Back Corner - North East side)
3. Back area where visitation and sometimes lunch is held..
4. Cadillac Dorm area
5. Brian kickin back and talking on the phone.
6. Shane
7. Joe.. Still a good friend we hang out with.
8. Joe & Laurie
9. Joe & I fresh out of the feds
10. Laurie & I hanging at the 1/2 way
11. Laurie & I again..
12. Me breaking the rules! (Imagine that)
13. Brian (same guy as in #5) and I
14. Cody, Brian and I
15. Cody & Me
16. Me & Laurie
17. Laurie & I

Most of these pictures were not that good and taken on an old Sony Mavvika (sp?). We were NOT allowed to have cameras in the half-way house but you know how that goes.. You were not supposed to have a vehicle or a cell phone if you were not approved and... well... I had both :p

I've heard they have really tightened the screws down there now.. That is too bad..

As I mentioned above, you were not supposed to have a lot of things that were not approved or prohibited.. One thing you could not have in the half-way house was a computer for whatever reason.. Well, I had important things I needed to do and get PTO online was my first priority..

I had a really small Toshiba Portege laptop computer that would fit right into the small desk each cube had... Since it was hard to type on I brought a keyboard as well and matched with my cell phone and a data connectivity kit, I could get online. Connection speed was real slow but I did most of the typing and mods without getting online.

I only used it there when certain staff were on duty... I made friends with some of the hard-asses by burning them disks with music and even some other things :eek: .

Any way... This picture is not a good one but it was of the first generation of PTO when I was the only member... November 2001. :thumbsup:

Nice pictures!! Could you tell me if you know where I can find some information on the Federal Inmate Points System? If my uncle has 8 points, but is serving a life sentence for drugs, will he always be in a max facility? Chances of getting him in a med. ?

I finally feel that there is a group of people that feel the same way that I do. My husband has been in the federal system for 10 years. I live in NY he was in NJ was about 5 years and due to over crowding in the prision he has now been sent to Leavenworth. That is very far for me to travel. He was getting visits from me almost every week to now I dont know when I willbe able to get there. I have been looking on the internet to try to see what is around and how do I get there and have come up with nothing.

Cathy~ My uncle was in Leavenworth for 15 years. There are several Hotels in the actual town. I think the one that I stayed at was accross from Wal-Mart. Don't get confused if you go, by the military prision. I went there first and then they directed me to the federal one. I have never had problems with visits there. You get to sit accross from them and a little table is between you. Never had to wait to get in. If you would like any help please pm me, I would be glad to help. Also just FYI, my uncle worked at the print shop in leavenworth and really liked it.

Dear David,
My boyfriends brother was wrongly accused of something he did not commit. But when the law says you did then theres no proving his innocents.His family knows that he is innocent and now because of the system failing for his rights. He is now doing or facing three years in prison. He has done about two years now, and his family misses him alot.Also he has epilipse and sometimes we get so worried because we know that he is not getting the proper care that he needs. Please what can we do to be at peace of mind so that we can know he is doing ok.



Sincerely worried Martin Reyes,
(Stretch)

**This Post thru #361 were originally their own thread, but I have decided to merge them into my introduction thread**

Well, I am officially engaged! :) I'm absolutely tired so I'm keeping this short and adding a couple pictures... ;) I'll get into the details in the AM. Bottom line is it has been a wonderful night! (If I had waited till 06 I would have been a dead man! She should have one on each finger for the 4 years she has already spent with me! :p )

P.S... Prison ended up being "worth it" for me in many ways.. If I had not gone, I would not have found her, and for that matter most of you.. Honestly, PTO alone pretty much covered making the trip one that was not a waste but she is definitely the "icing on the cake".. ;)

Ok, I'm outta here... :)

**happy tears**

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JJT

WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!! It's about bleepin' time!!! Many, many congradulations to the two of you, David!!!

*jumping up and down so hard the whole island of O'ahu is shaking!!!*

I think you scored some major points! Congrats!

Congrats - I wish you two the best in life always :)

:beer: Congrats again!

Beautiful presentation, beautiful ring (bling, bling is right!), and a beautiful couple!

Congradulations David and Princess! :beer:

Congrats David! and Princess!!! How wonderful for you both.

Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.

Heather

Many congratulations to you both!
Wishing you many years of happiness together.

lotsalove
Rach xx

Congrats Boss !!! :yay: :clap:

I wish you both nothing but the best. :)

Phil

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!! Congrats! You are a lucky man ;)

Congrats hun.....guess what??? I GOT ONE TOO!!! Skip and I haven't set a date, but we are so happy....in many ways, we have prison to thank too....

I'm so happy for you both!!!

hugs & kisses,
kath

Congratulations! I am enjoying the pictures. You make a nice couple.

This is such great news and I LOVE great news. David I am so happy for you and Princess. I wish you both the very best in your marriage and all that you do.

Happily Ever After,
Patty

:thumbsup: Congrats to you guys!!!!!!!!!!! May you have a partnership that continues to be close and strong in all ways!!!!!!!!!! You both look so happy and I love the way you presented it to her!!!!!!!! :D

Deb

WOW She's a beautiful woman :) Congratualtions!!!!

Stacy

Congradulations again to you both!!! Looks like the both of you had a wonderul night. Very much well deserved!

How Sweet! Congratulations!!!!!!!

Ann

Congratulations to you both!!!!! Wishing many, many years of happiness for you both!!

:) :) :) :)

Congratulations to both of you and what a beautiful "BLING"

Oh this is amazing! What a beautiful couple the two of you are David! I wish you and the wife a life full of happiness and love. She is one lucky woman... even if she had to wait 4 years :haha: Enjoy this special time in your life :thumbsup:

What can i say that hasnt already been said???

There isnt, so i will just say that i agree with everyone else here...

Enjoy your new life..

Thanks to everyone for your kind words! She woke up with a big smile this morning even after I tried to slip it off her finger last night while she was sleeping and she snatcher her hand away and tucked it safely out of my reach without even waking up... ha ha (Test! Cute :p)

I have to tell you... Even after us being together 4 years now I got butterflies when they brought the ring out. I even forgot to ask her after I started going into my speech and she got choked up and I had a hard time not doing the same myself!

Ok, here is the quick story on it... ;) I've been running around for the last few weeks trying to "marry" the ring with the center diamond. The ring was made by a jeweler friend of my Mom's and center stone came from elsewhere. We were not sure about a cushion cut or a princess, which the smaller diamonds are. After much ado and fretting the princess cut made the cut and was mounted. Then to find the right place. By this time Laurie (Princess) didn't care... She just wanted her ring but I had intentionally led her to believe it was going to be a while still before I had the finished product in my hands (and hers). I couldn't totally surprise her because she helped pick out the band. The center stone was the only unknown and when she would get it.

So, last night we plan on going out to a nice restaurant downtown Houston called the Skyline. It is on the 24th floor of the Hilton of Americas (she used to work at the ground floor restaurant called Spencers) and it just so happens that my brother's new fiancé went to High school with the General Manager of that restaurant and the Assistant Manager Laurie and I both knew from when she worked with Laurie at Spencers.
Any way, it didn't look like there was any way we could get a window seat trying to get a reservation the same day but the GM (who was out of town already) called back and asked the staff to work us in. Well, did they ever! They gave us the most choice table of all, the corner window, which looks over most of down town, Minute Maid park, the Toyota Center and everything.. It was incredible..

So.. We drank wine, ate well and I apologized to her that it was taking so long to get the ring but I hoped that this evening would kinda be a good set-off until it comes in! (heh) I made a number of little comments and I could tell the hook was set! :) I even asked if she thought I should ask her partents for their blessing before I gave her the ring... She said, "No, I just want the ring.. I don't care how you give it." haha (BAD)
So, the tip off should have been me ordering desert, because I rarely order desert when we go out.. But, I told her my sweet tooth was hurting and we picked something out. About 20 minutes before then I excused myself to go to the restroom and went and met the Asst. Manager we were friends with and gave her the ring and agreed to deliver it in lieu of the desert...
Well, she was definitely surprised when desert arrived! :) I hated to draw it out but I love dropping surprises and since she already knew about the ring for the most part I had to figure something out! ;) I've already been forgiven!

The best part is I will have one more for her come wedding time!

So, that is our story! Like I said before... I got off easy with this ring after all that she has put up with relating to PTO and me. She has been the best and I love her to death. We've traveled down the road together and it has only gotten better. Who would have ever thought we would have met in a federal half-way house!?!

awwww....congrats david and princess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a picture of the view from the table we sat out facing the North window. I had to up the exposure with no flash just to get the view. Using the flash would turn the windows into mirrors and a faster exposure didn't pickup the buildings well at all, so that is the best I could get under the circumstances, and especially without a tripod, which definitely would be out of place in this restaurant!

I'll be going back sometime at lunch to say hi and thank a few people, and I'll shoot some pictures during the day... It was really nice!

Awww David that is a remarkable story....Congratulations you both deserve it...My God give you both a lifetime of happiness and blessings....
Jeanne

The best part is I will have one more for her come wedding time!

Awwe! This chokes me up. How awesome that you're "that" guy to think of something so very special on both of your special day :)

And 4 you to get down on your knee in public says a TON for the man you really are. I can hear your excitment.

CONGRATULATIONS again. You BOTH deserve this happiness.

Stacy

AWWWWWW **happy tears** I'm soooo happy for y'all, David!!! That's just great...so, umm...are we all invited to the BIG DAY??? :D

Beautiful story! Congradulations to the both of u!!!

Congrats :) :) :)

Congrats 2 u!! Beautiful things than happen from behind bars!! :thumbsup:

Oh David you are such a mush heart:) I love it. Don't forget I will always be right behind you to make sure you stay in line:). Love to both of you.
Love Barb

Congratulations to you both!! :)

Congratulations sweetie!!!! I'm so happy you finally did it!!! :D You guys look so happy together!!! I wish you both nothing but the best. :thumbsup:


P.S. So when's the wedding?!?? ;) :p

Congratulations to both of you! That was such a sweet story and beautiful pics. I wish you both the best. :)

How romantic! Congrats! You are engaged on my 33rd wedding anniversary--must be a good omen!

Awww...you got me over here tearing up...:cry: :love: LOL! ;)

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH!! :thumbsup:

P.S. Pictures say 1000 words...those pictures are priceless...thanks for sharing! :D Beautiful ring by the way...and did everyone see the size of that rock?!?! :eek: LOL! She's a lucky girl...;)

Congratulations! The two of you make a beautiful couple. :)

Congratulations! I love the pictures. What a beautiful presentation. I wish happiness to you both always. All of my best to the happy couple.

Congrats David and Laurie!
:) :)

:heart: Congrats To both of you how wonderful:heart:

What a beautiful story- congrats to both of you!

Congrats!!!!!

Wow!! Look at you two! You both look so happy! :D:D:D:D Thanks for bringing me all these smiles....

CONGRATULATIONS! :love:

congradulations to you Fed-X.....im so happy for you both!!!!!

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:
Congratulations to the both of you as you make a very handsome couple!!
:) :) I wish you all the happiness this world and may you two always be as happy as you are now!!! God Bless You Both!!!:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I loved the pictures, thanks for sharing. you make such a nice couple! I wish you many more happy years together. Thanks for giving us all hope that good things can come from meeting in the strangest places! Peace!

Congrats big guy!! Very happy for you both. You are one lucky man.

Wow, that was so sweet. I almost cried. Y'all are such a beautiful couple and I wish you all the happiness in the world. Congratulations.

P.S... Prison ended up being "worth it" for me in many ways.. If I had not gone, I would not have found her, and for that matter most of you.. Honestly, PTO alone pretty much covered making the trip one that was not a waste but she is definitely the "icing on the cake".. ;)

Ok, I'm outta here... :)
Lovely photos. Congratulations to you both! Understand what you mean but wish you had got there without prison.
As you know I have not needed PTO like some here do in that I came here to learn without any contacts/friends or family incarcerated but nevertheless I really believe it is a wonderful thing you did creating it! And of course now I have friends incarcerated and ex-incarcerated.
Now you can create a wonderful marriage. Both will be wonderful and lasting achievements I am sure. I wish you both a lifetime of health and joy!

