Welcome New Readers from The Guardian
Click here to read about my extreme prison friends and where to find their extraordinary true stories at Jon's Jail Journal.
Click here for an introduction to Jon's Jail Journal.
Click here for today's article in The Guardian by Erwin James. Click here to read what Erwin wrote about our meeting at his own blog. Click here for my ex mentor, Sally Hinchcliffe's, rather amusing persepective.
Click here to read the grotesque yet fascinating "Shit Slinger" series.
Click here to watch an Aryan Brother gang member murdering another inmate at Arpaio's jail.
Click here for the epic fight story: Warrior v Big E.
Hard Time at Amazon UK. Hard Time at the Book Depository.
A big thank you to The Guardian and Erwin James!
Question Time – Prisoner Updates
Jose in San Diego wrote: Can you please shed a little light on a few people? Did T-Bone get out on schedule? What about a few of the other regulars from back in the day? Any word from Xena, Kat, Max? There were some other interesting inmates like Certified. What happened to Royo Girl? If Sheriff Joe went to England to meet with you, would you meet with him as well? How are your other projects?
T-Bone – I’m trying to get to the bottom of his situation. He was released on parole late last year. According to his prison page, he absconded. It’s showing he had a new release date of Aug 9th, 2010.
Max – I haven't heard from him recently, but I suspect that in the present economic environment he no longer has the high-paying job he mentioned here. He'd certainly come a long way since selling his semen to a prison pervert.
Xena – “Her” last letter was received a year ago, months after "she" attempted to cut "her" man parts off.
Kat and Certified – Have never written since my release.
Frankie – I finally received a letter from him, which will be posted soon.
Wild Man – I recorded some of his stories on my Dictaphone, and will be posting them soon.
Two Tonys – He was moved out of Medical, which I take as a sign of a positive development in his battle with cancer.
Royo Girl – We are still in touch and she has a new boyfriend.
Weird Al and Iron Man – I hear from them regularly. Theyre both thriving as law-abiding citizens in Tucson.
If Sheriff Joe Arpaio flew to England I would be glad to meet him. Ideally, we’d debate his jail conditions on live TV. I wonder if he’s up for the challenge?
My main project right now is polishing up the prequel to Hard Time. I’m at 110,000 words. I’m trying to inject more humour, and strengthen the prose. With the school term about to start, I’ll be back on the road doing talks again. I’m also looking forward to the Hard Time event at the Royal Festival Hall on October 21st. Four people, including 3 of my blog readers, are flying from America for it, and two from Ireland. Then on October 29th is the Hard Time hometown launch party at my cousin’s pub: The 8 Towers in Widnes, Cheshire. Readers of Jon's Jail Journal are more than welcome to attend both events. Click here for further details of these events.
Thanks for your questions, Jose!
Click here for the previous Question Time
Jose in San Diego wrote: Can you please shed a little light on a few people? Did T-Bone get out on schedule? What about a few of the other regulars from back in the day? Any word from Xena, Kat, Max? There were some other interesting inmates like Certified. What happened to Royo Girl? If Sheriff Joe went to England to meet with you, would you meet with him as well? How are your other projects?
T-Bone – I’m trying to get to the bottom of his situation. He was released on parole late last year. According to his prison page, he absconded. It’s showing he had a new release date of Aug 9th, 2010.
Max – I haven't heard from him recently, but I suspect that in the present economic environment he no longer has the high-paying job he mentioned here. He'd certainly come a long way since selling his semen to a prison pervert.
Xena – “Her” last letter was received a year ago, months after "she" attempted to cut "her" man parts off.
Kat and Certified – Have never written since my release.
Frankie – I finally received a letter from him, which will be posted soon.
Wild Man – I recorded some of his stories on my Dictaphone, and will be posting them soon.
Two Tonys – He was moved out of Medical, which I take as a sign of a positive development in his battle with cancer.
Royo Girl – We are still in touch and she has a new boyfriend.
Weird Al and Iron Man – I hear from them regularly. Theyre both thriving as law-abiding citizens in Tucson.
If Sheriff Joe Arpaio flew to England I would be glad to meet him. Ideally, we’d debate his jail conditions on live TV. I wonder if he’s up for the challenge?
My main project right now is polishing up the prequel to Hard Time. I’m at 110,000 words. I’m trying to inject more humour, and strengthen the prose. With the school term about to start, I’ll be back on the road doing talks again. I’m also looking forward to the Hard Time event at the Royal Festival Hall on October 21st. Four people, including 3 of my blog readers, are flying from America for it, and two from Ireland. Then on October 29th is the Hard Time hometown launch party at my cousin’s pub: The 8 Towers in Widnes, Cheshire. Readers of Jon's Jail Journal are more than welcome to attend both events. Click here for further details of these events.
Thanks for your questions, Jose!
Click here for the previous Question Time
Along with the signed copy of Hard Time that I mailed to Sheriff Joe Arpaio, I sent an accompanying letter seeking permission to donate some copies to the jail library. Arpaio has agreed to this in the above letter. I will be mailing the copies this week in the hope that the inmates get to read them.
The Phoenix New Times reported this here.
Fellow Prison Blogger Ben Gunn Needs Our Help
Ben is a lifer who has served 30 years. His education funding has been cut, so he's trying to raise some money for his PhD. Click here if you'd like to donate to Ben's worthy cause. Guardian article about this.
