Jan. 12, 2026

Part 2 | Terrible Tommy: The life & Crimes of Thomas Silverstein

Part 2 | Terrible Tommy: The life & Crimes of Thomas Silverstein
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Season 9

Jim completes his look into what many consider the most dangerous inmate ever incarcerated in the United States prison system, Thomas “Terrible Tommy” Silverstein. 
Labeled a brutal killer and Aryan Brotherhood leader, Silverstein spent the last 36 years of his life in solitary confinement—the longest such stint in federal Bureau of Prisons history—under “no human contact” conditions at facilities like USP Marion and ADX Florence in Colorado. 

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WEBVTT

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M M A Wall Street line, shackle change, Oh do

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someome gird it's calling my name. There is no mercy

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and it's been a tentery juice as the huge stream

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game Rainbow three.

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Come here by me or die.

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Inside these walls, inside the wild.

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Hadn't went no girl as I Hey everyone, and welcome

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back to Bloody Angla, a podcast one and forty two

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years in the making, the complete story of America's Bloody

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Is Prison. I'm Jim Chapman, and I am back with

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the second part of this terrible Tommy Thomas Silverstein story.

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For those of you that joined me last week, I

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told you kind of an entire ship nasis of Thomas

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Silverstein's life and then his life inside a prison. And

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we got to the end of that story and I

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mentioned that he had actually filed a lawsuit against the

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United States Bureau of Prisons on being held in solitary

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confinement for many, many years, and he kind of told

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his whole story inside a prison in that filing. And

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so I'm going to pick up where I left off now.

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When I left you last, he had just apologized for

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killing Officer Klutz, and you know, he had apologized for

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the pain that he had caused Officer Klutz family. So

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we're going to pick up there with the side pocket.

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Cell is the next subject he talks about. So if

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you haven't listened to the first episode, you're gonna be

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totally lost. So got to listen to that and then

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pick up with this episode. So we'll continue on and

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he goes on in this lawsuit to say, on November

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two of nineteen eighty three, I was transferred without notice

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to USB Atlanta pending my trial. When I arrived in Atlanta,

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I had no idea what kind of conditions I was

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going to be held in or how long I was

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going to be there. Although I did not know it

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at the time, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons,

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Norman Carlson, issued a memo ordering I being prisoned under

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special security measures. These measures included an order that I

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be placed under no human contact status indefinitely. The officers

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took this order seriously. They never spoke to me unless

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there was no way to avoid it. They spoke only

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to give me orders. When I spoke to them, they

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ignored me. I was confined to a special part of

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the prison known as the side Pocket. The side pocket

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contains three adjacent cells, one of which was a shower.

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I was rotated between these cells. Apparently this was for security,

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though no one else was housed in or even came

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into the side pocket. The side pocket was incredibly isolated.

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I was deep underground and there was no windows in

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the side pocket. The side pocket cells measured approximately six

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feet by seven feet, almost exactly the size of a

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standard king mattress. And I told you all about that

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in the first episode. The cell was so small that

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I could stand in one place and touch both walls simultaneously.

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The ceiling was so low I could reach up and

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touch the hot light fixture. My bed took up the

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length of the cell, and there were no other furniture

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at all. There was no desk, there was no chair.

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There was no place to store clothing or anything at all.

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I could lie down, I could sit on my bed,

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or I could stand. When lying down, I could easily

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touch both ends of the cell, one end with my head,

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the other end with my feet. And the walls were

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solid steel and painted all white. I was permitted to

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wear underwear, but I was given no other clothing. Shortly

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after when I arrived, the prison staff began construction on

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the side pocket sell adding more bars and other security

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measures to that cell while I was within it in

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order to not be burned by sparks and inburs. While

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they welded more iron bars across a cell, I had

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to lie on my bed and cover myself with a sheet.

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It's hard to discover the horror I experienced during this

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construction process. As they built new cell walls around me.

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It felt as if I was being buried alive. It

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was terrifying. During my first year in the side pocket cell,

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I was completely isolated from the outside world and had

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no way to occupy my time. I was not allowed

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to have any social visits, telephone privileges, or reading materials

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except my Bible. I was also not allowed to have

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a television, radio or a tape player. I could speak

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to no one, and there was virtually nothing on which

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to focus my attention. I was not only isolated, but

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I was also disoriented in the side pot. This was

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exasperated by the fact I wasn't allowed to have a

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watch or a clock. In addition, the bright artificial lights

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remained on in my cell, constantly increasing my disorientation and

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making it difficult to sleep. Not only were there constantly

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eliminated lights buzzing incessantly. The buzzing noise was maddening, as

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there often were no other sounds at all. This may

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sound like a small thing, but it was my entire world.

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Due to the unchanging, bright artificial lights and not having

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a wrist watch or a clock, I couldn't tell if

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it were day or night. Frequently I would fall asleep,

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and when I would wake up, I would not know

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if I had slept five minutes or five hours, and

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would have no idea what day or time of day

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it was. I told y'all a little about that in

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the last episode. I tried to measure the passing days

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by counting the food trays. Actually very smart without being

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able to keep track of time. Though sometimes I thought

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the officers had left me and were not coming. I

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thought they were going for days and I was going

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to starve. It's likely they were only going for a

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few hours, but I had no way to know. I

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was so disawarented in Atlanta, I felt like I was

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in an episode at the Twilight Zone. I now know

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that I was house there for about four years, but

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I would have believed it was a decade if that's

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what I was told. It seemed eternal and endless and immeasurable.

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Throughout my time in Atlanta, I was never fed a

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hot meal. There were no air conditioning or heating on

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the side pocket cells. During the summer, the heat was unbearable.

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I will pull water on the ground and lay naked

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on the floor in an attempt to cool myself. The

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bright lights made the heat worse. I felt like I

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was in an oven. The only time I was left

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out of my cell was for outdoor recreation. I was

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allowed one hour a week for outdoor recreation. I could

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not see other inmates or any of the surrounding landscape.

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During the outdoor recreation, there was no exercise equipment and

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nothing to do. I was only allowed one hour of

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inn door recreation within the side pocketself, four times a week.

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My vision deteriorated in the side pocket I think due

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to the constant bright lights, or possibly because of other

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aspects of this harsh environment. Everything began to appear blurry,

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and I became sensitive delight, which burned my eyes and

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gave me headaches. Nearly all of the time, the officers

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refused to speak to me. Despite this, I heard people

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who I believed to be officers whispering in my vents,

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telling me they hated me, and calling me names. To

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this day, I'm not sure if the officers were doing

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this to me or if I was starting to lose

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it and these were hallucinations. In the side pocket cell,

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I lost some ability to distinguish what was real. I

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dreamt I was in a prison. When I woke up,

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I was not sure if which was reality and which

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was a dream. For the first six months before a

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camera was installed in the hallway in front of my cell,

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I was watched by two officers at all time. I

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found this extremely uncomfortable. In y'all, come on, man, you're

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in prison here, you've killed three people. You're supposed to

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be uncomfortable, but it goes on. I felt like a

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physical violation to know that these people watch from close

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proximity every little thing I did, even my bodily functions.

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They would not talk to me, but they talked to

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each other at all hours. This made me agitated and

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I couldn't sleep. He could not stand the fact that

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they would not talk to him. My correspondence was strictly

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limited to my immediate family and my attorneys, however, I

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had fallen out of touch with most of my families.

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Said during this time, I only wrote to my sister.

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I was not allowed paper in my cell and had

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to ask for it when I wanted to write. I

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was limited to five sheets each week and given a

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three inch pencil for my correspondence. Before being transferred to

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marry him. When I was at Levenworth, I become interested

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in art and it taught myself to draw. I used

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art to express myself and also prevent my mind from

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ti However, in the side pocket, I was prohibited for

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the entire first year from having any art supplies at all.

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After the first year in the side pocket, I was

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gradually allowed basic privileges, including a radio and some art supplies.

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When I was finally allowed to have art supplies, the

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relief was enormous. I used the opportunity to order art

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books and taught myself to paint. Finally I had a

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little something to break up the enduring monotony of my days.

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And this is just an amazing look of what it's

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like for the prisoner himself, right inside of this solitary confinement.

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He goes on to say, when I was allowed to

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have a radio. I began listening to religious services every

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Sunday in the afternoon. During my time in Atlanta, I

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had no opportunity to discuss my conditions with anyone, and

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to my knowledge, my placement in solitary confinement was never reviewed.

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This caused me to worry that I will be kept

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in the side pocket itself forever. I never knew what

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I could do to make any of my conditions better.

