I'm Blake Layman. I'm 17 years old. I was sentenced to 55 years for murder.
I'm Hey Zeus Mercado Perez. I'm 17 years old. And I got sentenced to 65 years for murder.
This is Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in the American state of Indiana. This 90-acre maximum security compound is home to over 2,000 of the state's most notorious criminals. The convicts are imprisoned by a 15-ft high fence topped with razor wire, a secondary electrified fence, six guard towers, and over 750 staff.
Block D is unique. Inside live 40 teenagers. Teenagers so troublesome and violent they've been tried and convicted as adults.
They've committed everything from armed robbery to murder, serving sentences from 2 years to 65 years. Locked in their cells for 18 hours a day, these youngsters are paying a huge price for their crimes. Boys reflecting on how a moment of madness has destroyed their lives.
9:00 a. m. Two new teenage inmates arrive.
Children are tried as adults when they've repeatedly reoffended in the youth system or their crime is considered so horrific that an adult maximum security prison is deemed the only answer. Hey guys, name is Jacob Eldridge, 20259. All right.
Eldridge, 20259. What's your name? Eldridge.
All right. With over 50 teenage boys annually coming through their gates the officers at Wabash know what to expect. Well, these guys they came in, they don't use deodorant and stuff.
They don't care. I I don't think they care. At 17 Jacob Eldridge is back for a second visit to the juvenile block after breaking his parole on a previous conviction for carrying a handgun without a license.
We got a good program here, but once in a while they just don't do the program. They go out, get in more trouble, and come back. And one of them here just did that.
He got out, and now he's back again. So, how many times have you been in this block? Once.
It's my second time back. But it's my last time back. You sound very sure about that.
I am. Looking at the camera. The other new inmate's story is typical of the youngsters at Wabash.
A few minutes of their life followed by huge consequences. My name is Ireland McCain. I'm 16 years old, and I got sentenced for 10 years for robbery.
Ireland owed money for drugs, so he, his sister, and a friend decided to rob a family friend's house. Now, I guess you could say that really didn't want to rob them at first. So, I I pretty much made myself cuz uh the way that I planned really didn't go how it was going to actually go.
Ireland rang the doorbell. When the homeowner, a 64-year-old man, answered, Ireland beat him with a socket wrench. Well, I'm just beating him to the stove, and I don't know why.
I just I I guess since my adrenaline was pumping, I really wasn't thinking to just stop, but I just didn't. Yeah, and my hands were all bloody afterwards. I couldn't see any white on my hands.
He ended up being in the hospital for like 4 or 5 days. Uh He lost like 3 and 1/2 pints of blood, broke his jaw. Uh He had contusions to the back of his head.
And uh What's that? I think I think that's about it. Do you want your stuff?
With all their possessions, it's the walk to their new home, the juvenile facility in block D. Completely separate from the adult prisoners, these 40 teenage criminals eat, sleep, and learn in this one unit. New guests new get That's a great them as correctional officer Morrissey, a former military officer, whose job now is to keep the peace in the juvenile block.
A new inmate will come in, we'll place him in the cell, we'll make sure he has all his hygiene, all his necessities, and he's ready to roll. The teachers will interview him, the casework manager counselors will interview him, medical will interview him, and then he'll be on his own. This sucks.
With 18 years experience, Officer Morrissey has seen what it's like for new inmates. Scary. Especially if they're they've never experienced this type of environment.
They run the gamut between fitting right in to isolating themselves in their cell. We have to treat each individual as an individual. Some are very aggressive, and the unit will respond the same way.
Some of them are very passive. It just depends on the personalities that come in. I also met a riot.
They all said hi, and what's up, so you know, they seem pretty cool so far, so we'll find out. I want to go home to my family and uh get an education and just go home. That's a big reason why I want to kind of you know, stay out of trouble while I'm in here.
And uh do good and get out. Prison officers aren't the only staff to work in the unit. New inmates, Jacob and Ireland, have an induction from the casework manager, Elita Bernett.
