Prisoner Loses Penis and Untreated Spider Bite

I just received these news stories from Warrior about prisoners in Arizona:

A man with a growth on his penis was denied medical treatment for two years. Doctors ultimately diagnosed a cancerous tumor on his penis; the organ had to be amputated, and doctors told him the cancer had spread to his stomach.

Carlos Archuleta, a Tucson inmate, said he begged repeatedly for help after being bitten in the groin by a spider last June. After four days, he was transported to a hospital for an emergency operation to remove infected fluid and tissue. Doctors had to resuscitate him after his heart stopped during the operation, and Archuleta was kept in the hospital six days.

"The doctor said if they'd left it one more day, he'd be dead. Just because they're inmates doesn't mean you should treat them this way," said his mother, Guadalupe Lopez. She added, "If he'd gotten proper medical care on day one, taxpayers wouldn't have had to pay for an emergency surgery and the hospital stay."

Corrections' spokesman Marson said "appropriate care was provided" to Archuleta.

Shaun Attwood

T-Bone's Plan to Speak at UK Schools



Click here for T-Bone's letter - The Attack on T-Bone.

Click here for the Kindle ebook T-Bone. UK version. US version. Or download to your PC from Lulu.com. Proceeds going to help T-Bone.

Click here for Letter 15 from T-Bone

Click here to join the T-Bone Appreciation Society

Shaun Attwood

Schools Tour

Test Valley School, Hampshire

Herschel Grammar School, Slough

Westgate School, Winchester

Shaun Attwood

Question Time with T-Bone on YouTube



Click here for T-Bone's letter - The Attack on T-Bone.

Click here for the Kindle ebook T-Bone. UK version. US version. Or download to your PC from Lulu.com. Proceeds going to help T-Bone.

Click here for Letter 15 from T-Bone

Click here to join the T-Bone Appreciation Society

Shaun Attwood

Karate

My friend Nigel Cottrell gave me this pic tonight at karate, which I started three years ago on the advice of my former personal trainer in prison, Iron Man.

 Shaun Attwood

Medical Issues (Part 9 by Lifer Renee)

Renee – Only a teenager, she received a 60-year sentence. Sixteen years later, Renee is writing from Perryville prison in Goodyear, Arizona, providing a rare and unique insight into a women's prison.

The Loratadine gave me no relief, so I went back to the doctor. He prescribed Cetirizine, another allergy medication. Two weeks of Cetirizine provided no relief either. My next step is nasal spray with steroids. I have to submit another HNR form to switch my medication. It takes six weeks from the time you submit a HNR to see the doctor. The next step after the nasal spray is grieving medical. I want a second opinion. I want to see an ear nose throat specialist. My right ear is throbbing as I write this.

Scabies of the hand

A photomicrograph of an itch mite (Sarcoptes scabiei).

I haven’t been outside much this last week as I’m scared to death of catching scabies, which is running rampant on the yard. The guards put yellow quarantine signs on doors. As if there is not enough going on! Prisoners are coming in affected with scabies from Maricopa County jail – just one more thing we can thank Sheriff Joe Arpaio for.

Click here for Medical Issues Part 8

Shaun Attwood

Question Time

Charlie asked: any new news on the film or TV series?

Shaun:  My literary agent just sent Party Time to various publishers. He's sending it directly to US publishers this time, and feels that Party Time is more likely to generate a movie deal than Hard Time because jail memoirs are so common these days. The TV producer I spoke to is in the process of changing companies, but he said he still definitely wants to do it. It usually takes me at least five years to get a big result in my chosen profession. I just entered my fifth year since my release from prison, and I can sense something big is near.

Click here for the previous Question Time

Click here to read a really touching piece written by my friend, Charlie, one of the most well-meaning ex-prisoners I've ever met: http://lifeafterhate.org/2012/01/the-art-of-forgiveness-part-1/

Shaun Attwood

 Medical Issues (Part 8 by Lifer Renee)

Renee – Only a teenager, she received a 60-year sentence. Sixteen years later, Renee is writing from Perryville prison in Goodyear, Arizona, providing a rare and unique insight into a women's prison.

10.25am. Jewel popped her head up. “Renee they want you at medical right now.”

I jumped up, and darted for medical. I was third in line, but knew it would be a long wait. Amy and Tiffany were ahead of me. Sandra showed up a few moments later. Amy has a long list of medical problems. Tiffany was waiting for her results to see if she has breast cancer. Sandra was there for a post-surgery visit. I was waiting for lab results. We sat in the medical enclosure, anxiety rolling off us. I couldn’t sit still. I felt as though as I was going to crawl out of my skin.

One by one they called us in to take our vitals.

I went in, sat on a chair, had my blood pressure and temperature taken. I hopped on the weighing scale, deciding not to look.

“132 pounds.” The nurse said.

I looked at the scale in disbelief. A week and a half ago I was 122 pounds, but it was a different scale.

The nurse opened the door, and called my name.

I jumped up and walked into the doctor’s office, only slightly larger than one of our cells.

“Sit on the table,” someone said to me. There were four people: the provider, a nurse and two women I’ve never seen.

The provider read my HNR, and looked at my charts. “Oh, your lab results are back. Your thyroid is normal. White blood cell count is fine. No signs of infection. We tested you for several different types of infection, including mono.”

Why in the world would you test me for mono? was screaming through my head, but the words never fell from my lips.

“Your lab results really are beautiful.”

