Celebrities who've been in prison

• Sophia Loren, actress; 1982 - served 18 days in Italy for tax evasion charges
• Li'l Kim, rapper, songwriter, actress; 2005-2006 – charged with conspiracy and perjury
• Martha Stewart, television and magazine personality; September 2004-March 2005 – charged with fraud, obstruction of justice and conspiracy
• Robert Downey Jr., actor; 1997,1999 – drug charges and violating probation
• Mike Tyson, boxer; 1992-1995 – charged with rape
• Lil Wayne, rapper; 2010 – drug charges and misconduct involving weapons
• Gary Glitter, rock and pop singer; 1999, 2006-2007 – charged with possession of child pornography, engaging in sex with a minor, rape of two under-aged girls
• Christian Slater, actor; 1997 – charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of battery
• Kelsey Grammar, actor; 1988 – charged with drunk driving and cocaine possession
• Joe Francis, founder of Mantra Films which produces Girls Gone Wild; April 1997 – sentenced to 35 days for contempt of court

Read more here.

Prisoner statistics by country

The following statistics from NationMasters.com show how many prisoners are incarcerated in various countries. View the prisoner statistics page here. For prisoners per capita by country, click here. For more crime statistics, click here.

Crime Statistics: Prisoners by country (Showing latest available data.)