Ben is a lifer who has served 30 years. His education funding has been cut, so he's trying to raise some money for his PhD. Click here if you'd like to donate to Ben's worthy cause. Guardian article about this.
Arpaio's Gulags, As Experienced by a Limey
Click here for the article by Stephen Lemons in the Phoenix New Times
Click here for the article by Stephen Lemons in the Phoenix New Times
Welcome New Readers from the BBC Website
Click here to read about my extreme prison friends and where to find their extraordinary true stories at Jon's Jail Journal.
Click here for an introduction to Jon's Jail Journal.
To read the blogs I wrote while in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail scroll to the very beginning of the entries posted in 2004.
Click here to read the grotesque yet fascinating "Shit Slinger" series.
Click here to watch an Aryan Brother gang member murdering another inmate at Arpaio's jail.
Click here for the BBC news story by Chris Summers.
Tuesday Aug 24th: Click here to listen to today's BBC interview by Chris Vallance. My interview begins at 6.40 minutes into the podcast.
Hard Time at Amazon UK. Hard Time at the Book Depository.
Click here to read about my extreme prison friends and where to find their extraordinary true stories at Jon's Jail Journal.
Click here for an introduction to Jon's Jail Journal.
To read the blogs I wrote while in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail scroll to the very beginning of the entries posted in 2004.
Click here to read the grotesque yet fascinating "Shit Slinger" series.
Click here to watch an Aryan Brother gang member murdering another inmate at Arpaio's jail.
Click here for the BBC news story by Chris Summers.
Tuesday Aug 24th: Click here to listen to today's BBC interview by Chris Vallance. My interview begins at 6.40 minutes into the podcast.
Hard Time at Amazon UK. Hard Time at the Book Depository.
Extract from Hard Time in Sabotage Times
Here's the link to the excerpt: http://www.sabotagetimes.com/life/americas-toughest-jail/
Here's the link to the excerpt: http://www.sabotagetimes.com/life/americas-toughest-jail/
Sheriff Joe Arpaio Announced He's Reading His Signed Copy of Hard Time
He scanned the above page from the actual copy I mailed to him over a week ago. Here's his announcement at his Twitter account: http://twitpic.com/2gajuh Below my signature is my official cockroach stamp.
Link to Hard Time at Amazon UK
Link to Hard Time at the Book Depository
Breaking News: Warrior Under Threat
I received some news. One of the individuals that attempted to murder me a few years ago is about to be moved to my yard. I have no doubt that he’ll show up on my side of the yard and probably in the same building. As I’ve said before: “Life will test your resolve.” When I heard this news, I felt boiling blood course through my veins. I remember the day they tried to kill me as though it had occurred yesterday. When I recovered, I knew I’d run into this individual once again.
At one side, I have hate and anger, on the other side, logic and reason. I’m trying not to make an emotional decision. This time, he won’t have five others with him. Five barely made it fair back then, but I lived, so I can’t complain.
Now the question on my mind is “Where do we go from here?”
Links to some of Warrior's best prison stories:
Warrior v Big E.
Rapist on the Yard
Bucket of Blood
Central Unit
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
I received some news. One of the individuals that attempted to murder me a few years ago is about to be moved to my yard. I have no doubt that he’ll show up on my side of the yard and probably in the same building. As I’ve said before: “Life will test your resolve.” When I heard this news, I felt boiling blood course through my veins. I remember the day they tried to kill me as though it had occurred yesterday. When I recovered, I knew I’d run into this individual once again.
At one side, I have hate and anger, on the other side, logic and reason. I’m trying not to make an emotional decision. This time, he won’t have five others with him. Five barely made it fair back then, but I lived, so I can’t complain.
Now the question on my mind is “Where do we go from here?”
Links to some of Warrior's best prison stories:
Warrior v Big E.
Rapist on the Yard
Bucket of Blood
Central Unit
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Standing Up (Part 2 by Warrior)
Warrior - Serving fourteen years for kidnapping and aggravated assault. Half Hispanic and Scottish-Irish with family still in Mexico. Brought up by a family steeped in drug commerce. He writes some of the best prison-fight stories on the Internet.
I lived in cell 12 on the lower tier. We approached my cell, the first on the run.
“Face the wall, and don’t move,” said the officer who’d tried to give me water.
“Open fox 12,” the other radioed.
The bars to my cell opened with a clanging of metal against metal that roared down the run. The men on the opposite tier stood to attention behind their bars, waiting for the officers to leave to speak to me. On my side, through my peripheral vision I could see hands holding mirrors reflecting images of faces casing the situation.
“Step in. All the way back. Face the wall and slowly back up once the bars close.”
I complied. Once the cell closed I backed up. Usually an officer will reach in between the bars to undo the cuffs. It’s easier on both parties since the handcuff slot was considered a design flaw – it was set too high to raise your arms from behind to be cuffed and uncuffed. Instead of an officer reaching in, I had to back up and try to manoeuvre my arms into the slot. The vigilantism hadn’t ceased.
“Step back, and slide your wrists through the slot,” he said, his voice dripping with spite.