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During this time, I became very interested in Buddhism and

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Buddhist philosophy. I requested a Bible and enrolled in correspondence

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Bible study courses when I first arrived in Atlanta. However,

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over time I find a greater sense of connection to

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the Buddhist teachings on the radio. I had previously practiced

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yoga when I was at Marion, but in the side

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pocket cell, my yoga practice became a defining aspect of

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my life. It took on a spiritual aspect that I

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had never experienced before. Yoga allowed me to exercise both

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my body and my mind in spite of being confined

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in such a tiny cage. It brought me a feeling

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of peace, at least occasionally. Then he gets into the

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riots in the United States prison at Atlanta, and of

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course told you about that in the last episode, but

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not through his eyes. Listen to this. In nineteen eighty seven,

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Cuban inmate at Atlanta rioted and seized control of the prison,

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taking prison staff hostage. Because I was isolated in the

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side pocket, cell I was unaware of the riot until

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I heard an unusual noise. I had become accustomed to

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the familiar sounds of the officer's footsteps and keys clanging,

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but this was different and much louder. I was initially

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worried for my own safety when I saw the Cuban

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inmates enter the side pocket area. However, the inmates did

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not harm me, but release me from the side pocket.

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Cell I was a static to be out of solitary confinement.

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I freely roamed the yard and slept outside under the

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stars for the only time in the last twenty eight years.

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The riot lasted seven days, and during that time I

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was free to move about the prison and interact with

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other people. A harm no one, and it actually lasted

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eleven days, but he was out for seven of those instead.

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During the riot, I was in contact with several members

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of the prison staff and actively protected two staff members

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from harm. When I saw an elderly correctional officer having

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a heart attack, I persuaded the other writers to let

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him out so he could receive medical attention. I also

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went out of my way to take care of an

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officer I knew, bringing him extra food and making sure

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no one harassed him. The man who made sure I

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received all of my food when I was isolated, while

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items were often missing when the other officers brought my trade,

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I was glad to be able to show him some

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kindness in return. I also checked on Lieutenant Hollington to

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make sure he was safe and being treated respectfully. I'd

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always appreciated how Lieutenant Hollington used to ask if my

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cuffs were too tight or painful when most of the

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other officers refused to speak to me at all. Although

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I was unaware at this time, I later learned the

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FBI in Bureau of Prisons negotiated with the Cuban riders

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to turn me over as a gesture of goodwill. The

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Cuban inmates drugged me, seized me, and carried me out

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of the As they were taking me out, I begged

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them to kill me, so I wouldn't have to return

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to extreme solitary confinement. The Cubans ignore my pleas and

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threw my body over the fence where the Bureau of

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Prison officials were waiting to take control of me. Once

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in Bureau prison custody, correctional officers cuffed my hands behind

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my back, shackled my ankles, and locked me in a cell.

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I was not allowed out of my shackles for any reason,

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even to relieve myself. I was kept in the cell

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00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:31.039
all night and begged the officers to uncuff me so

237
00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:33.919
I could use the toilet. The pain of holding my

238
00:14:34.039 --> 00:14:37.919
bladder was excruciating. Finally, when I just couldn't hold back

239
00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:39.919
any longer and it was clear I was not going

240
00:14:39.960 --> 00:14:43.519
to be let out of the cell or unhandcuffed, avoided

241
00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:47.200
in my pants. The next day, I was escorted into

242
00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:49.600
a van where I was forced to sit in my

243
00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:53.320
own urine. On a trip to Kansas, I kept asking

244
00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:56.159
the officers if I could use the bathroom, and they

245
00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:59.200
just replied that I should quote hold it, even if

246
00:14:59.240 --> 00:15:03.000
they knew this wasn't possible. Throughout the trip, I was

247
00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:05.679
never allowed to use the restroom and so was forced

248
00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:09.480
to urinate on myself again. I felt like an animal

249
00:15:09.559 --> 00:15:12.919
being transported. Being forced to wear the handcuffs and void

250
00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:17.159
on myself was degrading and extremely painful. When the handcuffs

251
00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:20.639
were finally removed, I had extensive bruising. Two of my

252
00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:24.480
toenails fell off, I think from the lack of circulation.

253
00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:28.679
So that was his experience in USP Atlanta. And then

254
00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:33.320
he talks about him being transported back to Levenworth after

255
00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:37.120
being released by those Cubans and being put in a

256
00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:40.120
basement cell, and it says when I finally arrived at

257
00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:43.799
the new prison, I learned I was at USP Leavenworth.

258
00:15:43.919 --> 00:15:46.240
I was not allowed to wash myself until I was

259
00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:50.080
placed in a special unit in the basement. This happened

260
00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:54.120
on December first, nineteen eighty seven. I thought that maybe,

261
00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:56.919
after seeing that I was not violent even when I

262
00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:59.360
had the chance during the riot, the Bureau of Prison

263
00:15:59.399 --> 00:16:02.399
would start to lessen my restrictions. But I was wrong.

264
00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:05.120
I was crushed when I saw my new cell in

265
00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:09.399
the Leavenworth basement. To get to the basement, sell numerous

266
00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:13.559
officers and protective armor escorted me down a small elevator

267
00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:16.279
to the basement and through an underground tunnel in the

268
00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:18.840
eighty five year old building. I felt like I was

269
00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:22.519
going into a dungeon. On the day I arrived at Levenworth,

270
00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:26.320
the assosiate Warden Smith visited myself. Smith had been in

271
00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:30.240
correctional Officer Klutt's friend. He was now in charge of

272
00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:32.639
my confinement. He told me he was going to do

273
00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:35.080
all he could to prevent me from seeing the light

274
00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:39.399
of day, and that I deserved everything I was getting. Indeed,

275
00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:42.039
I didn't see the light of day for a long time.

276
00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.039
I did not receive any recreation at all for nearly

277
00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:51.360
a year at Levenworth. Instead, President staff slowly began adding

278
00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:55.799
more bars and constructing an adjacent visiting booth an indoor

279
00:16:55.879 --> 00:16:58.600
wreck area, so I would not have to leave the

280
00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:02.600
basement I'm sure of. The basement cell itself was similar

281
00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:07.039
to the side pocket cell in USB, Atlanta. The cell

282
00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:11.799
was approximately nine feet by sixteen feet and contained a bed, desk,

283
00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:16.359
metal sink, shower, stalled TV showering toilet without a lid.

284
00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:20.759
Soon after I arrived, they installed several cameras in the basement.

285
00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:24.680
After this, I was kept under camera surveillance twenty four

286
00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:27.640
hours a day, seven days a week, Knowing that I

287
00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:30.720
was constantly being watched, even when using the toilet or

288
00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:35.440
taking the shower. Was embarrassing and made me extremely anxious.

289
00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:38.759
One of the cameras was installed right over the toilet.

290
00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:42.599
I have suffered from serious hemorrhoids for as long as

291
00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:45.680
I can remember. It was humiliating to know the officers

292
00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:48.799
were likely talking about me and mocking me as I

293
00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:52.279
tried to blot the blood flowing from my rear. Below

294
00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:57.319
was an artistic rendering of the camera's placement in relation

295
00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:00.440
to my cell and how I felt being watched. Actually

296
00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:03.319
drew a picture, and I'll post this on the Patreon,

297
00:18:03.480 --> 00:18:07.079
but it's a picture of him using the toilet, and

298
00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:11.279
it shows two officers looking through two small windows of

299
00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:14.920
the cell doors, and it shows a camera that is

300
00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:19.119
like right by his head as he's taking a shit. Basically,

301
00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:22.319
the cell was brightly lit at all times, and I

302
00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:25.480
was told this was in order for the cameras to

303
00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:28.720
show a clear picture. Sometimes a Bureau of Prison would

304
00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:32.319
even put a spotlight and shine it on me directly

305
00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:35.240
blinding me. There was nothing I could do to stop

306
00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:37.759
the light. With the light on all the time, I

307
00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:40.519
never slept more than four or five hours. This was

308
00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:42.880
made even worse by the fact that there was no

309
00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:46.079
window as in the side pocket, my body could not

310
00:18:46.279 --> 00:18:49.759
tell whether it was day or night. Additionally, my vision

311
00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:54.079
continued to deteriorate, and sometimes I would have illucinations where

312
00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:58.200
the bars in the cell moved or I saw different shapes.

313
00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:01.599
The privileges my good behavior had earned me in usb

314
00:19:01.720 --> 00:19:05.720
Atlanta were taken from me in Lovenworth, including my art supplies.

315
00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:09.480
In the absence of human contact, my art had become

316
00:19:09.640 --> 00:19:12.720
central to my identity. It was i most the only

317
00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:15.559
way I knew if I were alive, that I existed.

318
00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:18.119
No one spoke to me, but I felt that I

319
00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:20.440
was able to communicate that I was a living human

320
00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:23.359
being by making art. Without it, I felt like part

321
00:19:23.359 --> 00:19:25.920
of my soul had been taken from me. I was

322
00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:29.119
also not allowed a razor or any means of cutting

323
00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:32.839
my hair for six months. Upon arriving at Lovenworth. When

324
00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:35.799
I was finally permitted to use a raizor, my beard

325
00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:38.119
and hair were so long that it was not of

326
00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:41.200
much use, so it didn't matter. I did not have

327
00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:44.559
access to a mirror. Only years later when I asked

328
00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:46.880
to see a photo of myself, could I even see

329
00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:50.400
what I looked like I didn't recognize the person underneath

330
00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:54.079
the overgrown head of hair and unkempt beard. The basement

331
00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:57.680
cell completely isolated me from other inmates. I never saw

332
00:19:57.759 --> 00:20:01.079
or heard any signs of any other It's hard to

333
00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:04.599
convey how strange it is to be an isolated prison

334
00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:07.880
like this, to see and hear no signs of other prisoners.