Rank Countries Amount

# 1 United States: 2,019,234 prisoners
# 2 China: 1,549,000 prisoners
# 3 Russia: 846,967 prisoners
# 4 India: 313,635 prisoners
# 5 Brazil: 308,304 prisoners
# 6 Thailand: 213,815 prisoners
# 7 Ukraine: 198,386 prisoners
# 8 South Africa: 181,944 prisoners
# 9 Mexico: 172,888 prisoners
# 10 Iran: 163,526 prisoners
# 11 Rwanda: 112,000 prisoners
# 12 Pakistan: 87,000 prisoners
# 13 Indonesia: 84,357 prisoners
# 14 Poland: 80,467 prisoners
# 15 United Kingdom: 78,753 prisoners
# 16 Germany: 74,904 prisoners
# 17 Bangladesh: 74,170 prisoners
# 18 Philippines: 70,383 prisoners
# 19 Japan: 69,502 prisoners
# 20 Turkey: 64,051 prisoners
# 21 Egypt: 61,845 prisoners
# 22 Spain: 59,251 prisoners
# 23 Korea, South: 58,564 prisoners
# 24 Kazakhstan: 58,300 prisoners
# 25 France: 56,957 prisoners
# 26 Taiwan: 56,225 prisoners
# 27 Italy: 55,670 prisoners
# 28 Vietnam: 55,000 prisoners
# 29 Morocco: 54,351 prisoners
# 30 Colombia: 54,034 prisoners
# 31 Belarus: 51,238 prisoners
# 32 Romania: 48,075 prisoners
# 33 Uzbekistan: 48,000 prisoners
# 34 Argentina: 44,969 prisoners
# 35 Tanzania: 43,244 prisoners
# 36 Nigeria: 40,447 prisoners
# 37 Malaysia: 39,258 prisoners
# 38 Chile: 36,636 prisoners
# 39 Canada: 35,519 prisoners
# 40 Kenya: 35,278 prisoners
# 41 Algeria: 34,243 prisoners
# 42 Burma: 32,797 prisoners
# 43 Saudi Arabia: 28,612 prisoners
# 44 Peru: 27,417 prisoners
# 45 Tunisia: 23,165 prisoners
# 46 Australia: 22,492 prisoners
# 47 Madagascar: 20,109 prisoners
# 48 Cameroon: 20,000 prisoners
# 49 Sri Lanka: 19,974 prisoners
# 50 Kyrgyzstan: 19,500 prisoners
# 51 Venezuela: 19,255 prisoners
# 52 Azerbaijan: 19,136 prisoners
# 53 Czech Republic: 18,669 prisoners
# 54 Hungary: 17,862 prisoners
# 55 Netherlands: 16,930 prisoners
# 56 Singapore: 16,310 prisoners
= 57 Yemen: 14,000 prisoners
= 57 Syria: 14,000 prisoners
# 59 Portugal: 13,918 prisoners
# 60 Dominican Republic: 13,836 prisoners
# 61 Zambia: 13,173 prisoners
# 62 Honduras: 11,502 prisoners
# 63 Lithuania: 11,070 prisoners
# 64 El Salvador: 11,055 prisoners
# 65 Israel: 11,027 prisoners
# 66 Ghana: 10,992 prisoners
# 67 Moldova: 10,903 prisoners
# 68 Panama: 10,350 prisoners
# 69 Bulgaria: 9,918 prisoners
# 70 Libya: 9,763 prisoners
# 71 Greece: 8,841 prisoners
# 72 Mozambique: 8,812 prisoners
# 73 Burundi: 8,647 prisoners
# 74 Belgium: 8,605 prisoners
# 75 Malawi: 8,566 prisoners
# 76 Costa Rica: 8,526 prisoners
# 77 Latvia: 8,483 prisoners
# 78 Bolivia: 8,315 prisoners
# 79 Guatemala: 8,307 prisoners
# 80 Ecuador: 8,274 prisoners
# 81 Austria: 8,114 prisoners
# 82 Mongolia: 7,871 prisoners
# 83 Slovakia: 7,758 prisoners
# 84 Nicaragua: 7,198 prisoners
# 85 Nepal: 7,132 prisoners
# 86 Uruguay: 7,100 prisoners
# 87 Georgia: 6,406 prisoners
# 88 Cambodia: 6,346 prisoners
# 89 Angola: 6,008 prisoners
# 90 New Zealand: 5,968 prisoners
# 91 Sweden: 5,920 prisoners
# 92 Botswana: 5,890 prisoners
# 93 Jordan: 5,589 prisoners
# 94 Lebanon: 5,535 prisoners
# 95 Senegal: 5,360 prisoners
# 96 Switzerland: 4,982 prisoners
# 97 Benin: 4,961 prisoners
# 98 Namibia: 4,814 prisoners
# 99 Trinidad and Tobago: 4,794 prisoners
# 100 Jamaica: 4,744 prisoners
# 101 Estonia: 4,571 prisoners
# 102 Central African Republic: 4,168 prisoners
# 103 Haiti: 4,152 prisoners
# 104 Paraguay: 4,088 prisoners
# 105 Mali: 4,040 prisoners
# 106 Chad: 3,883 prisoners
# 107 Denmark: 3,435 prisoners
# 108 Finland: 3,433 prisoners
# 109 Papua New Guinea: 3,302 prisoners
# 110 Swaziland: 3,245 prisoners
# 111 Guinea: 3,070 prisoners
# 112 Lesotho: 3,000 prisoners
# 113 Kuwait: 2,946 prisoners
# 114 Norway: 2,914 prisoners
# 115 Armenia: 2,866 prisoners
# 116 Burkina Faso: 2,800 prisoners
# 117 Croatia: 2,611 prisoners
# 118 Mauritius: 2,565 prisoners
# 119 Togo: 2,043 prisoners
# 120 Suriname: 1,933 prisoners
# 121 Albania: 1,532 prisoners
# 122 Guyana: 1,507 prisoners
# 123 Oman: 1,403 prisoners
# 124 Mauritania: 1,354 prisoners
# 125 Bahamas, The: 1,280 prisoners
# 126 Cyprus: 1,254 prisoners
# 127 Slovenia: 1,099 prisoners
# 128 Belize: 1,097 prisoners
# 129 Barbados: 992 prisoners
# 130 Fiji: 982 prisoners
# 131 Congo, Democratic Republic of the: 918 prisoners
# 132 Bahrain: 911 prisoners
# 133 Qatar: 570 prisoners
# 134 Gambia, The: 450 prisoners
# 135 Djibouti: 384 prisoners
# 136 Saint Lucia: 365 prisoners
# 137 Luxembourg: 341 prisoners
# 138 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 302 prisoners
# 139 Dominica: 298 prisoners
# 140 Grenada: 297 prisoners
# 141 Malta: 283 prisoners
# 142 Antigua and Barbuda: 186 prisoners
# 143 Seychelles: 157 prisoners
# 144 Saint Kitts and Nevis: 135 prisoners
# 145 Solomon Islands: 134 prisoners
# 146 Sao Tome and Principe: 130 prisoners
# 147 Tonga: 113 prisoners
# 148 Iceland: 104 prisoners
# 149 Palau: 103 prisoners
# 150 Vanuatu: 93 prisoners
# 151 Andorra: 61 prisoners
# 152 Kiribati: 55 prisoners
# 153 Micronesia, Federated States of: 39 prisoners
# 154 Marshall Islands: 23 prisoners
# 155 Liechtenstein: 18 prisoners
# 156 Monaco: 13 prisoners
= 157 Nauru: 6 prisoners
= 157 Tuvalu: 6 prisoners
= 159 Tajikistan: 0 prisoners
= 159 Comoros: 0 prisoners
= 159 Cuba: 0 prisoners
= 159 Uganda: 0 prisoners
= 159 Ethiopia: 0 prisoners
= 159 United Arab Emirates: 0 prisoners
= 159 Niger: 0 prisoners
= 159 Turkmenistan: 0 prisoners
= 159 Sudan: 0 prisoners
= 159 Zimbabwe: 0 prisoners

Total: 8,570,051 prisoners

Weighted average: 51,012.2 prisoners

Right on time

Because I was sick, I missed out on three days of looking for a job which left me with only two days left to look.