Well Congratulations.. You both look soooo happy.
THATS SOME wonderful rock.
Hugs

Well, I am officially engaged!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Congratulations!!

To Princess and David You make a sweet couple and may you have nothing but love and happiness forever!

It's about time David!! Congratulations to you both!!

Kimmy & R

Congratulations!

Thats awesome Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats To You Both!!!!!

Congrats!!!

congrats what a lucky guy shes a beauty may you both enjoy a wonderful and fulfilling life

. . . she is definitely the "icing on the cake".. ;)
I know that's right because when I saw that red nail polish I was like "FedEx got himself sumthin here!!" :D

The "popping of the question" -- very nice FedEx, very very nice. Congratulations to you both!! :o

**doin happy dance like snoopy on charlie brown* doin the moonwalk wit woodstock*yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh congrats!!

Congratulations to both of you! :) :yay::beer:

Congrats to both of you! with many, many more years to come!

Congradulations to both of you.And thanks for what you do for our family PTO family...

OMG congratulations !!!! Its about time there David !!!

Congratulations, may you live happily ever after.

CONGRATS Fed-X and Princess:D Best wishes to the both of you!!!! You both look SOOO happy in the pics...thanks for sharing:yay: Hugs:p
-Jackie

Congratulations!! Thanks for sharing the pics, the ring is beautiful! :)

Although I'm new to PTO, congratulations on your engagement!!! I wish you all the best!!

OMG!:thumbsup: Way to go, Fed-X!

You two make such a beautiful couple! And it was so romantic they way you gave her the ring!

Are we ALL invited to the wedding?!?!?!?:D :eek:

:clap: Congratulations! :clap: :clap:

CONGRATULATIONS I am so HAPPY For you both, and yes if it wasnt for prison many of us would not have met our SOULMATES!!

Hugs to you both

Aww that's so very sweet the way you asked her, David! :) I am so happy for you...congratulations!! :yay: :beer:

That's pretty cool that you asked her in the Skyline Grill too, I work for Hilton reservations here in Dallas and the Hilton Americas Houston is one of the main hotels that we handle all reservations and reservation related things for. I haven't stayed there or seen it in person yet, but it looks gorgeous from the pics I've seen at work, and then the ones you posted. Awesome! :thumbsup:

Whooooo Hoooooo David aka Fed X aka Boss :) im so glad u and ur love are finally having a chance to a beautiful life together even though u havent talked to u much im glad i got a chance to congratulate you on something as special as this !!!!

As of this time (9:56pm Hawaiian Time) we have 63,927 members. I would guesstimate that by the time Fed-X and Princess gets married, we'll be over 70,000 members strong.

Think there's a church big enough to hold all of us? If not, will the Houston Astrodome do for the big wedding??? Or as an alternative, we could do like Super Bowl party style and have everyone meet at strategic spots around the world to witness The Wedding!

JUST KIDDING! Congradulations to you and Princess on your engagement.

*niiiiiice bling bling by the way!*

That is wonderful news!! Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations and Good Luck!!

How incredibly ROMANTIC!!! Absolutely love the photos:) .What a lucky couple you both are- I wish you a lifetime of happiness and love:heart: :heart: :heart: !

Congrats, you both are absolutely glowing with joy...may you have many, many times when that is true!

Many many many Congratulations being sent your way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wish you both the very best of life there is to be for now and evermore!!!!!!!!!

I haven't seen a glow like that on 2 faces for what seems like a lifetime!!! Congratulations David and Laurie!!! Wishing you a lifetime of nothing but good fortune and happiness!!! David you softy you.....Laurie is one lucky woman, just as you are one lucky man to have Laurie!!! Best wishes FOREVER!!!!
What a rock!!! wooohoooooooooooo!! Finally....HAPPY TEARS!!!!

Congratulations. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness.

cngrats best of luck in the years to come :)

god bless you both

angela

:heart: ~CONGRATS~ :heart:

May your love for each other only grow stronger and stronger!

Congratulations and many years of happiness and joy to you both!!!!

CONGRATS! :grouphug:

it's wonderful to see that everything life throws at us that's ugly (like prison) that something absolutely beautiful can come out of it!

you two look infintely joyous!

That is so awesome ! and Beautifully presented :)))))awhhhhhhhhhhhhh so sweet..
congrads.. and wishing you and princess.. a very happy healthy life together..

PEACE

Donna

Well for heaven's sake...let me put my :twocents: in here! I am loving the pictures and I just love a happy ending even more!!!!.

Congratulations, both of you!!!! Everyone is here....both of you look like you are on top of the world!
:rock: :rock: :rock: :heart: :heart: :rock: :rock: :rock:
Best of the best to the happy couple!!!

Sooooo happy for you, congratulations!!! Great presentation, it looked so beautiful!!!

Congrats David! Wishing u the best! :)

i just wanted to say congratulations on getting engaged. is there a date set yet? where are you two going to do it? let us know all the details as they come along.

sincerely, terri

Congratulations!! may you have a lifetime of love and happiness together. :heart: :blush:

Fed-X & Princess
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It is waiting for you at our card site, go ahead and see it!


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Congratulations! What a lovely romantic story. I wish you both a long and happy life together.

OMG! Congratulations :)............looks like prison has some good things about it. I just got engaged Dec 10th at my first visit to see R! December has been a good month for us! Congratulations from the bottom of my heart!

I KNEW YOU WERE GONNA DO IT!!!! Sorry, I'm late, but that doesn't mean that I'm not tickled to death about this!! I'm so excited for you two!!!Now....David, you'd better marry her quick!!! And I DO expect an invitation to the wedding.........I'll bring the 151!!Congrats to you both and I wish you a long and happy life together!!Love to you both!!Kat (in-da-hat - I got the card! You nut!)

YAHHHH!!!!!

WONDERFUL job and WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!

Do we have a wedding date yet?!?!?!

*nagging*

Jenn

Congratulations!! I am happy for you both!!:) What a way to bring in the new year.

Congratulations!!! You look great together, you stud muffin. Looks like it was a very special day for both of you and what a ring!!!
Good job.

Congrats to you both.

Congrats to both of yall!!!!! I better get an invite :) I may even let you pick me up :blah: :haha: :haha: as long as its not a rainy day LOL

Congratulations David and Laurie!! I'm so happy for you both!

Nance

CONGRATULATIONS, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL COUPLE :yes:

Ok, sorry to just get back to this thread! ;) It has been a long weekend and I've been catching my breath today. Time to jump back into PTO-Land but I first want to thank all of you for the well wishes and everything else that has been said in this thread. It puts a smile on both of our faces and I am sure Laurie and Sherry will probably be around sometime soon to say HI!

As for the Wedding date questions... That is still up in the air but we are thinking around April or May of this coming year (2006). No need to draw it out.. It's been 4 years, right!?! haha..

It feels really good sharing this moment with all of you since Laurie and my relationship is so intertwined with PrisonTalk.com considering she was there with me as it was "born" at the federal half-way house we both had to live in...

Anyway... My new years resolution (I will follow through with this one!!) is to lose about 20 lbs before my wedding date... ;) That shouldn't be too hard... Just get up off my lazy arse and eat a little smarter...

I'm off to catch up on everything else here... Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka or whatever you may be celebrating during this holiday season!

David

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!!!

aww David, im so happy for u both, U deserve the best :)

Woo Hoo Congrats Fed X & Princess!
:dance: :yay: :beer:

Congrats......Wishing nothing but happiness for you both....

Congratulations, buddy! I LOVE the ring plate, I know you scored big points with that one! :thumbsup:

Now, when can we expect little Friskies running around and underfoot? :D :p :haha:

This is great news...I am over here in tears. I am such a sucker for a good love story. CONGRATS!

Congratulations, buddy! I LOVE the ring plate, I know you scored big points with that one! :thumbsup:

Now, when can we expect little Friskies running around and underfoot? :D :p :haha:

I don't think she is down with a shotgun wedding so we'll be hard at work around the wedding date... :eek: :thumbsup: Well, I won't go there but practice never hurt anyone either.. :p (Oops, I did go there :) )

congratulations................many happy years to you both.......................

Thanks! :)

Congratulations on your engagement. I wish you both the best :)
B.T.W nice ring. :thumbsup:

Congratulations to both of you David!

May you many wonderful and joy filled years ahead.

Patti and Linda

that is exactly the kind of things that makes me cry....
happy tears.....congrads!

Congrats David and Princess I wish you well, and many many years of happiness. David, I must say...ABOUT TIME !!!!!!!!!:D

that is wonderful news......congrats I wish you both great happiness :)

Thanks again to everyone for your well wishes and blessings. :) They mean a lot to both of us and we look forward to a life together with PTO as the first born and hopefully we will have a second and maybe a third within the next few years..
It sure is wonderful having a family like all of you. :)

David

P.S. I have gone ahead and merged the Engagement thread with my Intro thread since it really is a more natural progression of my life here at PTO.

Congratulations :D That is great news and I wish you both every happiness.

CONGRATULATIONS & BEST WISHES TO YOU BOTH!!!!!:yay: :yay: :yay:


THANK-YOU SO MUCH FOR STARTING SUCH AN AWESOME SITE... PTO HAS BEEN A HUGE COMFORT TO ME, AND I AM SO HAPPY THAT I FOUND IT. :D

David, I am lighting candles at your alter! Thank you for creating this forum to give friends and family members of incarcerated individuals an opportunity to discuss important issues and reach out to help each other. If I can be of any assistance with your wedding, please let me know...I live in Houston too.

David, congratulations and the best to you both. I would also like to say thank you creating for this wonderful website. It truly is informative, and alot of people have an outlet to use to vent, seek advice or support, or just want to know they are in no way going through something alone. I just recently joined and have found so much information pertaining to my situation as well as support. God bless you.

You are very welcome.. I am glad to meet you!

Thank you for creating a site like this. I am new to the site and I have already found it very helpful. There are so many supportive people here, I would have never known. My husband was locked up for "doing his job" and a lot of people feel that he got shafted by the system. However, in not knowing much about the prison system. I am learning a lot about it just by visiting this site. I have already made a few friends and it feels good to be able to talk to people going through similar situations. So thanks again. :)

David,

I wish you both the best and all the happiness in the world. Its so wonderful to know that road was worth it for you!!!!!!!! Congrats!!!!

Again, let me take the time to thank you for making your dream a reality. For having the vision to build a common place where we all can come and not be judged by the outside world.

This truely is the premier site on the internet for 24/7/365 support and I am so glad that I found it and that I am a part of it.

You are to be given high accolades for all you do for us to make this the best community on the net.

All of my best to you, PTO and all of the many family and friends represented here.

David,
Thank you for giving us a place where we can come and chat with others thats in the same boat I'm in! It helps so much all the support that I have gotten and the many new friends that I have had the pleasure to meet!
All I can say is Well Done David and Thank You God Bless, by the way congratulations on your up comming marriage you both make a beatiful couple!!!!

**This Post thru #361 were originally their own thread, but I have decided to merge them into my introduction thread**

Well, I am officially engaged! :) I'm absolutely tired so I'm keeping this short and adding a couple pictures... ;) I'll get into the details in the AM. Bottom line is it has been a wonderful night! (If I had waited till 06 I would have been a dead man! She should have one on each finger for the 4 years she has already spent with me! :p )

David,
I'm a little late, but Congratulations! I wish you both the most happiness and best wishes...the pictures look so beautiful, you have tears in my eyes.
:)

CONGRATULATIONS & BEST WISHES TO YOU BOTH!!!!!:yay:

Congratulations David!

Thank you for all the work and time and energy you put into PTO. Its helped me understand things about the system, which I doubt I could have gotten any other way.