335
00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:11.480
Prisons are generally noisy and filled with the sounds of

336
00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:16.200
other prisoners. Proximity with others is typically a defining characteristic

337
00:20:16.279 --> 00:20:19.400
of a prison. Yet in the basement cell, I lived

338
00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:23.799
in what seemed like a post apocalyptic solitary state. I

339
00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:28.880
felt utterly alone. And then he has another picture that

340
00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:30.920
he drew in. I mean, he was a great artist,

341
00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:32.839
I'll give him that, and it just shows a man

342
00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:36.559
like with his head on the ground of his cell,

343
00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:41.799
and just you know, you would derive misery looking at

344
00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:45.599
that picture. The basement cell was infested with vermin. I

345
00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:49.440
often awoke to find rats and cockroaches crawling in my

346
00:20:49.559 --> 00:20:52.920
hair and beard. Despite this, I became careful not to

347
00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:57.240
injure my fellow basement dwellers because they were my only companions.

348
00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:01.079
In addition, because I was learning and studying Judaism, I

349
00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:04.880
began thinking and valuing life in a different way. I

350
00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:07.559
felt like my head was in a constant fog when

351
00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:10.279
I was in the basement cell. I was never tired

352
00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:14.480
enough to sleep, yet lacked energy to do anything else.

353
00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:17.839
During my time in the basement, I never left my cell.

354
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:22.240
I did not breathe fresh air or glimpse any sunlight.

355
00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:25.000
In that whole time, I did not touch another person,

356
00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:27.720
and no one touched me, not even the officers. As

357
00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:30.759
I was not allowed to leave my cell. I actually

358
00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:33.359
began to feel and think of myself like a leper

359
00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:36.400
or some other untouchable, as if I were not fit

360
00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:39.359
to be around people because I would infect anyone I

361
00:21:39.400 --> 00:21:42.680
came into contact with. The Only time anyone spoke to

362
00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:47.160
me was during occasional rounds made by administrators, religious chaplains

363
00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:51.000
in a monthly visit from the prison psychologists. These interactions

364
00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:54.680
typically lasted only a matter of seconds. I received no

365
00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:58.200
reviews for eighteen months I was held in the basement cell.

366
00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:01.480
On rare occasions, when some one would visit my cell,

367
00:22:01.559 --> 00:22:03.160
I would ask what I could do to get out

368
00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:06.480
of solitary. They always responded they were just checking to

369
00:22:06.519 --> 00:22:10.599
see if I was receiving meals, wreck and appropriate programming

370
00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:13.640
always told them I had no authority to change the

371
00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:17.079
conditions of my confinement and that I needed to speak

372
00:22:17.119 --> 00:22:20.559
with the warden. Then he gets into the Silverstein Suite,

373
00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:23.119
as I told you about in the first episode, after

374
00:22:23.359 --> 00:22:27.640
approximately eighteen months in a basement cell without notice, as

375
00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:30.480
if they were supposed to give him notice, I was

376
00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:33.599
chained and shackled to a wheelchair and escorted to a

377
00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:36.720
new cell. The new cell, previously known as the Whole,

378
00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:40.599
was in the same building as the Levenworth Special Housing Unit.

379
00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:45.920
The officers ironically named this cell the Silvertine Suite. Even

380
00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:48.920
though it was technically in the shoe, I could not

381
00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:52.720
see or hear any other prisoners. The area where I

382
00:22:52.839 --> 00:22:56.359
was held was accessed by a separate entrance. Even when

383
00:22:56.359 --> 00:22:59.640
I listened at the event, I could not hear anything. Yet,

384
00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:03.000
some times pepper gas would come through my vents and

385
00:23:03.079 --> 00:23:05.640
would burn my eyes and throat. For a long time,

386
00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:08.359
I thought the officer sprayed the gas in the vent

387
00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:11.400
just to cause me pain. Later, however, I figured out

388
00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:14.079
the gas was coming through when it was used on

389
00:23:14.119 --> 00:23:17.640
the prisoners in the Shoe. The Special housing in it

390
00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:21.279
In the Silver Suite, I remained on the no human

391
00:23:21.359 --> 00:23:25.599
contact status and continued to be isolated. The Silvertein suite

392
00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:28.839
consisted of a cell area, an area devoted to conducting

393
00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:33.480
strip searches, and recreation areas, one outdoor and one indoor.

394
00:23:33.799 --> 00:23:37.279
The indoor wreck area was also used as a visiting area.

395
00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:40.880
The areas were separated by solid steel doors, and to

396
00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:44.960
move between the areas, prison staff will remotely open these

397
00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:48.039
to allow me to pass through. The outdoor wreck area

398
00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:52.240
was approximately seventeen feet by fourteen feet six inches and

399
00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:56.400
surrounded by twenty foot high concrete walls. The sky above

400
00:23:56.440 --> 00:23:59.160
the walls was blocked by a roof built out of

401
00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:02.400
two sets of wire bars and mesh. I could see

402
00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:06.039
nothing of the surrounding landscape or even the sky from

403
00:24:06.119 --> 00:24:10.279
the outdoor recreation area. In the Silverstein Suite, I was

404
00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:13.279
allowed to exercise one hour day, five days a week

405
00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:16.519
in the outdoor wreck area. Sometimes I was left in

406
00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:19.880
the outdoor wreck area for extended periods of time during

407
00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:23.960
the winter in the bitter cold, snow or rain. The

408
00:24:23.960 --> 00:24:27.559
indoor wreck area was opposite of the outdoor wreck area

409
00:24:27.720 --> 00:24:31.400
in strip search areas. It was approximately nine feet by

410
00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:37.079
sixteen feet and contained a broken stationary bike, a concrete stool, intercom,

411
00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:39.960
and a glass bar window that looked out into a

412
00:24:40.039 --> 00:24:43.920
visiting booth. Two surveillance cameras watch everything I did in

413
00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:47.000
the Silverstein Suite twenty four hours a day some days week.

414
00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:50.200
Many hated be and watched. I imagined the eyes on

415
00:24:50.319 --> 00:24:52.519
me all the time. As I moved around the cell,

416
00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:55.640
the camera would make a buzzing noise as they readjusted

417
00:24:55.720 --> 00:24:58.400
to see me again. It was humiliating to have to

418
00:24:58.440 --> 00:25:01.240
go to the bathroom or treat my hemorrhoids knowing the

419
00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:04.319
camera was always on me. During my time in the

420
00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:08.279
Silverstein Suite, I was always alone. I exercised alone and

421
00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:11.759
took all my meals alone. Lights remained on twenty four

422
00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:14.960
hours a day, seven days a week in the Silverstein Suite.

423
00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:18.279
A year or two before I was transferred from Levenworth

424
00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:21.440
to eighty X, the prison installed a switch that allowed

425
00:25:21.480 --> 00:25:24.279
me to turn off the light in my cell. However,

426
00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:26.960
I could still not make it fully dark, as the

427
00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:31.319
light in my hall remained on twenty four hours a day. Initially,

428
00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:34.440
I was only allowed one phone call per month. My

429
00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:38.920
phone privileges increased over time. And by twenty eleven I

430
00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:42.319
was allowed about three hundred minutes per month. Below was

431
00:25:42.359 --> 00:25:45.160
a drawing I made while in the Silverstein Suite that

432
00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:50.240
depicts how I made telephone calls, and it basically shows

433
00:25:51.039 --> 00:25:54.160
shows him and he's kneeling on the floor kind of

434
00:25:54.200 --> 00:25:58.000
in front of the slot in his prison door, and

435
00:25:58.039 --> 00:26:01.559
he's on a phone that they had passed through that slot,

436
00:26:01.640 --> 00:26:04.519
and it shows I guess these are two correstionional officers

437
00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:07.640
watching him while he's on the phone. You can tell, man,

438
00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:11.000
this guy did not like being watched all the time.

439
00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:13.880
Goes on to say, during my time in the Silverstein Suite,

440
00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:18.799
prison psychology staff conducted quote drive by visits, pausing only

441
00:26:18.920 --> 00:26:24.200
briefly at myself before moving on. When my psychologist, doctor Denny,

442
00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:27.440
came to speak to me, it would generally be just

443
00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:30.480
for a few minutes, and these conversations would always happen

444
00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:33.880
through a steel door. Often he didn't come at all,

445
00:26:34.160 --> 00:26:38.359
and I later learned that he conducted his psychological review

446
00:26:38.759 --> 00:26:42.400
by watching me on camera that constantly filmed me often

447
00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:47.000
express hopelessness and depression to the psychologists. I desperately tried

448
00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:50.599
to explain that my poor emotional state grew directly from

449
00:26:50.599 --> 00:26:54.119
my solitary confinement. I told doctor Denny about how I

450
00:26:54.119 --> 00:26:56.759
could not sleep and how I was leasing my memory.