Okay, on this first one, as we're going through this, I want you to check off when I tell you to check off what we cover on that. Elita's job is to offer the boys counseling and guidance. It'll be a good opportunity cuz we have some really great teachers here.
These kids are not coming from a healthy place, period. So, they may feel like the whole system the whole world has given up on them long before they even got there and and that wouldn't surprise me. You know, I mean, what I like to say is these our children aren't throwaways, you know?
We need to get them back out and be healthy. They're just not healthy. This is all the rules and regulations.
I really want you guys to read through these because ignorance of these rules and regulations is no excuse for conduct, just like ignorance of the law is no excuse. I try to be firm, fair, and consistent with all of the kids and a lot of them they don't like to displease me and you know, that type of thing, but um I don't know if I want to be called the mama. That's That's a lot of babies to have to take care of in there.
The majority of teenagers at Wabash are in for sentences of 10 years or less. However, being tried as adults means that those who have committed horrific crimes will spend much of their life in prison. I'm Hey Zeus, I'm serving prison.
17 years old. And I got sentenced to 65 years for murder. Hey Zeus has been involved in gangs from a young age.
I've been jumped. I've been hit with bats. I got stabbed in my leg, I've been shot at.
Ain't nothing new to me. Like I see this everyday. Like You feel me?
I I've been I lived this life. You feel me? I You feel me?
It ain't nothing. So I never got shot though. Surprisingly.
One June evening out driving with friends in his hometown of Elkhart, he spotted a rival and an argument began. He was throwing gang signs or something. And he still like I don't know.
He said something. I got possessed or something like something came over me. That's when like that's when I felt like something just That's when I felt that.
In a fit of anger Jesus fired one shot. Yeah, I seen his face too like I remember seeing him like like you know a surprised face. 16-year-old Braxton Barhams was dead.
I know it like me and him didn't get along but damn I just You feel me? I just took his life. Like what the [ __ ] What did I just do?
Jesus is now spending 65 years at Wabash reflecting on that one moment. I guess I don't like talking about it or something. What's the main reason you think you didn't want to talk about it?
Cuz it is That's That's what changed my life. That's what You feel me? That's what changed everything.
That's like I feel like when that happened my life stopped too. Like You feel me? Cuz I don't know.
Like everything else is like just gone. The teenagers at Wabash get 1 hour of recreation in the morning and 1 hour in the evening. Part of the staff's philosophy not to punish but to rehabilitate.
Hell no. If you have just punishment and no rehabilitation then you're doing nothing. You're just housing people and um you know, you're not helping them turn around and then you're going to dump them back onto society.
So basically you just shot yourself in the foot because um they're going to go out and be the very same they were when they come in and maybe worse. I'm Marquis Lee. I'm 18 years old uh and I got 15 years for aggravated battery.
I'm trying to make it in the industry. I'm trying to go I'm trying to get big. You feel me?
I'm trying to I'm always going to feel me. Remember where I came from. I ain't going to ever forget where I came from.
You feel me? Where I grew up in the hood. You feel me?
It's It's positive. I'm trying to I'm trying to make it to the top. Marquis was 16 and on probation for theft when he committed his crime for which he was tried as an adult.
Some people say it ain't fair because we under age. But then again I'll be like you feel me we did the like the Do you ever heard of the the saying you you feel me you do the crime do the time? You feel me?
So that's why I'm like you feel me I I did it. So I mean I really I'm owning up to what I you feel me? They charged me like I was a man, I'm going to step up like a man and do my time.
The victim of the assault is Marquis's mother, so he decided to get revenge with his accomplices, his uncle and mother. Exciting. I was just trying to get to him.
I was ready to get to him more than what I already done did, you feel me? I just wanted him I want him to know, like, you feel me? He He had the right one this time, like he He messed up.
I want him to know that, like, yeah, you're not going to get away with this. So, I'm going to get you. I ran up on him and we just got to fist fight.