Jim

I was wondering since you grace the state of Texas with your masterful, knowledgable and so HOT self......are you inviting the PTO family to the wedding??
Or will we have a separate reception or a Prison Shower (oh, that sounds FUN)! We can wear the colors of prisons~~that oh so lovely neon orange / white for us texans (although that is reserved for the bride). Just a thought...anything for a PARTY!!

Congrats David!!!! May the two of you be happy and have a wonderfully long marriage.:P

Wow! Who dug this one out? LOL. Congrats to you both. Many blessings for you as well.

David, I have wrote you twice, and no reply. My Husband to be,am#7062 in Houtzdale Prison in Pa. dieded 2/7/06. Heartbroken, andall the other words go along with this. There is something real wrong going on up there. I talked to him 2/36, then he was dead. His Mother and I are wondering what happened, she is beyond her self. I haven't seen anything in the Houtzdale newspaper about him.. We both need help about this. Medicine given to My Kevin caused his kidneys to shut down and become coma -like last year. If you can't help us, then I will go to my congress-man here in Va. and get it done. if you could reply, Email removed. . Prayers to all that read and understand. God is good all the time, All the time God is good. Thank You, Ellen Louise Green/Colzie.

Hi Ellen,
I'm very sorry for your loss. Your family must be devastated. This link may help you.
http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166687
If not please visit the VA forum as you will find all of the phone #'s you may need there.
My prayers are with you and your family.
Cindy

Wow! Who dug this one out? LOL. Congrats to you both. Many blessings for you as well.

Kinda like a dirty penny... I keep turning up.. :eek: :D

I am very sorry for your loss. :(
The best way to get a hold of me is to send me a PM, though sometimes I admittedly get far behind in those as well. Please click on my name and then send me a PM.

David, I have wrote you twice, and no reply. My Husband to be,am#7062 in Houtzdale Prison in Pa. dieded 2/7/06. Heartbroken, andall the other words go along with this. There is something real wrong going on up there. I talked to him 2/36, then he was dead. His Mother and I are wondering what happened, she is beyond her self. I haven't seen anything in the Houtzdale newspaper about him.. We both need help about this. Medicine given to My Kevin caused his kidneys to shut down and become coma -like last year. If you can't help us, then I will go to my congress-man here in Va. and get it done. if you could reply, Email removed. . Prayers to all that read and understand. God is good all the time, All the time God is good. Thank You, Ellen Louise Green/Colzie.

FED-X

I was just wondering if you got a chance to check on my donation for the 2006 fundraiser. It has been a couple of weeks now, and I have not heard anything back on this. I sent $30.00 via money order. I am just wanting to make sure it has been received. Please let me know, I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks very much

John

Congrats !!! Best Wishes!! :)

:D David,
What you have done here is amazing, as I don't think you really know how many people you do help in so many ways! This forum was needed oh so long ago, But it took someone with guts to make a dream a realty and you have! I wouldn't know where to even begin to do something like this. Dreams can come true and you have proved it! I want to thank you from everyone as we all appreciate what you have done here. We have a family now that understands what each of us is going through. It can be a cold lonely world. But through PTO I have found so many friends that really do care, and people that will listen to me when I want to vent because of the system. You have done a great thing here and so much is owed to you for starting this dream. I'm sorry if I'm being long winded, but these were words that needed to be said. I wish they gave out awards for something like this as you certainly deserve one! Thanks for making a home for all of us to come to when we are feeling sad and lonely. And I am so thrilled to be a part of this wonderful staff That you have put together! I wish I had a million dollars I would donate it to PTO for everything it needs to carry on. I pray you and everybody else will always be here! Because you know I will be! That you can count on. I just want to thank you and let you know how much you mean to all of us!
Thank you again FED-X aka David our fearless leader!!:thumbsup: :p God Bless You IN your up coming marriage

:) I AM ALSO AN EX- OFFENDER AND I MET MY FIANCE BY WAY OF LETTER WRITING AND WE HAVE BEEN TOGEATHER FOR 3 YEARS. MY CLOSEST FRIEND IS A PERSON I MET IN PRISON . SHE WAS RELEASED 2 YEARS BEFORE ME. WE BY CHANCE RAN INTO EACHOTHER ON THE STREET AND WE MAKE FREQUENT VISITS TO GREENHAVEN CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, N.Y. AND WE TRY TO GIVE THEM AS MUCH SUPPORT AS POSSIBLE. KNOWING OF THE ABUSE AND BRUTALITY OF THE INMATES THAT TAKES PLACE THERE, WHICH I FOUND OUT ABOUT AS SOON AS MY FIANCE WAS MOVED THERE. I MAKE IT MY BUSINESS TO DO RESEARCH ON ALL THE FACILITIES HE MOVES TO SINCE I'VE EXPERIENCED BEING INCARCERATED FIRST HAND. I THANK YOU FOR STARTING THIS SITE. INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT AND LOTS OF THINGS GO UNSAID. MY SISTERS @ FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS FACILITY ARE STILL PETRIFIED TO SPEAK THEIR PEACE BECAUSE OF THE SEVERE REPRECUSSIONS THEY'VE HAD TO ENDURE. :thumbsup: My Name is David and I am the founding administrator of Prison Talk Online AKA www.PrisonTalk.com (http://www.PrisonTalk.com)

My interest in the Prisoner Support System is both personal and moral. I am a recently released federal prisoner who has had his eyes opened. I left behind many people with families not unlike my own., and though they are many miles away from me now, I have not forgotten them and the time we shared. PrisonTalk Online is one of the ways I want to help them, their families, and all others with an interest in prisoner support and reforming the criminal justice system effect change.

I was sentenced to 27 months in the federal prison for the charge of “felon in possession of prohibited weapon”, specifically a deer rifle. My previous felony charge was unauthorized use of a motor vehicle - “joyriding” back in 1992. 7 years later when I was close to completing the 10-year probation term imposed by my judge, I made the mistake of pawning the family deer rifle to pay off a traffic ticket, which fell under an amnesty period I wanted to take advantage of. The ATF seized the weapon after I tried to get it out of pawn and about 9 months after that I was arrested and charged. Even though I did not use the weapon in any crime or even have it on my physical possession, I was going to prison.



Voices the Prison Administrations try not to hear….

During my incarceration my family and I experienced what most inmates and their families have to deal with, very little in the way of Rights and Respect.
Our first taste was a denial of my mother’s visitation for a (FALSE) positive result from a drug “sniffer”(ionizer) detector which was later found to be grossly inaccurate but left unchecked until the warden was himself was embarrassed when he demonstrated the device and came up positive. This took place after MONTHS of turn-a-ways, some from visitors coming as far as 1400 miles… (Larry Cullum – Story in the November Coalition’s Razor Wire newspaper) Many of them wrote grievances to him and Washington but nothing changed until someone with rank in the Post Office, who was visiting a relative, was turned away due to a false positive. Why were our families numerous complaints not heard and dealt with a proper manner?

During this time period, numerous other inmates whose family and friends were denied visits due to false positives “sniffer” tests approached me about getting our families together to take action as a group. This was the point of conception for the PrisonTalk Online idea. We needed a forum where our families and those that care could come together with a united voice, one that the administration would hear better.

Visitation was only one concern. Medical is another serious problem in the prison systems. It was not uncommon to see men “fall-out” on the compound due to a stroke or heart attack and then be made to walk to the clinic. Inmates that had cuts that would obviously require stitches would be taped up because the doctor that was “on-call” didn’t want to drive to the prison. I’ve seen fingers that were broken and not properly set have to be partially amputated because of the error.. One of the worst cases was a gentleman who had surgery to remove and fuse a number of vertebrae. A few weeks after his surgery they discovered they fused and removed the wrong ones!

These are only a few examples of what inmates and the people who care about them are faced with on a daily basis. If this web site provides the medium to assist in solving only one problem facing those inside, it will be worth it.. I believe it has the potential to do much more..


Today, I spend a large part of my time turning the plans I made my cell into reality. Right now, I do this as a “hobby” in my spare time but I hope to make it a full time effort in the future.


Lastly, I want to say thank you to everyone that is working to help prisoners and their families. I was in contact with many of you during my own stay and it made a difference to know there are people on the outside that care and are working to make a difference.


David
;)

Hi Fed-Ex!

I just wanted to also thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating this "safe haven" for all of us dealing with loved ones on the inside. :heart:
I came accross this site almost by accident. My fiance is in prison, and we had been discussing marriage, but he had just got to Centinella, and was still in processing, so we had no idea where to even begin. I googled "inmate marriage" and I found PTO. Since that day I have been a regular visitor to this site, it has been very informative, and most importantly SUPPORTIVE.

Even though I haven't posted as often as I have visited, just being able to realize that there are so many others going through the same thing I am, the same feelings, the same emotions, the same hassles, the same worries, EVERYTHING, it really makes me realize that though HE is not with me, I am truly NOT ALONE. Most of my friends / acquantainces can't or WON'T understand why I love my man, and want to stay by his side. All they see is that he is in prison, end of story. Like that makes him the most evil man in the world or something. I get sick of hearing everyone's negative opinion based on their own personal biases. This site give me that place where I can come and tell my happy news, and have people be happy with me. :dance: Or a place were I can vent about worries or sadness, or loneliness and NOT have people tell me, "Well, you were the one who wanted to wait for a convict... you should have known better..." (:blah: )

Thanks again for the site! You are amazing! And I am grateful for you and this site everyday. :p

Hi and welcome to PTO.
Love, Sheila:) :D ;) :p :o :thumbsup: :yes: :hee: :wave: :yay: :dance: :beer: :hifive: :clap: :grouphug: :rock:

I was on a jury once where we convicted the man on trial of possession of a weapon by a felon. The laws are such that they don't make an exception for why the weapon is there or what the possible intended use of the weapon is. He had a really old gun that had been his grandfathers hanging on the wall as a decoration piece when he was arrested for another crime.

IMHO....I think this should be a sticky since PTO wouldn't exist without Fed-X!!! I found the story enlightening and the reasons "why" he created PTO gave me a better understanding of his thinking and what he hoped to accomplish. Job well Done Fed-X!!! From the bottom of my heart....Thank You so much for creating PTO....A safe and friendly environment to go to when the world seems dark. A place to go to to find knowledge and power to continue forward instead of being a road bump in life to the justice system!!!

You are very welcome.

IMHO....I think this should be a sticky since PTO wouldn't exist without Fed-X!!! I found the story enlightening and the reasons "why" he created PTO gave me a better understanding of his thinking and what he hoped to accomplish. Job well Done Fed-X!!! From the bottom of my heart....Thank You so much for creating PTO....A safe and friendly environment to go to when the world seems dark. A place to go to to find knowledge and power to continue forward instead of being a road bump in life to the justice system!!!

My apologies for anyone I didn't respond to. I've been on an extended leave of sorts and when around didn't even think to look at this thread.

David

Dear David,
WOW, you are an amazing man. You made something POSITIVE out of what sounded like utter hell.
Thank you for your courage in sharing and starting PTO.
I am grateful, and encouraged to see how you shine, regardless of what you were dealt
Thanks again

Hello there bro-sorry to hear you had such problems with thr federalies, my friend was in the pto chat rooms and he was treated like crap because the ladies there did not appreciate him being there, all he was trying to do is chat and enjoy the privileges of the pto chat rooms, it makes me really mad that some ladies would treat him so badly, being cruel, yes, I should not cry about it, I am dealing with enough on my own here with my man in si9de the system but I am the one that asked my friend to join pto in the first place, he told me that he was going to close his account because of afew female members, he is a nice guy actually and would never harm anyone.

i just discovered this site yesterday and am learning how to use it. my brother is locked up in Darrington Unit. he's got about 7 yrs. he's in a 1 man cell & he's begging for letters. I have another "brother" who is in Smith unit & he has a half brother who was just transferred to Gurney unit from Hutchins & I have a friend who is in Hughes unit. im just looking for ppl to talk w about different units & hopefully you or I may know someone who knows someone who knows someone who may know who we are in contact with!:thumbsup:

My problems with the feds are long past and I hope they stay that way.. :thumbsup:

As for your friend in the chat room.. I don't know what may or may not have transpired, but the ladies in this community are almost always top-notch.. Loving, caring, quick to share information and support... Rarely is anyone "aggressive", or treat people like crap unless it is first extended to them.. Again, I don't know the situation.. Just a general statement of the membership here..

