1. are they shackled at ankles?
2. are they chained together?
3. are they working 7 days week?
4. how many hours per day?
5. what if one passes out?

1. No
2. No
3. No Monday thru Friday
4. Depends on unit 6-8 hours
5. They out him in the back of a pick up and take him to infirmary (unless they think he is faking)

You must understand the way he is treated depends on who his hoe squad rider is. They can make it easy or very miserable.

Your right finallyfree it depends on the hoe squad rider and all yout answers are correct but you left out also the field rifers may be sitting on a horse but they are out there in the heat and the cold with the guys also. Some guys prefer to be out on hoe squad just so they can be out of the unit, I know at one of the units I once worked at on really really hot days the guys would all be kicked back sitting under trees and were not pushed to work hard at all. And the work they did not drive the guys real hard but if stuff needed to be mowed and taken care of the faster they would get there wotk done the faster and sooner they could do nothing Now if it is lightning they wont turn out, if the weather drops a certain temp. they dont turn out and if it is really hot they turn out early in the morning and turn back in arounf noon. They provide them with water to also if they need something to drink. Just think about it if they had a bunch of broke down guys out there that they worked the crap out of they would have to hire someone to do the work for them, so dont worry if a guy can handle hard work on the outside he can handle hoe squd while he is locked up. Everyone has a ass for a boss sometimes and that is inside and out and if a hoe aquad rider is to ahrd and mis treats the guys they will have to explain what is going on if all the guys on the squd write up the rider for abuse or what ever may be going on.So trust me they wont be to hard on them because they sure dont want stuff to hit the news ADC gets enough bad stuff punlished on them as there is ( not enough if you ask me ) So if your guy is mis-treated he does not need to talk to you about it on the phone or by mail tell him to hold off and tell you when you visit and then follow procedure and if all else fails call the Warden.

Kandria, I mean no offense but your statement sounds just like a former employee of the prison system. While I agree some hoe hoe squads like PB unit can be quite easy at times Varner and Brickey's hoe squad are no jokes and yes they do have broke down guys out there. There have been heat strokes, broken bones, heart attacks and even death. So while you make light of the situation and say that it is no big deal, you are WRONG! I was there and I know of NO ONE who wanted that job. And if you think that calling the warden on a hoe squad rider will work once again you are wrong. Because what happens then is that he will get written up lose his class sent to the hole and guess where he goes then? Thats correct, hoe squad, of course he will get a new rider but I am quite sure they will know who he is. Your comments are academic not real world. Unless you have spent 60 plus days in the heat with a 18 pound hoe standing side by side with 20 plus men trying to keep up and called all manner of degrading names you should not speak on the subject.

Kandria, I mean no offense but your statement sounds just like a former employee of the prison system. While I agree some hoe hoe squads like PB unit can be quite easy at times Varner and Brickey's hoe squad are no jokes and yes they do have broke down guys out there. There have been heat strokes, broken bones, heart attacks and even death. So while you make light of the situation and say that it is no big deal, you are WRONG! I was there and I know of NO ONE who wanted that job. And if you think that calling the warden on a hoe squad rider will work once again you are wrong. Because what happens then is that he will get written up lose his class sent to the hole and guess where he goes then? Thats correct, hoe squad, of course he will get a new rider but I am quite sure they will know who he is. Your comments are academic not real world. Unless you have spent 60 plus days in the heat with a 18 pound hoe standing side by side with 20 plus men trying to keep up and called all manner of degrading names you should not speak on the subject.

This sounds much more like what my fiance told me about hoe squad. He said they will talk about your momma, wife/fiance/girlfriend and kids just to try to get you to do something that will get you in trouble. Very horrible degrading things that I wont even repeat. And I KNOW he is not telling me everything just to make sure my worry is kept to a minimum. My fiance has a bad back and a lot of pain that he deals with and none of that mattered a bit. He had to do everything everyone else did and just suffer through it. And trying to get a CO in trouble is the worst thing you can do because it will come back on the inmate 100 fold. I make damn sure during my visits that I am above respectful to them so that nothing comes back on him. Even when they are a**holes. The hoe squad rides are the worst during visitation and I'm sure to the inmates too. I dealt with one just last weekend.

BTW, do you know anything about yearly EPS's? I can't get anyone to even try to answer my question. Someone with a charge of poss, dist of a controlled substance and sim poss of a drug and firearm. 10 years on both counts pe date 7-26-2010. Does the sim poss charge disqualify them from being eligible for the yearly EPA? An inmate told him yes it does disqualify him but a guard said no. I just can't seem to get a straight answer to that.