451
00:26:56.920 --> 00:26:59.480
I asked him to help me, and I asked him

452
00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:03.720
to test me. However, doctor Denny refused to take any action.

453
00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:07.559
He told me my feelings and symptoms were normal for

454
00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:10.599
someone in these conditions, but I had the impression that

455
00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:13.279
he thought he would lose his job if he intervened

456
00:27:13.559 --> 00:27:16.839
or recommended that I be removed from solitary confinement. He

457
00:27:16.880 --> 00:27:20.279
would tell me, quote, I have a family to feed. Later,

458
00:27:20.359 --> 00:27:22.880
when I saw the reports, I discovered he didn't even

459
00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:26.240
write down much of what I told him. After numerous

460
00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:29.079
failed attempts to get doctor Denny to help me, I

461
00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:32.839
concluded it was pointless to continue, so I stopped talking

462
00:27:32.920 --> 00:27:36.680
to most of the psychological staff altogether. It was frustrating

463
00:27:36.759 --> 00:27:40.160
to express my vulnerability to someone who would not change

464
00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:44.000
his response no matter how I was doing. On rare occasions,

465
00:27:44.039 --> 00:27:47.200
about twice a year, I had reviews with people other

466
00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:51.720
than doctor Denny. I saw Miss Ashman more frequently, but

467
00:27:51.960 --> 00:27:55.440
definitely not more than a few times every couple months

468
00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:58.599
or so. In order to attend these reviews, I was

469
00:27:58.680 --> 00:28:02.200
chained to a wheelchair and escorted to the meetings, which

470
00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:05.640
were held only a few feet from my cell. During

471
00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:08.640
these reviews, I always inquired about what I needed to

472
00:28:08.680 --> 00:28:13.039
do to get out of solitary confinement. In response, administrators,

473
00:28:13.079 --> 00:28:16.319
including the case manager the region, were up and the

474
00:28:16.359 --> 00:28:19.319
warden informed me that they were not there to make

475
00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:23.319
decisions about my confinement replacement, but simply to see that

476
00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:27.400
I was getting meals, recreation, and mail, and discouraged me

477
00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:32.119
from continuing to ask questions about my confinement. After many

478
00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:35.519
years of these reviews without any change in my conditions,

479
00:28:35.559 --> 00:28:38.400
I saw no point in attending, and so I began

480
00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:43.359
refusing to attend. At this point, administrators began coming to

481
00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:46.960
my cell door to conduct these interviews, which continued to

482
00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:49.680
be meaningless for me. During the years I was in

483
00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:52.799
the Silverstein Suite, I was almost never taken out of

484
00:28:52.799 --> 00:28:55.720
my cell. On the rare occasion I was taken out,

485
00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:59.680
I was escorted by many correctional officers in riot gear.

486
00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:03.559
Low is an artistic rendering of my being taken to

487
00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:08.000
the prison hospital for a dental checkup, and it shows

488
00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:13.799
him shackled around the waist. He's got his he's got handcuffs,

489
00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:17.079
mind his back, He's shackled on his ankles, and there

490
00:29:17.160 --> 00:29:21.079
are like five officers in front of him and five

491
00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:25.400
officers behind him. And it says escort to prison hospital

492
00:29:25.400 --> 00:29:28.160
one hundred yards from Sell for dental checkup. And it

493
00:29:28.200 --> 00:29:31.839
says underneath that I've left the cell about four times

494
00:29:31.960 --> 00:29:35.839
in the eighteen years in counting. Goes on to say,

495
00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:38.720
Buddhism and yoga has helped me deal with my conditions

496
00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:42.240
and simultaneously helped me change as a person. I learned

497
00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:45.240
that all I can control is my reaction to what happens,

498
00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:47.559
and that no matter how hard to try, I can't

499
00:29:47.559 --> 00:29:51.519
control other people. Though I still suffer when the Bureau

500
00:29:51.519 --> 00:29:54.880
of Prisons failed to move me to less restrictive conditions

501
00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:58.519
year after year despite my good behavior, I've tried to

502
00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:03.240
control my reaction. This inaction. In addition, practicing yoga helps

503
00:30:03.279 --> 00:30:06.079
me call my anxiety and helped me to develop a

504
00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:09.759
great sense of inner peace. I spent the next fifteen

505
00:30:09.880 --> 00:30:13.319
years in the Silverstein suite, with two short stints back

506
00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:15.559
in the basement cell when the suite need to be

507
00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:19.319
painted or otherwise maintained. This is a picture I drew

508
00:30:19.319 --> 00:30:23.640
in nineteen ninety four, after eleven days in solitary confinement,

509
00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:28.039
and it shows him and he looks like he's naked,

510
00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:31.559
and he's bowing down in front of the cell door

511
00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:34.319
and he's got his hands raised in the air. Then

512
00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:37.960
it gets into eighty X and it says on July fifteenth,

513
00:30:38.039 --> 00:30:41.880
two thousand and five, without any notice or explanation. Man

514
00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:45.519
he is apparently pisses this guy off that he doesn't

515
00:30:45.559 --> 00:30:49.359
get noticed when he's getting moved. I was transferred to

516
00:30:49.440 --> 00:30:54.400
the Administrative Maximum Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado. No one ever

517
00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:57.599
talked to me about transferring to ADX, so I was

518
00:30:57.680 --> 00:31:00.839
unaware this was going to happen until the very morning

519
00:31:00.920 --> 00:31:04.319
the transfer took place. The day at my transfer, I

520
00:31:04.359 --> 00:31:06.599
awoke at five in the morning to a bunch of

521
00:31:06.599 --> 00:31:10.599
officers in full protective gear outside of my cell. I

522
00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:13.319
figured out quickly this meant I was going to move.

523
00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:16.319
I was taken to a van where I was shuffled

524
00:31:16.319 --> 00:31:19.599
from one cage to the next. The entire way I

525
00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:23.000
was hoping this transfer meant changed for the better. I

526
00:31:23.079 --> 00:31:26.559
soon realized it was not. When we arrived at ADX,

527
00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:29.279
I was immediately taken to the hospital in X raid.

528
00:31:29.720 --> 00:31:33.799
I was then hustled through long, sterile corridors with floors

529
00:31:33.839 --> 00:31:37.359
that gleamed. We passed through door after door until finally

530
00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:43.279
arriving at Range thirteen. Range thirteen is located on Z Unit,

531
00:31:43.319 --> 00:31:46.440
which is part of the shoe at ADX. I continue

532
00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:50.680
to be held on no human contact status on Range thirteen,

533
00:31:51.160 --> 00:31:54.759
the most restrictive housing unit in the most restrictive federal

534
00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:57.440
penitentiary in the country. I would not have thought this

535
00:31:57.640 --> 00:32:00.920
was possible, but in Range thirteen the conditions were even

536
00:32:01.039 --> 00:32:04.200
worse than Loving Worth. My cell was even smaller, and

537
00:32:04.240 --> 00:32:06.839
I lost many of the privileges that helped me endure

538
00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:10.519
the isolation, like art supplies and phone calls. There are

539
00:32:10.559 --> 00:32:13.960
four cells on Range thirteen, and I was rotated between

540
00:32:14.079 --> 00:32:17.960
two cells every three months. There was only one other

541
00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:21.720
person held on Range thirteen. After twenty two years of

542
00:32:21.839 --> 00:32:24.599
not being able to speak to another inmate, I was

543
00:32:24.640 --> 00:32:28.559
excited to have the opportunity to speak to anyone. Though

544
00:32:28.599 --> 00:32:30.480
we had to shout at each other and it was

545
00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:33.240
difficult to hear what the other person set back, it

546
00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:35.200
was still nice to be able to hear your own

547
00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:40.039
voice in conversation and a friendly voice replying However, the

548
00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:42.640
officers ordered us not to talk to each other and

549
00:32:42.680 --> 00:32:46.759
even threatened us with disciplinary report if we did talk.

550
00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:50.319
Pretty quickly after my arrival, a solid steel door was

551
00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:53.599
built in the hallway to further separate us and prevent

552
00:32:53.720 --> 00:32:56.359
us from even being able to shout to each other.

553
00:32:56.599 --> 00:32:59.519
In some ways, knowing someone else was nearby and some

554
00:32:59.640 --> 00:33:02.680
more additions made me feel better. Just knowing there was

555
00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:05.319
someone else who understood a little bit of what I

556
00:33:05.359 --> 00:33:09.400
went through each day made me feel better somehow. The

557
00:33:09.559 --> 00:33:13.400
cells on Range thirteen were about eight foot six foot

558
00:33:13.440 --> 00:33:17.160
six inches by ten feet, almost half the size of

559
00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:20.920
my cell in Leavenworth. Each contained a cement bab with

560
00:33:21.079 --> 00:33:25.480
metal restraint rings, a cement dish, sink, toilet, and shower.