Your friend might want to contact support@prisontalk.com and spell out the situation. If they were hounded and treated badly, it is definitely something that will be reviewed and acted upon if there were policy violations that took place.

Outside of that... Welcome to the community. Glad you found us.

David


Hello there bro-sorry to hear you had such problems with thr federalies, my friend was in the pto chat rooms and he was treated like crap because the ladies there did not appreciate him being there, all he was trying to do is chat and enjoy the privileges of the pto chat rooms, it makes me really mad that some ladies would treat him so badly, being cruel, yes, I should not cry about it, I am dealing with enough on my own here with my man in si9de the system but I am the one that asked my friend to join pto in the first place, he told me that he was going to close his account because of afew female members, he is a nice guy actually and would never harm anyone.

Welcome to the community... Glad you found us.

One of my best friends did time in Darrington back in the 80's.. Not the Hilton.. At least back then..

If your brother (etc) is looking for pen-pals, you might want to scan down the forums to the pen-pal section and share his info there..

Take care,
David


i just discovered this site yesterday and am learning how to use it. my brother is locked up in Darrington Unit. he's got about 7 yrs. he's in a 1 man cell & he's begging for letters. I have another "brother" who is in Smith unit & he has a half brother who was just transferred to Gurney unit from Hutchins & I have a friend who is in Hughes unit. im just looking for ppl to talk w about different units & hopefully you or I may know someone who knows someone who knows someone who may know who we are in contact with!:thumbsup:

:thumbsup: Wow, this is funny, I did 13 1/2 years and started to put together in there ideas of making a website just like this but called something alittle different. Keep up the work man.

Dear David,

Almost every day, I pit stop into the "Welcome to PTO" forum to see how many new people have found their way here. It is with abiding gratitude of the first order that I am ever so glad you decided to create and maintain this site.

The fears, the laughter, the joys and sorrows of so many echo throughout these pages (lack of better term). I don't think there is a book or movie or YouTube video that will ever be able to capture the impact that your decision has had in the lives of so many.

No, I am not selling anything or looking for anything, just sending you a (rather inadequate) thank you. I will be part of PTO for a while yet; I am the one who will be waiting 10 years on "the outside," and year 1 is just drawing to a close.

Mme Homard

Dear David,

I never would have thought (two years ago) that I would ever have anything to do with anyone who had ever broken any law let alone "done a day of time."

My name is Michelle and I am the single mother of four children who has been homeless four times now over the past ten years. My second husband touched my daughter inappropriately almost ten years ago and after the trial and conviction the "fun" has not stopped.

I have had a heart of stone it seems.

That is until a day only two years ago now. I had bought a piece of shit trailer for $ 2,000. Replaced alot of the floors, and disconnected the furnace because of electrical problems such as flames and smoke.

When the winter rolled around in Arkansas it was an all time record breaking cold. Of course my water pipes broke in several places. The kids had broken a few windows and I was unable to hold a job because my oldest son (12 at that time) had to be hauled in and out of court almost on a weekly basis.

What I'm getting at is just this, when things were at their all-time worst for me, I asked my friend Becky to get me a pen-pal. All I wanted was somebody to write to, someone who could not intruded into our lives--that I could keep away for my children if I chose.

When I asked for a pen-pal, I never dreampt that he could or would become anything of true importance in my life.

I am alive today because of my friend. Someone who over the course of the last 16 months has caused me to open my eyes to a whole new world where the focus is not only on our own little troubles or the world as I had seen it, but on the big picture.

Now, after many years, long and lost I have a life filled with God. Not because of anyone I have ever known, but because of the small quiet voice of the stranger who has grown into someone I truly love and want to be a part of my full life.

Gregory is a man worth waiting what will be a full 50 years of life when he is released almost ten years from now.

I only hope is that when I die, I hope someone will be able to say the same for me.

Michelle Stebbins

Hello to all:

To Fed-X (David) - thank you for this website. My fiance is currently facing 6 years for an old drug charge (with a mandatory 3 to serve). He's totally turned his life around since he became clean (21 months now) but you gotta answer for what you did in the past so we can move on with our new lives.

Just know that this site will truly help me pass these next years and I thank you in advance,

God Bless you,

*~Meri~*

David,
Thank-you for starting this site and the hepful info here..I met a wonderful man several months ago and he purposed the day before he was picked up on a warrant. Since he's been in he has turned his life around thanks to God and I would like to say my understanding that what had happened to him in his past was just that..it does not reflect upon the person that he is today. I have written to him everyday since he has gone in and mail what I term as pkgs..lol...because I write 18 pg letters..lol.
He has told me when he is able to call that it helps keep him going. He gets a kick out of the stories that I share with him and I try to add as much hummor in my letters as I can, since I know that it is hard enough for him to be there. I.E. his birthday was this past monday..when I wrote him I told him that when he gets out at the end of next month we would celebrate his birthday and I would buy party hats and party favors..lol.. I also told him I would bake him a cell cake...at least he could eat his way out of it...lol. But then I had several other ideas for cakes too. He has come to accept Christ in his life since he's been in and is looking forward to our wedding as soon as we can arrange it. I also wrote a story and since he shares much of my letters with his cellmate I included them both in the story...it seems that it was the hit of cell block..lol..everybody has him writing and asking when is the next installment to the book..lol. Just thought that I would share this with you and thanks again for the site and the info that I have found very useful.

Hello David, I am from DFW, Texas and my husband was just incarcerated without a hearing and sentenced to nine months for possession of a controlled substance under a gram, due to the fact that he had previously did time in another state. I have never heard of a grand jury sentencing someone without them being in court before and I wonder if this is something that can be appealed or not. He was not on any type of probation or anything at the time of arrest. We are new to this state and the laws here are very different than I have ever seen before. I do want to say i am glad to have found this site as I have found some very useful information to hopefully assist us through this crisis. Lynette

David, in honor of mother's day tomorrow, I would strongly suggest you make a space in the intro page. This change in the intro page is confusing.... can u simplify it?

Former inmate 1972 - 1076. Reformed.

Own travel service. Just had a liver transplany and been going over my past. Guess I just wanted to stay in touch

eddie:)

I myself was incarcerated for 5yrs and had 5yrs probation to follow. While on probation I met my husband who has also just been released from prison for the 2nd time. Since we have been together for the last 8 yrs he has been back to prison 3 times, several trips to the county, and countless court days. Before his third trip to prison we got married in the county jail before he was shipped off to Lake Butler. It has been utter hell on the relationship but has made us both stronger and hopefully when he comes home in October from his latest 1yr sentence he will stay home with help and support from friends and family here at prison talk. I know we both have a lot of advice and information to share. Maybe save someone from the drama we've already been through. I have now started a transportation program for families of inmates in Region II Florida Prisons because I personally know how it feels to not have visits or be able to get to my loved one. Thanks prison talk family for the support.

If there is usice I really would like to know

justice

My nephew is currently in prison at the Polunsky Unit in Texas. He's not on death row, he is serving his 9th year of a 10 year sentence for assault.

He recently lost a finger while performing his job as a janitor on death row. A faulty door sucked him in and cut off most of the ring finger on his right hand. They did not adminster the IV properly at the prison hospital so he was rushed to a nearby hospital. He lost his finger. My sister is desperate to find an attorney to take the case. Most of them won't because Ryan was not a concert pianist in his former life so the most they can get is $10,000. The attorney would take half of that. The money is not the issue. It's the fact that several work orders were filled out prior to my nephew losing his finger. Guess what? It finally got fixed.

Ryan's case stems from a domestic dispute that got way out of control. Ryan should have never hit the mother of his child, but we are having a hard time he shoule lose 10 years of his life AND an appendage.

To add insult to injury, the parole board will not let him out until he agrees to sign a document as a registered sex offender. He WAS NEVER CHARGED, TRIED NOR CONVICTED ON any sex crimes.

My sister is about to lose her mind and is not quite as computer literate as I am (I know how to log on:)). Can any of you point us in the right direction? Or does any of your loved ones in the Polunsky Unit recall this accident? It happened on June 17th around 10 pm.

Many thanks! I'm so happy to find a place like this to vent and learn.

Kathy

David,

By the way, I meant to say thanks for starting this forum, I just got caught up in Ryan's story. My heart breaks for him. Here he is a great kid, but somewhat of a magnet...you know what kind. Anyway, as they have him chained up, the nurse at the hospital looks afraid and Ryan tells her, "maam, you don't have anything to be afraid of." Later, she realizes what a great kid he is and tells him to call her if he needs anything. He smiles and says "Anything?" She was an older lady so it made her laugh.

Okay, I'm getting off track again. God Bless you.

Hello,

I have wanted to get involved in some way for many years but I don't have direction or information on what I can do.

I am from northern CA. Any advice or information on ways to get involved would be great. I came across this website by accident, looking into Crescent City, CA for places to stay; I was planning to explore the area in a few weeks- I live in the Bay Area. Anyhow, I read an article on Pelican Bay and found this site and started reading some of the posts. So in some strange way I am here and leaving this post!

Thank you for sharing your story,

Kashia

Thankyou for your introduction :)!

I share great concren for inmate health care and have been saddened and maddened to realise animals at the pound would probably get better quality health care :mad:!

From the other side of the world (ie Australia) I look forward to getting to know people and also in sharing and learning experiences :thumbsup:!

Cheers to you all! :D

hi my name is amy. New to this my husband just went to sfrc but has been in prison two times already. But this is my first time dealing with this.I have a couple of questions maybe someone can help. The most imporant one is about vists i am on felony probation for the same thing that my husband is in there for. will they deni my vist for this even kniw we are married. and i have a baby on the way with him some one please help.

David, this is the first time I've read your intro. Never even dawned on me to look for it! Thanks for putting the site together it has been a tremendous help!! :)

My name is Rebecca and my husband Leroy is on the Polunsky Unit. I joined the site because I am hungry for information. I know nothing about prison or the system, or the conditions there. I'm beginning to see that I'm in for a rude awakening.

Thanks for being here.

edited to add: Sorry, I'm in Conroe Texas and he's in Livingston TX

Hi Anna,

Nice to meet you and welcome to PTO! Be sure and drop by the Texas forums.. We have a huge contingent of people, many of who live in and around Houston. I used to live in Conroe for a little while back in the late 90's, and practically spent summers on the Lake. I grew up off 1960 & I-45 in North Houston.

Take care,
David

David, this is the first time I've read your intro. Never even dawned on me to look for it! Thanks for putting the site together it has been a tremendous help!! :)

You are very welcome... Nice to meet you!

hi my name is amy. New to this my husband just went to sfrc but has been in prison two times already. But this is my first time dealing with this.I have a couple of questions maybe someone can help. The most imporant one is about vists i am on felony probation for the same thing that my husband is in there for. will they deni my vist for this even kniw we are married. and i have a baby on the way with him some one please help.

Hi Myangale,

That really depends on the warden of the institution. What you do have going for you is that you are married, which actually does count quite often in cases like yours, even when you may have caught the same case together.

I'd recommend visiting the State Forum here at PTO wherever you and he are located. I see Key West in your profile, and I am guessing that would be Florida? Scroll down from the main PTO forum page until you reach the Florida forums (if I was right on key west - if not find the right state) and make a new post requesting more information on this.

First stop for me would be contacting the warden of his prison and your probation officer about this, but others might have better info.

Welcome to PTO!

David

Hi Kashia,

Nice to meet you. My first stop would be the California forums here. They have a very active and large group of members covering just about all prisons and issues. You can scroll down on the main forum list until you see California and then click into it.

