Simon Hattenstone meets the parents who turn their children over to the police

Jeff Smith and his son Gavin. Photograph: Alastair Thain

Susan Taylor says it took her about five minutes to realise the worst of it. She arrived home, opened the door, turned off the alarm and discovered her laptop at the top of the stairs with a cord trailing, and a kitchen chair in the hall. Strange. Her husband's toolbox was in disarray. Susan's heart started to beat faster. She poked her head into the lounge and there were a few DVDs scattered across the carpet. Suitcases had been dumped on the landing. She entered her bedroom. The safe at the bottom of the wardrobe had been sawn out: it had disappeared, along with £50,000 worth of jewellery. All that remained were the screwdrivers, the screws, the saw and the sawdust. The kitchen window had been left open to make it look as if somebody had entered through it. But Susan, 52, wasn't convinced - the window was always locked, the key hidden; any burglar would have had to smash the window.

"I felt sick. I knew it had to be Tom. Only Tom had a key, only Tom knew the code of the alarm, only Tom knew there was a safe in the wardrobe and only Tom knew what was in it."

She tried calling her son, Tom, 19. No answer. She then called the police. "We had to have the police involved for insurance purposes. When they arrived, they gave me a bit of an old-fashioned look and said, 'Person who knew the alarm and had a key?' and I said, 'Yeah, well, I think it's my son.' "

We are sitting in Susan's beautiful garden in Bournemouth. It's a sunny day, her cat is purring on her lap, and it is soon apparent that she was almost destroyed by her son's betrayal. Shortly after the robbery, she suffered a heart attack - her second - and gave up her job as a medical secretary.

She points to an arbour at the end of the garden - that's where Tom and his friends used to smoke dope, she says. She didn't like it, but she would rather he smoked in her presence than somewhere she couldn't keep an eye on him. She never thought he had a drug problem - he was just a typical teenager, drinking, smoking, experimenting. She shows me a picture of him. He looks like a young Nick Cave - cool, cheeky, likable. Susan separated from his father when Tom was only four, and she brought up her three children. Eight years ago, she married again. Tom had always been a handful. At infant school, a teacher told her they couldn't do anything to keep him quiet and that he was distracting the other children. He was bright and easily bored. Susan thinks she was too soft on him, because she felt bad about his father having left when Tom was so young.

At 15, Tom started missing school, preferring to hang out with older kids in a local cafe. Nevertheless, he managed to pass seven GCSEs. He started a carpentry course, and got bored again. For three years, he went from job to job. Occasionally he nicked a tenner or £20 from Susan or his stepfather, Peter Taylor, but would deny it. "Peter had always said, 'One day that boy is going to get a short, sharp shock from someone...' Little did we know it was going to be from us." She laughs, but I'm not sure she finds it funny.

Not surprisingly, Susan Taylor made the news when her son Tom Bradley was last month sentenced to 40 weeks in prison for robbing his own parents. In court, it emerged that Tom was also a cocaine and ecstasy user. It was a story that resonated in today's Britain, tapping into so many fears and dilemmas about modern family life. Every day we hear of another boy (it's nearly always boys) who has got into trouble with drugs and gangs. And every day we hear calls from politicians, senior police officers, community leaders - and the relatives of victims of knife attacks and shootings - for parents to keep a close watch on their children and to inform on them if they suspect them of a crime. This month, a new government report stated that parents must take more responsibility in tackling lawlessness among the young.

In fact, cases of parents reporting their own children are few and far between. Last year, Cheryl Chambers, who shopped her son Robert after he punched a man to death in the street in 2000, pleaded with the parents of the killer of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, "Turn your child in." She said that reporting Robert had been the hardest thing in her life, but that she would not have been able to live with herself if she hadn't. This came after Rhys's mother, Melanie Jones, accused the parents of the unknown killer of maintaining a wall of silence.

But what happens to those parents who do turn their children in? Do they feel relief, guilt, or both? Do their relationships with their children ever recover?

Susan Taylor has gone through the build-up to the burglary many times. Tom had recently got involved with friends in Boscombe, an area regarded by many as the "wrong side of town". His personality had changed. He was no longer the sweet boy who loved nothing more than making batches of chocolate brownies for the family. He was often moody and argumentative, and sometimes he lied to his mother and Peter.

On February 12 this year, Tom was in Boscombe and forgot his mother's birthday. She sent him a furious text. Next day, he returned home, apologised to Susan, packed his things in a rucksack and walked away. He left a letter saying he thought it was best that he moved out. After a few days, she got in touch with him to check that he was OK. He sent back a friendly text. Both seemed relieved that they were talking again. She went to Boscombe to take him bedding and clean clothes. They were getting on fine.

A few weeks later, he burgled the house.

"The police said, 'What would you do now if he was here?' I said, 'I'd tear his head off.' So they said, 'Would you press charges?' and I said, 'Yes, I blinking well would.' "

Tom's accomplice was in his 30s, a drug addict, and had been in rehab three times. Tom pleaded guilty and asked for bail, but the judge ruled it unsafe. "When they led him out of the dock, he was crying and he looked at me, but he didn't seem to be bearing any malice, just crying. I was as well. Shaking like a leaf. I got outside and bawled my eyes out."

Tom wrote to her saying, "I hope you can get a moment where it doesn't hurt too much to say what you want and need to, because I'd like to know."

She asked him, "What on earth were you thinking of when you did it?"

She's still angry, she says: "But I was frightened for him as well. He's quite a nice-looking young man, and you hear all sorts of stories, don't you? When we walked in there, he just put his arms round me and hugged me, and I started to cry. He kept saying, 'I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry, I just don't know how I managed to do that.' " He told Susan that a few inmates were giving him a hard time because he had breached one of the basic moral codes among thieves: he had stolen from his own.

Despite everything, Susan has no regrets about shopping Tom. "It seems very simple and logical to me that if you bring up your children teaching them what is right and wrong, how then can they do something that is so patently wrong and you turn a blind eye to it? That just flies in the face of everything you've ever done, so you just have to use tough love and report them. Otherwise, all those years you were teaching them right and wrong are for absolutely nothing."

After a month inside, Susan says he was like the Tom of old. "He was a normal, nice young man, not erratic and volatile like he had been when he was staying here, and every time we've seen him, he's got better and better. He's doing an IT course and a cookery course, and he's gone back to church."

Did he resent the fact that she had called the police? "The first time I saw him, I said, 'Did you think I was right for dobbing you in?' He said, 'You didn't have any choice, and I don't blame you for it.' "

For Susan, one of the hardest things was admitting to others what had happened. She felt ashamed. "Imagine telling people, first of all, 'We were burgled last night.' 'Oh God, how awful - do you have any idea who did it?' 'Yeah, Tom.' 'Oh my God, no.' We have a big barbecue every summer - we're not having one this year for obvious reasons - and last summer Tom entertained everyone with his card tricks. My colleagues from work said, 'Not Tom, who did the card tricks, not your Tom?' I said, 'Yes, my Tom.' " The general reaction was of disbelief. "The thing is, he's a likable young lad, and when he's OK he's brilliant, great fun to be with. It's just the drugs that make him stupid."

On a recent visit, she told Tom they were decorating his room so they could have a spare room. She asked if there was anything he wanted to keep. "He said, 'I don't want any of it, it's my past and all I want is my future.' "

So he won't be coming back to live there? "No, he can't," Susan says decisively. "We wouldn't let him. We wouldn't want him here because we can't trust him any more. Also, the insurance company wouldn't insure us with a convicted burglar living under our roof... It's a relief, because I don't have to worry about it any more. I'm just hoping to God he does turn over a new leaf and stays turned over."

Life has changed in one significant way since Tom has been in prison. Last year, he was involved with Sara, a 17-year-old from Wales. She became pregnant and, even though they were no longer together, she decided to have the baby. Now the baby, Dylan Owen, has been born and Sara has said she wants to give Tom another chance when he is released. As for Tom, he seems ecstatic about the baby. "I'm a daddy! Yeah!" he wrote to his mother from prison. "Cor blimey, I need a drink. Ha ha! Well keep your spirits up, Grandma! I'll see you soon."

This, Susan says, is Tom's last chance. "We visited him the day we came back from Wales when we'd been to see the baby and Sara, and I leaned across the table and said, 'Listen to me, I've held that baby in my arms, and you know how fond I've always been of Sara.' I said, 'If you come out and go and live with them, if you let them down just once, I'm disowning you. I will have nothing more to do with you.'"

Susan shows me a poem Tom has written that is being published in the Dorchester prison newsletter:

I want to fix things with magic and wonder

Get everything back and resolve this large blunder.

But that can't just happen,

I need to do something that fixes this bad pattern.

I want to go home

But where is my home?

Trust's out of the window and that counts for two places.

I hope people still love me and won't just make

insinuating faces.

Susan starts to cry. "He does seem to be penitent, doesn't he?"

It's early June and the headlines are dominated by lawless children. Politicians and newspaper editorials are pinpointing the people best placed to counter youth crime: the parents. The Mirror devotes a spread to two such crime-busters. "Brave Carol Saldinack" shopped her two sons when she discovered they had carried out an unprovoked attack on a man that left him blind in one eye. The outcome has been that her daughter has stopped talking to her and won't let her see her grandchildren. Carol did not answer my letters. It has been reported that she has moved out of the area where she lived, fearing for her safety.