“Then why are my ears hurting and I have a sore throat and headaches?”

He looked dumbfounded.

“Just last week, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday my left ear hurt. Last time I was here you said I had a sinus infection. Since then I’ve taken the allergy tabs from the store, and still nothing.”

“That stuff really doesn’t work,” he said as he stood up. He grabbed a small light to look in my ears and nose. He checked my ears again.

“My right ear hurts right now.”

He examined it again.

“I do not see anything wrong. Your ear looks fine. I’m going to give you Loratadine once a day. It’s just allergies.”

I left medical again confused, and waiting for my new medication to arrive.

Click here for Medical Issues Part 7

Shaun Attwood

T-Bone's Message to Students

Click here for T-Bone's letter - The Attack on T-Bone.

Click here for the Kindle ebook T-Bone. UK version. US version. Or download to your PC from Lulu.com. Proceeds going to help T-Bone.

Click here for Letter 15 from T-Bone

Click here to join the T-Bone Appreciation Society

Shaun Attwood  

Schools Tour

Mutaz and Helena at

Liverpool Film Academy

De Vere Academy of Hospitality

Bradfield School, Reading

Back to Bishops's Stortford College where I did my first ever talk.

Highworth Grammar School, Ashford, Kent

Truro School, Cornwall, which took 6 hours to get to on a train.

 Shaun Attwood

Hard Time Reviews by Prisoners No. 6: Shane

Shane - Denied psychiatric medication by ValueOptions, Shane turned to illegal drugs financed by burglaries. For stealing a few hundred dollars worth of goods, he was sentenced to eleven years. Shane is the author of the blog Persevering Prison Pages.

Despite Hard Time being banned by the Arizona Department of Corrections for being a threat to the security of the institution, Shane managed to get his hands on a copy and risk writing this review.

The vivid reality of Hard Time made this book impossible to put down. From the time Tempe Police SWAT in black fatigues and body armour assaulted Shaun’s Scottsdale apartment until his sentence of imprisonment, I was enthralled with this book.

I’ve read dozens of books about being incarcerated. They’re a dime a dozen these days with millions of people locked up worldwide from all walks of life. Hard Time was different for me though.

Hard Time did an amazing job at showing the significant changes a person goes through physically, emotionally and mentally upon incarceration. Compounded by the draconian and inhumane conditions of confinement imposed on all who enter Joe Arpaio’s jails. Shaun’s roller-coaster ride of emotions were perfectly expressed throughout. As a writer myself, adequately expressing emotions has been difficult, but Shaun mastered it in Hard Time.

Taking responsibility for his crimes, Shaun’s regret and sorrow come across well without glamorizing drugs and crime as many books of this sort do.

Hard Time also showed how unbalanced the Arizona criminal justice system is. Despite all defendants being innocent until proven guilty, Shaun did a great job of showing how the cards are stacked against a defendant, and just how the prosecution and detectives will go to any length to “get their man.”

It’s scary to think how an innocent person could easily be arrested, charged and convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. Another reason the death penalty should be abolished.

Hard Time is a good read, however Shaun’s vivid description of his stay in Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s Towers jail and the maximum-security Madison Street jail brought back memories of my own stays there, which I’d managed to stow away deep in my brain.

Guilty of my crimes, I signed a plea-agreement for 10 years, waiving my rights as a defendant’s under the constitution, so I’d be moved out of Arpaio’s jail system within a week. I’d been in MCSO custody for little more than 3 months, waiting for my first trial. I felt I couldn’t withstand waiting any longer, a far cry from the 26 months Shaun endures in Hard Time.

Click here for the previous review in this series.

Click here for more info about Hard Time.

Hard Time on Facebook.

Shane’s blog Persevering Prison Pages.

Shaun Attwood          

Medical Issues (Part 7 by Lifer Renee)

Renee – Only a teenager, she received a 60-year sentence. Sixteen years later, Renee is writing from Perryville prison in Goodyear, Arizona, providing a rare and unique insight into a women's prison.

Just as I hit the stairs a guard called mail call. My room mate brought me a copy of the recent HNR [Health Needs Request Form] I submitted. I hurried to open it. It said I was scheduled for the provider, but it did not say when. So once again, I was waiting. I needed some fresh air, so I threw on my headphones and hit the track.

Everyday for the last two weeks I’ve waited for Ms. G to say, “Oh, Renee, I was looking for you.” Tonight I wasn’t paying attention when I heard a light tap on the door. I opened it, and saw Ms G, about 4 foot 8, maybe 95 pounds, huge blue blocker sunglass covering three quarters of her face, baseball cap on. She looked like she should be baking her grandkids cookies not serving time in prison.

“Oh, Renee, I’m looking for you,” she said, smiling.

“You have providers line tomorrow at 1 pm. Can you sign for me?”

“You got it, tomorrow at 1.” I signed the medical paper and wrote the appointment time on my hand. I was instantly starting to panic. My stomach was flipping.

3.38 am. Sleep was futile. I tossed and turned, not because of the lumps in my mattress, or because of my hips grinding into the metal bunk, but because I am overwhelmed. I knew today was going to be a long day. I once read that with every breaking dawn there is a new chance at happiness.

I started my day off just the same as any other, feeling sick, having ear aches. Every morning with aches I go to work just the same. At work, I went through the motions in a haze. I could not help watching the clock, hoping for my medical appointment.

Click here for Medical Issues Part 6

Shaun Attwood