Inmate Says He Was Tortured in Prison for Learning Too Much about the Law dsioododidsBy Darrell Padgett Committed to the darkened world of prison life, I was confronted with the reality of serving what could possibly be the remainder of my life in prison. Although I forfeited my opportunity for a college education for the life of a drug dealer, when the shackles and chains were placed around my ankles and metal was place around my wrists, which were then constrained by chains, it wasn’t long before I recognized the problems that my ancestors once confronted were now somehow embedded in the system of justice. Once the shackles and chains were removed, I immediately reached for the books. I began to study the United States Constitution, the rules of the court, and the applicable laws regarding my imprisonment. Sometime later, after I had gained the necessary confidence, I enrolled in correspondence courses that were available through a university’s associate’s degree program in Paralegal Studies. Suddenly, my knowledge was becoming a threat to certain entities of the federal Bureau of Prisons because I was challenging the many injustices that were visible inside of the prison. Then remnants of the slave masters’ mentality surfaced in the acts of some prison officials: my educational books from the university were being secretly confiscated from the prison’s mailroom. I informed the university of these occurrences. After three failed attempts of resending the educational books to me, the president of the university called the prison. Still, no one knew the whereabouts of the essential materials that would provide me with a college degree. Subsequently, I conveyed the occurrences to the prison’s warden. And the warden became furious. He, the warden, then chastised the prison mail room supervisor in my presence. In the middle of the night, I was awaken by a gang of prison guards. The guards instructed me to get dressed and to back out of the prison cell with my hands behind my back. Immediately, I knew this was a “set-up.” So I inquired. I was informed that I was being placed in solitary confinement because the investigative services of the prison had information that I was planning to murder a prison guard. With allegations of such magnitude, I realized that I could be hidden in solitary confinement for years. That possibility became real to me after I was placed in a prison cell where a prisoner had been strapped to a concrete slab in the same way that it is alleged that Jesus was nailed to a cross. In prison, this form of torture is known as the “four-point restraints.” Apparently, the prisoner had expelled feces and urinated on himself as he was restrained to the concrete slab for hours. There was a reeking odor of urine and feces in the air. But I would have to endure this treatment until I could get the attention of the warden. While in that prison cell, I wrote a letter to the warden therein explaining that I had been placed in solitary confinement in retaliation for having complained of the intentional disappearance of my educational books. After having endured two days in that barbaric cell, which was designed specifically for the torture of prisoners, I was released from solitary confinement. Thereafter, I began receiving my educational books from the university. In the end, I earned an associate’s degree, with honors, in Paralegal Studies. And, on two occasions, I convinced a United States district judge to reduce the 450 months sentence that I was serving. On the first occasion, the judge reduced my sentence by 120 months. On the second occasion, the same factors the government used to put me in prison, I used those factors to prove to the judge that I had been completely rehabilitated, and there was no reason for my continual presence in prison. The judge agreed! Within an hour, I was on my way home! Education! Without it, I had no voice! With it, I have the keys that can open doors! Darrell Padgett served more than 20 years in federal prison after being arrested for the distribution of one gram of crack cocaine. Currently, Darrell is in his senior year as a bachelor’s degree student at Columbia Southern University majoring in Criminal Justice. Darrell will complete his studies in Criminal Justice in November 2013. Additionally, Darrell is the owner of Insight Into Prison Consultants. He may be contacted via his Facebook address below. https://facebook/darrell.padgett.37?ref=tn_tnmn • Darrell Padgett Owner at Insight Into Prison Consultants/Paralegal ServicesStudied Criminal Justice at Columbia Southern University
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:15:05 +0000
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