We got to fighting and uh he fell. I dropped him. He fell and he crawled to the door.
That's when I seen my chance, so, you feel me? I took out the gun, I shot him. Bow.
When I shot him, he dropped. I took the first shot uh when I I learned that in um court, first shot hit him in the back. In his spinal cord and it paralyzed him.
His uncle then also fired. The victim died at the scene. He He got what he deserved.
That's how I was feeling, like, you feel me? If he did, he did. If he just got shot, he's he he you feel me?
He deserved what I gave him, you feel me? He shouldn't have hit my mama. Marquis recently turned 18 and is due to move up to adult prison.
However, he's been allowed to stay in the juvenile unit in order to complete his education as long as he avoids getting written up. For the past 6 months, he's essentially stayed out of trouble. This is part of our reward program.
At 180 days, they're entitled to get a loaner TV and an hour of extra record weekend. His motivation to not get in trouble, you know what I mean? Get thinking, like, oh man, I don't want to lose my TV.
" So, if I could stick to that, yeah, I'm I'm going to be straight. Be responsible for this. All right.
Okay. You are now proud owner of a TV. Take it back to yourself.
Dealing with children here is different from the adults because you do tend to adopt a parental role. I don't know all their stories. I don't know all their home lives.
I don't know if they think of me as a father. I think some of them do. And I have to fulfill that obligation to them as well as do my custody position.
Be what they need to grow. You have cable? I don't want to see any of them come back if they go out on onto the civilian population.
And I take that responsibility very seriously. From reward programs through to mandatory schooling, the staff inside the juvenile unit of Wabash attempt to provide a stable a life as possible for the boys in their care. Four multiplied by a number plus six equals 46.
But some of these are teenagers trying to cope emotionally with long sentences. Indiana law states that with good behavior, an inmate has to serve a minimum of half the sentence. Leaving Jesus Mercado Perez still facing being imprisoned until he's at least 49 years old.
No, I'm not calm about it, but I'm I'm as calm as it'll get. People just try to kill they selves or or go crazy like they you feel me like you know what I'm saying like [ __ ] don't ain't the same. I ain't the same no more.
But I'm not trying to deal with it like that. I'm not trying to go nuts. I'm not trying to kill myself.
I still got Even though I'm here I still got something to live for. Hey Jesus is looking for any way to shorten his sentence. Hey, how you doing?
For advice, he's come to case work manager Aleta Burnett. Everything goes into play as I told you from the very beginning. Conduct, so you keep your conduct, you keep going to school, get everything you can so they see you're trying to improve your life.
Then you can try to get some of these things. It's tough, I know. I can see it in your eyes that you're upset.
Whatever I can do, if it's just like one thing I can do, I'm going to try to do that one thing. But don't get all down in the dumps yet. You going to make the best you can of everything, you know.
Yeah. So, you know, um just because I can't run out here and save you for this, that doesn't mean that I don't I'm not interested in which way you're going. Okay?
That'll work? Yeah. Okay.
We're good. All right. I just can't even imagine being that young being in that situation.
It just doesn't even compute with my mind. I just see it, but it's still doesn't compute. I think you'll be okay, but I mean, I would be devastated.
But of course I've never put myself in that position. Having worked in the unit for 7 years, Aleta sees how a child's upbringing can ultimately lead to a crime that puts them behind bars. Uh they come from families that, you know, we have generations of this stuff going on.
Generations of the drugs, generations of of uh prison, and you know, it's it's it's sad, you know? We have several in there right now that has seen a parent kill the other parent. And then we wonder, you know, um it's uh almost heartbreaking in some ways.
You know, some of the things these young little kids have gone through. Jesus is from Elkhart in northern Indiana. His father left home when he was a toddler.
And the things I remember on my dad, they were not good memories. I remember him on top of my mom. He was hitting her.
And I I didn't I couldn't take it no more. I just I grabbed something and I hit him in the head with it. And I was young, and then like he hit me and I flew flew across the room.
