Jon's Jail Journal (by Shaun Attwood): 02/01/2014

Welcome from The Independent!

Here's my full Banged-Up Abroad episode on YouTube:

If you have any questions for me, please Tweet me here, or post them to my Facebook here or post them in the comments below.

Click here for questions that I answered about my Banged Up Abroad episode for National Geographic

My books the Banged Up Abroad episode is based - Party Time, Hard Time and Prison Time - are all available on Amazon here.

Click here to read about the prisoners at this blog who range from Mafia hit men to giant transsexuals.

Click here to read the first skinhead scene from the episode in more detail.

Click here to read the second skinhead scene from the episode in more detail.

Click here to read the Ecstasy club scene in more detail.

Click here to read about spider bites in the jail.

If you are inclined to see how dangerous the jail is, here's a video of an Aryan Brotherhood gang member murdering an inmate who has refused to beat someone up for the gang:

Here's a video of the guards murdering a mentally ill war hero who is unsentenced:

In this video I describe in much more detail the horrific jail conditions:

My mum's talk at a school that made everyone cry:

I hope you enjoy my blog!

Shaun Attwood

Prison Time

Look what arrived in the mail today. Books will be shipped from Amazon soon. Read chapter 1 here.

Shaun Attwood

Shaun Attwood at Amnesty International: Human Rights for Prisoners (Part 2)

Shaun Attwood at Amnesty International: Human Rights for Prisoners (Part 1)

Amnesty Talk

In York, I spoke at Amnesty International about human rights for prisoners, and I told them about the plight of Jack. In the next few days, I'll be posting videos from the Q&A with topics ranging from the private prisons to the psychology of dealing with prison. In the pic below, I'm demonstrating cockroach entry points in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail.

York flooded during my stay.

Shaun Attwood

Greetings from the Abyss by Jack (Part 17)

Jack is serving life without parole, and has terminal cancer. Throughout my incarceration, Jack was a positive influence. He encouraged me to keep writing, to enter short-story competitions, and we proofread each other’s chapters. Jack is seeking pen pals, so anyone interested please email me at attwood.shaun@hotmail.co.uk for his details.

It’s February and nothing has changed as far as my medical status. I was supposed to go back to the oncologist in January for my six-month follow-up but for some reason that did not happen. It could be that the prison rescheduled the appointment because I haven’t been seen by the dermatologist for the lesions on my arm that the oncologist wanted evaluated. Then again it could be that the nurse was right about the oncologist losing his contract. In which case there’s no telling when or if I’ll be seen by an oncologist.

In addition to the dermatologist, I was supposed to have a CT scan during January before going back to the oncologist. That hasn’t happened either. I believe that since the prison has changed providers I may be left out in the cold as to any follow-up care.

The prison normally deals with my type of situation by allowing the inmate’s condition to deteriorate to the point of death before doing anything. It’s a cost-saving strategy based on an apathetic public and a numbers game. If the Arizona Department of Corrections doesn’t provide medical care and the inmate dies, the prison saves the money that would have been spent on that care. The prison counts on the general public not caring what happens to the incarcerated, or the belief that it’s OK because we had it coming because we are in prison. As to the numbers, it’s quite simple, for every inmate that has someone on the outside that asks questions or pushes for accountability, there are hundreds that don’t have anyone to advocate for them.

I haven’t received any mail, other than your letters, from anyone else since well before Christmas. I’m trying hard not to take a bite out of the conspiracy apple, but it is such a lovely low hanging fruit it is almost impossible to resist. My mail stopped arriving around the same time the staff began asking questions about my medical care and accusing me of complaining about dying on Facebook.

Click here to read Jack's previous letter.

This Thursday evening, I'm speaking for 2 hours in York for Amnesty International, and I will be quoting from Jack's letters about the prison illegally denying him pain killers. Click here if you wish to attend.