FYI......FinallyFree......yes it looks from the answers Kandria gives, she once worked at ADC.......My brother did hoe squad and said what you said...not what she said at all!! He almost got in a fight with another inmate tho and the rider told him.....IT'S SO NOT WORTH IT.....and my brother did listen to the rider. He would have lost his class and gone to the hole and started all over and that stopped him from punchin the guy!! He said he just wanted to see us and not loose his class. He needed his family and the support and he still has it!!

But Kandria it sounds like you walked away from ADC pissed so inform us all! Please!

You are right I am a former employee of ADC who left on my own as it says in the introduction when I introduced myself. You are right finally free about going to the Warden but then it does depend on who the Warden is. I did not leave pissed I left when I saw things starting to go down hill fast and did not want to be a part of it any longer. The hoe squad riders that I knew the inmates respected them and the riders treated them with respect . My brother who has served over 26 years worked hoe squad when the guys had to hand pick the cotton and could not go in until they picked there weight. Guys were beat daily with THE STRAP, inmates were the ones one the horses that carried the rifles. Yes I agree some of the guys would pick fights and start trouble and the whole squad would pay for it but as you know they got there's on the inside from the other inmates. Yes it would work if everyone in the squad would stick together and then things would change but the guys just complain and nobody sticks together on or off of hoe squad. Yes the complex is a breeze but I have seen how it is at Tucker and Max and Cummins but I do not know how it is in the other units. The question's she asked were,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. are they shackled at ankles?
2. are they chained together?
3. are they working 7 days week?
4. how many hours per day?
5. what if one passes out?

I answered it as I knew from what I have seen and how I heard the inmates talk and saw how the riders were with them.

Finallyfree how much time did oyu serce and what units were you at that may explain some of oyur feelings.

3 1/2 years. Varner Unit, Pine Bluff Unit and Diagnostic unit.

I know you may not believe this.....because you may have heard it several times but my brother truly is innocent of the crime that he was convicted of and our family is currently working diligently to prove his innocents. It's a lot easier to get in prison then it is to get out! He has a lot of support and that is what keeps him a float on the day to day BS that is put upon him in a place called HELL-Cummins Unit. Just going to the visits in the Cummins Unit clearly explains the stupidity that goes on in a place like that. All I can say is "stupid is as stupid does".............

I hope to come hear one day and Bon Voyage this site and never have to come here for support......to tell everyone he is out and we found justices. But justices is a sometime thing, not an always.

Hey FinallyFree-When you were in Varner did you ever get the chance to meet any of the WM3 guys? I have followed that case for years now and it saddens me because it makes me think of what my brother will face and the up hill climb in the justices system.

I like your Registered name too! Good luck!

Yes I met two of them Miskelly and Baldwin. Baldwin worked in the law library. I think Miskelly worked in laundry. Miskelly and Baldwin were both very nice guys. Miskelly had a tattoo on the top of his head of a clock noon or XII pointe toward his nose adn VI or 6 pointed behind him well you get the picture. I asked him why it was there and he said it stood for him being able to do time standing on his head. He had a good sense of humor but and I mean no disrespect but he is slow maybe borderline special education. I would generally help him with his commissary because he was so slow counting he would get frustrated and embarrased. At that time I had no idea what they were in for. Baldwin on the other hand is VERY smart. He could be a lawyer. I have talked to them both and I can honestly say I don't think they are killers.

Yes I have been a huge supporter of the boys and believe the have been railroaded by the system and I believe the reason they are not getting a new trial is because Arkansas does not want egg on there face about this case and sending an innocent man to death row. Misskelly and Baldwin are currently arguing the Rule 37 in Jonesboro right now. I just keep my fingers crossed the system works and they are granted a new trial but Judge Burnett is a joke......and well I need to leave it at that or I will ramble for HOURS

I heard that the tattoo on his head had no arms on the clock.....meaning doing time for no reason type thing? I think the bigger question is........How in the heck do you get a tat in prison? I know that is a contraband.

You seem to know your stuff when it comes to the prison system too. Good for you for helping those that come to this site for support and help. It's hard, and every day I worry for my brother and have had many nights not being able to sleep thinkin WHAT IF! My brother is a strong man and no doubt can take care of himself. He served 4 years in the Navy and he said serving his country help prepare him for a place like prison that is for sure!