And I just I just remember that part. His mother Irene is unemployed and is bringing up her five remaining children in their two-bedroom apartment, a 5-hour drive from the prison. They haven't seen Jesus since he was taken to Wabash.
He's my blood to blood brother, like he's my real brother. And it hurts me a lot because we were like um me and him have been through a lot together and stuff. And like but we still like like I don't know, it's just hard.
And I don't want him to let things happen to him. With his family living just yards from where Jesus' gangland shooting took place, his fear is that a rival gang will seek revenge on his family. That just stresses me out, too, like thinking about like I can't be there for my family.
Like and all the enemies I have, like I hope they don't try to hurt my family. Like, I just think about that. But, it's not just on the outside where his gang life can catch up with him.
Officers have caught Jesus carrying a letter containing gang-related material. It never surprises me what these guys try to get it get away with. It's um some of them who are who are facing life sentences, you know, really what do they have to lose?
I mean, they've already lost their life or possibility of life out on the streets. So, now it's just up to them as to um the type of quality of life that they want to have. And a lot of them get persuaded with the gang activities thinking that that's going to give them uh more creature comforts here inside.
But, eventually it catches up to them. Do you want me to read all this to you? No, I don't even care for it.
Do you understand what it is? Yeah, STG. Many of the teenagers at Wabash joined gangs at a young age.
Some of them are not getting um nurturing the way that they need to have it. And so, they get into a gang. Everybody wants to belong.
And then they'll get them when they're very, very young, you know? They just want to belong to something, and a lot of them get pulled in. How do you plead?
Guilty. Guilty? For Jesus, this is his first write-up.
In prison more than ever, gang membership is hard to escape. Probably one of the hardest thing you can do is get out of a gang. Cuz the only way you really do get out of the gang is, feel me?
You know? Dead. [ __ ] Cuz I I know.
I don't even care. I don't care about [ __ ] [ __ ] that, man. Tired of this [ __ ] While many of the teenagers at Wabash have absent fathers, many of them are fathers themselves.
Today is visiting day, and it's particularly special for one prisoner. My name is Anthony Sanders. I'm 17.
I was sentenced to 8 years for two counts of robbery. Anthony has a son, and today will be the first time he's seen him since he arrived at Wabash over a year ago. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it cuz I I ain't seen my son in a long time, and I just wanted him to feel my presence, you know, feel get the feeling of his dad being around again, talk to him.
His girlfriend, Nini, and his 2-year-old son, Anthony Jr. , have made the 2-hour drive from Indianapolis to visit. It's hard to explain, but we're excited.
We ain't seen him in over a year. So, yeah, we're happy. I'm going to tell him I love him and see if he tell me he love me back and stuff like that.
That's really it, you know. Oh my god! There you go.
Junior, who that? What's up? What's up?
Who this? Come here. If I can't even hold you, you know, what's up?
I'm your daddy. Say dada. Want your mommy?
You going to leave me? What's up? Say daddy, what's up?
You don't even remember me, huh? Want your mommy? I'll give him these.
I want you. Say what's up. Say dada.
What's up? You crying? What's up?
This crazy. It's cool. Say what's up.
Mama, dada, mama, dada, mama, dada. This who you always talking about? Say dada.
He wants to have a family. He wants that so badly. They're children themselves, so, you know, that's quite a responsibility even for somebody who hasn't gone through some of the things they've gone through already.
I don't even You don't even know who I am, Junior. You made me mad. You look the same.
I didn't see you out there. I got to see you in here. You know you don't.
A lot of the kids are in relationships, and of course, you know, they're wanting them to their girlfriends to marry them and all of this. I mean, it is crushing for them when they move on. And it's crushing for them, especially if they have a child with that person, cuz that happens quite a bit.
I'm not going to let you go till you say dada. Dada. Dada.
Dada. Yeah, big boy. Huh?
It was wonderful. At first, I was kind of mad. He He didn't act like he didn't know who I was.