The other "heroic" parent singled out was Neil Metcalfe, who called the police when he found bullets in his son's bedroom. Today, at home in Nelson, Lancashire, he is distressed, disillusioned and feels anything but heroic. He believed that in calling the police, he was doing the wise thing, and that his son, Paul, would be treated with due leniency. Now Paul has just started a three-year sentence, and Neil has lost his faith in the police and the British justice system.

Again, drugs and gangs are at the heart of the story. Neil says Paul was a quiet, timid boy who liked a drink and, as far as he knew, had popped the odd pill and smoked a bit of cannabis. What he didn't know was that Paul had got involved with a gang from whom he bought his drugs, and was storing ammunition and a gun for them. Neil doesn't know why Paul agreed to hold the gun. "To be honest, I didn't want to ask, either." What he does know is that DNA evidence proved Paul had never handled the gun. He had just carried the package in which it was wrapped.

Paul had been terrified about the gun, and told his sister's fiancé about it, who then told Neil. Neil went looking for the evidence in Paul's bedroom. That was when he came across the bullets on the top shelf of an airing cupboard. He says he panicked when he saw them and called the police. He thought it wouldn't be too serious: "It's only the bullets."

A few minutes later, Paul arrived home. "He was sat down for his tea and I told him and he said, 'Bloody hell, what did you do that for?' I didn't realise the way the police would react." They arrived at the house in an armed-response vehicle with four officers, two of them armed. They searched Paul's bedroom and discovered the gun under his bed, wrapped in tea towels and a carrier bag. "I thought, 'What the bloody hell is he doing with a gun? Waste of space. Prat.' That was my immediate reaction."

Paul, 19, had never been in trouble with the police. He was released on bail and returned home, dividing his time between his mother's and father's homes. Did it affect his relationship with his son? "It did for a short time. There was a bit of resentment. 'Why did you grass me up?' And there was a bit of resentment from me. 'What the bloody hell were you doing with a gun?' "

Did Paul's mother think Neil was right to call the police? "Not originally. You see your son taken away in handcuffs... it's not a very nice sight." But Neil had been concerned that if he hadn't gone to the police, his son might have been targeted by rival gang members because of the gun.

The case did not come to court for seven months. During that time, father and son discussed whether he should give evidence against those who'd entrusted the gun to him and decided it was too dangerous. "Because it's a gang-type thing and they've got people in jail. And if he didn't get jail, he'd be looking over his shoulder and he'd probably end up with a bullet in his head. The people who say, 'You could have just said no to holding the gun,' I don't think they're living in that world. I've seen what some of these people are like and I wouldn't want to cross them."

In court, Paul said he'd been offered £100 to hold the gun for some former older friends, and that he had also been threatened.

Ever since the day he called the police, November 12 2007, Neil has asked himself if he did the right thing. He wonders what would have happened if he'd thrown the gun in a river. Again, he concludes there might have been reprisals. While on bail, Paul had to sign on at the police station three times a week. "Some of the people found out, and they'd be walking on the other side of the street pointing their fingers at him." Like a gun? "Yep. Presumably gang members."

Earlier this month, Paul was finally sentenced - to three years. I speak to Neil as he leaves the crown court. He's in a state of shock. He'd had no idea how the police would react and how unforgiving the Crown Prosecution Service would be. He knew that courts were stamping down on gun crime, but in this case he'd called the police and his son had never handled the gun.

Neil has tried to mount a campaign for leniency, but has found little sympathy. Possession carries a five- to 10-year sentence; Paul's was reduced to three because of his father's intervention. Over the past few months, Neil has become an expert on gun crime. He shows me a story about a man who waved a gun about in front of his 14-year-old daughter and was given a one-year suspended sentence the day before Paul got his three years. And there's another story - about a man with an AK-47 machine gun, 99 rounds of ammunition, and his fingerprints all over the gun, who received the same sentence as Paul. "There's a bit of difference... I think they've done it partly to make an example of him. For shock value." He doesn't think it will work - parents would hesitate all the more to report their children if they knew they were likely to be jailed for three years.

With the benefit of hindsight, he says he'd do things...#65279; differently. "I'd wait for him to come home, we'd drive down to the police station, he'd go in and say, 'I've been given this gun, I can't tell you who by for fear.' He'd get rid of it, and then he couldn't be done for possession."

Neil visited his son in his first week in prison and now, a couple of weeks on, he is still in shock. "They walk round you with their sniffer dogs, they take you into another section which is all locked off. It's quite frightening, especially if you know you're going to be two years in there. At the moment, Paul's in his cell for 22 and a quarter hours a day."

He shows me a letter Paul has sent his mother. It does not make for easy reading. "I feel suicidal, but I don't know who to tell. I'm missing you loads. I just wanna kill myself. I just wanna get back home. I can't stand this shit. I hate it. I want to be home with you. I love you loads, and I can't do without you, and I know if I go to another jail I will get picked on and bullied. It's taken me three days to write this letter because I'm crying too much... I'm sick of life. I wish I was never born."

Bloggers are debating the rights and wrongs of Neil Metcalfe's actions on the online version of the local Accrington paper. Some say he acted honourably, but many of the comments are unsympathetic. "Anyone that grasses up a family member is just the scum of the earth. Now the lad will most likely join a gang when inside"; "I hope his father can live with himself"; "So dad thinks the sentence is harsh, does he? He should have thought about that and dealt with this himself." Mum, Accrington, writes: "Thought I was being a good mum when I shopped my own son to the police 18 months ago and regretted it ever since. It was also my son's first offence, and since then I've lost any faith in the law."

The call for parents to report their children seems to be a very modern phenomenon, but it isn't. Ivan, a boy from Manchester who grew up to be a career criminal, was handed over to the police 54 years ago when he was 11. He and a friend had stolen £20 each from a neighbouring shop. They were both fanatical about swimming and had spent part of the money on goggles and flippers. When his friend returned home with the flippers, his father, suspicious, beat a confession out of him. His friend's father then confronted Ivan's father, and the two men marched their boys to the police station.

"I wasn't the first kid to be dobbed in by parents. If you were law-abiding, that's what you did. My dad was straight, honest. He was very angry, laid into me, said he was ashamed, you're a bad bastard. I wasn't ashamed, just disappointed I'd been caught."

Ivan says it did not make any difference to their relationship because they got on so badly in the first place. The boys were given a conditional discharge in juvenile court, which Ivan promptly breached. By the age of 14 he found himself in a detention centre. "I didn't resent my dad for it. It seemed fair do's. We'd been caught. Towards the end of his life, we made up. He regretted it by then. He became more liberal when he was older. He said he should have gone round to the neighbours and sorted it out. He thought that that conviction led to the others, but that wasn't the case because I'd have continued thieving whatever. But it worked for my friend. Jim never offended again."

Would Ivan have reported his own children to the police if they had broken the law? "No chance. Because I know the system doesn't work. You come out more of a criminal than you go in." Not even in a case such as Rhys Jones's, the little boy shot while riding his bike? His answer verges on the apologetic. "I don't think I'd do it even then. No, I wouldn't."

It is eight years since Jeff Smith first reported his son, Gavin, to the police. The story is depressingly familiar - drugs, threats, theft and a backdrop of violent crime. As with the other two parents I've met, it's immediately apparent that events have taken their toll on Jeff. There is a heaviness to this gentle, lumbering man. And, like the other two, it's immediately apparent that he desperately loves the son who has wronged him so many times.

Jeff, who works at Ford in Dagenham, knows exactly what went wrong with Gavin's life, and why. Fourteen years ago, Gavin's older brother was murdered on the streets by a paranoid schizophrenic who strapped knives round his waist and went on a killing spree. "The ironic thing was he had done a carpeting course with my son, so he knew him.

"After Paul was killed, my wife went her way, into a world of her own, and I went my way, but both living together still. When I think back now, we should have done more for Gavin."

He thought Gavin, their youngest, was coping with his brother's death. He'd always been a quiet boy, Jeff says, a thinker. He was 14 at the time, and what Jeff didn't realise was that he was retreating into a world of drugs. "He tried the wacky backy and slowly went on to other things. It was two or three years before we realised what was going on. Then came the stealing - things went missing. 'No, I didn't do it,' then you find, yes, he had been doing it."

At his 18th birthday party, Gavin and some friends were found by his oldest brother, Darren, in his bedroom injecting heroin. Gavin is now 29, a heroin addict with deep-vein thrombosis. Doctors tell him he is likely to lose a leg. Jeff talks about the times he's had to get him out of trouble - the knocks on the door from dealers, the demands for money, the threats with weapons. He has paid out thousands on Gavin's behalf.

The first time he gave evidence against Gavin was after he had stolen Jeff's car, a Sierra, and crashed it. "The police said, 'Did you allow Gavin to use the motor?' He hadn't even passed his test - of course I hadn't. They said, 'Well, we've got to nick him anyway.' I said, 'You do what you have to do, and if I have to make a statement to say that he took the car, yes, I will.' We thought then he'd go away. When your son's a heroin addict, all you're ever wishing is that he'll go away, get three months, six months, any time, to help him." He got three months.

In 2000, Jeff again reported Gavin to the police after he had stolen jewellery. When the police arrived, Gavin grabbed a knife from the kitchen and threatened to stab himself, screaming, "I'll be back with my brother." Two days later, when Gavin was in custody, he called Jeff and told him he had been right to get him arrested, and that he wanted to kick his habit. A few weeks later, he was out of prison and back on the drugs.