David


Hello,

I have wanted to get involved in some way for many years but I don't have direction or information on what I can do.

I am from northern CA. Any advice or information on ways to get involved would be great. I came across this website by accident, looking into Crescent City, CA for places to stay; I was planning to explore the area in a few weeks- I live in the Bay Area. Anyhow, I read an article on Pelican Bay and found this site and started reading some of the posts. So in some strange way I am here and leaving this post!

Thank you for sharing your story,

Kashia

My name is Rebecca and my husband Leroy is on the Polunsky Unit. I joined the site because I am hungry for information. I know nothing about prison or the system, or the conditions there. I'm beginning to see that I'm in for a rude awakening.

Thanks for being here.

edited to add: Sorry, I'm in Conroe Texas and he's in Livingston TX


((Hugs)) Glad you made it to PTO Anna, you will find this place a never ending vat of very much needed information and more support and friends than you could shake a stick at.
Over in the Texas forum there are lots of resources. If you need any help over there please feel free to PM me(private message). There are also moderators and research assistants there too. Our favorite thing here on this site is to help and support others so please PLEASE take advantage of everything thats here.
If you just need someone to listen, be a friend Im here for that too! I dont know how long your journey through this will be, but here on PTO you will find you are not alone. I live in your area sort of. Im around the Northeast area...close to Deerbrook Mall. Am very familiar with Livingston as well.

Cin

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you, David that you had this great idea to create this forum. By the time you have thought about and created it, I had no idea that one day such a place would be of interest for me. But well, since not quite 1 1/2 years this topics here are of great concern to me since the man that I have grown to love during that time is on death row in Texas.
I have learned a lot by reading mostly and am fairly new. I am German and have been over to Texas a few times for visits so I have come to know a bit about how things work over there.
This is a great place and I have seen many wonderful people post here. It surely is very much needed. So thank you for this great idea and thank you for the possibility to be a part of this community.:)

David I know its been said a million times before but thank you so much for this site I wish I had found it sooner because till now I have been learning things trial and error!!! My hunny is in a Federal Prison Camp (Williamsburg SC) and has 6 years to go :( and its hard especially since 1. We have never had to go through this before and 2. Not even my closest friends or family really understand how I feel. Thank you for this!!!

David,

I could never say THANK YOU enough for this amazing site you created. I stumbled upon it while trying to find info when I first realized that my fiancé would be going to prison instead of doing time in county like normal. Unfortunately both he and I knew the ropes for county but had no idea what was in store for him in state prison. I wish I could say that this site eased my mind about it all but it didn't; it did however give me the honest truth about it. And I’m sure that like many others, your site has been the only REAL support I have had during this confusing, scary and lonely period of time. I’m grateful for the members and how open and honest they all are. At times, this site is the only place I can share or vent without the fear of judgment and looks of disapproval (like those from my "friends and family").
So from the bottom of my heart... THANK YOU DAVID.
And Thank you to all the PTO members as well.

I also want to thank you for this forrum. I wish I had known of it forever ago. My Man has been in now for 11+ years with 3 years and 4 months left. All the support I can find is forever welcome. Thankyou ALL

i use to think maybe i was the only guy that got in trouble that is on the intrenet. boy was i wrong! there are a lot of smart "cons" and familys of convicts that care. i dont feel as alone any more!

Thank you Fed-X for this place! you prove they werent right about us all being "losers".

toby

:)

Thank you so much for your story. I'm quite new here and to the prison system, especially the system in Arkansas. I'm not finding much information about the place my fiancee is at, but I am learning how fortunate I should feel because his term is much shorter than those who are facing much more time apart from their family and friends than he is.

Very interesting site. I can't wait to get familiar enough with it to join in. There are good stories and important issues. The general public has no clue of what really happens behind bars. It is up to us to get the message out.

hi i am mary77 an my fiance is in minnesota correctional Facility How is every one ?

David, were you able to do anything about the lawyer with ineffective counsel?

David, were you able to do anything about the lawyer with ineffective counsel?

I wish I could say that I did, but I did not follow through the way I should have..

Thank you for your article, this seems to happen in every state of the union. My daugher is in prison in Michigan for falling asleep at the wheel, the other driver was killed. She has a serious closed head injury and was just learning how to walk again. Since going to prison she is back in a wheel chair, they have taken most of her med's away, because the state will not pay for them. She is hanging in their because of her faith in God. It always makes us feel a little better when we know our family member is not the only one suffering.

at leasr iam going to a support group tommorrow night in my state ill fine out more question ?? an answer for families with love ones in side nithing in minnesota as thatr goes odbudsoman for prisoners it gone except ACLU that good for all of us god bless

I do not have any relatonship with prison system but I like to help people so I come here read and learn from everybodys knloge and expirience,
you said there are many people in federal prision for Internet crime, I did not even know internet crime is federal crime.
where can I find more about this?
Good luck and Thank you.

I'm new to this Prison Talk, Not new to things that go on n the prison. I have a deep concern for those in prison. I truly don't know why as of yet but for the past 4 yrs now the good Lord above has burden my heart for those in prisons. With out saying to much, I have a daughter that has a b/f that is spending time in LaGrange. Sometimes I wish I didnt know what all went on in Federal Prisons. I'm raising a child whose parents are now serving time in prison for drug use and for selling. I am also raising a child whose mother is a drug addict. Some times I ask why me Lord. I've read a bit on David's remarks and my heart goes out to those who do go through this. Mind u not all do. The one good thing about this site if it helps others to understand or feel a lil closer to their love ones then this is good. Some times we feel so helpless.

HI everyone! My man is in Lebanon Correctional in Ohio. He is there until May 4, 2014. I am hoping to find the courage and strength to cope with all of this through this board. I have visited this site many times over the last few months and have learned some interesting things. So if there is anyone else in Ohio hit me up....well anyone can hit me up! I need all the friends I can get at this time! Good luck to all of you out there and God bless!
Beth

my nane is Bill billlivs beAUSE BILL WILL LIV FOR LONG:angry:

Hello friends, this is a nice forum to visit. It is definite that the people who are feeling bored can post their problems and get solved in minutes.
--------------------
Jack Steven

Hey David,

Thanks for the site...I was released two months ago and didn't quite make it home, I had to clean up a former case pending in another county. So after an extra month and now on Parole and Probation with former X-Fed stuff I've finally made it to the ole Casa.
I just wanted to say that here in Texas some of the Units are in such deplorable condition that they really should be condemned by regular state standards...they have a commission that is now checking the units for standards...but guess what ACA as its called is ran by former Texas wardens and officers. LMAO on that one..the last unit I was in was the oldest Unit in Texas (1919 yr.) Retrieve, with a name change to Wayne Scott...due to Retrieve being condemned a few years back. Anyway enough of the Rants and Raves glad to be home with family and great site I will post Often.

in response to the medical problems in Prisons, I have to add that when my Friend was in the county jail he was asked to play volleyball (it was the police against inmates) but Brian was asked and afraid to refuse to be on the police officers side. so he tried it a few games until in a game, his nose was broke and he was only allowed to see the jail Doctor one time, and they did nothing for him not even a tylenol. he was then sent on to prison, and now his nose is crooked to one side and not to mention he can not breath out one side and very little on the other side, he has been refused medical attention while in prison and told he would have to get the county where it happened at to fix his nose. we have contacted them and they just wont answer us. isnt there a time limit on them having to help him? and are they waiting till they dont have to fix it? this is sad because he has been having severe headaches and with the heat it has been hard for him to breath. he will be out in March do you know if there is a time limitation on this kind of problem...?

Hi! I am from New Orleans, LA. I have been in a three (almost 4 in January) year relationship. My boyfriend is currently incarcerated and has been since July 21, 2008. He was sentenced to five years, but with the new LA law, (35 for 30) hopefully he will be home in less than two years!

Hello I am new and I am not sure if I am doing this right. Would some one please let me know? I would greatly appreciate it.

:)Hello I have a son that is in Holmes Correctional Institution in Bonifay, fl. and I am worried to death about him. If anyone has a son, husband, friend, relative, or know anyone that is there I would appreciate it if you would let me know.
I have also read that it is one of the worst prisons that they could have sent him too. I pray for everyone that a loved oned in any jail or priso and I am not sure just what I should and should not say in this forum. It is really hard for me becuase you never know who might use the information on this site against those you care and love.
I hope that you will understand how I feel and help me to get past this.

Thanks,

Hello, my name is Robyn and my son is presently in prison at olmes Correctional Ins. and I would like to get to know someone that has a loved one that is there also. I am new to this forum and I would like to thank you david for starting this forum. I have a feeling that it will and has helped a lot of people in a lot of ways.
I would also like information on this prison.

thank you
robyn:)

*tears* and thank you so much for creating this site! I'm a mother of a 22 yr old inmate in Illinois and I NEED this site and the support I feel I can gain from it! My son told me that they put him in seg for something they found that he wasn't involved in while incarcerated. He states there are roaches and rats and that they only allow him a shower once a week! The food isn't fit for a dog -I hate the decision he made to get him locked up but I feel that this is all inhumane! I had my child when I was only 16. Now, I have his 4 yr old sister and sometimes his daughter who is also 4 asking me when he is coming home and crying for him--what do you say? I have taken them to see him but now he's not allowed visitors and we haven't seen him for many months.

Welcome to PTO. I have no doubt that you will get a great deal of support and compassion from this site. You might go to the "Hear to Hear You" thread as there are alot of mothers as well as spouses and significant others with little ones who can probably answer any ?'s about how they handle the situation and how they explain it to their children. I know this is a very hard road for you but I can tell you that as one of many on this website I am blessed that I found it. Its helped me so much. Take care and stay strong. He will survive!!!

Hello!!!

My BF was stopped for friendly conversation (according to the police report) while walking home from the store.. "He was acting nervous :rolleyes::rolleyes:so they decided to search him".. He had a pistol on him,:mad: and had recently been released for a drug charge... I know, real smart decision:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:.. He got 2 yrs tdc time..His PRD is March 23,2008...Hopefully he is learning as we all are from our mistakes, and Hopefully he'll be home sooner!! For now he resides in MINERAL WELLS, TX.....

Thanks for reading!!!:):):)

Hello, my name is Robyn and my son is presently in prison at olmes Correctional Ins. and I would like to get to know someone that has a loved one that is there also. I am new to this forum and I would like to thank you david for starting this forum. I have a feeling that it will and has helped a lot of people in a lot of ways.
I would also like information on this prison.

thank you
robyn:)

hello robyn. welkom and I am sorry about your son in prison. I am also a mother with a son in prison, we are in Arizona. my son has a 25-life sentence. I cant answer any Florida questions, just wanted to welcom you and invite you to the parents forum. we are all parents there, and you will meet a lot of friends, get understanding, encouragement, support and prayers. come on over & dont be shy. :)

d'gal

Thank you, David, for creating this resource. My fiance is about to be incarcerated and, until recently, I had not thought much about prisons/prisoners beyond the intellectual level ( the US incarcerates a far higher portion of our citizens than other countries). Now, it's personal, and I've become aware of this huge portion of our brothers and sisters who are forgotten, "desaparacidos". Invisible to the rest of "us" who are unaware of their plight. I want to help facilitate change, not only for my guy; but for everyone, for justice and compassion. I hope to discover a venue in which to help. Meanwhile, I am scared for my guy, and this forum may provide some comfort to me, as it has to others. Thank you. Paz

I began searching specific questions I had about TDCJ because my boyfriend is on his way there for the 1st time. Prisontalk.com frequently showed up within the results. I started reading many of the Postings and decided that this website would help me get more of an understanding of what Prison is really like. We are both greatly traumatized by the situation. Neither one of us are "trouble makers". We lived "normal" lives prior to this recent circumstance. I have strongly advised him to fight it but he is afraid to get a longer sentencing than what was offered. He has never even been on Probation for a criminal charge and he only has a mild record of common things, like DWIs and theft by checks. This recent 1st degree Felony charge has sent us for a loop, especially when his own "paying" attorney suddenly began acting like the DA. He was pushed up against a wall, pressured, and had fear of a longer sentencing imbedded into him. All this was done within an hour on a court date that was suppose to be a "reset" hearing. We never saw it coming! He got a raw deal!! This website has real people with real stories and advice from experiences. As much as I hate to read unfortunate experiences from others, its reality and I'm afraid for my boyfriend. Thanks for the "Reality Website" for us waiting on Loved ones.

