An O.G. Explains “The New Convict Code”
Tex McClain had nothing but his word. Old and sick, having outlived anyone in society who might help him, he had to live by his wits to earn coffee and cigarettes. Old Tex’s word was good. If he told you [...]
Tip #5: I Miss The Crooked Prison Guards
I miss obeying human beings. Knowing the cop who is having sex with your best friend will give you a donut when you are hungry and wipe the tears from your eyes when a family member passes away.
The Wacky World Of Watching the Elections In Prison
"Biden said he's sorry for all that crazy shit in his past," G, another African American friend of mine says with a shrug. "If we want people to believe we can change, don't we owe it to him to at least consider he may have changed too?"
Child Molesters Support Trump
A surprising number of white supporters are inside prison for rape, child-molestation, fraud, and embezzlement. In these and white-supremacist groups, he enjoys about a 95% approval rate.
A Hitman’s Hopes for Redemption
I don't think I will ever be able to understand what could make me do all the shit I did when I was younger. I'm mentally fucked up over my actions. The lady I killed in Wisconsin was a good hard working mother. Her name was Kim Smith and she worked for the county in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
2 Weeks in Solitary And You Go Mental
Self-mutilation seems to be a common coping mechanism. Cutting and bleeding. I've seen many hang themselves with a sheet. Even when there's nothing to attach the makeshift rope on.
Poetry on Death Row Saved Me
In 2000, I was 23 and struggling to find myself in a sea of death row madness. The madness wasn't just from the inmates there, and their stories, but from the situation itself. Basically, you grew or you stagnated. To grow [...]
Thugs Singing Jingle Bells In Solitary
First one voice joined in, then another and another. I repeated the Jingle Bells chorus, and more of the wing joined in, laughing like crazy, yelling, but not about drugs. “Yo, Mr. Norman, you know any more?”
Tip #4: The Rules of Prison Sex
We all are human. Cops and inmates alike. The authorities know we have needs. There are crazy rules, like no drinking and smoking. There are even rules for prison sex. Then there are even crazier, pettier rules, like no swapping goods, [...]
I Was Already Dangerous At 13
I won’t say I’m not a criminal anymore because when I see something on TV my mind automatically sees the quick way I could or can make an easy buck from that situation.
Prison Economics 101
Two packs of cookies and a Pepsi costs $2.50. The homie across the tier might let you get that for a Colgate and a deodorant, which costs like $6. But a container of Fish Oil Omega pills that costs like $10, $11 won't get you shit!
Her Name Was Mo And She Brought People Together
Some people knew her as Arlene Mohammed, but her name was Mo and she brought people together. Mo was a strong black woman from another era, the one that followed Jim Crow but preceded Civil Rights, the one when black men [...]
Texas Prisons Are More Inhumane Than Most
When the guys upstairs on Row Two and Three flush their waste, it leaks into the pipe chase, oozing into my cell from beneath the toilet. Raw sewage. Bacteria. Germs. I clean up many times per day.
Tip #3: Never Walk Away From a Fight
Never walk away from a fight. Never back down. Lock eyes, stand firm, and don't bow to anyone but God or a badge. You may win, you may lose, you may even have to draw, but in the end you will not be stolen from, lied to or bullied.
Murph the Surf and Other Great Stories
Here are two more unforgettable prison characters from the early days of my imprisonment. Murph the Surf. And Bobby B. To maintain his dignity and privacy if he still lives, I will call him Bobby B., the masculine partner of [...]