You seem like a pretty smart guy about being able to help everyone when it comes to parole and jackets, and 309 etc. How did you educate yourself on all that stuff? I know I have done a lot of research for my brother and for the most part can find the answer the Net has been so helpful.

jlw call me what you want it is fine but I want a change in the system for the better for the men and woman locked up. Yes I am a ex employee who did stand up for what I thought was right for the guys when I was employed there and I have gone up against staff etc. and have taken the sides of inmates and was not a part of the good ole boy system. I have been around the system for 31 years and worked in it for 10 and even though I stopped working there my heart has never left those locked up regardless of the crimes in which they may have committed. I've seen both sides and trust me being a woman working in a mans system sometimes was not easy but I believed in giving the guys a chance if they screwed up because some of them have never been given a chance. The inmates knew I was good to my word and yes there are always a few bad apples in every bunch on the inside and out but yet I treated them with respect and I earned there respect. Staff does not like that and some of staff is worse then the guys locked up but there are some good people that do work there and some that have left that do care. I'm not using a bogus name on this because I have the right to say what I think and what I do know to be true. The bottom line is when a person has a loved on locked up or is in love with one that is locked up they are serving a certain type of time themselves which some people can never understand. The Memphis Three I know Damien I have worked around him and I support all three of them because those young men have served all this time and THEY ARE INNOCENT. I know all of the Death Row inmates and have never had a problem with any of them in fact I am still trying to understand how they can determine the penalty and allow Death for certain guys when then are guys locked up that have committed more serious crimes then what they were charged for. Finally Free you are one of the lucky ones not saying your time was hard or not because any kind of time is hard but you would be shocked on how many men in the system know me and in fact are still in contact with me. The phone calls are outrageous which needs to be changed, they need a system for the guys that are unable to read and write that have short sentences so that they can fill out a job application and possibly find some kind of job, they need more support groups on the inside for the guys who have nobody. I could go on and on. When a person works in a system like ADC it is easy to become a follower and to become part of the system. You name it I have seen it in there I have seen good officers ran out from staff and threatened because they would not go along with wrong doings and then there are some like me which was I thorn in there side because I would not back down from them because what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong. When I gave my two weeks notice it was a shock to the inmates because they allowed themselves to get close to me and trust me but like I told them and I am not ashamed to tell anyone yes I left ADC but I did not leave the many men locked up because I do understand.Tat in the system they use gel ink pens brought in from staff, the toner ink from the copy machines. The make battery packs and set up actual tat guns that are pretty neat but not sterile. You have to realize there is nothing in a prison that a inmate cannot get if he wants it Prison is a whole different world a lot of guys do things on the inside that they would not even consider doing on the outside I could go on but I'm not. If people have questions I don't mind answering I say how it is or how I have seen it.

I truly was not trying to call you stupid, so for that I am sorry. You do sound like you were one of the few that did care. And I know there is a lot you HAVE seen.....I try to NOT go there or I will cry with worry.

I just see it in the guards faces when I visit my brother and it gets under my skin. Trust me my brother keeps the story's from us but I see it in his face when I get to visit him.

I know there is good and evil every where Kandria-mainly in politics and that is what prison is very political.

I know all about the tat thing....my brother has a trade that he does in there, he was a jeweler before he went in so now he does a lot of watch repairs for guys and guards for trade. I do know how it works.

Kandria do you live near all the Units? Or did you move away? I live no where near any of them and my visits are few and far between. But my mom and sister go once or twice a month to see my bro.

You can still be a voice for what goes on by speaking out.

Thanks Kandria :)

I was educated in the worst way. On the job training! Secrets are a terrible thing and it is not easy to learn the ins and outs of the system. There is a reason why it is that way, if you don't know what you are entitled to you don't know to complain and it makes it easier for the staff. Also yes there are good and bad apples in the system staff and inmates. Staff becomes jaded and have a CYA attitude. Inmates feel cheated and not treated fairly and act out. It is a self fulfilling prophecy. The whole system makes me sick. There should be some sort of community liason office that has all of the answers or they lose their job and don't tell me that it is to much info for one person. If I can answer most questions and I am not even getting paid they can find someone to answer family questions. You know this person could be an advocate for inmates, their voice, so when there is a problem with a warden a guard or a staff member they would intervene and they would not be a part of the ADC and they could sanction or fire those who do wrong.......of course hell would have to freeze over first!