Hi David -

Thank you for creating this website. My brother was just recently incarcerated. He was involved in an accident over 8 months ago and was just sentenced about a week and a half ago.

The last 8 months have been devastating for my brother, family, the community and so many more. You see, four young men were killed the night of the accident and my brother was behind the wheel of the other car. We are from a small community and this accident has changed all of our lives forever.

My brother was sentenced to 24 years in the Ohio prison system. My family, including my brother, have never really been in any kind of trouble. So, this all has been very difficult to understand and cope with.

I want to make sure that my brother is taken care of and that in this, the next phase of his life, goes as smoothly as it can. He is 23 years old now and so that sentence that he is facing (that we are all facing) is almost impossible to swallow.

I am so glad that I found this site. I hope I can find help for my family here and also help others in the future. Thank you again!
Amy

David, My first time on this site. I haven't looked around much yet but already I can see what a good thing you have done here. I have been involved in the prison system now for more than 5 years. Before my sons were incarcerated, for the same offense (one got 4 years, and the other 12....go figure) I was afraid of prisons. I was known to move my family because one was being built close to home. Since I was forced, againt my will to become a part of the system, I no longer share the same fears. Now my fears lie in the prison administration. I firmly believe our system needs to have a major overhaul. The problem is that no one is aware of the severity of the problems with the system, unless they are involved in it. We need to find ways to open the eyes of society. Thank you for all you are doing here. Look forward to the info I will gain, and hope in some way I can help. Sandy

well hello, my son's father is in the gurney unti for right now ion Texas. On his visition list he listed me as his sister by mistake and he is trying to see if he can change it to wife common law. Does anyone know how I can get a form or a letter template tht he can sign while in prison so that this can be changed.

David, I cannot thank you enough for this site! I joined in 2004, but didn't really get active until this year. I have just ventured out and found you, started reading your story. It is similar to my son's. This site is wonderful, filled with all kinds of info and you are wonderful for creating it for all of us. I don't know what I would do without PTO! We can all be a voice for each other and maybe our voices will eventually get heard if we yell loud enough! Thank you so much!! Debbie :thumbsup:

Thank you David!
I just found this site. My son was caught on an internet "Sting". This is so crazy! Even before this I felt we were headed to a police state, now I am sure we are and after reading may of the posts, I see it is in may other states, besides Ohio! He received 5 years for a victimless crime! New judge wants to get elected in 18 months, plus another judge there gave a guy probation with no jail time and there was a lot of backlash. He is now in Lorain Correctional waiting to go to Madison, then his parent institution, which will probably be Grafton or Belmont. His paperwork isn't correct. The "F" are wrong and I am hitting one wall after another to get them fixed. Even though the court dockets says to change them, the records office in Lorain says they can't do anything unless it comes from the courts! I guess we will have to get an attorney to get it fixed. His attorney was a waste! Wouldn't return phone calls and admitted to me that he didn't do a good job for my son!
Thankfully there have been some very helpful people along the way, mostly people who are in my position. Our family has never dealt with anything like this. It is very confusing and frustrating.
I will keep looking around and hopefully, find a place here that will have some information to help us.
Thanks again!

Hey, good job on the site. I heard about it while i was in Jesup Ga. (at the camp). I am on a 7 day furghlough, and I have to go back and finish at least 6 more months.Charged with conspiricey to steal us gov property,theift of us gov property. Back to the site, it's nice that you are helping all the families deal with the hurt and the questions they have about the prison system. One question for ya, a bullitan was put up about a bill for work-good-time for fed inmates. Any word on that ? I seen the crack law take affect, and the last chance,oops I mean the second chance act go thru, maybe this new bill will pass too. Keep up the web-site Peace...:D

I just thought I would notate in here that today I changed my PTO user name from Fed-X to my real first name: David

I'm confused... 1st Patty now you..

wow lots of changes going on

I would like to thank you for this website. My lover just go to Beaumont. I am petrified. This site will keep me posted. Thank you very much!
Tracy

You have truly blessed the lives of many with this site. Thank you & May God bless you time and again :)

Thanks so much David this gives me so much hope for my brother

Dear David,

Thank you for sharing and contributing your experience. I'm sorry for you and anyone/everyone else here who has been hurt and/or treated unjustly by any law enforcement or prison system.
My son is in a Texas prison and I have never been able to visit him there because I live very far away and have several other children to care for, along with a husband in Iraq (his 5th deployment).
My son will be released this year. I write him letters and put money on his books, but he has only been able to call home one time in nearly 2 years.
He spent a year at a county jail in Texas, and he will be at Woodville nearly 2 before his release.
I don't want to be selfish and I do try so hard not to make this about me, but I end up doing that anyway.
I've never been so scared or prayed so much in my life.
I go over in my head 'what could I have done differently so this would never have happened?'
I want to help my son as much as I can now and after his release. I am scared. My worst fear is that he will get locked up again. I believe in my son and know him to be a decent and good person. But there are a lot of good and decent people locked up; some for a very long time.
I have no way of knowing what he is thinking except for what he writes in his letters, which are sporadic (I understand he may be able to write less if he is working, busy, etc) and I have no idea of his mindset. I know he is counting the days and it must be so hard to just get through the time. I try to convey our love and support through letters and keep things very positive.
What I don't say is how horribly his incarceration has affected his entire family because I know no one is more affected than he is.
Moreover, we all make mistakes every day and no one is better than anyone in that respect. I can't help wondering, though, what turned him so much that he began making one poor choice after another.
I guess it doesn't matter now, but I do think about it because it has already happened and I don't know what to expect now. I want/try to remain postive for everyone's sake (I don't cry in front of the kids) but I am terrified of the effect that his sentence may have had on him, and worry that it may hinder his future.
Keeping his incarceration undisclosed to most family and outsiders has been an extra burden. My extended family has disowned us because of it, so there is not the support we desperately need.
Again I'm focusing on me/us, and I apologize.
Thank you for helping to create such a useful resource in your website.
I appreciate all of you.

I'm new to this site and also to the prison community. Thank you so much for this site and all of the people that help. Keep up the good work and I will try to be as good of a friend to you all as you have been to me in this trying time.
Thanks again, Pat

Hi my name is Christy and I am currently standing by a man who is serving a 7yr. sentence.It's terribly hard to watch knowing that some real corrupt people have total control of the situation.Something you said hit home with me,you see we both caught the same cases together.He did what alot of men wouldn't these day's,he shouldered the charges.So in light of this I'm alone and when I couldn't find anywhere to turn I got online.I can't believe I actually found this place.My family would really like for me to just keep moving forward with my life,be grateful to him but realize that we are probably simply "no good"together due to our past so out of respect I never bring his situation up.They could never know how bad that makes me feel.But I guess I will never really be able to truly grasp ho bad I made them feel when they had to stand by me while I lived the way I did.I'm pretty sure they know I can't or won't turn my back on this man...I just can't,I'm not made that way.I wish I could look at this as a life lesson and turn to run but he has to sit there everyday w/o that option and for some reason it only intensifies my feelings for him.I have no desire to be w/anybody.Sitting here alone sucks but I just can't help but think of him and where he is.I'm rambling I know so I guess that it's time to say what I set out to say,Thank you so much!I'm sure there are other woman out there who this is going to help as well as myself.

Thank you so much David for starting this site. It is truly a blessing. I came upon it by accident yesterday and wanted so bad to chat with a few of the families that have relatives in prison in Georgia. I thank God for you and the great work you have done. My brother was recently sent off to the diagnostic prison. It breaks my heart into pieces. I just hope each day for the best. He should be aways for almost 10 years. THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN

ty for this site.

[For the sake of moral justification and perspective, I tell you that the trial record states that the death in this case, resulted from the assault by 3 drug dealers upon this 1 inmate, who defended himself to excess.]

This email is being sent on behalf of an inmate who cannot access the web. I have chosen this web site after great frustraton and much dissappoinment with the NJ Criminal Justice System. That is, not only, the Court system, but also, the many affilated entities designed to help keep the system fair and honest. Many lawyers, legislators, advocate groups and micscellaneous others, have been told about this case, without success, to date.

HERE GOES:

I know of the 1983 murder case (State v. Merola) and (Merola v. NJDOC) where the inmate has probably been eligible for release since 2001, but remains imprisoned until 2013, unless something is done.

Merola was sentenced to a term of 30 years without parole eligibility. However, his sentenced provided: "to be released in accordance with law". Good time and work credit must be to what that refers. As a practical matter, it make sense to have some such leveraged control over inmates, and incentives for safety, alone. As a matter of fact, Merola was first credited with good time and work credit, but later, the DOC rescinded it, by interpreting the statute differently. That seems like unlawful legislation by administration.

Unfortunately, in 1995, Essex County Judge Villanueva concluded that the sentence was essentially a "mandatory minimum 30 " . Notwithstanding, that, for years Merola has been trying to explain the defect in the logic used to reach that conclusion, however, to no avail. I have tried to help him "pro bono", to no avail. I know he has some funds available to him, I think they would be better spent on people, like you, who really want to see justice served.

My question has been this:
If it was the NJ legislature's intent, that everyone sentenced under that prevailing 2C 11:3b part of the murder statute, is required to serve a mandatory minimum term of 30 years, without parole eligibility,( i.e. before early release), why is that part of the sentence that states: "to be released in accordacnce with law" (without parole), in there too? You see, the other part of the murder statute, that mandates "shall" serve 30 years to life without parole is sufficient to mandate everyone sentenced for murder, to do a 30 year minimum, before release. Therefore, the inclusion of the language under part "b" must contemplate release before 30 years, without parole, (e.g. with "good time and work credit".)

It is noteworthy, in around 2000, long after this inmate raised that point, the NJ legislature has corrected the language of that sentence to now mandate, 30 years minimum incarceration, under all parts of the murder statute, for everyone. However, that seems "ex post facto" (i.e. after the fact) as it applies to inmate Thomas Merola, who was sentenced in 1984 for a 1983 murder, long before the statutory correction. Is that not an illegal sentence issue?

There is more to be said, especially the "what ifs", however, I'll first
wait to see if you are interested in hearing more from me or Merola. You may send a letter directly to the inmate Merola, for any reason, including moral support, to:

Thomas Merola 76925/765890
Northern State Prison
PO Box 2300
Newark, NJ 07114

Please pass it on! Pay it forward! Time is of the essence! :angry::angry::angry:

[David even tho your story is a sad one I personaly think that God put you through all of that so you could be of a great help to others. This program that you have started has been a great help to many people who are hurting and suffering because of different curcumstances.So Thank you and God Bless and keep you.






quote=David;310443]My Name is David and I am the founding administrator of Prison Talk Online AKA My interest in the Prisoner Support System is both personal and moral. I am a recently released federal prisoner who has had his eyes opened. I left behind many people with families not unlike my own., and though they are many miles away from me now, I have not forgotten them and the time we shared. PrisonTalk Online is one of the ways I want to help them, their families, and all others with an interest in prisoner support and reforming the criminal justice system effect change.

I was sentenced to 27 months in the federal prison for the charge of “felon in possession of prohibited weapon”, specifically a deer rifle. My previous felony charge was unauthorized use of a motor vehicle - “joyriding” back in 1992. 7 years later when I was close to completing the 10-year probation term imposed by my judge, I made the mistake of pawning the family deer rifle to pay off a traffic ticket, which fell under an amnesty period I wanted to take advantage of. The ATF seized the weapon after I tried to get it out of pawn and about 9 months after that I was arrested and charged. Even though I did not use the weapon in any crime or even have it on my physical possession, I was going to prison.