He was a little shy, but I figured it out. But overall, he started calling me daddy. He came through.
He made my day. It was fun. Made me feel real good.
It made me feel like a father. What does that feel like? Make you feel like you're important.
You know what I mean? Let me Let me know I really You got some people that love me cuz when you ain't got too many people out there at home, you know, when somebody looking up to you, it make you feel important in some type of way. Make me feel good.
Bye, Daddy. Say love you. I love you.
I love you, too. But they really made my day. I'm ready to go back to my room just chill.
It's Memorial Day, a public holiday in America. And the prison put on a special meal for the boys in block D. They are getting extra food, extra calories, uh special treats that they don't normally get throughout the week.
What What is on the menu today? Uh we have a barbecue chicken, seasoned corn, uh tossed salad and dressing, and sweet potato. Hey, look.
Chicken look burnt. Salad always look good. Corn cool.
You know what the hell is this? What is this supposed to be, Kale? What is this?
It's a strawberry shortcake. Strawberry shortcake. Oh, man.
What you think about your tray, bro? If they don't like the prison food, inmates can also buy treats with their own money. Blake Layman has been at Wabash for over a year and has saved up for some ingredients to make a cake.
The bottom, I got like honey buns like crushed up to make like a dough. I put some cookies on top of that, some peanut butter, and then more cookies, and then some honey buns. And then this is some icing that I made cuz it's closest thing to icing we can get.
Some chocolate and some peanut butter, little bit of milk, mix it up. He's celebrating a big moment in every child's life. His 18th birthday.
It's the second birthday I've spent in jail. So, you know, it's really just another day. So, I this is why I made a cake, so I try to make it special.
You know, it's my 18th birthday. Little bit more chocolate, huh? Yeah, I think it looks good.
That's That's birthday. That's the best best you can do, really. Don't get them better than that.
My name is Blake Leman. I'm 18 years old. I was sentenced to 55 years for murder.
1 2 3 Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Blake.
Happy birthday to you. As a teenager, Blake was involved in petty crime and had been expelled from his high school. I hung out with my girlfriend a lot, you know, we were close.
I was getting high every day, smoking, I was I wasn't really worried about all that stuff, you know. I didn't wasn't thinking too much about nothing. Blake and four friends decided to break into a house in search of some quick money.
One of us kicked the door to the back and got inside. And there was another door to the kitchen that was locked, too. I think someone kicked that, too.
I didn't know anyone was there until there was actually gunshots, you know, that's when I kind of figured out, you know, somebody's home. I didn't know. Yeah, I didn't hear anything.
I just heard the gunshots and turned around and ran the other way. You know, and that's what all of us did. We all ended up running running away, you know, so three all three of us, me, Denzel, and Jose ended up in a closet, but as Denzel was running towards the closet, he had got shot in the chest.
And, you know, so he's climbing in the closet and he's bleeding, you know. And then as I'm climbing in the closet, I got shot in the leg. So, we're all three in the closet and, you know, I'm bleeding and Denzel was actually dying.
I you could almost see like his, you know, his spirit leaving his body, you know, like you could just tell there was it was over. You know, and that's it was bad. It was real bad.
With their friend Denzel dead in the house, the homeowner called the police. The remaining four were arrested and taken to the local jail. I had found out while I was sitting there that they were charging us with murder.
You know, and at the time I kind of thought, "Okay, you know, they don't know what happened. " I'm like, you know, they haven't talked to anybody, you know. They must think, you know, we killed Denzel.
They must think, you know, something they must have something switched around or something mixed up or something. But there was no mix-up. Under Indiana law, if someone dies during a burglary, all those breaking in can be held accountable.
The prosecutor said there was a murder committed. You know, the homeowner was justified in what he did, which, you know, it is what it is, you know, it was his home. That's right.
But and he said someone has to be held responsible. So, he felt we were going to be held responsible cuz our actions resulted in what happened. The jury found the four guilty of murder.