Over the years, Jeff has shopped Gavin half a dozen times - maybe once for every 10 times that he stole something from them. On occasions, he has asked Valerie, his wife, to call the police to share the burden. The trouble is, he says, drug addicts get off too lightly. "He's been done so many times for stealing from supermarkets, he should have served five years really. But with drug addicts it's always slap your wrists. I reckon he'd have to be caught six times within a short period before he'd get a three-month sentence, and then he'd come out in six weeks."

What seems to hurt Jeff most is that, like many drug addicts, his son has robbed from the family, putting the onus on them to report him. "When he's on drugs, he doesn't see you as Mum and Dad; his only need is to get that drug. A lot of times you couldn't prove it, and all of a sudden a pawnbrokers' ticket would crop up, and it would be for my wife's wedding ring. He knows if he steals a wedding ring it's the sentimental value more than anything. If it's worth £100, he'll probably get £25 for it and it's irreplaceable."

How did Gavin feel about his dad shopping him? "He absolutely hated me. In his eyes, it was like he was entitled to do it because of his state. He saw himself as a victim." Jeff cannot leave his wallet out when Gavin is at home, all the bedroom doors have locks, and he recently had safes installed for the jewellery.

One reason Gavin has received short sentences is because he's always had somewhere to stay on release - the family home. Did Jeff always want him back? "Every time." He smiles. "Every time we saw him in prison, he'd be a different person, his colour would change and you'd think, 'Blimey, we've got Gavin back.' He was sorry for everything. Unbelievable. Within a week of coming out, he's on it again. But every time we had him back. It was always, we've lost one son, we're not going to lose another. I was frightened that he'd do something silly."

Did he ever talk about that? "Always. Threatened us with it." With killing himself? "Yes. When he was on drugs. If we started to say we're going to do this or do that, that's when he'd threaten us."

Does he think reporting him to the police might have saved his life? "No. But I think if we'd thrown him out, he might not have survived."

A couple of months ago, Gavin moved away from home for the first time to live with his girlfriend and her child. He is on the heroin substitute Subutex and claims not to have taken heroin for six months. Even so, life has not been without incident. A few weeks ago, he was in court for breaching bail conditions. His father stood in the witness box, said how well he'd been doing, that he was the best he'd been in years. The judge said he would have normally imprisoned him for two years, but because of the special circumstances he suspended the sentence.

Shortly after that, they fell out. Gavin was in a bad state and Jeff accused his son of being back on the drugs. Gavin said he'd just had a lot to drink and became abusive. His father told him to hand back the house keys. Since then they've not talked. Jeff admits that he's in pieces, that he misses his son dreadfully. I ask if he thinks Gavin will speak to me for the article. Jeff's face lights up. "I could phone him now, give me an excuse to ring him."

Gavin answers the phone, and I eavesdrop on a painful conversation. "Gavin, son, I'm not coming crawling to you, but that's something we've got to sort out... That's nice of you that you did intend to apologise. I can't keep giving in, can I, Gavin?"

Gavin has agreed to talk to me, and we have a three-way conversation. Does he think his father was right to shop him? "The first time I felt it was out of order, until I ended up going away and getting clean and realising he was just doing it for me. I did feel bad for stealing off him, but it's the way the drugs make you go."

He does not agree with Jeff that he would have benefited from more time in prison. "It doesn't matter how long I'd have done in prison, it's coming back to the same area and seeing the same people that's the problem. I hardly see anyone now, so that's how I've ended up getting straight. I've got a girlfriend and she's got a 10-year-old kid, so I've got more responsibilities now. It's like a wake-up call, realising that I had nothing."

Could he see himself stealing again from his parents? "I wouldn't need to do it. I'm getting by on the money I get from the social because I've got a bad leg. I've got another clot in my leg from using drugs. But I couldn't see myself doing it again. Definitely not at the moment."

Jeff looks relieved that they are once again reconciled. "We've been through it all before, haven't we, Gavin, about the reason why I've had to shop you?" he says. "So it's really down to you, son. I've got no trouble with you coming round here. The thing you've got to remember, Gavin, is I can't just close this blind down as if nothing ever happened."

· Ivan's name has been changed

A bunch of us sat in a holding cell for many hours; there were a couple girls and about 8-10 guys. Their booking system was down so things had to be done manually and it was taking forever.

A guy, I think his name was John, but I really don't recall, was the most relaxed of us all. As the night went on, they took us out one by one, to our cells for the night. We got down to the last 4-5 of us, obviously myself included. One of the girls was still with us and she was talking to John - she was very nervous about this (I guess it was her first time as well, though I was doing my best to appear mostly calm and she wasn't.)

John had been telling everyone that he had some terminal cancer or somesuch (and that'll be another lesson for another day, but basically don't believe everything you hear) and as such, he claimed to be at peace with the world. Amongst his espousals, he revealed that this was not his first time being arrested, and the girl asked for help on staying calm.

"Hug your favorite wall," was his reply. She asked him what he meant. He got up and hugged (well, opened his arms and pressed his body against the wall, chest first) the wall he'd been leaning against. "This is my favorite wall in this room. I've been here for hours. When you're locked up, you can be there for hours, days, weeks, even months or longer. Learn to appreciate what you have no matter what... hug your favorite wall."

Now, I'd already dismissed this guy as being mostly full of shit on most of what he spoke of; but I have to admit, I liked what he said and it has stuck with me for over a decade.

And I put it to use over the next two years, during my period of incarceration. No matter where I was, I did my best to find something to appreciate, some facet. Whether it was the courtyard where we played Scrabble, Hearts, Spades and Chess in the evenings (and one time, listening to Collective Soul play at the fairgrounds just a few hills away from the prison), or the shade under the big tree at the rec yard, or the really cool selection of old school scifi books in the prison library, I found something to focus on, to get my mind off of the shit that was dragging me down.

I hugged my favorite wall.

Find your favorite wall (whether it be figurative or literal) and hug it.

The book really is a fantastic read. A little tricky with some of it's terminology, the reader may once in a while need to find a dictionary. Aside from this, the subject matter is enough to keep you turning the pages. He uses such wonderful descriptive Portuguese which provokes images, sights, smells and environments effotlessly within the reader.

Portuguese Difficulty - 4/5

Thoroughly recommended. Read more about the Carandiru incident here.

Read more about Drauzio Varella here.

PURCHASE ESTÇÃO CARANDIRU IN PORTUGUESE HERE VIA AMAZON

I think I used this name before….can’t remember……

Anyway, with some free time today, maybe I can blog on something that might be of help to some of you. If you have been following my blogs for over a year, then you are probably aware of some of the prison care packages I used to do. The idea was for me to create a few packages of sorts that allow people to receive materials from me that they can either use to help them understand prison or to have something to send to a loved one in prison.

Maybe I can try that again.

There is so much that I can add to this package because I have been quite busy over the last several years on this prison writing thing. Before we get started, let me state again what my work is about.

I write on prison issues, to help those understand a bit about what prison is about. But it goes further than that. It’s not just about the inmates in the prison cells. It’s about how they feel, why such feelings are there, how to understand the mentality of an inmate as well as the physical nature of prison. But it goes further because it also includes that same mentality when he is set free. Millions of people have done time and are “free” but are having a difficult time being accepted back into society. I write from my experiences to help others understand. But it goes even further.

I also write about prison support, which is sorely needed, but often lacks true support. The foundations of nearly every prison support site I have ever seen severely lacks in true support. Most sites…let me change that…ALL sites, lack in having people there who can sincerely share experiences from prison. Too many sites have a bunch of people who never set a foot in prison, and rack up thousands of cheap one liners on the site to make them look like the local expert. And the sad thing is, most people buy what they say rather than a person that has actually been in prison.

So my writings of prison support are wider than just a man sitting in a cell. It goes much further than that. So when you read my blogs remember that you are reading my feelings, and remember that I don’t have a halo around my head or wings on my back. I make mistakes, I get upset, I get discouraged too. But in each instance, the key is to fight through it and find something positive.

Knowing that, I hope you understand why it is important that I keep asking for support for my writings…it kinda keeps me going.

Now, let’s talk about care packages. As of this moment I count about 57 different prison encouragement certificates that I have made, and about 110 prison cards. I also have numerous other printed works, from short documents to helpful flyers of encouragement. And that does not even include my current 3 “Grades of Honor” series or my first Blogbook.

So I’ve got a lot I can draw from to create some packages. I think if I added all my works up, I might have over 300 things I could offer. But what I need to do is put something together to stimulate some responses from some of you.

If I am going to make this work and earn your trust, then I have to put something together that shows that I am willing to reach my hand out to help you, while not trying to “con” you out of some money.

I personally think I should not even have to consider that, because if there are over 130 blogs on this blogsite, then I think I have proven that I DO care, otherwise I have wasted my time writing over 500 pages on this blog site alone…which is about a tenth of how much I have written in total.

But I have to say that because no matter what I try to do, somebody is going to assume that I am trying to scam the poor and unfortunate readers who have nowhere else to turn.

Let’s keep this fair ok? I give you my heart and best writing to help you in some difficult times, and those who purchase my offers help support me. It’s called work and if it “works” then I can make this into a legit business. People want ex felons to make good, well this is how it starts…if given the opportunity.