Hunching over as far as I could, I strained to pull my arms high behind me. The lack of water in my body made this task alone difficult to achieve. I felt a glove reach in the slot and seize the middle links between my cuffs. The hand lifted and pulled my arms through the slot. The pressure upon my shoulders made me wince, but at least the officers couldn’t see my expression as my head was leaning forward.
As one officer took my cuff off, the other held my wrist in place. When both cuffs were off, they took much longer than usual to release me. I pulled away and turned to face them. With nonchalance, they walked away satisfied.
I took off my orange jumpsuit, and headed straight for the sink. A film of salt from the sweat had dried upon my body. It was a feeling I’ve never been able to get comfortable with, not even with my daily workouts. I washed up, and filled my cup with water. I sat on my bunk, debating my next course of action.
At this time my neighbor was O.G. Pete. He’d been down 30 plus years, and used to run around with older heads from the Aryan Brotherhood and Mexican Mafia. He was half white and Mexican, but both races gave him sovereignty status when it came to the racial divisions due to how much time and “work” he’d put in. Work, in prison, means stabbings, riots, robberies, deals…His criminal resume covered all trades, and he was considered a master of them. He was close to 60, and now basically retired. He had a few years left to go home. He had some money stashed away from years of hustling that he’d invested wisely. He used to tell me he couldn’t wait to spoil his grandchildren once he was free. Pete was about my height, 5’10”. Decades of push-ups and pull-ups gave him broad shoulders and a strong handshake. Though he was in his late fifties, he physically resembled a man in his early to mid thirties. His hair was grey, his face age-spotted due to years in the sun. He wore bifocals to see and read. His philosophy was one of entitlement and staff viewed it that way too. He used to always say that he’d been doing time when more than half of the staff and wardens were still crappin’ green in their diapers. It was true too.
“Hey, youngster, that was some foul shit they pulled,” O.G. Pete said.
“Yeah, it was. I’m fuckin’ pissed.”
“I can imagine. He’s just fuckin’ with you ’cause yer young.”
Earlier in the day, the sergeant and I had an argument over a laundry line. The unit had reduced laundry from twice a week to once. So some of us chose to wash certain items in the sink – boxers, socks, T-shirts – and hung them out to dry in our cells.
In a small 5’ by 10’ cell, dirty clothes in summer smell quick. In prison, the smallest issue escalates with staff and inmates. Sometimes two rational people catch each other on a bad day, and a trivial situation becomes the seed for a riot or murder.
Since I’d refused to take down the laundry line, the sergeant threw me out in the holding cage for a few hours. He was a new sergeant. He’d barely received his bars, so was looking to push his weight as opposed to embracing his leadership role.
Click here for Standing Up Part 1
Warrior - Serving fourteen years for kidnapping and aggravated assault. Half Hispanic and Scottish-Irish with family still in Mexico. Brought up by a family steeped in drug commerce. He writes some of the best prison-fight stories on the Internet.
I lived in cell 12 on the lower tier. We approached my cell, the first on the run.
“Face the wall, and don’t move,” said the officer who’d tried to give me water.
“Open fox 12,” the other radioed.
The bars to my cell opened with a clanging of metal against metal that roared down the run. The men on the opposite tier stood to attention behind their bars, waiting for the officers to leave to speak to me. On my side, through my peripheral vision I could see hands holding mirrors reflecting images of faces casing the situation.
“Step in. All the way back. Face the wall and slowly back up once the bars close.”
I complied. Once the cell closed I backed up. Usually an officer will reach in between the bars to undo the cuffs. It’s easier on both parties since the handcuff slot was considered a design flaw – it was set too high to raise your arms from behind to be cuffed and uncuffed. Instead of an officer reaching in, I had to back up and try to manoeuvre my arms into the slot. The vigilantism hadn’t ceased.
“Step back, and slide your wrists through the slot,” he said, his voice dripping with spite.
Hunching over as far as I could, I strained to pull my arms high behind me. The lack of water in my body made this task alone difficult to achieve. I felt a glove reach in the slot and seize the middle links between my cuffs. The hand lifted and pulled my arms through the slot. The pressure upon my shoulders made me wince, but at least the officers couldn’t see my expression as my head was leaning forward.
As one officer took my cuff off, the other held my wrist in place. When both cuffs were off, they took much longer than usual to release me. I pulled away and turned to face them. With nonchalance, they walked away satisfied.
I took off my orange jumpsuit, and headed straight for the sink. A film of salt from the sweat had dried upon my body. It was a feeling I’ve never been able to get comfortable with, not even with my daily workouts. I washed up, and filled my cup with water. I sat on my bunk, debating my next course of action.
At this time my neighbor was O.G. Pete. He’d been down 30 plus years, and used to run around with older heads from the Aryan Brotherhood and Mexican Mafia. He was half white and Mexican, but both races gave him sovereignty status when it came to the racial divisions due to how much time and “work” he’d put in. Work, in prison, means stabbings, riots, robberies, deals…His criminal resume covered all trades, and he was considered a master of them. He was close to 60, and now basically retired. He had a few years left to go home. He had some money stashed away from years of hustling that he’d invested wisely. He used to tell me he couldn’t wait to spoil his grandchildren once he was free. Pete was about my height, 5’10”. Decades of push-ups and pull-ups gave him broad shoulders and a strong handshake. Though he was in his late fifties, he physically resembled a man in his early to mid thirties. His hair was grey, his face age-spotted due to years in the sun. He wore bifocals to see and read. His philosophy was one of entitlement and staff viewed it that way too. He used to always say that he’d been doing time when more than half of the staff and wardens were still crappin’ green in their diapers. It was true too.
