Category: About Prisons

Being in prison is something you cannot imagine until you’ve been there. Learn first-hand what it’s like and the things you need to know if you or a loved one are headed that way.

A Note from the Editor

Posted on July 1, 2011July 1, 2011 by Texas Magnum

My friend Debbra over at www.standbyjerry.com made this nice graphic for Texas Magnum today. Isn’t it cool? I ask any of you reading this blog to take a moment to visit www.standbyjerry.com and learn about Jerry Welch. Jerry, age 20, is facing trial and possible life imprisonment for the murder of a pedophile named William Bush, who molested him for years of his teen life. Not only that, Jerry DID try to ask for help, and his pleas were ignored. Jerry has never had any trouble or arrests in his life up until this incident. Jerry has faced multiple challenges

Life’s a beach?

Posted on May 12, 2011May 13, 2011 by Texas Magnum

I feel like I am running out of things to say. Sometimes I look around me at the other people I share this place with, and I don’t even want to write anything about being here. I am sick and tired of people who want to bully others because they are weaker or because they are nicer. The people here are very disrespectful of each other. Some days it’s harder than others to just let all this bullshit flow over me and not affect me. I have a friend in here who is paroling out any day, and then getting

Getting clean the hard way

Posted on April 15, 2011April 26, 2011 by Texas Magnum

Maybe a few of you reading this blog stumbled on here when you wereÂ looking for information about heroin or addiction. Maybe you or one of your family members is struggling with some of the very same things that got me here in prison and you are looking for help. In one of my first posts on here, I said I was genuinely gladÂ I got arrested because it probably saved my life. Getting locked up is what it took for me to get the needle out of my arm. That is the good news. Now the bad news. Here is the

Prison is a funny place.

Posted on February 8, 2011February 8, 2011 by Texas Magnum

Prison is a funny place. You sit in here, day after day, imagining what it will feel like when you are released.Â We allÂ make a list of things to do, whenÂ we areÂ “free”. Most mens’ list are a little like this: 1) Get laid 2) Eat a huge steak 3) Sleep in a comfortable bed Everyone’s list is somewhat different but most men have a list similar to my example. (Ask them, if you don’t believe me.) Of course, I myself know that I look forward to MANY things. From women, to work, to spending time with my family. What I wonder

Life in prison – settling into the everyday routine

Posted on January 27, 2011January 27, 2011 by Texas Magnum

So this is the real part of being in prison. It’s not the being scared of the unknown or the fear of losing freedom. It’s the knowing that you aren’t going anywhere, day after day after day. It’s being bored and stuck and trying to make the best ofÂ the bad result of your own bad decisions. After getting through intake, I was put into General Population and I thought I might be staying there, but I was moved again to another facility. The new place is much farther from home too, so I won’t be getting many visits. That

Light up the darkness

Posted on January 6, 2011January 12, 2011 by Texas Magnum

Arriving here to TDCJ was as I expected. It involved a lot of nudity and yelling, being told where to stand, where to look, go, speak, dress… but overall I could think of a lot worse. My first week was spent in the “Chicken Coops” which resemble something out of the movie Silent Hill. Rusted metal, and dirty everything, complete with rats climbing on the rafters above. While in the intake process, you to go to sociology and medical examinations, and orientation, as well as an IQ test. Once you are finished with those, you are moved to be housed

Texas Magnum “catches chain”

Posted on December 10, 2010December 10, 2010 by Texas Magnum

From the Editor: Texas Magnum Â “caught chain” today. For those who don’t know jail lingo, “catching chain”Â means that he was picked up for TDC prisonÂ transfer to the intake facility in Huntsville,Â in the wee hours this morning. In thr Texas prison system, every inmateÂ starts out in Huntsville for processing and class designation. Physical, psychological, educational and vocational testing is done to determine what class an inmate starts out as and which unit he will be assigned to. They will be assigned their TDC Number, which will be their identity for the length of time they are incarcerated. My understanding is that

Sitting in prison, daydreaming helps

Posted on November 18, 2010November 21, 2010 by Texas Magnum

It’s a beautiful day at the lake. My dog is with me today, he is happy, like always. Experiencing every smell like it could be the last thing he ever smells and the best smell ever. The grill is lit, and the smell of oak and mesquite is in the air. The day is more perfect than I could ever ask for. It’s a scorching hot day, one of those Texas July heats, but there is a slight breeze in the air. When that breeze hits my face I breath it in and feel the entire world inside of me.

I am convicted and going to Texas Prison – a very real feeling sets in

Posted on November 13, 2010November 21, 2010 by Texas Magnum

Today is Nov 8th, I just got through washing clothes. For those who do not know, when you are in jail, you can either send your whites off to be washed by the jail laundry or wash your things by hand. I prefer to wash by hand. I never thought I would be washing my underwear by hand, but it’s actually pretty relaxing to just get lost in daydreams while scrubbing away, thinking of every thing I miss so much. Some-time, I even sing one of my favorite tunes to myself while I scrub. To wash my clothes, I crush

The Prison Museum in Huntsville, Texas

Posted on November 3, 2010November 21, 2010 by Texas Magnum

From the Editor: No new post from Texas Magnum today, but I ran across this site: www.txprisonmuseum.org Isn’t that something, a Museum devoted to Texas Prisons, in Huntsville. You can even purchase an engraved paving stone and become a patron. The museum has a bookstore that has quite a variety of prison related reads, including “Meals To Die For“, a book about Death Row inmates’ last meal requests and the recipes. I don’t know about you, but when and if I am in East Texas,Â the Prison Museum will not be on my list of things to see. I have