561
00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:28.720
In one cell, the walls were cement and I had

562
00:33:28.759 --> 00:33:32.599
a mirror in a small horizontal window near the ceiling

563
00:33:32.680 --> 00:33:34.640
that I could look out of. If I stood on

564
00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:37.960
my desk, I can only see the concrete barriers of

565
00:33:38.039 --> 00:33:41.079
the outdoor workout area. I couldn't even see the sky.

566
00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:43.799
In the other cell, the walls were made of steel

567
00:33:43.920 --> 00:33:46.599
and there was no mirror. There was a window, However,

568
00:33:46.640 --> 00:33:48.799
I couldn't see out of the window because it was

569
00:33:48.839 --> 00:33:51.759
covered in mesh that had been painted over, making it

570
00:33:51.839 --> 00:33:55.480
difficult even for light to shine in. Even though I

571
00:33:55.519 --> 00:33:57.960
could dim my cell light, I could never turn it

572
00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:01.880
completely off. In addition of lights in the sally ports

573
00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:04.839
of both cells were on twenty four hours a day,

574
00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:10.000
I was still continuously monitored by video surveillance cameras. Being

575
00:34:10.159 --> 00:34:13.280
watched all the time made me feel like I lived

576
00:34:13.320 --> 00:34:16.519
in a Petrie dish, like I'm a bacteria under the

577
00:34:16.559 --> 00:34:20.880
BP's microscope. That's a pure prisons. I used to be

578
00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:24.599
extremely apprehensive whenever I heard the officers thrust the grill

579
00:34:24.679 --> 00:34:28.599
gate key into the lock to interrange thirteen. The noise

580
00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:31.679
from unlocking the gate isn't very loud, but I have

581
00:34:31.880 --> 00:34:36.519
become extremely sensitive to noises. Many of the privileges that

582
00:34:36.639 --> 00:34:39.559
I had been given over time at Lovenworth were denied

583
00:34:39.599 --> 00:34:43.440
at ADX. For example, my phone time was decreased from

584
00:34:43.480 --> 00:34:46.760
three hundred minutes a month to two fifteen minute phone

585
00:34:46.800 --> 00:34:49.480
calls per month, and I was no longer allowed to

586
00:34:49.519 --> 00:34:52.639
send art to many people who I had corresponded with

587
00:34:52.679 --> 00:34:56.119
by mail. I was not given any explanation for why

588
00:34:56.159 --> 00:35:01.119
my limited ability to communicate with people was being further restricted.

589
00:35:01.519 --> 00:35:04.519
I was also deprived of all my art supplies except

590
00:35:04.559 --> 00:35:07.599
a pencil and paper. I take my art very serious

591
00:35:07.679 --> 00:35:10.519
and being an artist is what defines me, so it

592
00:35:10.559 --> 00:35:14.440
was extremely difficult to find myself suddenly without art supplies.

593
00:35:14.920 --> 00:35:18.559
I felt as if a significant piece of meat went missing.

594
00:35:19.119 --> 00:35:21.360
In December of two thousand and seven, after him as

595
00:35:21.400 --> 00:35:24.239
two and a half years, a very limited amount of

596
00:35:24.360 --> 00:35:26.880
art supplies were returned to me, for which I am

597
00:35:27.039 --> 00:35:30.800
very thankful. However, even to this day, I am limited

598
00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:34.320
to only six watercolors and I'm not allowed any other

599
00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:37.719
type of paint which I had access to at Leavenworth

600
00:35:37.960 --> 00:35:40.599
on Range thirteen, I was allowed to use one of

601
00:35:40.679 --> 00:35:44.599
two outdoor wreck areas, which were connected to the cells

602
00:35:44.679 --> 00:35:48.519
via remote operated doors. The outdoor wreck area was a

603
00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:53.000
concrete pit surrounded by high, featureless walls on all sides.

604
00:35:53.079 --> 00:35:56.400
It felt like being inside of a deep, empty swimming pool.

605
00:35:56.440 --> 00:35:58.760
I couldn't see any of the mountains, even though I

606
00:35:58.800 --> 00:36:01.920
knew they had to be closed. Also couldn't see a

607
00:36:01.960 --> 00:36:05.159
single tree, a blade of grass, or any sign of nature.

608
00:36:05.400 --> 00:36:07.800
I was also allowed to use an indoor wreck ara,

609
00:36:07.880 --> 00:36:11.480
which was connected to the cells via remote operated doors.

610
00:36:11.960 --> 00:36:15.559
I generally received one hour of wreck time five days

611
00:36:15.599 --> 00:36:18.719
a week. The recreation area was so small that I

612
00:36:18.719 --> 00:36:21.519
could walk no more than ten steps in either direction

613
00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:25.199
and thirty steps in a circle. There was no equipment

614
00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:28.599
in the wreck area during the time. I was combined

615
00:36:28.599 --> 00:36:31.239
at Range thirteen to eight every meal or one in

616
00:36:31.280 --> 00:36:34.960
my cell and exercised by myself. My meals were usually

617
00:36:35.079 --> 00:36:40.199
late and almost always cold. Every thirty days, the psychological

618
00:36:40.320 --> 00:36:44.159
staff would conduct a mental health interview, which usually only

619
00:36:44.239 --> 00:36:47.760
lasted minutes. This meaning took place by talking through a

620
00:36:47.800 --> 00:36:51.800
solid steel door. Sometimes staffould walk into the sally port,

621
00:36:51.880 --> 00:36:55.920
but they were always accompanied by armed correctional officers. These

622
00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:58.960
meetings did not last more than a few minutes. The

623
00:36:59.039 --> 00:37:01.760
psychology staff would ask me how I was feeling, and

624
00:37:01.800 --> 00:37:04.159
I would try to answer honestly, but it seemed like

625
00:37:04.239 --> 00:37:07.119
they were not really listening and just waiting for a

626
00:37:07.159 --> 00:37:10.320
few minutes to pass before they could leave. While I

627
00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:13.239
was on Range thirteen, I left my celf for only

628
00:37:13.320 --> 00:37:17.679
infrequent haircuts and semi annual reviews. When I was taken

629
00:37:17.719 --> 00:37:20.519
out of my cell, I was subject to invasive strip

630
00:37:20.599 --> 00:37:24.079
searches and handcuffed and shackled to a black box. Suspended

631
00:37:24.119 --> 00:37:28.039
by chains around my waist. My ankles were also shackled

632
00:37:28.239 --> 00:37:31.840
every time I was escorted by at least three officers.

633
00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:35.400
I hated having my haircut because it meant someone would

634
00:37:35.440 --> 00:37:39.039
be standing behind me touching me. Even though these only

635
00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:42.079
lasted ten minutes, it made me so anxious I would

636
00:37:42.119 --> 00:37:46.320
start to shake uncontrollably. Getting my haircut still affects me

637
00:37:46.559 --> 00:37:49.519
to this day. As much as I am happy to

638
00:37:49.519 --> 00:37:51.880
be out of my cell, even to walk somewhere in

639
00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:55.679
the prison for a haircut, the shackles injure my hands.

640
00:37:56.280 --> 00:37:59.800
The black box in particular prevents movement by cutting into

641
00:37:59.800 --> 00:38:03.559
my risk, and I sometimes request to see medical staff

642
00:38:03.599 --> 00:38:07.599
because of my wrist and their bleeding. Following these trips,

643
00:38:07.960 --> 00:38:10.360
when I returned to my cell on Range thirteen, I

644
00:38:10.480 --> 00:38:14.880
was once again strip search. These evasive, humiliating strip searches

645
00:38:14.880 --> 00:38:18.960
and infrequent haircuts were the only physical human contact I

646
00:38:19.039 --> 00:38:22.599
had on Range thirteen. In two thousand and six, I

647
00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:27.760
began receiving semi annual reviews Ward Willie, the NCR director

648
00:38:27.920 --> 00:38:32.239
in CPD assistant. I never received notice of these reviews,

649
00:38:32.800 --> 00:38:36.280
so I've never had an opportunity to prepare arguments or

650
00:38:36.440 --> 00:38:40.159
evidence I never knew what kind of criteria was going

651
00:38:40.239 --> 00:38:42.480
to be used to evaluate me, or even if there

652
00:38:42.480 --> 00:38:46.280
were any standards used. I repeatedly asked what I needed

653
00:38:46.320 --> 00:38:49.719
to do to be moved out of Range thirteen. In response,

654
00:38:49.760 --> 00:38:52.400
I was just told to quote, keep doing what you're doing.

655
00:38:52.960 --> 00:38:55.960
These reviews only lasted a few minutes, just long enough

656
00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:59.079
for them to ask me a few questions. These reviews

657
00:38:59.119 --> 00:39:02.760
were held in per so, however, the reviewers still always

658
00:39:02.800 --> 00:39:06.239
told me they couldn't move me, but were checking on me.