“Hey, youngster, that was some foul shit they pulled,” O.G. Pete said.
“Yeah, it was. I’m fuckin’ pissed.”
“I can imagine. He’s just fuckin’ with you ’cause yer young.”
Earlier in the day, the sergeant and I had an argument over a laundry line. The unit had reduced laundry from twice a week to once. So some of us chose to wash certain items in the sink – boxers, socks, T-shirts – and hung them out to dry in our cells.
In a small 5’ by 10’ cell, dirty clothes in summer smell quick. In prison, the smallest issue escalates with staff and inmates. Sometimes two rational people catch each other on a bad day, and a trivial situation becomes the seed for a riot or murder.
Since I’d refused to take down the laundry line, the sergeant threw me out in the holding cage for a few hours. He was a new sergeant. He’d barely received his bars, so was looking to push his weight as opposed to embracing his leadership role.
Click here for Standing Up Part 1
Offer of Correction (by Polish Avenger)
Polish Avenger – A software-engineering undergraduate sentenced to 25 years because his friend was shot dead during a burglary they were committing. In Arizona, if a burglar gets killed, the accomplices can get 25-year sentences.
I may have given a wrong impression in some of the blogs I penned earlier this year. Those reading my posts will notice I am generally a cheerful fellow who tries to make the best of things. This doesn’t mean that conditions here aren’t so bad. Or that I’m at the mythical country-club prison we’ve all heard about. (Just where is that place, anyway? Atlantis, methinks!)
I would therefore like to offer the following correction. Nay, this is no country club, except perhaps in Dante or Solzhenitsyn. My irrepressible bouncy mood isn’t a barometer of outward conditions. Prison in general, and the Arizona system in particular, is purposely designed for punishment. Atop that are sundry types of indifference, neglect, and subhuman treatment. It’s the hellhole they intend it to be.
And lest I be accused of whining, I do completely deserve my stay here. There are plenty of hellholes out in the free world, too. Crap jobs, loveless marriages, dysfunctional families, spirals of addiction. Freedom doesn’t necessarily mean someone is free. The invisible chains of a thousand worldly fetters and social obligations weigh down the world as effectively as our stainless steel leg irons.
So once again I plead the question and hypothesis of “Birdsong and Razor Wire” – despite whatever is trying to drag you down, what sort of day – and life – will you choose to have? Do we let everything get the better of us, or do we rise above it? Do we take up the mantle of the Greek Stoic philosophers who teach us that external causes are inevitable and thus to be patiently endured? Do we stand up, stubbornly cheerful, and cast the negative right back into the yellowed teeth of adversity? Well, dammit, I do.
If I can do it here, odds are you can too!
Click here for Polish Avenger’s grotesque previous blog: Shit Slingers IV
I'm doing a reading from Hard Time with the author of Try Me, Farah Damji, in London on 23 August · 18:30 - 20:00 at:
The Gallery, Stoke Newington Library
Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16, 0JS
Click here for further info.
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Post comments and questions for Polish Avenger below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun Attwood
Polish Avenger – A software-engineering undergraduate sentenced to 25 years because his friend was shot dead during a burglary they were committing. In Arizona, if a burglar gets killed, the accomplices can get 25-year sentences.
I may have given a wrong impression in some of the blogs I penned earlier this year. Those reading my posts will notice I am generally a cheerful fellow who tries to make the best of things. This doesn’t mean that conditions here aren’t so bad. Or that I’m at the mythical country-club prison we’ve all heard about. (Just where is that place, anyway? Atlantis, methinks!)
I would therefore like to offer the following correction. Nay, this is no country club, except perhaps in Dante or Solzhenitsyn. My irrepressible bouncy mood isn’t a barometer of outward conditions. Prison in general, and the Arizona system in particular, is purposely designed for punishment. Atop that are sundry types of indifference, neglect, and subhuman treatment. It’s the hellhole they intend it to be.
And lest I be accused of whining, I do completely deserve my stay here. There are plenty of hellholes out in the free world, too. Crap jobs, loveless marriages, dysfunctional families, spirals of addiction. Freedom doesn’t necessarily mean someone is free. The invisible chains of a thousand worldly fetters and social obligations weigh down the world as effectively as our stainless steel leg irons.
So once again I plead the question and hypothesis of “Birdsong and Razor Wire” – despite whatever is trying to drag you down, what sort of day – and life – will you choose to have? Do we let everything get the better of us, or do we rise above it? Do we take up the mantle of the Greek Stoic philosophers who teach us that external causes are inevitable and thus to be patiently endured? Do we stand up, stubbornly cheerful, and cast the negative right back into the yellowed teeth of adversity? Well, dammit, I do.
If I can do it here, odds are you can too!
Click here for Polish Avenger’s grotesque previous blog: Shit Slingers IV
I'm doing a reading from Hard Time with the author of Try Me, Farah Damji, in London on 23 August · 18:30 - 20:00 at:
The Gallery, Stoke Newington Library
Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16, 0JS
Click here for further info.