Amazing. what did your inmate do to get on hoe squad. you all think you no whats going on in prison. you just get ur friends or family's say on this. i have seen it all first hand. you think eveyone is not guilty. you forget what they have done. they have color tv's, get to watch the same movies you do. have a/c and heated barracks. they have a gym, rec yard , outdoor basketball and indoor basketball courts. get to use phones to call home.you forget the things they have. to much if u ask me.for thieves ,rapiest and murders. if one of your familes members had there lifes taken or was raped you would have a differnt outlook on the whole deal. remember you only get half the story.

My inmate? I was the inmate. I was doing drugs and I was caught. No raping or murdering in my past or future. You should really get your info correct. The vast majority of people in prison are in for drugs. If you think things go easy for baby rapers you are ill informed. If you think it is the Hilton are even a Roach motel you are once again wrong. It's OK to have disgust or even hate for someone who harmed you or your family but put the shoe on the other foot, what if it were your child who was convicted of murder or rape? Would you disown them? Don't speak out of turn when you have not walked a mile in their shoes. These are people that are worried about their loved ones. But you have a right to your opinion.

Then razor08 I think you should have signed up for another blog site if you feel this way.....we are all humans and yes people do wrong and should not get a free ride.....but in the end we are all human, forgiving can be a true way to heal. I choose not to think of the dirt bags that do not want to change and want to get wrapped up in the drama of prison. Prison should be run in the way we are running our campaign in 2008.......Its about CHANGE and a NEW start. It'll never happen because their are people out there like you that choose to degrade human life and continue to treat them like the dog that got them their in the first place. Its CALLED CYCLE......if the cycle does not stop for them then change will not happen either.

Start with educating your self and stay off the Prison talk forum.....most come for support not for some one to tell us what we think we don't know. I can honestly say I do know more then you.

I am even learning from FinallyFree who was on one side and Kandria who was on the other side.....you might learn something too.

TO FinallyFree......sorry razor pissed me off.....I can tell from my brother if you don't ask and research it yourself then your right no one will tell or share and sometimes you don't always get the right answer. I know when he calls he has a list of things for us to research. We don't mind at all. He gets lots of mail too. Trust no one.....I am sure you know that already

The mail means more than the money!

Razor08 I am not going to call you a idiot but do you have a heart ? Are you a Christian ? Ok question for you, have you ever drank and then drove your car ? have you ever screwed somebody as a one night stand ? Have you ever been to a party and there were drugs ? That is just some questions open your eyes. ALMOST every man or woman locked up was under the influence of some kind of drug or alcohol when they committed there crime. I have seen kids locked up for rape because it was a black white thing and the girl did not stand behind her man and her parents toke control and were ashamed so they cried RAPE. I know people who were drunk driving that did not mean to kill someone but they did. I don know some cold blooded killers and guys that do have sick sexual problems and some cant be helped. You asked has a family member ever been raped or killed ? The answer for me is YES there is nothing that cannot be done to me that has not already been done except for time. People play this holy then thou crap which makes me sick. Number 1 if you are a Christian the sinners are the ones that Christ wants. Number 2 you better be careful you may have a loved one locked up one day. Number 3 if you think you can justify hate in which you have I pity you. I have seen children come in and out of the foster care system that do not have a chance because people turn the other check because people don't care, well guess what a lot of these kids are our future inmates. I have seen school systems pass kids that don't even know how to read or right just to get them out of there way so they don't have to spend time with them those are future inmates they are looking for acceptance any way they can get it and they want the things that others have but don't know how to do it. Society and people like you are to blame for being so judgmental of others for the way things are now. Try having a open heart and look around you may see things that you can change to help prevent others from going to prison and it may shock you, guess what you will see you do have a heart so if you don't like what we say on here I'm not going to ask you to leave but I will challenge you.

Razor08 sorry but one more question ? Did your wife or girlfriend fall in love with an inmate or something and is that why you have so much hate ? Or did you and things did not go your way ? Oh well you will be OK sorry if you may have gotten burned if it is the case.

Knadria-I think you hit the nail on the head-I think someone in razorbacks past may have fallen in love with an inmate!

FinallyFree-Gotta question for you.....what did you mean about baby rapers and being ill informed? Is it true? How much did it change you when you got out?

