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[crossed out: Dear John] Oops! Didn't mean to scare you there, buddy.

John,

I appreciate the compliments you had for my writing. I guess—in just about anything I write—I like to get my point across while, at the same time, get a good laugh. I have some other writings somewhere down in my locker from my first few days in the county jail after my arrest. They're just short stories of some first-time situations in there, but I'll see if I can connect them into one essay that will be interesting for you to read.

The fact that you're searching for information (and the fact that I don't know which state you live in) impels me to bring out a very important point. That way, you'll understand why the things I write might be different from what you've heard from somewhere else. The prisons in Florida are run very differently than those in other states. Florida is well known as being 10 years behind in the system. When I talk with guys who have been locked up in other states, I'm amazed to hear just how simple and efficient this whole process of living could be. I have always heard bits and pieces on this subject.

But when you mentioned your desire for information, I knew your first question would be, "Why the difference?"

So I took it upon myself to do some homework. Since I've only been down for 10 years and have only been in Florida prisons, I had to ask guys from other states and others who have been down in this state for 30 years or more some questions. That way, you can be sure this isn't just opinionated ideas from "the new kid on the block".

I honestly thought there was going to be a couple of guys agreeing one way and others thinking something else. But instead, I discovered everybody has the exact same answer. It's not just the bigwigs in Florida who have caused this, it's the prisoners' fault as well.

In the past 20 years, Florida prisoners have lost all self-esteem. They have become a group of weak individuals that no longer stand together against the system when authority figures decide to treat them with disrespect or no longer supply them with the basic necessities they are entitled to as prisoners. Someone like me is used to being told by the laundry department, at my six-month review, that they don't have anymore T-shirts, boxers, or maybe socks. "Sorry, we can't help you." Whereas, if the guys up north or the ones in Florida from 20 years ago were told that, you would have an uprising or a lot of complaints would be getting sent to Tallahassee. Now, it's just a bunch of bickering and complaining while wearing worn out clothes with holes in them. This also applies to the food department, mail room, canteen prices, the supplies necessary in completing our assigned jobs—basically everything.

A very good example right here in my dorm is the amount of toilets that don't flush hard enough. Imagine if it took you five flushes to get everything out of sight after you've used the toilet. Now imagine if you had to wait five minutes between each flush. Well, that's the way it is for almost half of 26 cells in this quad alone.

The crew either don't have the parts or don't want to go around and keep everything working correctly. And our toilets have timers that prevent us from flushing them gain short of five minutes.

But if living conditions were like this 20 years ago, the prisoners would be writing up complaint grievances straight to the warden. And not just the guys with the busted toilets—the other guys would have helped by complaining about the sanitary and odor conditions. Another action I was told that might have occurred was that prisoners would just refuse to go into their cells. If only two or three guys had the guts to do something like that, the officers could just simply lock them up in confinement. But when you suddenly have over 50 guys out of control, what do you do? You fix the toilets.

So when you sit back and think of how the bigwigs are pocketing the money that's supposed to be used to run the Florida prisons like a well-oiled machine, you have to also think of how easy it is for them to do it. Because the prisoners are not standing together to stop it, at all. You might have more violence in the northern states over issues between prisoners (gangs, drugs, money). But when an issue against them as a whole arises, they set aside their differences and work together to protect themselves from being walked on.

The guys down here are more interested in TV and playing basketball. They aren't willing to face the consequences of standing up against the system that is slowly taking what little bit of a life they have because they're too dumb to realize what the final outcome would be: RESPECT.

Now, in regards to your question concerning what I did in the chow hall, the answer is I just simply went right on eating. Being the "new kid on the block" at the time, I was more confused than anything. I couldn't understand what the big ordeal was. I mean, think about it. We're talking about guys that, out on the streets, would eat leftover pizza in a box that has been laying open on the floor of their living room for three days. And after listening to the other guys still at the table talk after he left, I realized the only labeling that got done was the other guy labeling himself as an idiot for how he was acting.

Another reason why I did what I did is due to being the kind of person I am. If you reread my face sheet, I'm sure you'll agree that I don't sound like the type of individual who thinks that throwing fists is going to accomplish anything. I honestly can't remember ever getting into a fight in high school or college. And so far, I've only been in two fights since I've been locked up. Those situations had far more justifiable reasons than starting something with a paranoid freak on my case because he thought my arm was 1/2 inch over the corner of his tray.

Anyway, thanks for writing and for making it possible for my name to reach more readers. By the time you answer my letter here, I'm sure I'll have those other stories edited, printed, and ready to send.

Eric