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Post comments and questions for Polish Avenger below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun Attwood
Talk Radio Europe Interview
Podcast of Shaun Attwood being interviewed by Maurice Boland: http://www.talkradioeurope.com/clients/sattword.mp3
(If having difficulty with this link in Explorer, try copying and pasting it into Mozilla.)
Podcast of Shaun Attwood being interviewed by Maurice Boland: http://www.talkradioeurope.com/clients/sattword.mp3
(If having difficulty with this link in Explorer, try copying and pasting it into Mozilla.)
Question Time with Warrior
Warrior - Serving fourteen years for kidnapping and aggravated assault. Half Hispanic and Scottish-Irish with family still in Mexico. Brought up by a family steeped in drug commerce. He writes some of the best prison-fight stories on the Internet.
I’d like to answer some of the reader questions now, and to all those who follow Jon’s Jail Journal, “Hello! Thank you for all of your support.”
To Anonymous who asked about prison “home surgeries and other medical procedures.” Sometimes it’s better to perform your own procedures than to go to Medical because it takes so long for Medical to see you, and also to avoid getting into trouble for stuff such as fighting for having certain injuries. For example, I was once stabbed in the armpit with a piece of fence shaped like an ice pick. Since it was a puncture and not a slice, it couldn’t be stitched. It had to heal on its own. I used an empty lotion bottle plus a pen tube, and boiling water with salt and pepper to flush the wound clean. A trick an old-timer taught me. It healed.
To Leigh: Yes the holiday season does bring about problems and violence. It amplifies what already exists. The media is a constant reminder of what holidays traditionally are, yet reality here is certainly otherwise. We are absent children, loved ones, good food, and memorable moments, and these are things some prisoners will never have again. It’s a hard reality.
A lot of prisoners deal with depression through drugs, anger and violence. Their inability to cope makes these avenues of escape more attractive. Emotions are infectious, so imagine 500 to 1000 prisoners all feeling this way. One slight may lead to a fight, then a riot, and so on. This occurs every year.
As for the medical process, a prisoner submits a “Health Needs Request.” I’ve enclosed one so that perhaps Shaun can send you a copy. Whatever need you have determines who you will see: dentist, doctor, psychologist, eye specialist… However, getting seen is no guarantee you’ll get treated. If it’s cheap and easy you may get treated. Also if it’s “necessary” i.e.) the prison might get sued if they don’t treat you. With “might get sued” defined as: does this prisoner have the knowledge and resources to sue us, if not then we can screw him over.
The commissary does provide some basic health items for us to purchase – ibuprofens, cough drops, sinus pills – but the quality is so poor that they do little to alleviate any symptoms.
To Crazy Cracker Girl who asked what are my greatest strengths, and how they came to be. I believe self-knowledge. When we know ourselves, we know that the only limitations we have are the ones we place on ourselves or allow others to place upon us. There is an idea of Plato’s that I love. He said that education is not a process of putting knowledge into empty minds, but making people realize that which they already know, that certain truths are inherent and universal in all of us. I believe this to include compassion, understanding, good character and strength of will to list a few. However, we decide whether to put these truths into practice, part-time, all of the time, or not at all. For me, self-knowledge meant making peace with my past decisions, history and life. My education was the streets, and that’s OK despite prison because I’ve learned that things can always be worse. Once I understood my propensity for bad, I recognized my responsibility to be good. Our individual journeys in life teach us what we need and where we go from there is up to us. I don’t know if this answers your question, but it came to mind.
Thank you for your questions! If you have any more, please add them to the comments and Shaun will mail them to me.
Click here for the previous Question Time
Click here for Warrior’s previous blog
Click here for my latest news story at the Surrey Advertiser
Our friends inside appreciate your comments and questions.
Links to more prison stories by Warrior:
Warrior v Big E.
Rapist on the Yard
Bucket of Blood
Central Unit
Post comments and questions for Warrior below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun Attwood
Warrior - Serving fourteen years for kidnapping and aggravated assault. Half Hispanic and Scottish-Irish with family still in Mexico. Brought up by a family steeped in drug commerce. He writes some of the best prison-fight stories on the Internet.
I’d like to answer some of the reader questions now, and to all those who follow Jon’s Jail Journal, “Hello! Thank you for all of your support.”
To Anonymous who asked about prison “home surgeries and other medical procedures.” Sometimes it’s better to perform your own procedures than to go to Medical because it takes so long for Medical to see you, and also to avoid getting into trouble for stuff such as fighting for having certain injuries. For example, I was once stabbed in the armpit with a piece of fence shaped like an ice pick. Since it was a puncture and not a slice, it couldn’t be stitched. It had to heal on its own. I used an empty lotion bottle plus a pen tube, and boiling water with salt and pepper to flush the wound clean. A trick an old-timer taught me. It healed.
To Leigh: Yes the holiday season does bring about problems and violence. It amplifies what already exists. The media is a constant reminder of what holidays traditionally are, yet reality here is certainly otherwise. We are absent children, loved ones, good food, and memorable moments, and these are things some prisoners will never have again. It’s a hard reality.
A lot of prisoners deal with depression through drugs, anger and violence. Their inability to cope makes these avenues of escape more attractive. Emotions are infectious, so imagine 500 to 1000 prisoners all feeling this way. One slight may lead to a fight, then a riot, and so on. This occurs every year.