659
00:39:06.639 --> 00:39:10.880
Then he gets into what's known as the ADX D unit,

660
00:39:11.360 --> 00:39:14.039
and he says, on April seventh of two thousand and eight,

661
00:39:14.079 --> 00:39:16.719
without notice, I was moved to the D unit, where

662
00:39:16.760 --> 00:39:20.360
I'm currently housed. I truly believe I was moved to

663
00:39:20.440 --> 00:39:23.599
the D unit not because of these reviews, but because

664
00:39:23.639 --> 00:39:27.679
I filed a lawsuit challenging my conditions of confinement. The

665
00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:32.360
BP describes D unit as a general population unit. However,

666
00:39:32.400 --> 00:39:36.480
at ADX, prisoners in general population still live in isolation.

667
00:39:37.159 --> 00:39:40.119
Like all prisoners at ADX, except for those in the

668
00:39:40.159 --> 00:39:43.559
step down program, I'm confined and he cell that is

669
00:39:43.599 --> 00:39:46.480
bright all the time, since the light in the hallways

670
00:39:46.519 --> 00:39:49.599
never go off surrounded by walls on four sides of

671
00:39:49.679 --> 00:39:53.280
most all the time, including showers and meals from my cell,

672
00:39:53.360 --> 00:39:56.320
I cannot see or talk to another person. Although I

673
00:39:56.360 --> 00:40:00.039
can communicate a little by yelling through the vents. I

674
00:40:00.159 --> 00:40:03.280
never see another inmate face to face without a barrier

675
00:40:03.440 --> 00:40:06.960
of some kind separating us. When I was first transferred

676
00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:09.039
to d in It, I was placed on a range

677
00:40:09.039 --> 00:40:11.800
where there were no other prisoners. I was the only

678
00:40:11.880 --> 00:40:15.280
prisoner on the range for several months and d in It.

679
00:40:15.360 --> 00:40:19.320
I was surprised at how noisy everything seemed. After spending

680
00:40:19.480 --> 00:40:22.760
decades in silence without hearing a normal day to day

681
00:40:22.800 --> 00:40:26.000
activity of other people, The sign of a toilet flushing

682
00:40:26.079 --> 00:40:28.840
or a shower running seems so loud and always caught

683
00:40:28.880 --> 00:40:32.119
me by surprise. Even though I have earplugs daily life

684
00:40:32.119 --> 00:40:35.880
still feels very loud and overwhelming. Sometimes I have trouble

685
00:40:36.000 --> 00:40:38.920
sleeping when I can hear others around me. After years

686
00:40:38.920 --> 00:40:42.079
of being by myself, the small sounds can be distressing

687
00:40:42.159 --> 00:40:44.840
and keep me up at night. It is spooky how

688
00:40:44.920 --> 00:40:48.079
isolated you can be while still being in such close

689
00:40:48.199 --> 00:40:51.639
physical proximity to someone. I know. There are other men

690
00:40:51.800 --> 00:40:55.679
nearby on my range. I just can't see them. Although

691
00:40:55.719 --> 00:40:58.639
I prefer to have people in physical proximity to me

692
00:40:58.840 --> 00:41:02.400
rather than being gig rightically isolated as I have been

693
00:41:02.480 --> 00:41:05.559
in the past, it can be disturbing to be subjected

694
00:41:05.599 --> 00:41:09.239
to yelling or screaming of the prisoners who were mentally ill,

695
00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:12.000
and it's hard to concentrate or sleep when mentally ill

696
00:41:12.119 --> 00:41:15.360
inmates are placed in the same range. And sometimes it's

697
00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:19.079
hard to even hear myself think because people yell, scream,

698
00:41:19.239 --> 00:41:22.679
or act out both sides of a conversation in a cell,

699
00:41:23.360 --> 00:41:26.920
basically talking to themselves. For the first few months, indeed,

700
00:41:26.960 --> 00:41:30.159
Unit I was only allowed indoor wreck on a specific

701
00:41:30.360 --> 00:41:33.599
range that no other prisoners use, so I cannot see

702
00:41:33.840 --> 00:41:38.360
or hear other prisoners even during recreation. Because I had

703
00:41:38.400 --> 00:41:41.519
to be escorted to recreation by a lieutenant, I was

704
00:41:41.599 --> 00:41:44.760
often forced to skip wreck if there was not a

705
00:41:44.800 --> 00:41:48.719
lieutenant available, and I only went to wreck approximately once

706
00:41:48.760 --> 00:41:52.480
a week. My cell is approximately eighty seven square feet

707
00:41:52.480 --> 00:41:56.239
and contained a concrete bed, desk, shower, sink, and toilet.

708
00:41:56.360 --> 00:41:59.280
My cell is separated from the hallway by two doors,

709
00:41:59.639 --> 00:42:03.480
one of which is solid steel. There's very little natural

710
00:42:03.559 --> 00:42:06.880
light in my cell. I'm usually confined to my cell

711
00:42:07.119 --> 00:42:09.719
for twenty two hours a day five days a week,

712
00:42:09.840 --> 00:42:12.119
and twenty four hours a day the other two days

713
00:42:12.159 --> 00:42:14.679
a week. I take all of my meals alone in

714
00:42:14.760 --> 00:42:17.559
my cell. I'm supposed to have an outside wreck two

715
00:42:17.679 --> 00:42:20.599
or three times a week. Outside recreation on the D

716
00:42:20.760 --> 00:42:23.440
Unit takes place in a small metal cage at the

717
00:42:23.440 --> 00:42:27.360
bottom of a poured concrete pit. Inside the cages, there's

718
00:42:27.519 --> 00:42:29.960
not enough room to take more than a few steps

719
00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:34.719
in any direction. There is no recreation equipment in the cages,

720
00:42:35.079 --> 00:42:37.639
and I'm not allowed to bring anything with me to wreck.

721
00:42:38.039 --> 00:42:41.679
My telephone privileges remain limited to two point fifteen minute

722
00:42:41.719 --> 00:42:44.719
calls per month, even after the move to D Unit.

723
00:42:45.119 --> 00:42:47.559
From the time I was first moved to D Unit

724
00:42:47.719 --> 00:42:51.480
until January two thousand and nine, two correctional officers and

725
00:42:51.519 --> 00:42:55.159
a lieutenant escorted me from my cell. Now only two

726
00:42:55.239 --> 00:42:59.039
correctional officers escort me. When I was first moved D Unit,

727
00:42:59.079 --> 00:43:02.320
I was only allowed social and legal visits on Monday,

728
00:43:02.440 --> 00:43:05.440
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and only when there were no other

729
00:43:05.480 --> 00:43:08.440
prisoners in the visiting booths. I'm now allowed to have

730
00:43:08.519 --> 00:43:13.639
social and legal visits on Tuesdays, Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. However,

731
00:43:13.719 --> 00:43:16.920
it's difficult for my family to travel to Colorado, and

732
00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:20.519
therefore I only had two social visits in five and

733
00:43:20.519 --> 00:43:24.960
a half years since being transferred to ADX. My interactions

734
00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:29.760
with staff are minimal and are devoid of any personal connection. Recently,

735
00:43:29.800 --> 00:43:32.920
I started keeping a journal detailing who I see in

736
00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:35.960
talk to during the day. For the month of December,

737
00:43:36.039 --> 00:43:39.039
I recorded each and every contact I have with staff

738
00:43:39.079 --> 00:43:42.440
members at the ADX. I logged who I spoke to

739
00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:46.280
in what the conversation was about. I used a watch

740
00:43:46.400 --> 00:43:50.000
to know the number of seconds each interaction lasted and

741
00:43:50.079 --> 00:43:53.920
recorded this information promptly into a log. A true and

742
00:43:54.000 --> 00:43:57.639
correct copy of the logs is attached in this declaration.

743
00:43:57.960 --> 00:44:01.760
Even during my six month program, I did not spend

744
00:44:01.920 --> 00:44:04.760
much time interacting with staff. I never know when the

745
00:44:04.800 --> 00:44:07.719
program reviews are going to happen, and the forms for

746
00:44:07.840 --> 00:44:10.599
my team reviews are already filled in and dated by

747
00:44:10.639 --> 00:44:13.519
the time I see them. It feels like I don't

748
00:44:13.519 --> 00:44:15.360
even get a chance to try and prove I'm a

749
00:44:15.360 --> 00:44:20.360
different person. My past just fills my future. My involvement

750
00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:23.440
in the reviews is usually just my presence and the

751
00:44:23.480 --> 00:44:25.920
time it takes me to sign the forms. However, it's

752
00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:29.760
not uncommon for prison staff to slide my program review

753
00:44:29.840 --> 00:44:32.599
form under my door when I'm at wreck and expect

754
00:44:32.679 --> 00:44:35.079
me to sign them without speaking to me at all.

755
00:44:35.480 --> 00:44:38.280
Sometimes I ask questions, but no one has ever had

756
00:44:38.400 --> 00:44:41.760
the answer, and nothing is really ever explained to me.