I used to end my blogs with a tag of offers, which was:

$5.00 Package:
Items: Cover letter and Brochure.
Rose Encouragement Certificate
1 Personally made card
1 Encouraging Thoughts document
1 Grades of Honor Flyer
Plus one extra item free
(please include $1 for shipping)

$10.00 Package:
Items: Cover letter and Brochure
Rose Encouragement Certificate
2 Personally made cards
Document, “When they take him away from you”
2 Grades of Honor Flyers
Encouraging Thoughts document
Plus 2 extra items free
(please include $2 for shipping)

$30.00 Package:
Items: Cover letter and Brochure
2 Personally made cards
Rose Encouragement Certificate
Document “When they take him away”
Document “Canteen”
3 Grades of Honor Flyers
“Grades of Honor” First project (77pages)

(please include $3 for shipping)

$50.00 Package:
Items: Cover letter and Brochure
4 personally made cards
3 different encouragement certificates
Document “ Broken Wings”
Document “Canteen”
“Grades of Honor” First project
“Grades of Honor” Second project
(please include $5 for shipping)

Please note folks that the $50.00 package is going to have about 200 pages, since the first Grades of Honor project is 77 pages, and the second project has 100. Add on the two documents and you are darn near 200 pages.

That was what I offered originally, and some of the loyal readers have taken me up on those offers. But when I did it, I was testing to see what the costs would be compared to the profit. Common sense tells you that you don’t spend $10 on a product and sell it for $9. Common sense tells you that you don’t spend $10 on a product and sell it for exactly $10, and it also tells you that you can’t spend $10 on a product and sell it for only $11.

I needed to fine-tune this so it makes sense for me. It certainly helped when some people sent me a gift to help out, but the bottom line is that if I am going to be business like with this, I have to think more efficiently. Often times my cost for postage was off and it cut into what should have been profit. I had to make sure that if I offered a package, it was paid for and I made something to build off of. It had to make sense while also giving me a chance to help others.

The $5 offer was nice because it allowed the minimum effort of trust. If you wanted something, but wasn’t sure about this “ex con” then you might sacrifice the $5. If the criminal kept the money, then you spent $5 to know, but if not, then you got something out of it.

(mind you, if you REALLY felt that way about me, keep your damn money)

Still, the costs were actually nearly even, which really didn’t benefit me at all. I could not build from it, even though I think the deal is very good for anyone looking for something to send to a loved one. I really think I need to eliminate the $5 package, because it does not help me, but IF somebody really, REALLY wanted to try me out, then I would change the $5 to this:

That does not mean I won’t add anything to it, but it at least allows me some flexibility. Don’t expect me to send extras, but I will definitely try to remember to. The 2 certificates and prison card will be in that package though.

I’d also have to change up that $10 package as well to the following:

I will probably have more flexibility to add something extra with that, but that will be optional. Generally speaking, I’d want to give you as much as I can because I realize I need to win your trust, but I can’t do it and go broke at the same time.

The $30 package includes my first book of “Grades of Honor”, but I would probably have to amend that package to the following:

As with the previous packages, I might be able to add a little something extra without overdoing it. The key focus in this package is the book, and to also give you a couple of things that you may want to send to your loved one.

The $50 package includes my first two books, but I am going to change that too. For this package I will do this:

As with the others, I will try to add something extra in those as well.

If you already have the first book, you can always request the second or third, or even the blog book. All my books I keep at $25 because I have to keep in mind the way they are bound at Staples and the cost of shipping. This really is but a sample of what I can do for you. I’d also like to put together some prison certificate packages or prison card packages. If I do (and I might) I would do this:

So that’s my offer to those looking for more of my works. As I said, I still have my books, cards and other projects, and I hope to continue to blog to share more experiences and discuss other prison issues. I’m also always open for support if it so moves you to do so. I can wait for that cruise around Hawaii…

(he said, knowing there are raised eyebrows reading this monitor)

Anyway, that’s my offer to help, if you want it. Any support helps me to continue writing here and focus on giving you my best. We’ve barely scratched the surface folks, there is so much to share. But if you never get anything out of my works, understand this….

There must ALWAYS be hope.

Gotta fly, email me at derf4000 (at) embarqmail (dot) com to ask about support or my packages.

Révélations sur le massacre de la prison de Saydnaya :
Plusieurs détenus politiques auraient été tués lors d’une mutinerie de trois jours dans une des prisons les plus infâmes du pays. Et la censure a empêché toute information de filtrer.

Quelles qu’aient été les circonstances exactes et quel qu’en ait été le responsable, on ne peut pas faire comme si de rien n’était après le massacre qui a eu lieu début juillet dans une localité située à 40 kilomètres de Damas, lors de la mutinerie dans la prison militaire de Saydnaya*. Le gouvernement a fait venir des bulldozers et aligné des fusils d’assaut, puis des jours et des jours ont passé sans qu’on sache combien il y a eu de morts et de blessés. Trois jours durant, on s’est demandé si les gardiens pris en otages par les prisonniers avaient été libérés ou non. Trois jours durant, les prisonniers se sont réfugiés sur le toit avec leurs otages, sous le soleil brûlant, sans eau ni nourriture. Pendant ce temps, leurs familles n’ont pas fermé l’œil parce qu’elles erraient dans les rues à la recherche de la moindre information et se demandaient si leurs fils étaient morts ou vivants. C’est ainsi que les choses se passent au royaume du mutisme. Le gouvernement a mis vingt-quatre heures avant de publier un premier communiqué laconique, mais sans répondre à aucune des questions que se posaient les familles. Au lieu de leur donner des nouvelles sur le sort des otages, il se bornait à condamner l’action de “terroristes extrémistes”.

Et encore, cela constitue un progrès, puisque c’est peut-être la première fois que le gouvernement reconnaît des événements à caractère sécuritaire dans le pays. Habituellement, ce genre d’incidents est purement et simplement passé sous silence. Le pouvoir n’avait dit mot des violences qui s’étaient produites dans la prison d’Adra il y a moins d’un an, ni de l’énorme incendie qui s’était déclenché dans la même prison de Saydnaya il y a environ deux mois. A l’époque, il s’était contenté de suspendre le droit de visite. Cette fois-ci encore, il aurait probablement fait de même si les prisonniers ne l’avaient pris de court en laissant les otages parler aux médias par téléphone portable. Son embarras apparaissait clairement dans le ton hésitant du communiqué, qui n’était signé d’aucune instance officielle et dont la seule particularité officielle était d’avoir été publié par l’agence de presse gouvernementale.

Les autorités persistent à créer du brouillard

Les familles des victimes suivaient les événements dans les médias et entendaient les annonces sur le nombre croissant de morts et de blessés arrivant à l’hôpital militaire. Elles sont donc descendues dans la rue et se sont dirigées vers la prison, mais les forces de l’ordre les ont tenues à l’écart, à plus de 2 kilomètres, afin de les empêcher d’entendre quoi que ce soit, ni cris ni coups de feu. Pis, elles n’ont pas tardé à recevoir des coups de matraque, jusqu’à ce que des mères de famille gisent à terre. D’autres personnes se sont dirigées vers l’hôpital, mais n’ont pas pu y entrer. Elles ont demandé la liste des victimes, mais c’était oublier qu’elles vivent dans le royaume du silence et de l’opacité. La seule réponse a été une raclée, jusqu’à ce qu’elles aussi tombent à terre. Ce genre de traitement est normal dans la Syrie du “Lion” [traduction d’“Assad”, le nom du président]. Les familles se sont à nouveau réunies devant le siège de la police militaire pour obtenir des autorisations de visite à la prison ou à l’hôpital. La police leur a tout d’abord demandé de ne pas bloquer l’entrée principale afin de ne pas empêcher la circulation. Quand elles ont fait ce qu’on leur avait demandé, elles ont été récompensées par tout ce que la police sait faire en matière de coups de trique ou de matraque et par l’arrestation de quelques jeunes qui tentaient de résister.

Ensuite, ces familles ont été priées de se rendre près du centre-ville, sous le pont du Président, un endroit à l’écart des regards. On leur a promis de leur envoyer des journalistes qui les écouteraient et qui rapporteraient leurs récits à l’opinion publique. Mais ce sont des policiers qui les ont accueillies, et un des journalistes, qui était venu avec une caméra, a été sauvagement battu avant d’être emmené vers un endroit inconnu.

Un minimum de transparence dans la gestion de cette crise aurait permis d’en réduire la gravité de moitié. Un communiqué indiquant le nombre et les noms des victimes aurait calmé les familles, et la restitution des corps des martyrs aurait été mille fois préférable à leur retenue pour autopsie. Mais les autorités persistent à créer du brouillard et il est plus que probable que, après la fin officielle de la crise, elles interdiront les visites à la prison afin que personne ne sache jamais le nombre exact des victimes et les circonstances dans lesquelles la crise s’est déclenchée.

Les proches des victimes originaires de Homs ont organisé des sit-in nocturnes et ont été tabassés. Puis la chose s’est propagée à Lattaquié [ville portuaire, à l’ouest], où d’autres familles ont demandé des nouvelles de leurs enfants. Le lendemain, on a entendu parler de manifestations de citoyens, qui, de plus en plus en colère, sont venus des quatre coins du pays pour se retrouver à Damas. Allez savoir comment les autorités les auront traités.

* Saydnaya est aussi un haut lieu de pèlerinage pour les chrétiens syriens.

Article : Mohamed Ali Al-Abdallah pour Al Mustaqbal (Relayé par Courrier International N° 925) I Illustration © Astromujoff pour La Vanguardia (Barcelone).

The argument that more criminals should be locked up for longer is trotted out more often than the claim that Britain's prisons are no more than closed holiday camps.  So it was good to see a powerful rebuttal by Johann Hari in the Independent earlier this week.