Voices the Prison Administrations try not to hear….

During my incarceration my family and I experienced what most inmates and their families have to deal with, very little in the way of Rights and Respect.
Our first taste was a denial of my mother’s visitation for a (FALSE) positive result from a drug “sniffer”(ionizer) detector which was later found to be grossly inaccurate but left unchecked until the warden was himself was embarrassed when he demonstrated the device and came up positive. This took place after MONTHS of turn-a-ways, some from visitors coming as far as 1400 miles… (Larry Cullum – Story in the November Coalition’s Razor Wire newspaper) Many of them wrote grievances to him and Washington but nothing changed until someone with rank in the Post Office, who was visiting a relative, was turned away due to a false positive. Why were our families numerous complaints not heard and dealt with a proper manner?

During this time period, numerous other inmates whose family and friends were denied visits due to false positives “sniffer” tests approached me about getting our families together to take action as a group. This was the point of conception for the PrisonTalk Online idea. We needed a forum where our families and those that care could come together with a united voice, one that the administration would hear better.

Visitation was only one concern. Medical is another serious problem in the prison systems. It was not uncommon to see men “fall-out” on the compound due to a stroke or heart attack and then be made to walk to the clinic. Inmates that had cuts that would obviously require stitches would be taped up because the doctor that was “on-call” didn’t want to drive to the prison. I’ve seen fingers that were broken and not properly set have to be partially amputated because of the error.. One of the worst cases was a gentleman who had surgery to remove and fuse a number of vertebrae. A few weeks after his surgery they discovered they fused and removed the wrong ones!

These are only a few examples of what inmates and the people who care about them are faced with on a daily basis. If this web site provides the medium to assist in solving only one problem facing those inside, it will be worth it.. I believe it has the potential to do much more..


Today, I spend a large part of my time turning the plans I made my cell into reality. Right now, I do this as a “hobby” in my spare time but I hope to make it a full time effort in the future.


Lastly, I want to say thank you to everyone that is working to help prisoners and their families. I was in contact with many of you during my own stay and it made a difference to know there are people on the outside that care and are working to make a difference.


David

[/quote]

Hi,
It is very nice and interesting story, like to go through it again.

kim

Hi David and All,

My username is VBman.I'm just an average Joe public,Joe citizen.
Thank you for your site and all the time you spend keeping it.Well done.
I stumbled upon it while searching for a pen pal.I'm sure that I will find plenty more interesting things to share and view here also.
Thank You All
VBman

hi David, I am still trying to figure out how these posts work. a lot of the posts are so long ago. I got an email from an adminstrator who instructed me to post our petition in the forums section but i do not see how to do that. also,how do i get my man's picture to appear with everything we answer? next to his profile name?

please help.

*website link removed per policy*

hi
i have had a few problems getting on to post but it seems ive finally got it sorted out. my partner was sent back to prison because of a probation violation. i am personally appalled at the whole system in this country. i went to court to try to help get him a reduced sentence but ended up being called a whore by the judge trying the case because we werent married and then being told because we argued i am not allowed ever to see him again. we were told in court that if we got married we could see each other, which we have no problem with but now his over zealous probation officer has said no contact means we cant even get married because that would mean we would have had contact!!! has anyone ever had this experience ??? i am amazed at being told we have to be broken up by a judge and a probatiion officer!!! i just feel they are playing games i really cant believe the legality of such a ruling!!! it just seems to me that if your unlucky enough to go to prison you are at the mercy of a bunch of sanctimonious bastards. i am from ireland but now live here permanently and we have been together for almost 3 years!!! if anyone has any advice on what i can do about this i would appreciate it. we are both devastated at this ridiculous nonsense, but i dont know where i can turn for help!! lawyers seem to be another bunch of useless cretins too!! he will be out in a few months but even then while he is still on probation we cant be together!!! any advice would be appreciated
thanks!!!

Dear David,
I appreciate all you are doing for friends and families of those in the system. My story is different, but not isolated, I'm sure. I was once on the other side of the law. I am a former jailer who got caught on the wrong side of the law. I got involved with an inmate who was a "trustee". He was one of two prisoners in our jail who was given almost total freedom in our small county jail. I NEVER saw him behind bars. He was in a cell that was never locked. I worked 12 hr shifts at night and he and I got "involved". Our jail was corrupt. From the Sheriff all the way to the jailers. We've made headlines lately. Eighteen of us have been indicted, including the sheriff and our administrator. I'd never been in trouble in my life, but recently was charged with "Improper Sexual Activity with a person in custody." I was also charged with 2 counts of "providing prohibited subtance (cigarettes) to two female inmates. I received 5 yrs probation and 280 hrs of community service. I am now a felon in love with another felon, my David. He is in the Neal Unit in Amarillo, TX. My life now consists of waiting on phone calls and letters from the man I love. My felonies have changed my life forever. I went to college for 2 yrs.and now can't even get a minimum wage job. I have no faith in the system. Law enforcement, from jailers to sheriffs to administrators have proven to be corrupt. Rules are broken or "bent" everyday. Hypocrits in the system look down on us. i've been on both sides of the law and believe me, there are criminals on BOTH sides. Some of us just get caught.

Hi David.

Thank you so much David for allowing the Lord to use you in such a powerful way! You are a blessing!

I just wanted to drop by and thank you for this site. It has kept me sain during the time my husband was incarcerated. This site kept me feeling "connected" to him. The lord has blessed you with this site as well as all of us! Thank you again and may God bless you and yours....

---I am a better person because of his mistakes---

hi David, I am still trying to figure out how these posts work. a lot of the posts are so long ago. I got an email from an adminstrator who instructed me to post our petition in the forums section but i do not see how to do that. also,how do i get my man's picture to appear with everything we answer? next to his profile name?

please help.

*website link removed per policy*

Hi there. I thought I could help with how to use the forums. Click on the forums at the top of the page. They are group by overall category, and then you scroll down and pick the most accurate forum to what you want to discuss. For example, my husband is in CRC in California, so I went to the US Region Prisons, then clicked on the California link, then found a forum specifically for CRC. Hope this helps. Once you start using the site, it gets easier and eventually, you figure it out. I just joined on this week and I am getting the hang of it pretty quickly. But, at first, it was like, none of this makes sense... ha ha. good luck to you.

hello david.do u know who i get in cantact with 2 find out who haz my brothers case.i havent hear from him in 6 yrz but i know hez in autry state prison geogia.i juz dont know how 2 get hez information.should i call the prison and if i do would u know who i should ask 4..................thought u might know.

It would be very helpful if you have his prison number when you call. I found a quick way to find prison numbers when helping find people. I go on JPay and type in the last name and you get all the people with that last name and you scroll through them until you find the one that matches and voila, you then have the prison number. Then you can write or call the prison. Hope this helps.

[David even tho your story is a sad one I personaly think that God put you through all of that so you could be of a great help to others. This program that you have started has been a great help to many people who are hurting and suffering because of different curcumstances.So Thank you and God Bless and keep you.






quote=David;310443]My Name is David and I am the founding administrator of Prison Talk Online AKA My interest in the Prisoner Support System is both personal and moral. I am a recently released federal prisoner who has had his eyes opened. I left behind many people with families not unlike my own., and though they are many miles away from me now, I have not forgotten them and the time we shared. PrisonTalk Online is one of the ways I want to help them, their families, and all others with an interest in prisoner support and reforming the criminal justice system effect change.

I was sentenced to 27 months in the federal prison for the charge of “felon in possession of prohibited weapon”, specifically a deer rifle. My previous felony charge was unauthorized use of a motor vehicle - “joyriding” back in 1992. 7 years later when I was close to completing the 10-year probation term imposed by my judge, I made the mistake of pawning the family deer rifle to pay off a traffic ticket, which fell under an amnesty period I wanted to take advantage of. The ATF seized the weapon after I tried to get it out of pawn and about 9 months after that I was arrested and charged. Even though I did not use the weapon in any crime or even have it on my physical possession, I was going to prison.



Voices the Prison Administrations try not to hear….

During my incarceration my family and I experienced what most inmates and their families have to deal with, very little in the way of Rights and Respect.
Our first taste was a denial of my mother’s visitation for a (FALSE) positive result from a drug “sniffer”(ionizer) detector which was later found to be grossly inaccurate but left unchecked until the warden was himself was embarrassed when he demonstrated the device and came up positive. This took place after MONTHS of turn-a-ways, some from visitors coming as far as 1400 miles… (Larry Cullum – Story in the November Coalition’s Razor Wire newspaper) Many of them wrote grievances to him and Washington but nothing changed until someone with rank in the Post Office, who was visiting a relative, was turned away due to a false positive. Why were our families numerous complaints not heard and dealt with a proper manner?

During this time period, numerous other inmates whose family and friends were denied visits due to false positives “sniffer” tests approached me about getting our families together to take action as a group. This was the point of conception for the PrisonTalk Online idea. We needed a forum where our families and those that care could come together with a united voice, one that the administration would hear better.

Visitation was only one concern. Medical is another serious problem in the prison systems. It was not uncommon to see men “fall-out” on the compound due to a stroke or heart attack and then be made to walk to the clinic. Inmates that had cuts that would obviously require stitches would be taped up because the doctor that was “on-call” didn’t want to drive to the prison. I’ve seen fingers that were broken and not properly set have to be partially amputated because of the error.. One of the worst cases was a gentleman who had surgery to remove and fuse a number of vertebrae. A few weeks after his surgery they discovered they fused and removed the wrong ones!

These are only a few examples of what inmates and the people who care about them are faced with on a daily basis. If this web site provides the medium to assist in solving only one problem facing those inside, it will be worth it.. I believe it has the potential to do much more..


Today, I spend a large part of my time turning the plans I made my cell into reality. Right now, I do this as a “hobby” in my spare time but I hope to make it a full time effort in the future.


Lastly, I want to say thank you to everyone that is working to help prisoners and their families. I was in contact with many of you during my own stay and it made a difference to know there are people on the outside that care and are working to make a difference.


David

[/quote]

Great story David. That is awesome. I too have turned my life around and work on my own time, with women trying to stay clean and sober. It feels great to me to give back what I was so freely given, a second chance at life. I am two years clean and one year alcohol free. My husband has been down for two years and has another to go. Helping others keeps me out of my own "problems" and it is great to see someone get the light back in there eyes. Good luck to you.

I just wanted to thank you for creating this site. You probably DO know how much it means to so many people. Coming from a family that never dealt with the prison system then finding my husband who seemed to always be in the prison system, If it wasn't for all the wonderful people I have met through here I honestly think I would have gone crazy dealing with DOC. You are awesome and for all your good hearted work and feelings you have put into this site May you blessed .
Thanks again !!!!!!!!!!

am a recently released federal prisoner who has had his eyes opened. I left behind many people with families not unlike my own., and though they are many miles away from me now, I have not forgotten them and the time we shared. PrisonTalk Online is one of the ways I want to help them, their families, and all others with an interest in prisoner support and reforming the criminal justice system effect change.

I was sentenced to 27 months in the federal prison for the charge of “felon in possession of prohibited weapon”, specifically a deer rifle. My previous felony charge was unauthorized use of a motor vehicle - “joyriding” back in 1992. 7 years later when I was close to completing the 10-year probation term imposed by my judge, I made the mistake of pawning the family deer rifle to pay off a traffic ticket, which fell under an amnesty period I wanted to take advantage of. The ATF seized the weapon after I tried to get it out of pawn and about 9 months after that I was arrested and charged. Even though I did not use the weapon in any crime or even have it on my physical possession, I was going to prison.



Voices the Prison Administrations try not to hear….