I must have called 1,000 places, but finally on my very last day, my case manager’s assistant told me about this really small telemarketing place. He told me he called them already and that they were waiting for me to come down there. So I got a one-day extension and went down there the next day.

It was like it was meant to be. They hired me on the spot.

Everyone who works there seems to be part of one big family. They all seem so nice. It also seems a lot easier because they have a much simpler script, so hopefully I’ll do a lot better there.

Ted had six sales on his second day.

Sick days

The day after I got fired from my job, I was sooo sick. I couldn’t even get up out of bed. My whole body was sore, I had a fever, a runny nose, and I was coughing up green stuff. I was sick for three days straight.

What’s worse is I needed to be out looking for a job during those three days. So I only really had two days to look for a job.

I got sick at the worst time and right before my birthday.

My case manager didn’t believe I was sick and she yelled at me for being lazy. It took everything I had not to yell back. I held it in though and just did what she wanted me to do not matter how I felt.

Terminated

Last Thursday night (June 10th), I went into work and within three minutes of being there, I got fired for low production. Okay, so I wasn’t the best, but I didn’t see that coming.

What made that night worse is I could feel my muscles and my throat were sore, so I knew I was getting sick. I wish they would’ve called me here at the Center instead of having me ride an hour and a half there [on the bus] to tell me I’m fired and another hour and a half back.

I have only five days to find a job. I just hope I can find one.

If a work release resident is terminated from his job, they have five days to find a new job before they are sent back to prison. Ted was very sick for three of those five days and his female case manager screamed at him repeatedly that she was sending him back to prison. Luckily, the case manager’s assistant helped Ted tremendously and found him new employment quickly. Ted started the new job on June 14th and likes it much better. Ted’s female case manager was fired on Friday, June 18th for unknown reasons.

Ghost town

There are about 280 people here at the work release center. It’s supposed to be one of the biggest work release centers in Florida. Who knows if that’s true or not? Anyway, it holds just as many people as Lancaster work camp.

During the day, the compound is like a ghost town almost. Most of the inmates here are at work, so there really isn’t anybody to play cards with. The only people here are busy looking for jobs. I try to sleep most of the mornings away, but I can only ever sleep until 10 a.m. at the latest. Currently, I’m looking for a job during the day. I need the money and it will make the time go by faster.

While I was in prison, I kept busy while I worked in the kitchen, but here I don’t have anything to do until 2:50 p.m. when I leave for work. All morning and early afternoon, all I have to do is read. It gets so boring.

This entry was written two weeks ago. Since that time, Ted was terminated from his evening job for not making enough sales. He has since gotten another full-time job which he'll write about soon. The authorities at the Center did not let him apply at Val-Pak, as one reader recommended. They said Val-Pak would not hire work release residents.

Wasted years

Two years of my life gone…and for what? A couple hundred dollars. I could’ve made that in a week working a decent job. I was too hard-headed for that though. I just wanted quick money and I didn’t care how I got it.

I’ve robbed people, broke into houses, sold drugs and sold my stuff. I loved money, but I loved to get high and have a good time more. It’s been that way since the first time I ever smoked weed. Sure I’ve had a lot of fun, but when I think back to all the people I’ve hurt, it just wasn’t worth it. It only took me seven years to realize it.

I could never repay all the money I’ve stolen. I put myself where I am today.

Hopefully, the people I hurt can forgive me, but I know there is no reason why they should and I wouldn’t hold it against them if they didn’t. All I can do is continue what I’m doing and hopefully inspire others before they make the same mistakes I did.

Peer pressure

If anyone has ever worked at telemarketing then you know that a lot of people there like to get high. So far I haven’t seen much of it at my job, but it is around and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t seen people smoking weed.

I didn’t realize it while I was in prison, but now that I’m out, it seems to be calling my name. Before I continue, let me say this – “Nothing is worth going back to prison. NOTHING!” I haven’t touched pot or any other drugs since I’ve been out, but the temptation is always there.

I feel like I’ve come so far and my worst fear is getting out and messing up everything I’ve worked for. I just keep telling myself that if I can stay clean in prison and work release, I can do it when I get out too.

