Timmie, a student at Herts & Essex High, wrote:
You came to my school today, and when I got home I visited your sites and saw some of the videos. I have a couple of questions. Firstly, I wanted to know how you took the pictures of yourself within the prison? Secondly, apart from what you're doing now and people protesting isn't there another way in which we can help these people? I've just finished watching the video of the man being killed
You came to my school today, and when I got home I visited your sites and saw some of the videos. I have a couple of questions. Firstly, I wanted to know how you took the pictures of yourself within the prison? Secondly, apart from what you're doing now and people protesting isn't there another way in which we can help these people? I've just finished watching the video of the man being killed
become quite angry that nothing was done especially the one about the war veteran. After today, I've released that it's not a race thing and it happens to anyone. What is affecting me the most is the fact that the prisoners (hope I don’t hurt your feelings for saying this) are there to serve time for what they've done, which I think should entail them doing something profitable like doing things for the community rather than just sitting and doing nothing. Also is the fact that the prisons are run by people who don't really understand how to bring justice to the people who've been hurt, so there has to be some other way to get Sheriff Arpaio out and bring someone who's going to affect these prisoners lives effectively. Other than that I wanted to say well done as you have gone through this to be an example and I can say you've certainly put me off wanting to go to prison for sure and you have a really cool accent! Thank you!
My response:
Prisoners are allowed to pay for pictures to be taken. I paid $10 for 5 pics. An inmate photographer takes them usually at Visitation, where family member can also be in the pics. Sometimes individual pics are taken in a room on the prison yard. I had one picture taken doing a headstand with my parents on either side, and the prison wouldn’t allow me to have the picture. It was classified as contraband.
With Sheriff Joe Arpaio still in power and his regime continuing to commit atrocities on prisoners, like the murder of the Hispanic war hero Marty Atencio in the video you watched – an unsentenced inmate whose crime was allegedly kicking a door – it’s difficult to find ways to help the prisoners. Arpaio is up for re-election this year, and the man running against him, Mike Stauffer, told me he has read Hard Time and wants to get the conditions changed, so they are not in violation of human rights as is presently the case. Let's hope the citizens of Phoenix vote for Mike. It is my hope that by exposing what is going on via my book, blog and talks, public awareness is raised, and pressure increases to get the jail conditions changed.
The corporations and politicians running America’s prisons have no interest in spending money on education and rehabilitation as they get $40,000 a year per prisoner, so they want prisoners coming right back to keep their profits going. That’s why 1 in 100 adults in the US is in prison right now, and the UK public is being softened up for US style justice, so our politicians and various corporations can make money from the situation.
Shaun Attwood
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