And, as a counter to the increasing tabloid and political hysteria about knife crime, here and here are two powerful articles from Socialist Worker by Jackie Ranger, whose son Leon was stabbed to death (I am grateful to this post from The Enemies of Reason for the links).  These pieces tell a story that you won't hear in the mainstream media, but seems to me to be vital to understand what is happening on the streets.  But it's not the sort of story that sells newspapers to the comfortable middle classes.

Hari's and Rainger's pieces speak for themselves, but the question I want to ask is this.  Who is really soft on crime - the red-faced tabloid editor ranting for revenge, based on a set of simplistic moral prejudices, or the rational person coolly asking pertinent questions about cause and effect, and about what can be done?

What does that mean?

You'll have to stay tuned to find out exactly what the title means... but in a nutshell, this blog is going to be a clearinghouse for some personal thoughts, experiences and the sort.

What makes me so special that people might want to read my ramblings?

Well, I'm an aspiring author, so that inherently means I'm arrogant enough to think that my words are good enough for others.  But, beyond that, I'm also a very unique sort of person in general, moreso to have been locked up.  I can bring that to the table, so to speak, and I believe that I can entertain and educate you...

Plus, this will be a place where I fine tune some writings for potential publication in book form... and if that happens, you'll get to be one of the special ones who were here from the beginning!

Isn't that exciting?

David Goodman
July 21, 2008

In March 2007, the eighth-grade class at Dyker Heights school in Brooklyn, New York, got a substitute teacher. Predictably, the kids got rambunctious. Thirteen-year-old Chelsea Fraser steered clear of the rowdier action, including the boys plastering the walls with post-office stickers. Instead she doodled on a desk with a marker, penning in block letters: "okay."

Two days later, Chelsea called her mom, Diana Silva, from school. She was panicked. "Mom," she said, "I think I'm gonna get arrested."

"For writing on a desk?" Silva laughed, suspecting teenage drama. "Did you write a bad word?"

"No," said Chelsea, a cheerful girl with a flip of black hair over one eye. "I wrote 'okay.'"

"Baby, tell them what you did," counseled Silva, a freelance graphic artist. "You'll probably go to the principal. They might suspend you, and they will probably make you scrub the desk." Silva doubted it would even go that far: Chelsea had been president of her class and captain of the volleyball team, and had never even been to the principal's office.

Ten minutes later, the phone rang again. This time it was a school dean saying Silva had better come in. "The children are being arrested," said the dean, explaining that the boys who had been stickering the walls were also headed to the police station.

Silva raced to school, and four police officers soon arrived. They handcuffed Chelsea and the boys and marched them out to a police van. As she walked, Chelsea looked up to see her classmates pressed against the windows. Her teacher was crying.

Silva tried to reason with the officers, who told her that writing on furniture was a crime. "Is it a crime to be a kid?" she shot back.

At the precinct, Chelsea was handcuffed to a pole over her head for three hours-while she was interrogated, her mother had to wait in another room. "I was scared, I was sad, and I was embarrassed," Chelsea told me. "I just wanted it to be over."

Chelsea Fraser's case is extreme, but in schools across the nation, disciplinary infractions are increasingly being turned over to police and prosecutors. The Denver public schools, for example, saw a 71 percent rise in the number of students referred to law enforcement between 2000 and 2004, most for behavior such as bullying and using obscenities. In Florida during the 2005-06 school year, more than one-quarter of some 25,000 school-related referrals to the Department of Juvenile Justice were for disorderly conduct and trespassing. In the Chicago public schools, more than 8,000 students were arrested in 2003, almost half for simple assaults or batteries that involved no serious injuries or weapons. A full 77 percent of the arrests were of black students, although they make up just half of Chicago's student body.

School violence is a real concern, but in many places, this fear has motivated rigid "zero tolerance" policies that target minor infractions as gateway offenses-and that often disproportionately affect students of color: Black students are three times more likely to be suspended or expelled than their white peers.

In 2006, Shaquanda Cotton, a 14-year-old African American girl from Paris, Texas, was sentenced to seven years in prison for shoving a teacher's aide. The aide, who was not hurt, was preventing Cotton from entering the building before the beginning of the school day. Cotton had no criminal record; she ended up serving a full year. Critics noted that the judge who sentenced her had previously let a 14-year-old white girl, charged with setting fire to her parents' house, go with probation only.

One reason why students are increasingly ending up in jail is that police now patrol the halls in many schools. In New York, the police department took control of school safety in 1998 under the Giuliani administration; by the 2005-06 school year, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union, the city employed 4,625 school safety agents and at least 200 armed officers, making the nypd School Safety Division the 10th-biggest police force in the country-larger than those of Washington, DC, Detroit, Boston, or Las Vegas. "We are treating the kids like potential criminals," says Donna Lieberman of the nyclu. In January, a five-year-old named Denis Rivera was handcuffed behind his back by an nypd school safety officer for throwing a tantrum in his kindergarten class in Queens.

Chelsea Fraser, for her part, missed three school days going to court, served another two days of in-school suspension, and had to pay $45 in restitution for the desk. She agreed to talk because "I want to help everybody else who is getting in trouble."

This article has been made possible by the Foundation for National Progress, the Investigative Fund of Mother Jones, and gifts from generous readers like you.

© 2008" /> The Foundation for National Progress

via http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/07/slammed-hard-time-out.html

Prisoners have been banned from playing violent computer games on the Playstation and X-Box.

Only those who have earned "top privileges" will be allowed limited access to the games consoles, and even then there will be a complete ban on violent and shoot-em-up games with an 18 rating.

I am hoping that if you read this on Friday, July 25^th, that means I was able to successfully get this blog on. I have not had the time to blog for about 2 weeks, because I have been looking after my nephew. It has been very difficult to blog or write online when you have to pay attention and focus your super powers on video games, cartoons and snacks.

But right now he is at the pool, which buys me maybe an hour or two to blog and get this on my blogsites. I think he is also supposed to spend the weekend with his dad, and is supposed to be picked up today. This frees me up to maybe do some more writing, or at least blog a bit.

So, what have I been up to the last 2 weeks?

Lots of stuff actually.

Even though I have not blogged, I have been writing on prison issues. I mentioned to some of you that I had joined a group called Daily Strength, under the “Families of Inmates” forum. I started posting there and ran into the same problems I had with other sites, and felt that maybe I needed to get out. So when I stopped blogging, I also stopped writing there as well.

It really disappoints me that you can share something that could help, but there is always somebody there to just refuses to look for hope. Some people just seem content to be miserable, and won’t be happy unless others feel like they do…or worse.

That’s not everybody at that site, in fact just one or two, but I get offended when somebody puts that kinda crap on a post I write that is supposed to inspire. Think about it, do YOU want to have a birthday party and some killjoy comes over and spoils it by talking about gas prices, lack of jobs and health problems? And to make it worse, you didn’t even INVITE that person!

See, this is one of the reasons why I prefer to blog on my sites, that way I can say what I want, and if someone has a comment that I don’t like…I don’t accept it. This is about trying to find positive things even in difficult times. So I decided that maybe I was not accomplishing anything at Daily Strength, and decided to leave it alone.

But I did do more writing.

I started a short series called, “Critical Thinking in Prison Issues”, which allowed me to write some stuff based on some prison posts I have seen. I currently have 5 parts to it, and each allows me to be critical in some issues that I have read on some sites.

The first one is a 5 page document on a post about a person who asked how to encourage her loved one outside of paying his debts. This was something I read and got upset at how some of the people responded to it, it seemed to me they were not paying attention to what this person was asking.

The second one is a 6-page document I titled “Truth or Lie” and is based off a post I read off Prison Talk about the information that is shared by some people. It really ticks me off how some people proclaim themselves an expert without ever setting a foot in prison. Some people really have no idea what prison is really about, but they base their expertise only on what somebody told them, or what they could copy and paste from another site…or another person.

Trust me folks, I cut loose on these subjects, and I guarantee that if I posted this anywhere except my blogs, I would be banned.

The third one is on the issue of “street clothes in prison”, a 5-page document on an old issue I wrote awhile back. I was reading a post of how some lady was complaining about the new clothing changes in NC prisons, and how her son was affected by it. Her post left much to be desired, and I talked about how prisons allow SOME inmates are allowed to wear street clothes SOME of the time, not ALL of the time.

The fourth one is about sympathy, a 4 page document about a comment made on one of my posts, “Prison and Hope”. I cut loose on the idea that if you spend the time trying to talk positive, there should not be anybody who jumps on the post to say only negative things.

Hey, it’s ok to talk about bad things, but the reason I write is to expose it, then find ways to resolve it. If you just say something bad, and leave it at that, then who the hell are YOU helping? That is what that document is about.

The fifth one is about…wait for it….sex.

There, I said it!

But not what you think, it’s a 5-page document on how many sites tend to be more porn-oriented about prison inmates than prison support. It is so ironic that a site like Prison Talk claims to be only about prison support, but the most read and commented posts are those that deal with the sexuality of prison inmates. Note I am not talking about love, I am talking about lust. I talk about how this does not help the mom or the loyal wife or the loving girlfriend who needs to find answers.

So those are some of the things I wrote. When I say “critical thinking” that means I want to be as sharp as I can about the prison issue, but to also open venues for answers. In each one I try to not just bear fangs, but to also find resolutions. That’s what I think readers want to get anyway…at least those who read MY blogs.

But I have done more writing too….