757
00:44:41.960 --> 00:44:44.760
When my case manager brings me the papers to sign,

758
00:44:44.880 --> 00:44:47.159
she always tells me the same thing, that she is

759
00:44:47.199 --> 00:44:49.719
not part of the committee that decides if I leave

760
00:44:49.760 --> 00:44:53.480
her stay. She only determines whether I'm eligible for consideration

761
00:44:53.639 --> 00:44:55.920
by the committee, and I need to talk to someone

762
00:44:55.960 --> 00:44:59.199
else about my problems with my conditions of confinement. We

763
00:44:59.360 --> 00:45:02.400
usually just talk about what television shows I need to

764
00:45:02.440 --> 00:45:05.199
watch for my programming. When I was transferred to d

765
00:45:05.360 --> 00:45:08.079
in It, I felt hopeful about progressing through the step

766
00:45:08.119 --> 00:45:11.039
Down program. However, I'm never told what I must do

767
00:45:11.159 --> 00:45:13.599
to move forward, and even though I am eligible for

768
00:45:13.880 --> 00:45:17.400
entering into the program, I'm always denied. I request more

769
00:45:17.440 --> 00:45:22.159
information and always appeal my denials into the step Down program.

770
00:45:22.199 --> 00:45:25.519
Reading the Step Down program denials is frustrating because they

771
00:45:25.519 --> 00:45:28.920
are vague and never really explain what I should be doing. Differently,

772
00:45:29.000 --> 00:45:31.760
I would appreciate more guidance about what I need to

773
00:45:31.760 --> 00:45:34.519
do to mitigate my crimes of placement or prove my

774
00:45:34.599 --> 00:45:38.159
good behavior isn't merely because of the security measures that

775
00:45:38.239 --> 00:45:41.079
are imposed on me. Sometimes I am told the Bureau

776
00:45:41.119 --> 00:45:43.960
of Prisons needs more time to assess my behavior, But

777
00:45:44.119 --> 00:45:47.280
after twenty two years of clean time, how much more

778
00:45:47.320 --> 00:45:50.119
time do they need. I'm not allowed to be present

779
00:45:50.159 --> 00:45:52.599
when the step Down committee reviews me, and I'm not

780
00:45:52.639 --> 00:45:55.960
allowed to submit any evidence or testimony about why I

781
00:45:56.000 --> 00:45:59.199
should be allowed to enter the program, or rebute any

782
00:45:59.360 --> 00:46:04.599
incorrect evidence that the committee may be relying on. Every

783
00:46:04.599 --> 00:46:07.400
denial feels like I just have run a marathon and

784
00:46:07.440 --> 00:46:09.719
been told to run it all over again and again.

785
00:46:10.199 --> 00:46:13.440
It is one step forward and two steps back. I

786
00:46:13.559 --> 00:46:17.199
always fill out an administrative remedy request, but it doesn't

787
00:46:17.239 --> 00:46:20.400
really ever do me any good because no change is

788
00:46:20.519 --> 00:46:23.880
ever come from it. Everything is just approved and endorsed

789
00:46:23.880 --> 00:46:27.960
from above. My eligibility for the step Down program is

790
00:46:27.960 --> 00:46:30.679
not in doubt. I have over twenty two years of

791
00:46:30.800 --> 00:46:34.480
incident free behavior to my credit, including more than a

792
00:46:34.559 --> 00:46:38.280
year of clear conduct in d in it. Additionally, I

793
00:46:38.320 --> 00:46:41.719
continue to meet and exceed programming recommendations made by my

794
00:46:41.920 --> 00:46:48.159
unit team, demonstrate positive institutional adjustment, and maintain appropriate interactions

795
00:46:48.199 --> 00:46:51.880
with staff. I also hope to receive an orderly position.

796
00:46:52.079 --> 00:46:54.320
I feel like that becoming an orderly would give me

797
00:46:54.360 --> 00:46:57.559
a sense of purpose and responsibility, as well as allow

798
00:46:57.639 --> 00:46:59.519
me to prove to the Bureau of Prisons I am

799
00:46:59.559 --> 00:47:03.480
no longer a violent person and provide the opportunity to

800
00:47:03.519 --> 00:47:07.760
earn a small income. Then he gets into his reflection

801
00:47:08.039 --> 00:47:11.440
on twenty eight years of solitary and he says, except

802
00:47:11.480 --> 00:47:14.199
for a single week during the Atlanta prison ride, I

803
00:47:14.239 --> 00:47:17.920
have lived continuously in solitary confinement for the past twenty

804
00:47:17.920 --> 00:47:22.760
eight years. Other than infrequent haircuts, strip searches, and medical examinations,

805
00:47:23.079 --> 00:47:26.280
the only physical human contact I have experienced in the

806
00:47:26.320 --> 00:47:30.199
past twenty eight years is when the Bureau Prisons officers

807
00:47:30.239 --> 00:47:33.400
handcuffed me and escort me. For twenty eight years, I've

808
00:47:33.440 --> 00:47:36.719
been isolated from other inmates. On rare occasion, I've been

809
00:47:36.760 --> 00:47:40.719
able to communicate with my peers by yelling through prison walls.

810
00:47:41.000 --> 00:47:43.880
For thirty five years, my visitor list has been restricted

811
00:47:43.920 --> 00:47:47.880
to family members and people I know before I was incarcerated.

812
00:47:48.280 --> 00:47:51.599
Not only have I lost touch with nearly everyone I

813
00:47:51.679 --> 00:47:54.800
knew while on the outside, but I have been kept

814
00:47:54.880 --> 00:47:58.679
far from my family, making visits difficult and rare. For

815
00:47:58.800 --> 00:48:01.639
twenty eight years of eating every meal alone in my cell.

816
00:48:01.960 --> 00:48:04.599
For twenty eight years, I have been entuned in concrete

817
00:48:04.679 --> 00:48:08.440
and still and have not enjoyed anything even remotely resembling

818
00:48:08.519 --> 00:48:12.320
open space. I am barely even a light outside. When outside,

819
00:48:12.360 --> 00:48:15.039
I'm surrounded by twenty foot high walls and alignment of you,

820
00:48:15.599 --> 00:48:18.199
no more than a sliver of sky, and nothing of

821
00:48:18.239 --> 00:48:22.920
the surrounding landscape. After twenty eight years without much environmental stipulation,

822
00:48:23.119 --> 00:48:25.760
I feel like my mental state is deteriorating. I have

823
00:48:25.840 --> 00:48:29.480
difficulty remembering certain words, and I feel I cannot always

824
00:48:29.559 --> 00:48:33.360
accurately express when I'm trying to communicate. My mind is

825
00:48:33.360 --> 00:48:35.679
always in a fog. I hear what people are saying

826
00:48:35.760 --> 00:48:38.800
but can't understand them, and I have trouble focusing for

827
00:48:38.880 --> 00:48:41.440
more than a few minutes. I often have to watch

828
00:48:41.519 --> 00:48:45.599
my educational programs several times because I miss important details

829
00:48:45.719 --> 00:48:49.800
or misinterpret what I hear. I'm listening, but I'm not hearing.

830
00:48:50.320 --> 00:48:54.239
Sometimes I have hallucinations where I see human shadows outside

831
00:48:54.280 --> 00:48:57.400
my cell window. I never can be real because my

832
00:48:57.559 --> 00:49:01.079
cell is on the second floor. Often I perceive the

833
00:49:01.199 --> 00:49:04.639
colors in my cell change, fluctuating from light to dark.

834
00:49:04.840 --> 00:49:09.199
At other times, people's faces become disoriented and frightening. There's

835
00:49:09.320 --> 00:49:12.239
no end to the monotony of my days. Each day

836
00:49:12.400 --> 00:49:15.519
is the same as the one before and the one after.

837
00:49:15.719 --> 00:49:19.800
The tedium of my day's SAPs any motivation I might have.

838
00:49:20.199 --> 00:49:23.800
I am anxious at all times. I'm giving medicine for anxiety,

839
00:49:23.840 --> 00:49:26.920
but it doesn't help. Instead, the medicine side effects make

840
00:49:27.000 --> 00:49:30.679
me feel drowsy and tired during the day. I have

841
00:49:30.760 --> 00:49:33.599
trouble sleeping. I never sleep more than four or five

842
00:49:33.639 --> 00:49:36.880
hours a night. When I do sleep, my dreams are

843
00:49:37.000 --> 00:49:41.519
being held in solitary confinement. Twenty eight years of solitary

844
00:49:41.559 --> 00:49:44.480
has also taken a physical toll on me. I often

845
00:49:44.559 --> 00:49:48.280
have trouble breathing, which may be related to anxiety. My

846
00:49:48.360 --> 00:49:51.760
eyesight is worsening, and I'm having trouble getting to the

847
00:49:51.800 --> 00:49:55.559
eye doctor. I also think my muscles are beginning to atrophy.

848
00:49:56.079 --> 00:49:58.760
I receive a little wreck five days a week, but

849
00:49:58.880 --> 00:50:00.639
other than that, I spent and the rest of my

850
00:50:00.760 --> 00:50:03.679
day laying in bed or sitting at my desk. There's

851
00:50:03.840 --> 00:50:07.039
not too much space for movement at all. In myself.

