May peace find you as you read this letter. For almost 30 years, I have been a prisoner in the Illinois prison system Most of my time was spent in the Maximum security prisons IE: Stateville, Pontiac and Menard. Currently, I am in a level 2 (medium) security prison and I am the Founder of the Prisoners Exchange.
I learned about you and the work that you do by reading everything I can get my hands on but mostly from television news programs. The cancellation of the Melisa Perry Show on MSNBC was a devastating blow to my connection to the black community as it exist today, so I must mention that the Roland Martin Show on TV one is my one remaining source of contact and without Roland I would be completely unplugged. You see, most of the Illinois prisons are located in rural Illinois with no black radio or urban news sources and this lack of information creates a serious problem. In an attempt to fill that void, Prisoners Exchange was created and inspired by you brotha’s and sista’s out there fighting the good fight for the minority community and increasingly speaking up for the approximately 2 million incarcerated men and women in America. THANK YOU!!!!!!!
When it comes to rehabilitating prisoners, Illinois prisoners are without a doubt one of the least effective prison systems in the country, however, this wasn’t always the case. Up until 1995, Illinois prisoners could attend four-year colleges, join corporate styled civic and charitable organizations, get good vocational job training and compete in talent rich intramural sports competitions. There were artist from all areas like writers, painters, musicians, and even actors honing their crafts in prisons on every level over the entire state. For so many prisoners, this was their first exposure to these kinds of organized activities, because for most of them, criminal activity was very prevalent during their entire childhood. Just when this concentration of resources had taken a strong root and we could feel the positive change blooming, the Richard Speck tape was released (read “Richard Speck Tape and Prisoners Lives” on the forum for more insight) and stunted everything. This tape doomed a couple of generation of prisoners to being caged like animals and basically left under educated.
For the last two decades, the main concern of the State’s political bosses has been maintaining the political and economic boost the prisons provide the rural areas of the state while nothing is provided for prisoner rehabilitation. The Illinois prison system works hard to distract the public from the disparate impact the prison industrial complex has on Chicago’s minority neighborhoods.
We, the members of the Prisoners Exchange, understand that our lifestyles, reckless activities and crimes have caused so much pain and suffering to our communities and we need to work hard to earn our way back into its embrace. The Prisoners Exchange is a step in that direction. We hope the exchange can be a resource to all activists, both individuals and groups, who are out there working for positive change in the community. If our stories, information or insight from the inside could deter one crime, or give one youngster the needed advice to think about the consequences of criminal activity, the Prisoners Exchange is a success.
Prisoner X
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