FinallyFree as you know most baby rapers lie about there crime and staff helps cover it up and allows them to live in PC of makes them there snitches and they normally allow themselves to be punked out and become other inmates woman behind bars. They get used up and they like it. When I say they are sick some of them have been abused from day one in the free world by family members etc and were raised to be secretive about what they are doing which is NO EXCUSE for harming a child but it is all they know and honesty do not see what they have done is wrong. Then you take the woman that is pissed off at her husband or boyfriend and she couches her children into saying things that are untrue and then the man will get convicted for sometimes a crime he did not ever do but them be registered as a sex offender by the person's so called past memories. You know as I can you can always tell a true child molester on the inside but it is harder to point them out on the streets which is a scary thing. Then it goes to Rape Crimes. Two guys in one unit were studying on the law library on there cases.They did not know each other on the streets but were from the same town. They both are convicted of Rape and it is the same woman who works for the police to try to get the drugs of the street. They did not pay her what she wanted, they could not get them on drug charges so guess what now they both are in for RAPE and it is the same person? GO FIGURE. The next question was when I got out ? I never served time but i have been around and have worked in the system before I was even able to get a job. I started visitation when I was 14 and went every chance I could to see my brother. We got him shipped on the first interstate compact transfer out of Arkansas and when I was able I went to work for ADC. So how have things changed? The first three months I was lost when I left was so hard because I really di and still do care about those men behind those walls. I toke my job personal and was very loyal to those that were loyal to me and the guys were good to me except for a few but they knew to leave me alone. Staff did not look after me the inmates did and they protected me that is why I lasted working for the system as long as I did. Things have changed for me a lot I miss the guys there are a lot of men in there that i have known almost my whole life that have watched me grow up and turn in the person i am today and I think the thing that hurts is that I cannot even go and visit any of them until I have been gone for three years. Things have changed for better and worse I told the guys when I left even though I was not in there with them I was still with them and would never forget them and would do what I could do to try to help make things better. People do not understand but when you have loved ones behind bars it is like you are serving time yourself even though you have the freedom of the outside world. Time takes a toll on people inside or out when your heart is really in it. People to this day cannot understand why I am like i am when it comes to inmates but they do not understand because they have never dealt around any of them as i have. just because these men made wrong choices and some have committed some terrible crimes they are still human beings. I have seen some of the hardest hearts smile and show emotion and feelings which people would say they were not capable of. It felt good when some one had to so the tough man thug attitude around everyone but yet when he would come to me he could push that aside and allow me to see him in a way that he did not have to prove anything to me just to be himself and let the wall down. I have seen so much some I thought there was no hope for and then I would see positive changes that would make my day. To see a inmate get released and to sneak me a hug before he would go and thank me brings tears to my eyes to this day and I pray that those men will change there lives and not get back onto trouble. I could go on and on as you all have probably figured out but my heart is still in there with them and I do pray for them daily. Does that answer your question? Or did I lose yall. By the way I think a hit a nerve with RAZOR08 wonder why he did not accecpt my challenge?

Amazing. what did your inmate do to get on hoe squad. you all think you no whats going on in prison. you just get ur friends or family's say on this. i have seen it all first hand. you think eveyone is not guilty. you forget what they have done. they have color tv's, get to watch the same movies you do. have a/c and heated barracks. they have a gym, rec yard , outdoor basketball and indoor basketball courts. get to use phones to call home.you forget the things they have. to much if u ask me.for thieves ,rapiest and murders. if one of your familes members had there lifes taken or was raped you would have a differnt outlook on the whole deal. remember you only get half the story.


Damn it I hit thanks on razor's post and I meant to hit reply ....ANYWAYS razorbacks08 it's kind of funny you are saying people that replied know nothing about prison when 1 person out of the three WORKED there and the other LIVED there....and I am not from Arkansas but I WORKED at a Texas Unit and I can tell you there you don't have to do anything to get stuck on a hoe squad ..that said unless you are a TOTAL a$$ regardless of how you feel about criminals you don't paint the family members with the same brush...I'd be willing to bet anything if we was able to snoop around your family tree we would find some bad branches ...this site is a place for families and loved ones that are hurting because they have someone incarcerated...whether you like it or not they are victims of loss and don't deserve your ill attitude

Yes I met two of them Miskelly and Baldwin. Baldwin worked in the law library. I think Miskelly worked in laundry. Miskelly and Baldwin were both very nice guys. Miskelly had a tattoo on the top of his head of a clock noon or XII pointe toward his nose adn VI or 6 pointed behind him well you get the picture. I asked him why it was there and he said it stood for him being able to do time standing on his head. He had a good sense of humor but and I mean no disrespect but he is slow maybe borderline special education. I would generally help him with his commissary because he was so slow counting he would get frustrated and embarrased. At that time I had no idea what they were in for. Baldwin on the other hand is VERY smart. He could be a lawyer. I have talked to them both and I can honestly say I don't think they are killers.