Turning 21

Every teenager dreams about the day when he or she turns 21. I wasn’t any different, but somehow all through my teenage years, I knew I would either be in jail or prison. I was always so sure about it that I didn’t even look forward to it. I can’t even explain how I knew it either – I just did.

Well in five days, I turn 21, but instead of being about to drink or even be with my family, I’m stuck here at work release. It’s not a surprise to me because of the life I was living, but it’s still depressing. I don’t even care that I can’t drink. I’ve never been a big drinker in the first place, but how many people have you heard say that they were a convicted felon before they turned 21?

Sometimes I feel life my life is over before it even started. Of course I know that’s not true, but there are people my age that it would be true for. I’ve met people in prison that haven’t seen the street in 30 – 40 years! That could have easily been me.

So this year, instead of celebrating my 21st birthday, I will celebrate my release from prison and a new start for a new life. Sober.  :-)

Sick at the Largo Residential Reentry Center

Ted fell very ill on Thursday. He called yesterday and told me that he had begged several times to be taken to the hospital or a doctor. Each time, he was told by a staff member, “Leave me alone. I’m busy.”

Ted was unable to get out of bed and was throwing up repeatedly. He alternated between sweating and the chills. He was unable to eat and his nose was running. He also discovered a large bump on his skin.

Ted had previously told me a few months ago that the inmates at Lancaster would be getting swine flu vaccinations. I asked him if he had ever received one and he said no. Several of his symptoms were similar to the swine flu.

I called the Largo Residential Reentry Center and was disconnected four times. I was transferred to several individuals and kept repeating that Ted needed to get medical attention. Finally I left my number and told them I would be calling the Florida Department of Corrections in Tallahassee.

Within five minutes, I received a call back. I reiterated that Ted needed medical attention and had been told to ‘shut up and go away’. The person I spoke with said it sounded as if Ted needed to be transferred back to prison. I immediately got upset because it sounded as if he was being punished for being so ill. She told me that I had misunderstood and if he was that sick, he would be transferred to Zephyrhills C.I. where a doctor would look at him immediately. I asked if he would return to the Largo Center and she said it would be up to the doctor.

Several hours later, I called back to check on Ted. I spoke to the same woman and she told me two times that Ted did not have the flu.

They got Ted out of bed and put him on the phone. Ted told me that he had been taken to a walk-in clinic. I asked him how they determined he did not have the flu. Did they take blood samples? He said, no, they just took his vital signs and he did have a temperature. They had told him at the clinic he had a virus. (Note to staff: "The flu" is a virus.) Without a blood test, it’s impossible to determine if he has the swine flu. He was also instructed to return to the clinic to get a test of the bump on his skin.

Ted is feeling just a bit better today. The Center is charging Ted $70 for the clinic visit to be paid out of his earnings.

Van rides

Now that I work on the night shift, I can’t take the city bus on my way back from work because the last bus comes at 7:30 p.m. I don’t get off of work until 9 p.m., so that means I have to wait around for the van from the work release center to come pick us up. Sometimes they pick us up on time, but most of the time, we have to wait.

I’ve only been taking the van for about a week, but people have said that they’ve waited until 1 a.m. for the van to come. The longest I’ve ever had to wait was about an hour. Once I get off work, I just want to go back and go to sleep, but I have to wait on the van. Once it comes, we normally have to pick up more people all over Pinellas and Hillsborough County. My second evening on the night shift, I didn’t get back to the Center until 11:40 p.m.

Ted eats lunch around noon at the Center before he takes the 2:50 p.m. bus to work. He is not given a bag lunch for dinner, so does not get to eat until he returns to the Center in the evening.

Ted continues his search for a second job in Pinellas County. One reader left a comment about a possible job prospect and Ted will be calling that business tomorrow. Thanks for posting it!

Night shift

Well I guess I wasn’t doing too good at work because I got switched to the night shift. I was making sales – I just wasn’t making enough of them.

The night shift is only part-time, which sucks, but I do like the people I work with now a little more. Even though night shift may have a better working environment, I still wish I could get more hours.

I need to find another job soon so that I will have a decent amount of money saved up by the time I get out. Now that I’m working 4:30 – 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 12:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Saturdays, at least that will give me some time to go look for a second job during the day.

All I want for now is a job paying $9 or $10 an hour with 40 hours a week. A normal full-time job.

Shantaram

Ted’s penpal (who currently lives in the UK) sent him a book called Shantaram. She said it was her favorite book, so of course I had to go buy it too. Ted and I are both at the same place in the book about one-third of the way through. And it truly is an awesome book. Ted takes his copy to read on the one-and-a-half-hour bus trip (each way) to work.