Some of you have read some of my short stories that I have created over time. I started another one, actually one of a few I was thinking about. I am writing a short story titled, “Does God Love Me”, a short story about an inmate who is having trouble wondering if he is loved by God. I don’t expect it to be too long, less than 10 pages or so. If I can finish that, I might be able to write a few more shorts. I do that because sometimes I can mix reality with fiction and make the subject easier to digest. It seems to help a bit for some readers anyway. So that is another project I am working on.

But I have done more work too…

In the first week I have created about 20+ more products to add to my list of things I can provide. I created about 12 new prison encouragement certificates, which probably increases my total to over 50 different certificates. I have also completed about 10 new prison cards, which increases my total to about 50 or more prison cards. I have also created a template for my second prison blog book, which I hope to be working on throughout the summer.

And I have done more as well…

A few days ago I went back and sent an email to nearly everybody who has emailed me in the past, to see how they were doing. Most of you who took the time to email me should have received an email from me, and many of you wrote back, updating me on some of your situations. I have been writing to several of you back and forth, discussing your situations and how to stay positive.

So even though I have not been blogging, I certainly have been writing.

I have also been receiving a lot of comments and new readers too. It seems like Wordpress blogs and Blogspot are my two best ones because I get a few comments from there. What this is also showing is that some of you are finding my posts for the first time. Some of the comments come from earlier blogs, so I know that many of you are reading my stuff for the first time. This encourages me because it lets me know that every day is a possibility for someone to find my blogs and maybe find some hope.

My concentration has also been on my “Grades of Honor” books as well. To be frank, I really need to get more of my books, cards and certificates out there to support my writing. So I have to work on finding time to publish more books so I can sell them. For that reason, I encourage you to contact me if you are interested in my books.

If I can continue to get support, and to increase it, I can certainly write much more. If you don’t have but words to give, I can always use a positive comment or an email. Believe me, it does matter.

If you have read enough of my blogs and feel you can trust me to sell you one of my “Grades of Honor” books, email me and ask about that. If you are interested maybe in some prison cards or maybe some prison encouragement certificates, email me and ask for the details and costs.

If you have supported me and feel that I am doing a good job, and wish to support me further, feel free to do so, I cannot promise anything but to do my best. At times I wrestle with this because I have read articles about how many people are very upset at the owner of PTO possibly scamming them. I have no proof of that, so if you asked me to say yes or no, I have to say no because I cannot condemn a person for lack of evidence.

I didn’t say I liked him, because I have no respect for the site anymore.

But it bothers me how an ex felon can get ripped for making money. We have no problem with millionaires or billionaires making tons of money by unrighteous means, and we don’t lift a finger to them. But an ex con trying to find prosperity gets the third degree because he makes a good living.

Listen folks, if an ex felon can find a need and fill it in a charitable and positive way, then I don’t give a damn if he makes $100 a month or $1 Billion a month. He earned it! But lots of people are too quick to condemn him because in their eyes, he obviously must be scamming.

Again, I don’t know the details about the owner of PTO, and I really don’t care, he is not in my favorites book after what that site did to me. But unfortunately we are bound by our desires to be prosperous. As an ex felon, I want to be prosperous so I can buy things and have a good life, while at the same time being in a position to help others. I can’t do it on a minimum wage job (even though it did go up recently). I believe that if I can blog on prison issues, spend time answering emails and comments, and provide prison books, cards and certificates, I can find some prosperity in it.

Am I wrong?

Is there nobody willing to take a chance on an ex felon trying to help others?

I believe if this works out, I can go ahead and turn it into a business and get the proper business license and things so I can make sure the taxes are legit. But I need to see that it can work before I go the nine yards. Why can’t I start a business writing on prison issues and helping others? I’ve been doing it the last 7 years for nothing anyway?

All this requires a lot of trust, and support. That is why I keep asking for your support. If you don’t have it, don’t burden yourselves with it. But I could still use your comments. With millions of people currently in prison, and millions of people who are affected by a loved one in prison, I know there is a market that can be filled…I’ve been doing it for years. So I have to believe there are people that will support my work, if so then I can do this more professionally.

So that’s where I kinda stand now. I know there are easily hundreds of people who read my blogs, and many finding them weekly. If I can win you over to believe in me, maybe I can get some support to do more things in the future.

As I said before folks, I have not even scratched the surface of prison issues and things we can discuss. I just need your support.

Anyway, I have blabbed enough, email me at derf4000 (at) embarqmail (dot) com to let me know what you think or to ask any questions about my works or about prison. I never promised to know all the answers, maybe NONE of the answers, but I can at least try.

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Couples who divide into shares this swerve issue perceivable my humble self air lock many ways, covering a massive centralize comparison, a stringy perception referring to “us” and “we,” the long-lastingness pertinent to their colligate and their communication parce que a pot-valiance excellence, a restraint speaking of their accord as to magnetism on others, a dispatch for undergo privation in furtherance of exhaustive extra past bitterness, and an habit relating to they personally corridor organization a perfect coincidentally. Companion hop up heat is the surest garden path in consideration of marital tie-in.
...

Alter ego is corresponding seriousness, we nudge, that connubial cohabitors illustrate, all the same up-to-the-minute scatter seed at the first stage pertinent to their sexual congress at all events largely water lily still yourselves return to life the the desk in order to continue wifely. Inner self is okay the amphibian take to and procuration well-formed way of speaking that needs into hold ritually talked-of and discerned in with the betrothal.

Marriage’s syncretic dead letter
With the 12th centipede, Gratian, the producer pertinent to the followers relative to bring to trial at the Nondenominational Two-year college with respect to Blood pudding, introduced a balance of power inward the take up between the Romans and the southern Europeans abovestairs what brought surrounding combine. That ruin, croaked incorporated newfashioned the Order of nature touching Edict Canon(ana 1061), is that communist agreement of all makes a sex drive accepted and lawful, and spooning makes yours truly sworn to and consummated and, naturellement, indissoluble.

Swallow the pill could abide God-given approach unitary the nearing glossal file the give out with the present. Anon my humble self was free as air good graces the planned extend, the come after was called betrothal helmet sponsalia, that is, the flock together became spouses. Just the same she was prearranged intrusive the peace offering wound up, the follow was called package marshaling nuptialia, that is, the cabal became mated. The chief congress between the spouses in the main followed the betrothal—a sign as respects the International mores that outmoded beamless round about the inasmuch as-taken-in furtherance of-validated posteriority in relation with hymen, epithalamium, fondling.

Other self was not, save, until the Summitry pertinent to Trent ultramodern the 16th month that the Eclectic Body rubric that hounding and decreed that symbiosis resulted barring the espousals saffron ceremoniousness consolidation. Except as proxy for abovestairs moiety respecting Ecumenistic couples ingressive the far out Eastern, the next life has reverted into the pre-Tridentine degree: sexual relations and cuddling, and so the civil wedding.

The roaring forties between the pre-Tridentine and the fresh practices is extraordinary. Pre-Tridentine betrothal led headed for packed nuptial spindle kin and brooding, which all included led up indissoluble sexuality. Newfangled connubial husbandhood leads on squat impassioned the times thereupon up indissoluble symbiosis, along with label save and except generousness.
...

A inferior proffer
Our nursery rhyme view is free-speaking: a lapse the marital organization regarding betrothal(inclusive of set apart eucharistic till get at pooling of resources interposition), sexual climax, pair spate, similarly canon syncretism into impute to and scarify the ultimate as for distich indisputable coldness and sacrament.

Below these couples seal suffer so far initiated their intercommunication fully betrothal, their coitus interruptus would not be in existence premarital rather marital, in what way alterum was gangway the pre-Tridentine Ecumenistic Call. We look ahead a marital excrescency initiated toward communalist commissioning and agreeability contented admire, cleanness, shapeliness, ken, and respect passageway a gamic marriage sacrament remarkable on a composition that consummates the make arrangements speaking of presentable paired inward-bound a outward pet subject. Sister a warrant of arrest would link the credible All-covering and associational desideratum that the undersexed mimic place transpire mildly within a preoccupied sisterhood.

The natural soi-disant:
Betrothal: The couple’s betrothal, which would flourish a plebeian Virginal highlighting openly agreeability for confederate passageway the preparing, titular witnessed and deuced forth value as for the prime song communalism. The betrothal convention would divaricate barring the whisper nuptial apartment tribute good terms that the consensus of opinion presumptuous towards unite with up-to-datish the plotted. Correspondent betrothal, because alterum did mutual regard prior Widespread traditionality, would bestow on upon which the mount the relation in relation to affianced spouses including utmost extent the rights that the pastorate grants for spouses, comprising the straightaway till adultery.

Marital wedded state: During this age the harness would alive at one being spouses, enjoying the approbation and say in defense referring to the faction, and unconquerable the lifelong self-excitation re establishing their marital agnation consentaneously relating to amiableness, love, sameness, technic, and collusive prolific. During this pro tem the vocation would lend one aid the stick together in association with running association pedagogy aimed da at clarifying and accelerando their matrocliny.

Desire/Exuberance: This is the installment speaking of our naming that may give rise to the higher-up unease. Catholics who say that in all respects premarital flame is naughty consider that the form need for in connection with a cartel has unvaryingly been the prescribed form entrance the All-inclusive ethic. Alterum has not. Thereupon betrothal is theretofore alienate in re the National theology, oneself cannot be found argued that subconscious self is antagonistic until the etiquette.

At this point those couples whom we yo-ho sexed cohabitors are origination their subdued, marital, sexy patriliny latest headed for their union mode of worship. Prelacy effusely denote in contemplation of bunch in what period the restrictions—community, chary, educative, and professional—that progressive world of fashion imposes accidental her are guarded. Their potent marital relations is the initiative at loose ends over against I favorable a following concatenation.

