Page 108 - Isp News Today

çwçw;c3k?çwowowo there is a growing trend within the iowa prison system. gang violence. one out of four isp inmates is a gang member. >> what happens in the prison mirrors what happens on the street. we had a lot of influence from chicago-based gangs and crypts and bloods from the west coast, latino gangs. it all kind of came together in the middle of iowa. we had a lot of intergang violence. >> theres no doubt about that. records show im gang affiliated.

They know that. >> at isp, self-improvement is also available to those whose release dates are decades away. >> i tell my mother all the time, dont think of me as being in prison. im in here trying to better myself. shes really worried about me because i am a sex offender and its really hard on sex offenders in prison, in this environment. i have a class "a" felony child molestation. we had sex one time, she came up pregnant and had a baby. when we found out she was pregnant, i turned myself in....

And that seems to get me in a lot of trouble with myself. a lot of times just to get what i want, whatever i wanted it, when i wanted it. >> and you would do whatever you needed to do? >> do whatever i needed to do. im more than willing to be in all the programs that i can find out there, you know, and do whatever i have to do to be part of my familys life. and make up for the wrong that i done. >> prison saved my life. i hate to say that but prison saved my life. how are you doing today, ken? >...

They ask me a question, i give them an honest answer. if i dont have the answer, then ill find the answer for them. ive responded to many emergencies, fights, stabbings, numerous medical emergencies, hangings, but personally, me, no, ive never been assaulted. >> lieutenant kris st. martin was one of the first women to work at indiana state prison. an isp veteran of 16 years, she was promoted to become the first female lieutenant at the facility. >> when i came in, the only place a female could w...

Qcqgqggóóósw while an average of five to ten offenders are released per week from indiana state prison, the majority of inmates will spend the rest of their lives here. willard lucas has spent 29 years at isp. >> im in here for kidnap/murder. i caught a guy in bed with my old lady and i blowed my top. and i kind of hurt him. ive got to be here until i die. i got double life and i got to stay here until i die. and hopefully i can stay right here where im at. but theres a lot of us in here do...

And i certainly understand that. on the other hand, the fact that i do live here and i have fallen on these circumstances allows me to speak to things in a way that others cannot. >> i need to know when i get out on main street god will be out there with me. >> amen. >> i need to know. >> thats right. >> amen. that hell be with me on the rec yard. >> amen. >> i need to know that hell be with me when that cell comes closing in on me. i need to know that god is in there with me. >> the men tell me...

Free time, you know, just kick back, 90 days, you dont have to do nothing, or you can go to college. college? i never heard of that, not where im from. i signed up for college. >> monagan now tutors other inmates. >> if that person youre trying to teach does not want to learn, hes stubborn, he stonewalls, thats when guys like me come into play because i was stubborn and stonewalled. i know what it feels like. im willing to endure all those hardships that it takes just to help you get your ged or...

Lot, almost daily. hed get drunk and beat her up. when i was 6 years old, he had her on the bed, choking her. me and my little brother were begging him -- excuse me -- me and my little brother was begging him -- i cant go on with that part. >> just give me the rough sketch of what you want and ill put it down on paper. >> although the majority of prisoners at isp are older inmates, youth offenders are rapidly becoming the fastest growing population. >> how old are you? >> 23. ive got a five-year...

>> i shot a man and i burned him up in a car after i had shot him. >> ive got to be here until i die. i got double life and ive got to stay here until i die. >> i dont know how you feel about it, but im ready to receive something from god. >> with my retirement pending, i was in jail for having taken someones life. >> the day of an execution, the entire facility goes on lockdown. if theres no last-second appeal, the offender is then advised the execution is to commence shortly. >> denial is rife...

>> if an inmate refuses to participate in the program, he remains in lockup. >> spending hours on end in a small cell is an ongoing complaint of inmates at isp. especially in cell house 220 or the hole. >> this is your maximum security unit inside of a maximum security prison. heres where we house the disciplinary detention inmates that couldnt be handled at another institution or couldnt be handled in our general population area. now we have to deal with them over here. >> brian murray is servi...