Shantaram chronicles the real-life story of author Gregory David Roberts with vivid imagery. In 1978, Roberts was sentenced to 19 years imprisonment in Australia after being convicted of a series of armed robberies he had committed to feed a heroin addiction after his marriage ended and he lost his daughter. In July 1980, he escaped from Victoria’s Pentridge Prison in broad daylight, thereby becoming one of Australia's most wanted men for the next 10 years.

He arrives in Bombay carrying a false New Zealand passport in the name of Lindsay Ford. Lin meets a local man named Prabaker, whom he hires as a guide but who soon becomes his best friend and renames him Linbaba. Both men visit Prabaker's native village, Sunder, where Prabaker's mother christens Lin with the name Shantaram, meaning 'Man of God's Peace.'

On their way back to Bombay and after a night out, Lin and Prabaker are robbed. With all his possessions gone, Lin is forced to live in the slums, giving him shelter from the authorities and free rent in Bombay. After a massive fire on the day of his arrival in the slum, he sets up a free health clinic as a way to contribute to the community. He learns about the local culture and customs in this crammed environment, gets to know and love the people he encounters, and even becomes fluent in Marathi, the local language. He also witnesses and battles outbreaks of cholera and firestorms, becomes involved in trading with the lepers, and experiences how ethnic and marital conflicts are resolved in this densely crowded and diverse community.

The novel describes a number of foreigners of varied origin as well as local Indians, highlighting the rich diversity of life in Bombay. Lin falls in love with Karla, a Swiss-American woman who refuses to love him back, befriends local artists and actors landing him roles as an extra in several Bollywood movies, and is recruited by the Mumbai underworld for various criminal operations, including drug and weapons trade. Lin eventually lands in Bombay's Arthur Road Prison, where he endures many beatings and other physical and mental abuse by guards, while existing under extremely squalid conditions, along with hundreds of other inmates. However, thanks to the protection of Afghani mafia don Abdel Khader Khan, Lin is eventually released and works in black market currency exchange and passport forgery. Having traveled as far as Africa on trips commissioned by the mafia, Lin later goes to Afghanistan to smuggle weapons for freedom fighters in Afghanistan. When his mentor Khan is killed, Lin realizes he became everything he grew to loathe and falls into depression after he returns. He decides that he must fight for what he believes is right and build an honest life.

Recaptured in Germany, he served out the rest of his sentence there and in Australian prisons. Upon his release, he established a successful multimedia company, and since the international publication of Shantaram, is a full-time writer at home in several countries.

When the novel Shantaram was published, several parties, including actor Russell Crowe, expressed interest in a film adaptation. Although Crowe was temporarily attached to a bid, Warner Bros. went forward with a $2 million bid primarily due to actor Johnny Depp's expression of love for the book.

For more information on Gregory David Roberts and Shantaram, visit www.shantaram.com and http://www.anovelview.com/.

Summary excerpts are from Wikipedia and the dust jacket of Shantaram.

Worries

Even though I’m still finishing my prison sentence and I still belong to the Department of Corrections, now that I’m at work release I have new things to worry about: money, clothes and hygiene. Some of the things that really worry me are running into a group of old friends or drugs. It’s so easy in prison to stay clean because even though drugs are around, it’s not like on the street. So far I’ve been doing good, but a lot of people here have been sent back to prison for drug use, so I know it’s still around.

What worries me is – say I make it out of here in August, get out and move away. Then I’m going to have to start over somewhere else and I’ve never done that on my own before. I’ve been incarcerated during the years I should’ve been learning how to live on my own. It feels like I’m being kicked out of a cage into the chaotic world.

I know that if I really needed something, I could go to my parents, but I don’t want to have to do that for the rest of my life. For instance, when I get out, I have to pay these court costs off so I can get my license back, get a car and save up even more money so I can get an apartment. I don’t know how or where I’m going to get all this money. I know I have three months left, but that’s not a lot of time to save money, especially when they take 65% of everything I make.

Maybe when I get out I’ll work for a couple more months and save every penny I get. It just seems impossible to make it in the world sometimes.

Updated release date

Ted wrote this about four weeks ago.

Today I finished my last day of training at my job. Training only lasted the first half of the day and for the rest of the day I was on the phone. I even made a deal today. I know one deal isn’t much compared to what other people do there, but I think I did a pretty good job for my first day on the phone.

Another good thing about my job is that we mainly call commercial businesses so there won’t be a lot of people cussing me out. I don’t think I could handle that for too long.

All the people that I work with are really nice, so the work environment is really good too.