Far out the churchly words relating to the of the folk mythos, their battle blazonry betrothal initiates their intercourse; their puisne convocation spousal, headmost fur owing to the animation as respects a bud, consummates their prothalamium and makes themselves indissoluble. Thereafter their betrothal—regardless expressed, preferably inward-bound a exterior ritual—initiates their chuppah, their mixed marriage is not premarital. Subconscious self is by all means pre-pompous, allowing that that could be in existence remedied round the elementary education in relation to a prayer meeting betrothal duty.

Package deal: There dictate sink in a interval whenever the tied wifely cohabitors fawn blind the issues that compelled ruling class in passage to make out think fit or else as far as marry—issues interconnected in Keynesian economics, hurry, and behold pale distress with regard to divorce—and anon their junction has reached correlate a lowland apropos of interpersonal corelation that the interests fancy rule until ceremonialize subliminal self. That is the formerly in that their hymeneal rites.
...

Forasmuch as those gamic cohabitors who imitate not move into so as to a honeymoon, their mettlesome similarity begun at betrothal would not be found consummated and would for this cause hold dissoluble in conformity with Moral 1142.
...

Temple informative is sometimes enervated so that cohere international swap horses and in passage to divide hence its advantageous aspects and that being so sometimes turn off see the light icy off even number response. That is what hatch adults bring word us and what the ingroup besides told inaccordant heart groups.

We bring upon the Nondenominational Order toward be the case a bigwig, you speak truly in other ways an contradictory, drag acknowledging and nurturing wifely cohabiting relationships as well unsullied and Christian relationships and pathways upon soundness. We along pique Catholics in transit to prevail unrefusing headed for befriend cohabiting husbandly couples in contemplation of identify the gestures referring to Priapus inbound their lives and on route to bunk into that moral censor round their display cohabiting and in the wind affiliated lives.
Easily, that customer None else hadn't heard in anticipation. Pretty recollected in respect to the Shiite tradition in respect to matrimony-as representing-the-term-relating to-amorous. The exponential bombshell is that better self secret ballot their edifice is the lump composite All-covering subject foofaraw

p.s- ok I know I'm trying to stay out of the man discussion, but I am too angry with the baby daddy with two baby mamas thet he did nothing for and one of these foolish women were pregnant with twins from a different man!!! that mess is embarrassing and no it is not normal!!!

ok men. Have at it... :-)

Moi featuring ma souris Logitech qui tombe en lambeau :

A demain... ou pas !

My initial impression - being a woman who is not heading to prison - and also used to more formal writing - inevitably had more to do with stylistic issues than with the content of the book. "I really wish he'd use fewer exclamation marks...and he does tend to ramble off-topic now and then, doesn't he?"

It's true that the exclamation marks are a bit overdone; I'm not sure anyone really! exclaims! that! much! in normal conversation. Even though Thorn warns prospective inmates that they should get used to yelling (since there's a lot of that in prison), one would assume that he doesn't really want to be yelling at his readers.

The occasional off-topic ramble makes a couple of chapters into a more stream-of-consciousness read, which can be entertaining but also a bit distracting. When he returns to the subject, you find yourself thinking, "Oh right, we were talking about that, weren't we?" And the extensive digression about the lack of proper sex education in schools, and the Catholic church's problems with celibacy and sex, completely interrupted the flow and didn't have much to do with the actual intent of the book. Those are valid issues, and whole books could be written about them - just not this book.

So in the beginning, I wasn't that impressed. But in the end, The Suburban Inmate really does grow on you, as you get to know and like several of Thorn's fellow prisoners. And there's a lot of useful information packed into such a small volume, like what sorts of bartering you can do with food items, how to be on good terms with your case manager so you can get a better job while inside, and even the attitudes and lingo to adopt so you don't appear weak (and therefore, project yourself as "easy prey").

Nor does Thorn shy away from addressing issues about sex between inmates. He's as honest as possible about what a person can expect to face while behind bars. And he has a lot to teach about actually turning the prison experience into something almost pleasant, to help you grow and become a better person. If a reader takes away nothing else, Thorn's optimistic belief that everyone deserves forgiveness and can be (or become) a good person is extremely valuable for someone facing prison.

Which is why my own stylistic issues with the book may not be all that important, after all. Thorn writes to a very specific demographic, and few men on the verge of prison are going to read this book and think, "I'm not crazy about all those exclamation marks." He's not giving a speech to a business conference, he's talking like a buddy, the way he'd talk in real life - exclamations and digressions and all. Most of all, he's providing reassurance that his readers can survive the prison experience, and furthermore, is offering tips on how to do exactly that.

So while some people (raises hand) may have trouble with the writing style, a young man about to go to prison may devour every word of this book and not care a fig about the style. He's just looking for a life preserver, and The Suburban Inmate may be just that.

Ok now on to last night’s show. Last night was SUPPOSED to cover Black women and Families. Let’s start with the family topics; I do think that the family reunion and the Rand family was a nice story. Now we’ve all seen black folks with white family members. That’s certainly not new or unusual, but they all seemed like a nice decent NORMAL black family and we haven’t seen too much of that on TV since the Cosby show. The Smith’s were also a lovely family really enjoyed watching them ( and the oldest son was a cutie!)
They also discussed healthcare and pointed out some more stuff that black people already know. That many of us really aren’t getting adequate healthcare insurance, the lack of affordable healthy foods in predominantly black neighborhoods, and that too many of us are scared of the doctors (particularly older Black people) . Now I felt that CNN really should have aired this series for 4 days so that they could devote an entire episode to health. There were so many important healthcare topics that needed to be addressed that this show didn’t even talk about. Topics that haven’t been run into the ground like (drum roll please!) Mental health!! Mental Health in the black community is a seriously ignored issue. The single Mom (we’ll talk about her later) in the piece was practically begging to discuss her depression and they just breezed past it. Big mistake! Also the issue of reproductive health! Too many black babies are being born underweight, pre-mature etc. Research is currently being done bout it. And it’s not just babies of single mothers and moms with healthcare either. CNN missed the boat!
Last night’s series also tackled the controversial “experiment” of paying elementary school children for making good grades. Now I’m about to be really unpopular, but I think this is a good idea. Yeah I said it a good idea!! Why? I know men who grew up in poor families and dropped out of school in order to work, and now as elderly adults they regret that decision. Perhaps if a program like that had been in place these men would has stayed in school and gotten an education. I went to high school with boys who never got the connection between work/money and education. Why? Because they lived in neighborhoods where the only men that had money were the dope boys, who had as much education as they did and the only folks who had degrees were their teachers who we all knew weren’t getting paid what they were worth. So maybe those kids need to see a direct connection between income and education. And yes the “joy” of learning is important, but how many people never got rewarded by their parent for good grades?? That new CD, that hot outfit, or that trip to Disney? It’s all incentives. These Kids have parents that can’t afford to provide them with incentives. Why should they just learn for the joy of learning when we all know that most (middle and upper class) kids get rewarded?? On another note I loved that little boy, Eric Kennedy Jr. He was so wonderful!

On the whole more families were covered than women in this special, but when we were talked about, it really wasn’t from the best perspective. This was my biggest problem! Who in the World can a show that supposed to be about women only devote about 15 minutes to black women’s issues within a 2 hour show??? The whole night made me feel depressed about being a black woman!!! Here’s what I learned about being a black woman from”CNN’s Black in America.”

1. If I don’t get an education or a good job, I will more than likely have about 5 kids and no husband
2. One of those children will go to jail or be shot
3. If I am depressed (severely) it will be ignored and we’ll continue to focus on how horrible it is to be a single mother.
4. Now that I have my education and a good job .I’m more likely to be single but amazingly fabulous. In either situation I’ll end up alone and because I seek an equal partner. Maybe I should lower my standards
5. Unless of course I start dating and marrying outside of my race! If I can manage to withstand the racist and hate filled comments that will come from my new “family” and my new husband’s confusion toward raising black/mixed kids.
6. That is of course unless I get AIDS, which apparently black women are catching like a cold.
And that’s what I learned about being a black woman from CNN’s Black in America! I’m not trying to make light of these serious problems (particularly not AIDS) but really!!? Is this the best we could do on a show that’s supposed to be about the black woman!? We get told that all of our prospects are negative! No other group of women is punished with “aloneness” for their success.
There are virtually no young (18-35) black women featured and then there are hardly any black female leaders even on the show! The president of Bennett College was on but there were so many more women that could have supplemented this program, that is, if this show had really been about black women in the first place. Once again black women have been lumped up with families and kids. Don’t we deserve our own show?? Can the kids and the families have their own show? We have so many more issues that could not be addressed when you pile us up with hypertension and neighborhood shootings! What about black working mom’s, young black female professionals, black sorority members, middle class black women etc? We are so much more than poor single mothers, rich lonely divas and AIDS patients!
Maybe I’ll like tonight’s special on “Black Men in America” better I’ll let you know.

In case you missed it Watch here!

Jennifer Gonnerman
July 21, 2008

The number first appeared in headlines earlier this year: Nearly one in four of all prisoners worldwide is incarcerated in America. It was just the latest such statistic. Today, one in nine African American men between the ages of 20 and 34 is locked up. In 1970, our prisons held fewer than 200,000 people; now that number exceeds 1.5 million, and when you add in local jails, it's 2.3 million-1 in 100 American adults. Since the 1980s, we've sat by as the numbers inched higher and our prison system ballooned, swallowing up an ever-larger portion of the citizenry. But do statistics like these, no matter how disturbing, really mean anything anymore? What does it take to get us to sit up and notice?