You two got me curious about the WM3 so I looked it up on Crime Library and OMG :eek::eek::eek::eek: Those cops , DA and all should be in jail.. that was the craziest thing I ever read and it is soooo sad...oh and I had to come back and add that judge is a COMPLETE crackpot

JLW,

The main thing I learned in prison isn this, Rape has many forms: 1) When a grown man has any type of sexual activity with a child under 13(I us this age because this is when normally a girl becomes mature, you get what I mean) In this type generally with a small child. If DNA is found and concrete evidence not just he said she said the death or castration should be on the table 2) Rape of a teen 13 to whatever the age of consent is despicable crime BUT I have seen people in prison for 20 years plus under 70% law that were 19 when they committed the crime and it was their girlfriend who was 15 and then they have to register for life as a sex offender. 3) Then there is rape of a woman a terrible crime and should be prosecuted and put them away for as long as possible BUT I have seen guys who were incarcerated by jilted lovers who wanted revenge. One example was a cell mate of mine who had a 20 year sentence. He went to his ex-wifes house drunk and told her he wanted to get back together and move back in so they had a long night of make-up sex and about 4 am he gets up to leave and she asked when are you coming back and he said never I was just horny. She called the cops said she was raped they did a kit on her got his dna and locked him up. She recanted before the trial and told the truth but they still convicted him with her prior statements. It is a slippery slope when you deal with any sex crimes. But to answer your questions baby rapers are the men who prey on childen to get their jollies boys and girls. They are the snitches but it is not like the old days where they were raped and beaten.


Knadria-I think you hit the nail on the head-I think someone in razorbacks past may have fallen in love with an inmate!

FinallyFree-Gotta question for you.....what did you mean about baby rapers and being ill informed? Is it true? How much did it change you when you got out?

I kinda knew that already just needed to make sure from someone thats been on the inside.....my brother has told me the very same thing you told me.......I just needed to hear it again.

I lived in Arkansas about 15 years ago. I never looked back after I left either. My family is still living in AR but I choose to stay as far away from that state as possible! I lived in AR for 18 years though! Since my brother went in I have discovered that at least 7 people I knew while growing up in AR went in from drug crimes.......My brother even ran into a guy that said to my brother.....OMG is J your sister? Then my brother wrote me a letter telling me he ran into some one I know! I told him I wonder what the heck happen to that guy!! Kinda sad......He got 50 years!! He ran after sentencing and well they don't like it when you run!

It's hard not worry about my brother but he says he is fine physically just mentally he may loose it thats what worries me most.

What's the worst you seen? My bother wont tell me any of that!

Oh gosh you are opening up a lot of pain I will tell some negative and some positive for everyone to thing about. Staff already knows who I am number 1 since I did use my real name but I am a firm believer what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong and they know that just very few ex employees have the guts to speak up so I guess as long as I say NO NAMES they really cant come back and sue me.