Only about four months to go…

Ted still accumulates gain time of 10 days per month for good behavior. His current release date is September 12th, but he can conceivably earn 30 more days off for good behavior, putting his release date in mid-August.

My last good-bye

This is for the people I know.

Okay, so I’m back, but let me say this now and get it over with: “Don’t come see me, don’t try and write me, and if you see me, just keep walking.”

I don’t blame anybody for the things I’ve done and it’s not like I don’t have love for you, but if I don’t stay away from the old life, I’ll end up spending more time in prison than hanging out with ya’ll. It’s better for you not to have me around anyway.

So if you see me on the bus or at Walmart or something, you might as well pretend like you don’t know me.

I guess you could consider this my last good-bye to all of you.

Hired at a new job

This entry was written a bit before Ted’s last entry, but I mistakenly overlooked it.

Well I finally got a job. I start next week, but I’m not really sure about it. Even though I’ve only been here a couple of weeks, I felt the pressure of not being able to find a job, so I went and got a telemarketing job.

Don’t get me wrong, I realize I can’t be too picky, but I’m not too good at talking to people on the phone when they’re yelling at me.

I really wish I had time to go looking for another job, but once I start on Monday, my hours will be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., and it takes 1½ hours to even get there on the bus. So I’m going to have to stick it out at this job whether I want to or not.

The good thing though is that I can make a lot of money if I do well. So while I’m working there, I’m going to try to do my best.

My first day

I started my new job today. I haven’t gotten on the phone yet since I’m still just in training, but I can tell it’s not that bad. Unlike most telemarketing places, we aren’t selling anything. All we do is call people up and try to save them money on their electricity bill. People that work there seem to make a lot of deals, so it must not be too hard.

Tomorrow I go back to finish training and by the end of the day, I should be on the phones. Even though I know this job will get boring, I think I’ll be able to handle it. I just hope I can make $1,000 a week checks like some other people there.

This is a good opportunity to make some good money and I need every penny I can get, so I can pay the court costs off. All in all, though, I don’t think this job will be all that bad.

This blog entry was also written three weeks ago. Ted will be starting his fourth week on the job tomorrow.

My new job on the outside

This entry was also written three weeks ago. Ted got a job in a week and a half after applying to four Clearwater Beach resorts with no success.

Well I got a job today. My roommate told me that I could make $1,000 a week working where he was. At first I didn’t want to go because it was telemarketing and I’d have to wear a tie, but I convinced myself to go. Hey it’s a job and if I can make a lot of money, that’s good too. I start working next Tuesday. That’s when I start training.

Another good thing about this job is it takes 1 ½ hours to get there on a bus which gives me an extra three hours away from the work release center. Most telemarketing places are really stressful because you’re normally selling something, but the place I’m going to be working at doesn’t sell anything. All we do is try to lower people’s utility bills by switching their electricity or natural gas supplier. Plus we call mostly commercial, so I won’t have to hear people cuss at me like I would elsewhere.

I’m actually happy I got this job. I think I’ll do okay there and everybody there seems really nice.

Clearwater Beach

Ted wrote this entry about three weeks ago, but I just received it today.

In the last week, I’ve been to five different places looking for a job. Three of which were beach resorts or hotels. I know the odds of a nice resort or hotel hiring me is pretty slim, but still I want to try. I’ve worked in the hospitality industry before when I was working as an overnight valet. It’s really easy. All you have to do is smile, be polite and maybe even tell a corny joke. So hopefully my previous experience will help me get a job. If not, I’ll just keep looking.

Don’t get me wrong, I want a job ASAP, so I can start saving money, but just being able to walk down the street is an awesome feeling. Especially down at the beach. So much has changed there. They even built a new resort since I’ve been away, so I’m going to apply there too. I figure if I don’t have any luck this week, I’ll just go to a telemarketing place so I can start saving some money. I’m not going to be picky.

 

The circus

Like I’ve said before, I don’t want to complain about a good thing, but the one thing about my room is that after about 8 p.m. when it starts getting dark, it becomes a circus. Everybody is singing, yelling, coming in and out and playing cards.

I wouldn’t be so mad if they started quieting down after like 11 p.m., but they get louder. Sometimes people in my room stay awake until 2 or 3 in the morning. You would think that somebody else who is trying to sleep could say something, but no one ever does.

I would try to move rooms, but nothing is open right now and chances are, if another bed does open up, they’ll probably put a new person in it before they even read my request. So for the time being though, when my room gets too loud, I just borrow somebody’s radio and tune them out.

Ted has to be ON the bus at 6:50 a.m. to get to his new job. More on the new job coming soon.

