Page 4 - Carlton Wright News Today

I mean, thats my personal opinion. my whole jury was white, you know? i didnt have nobody of my peers, so they probably couldnt understand this type of crime or understand what happened.e they just associate black people with violence.ha he did it.th convict him.id >> wright believes his race is also a detriment at wabash. >> im on the wrong side of the color margin. thats just honesty. this prison is predominantly s white people, you know what i mean? you know, im not saying theyre racist. youv...

Here and youre forced to deal with it. so you better pray you got a cool cellie, or it aint going to work. being in prison, its reality, man. you know, people watching movies in prison, and you see them, oh, thats sad, and you turn it off and forget about it, but its our life. you know, we wake up every day i to this, living under these strict set of rules, no privileges, you know what i mean. this is reality. theres no going home from this. >> and wright is a long way from home. >> this is my f...

To get a hair cut or a shave, [ bleep ] none of that. ive been back here just slumming it, you know. this is the downside of prison, you know what i mean? violence happens. what do you expect? you throw a bunch of violent offenders together and you expect us not to clash? at the end of the day, you better pray youre the one left standing and not hurt. >> as authorities continue to investigate the stolen tv, wright has petitioned to be placed back into his original housing unit. >> i dont know at...

Let me show you whats going on with my cell. this is my red right here. you know what i mean? this is what i sleep on. this is my cellie rack right above me. this is where his bed where another grown-ass man sleeps at. you understand? out here to the left is my window. thats the gate teasing me with freedom. and right there is the highway, i think. see cars driving by? going placess i cant go. you feel me? so just trying to paint a picture for you so you can understand what im going through. >> ...

You feel me? and if you aint strong, man, youre going to crumble. you know what i mean? until you walk in my shoes and did this, you cant tell what its like, man. its hard. doing time is hard. >> during his time at wabash, wright says hes felt vulnerable because of the color of his skin. >> other prisons ive been at, its more populated with hispanics and blacks, you know what i mean, but this is a heavily populated white prison. its a culture shock. >> but not every inmate at wabash is concerned...

Hes been in hes received a few conduct reports, nothing severe. i had heard that he has a mouth on him and that hes pretty disrespectful towards staff and other offenders. >> thats the only option? i cant take another one? >> no. >> so what was the point of seeing -- there was no point of really seeing it, then, right? >> pretty much. >> you dont like it? >> this is wabash, man. they do what they want to do. >> im not like a lot of inmates. i obey the rules here, you know, but sometimes they rea...

>> joshua coffey has served more than four years of his six-year sentence at the wabash valley correctional facility. his job in the kitchen helps him stay focused and out of trouble. >> thats crazy. i came in at 4:30 this morning, and ill leave about 5:30. so i work 13 hours. >> stacking the line! >> the reason i do it is to get out of my cell, you know, come down here, get a little freedom. you know, eat a little better. the food that they serve doesnt taste bad, but its appeal is horrible. so...

>> wrights aggressive behavior soon created problems with other inmates. >> im not looking for trouble, but at the same time, im definitely not ducking them either. you feel me? you know, this is the penitentiary. youve got to stand tall, ten toes down. you know what i mean? you cant take no losses. you know what i mean? its the wrong place to be a bitch. you feeling me? its the pressure. you feeling me? you get killed for stealing on the streets, so why not in prison? >> as wright continued his...

But thats what im doing, man. im surviving. ive got too much time to start crumbling now. >> gerald ritchie is also in one of the confinement units, and hes not happy about it. >> its horrible. they had punishment in mind when they built this place. thats a fact. lets make these guys understand that, hey, if you come to prison this is how youre going to live. this is how youre going to live and were going to take these rules to the nth degree. >> ritchie says that even though hes in confinement ...

Half black, the battle he had to fight to get just where hes at, i figured it was a bold statement. >> while siverly might respect obamas battles, he is firm and he wont help black inmates in wabash with theirs. >> im not racist, but then again, i know where the lines are in here. so i know that if something goes down, just because im not racist doesnt mean if theres a race riot that theyre not going to stab me too. im not going to arm a black so that a race riot can pop off at any time and all ...