Finally Free is right LETTERS AR MORE IMPORTANT THEN MONEY !!!! Inmates who get mail staff knows then that they do have a support system on the outside and as long as your loved one does his time quietly and does not get caught up in the games in there they pretty much will leave them alone. It's best to stay away from a lot of the females I know they may look good to them but a lot of them will use the guys up and then write them up after they are done with them. Trust me men can get woman in prison and have there needs taken care of if they have green money there are a whole lot of freaks that work in there. They need money for food from the commissary that is a must because the food does suck and I would not even feed it to my dog. They do get a lot of watermelon when the season is in but almost all of the food they fix is really high in starches, most of the time the eggs are powdered and sometimes green as is the salami it is not unusual for rats to have there babies in the middle of the flour sacks that the guys cook from and they just get the flour around them, on holidays while we get our three meals a day they get two and staff usually steals the turkeys and the guys eat little pieces of canned chicken in rice. Breakfast is at 3.00 in the morning, lunch starts around 10.30 and dinner around 3.30. if you know people that work in the kitchen sometimes you can get extra food which may be half way decent. So people please send these guys money so they can buy off the store.Some of the things that still bother me to this day, a inmates who is physically handicapped who is kind of slow was trying his hardest to make it to the Majors office the female office told him to stop but he was trying his best to get to the office before something went done.so he kept going his legs are bent when he walks and really stiff his arms up by his chest and that is the way he had always walked and carried himself because like I said he has a real disability. I saw 7 offices tackle him and throw him on the ground and they kept pulling on his arms trying to get them bent so they could cuff him and he was screaming out in pain. They tried to put his legs in shackles but could not get his legs close enough so they were trying to force his legs into them. I thought they were going to break his bones. They finally got the cuffs on behind his back and then they carried him with his face towards the ground by the cuffs on his arms and moved him to the hole.This poor guy you could not understand when he talked anyway's what he would always try to say and he was going to the Major for help and instead of the female office taking the time to find out what was going on called for all of these other people for back up. I saw one kid come in to the unit smart as could be but he had nobody and no contact with anyone from the outside. Within 1 year he was a vegetable from all of the medication they had given him so they could control him. I need to clarify something it is not just the females in prison that work there that do sexual things for the guys it is some of the male officers also which is never talked about.One day one of my workers came to work and I noticed he was really depressed and upset so I told him if he needed to talk I had a open ear for him .Finally he broke down and told me that the night before he was called out of the barracks to go to the office. Two officers one with rank told him to strip as soon as he walked in the door so he followed the direct order, they then told him to bend over, raise his sack and then toke the flashlight and shined it up his butt and the rest goes from there. He made me promise not to say anything because it would make things harder on him which I already knew and it was so hard for me not to say anything to those two officers but I knew it was two free worlds words against one inmate and nothing would be done. In there a lot of guys have only two emotions love and then hate so if you are a female sometimes some of the guys take it for love when it is just kindness. There was a inmate and thank goodness I have kept my paper work on all this stuff on top of statements that had wrote me a 7 page love letter. Every time I would go into the barracks he would expose himself so I wrote him up for the letter plus I didn't want to see the mans stuff which the Lt. had it squashed and said after he read the letter he needed to call his wife. ( I guess it turned the sick (B %%%=D ) on. The inmate continued to dis-respect me so I wrote him up again and this time he got busted.The man was never moved from his cell which I did not find out till later that day. A kite came down the hall and my guys were told by other inmates to make sure they kept me away from his cell which they did not tell me because they did not want to scare me. Later that day we went down the hall and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, next thing I know one of my workers pushes me and about knocked me down and when I looked up he was fighting with the inmate that I had wrote up. That fool had a fiberglass mop pole with a 12 inch shank on the end of it with rope on both sides greased all the way down and said since I cant kill the bitch the Niger ( sorry I hate that word ) will do had stabbed my worker in the gut but my worker had taken the mop away from him and was going to kill him. The so called inmate who has life with out and I will say my guy SAVED MY LIFE and to this day has never asked for anything in return. My other work with me moved fast and got me the heck out of there and we all three left the barracks by ourselves with these so called officers standing there with there mouths wide open while we walked down the hall together with a inmate carrying the weapon and put it on the Majors desk. Did you know it toke over one week to get that guy shipped from the unit because come to find out he was the Lt. snitch and he was trying to save him again. He was never charged with free world charges staff lied and wrote it up as a problem between two inmates which was bull. I still stayed years after that happened because that was the only time any inmate ever tried to hurt me all because he could not handle rejection. There are some really good guys in there and yes there are some bad I could tell story after story. About prison rape it does not go on as much as people things it does but I can tell you that if it does happen the victim gets treated just like the rapist and is punished also. I have had to may young guys come to me for help when there was nothing I could do. Most guys give it up on there own in there now days they don;t take it like they did in the old days.Your brother is not going to talk about it because it is a totally different world. Just remember the guys that have the outside support have the best protection the ones that have it really hard are the ones that have nobody.You know Razor said the guys get color TV's and this and that try sharing a TV with 50 men and everyone being on the same page on what channel to watch. Try only getting a shower when your told you can and you cant even control the temp. of the water. Try being woke up in a dead sleep and told to strip down to just you boxers and all of what little belongings you have are torn apart and officers are sitting on your bed eating your food from the money your family has sent to you, and you cant say a word. Just think of the humiliation of having grown men look at your privates and telling you to spread your checks before and after a visit just so you can go see a loved on at visitation of after working all day of just all of a sudden when you are walking down the hall. These guys don't have it made that is what I said a lot of the guys a know loved being outside working because then they could have fresh air and be outside away from all the drama of what goes on inside. Yes they do work hard outside sometimes but think about it, they are outside and not behind the walls I could say so much more but I have lost myself in this. I want to start a program for the guys which I don't think I can talk about it on here so I wont but I am getting everything drawn up for it so please stay in touch with your loved ones and if anyone wants to write another guy in there I have a whole list of guys from 4 units that I know do not have any kind of support system at all that would love a pen - pal.

