I started Jon’s Jail Journal back in February 2004 to expose the conditions in the jail with the highest death rate in America run by Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Dead rats in the food, cockroaches crawling in our ears at night, and guards as well as gang members murdering the prisoners. Smuggled out of the jail, my writing turned the international media spotlight on the conditions. Click here and scroll down to the bottom to read my 2004 entries.
Video of Aryan Brother prison gang member murdering an inmate in Sheriff Joe's jail:
After I was sent from the jail to prison, I started writing more about the characters, ranging from Mafia hit men like Two Tonys to men who think they’re women, such as Xena, a six-and-a-half foot transsexual who almost bled to death attempting to cut “her” man parts off. Click here for a full list of the prisoners at Jon's Jail Journal and links to their extreme stories.
Since my release, a book has been published about my time in the jail, Hard Time, and I tell my story to student audiences in the hope they don’t make the same mistakes I did. Almost daily, I get feedback from students, teachers and parents of students.
I continue to campaign against Sheriff Joe and hopefully he will lose this year’s election. Click here for my tips on surviving his jail.
Throughout my incarceration, I was blessed to have the support of my wonderful family. Here's a video of my mum doing a rare talk at a school:
Shaun Attwood
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