Transcript
Dear APWA, "/Viral Audience Included" March 8th, 2022 Hello World, First and foremost how is everybody out there doing? Find hope & pray despite the pandemonium that the current pandemic has the world currently tilted on its axis. Big thanks & salute to APWA for all efforts toward allowing its under-rated incarcerated Global Citizens to engage in a universal conversation with the entire world that I know is "curious" about the conditions affecting this "substratum" or undercurrent of its marginalized loved ones that swear that the rest of the world has adopted the "out of sight out of mind" ideology/philosophy toward those of us currently "buried alive" in the U.S. prisons. With that being said, there is my introduction to that "very attentive" part of society that I know is waiting to receive me & my fellow brethren with open ears & arms. My name is Terrell James Robey #[identification number] Indiana Dept. of Corrections 1 PARK ROW Michigan City, IN 46360, Address subject to change so look me up on the IDOC website to ascertain my current or future location within the state to be exact, I am writing at this current moment to highlight some of the current conditions of a pandemic riddled prison society as a whole full of "atrocities" unlike anything the "free world" could imagine from first hand testimony being from my own experiences or viewing these calamities myself or actively engaging in some of the dysfunction myself because just like the "average human being" which I am not different than in terms of not being perfect, we all make mistakes & often times repeatedly. I have been incarcerated only literally months shy of #20 yrs since 2003 for Murder/Possession of Handgun w/out License and I am #35 yrs young in terms of my physical health. But truly it's by a "myriad" of experiences that have truly aged me from within. The prison experience has changed "drastically" over the last couple of decades from being a "Dept. of Corrections" to what is now a Dept of "Commerce" meaning that it's "core" central focus have or has changed from bettering its inmates which ultimately better society as a "whole" through more inspiration in the manner in which they lead by example in exhibiting "redemptive" qualities that are so foreign to the neighborhoods they come from and from the past character that they are "undeniably attached to whether it be by "Criminal Record" or the "reputation" a lot of us established on the street. For example, look at the late "Stanley" Tookie Williams" former gangleader/founder of world renowned "Crip" gang responsible for many a "spike" in the U.S. crime rate across the country. This founder of one of the most infamous "criminal syndicates" before his execution evolved into a "Nobel Prize" nominee, Children Books Author and true catalyst for a "whole" rehabilitation of character & convict movement "nationwide." I can remember distinctly how many a "gang member" or criminal period for that matter instantly was moved to tears when they witnessed this mans evolution when they saw "Jamie Foxx" portray his life in a "biopic" years ago on T.V., I highlight or place emphasis on the "Stanley Tookie" Williams story so intimately due to the fact that the "man" didn't institute this type of "internal" reform like others do in teams of trying to play the system in order that his life might be spared but he entered this road or conquest as a chance or opportunity to make a personal atonement" for the damage he did to his community whether it be lineally or individually by example, And him being so honest about the difficulties in attempts at "evolving" into this changed man while still trying to promote change for a "world" where a lot us "convicts" are eternally "linked" ball in chain" to that criminal reputation" that we've carefully manufactured over the years when we "adopt" that "Cradle to the Grave" concept or philosophy that often times comes back to bite us in the ass literally like it did "Tookie" when "Gov. Schwarznegger" denied his various/rupuated attempts at "clemency" and "terminated" his ass by "legal means" of Lethal Injection. R.I.P. your legacy lives on through continuous efforts made by those who strive to do better even when knowing that due to past transgressions they may never truly be "rewarded" for those efforts toward change in this lifetime. I place "Tookie's" story on the 1st page or two of my essay truly because I know personally no other system or struggle than that of "Maximum Security confinement which can be "crushing" to the soul of the "warrior" and often times is, When I first started doing time there was "2 for 1" meaning that you only did half your time so alot of long sentences could be completed even for those most sever offenses because with things like time cuts for education, good behavior and "sentence modification" guys after decades of incarceration were often given a "second shot" at society but as of 2014 new "tough on crime" legislation by lawmakers directed 75% to 86% execution of sentences for non-violent & violent offenses across the state of Indiana, So with that being said you robbed men for the most part of all their hope when they began to "calculate" their own fates when they began to realize that their sentences reached well beyond the point of natural life expectancy so in other words the question many a criminal are asking themselves before even considering or attempting change is "What's the use?", So this "tough on crime" approach has made the prison experience as a whole 1,000 times more detrimental to the "soul" & spirit of the prisoner challenging life head on and defeating him or her well before he can ever think of being a "Champion." Mental health needs as of today are the most urgent set of demands placed on the Department as a whole due to the fact that alot of us don't know how to "effectively" communicate a "crisis" need because alot of us are use to creating or causing "crisis," so the "victim theory" a lot of times is struck out at the door and many of our claims are "shelved" and placed in the "middle" stacks of massive caseloads that are left to the custody of undertrained personnel who are outnumbered by unbelievable staff to offender ratios which are yet to be resolved by Federal Courts on 8th Amendment "Deliberate Indifference" Cruel & Unusual Punishment claims which prisoners often times are forced to file in order to provoke change Department wide. The saddest part about that Tragedy before the beauty blossoms from a probable judgment from the courts is that the prisoner(s) may have suffered irreparable harm at the neglectful hands of those left to control the conditions of those housed in its institutions. From my own personal life here are pictures of my last suicide attempt 11-29-21 only (72) hours after an earlier suicide attempt 11-26-21 during a "very tough" Thanksgiving Holiday weekend in which an inadequately trained (Psych) department prematurely removed me from "suicide watch" observation after repeated attempts at trying to get more counseling, mediation, therapy, etc. Patterns or practices of the unprofessional sort have led to an increased amount of suicides, homicides, inmate on inmate assaults, inmate on staff assaults, etc. The whole cord of the soul or spirit has been severed leaving a lot of inmates "paralyzed" while their still standing when they eventually come to the realization that they are being housed and not helped which is a "stark contrast" from how prisons use to be & should be ran compared to what they have decayed into in this current day (cesspools) for the most part, Catfish wouldn't feast off alot of the remains of those that society as a whole as discarded. But once again I'm so thankful to APWA for giving not just me but my fellow brethren & sister an opportunity to swim in this "viral" sea and find a "food source" so I can provide some spiritual nourishment to the soul of the of the reader who can then do the same for me in return, I ask for nothing for free I plan on earning the attention of whoever makes eye contact with me through the sincerity of my passage, Just like Jesus articulated to his future Apostles at the time in a language they understood due to their profession, Come with me for I'll make you fishers of Men," There has to be some "spiritual bait" to draw that "rich" supply that "nature" provides to the person who supplies the soil with a "seed," So long as the earth "remaineth" there will be seed time harvest," For the harvest is plenty but the laborers are few, Everybody wanna eat but nobody wanna do the dishes, apeties are huge but work ehtics are small, I'm trying to stay humble & hungry and in full pursuit of my purpose. My release date is currently Sept. 2029 with eligibility of 3 more years of time [codes?] so I plan to use this "public" forum as a stage in which I plan to educate & entertain my audience domestically & abroad blessed with that type of viewership, I am in dier need of the positive reinforcement that can be generated from any sort of feedback because one thing I can gather from this "introductory experience" is that this association and its website as a whole is so "specific" in terms of what it stands for on its "face" alone that it will only draw the attention of those that are truly interested in this particular way of "life" and looking to "create" an "avenue" for relief of some sort to deal with this difficult mechanism that many of us are still trying to "navigate" are way through, day by day and is said as it sounds many are scheduled to do it until the end of their days and I feel that is truly God's will for me with the help of other concerned parties to be a catalyst for an already ongoing "Prison Reform Movement" nationwide Please feel free to write me back at your earliest convenience and trust that I will accept all forms of constructive criticism, motivations, inspiration and will be sure to recycle the blessing until my next time I leave you the same way I arrived Peace & Blessings Please post this Introduction as an Essay!!! with Photos Attached!!! [signature] "2022"