Blake was given 55 years behind bars. Time to reflect on how it had gone so badly wrong. My biggest regret about that day is the whole day.
It's like I'm in hell. I should have just went home. Why was I following when I should have been leading, you know?
Why was I, you know, not thinking for myself, not thinking far ahead, not thinking about what could have happened, what could go wrong, you know? So, yeah, I definitely regret that day. I regret a lot of everything about it.
There's been an incident in the youth block. Marquise Lee is charged with assaulting a custody officer and is about to go through the disciplinary process. Sure.
The previous evening, Lee threw liquid at another offender, which also hit the night shift custody officer. I know it may not sound serious, but it's it is very State your name and DOC number. If they throw liquid or anything else or any assault to staff, if we would not take that seriously, we would be assaulted all the time.
Can you tell me what happened? He he he told it the best. I mean, you feel me?
I was So, you threw it on offender Buchanan and it hit and it hit the officer. Yeah. If it's urine and all of this and you throw it at somebody, could contain viruses.
So, it's very serious. Tell me how you're going to plead. Um I'm not sure.
I'm I'm going to tell you right now you're probably not going to stay in here. You're 18 years of age and you're I I can't have you, even whether you meant to do it or you were playing around. I can't have you doing that on a youth unit.
You're 18, right? Yeah. So, how are you going to plead?
I don't get how I'm supposed to plead. Guilty or not Guilty or not guilty? Oh, yeah.
I plead I plead guilty. I did it. Okay.
If he's moved out of the juvenile block, Marquis will miss the chance to complete his education there. I will I get it if I intentionally meant to do it, you feel me? Meant to get it on the CO, but I didn't, you feel me?
And that's that's for me. I don't know, man. Hearing officer Sarah Chapman is responsible for deciding the sentence.
Okay, Mr Lee. I found you guilty don't throw a liquid substance on staff or and or offenders. 1 month bone, 3 months seg, 45 good days.
I don't play when it comes to throwing stuff. You're going to have to go sit in seg and think about what you did. The seg, or segregation unit, is the solitary confinement wing for adult prisoners.
How many days in seg? I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. 90 days.
90? 3 months. It's a sad day, but if anybody's heard me talk in orientation or talk to him, I tell him how important those conducts are.
And you know, if you want to take a risk, then you know, that's on you. He was on this unit, even though he was 18 years old. He has been moved to an adult unit where he will be treated as an adult.
Uh he is not being segregated from the other influences like he would be over here. Therefore, even though he is in a cell by himself, he will still be influenced by the the voices and the comments of those around him. Over here, we tend to try and shield them from that as much as humanly possible.
Over there, if the shield's gone. They make a mistake, it doesn't surprise me. After all, they're here for mistakes they've made.
It's It's just a repetition of behavior. Our job here is to try and correct and change that behavior. Are we successful?
Not always. No. Are we successful some of the times?
Yes. We just be happy for our successes and go on our business because we can't dwell on the failures. One of the goals for the boys at Wabash Valley Prison is to complete their high school education.
18-year-old Blake Layman recently took his final exams. I have some good news for you. Yes, you passed your high school equivalency.
Congratulations. Thank you. Yeah, no problem.
Probably good work. All right? Thanks, man.
So, maybe you can move forward from here, right? Yep. That's That's fine.
Okay. Good work. Appreciate it.
Yeah, thanks for coming down. Thanks, man. What does that thing do, like I don't know.
It means I got an education now. I don't know. I don't know.
I'm happy, though. I failed the first time, so, you know, I'm just glad I got it done. With his schooling complete and having turned 18, Blake is now eligible for the next stage of prison life.
The adult wing. Where he could spend the next 53 years. You hear all these stories and stuff like that.
I just, you know, I'd see it for myself. And I guess I got a lot of time to do. I'm not I could sit over here for till I turn like 21 or something like that.
I don't want to do that, you know. I'm going to have to do I'm going to have to go to the general population eventually. I'm going to have to go to the double lock eventually.