As for the medical process, a prisoner submits a “Health Needs Request.” I’ve enclosed one so that perhaps Shaun can send you a copy. Whatever need you have determines who you will see: dentist, doctor, psychologist, eye specialist… However, getting seen is no guarantee you’ll get treated. If it’s cheap and easy you may get treated. Also if it’s “necessary” i.e.) the prison might get sued if they don’t treat you. With “might get sued” defined as: does this prisoner have the knowledge and resources to sue us, if not then we can screw him over.
The commissary does provide some basic health items for us to purchase – ibuprofens, cough drops, sinus pills – but the quality is so poor that they do little to alleviate any symptoms.
To Crazy Cracker Girl who asked what are my greatest strengths, and how they came to be. I believe self-knowledge. When we know ourselves, we know that the only limitations we have are the ones we place on ourselves or allow others to place upon us. There is an idea of Plato’s that I love. He said that education is not a process of putting knowledge into empty minds, but making people realize that which they already know, that certain truths are inherent and universal in all of us. I believe this to include compassion, understanding, good character and strength of will to list a few. However, we decide whether to put these truths into practice, part-time, all of the time, or not at all. For me, self-knowledge meant making peace with my past decisions, history and life. My education was the streets, and that’s OK despite prison because I’ve learned that things can always be worse. Once I understood my propensity for bad, I recognized my responsibility to be good. Our individual journeys in life teach us what we need and where we go from there is up to us. I don’t know if this answers your question, but it came to mind.
Thank you for your questions! If you have any more, please add them to the comments and Shaun will mail them to me.
Click here for the previous Question Time
Click here for Warrior’s previous blog
Click here for my latest news story at the Surrey Advertiser
Our friends inside appreciate your comments and questions.
Links to more prison stories by Warrior:
Warrior v Big E.
Rapist on the Yard
Bucket of Blood
Central Unit
Post comments and questions for Warrior below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun Attwood
Win a Copy of Hard Time
For details about this writing contest just launched by Anne Mini at Author!Author! click here.
A prisoner dying from untreated hepatitis C needs our help by way of signing a petition to facilitate his early release in order to get treatment. Click here for the petition if you are willing to help this worthy cause.
I'm getting interviewed by Maurice Boland at 10:15am for Talk Radio Europe. Click here to listen.
Reading the first page of Hard Time. Click here to listen at YouTube.
For details about this writing contest just launched by Anne Mini at Author!Author! click here.
A prisoner dying from untreated hepatitis C needs our help by way of signing a petition to facilitate his early release in order to get treatment. Click here for the petition if you are willing to help this worthy cause.
I'm getting interviewed by Maurice Boland at 10:15am for Talk Radio Europe. Click here to listen.
Reading the first page of Hard Time. Click here to listen at YouTube.
Bringing an unlikely memoir to publication, by guest blogger Shaun Attwood
The story of how I came to be published has just been posted as a guest blog at Author! Author! which is Anne Mini's blog. Anne has championed my writing since my release, and she welcomes comments from the readers of Jon's Jail Journal at the guest piece. Click here to read it. I spend hours reading Anne's blog for writing tips, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their writing.
The story of how I came to be published has just been posted as a guest blog at Author! Author! which is Anne Mini's blog. Anne has championed my writing since my release, and she welcomes comments from the readers of Jon's Jail Journal at the guest piece. Click here to read it. I spend hours reading Anne's blog for writing tips, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their writing.
Link to Hard Time at the Book Depository
Link to Hard Time at Amazon
Today’s news story by the Press Association:
Briton challenges controversial US sheriff
A Cheshire-born man who took on one of America's toughest sheriffs after being jailed in the United States has called for a greater focus on the rehabilitation of prisoners.
Shaun Attwood, 41, originally from Widnes, spent 26 months in the controversial US prison regime run by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who once boasted that it cost more to feed the guard dogs than the prisoners he oversaw in Phoenix, Arizona.
"If you treat people like animals, a proportion of them are going to return to society as animals," Attwood said.
His comments came after Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said last month that there should be greater emphasis on rehabilitation and community sentences and insisted there was no direct link between rising prison numbers and falling crime rates.
Attwood, who attracted international attention when he set up a blog to highlight his experiences of the barbaric and "subhuman" conditions in which "filth, squalor and disease" were the norm, said Sheriff Arpaio's tough policies did not work.
While the sheriff bragged about his tough treatment of prisoners, his jails have some of the highest death rates in the US and his actions did little to cut crime, Attwood said.
Speaking ahead of the publication of his autobiography Hard Time, an account of his time inside America's toughest jail, Attwood said: "Sheriff Joe claims that hardline policies have reduced recidivism, but he has some of the highest crime rates. He is just out doing all these PR stunts every week."
Attwood, who broke numerous drug laws and accepts full responsibility for landing himself in jail, said he was at his lowest when he was moved to maximum security after his bail was raised to 1.5 million US dollars. He said: "The cell was absolutely full of cockroaches. They don't bite, but they crawl all over you."
A graduate of Liverpool University, Attwood moved to Arizona in 1990 and worked as a stockbroker and day-trader, eventually earning a seven-figure sum. But he organised raves in the desert and supplied drugs between 2000 and 2002, eventually being sentenced in July 2004 to money laundering and drugs offences.