Complainers

Ever since I’ve arrived here, for some reason I keep hearing other people say they don’t like it here. They keep talking about how the people who run this place just want to take our money. Well maybe so, but not all of it and still it’s only a small price to pay.

I don’t understand why a person would rather be back in prison with no money than here with a little bit of money. I know where I’d rather be and believe me, it’s not prison.

Here you can do things when you want or have the time, but in prison you do things when you’re told and how you’re told.

As for me, I’m not complaining. The COs (or Techs, as they’re called here) leave you alone and don’t yell. As long as you’re not doing anything wrong, you’ll never hear them and they’ll leave you alone. What more could a person still serving prison time ask for? This is the life.

The city bus

I’ve never ridden the bus more than three times in my whole life until I got here. Now I ride the bus every day to go look for jobs.

It feels so weird riding down the same streets I used to drive on every day. I have so many memories from so many places around here that I had forgotten about.

Every time I get on the bus and get close to my house, my heart starts racing and all I want to do is get off and walk to my house, but I can’t.

I can’t complain though. This place is 1,000 times better than prison. It doesn’t even feel like prison. It’s more like an extremely strict probation that only lets you go to and from work and nowhere else. Hey, I’m okay with that. Besides, I only have about four more months and that’s nothing.

Reasons to smile

Since I’ve gotten here, I’ve never felt better. I still can’t believe they let me leave by myself to go find a job.

Nobody yells at me here. I don’t have to eat that stuff that DOC calls food. I had almost forgotten what real food tasted like. They offer steak, chicken wings, cheese burgers, French fries, and all the condiments we want to use. Even barbeque sauce! We also get just about any kind of soda we want for free and if they don’t have what you want, there’s seven vending machines – four for sodas and three for snacks.

Then after dinner is over, they put a movie on the big screen TV [in the common room]. Also they have a long book shelf filled with some really good books. Just about any author you’d want. I’ve seen like 30 books I want to read. I’ll have to read one when I get some time.

It’s just now really starting to feel like I’m close to going home. I can’t wait.

Heaven!

After nearly a week, I finally received more blog entries from Ted.

Supposedly the work release center I’m at is the biggest one in Florida. (Don’t quote me on that.) It holds approximately 272 inmates. The whole compound is just a remodeled motel.

My room is one of the bigger rooms. It has 14 people, including me. My room is on the second floor and is made up of three motel rooms with the middle walls cut out. There is no carpeting. Instead the floor is just painted blue. The three bathrooms for the old rooms were left in and also remodeled with brand-new everything.

This place is like heaven compared to where I just was. All they want from me here is to keep a job. That shouldn’t be too hard.

There’re a couple people who sleep in my room that make some good money doing telemarketing. Even though it’s an aggravating job, it still pays better than others. Of course, that will be a last resort.

Ted got a job within a week and a half, but I’ll let him tell you about that.

Job hunt

Even though this place is like Paradise compared to prison, it’s still stressful looking for a job. I’ve only been here a week and they’re already acting like it’s my fault I don’t have a job. What makes it even harder is for my first week, I have to work in the kitchen 5 ½ hours a day, plus go find a job. It’s doable, but hard and tiring. Especially when you have to take the bus everywhere. I’m not used to it. I’ve never looked for a job so hard in my life. After this first week, it’ll be a little less tiring since I won’t have to work in the kitchen anymore. That’ll give me more time to find a job.

The best part of being near my house is that I know where everything is, so that’ll help me out a lot too. I won’t have to spend a lot of time looking up directions. A lot of people here aren’t from the same county. They can spend hours looking up directions.

Anyway, speaking of looking for a job, that’s where I’m going now. Wish me luck.

Culture shock

I can’t describe in words how good it feels to only be 10 minutes away from home. Even though I’m still not free, at least there’s no razor wire fences, no guard towers, no truck driving around the compound all day and night, no more prison blues (clothes), no more saying “Braden 131948” before I go to sleep every night, etc. I could go on forever.

Even though I’m allowed to go out by myself and look for a job, I’m still worried. What if I see someone I know? What would I say if they saw me? It’s going to be hard to do the right thing. Hopefully I won’t have to deal with that for a little while. I just want to be able to get used to living a normal life before I have to deal with old friends.

As of now, though, I’m so grateful to be here. It’s kinda weird because hardly anything has changed, yet at the same time, everything is different. I can’t explain it.

Well all I need to do now is find a job.

Photo: Famous painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch.

Prison in the Bible

The words “prison” or “prisoner” appear 116 times in the Bible. Some notable Biblical characters that have been in prison are Joseph, Jeremiah, Samson, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul. Jesus himself was arrested - John 18:12 “Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.”