Click here for descriptions of all of the prisoners I write about at Jon’s Jail Journal ranging from Mafia hit men to giant transsexuals.

Shaun Attwood

Greetings from the Abyss by Jack (Part 16)

I was called to medical and seen by a nurse, the closest we usually get to a doctor. The first thing he asked me was why my Facebook page indicated I was dying. I told him that because of the level of pain I was experiencing there were times when I felt as if I were dying. I explained where my pain was and how it escalates throughout the day until it’s so debilitating that it is difficult for me to do anything other than lay on the bed.

The nurse is the person who terminated my pain medication last year and didn’t put me on anything else to bridge the gap. He didn’t actually threaten me with disciplinary action but he didn’t leave much room for me to infer otherwise. He indicated that it didn’t matter that there had been a previous order for my pain medication written by an outside consultant (ER doctor/oncologist) and that it was necessary for the oncologist to rewrite the order each and every time I went to his office.

When I pointed out that this had not been a requirement before, and had not been enforced prior to Wexford and Corizon taking over providing healthcare, he just shrugged his shoulders.

I also asked him why I wasn’t told this considering that I have had three oncologists appointments since the prison cut off my pain meds. Again, he just shrugged his shoulders. He did tell me that the oncologist I have been seeing for the last three years no longer has a contract with the Arizona Department of Corrections and that I will be seeing a different oncologist now.

Also, I was sent to St Luke’s hospital for an appointment with a dermatologist concerning the possible melanoma lesions on my arms and chest. They were going to do a biopsy so the oncologist would know how to structure my treatment. Well, the dermatologist never showed up and I spent the entire day sitting in the waiting room. I am supposed to be rescheduled but who knows now there is a different oncologist involved. Ok, enough of this.

Congratulations on the publication of Prison Time, Shaun. I’m sure it will do well. You have talent, desire, and drive, a hard combination to hold back. Your idea for a novel involving some of the events of my life does hold some appeal to me, but I’m unsure the protagonist would garner as much sympathy as you might hope. Then again, I’m sure you can make it work. I will help you in any way that I can.

A quick update for my pen pals. I have written back to them all, at least once and some twice. They all seem very nice and have expressed concern about my health. I am overwhelmed and at a loss as how to express my gratitude.

Click here to read Jack's previous letter.

Click here for descriptions of all of the prisoners I write about at Jon’s Jail Journal ranging from Mafia hit men to giant transsexuals.

Shaun Attwood

From T-Bone (Letter 18)

My word, you won’t believe what’s been happening in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail. This one black guy named E-Dog thinks he’s running things. He sits at the poker table and cheats the white guys and the Mexicans and whoever else. Recently, he caused a big problem. He was owed $300 by a white kid and he wanted his money.

The white kid didn’t have the money to sit down and play. E-Dog knew that and also that the white guys would have to pay the debt. The whites got upset and smashed E-Dog. His forehead has a five-inch cut that shows the white meat and won’t stop bleeding. The whites went to the Mexicans to start a race war against the blacks as the whites and the Mexicans usually get together against the blacks, but this time the Mexicans said no.

So after the whites beat E-Dog, he ran in a cell with three black kids and punched out the guy who owed him the $300.

So now people are walking around with soda bottles with water in them as weapons hidden in their socks and pants.

A kid from New Jersey who happens to be a loan officer with Citibank didn’t want to walk around with any jailhouse weapons on him (like me) so five guys were going to jump him. I let them know that none of that crap was going to go on and to leave him alone as well as anyone else who doesn’t gamble or drink hooch.

This place is crazy, man.

T-Bone

Click here to read letter 17 from T-Bone

I now have two books featuring T-Bone, the hard-hitting Prison Time and a self-help book, Lessons from a Drug Lord– both include T-Bone fight stories

Numerous readers of Vice Magazine have requested I set up a donation page for T-Bone. Here it is.

Click here for the T-Bone Appreciation Society on Facebook

Shaun Attwood