I agree a pen pal program would be beneficial. How can you punish someone who has nothing to lose. There are two types of people in prison 1) Inmate=a guy going through once doing his time making no wave and scared to death of going to the hole 2) Convict= A guy who has been in and out since he was 18 years old and is on a first name basis with the officers and the other convicts that are there. I was an inmate. I never spoke to a femal officer when alone with her unless following a direct order. About the TV's Oh yeah that was a pleasure. When I got to Varner the second night I became brave enough to sit on the bench to watch TV and I was watching wheel of fortune and the bench started almost bouncing. It was a guy three feet from me pleasuring himself to Vana White fully exposed having a grand time. Yeah Razor that was AWESOME!

WEll alrighty then! I guess that would fall under TMI-But does not surprise me.

I know my brother gets plenty of mail he has at least 8 family members and several friends that write him all the time plus I send him the packages from the packages program. One for summer and then the one for holidays. And all of us take turns putting money in his account.

Did you ever read about the case of Tim Howard? He is the other guy on Death Row. Once again there is another man on Death Row that seems to me was railroaded!

Did you work there when Franky Parker was on death row? That was years ago but he was put to death in the 90's. I did not know the man personally but I did know one of the family members.

I know and have worked around Tim Howard. At one time Tim wanted to die and was ready to go but his friends and family talked him into fighting for his life which is why he is still alive. The man is very queit and mentally slow. A little guy and really shy and very soft spoken I had never once heard him raise his voice. The guy really does have mental issue's. Death Row inmates were woke up in the middle of the night and told for all of them to pack there stuff. When they were at Max the way the cell block was set up they could all talk to eachother even though they were in single man cells. Staff treated the, good and they never caused problems for any one. So try to put your mind in the setting of being on Death Row, awaken from a deep sleep and told to pack your stuff, andthen all of a sudden being moved one by one with out a clue of what is going on. When the guys got moved to Super Max there spirits were then completely broke and each one of those guys wanted to just give up. They then had no contact with anyone but staff, they could not even talk to anyone on there yard call, they were moved into cells that the lights were on 24 hrs a day. See when a inmate is in a cell or a barracks for long periods of time there cell mates or people in the barracks form like a family setting in some cases as the Death Row inmates had done at Max. They were eachothers stregnth and support and like I said in another thread somewhere on here you have to remeber that there are inmates that have good jobs in the system that work around free world all the time and walk up and down the halls that have commited crimes worse then most of these guys on Death Row. I really dont know what to say about it because I miss the guys regradless of what they may have or have done now Frank Williams my prayers go out to him and I am thankful that so far the state has onot been able to put him to Death. Everyone pray for Don Davis he is supposed to be next he has used all of his pardens and resources that he can to fight for his life so please say a prayer for him and all the Death Row inmates that the laws will change. If anyone is intrested in a petetion that I have please send me a private message and I will foward you a email that I have with a petetion that is fighting the laws pertaining Death Row Nation Wide.I hope I just made sense.

have a/c and heated barracks. they have a gym, rec yard , outdoor basketball and indoor basketball courts. get to use phones to call home.you forget the things they have. to much if u ask me.


I think you'd best educate yourself about the REALITIES of the prison system before you start making such blanket statements.

In Alabama (where the temperatures are frequently over 100 degrees in the summer), there is NO air conditioning in ANY inmate housing in the ENTIRE state, with the exception of a couple of medical dormitories that house mostly cancer and other terminally ill patients - about 1% of the entire inmate population in Alabama. NOBODY else lives in air conditioned facilities.

Yep, they get to use phones to call home - but in order to do so, their families must pay exorbitant prison phone company costs. An interstate collect call is around $10 for 15-20 lousy minutes and an out of state collect call is over $22 for 15-20 minutes. You think that's fair? It doesn't even cost that much to call overseas nowadays.

Like I said, educate yourself first before spouting off such blanket statements when you obviously don't know what you're talking about on many subjects.

My boyfriend was telling me about how wonderful his food is. He said the chicken is pink. :eek: