Page 2 - Hardcore Prison News Today

>> the jury that convicted tiano believed he used the million dollars he raised to live a life of luxury purchasing houses, boats and sports cars. it is a different life for tiano today. >> you have a table there. you have four walls that are cement. you have cement floor. no paint. stainless steel toilet. you have to use a restroom where you have to eat. there are two people. most of the time. you have to go to the restroom here. everything is just so -- i wasnt brought up that way. you know, i...

He was lucky. he was put in a protective custody unit because otherwise he would be in grave danger. >> i wouldnt probably last five minutes on the mainline. >> why? >> well, they dont like cops. you know, or ex-cops. >> tiano says if nothing else, his experience here has helped him see the people he used to arrest in a new light. >> i have been dealing with these people for many, many years. and you know, theres a lot of them that arent, i mean, you know, theres a perception, unfortunately, by ...

Everyone at corcoran. >> i dont see myself as being like many of the people here. what i saw the longer i was here is there really is a thin line between them and me. >> before he was an inmate, stefan parro was a librarian. >> im here basically because im an alcoholic and ive done a lot of drugs, too. drugs are part of my story. >> parros drug use resulted in a six-year sentence for crimes including burglary. >> at that time i had been married not very long. my wife was pregnant. the fact i cou...

Come to prison, its still our obligation to protect you no matter what. gangs going out and battering even those in special program, you know, doesnt work. these guys are trying to get away from gangs to do their time safely and they are getting beat up. it doesnt seem to end. >> eventually the prison decided the safest situation for de la cruz was to transfer him to a different prison. >> i just want to do my time peacefully, you know what im saying? especially right now, get my thoughts togeth...

I said throw it on me. >> another time he told us it was an accident that it occurred. at one point he admitted that somebody purposely tried to hurt him. >> i walked up to the bars because i thought someone said bozo. thats what the guys call me. i went up to the bars and splash they hit me with baby oil and hair grease and broke my arm off. i didnt see the person who did it, right? there were too many prisoners out, so i didnt see who it was. im not the type that would tattletale on somebody a...

>> i wouldnt probably last five minutes on the mainline. >> why? >> well, they dont like cops. you know, or ex-cops. >> tiano says if nothing else, his experience here has helped him see the people he used to arrest in a new light. >> i have been dealing with these people for many, many years. and you know, theres a lot of them that arent, i mean, you know, theres a perception, unfortunately, by the majority of our society that everybody in prison is really a bad person. and thats not the case. ...

Is there really is a thin line between them and me. >> before he was an inmate, stefan parro was a librarian. >> im here basically because im an alcoholic and ive done a lot of drugs, too. drugs are part of my story. >> parros drug use resulted in a six-year sentence for crimes including burglary. >> at that time i had been married not very long. my wife was pregnant. the fact i couldnt stop drinking and i couldnt stop using, it was difficult to deal with the shame and guilt of all that. >> parr...

It is a different life for tiano today. >> you have a table there. you have four walls that are cement. you have cement floor. you have to use a restroom where you have to eat. there are two people. you have to go to the restroom here. everything is just so -- i wasnt brought up that way. you know, im from the old school. and its very difficult. very, very difficult. >> not only was he former law enforcement, he still carried himself like a cop and here he was incarcerated in a pretty hardcore p...

To run him out of town. >> i found out a bunch of people here in alabama needed a good contractor so i moved up to alabama. five years later i got a warning to get out of town and stop contracting or were going to stop you. i laughed at them because i was licensed for everything. plumbing, electrical, everything. they stopped me. they pulled the rug out from under my feet, laid fake charges on me and took me to court. i have been here since 1990. and its a long time. now i have three grandkids o...

The reason i took the credit cards because wisely enough my wife canceled mine. >> stefan parro was a very relatable guy to most of us who were filming "lockup." he was a well-educated man and he expressed himself so eloquently and so succinctly. i think he was a cautionary tale because his crimes were committed because of his substance abuse. and most of us know people who have similar issues. but there was stefan trying to navigate through an extremely violent world. >> i had an idea i would n...