852
00:50:07.400 --> 00:50:09.880
I have hepatitis SEA, which I have been told for

853
00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:12.599
over a year that I qualify for treatment, but I'm

854
00:50:12.639 --> 00:50:15.000
still waiting to receive it. When I asked why I

855
00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:18.000
didn't receive it, I'm informed that there's a very long

856
00:50:18.119 --> 00:50:22.559
weight less I have painful hemorrhoids that bleed frequently. I

857
00:50:22.599 --> 00:50:25.119
often can't sit down because of the pain and blood.

858
00:50:25.559 --> 00:50:28.840
I've tried to alter my diet and use other methods

859
00:50:28.880 --> 00:50:31.480
of treatment. I was told by the surgeon that I

860
00:50:31.519 --> 00:50:34.960
am candidate for hemorrhoid surgery, which would prevent me from

861
00:50:35.039 --> 00:50:40.119
suffering future harm including pain, humiliation, and bleeding. However, ADX

862
00:50:40.159 --> 00:50:43.079
inform me that I was denied this surgery. No reason

863
00:50:43.119 --> 00:50:46.519
for the denial was given. I filed a complaint about this,

864
00:50:46.639 --> 00:50:48.719
and in response, I was told that I didn't need

865
00:50:48.760 --> 00:50:51.960
the surgery and could speak to the doctor's assistant about

866
00:50:52.039 --> 00:50:55.920
using creams and suppositories, the same and effective treatments I've

867
00:50:55.920 --> 00:50:59.320
been using for years. The experience of being utterly alone

868
00:50:59.360 --> 00:51:02.639
in the tiny for three decades has caused me emotional

869
00:51:02.719 --> 00:51:06.639
despair and caused me to deteriorate physically as well. Though

870
00:51:06.679 --> 00:51:08.760
I know that I want to live and have always

871
00:51:08.760 --> 00:51:12.880
been a survivor. I have often wished for death. I know, though,

872
00:51:12.960 --> 00:51:15.159
that I don't want to die. What I want is

873
00:51:15.360 --> 00:51:18.000
a life in prison that I can feel with some meaning.

874
00:51:18.519 --> 00:51:21.039
I have changed so much in behavior and outlook from

875
00:51:21.079 --> 00:51:23.800
the person I was twenty eight years ago. I have

876
00:51:23.880 --> 00:51:27.360
no interest in violence. I have devoted the past twenty

877
00:51:27.360 --> 00:51:30.719
six years to Buddhism. I've been a vegetarian for many

878
00:51:30.800 --> 00:51:34.159
years now, for both health and spiritual reasons. I receive

879
00:51:34.360 --> 00:51:37.719
letters sometimes from people telling me I am a monster.

880
00:51:38.280 --> 00:51:40.400
They think because of what I did that I don't

881
00:51:40.440 --> 00:51:43.360
have any emotions or feelings. I can see why they

882
00:51:43.400 --> 00:51:46.679
think that, but it's not true. I feel very deeply

883
00:51:46.920 --> 00:51:49.880
about the terrible pain that I have caused others. I

884
00:51:49.920 --> 00:51:52.639
hate what I did, and I hate forever being defined

885
00:51:52.639 --> 00:51:56.239
by those actions. As horrible as my actions were and

886
00:51:56.280 --> 00:52:00.199
as awful as their consequences are, I'm still a human being.

887
00:52:00.360 --> 00:52:03.519
I am not just a killer. I'm a father, a brother,

888
00:52:03.639 --> 00:52:06.119
and a friend. I try to find meaning in my

889
00:52:06.239 --> 00:52:09.519
life and to be of value to others. I have

890
00:52:09.639 --> 00:52:14.320
developed my artistic talent as a constructive means of self expression.

891
00:52:14.440 --> 00:52:18.159
Creating art enhances my feelings that my life has values.

892
00:52:18.320 --> 00:52:21.320
My efforts also give me an appreciation for the work

893
00:52:21.400 --> 00:52:24.280
of others. When you work hard for something, you value it,

894
00:52:24.400 --> 00:52:27.400
and it helps you to value and appreciate the things

895
00:52:27.559 --> 00:52:31.039
that others work hard for. It feels me with despair that,

896
00:52:31.119 --> 00:52:34.840
after twenty eight years of meeting their expectations and complying

897
00:52:34.840 --> 00:52:37.840
with the rules, the Bureau of Prisons is still unwilling

898
00:52:37.880 --> 00:52:41.280
to recognize any of the changes I've accomplished to myself

899
00:52:41.679 --> 00:52:44.960
and gives me no further opportunities to show that I

900
00:52:45.000 --> 00:52:48.239
am not who they think I am. For twenty eight years,

901
00:52:48.280 --> 00:52:51.559
I've been model prisoner. I've done everything the Bureau of

902
00:52:51.559 --> 00:52:55.119
Prisons dis asked of me, yet I am repeatedly denied

903
00:52:55.320 --> 00:52:58.559
an orderly position in placement in the step Down program.

904
00:52:58.920 --> 00:53:02.800
Getting out of solitary confinement will relieve the relentless and

905
00:53:02.840 --> 00:53:06.519
crushing strain that has worn away in my mind, my body,

906
00:53:06.559 --> 00:53:10.039
and my spirit for twenty eight years. After twenty eight

907
00:53:10.079 --> 00:53:14.079
years of solitary including over twenty two years of clear conduct,

908
00:53:14.519 --> 00:53:17.639
I hope for and I think I deserve a chance

909
00:53:18.119 --> 00:53:20.480
to progress to the step down program. Even though he

910
00:53:20.639 --> 00:53:25.159
murdered three people, in prison, and he declared that under

911
00:53:25.199 --> 00:53:28.360
penalty of perjury that it was true and crack signed

912
00:53:28.400 --> 00:53:33.159
by Thomas Selverstein, and that was dated two four of

913
00:53:33.199 --> 00:53:37.079
twenty eleven. And that was a mouthful, but you know,

914
00:53:37.239 --> 00:53:39.639
one of the I personally feel like that's one of

915
00:53:39.719 --> 00:53:45.519
the most interesting looks that I've seen as far as

916
00:53:45.679 --> 00:53:51.480
what it's like actually in these maximum security prisons. So,

917
00:53:51.599 --> 00:53:54.639
if nothing else, it was very well written. And what

918
00:53:54.760 --> 00:53:57.719
was the result of that back in twenty eleven, Well,

919
00:53:58.159 --> 00:54:04.360
he got denied, the lawsuit got completely dismissed, and Thomas

920
00:54:04.360 --> 00:54:07.400
Silverstein went on living his life. He was living it.

921
00:54:07.440 --> 00:54:11.599
He actually died on May eleventh, twenty nineteen. He was

922
00:54:11.719 --> 00:54:16.159
sixty seven years old. He was still incarcerated at ADX

923
00:54:16.239 --> 00:54:21.440
Florence Supermac's prison in Colorado, and he died of a

924
00:54:21.559 --> 00:54:26.119
heart issue. He was having heart problems. He was actually

925
00:54:26.239 --> 00:54:30.239
not at ADX when he died. They were getting him

926
00:54:30.400 --> 00:54:34.119
medical some sort of surgery, heart surgery of some sort.

927
00:54:34.679 --> 00:54:37.719
And I'm assuming he died on the table or shortly

928
00:54:37.800 --> 00:54:41.039
after the surgery. But he did die May eleventh of

929
00:54:41.119 --> 00:54:44.920
twenty nineteen. And that is the story of what some

930
00:54:45.039 --> 00:54:50.679
consider the most dangerous prisoner in American history behind prison

931
00:54:50.719 --> 00:54:55.559
walls anyway, and that is terrible. Tommy Thomas Silverstein, I

932
00:54:55.599 --> 00:54:59.039
hope you enjoyed this two part episode. I'll be back

933
00:54:59.119 --> 00:55:02.119
soon with a not other episode of Bloody Angola, a

934
00:55:02.239 --> 00:55:06.199
podcast two years in the making, the complete story of

935
00:55:06.239 --> 00:55:08.880
America's bloodiest present peace.

936
00:55:24.519 --> 00:55:35.039
A Wall Street line, shackle change, Oh, WHO'SO Girdie? It's

937
00:55:35.159 --> 00:55:41.519
calling my name. There is no mercy and it's been

938
00:55:41.719 --> 00:55:49.679
a tentery juice as the huge stream game Wrangle three.

939
00:55:51.679 --> 00:55:52.440
I'm here.

940
00:55:55.000 --> 00:55:56.840
By me to die.

941
00:55:58.440 --> 00:56:03.679
Inside these, inside the wild.

942
00:56:05.239 --> 00:56:06.760
And when the walk.

943
00:56:08.239 --> 00:56:17.039
As I know, it's abody Angler.

944
00:56:20.000 --> 00:56:23.360
Ohbody Angle