Behind the Walls Talk

Being here is living in a world inside of a world, where we as prisoners are still living, breathing, walking, and talking human beings. Instead, we are dehumanized first by being called inmates and then treated as if we are just property or animals that deserve no respect. I am more than that, I am not just a human being, I am a man who demands respect by giving it in they same manner and I carry myself with integrity and dignity. I have goals and objectives that I am determined to obtain, but this system isn’t forthcoming with any type of help. It’s all because I have been labeled SRG level 3. I am not able to get a job here at Scotland CI because of being SRG level 3, but you have guys that continue to get jobs and get fired as for me every job I have had I held it down and have never been fired. I am no different from any other prisoner because I went through the same process as everyone else coming here. So, what sets us apart from each other? The institutions set us apart by placing labels and levels on us. When I was growing up, I was always told that if you help yourself others will be willing to help you, but that is not the case here at Scotland CI. They run this prison backwards and by doing so they create a hostile environment. When there’s no classed to attend, no jobs to get, no yard, no incentives, and take the privileges that we do have, what do you think is going to happen? If the NCDAC wants the violence and the assaults on staff to decrease, then they need to start allowing SRG level 3’s to get jobs, go to school, and start giving out incentives for good behavior such as food sales, DVD movies, and other things. This is the solution to the problem that we are having, not just here at Scotland but every prison in North Carolina. We need change, because this not only affects our rehabilitation, but it affects you as citizens in a society that we are being released back into. Because a lot of these guys are learning nothing, and they are going back out into society just as they left. The one to contact about issues such as this is the Secretary of Prisons, Todd Ishee. You can email him at todd.ishee@dac.nc.gov

Thank you for your time and support.

William McCallum