Saturday, July 12, 2014

An Inmate With Ethics?

From the NY Daily News: Last year I spoke to a guy named Shaun Attwood about making millions on the stock market and plunging it all into a new career as a rave-organizing ecstasy kingpin. One unfortunate side effect of selling drugs on a large scale, I discovered during our conversation, is that if the police find out about it, they’re probably going to send you to jail.
While serving time for his offenses, Shaun saw or heard about numerous rapes of inmates by their fellow prisoners—a major problem that he claimed isn’t getting nearly the amount of attention it should from prison authorities. However, he told me about a friend he made who believes it’s his Christian duty to protect weaker inmates from being sexually abused, and has been stabbed and beaten to within an inch of his life for doing just that.  
T-Bone is a six feet five former Marine who’s become something of a legend in the West Coast prison system for taking a one-man stand against rapists in American jails. He’s currently serving time for robbery (he maintains his innocence), so I sent him some questions about his anti-rape crusade and the issues of sexual assault in American prisons....
Yeah, I heard that you sustained quite a few injuries after sticking up for weaker inmates.  As well as being shanked and hit with rocks, I’ve hurt my hands a lot. I’ve been hit hard and had to take it easy for weeks until my body healed from blows and hits to the back of my head. I have several large scars, including one on my shoulder, where I was sliced open. I’ve hurt my feet, knees, elbows, fingers, and toes. I’ve had contract killings put out on me for being outspoken about issues that are common in the joint. I’ve been asked to leave yards. I’ve been locked down because certain people didn’t want me around. I’ve found notes in my cell saying my life is in danger.
How did you end up in prison in the first place?
When I got out of the Marines, I set myself up as a bodyguard, and the cash started rolling in. I invested in the cocaine business and got addicted to it. I’ve lost over 20 years of my life due to the dumb decisions I made on drugs. I’ve hurt my wife and children by putting myself in here. Every time I’ve been released, I’ve come straight back. I’m not making excuses for myself, but most prisoners have drug problems, and the prisons offer no help, drug counseling, or rehabilitation. The system is designed so that prisoners come right back, because it keeps the prison in business.
   http://www.vice.com/read/the-vigilante-taking-a-stand-against-rape-in-american-jails?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Blogrss
Well, at least I got to give the guy credit for standing up for the rights of the weaker prisoners, even if he is stupid on the outside of prison.

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