Letters From Inside the Prison

  TDCJ Hell: The Estelle Unit By Jay Goodman So many things can happen inside a prison system. People in general I believe, have a mindset of what goes on in here. While some of this is true, I’m sure, it’s also true that almost no one who hasn’t been incarcerated has any real understanding […]

  To Our Elected Officials By Jay Goodman I can practically see, in my mind’s eye, the reaction of some of my fellow Texans as they read what I’m writing. “Oh, please!” they’ll be thinking. “You did the crime, now do the time, and stop your whining.” But, truth be told, my only obiective here

  Highway Robbery By Mike Powers One of the most distressing things I’ve learned about the prison system as I worked my way through this maze was how unapologetic the TDCJ is in its prolific profiteering from the misery of others. It’s not enough that one of its citizens has committed a crime and faces

  Compassion By Jay Goodman I have written about several things throughout my book that mean a lot to me. I have felt many different emotions that have made me wonder about life and the true meaning of family and friends. Some chapters I’ve written have made me very angry towards the individuals controlling the

  Texas Plays Monopoly By Jay Goodman As I go back to the 1990s and all of the madness the decade brought he TDCJ, I’m amazed at the masterfulness of the Puppet Masters. I’ve been working on my book, The Puppet Masters, for over ten years now, and I must admit there are times I

  Texas Plays Monopoly II By Jay Goodman I have to take my hat off to the Puppet Masters, and the absolute genius of the criminal empire they put together. I sit in my cell and look at the TDCJ’s history of total disrespect for anyone under their care, and as I have written in

  Free Darlie Addendum Two days after I finished my article on Darlie Routier, I received the July 2018 issue of Prison Legal News, an excellent source of legal opinions and reports regarding correctional institutions all over the county. It contained the following articles on innocent people falsely incarcerated: Jason Strong was awarded $9 million

  An Amazing Story From Mario Veleta There is a saying that I have heard throughout my life, “Everybody has a story,” which is very true. I have traveled much in my life and have had the opportunity to meet many people, so I do know first hand that this statement is a fact. Of

  The Sweet Sound Of Silence By Jay Goodman One constant that I’ve been dealing with since the first day after I was sentenced to 15 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is noise. Noise is everywhere except perhaps isolation, and even then, I’m told the yelling and screaming of other prisoners –

  Grandpa And The Cat I was asked to tell another personal story about my life. As I have said before, I grew UP in a family that was anything but normal. Don’t get me wrong, my family has a lot of love for one another, they have been good to me, well at least