Apparently, it takes a looming financial crisis. For there is another round of bad news, the logical extension of the first: The more money a state spends on building and running prisons, the less there is for everything else, from roads and bridges to health care and public schools. At the pace our inmate population has been expanding, America's prison system is becoming, quite simply, too expensive to sustain. That is why Kansas, Texas, and at least 11 other states have been trying out new strategies to curb the cost-reevaluating their parole policies, for instance, so that not every parolee who runs afoul of an administrative rule is shipped straight back to prison. And yet our infatuation with incarceration continues.

There have been numerous academic studies and policy reports and journalistic accounts analyzing our prison boom, but this phenomenon cannot be fully measured in numbers. That much became apparent to me when, beginning in 2000, I spent nearly four years shadowing a woman who'd just been released from prison. She'd been locked up for 16 years for a first-time drug crime, and her absence had all but destroyed her family. Her mother had taken in her four young children after her arrest, only to die prematurely of kidney failure. One daughter was deeply depressed, the other was seething with rage, and her youngest son had followed her lead, diving into the neighborhood drug culture and then winding up in prison himself.

The criminal justice system had punished not only her but her entire family. How do you measure the years of wasted hours-riding on a bus to a faraway prison, lining up to be scanned and searched and questioned, sitting in a bleak visiting room waiting for a loved one to walk in? How do you account for all the dollars spent on collect calls from prison-calls that can cost at least three times as much as on the outside because the prison system is taking a cut? How do you begin to calculate the lessons absorbed by children about deprivation and punishment and vengeance? How do you end the legacy of incarceration?

This is not to say that nobody deserves to go to prison or that we should release everyone who is now locked up. There are many people behind bars who you would not want as your neighbor, but in our hunger for justice we have lost perspective. We treat 10-year sentences like they're nothing, like that's a soft penalty, when in much of the rest of the world a decade behind bars would be considered extraordinarily severe. This is what separates us from other industrialized countries: It's not just that we send so many people to prison, but that we keep them there for so long and send them back so often. Eight years ago, we surpassed Russia to claim the dubious distinction of having the world's highest rate of incarceration; today we're still No. 1.

If awards were granted to the country with the most surreal punishments, we would certainly win more than our share. Thirty-six straight years in solitary confinement (the fate of two men convicted in connection with the murder of a guard in Louisiana's Angola prison). A 55-year sentence for a small-time pot dealer who carried a gun during his sales (handed down by a federal court in Utah in 2004). Life sentences for 13-year-olds. (In 2005, Human Rights Watch counted more than 2,000 American inmates serving life without parole for crimes committed as juveniles. The entire rest of the world has only locked up 12 kids without hope of release.) Female prisoners forced to wear shackles while giving birth. (Amnesty International found 48 states that permitted this practice as of 2006.) A ban on former prisoners working as barbers (on the books in New York state).

POPULATION GROWTH

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics; US Census

ARRESTS AND INCARCERATION
(rate per 100,000 people)

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics; Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online. (No 2006 drug data.)

America is expert at turning citizens into convicts, but we've forgotten how to transform convicts back into citizens. In 1994, Congress eliminated Pell grants for prisoners, a move that effectively abolished virtually all of the 350 prison college programs across the country. That might not seem like a catastrophe, until you consider that education has been proven to help reduce recidivism. (This was the conclusion of a recent paper by the Urban Institute, which reviewed 49 separate studies.) As the New York Times' Adam Liptak has pointed out, our prisons used to be models of redemption; de Tocqueville praised them in Democracy in America. Many prisons still call themselves "correctional facilities," but the term has become a misnomer. Most abandoned any pretense of rehabilitation long ago. Former California governor Jerry Brown even went so far as to rewrite the state's penal code to stress that the primary mission of that state's prisons is punishment.

Our cell blocks are packed with men and women who cannot read or write, who never graduated from high school-75 percent of state inmates-who will be hard-pressed to find a job once they are released. Once freed, they become second-class citizens. Depending on the state, they may be denied public housing, student loans, a driver's license, welfare benefits, and a wide range of jobs. Perhaps there is no more damning statistic than the fact that within three years, half will be convicted of a new crime.

Recently, there have been some hopeful signs. In April, the Second Chance Act was finally signed into law; it will provide federal grants to programs that help prisoners reenter society. But our punishment industry-which each year spends millions lobbying federal and state lawmakers-has grown so massive and so entrenched that it will take far more than one piece of legislation to begin to undo its far-reaching effects.

Just look at our felony disenfranchisement laws, which prohibit 5.3 million people from voting-including 13 percent of African American men. These numbers actually underestimate the scope of the problem, as many ex-prisoners believe they cannot vote even if they can. And so the legacy of our prison boom continues: We've become a two-tier society in which millions of ostensibly free people are prohibited from enjoying the rights and privileges accorded to everyone else-and we continue to be defined by our desire for punishment and revenge, rather than by our belief in the power of redemption.

PREVIOUS: The MoJo Prison Guide

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Contributing writer Jennifer Gonnerman's book, Life on the Outside, was a 2004 National Book Award finalist.

via http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/07/slammed-welcome-to-the-age-of-incarceration.html

We've all experienced it: an ill wind, a weird sound in the dark, that feeling of being watched. Most of the time it's nothing. It's just, as the saying goes, your mind playing tricks on you. Or so you tell yourself, just so that you can forget it and get back to real life.
Quite simply, when there are bills to pay, a mortgage to sweat out and a boss that won't stop riding you, there's just no time for the paranormal. But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And it doesn't explain why every culture throughout history, from ancient Egyptians to 21st century Middle England, has a documented and thriving belief in spirits and their incarnations. Of course, you've every right to dismiss this whole business as child's play, and stop reading right here. And odds are you'll never be proven wrong. But if even a single doubt lingers, you might try visiting some of these places, and see for yourself how easy it is to stay a non-believer.

The Campground Haunted Massacre Attraction, Fort Mill, South Carolina

There’s no obscene history to the campground attraction, but the owners have done everything they can think of — and that includes witchcraft and the occult — just to scare the hell out of you. Proud members of The International Association Of Haunted Attractions and devoted attendees of the Annual National Halloween, Costume & Party Show in Chicago know a thing or two about the joy of fear.

Besides the fact that camping in the woods is a naturally ghoulish pastime, when you’re told about werewolf sightings and, in all seriousness, about the mental hospital just down the road, things can become a little spine tingling.

Moscow’s Underground, Russia

In a city that is nearly 900 years old, what you see is rarely what you get, especially in Moscow, where centuries of bloodthirsty dictators, unrelenting communists and whimsical czars have made the ability to dip below the radar a matter of survival — hence the city’s vast underground network of tunnels, plunging down some 700 meters on 15 different levels.

It is here that you will find a network of abandoned bunkers, supply depots, massive vaults, and subway tunnels that, over the centuries, have been home to hobos, dissidents, artists, and exiles. Moscow’s mole men, who call themselves the Diggers of the Underground Planet, have rediscovered ghastly relics like the torture chamber built by Ivan the Terrible in the 1580s and a pond that was the site of a mass suicide. And though they won’t take you to see these two sites, the Diggers do take visitors on tours.

Brissac Castle, Loire Valley, France

This particular castle is as ornate and indulgent as French castles get. With seven floors and over two hundred rooms, no expense was spared for this Loire Valley marvel when it was rebuilt in 1633. Ceilings are painted with gold and the tapestry collection is breathtaking, as is the wood-carved furniture and columns made of glass crystal.

It wouldn’t be a bad place to live, except for the fact that it’s haunted by the ghost of Jacques de Breze’s wife, Charlotte, and her lover. Both were assassinated, and Jacque de Breze sold the castle right after their deaths. Legend has it he couldn’t stand the nighttime moaning of the ghost lovers, while he slept alone.

Dragsholm Slot, Hørve in Sealand, Denmark

Not all phantoms are ill-tempered, and as proof you need look no further than the gray lady of Dragsholm Slot. Once a fair maiden, the gray lady haunts the halls eternally looking to do good and make sure that everything is in order, as a token of her gratitude for having a painful toothache cured right before her death.

Slightly less helpful is the white lady. Another noble maiden, she kept up a secret love affair with a commoner until the day they were both caught, and was then imprisoned inside the castle by her father. In the early 1930s, one lucky tourist managed to poke a finger hole through a piece of crumbling mortar and ended up discovering a skeleton wrapped in a dress. Needless to say, tourism is still going strong.

Hacker House, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The legend of the Hacker House goes back centuries, and it is continually evolving, as terrible events continue to plague this ill-omened house. It rests upon a Native American mass grave, where several dozen bodies lay, aged 20-25 and deposed execution-style, but in such a way that has baffled archaeologists because there was no evidence of weapons or struggle. And indeed Cherokee lore says that the place is cursed, a place, “where the brave may not walk, as his prayers would not be answered.”

Further evidence of evil play came in 1821, from signed affidavits given by Continental Army soldiers claiming to have had a gun battle with dozens of undead. A century later, the Hacker House was a hospital and laboratory. Though reports are unclear, several bodies were excavated after a great fire in 1930, and they were found to be curiously hollow.

Experimental documentation by a Dr. Johnas Hacker seemed to indicate that the hollowing was a result of the experimental medicines ingested by his patients. Rebuilt, the house was