Hard Time: A Brit in America's Toughest Jail by Shaun Attwood is out on Thursday for £9.99.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved.
Shit Slingers IV (The Early Years Part 5 by Polish Avenger)
Polish Avenger – A software-engineering undergraduate sentenced to 25 years because his friend was shot dead during a burglary they were committing. In Arizona, if a burglar gets killed, the accomplices can get 25-year sentences.
Magnum was massive: 6’3”, 230 pounds, all muscle. He’d been sentenced to 60 years, and had racked up numerous assaults on other units. He didn’t have a TV or other appliances that the guards could confiscate, so there really wasn’t any reason for him to behave. All they could do was give him more time.
Such a fellow with nothing to lose is quite dangerous.
My first encounter with him was that incredibly beshatted holding cell I had to sanitize on my first day at the job. But I hadn’t yet seen the guy. That happened about a month later. We had been strictly warned not to approach holding cells when they were occupied. The guys in there were being punished, and we weren’t supposed to slip them cigarettes or anything else. And sometimes they’d sling on us, too! I only got hit once – but we’ll get to that.
On the night in question, I was mopping the long hallway that separated the cells blocks when I became gradually aware of someone singing in a broken, off-key tone. It didn’t register much as we heard all manner of ungodly screeches and yells all of the time. As I got closer to the holding cells, the lyrics became distinct:
Kill a cop,
Kill a cop,
Gonna kill me a motherf*****g cop!
Hmmm! Well that’s imaginative, I thought as I peeked around the corner to see who was gleefully chanting such violent wishes.
Catch a glimpse I did! Filling the little window was an enormous shape wielding some sort of homemade torch, and actually melting the Plexiglas. Somehow Magnum had rigged a cigarette lighter (back when they sold them to us) into a mini-cutting torch and was happily singing away as he worked on melting the whole window out.
Now, had he succeeded, there was no way to get through the window. I thought he was doing it just to be a pain in the ass and cause damage. I never found out his intention as right then the guard on duty emerged from the office, saw the fireball, and yelped, “Oh shit! You better go back to your run! We’ve got a situation here!”
I got the hell out of Dodge.
Later I got briefed as to what happened. The Armored Strike Team (aka the A-Team…yes, seriously) arrived and politely requested that he stop melting the window. He refused. They responded with a blast of pepper spray, and opened the cell to do what they call a “forced cell move.” Basically, the 8 or 10 man crew just piles in and gets the fellow on the ground and handcuffed (and a few extra kicks might get slipped in).
Owing to Magnum’s physique, it took a little bit longer to subdue him, but inevitably he lost. They confiscated his blowtorch, and let him sit there handcuffed and peppery for about an hour.
The sergeant on duty eventually asked him, “OK, if I take off those cuffs are you going to behave?”
He meekly replied, “Yes, sir.”
Magnum put his hands out of the trap door. One cuff was unlocked, and he sprang into lightning-quick action. Before the surprised sergeant could react and slam the trap shut, Magnum spun around, grabbed a milk carton of liquid feces that he had previously hidden under the steel toilet, and flung it out of the trap door. He threw it so hard that when it blasted the sergeant in the chest, the resulting spatter went up his nose.
Ewwwwww.
In retaliation, the A-Team went back in and beat him up pretty thoroughly. He spent the next two days hurling turds at every square inch of the cell (except, as previously mentioned, the toilet).
And of course, when it was all over, I got to go in again and clean up after him.
The hell of it was, all of that was somewhat mild compared to his later antics that you’ll be reading about.
Click here for Shit Slingers III.
New readers, click here for some of the best stories at Jon’s Jail Journal.
The Manchester Evening News ran my story today.
The Liverpool Echo ran an excerpt from Hard Time today.
Hard Time Book Review Number 3 by Nathaniel Tapley for Hackney Hive.
I'm doing a reading with the author of Try Me, Farah Damji, in London on 23 August · 18:30 - 20:00 at:
The Gallery Stoke Newington Library
Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16, 0JS
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Post comments and questions for Polish Avenger below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun Attwood
Polish Avenger – A software-engineering undergraduate sentenced to 25 years because his friend was shot dead during a burglary they were committing. In Arizona, if a burglar gets killed, the accomplices can get 25-year sentences.
Magnum was massive: 6’3”, 230 pounds, all muscle. He’d been sentenced to 60 years, and had racked up numerous assaults on other units. He didn’t have a TV or other appliances that the guards could confiscate, so there really wasn’t any reason for him to behave. All they could do was give him more time.
Such a fellow with nothing to lose is quite dangerous.
My first encounter with him was that incredibly beshatted holding cell I had to sanitize on my first day at the job. But I hadn’t yet seen the guy. That happened about a month later. We had been strictly warned not to approach holding cells when they were occupied. The guys in there were being punished, and we weren’t supposed to slip them cigarettes or anything else. And sometimes they’d sling on us, too! I only got hit once – but we’ll get to that.
On the night in question, I was mopping the long hallway that separated the cells blocks when I became gradually aware of someone singing in a broken, off-key tone. It didn’t register much as we heard all manner of ungodly screeches and yells all of the time. As I got closer to the holding cells, the lyrics became distinct:
Kill a cop,
Kill a cop,
Gonna kill me a motherf*****g cop!
