Criminals With Immunity

by Jay Goodman

As the weeks past it was hard for me to believe the same type of corruption was happening in the federal detention as I have seen the last 15 years in a Texas prison system. The drugs, overdoses, fights, stabbings, and nothing at all being done about it. It’s funny, because to watch all of this it was like everyone had complete immunity inside this prison. Hell, the criminals were safer inside this prison than on the street. I am sure most people would assume it would be the opposite. The people running this place didn’t care what went on. The only thing that was important was that their drug business florist. Like I said, the only way to keep all that was happening a secret was to never write anyone a disciplinary case. Oh, they might write a few cases for something small. But the drugs, wine, stabbings were kept to themselves. They couldn’t take a chance that the federal prisons would find out and start an investigation into what was going on.

Since they already lost their contract once under no circumstances, they want to lose it again. There have been times during my incarceration I thought that I saw everything but, as always, I’ve been proven wrong. In the past most people in federal prison had big-time charges. They were part of an organization such as the Italian mafia, or the Jewish or Irish groups. The others, such as bank robbery, weapon smuggling, drug smuggling, or what is known as white collar crimes were the ones in prison. But as the years went by, they started giving street gangs federal cases such as organized crime, what’s known as Rico, or conspiracy charges. These types of cases for the federal prisons with low level criminals that were much different than the system was used to dealing with. When I first got to this federal system in Youngstown, Ohio and started meeting people, I saw a lot of youngsters with federal cases. When they found out I knew a little about the law, they began speaking to me about their cases. Almost all of them had drug charges. But what surprised me the most was that their drug charges were low level offenses. I mean cases that were so petty it was hard for me to believe they were sitting in federal jail. As I read over dozens of cases it seemed most of them were heroin or fentanyl. But these cases were for two or 3 g, not something one would go to federal prison for. Most of the cases I seen in Texas were people who were arrested for dozens if not hundreds of kilos. The sad thing is most of these men were just teenagers. I’d say most were between 18 and 25. These low-level cases are usually prosecuted in the state court. But because of the epidemic problem our country has had with heroin and fentanyl, and all of the deaths from overdoses, the federal government decided to crack down. But looking at it from my point of you, they targeted the wrong people. Someone who gets busted with grams are usually just drug addicts. Yes, some might be selling a little bit of drugs on the side only to support their habit, but arresting these individuals are not going to solve the problem. What it has done is for the federal system with people who have got about as much business going to federal prison as I do going to the moon.

Anyway, as time went by, I kept seeing case after case like these individuals have coming inside. A few of them stick out most in my mind because of what happened to them. A young kid probably around 22 or 23 came to my cell block started using K-2 the first day. The people selling it seen that he could call home and have his mom send the money for his K-2 use. So, they can front him whatever he wanted. This went on for a month or two. This stupid kid believed these guys were cool dudes, and I am sure he also believed they were his friends. What he didn’t realize was that the two individuals who sold him K-2 had already been in prison for more than 17 years.

They were sent back to this federal detention center in Youngstown because they had gotten indicted for conspiracy for selling drugs at the prison, they were serving their time at. Anyway, this kid had run up a huge debt on several different occasions. But he was always able to call home and have mom pay for it. But the last time he called his mom, she told him, “Look son, I don’t have enough money to keep sending other people thousands of dollars. Plus, you need money for commissary, and remember I am taking care of your two sisters who are still in school.” But I have seen people like this young kid all my life, there is no reasoning with them. All that matters is getting high. Well, he run up another big debt, this time way over $1,000. When he called home, his mom said “no.” The two men selling drugs never said a word to him. One morning this young kid was watching T.V. and another man asked him if he wanted to get high? He said “yes.” So, he went inside the mans cell and after smoking some K-2, two other men went inside the cell and beat the kid damn near to death. They kicked out all of his front teeth, broke his nose, jaw, and a lot of ribs. Another 18-year-old moved in our cell block, his drug of choice was fentanyl and K-2. His cell he would shoot him up with heroin and fentanyl and rape him over and over. Were any of these men ever charged with a crime? “No.” Were any of these men ever written a disciplinary case or put into isolation? “No.” A lot of prisoners had complained to the guards, but to my surprise the guard said, “I was told by the bosses upfront not to write any disciplinary reports. Like I said, the criminals in here were safer than the ones on the street. They have complete immunity to do whatever they want.”