During my incarceration my family and I experienced what most inmates and their families have to deal with, very little in the way of Rights and Respect.
Our first taste was a denial of my mother’s visitation for a (FALSE) positive result from a drug “sniffer”(ionizer) detector which was later found to be grossly inaccurate but left unchecked until the warden was himself was embarrassed when he demonstrated the device and came up positive. This took place after MONTHS of turn-a-ways, some from visitors coming as far as 1400 miles… (Larry Cullum – Story in the November Coalition’s Razor Wire newspaper) Many of them wrote grievances to him and Washington but nothing changed until someone with rank in the Post Office, who was visiting a relative, was turned away due to a false positive. Why were our families numerous complaints not heard and dealt with a proper manner?

During this time period, numerous other inmates whose family and friends were denied visits due to false positives “sniffer” tests approached me about getting our families together to take action as a group. This was the point of conception for the PrisonTalk Online idea. We needed a forum where our families and those that care could come together with a united voice, one that the administration would hear better.

Visitation was only one concern. Medical is another serious problem in the prison systems. It was not uncommon to see men “fall-out” on the compound due to a stroke or heart attack and then be made to walk to the clinic. Inmates that had cuts that would obviously require stitches would be taped up because the doctor that was “on-call” didn’t want to drive to the prison. I’ve seen fingers that were broken and not properly set have to be partially amputated because of the error.. One of the worst cases was a gentleman who had surgery to remove and fuse a number of vertebrae. A few weeks after his surgery they discovered they fused and removed the wrong ones!

These are only a few examples of what inmates and the people who care about them are faced with on a daily basis. If this web site provides the medium to assist in solving only one problem facing those inside, it will be worth it.. I believe it has the potential to do much more..


Today, I spend a large part of my time turning the plans I made my cell into reality. Right now, I do this as a “hobby” in my spare time but I hope to make it a full time effort in the future.


Lastly, I want to say thank you to everyone that is working to help prisoners and their families. I was in contact with many of you during my own stay and it made a difference to know there are people on the outside that care and are working to make a difference.


David

[/quote]

I was recently released from prison. I did state & fed time. It is amazing how little info there was for my family. I found this site by mistake & I'm so glad I did.My boyfriend is currently in tdcj & he just made parole with a FI-5 & I don't really knows what that means I hope to find some answers on here. Thank you very much.

Hi my name is sue from bay area, california.
I have used prison talk to answer
a lot of questions
and understand now
just what I am getting into.
Last year when I signed up
it did not go through.
thanks for having this site,:yay::beer:
And my respect goes out
to all the people who
take care of their own
in the prison system

thank you so much!!! way to turn a negative into a positive

Thank you for the very important information.. I never thought I would be on one of these sites but have recently become engaged to a Parole from the State of Texas.. He has told me the stories of things that happen and he himself is not proud of some of the things that he has had to endure while in prison. I truely feel sorry for the way people are treated in prison but as of lately have found how poorly even the jail system treats their inmates... I am hoping with coming into this forum that I can find a way to overcome all this going on and maybe even get some advice to stop what is going on with these people in the system that seem to not want to listen or care for what is going on...

This site is truely a blessing!!!

well...ive read these forums many times, and today i decided to register...i noticed that most of the writers are under the impression that their men are innocent, set up, or undeserving of the sentence they recieved. not many people seem to take real responsibility, or face the truth about why we get in the places we do...most cons are manipulators and liars and say what people want to hear..this is fact...but i had my first posts removed for saying just this..that all i read is how everyone is a victim of the system...wheres responsibility??? i thought that a group of people whos opinions have been repressed for so long might be willing to stomach a somewhat different view, like mine...but i guess ill be censored and removed, for saying that i did it, i deserved what i got, and i cleaned up my act....nobody was to blame but me...but hey, nobody wants to hear things like that, do they????:mad:

Rollerswartz, WELCOME to PTO. As a mother of an inmate, who is right where he belongs, I think you need to read a bit more on here before you come to the conclusion that everyone on here thinks their loved ones are ALL innocent. My son HAS taken responsibility for what he did. I feel if it were not for him being in prison I may be visiting a GRAVE. SO, our family has FACED the TRUTH, I do that EVERYDAY he is gone. As does he, and his children. I am a parent, a wife, and best of all a grandmother and can stomach whatever comes my way. I hope you will spend a bit more time reading before you make your mind up about those of us on here. We are here to support each other. Again, I want to WELCOME you to PTO. God Bless.

I owe you an apology, mom....i shouldnt have lumped everyone together, as i know there are a small percentage of inmates who DO take responsibility, and by doing so, do not repeat the actions which landed them in prison. I hope your son is one of them! May God bless you and him. I was simply trying to say that i see an awful amount of denial and that many times inmates present themselves as persecuted victims, which in turn is often bought by loved ones...but we can tell when people are truly taking responsibility for their actions...how can we tell? They dont reoffend, thats how. Ill try to be more sensitive to others in here. Im sorry if I offended anyone....its just that ive seen it all and heard it all so many times, from both sides of the fence....thank you for your reply..

No apology needed young man. I think it is important that everyone be heard on this site. This is a place to ask questions, feel comfortable, and get the truth. It's NOT easy to admit someone you love, son, daughter, father, mother, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, parent, or who ever did the wrong thing. It's even harder to have them taken away from you for any period if time. Some of us are looking at years, some a life time. I just wanted you to know everyone has a purpose for being here, and we can learn from what you have to say since you have been there,and done that----also I do believe that there are even some on here whose loved ones didn't do what they are doing time for. Again, thank you, and welcome to PTO.

First off my name is Belinda and I'm 22, my best friend Waylon is locked up in the William P.clements unit in Texas, which worries me because it is max. security. He was sentenced to 6 years, and apparently is getting a chance to parole out this next summer. We have known each other since I was 13 and dated for 6 years, we broke up a month before he was arrested, and are still best friend's to this day. I'm here because I feel disconnected from his world, and hopeless.:confused:

Well you need to write him. he may need to hear from you.:)
First off my name is Belinda and I'm 22, my best friend Waylon is locked up in the William P.clements unit in Texas, which worries me because it is max. security. He was sentenced to 6 years, and apparently is getting a chance to parole out this next summer. We have known each other since I was 13 and dated for 6 years, we broke up a month before he was arrested, and are still best friend's to this day. I'm here because I feel disconnected from his world, and hopeless.:confused:

Rollerswartz, WELCOME to PTO. As a mother of an inmate, who is right where he belongs, I think you need to read a bit more on here before you come to the conclusion that everyone on here thinks their loved ones are ALL innocent. My son HAS taken responsibility for what he did. I feel if it were not for him being in prison I may be visiting a GRAVE. SO, our family has FACED the TRUTH, I do that EVERYDAY he is gone. As does he, and his children. I am a parent, a wife, and best of all a grandmother and can stomach whatever comes my way. I hope you will spend a bit more time reading before you make your mind up about those of us on here. We are here to support each other. Again, I want to WELCOME you to PTO. God Bless.


I am right with you.

Hi, David & ya'll! I'm B! I as well think ur awesome FedEX! I'm newly joined here, like today-LOL! My ol man has been in Gulf CI, FL since last yr & has til next yr--who knows wen really, to go still. ICE had hold on him, now in deported status. TG Cuba is still not an ally w/ us, but very scary tho! Ur story definitely hit a nerve w/ me re: medical attn also. My William is havin a very rough time w/ his back & legs, disabled... & he's lucky wen they "choose" to give him an ibuprofen! I look forward to learning a lot more in here & certainly Thank You Much for creating this site!

Happy Labor Day... especially to my family thats still locked up..

David, our son was in prison from 1986-1988 and there was nothing like this that I could find. This site is such a blessing and I am very grateful for it. I have gotten so much help and support here. Thank you so much! We live in Cypress, Tx. and are having trouble finding a parole attorney. How do you find one who is effective (sp?) AND doesn't charge an arm and leg? So far we have been ripped off by two. Thanks for any help you can give us. Norma

Thanks to all administrators and members of the online board. This group has allowed me to see various circumstances through other eyes. I really appreciate all the love shown here along with the wonderful words of encouragement. It's the little things such as ones kind words that shift ones day into a whole new direction. I feel so honored and blessed to have found such a awesome site. :thumbsup:

Dear Sir :
I am a new member and want to thank you for such a wonderful site . My biggest concern though is that there is no support system like this for our loved ones that are incarcerated. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have been told that there is no one for my man to talk to besides the chaplin. Do you know of any support groups within? I have suggested he start one , but that still leaves no one for Him to confide in.

Thank you for this website. I am trying to start things in my community by researching the "true" funding of prisons, the inhumane treatment, and all the stupid laws. My future husband, very loving boyfriend of 6 years is sentenced to 10 years, I have a felony probation for 10 years, we both got in trouble around the same time. I cannot visit him until I'm off probation for at least 2 years. The math doesn't add up! Unless things change I will not be able to see him until he is released hopefully in 6 1/2 more years (with gain time). That is one of the laws I want to change. All I can do is write him and talk on the phone. I am an activist on things, but am attending school so I can fight back the way they fight. I hope to meet a lot of peopel so we can unite and change some things. It can be done! Thank you for exposing just a tip of the nasty stuff they do in there. If people really knew.

I totally agree with you. And I do want to hear some honesty. My husband was guilty and I am on probation for 10 years and I am guilty. I just think that once we have served our time then we should be able to contribute back to society. We spend so much money supporting our loved ones in prison but yet tax payers also pay a lot of money to build new prisons and they don't even know about it. I cannot attach the link but research "Lease Revenue Bonds". My husband and I were definitely blessed in our sentences as they were both suppose to be much more extreme than they were according to the Florida Min/Man laws. I know we are not angels, but we are not satan either. Not everyone is a career criminal. This is why my studies are towards lowering recidivism rates and eliminating unjust and out of date laws. I agree, if you've done the crime you should do the time. But some punishments just don't fit the crime.

well...ive read these forums many times, and today i decided to register...i noticed that most of the writers are under the impression that their men are innocent, set up, or undeserving of the sentence they recieved. not many people seem to take real responsibility, or face the truth about why we get in the places we do...most cons are manipulators and liars and say what people want to hear..this is fact...but i had my first posts removed for saying just this..that all i read is how everyone is a victim of the system...wheres responsibility??? i thought that a group of people whos opinions have been repressed for so long might be willing to stomach a somewhat different view, like mine...but i guess ill be censored and removed, for saying that i did it, i deserved what i got, and i cleaned up my act....nobody was to blame but me...but hey, nobody wants to hear things like that, do they????:mad:

Another reason I agree with you is because when I was in there, I got tired of all the "sob" stories, and the "I'm such a victim" cries, by the same people who would come in and out. When you've done some time, (more than a month although it's not prison) you see a lot of whining and crying; especially by people who really do it. I feel ya! Staty real, that's what we're here for. (At least me)
I owe you an apology, mom....i shouldnt have lumped everyone together, as i know there are a small percentage of inmates who DO take responsibility, and by doing so, do not repeat the actions which landed them in prison. I hope your son is one of them! May God bless you and him. I was simply trying to say that i see an awful amount of denial and that many times inmates present themselves as persecuted victims, which in turn is often bought by loved ones...but we can tell when people are truly taking responsibility for their actions...how can we tell? They dont reoffend, thats how. Ill try to be more sensitive to others in here. Im sorry if I offended anyone....its just that ive seen it all and heard it all so many times, from both sides of the fence....thank you for your reply..

Another reason I agree with you is because when I was in there, I got tired of all the "sob" stories, and the "I'm such a victim" cries, by the same people who would come in and out. When you've done some time, (more than a month although it's not prison) you see a lot of whining and crying; especially by people who really do it. I feel ya! Staty real, that's what we're here for. (At least me) Well my husband done 6 years and 8 months in prison . Yes, my husband did drugs, but when they arrested him he did not have no drugs on him what so ever and they said there was a tape they had but to this day we have never seen a tape. He admiited that he was in the wrong but he got charged for trafficking just from here say, so I feel he got done wrong. He has been out for almost 3 years and has done great. So people do change. you have to want to change though.