Hmmm! Well that’s imaginative, I thought as I peeked around the corner to see who was gleefully chanting such violent wishes.
Catch a glimpse I did! Filling the little window was an enormous shape wielding some sort of homemade torch, and actually melting the Plexiglas. Somehow Magnum had rigged a cigarette lighter (back when they sold them to us) into a mini-cutting torch and was happily singing away as he worked on melting the whole window out.
Now, had he succeeded, there was no way to get through the window. I thought he was doing it just to be a pain in the ass and cause damage. I never found out his intention as right then the guard on duty emerged from the office, saw the fireball, and yelped, “Oh shit! You better go back to your run! We’ve got a situation here!”
I got the hell out of Dodge.
Later I got briefed as to what happened. The Armored Strike Team (aka the A-Team…yes, seriously) arrived and politely requested that he stop melting the window. He refused. They responded with a blast of pepper spray, and opened the cell to do what they call a “forced cell move.” Basically, the 8 or 10 man crew just piles in and gets the fellow on the ground and handcuffed (and a few extra kicks might get slipped in).
Owing to Magnum’s physique, it took a little bit longer to subdue him, but inevitably he lost. They confiscated his blowtorch, and let him sit there handcuffed and peppery for about an hour.
The sergeant on duty eventually asked him, “OK, if I take off those cuffs are you going to behave?”
He meekly replied, “Yes, sir.”
Magnum put his hands out of the trap door. One cuff was unlocked, and he sprang into lightning-quick action. Before the surprised sergeant could react and slam the trap shut, Magnum spun around, grabbed a milk carton of liquid feces that he had previously hidden under the steel toilet, and flung it out of the trap door. He threw it so hard that when it blasted the sergeant in the chest, the resulting spatter went up his nose.
Ewwwwww.
In retaliation, the A-Team went back in and beat him up pretty thoroughly. He spent the next two days hurling turds at every square inch of the cell (except, as previously mentioned, the toilet).
And of course, when it was all over, I got to go in again and clean up after him.
The hell of it was, all of that was somewhat mild compared to his later antics that you’ll be reading about.
Click here for Shit Slingers III.
New readers, click here for some of the best stories at Jon’s Jail Journal.
The Manchester Evening News ran my story today.
The Liverpool Echo ran an excerpt from Hard Time today.
Hard Time Book Review Number 3 by Nathaniel Tapley for Hackney Hive.
I'm doing a reading with the author of Try Me, Farah Damji, in London on 23 August · 18:30 - 20:00 at:
The Gallery Stoke Newington Library
Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16, 0JS
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Post comments and questions for Polish Avenger below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun Attwood
From Warrior (Letter 9)
Warrior - Serving fourteen years for kidnapping and aggravated assault. Half Hispanic and Scottish-Irish with family still in Mexico. Brought up by a family steeped in drug commerce. He writes some of the best prison-fight stories on the Internet.
I’ve had quite a week. Remember I mentioned about Grit’s overdose, and how his corpse lay on display for 6 hours? Well, that almost happened again. I was waiting by the phones to make a call, talking to another prisoner. An inmate notorious for staying high walked over and joined the wait for the phones. Suddenly, he fell over and started foaming at the mouth. Everyone panicked and scattered the scene.
I thought he was going to die right there. There was only me and another prisoner who stayed. The man looked as if he were dead. Instinctively, I told the other guy, “Pump his chest quick!” We both pumped his chest, and brought him back to life.
Needless to say, he just ended up getting high again later that day.
For all of the drugs I’ve pushed, I admit, I felt a small bit of redemption in that instant. One of life’s ironies, I’d say.
Click here for Letter 8 from Warrior.
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Links to more prison stories by Warrior:
Warrior v Big E.
Rapist on the Yard
Bucket of Blood
Central Unit
Post comments and questions for Warrior below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun Attwood
Warrior - Serving fourteen years for kidnapping and aggravated assault. Half Hispanic and Scottish-Irish with family still in Mexico. Brought up by a family steeped in drug commerce. He writes some of the best prison-fight stories on the Internet.
I’ve had quite a week. Remember I mentioned about Grit’s overdose, and how his corpse lay on display for 6 hours? Well, that almost happened again. I was waiting by the phones to make a call, talking to another prisoner. An inmate notorious for staying high walked over and joined the wait for the phones. Suddenly, he fell over and started foaming at the mouth. Everyone panicked and scattered the scene.
I thought he was going to die right there. There was only me and another prisoner who stayed. The man looked as if he were dead. Instinctively, I told the other guy, “Pump his chest quick!” We both pumped his chest, and brought him back to life.
Needless to say, he just ended up getting high again later that day.
For all of the drugs I’ve pushed, I admit, I felt a small bit of redemption in that instant. One of life’s ironies, I’d say.
Click here for Letter 8 from Warrior.
Our friends inside appreciate your comments.
Links to more prison stories by Warrior:
Warrior v Big E.
Rapist on the Yard
Bucket of Blood
Central Unit
Post comments and questions for Warrior below or email them to writeinside@hotmail.com To post a comment if you do not have a Google/Blogger account, just select anonymous for your identity.
Shaun Attwood
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