Originally published in the Winter 2022 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 67, printed February 3. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Winter 2022 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For the full web catalog, see our Full Issues page.

Ask everyone to close their eyes, imagine it’s Xmas & the only sense of happiness we can have is calling our loved ones to spread a lil holiday cheer. Then the lights cut out due to the staff not coming to work to b with their family. This carries on for the next 2 days.

My door suddenly opens & she says get dressed u have a video visit. I said what? If my fiancé would’ve never called up here I would’ve b stuck in the cell by staff who don’t care about family, rehabilitation, or recidivism – they care about that 10,000 signing bonus. When ever single day they work it’s a portrayal of a cracker. Who cracks the whip/discipline will b handed out if u don’t walk the gun line. A 200 series charge could take away 17+ days of good time/even more for a simple infraction. But their is no incentive of being charge free. Their is no way of earning 17 days off our release date. & once u loose this time u can’t get the days back. For a petty infraction. Well we talk of who is the criminal right?

On Dec. 28th at 10:30 am me as well as 13 other inmates were not fed breakfast or lunch. & was told by them same agents fuck us, write up the paperwork, we go home every night. When we r behind a door behind y’all wanting to shop at Blk Friday, the least u all could do is feed us.

But these r the people who y’all r giving raises to/hiring. When their r 2 laws in VA which allows some to go home after a fair amount of time is served & may have rehabilitated, reincarnated, vindicated theirselves. Which was put into effect to mass incarcerate the super predators. Which all them lawmakers apologized from destruction of the Blk family.

Now we reward the prison profiteers for handing out higher #’s. When the same people u vote for r setting up trust funds for their grandchildren, from handing down slaves.

This must end. Defund the prison system. Refund our tax $ for education so these men & women don’t have to come back.

Brandon Seward

Greenville