One of the most prominent books of the New Testament is the Revelation of St. John. John wrote this book while in prison on the island of Patmos after God gave him dreams and visions showing him how all things would happen at the end of time.

1. Genesis 39:20

And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

2. Genesis 39:21

But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

3. Genesis 39:22

And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

4. Genesis 39:23

The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

5. Genesis 40:3

And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.

6. Genesis 40:5

And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.

7. Genesis 42:16

Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.

8. Genesis 42:19

If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:

9. Numbers 21:1

And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.

10. Judges 16:21

But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

11. Judges 16:25

And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.

12. 1 Kings 22:27

And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.

13. 2 Kings 17:4

And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

14. 2 Kings 25:27

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;

15. 2 Kings 25:29

And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.

16. 2 Chronicles 16:10

Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

17. 2 Chronicles 18:26

And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.

18. Nehemiah 3:25

Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning of the wall, and the tower which lieth out from the king's high house, that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh.

19. Nehemiah 12:39

And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even unto the sheep gate: and they stood still in the prison gate.

20. Job 3:18

There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

21. Psalm 69:33

For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.

22. Psalm 79:11

Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

23. Psalm 102:20

To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

24. Psalm 142:7

Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.

25. Psalm 146:7

Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:

26. Ecclesiastes 4:14

For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.

27. Isaiah 10:4

Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

28. Isaiah 14:17

That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

29. Isaiah 20:4

So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

30. Isaiah 24:22

And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

31. Isaiah 42:7

To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

32. Isaiah 42:22

But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

33. Isaiah 49:9

That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

34. Isaiah 53:8

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

35. Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

36. Jeremiah 29:26

The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

37. Jeremiah 32:2

For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.

38. Jeremiah 32:8

So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.

39. Jeremiah 32:12

And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.

40. Jeremiah 33:1

Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

41. Jeremiah 37:4

Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison.

42. Jeremiah 37:15

Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

43. Jeremiah 37:18

Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?

44. Jeremiah 37:21

Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

45. Jeremiah 38:6

Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

46. Jeremiah 38:13

So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

47. Jeremiah 38:28

So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.

48. Jeremiah 39:14

Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.

49. Jeremiah 39:15

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

50. Jeremiah 52:11

Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

51. Jeremiah 52:31

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison.

52. Jeremiah 52:33

And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.

53. Lamentations 3:34

To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.

54. Zechariah 9:11

As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

55. Zechariah 9:12

Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;

56. Matthew 4:12

Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

57. Matthew 5:25

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

58. Matthew 11:2

Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

59. Matthew 14:3

For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife.

60. Matthew 14:10

And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

61. Matthew 18:30

And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

62. Matthew 25:36

Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

63. Matthew 25:39

Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

64. Matthew 25:43

I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

65. Matthew 25:44

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

66. Matthew 27:15

Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.

67. Matthew 27:16

And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

68. Mark 1:14

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

69. Mark 6:17

For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.

70. Mark 6:27

And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,

71. Mark 15:6

Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.

72. Luke 3:20

Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

73. Luke 12:58

When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

74. Luke 21:12

But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

75. Luke 22:33

And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

76. Luke 23:19

(Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)

77. Luke 23:25

And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

78. John 3:24

For John was not yet cast into prison.

79. Acts 5:18

And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

80. Acts 5:19

But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,

81. Acts 5:21

And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

82. Acts 5:22

But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned and told,

83. Acts 5:23

Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.

84. Acts 5:25

Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.

85. Acts 8:3

As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

86. Acts 12:4

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

87. Acts 12:5

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

88. Acts 12:6

And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

89. Acts 12:7

And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

90. Acts 12:17

But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.

91. Acts 16:23

And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

92. Acts 16:24

Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

93. Acts 16:25

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

94. Acts 16:26

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

95. Acts 16:27

And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

96. Acts 16:36

And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.

97. Acts 16:37

But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.

98. Acts 16:40

And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.

99. Acts 22:4

And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

100. Acts 23:18

So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.

101. Acts 25:27

For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.

102. Acts 26:10

Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

103. Acts 27:1

And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band.

104. Acts 27:42

And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.

105. Acts 28:16

And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.

106. Acts 28:17

And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

107. Romans 16:7

Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

108. 2 Corinthians 11:23

Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

109. Ephesians 3:1

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

110. Ephesians 4:1

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

111. 2 Timothy 1:8

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

112. Philemon 1:1

Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,

113. Philemon 1:9

Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

114. 1 Peter 3:19

By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

115. Revelation 2:10

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

116. Revelation 20:7

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

Photo: Samson in chains, knocking down the pillars. (Judges Chapter 16)