So, you know, get it out the way. Let's go. Blake's mother, Angie, visits every 2 weeks.
She is in less of a hurry for Blake's move. I'm nervous about him going to the adult side. I know he's got a couple buddies over there that are waiting, but um I just know that there's a lot of grown men over there that have actually committed murder and horrifying crimes.
Hi, honey. I miss you. She's come with Blake's brother, sister, and girlfriend to see him for the first time since his 18th birthday.
Oh, yeah, that's right. As well as bringing up her other two children and holding down a job working with people with disabilities, Angie's had to deal with the stigma attached to being the mother of a convicted murderer. I've heard things, such negative things through the last year.
Even us parents should have been convicted or we should have been charged, things like that. Um but as a parent, we can only do so much. I mean, we can only lead them so far.
We can only give them so much advice. As teenagers, we all know we all make dumb choices and do things that you wish you wouldn't have done. So good.
From her perspective, the mistakes juveniles make is not taken into account in the US system of trying children as adults. I think we have a juvenile justice system for a reason. I think all juveniles should be charged as juveniles.
They're not adults. They don't think like adults. They don't They haven't learned like we have.
These kids should have a chance to learn from their mistake and they didn't get that opportunity. For Blake and other teenagers at Wabash, such as Haces, are the beginning of sentences longer than their life so far, hope of release is something to cling on to. Being locked up for this much time, I want to find out things I can do.
I know there's something out there. At least give me some time credits or something like The prison library could help Jesus find an answer. Adult prisoners work as clerks to help guide fellow inmates through the complex US legal system.
I don't know what I can learn about the this like that and this. His murder charge, combined with his gang activity, meant he was looking at a sentence of 130 years. So, he took a guilty plea in court in return for a reduced sentence of 65 years.
So, basically, this is your first step trying to do anything about a PCR. You know what a PCR is for, though, right? I know it stands for post-conviction relief stuff.
Reduce your sentence, so It can reduce your sentence and get your sentence overturned. It can It could be a anything go by and get your retrial, you know what I mean? Like but I took a plea, so it doesn't matter, though.
I don't play. Yeah. Oh.
Um you know? I don't hold a lot of hope that he's going to get a shorter sentence out of this. Nobody's going to get him out of here in a year.
Nobody's going to get him out of here in two unless they overturn his whole case. It's just not going to happen. Every prisoner, whatever age, whatever crime, has to come to terms with the consequences of their actions.
I regret everything I did. I regret making money. Even though it was It was It was good, I regret making money the bad way.
I didn't realize it was affecting people. It was affecting people that were addicted to drugs. Like I don't know, like stuff like that.
I just I guess I was too young to realize I was I mean, I'm 17. I was 12, 13, 14, 15. I hate myself for what I did.
And I understand why people hate me. I get it. I know why it is.
I feel them, like, I hate myself, too. Whatever a child's future holds, it falls to the staff to guide the inmates through their time as best they can. If one of the young men have years and years and years, the only thing I can do is help them endure it, I guess.
Giving them hope is not I I can't do it. I would like to see them have a better life. And I think that takes a lot out on you when you know you can't really provide that.
I'm always trying to bow out of the air. It's hard on me, so I'm ready to pass that crown over to somebody else. I'm tired of being locked up.
I'm in a penitentiary. Ain't got no money on my books, and I'm so hungry, and I'm locked up. Ain't got no money on the phone.
My back against the wall, and I'm all alone. Man, I'm locked up. See, this where here, going to change me for the better cuz I'm tired of talking to my people through these letters.
Man, I'm locked up. Being locked up in this room driving me crazy and my brain is getting lazy. Man, I'm locked up.
I'm in a penitentiary. Ain't got no money on my books and I'm so hungry. Man, I'm locked up.
See this right here, going to change me for the better cuz I'm tired of talking to my people through these letters. Man, I'm locked up. Being locked up in this room driving me crazy and my brain is getting lazy.
Man, I'm locked up.
