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My sister & I were talking about our lives, as we do quite often. We agreed that after all we have seen and have been through nothing really shocks us any more. Perhaps we are desensitized to this world’s events.

Through John and his new cast of characters, I’ve been getting a first hand account of what prison life is like on a day to day basis. I asked for the info. I need it so I can wrap my head around this whole thing. So I can deal. So I can learn. I need to know how things work. By profession I work in IT. I need information.

Does what I’m told shock me? Unfortunately, No. It saddens me. I could write a long piece about it but I think it’s better coming from some one in the know.

Ladies & Gentleman – from a letter sent to me…..I give you Frankenstein…

Entering prison for the first time can be a frightening experience. The noise level is what strikes you and it is unlike any other noise that you have ever heard before. It’s human noise and clamor. That, coupled with the sight of those dreary bars, made me think, “Man, what have I gotten myself into here?!” When you have entered prison, you have entered a world all its own. Each prison is different and what applies to one person certainly will not apply to another. Prisons are classified by security levels. (Maximum, Close, Medium, Minimum). You will have different rules and types of people according to what kind of prison you find yourself in. Although each prison is different, there exists three basic groupings in all prisons. This social strata consists of the administration, guards and the prisoners themselves. Each group operates according to its own set of rules and values, while there exists interplay between the three, none are totally independent of the others.
The administrators of prisoners are usually people with years of devoted service in the penal system. The rules in prison are formulated to either antagonize or placate prisoners, but main purpose is to control. The guards are the people who enforce the rules. They act as middlemen between administrators and prisoners. As prisons and people in them differ, so do guards. Some are real professionals. They respect other human beings. And others are the worst type of people. They deal in contraband and are capable of brutal acts against prisoners. They thrive on having authority. The most difficult part about having contact with prison administrators and guards is that they usually operate from a set of preconceived notions about all prisoners. For them a textbook example of a prisoner is a dump, passively or aggressively homosexual, scheming and manipulative. Their manuals generally describe all prisoners in this way. They tend to lump all prisoners into these categories. Accordingly, it would be safe to lump them into one category as well. Expect them to be indifferent, authoritative, brutal and racist toward you. When you encounter here in prison an administrator or a good guard who is different, consider it a blessing and a rarity.

Hey, I apologize for not introducing myself to you properly in the beginning of the letter, but my name is Favio Paulino,#424548, but people call me Frankenstein because I’m a big Latino guy that likes to be respected at all times - but I’m a nice guy to those who are nice to me - like my guy John. He always has shown me respect and that’s why we have become good friends. He knows he can count on me for anything. I will always be there for him. He has told me so many things about you - like how wonderful of a person you are and he told me that you wanted to know more about prison life – like details and things like that. That’s why I wrote you the way I did so you could have a better idea on how this part of society really is……
Take care of yourself.
Tu Amigo,
Favio, aka, Frankenstein.

Personally, it’s hard for me to believe grown adults are forced to live this way. That grown adults treat each other this way. Something is wrong.

To Frankenstein –

If you take care of things on the inside and I take care of things on the outside….

Vamos a tener mucho exito.

- kc